Smile for the Picture

“Smile!”

That was the only warning Kaoru got before a camera-flash temporarily blinded him. “What the hell are you doing?” He snapped as soon as he overcame his surprise, glaring at the culprit.

Standing in front of him was a blonde boy, with a lopsided smile on his face. Upon noticing Kaoru’s anger he only laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, sorry! You had such a nice expression, I just had to take a picture.”

“Has nobody told you it’s rude to do that?” Kaoru asked, through grit teeth. “Don’t just take pictures of strangers without their consent, you weirdo!”

Again, the blonde laughed. “I’m sorry, really. It’s a nice picture, though,” he said as he sat down next to Kaoru, so close that their thighs were touching, before he pulled out what looked like a small, portable printer, which a photograph came out of. “Here. Don’t you think it’s a nice picture?”

Kaoru snatched the photograph out of his hands before he harshly scooted away from the boy, putting some distance between them. “Do you carry that thing around everywhere you go? That’s weird.”

“Is it? I think it comes in pretty handy.”

Kaoru rolled his eyes, before he looked down at the photograph. He supposed it wasn’t terrible, despite being taken unannounced. Kaoru was never particularly photogenic, so it was a bit of a surprise for him to be photographed without a scowl on his face. “You still shouldn’t take pictures of people without consent, even if they look good.”

“Didn’t I apologize already? C’mon, don’t be so prickly!” The boy whined, a pout on his face. “I’ll even delete the photo, if you really want me to.”

“Do it, then.”

The boy looked taken aback for a second, before he averted his eyes and nodded, with a deep sigh. “What a shame,” he mumbled. “But nevermind! I wanted to ask you something, actually. Would you mind being my model for a school-project?”

The abrupt change in subject surprised Kaoru, and he stared blankly at the boy for a second. “Excuse me?”

“I need a model for a project.”

“I understood that much!” Kaoru snapped, and he felt the blood rushing to his cheeks, feverishly hot to touch. “Why do you want me to do it?”

“Well, you have a very distinct look,” the boy said, as he leaned over and reached out to touch Kaoru’s faded-pink hair. Kaoru ducked away, shooting a glare at the blonde, who only laughed in response, and as if nothing happened, continued talking. “I’ve been looking for a model for a while now, and when I saw you, I thought you were the perfect fit!”

Kaoru hesitated, feeling a little uncomfortable with that question, his already-pink cheeks flushing even brighter now. “Why— It’s weird to ask a stranger that! Don’t you have any common sense?”

The boy shrugged. “I don’t think it’s weird. If you see something pretty, you wanna take a photo of it, right?”

“Are you a lavender, or something?”

The boy only laughed at that, so hard that he threw his head back.

“It was a serious question!” Kaoru shouted, trying to hide his embarrassment by acting tough. “If you want me to be your model so badly, then you can at least answer the question!”

The boy seemed to calm down, his laughter fading slowly. “I will, I will. It’s just—Well, I’ve never heard anyone use that word to describe it! You’re so cute, don’t you know you can just say ‘gay’?”

Kaoru flushed an even deeper red. “Don’t say that!”

“What? Gay?”

“Don’t say it again!”

The blonde laughed until he could barely breathe, keeled over with one hand on his stomach. “Aren’t you a bit of a prude?”

“You still haven’t answered my question!”

“I’m not,” the blonde said, and Kaoru was relieved for a moment — only until the boy spoke again. “I’m bisexual, actually.”

Kaoru nearly choked on the air. “Isn’t that worse?”

“Double the fun,” the boy said, with a shrug. “And what does it matter, anyway? You still haven’t answered my question.”

Kaoru fumbled with his hands, trying to will himself to calm down, taking a deep breath. “It doesn’t really matter, I guess.”

“So, then you’ll be my model?”

“I didn’t say that!”

