YNoMH? (BL)

21

Chapter 21: Center of the World (8)

The camera operator Nishikido helped Ushio put Kei into the taxi and even helped carry him up to his room at the inn.

"How is he?"

"Hmm... I think there's a little swelling."

Kei had fallen and hit the back of his head hard on an exposed tree root, and Ushio could feel a large, unnatural bump there. Kei grimaced at the touch—which likely meant he wasn't unconscious too deeply. Ushio wrung out a hand towel that he had soaked in ice water and held it against the area for him.

"But I can't believe he fell and passed out. He can be a bit of an idiot, huh?"

"Oh... Yes, I guess so." Ushio mostly saw Kei's ridiculous side, completely unfiltered, and it was hard for him to comment. He looked down at Kei from the side of the bed and whispered softly, "...He probably relaxed his guard once the live coverage was over. It didn't help that he's been pretty tense lately."

"He's still so young, but pretty damn stubborn, huh? He makes everything look perfect to everyone around him, but when I look at him, I think he's just one of those guys who can't admit to being less than perfect."

Ushio agreed with him 100 percent. He took a liking to this tough veteran cameraman, his shoulders hardened with muscle from decades of heavy physical labor.

"Looks like the fire's gone down a lot. We got there just in time to capture the hottest shots, huh? Oh yeah, I heard you took the video inserts tonight? Lemme see them."

"Sure. They're right here." Ushio handed over Kei's cell phone that he still had with him.

Nishikido watched the clips with a focused intensity. "Not bad. I think this clip would feel better if it was a single second shorter. A bit of a tilt-shift would be nice too."

"Yeah, I can see that."

It was incredibly valuable to find someone who could express what they liked based on their sense of intuition instead of rationalizing everything with logic.

"How'd you like getting pulled to help on a live news shoot? Crazy, huh? There are idiots who get so overwhelmed that they spew nonsense, but you did pretty well."

"I was super nervous. I even yelled out loud without thinking..."

He had to relay information back and forth with a person who he couldn't see, while transmitting everything in real-time. It was like walking on a tightrope. Ushio felt like he understood a little better just how much pressure Kei was under when he did his job.

"By the way, do you think the mics picked up my voice?"

"It should be fine."

"Oh, I'm thinking of replacing my tripod with a new one. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Depends if you want something light or something sturdy. I like Libec better than Vinten—"

Just as they were about to get deep into equipment discussions, Kei groaned softly and blinked his eyes.

"Hey, you awake? Kunieda, you recognize me?"

"...Nishikido-san."

"That's right. How's your head? You feel like throwing up?"

"No, I'm all right."

His gaze looked a little unfocused, but his voice was clear and controlled.