Fic
Title: Massive Model
Rating: PG-15
Pairing: Massu/Koyama
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: This is fiction. No infringment intended. Any reference to persons living or dead is purely a result of my imagination.
Summary: AU Koyama is a model that finds himself facing his big break in the fashion world
Notes: This is a fic that was written for je_holiday before I decided to write something else with the same pairing, making this fic an 'extra'. It will be f-locked until after je_holiday reveals because it's kind of a rarepair and I don't want it to give me away as the writer for my recipient. Thanks to myxstorie for the beta.
~~
Koyama looked up at the sign above him and grinned. He’d finally made it. For four years now he had bowed and scraped his way from a complete nobody ramen cook to one of country’s most recognizable models. His long legs and willingness to wear even the flashiest of designs had seen him rise to fame easily and his natural way with people had endeared him to the public but it wasn’t until he stepped through the office door at Massive Designs that he let himself admit just how far he had come.
Only the best of the best were privileged enough to model the custom made, cutting edge designs from Massive Designs. Koyama had been a fan of their label for years. They released new fashions each season based on differing body shapes and Koyama had always loved the Tall Man range - ‘for men of longer limb’.
“Koyama Keiichiro?” the receptionist asked, gesturing for him to pass through the mahogany door just beyond her desk.
Koyama nodded and swaggered past her, trying his best to keep a professionally nonchalant expression as he walked through the door and closed it behind himself.
“Koyama-san?”
Koyama stared across at the short man before him. He was dressed in a business shirt with vest and tie but the black pants had been cut off at the knees, stylish ankle boots accentuating the length of calf shown off by the long shorts. It should have looked ridiculous but the man before him rocked the look with confidence and pride. Koyama couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face.
“Masuda-sama. It’s an honour to meet you.”
Masuda smiled back almost as if he was slightly embarrassed and moved to circle Koyama. Most designers that wanted to see the whole package would stand still and direct Koyama to turn on the spot before they decided if they wanted to use him for their product. He’d never had a designer be the one to put in the effort while he stood still.
“I’ve researched you. You're often photographed in my clothes.” Masuda mentioned as he stood behind Koyama and pulled the back of his dress shirt tight across the small of his back. Koyama stood with precise posture and answered while facing the far wall. He was used to talking to tailors like this but never an actual designer.
“I take great delight in your Tall Man range. It’s the only line of clothing that I can be guaranteed to wear without needing altering or having to hide aspects of the clothing with accessories.”
“Well thank you. We get a lot of feedback for that line. Could you take your shirt off please?”
Masuda strolled back to his desk and picked up a tape measure then turned around to eye Koyama as he unbuttoned his button down and slipped the shirt off. It seemed Masuda was a much more hands-on designer than he was used to.
Koyama held his shirt with a finger hooked in the collar and held his arm out so as not to wrinkle the material too much. Masuda seemed to appreciate his respect for his clothing and moved forward to take measurements.
His warm knuckles brushed against Koyama repeatedly as he took detailed measurements of Koyama’s torso, recording the numbers with a small dictaphone tucked into the pin cushion on his wrist. Koyama couldn’t help but remember his mother’s old saying of ‘cold hands, warm heart’ and wondered if the opposite was also true.
Masuda nodded to himself and took the shirt out of Koyama’s hand, moving to a small row of hooks on the wall that each held a coat hanger.
“Your pants too, please.”
Koyama nodded and slipped out of his shoes before starting on his belt. It was quite normal to go through this process with a new designer but he’d never done so without anyone else present. Usually there was the designer, an assistant to measure and another one to take notes. Koyama’s agent was often there too, but Shige-kun had been told not to come today. With only the two of them in the room it felt a little awkward to shuck his pants and stand in the middle of the room in nothing but his Ralph Lauren's and silk socks.
Masuda held his hand out for the pants and Koyama handed them over, watching as they were arranged precisely and hung over a hanger. Koyama returned to his original spot on the carpet, beside his shoes and waited.
“On the dais please.” Masuda pointed to a small raised area beyond his desk and off to the side. Koyama nodded and moved over there, blushing slightly at not having noticed it earlier.
Masuda knelt down and continued to take measurements and talk into his dictaphone. He didn’t say anything else except to ask if Koyama always dressed to the left while staring at Koyama’s underwear.
