The weather in the park was actually quite nice for early November. The sun shone brightly, while the tall buildings surrounding the park kept the wind out.
Keith smiled at Shiro and Allura as he walked a few feet behind the two. Shiro was actually better with girls than he thought once he was actually casually chatting with them, Keith had noticed in the few years they had lived together. He grinned mischievously as he silently stopped walking and unzipped the bag hanging around his shoulder. Once there was a sufficient distance between them, and Keith was sure they wouldn't be able to hear his shutter clicking, he snapped some pictures of the two together.
"Let's start here." Allura spoke up, gesturing to a bench. "It will be simple enough." She explained as she rummaged around her bag, jostling the camera hanging from her neck. She produced a vintage book from her bag and handed it to Shiro. "Just have a seat, read this and pretend we're not here, okay?"
The man nodded and sat down with the book, 'Around The World in 80 Days'. Shiro had always enjoyed the works of Jules Verne, especially this one. He loved going out and seeing something of the world. He cautiously still dreamed of traveling the globe one day, despite the chances of him ever doing so on his police pension were extremely slim. Shiro guessed he must have gotten lost in the book, because he jolted when Allura nudged him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get sucked in." He apologized, smiling sheepishly.
"It's okay. I thought it was kind of sweet." Allura smiled as she sat down next to him and showed him the photos she had just taken of him.
Shiro blushed at her remark, but kept his eyes trained on the display on Allura's camera. "Is that really me?" He asked in disbelief. Shiro almost hadn't recognized himself in the pictures. Almost as much as he hadn't recognized himself in the photos Keith had taken of him a few weeks prior.
"Yes, it's really you." The girl smiled. "Do you understand why I wanted you for this job now?"
"I think I'm starting to. And I can't say I don't like it. Where do we go next?" He asked Allura, smiling enthusiastically. As if he didn't notice Keith in the distance, still taking pictures of the two of them.
If Shiro didn't know any better, he would have thought this was a date. In between taking photos, at least. And if he was completely honest, he still had to repeatedly tell himself that it wasn't a date. It helped, though. To the point where he managed to actually have full conversations with Allura without turning into a bumbling mess.
He quickly learned that, despite being the CEO of a business that took care of infrastructure, fashion was her true calling in life. That she had always dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, or running her own magazine. It suited her, he thought to himself. She definitely had the network to make it happen. The skills and creativity probably, too.
"How come you never pursued a career in fashion, then?" Shiro asked. "No offense, but working at your dad's company sounds like a far cry from what you really want in life..."
When Allura's smile fell, he knew he'd asked the wrong question.
"Wait, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked… You don't have to answer that."
"No, it's okay. You already shared your tragic backstory with me, it's only fair if I tell you mine." Allura said, looking up at him. She smiled sadly, her eyes glistening with tears and oh, Shiro was not equipped to deal with this.
"When I was sixteen years old, my parents were killed in an accident… And my father's company, his life's work..." Allura took a deep breath. "I had just inherited the company as my parents' sole beneficiary, and one of my father's greatest competitors was trying to buy our family out of it. And I know how much my father cared about his business and how he wanted it to stay in the family. So, Coran, his best friend and confidant, and I devised a plan that would allow him to run the company in my stead, and teach me how to do it once I finished high school and through college."
Shiro watched her carefully as she solemnly stared off into the distance. At the large tower that housed the office, Shiro noticed when he followed her line of sight. His hand hovered over her waist, unsure of whether or not to touch or embrace her. To hug her and console her, or to simply put his hand on her shoulder and support her. He ultimately decided against it, telling himself that his hand would be too cold from the November chill to be comforting to her.
"It was so frustrating how everyone on the board complained about the fact that I'd never worked at the company a day in my life before that, and I was suddenly CEO. I mean, I was sixteen! How was I supposed to have that kind of experience?! We worked our asses off, and all of that hard work was disregarded because a bunch of old men in suits thought I was 'just a teenager with a passion for fashion, riding daddy's coattails' despite him being, you know, dead." She pinched the bridge of her nose as if the thought still gave her a headache. "But as always, Coran was there to calm me down and to ground me, and we had the entire situation under control by the time I was seventeen."
"Coran, as in the assistant you mentioned?"
