Title: Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Nineteen
Author: Endless-Kaoru
Pairing: None yet.
Rating: Overall: R. This Chapter: PG-13

Warnings: …kissing?
Disclaimer: I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.
Summary: The first day on the set…

Appreciating Things of Beauty

Chapter Nineteen: Photo Shoot

"Are these the boys you mentioned?" Aya's boss, a lanky man with slicked black hair, eyed the two critically.

She nodded, "That's right, Kimura-san. Toyama Yukinojo and Takano Kyohei."

Kimura-san was quiet a moment, then nodded to himself, "They do seem to have potential. Okay, boys, here's the deal: you're pretty much in control. You don't like something, you say so, and it'll be changed. All we do is take the pictures and give you material to work with. We'll send out some of your better pictures, and if someone likes it… well, we'll get to that when it happens."

Both boys nodded, and they were led away by helpers.

"Ah, Kimura-san, there is one more thing. Takano-kun is sort of hesitant about this, and Yuki-kun refuses to dress like a girl."

The boss nodded, and glanced at his clipboard, "…You have a clothing line coming to look at you, and a scout is going around today."

She nodded and bustled off to get ready.

"Hey, kids!"

Yuki and Kyohei paused in their trek back to the dressing room with the photographers' requests in hand. A man in a suit was weaving his way to them.

When he finally reached them, he looked them up and down, then finally asked, "You two are models, right? I haven't seen your photos."

"We just started here today." Yuki replied.

Aya wandered up behind the man, wearing a pair of black suede pants that hugged her hips and a black shirt that left her collarbone and midriff exposed. She spotted the boys, and trotted up to Yuki.

"Yuki, Kyohei, you look so cool!" she cried, inspecting the black muscle tee and jeans Yuki wore, and the black jacket Kyohei wore over a brown shirt. A grin crossed her face, and she laughed, tossing her arms haphazardly about the shorter boy's neck, "What do you think? How do I look?"

"You should dress like this more often; I like it." Yuki replied, amused.

"You're having fun? Both of you?"

Both boys agreed – though Kyohei did so grudgingly.

"You know these boys, Shuiro-chan?" the man asked, and Aya's attention was drawn back to him.

She didn't release Yuki, just tipped her upper body backwards some to look, "Yes, we live together, Douin-san."[[A/N: Douin means 'agent'

Yuki looked off to the side in embarrassment; the girl was obviously not accustomed to wearing low-cut shirts.

He looked them over, then motioned for all three to follow him. Calling to one of his workers, he had the boy take Yuki and Kyohei back to be changed into new outfits.

"How close are you?" the agent suddenly asked of Aya, distractedly sending another of his models on break.

Aya tilted her head, "Yuki – the shorter one – is my boyfriend. Kyohei is our friend. Why?"

The man hummed to himself and ignored the question, directing a few more people in setting a new backdrop. When the boys re-emerged, Kyohei was dressed in a black vest and pants made of vinyl, with lacings up the front and black cuffs. Yuki had another muscle tee, this one white with some kind of blue water design splattered across the front, and pants much like Kyohei's. Aya was sent back next, and told to change into a black tank top with arm bands that went from wrist to elbow, given an arrow-shaped necklace, and quickly had her nails painted black. Eye shadow was dusted over her eyes, and she was sent back out.

The agent directed them into position, Aya in front with the two boys flanking her from behind. They were directed to pose like rock stars, and after a few failed attempts, were soon having photo after photo taken.

Once the agent had tired of that, he stepped in, "All right… Takano-kun, was it? Take five." He dismissed Kyohei for the moment, then came in to direct the remaining pair in a position, calling the camera to pull in closer and someone to change the backdrop.

"Okay, kid, come over here. Listen up, tell me what you think." Yuki came over, and the man spoke to them, "All right, I want you two to stand real close here, like you were doing before, in the hall."

They hesitated, and Aya finally draped her arms over Yuki's shoulders, laughing nervously. He looped his arms about her waist.

"Yes, exactly. Now, just get nice and cozy, like no one's around." He chuckled, "Just don't get too cozy."

Yuki and Aya blushed at the implication, and awkwardly settled in. Aya, quick to adapt, was first to relax, rubbing at Yuki's back with her hands. He glanced up at her, and the two paused, staring into each other's eyes as if in a trance. The agent's approving voice seemed to turn into white noise, and Aya dropped an arm, lowering it to wrap beneath Yuki's and around his abdomen. The cameras started snapping photos as the pair slowly inched toward each other, until their lips touched, and stayed that way, eyes drooping closed.

"They're naturals!" one of the makeup girls whispered excitedly, "Not even shy!" Another girl giggled with her, pink dusting their cheeks.

Kyohei glanced toward the photographed pair, frowning slightly; they were in their own world again. He wondered if they even realized that their picture was being taken.

A small crowd had gathered, and the noise managed to pervade the couple's world, drawing Yuki's attention. He turned his head a little, one green eye peering half-lidded at the camera. Aya sighed, lips brushing his closed eye and fingers reaching up to twine in his hair.

Suddenly, their surroundings came into focus, and Yuki blushed, unconsciously clutching the girl closer. His sudden nervousness reached Aya, and she tensed, gripping his hair and making him wince before she released him, red-faced.

"That was wonderful!" the agent praised, "We'll take a few more of you – hey, can you pull something like that off with Takano-kun?"

