[Drabble Series] When Fandoms Collide (Part 3)
Title: Diamonds Heels are a girl's best friend.
Pairing: Yabu/Takamina
Genre: Humor, Romance
Rating: G
Minami glared up at the instant porridge on the top shelf. If not for the fact that her roommate, Atsuko, was lying--burning--in bed back in her apartment, she wouldn't be in the convenient store in the first place--much less at 1am in the morning.
She tried once again, to no avail, to reach the top shelf, standing on tip-toes now and reaching with all her might. She stepped down with frustration, just as an arm reached up and grabbed the very can she was aiming for.
Turning, she came face to face--chest, rather--with a young man, whom, upon tilting her head back and looking up, she saw had a friendly smiling face. He was dressed in a plaid shirt with a hooded jacket over it, a backpack thrown carelessly over one shoulder. He held out the can in his right hand in front of Minami.
"You wanted this, right?"
Instead of responding like usual to those who snickered at her height of 148cm, she found herself stuttering under the warm gaze of the guy in front of her whom she had to raise her eyes to see properly.
"Y-Yeah, thanks."
"Do you need another one?"
"That would be nice..."
She accepted both cans with a quick nod and a muttered "Thanks," and his eyes crinkled into a wide smile.
"Jaa~"
Her eyes followed him as he disappeared into another aisle of the convenient store, and uttered a silent prayer as thanks for her short stature.
Title: You're beautiful, it's true
Pairing: Yabu/Mariko
Genre: Romance
Rating: G
She strode into the studio, head held high, shoulders back, already in her working mode even before the camera was on her. Professionalism, she called it, a display of what she did--what she was born to do.
The photographer bowed his head quickly, introducing himself as a "Kamenashi Kazuya". She acknowledged him, replying with the usual formalities that was necessary for her to not ruin her PR, though on the inside she laughed quietly at his name. Kamenashi? Who the hell had that kind of a name?
"Shinoda-san, we'll start with the more serious shots..."
Countless camera flashes later, he called for a break, and she headed straight for the computer in the corner to check her shots.
"Can we redo this one?"
"Which part of it are you not satisfied with?"
"Here--the lighting doesn't reflect the point of this dress. And the ornament reflects too much light, it looks too bright."
"Okay, I'll adjust that."
"Also--"
"I think it looks beautiful like that," came a voice from behind her. She turned around, ready to snap at whoever said that, for they could not have had much expertise in the area of photography, much less in modelling. The lanky young man who met her eye was handsome, to say the least, and he was now observing her with wide, surprised eyes.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I-I just thought Shinoda-san already looks beautiful in that so..."
"Yabu, go fetch me another memory card."
"Yes, sir."
The young man excused himself quickly, and Mariko returned to her inspection.
"I'm sorry if he offended you--he's my new apprentice."
She nodded curtly and waved it off. He didn't return till she went back to her working mode, and she was thankful for his absence while her heart settled back to its normal beating rate and the heat dissipated from her cheeks.
Title: Breathe, without you, but I have to
Pairings/Characters: Yabu/Mariko, Mariko & Yuto siblings, Yuto/Ryousuke, side Takaki/Tomochin
Genre: Slight angst, romance, slight humor.
Rating: G
Mariko returned to her dressing room to hear the finishing notes of her ring tone. The LED screen displayed a call from her younger brother, and, with her phone held between her ear and her shoulder, she started cleaning some of her makeup off her face.
"Nee-chan?"
"What is it, Yuto? I was at work."
"Well, Okaa-san's birthday is next week so..."
"I'm not allowed to go there, you know that, don't you?" She replied resignedly, with a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"I thought she might be happy enough--"
"How's school?"
"The same..."
"You haven't told Okaa-san about your boyfriend, have you?"
A lengthy silence ensued.
"Yuto..."
"No, not yet. Okaa-san still thinks Ryousuke's just a close friend." His voice had dropped to barely a whisper.
"You'll have to tell her someday."
"I'm not as strong as you to leave home like that. Besides, I can't support myself--"
"You can come stay with me," she offered in a quiet voice. "I have enough money to support us all actually."
"It'll break her heart, nee-chan."
She sighed, unsure of what to say.
"So you're not coming? When would I get to see you?"
"I have an afternoon off. Let's go get you some new clothes. You know how Okaa-san fails at picking out stuff for you."
"Alright!" His voice immediately brightened. "Meet you at Shibuya station in half an hour?"
"Mm."
"See you then!"
She dropped her phone into her bag and strode quickly out of the building, her steps just a tiny little bit lighter at the prospects of meeting her younger brother, whom, despite his height (he had outgrown her years ago, now standing at 178cm compared to her previously prided 168cm), was still rather child-like and easily impressed.