The boy laughed, leaning on his elbow and looking at Kaoru with a fond smile. “You can think about it, if you want. Oh, give me a second,” he said, before ripping a small slip of paper out of his notebook, which he scribbled something down onto. 

He handed over the slip to Kaoru. “I don’t have real business-cards yet, but I guess this should work! My name’s Cedar, by the way! Cedar Lightwood.”

“Kaoru Takahashi,” Kaoru said, as he shook his hand. He was still feeling a little too out of his depth, much too confused by the conversation to still be mad at the boy. “Why do you need—”

Cedar jumped up. “Whoops, sorry! I’ve gotta get going,” he said. “Hey, give me a call if you wanna be my model, okay? Or an email, if you prefer. See you!”

Kaoru was left feeling dumbfounded.

He was only alone for a moment before one of his closest friends, Naoya, sat down next to him. “What was that about? I’ve never seen that guy before.”

“Neither have I,” Kaoru said, with a sigh.

“Isn’t that the guy that hangs around the baseball-court all the time?” Bailey, another friend of his, asked before he sat down next to Naoya.

“Now that you mention it, he could be!”

Kaoru rolled his eyes. “I’ve never seen him there before,” he said. “He asked me to be his model for a school-project, or something.”

Naoya looked surprised for a moment, before he smiled. “Seriously? That’s so cool! Did you agree?”

“Not yet,” Kaoru said, trying to ignore the way his cheeks flushed again as he thought back to the conversation. “I got distracted. He told me I could think about it, and to call him when I was sure.”

“You should do it, Kaoru! Isn’t this a great opportunity?”

“Hate to say I agree,” Bailey said. “And you might get paid for modeling, too! You should do it, and then demand a grand for every picture he takes.”

“I don’t even know what he needs a model for, though,” Kaoru lamented, leaning his chin in his hand with a deep sigh. “What if it’s something weird?”

Naoya elbowed him in the side. “I highly doubt a school-project would be something weird. You have his number, right? You can just ask him, and then you can think about it!”

“I guess.” Kaoru sighed as he pulled out his phone to ask the photographer.

‘What kind of project is it?’

Cedar’s response was almost immediate, and the entire text was littered with smileys and exclamation-marks.

‘Hi! Thanks for reaching out! The project requires us to imitate ten paintings in photo-format, but to give our own, modern swing to them.’

‘And since I love taking pictures of colorful things, I thought you’d be a perfect model!’

Kaoru absentmindedly reached up to touch his hair. He couldn’t deny that he was pretty colorful, he mused, before he shook himself out of his thoughts and held his phone out to Naoya. “Does this sound like a real school-project?”

Naoya took his phone to have a closer look. “It does, I guess? What do you think, Bailey?”

Bailey leaned closer and squinted. “It seems legit,” he said. “Now ask him if you’ll get paid, Kaoru!”

“That’d just be rude,” Kaoru said, with a roll of his eyes. “It would seem like I’m only in it for the money if I ask him that. And besides, I’m still not sure if I should do it.”

“C’mon, Kaoru! Just do it!”

Bailey pitched in, too, with a grin. “Maybe you’ll even get a decent profile-picture out of it. Heaven knows you need one.”

Naoya wordlessly punched him in the shoulder.

Kaoru hesitated for a moment, before he typed his response to Cedar. ‘I’ll be your model.’

‘Perfect! I’m so happy :) Can you meet me in the courtyard in a week’s time? If you sit where we met today, I’ll find you.’

And so, a week went by without much excitement, other than the nerves that fluttered in his stomach.

He briefly thought about ditching, but he figured that would be rude, and so he waited, sitting at the table where he’d first met Cedar.

“Kaoru! You really came!” The blonde came running up to him, slightly out of breath when he came to a stop in front of him. I’m so happy you’ll be my model!”

Kaoru nodded, trying to ignore the way his cheeks flushed again. “Yeah, yeah. Should we go now?”

