summary: you're an up-and-coming actress, and you've been cast in a film with hollywood heartthrob, clark kent, as your co-lead. however, you've never kissed anyone on-screen before, and you're starting to feel nervous for tomorrow's intimate shoot. your co-star and on-screen husband, clark, helps you rehearse.
tags: actor!au, human!clark, co-workers to something more, suggestive, fluff, secret-ish rendezvous, lots of making out, clark (sort of) has ulterior motives
word count: 2.3k+
a/n: lines spoken in character (in the fictional script) are italicized and bolded. marina and harry are the made-up characters clark and the reader play in the film.
7:53 pm. 7 more minutes.
Your skin hummed with a nervous shudder as you glanced at your phone.
Yesterday, after a long and delirious night shoot on set, you’d confessed to Clark that you’d never had an on-screen kiss. Sure, you’ve had your first kiss and a fair share of romantic partners in the past, but never in front of an entire cast and crew.
The idea made you nauseous; the image of looking stiff or robotic while filming made your body flame with embarrassment. While you were airing out your grievances to Clark, he kindly responded to say he could help. You were going to kiss him in the scene, so why not just practice beforehand?
He insisted it would help you feel comfortable with the scene, ‘think of it like doing a practice test before a final exam. Emulate exam conditions at home, so you’ll be prepared when the time comes,” he explained. Acting was like studying in a way: learn, then apply your knowledge.
His last scene of the day was scheduled to be completed around 8 pm. The October sun had already set, leaving you to sit alone in your trailer in anticipation. Your leg rattled up and down as you skimmed through the script over and over, until the words began to blur.
It was just practice. Therefore, it didn’t matter if you messed up a line or looked unromantic; yet part of you still felt fearful of looking unprepared in front of Clark. More than anything, you wanted to be good at your job, and in this case, that meant somehow cultivating perfect romantic tension with your co-star, without making things weird.
Clark was a director’s dream. Everyone with eyes knew he was attractive, and his presence alone commanded attention. Sure, he was a little awkward at times, but he always had an air of confidence about him because he was so incredible at his job: He always had perfect first takes, never forgot his lines, and treated everyone on set with respect and kindness. Being around Clark made you want to be a better actress.
Clark was also professional. So professional that you figured he was the type of person who would never date a co-star, because he felt it could ruin the film if things went wrong. You admired how moral and ethical he was, but part of you hated it. You found yourself gravitating towards him off-set, constantly joking around between takes, and texting each other endlessly on your days off. You developed a crush. A gooey, heart-fluttering, unprofessional crush, and you knew it wouldn’t amount to anything.
You knew that pushing away your feelings for Clark for the remainder of the film would be near impossible. Especially now that you’ll be spending all of tomorrow kissing him for hours on end.
A knock at the door silenced the anxious rumblings clouding your brain.
“Come in,” you called out with a strangled breath, coughing to yourself after speaking.
The door opened with one swift motion. Clark stepped into the doorway, ducking slightly so his head wouldn’t hit the frame. You both watched each other, assessing each other’s moods, trying to scope out any hints of discomfort.
“Hey,” he breathed out slowly.
“Hi,” you answered, almost too quickly. Silence re-entered the room as you dropped your eyes back down to your script.
“Can I sit?” Clark asked, gesturing to the empty spot beside you on the couch.
“Oh, yeah, sure,” the words tumbled out of your mouth as you scooted to the other end of the couch, making room for his tall figure. Clark took a seat, filling the air with his cologne.
“How did your scene go?” you asked.
“Uh, it was good. Yeah, it went pretty well, we only did about 3 takes,” he answered.
“That’s good,” you replied with a nod.
You could almost hear the clock ticking in between your sentences. Part of you wanted to call off the whole thing and wing it during the shoot; the script described exactly how the kisses were supposed to be performed, so maybe you could just figure it out on the spot when the time came.
However, you were a perfectionist, and you knew that practicing ahead of time would be better for you in the long run.
“So… page 75,” Clark said, breaching your string of thoughts once again.
“Yeah, page 75. You have the first line,” you looked at him expectantly, and he met you with a single slow nod.
[Scene begins with Harry and Marina sitting in a dimly lit living room after a tense dinner date. A staunch silence fills the room as the pair stare at each other, waiting for the other to speak.]
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Clark reads from the script.
“Like what?” you say, with Marina’s typical pointed passive-aggressiveness.
“Like that. Like you hate me,” Clark continues.
“I don’t hate you, Harry,” you grit out.
“Well, you’re not happy with me, Marina,” Clark says, scooting closer to you.
“Surprised you noticed,” you mutter.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.
[Marina looks at Harry with a hard squint. Anger starts to bubble under the surface, pushing the tension further.]
“It means you don’t notice anything, Harry. You couldn’t care less about me if you tried. Sometimes, I don’t even feel like your wife. I’m just a thing you come home to and play pretend with,” you raise your voice in frustration, emulating the strained hurt in Marina’s voice.
“Play pretend? Is that how you view our marriage?” he asks, allowing for deep pauses between each question.
“Yes, Harry. That's how I view our marriage. It’s empty, it’s cold, and for some reason, you think we’re living in utopia,” your voice trembles as you read the lines.
“Why haven’t you told me that was how you were feeling? Why hold it all in?” Clark's voice lowers in volume, contrasting your character’s loud frustration.
[Marina stands up, no longer able to hold her composure. She towers over Harry as she begins to yell.]
You stand up from the couch, standing in front of Clark the same way the script directs you to.
“I shouldn't have to tell you! You should know I’m unhappy because I’m your wife. There’s no one else and nothing else to pay attention to in this house aside from our marriage! I shouldn’t have to spell things out for you because you should know. You would know if you loved me!” You yell, allowing Marina’s emotions to take over you.
[Harry stands up now. He looks at Marina intensely, searching for any sign that she might be lying. Any sign that what she’s feeling isn’t the truth. Marina moves backwards in response, too upset to allow him in her space.]
“You think I don’t love you?” he asks.
“No, Harry. I don’t think you love me. I think you tolerate me. And that hurts me because all I do is love you,” you step away from him as you deliver the line, walking backwards until your back hits the wall.
“I do love you, Marina. I love you so much, more than you understand,” Clark joins you at the wall, pressing his chest into yours as he reaches for your hand.
“It's great you’re saying that, Harry, but I just don’t believe you,” you yank your hand away from his, as instructed in the script.
“You have to, Marina,” Clark begs.
“I can’t,” you reply, looking off to the side.
“I love you, Marina. I’ve never stopped loving you, and I’m sorry that I’ve made you feel the opposite.” Clark grabs your chin, forcing you to look at him, “You mean everything to me. I’m sorry. I love you,” he finishes his line, with your chin still in his hand.
Silence fell over you as you listened to Clark’s breathing. You could almost feel his heart beating against your own.
“Okay… so,” you cleared your throat, “it says we’re supposed to kiss here,” you whispered, extremely aware of the little space left between you and him as your back dug into the wall behind you.
“Yeah... How do you wanna do this?” he asked, not moving an inch.
“Um, I’m not sure. What do you wanna do?” you asked, trying not to make too much eye contact.
“I guess we should just jump right into it, right?” he suggested with a shrug.
“Yeah,” you breathed out, “Okay.”
[Harry dives in to kiss Marina, forcing her further into the wall as she wraps her arms around his shoulders. He kisses her as if he is trying to pour all of the love he feels for Marina into her body.]
“Um… can I?” you asked, gesturing vaguely to Clark’s shoulders.
