shutterbug ~ johnten

one

ten. a thai photographer who moved, lives, and works around in downtown chicago. he was small. not very known. but he was hopeful. every day he'd make time to take photos. on his way to the store, he'd take many. in the gym, he'd find one or two things to snap.

his eyes were magical. he saw things in a different light to everyone else.

he loved taking pictures of humans though. staged or not. he loved to examine their expressions. he loved the way people looked. he loved finding different angles, and truly finding the beautiful parts in people.

he wished photography was his job. he wished he could pursue this career full-time. but he didnt get enough attention from it. so instead he worked at a coffee shop down the street from his small, single bedroom apartment.

it was tiny. not a mainstream company. just an unknown bistro under a train track. the same customers came in and out every day. he was friends with most of them at this point, and knew their order's off by heart. he could write essays about these familiar faces he saw daily.

today was an early shift. he started the day by taking all of the chairs down, pushing them under the tables. he then turned on all of the lights and neon signs scattered around the place. he wasnt a massive fan of the interior design, but it didnt bother him too much.

he then made himself a coffee, as fuel for the day. his coworker, renjun, was to arrive any minute. renjun was younger than ten by a few years, but their bond was great. they had most shifts together, and renjun came from china, and lived in the same district that ten did for a few years in his teens, giving them something to bond over.

he threw his apron over his head, tying it around his waist and adjusting his outfit to fit with it. he didnt hate this job, it was fun, however he wished he was doing something else.

"ten!" renjun smiled, locking the door behind him as he yawned. it was still dark, but the sun was slowly rising, so the glass walls let some natural light in, "thoughts for the day?"

"its too fucking early," the boy smiled, as renjun walked out back. he followed the younger, as he looked easily more awake than him, "how are you so.. alive?"

"believe me," renjun started, walking past ten and patting his shoulder, "alive is the opposite of how i feel right now. 'm just puttin' on an act!"

with another deep sigh, ten sat on the stool he'd put behind the till, and placed his head in his arms on the counter.

"oh come on," renjun chuckled, "it's only 6am. you've got another- what- 7 hours of this? customers havent even arrived yet."

"i love how optimistic you are on a monday morning, jun," ten smiled, sitting up and stretching his back, "it's endearing. kinda motivating honestly."

renjun rolled his eyes at the boring man that he worked with, and waddled over to him, "make me a latte."

"what do i get out of this?"

"my love, a high five, and more inspirational shit," renjun pouted, leaning over the counter, making ten laugh and nod, "thank you!~"

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@tentography 🚃

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a/n hii :) new johnten fic.

none of 'ten''s photography belongs to me, all found on pinterest!