Cedar hummed in agreement, grabbing onto Kaoru’s arm and dragging him up to his feet. Kaoru tried to wriggle out of his grip, but the blonde was a bit stronger than he anticipated.

“I live pretty close, so it’s not a very long walk!”

Kaoru tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling roiling up in his stomach at the blonde’s touch. “Do you already have paintings picked out?”

Cedar nodded, excitedly. “I thought I’d try the ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’, but I thought I’d give it a more modern appearance and substitute the pearl for a safety-pin earring. What do you think?”

Kaoru was surprised at being asked for his input, and he shrugged. “Ah.. I don’t know a lot about things like that. It sounds interesting, I guess.”

“Perfect! You have pierced ears, right?”

“I do,” Kaoru said, a confused dawning in the back of his mind. “But I don’t think I've worn any earrings recently.. how’d you know that, anyway?”

Cedar shrugged, a strange grin pulling at his lips. “Just a lucky guess, I guess.”

After a short walk, they arrived at Cedar’s place. The blonde led him up the stairs and into his bedroom, where he shoved a stack of clothes into his arms. “Here, this outfit should be perfect for the photo!.”

Kaoru stiffened, mouth dry. “I have to change clothes?”

“You don’t mind, do you?” Cedar asked, with a smile. He didn’t wait for Kaoru to respond before he rambled on. “You can get dressed in here, and I’ll get everything set up downstairs. Take your time, you don’t have to worry about anyone coming in.”

Before Kaoru could say anything, the boy was already hurrying down the stairs.

Kaoru hesitated for a moment, looking around the room before he set the stack of clothes down on the bed and began unbuttoning his shirt. 

It was a little awkward to get undressed in someone else’s bedroom, especially because he didn’t really want to wear these clothes, but he’d already agreed now, so he felt obliged to.

Everything was fine, until Kaoru dropped one of the earrings he was supposed to wear. With a sigh, he dropped down to his hands and knees to look for it. He couldn't see the earring, but what he did see was a cardboard box underneath Cedar’s bed.

He hesitated for a second, knowing it would be rude to peek into his private things.. But then again, he would never actually find out, right?

He pulled the box out from underneath the bed and opened it, the lost earring forgotten. 

Inside of the box, there were several thick, unmarked envelopes. Kaoru knew he shouldn’t go through them, but he was too curious to stop now.

The first envelope was full of photographs. The first picture in the envelope was the one Cedar had taken of him the week before. A flash of indignation rose from his stomach — hadn’t Cedar promised he’d delete this?

The nerves only got worse when he looked at the second photograph. It was another one of him, this one he’d never seen before. It was a little blurry, but it was definitely him, along with Naoya and Bailey, sitting in the courtyard.

The more he looked, the more nauseous he got, his nerves turning to an odd mix of anger and fear. Every envelope was the same; there were dozens, if not hundreds of photographs of him.

His dazed state was only interrupted when someone knocked on the door. “Kaoru, are you done yet?”

He dropped the envelope as if it had burned him, though it didn’t make him look any less incriminating; he was frozen, sitting on the floor, surrounded by dozens of photographs. He looked up at Cedar, eyes wide as a deer caught in the headlights.

Cedar went through many expressions before he eventually settled on disappointed, a deep sigh escaping him. “Ah. I really should’ve hidden those better, huh?”

“Why did you do all of this?” Kaoru finally managed to ask, speaking through clenched teeth, a fiery-hot look in his eyes.

Cedar titled him head, smiling like the cat that got the canary, feigning ignorance. “Do what, Kaoru?”

“What do you think I’m talking about, huh?” Kaoru shouted, jumping back up to his feet, hands clenched into fists that were so tight, his knuckles went white. “Obviously, you took all of these pictures of me without permission!”

Cedar sighed. “What’s the big deal?”

“What’s the—” Kaoru had to stop to catch his breath, red in the face with anger. “That’s stalking, Cedar! Don’t you understand?”

