Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Turns out, falling in love at first sight wasn’t the world-stopping, heart pounding tropey bullshit the media has been feeding the people. 

What exactly happened: Sanemi was doing his job as an event photographer— he shot beautiful spots around the  venue, he shot the extravagant floral decor, he shot the snobby rich guests (wished he could do that in a different way), and then, just by chance, his camera caught the figure of a man standing ways away from the crowd. 

The fuck he doing over there? 

Sanemi peered through the lens, and zoomed in to study the man’s profile. 

Then suddenly, he’s a poet. 

Because the first thing he thought of was the beauty of a calm sea. 

Here’s where it goes cliche: when you fall at first sight, you feel the pull.

Sanemi kept shifting his gaze from the man’s striking blue eyes to the way his face carried the solemn expression and realized that yes, he couldn’t have had described him any more perfectly. 

In contrast to his messy raven head sticking out like a pine tree, the well-tailored suit he wore was crisp, clean and proper. It was a burgundy tuxedo over a waistcoat of the same color. Underneath was a black shirt topped with a white bow tie. 

He had both his hands hidden in his pockets as he stoically observed the audience from the distance. 

At this angle, Sanemi could see an upturned nose and a pair of small lips which he caught just in time as it slightly quirked into a slight smile when the venue’s doors opened and then the bride, his client herself, Tsutako Tomioka came into view.

Sanemi could flip the dictionary over and over and he still wouldn’t be able to find something that was synonymous with beautiful because holy shit, the man was truly one but he couldn’t just pack every adjective he could think of into a single, overused term. 

Somehow, the most beautiful word to exist was still lacking.

If this was a movie, Sanemi and the mysterious man would’ve locked eyes and then the rest of the world will fall apart.

But no, the one-sided spell broke when he realized that the man had only eyes for Tsutako. 

And that’s how Sanemi experienced the horseshit they call ‘love at first sight’.  The world didn’t stop, he was instantly on the move to do what he was paid to do. His heart didn’t start hammering in his chest. It felt weighted, just a little, at the disappointment that he had to quell the stupid fantasies taking root in his dumbass brain. 

Well, it was fun while it lasted. 

“I have an idea on how you could gain more followers.” Genya unashamedly barges inside Sanemi’s studio and he wasn’t surprised anymore to his big brother staring longingly at his desktop. It’s been going on for weeks. “Well, it’s more like Mui’s idea.”

 Sanemi grumbles without even taking his eyes off the screen. “Don’t wanna hear it.” Genya gets himself a boyfriend it has to be a troublesome little gremlin. 

“So, it’s like this,” Genya doesn’t get the fucking hint. “you post his picture in social media with the caption asking if anyone have fallen in love with a client or something and then you act all sad boy because you can’t, because you have to stay professional.” 

That was oddly specific, how could that Tokitou kid come up with exact shit? “Genya...” Sanemi stares dumbly at his younger brother like he stuck a bouncing dildo on his forehead. “No, I’m not doing it for clout, what in the name of fuck?!”

“It’s perfect! Mui said that bad publicity is still publicity. Maybe it will go trending and people will search him for you. Your page will get more engagements! Of course we’re gonna censor the eyes—” Genya presses on quickly as if that was the problem and not the glaring fact that Sanemi would look like a creep. “of this uh, man...why do we keep calling him ‘man’, you should give him a nickname or something.”

Finally, a subject to take the conversation off whatever dumb shit Tokitou cooked up. Like, he appreciated the concern and all (Genya must’ve blabbed about his lack of clients.) but he’d rather search himself and go job hunting than become the next internet meme.

Sanemi couldn’t help the smile that crawled up his face. Genya had raised a good point and he was itching to tell someone for so long. 

“Actually, I have a name for him. Mizu.” His eyes go soft at the memory of those pair of deep blue. Seeing those behind the screen couldn’t just compare. The smile on his lips part to let out a dreamy sigh. “Because see those eyes of his? When I stare at them, I feel like drowning, but in a good way.”

It was Genya’s turn to cringe. His face twists into a scowl because never in his life did he picture his brash and loud aniki talking like a romance fanfic. 

“More like, Mizu me with that bullshit. What the fuck, Nemi? That’s even cornier when you promised Kanae-san the moon and the stars.”

The hand on Sanemi’s desk instantly clenches into a fist. Angry veins start popping out along his massive arm. It quivers, like it’s itching to land on the nearest solid object available which was his desktop with a picture of Mizu looking so lovely and far away. 

Genya’s stupid potato face was the next best option.

“What are you going to offer Mizu-san? Lemme guess, Uranus?”

And then, he turns and runs away.

“GET YOUR GAY ASS OUT OF HERE, TITTY HEAD!” Sanemi quickly crosses the distance between them, his leg doing most of the catching up as his foot comes in contact with his little brother’s said gay ass. 

