Work Text:
"And, without further ado, here is our guest for tonight, here to talk about his new film, The Break of Day, Imayoshi Shoichi!"
The lights were always so bright around him, shining on every possible flaw he had. But that's what makeup was for and it made him appear perfect. He knew he was far from it, but he had to keep up the facade.
He took a deep breath before stepping out onto the stage, waving at the live audience as they applauded him, fans screaming at his appearance. He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he hid his disgust. He hated this. Everything about it was too much, too bright. Everything was so fake and it was such a mess to keep everything up.
After a few moments the crowd calmed down enough to let the host speak. "I realize that you probably don't need an introduction, as our whole studio just about exploded when you walked out, but how about you give a little run down about yourself anyway?" the man grinned at him.
Imayoshi sighed, running a hand through his hair, messing it up a bit and he knew he'd get an earful from his stylist later. "Well, I don't think I'm a very interesting person, but the world seems to disagree, judging by how many times I keep getting invited onto talk shows like this," he chuckled, bringing out laughs from the audience as well. "But I thought you already introduced me, so why should I have to?"
He tried to keep his voice light, but he was afraid a bit of venom had come out more than he'd expected it to. The host laughed good-naturedly, lightening the mood. "Come on now, it's much more fun to give the floor to you and see how you react!"
He could feel his blood pressure rising with how much he wanted to punch this man, but that was unfortunately not allowed. "But isn't it so much more interesting to talk about my upcoming projects than my past? Isn't that why I'm here?" He really should've pursued a career as a lawyer like his parents wanted him to, he could gaslight anyone with his acting skills.
The host cleared his throat awkwardly. "I suppose that is why you're here, yes, but people want to know more about you! Why not give them what they want?"
Imayoshi sighed internally but kept a smile on his face. "Well, I suppose I could tell you that I have a younger sister. She never watches my movies, though, she tends to avoid looking at me as much as possible. She says she sees my stupid face enough without having to watch it on the big screen."
The host laughed along with the audience."Siblings will be siblings, huh?"
"Whenever I go home, my mom tends to sing my praises and my dad will contratulate me but my sister is such a stick in the mud about everything," Imayohi playfully rolled his eyes. "She's really smart, though, and she's going to go places. I'm proud of her."
"What a sweet sentiment!" the host smiled. "But let's talk about your new movie, shall we?"
"Yes, let's," Imayoshi nodded. "I've been wanting to talk about it, because it's been killing me not being able to."
"This is a role you haven't played much before, right?"
"Definitely, but it's something I've always wanted to do, since I feel like I can see myself a lot in the character." Whoops. He hadn't meant to say that, but it was too late to take it back now. He had a clean image to maintain, and admitting that he felt a connection to this character specifically was stepping on a landmine. His agent was sure to get on his case later.
"Oh? How so?" the host started digging.
"Well, I've always wanted to play a morally gray character, but I've always had such a clean image to maintain, you know? It was just fun to dig into a darker part of myself. Not that I would like to do it all the time, but… It was just a little refreshing, you know?" He was digging himself into a deeper hole and he knew it, but he didn't know what else to do at this point.
"Well, you don't often play the villain, correct? You're usually one of the love interests!"
"Yeah, it's tough being so handsome like I am, you know?" Imayoshi smirked. He did play up his looks for the camera a lot, and he wasn't ashamed of it. "So it's a nice change of pace to play the villain and be a little nasty."
"Are you saying you're like that in your personal life?" the host laughed. "I'm sure the fans would love to know a little bit more about that."
"I'm sure they would, but I have no comment on the matter," Imayoshi shrugged. "And that's enough on that, don't you think?"
"Tell me what one of your favorite scenes to shoot was, Imayoshi. What was it like?"
Finally, something that he could actually be honest about. "Well, I can't say much because it would be a spoiler, but… let's just say that I gave my all in one of the scenes near the end, and I hope that the fans enjoy it as much as I loved shooting it. We did it all in one take, and the emotion was so… raw, and I hope the fans will know when they watch it. I hope you'll all tag me with your reactions." He winked at the camera and audience, causing fans to erupt into screams.
They cut to a commercial break, thankfully ending Imayoshi's segment which he was eternally grateful for. His co-star, the one playing the main character, had a segment after him, and he was just glad that Kise got the spotlight more than him. He was a little brat, though, and Imayoshi couldn't stand how pompous he was. Sure, he was good-looking, but what else did he have going for him?