She arrived at Shibuya station, immediately greeted by the sight of a familiar face at the gates. He was grinning widely as he ran up to hug her.
"Nee-chan!"
"Kid," she chuckled. "Did you grow taller?"
"I don't think I did..."
He was getting more and more handsome, she noted, and regarded with just a tinge of pity the girls who had ever haboured--who currently habour--a crush on Nakajima Yuto.
"Ah--"
"What is it?" She looked in the direction of his squinting gaze.
"My graduated sempai--the vocalist in our band. He's out wiht his girlfriend."
"Oh?" She spotted the couple he was talking about. Matching diva auras and dyed hair, they looked like any other couples walking through Shibuya. "She's cute."
"Yeah, she is. But... She kind of looks like my other sempai's younger sister. You know Yaotome-sempai?"
"The bassist in your band? That's his younger sister?"
"I... think so. I wonder if he knows..."
"Probably not."
"Saa," Yuto shrugged. "Should I tell him?"
"Up to you, today I'm only concerned with replacing the farmer's clothes you're wearing."
"Oi! Ryousuke picked these out--"
"You're going to trust him instead of your supermodel of a sister?" She snorted. "Go on, go on."
"Mouuu, nee-chan you're horrible."
She broke into laughter and walked forward, though with his long strides he quickly caught up, and they chatted in a lighthearted mood all through the afternoon. Her stress vanished for the short hours they were out together, returning only as she saw him off at the station after dinner.
She doubted for a moment if it had been right for her to run away from home like that, in pursuit of her dreams of becoming a model, and yet here she was, willing for her younger brother to be an obedient boy who studied hard, and--liked girls, for one, not that she really minded but it would have been another matter with their conservative mother.
Mariko drew her coat tighter around her body. Flagging a taxi, she directed towards Roppongi, and let fatigue wash over her. The luxury of the district did not soothe her aching muscles, nor her heavy heart, and even when she was in the comfort of her own bed, the silence and chill of the otherwise empty apartment weighed down on her.
An odd warmth spread through her torso as she recalled the compliment she had received earlier from the young assistant--what was his name? Yabu?--about her photos. She disliked that photo the most out of the collection, it destroyed the feel of the dress entirely, and yet he addressed her directly and noted her features instead of the dress.
The point of modelling was to bring out the clothes, not yourself, she scolded quietly. Foolish.
Then again, she couldn't remember when the last time someone called her beautiful was.
She curled up tightly into a ball, and fell into an uneasy sleep.
Pairing: Yabu/Takamina
Genre: Humor, Romance
Rating: G
Minami glared up at the instant porridge on the top shelf. If not for the fact that her roommate, Atsuko, was lying--burning--in bed back in her apartment, she wouldn't be in the convenient store in the first place--much less at 1am in the morning.
She tried once again, to no avail, to reach the top shelf, standing on tip-toes now and reaching with all her might. She stepped down with frustration, just as an arm reached up and grabbed the very can she was aiming for.
Turning, she came face to face--chest, rather--with a young man, whom, upon tilting her head back and looking up, she saw had a friendly smiling face. He was dressed in a plaid shirt with a hooded jacket over it, a backpack thrown carelessly over one shoulder. He held out the can in his right hand in front of Minami.
"You wanted this, right?"
Instead of responding like usual to those who snickered at her height of 148cm, she found herself stuttering under the warm gaze of the guy in front of her whom she had to raise her eyes to see properly.
"Y-Yeah, thanks."
"Do you need another one?"
"That would be nice..."
She accepted both cans with a quick nod and a muttered "Thanks," and his eyes crinkled into a wide smile.
"Jaa~"
Her eyes followed him as he disappeared into another aisle of the convenient store, and uttered a silent prayer as thanks for her short stature.
Title: You're beautiful, it's true
Pairing: Yabu/Mariko
Genre: Romance
Rating: G
She strode into the studio, head held high, shoulders back, already in her working mode even before the camera was on her. Professionalism, she called it, a display of what she did--what she was born to do.
The photographer bowed his head quickly, introducing himself as a "Kamenashi Kazuya". She acknowledged him, replying with the usual formalities that was necessary for her to not ruin her PR, though on the inside she laughed quietly at his name. Kamenashi? Who the hell had that kind of a name?
"Shinoda-san, we'll start with the more serious shots..."
Countless camera flashes later, he called for a break, and she headed straight for the computer in the corner to check her shots.
"Can we redo this one?"
"Which part of it are you not satisfied with?"
"Here--the lighting doesn't reflect the point of this dress. And the ornament reflects too much light, it looks too bright."
"Okay, I'll adjust that."
"Also--"
"I think it looks beautiful like that," came a voice from behind her. She turned around, ready to snap at whoever said that, for they could not have had much expertise in the area of photography, much less in modelling. The lanky young man who met her eye was handsome, to say the least, and he was now observing her with wide, surprised eyes.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I-I just thought Shinoda-san already looks beautiful in that so..."