The kick sends Genya literally flying out of the studio which turns his nasty goblin laugh into a panicked yell. The idiot steps on Koto’s toy truck, causing him to slip forward and crash on a wall. Rest in peace. Sanemi busts his heart open to his brother and he makes fun of him?

“I’m sorry, I’m just worried about your Bi Ass, your Lordship, sir.” Genya peeps from behind the wall. “You’re so down bad for this guy, it’s been weeks, Nemi!”

Sanemi isn’t going to dignify that with an answer so he deflects. "Don’t you have some dumbass lunch date with Tokitou in fifteen?” He grits the words ‘lunch date’ out like it was physically pulling him apart. 

“Yes!” Genya starts flipping like a fish out of water. “After that, we’re going to see a movie and go to a Manga Cafe!”

“Don’t care, didn’t ask, use protection.” Sanemi lazily waves a hand to dismiss him. Genya didn’t care that he didn’t care, he  was still yapping about it by the time he’s in the bathroom.

Stupid younger brother getting more action than him. 

Well, guess what, he could go on a date too. He could ring up one of his past flings or find someone decent enough in some shitty app. In fact, he’d do that right now! 

See? Sanemi starts scrolling his phonebook, contemplating who to ask out among his ten contacts: four exes, while six of them being his mother, Genya, three clients who ghosted him, and the guy from Uber Eats who took a sneaky bite out of his burger once so he had him reported.

Right, no problem. There’s still Tinder, Grindr and OkCupid. 

Goodness, hundreds of people and none of them has a resting bitch face, black bird nest of a head, and icy blue eyes—Sanemi freezes, and sighs. Pulling his hairs out, he drops to the floor pathetically.

Fuck, he’s so alone.

He’s alone and still thinking about someone he encountered once. Actually, it wasn’t even an encounter. The guy had no idea he existed at all, or that since then, Sanemi had been staring at that single photo he captured on a whim for disturbingly long periods of time. 

What he felt was too shallow and creepy to be called ‘love’. Hah. The concept of love at first sight was fucking stupid anyway, it was only designed to sell shit to gullible people. 

Intrigued. He considers that and more like, captivated, entranced, curious...

Maybe even, a crush.

Somehow, that sounds even more stupid. He is twenty one and built like a tank.

“Huh?” Genya finally walks out of the shower, and his head tilts in confusion. Why is his brother doing the duck, cover and hold position? “Was there an earthquake, Nemi?”

Sanemi doesn’t answer but hopes that the ground would really open up to swallow him whole.

Maybe instead of finding the right name for his feelings, he finds himself a stable job first.

Chapter Text

It was half a year later when Sanemi saw Mizu in the flesh again, and it was somewhere he least expected—a funeral.

For the last couple of months, he had been busy juggling his scant photography gig and completing his teaching course at a university, which was why he hasn’t been active in social media lately. Not like he’s getting any inquiries anyway.

But one day, to his surprise, Tsutako had sent him a message to re-book him for another event. Her father had died two days prior, and as a celebrated Dojo Master, the family wished for the ceremony to be recorded so his numerous students and underlings could participate in the funeral even if they weren’t allowed in the main room. 

“We already hired videographers but we still want someone to document through photos.” She was trying her best not to sniffle during their impromptu phone call. 

Sanemi was only required to attend on the last day. Even if he wasn’t family or a friend, he still respectfully showed up in a neat, black suit and offered his condolences.

The funeral of the late Tomioka-sensei is being held in the largest room of the family dojo, with it’s doors opened to the massive backyard garden where most of the attendees gather, talking in hushed voices while they wait for the priest to arrive. 

It was difficult to move around due to the volume of the crowd. Disapproving stares follow him everywhere, coming from the more conservative people who did not agree with letting outsiders in such a private affair. 

Well, tough shit. Money is money. They’re not the ones paying his ass per hour.

Here and there, he caught snippets of hushed conversations. While most were talking about the deceased sensei, he accidentally walked in on two women whispering together. 

Even with low voices, Sanemi could practically feel the disdain dripping out of them.

“He really died without seeing his son for the last time, that’s kind of sad.”

The other lady clicks her tongue, annoyed. “Tsk! Have you forgotten the shame that child brought to the family? I would never want to see that freak ever again.”

“Oh, he’s an eyesore, I agree.” The first one nods with a mocking laugh. “But he could’ve atleast showed up to pay his respects. Tomioka-sensei might’ve kicked him out, but he was still his father.”

“You’re right. Ungrateful children nowadays, they wouldn’t exist without their parents, after all.”

Sanemi’s ears twitch at that. It was triggering. But like he’s not allowed to fall in love while on the job, he couldn’t sock an auntie in the face during work hours too. 

Now, he doesn’t know the context of the Tomiokas’ beef with the absent son. He could be somewhere between a misunderstood problem child to someone who ran away to join a gang. 

Regardless, it’s fucking tiring to hear old people logic. They told him the same bullshit too when he testified against Kyogo in court. 

He’s still your family! You owe him your life!

And other loads of crap meant to decriminalize Kyogo just because he nutted in their mother thus popping them out and giving them lives.

