[Fic] Mr. Bojangles

[bunny_d_kate]

Title: Mr. Bojangles
Author: bunny_d_kate
Fandom: Tenimyu
Pairing: Ueshima Yukio x Yuzawa Koichirou
Summary: Yuzawa's photo shoots are always a little... different



Practice had been pretty exhausting today and Tuti rushed out of the theatre, lighting a fag as he was walking.

“So…”

A hand grabbed him by the shoulder and made him stop. He turned around to see Yuzawa’s mischievous grin. A grin he had perfected during all those years of being… well, a very mischievous man.

“…Where are we going tonight, Tsuchiya-kun?”

Tuti just shrugged and took a drag from his cigarette.

“I don’t know about you. I already have a date.”

“Rude!!”

Yuzawa pursed his lips looking like someone had just snatched away his favorite toy.

“You can meet Nagayan some other time. Or…”

Yuzawa raising his right eyebrow was always a bad sign.

“…At least let me come along.”

“First of all, I didn’t say a word about Takashi. Secondly, if I were - hypothetically speaking - meeting him I would never take you along. It’s bad enough that you keep stealing my phone during practice to send him text messages under my name.”

“And you never let me read his answers. I bet he loves it!”

Yuzawa cocked his head and started stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“Maybe I should call him directly next time. I make a pretty good Tuti.”

His very convincing version of “HI! TUTI DESU!” made the original chuckle. Though it was a bit of a nervous chuckle.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

The left eyebrow went up as well. He was in trouble for sure.

“Try me…”

Lowering his voice to a husky whisper Yuzawa went on with his demonstration.

“Takashi… It’s been too long. What are you wearing right now?”

It wasn’t easy to make Tuti lose his cool but unfortunately Yuzawa knew exactly which buttons to push.

He just turned around and walked on without another word but of course Yuzawa wasn’t giving up just yet.

“So if it’s not him, who are you meeting tonight?”

“I’m invited to a friend’s house. Actually, I would rather just go home a have an early night in but he’s the sort of friend you don’t turn down, if you know what I mean.”

“Sounds interesting. Do I know that friend of yours?”

“Kimeru?”

“Ah, that little fellow. Awesome sense of style.”

“Yep. Well, it’s some kind of cast reunion party.”

“Hmm… so who’s coming?”

Tuti gave another shrug.

“Don’t know. Lots of people I guess. As I said you don’t want to turn him down. Mainly first cast Tenimyu. Maybe some more. Last time he even managed to persuade Ueshima-sensei to come along.”

“Ueshima? As in Ueshima Yukio the famous choreographer?”

“Just the one.”

“So…”

A little theatrical pause.

“You think he might be there tonight?”

Tuti heaved a little sigh. All he wanted was to get home and get changed.

“I have no idea. He’s a very busy man. Yuzawa-san, I really need to get going now.”

“Do you think I could join in?”

Stopping dead in his tracks Tuti turned around to him once more.

“I don’t want you to molest that man! He’s like the father I never had!”

Yuzawa raised his hands in defense.

“Oh please. What are you taking me for?”

Tuti snorted.

“Believe me. You don’t want me to answer that. Besides, Kime isn’t particularly fond of uninvited guests.”

“Just let me handle that. I’m sure he’ll be delighted.”

Knowing full well that Yuzawa would never let this go Tuti finally caved in.

“Whatever. Come by my place in an hour. And don’t embarrass me!”

He ran off before the other man could plant a wet smack on his cheek but he could still hear the jolly “See ya~” echoing behind him.

~ * ~

Having some sense of foreboding Tuti opened the door exactly one hour later.

“You should have dressed up more.”

“You should have dressed down. And please don’t tell me those flowers are for Ueshima.”

Yuzawa rolled his eyes sticking a strand of hair behind his ear.

“Of course not. Those are for the generous host. Believe me, girls love red roses.”

“True. And what’s that?”

“My camera?”

Tuti shut the door behind him and took a deep breath.

“If you start anything fishy I’ll just pretend I don’t know you.”

“Fair enough.”

~*~

When they arrived, Kime’s place was already packed. Which wasn’t a surprise considering its size.

Tuti had been trying to think up some explanations on the way but when Kimeru opened the door Yuzawa instantly took the lead and had him wrapped around his finger in no time.

“Told you so.”, Yuzawa whispered in his ear when they took off their coats.

Entering the living room, Tuti didn’t bother being polite and went straight off to the improvised bar where various bottles of alcohol were waiting to be tried out. Besides, he knew that Yuzawa wasn’t a guy who was in any need of an introduction.