“Yeah,” Clark nodded, allowing you to place your arms around him.
“So do we just…?” you trailed off.
“I suppose…” Clark answered. You nodded twice before closing your eyes, anticipating Clark’s next movement.
He dipped his head lower, allowing his lips to hover over yours for a moment before closing the gap. You felt your skin warm up at the contact. His lips threaded into yours perfectly, as he pressed his body closer. You felt his nose nudge your face as he deepened the kiss. The two of you quickly fell into a rhythm as you dropped the script from your hands, allowing it to clatter to the floor. You felt his hands squeeze your hips in response, causing your breath to hitch.
“I love you, Marina,” Clark whispered as he broke the kiss briefly. It startled you a bit, as you somehow forgot the kiss wasn’t real, and you still had lines to give.
“I might need more convincing, Harry,” you recite, trying to fall back into a professional headspace.
[Harry lifts Marina with ease, clamping his arms around her waist. She wraps her legs around him in response. The kiss intensifies as Marina and Harry rekindle their spark.]
Clark looks at you briefly, making sure you’re still comfortable. You give him a brisk nod, and he smiles. He picks you up gently and leans in once again with an open-mouthed kiss. His tongue slots into yours, dancing around one another.
The kiss felt natural; So natural it started to register in your brain as real. After weeks of secretly pining after Clark, you finally got to have him physically, and it was cathartic. Although it was all just acting, you decided you would enjoy the moment as much as you could. Clark dipped his head, littering heavy kisses on your neck and shoulder, forcing you to take a deep breath.
“Is that convincing enough for you, Marina?” he broke away once more to deliver his line.
“Hmm, not quite,” you reply, connecting your lips once more. Your fingers dove into his hair, tugging and caressing as the script called for. Clark hummed into your mouth, causing brief goosebumps to form on your cheeks. Your heart was racing embarrassingly fast as you felt him press against you.
[Harry takes Marina’s response as a challenge. He is now determined to prove his love to Marina. He walks her away from the wall and back towards the couch. He lies down, bringing her with him without breaking the kiss.]
Clark began to move towards the couch with you in his arms. He shifted away from the kiss as he brought you both down gently. He allowed you to get comfortable on his lap as he lay down fully against the couch. You could feel his large thighs clench under yours, and you tried to ignore the sinking feeling it gave you. You couldn’t fathom how you could go back to being normal about your friendship after this, but you knew you likely didn’t have a choice.
“Are you feeling okay so far?” he asked, looking up at you and slightly out of breath.
“Yeah,” you answered, “you?”
“I’m feeling great,” he smiled, bringing his hands to your waist once again.
“Good,” you return a smile, “should we get back to it?” you asked, already leaning towards him. He nodded without a word as you planted your mouth onto his. Your hands roamed around his broad chest, while his roamed your waist.
[Harry and Marina are completely lost in each other at this point. A brief contrast to the coldness of their dinner date just hours before.]
All thoughts of professionalism evaporated from your mind when you felt Clark’s hands slither under your shirt. You couldn’t remember whether that was in the script, and you didn’t care. The feeling of his large hands directly on your skin was enthralling. Your fingers inched closer to the collar of his shirt, slowly unbuttoning as his hands raised higher up your body.
Neither of you could stop your movements as your lips continued to clash. He pulled away from you briefly so he could pull off your shirt, just as you finished unbuttoning his top. Clark’s eyes dropped to your chest briefly before making eye contact with you once more. He kisses you again, pulling away with your bottom lip between his teeth.
“I love you, Marina,” he whispered before pecking your lips.
“I love you, Harry,” you reply, giving Clark one last lingering kiss. “Okay, and the scene ends here,” you say, finally breaking your immersion.
“Gosh,” Clark breathed out, allowing his head to fall back onto the couch.
“I think that was pretty good,” you huffed out, trying to catch your breath as you collected your shirt in your hands.
“Yeah,” Clark nodded, dazed and pupils dilated, “Maybe we should try once more, just to be sure,” he flashed you a dopey smile.
You couldn’t help but laugh, not missing the twinkle in his eye. Maybe he wanted this just as much as you did.
“From the top of page 75?” you asked.
“No, I think we should just start against the wall again.”
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🌐 SkillManthan Technology – Empowering Students with Skills for the Future
In the modern digital era, technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and with it, the demand for skilled professionals has grown manifold. Academic knowledge alone is often not sufficient to meet industry expectations, leaving students searching for practical exposure and career-oriented guidance. SkillManthan Technology 💻 was established with the vision of bridging this gap — transforming students into confident, capable, and industry-ready IT professionals.
🎯 Who We Are
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While technical knowledge is crucial, SkillManthan Technology believes that soft skills and personality development are equally important. Employers today look for well-rounded professionals who can communicate effectively, work in teams, and adapt to challenges.
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Hands-on training with live projects
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Certificates and placement assistance
SkillManthan Technology combines technical excellence with practical exposure and career support, making it a strong choice for students aiming to build successful IT careers.
🚀 Conclusion
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While students should take the time to verify the institute’s official credentials and placement outcomes, SkillManthan’s approach to bridging the gap between academics and industry makes it a valuable platform for aspiring IT professionals.
For students who want to transform their learning into career success, SkillManthan Technology stands as a trusted partner in building the future. 🌟
Conquering the Digital Frontier: Unraveling the Manipal University Online MCA Program
In the whirlwind of the digital age, a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) degree has become the gold standard for aspiring IT professionals. If you crave the flexibility of online learning while seeking the prestige of a renowned university, Manipal University Online's MCA program might be your perfect launchpad. Let's delve into this innovative program, examining its curriculum, eligibility criteria, fees, and the key factors that make it stand out.
Unveiling the Course Structure:
Manipal University Online's MCA program spans across four semesters, meticulously crafted to equip you with cutting-edge knowledge and hands-on skills. Here's a glimpse into the core areas you'll conquer:
Foundational Semesters (Semesters 1 & 2): Laying the groundwork, you'll master programming languages like C++, Java, and Python. Data structures, algorithms, and operating systems will become your playground, while subjects like computer networks and web technologies open doors to the digital world's infrastructure.
Specialization Semesters (Semesters 3 & 4): This is where you carve your niche. Choose from specializations like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Software Development, or Cyber Security. Deepen your expertise in your chosen domain with advanced electives and capstone projects that put your skills to the test.
Eligibility Criteria: Unlocking the Gateway:
To embark on this journey, you must have:
A Bachelor's degree in any discipline with Mathematics or Statistics as a compulsory subject at the 10+2 level or at the graduation level.
Secured a valid score in national entrance exams like NIMCAT, MAT, or ATMA.
A passion for technology and a thirst for continuous learning.
Admission Criteria: Demystifying the Selection Process:
Once you meet the eligibility criteria, your merit score in the chosen entrance exam forms the basis for selection. Shortlisted candidates are then invited for an online interview where your communication skills, technical aptitude, and career aspirations are assessed.
Financial Considerations: Unmasking the Fees:
The program fee for the Manipal University Online MCA program is currently set at around INR 2.5 lakhs per semester. However, scholarships and financial aid options are available for deserving students, easing the financial burden and making the program accessible to a wider pool of talented individuals.
Beyond the Classroom: What Sets Manipal Online MCA Apart:
While a robust curriculum is crucial, Manipal University Online goes the extra mile to elevate your learning experience:
Renowned Faculty: Learn from industry experts and academic stalwarts who bring real-world experience and a passion for teaching to the virtual classroom.
