Chapter Text
“Can’t we just get this over with?” You asked, impatient. You had been waiting for approximately two hours; your hair and makeup had been done an hour before. As an actress, you valued your time, having a busy schedule and all.
You just wished someone did the same.
Your PA— Shoko— who was with you at all times, was typing aggressively on their phone, contacting the manager of the person you were gonna take the photoshoot with. “They said Ken’s been on the way for an hour now.” They replied, making you roll your eyes.
It was always like this— you and Ken Sato were a sensation in the field of celebrities, so you guys were always some sort of a buy 1 take 1 deal. It had only been a few months ever since he came back to Japan, but he was already pulling in deals since he was a big shot in America. Much like he was in another country, you were here, too. So the media never doubted when both of you announced that you were in a relationship. Ever since then, they never did an advertisement with Ken without you, and vice versa. However, no matter how many deals the both of you were pulling in, he was always, always neglecting the schedules set for you.
The amount of times he actually came on time for shootings could be counted on one hand. That’s how often he arrives late. Sometimes, he even misses the shoot itself, and they’re just forced to reschedule because hey— no matter how entitled that might come off, he is Ken Sato, and that was the unfortunate truth. You wished you could just break it off right there and then, but this whole relationship was also bringing you deals that were good. The photoshoot now was a very good example. It’s for a luxury brand, Shanel, and weren’t you happy you secured the deal. This would mean another supply of Shanel perfumes on their way to your place, so long as you did photoshoots with them. That was fine with you, more than fine.
What you didn’t like was waiting for your partner. All. The. Time. Just when you were about to throw another hissy fit, the doors to the dressing room open, revealing a Ken Sato who looked dishevelled, as if he had just come out of fighting a Kaiju. As soon as he did though, a group of staff came in as well and you immediately put your acting skills on and pretended to be ecstatic that he was finally here. Jumping up from where you sat, you engulfed him in a hug, earning sweet looks from the staff in the dressing room. At first, he was confused when you approached him and kissed his cheek. However, it was only a mere second before he played along, leaning into your hand which cupped his cheek.
“Sorry I’m late.” He apologized, keeping his eyes on you first before roaming around the staff in the dressing room. “There was— whew, a lot of traffic with Ultraman battling a Kaiju and all that stuff .” Ken continued, letting out a chuckle to ease the tension in the room when he mentioned the Kaiju attack that was happening a few miles away.
Being the doting ‘girlfriend’ that you were, you checked for wounds or bruises on his body— and was surprised to actually be met by a few. “Are you okay, honey?” You asked him, tutting as your hand caressed the biggest bruise you could find. “That looks like it hurts. Was baseball practice harsh?” You continued to question, and it didn’t escape your eyes that he tensed when you called him honey; you had hoped that it escaped the eyes of others if the both of you wanted to keep your status as a couple.
Kenji visibly winced, lifting his hand to remove yours from the bruise. “I’m fine, don’t worry.” He says in a reassuring tone, but the look he gave you had another message. ‘Don’t touch me.’ it said. You just batted your eyes at him innocently, and instead of heeding his request, you patted the bruise lightly, before turning to the staff inside the room who were waiting for your interaction with him to finish. “Oh, were we delaying the shoot further? Sorry!” You apologized, turning around and giving Shoko a look, before patting Ken once more, a little too hard this time. He winced, but he was quick to hide it, with you suppressing a giggle as a result. “We’ll be waiting outside, okay? Can’t wait to see how handsome you’ll look in the suit they have for you.” You said with a smile, before walking out of the dressing room.
When you and Shoko went outside of the dressing room, gone was your attitude earlier when you demanded the whereabouts of your ‘boyfriend’, and in came the sweet actress that everyone knew. You flashed the smile that always got fans gushing whenever you were around. You had taken a seat on one of the foldable chairs with your name on it, and it was placed right beside Ken’s. The photographer approached you and told you how big of a fan he was (they always were), before both of you went on about his vision for this photoshoot.
You had to admit, it was impressive that they still managed to keep their energy despite the photoshoot being delayed. You were beginning to be cranky the moment the thirty minute mark of him still not being here hit, but every staff in the building was still enthusiastic.
It didn’t take long for Ken to get out of the dressing room and approach your side, putting a hand on your shoulder to let you know that he was there. You acted shocked, before letting out a soft laugh and placing your hand on top of his, turning your head to look at his outfit and tell him how handsome he was. No matter how shitty the attitude he held, he really was easy on the eyes. The wardrobe team didn’t do much for his outfit— it was your usual tuxedo, and they just styled his hair a bit, combed through his messy locks. Your makeup and wardrobe definitely took longer. They had to style your hair and all while finding the perfect dress for you; in the end, they decided with a blue sleeveless mermaid gown.
