Fic: Dependency
Title: Dependency
Author: fairymage
Rating: PG
Community: 30_kisses
Theme: #7-superstar, #27-overflow
Fandom: Card Captor Sakura
Pairing: Fujitaka/Nadeshiko
Hi, all! Life has been a bit hectic and depressing, so I haven't been around much. Hopefully, now that it's summer, you'll see more of me and I'll see more of you (:
“I can’t take it anymore! How do they expect me to do all this for them without the proper staff and equipment?!”
Like a good friend, Fujitaka nodded absently and turned a page of the newspaper. Hirai, an old friend from college, had come over at Fujitaka’s invitation for tea. He was a professional photographer, freelancing for several fashion magazines. Right now, he was swamped with multiple jobs and not enough models. It was enough to drive Hirai mad-why didn’t a good-looking man like himself have enough models?!
“Equipment I can manage, you know, just take good care of the cameras and things and do quick maintenance just before every shoot. But you can’t fake make-up staff and models! I need at least one model for each job, you know. It doesn’t do to have the same models in all the magazines-the editors would go crazy!”
“But then isn’t that their fault for not assigning a model?” Fujitaka replied blithely. He had no idea how the fashion world worked-he only knew how Hirai worked. He was probably wrong, but it didn’t hurt to make the suggestion.
Hirai snorted. “Like they’d ever admit it. Say, you wouldn’t know any young, pretty women in need of some extra money, would you?”
Fujitaka lowered his newspaper and raised his eyebrow in amusement. “That could be misconstrued in so many ways.”
Hirai laughed. “You know I’m more honorable than that, Fuji. Now come on. Colleagues, old flames, the waitress at your favorite café…”
“I’m a teacher, Tadashi. My colleagues are all older than me, I haven’t dated since college, and you at some point also dated all of those women, and I cook at home almost every night. I know no one.”
“I didn’t date all of them. I only kissed some of them.” Hirai winked. “A student?”
Fujitaka’s eyes narrowed slightly. “That would be extremely compromising. You are welcome to ask the girls yourself, but if you’re too pushy or… shady, you will most likely get caught by someone in the administration, if not the police.”
Hirai laughed nervously. “You certainly are protective of them. All right. I’ll stand outside the school, I’ll be very professional and not-shady, and you can pretend you don’t know me. Unless you’d like to help an old friend out, lend me credibility. I promise none of the shoots is nude.”
~~~~~
“Excuse me, miss, but I was wondering if you have a moment.”
Nadeshiko stopped, slowly taking in the man before her. He was well-dressed, clean, very professional, and not at all threatening. She liked him immediately.
Her cousin, on the other hand, was immediately suspicious.
“Let’s go, Nadeshiko. We should report him to the school for hanging out around the gates.”
“I’m a photographer for several major fashion magazines. Here, my business card.” The man held out a card to Nadeshiko, who took it before her cousin could. “I’m currently in a bit of a bind, you see. I have some major photo shoots coming up for the following magazines, but I’m lacking in models.” He handed Nadeshiko a piece of paper detailing his jobs. “I thought I would ask if you might be interested in helping me with this one.” He pointed at a job for a well-known young women’s magazine.
“No,” Sonomi cut in quickly. “Go away.”
The man bowed his head and backed away a little. “I’m sorry to have bothered you young ladies.”
“No, wait.” Nadeshiko stepped towards the man and away from her cousin slightly. “I’m… interested.”
“What are you talking about?!” Sonomi yelled. “This is ridiculous, Nadeshiko.”
She turned to her cousin. “But it’s a job Sonomi. I’ve never had one before, and someday I’ll need one. This seems like fun, and I’d like to try.” She smiled, trying to win her cousin over.
The photographer noticed. “Ah, that’s it!” Nadeshiko looked at him curiously. “If you can do that on camera, you’ll be brilliant. A lot of these international models are going for the dramatic look… But I think you’ll be perfect with just a smile!”
Nadeshiko smiled again at her cousin. “See? I want to try, Sonomi.”
And it was true. She had been thinking, for some time, that she was nearing the end of her high school career and she had few skills. At the rate she was going, she would end up the eternal pet of her family. She had never shown interest in boys her age, and Sonomi had firmly kept her from getting to know any of them anyway. If she wasn’t married off to some business friend of her grandfather’s, she would end up closeted away at home.
And… it was a little silly to be thinking it, but she was young and had been known to think silly things before. He was a teacher, he couldn’t be making very much money… probably not enough to properly support a family…
It was only a thought, of course.
~~~~~
“One of your students came through for me!” Hirai announced triumphantly, dropping a full folder on Fujitaka’s table.
“Oh?” Fujitaka reached for the folder.
“Really pretty girl, too. Very nice. She really pulls off the look, don’t you think? She could be big someday, if she wanted. With just that smile. She doesn’t even need the glamour and the drama other models do. Just a down-to-earth look…”
Fujitaka was only listening with one ear. Most of his attention was engaged studying the sheaf of photos in between his hands.
~~~~~
“I got a job.”
“So I’ve heard. Congratulations.”
“Oh? Who told you?!”
“Hahaha. I’m sorry. Hirai-san and I are friends from university. He showed me the pictures.”
“Which one did you like best?”
“I liked them all. They were all beautiful. He’s right, you really could be wonderful at it.”
“I’ve been thinking about it. I think I would like to try.”
“Not until you’re out of school, though, right?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Why? I don’t mean to be rude, but wouldn’t your family provide comfortably for you?”
“I don’t think I can always rely on my family.”
“Oh?”
“Who knows what would happen if I were to make a decision they didn’t agree with?”
