Work Text:
Gold City’s career has been off to a pretty good start. She was able to find a trainer that genuinely believed in her racing career, and they’ve agreed on a date for Shichi to make her debut into the Twinkle Series. However, the announcement also brought in some eyes from her modeling life towards her racing career. One of her magazines in particular wanted to do a photo shoot at the academy. The main problem with that idea was that they required permission from the academy themselves. Shichi wanted some help in convincing Director Akikawa to let them hold a professional photo shoot, and she knew the one person who would help her without question: her trainer.
She gently knocked on his office door. “Angel? Are you in there?”
Her trainer peeked out of the door frame. “Oh, hi Shichi. You don’t usually swing by my office. Come on in.”
Her trainer sported his usual dark denim vest over a grey turtleneck, alongside a charming white leather cap. Shichi also recently helped him apply some brown highlights, which shone in contrast to his short wavy black hair. He looked like a college student, which made more sense when you consider that he only got his real trainers license around 1 year ago after being an assistant trainer for 2.
When Shichi entered the room, she noticed the complete contrast between both sides of the room. Angel shared his office with another trainer, but she didn’t realize just how obvious it was until today. One half, the side they entered from, was neatly organized, with little clutter to speak of. The other half was littered with various documents, and there seemed to be a closed off area in the corner made out of foldable walls.
“What’s up with the corner over on your side?”
Angel’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that's my makeshift darkroom. It’s for developing the photos I take on my Umaroid camera!” He held up the camera that was slung around his neck.
An interesting quirk that Shichi noticed about her trainer was his avid interest in photography. Fortunately, that would make what she was about to ask 10 times easier. They took a seat at the table that sat in the middle of the room, as Shichi cleared her throat.
“Angel, there’s something I need your help with.”
His eyes perked up as he readjusted his glasses. “What do you need me for?”
“Well, one of the magazines I work for wants to do a photo shoot at the school in preparation for my debut. You think I could get your help with convincing Director Akikawa?”
Angel heard the phrase ‘photo shoot’ and he was instantly hooked. “Deal. But, under one condition.”
Shichi was confused; Angel wasn’t normally the type to make strange bargains. “Where are you going with this?”
“Well,” he put his hands behind his head as he leaned back on his chair. “What if you get your crew to give me permission to operate the cameras? Not for the entire shoot, of course, but maybe one or two photos.”
Surprisingly, Angel had never really taken any photos with Gold CIty. The only time was back at the scouting race where they met, when Angel snapped a few photos of her final spurt. He had that one framed on his desk, next to a photo of him, Vodka, and Machan at karaoke.
“I mean, that would end up being another few phone calls, but so long as you can convince them that you could be trusted with a camera, we can make it happen.”
Shichi could see Angel’s entire face subtly light up. “Alright, just give me time to finish some work on my laptop, and te then we’ll go persuade the director.”
One thing Shichi liked about her trainer was just how enthusiastic he was about being her trainer. If he wanted you to succeed, it would be visible on his face. If she needed to be honest about training, he was all ears. He also knew Shichi’s boundaries. I mean, they met because people were only focused on her beauty, so he knew that, despite her charms, complimenting her looks was a no-go.
Well, usually it was a no-go. Unfortunately, Angel was about to slip up for the first time.
✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
Angel’s plan went through pretty smoothly. Shichi’s magazine friends were allowed to do a photo shoot at the academy, and, after meeting them for the first time, Angel was allowed to operate the cameras. Needless to say, both the trainer and trainee were hyped for today. Angel was also excited to finally take some photos of Gold City, but he’d never tell her that unless he really wanted to get kicked in the gut that day.
As the crew rolled into the academy and began setting up their equipment, Angel couldn’t help but stare in awe: umbrella lights, softbox lights, a light diffuser, and a really neat looking camera setup were all enough to nearly make Angel start frothing at the mouth.
“Hey, Angel.” Shichi snapped her fingers at her zoned out trainer. “You good?”
“I have never been any better in my life.” He was still barely paying attention to her.
“Alright, just take in the sights for now, but remember, you agreed to help them set up the equipment.”
That was enough to snap Angel out of his trance, as he immediately walked over to help the crew set up the barricades. It was almost amusing seeing him scramble to help. Eventually, after receiving some last minute touch-ups from the onsite makeup artists, Shichi went back to Angel, who had finished up his share of the setup and was currently standing idly at the sidelines.
“Hey, Angel, can I talk to you for a bit?”
Her trainer looked up from his phone. “Yeah? What’s up?”
“…Is it normal for me to be scared about this shoot?”
Angel was surprised to hear her blunt honestly, but he responded as earnestly as he could. “Oh, yeah. Totally normal. I’m getting goosebumps just by being here.”
“Yeah, idiot, I’m not surprised. The difference between you and me is that I’m used to this, and yet, it still feels so…terrifying.”