Interactive Learning Platform: Engage in live online sessions, access comprehensive study materials, and collaborate with peers through a user-friendly learning management system.
Industry Connect: Gain an edge with industry internships and mentorship opportunities that bridge the gap between theory and practical application.
Placement Assistance: Leverage the university's strong industry network and dedicated placement cell to land your dream job in the booming IT sector.
Embarking on Your Digital Quest:
The Manipal University Online MCA program is not just a degree; it's a passport to a rewarding career in the ever-evolving IT landscape. If you're driven by ambition, possess a curious mind, and yearn to make your mark in the digital world, this program can be your stepping stone to success.
Spotlight on Specializations: Dive deeper into each specialization, highlighting the specific courses, industry trends, and career prospects.
Alumni Success Stories: Feature interviews with successful alumni who have carved their niche in the IT world after graduating from the program.
Comparison with other Online MCA Programs: Briefly compare Manipal's program with other online MCA offerings, highlighting its unique strengths and value proposition.
Student Testimonies: Include quotes from current or past students about their experiences with the program, its challenges, and its rewards.
Career Outlook: Discuss the job market for MCA graduates, highlighting growth trends, in-demand skills, and potential salary ranges.
Q&A Section: Address frequently asked questions about the program, admission process, and career opportunities.
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Level up your cloud skills with this AWS course: The ultimate guide to mastering Amazon Web Services!
Are you fascinated by the world of cloud computing? Do you want to enhance your skills and become a proficient Amazon Web Services (AWS) professional? Look no further! This comprehensive guide will walk you through the essential aspects of AWS education and training, providing you with the tools you need to excel in this rapidly evolving field. Whether you are a novice starting from scratch or an experienced IT professional aiming for career advancement, this AWS course will equip you with the knowledge and expertise to navigate the cloud with confidence.
Education: Building Blocks for Success
Understanding the Basics of Cloud Computing
Before diving into the intricacies of Amazon Web Services, it is crucial to comprehend the fundamentals of cloud computing. Explore the concept of virtualization, where physical resources are abstracted into virtual instances, allowing for greater efficiency, scalability, and flexibility. Familiarize yourself with key terms such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). By understanding these building blocks, you will be prepared to harness the full power of AWS.
Navigating the AWS Management Console
The AWS Management Console is your gateway to the vast array of services provided by Amazon Web Services. Acquaint yourself with this user-friendly interface as we walk you through the various components and functionalities it offers. From launching virtual servers to configuring security settings, you will gain a solid foundation in managing AWS resources effectively.
Essential AWS Services to Master
AWS boasts a vast ecosystem of services, each designed to address specific computing needs. We will explore some of the core services that form the backbone of AWS, including Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), and Amazon Lambda. Delve into the intricacies of these services and discover how they can revolutionize your cloud-based projects.
Guide to Start AWS Training
Choosing the Right Training Path
Embarking on your AWS training journey requires careful consideration of your individual goals and learning preferences. Evaluate the various training options available, such as self-paced online courses, instructor-led virtual classrooms, or hands-on workshops. Analyze your resources, time constraints, and preferred learning style to select the training path that aligns best with your needs.
Structured Learning Approach
Mastering AWS necessitates a systematic and well-structured approach. Discover the importance of laying a strong foundation by beginning with the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam. From there, progress to more specialized certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified Developer, or AWS Certified SysOps Administrator. Each certification builds upon the previous one, creating a comprehensive knowledge base that will set you apart in this competitive industry.
Hands-On Experience and Real-World Projects
Theory alone is insufficient when it comes to mastering AWS. Develop your practical skills by engaging in hands-on labs and real-world projects that simulate the challenges you are likely to encounter in the field. Dive into deploying applications, configuring scalable infrastructure, and troubleshooting common issues. By actively applying your knowledge, you will solidify your understanding and gain invaluable experience.
Placement: Unlocking Opportunities
Leveraging AWS Certification in the Job Market
AWS certifications have emerged as a gold standard in the realm of cloud computing. Employers actively seek professionals who possess the skills and credentials to navigate and optimize AWS environments. Discover how an AWS certification can significantly enhance your employability, propel your career trajectory, and open doors to exciting job opportunities in a wide range of industries.
Showcasing your AWS Expertise
Once you have acquired the necessary skills and certifications, it is essential to effectively showcase your AWS expertise. Craft a captivating resume highlighting your AWS experiences and projects. Create a strong online presence through platforms like LinkedIn and GitHub, demonstrating your proficiency to potential employers. Actively participate in AWS forums and communities, exchanging knowledge and insights with fellow professionals and building a robust network.
Continuous Learning and Growth
AWS is a rapidly evolving platform, constantly introducing new services, features, and updates. Stay ahead of the curve by fostering a mindset of continuous learning and growth. Engage in ongoing professional development, attend AWS conferences and webinars, and subscribe to relevant industry publications. By embracing a culture of continuous improvement, you will remain at the forefront of AWS innovation and unlock limitless possibilities for advancement.
Embarking on the journey to mastering AWS Course at ACTE institute can be both exciting and challenging. However, armed with comprehensive education, a well-structured training approach, and a strategic placement strategy, you can level up your cloud skills and unlock a world of opportunities. Start your AWS training today, and transcend the realms of cloud computing like never before!
Eugène Atget was born on February 12, 1857. He was a French flâneur and a pioneer of documentary photography, noted for his determination to document all of the architecture and street scenes of Paris before their disappearance to modernization. Most of his photographs were first published by Berenice Abbott after his death. Though he sold his work to artists and craftspeople, and became an inspiration for the surrealists, he did not live to see the wide acclaim his work would eventually receive.
His father, carriage builder Jean-Eugène Atget, died in 1862, and his mother, Clara-Adeline Atget née Hourlier died shortly after; he was an orphan at age seven. He was brought up by his maternal grandparents in Bordeaux and after finishing secondary education joined the merchant navy.
Atget moved to Paris in 1878. He failed the entrance exam for acting class but was admitted when he had a second try. Because he was drafted for military service he could attend class only part-time, and he was expelled from drama school.
Still living in Paris, he became an actor with a travelling group, performing in the Paris suburbs and the provinces. He met actress Valentine Delafosse Compagnon, who became his companion until her death. He gave up acting because of an infection of his vocal cords in 1887, moved to the provinces and took up painting without success. When he was thirty he made his first photographs, of Amiens and Beauvais, which date from 1888.
In 1890, Atget moved back to Paris and became a professional photographer, supplying documents for artists: studies for painters, architects, and stage designers.
Starting in 1898, institutions such as the Musée Carnavalet and the Bibliothèque historique de la ville de Paris bought his photographs. The latter commissioned him ca. 1906 to systematically photograph old buildings in Paris. In 1899 he moved to Montparnasse.
While being a photographer Atget still called himself an actor, giving lectures and readings.
During World War I Atget temporarily stored his archives in his basement for safekeeping and almost completely gave up photography. Valentine's son Léon was killed at the front.
In 1920–21, he sold thousands of his negatives to institutions. Financially independent, he took up photographing the parks of Versailles, Saint-Cloud and Sceaux and produced a series of photographs of prostitutes.
Berenice Abbott, while working with Man Ray, visited Atget in 1925, bought some of his photographs, and tried to interest other artists in his work. She continued to promote Atget through various articles, exhibitions and books, and sold her Atget collection to the Museum of Modern Art in 1968.
In 1926, Atget's partner Valentine died, and before he saw the full-face and profile portraits that Abbott took of him in 1927, showing him “slightly stooped…tired, sad, remote, appealing”, Atget died on 4 August in 1927, in Paris.