Author: fairymage
Rating: PG
Community: 30_kisses
Theme: #7-superstar, #27-overflow
Fandom: Card Captor Sakura
Pairing: Fujitaka/Nadeshiko
Hi, all! Life has been a bit hectic and depressing, so I haven't been around much. Hopefully, now that it's summer, you'll see more of me and I'll see more of you (:
“I can’t take it anymore! How do they expect me to do all this for them without the proper staff and equipment?!”
Like a good friend, Fujitaka nodded absently and turned a page of the newspaper. Hirai, an old friend from college, had come over at Fujitaka’s invitation for tea. He was a professional photographer, freelancing for several fashion magazines. Right now, he was swamped with multiple jobs and not enough models. It was enough to drive Hirai mad-why didn’t a good-looking man like himself have enough models?!
“Equipment I can manage, you know, just take good care of the cameras and things and do quick maintenance just before every shoot. But you can’t fake make-up staff and models! I need at least one model for each job, you know. It doesn’t do to have the same models in all the magazines-the editors would go crazy!”
“But then isn’t that their fault for not assigning a model?” Fujitaka replied blithely. He had no idea how the fashion world worked-he only knew how Hirai worked. He was probably wrong, but it didn’t hurt to make the suggestion.
Hirai snorted. “Like they’d ever admit it. Say, you wouldn’t know any young, pretty women in need of some extra money, would you?”
Fujitaka lowered his newspaper and raised his eyebrow in amusement. “That could be misconstrued in so many ways.”
Hirai laughed. “You know I’m more honorable than that, Fuji. Now come on. Colleagues, old flames, the waitress at your favorite café…”
“I’m a teacher, Tadashi. My colleagues are all older than me, I haven’t dated since college, and you at some point also dated all of those women, and I cook at home almost every night. I know no one.”
“I didn’t date all of them. I only kissed some of them.” Hirai winked. “A student?”
Fujitaka’s eyes narrowed slightly. “That would be extremely compromising. You are welcome to ask the girls yourself, but if you’re too pushy or… shady, you will most likely get caught by someone in the administration, if not the police.”
Hirai laughed nervously. “You certainly are protective of them. All right. I’ll stand outside the school, I’ll be very professional and not-shady, and you can pretend you don’t know me. Unless you’d like to help an old friend out, lend me credibility. I promise none of the shoots is nude.”
~~~~~
“Excuse me, miss, but I was wondering if you have a moment.”
Nadeshiko stopped, slowly taking in the man before her. He was well-dressed, clean, very professional, and not at all threatening. She liked him immediately.
Her cousin, on the other hand, was immediately suspicious.
“Let’s go, Nadeshiko. We should report him to the school for hanging out around the gates.”
“I’m a photographer for several major fashion magazines. Here, my business card.” The man held out a card to Nadeshiko, who took it before her cousin could. “I’m currently in a bit of a bind, you see. I have some major photo shoots coming up for the following magazines, but I’m lacking in models.” He handed Nadeshiko a piece of paper detailing his jobs. “I thought I would ask if you might be interested in helping me with this one.” He pointed at a job for a well-known young women’s magazine.
“No,” Sonomi cut in quickly. “Go away.”
The man bowed his head and backed away a little. “I’m sorry to have bothered you young ladies.”
“No, wait.” Nadeshiko stepped towards the man and away from her cousin slightly. “I’m… interested.”
“What are you talking about?!” Sonomi yelled. “This is ridiculous, Nadeshiko.”
She turned to her cousin. “But it’s a job Sonomi. I’ve never had one before, and someday I’ll need one. This seems like fun, and I’d like to try.” She smiled, trying to win her cousin over.
The photographer noticed. “Ah, that’s it!” Nadeshiko looked at him curiously. “If you can do that on camera, you’ll be brilliant. A lot of these international models are going for the dramatic look… But I think you’ll be perfect with just a smile!”
Nadeshiko smiled again at her cousin. “See? I want to try, Sonomi.”
And it was true. She had been thinking, for some time, that she was nearing the end of her high school career and she had few skills. At the rate she was going, she would end up the eternal pet of her family. She had never shown interest in boys her age, and Sonomi had firmly kept her from getting to know any of them anyway. If she wasn’t married off to some business friend of her grandfather’s, she would end up closeted away at home.
And… it was a little silly to be thinking it, but she was young and had been known to think silly things before. He was a teacher, he couldn’t be making very much money… probably not enough to properly support a family…
It was only a thought, of course.
~~~~~
“One of your students came through for me!” Hirai announced triumphantly, dropping a full folder on Fujitaka’s table.
“Oh?” Fujitaka reached for the folder.
“Really pretty girl, too. Very nice. She really pulls off the look, don’t you think? She could be big someday, if she wanted. With just that smile. She doesn’t even need the glamour and the drama other models do. Just a down-to-earth look…”
Fujitaka was only listening with one ear. Most of his attention was engaged studying the sheaf of photos in between his hands.
~~~~~
“I got a job.”
“So I’ve heard. Congratulations.”
“Oh? Who told you?!”
“Hahaha. I’m sorry. Hirai-san and I are friends from university. He showed me the pictures.”
“Which one did you like best?”
“I liked them all. They were all beautiful. He’s right, you really could be wonderful at it.”
“I’ve been thinking about it. I think I would like to try.”
“Not until you’re out of school, though, right?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Why? I don’t mean to be rude, but wouldn’t your family provide comfortably for you?”
“I don’t think I can always rely on my family.”
“Oh?”
“Who knows what would happen if I were to make a decision they didn’t agree with?”