He shook his head as he said goodbye to the host and waved at the audience one more time before leaving. He saw Kise in the green room and nodded cordially but didn't say anything to him. When they weren't working together, he didn't have any need to.
He walked out the back door to the car waiting for him, managing to avoid the paparazzi and plopped into the back seat. "Take me home, Susa," he said, messing up his hair as he checked his phone.
"Are you sure you don't want to drop by the agency first? I think Momoi has a few things to go over with you," Susa cocked his head to the side.
"I'm tired, Susa. Whatever Momoi has to say can wait until tomorrow. I just want to go home and go to bed," Imayoshi sighed.
It had been an exhausting day in general since he'd also had a photo shoot promoting their movie with Kise, and just being around him sapped Imayoshi's energy. He was one of those people that would be fun to party with for a night but you wouldn't trust with your secrets. And Imayoshi was sick of those kinds of people. He was ready to just be around someone who soothed his soul.
Susa pulled up to his apartment building soon enough, and Imayoshi practically flew out of the car before Susa could say a word. He nodded at the security guard, who tipped his hat. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the elevator, but he wasn't about to sprint up twenty flights of stairs just to get to his home.
He was just thankful no one else was in the elevator and no one else got on as he rode all the way up. The elevator opened to the floor and he ran to his front door, not able to wait a second longer to be home. He punched in the code a little too frantically the first two times and had to slow down to punch it in correctly, before the door trilled with a happy little sound and he flung it open with gusto.
"I'm home!" he called into the apartment, it already smelling like something wonderful was cooking.
"Hey, welcome home," a familiar voice came from the kitchen, and Imayoshi could't help the huge grin that came on his face.
Yes, being a famous actor was nice since it gave him money to support his lavish lifestyle, but nothing was better than coming home to someone he loved. Especially when he cooked the most delicious dinners.
Imayoshi took his shoes off and made a beeline for the kitchen, where his boyfriend was cooking some soup. He looked over his shoulder at Imayoshi as he wrapped his arms around him, pressing his face into his neck.
"Hey, food's almost done, will you set the table for me?" Kasamatsu asked, gently bonking his head on Imayoshi's.
"In a minute, just let me recharge for a second," Imayoshi mumbled, squeezing his arms tighter around Kasamatsu's waist. "I love coming home to you more than anything else."
"Hmm, you can't sweet talk your way into my pants, you know," Kasamatsu chuckled.
"That's the biggest lie you've ever told," Imayoshi snorted. "Besides, I know I don't even need to be sweet to you."
"Yeah, okay, whatever," Kasamatsu rolled his eyes before pressing a kiss to Imayoshi's head. "Go set the table please."
"Yes, sir," Imayoshi nodded, untangling himself from Kasamatsu. He grabbed a couple bowls and saucers, setting them on the small dining table they had. It was always so cozy, eating across the table from each other; it made him feel like a normal person in love.
Kasamatsu was his respite, his harbor in his insane schedule and everything he'd ever wanted in a partner. He watched Kasamatsu bring over the dishes and set them on the table along with some rice and bread, putting them in the middle of the table.
"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as Imayoshi stared at him.
"Nothing, I just love you a lot," Imayoshi said quietly, like this small comfortable bubble he'd found himself in would shatter if he spoke too loudly.
Kasamatsu hummed, a small smile on his face. He pressed a gentle kiss to Imayoshi's lips before pulling back. "I love you too. And nothing's going to change that."
Imayoshi grinned like a fool and took Kasamatsu's hand in his before pressing a kiss to his knuckles. "Thank you for making dinner, even though I know you're busy."
"I think you're busier than I am," Kasamatsu rolled his eyes. "Besides, we both know you can't cook for shit."
"Hey!" Imayoshi pouted. "That's not very nice of you to say even if it's right."
Kasamatsu laughed as he sat down, a sparkle in his eyes. "You know… I'm really glad that I get to see sides of you that no one else does. I get to see you… how you really are."
Imayoshi's heart swelled at the sentiment. "You're right, and I'm glad that I can really be myself around you," he said, a small flush on his face. "Anyway, let's eat!"
The two of them talked about their days just like a normal couple, because in those four walls, when they're together, that's all they were.