Atget took up photography in the late 1880s, around the time that photography was experiencing unprecedented expansion in both commercial and amateur fields.
Atget photographed Paris with a large-format wooden bellows camera with a rapid rectilinear lens, an instrument that was fairly current when he took it up, but which he continued to use even when hand-held and more efficient large-format cameras became available. The optical vignetting often seen at some corners of his photographs is due to his having repositioned the lens relative to the plate on the camera—exploiting one of the features of bellows view cameras as a way to correct perspective and control perspective and keep vertical forms straight. The negatives show four small clear rebates (printing black) where clips held the glass in the plate-holder during exposure. The glass plates were 180×240mm Bande Bleue (Blue Ribbon) brand with a general purpose gelatin-silver emulsion, fairly slow, that necessitated quite long exposures, resulting in the blurring of moving subjects seen in some of his pictures. Interest in Atget's work has prompted the recent scientific analysis of Atget's negatives and prints in Parisian collections and in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
In Intérieurs Parisiens, a series of photographs he took for the Bibliotéque Nationale, he included a view of his own simple darkroom with trays for processing negatives and prints, a safelight, and printing frames. After taking a photograph, Atget would develop, wash, and fix his negative, then assign the negative to one of his filing categories with the next consecutive number that he would write the negative number in graphite on the verso of the negative and also scratch it into the emulsion. He contact-printed his negatives onto pre-sensitized, commercially available printing-out papers; albumen paper, gelatin-silver printing-out paper, or two types of matte albumen paper that he used mainly after WW1. The negative was clamped into a printing frame under glass and against a sheet of albumen photographic printing out paper, which was left out in the sun to expose. The frame permitted inspection of the print until a satisfactory exposure was achieved, then Atget washed, fixed and toned his print with gold toner, as was the standard practice when he took up photography.
Atget did not use an enlarger, and all of his prints are the same size as their negatives. Prints would be numbered and labelled on their backs in pencil then inserted by the corners into four slits cut in each page of albums. Additional albums were assembled based on a specific themes that might be of interest to his clients, and separate from series or chronology.
By 1891 Atget advertised his business with a shingle at his door, remarked later by Berenice Abbott, that announced “Documents pour Artistes”. Initially his subjects were flowers, animals, landscapes, and monuments; sharp and meticulous studies centred simply in the frame and intended for artists' use.
Atget then embarked on a series of picturesque views of Paris which include documentation of the small trades in his series Petits Métiers. He made views of gardens in the areas surrounding Paris, in the summer of 1901, photographing the gardens at Versailles, a challenging subject of large scale and with combinations of natural and architectural and sculptural elements which he would revisit until 1927, learning to make balanced compositions and perspectives.
Early in the 1900s, Atget began to document “Old Paris,” reading extensively in order to sympathetically focus on Paris architecture and environments dating prior to the French Revolution, concern over the preservation of which ensured him commercial success. He framed the winding streets to show the historic buildings in context, rather than making frontal architectural elevations.
Atget's specialisation in imagery of Old Paris expanded his clientele. Amongst his scant surviving documents was his notebook, known by the word Repertoire on its cover (the French repertoire meaning a thumb-indexed address book or directory, but also defined, aptly in actor Atget's case, as 'a stock of plays, dances, or items that a company or a performer knows or is prepared to perform'). The book is now in the MoMA collection, and in it he recorded the names and addresses of 460 clients; architects, interior decorators, builders and their artisans skilled in ironwork, wood panelling, door knockers, also painters, engravers, illustrators, and set designers, jewellers René Lalique and Weller, antiquarians and historians, artists including Tsuguharu Foujita, Maurice de Vlaminck and Georges Braque, well-known authors, editors, publishers Armand Colin and Hachette, and professors, including the many who donated their own collections of his photographs to institutions. The address book lists also contacts at publications, such as L’Illustration, Revue Hebdomadaire, Les Annales politiques et litteraires, and l’Art et des artistes. Institutional collectors of Old Paris documents, including archives, schools, and museums were also a keen clientele and brought him commercial success, with commissions from the Bibliotèque Historique de la Ville de Paris in 1906 and 1911 and the sale of various albums of photographs to the Bibliotèque Nationale
Atget's photographs attracted the attention of, and were purchased by, artists such as Henri Matisse, Marcel Duchamp and Picasso in the 1920s, as well as Maurice Utrillo, Edgar Degas and André Derain, some of whose views are seen from identical vantage-points at which Atget took pictures, and were likely made with the assistance of his photographs bought from the photographer for a few cents.
By the end of his career, Atget had worked methodically and concurrently on thirteen separate series of photographs including 'Landscape Documents', 'Picturesque Paris', 'Art in Old Paris', 'Environs', 'Topography of Old Paris', 'Tuileries', 'Vielle France', 'Interiors', 'Saint Cloud', 'Versailles', 'Parisian Parks', 'Sceaux' and a smaller series on costumes and religious arts, returning to subjects after they had been put aside for many years.
In 1929, eleven of Atget's photographs were shown at the Film und Foto Werkbund exhibition in Stuttgart.
The U.S. Library of Congress has some 20 prints made by Abbott in 1956. The Museum of Modern Art purchased the Abbott/Levy collection of Atget's work in 1968. MoMA published a four-volume series of books based on its four successive exhibitions of Atget's life and work, between 1981 and 1985.
In 2001, the Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired the Julien Levy Collection of Photographs, the centerpiece of which includes 361 photographs by Atget. Many of these photographs were printed by Atget himself and purchased by Levy directly from the photographer. Others arrived in Levy's possession when he and Berenice Abbott entered a partnership to preserve Atget's studio in 1930. Eighty-three prints in the Levy Collection were made by Abbott posthumously as exhibition prints that she produced directly from Atget's glass negatives. Additionally, the Levy Collection included three of Atget's photographic albums, crafted by the photographer himself. The most complete is an album of domestic interiors titled Intérieurs Parisiens Début du XXe Siècle, Artistiques, Pittoresques & Bourgeois. The other two albums are fragmentary. Album No. 1, Jardin des Tuileries has only four pages still intact, and the other lacks a cover and title but contains photographs from numerous Parisian parks. In total, the Philadelphia Museum of Art holds approximately 489 objects attributed to Atget.
Atget, a Retrospective was presented at the Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris in 2007.
The Atget crater on the planet Mercury is named after him, as is Rue Eugène-Atget in the 13th arrondissement of Paris.
Although no statement by Atget about his technique or aesthetic approach survives, he did sum up his life's work in a letter to the Minister of Fine Arts;
For more than 20 years I have been working alone and of my own initiative in all the old streets of Old Paris to make a collection of 18 × 24cm photographic negatives: artistic documents of beautiful urban architecture from the 16th to the 19th centuries…today this enormous artistic and documentary collection is finished; I can say that I possess all of Old Paris
Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com
Top 8 IT certifications which will raise your wages
Would you like to move up the ladder in your professional career?
Information Technology provides successful careers for professionals. A significant number of employees are working in the IT industry and are the top paid professionals in all sectors. Training plays an important role in your IT industry work account these days.
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Project Management Professional (PMP)
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However, before you get certified you will need to have completed at least 35 hours of related training before you can take the examination. If you have a Bachelor's degree then you will also need 4,500 hours of project management experience (it will take 7,500 hours for those without a degree).
PRINCE2
PRINCE2 certification (Projects IN Controlled Environment) is a process-based management approach that offers a comprehensive way to deliver a successful project with consistent procedures, models and measures.
