[LOG] Revealing images
Characters: Kaidoh Kaoru & Fuji Shuusuke
Location: Fuji's bedroom
Time: Thursday 18th
Rating: PG for snake skin
Summary: Fuji returns Sanada's favour by doing a photo-shoot of Kaidoh
Camera in hand, Fuji stepped into the computer laboratory and wove his way through the desks to the side room that had become Sanada’s office. Having asked his year-mate to hack the school system for Tezuka’s record, he had been asked to return the favour with a photo shoot. Sanada had gone as far as to tell Fuji that his subject was to be Kaidoh, a shy second year student who Fuji had rarely spoken to, but had offered no further details. Fuji had therefore packed up a likely collection of lenses and filters, with the thought that they could sit down together and work out what might look best.
He’d been told to wait in Sanada’s office for the boy who was supposed to be taking his pictures. Kaidoh had already strongly hated taking pictures even before the formation of those scales that now created a V shape down his back from shoulder blade to shoulder blade, ending above his tailbone. And there were the hideous spines, he blushed and hid his arms under the table. It was a dirty trick for Sanada to ask him to agree to this while they were recovering from sex and his mind was still in a daze. Now it was sharp, and he was regretting it.
The door to Sanada’s office was ajar. Fuji tapped lightly on it and stuck his head in to see Kaidoh alone, huddled by the desk. “Kaidoh-kun,” he smiled at the other student and drew himself properly in the room. The place was a mess. The desk that Kaidoh was cuddling was broken on one end, a torn sheet lay draped across a chair and --against the opposite side of the tiny room-- a beat-up couch with a blanket suggested strongly that it hadn’t been used for studying anytime recently. The place could also have done with a good airing. Pretending to have not noticed any of this, Fuji continued to focus on Kaidoh. “I hear you have not been well, how do you feel now?”
Looking up at the honeyed blonde, Kaidoh rose awkwardly while attempting to keep his scales hidden as best as he could and bowed. "I'm fine, Fuji-sempai. Sanada-sempai-" (how was he supposed to address others about his boyfriend anyway?) "Got carried away. I was just cold." He just knew how this must look, hiding in an office cum sex den....
Sanada’s outburst notwithstanding, Fuji suspected that Kaidoh was downplaying the struggle he had experienced when the hot water had been switched off. Still, as the frequent master of understatements, he was not about to point this out. “Aaa, that is good to know,” he said, taking in the discomfort the other boy was clearly in. “Sanada mentioned he’d like some photographs of you. Have you had your picture taken before?” His eyes strayed down to the arms Kaidoh was clearly trying to keep hidden and then back to his face.
"Just school pictures and when my mom wanted to try and sneak up on me." Kaidoh moved, relinquishing the better seat at the desk to the older boy and moved to the other side. "Nothing like what he wants," he attempted to hide the blush with a little hissing sound.
Fuji chuckled at the idea of Kaidoh’s mother trying to take pictures of her incredibly shy son. “My brother was the same,” he assured the other young man, although admittedly it had been his camera, not their mother’s, that Yuuta had predominantly tried to avoid. He looked at the scales running down Kaidoh’s arm appreciatively as he moved. In the right light, they would make an incredible focus point. “What sort of shots did Sanada have in mind?” he asked, only half listening as he mentally viewed Kaidoh through his different lens collection.
Realizing the other was looking at his scales, Kaidoh tugged his sleeves down over them, hiding all of them as well as the dangerous looking set of spines running down the backs of his forearms. “He...said he wanted photos for nights...when he was lonely.” Kaidoh blushed a bit more, eyes lowering to the floor. “You know....that kind of lonely.”
Well, wasn't Sanada the dirtiest bastard that had ever walked the school halls? Fuji's mental run through of his photographic equipment stopped dead as he looked at the embarrassed boy in front of him. Kaidoh didn't look like he'd be comfortable with even the most basic point-n-snap shot, let alone the stripped down boudoir-theme Sanada had requested. "Do you want to do this?" he asked seriously, cerulean eyes appearing as his usual smile faded to a more acute interest. "We can make an excuse to Sanada. I'll tell him I wasn't happy with the idea."
“I told him I’d do it.” Kaidoh muttered, his normal shyness was one thing, but he also had a competitive streak and had a feeling he knew exactly where Sanada was and what he was doing. Taking a deep breath, Kaidoh nodded slightly. “So yeah- just....kinda wish he didn’t want me having someone else see me naked.”