"He's only an assistant on paper. In reality, he is so much more than that. I mean, I literally can't remember a time when he wasn't there. And, you know, he takes over the office from me on days like these, so I can still run my blog and everything that ties in to it. He's the closest thing I have to a family right now..."
"He sounds like a great guy." Shiro smiled. "And, while it's a bit of a shame you never got to get the job you wanted, I think it's very admirable that you carry on your dad's legacy like this."
"I guess you're right." She sighed, leaning on Shiro. "I'm sorry about that rant, though. I don't usually go off like that."
"It's okay." Shiro spoke softly, blushing more and more as he felt her warmth seep through his clothes. "Did it make you feel better?" He managed to not stutter.
"A little." She smiled. "Come on, let's go find Keith and go back to my place. It's getting late. Dinner is on me, by the way."
Keith and Allura waited in the living room of Allura's apartment as Shiro changed back into his regular clothes in her bedroom. It had taken her some insisting to convince him to keep the clothes, but nevertheless, she had managed to do it. Those were the perks of the job, after all.
Shiro, as Allura learned between their bursts of taking pictures, was actually a giant nerd, a total bro, and a big softie. All in one neat, yet huge package. And boy, if that didn't only make him more charming.
Keith, on the other hand, was more of a greasy, snarky photo factory and pretty boy, though ultimately his heart was in the right place. And, you know, it was nice to know someone else was rooting her to get together with Shiro, even though in her opinion it was still too early on to ask the man out.
"Oh, by the way, Keith." Allura said as she handed him a cup of coffee. "Could you maybe send me the photos you took today? I might be able to use them."
"I-I… What?" Keith sputtered, almost spilling his coffee. "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't take any pictures of you two together! Just the ducks in the pond and stuff." Keith shamefully denied.
Allura gave him a knowing smirk. "I never mentioned the photos were of Shiro and I together."
"Oh shit…" He mumbled, the color slightly draining from his face upon the realization he had been caught red handed.
"For real, though, you're not in trouble." She clarified. "You can do all the cropping and color grading you want before you send them over, too. I'd just really like to have them. If not for my blog, for my personal archive." Allura smiled, shrugging awkwardly
"Thank God." Keith sighed in relief, releasing a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "But yeah, I'll send the photos over as soon as I'm done editing them. Should I just use the email address on your blog?"
"Yeah, sure. How much?"
"Uh, how many?" Keith asked himself, flipping through his camera's display. "I think I snapped like two hundred photos. Do you want, like, all of them?"
"No, how much would you like me to pay you for each photo I decide to publish on my blog?" Allura asked, raising an eyebrow. 'Has Keith seriously never been paid for a photo before?' She internally asked herself.
"Uh… I don't know." He shrugged. "Five bucks each and a link to my page?"
'Nor has he ever negotiated prices before…' She guessed.
"Seventy each and a link to your page." She offered.
"Are you crazy?" Keith almost shouted. "Who even pays that much for a photo?"
"Someone who knows what their photographer is worth." Allura pointed out, crossing her arms. "And no take backs. This is what I'm paying you. No less."
"Uh… I don't really know what to say… Thanks, I guess?" He mumbled.
"You're welcome." Allura smiled, patting his back. "But I have to ask you to not post any of the photos you took today until my post goes live. After that, you're free to do with them as you like."
"I think I can manage that." Keith smiled.
"Did I miss anything?" Shiro asked as he came back from Allura's room, back in his regular jeans and t-shirt. Allura was pleased to see that he still held on to the plastic bags with the clothes from the shoot.
"Not much. I was just going over the compensation for Keith's sneaky photos, should I decide to use them. Speaking of which, since this was your first real gig as a model, you'll get your fair share as well. How about—"
"No, you don't have to." Shiro cut in. "I had a lot of fun today, you don't have to pay me for that."
"Uh, Shiro, can I just remind you that 'fun'," Keith airquoted, "doesn't pay the rent?"
"Just consider it a favor from a friend." Shiro smiled brightly as he firmly held Keith in a headlock under his arm.
"Shiro, as much I appreciate the sentiment, you're getting paid whether you like it or not." Allura chuckled. "We'll discuss your compensation later. Now, who's hungry?"
"Me!" Keith piped up.