"Yabu, go fetch me another memory card."
"Yes, sir."
The young man excused himself quickly, and Mariko returned to her inspection.
"I'm sorry if he offended you--he's my new apprentice."
She nodded curtly and waved it off. He didn't return till she went back to her working mode, and she was thankful for his absence while her heart settled back to its normal beating rate and the heat dissipated from her cheeks.
Title: Breathe, without you, but I have to
Pairings/Characters: Yabu/Mariko, Mariko & Yuto siblings, Yuto/Ryousuke, side Takaki/Tomochin
Genre: Slight angst, romance, slight humor.
Rating: G
Mariko returned to her dressing room to hear the finishing notes of her ring tone. The LED screen displayed a call from her younger brother, and, with her phone held between her ear and her shoulder, she started cleaning some of her makeup off her face.
"Nee-chan?"
"What is it, Yuto? I was at work."
"Well, Okaa-san's birthday is next week so..."
"I'm not allowed to go there, you know that, don't you?" She replied resignedly, with a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"I thought she might be happy enough--"
"How's school?"
"The same..."
"You haven't told Okaa-san about your boyfriend, have you?"
A lengthy silence ensued.
"Yuto..."
"No, not yet. Okaa-san still thinks Ryousuke's just a close friend." His voice had dropped to barely a whisper.
"You'll have to tell her someday."
"I'm not as strong as you to leave home like that. Besides, I can't support myself--"
"You can come stay with me," she offered in a quiet voice. "I have enough money to support us all actually."
"It'll break her heart, nee-chan."
She sighed, unsure of what to say.
"So you're not coming? When would I get to see you?"
"I have an afternoon off. Let's go get you some new clothes. You know how Okaa-san fails at picking out stuff for you."
"Alright!" His voice immediately brightened. "Meet you at Shibuya station in half an hour?"
"Mm."
"See you then!"
She dropped her phone into her bag and strode quickly out of the building, her steps just a tiny little bit lighter at the prospects of meeting her younger brother, whom, despite his height (he had outgrown her years ago, now standing at 178cm compared to her previously prided 168cm), was still rather child-like and easily impressed.
She arrived at Shibuya station, immediately greeted by the sight of a familiar face at the gates. He was grinning widely as he ran up to hug her.
"Nee-chan!"
"Kid," she chuckled. "Did you grow taller?"
"I don't think I did..."
He was getting more and more handsome, she noted, and regarded with just a tinge of pity the girls who had ever haboured--who currently habour--a crush on Nakajima Yuto.
"Ah--"
"What is it?" She looked in the direction of his squinting gaze.
"My graduated sempai--the vocalist in our band. He's out wiht his girlfriend."
"Oh?" She spotted the couple he was talking about. Matching diva auras and dyed hair, they looked like any other couples walking through Shibuya. "She's cute."
"Yeah, she is. But... She kind of looks like my other sempai's younger sister. You know Yaotome-sempai?"
"The bassist in your band? That's his younger sister?"
"I... think so. I wonder if he knows..."
"Probably not."
"Saa," Yuto shrugged. "Should I tell him?"
"Up to you, today I'm only concerned with replacing the farmer's clothes you're wearing."
"Oi! Ryousuke picked these out--"
"You're going to trust him instead of your supermodel of a sister?" She snorted. "Go on, go on."
"Mouuu, nee-chan you're horrible."
She broke into laughter and walked forward, though with his long strides he quickly caught up, and they chatted in a lighthearted mood all through the afternoon. Her stress vanished for the short hours they were out together, returning only as she saw him off at the station after dinner.
She doubted for a moment if it had been right for her to run away from home like that, in pursuit of her dreams of becoming a model, and yet here she was, willing for her younger brother to be an obedient boy who studied hard, and--liked girls, for one, not that she really minded but it would have been another matter with their conservative mother.
Mariko drew her coat tighter around her body. Flagging a taxi, she directed towards Roppongi, and let fatigue wash over her. The luxury of the district did not soothe her aching muscles, nor her heavy heart, and even when she was in the comfort of her own bed, the silence and chill of the otherwise empty apartment weighed down on her.
An odd warmth spread through her torso as she recalled the compliment she had received earlier from the young assistant--what was his name? Yabu?--about her photos. She disliked that photo the most out of the collection, it destroyed the feel of the dress entirely, and yet he addressed her directly and noted her features instead of the dress.
The point of modelling was to bring out the clothes, not yourself, she scolded quietly. Foolish.
Then again, she couldn't remember when the last time someone called her beautiful was.
She curled up tightly into a ball, and fell into an uneasy sleep.