u know what was missing from cherry magic??? adachi realising that he has no photos of kurosawa, kurosawa doesn’t even use his own photo on his texting app!! adachi wants to see his (blinding) face when he’s not there,,,, so he sneakily takes a photo when kurosawa is distracted and sets it as his phone background, not telling kurosawa… kurosawa sees it when he goes to check the time and loses the ability to think for 5 minutes as he realises that adachi is just as obsessed with him as he is with adachi….
Adachi’s phone pings and Kurosawa shouts ‘Adachi! Phone!’. Adachi’s answer from the shower comes muffled but still clear enough ‘Who is it?’. Kurosawa gets up from his seat and goes to check on the notification – the screen lights up and he sees it’s a message from Tsuge, he doesn’t read it because as much as he’s interested about EVERYTHING in Adachi’s life, he’s just not the person to read someone’s messages. Even by accident.
He does continue looking at the screen though. Behind the translucent notification there is a picture. Of himself. Adachi’s screen saver is a photo of himself. Adachi has a photo of Kurosawa on his phone. As a screensaver.
Kurosawa runs this thought back and forth through his mind, waiting for it to register and settle. It doesn’t.
Adachi doesn’t like having his photos taken, he shies away from group photos during office outings, he hides every time Kurosawa picks up the phone just in case! Adachi doesn’t make photos, Kurosawa had never seen him use phone camera, and when people on the street ask him to take their picture, Kurosawa always have to graciously step in because Adachi just looks confused at the prospect of pointing the camera and pressing buttons… Photography is just not Adachi’s thing!
Yet this one was clearly taken by Adachi. From close distance.
Kurosawa looks at the photo, trying to understand when it was taken and how he had missed the momentous occasion like this. The picture self is looking to the side, biting the lower lip, deep in thought. He’s wearing a sweater so it’s obviously not a workplace situation… all evidence considered, it must’ve been during few days when Kurosawa was preparing for his conference speech at Adachi’s place, this is the only time he was concentrated enough to may have missed the candid being taken.
Adachi took a photo of him and used it as a screensaver. Maybe, not the best photo, Kurosawa thought he looked a bit tired in it, not his best look really…
- Who is it? – comes Adachi’s voice from behind and startles Kurosawa from his deep thinking.
Kurosawa turns around comically fast and almost throws Adachi’s phone at him. He answers automatically:
- Kurosawa!
Now it’s Adachi’s turn to get confused:
- Eh? You wrote to me? Why?
Kurosawa blinks and clears his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment:
- I mean, the message is from Tsuge-san.
- Oh! I see… Let me check it first…
Adachi picks up the phone and reads the message, types quick answer and puts the phone down. He turns back to Kurosawa and, seeing how his boyfriend is looking at him as if he just grew a set of wings, asks a little apprehensively:
- What?
Kurosawa looks… shy? What’s going on?! Even if he read Tsuge’s message – and Kurosawa would never do it – there was nothing to cause this reaction! What happened when Adachi was in the shower to make his boyfriend so flustered? Adachi presses on:
- Kurosawa, what is it?
Kurosawa smiles wide, his eyes turning into crescent moons and says, his voice deep with satisfaction:
- You have my photo as a screensaver on your phone.
It’s a declaration of fact, not a question. Kurosawa still hopes for some explanation though, so he prompts Adachi further:
- When you’d taken it? Maybe, you should re-do it, I don’t look my best there…
Adachi retorts, a little protectively:
- I like it the way it is!
Kurosawa raises both hands as a sign of surrender – he really didn’t mean to offend Adachi’s photography skills!
- It’s fine, Adachi, I won’t insist. I’m just surprised that you took it in the first place! I didn’t even notice!
Adachi shrugs:
- You were too busy practicing your talking points, too focused on all the possible discussion avenues… I didn’t try to hide it but I didn’t announce it either… - Adachi presses his lips together and looks up at Kurosawa, his expression guilty, - Do you mind? I can erase it if you uncomfor…
- Don’t! Keep it! Please!
Kurosawa grabs Adachi’s hands and tugs him into tight hug, whispering:
- I’m just so happy! I don’t know why but it means so much to me! That you’d want to keep a picture of myself with you and sometimes look at it and…
Adachi blinks, listening to Kurosawa’s exited words. His amazing boyfriend, with his beautiful face and perfect everything, the man of the hour, day and year… is surprised that Adachi would want a picture of himself. Somehow, when Adachi is concerned, Kurosawa completely forgets that he is considered an ultimate catch and treats every tiny piece of affection from Adachi’s side as heaven-sent. Adachi should work on that!
He leans out as much as Kurosawa’s arm circle would allow him and say:
- You are my boyfriend. I want to look at you every moment of forever. And I like this picture because it is more real you, less polished, more… my Kurosawa. But I took other twenty that day, you can see if you like any other and I’ll think about…
Adachi was going to say ‘… think about changing it’ but Kurosawa leans in and kisses the end of that sentence away. His lips are tender and soft and warm and sweet and… Kurosawa. Adachi’s hands travel up Kurosawa’s torso, circling his neck and pressing their bodies closer together. The touch brings the warmth – both radiating from Kurosawa’s body and unwinding from the inside, quickly getting hot in places where their bodies connect, press, grind… His last thought is ‘Photos will wait’…