Kyohei choked on his water, and Aya hastily replied, "No way!"

"Okay, okay. I have a few more ideas, and then we're done here." He motioned over Kyohei again, and directed them into various poses, shot some more photos, and packed up. Once he'd left, the three were sent off into various directions for the remainder of the hour.

On the way home, Kyohei couldn't help but tease the other two, "I bet they'll use that one of you two hanging on each other in an ad, and it'll be seen all over school! The ad'll have your names and everything!"

Aya looked way less concerned about this than Yuki did. When the blonde boy cried out in frustration at her lack of concern, she shrugged and grinned slyly.

"No it won't. I made up names for us, that they'll use. I'm 'Kitsuno,' you're 'Hideyuki' and Kyohei is 'Hikaru.'"

Yuki blinked wide eyes at her, "Really? How did you come up with those names?"

"Well, I've always like the name 'Kitsuno.' 'Hideyuki' means 'surpassing happiness' and 'Hikaru' because Sunako is always saying Kyohei is the most radiant."

"How long have you been working there?" Kyohei asked suddenly; the realization that she'd been rather comfortable there settled in.

"Awhile. They recruited me off the street." She giggled and dug through the bag she was carrying; the agent had given them the outfits they'd worn in the photos as part of their payment, and Aya had collected something from Kimura-san before they left. After a moment of rummaging, she brandished a magazine – some teen magazine that neither of the boys had ever bothered to read. Flipping to a page that had been dog-eared, she showed them a clothing ad.

"Oh, wow!" Yuki grabbed it from her, staring at the photo, "You're really good!"

In the ad, Aya wore a lavender shirt with long, billowing sleeves of almost-sheer fabric. The shirt had a wide collar that revealed her entire collarbone and dipped to show just a little cleavage. Her arms were crossed, palms lying against the front of the opposite shoulder, head tilted a little to the side with eyes closed and an almost blissful smile on her face.

Aya just laughed at Yuki's approval, waving it off, "It's not like its hard or anything."

The cab they were in pulled up in front of their house, Aya paid the fare, and they headed inside.

"Hey, where are you coming from?" Noi trotted up to them, then paused, seeing the magazine still in Yuki's hands. She rose her eyebrows, "Yuki-kun, you read Hayari Hime? I thought only girls read that…?" [AN: Hayari Hime: Fashionable Princess

Yuki flushed at the implication, then thrust the ad at her, grinning triumphantly, "Look!"

Noi stared at the ad for awhile, "…What? Do you like Kitsuno-chan or something?"

Kyohei laughed, "Actually, he's dating her!"

"What?!" Noi looked distraught now, "But I thought you and Aya-chan were going out?! Aya-chan?!" she turned to the other girl, who was, by now, laughing as well, "You're okay with this?!"

"Oh, don't worry about it, Noi-chan! Kitsuno-chan and I have a mutual agreement; we're sharing Yuki." Aya smiled lazily, looping her arms around the boy's neck from behind, "Kitsuno-chan gets him days, and I get him nights."

"But… But…" Noi seemed to be confused, until Yuki finally took pity on her.

"'Kitsuno' is just Aya's modeling name. Aya is the girl in the ad."

The brown-haired girl seemed slow to process, her eyes shifting from the ad, to Aya, and back. Aya posed like she did in the ad for the other girl's benefit, and Noi's eyes widened.

"You're a model?!" this realization was quickly followed by, "You're the Kitsuno?!"

"Ah, I'm amazed. You know the name?" Aya looked bored, "I've only been in a few ads. Three or four."

"But you look so pretty in them!" Noi squealed, excited, "What's it like? Do you meet really famous people? Do you get invited to parties? Do old men try to get you to be their trophy wife?!" She turned to Yuki, "Yuki-kun, you'll have to watch her extra close, so she doesn't get taken away by some handsome foreign star, like… like… Brad Pitt! Or Tom Cruise! Or Johnny Depp!!"

Aya laughed, tightening her hold on the small blonde briefly, "Oh, but Yuki is all the 'handsome star' I need." She smiled at him, "And you're blonde, too! Like a foreigner!"

He laughed with her.

Noi's shoulders slumped in confusion, question marks appearing above her head.

"Oh, Noi-chan! You're here!" Takenaga waved from the front door, then approached the group, grinning, "How was the job, Kyohei? Does Aya owe you lunch?"

Kyohei looked disappointed, "…It was okay."

Aya smiled sweetly at him, "You didn't get hit on, did you? Except for Aki-san, but she was just joking with you." Releasing Yuki she grinned at him like a mad fool, "I'm right, aren't I? Come on, admit it!"

"I won't!" he snapped, annoyed.

Aya giggled, flopping a friendly arm over Takenaga's shoulders, "Not even to your best buddy, Bucho-san?!" she looked up at Takenaga and sighed, sagely, patting his shoulder in pity, "You should be hurt, Bucho-san."

He laughed, and Noi giggled, "You got a new job, Kyohei-kun? Where are you working?"

"Kyohei-kun and Yuki-kun are models, just like Aya-chan!" Aya chirped childishly.

"Oh, wow, really?" Noi looked amazed.

"Come on, come on, let's go inside." Takenaga ushered the three into the house, patting Kyohei on the head as he passed and saying softly, "Good job."