Fuji considered Kaidoh for a moment, then his face relaxed back into its usual smile. "Then, we'll build up to it. If you don't mind, we can start with some normal portraits so you don't get cold while I manage the lighting and style." Then they would have time for Kaidoh to get more comfortable with the camera or to flat out tell Sanada where he could stick his lewd ideas. Both worked for Fuji. He looked around the dingy room. "Why don't we go to my room?" he suggested. "The light is better there." And the memories maybe less intense.
“I’ll do what you think is best.” Kaidoh trusted his sempai, even if more often than not, he was certain it was a dangerous thing to do. Especially here. Taking a deep breath, he looked around the office and nodded, it would be hard to concentrate in here and it was fairly dim lit. Besides, the computer might snitch on their photos before Sanada got them.
Fuji held the door open for Kaidoh and led the way back to the senior dormitory. "This is your shoot," he told Kaidoh as they walked. "We'll work together to produce a good set of pictures, nee?"
The dormitory was a short walk across the grounds. Fuji moved swiftly, aware that Kaidoh would feel the outside cold, and let them both into the warmth of the building. His room was deserted when they arrived, Yukimura being either in class or stalking kohei with Nintendo DSs. Fuji pulled across the sheer net across the window to ensure their privacy and gestured to Kaidoh to take a seat.
"I'm just going to take some pictures of the room," he explained, training his camera on a spot away from Kaidoh. "Just to check the lighting level."
“Uh...sure.” Kaidoh huddled a bit in his jacket and rubbed his arms over his spines and watched the blonde setting up. Sanada was going to owe him for this. He still had to wonder who would ask for pictures like that for a favor. Especially someone who seemed a bit overprotective of him. Not that he had truly seen it in action. Looking around, he paused to study the plants and cactus. Admittedly the room was rather bright and neat, his own room was generally a bit messy due to his destructive roommate. “The cactus are cool.” He leaned in, vaguely amused that like him they were likely soft inside but covered in dangerous looking spines.
"Thank you." Fuji's opinion of Kaidoh rocketed up several notches. There was hope for any man who appreciated a cactus. "I like their hardiness. Even the smallest can survive most of what life throws at them." He walked over to the radiator and lifted up one of the spiky trunks, holding it up to the light. "And their spines are beautiful, don't you agree?"
“Never been a fan of spines.” His own had hurt like hell coming in and had been nothing but a pain in the ass ever since. Watching the boy with his cactus though, Kaidoh did feel a bit calmer knowing Fuji was someone who apparently could find good in almost anything. “But I suppose my opinion is biased.”
Fuji studied Kaidoh skeptically. In his opinion, all spines were objects of beauty, be it on plant or human. He understood that Kaidoh's mutation produced inconvenient limitations, but such problems had clearly caused him to ignore their finesse. "Perhaps you have just never seen them in the right light."
With quick movements, Fuji changed the filter on his camera, picking one that would bring out the blue tinge in Kaidoh's skin. He stepped to the side, letting the muffled light from the window spill across the boy in the chair, catching on the ridges that ran along the muscled arms.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
Fuji adjusted his position several times as he photographed before stepping back and examining the results. Pulling up his favourite on the screen, he knelt by Kaidoh's chair, showing him the screen. "Still not a fan, Kaidoh-kun?"
“I just hate them. They have no right use. They’re poisonous.” Kaidoh knew he was looking like a bratty kohai, crossing his arms and sulking in the chair, watching Fuji take the photos and wondering what they might come out like.
He did not have long to wonder though, soon his upperclassman showed the pictures. He nodded, Fuji was indeed talented, but Kaidoh hated his looks. He couldn’t even understand why Sanada liked him. “If you think he’d like them.”
Fuji looked down at the screen. The image he'd selected showed Kaidoh in an almost ethereal light, his smooth skin splashed by sunlight which danced over the ridges running down his arms. "I have no idea what Sanada would like," he told Kaidoh. "But I like these."
He stood, rocking backwards as he lifted the camera and brushing against Kaidoh's exposed arm. "I'm sorry," he glanced down at his sleeve. Even from such a light touch, one of Kaidoh's spines had torn through the fabric, scratching the skin's surface.
“They are...I mean...they look good.” He still had to do the more adult ones, the thought distracted him enough to hardly notice Fuji moving until he felt the other rub up just barely against his arm. Immediately his eyes widened when he saw the faintest trace of blood beneath a torn sleeve. He leapt up, “Ohshit! I- I am so sorry! I- I need to go get Ohtori! You stay and and work on breathing!” He started for the door, deathly pale and looking on the verge of a breakdown. “God, please don’t die....”
