please never fall in love again. ) // lol + apple

[lol]

akaashi was beyond thankful that the photographer happened to take this news lightly rather than just verbally lashing out. he wasn't sure why, but he presumed that bokuto would be upset with him. . . most photographers were slightly demanding like that. it was wrong of him to even think that the man in front of him would be angry— perhaps it was just nerves. the model didn't find himself in much drama at all, mostly because he didn't like that sort of attention on him. it seemed though, this was going to be his first breakthrough. "to be completely honest with you, i was planning on replacing my main photographer with you. so, i definitely don't want to stop working with you. at all." he knew that comment was a bit risky to bring to the table, but he wanted bokuto to know that this whole rumor wasn't going to stop him from wanting to stay connected. and so, the repressed thought boiling at the back of his mind was tattered to the front again. maybe. . . they could just pretend like they were dating? give it a week, and then pretend as if they were breaking up. would that work? but if kotaro remained his photographer— wouldn't that raise more suspicion again? as if the male in front of him was reading his mind, it seemed as if the 'fake dating' idea was plausible. he didn't say anything at first, akaashi just managed to stare at bokuto as if the two of them already knew the answer. "we could. . . essentially. . . keep working with each other and make it seem like we're also, well, dating. we— i— yeah." he wasn't sure why it was hard for him to spit out the remainder of that sentence, but the thought of. . . feigning this entire thing made him feel a little flushed. this was one way to come out the closet, apparently. "bokuto," akaashi said his name in the midst of a heavy exhale, now trying to reaffirm what they were planning on doing one more time. "are you sure. . . you're okay with doing all of this? we can break it off and still remain as friends. i don't want you to feel like you have to do this for any sort of. . . reason."

ooc: LOL, my bad. i haven't watched free! since i was young,,,,, i don't think i could handle watching it again now though. i think also?? at some point in my life i picked up on yowamushi pedal, but didn't watch it all the way through & i've also seen yuri! on ice (if you want to count an ice skating anime). and i'm just now trying to get into blue lock. i feel you on the wanting romance plots,,, dunno why people decide to torture themselves the way that they do hh

[apple.pi]

bokuto was taken aback by akaashi’s statement about becoming his regular photographer. was that something that the model had talked to his team about already? he hoped so. although he tried to contain his excitement at the prospect of working with akaashi full-time, bokuto couldn’t help but still smile. the photographer was quick to take in akaashi’s reddening face and his nervousness about the suggestion of a fake relationship. seeing the embarrassment, he regretted not being the one to directly state it. he didn’t mind the notion of them pretending to date, the media would probably start ignoring them and move onto the new ‘scandal’ within a week. hopefully. there were a lot bigger and juicer drama to be found with other models, he was sure. unless the rumor blew up out of proportion, but he was certain that it would all fizzle out and become irrelevant given enough time, however long that may be. “yeah, that's a good idea!” he replied in a praising tone, as if the model had been the one to completely come up with it instead of them both vaguely dancing around the idea. whatever bokuto needed to do to relieve any tension as well as make akaashi feel better. “i don’t mind that! the pretend relationship thing, i mean. and continuing to work with you.” he let out another one of his upbeat and loud laughs. maybe it would be complicated at first, but he was assured it wasn’t anything that they couldn’t handle. most likely they would continue to do photoshoots like normal, maybe hang out together outside of work, like friends. and if he was going to become akaashi’s regular photographer, that meant some industry connections as well, right? bokuto realized that this proposal would come with benefits as well, although it was still the model’s reputation that he was more concerned about. “we would still have to meet with your team though right? if i’m going to be your regular photographer, that is. and my boss, yukie, would have to be there as well. she’s really funny, i think you’ll like her.” he paused, realizing he was rambling once again. he took in a deep breath, a childish but still effective way to get himself to shut up. he was probably overloading the conversation, and he knew he probably needed to give akaashi a breather and a chance to actually respond.