Slumping down on the couch between Eiji und Nagayan he greeted both with a nod and took a deep gulp from his beer.

“What’s Yuzawa doing here?”

“I really don’t know…”

Eiji gave him a questioning look.

Yuzawa on the other hand was busy checking out the surroundings while trying to get rid of his now very eager host as politely as possible.

“That sounds awesome. We definitely have to do that some time. Excuse me. I’ll just get a drink.”

That wasn’t even a lie. Though the real reason was standing next to the bar, holding a bottle of beer and looking around absentmindedly.

Ueshima was dressed in black, his well-build frame visible under the tight shirt. His hair was ruffled slightly and he probably hadn’t shaved for a day or two. Casual but classy.

Yuzawa strolled over trying to make eye contact. It wasn’t as easy as he had thought but then again he was always up for a challenge. When he reached out for the bottle of whiskey standing on the table, Ueshima finally turned his head and acknowledged him. Yuzawa cocked his head and nodded slightly. He would leave it up to him to start the conversation.

When Ueshima bowed and introduced himself he returned the gesture with a smile.

“It’s an honor to finally meet you, Ueshima-san.”

Ueshima gave him an amused grin and both chinked glasses.

“So what brings you here?”

“Oh, Tsuchiya-kun over there literally begged me to come along to meet his friends. I just can’t say no to that boy.”

“Tell me about it.”

Noticing the juvenile twinkle in his eyes when Ueshima chuckled quietly to himself, Yuzawa leaned in a little closer.

“Those kids really look up to you. You are one amazing guy, Ueshima-san.”

Ueshima eyed him suspiciously for a moment before taking another sip from his beer.

“Is that so?”

They watched the boozy fun around them for a while and Tuti tried very hard to make himself invisible whenever he met Yuzawa’s gaze.

So the evening went on though not exactly as Yuzawa had planned it. All attempts to spark up a conversation were answered politely but never evolved into more than harmless bits of small talk. But of course giving up wasn’t an option yet.

“Hey…”

Ueshima looked a little puzzled when he got poked in the ribs.

“How old are you anyway?”

Okay, so maybe the drinks were loosening his tongue a little but not a lot more than usual.

“Why is that of any interest to you?”

“Because I’m curious. I’m a photographer. I watch people. A person’s face tells me a lot about their personality.”

“So you think mine is very old?”

“Nononononono~!”, Yuzawa giggled and slapped him on the arm.

“You don’t look old at all! But very…”

He gnawed his index finger for a moment thinking of the right word.

“…experienced.”

Ueshima averted his gaze but Yuzawa was sure he saw a faint smile creep across his lips.

“Ueshima-san?”

Another moment of silence.

“Can I take a picture of you?”

The wrinkles on Ueshima’s forehead were obvious but only a second later his professional self took over again.

“Of course.”

He straightened up and struck a pose.

He was obviously waiting for him to get out his mobile phone and snatch a little picture. Yuzawa just shook his head with a grin.

“Cute… but no. Not like that.”

The wrinkles were back in an instant.

“And what did you have in mind?”

“Not in here.”

He made a dismissive gesture across the room.

“Too many people. Too many distractions. For a shot like that I need some atmosphere.”

Ueshima was still on his guard but Yuzawa knew now that pushing on wouldn’t be in vain. He had pierced the outer shell.

“Outside. I see dark streets only illuminated by street lights. Maybe a bit of autumn drizzle. What do you say? It’ll only take five minutes.”

“Why me?”

Yuzawa leaned in again his voice nothing more than a whisper.

“Because you fascinate me, Ueshima-san.”

Anybody else would have run off at that moment but apparently Ueshima was still pondering the idea.

“I won’t have to take my clothes off, will I?”

“I wouldn’t stop you from doing so but no, that’s not what I was thinking about.”

Ueshima just shrugged.

“Fine.”

Before they could leave the living room though, Tuti stepped between them and the door. He had crossed his arms in front of his chest and scowled at Yuzawa with narrow eyes.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Outside.”

“Together?”

“Apparently.”

Tuti gave Ueshima a pleading look.

“Don’t do it, Ueshima-sensei!”

“And why not?”

“Because he is… he’s a…”

Tuti was struggling for words while the couch fraction was going down in fits of giggling.

Ueshima clapped him on the shoulder with a wink.

“Thanks for your concern, Tsuchiya-kun, but I’ll be fine. I’m a big boy.”

