SERO WATCHED HIS IDOL casually stroll into his apartment. He had a small smile on his face before he slipped off his shoes and held out a hand for a handshake. The black-haired male reciprocated quickly, cursing himself mentally for having sweaty hands. Iida seemed hardly bothered though, discreetly wiping his hands on a handkerchief before looking around.
His eyes settled onto the coffee table, a pile of papers sat on it next to a flower bouquet. "Are those the magazines?" He glanced at Sero for confirmation, but the boy was practically nervous out of his mind. The man that he had pined over (more in a sexual attraction manner) was standing right here in his apartment.
"Yeah, th-those are the magazines," Sero awkwardly replied, nearly choking on his own words. Iida reached a hand down to pick up one of them, making Hanta gulp. He had forgotten how tall Iida was. While Sero was about 5'10", Iida towered over him at 6'0". It wasn't that much of a difference, but it only made Sero more nervous.
The blue-haired model pursed his lips at the sight of the papers, staring at one of them in his hands. It hardly looked like him. His waist was thinner and his abs were much more prominent compared to real-life; additionally, his legs were deemed leaner when in reality, he was quite proud of his leg muscles.
He hadn't skipped a single leg day.
"You okay?"
His eyes flitted up to Sero who seemed to notice how taken aback he was by the sight of his magazine photoshoots. "Yeah," Iida ran his tongue over his lips, a disheartened look in his eyes as he glanced at the magazines. "I just forgot how bad these were." Iida was right. They hardly looked like him anymore.
It was even worse when recalling that Iida had given up on looking at them at some point. They didn't look like him anymore, so was there any point in buying them or even admiring some edited work? "Sorry for buying them," Hanta said honestly.
He had always found the pictures slightly distorted or disproportionate to the rest of his body, but he had never realized how bad they were, just as Iida had said. "It's fine," Iida shook his head, reaching over and picking up another one. "You didn't know and I don't blame you; you're using it to help my case now anyway."
Sero finally asked a question that had been itching at him for the longest. "Your agency never noticed?" Iida paused for a moment. He set down the magazine that was in his hands before responding. "They. . . noticed. However, they're not allowed to take legal action unless I'm interested in doing so. Otherwise, there's no point in fighting a case when there's no one to fight for."
"Plus I didn't really 'trust' anyone to take on my case. Celebrity lawyers are good, but they always tend to be a bit scam-like. I wanted to be my own lawyer if I was able to charge something against The Realist, but that's impossible to do so if I'm working under them and my agency's in partnership with them. . . if that makes sense."
Sero nodded wearily, understanding most of it. Iida didn't trust other lawyers, but he can't be his own lawyer if his agency is supposed to represent him instead. "So, how are you going to take this to court then?" Mustering more confidence, he sat beside his idol, awkwardly fiddling with his fingers.
"Well, my agency isn't in partnership with them anymore. I would have to pull away from my agency entirely in order to sue them properly. If I stay with my agency, they'll assign me a random lawyer that they deem as the best." Iida admitted. He hadn't mentioned this, but that meant giving up his modeling career entirely.
He'd fall away from the spotlight and give it all up for justice. Did that even sound rewarding? He had clearly worked so hard up until this point, but now it was falling apart because one company couldn't get greedy enough. Sero's blood boiled at the thought and he swallowed harshly.
"I'm sorry you have to give up that—"
"—don't be. I'm thinking I might go on to be a lawyer for a bit. It's familiar and it'll help me clear my head from all of this fame, forgive my French, bullshit." He smiled apologetically at Sero who nodded understandingly. He picked up another magazine, scrunching it slightly in his hands. "I'll become a model again whenever I feel up for it."
Iida grabbed the rest of the magazines, feeling that he had overstayed his welcome. Sero felt a bit disheartened, obviously telling from his body language that his idol was about to leave. "Thank you for the magazines again and encouraging me to go to court with this; I really do owe you so much," He bowed politely.
Sero grew flustered and shook his head rapidly, flailing his hands in the air. "Don't bow! It's the least I could do, don't worry." Iida smiled apologetically this time, tilting his head to the side. "Also, I'm sorry, but I don't swing that way." He had noticed the way Sero had been looking at him this entire time, plus it was clear since he had practically collected his magazines.
Iida brought out a necklace that was hidden under his shirt until then, a ring hanging on it as Hanta's jaw dropped in surprise.
"You have a—"
"—the good thing with my agency is they offer anonymity. My wife, Tsuyu, is someone I wanted to protect from this whole fame thing. Additionally, I still feel like I've taken more than I gave, so I'd like to help you out a bit more. What is it that you think you'd like?"
Sero regained his composure briefly before thinking it over. "Would it be considered leaking personal information if you give me the CEO's legal name and his address?"
Tenya caught onto what he was saying and grinned confidently, tucking away his necklace underneath his shirt again. "Not necessarily if you're the one who's helping me with this case; if you're providing me evidence, it's only right you're given the same information that I get." Sero's eyes brightened and he grinned widely.
"Then that's all I want."