“Of course I understand.”

“Then why the hell would you do this?”

“Haven’t I told you already?” Cedar smiled as he stepped closer to Kaoru, who scrambled back to get away from him. “I like taking photos of pretty things.”

“You’re— You’re sick!”

Kaoru tried to slap the boy across the face with the back of his hand, but Cedar caught him by the wrist, a disappointed look on his face. “They said you were a delinquent, but I didn’t think you’d actually get violent with me.”

Kaoru sputtered, nearly foaming at the mouth with rage as he tried to yank his wrist out of his vice-like grip. “Of course I’d get violent! You’re sick in the head, and you lied to me—”

“Oh, come on,” Cedar scoffed, with a roll of his eyes. “I never lied to you, Kaoru. The project is real and I really do want you to be my model.”

A dry, humorless laugh escaped Kaoru. “You’re actually insane if you think I’m still modeling for you after you pulled a stunt like that,” he snapped. “I’m going to the cops, and—”

Cedar pushed him with all of his weight, his wrists pinned above his head and his back pressed against the closet-door. Kaoru’s heart was racing in his chest, pounding like a funeral-drum, and he felt as if he could throw up at any moment now, the world going blurry around him.

This was really happening.

“Your attitude is pretty funny,” Cedar said, though his expression told Kaoru he was anything but amused; his jaw was clenched and his brows were furrowed into a deep frown, a strange heat burning in his eyes. “Do you honestly think that I’m just gonna let you leave?”

Kaoru swallowed harshly, trying to choke down his fear. “Why me? What do you want from me?”

Cedar rolled his eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you this? I like taking pictures of pretty things.”

“If you’d asked for permission, I—”

“Should I ask the sky for permission before I take a photo of it, too? Or the ocean?” Cedar asked, a blank expression on his face. “Pretty things should be immortalized, don’t you agree?”

A shiver ran down Kaoru’s spine at the comparison, like a spider underneath his skin. “Those aren’t living beings, and I am! I’m not an object!”

“I know, I know,” Cedar shushed him, a fake smile on his face. “Of course you’re not an object. You’re Kaoru Takahashi, and you’re twenty-one years old. You were born on the thirtieth of April. You moved out of your parents’ house a few months ago, and now you live in an apartment-complex on High Street, on the fourth floor.”

Kaoru felt like he couldn’t breathe, all the color fading from his cheeks. “How do you— How do you know all of that?”

“I know everything about you, Kaoru,” Cedar said, with a shrug. “You know, when I first came to school, I had no inspiration. I couldn’t take a single proper picture — it was like all of the ambition had been sucked from my soul.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

Cedar tutted. “I’m getting there, Kaoru. Would it kill you to be quiet and listen to me?” He reprimanded the other.

“Where was I? Oh, yeah. I couldn’t take proper photos anymore,” he continued. “And then, all of a sudden, I saw you — and it was as if I found the piece I was missing.”

“You inspired me. I could take photos again. My inspiration was back, as long as you were the subject,” he explained. “You’re my muse, Kaoru. So, I’ll keep taking photos of you. Forever.”

Kaoru froze for a moment. “I’ll.. I’ll tell the cops what you’re doing—”

Cedar sighed, tightening his grip on Kaoru’s wrists with one hand, the other reaching into the pocket of his jacket, taking out his phone. 

“I’d hoped you could accept the truth, Kaoru. I understand you must be frightened, but you have to understand — you’re my muse. How am I supposed to take photos without you? I need you.”

“Let go—”

“I will,” Cedar said, before he showed Kaoru a photograph on his phone. “If you really want me to let go, I will. but that also means I’ll have to share this photograph with everyone I know.”

Kaoru's mouth went dry, bile rising in his throat.

Cedar smiled like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. “It's your choice. either you can leave, and I can spread this around, or we can continue working on the project.”

He leaned closer. “So, what will you do?”