Oneshots [IdentityV]

In the Lodge [Frederick x Aesop]

"I'm glad to be able to work with you!"

"Likewise."

The two men shook hands under the amazed gaze of the staff members. This was quite an outstanding pair in front of their eyes. One was a famous solo artist whose album was on top of the charts and the other was a model from a young age who appeared on all magazines. They had been working at the same company for a long time so it was decided that the two would be collaborating for a new concept as the two best artists they had. Or so were the company's wishes.

"I can't work with him-!" shouted the long-haired man.

"Calm down, Frederick."

"How can I calm down- You're not the one who has to deal with the Aesop Carl, also known as the cold-blooded professional who made more than one person cry or quit the industry due to his high standards!"

"You're being overly dramatic. You talk about him like he's not even human."

"And I wouldn't even be surprised! Did you see his eyes earlier? He looked at me with such hatred! Orpheus-! You're my manager, right?!"

Frederick grabbed the man by the collar nervously but the latter swiftly got rid of his grip as he redid the knot of his tie.

"As long as my contract keeps going on and money is flowing into my bank account."

"Whatever," he clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Can't you do something about it-? There's so many well-known artists beside me!"

"I could, but no." Orpheus adjusted his glasses while scrolling through Frederick's schedule on his tablet. "Despite his rumored awful character, Carl is still the best element of the company so being on the screen together will greatly boost your job offers. See this as a way to expand your horizons and learn a thing or two from him."

"Orpheus you... You only think about your pay-check, aren't you?"

The brown-haired man sketched a smile before patting the other's shoulder.

"Do your best."

"You're unbelievable-!"

"The best manager you could have. I'll send you the details of the collaboration later, you're free to go for today."

Frederick slumped down onto the sofa with a deep sigh after Orpheus left the room. As much as he hated it, there was probably no way to get out of this. Maybe he was being a bit too hard on the man. He was his senior in the industry so it was understandable for him to be exigent to a certain extent. Perhaps things would not be as bad as he thought.

"Ten minutes break!"

Frederick went to the lodge where he had left his bottle. They were shooting some photos for the cover picture of an article announcing the collaboration earlier than he expected. The company really put a lot of effort into this, huh... To his surprise, Aesop was already there sitting behind a mirror when he got into the lodge. They exchanged a glance but no one said a word. It was honestly awkward so Frederick would leave right away after getting what he needed.

Of course, his bottle had to be right next to the model.

He frowned a bit but walked up before getting interrupted on his way all of a sudden.

"Sorry, could you pass me the case there?"

Frederick's heart skipped a beat. He was not ready for Aesop to talk to him. He raised a brow to the request and switched his gaze to a metallic box just beside him. Though he did not like him, he still had manners so he grabbed the handle to lift it. What was inside? It looked like a make-up box. Just as he wondered so, was it due to being badly closed but the suitcase opened itself right as he took it, all of its contents dropping on the floor.

"M-My bad-!"

Way to go.  He had now lost all credibility and who knows what Aesop would say. Frederick bent down to pick up what appeared to be a whole bunch of magazines. However, after a brief inspection, he noticed that each of them had his picture on the front page along with an article for every new single or album he had released. What the...

"I-It's not what you think..." Aesop bent down as well to awkwardly pick up the last remaining magazines along all the ones Frederick held in his hands. The strands of his hair slightly hid his eyes but it wasn't enough to cover his scarlet cheeks. "W-When I found out we were going to be working together, I asked my manager to give me some sources to try to find out more about you..."

Frederick's eyes widened. That had to be the most horrible lie he had ever heard. 'Some sources,' he said. He could recognize magazines from some of the publishing houses that dated back to his early days when he was still unknown to the public, some of which had gone out of business since then. Maybe he was full of himself making assumptions but the turn of events was just mind blowing.

"Aesop... Could it be that... You are a fan of mine?"

The gray-eyed man froze and looked down regretfully.

"I-... Yes..." he admitted. "Sorry, you probably think I'm a hysterical fan and hate me... If it makes you uncomfortable, I can ask the director to change artists or maybe I should tell him to stop the project- If I'm the one asking him..."

"W-Wait-!" Wow, he was still having trouble believing this but Aesop wasn't really giving him time to digest all this information. Well, he had to calm him down first before anything else. Kind of ironic when he was the one who couldn't stay put in the first place. "I don't... mind."

"R-Really...?"

"I confess it's surprising," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "But I'm also flattered? I don't really know what to say to be honest..."

"I suspected, this whole thing is not a good idea after all-"

Frederick was taken aback. This really wasn't the time to be thinking about such things but... Aesop was even more gorgeous than he had imagined from so close and seeing him blush made him feel hot too. He counted to ten in his head to regain his composure then placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder.

"I told you I didn't care, don't worry. To prove it to you, um, how about we have coffee together after this photo shoot?"

"Gladly...!" replied Aesop with eyes lighting up.

"Great, let's meet up afterwards then, I'll go back to the set first."

"Alright-..."

Frederick sketched a weak smile at Aesop before leaving the lodge. He could feel his cheeks burning as he walked down the hallway. He had no idea what he was doing, but he'd figure it out on the spot tonight.