For Khamsin, more or less. ;) I'm up to no good again.

Inspired by this fanart piece. [ elfgrove DOT tumblr DOT com / post / 48888591574 ]

"It's not that bad really, is it?"

Syo made an irritated growl deep in his chest before sighing and looking up at Otoya, "I guess not. I mean, I get to spend time with Mr. Hyuga doing all these promotional interviews, but I really don't like dressing up like that. It's not me."

"Too bad, you look really cute as Yui!"

Syo punched his arm and kept walking. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"No problem," Otoya smiled brightly. "It's better going back together, right?"

"Definitely."

"Hey, you two! HEY!"

The two stopped and Otoya turned with a bright smile to respond to a strange man accompanied by a photographer. "How can I help you?"

"I couldn't help but notice how STYLISH you and your friend looked," both boys cringed at the badly pronounced English word. Shining required them to learn better pronunciation for their own English use, and it made the terms grate when they were particularly badly mispronounced now. "I'd like to take a photo for a spread in our fashion magazine."

"Sorry, we can't," Otoya smiled and waved him off politely. "Good luck though!"

"No. No. WAIT!" He put out a hand to grab Otoya's shoulder as he turned to keep walking along. "I'm with a talent agency! With looks like that you could be models! I—"

Syo grabbed his hand before it more than brushed Otoya's shoulder and turned to look at him, his expression significantly less welcoming despite the smile it carried. "No means no, right?"

The man's eyes widened and he glanced between the two boys. "You— you're—"

"Already with an agency," Otoya responded brightly. "Thank you though!"

"—STARISH!" He snapped hurriedly at the camera man, "Get their photo, we can sell it to for good money!"

Otoya grabbed Syo's hand and they started to make a dash for the nearest subway station.

"QUICKLY!" They heard the man shout behind them, but the photographer hadn't really been geared properly for quick shots, and they heard the footsteps coming after them.

Otoya laughed, "They're not going to give up easily, huh?"

Syo glanced back, "Nope. Hey, you remember what Shining said about paparazzi you can't avoid?"

Otoya's laughing grin turned mischievous in the blink of an eye, "Make it work for you. We don't want them getting on the train with us, right?"

"Right."

"STOP! STOP RIGHT THERE! — Hurry up would you!?"

"Split at the turnstiles?"

"Sounds good."

They stopped together as if a single mind controlled them, practice made perfect after all, and turned to face their pursuers just as the photographer seemed to get his camera in order. Syo grabbed the the brim of his hat to make sure he didn't lose it, and Otoya raised their still clasped hands, miming a gun with his pointer finger he pointed to a spot just below the photographer's lens ensuring it would look like he was pointing at the viewer directly.

"ARE YOU READY?" Syo smiled as he pulled out his stage voice and good English for the sake of the distraction.

Otoya could feel heads in the crowd turning at Syo's signal and the camera went off as he sang the opening line, ensuring the crowd would converge on this spot, "My heart's about to burst with 1000% Love! Hey!"

He mimed firing the gun and both he and Syo pushed off in opposite directions, swiping their prepared cards through different turnstiles and practically leaping through. They rushed into different areas of the station's maze, and the crowd creating an unintentional screen between them and the photographer and his partner as they tried to locate the source of the hottest new song on the charts. They moved quickly and the crowds they were in soon had no idea what had been the cause of the initial excitement, and didn't realize who was slipping between them. They met back up at a food stand next to their proper platform, and found they were too busy laughing to discuss the trick they'd just pulled off. They didn't see the photographer again before boarding the train back home.