The first sensation Fuji felt was the heat from his own power. It roared up inside of him, pouring into the arm that had touched Kaidoh’s spines. It was impressive. With Inui’s concoctions, the first sensation Fuji felt was the taste of the beverage and it was only after he’d enjoyed their unique blend that his anti-poison powers would kick in to warm his insides. Kaidoh was strong. Fuji was willing to bet that a larger dose of whatever it was that ran through the man’s scales would see even him in serious trouble. As it was...
Fuji wiped the thin line of blood away. “Don’t worry about it.” He smiled up at Kaidoh who was stumbling across the room. “I told you, I like spines.” He lifted his camera. “Do you feel comfortable taking your shirt off?”
Blinking owlishly at the calm tone Fuji was using, Kaidoh turned and froze, seeing Fuji looking perfectly fine and wiping away the blood on his arm. “I- but....how?” His eyes widened as he approached the other man, frowning and checking his forehead for ever. “You...you’re fine? Did I not inject you? A-are you a healer like Ohtori-kun?”
“No, not a healer.” A slight shadow passed over Fuji’s face as he remembered just how badly he had wanted to help Yuuta when his brother had his accident. In that moment, he would have switched all the powers he had just to be able to fix one person. He waved the mood away. “I can cancel poisons in my own body,” he explained. “You are strong. A little more and I would have had to have taken a nap,” he added in light jest.
Kaidoh couldn’t help making a face at the way the other made a joke about the venom and how he would have been fine with just a nap. “I’m still sorry. I was careless. Not the first time since I got here, either.” He sulked, feeling suddenly very tired from the adrenaline leaving his system. “You sure you’re okay? I can go if you want me to...”
“I’m fine,” Fuji rolled up his shirt to show Kaidoh the small scratch which had already stopped bleeding as if it had been a normal nic. “I don’t want you to go, unless you’d rather take a break?” Fuji wondered who else had suffered Kaidoh’s venom. Since his class size hadn’t decreased, he assumed the ending must have been all right. “Now you know you’re not going to hurt me, you can relax, ne?”
“Yeah...I guess. I’ll still be careful.” He looked up at the other man and settled back in the chair he had started in, glancing around the room before deciding to focus on the plants. “So...what should I do for the next photos?”
Fuji waited for Kaidoh to settle back down. “How do you feel about taking your shirt off?” he asked him. “Is it warm enough?” His tone was relaxed and matter of fact. Perhaps Kaidoh would feel more confident if they focussed on the mundane task of keeping warm, as opposed to the getting naked part. It also have Kaidoh a bona fide excuse if he wanted to stop.
“Long as I stay in the sun it should be.” Kaidoh frowned and blushed, carefully moving his fingers to undo the buttons on his shirt before carefully peeling it off, avoiding the spines with some skill as he had had them for some time. Next, he removed his undershirt. He knew there was no reason to be ashamed, he was almost entirely lean muscle, having been a runner so long. His biggest concern was the blue and black V shaped pattern of scales on his back that would now be completely visible. His cheeks darkened slightly. “I know they are freaky looking....”
“They are quite amazing,” Fuji said in open admiration. His blue eyes opened to examine Kaidoh’s back as he walked around him, forgetting the other boy’s possible embarrassment in his own admiration. “Your body is beautiful, Kaidoh.”
Lens changed in quick succession, filters were deftly flicked on and off and the curtain adjusted for different light. When he finally paused, Fuji examined the products of his work with interest. For all his hesitation, Kaidoh was one of his most photogenic subjects. Returning to the younger man, he placed his laptop on the desk and connected the camera, loading them on one at a time. “See how the light works?” he told the subject of his art work. “And the different focussing? I think this is my favourite.” He enlarged his final shot, taken from slightly behind Kaidoh so that his face was a side-profile but his spines showed a striking V across the screen. He looked up into Kaidoh’s face. “How about we repeat just that one picture with no clothes?” he suggested.
Watching Fuji moving around him, Kaidoh couldn’t stop himself from tensing his muscles, not for the sake of vanity but due to the anxiety of someone walking around him, even if the other was immune to his venom. It was oddly fascinating watching the other work, hurrying along and changing filters and playing with the blinds and lights. He supposed he was the lucky one, all he really had to do was sit there.
“I-” He knew Sanada wanted something, and he supposed from that angle the more embarrassing portions of his body would be hidden. Technically, he was doing what the other man wanted him to do. “Yeah....we can do that.”
