I went with Aki by taxi to the photo studio early the next morning, arriving on the set of what would be my very own photoshoot while the sun was rising. The drive was short, but a customary gesture to make us more comfortable, provided by the company I was modelling for. The set was plain, a white backdrop shadowed in grey with a few soft lights, a black ornate bench in the center. As I looked around the set, I ran my fingertips over the plush velvet of the bench, the silver rivets, and the arm rests at each side curling over like the top of a scroll. I was greeted by the photographer and set director, and the stylist laid out the pieces of lingerie for me to see what I would be wearing. Aki stayed behind me, letting me take the lead, owning my time in the spotlight.

I sat to have my hair and makeup done in much the same way as I had alongside Guardian, and I was able to follow the motions easily. The stylist supervised here and there as the makeup artist worked on me, creating a dark black smokey eye. She applied mascara heavily, and completed her work with a dark red lipstick with a brown undertone.

The stylist insisted on helping me in the dressing room, and while I was sure I could change my underwear on my own, I realized quickly that the designs were complicated and delicate. Inspired by a punk rock image, the pieces were more like art and less like fashion, with straps and buckles going every direction. "Is it okay with you if I asked Aki to take some photos as well?" She asked me, tugging on the clasp of the band around my back. "This is a very sweet little tattoo you have, we'll be sure to highlight it. We have a men's line as well. Aki's image is so fascinating. Are all those tattoos he has real?"

I smiled to myself and let her take control of dressing me, pulling up a garter belt around my waist. "You can ask him." I said. "I think he was hoping you would." As the stylist laced the garter belt at my back, as it had a closure much like a corset, and she pushed me to stand in front of the full length mirror to make sure I liked the look. It was a deep red set in a suede material, smooth to the touch and to the eye, and it didn't reflect any light, relying only on my figure to accentuate the details. The hems were finished with a neat line of stitching, and three thin, ornate buckles hugged my hips and thighs, holding the bottoms in place. The buckles around the back of the bra matched, and while it was adding a hint of something more to the shape of my chest, it was modest and natural.

I walked to the set with the stylist, in my black combat boots with black fishnet knee-highs clipped to the garter. I felt as though I had become a character, in the same way that Aki became like a vampire prince on the sets of his video recordings and photoshoots with Guardian. I was glamorous and luxurious, even though I was wearing only lingerie, and I felt like a queen in that moment. Aki was standing at the back of the set to watch, and I waved with my fingers at him, smiling in the most feminine way I knew how. He lifted a hand to wave back at me, beaming a smile, but he covered his mouth and nose with his hands in a position like a prayer. He didn't take his eyes off of me, and though I could feel them as they traced every inch of my body, I felt proud that I could entice such a look from him.

Though the contrast of the set was limited to shades of gray, with the spotlight on me as I posed, I shone like a gemstone against it. I didn't need to think about anything as I danced around the set, posed on the bench and standing, and I felt no nerves as I drew out every ounce of seduction I had in me. I felt powerful, beautiful, and as I felt Aki's eyes on me, I felt desired. I snuck a glance to Aki at the back of the set now and then, and saw the stylist talking to him, a few pairs of boxer shorts draped over her forearm, and I knew she had taken the opportunity to ask him if he would join me on set. He was smiling and nodding with her as she talking, using her hands to gesture.

The photographer began to clap his hands together, emerging from behind the camera. I wasn't sure how much time had passed on set as I moved through the poses, but it felt like only minutes. "Sugimori-san, you're a natural. You made my job extremely easy today." The photographer said, standing at the edge of the set and bowing to me. "I think Aki-san will be joining you now. Would you like your hair makeup touched up while you wait?" I nodded in thanks at the offer.

The makeup artist came out to the set, and I sat on the bench as she applied powder carefully to my cheeks and forehead. As she combed the ends of my hair, careful not to disturb the curls, I caught Aki stepping onto the set out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't help but be distracted by him, and turned to him to meet the smile on his face. He was wearing only boxer shorts, matching the material and colour of the set I was wearing, and his own combat boots. The fit of the boxers was slim, and the waistband hugged his hips neatly, the shape of his body and his muscle tone almost outshining the garment he was modelling. There was no trace of any bruising from his broken ribs any longer, and the scar had done a good job fading to white. His makeup had been done in a style reminiscent of his signature Guardian style, but slightly more subdued, and his hair had been left smooth and straight.

"Aki, you look amazing." I said to him quietly.

He laughed with his breath once. "Natsu, I think I know how you feel now when you look at me like you're starstruck." He said back just as quietly. "You're almost too much for me right now."

The photographer addressed us. "Keep it as naturally sexy as you like, you are in your underwear after all, but rated PG-13, okay?" He said, and took his place behind the camera again. I could tell he was eager, and didn't want to miss even a second of Aki and I interacting.

Aki immediately became his character on set as well, placing his hands on me and walking us theatrically backward to the wall of the set. The photographer chased us, trying to capture us from every angle at once. With my back against the wall, Aki leaned over to brace himself with his forearm above my head, and I was careful to remember that I was modelling to sell the lingerie, strategically placing my angles toward the camera. Aki leaned his head down to whisper in my ear. "Just cover me if anything starts to happen and act like normal, okay?" I couldn't help but laugh, but as close as he was, I also knew he was serious. "The lights and the camera will either make me forget about it or not." We posed together through the quiet conversation, and each time he whispered into my ear, the camera and flash from the lights went off. I was curious to know what the photos would turn out like.

"I hope you're not going to be too tired for the show tonight." I said to Aki as I leaned back against him in the back of the taxi bringing us back to the hotel. "That was a late night, and an early morning."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, but was occupied by his phone. "If I'm struggling tonight, it will be worth it to have experienced that with you." He said, holding his phone out so I could take it from him. "They already started uploading the photos to the sharing site they gave us."

I stared at the screen a moment as rows of tiny thumbnails began popping up. The company wanted to give me the option to give the go-ahead to the photos or have the chance to decline the ones I didn't like before they would be used in the media. I tapped the screen to select a photo of Aki and I together. It was black and white, he was sitting and I was standing directly behind him. I remembered, I had put my fingers in his hair and tussled it over his eyes, then covered them with my hands. As I looked into the camera with an empty expression on my face, looking a little like a lost child, the cameraman had called to Aki to keep a straight face during my antics. I held the phone up to him. "I really like this one." I told him.

He smiled fondly at it, and tapped the screen a few times as I held the phone, bringing up a picture of me alone. I had shaken my head to allow my hair to fall in every direction, some over my face, and some just out of place, and leaned back against the wall. I had arched away from it, leaving my arms and palms flat against it, and while my face was turned toward the camera, my eyes were looking at something slightly upward from it. I couldn't remember, but I thought I must have been looking at Aki. Looking at the photo of myself, the expression on my face that I had conjured from the depths of my courage, I wondered how many times I had shown that face to Aki without even trying. I wondered if that was what it was like to view myself through the eyes of someone who loved me. "I like this one." Aki said. "They're definitely going to chose this one for the campaign. Makes me a little jealous that the world gets to see that face."

I looked at him to see if I could read his expression. "Why do you say that? It's just my face, people see it all the time."

His smile was a knowing one, but also a little reserved. "You were looking at me the whole time you were posing here." He flipped through a few more photos that were similar, but with slight angle changes. I understood what he meant to say without any other words spoken, and he confirmed my suspicions.

I handed his phone back to him and rested my head against his shoulder. "We get to tell them if there are any we don't want made public. So tell them you don't want them to use that one."

He shook his head, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "That's not up to me." He said. "Besides, I can't deny the world of that beauty."