When he was done he gestured at Koyama’s clothing and took a seat at his desk to stare at Koyama while he dressed. When Koyama was put back together and slipping on his shoes the designer gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk and Koyama hurried to sit, folding his long limbs into an illusion of comfort in the hard little chair.
“You’re well proportioned and you move nicely.”
“Thank you.”
“Shige-chan told you that this is an interview for a runway model for the upcoming Spring collection debut?”
Koyama nodded and wondered how well Masuda knew his agent if he was so comfortable calling him ‘Shige-chan’ rather than the usual ‘Kato-san’.
“I wasn’t aware that you knew Shige-kun.”
“We’ve been friends since high school. I tend to avoid models that he represents so he probably wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“Why would you avoid Shige’s models?”
“Why do you need to know?”
“Because I think I should know if my representation is going to be a problem.”
“It’s not a problem. Spending time with Shige-chan is just a conflict of interest. But we can work around that because I would like to offer you a position as one of my models in the upcoming show,” Masuda explained, handing over a schedule and contract, “You can have Shige look over the contract before you sign it, of course. Just get it back to us before the week is out and we will set things in motion.”
Koyama’s heart leapt into his throat and his hands went all sweaty as he accepted the documents.
“Thank you so much. It’s always been a dream of mine to model for Massive Designs. I won’t let you down, I promise.” Koyama just about gushed.
Masuda gave him a genuine smile then, huge and heart warming as he let Koyama out of his office. Koyama grinned all the way out of the building. It was thrilling to know that the man behind Massive Designs was interested in his work; interested enough to give him a contract when he usually wouldn’t even look at someone with his representation. That had to mean something didn’t it?
He practically waltzed to the coffee shop on the corner where Shige was waiting.
“How did it go?” Shige asked as Koyama sat down.
Koyama waved the contract and put it down on the table in front of his agent. Shige nodded and let out a little sigh.
“You don’t look pleased?”
“I am. This is a big deal for you; you love Massu’s designs and it’s a huge step for your career.” Shige pointed out as he pulled out a small stack of sticky tabs and started flicking through the contract. His law degree was invaluable when it came to contract negotiations and apparently he wasn’t going to be any less of a pit bull about this contract than he was for any of the others.
“I’m thrilled,” Koyama agreed and eyed the man across the table from him, “but you’re not. Masuda-sama said that he usually doesn’t consider your models because it’s a conflict of interest. What does that mean?”
“Sama?”
“He’s at the top of the fashion world and sort of my boss.” Koyama explained.
“The reason I don’t work with Massu is because I know why he bosses around his models and I don’t like it.”
“If it gets the job done then why would you complain?”
“Look,” Shige leant in close and lowered his voice, “Massu is generally a lovely, slightly shy guy, but when it comes to his... partners, he tends to get a little bossy. It’s his way of flirting; he enjoys it. He tends to take advantage of that at work and I think it’s unprofessional.”
“You’re saying he has control issues?”
“I’m saying that he gets off on telling people what to do and he has deliberately gone into a profession that revolves around doing just that. Most people don’t notice but I know him well enough that I can’t just stand by and watch it. Just because they don’t notice that they’re being sexually harassed, doesn’t make it any less inappropriate.”
Shige went back to his sticky tabs and Koyama mulled it over. Massive Designs catered purely to the adult male market which would mean that Masuda was into men. Koyama was not in any way surprised by that, it was far from unusual in the fashion industry but it did make Koyama overly aware of the lack of assistants at the interview today.
“So if you knew this, why didn’t you warn me before he got me to strip down for him?”
“It would only have made you more nervous and it wouldn’t have made any difference. It’s not like he’s going to do anything to you with his assistants in the room.”
Koyama was very tempted to point out that there hadn’t been any assistants but the memory of Masuda’s smiling face as he left somehow made him stop. He wanted this job and wasn’t going to risk Shige pulling the plug on it just because the designer of his dreams might enjoy telling him what to do. Truth be told, Koyama was rather a fan of firm direction in the right situation.
Over the next two weeks Koyama went to countless fittings and rehearsals. The rehearsals were full of other gangly-limbed models, most of whom Koyama either knew or knew of. But the fittings were always private affairs with just Koyama and Masuda. Occasionally an assistant would be called in to fetch a bolt of fabric or hold something in place while Masuda worked but for the most part they were alone.