Fuji lightly rested a hand on Kaidoh’s shoulder, careful not to touch his spikes again. “Trust me,” he told him. “It will be everything he wants.” He moved back, unplugging his camera and setting it up for the correct shot, his eyes downwards to give Kaidoh some feeling of privacy without making it a big deal.
Sighing, Kaidoh rose from the chair, and glanced at Fuji, noting his eyes down toward the floor. He decided right then that he rather like the older boy, he was a good person. Taking a deep breath, he undid his pants and lowered them and then slid off his boxers. “Uh...so....should I just stand here or...?” His face was an interesting shade of red, it was a little strange just standing there in the nude in a practical stranger’s room like that.
Fuji glanced up, his eyes on Kaidoh’s face. “Why don’t you sit?” he said. “That is normally how Sanada see you, isn’t it?” He suspected that Kaidoh was a good enough student that Sanada had first spotted him at a desk or computer terminal. “Why don’t you look at my laptop? While we can’t tell what it’s saying, my suspicion is that it will have no complaints.”
“But I’m naked.” Kaidoh had a hangup about sitting naked on someone else’s, anyone’s chair, really. He spotted his boxers on the floor and placed them on the chair to act as a buffer between his ass and the cold surface. Looking back at Fuji, he raised a brow at the idea of looking at the laptop, especially since they talked to Sanada. Though, he could feel it, Sanada was not thinking about computers or him right now. Making an annoyed hissing sound, he shook his head. “Guess it’s fine.”
Maybe they shouldn’t have brought computers into it. Fuji walked across and scooped up his laptop, replacing it with a cactus. He smiled at Kaidoh, “How’s that? I’ve only had this one a year.” He stepped back and slightly behind Kaidoh. The V of his spines took up the the main extent of the screen, the profile was shadowed but in focus. Blue skin rippled under the tense muscles as Kaidoh leaned forward slightly. Perhaps Fuji was not the greatest expert, but for him that was a very sexy shot.
The shutter snapped.
Kaidoh held his breath until the shutter snapped and echoed in the nearly silent room. He looked down at the small cactus in his hands and mused over the idea of the cactus and what Sanada would think about the photos. He shivered slightly, feeling the cooler air creeping up against his skin. While the sun was a bit warmer, he did have to account for being naked. “Are we done?”
“We’re done,” Fuji assured him. He retrieved his laptop and loaded the new photo onto it. Then he made a copy. While Kaidoh dressed, Fuji pulled up photoshop’s toolbox and began to edit. Colours were tweaked, vector lines were smoothed, edges were adjusted. At the end, two photographs sat side by side. One showed Kaidoh as he was, the sapphire tinge to his skin glowing in the afternoon light. The other showed a boy who was not a mutant, pink smooth skin ran over his back. That person was handsome, but not nearly as striking as the first. Fuji showed Kaidoh the result. “I don’t pretend to understand everything you have to deal with,” he told him. “But I know who I’d rather be looking at.”
Kaidoh moved over to join the other as he zipped up his jacket and made sure his clothing were straight. Settling beside the older boy, he chewed his lower lip thoughtfully and studied the photos. Some part of him wanted to be pissed off of the other took those liberties with his image like that, especially since he knew he could never look like he used to before the mutation began manifesting. But, those sweet words were enough to calm his rising temper, and he lowered his head, his bangs hanging over his eyes. “Thanks....I’m sure he’ll really like that one.” Kaidoh pointed to the one with his scales and spines in plain view. He had to admit the colors were amazing and Fuji was a great photographer. “He likes my scales....”
Fuji smiled, “Then he has taste.” He started to pack up his camera, unsure if he should continue. Kaidoh’s anxious behaviour from the beginning had not sat well with Fuji, nor had his preoccupation every time Sanada was mentioned. “I’ll prepare a set of the best pictures and send them to you,” he told his companion. Before the other boy could reply he added, “The photographs are of you, Kaidoh-kun. Regardless of who asked for them, only you have the right to decide who sees them.”
Perhaps that was big talk from someone who had asked to see a private school record, but Fuji would have argued that Kaidoh’s photoshoot was rather more revealing. Literally. He lifted a cactus and smiled at the blue-scaled student. “Cacti don’t let anyone mess with them. You shouldn’t either.”
“Thank you, Fuji-sempai.” Kaidoh mumbled quietly, feeling a little embarrassed about his sullen moods and his doubts he had earlier about trusting the other man. It seemed like Fuji really did at least try to understand him. And maybe he would hold the photos hostage, just for a little while. Looking back up as the cactus was lifted, he smirked faintly. “Who says I let anyone mess with me?”