“Ooh~ yes…”, Yuzawa added smugly.

“Shut up!!”

Tuti stamped his foot and stormed off. Nagayan slipped off the couch with a loud snort.

~ *~

“I’m actually quite glad that there’s no autumn drizzle.”

“Well, it’s a pity but I think we can work without it.”

“So what should I do?”

“Anything. Whatever comes to mind.”

Ueshima straightend up, pulled back his arms and bowed his head slightly while Yuzawa took the chance to take a few first shots.

“Pretty nice for a warm up. Now lie down.”

Ueshima’s head shot up.

“You’re kidding.”

“What? It’s not raining. It’s not even cold. It’s dark and there’s no one around. Just lie down on the ground for a moment. Under that street lamp would be best.”

Ueshima looked around and then back at him.

“If you’re making a fool out of me you’ll regret it.”

“I’m not. We’re both professionals, right? Now get on with it.”

His new model pulled a face but then went over to the implied spot which was illuminated by a cone of light.

“Here?”

“Yes please. Just lie down and relax.”

Lying on the black ground Ueshima looked up at him with growing skepticism.

“Should I do anything?”

Yuzawa bent down and reached inside his camera bag.

“Hold this.”

“What the-? A red rose?”

“It’s just a prop. I borrowed it from the house.”

“Doesn’t that look incredibly corny?”

“Well, if you clutch it to your heart like that it does. Wait…”

He took the rose from Ueshima’s hand and draped it on his chest.

“Don’t hold it. Just leave it like that. Great, now close your eyes.”

A few flashes of light illuminated the night.

“Now try to look less tense.”

“I feel weird.”

Yuzawa took the camera down and heaved an exaggerated sigh.

“Just relax. What do you normally do to relax? Think about that.”

“I dance.”

“Yes of course. But what do you do after a long day of dance rehearsals? When you’ve been dancing the whole day and just want to get away from it all? Have a glass of champagne in front of the fireplace? Read a good book?”

Ueshima shrugged.

“I still dance. Not the dance routines I’ve been practicing of course but just for myself. To me that’s the best way to clear my head.”

Yuzawa looked at him while scratching his forehead.

“Okay, I’ve got an idea. Get up.”

“What now? I just relaxed.”, Ueshima grumbled and got up reluctantly.

“Dance.”

By now, Ueshima was knitting his brows so hard they almost looked like one straight line.

“Here? Now??”

“I want to take a picture of you doing something you love. What better way could there be?”

“You didn’t bring a ghetto blaster, too, did you?”

“No but if you need music I could sing for you.”

“No thanks. That would just distract me more. I don’t really need music anyway.”

Yuzawa took up the camera again and aimed at a suitable angle.

“Dance for me, Mr. Bojangles.”

The other man blinked in surprise but then he smiled.

When he started dancing Yuzawa needed a moment to adjust. Fortunately, he’d been in more “demanding” photo shots like this one so he did manage to snatch a sufficient amount of pictures but he was still very much in awe of what was going on before his very eyes.

He couldn’t pin down exactly what kind of dance style Ueshima was performing because it looked like a mixture of everything. Still, there were no obvious pauses in between. One thing seemed to flow right into the other just like every movement was flowing right into the next one. Though there was no music, Ueshima’s body moved in its own rhythm as if it were the music itself drifting on a silent beat that only he could hear. It seemed like every fiber of his body was in motion and at the same time completely at ease.

Yuzawa tried to adapt to his movements while he was moving around him trying to capture every nuance on film. Ueshima kept on dancing not in the least distracted by the constant flashes of light around him and completely absorbed in his own world.

When he finally stopped, they were both panting.

“Got what you wanted?”

Yuzawa just nodded, for a moment not sure what to say. Of course for him these kind of moments never lasted very long.

“I’m not much of a dancer myself so I don’t know but I always imagined dancing as something very sensual.”

Ueshima leaned in closer so Yuzawa could already feel his warm breath tickling his skin.

“You know… sometimes it’s better than sex.”

There were very few things that made Yuzawa lose his composure but now he felt a hot flush spreading on his cheeks.

“Um…”

“Wanna go back inside?”

Why was he still that close? And why did he smell so damn good?

Ueshima’s quiet chuckle trickled down his ear before he gave him a pat on the shoulder and turned around.

“Come on. I guess we both need a drink. And someone has to tell Tsuchiya-kun we didn’t run off to Las Vegas together.”

Yuzawa followed still a little weak in the knees. He felt very strange but in a good way.