Shige had admitted that he was banned from attending any of the work at Massive Design and Koyama wondered just what he had said to Masuda to be so thoroughly dismissed. Still, Koyama found himself keeping the lack of audience at his fittings to himself lest Shige get overprotective.
A week before the collection was due for exhibition, Koyama walked into his fitting to find a fully finished, custom made suit waiting for him. He put it on with barely contained glee and stood in front of the mirror as Masuda tugged the shoulder into place and brushed non-existent pieces of lint from the suede detailing.
“Strut for me.” Masuda requested and Koyama automatically turned from him and strutted the length of the room with his ‘serious-yet-sexy’ face, jutting out his hip and pulling back the jacket a little as he posed before turning on his heel and parading himself back toward Masuda.
There was a sparkle in Masuda’s eye and Koyama couldn’t help wondering if it was because he was proud of his work or if it was from Koyama mindless obedience to the command.
“Very nice.”
“It’s gorgeous work.” Koyama complimented and reinstated himself in front of the mirror.
“Yes it is.” Masuda acknowledged, eyeing Koyama’s backside. Koyama told himself that Masuda was admiring the cut of the pants when a hand brushed over his backside and travelled down the back of his thigh.
Koyama watched through the mirror, startled, as Masuda knelt beside him and tugged at the pants behind each of his knees. Masuda’s hands slipped up under the back of the jacket and readjusted the top of the pants, shifting them slightly to the right. Koyama closed his eyes and swallowed. He’d been trying to brush off his attraction to the designer since the moment Shige had told him of his extracurricular preferences but with each fitting it had been getting harder and harder to ignore the feeling of Masuda’s hands on him.
It should have been something he was used to. A model’s body was rarely their own. It was owned by whoever was dressing it but it wasn’t until this latest job that Koyama had become truly aware of the fact. But it remained that where he was usually oblivious to the plucking and primping of fittings, he was disturbingly aware of Masuda’s touch.
“Massu!” Koyama turned his head toward the door in time to see Shige snap it closed and stride forward, “What do you think you are doing?”
“Adjusting the fall of Koyama’s pants.” Massu explained from his position by Koyama’s hip.
Shige snorted and pulled Masuda to his feet, standing deliberately between the model and the designer.
“Adjusting pants doesn’t usually put that look on Koyama’s face. Why aren’t the assistants in here?”
“I never have assistants at fittings; they get in the way and they always move my stuff.”
Shige frowned at that and looked at Koyama like he was an idiot. Masuda looked around Shige’s shoulder to examine the look on Koyama’s face for himself and Koyama felt a blush creep over his skin. Surprisingly Masuda blushed too and ducked back behind Shige.
“The outfit looks complete. We’ll see you at the show.” Shige decided and directed Koyama to follow him out of the room.
“But there are two more outfits that aren’t finished yet.” Koyama pointed out and Masuda nodded.
“Fine, but I’ll be attending all fittings from now on.” Shige announced and made to leave.
Koyama looked over at Masuda and hesitated.
“A-are we done here?”
“I suppose I can decide on belt buckles while it’s hanging up. You can leave.”
Koyama nodded and started removing the outfit, handing each piece of clothing to Masuda. Masuda was accepting the vest when Shige came stomping back.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting undressed. I can’t leave in Masuda-sama’s clothes.” Koyama explained and undid his pants so that he could pull the shirt tails out with minimum pulling on the fabric. It was something Masuda always insisted on.
“Fine. Massu, turn around at least.” Shige conceded.
“The whole point of me being here is to ensure that the clothing is properly handled.” Masuda debated, “I’m supposed to watch him. It’s company policy.”
“Well then you need to find a new model.”
Koyama looked at the back of his agent’s head and tried to bore a whole through his skull to find out just what the hell Shige was thinking.
“For goodness sake Shige, you really need to get over the whole Tegoshi incident. It was just a misunderstanding.”
“Tegoshi Yuya?” Koyama asked. Tegoshi was one of Japan’s premium models. Koyama had only met him twice but both times he had given off such an aura of superiority that Koyama couldn’t help but be in awe of the younger man. The second time they met Koyama actually found himself fetching Tegoshi a drink as though he were a staff member.
“How on Earth could that have been a misunderstanding?” Shige asked, completely ignoring Koyama’s interruption.