;; aaa i've heard of yowamushi pedal but i assumed it wasn't my sort of anime lol. i watched yuri on ice back when it was airing and i really lived it!! idk if it's ever coming back tho which is a little :c i've heard of blue lock as well, and i liked the art style! maybe i'll read it when i have some energy to actually pick up something new lol. i just,, can't watch sad stuff all the time. i watched devilman crybaby ONCE and i was like 'ok i'm gonna head out now' and my friends will rewatch it for the third or fourth time and i'm like... idk how y'all have the strength to do it.

[lol]

akaashi was stuck in one of those moments where he wished this wasn't a face to face conversation, but rather a conversation over the phone. there was a lot to soak in. . . not just about the drama, but the overall future with bokuto. perhaps it wasn't the best idea to bring up switching out konoha quite yet, considering the fact that his pr team seemed against the idea that he changed photographers. they always knew what was best for him, but did he ever get a say in what he thought looked best for himself? drawing himself back to the conversation to one of kotaro's infamous laughs, he felt a morsel of comfort just from the high-energy male. "yeah, yes—" he cleared his throat to re-present himself more formally instead of his tensed, overwhelmed self. "i should also probably admit that i haven't told my manager about wanting to expel my current photographer. . . yet. i was planning to today, but it might be a difficult topic to bring up considering the current news." it really wasn't his manager he was worried about, it was his modeling agency's boss that he was picketed over. kaori suzumeda was mostly understanding when it came to being his manager. she would listen and try to compensate when there was bumpy hinges in the road, but with the frequent missed calls and messages from this morning— there was no doubt in his mind that she was probably a little upset. "i, um, guess i'll try and figure it out later tonight. there's probably a lot of people who need to talk to me just about the news article, but i'll try to see what i can do." he felt bad that he couldn't give bokuto a direct answer even after 'hyping' up the fact that he wanted to switch his current photographer with him. if anything, the thought of having to go back home and talk. . . hours on end with a bunch of different people didn't sound too great. how was it that people like oikawa who flourished in drama like this didn't get overwhelmed? part of akaashi wished he could hug bokuto— just to comfort as well as to reassure himself one last time that everything they were doing was valid and not. . . over-the-top. instead, he just pulled out his phone, and hummed. "the evening train will be departing soon. i think. . . we should call it a day, yeah?"

ooc: yowamushi pedal is a lil,,, boring i guess? i wasn't too invested in it. yuri on ice was rly great! i wish it was coming back as well. ugh. yeah, for sure! i just picked up blue lock and it's,,, whew, it's smth else. i have yet to watch devilman crybaby, but golly, it looks sad. even anime's where it's not completely sad but like,,, there's heart-wrenching moments- i'll cry. so basically, i'm a baby lmao

[apple.pi]

bokuto, as usual, listened to every word that came out of akaashi’s mouth intently. it didn’t really bother him that the model hadn’t officially proposed the idea to his team yet, bokuto found himself happy that it was even an idea. it made him feel wanted, and backed up the previous praise that he had received so far. even if he didn’t end up as a regular photographer, there would still be opportunities for them to work together anyway. he tried his best to have a more optimistic outview of what the future held for them. regardless of what would happen, he decided he wouldn’t be upset about anything. after akaashi’s suggestion that the two of them called it a day, he nodded in agreement. “yeah, i’ll start packing up then.” he squatted down, focusing his attention on the stray equipment rather than akaashi. he carefully made sure things were where they were supposed to be- the cap on the lenses, camera secured in its case, velcro firmly attached where it needed to be. he thought that maybe taking his direct attention of akaashi would help him ease up a little. whatever he could do to help. there wasn’t that much that needed to be put away, considering they had set up in a studio location. “i can send you the pictures again, like the last time. i don’t like any of them were bad, i think i just got nervous halfway through because of the, you know, rumor thing.” he laughed sheepishly, deliberately not making eye contact with akaashi. it was rather embarrassing to admit that he had such a mood swing just because of the picture of them, but it was easier to bring up after they had addressed it.