Fuji’s smile deepened. “I wouldn’t dare,” he said.
Location: Fuji's bedroom
Time: Thursday 18th
Rating: PG for snake skin
Summary: Fuji returns Sanada's favour by doing a photo-shoot of Kaidoh
Camera in hand, Fuji stepped into the computer laboratory and wove his way through the desks to the side room that had become Sanada’s office. Having asked his year-mate to hack the school system for Tezuka’s record, he had been asked to return the favour with a photo shoot. Sanada had gone as far as to tell Fuji that his subject was to be Kaidoh, a shy second year student who Fuji had rarely spoken to, but had offered no further details. Fuji had therefore packed up a likely collection of lenses and filters, with the thought that they could sit down together and work out what might look best.
He’d been told to wait in Sanada’s office for the boy who was supposed to be taking his pictures. Kaidoh had already strongly hated taking pictures even before the formation of those scales that now created a V shape down his back from shoulder blade to shoulder blade, ending above his tailbone. And there were the hideous spines, he blushed and hid his arms under the table. It was a dirty trick for Sanada to ask him to agree to this while they were recovering from sex and his mind was still in a daze. Now it was sharp, and he was regretting it.
The door to Sanada’s office was ajar. Fuji tapped lightly on it and stuck his head in to see Kaidoh alone, huddled by the desk. “Kaidoh-kun,” he smiled at the other student and drew himself properly in the room. The place was a mess. The desk that Kaidoh was cuddling was broken on one end, a torn sheet lay draped across a chair and --against the opposite side of the tiny room-- a beat-up couch with a blanket suggested strongly that it hadn’t been used for studying anytime recently. The place could also have done with a good airing. Pretending to have not noticed any of this, Fuji continued to focus on Kaidoh. “I hear you have not been well, how do you feel now?”
Looking up at the honeyed blonde, Kaidoh rose awkwardly while attempting to keep his scales hidden as best as he could and bowed. "I'm fine, Fuji-sempai. Sanada-sempai-" (how was he supposed to address others about his boyfriend anyway?) "Got carried away. I was just cold." He just knew how this must look, hiding in an office cum sex den....
Sanada’s outburst notwithstanding, Fuji suspected that Kaidoh was downplaying the struggle he had experienced when the hot water had been switched off. Still, as the frequent master of understatements, he was not about to point this out. “Aaa, that is good to know,” he said, taking in the discomfort the other boy was clearly in. “Sanada mentioned he’d like some photographs of you. Have you had your picture taken before?” His eyes strayed down to the arms Kaidoh was clearly trying to keep hidden and then back to his face.
"Just school pictures and when my mom wanted to try and sneak up on me." Kaidoh moved, relinquishing the better seat at the desk to the older boy and moved to the other side. "Nothing like what he wants," he attempted to hide the blush with a little hissing sound.
Fuji chuckled at the idea of Kaidoh’s mother trying to take pictures of her incredibly shy son. “My brother was the same,” he assured the other young man, although admittedly it had been his camera, not their mother’s, that Yuuta had predominantly tried to avoid. He looked at the scales running down Kaidoh’s arm appreciatively as he moved. In the right light, they would make an incredible focus point. “What sort of shots did Sanada have in mind?” he asked, only half listening as he mentally viewed Kaidoh through his different lens collection.
Realizing the other was looking at his scales, Kaidoh tugged his sleeves down over them, hiding all of them as well as the dangerous looking set of spines running down the backs of his forearms. “He...said he wanted photos for nights...when he was lonely.” Kaidoh blushed a bit more, eyes lowering to the floor. “You know....that kind of lonely.”
Well, wasn't Sanada the dirtiest bastard that had ever walked the school halls? Fuji's mental run through of his photographic equipment stopped dead as he looked at the embarrassed boy in front of him. Kaidoh didn't look like he'd be comfortable with even the most basic point-n-snap shot, let alone the stripped down boudoir-theme Sanada had requested. "Do you want to do this?" he asked seriously, cerulean eyes appearing as his usual smile faded to a more acute interest. "We can make an excuse to Sanada. I'll tell him I wasn't happy with the idea."
“I told him I’d do it.” Kaidoh muttered, his normal shyness was one thing, but he also had a competitive streak and had a feeling he knew exactly where Sanada was and what he was doing. Taking a deep breath, Kaidoh nodded slightly. “So yeah- just....kinda wish he didn’t want me having someone else see me naked.”