“He did it on his own. I didn’t ask for it and the outfits had already been tailored to his form. I couldn’t turn him down and risk him quitting the show.”
Koyama watched their fight quietly and slipped out of his shirt. Masuda held his hand out for it without looking at Koyama in the slightest.
Koyama handed it over and slipped out of his pants as Masuda hung up the shirt and brushed out the wrinkles.
“Did it on his own, my ass. He was wearing a corset for goodness sake. I can’t imagine a single man willing to put on women’s lingerie and heels without trying to please some sort of kinky bastard.”
“Look I know that Tegoshi brings out your paternal instincts but you really need to get over the fact that he is the kinky bastard. I don’t enjoy women’s clothing of any variety and I certainly wouldn’t ask someone to wear it during a private ... encounter. Just because I like to be in charge doesn’t mean I'm into every other kink there is. I was being taken advantage of in that relationship but you wouldn’t listen.” Masuda explained and snatched the pants away from Koyama as he stood frozen.
This was really a very private conversation and Koyama felt very out of place as he stood and shamelessly listened to every word of it. Shige seemed completely unconvinced as he turned his back on his ‘friend’ and directed Koyama to hurry up and get dressed.
“For the record,” Koyama whispered, “Any model that’s worked with Tegoshi could tell you that he enjoys women’s underwear. He’s also a horrible show off.”
Masuda snorted in justification as Koyama pulled his own pants back on and slipped his feet back into polished Italian leather.
“What?”
“Tegoshi. He wears all sorts of lacy, frilly, girly stuff under his designer clothes and he likes to make sure that everyone around him knows it. Just about everyone that’s ever worked with him has walked in on him with whoever’s in charge of the show they’re on. Most of the models call him the anti-whore because he’s the one that makes men use him.”
Shige stood frozen and Masuda smiled sadly at Koyama.
“I hadn’t realised he was quite that infamous.” Masuda pointed out.
Koyama nodded shyly and Shige clasped Masuda’s shoulder.
“Was it really that bad?” Shige asked.
“He’s very manipulative. It wasn’t like I had a choice to begin with, he was the pinnacle of the whole show by the time I realised what he wanted. I just didn’t think I’d ever get forced into that kind of relationship.”
Shige led Masuda over to his desk where they spoke quietly. Koyama finished getting dressed and poked his head out of the door to ask the receptionist to make some tea.
Koyama busied himself with checking that his outfit was hanging properly and trying not to eavesdrop on Shige’s apology while he waited for the tea. He was stupidly relieved when the door opened. Koyama took the tray with a smile and a thank you then closed the door in the poor girl’s face before bringing the tray over to rest on the end of the desk where he fixed two teas just the way that each of them liked it and handed the cups over.
Masuda looked at him like he’d sprouted a second head but Shige took it all in stride, explaining that Koyama used to work at his family’s ramen shop and was at his most comfortable when serving food or drink.
“I’m sorry for the awkward conversation today.” Masuda apologised and Koyama shook his head.
“It really wasn’t your fault. Feel free to blame Shige entirely.”
“Oi!” Shige complained but smiled as the atmosphere became calmer.
Koyama excused himself and waited out in the foyer as Shige and Masuda reconciled. The receptionist looked completely confused and Koyama made an excuse of them sorting out an old misunderstanding. She smiled at that and told Koyama he was very kind to give them their space. He smiled at the compliment and ignored her flirtatious eyelash batting in preference for checking his phone to go over his schedule.
The rest of the week went smoothly. Shige kept his word and attended every one of Koyama’s fittings and rehearsals leading up to the main event. But instead of being there to protect his client, Shige seemed to spend the entire time talking Masuda’s ear off. They made jokes that Koyama couldn’t follow and reminisced about old times to such an extent that Koyama could barely get a word in.
Shige had been one of his closest friends since he had entered the modelling world four years ago. As petty as it may be, it irked Koyama to have to share Shige with this man that he knew almost nothing about. Or maybe it was just that Masuda’s touches seemed to linger a lot less when Shige was in the room. By the day of the fashion show Koyama was so tightly strung that a trained musician could have played him like a harp.
Koyama stood backstage with the other models as they got a pep talk from the event organisers and were all wished a fun, injury free performance. Shige was in the first row on the right, next to the representatives from Japan’s top fashion magazine. Koyama always liked to know where Shige was sitting even though he never looked at individuals in the audience - that would be asking to fall.