;; i miss yuri on ice but i think i miss the time period when it came out more since i rly looked forward to a new episode every week,, the serotonin levels lmao. somehow i held out crying the entire time watching devilman crybaby and ended up ugly sobbing at the end. but i feel you im a huge baby when it comes to emotional stuff. i keep replaying danganronpa though for whatever reason even though it hurts when my favs die lmaooo

[lol]

akaashi tore his gaze away from the photographer as soon as he bent down to pack his equipment up. sliding his fingers across his phone screen, he texted for an uber, and managed to peep at a few text messages that he received; one of which, he allowed his finger to hover over before pulling away from, and turning off the electronic device. he could look at it later. this whole mess. . . would be stored for later. right now, he was still at 'work' whether he wanted to believe that or not. inhaling gradually, the model spun around to face bokuto as soon as he was all packed up. "oh, that would be great. and no worries. . . i'm sure the photos turned out just fine." he dipped his head forward, observing the fact that kotaro wasn't completely looking at him. taking this as an invitation to continue the conversation, akaashi meddled on with his words. "and. . . i'll keep you in the loop about, well, everything. you said your boss's name was yukie, right?" the model was temperamental when it came to persuading. it honestly depended on his mood and the 'thing' that he was trying to persuade for. in this case, he felt as though he might have a chance when speaking to kaori later this evening about switching konoha, and the news article. . . in a way, this whole ordeal might give bokuto's photography team some more publicity. clearing his throat, akaashi tilted his head towards the studio one last time to make sure he wasn't leaving anything behind before starting to make his way towards the exit. "here, let me help you on the way out." it wasn't like he was rushing to get out of the studio, but if kotaro needed to catch the evening train— it might be best if the photographer got a head start.

ooc: i honestly felt that,,,, 2015—2016 were the years. man, i miss them. it honestly depends when and how i cry. like,, if i'm alone, i'll cry to the simplest of things,,, but if i'm with friends n stuff- i have a heart of steel. also felt that on the dr replay. i've been watching gundam's va play v3 these last couple of days and it's hard to sit through qwq. hshsm should we timeskip? i didn't want to randomly jump ahead in time,, so i'm sorry if my post seems rambly

[apple.pi]

after a long lecture from yukie on the phone, bokuto had shown up the akaashi’s company office in a pair of slacks and button-up shirt. it wasn’t like he didn’t know how to look and act professional, but working in the photography industry meant he wasn’t exactly used to having to dress up for anything, and the dress code at his office was rather relaxed as well. as he waited nearby the building’s entrance, he held a rather-tight grip onto his portfolio. he was unspeakably nervous- he wanted this meeting to go well after all. it was both an opportunity to help his own career but also to keep working with akaashi, two things he simultaneously wanted. he barely even noticed when yukie ran up to him, hurriedly catching her breath. “i thought i was going to be late. do you know what office we’re supposed to head to?” she yawned, turning to look through the directory posted outside the building. bokuto shook his head, unlocking his phone to send a quick text to akaashi. ‘heyyy my boss and i just arrived outside, what floor should we head to???’ they had exchanged polite conversation between the current meeting and their last photoshoot together, overall avoiding the discussion of their fake relationship agreement. bokuto didn’t want to straight-up confront the model about it, he hated how uncomfortable and embarrassed akaashi had looked when he brought up the photo in the first place, but he would probably have to talk about it at some point. hopefully it would all go over smoothly, especially if bokuto could land the regular photographer position. he shoved his free hand in his pocket, waiting for a reply.

;; i just went ahead with the timeskip, i hope thats ok!! i assumed it would just be the meeting between the two companies. and dont worry your post is good :p i havent watched gundham's va playthrough but i planned to when i had a little more free time. i rly love v3 even though it gets a bit of hate lmao. its actually the only danganronpa game i own, i've only played the other games at sleepovers with friends lol.