If you're in the world of Project Management, or have always wanted to immerse yourself in this thriving discipline, you've probably wondered how you're going to get certified to advance your career.PRINCE2 certifications are highly respected in project management and can ensure managers ' knowledge of key project principles and how to use them throughout the lifecycle of project management.This course will allow you to improve your skills and expertise and thereby increasing your pay package.
PRINCE2 has two levels: 1. PRINCE2 Foundation 2. PRINCE2 Practitioner
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
Associate-level certification of AWS Certified Solutions Architect means competence in the deployment and design of scalable solutions on AWS. Approximately 10,000 professionals are certified as AWS Solutions Architect and can secure a high salary, rewarding the AWS platform's popularity.
You need an architect of solutions in the cloud, knows how to put together end-to-end solutions whatever the workload. The Architect Exam AWS Certified Solutions tests your excellence in demonstrating systems on AWS.If you have gained hands-on expertise with AWS services and are used to architect large-scale distributed systems, then this is just your certification course that will help you raise your salary and make you more demanding.
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Certified Scrum Master is a central and essential role in keeping Agile's activities consistently efficient, self coordinated and practiced by the team.
When companies move more to Agile they understood that CSMs play a vital role in making the team efficient, self-organizing and faithfully implementing Agile's practices.Today the field of software is constantly being updated and competition is increasing, the ability to keep everyone connected is important.A minimal software failure leads to a breakdown of the company.
With this course, you'll have an opportunity to increase your income as well as increase demand on the job market.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL Foundation)
Certification courses in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) are one of the excellent rate of pay-earning choices. This course was a commonly recognized model for IT management worldwide. For the past 30 years it has retained the distinction.This contains a set of unrivaled standards for providing This services according to organizational needs. It is a wide-ranging training which covers, to name a few, a range of key specializations such as crisis management, IT operations, availability and capacity management.Both activities are geared towards reducing or minimizing IT costs, managing IT resources and enhancing IT services.
ITIL Foundation is the certification which provides a general understanding of the lifecycle of the IT service. ITIL practitioners approved by the Foundation may earn more than an average salary.
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Learning course Lean Six Sigma Learning & Credential will offer the highest level of achievement. The Six Sigma methodologies should take your career to a hike. With this credential, you will adopt and enforce the organisation's policy and best practices.
Adding Six Sigma Certification to your resume reflects your dedication to strengthening your analytical skills and business acumen, as well as developing your organizational dynamics.Six Sigma's values find requisition across a wide array of sectors worldwide, such as multinationals.
Six Sigma Certification Scheme has 3 levels:
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt
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Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
DevOps
DevOps is a software development approach, where the development team (Dev) works with the Department of Operations / Function (Ops) at all stages of software development. These include the design, development, testing, deployment and support of the products.
Certification course DevOps has gained recognition among many IT professionals.The demand for DevOps-certified professionals is currently increasing exponentially in the job market.Compared with companies that have not yet created DevOps teams, business enterprises that employ DevOps certified professionals have experienced greater returns.
There are two major DevOps certifications popular on the market:
DevOps Foundation
DevOps Practitioner
EXIN Cloud Computing Foundation
The certification from the EXIN Cloud Computing Foundation provides accurate knowledge of cloud computing, and it would be life-changing certification for you. This certification was introduced by the EXIN group, divided into two levels, named Cloud Computing Foundation & Advanced Cloud Technologies.All programs cover the basic cloud computing principles which include management, planning, and procurement. EXIN Cloud Computing Foundation has trained people who are experienced in creating technical liabilities for delivering cloud computing market manifestations, assessing vendors and systems.
Candidates who appear for this credential will go through all the eBooks, sample guides, tests that will help cover the entire definition.The basic annual compensation for professionals with EXIN Cloud computing certification is high, and is considered the organizations ' challenging properties.
Summary:
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Gon asks Killua to his model for his full-body art portrait project. It takes some begging, and bribing with chocolate, but eventually Killua agrees to help.
The thing is, though, Gon never expected for Killua to model nude.
The other thing? Gon finds he really doesn't mind this new development.
((Based on this prompt))
This fic was written as part of an art trade with @ohlookitscazz! :D She’s an amazing artist (CHECK OUT HER ART HERE), an even more amazing person <3 I’m so so so happy I got to write something for her since I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now ^^ This was a lot of fun for me to create, so I hope it’s just as much fun for her to read!
Thank you to @softkillua for helping me with this thing, he’s the best beta I could ask for ^^ And thank you for reading! Please enjoy!
Killua sighs heavily through his nose, his breath forming a cloud in the crisp autumn air, and levels Gon with a look. It’s a kind of look Gon knows all too well; the kind that says ‘this is a bad idea and I’m going to regret talking to you about this’.
Still, Gon is hopeful.
“Gon,” Killua says, reluctance dripping off every syllable. “You know, I’d love to help you with your school project, but-”
“If you’d love to help me, then just say yes!”
Killua raises an eyebrow. “That’s what you said last time I helped you out, and then I was left cleaning slime out of my hair for weeks. Weeks, Gon! Do you know how hard it is to get green gook out of hair?!”
“That was only one time, Killua!” Gon whines. “And that was for ecology, this is totally different!”
“Oh, yeah?” Killua doesn’t look at all convinced. “How’s that?”
“Well, for one thing, this project is for my art credit class!”
Killua scoffs and turns smartly on his heel. Gon’s jaw drops in surprise, and then he’s scrambling off the university courtyard bench to chase Killua across the wide expanse of yellowing grass scattered with dead leaves. Students bustle all around them in oversized coats and bulging backpacks, complaining about approaching end-of-the-semester exams and final projects. But Gon ignores them all in favor of hollering loudly after his one and only best friend.
“KILLUA! Killua, wait, I just-”
“I’m not helping you, Gon!” Killua says when Gon finally catches up to him. Killua’s got his pink nose shoved in the air, blue eyes trained pointedly on the courtyard’s archway exit. “Not this time! Go find someone else to dress up as a pigeon or whatever the hell it is you have to do!”
Gon has to jog to keep up with Killua’s long strides. He says breathlessly, trying his best to match Killua’s pace, “I’m not dressing up anyone as a pigeon, that’d be silly! I’m taking a modeling class. You know, something you do already as a job.”
Killua stops short and Gon squeaks as he almost crashes right into Killua’s right shoulder. He goes still when Killua turns to give him a calculated, narrow-eyed glare. Being the center of that icy blue gaze makes Gon’s heart skip a beat, makes his breath catch in his throat. It’s a strange feeling, but not an entirely bad one. Gon offers his best smile, trying not to squirm as a freezing breeze rips through his too-light jacket, and silently pleads Killua have mercy on him.
Gon’s never been a big fan of art. But having Killua with him to finish this assignment would make the whole project a lot more fun. He always has fun when Killua is around.
Being with Killua makes him happy. It’s just that simple.
After a long pause, Killua asks slowly, “Are you saying you’d pay me?”
“Heh.” Gon scratches his wind-chilled cheek. “Well. About that…”
Killua deadpans, “You don’t have any money. Do you.”
“Um. No. I don’t. But- BUT!” He grabs the sleeve of Killua’s hoodie before his friend can walk off again. “But, I do have some super rare chocorobos that Ging’s sending me. I don’t really like sweets too much so I was going to just throw them out, buuuuut-”
“I swear to God I will hit you over the head with my astrology textbook if you say one more word!” Killua cuts him off sharply, practically bristling from head to toe. “I can’t believe— you can’t just throw away chocorobos, Gon!! They’re, like, novelty chocolate, you idiot!”