Fuji considered Kaidoh for a moment, then his face relaxed back into its usual smile. "Then, we'll build up to it. If you don't mind, we can start with some normal portraits so you don't get cold while I manage the lighting and style." Then they would have time for Kaidoh to get more comfortable with the camera or to flat out tell Sanada where he could stick his lewd ideas. Both worked for Fuji. He looked around the dingy room. "Why don't we go to my room?" he suggested. "The light is better there." And the memories maybe less intense.
“I’ll do what you think is best.” Kaidoh trusted his sempai, even if more often than not, he was certain it was a dangerous thing to do. Especially here. Taking a deep breath, he looked around the office and nodded, it would be hard to concentrate in here and it was fairly dim lit. Besides, the computer might snitch on their photos before Sanada got them.
Fuji held the door open for Kaidoh and led the way back to the senior dormitory. "This is your shoot," he told Kaidoh as they walked. "We'll work together to produce a good set of pictures, nee?"
The dormitory was a short walk across the grounds. Fuji moved swiftly, aware that Kaidoh would feel the outside cold, and let them both into the warmth of the building. His room was deserted when they arrived, Yukimura being either in class or stalking kohei with Nintendo DSs. Fuji pulled across the sheer net across the window to ensure their privacy and gestured to Kaidoh to take a seat.
"I'm just going to take some pictures of the room," he explained, training his camera on a spot away from Kaidoh. "Just to check the lighting level."
“Uh...sure.” Kaidoh huddled a bit in his jacket and rubbed his arms over his spines and watched the blonde setting up. Sanada was going to owe him for this. He still had to wonder who would ask for pictures like that for a favor. Especially someone who seemed a bit overprotective of him. Not that he had truly seen it in action. Looking around, he paused to study the plants and cactus. Admittedly the room was rather bright and neat, his own room was generally a bit messy due to his destructive roommate. “The cactus are cool.” He leaned in, vaguely amused that like him they were likely soft inside but covered in dangerous looking spines.
"Thank you." Fuji's opinion of Kaidoh rocketed up several notches. There was hope for any man who appreciated a cactus. "I like their hardiness. Even the smallest can survive most of what life throws at them." He walked over to the radiator and lifted up one of the spiky trunks, holding it up to the light. "And their spines are beautiful, don't you agree?"
“Never been a fan of spines.” His own had hurt like hell coming in and had been nothing but a pain in the ass ever since. Watching the boy with his cactus though, Kaidoh did feel a bit calmer knowing Fuji was someone who apparently could find good in almost anything. “But I suppose my opinion is biased.”
Fuji studied Kaidoh skeptically. In his opinion, all spines were objects of beauty, be it on plant or human. He understood that Kaidoh's mutation produced inconvenient limitations, but such problems had clearly caused him to ignore their finesse. "Perhaps you have just never seen them in the right light."
With quick movements, Fuji changed the filter on his camera, picking one that would bring out the blue tinge in Kaidoh's skin. He stepped to the side, letting the muffled light from the window spill across the boy in the chair, catching on the ridges that ran along the muscled arms.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
Fuji adjusted his position several times as he photographed before stepping back and examining the results. Pulling up his favourite on the screen, he knelt by Kaidoh's chair, showing him the screen. "Still not a fan, Kaidoh-kun?"
“I just hate them. They have no right use. They’re poisonous.” Kaidoh knew he was looking like a bratty kohai, crossing his arms and sulking in the chair, watching Fuji take the photos and wondering what they might come out like.
He did not have long to wonder though, soon his upperclassman showed the pictures. He nodded, Fuji was indeed talented, but Kaidoh hated his looks. He couldn’t even understand why Sanada liked him. “If you think he’d like them.”
Fuji looked down at the screen. The image he'd selected showed Kaidoh in an almost ethereal light, his smooth skin splashed by sunlight which danced over the ridges running down his arms. "I have no idea what Sanada would like," he told Kaidoh. "But I like these."
He stood, rocking backwards as he lifted the camera and brushing against Kaidoh's exposed arm. "I'm sorry," he glanced down at his sleeve. Even from such a light touch, one of Kaidoh's spines had torn through the fabric, scratching the skin's surface.
“They are...I mean...they look good.” He still had to do the more adult ones, the thought distracted him enough to hardly notice Fuji moving until he felt the other rub up just barely against his arm. Immediately his eyes widened when he saw the faintest trace of blood beneath a torn sleeve. He leapt up, “Ohshit! I- I am so sorry! I- I need to go get Ohtori! You stay and and work on breathing!” He started for the door, deathly pale and looking on the verge of a breakdown. “God, please don’t die....”