[lol]

akaashi, sat inside a meeting room alongside kaori, konoha, and a few other people. the model had specifically told kaori that he wanted to keep this as simple and down-low as possible, but she had managed to gain the upper hand in the conversation by bringing up the 'news article'. this was supposedly his way of paying her back— or so to speak. he wasn't quite sure why konoha was here, probably to meet the 'new photographer', and bid his farewell's to the company. leaning himself against the table, he side-eyed the woman sitting next to him as she bounced her leg up and down. "hey akaashi, psttt. i should let you know that i might've also invited takeyuki. it's not everyday that you switch out photographer's." kaori winked one of her eyes at the model who now felt undoubtedly a little bothered that so many people were here. gritting his teeth, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he quickly slid out the device to see a message from bokuto. feeling albeit comforted by the message, he sent a quick response back. 'fourth floor. the receptionist will take care of everything after that.' putting his phone away, he glanced over towards kaori once more. she looked. . . nervous. was it for the fact that she decided to agree to akaashi wanting to switch with someone who 'made a bad name for him in the media'? or could it be for the fact that she also invited takeyuki to this gathering? the model, despite his own worries, placed a hand on the woman's back and dipped his head forward. "they're on their way up. relax, you're going to like him. i promise."

ooc: yeah! ofc. i honestly can't recall what happens in v3. i just remember being rly shocked with the ending,,, so i'm trying re-watch a playthrough to see why people 'disliked' it. surprisingly, i only own the first dr game. i think i played up to the first trial and i immediately stopped playing it because my anxiety hated class trials LOL

[apple.pi]

bokuto felt his phone buzz, reading akaashi’s response. “it’s the fourth floor,” he looked at yukie, who sighed loudly but nodded her head. they entered the building, the cool blast of air conditioning hitting him in the face as he opened the door. the first floor receptionist pointed them to the direction of the elevators and with a polite nod, they set off. it was a strange experience to be in a completely new building. maybe he would be visiting this building a lot more frequently, or at least he could hope. once they actually got in the elevator, it was almost dead quiet aside from the soft hum of music. he felt as if his nerves were bundling up. what kinds of questions would they ask him? what if they didn’t like his pictures? what if they were just mean? yukie slapped his back suddenly, practically bringing bokuto back to reality. “stop looking so depressed! if this model really wants you to be his photographer, then he’ll have your back. i’ve got your back. and people love you, you’ll be fine.” she rolled her eyes, although she still wore her signature little grin. bokuto was appreciative of it. despite their employer-employee relationship, they had known each other briefly at university and were on pretty friendly terms. the elevator came to a stop with a ding, and the duo stepped onto the fourth floor. the receptionist, as akaashi had said in his text, did escort them to the conference room. bokuto couldn’t deny that he felt out of place- his office was almost nothing like this. akaashi really was on another level. the receptionist knocked before opening the door for them. “good afternoon,” yukie bowed her head politely at the people gathered in the meeting room. “i’m yukie shirofuku and this is one of my photographers, koutarou bokuto.” bokuto followed in her motions, bowing his head respectfully as well. "good afternoon," he repeated. a sense of relief seemed to wash away his nervousness at the sight of akaashi, giving the model a grin as usual. he could feel his confidence re-surging. he assured himself that everything would be okay.

;; i feel like v3 was a lot different than the other games?? idk it might just be me. i know that some people really didn't like the characters tho. i feel you with the class trials!! they're so fast paced and overwhelming and half the time i just sort of pause them and take a break before coming back. that, or i'll look up a guide online because its stressful lol.