Gon holds back a smirk. Score.
Aloud, he asks, “So, does that mean you’ll help me? Hmm? I’ll give you the chocolate up front and everything. What do you say, Ki-llu-a?”
Killua opens his mouth, then shuts it. Gon can see the war raging across Killua’s face, the dilemma and agony over giving into Gon or passing up the chocolate he so dearly loves, but Gon already knows the answer.
Killua would never, ever turn down chocolate.
“Are you ready, or what?!”
“YEAH!” Gon hollers back. “Just- AH- one sec! I just, I gotta—”
He grabs the last of his art supplies off the kitchen table and sprints back to his seat. He’d forgotten how long it takes to set up the art easel, and then he’d misplaced his art pouch with his pencils and charcoal and erasers, so Killua had left to ‘get ready’ in the bathroom while Gon scrambled around his apartment.
Gon doesn’t really understand what Killua needed to get ready for. Gon only needs five varying poses for this assignment. Add some lighting with a carefully placed lamp and some random household props, and Gon will be in a good place for a passing mark. It isn’t like Killua has to be super dressed up or anything for this—
“HEY! GON! What are you doing out there?!”
“Okay, okay!” Gon flips open his sketchbook to a blank page. He leans around the easel towards the general direction of his bathroom and yells, “You can come out now!”
He doesn’t look up as the bathroom door creaks open. He’s too busy pulling apart his eraser for a clean side to pay attention to his friend as Killua walks into the center of Gon’s living room. It’s only after Gon finally has the charcoal sharpened and set aside on a small side table that he glances up at Killua, a bright smile on his lips.
“Okay! Let’s just…”
Gon’s voice trails off, then shrivels and dies in the back of his throat. All thought in his mind evaporates and is replaced with crackling static. His mouth remains open though, jaw hanging low as he openly gapes at his very sculpted, very fit, and very- very- naked best friend.
“How do you want to do this?” Killua asks, placing his hands on his hips. He twists his head around to cast his gaze around the room and Gon’s breath hitches. Every inch of Killua’s porcelain skin gleams in the lamp light, unblemished and sculpted and beautiful.
Killua continues, oblivious to Gon’s shock, “I don’t really care too much, I’ve been doing this modeling thing for artists long enough that I can put up with pretty much anything you ask.”
Gon doesn’t even hear him. He’s too busy ogling at the graceful slope of Killua’s neck, those long, long legs and arms, how his stomach dips and bends to give way for a perfect set of abs…and then there’s the smooth, round curve of his ass-
“Gon?”
Gon jerks, eyes jumping upwards to meet Killua’s questioning gaze. Heat rushes to his face instantly and he abruptly feels a wave of warmth rush over every inch of his skin. It’s a prickling and uncomfortable kind of heat, something Gon’s only felt before on very rare occasions, and his stomach twists when he realizes what’s happening to him.
He’s— he’s blushing.
Killua’s brow furrows. “Uh, Gon, are you okay? You got this weird look on your face…”
“F-Fine!” Gon squeaks and his heart constricts at the painfully obvious way his voice breaks. “I’m, um! Fine, I’m totally-” He coughs, the burning on his cheeks growing with each passing second. “I’m fine, really!”
Killua gives him a strange look. “Uh….Okay, whatever you say,” he says skeptically and Gon breathes a silent sigh of relief. “If you’re sure you’re so fine, how about telling me what you want me to do? If there’s a specific pose you want, you’ll have to show me exactly how to position my body and lights and everything.”
Gon’s heart lurches at the thought of touching Killua, even innocently. Just the idea of touching that smooth skin, feeling his muscles bend and flex under his hands—
“Yo!” Killua snaps his fingers and Gon jolts. “Earth to Gon! Why do you keep spacing out like that?!”
“S-Sorry, Killua!” Gon shakes his head. He can’t afford to get distracted like this! Yes, Killua is extremely attractive- and amazing and smart and cool and the most incredible person Gon’s ever met or ever will meet, he’s pretty sure- but that’s nothing new!
He’ll just have to…appreciate the view he has with the knowledge that, yes, he’s checking his best friend out, but technically it’s okay! Gon has an excuse to stare at Killua and admire his beauty because this is for art! And Killua is the art!
(And it’s not like Gon hasn’t checked Killua out before, anyway. This is just a more….complete picture.)
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Killua asks, sounding both confused and alarmed. “You’re acting really weird tonight, even for you.”
Gon nods enthusiastically. “Yeah! I’m fine, I promise. Here—” he lurches out of his seat towards Killua, “—lemme show you how you need to pose!”
“How often do you pose for artists, Killua?”
Killua keeps his face carefully blank at the question, fighting the overwhelming urge to roll his eyes to the back of his skull and groan.
Gon, apparently, did not understand the concept of modeling. Which shouldn’t surprise Killua after knowing him for over two years, but Gon had a bad habit of keeping Killua on his toes.
“Gon,” he growls between barely-moving lips. “I’m not supposed to talk to you while I’m posing.”
“Why?”
Killua’s hands twitch against Gon’s living room carpet and he breathes in deep through his nose. He is a professional. A few idiotic questions from his best friend will not force him to break pose, no matter how stupid the questions are.
“If I move even the slightest bit- even to talk- my pose won’t be the same, and your drawing would be messed up.”
“Oh.” Gon sounds annoyingly perplexed. Why is he so confused by this concept?! When Killua accepted coming here, he thought—
…he doesn’t know what he was thinking. Killua didn’t think when it came to Gon, and that was a problem in and of itself.
“I think it’d be pretty boring if you didn’t get to talk, though!” Gon chirps from behind his easel. Killua can hear the faint sound of charcoal dragging across beige paper, feel the warmth of the lamp light as it drapes across his own skin. “And wouldn’t it be kind of awkward to be in the same room like this but not say anything?”
“How is this in any way awkward?” Killua asks then immediately curses himself. He shouldn’t be encouraging Gon, dammit.
“Well, without any conversation, this basically turns into a staring session where I get to ogle at your muscles and butt while you lay naked on my carpet. So.”
Killua chokes and a wave of heat crashes over him like a tsunami. He nearly breaks his pose, but he manages to hold it, if just barely.
“Gon,” he hisses, and he can tell by the burning in his cheeks that his face is a horrible shade of red. He wants to hide or look away or, or something but he can’t break pose, fuck! “This is— no, god. That is not what this is in any way, shape, or form.”
Gon laughs, low and deep, and something twists inside of Killua’s chest.
“What is it then?” Gon asks. There’s something off in his tone. Something sly and sneaky and Killua doesn’t understand what the hell is happening right now. Where is Gon going with this?!
“It’s— it’s me being a point of reference for you!” Killua explains, exasperated. “That’s all it is. Okay?! You’re paying me, and I take this thing seriously, and—”
“Aw, Killua, I’m hurt! Does that mean you undress for all of your friends like this?”
Killua’s arms buckle and he nearly topples backwards onto the carpet. He catches himself last minute, then whirls around to glare viciously at his smug bastard of a friend. He growls, bristling from head to toe, “You know what?! Fuck you, Gon!”
Gon’s grin widens. “Is that a yes, then?” He’s laughing at Killua on the inside, Killua just knows it, and it makes him furious beyond belief.
“No, it’s not!” Killua snaps.
“So by default, that means I’m just special!”
Killua wants to strangle Gon until he can’t spout out any more idiotic questions, that’s what it means!
