"Nagi-kun, if you don't point that camera somewhere else, I will be forced to do something drastic," said Hisoka, without moving his eyes from the page he was currently reading. His tone was calm and even, promising danger.

"Such as?" Nagi continued to frame his lover in the small viewing window of the old camera. He adored watching the other boy, so slender and graceful, sitting cross-legged upon the grass, the black of his school blazer tracing the curves of his spine and shoulders.

Hisoka flicked his green gaze up from his book to the offending camera. "Such as make good on my threat to paint your office fluorescent orange." His expression was mild, with nothing more than the arch of a delicate eyebrow as he waited for Nagi's response, but Nagi could hear the note of discomfort beneath the teasing words. As far as he had brought Hisoka out of his shell, he knew he still disliked attention of any kind.

"Oh, you're no fun, koishii," Nagi said with some exasperation, flopping down on the grass beside him, but he didn't press the issue. He knew he was doing well to get Hisoka outside to eat lunch with him. It wasn't that Hisoka was adverse to nature, it was simply the fact that he had to share it with the rest of the chattering, enthusiastic students that were currently populating the lawn. He'd get a photo of Hisoka eventually, he was determined.

Nagi sprawled on his back, squinting up at the brightness of the summer sky. The blue made his heart glad, and he closed his eyes, letting the warmth soak through him. He wished that this lunchtime would go on forever, with the butterflies flittering from flower to flower in the sun, and Hisoka a solid, real presence beside him. He was a dreamer, he knew, but some dreams came true.

Hisoka let his gaze drift from his book to the face of the young man lying in the grass. He still found himself continually amazed that someone like Nagi, so bright and shining and adored, had bothered to look beneath his prickly exterior, to see the lonely, broken boy trapped beneath. It had seemed impossible that anyone would ever have the patience to try and draw him back into the world, to be a part of it, instead of just a watcher on the fringes.

But Nagi had, and now Nagi was his.

Though Hisoka never smiled, his expression revealed his wonderment in wide, green eyes. He soaked up Nagi's happiness like a sponge. Nagi was always so open and generous with his emotions, a startling experience for the young empath. He knew Nagi now; mental and physical and emotional levels, all open to him, his to see and touch and feel. Every day it amazed him, humbled him.

"Naoe-saaaaaaan!" The shrill cry ended Hisoka's reverie abruptly, his expression reforming to blankness as he returned his gaze to the page in front of him.

"Yuki-san, Misaki-san," Hisoka could hear the smile in Nagi's greeting, and had to suppress a pang of jealousy. Nagi was hardly his exclusive property. Apart from his official position as headmaster, he was also one of the most popular boys at school.

When Hisoka had once commented upon the phenomenon, Nagi had only grinned at him, and retorted that if Hisoka didn't glare at anyone who came within ten feet of him, he could be too. Much to Hisoka's irritation, he could hardly disparage his own appearance, since he and Nagi were as alike as twins, save for the colouring - sandy versus chocolate hair, emerald versus midnight blue eyes.

Nagi's shadow fell upon him, and he became aware that Nagi had moved to his feet, placing himself between the two girls and Hisoka as he spoke animatedly. Hisoka knew that Nagi had done it for his own benefit, shielding him from the attention that he knew would send Hisoka running.

So Hisoka retreated in the only way he could, immersing himself in his book until the girls' chatter became a meaningless blur of words somewhere in the back of his mind and he was lost in the world of plant reproduction, even as he continued to fret silently in the deepest parts of his mind.

"What are you reading?" A short while later, he felt Nagi settle himself back down upon the grass, close behind him, to peer over his shoulder at Hisoka's book. He could feel Nagi's chest pressing against his back and he had to resist the urge to relax back against him.

"Biology," he replied, his expression softening with happiness as it did every time Nagi returned to him. Nagi's arm slid around his waist, beneath his blazer, the warmth of his hand seeping through his thin shirt against his belly. Hisoka flushed slightly at the thought that Nagi would touch him here, outside in the schoolgrounds, where anybody could see. And then--

"Kurosaki-kun, Naoe-san!" Hisoka looked up abruptly at the call, startled.

*CLICK*

A moment frozen in time. Seconds ticked silently by, nobody daring to move, and then there was an explosion of sound and movement.

"Kawaiiiiiiii!" One of the girls shrieked, while the other burst into giggles. "The two cutest boys in the school, and I got a picture!"

Hisoka's brows drew down in a fearsome scowl, promising his violent temper. The girl with the camera shrieked and attempted to hide behind the other. "Naoe-san, don't let him near us! We were just doing what you told us to!"

Nagi tried to hide his amusement, knowing it would only provoke Hisoka further, putting a restraining hand over the thin shoulder to prevent him moving. "I did ask them to take the picture," he confessed.

Hisoka swung his glare from the gibbering girls to the boy beside him. "What?! Why did you do so!?"

"Please don't be angry with me," Nagi smiled, musing that his lover was beautiful even when angry, his eyes flashing green and bright. "I just wanted a picture of us - both of us. Together. Forever." He whispered the last word directly into Hisoka's mind, and to his relief, saw Hisoka's scowl immediately melt into wide-eyed wonder.

He brushed his fingers quickly across Hisoka's cheek. "Stay here, just a moment."

Nagi scrambled to his feet and held out his hand expectantly. The girls giggled and the one holding the camera stepped forward. "Are you sure you wouldn't like me to develop it for you?" She asked.

Nagi grinned, knowing that if she did, copies of the picture would be posted on at least half the student's bedroom walls before the week was out.

"Thankyou for your kind offer, but I think I can manage." Nagi said courteously, with a small bow.

The girl sighed, obviously thinking of opportunities lost, and handed over the camera. She glanced briefly at Hisoka, but a quick frown from the young empath was enough to send her scampering back to her still-giggling companion. "Ja ne!" They waved cutely, in unison.

"Ja ne!" Nagi replied, and then flopped back down on the grass on his side, looking up at Hisoka, so very tempted to touch him, but knowing Hisoka would object. "Hisoka, if you want me to, you know I'll destroy the film."

Hisoka looked back at him for a few moments, expressionless, and then slowly shook his head. "No... if you want the picture, then it's all right. I don't mind."

And Nagi caught an echo of the unspoken words that echoed in his mind, 'anything for you, koishii,' and the drift of an emotion so warm and sweet it could only be love, sent tentatively but earnestly into his mind.

"It will be a beautiful photo," Nagi said, his face aglow with the adoration and happiness he felt. "I'm certain of it."