[lol]

the room that he sat in was relatively silent aside from the mutual grumbles of his pr team and others. kaori sat at the head of the table with akaashi on her left looking professional as always, but mixed with a tinge of nervousness. how could he not be a little frayed as well? of course he would fight on bokuto's behalf if it came down to that, but someone like takeyuki yamiji could shut this whole thing down within a matter of seconds. not. . . that he thinks that would be the case, but it was a possibility. to the sudden sound of the receptionist gently knocking on the door, he observed both bokuto and his boss waddle inside the room. the model had to refrain from any sign of amusement from the photographer's outfit. slacks? really? offering a small wave in the direction of bokuto, he tilted his head towards kaori who gawked. "akaashi-kun, you didn't tell me his boss was a female!" the model scrunched his eyebrows, recalling the amount of times he had brought up yukie's name. he most certainly did tell her that bokuto's boss was a female. getting ready to retort, kaori instead started to speak for the good of the whole. "welcome yukie, bokuto. i'm glad you were able to make it. today, we're here to consider and review your photographer's portfolio for akaashi's modeling benefit." the woman besides akaashi seemed to have her game-face on, all the doubt and worries she had earlier had washed away like mud in the rain. "if you wouldn't mind passing your portfolio around bokuto. . ." she trailed off, her eyes locking with who suddenly stepped into the doorframe. takeyuki. quietly, the older man ghosted himself in the seat next to the model, and suppressed his curious eyes on the photographer as well as his boss. "welcome yamiji-senpai. this is yukie shirofuku and koutarou bokuto." he re-introduced softly, awaiting for the portfolio of pictures to be passed around.

ooc: no, no for sure! i think with the whole 'ultimate academy for gifted juveniles' and how they're actually not ultimates rly changed up the gameplay for sure. also,,,, v3 class trials were different big time. hHDMDM,, i remember when i played a lil bit of the first class trial for sayaka's murder and i had gotten something wrong i started to shake ???? so,,, i'm never touching my ps vita ever again LOL. it's easier for me to sit through playthroughs where people actually know the answer (bc i'm big stupid aag)

[apple.pi]

bokuto watched as the old man- yamiji, as akaashi had introduced- entered the room and sat down. was he the chairman? the ceo? bokuto wasn’t certain, but he had to be an important figure in the company. it didn’t surprise him, since akaashi was well-known enough that replacing his photographer must be some sort of big deal. “ah, here’s my portfolio.” he laid the portfolio on the table with a smile, starting with the women who had spoken to them, who he presumed to be akaashi’s boss kaori. right after the model had arranged the date of the meeting, bokuto practically redid his entire portfolio. in his free time, he rearranged the composition, marking certain pages with tabs. he had even bothered to reprint some of the pictures. the pictures from the photoshoot at the park were there as well, remembering the praise the model had given them. overall, it was evident that he desperately wanted to make a good first impression. he had been told over and over that he was a talented photographer, but he wondered if he was even on the same caliber as akaashi’s previous photographer. he had to be good, right? bokuto was jealous of yukie’s confident aura, standing tall before the looming group at the table. he couldn’t help but fidget a little. akaashi’s friendly wave from before did help steady him, but he was undoubtedly nervous. with a deep breath, he did his best to become anchored and secure. he reminded himself that both his boss and the model were there for him- he wasn’t alone in this situation. yukie had pummeled him with possible questions the night before, ranging from previous experience to whatever the situation was with akaashi (she had shrugged off the dating idea, which was a relief- she didn’t care, as long as bokuto had landed the job). all he could hope for was that they weren’t too critical of the whole fake relationship ordeal, although he had also prepared questions related to that as well. but in the meantime, while his portfolio was making its rounds around the table, he opted to stay quiet and let his photographs talk for him instead.

;; i really liked that they weren't actually ultimates!! especially when they showed the audition videos bc i really wasn't expecting that. i found sdr2's class trials to be the worst?? idk maybe it's just komaeda lol (i love him tho). i always pause class trials for the stupidest stuff because i'll think i'll like,, spell a word wrong or something lmao. playthroughs are just so much easier to watch lmao.