“No, you complete and total idiot,” he manages to say between gritted teeth. “It means I’m not your personal stripper! This is a job, got it?! And I’m a professional!”
Gon hums thoughtfully. “Hmm, I don’t think I would mind that, though?”
“Mind what?!” What is he going on about now?
“I wouldn’t mind it if I were special to you! I mean, I feel like I should already be treated differently compared to everyone else you know, because we’re each other’s best friends and everything. I want to see all the sides of you, even the stuff you don’t share with anyone else! And I really like seeing this side of you.”
Then he fucking winks. Winks!
Killua doesn’t know how to respond to that. He gapes openly at Gon, skin tingling and heart hammering. Is— Is Gon trying to flirt with him? Is that what was happening? Or is this just Gon’s blunt nature coming out to bite Killua in the ass for agreeing to help with this stupid assignment in the first place?
I can’t tell, Killua realizes. He can’t tell if the slight red tinge to Gon’s cheeks is a blush or if it’s Killua just imagining things under the glare of the lamplight directed his way. And he can’t just ask Gon, that would be even more embarrassing and mortifying than this whole situation already is, and—
Gon suddenly tilts his head to the side. “And you say you’re a professional…but is it professional to break pose?”
Killua freezes. He looks down, horror overriding his confusion and frustration in an instant.
He’d moved to yell at Gon. He hadn’t even realized it at the time.
Shit.
“You!!” Killua’s eyes flash upwards to find Gon smirking down at him. “Gon, you did that on purpose!!!”
Gon shrugs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Killua! We were just having a conversation!”
Killua slams his hand down on the carpet, a dull but loud THUD resonating across the room. “And I told you that we’re not supposed to have a conversation while I’m posing for you! But you kept pushing and prying and—”
“Shhh, Killua.” A warm finger presses against Killua’s lips and Killua’s protest dies in his throat. Gon is leaning slightly forward until he’s on the very tip off his chair, his head blocking the light partially and lighting his hair from behind like a golden halo.
Killua’s heart thumps erratically against his ribs. He suddenly can’t breathe, mesmerized by the joyful light shining in Gon’s eyes.
“You worry too much,” Gon says while Killua continues to gaze up at him unblinkingly. “I promise I won’t tell anyone that you messed up. Your secret’s safe with me.”
And just like that, the spell is broken.
“You—” Killua snaps and slaps Gon’s hand away, “—are a menace. You know that?!”
Gon leans back, shaking out his hand and still smiling that infuriatingly bright smile. “Sure, whatever you say, Killua! But I still got the most beautiful person I’ve ever met to undress for me. So I think that should count for something.”
Killua’s eyes bulge and he nearly falls over again. Blood roars in his ears and for the first time in a very, very long time, he’s aware of every inch of skin he has bared for Gon to see. For Gon to stare at. For Gon to slowly drag his gaze over like he’s admiring a piece of art in a museum, just as he is right now, like—
Like…like Gon wants him.
Killua’s mouth goes dry. He struggles to breathe properly, curls his fingers into shaking fists. He can’t unravel like this. He still has another hour to spend modeling for Gon and if he’s this aware of how Gon is looking at him, he’ll never stay relaxed enough to get through with it.
It’s not that he hasn’t dealt with this sort of thing before. He’s gone through modeling sessions where others have stared at him in ways that are less than appropriate. But it’s never meant anything, not the Killua’s own nakedness or the stares or whatever resulting art came from him nearly falling asleep on a raised pedestal in the center of some art studio. Killua was a pawn and the artists, strangers. As long as he got paid, Killua couldn’t care less about who was looking at him or how.
But he’s quickly starting to realize that it does matter now that Gon is the one looking at him. Gon’s focused, burning gaze made warmth pool in Killua’s gut, made butterflies flutter against his ribs. It was a breathless and swooping kind of feeling, and it made Killua want to— no.
Killua grits his teeth. Gon is still looking at him expectantly, a smug smile tugging at his lips. He’s clearly testing Killua to see just how much he can push his buttons. That’s what Gon did; he played and challenged and pushed Killua, inspired him in all the best and worst of ways. Gon had an effect on Killua. He always has.
But this? This is different. This is a job and Killua refuses to succumb to the less-than-innocent feelings he has for his best friend. He won’t do it. He is going to finish this job and then he can shove this whole thing behind him and never think about it again.
And that means Killua can’t let Gon know how his words affected him.
Killua lifts his chin, scowling. Gon could take his ridiculous lack of social awareness and shove it. “Why don’t you just shut up and show me what pose you want next?” he says angrily and Gon laughs again, sounding delighted.
“Sure! But, Killua—”
Killua glances up, and is once more struck by the intensity in Gon’s gaze. The way Gon is staring at him…it makes Killua feel like he and Gon are the only two people left on this earth.
“I really do mean it,” Gon says softly, honestly ringing in every syllable. “You’re beautiful.”
Killua’s heart quivers. He looks away, pulse racing, and tries to think through the silent shrieking in his head.
He whispers, “You’re an idiot.”
“Even if I am—” A broad hand gently takes Killua’s chin, turns his head slightly. Killua stares up with wide eyes at Gon’s handsome face, heart in his throat.
“— you’re still beautiful,” Gon finishes with a dazzling, genuine smile, and Killua melts.
Gon and Killua stand shoulder to shoulder, staring down at Gon’s easel. Neither of them speak. It’s one of the few moments in Gon’s life when he doesn’t know what to say. His artwork is enough to make him speechless, but not in a good kind of way.
“Well,” Killua says finally, and Gon peaks at him out of the corner of his eye. Killua’s brows are furrowed, but he looks more confused than anything. “It’s not…horrible?”
Gon grimaces. “Thanks.”
“No, really, I mean it! I’ve seen much worse.”
“That’s not really a compliment, Killua.” He lets out a long sigh, deflating. He’s honestly relieved that Killua isn’t outright disgusted by his art. But— “I’m really sad; I wanted to draw something that would show how pretty you are!”
Killua turns rigid, face flushing, then looks quickly away. “C-Cut it out, Gon. You don’t need to keep saying stuff like that.”
“I’m being serious!” Gon insists and ducks his head to try to catch his best friend’s eye. “You’re gorgeous, Killua! And I know I couldn’t capture exactly how you look but.” He pouts. “I really thought I could’ve done at least a little bit better…I didn’t do you justice at all.”
Killua awkwardly pats his back, cheeks still flaming. He’s re-clothed again, much to Gon’s dismay. He had accepted Gon’s green bathrobe instead of putting his own clothes back on though and Gon inwardly acknowledged that as a good enough compromise. Killua looked kind of funny in Gon’s clothes, actually; the bathrobe wasn’t nearly long enough to fit Killua’s height, and Gon’s broader chest meant that the fuzzy cloth hug off Killua’s narrow shoulders to the point where it was noticeable. But that was okay.
The sight of Killua in Gon’s clothes makes Gon’s own cheeks warm and his heart twist. It made his chest swell, a strange sort of pleased feeling rising up inside him.
Killua looks good in Gon’s clothes. And Gon likes that. He likes it a lot.
“It’s okay, Gon,” Killua says awkwardly. “Most people have a really hard time drawing the human body, that’s why there are classes like the one you’re in now. And it’s not that big of a deal anyway; art isn’t your focus of study, you’re majoring in environmental science!”
“Yeah…I guess you’re right. Maybe I should have taken that photography class instead.”
Killua wrinkles his nose. “Nah, the cameras are crazy expensive. You’d probably break it too and have to replace it, with your luck. At least for this class you just needed to buy charcoal and erasers and an easel.”
