Hinata Shouyou loved people. He absolutely adored watching them to find their strange habits and quirks. He loved capturing those things in a picture. His high school friend was his favorite subject. Too bad he absolutely hated having his photo taken. That was why almost all of his pictures of Kenma had an easel in them. He was so engrossed with his art that he often wouldn't even notice Shouyou take the picture. 

Kenma was a painter through and through. One of his favorite feelings was the cool paint on his hands and his favorite smell was that of a freshly opened tube. Unlike his friend, he didn't like painting people. He could never capture those little idiosyncrasies that Shouyou managed to get with his camera in a single moment. He preferred landscapes. He was skilled at portraying the life in a skyline or the energy in a forest. He was good enough to be known through the Tokyo region, anyway. 

Kenma and Shouyou met at an art class in high school. It had been a prerequisite for both of the classes they wanted to take– photography and painting. Despite their polar opposite personalities, they somehow managed to become good friends. 

On the last day of high school they, somewhat impulsively, decided to move into an apartment in the city. After a few months, they were finally settled and got used to each others schedules. Lucky for them, Shouyou was an early riser and Kenma liked to sleep in. That helped with a lot of the possible conflicts. 

"Okay, I've got a wedding today at three, but until then, I'm free. Do you want to go to the arboretum downtown again?" Shouyou asked as Kenma finally pulled himself out of bed at half past ten in the morning. 

"Why am I up this early again?" He groaned, stumbling into the bathroom to brush his teeth. 

"Because I'm leaving for a week to go on tour with that band that hired me to take promotional photos for them, and you're going to miss me. So, we're hanging out today. You can even bring your painting stuff." He assured him. 

Kenma knew this job was a big deal for Shouyou, and knew he would miss him while he was gone. Not that he would admit to that. 

"Fine, let me get my 'painting stuff'." He called as he walked into their studio area. 

It was the room with the biggest window, and they had paid extra to have that amazing view of the city skyline if only for Kenma's own inspiration. Anyone could clearly see the divide between their spaces. Hinata's area consisted of a few computer screens on his desk and a shelf covered in boxes. Kenma knew they were filled with old pictures and cameras. Kenma's side was neat and chaotic at the same time. Everything was organized in a way that Kenma knew and was used to, but it seemed like chaos to anyone else. 

"Hurry up, Ken-kun." Shouyou called from the living area. 

Kenma quickly grabbed his travel paint set and walked back out. He really preferred to paint outdoors, so he was always ready to leave their apartment at a moment's notice. 

The ride downtown was boring. They both managed to snag a seat on the train, which they rejoiced over quickly before settling down. Kenma was just glad he wouldn't have to carry his painting tools for the entire ride. It wasn't that he couldn't, but it got heavy quick. Shouyou was always telling him to work out more and make it easier to lift, but he preferred to ignore him when he started talking about that stuff. 

The arboretum itself was as beautiful as ever. 

Fall flowers surrounded them from all around. The warm colors bombarded them from all sides as they walked through the flower tunnel. Kenma almost wanted to stop right there and start painting, but he had a specific spot in mind. It was a place he hadn't painted yet. 

They continued walking until they reached the lake. A tall weeping willow stood strong next to the water, its yellowing leaves falling onto the water as the breeze picked up for a moment. Rocks surrounded the edge of the pond, some growing moss after the years. Kenma thought it was beautiful. 

He quickly pulled out his paints and thanked the heavens he had recently bought paints on the warmer end of the spectrum. 

Shouyou loved people-watching. He would get some pictures of Kenma later. For now, he liked to take pictures of families walking around. Some were just two people holding hands and laughing as they walked. Others had kids hanging off every limb screaming and yelling. He would laugh to himself as he watched the parents yell at them with hidden love behind the anger or embarrassment. He could remember his own mother yelling at him like that plenty of times. 

He snapped a photo of the family. 

These pictures never made it past his office, where he would print them and add them to one of the many boxes that covered his shelves. He mostly took pictures for his own enjoyment. The fact that he could make a living off of it was astounding to him, and he loved that he could do it every day and tell people he was just working. 

The job that he had in a few days was a big one, and if it was successful, it would pick up his career big time. He would, hopefully, get a lot of press from it and capture the attention of more big names. If he could do that, he could pick up his already fledgling company and help it fly. 

He glanced back at Kenma to see him staring intently at his half-finished painting. Hinata had never had enough patience to finish a painting. Most of the ones he started out of curiosity sat unfinished on Kenma's half of their office. He should really finish one sometime. Even just one would surely make Kenma proud. 

He took a few pictures of Kenma, being sure to get his painting in them. His favorite pictures of people were the ones taken when they didn't know they were being photographed. People had such different smiles when they were in front of a camera than they did when they were doing something they loved. Kenma always claimed he couldn't tell the difference, but it was clear as day to Shouyou. Just the way their faces scrunched up and their eyes sparkled. It was different. 

Soon enough, Kenma had finished his painting, and the sun was falling down the sky. Shouyou still had enough time to get to the wedding on time, and he and Kenma said their goodbyes soon after they got home. 

"See you tonight. Don't forget to show me that painting when I get back. I never got a proper look at it." Shouyou yelled as he practically ran out of the apartment. Maybe he had overestimated the amount of time he had until three. So what?

"Yeah, see you tonight." Kenma called back from his spot on the couch. 

As Shouyou left, he knew that this was the life he had always wanted. Living with his best friend in the world, getting paid to do what he loved. He could only home Kenma felt the same.