So Sanemi immediately removes himself from the scene before he could throw hands at two old ladies.

As he already had numerous shots of the altar and the main room, he shifts his focus on the place itself, took photos of the silent crowd, captures the sakura trees in dramatic angles which some Gen Z Tomioka would probably slap a quote on about how life is short.

Sanemi mutters an apology when his lens turn to the grieving—it feels like intruding on their suffering but this was exactly what he was hired for.

He didn’t linger on that particular subject for long. A short moment later, he’s back to panning his camera across the huge garden to search for something else to capture. 

His gaze abruptly stops on the general direction of a huge Black Pine tree at the furthest corner of the backyard. 

Then, he moved away from the viewfinder to make sure that he was not tripping when he saw a shoulder and an arm peeking from behind the trunk of the massive tree. 

It’s not uncommon at all for someone to separate themselves from the crowd to mourn alone. What’s weird is wearing any other color than black to a funeral.

Burgundy, to be exact.

A color that reminded him of someone, and Sanemi didn’t dare hope, he didn’t dare....he didn’t dare, because there are too many stupid idiots in this world and maybe this one was just a random person who missed the memo on funerals...because why would he be here? Why did he have to hide again? Does he have relations with the dead or—

Dead. It was Sanemi’s barrage of thoughts that died. 

The figure decided to take the chance and move around the tree,probably just to take a peek. But it was enough to confirm his thoughts, then his heart started beating faster. 

It was indeed Mizu, wearing a burgundy overcoat above a black turtleneck, tight pants and leather boots. On his face was a pair of sunglasses, denying Sanemi the crystal blue eyes he had been daydreaming about for weeks. 

His legs start moving.

Fuck. Am I really risking my job for this shit?

Sanemi was sure Tsutako and her husband wouldn’t mind him running around their family home’s backyard but what of the other guests? For all he knew, as he elbow past the mourners into the bushes, they could be calling the police on his ass for trespassing.

I just wanted...
 
What? His name, his number? To let him know that ‘Hey, saw you last time in my client’s wedding and I’ve been lowkey simping since then.

Mizu turns his head to his direction. His lips part in surprise.

Sanemi felt like hitting an invisible barrier. He skids into a halt, and felt like he’s moving in slow motion. He didn’t know whether to fall backwards or forwards, to back away or to continue on. Mizu looked absolutely horrified that somebody had discovered him.

Mizu made the choice for him and it was Sanemi’s turn to have his jaw fall to the ground. 

He hasn’t even recovered from the shock of seeing Mizu again when the man jumped to grab a sturdy branch, hauled himself up until he was standing on it, and then launched off the tree to the other side. 

Just like that, he was out. 

Mizu did it all faster than it takes someone to open a bag of chips, (and dressed like a fashion model too) with nobody noticing except a very disturbed Sanemi who could’ve been part of the garden statue too with the way he’s standing frozen, mouth agape at what he just witnessed.

The priest finally arrived, which thankfully snapped him out of his trance. But focusing on his job became impossible, so he forced his body on auto-pilot for the rest of the event. 

Only when he got home did his brain started firing off questions after questions: what the fuck...what the fuck...what in the flying fuck?!

Genya makes burnt shit tea but Sanemi gulps down the mug of chamomile like it’s the freshest spring water.

“Wow.” Genya comments as he plops on the bean bag in Sanemi’s home studio. “Never thought I’d see you so hang up on someone it makes you literally stop functioning.”

“It wasn’t just seeing him.” In his opinion, his brother should’ve been learning how to make tea than stick his nose in his love life. ”Told ya, he climbed a fucking bigass tree then jumped off it. Who does that? What would you do if you see something like that, huh?”

Genya shrugs. “Probably call an ambulance. Did you hear a body part breaking?”

“Yes.” Sanemi glares at him over the rim of the mug. “Yours if you won’t shut up about it.”

Mizu has escaped, and Sanemi worries that he would never see him again after that. What was he doing there in the funeral anyway? 

“Why do you think he’s there?” Genya won’t drop it. “Why does he need to hide? You think he’s stalking someone, a Tomioka family member?”

Sanemi’s thoughts fly back to Tsutako’s wedding, particularly how Mizu’s cold, placid expression lightened up as soon as he saw her. 

His chest tightens but Sanemi doesn’t entertain the thought further. He sighs. Of course, Mizu’s straight. The gays always lose. Or like him, he could be bi, like ‘byesexual’ because Sanemi doubted he would see him again. 

Unless...Tsutako asks for Sanemi in some future life event again. Sure, he would see Mizu but it’s as good as confirming that he was in love with her and that he was loving her from afar, hence the stalking.

Sanemi pretends that Genya’s bullshit of a tea is a vodka. He downs all of it in one go, moans, then slumps on his desk.

Poor him. He could shoot many things but never his shot.

He should stop acting like this was a tragic love story in the making because there was no love from the start.

Only delulu.