“Well, all that and you.”
Killua stiffens, color flooding his face once more. “Wh-What?”
A smile tugs at Gon’s lips. “I needed to buy your modeling service. What’s that look on your face for, hmm? Are you thinking dirty thoughts, Killua?”
“Shut up!” Killua shoves him away roughly, flushing in earnest now. “I wasn’t thinking anything!”
“Mmhmm, suuure,” Gon says in a sing-song voice. “And that’s why your cheeks are so red right now?”
Killua’s blue eyes narrow into icy slits. “They’re red because you are the most embarrassing person on the face of the planet!”
“But—”
“Dammit, Gon, stop trying to kill me and go get my chocolate already! I demand payment for my ‘services’!”
Gon throws his head back and laughs, shoulders shaking as he cackles uncontrollably. Killua makes an exasperated growl and stomps over. Gon nearly stumbles over his own two feet as Killua forcibly spins him around. He doesn’t get the chance to catch his breath before Killua starts to forcibly shove Gon out of the living room.
“AH— wait, Killua, wait!!!”
Gon digs his heels into the floor. Killua manages to push him a few more inches but Gon’s brute strength wins out in the end.
Killua releases Gon with irritated huff. “What is it now?!”
Gon swallows nervously at the ferocious glare Killua gives him. This was going to be hard, but if he planned this correctly it should work out in the end. Hopefully.
“I, um.” He twiddles his thumbs. “I don’t have the chocolate.”
Killua’s eyes bulge. “What. Are you saying you lied—?!”
“No, let me explain! Ging said in his letter that he was sending the chocolate, but it turns out he actually sent it to Kite instead!”
Killua stares. “What the hell does that mean?! Am I getting the chocolate or what?!”
“It means,” Gon says patiently. “That I have to wait for Kite to send the chocolate to me! And then I can give it to you!”
Killua pinches the bridge of his nose, lets out a long breath. “So,” he says, voice pained. “What you’re saying is that I won’t get the chocolate for a while.”
“Heh.” Gon rubs the back of his neck, offers Killua his best smile. “Yeah? Pretty much?”
Killua shakes his head. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?” He turns on his heel but Gon quickly snags his wrist.
“I’m not done yet!”
Killua is starting to look genuinely annoyed now. “What else could you possibly have to say? You already disappointed me with the chocolate—”
“Let me do something for you in the meantime to make up for it!”
“Like what?” Killua asks suspiciously. “If this is just another trick of yours to drag me into one of your crazy-ass schemes, count me out—”
“Let me take you to dinner,” Gon says and Killua blinks stupidly, mouth still hanging open while his last words die on his tongue.
“…what.”
“Let me take you to dinner,” Gon repeats. “I’ll pay for the whole thing! You can order dessert first, even.”
Killua opens his mouth again, then closes it. His cheeks are slowly darkening but it’s contrasted by the wrinkle in his brow. There’s a conflicted look in his eye and Gon grins; he can tell that Killua is stuck between wanting to say yes and saying no out of fear of being tricked. Lucky for him, Gon isn’t even joking in the slightest.
But he can’t help himself from teasing Killua one more time.
Gon adds on brightly, “You won’t even have to take off your clothes, Killua, I promise! If you want to later, I won’t object but—”
A hand slaps across his face and Gon grunts. Killua’s hand hurt, a sharp sting across his mouth and nose.
“For the love of god, shut up,” Killua hisses. His cheeks are a beautiful, flaming shade of scarlet by now. “If you make one more suggestive commentary I will hurl you out the nearest window.”
Gon grins under Killua’s long fingers. “You won’t get the chocolate, then.”
“Gon—”
“Okay, okay, I’m done now!” He reaches up and removes Killua’s hand from his mouth, slowly taking it in his hand and interlacing their fingers instead. His heart flutters at the innocent contact and he only hopes that Killua feels the same.
“Seriously, though…” Gon looks up at Killua’s flustered expression through brown lashes. “What do you say, Killua? Can I take you out? Please?”
Killua bites his lip. “You mean, as a. Uh.” He swallows thickly, staring at their interlocked hands. “As a friend? Or…”
“As a date,” Gon clarifies. “A romantic kind of date.”
“A romantic date with like, k-kissing and holding hands and all that other s-stuff?”
“Mhm.” Gon smiles and squeezes Killua’s hands pointedly. “I dunno what other kind of romantic dates you’ve been on, but that’s the kind of stuff I think I’d be pretty interested in doing with you. Would you be interested in doing those things with me?”
“Do-Do you have to ask me something like that?!” Killua squeaks.
“Yeah, I do! I want to make sure this is something you want, too!”
Killua’s brow wrinkles. “That’s not the...are you sure this isn’t some stupid joke, Gon? Because if it is, I’m swear going to—”
Gon shakes his head adamantly. “No! No way, this is for real, I swear. I’ve already told you I think you’re beautiful, right?”
“But. I thought you were talking about—”
“I was talking about every part of you,” Gon explains. “Both inside and out. You’re my best friend, Killua. Is it really that crazy that I think you’re absolutely amazing, that I would like you? That I would want something…” He pulls Killua close with their linked hands, until their chests press against each other and they’re breathing in the same air, “…something more with you?”
Killua tightly squeezes his eyes shut. Killua lets out a long, shaky breath, then opens those beautiful blue eyes again. The hesitant, but innocently hopeful look he gives Gon makes Gon’s heart lurch and the air to vanish from his lungs.
“Okay,” he whispers finally and Gon stands up straight, pulse starting to climb. “I’ll-I’ll let you take me out.”
Gon’s face hurts from the wideness of his smile. “Really? You want to?”
Killua scrunches up his nose. “If I’m saying yes, then I’m pretty sure that means I want to go out with you, Gon.”
“Romantically?”
Killua huffs. “Yes, romantically.”
Gon giggles. He can’t help it; the overwhelming joy and giddiness inside his chest is too strong to contain. It bubbles and flows to every part of his body, warming him from the inside out and making him so light and happy that he could walk on clouds.
“Thank you, Killua.” He leans forward and presses a swift kiss to Killua’s burning cheek before the other can react. “Go get changed! I’ll make a reservation!”
Killua raises his free hand to the place where Gon kissed him, looking dazed. It’s so cute how a simple kiss was enough to make Killua so frazzled and Gon’s smile grows impossibly wider.
But a second later Killua seems to register what Gon said and he freezes. “You-You mean. You want to go out now?!”
“Yeah! We’re already together, let’s just do it!”
Killua laughs shakily, a look of amazement and nervous joy on his face. “That’s…you know what, fine, whatever. I don’t care.”
“You sure?”
Killua nods. “Yeah. It’s kind of crazy, but that’s you. And I’ve put up with your ideas up till now, so. I think I can handle this one.”
Gon beams. “And I love you for that.”
He leans forward again, this time landing a gentle kiss on Killua’s lips. It’s a chaste kiss, as far as kisses go. A simple touch of mouth-to-mouth with nothing pushed or forced. It’s good and innocent and perfect, exactly what Gon would want for his first kiss with the person he treasures more than anyone else in the world.
But the flush of Killua’s cheeks, the blueness of his astonished and wide eyes, the softness of Killua’s lips…it’s enough to stir warmth in Gon’s stomach, hot and yearning.
He quickly pulls back before that feeling can grow. There would be time for that later, he’s sure. Right now he has a dinner to pay for.
He pushes a stunned and furiously blushing Killua towards the bathroom, saying loudly, “Hurry up and change, I’ll call and make reservations!”
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