The first two outfits were displayed perfectly and Koyama allowed himself a moment of self congratulations as he ran back to the dressing rooms. He had four minutes to get into his last outfit and back out onto the catwalk.
He skidded into his dressing room and came face to face with Tegoshi. Koyama was more than aware that Tegoshi wasn’t a part of Massive Designs payroll anymore. He shouldn’t have been backstage but Koyama really didn’t have time to deal with it. He didn’t even have time to say hello. Instead he got out of his outfit as fast as possible and pulled on his next one.
He didn’t primp like he usually did. Instead he picked up the pile of clothes that were his last two outfits and jogged out of the room.
“What are you doing?” the wardrobe mistress screeched seeing a model’s arms full of crumpled clothing.
“Rival company’s model in my dressing room. Didn’t want to leave the outfits in there.” Koyama explained hastily, handing the clothes over and dashing back to the wings.
He wiped the event from his mind as the assistants fussed on him before sending him strutting into the spotlight.
Honestly he didn’t think about it again as the fashion show was declared an utter success and Koyama was swept up in the aftermath. He barely had a chance to think again until an hour into the after party.
He was sitting with Shige enjoying a glass of champagne and chatting about next week’s photo shoot for an idol magazine when Masuda turned up with a small smile on his face.
“Two of the outfits for the Stout Man range were shredded during the show.” Masuda announced by way of greeting as he sat down with them and nodding toward a depressed looking model named Ohno.
Koyama and Shige turned their eyes to him in shock and waited for him to elaborate.
“Thankfully they had already been exhibited and hung up to be taken back to the office. The saboteur must not have been watching the show and shredded them by mistake.”
“Was it Tegoshi?” Koyama asked.
“I heard that you saw him.”
“He was in my dressing room when I went back for my final outfit. I didn’t have time to talk so I ignored him and got changed then I gave my outfits to the wardrobe mistress and told her he was in there. I didn’t have time for anything else; I had to get back on stage.” Koyama explained and Masuda nodded while Shige looked back and forth between them.
“He’s been arrested for trespassing and held on suspicion of destruction of private property to the value of over fifty thousand yen.”
Koyama relaxed into his chair at the news and lifted his drink in congratulations. Masuda and Shige joined him in clinking the glasses together.
Masuda went on to say that he attributed the arrest to Koyama’s quick thinking and he was more than a little impressed with Koyama’s work. Koyama smiled and thanked him politely only to be interrupted by Masuda asking him to become the face of Massive Design’s Tall Man range.
Koyama would have gaped at him if it was possible to gape and grin at the same time.
“Absolutely not.” Shige declared and Koyama’s grin slipped away.
“Why not?” both Koyama and Masuda asked together.
“I don’t like the way you look at him. I won’t let you take advantage of my client.”
“That’s not really up to you. Whether or not he takes advantage of me is entirely my decision. You act like him having a dominant personality makes him some sort of pervert. Frankly I like a man who takes the lead but that is completely beside the point because he’s not asking me out he’s asking me to work for him. If you can’t trust me to be able to say no when I don’t want something then you don’t know me very well,” Koyama explained before turning to a very red faced Masuda and held his hand out to shake, “I would be honoured to be the face of the Tall Man range.”
Masuda took the offered hand and shook it shyly.
“Thank you.”
Over the next two seasons Koyama got used to seeing his face on billboards more and more regularly and having people recognise him as he walked along the street. His wardrobe was filled with gorgeous tailor made designer clothing and even custom made shoes. And still it took another three months before Masuda got the message that he was okay with the working relationship and finally got up the nerve to direct Koyama into a bedroom rather than a fitting room.
A year after their first meeting Koyama carried a breakfast tray into Takahisa-sama’s bedroom and laid it over his boyfriend’s lap.
“You remembered our anniversary.”
Koyama made a happy sound at the acknowledgment of the day and sat down on the other side of the tray, straddling Takahisa’s shins and picked up a strawberry to feed him.
“Mmm, I love you.” Takahisa announced around the berry in his mouth and pulled Koyama forward for a strawberry filled kiss.
Koyama smiled happily as he pulled back and returned the sentiment, slicing off a bite of pancake and silently congratulating himself on getting everything he’d ever wanted in life.