The first sensation Fuji felt was the heat from his own power. It roared up inside of him, pouring into the arm that had touched Kaidoh’s spines. It was impressive. With Inui’s concoctions, the first sensation Fuji felt was the taste of the beverage and it was only after he’d enjoyed their unique blend that his anti-poison powers would kick in to warm his insides. Kaidoh was strong. Fuji was willing to bet that a larger dose of whatever it was that ran through the man’s scales would see even him in serious trouble. As it was...
Fuji wiped the thin line of blood away. “Don’t worry about it.” He smiled up at Kaidoh who was stumbling across the room. “I told you, I like spines.” He lifted his camera. “Do you feel comfortable taking your shirt off?”
Blinking owlishly at the calm tone Fuji was using, Kaidoh turned and froze, seeing Fuji looking perfectly fine and wiping away the blood on his arm. “I- but....how?” His eyes widened as he approached the other man, frowning and checking his forehead for ever. “You...you’re fine? Did I not inject you? A-are you a healer like Ohtori-kun?”
“No, not a healer.” A slight shadow passed over Fuji’s face as he remembered just how badly he had wanted to help Yuuta when his brother had his accident. In that moment, he would have switched all the powers he had just to be able to fix one person. He waved the mood away. “I can cancel poisons in my own body,” he explained. “You are strong. A little more and I would have had to have taken a nap,” he added in light jest.
Kaidoh couldn’t help making a face at the way the other made a joke about the venom and how he would have been fine with just a nap. “I’m still sorry. I was careless. Not the first time since I got here, either.” He sulked, feeling suddenly very tired from the adrenaline leaving his system. “You sure you’re okay? I can go if you want me to...”
“I’m fine,” Fuji rolled up his shirt to show Kaidoh the small scratch which had already stopped bleeding as if it had been a normal nic. “I don’t want you to go, unless you’d rather take a break?” Fuji wondered who else had suffered Kaidoh’s venom. Since his class size hadn’t decreased, he assumed the ending must have been all right. “Now you know you’re not going to hurt me, you can relax, ne?”
“Yeah...I guess. I’ll still be careful.” He looked up at the other man and settled back in the chair he had started in, glancing around the room before deciding to focus on the plants. “So...what should I do for the next photos?”
Fuji waited for Kaidoh to settle back down. “How do you feel about taking your shirt off?” he asked him. “Is it warm enough?” His tone was relaxed and matter of fact. Perhaps Kaidoh would feel more confident if they focussed on the mundane task of keeping warm, as opposed to the getting naked part. It also have Kaidoh a bona fide excuse if he wanted to stop.
“Long as I stay in the sun it should be.” Kaidoh frowned and blushed, carefully moving his fingers to undo the buttons on his shirt before carefully peeling it off, avoiding the spines with some skill as he had had them for some time. Next, he removed his undershirt. He knew there was no reason to be ashamed, he was almost entirely lean muscle, having been a runner so long. His biggest concern was the blue and black V shaped pattern of scales on his back that would now be completely visible. His cheeks darkened slightly. “I know they are freaky looking....”
“They are quite amazing,” Fuji said in open admiration. His blue eyes opened to examine Kaidoh’s back as he walked around him, forgetting the other boy’s possible embarrassment in his own admiration. “Your body is beautiful, Kaidoh.”
Lens changed in quick succession, filters were deftly flicked on and off and the curtain adjusted for different light. When he finally paused, Fuji examined the products of his work with interest. For all his hesitation, Kaidoh was one of his most photogenic subjects. Returning to the younger man, he placed his laptop on the desk and connected the camera, loading them on one at a time. “See how the light works?” he told the subject of his art work. “And the different focussing? I think this is my favourite.” He enlarged his final shot, taken from slightly behind Kaidoh so that his face was a side-profile but his spines showed a striking V across the screen. He looked up into Kaidoh’s face. “How about we repeat just that one picture with no clothes?” he suggested.
Watching Fuji moving around him, Kaidoh couldn’t stop himself from tensing his muscles, not for the sake of vanity but due to the anxiety of someone walking around him, even if the other was immune to his venom. It was oddly fascinating watching the other work, hurrying along and changing filters and playing with the blinds and lights. He supposed he was the lucky one, all he really had to do was sit there.
“I-” He knew Sanada wanted something, and he supposed from that angle the more embarrassing portions of his body would be hidden. Technically, he was doing what the other man wanted him to do. “Yeah....we can do that.”
Fuji lightly rested a hand on Kaidoh’s shoulder, careful not to touch his spikes again. “Trust me,” he told him. “It will be everything he wants.” He moved back, unplugging his camera and setting it up for the correct shot, his eyes downwards to give Kaidoh some feeling of privacy without making it a big deal.