The photoshoot went on smoothly— you and Ken (surprisingly) were both flawless with executing the poses the photographer wanted you to do. There was only a bit of a bump when the photographer asked the both of you to pretend to dance around. As good of an actress you were and as good of a pretender Ken was, both of you were still hesitant when it came to much intimate poses, and that was what you were asked to do. Thankfully, both of you breezed through it as you gave him the best smile you could muster while holding back the urge to step on his foot ‘accidentally’, while he returned the smile, holding back the urge to gag at the sight.
After the shoot was over and both of you had returned to your original outfits, the staff had left you alone to rest in the dressing room for a bit, your PA sitting beside you while Ken sat on the other end of the couch that rested within. You give Shoko a knowing look, and without any further questions, she nods, standing up and excusing herself before standing in front of the dressing room’s door, making sure no one gets in.
Once you hear it click, you shift in your seat, turning your head to the baseball player. “Sato.” You called, your tone laced with venom despite the smile on your lips. He rolled his eyes without much subtlety, before looking at you. “What do you want?” He asked, your name rolling off of his tongue with the same amount of toxicity you released when you said his. With a laugh, you cross your legs, putting one on top of the other.
“You know you’re not special, right?” You asked, earning a glare from the man beside you. “I beg your pardon?” Ken returned, a full scowl on his face, his voice slightly rising. You give him a wave of your index finger and a tut, before subtly gesturing to the camera behind you. “Lower your voice, Sato. They might be listening.” You urged, giving him another smile before scooting closer to him and leaning your head on his shoulder. As much as he hated this act, he didn’t do anything about it— being made aware of the security camera in the room made him know that the show of you guys being a couple was still on, and although you could have a conversation, you still had to express some physical intimacy somehow.
Pouting, you hook your arm with his, purposely hitting a bruise you saw earlier, making him wince. “I hate it when you always arrive late to our photoshoots, you know?” You continued, squeezing his arm. “You’re not the only one waiting. The staff and everybody else are so nice to you because in their eyes, you’re a star.” His eyes were trained on your face, his lips in a flat line as you talked. You bat your lashes at him, keeping eye contact as you continue. “To me, you aren’t. So try harder next time, hm? 30 minutes of waiting is as far as I can go.” You added, letting out a small laugh before playfully smacking his arm, earning an ‘ow!’ and a glare from him
Since you managed to say everything you wanted to, you stood up from the couch, planting a kiss on his cheek, the lipstick you wore slightly staining his skin. “Until the next shoot, Ken.” You bode farewell, waving at his direction— despite him rolling his eyes at you— before completely walking out of the room, closing the door gently.
Before you fully left the building, you thanked everyone you worked with that day, complimenting them on what they did. As much as you were an ass to Ken Sato (you only did that because he was an ass to you), you were actually nice to other people as long as they didn’t poke you the wrong way. After thanking them once more, you finally say your goodbyes and exit the building, hopping into the black van that would take you home, a few cars trailing behind to ensure your safety.
You let out a sigh as you watched the city lights from your seat. It was still early, but you already felt drained to the core and requested to be sent to your home immediately. Shifting your attention from the city’s lights to your phone, you see another article of Ultraman and a picture of him from his fight earlier, one that you were too preoccupied to have known that it occured. You read through everything, seeing what the critics had to say about this alien creature helping Japan, and seeing the KDF’s usual line talking about how Ultraman isn’t government authorized so they don’t consider him an ally. You shook your head before turning off your phone and handing it to Shoko, who took it and put it inside your handbag that she carried as well.
It was always the same with these articles about Ultraman; he came back, seems like a different person— thing? whatever—, and people feel like he doesn’t even care about defending Japan from Kaijus anymore. To be honest, you couldn’t blame him. He probably had a reason for going away, and as long as the KDF still exists, the country still somehow had a chance to hold off the Kaijus.
Besides, as selfish as it might sound, you couldn’t really care less. As long as you were safe and everyone you knew was, too, then you didn’t really mind if Ultraman couldn’t give a shit about the netizens of Japan.
With that as your last thought in mind, you lean into your seat, eyes fluttering close before falling asleep. If you had only stayed awake for a little more time, you could’ve seen a glimpse of the KDF’s weapons flying nearby to capture a kaiju along with the hero in the article you’ve just read.