Sighing, Kaidoh rose from the chair, and glanced at Fuji, noting his eyes down toward the floor. He decided right then that he rather like the older boy, he was a good person. Taking a deep breath, he undid his pants and lowered them and then slid off his boxers. “Uh...so....should I just stand here or...?” His face was an interesting shade of red, it was a little strange just standing there in the nude in a practical stranger’s room like that.
Fuji glanced up, his eyes on Kaidoh’s face. “Why don’t you sit?” he said. “That is normally how Sanada see you, isn’t it?” He suspected that Kaidoh was a good enough student that Sanada had first spotted him at a desk or computer terminal. “Why don’t you look at my laptop? While we can’t tell what it’s saying, my suspicion is that it will have no complaints.”
“But I’m naked.” Kaidoh had a hangup about sitting naked on someone else’s, anyone’s chair, really. He spotted his boxers on the floor and placed them on the chair to act as a buffer between his ass and the cold surface. Looking back at Fuji, he raised a brow at the idea of looking at the laptop, especially since they talked to Sanada. Though, he could feel it, Sanada was not thinking about computers or him right now. Making an annoyed hissing sound, he shook his head. “Guess it’s fine.”
Maybe they shouldn’t have brought computers into it. Fuji walked across and scooped up his laptop, replacing it with a cactus. He smiled at Kaidoh, “How’s that? I’ve only had this one a year.” He stepped back and slightly behind Kaidoh. The V of his spines took up the the main extent of the screen, the profile was shadowed but in focus. Blue skin rippled under the tense muscles as Kaidoh leaned forward slightly. Perhaps Fuji was not the greatest expert, but for him that was a very sexy shot.
The shutter snapped.
Kaidoh held his breath until the shutter snapped and echoed in the nearly silent room. He looked down at the small cactus in his hands and mused over the idea of the cactus and what Sanada would think about the photos. He shivered slightly, feeling the cooler air creeping up against his skin. While the sun was a bit warmer, he did have to account for being naked. “Are we done?”
“We’re done,” Fuji assured him. He retrieved his laptop and loaded the new photo onto it. Then he made a copy. While Kaidoh dressed, Fuji pulled up photoshop’s toolbox and began to edit. Colours were tweaked, vector lines were smoothed, edges were adjusted. At the end, two photographs sat side by side. One showed Kaidoh as he was, the sapphire tinge to his skin glowing in the afternoon light. The other showed a boy who was not a mutant, pink smooth skin ran over his back. That person was handsome, but not nearly as striking as the first. Fuji showed Kaidoh the result. “I don’t pretend to understand everything you have to deal with,” he told him. “But I know who I’d rather be looking at.”
Kaidoh moved over to join the other as he zipped up his jacket and made sure his clothing were straight. Settling beside the older boy, he chewed his lower lip thoughtfully and studied the photos. Some part of him wanted to be pissed off of the other took those liberties with his image like that, especially since he knew he could never look like he used to before the mutation began manifesting. But, those sweet words were enough to calm his rising temper, and he lowered his head, his bangs hanging over his eyes. “Thanks....I’m sure he’ll really like that one.” Kaidoh pointed to the one with his scales and spines in plain view. He had to admit the colors were amazing and Fuji was a great photographer. “He likes my scales....”
Fuji smiled, “Then he has taste.” He started to pack up his camera, unsure if he should continue. Kaidoh’s anxious behaviour from the beginning had not sat well with Fuji, nor had his preoccupation every time Sanada was mentioned. “I’ll prepare a set of the best pictures and send them to you,” he told his companion. Before the other boy could reply he added, “The photographs are of you, Kaidoh-kun. Regardless of who asked for them, only you have the right to decide who sees them.”
Perhaps that was big talk from someone who had asked to see a private school record, but Fuji would have argued that Kaidoh’s photoshoot was rather more revealing. Literally. He lifted a cactus and smiled at the blue-scaled student. “Cacti don’t let anyone mess with them. You shouldn’t either.”
“Thank you, Fuji-sempai.” Kaidoh mumbled quietly, feeling a little embarrassed about his sullen moods and his doubts he had earlier about trusting the other man. It seemed like Fuji really did at least try to understand him. And maybe he would hold the photos hostage, just for a little while. Looking back up as the cactus was lifted, he smirked faintly. “Who says I let anyone mess with me?”
Fuji’s smile deepened. “I wouldn’t dare,” he said.