Angel gave her concerns some time to simmer in his mind before responding. “Maybe it’s because of the change in scenery. You don’t normally do massive photo shoots like this at a place where you spend your everyday life. Just don’t think about it too much and you’ll be fine. Besides, if you ever feel overwhelmed, I can always call for a break on your behalf. Remember, I directly helped with organizing this whole thing.”
That seemed to put a smile on Shichi’s face. “Thank you, Angel. Seriously.”
Angel, similarly, lit up. “Hey, it’s just part of my job as your trainer. Gotta look out for my trainees and all that.” He patted her on the back. “Go get ‘em, girl. You’re gonna kill it.”
“Don’t get too comfortable now.” She replied, jokingly.
With most of Shichi’s worries calmed by her trainer’s reassurance, the photo shoot began without any complications. She felt more composed when he was there, actually. It was nice to know that, despite all the spotlights today being on her beauty, there was somebody watching that saw her as something more. Someone who never saw her as a pretty face.
Soon enough, after entering the school to get some indoor shots, Angel decided now would be a good time to invoke the part of the contract he bargained for.
“Hey, since I know my way around this place, why don’t I take over for some of the shots?”
Gold City could feel her heart skipping a beat as her tail fluttered. She didn’t even know why. I mean, she saw this coming, she fully agreed to this, but the actual idea of this just felt so…intimate? It’s a strange feeling, really. She was only able to soothe her nerves after, ironically, remembering what Angel said to her.
“Don’t think about it too much…” She muttered under her breath.
Angel approached his trainee with the camera’s tripod under his arm. “So, is there anywhere in the school that comes to mind? I mean, I have my own ideas, but I still want your personal input for this one.”
The magazine’s crew looked at him, confused. This was a new approach for them. Honestly, the idea of asking the model for their opinions just never came to mind for them. What separated Angel from most of Shichi’s photographers is that he knew her beyond the model she showed herself as. Shichi was also startled, since she, similarly, wasn’t expecting him to do this.
She looked down at her arms. “Well, the magazine likes it whenever my skin sorta glistens, so maybe a shot next to the window would look good.”
Angel pondered the idea for a moment. “...Is there anything else you’d wanna try? Actually, we could probably go into one of the classrooms to get some photos. You don’t get to do that every day.”
“That…sounds refreshing, actually. Yeah, let’s do both of those.” Shichi’s eyes were practically sparkling.
✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
They started with Angel’s idea, looking through classrooms until they found one that suited his creative vision. He tried taking some shots with Shichi sitting on the teacher’s desk, but he felt there was something off about this particular idea of his.
“Actually, this doesn’t feel real enough. You don’t just sit on the teacher’s desk, right? How about we get some shots with her at a student’s desk?”
Something that Angel liked was being ambitious with, well, pretty much anything. Scouting Gold City reminded him how that felt, and he wasn’t exactly keen on letting that idea go. Whilst taking the photo at the smaller desk, Angel even gave Shichi his glasses for a bit, though they scrapped that idea quickly after realizing that he can’t really take any photos without those (and also, it was getting embarrassing for both parties).
Eventually, after reviewing the photos from the classroom, they tried City’s idea, moving up to one of the higher floors and finding a window towards the western side of the building to take advantage of the sunlight. After making sure the softbox lights were set up in a way that wouldn’t hinder the natural light shimmering through the window, Angel gave his trainee a thumbs up before continuing.
As they took photo after photo, Angel couldn’t help but realize just how right Shichi was about the window shot. Her skin practically started glowing under the sunlight, and all of her facial features really started to take shape. Those stunning blue eyes, her subtle yet adorable freckles, and, God, her platinum blond hair looked perfect under this lighting.
In between shots, Angel wanted to say something. Just anything to lighten the mood, and maybe boost his trainee’s spirit a bit more. He knew how it was usually common practice among the best photographers to reassure their models that they were doing a good job. However, Angel forgot one key detail about his trainee’s demeanour.
He smiled behind the camera. “Wow, Shichi, you look absolutely beautiful in this shot. Keep it up.”
In an instant, City froze up. Her tail and ears, though already still, completely stiffened. Her heart stopped for a moment. Angel was supposed to be the one person in her life that wouldn’t see her for her looks. He was supposed to be different; the one she could go to whenever the pressure of being pretty got to her. That shattered point of view showed on her face, and Angel picked up on it fast, as he looked up from his camera.
“Shichi, are you alright?”
She hesitated. “Well…it’s just…” City tried keeping a smile on her face. “It’s fine, actually. Just keep taking your photos.”
Angel instantly knew something was wrong with her, so he called for a quick break so he could talk to his trainee. They ducked into a nearby classroom, as Shichi stormed in, with Angel having to be the one to shut the door behind them. At this point, the only thing he could tell was that she was mad about something. What it was remained a mystery to him.
His eyes softened. “Hey, what’s the matter? Was there something I said?”
Shichi had tried avoiding eye contact as much as she could, but she stared him dead in the eyes as she shouted at him. “Of course it was something you said!”
That realization struck a chord in Angel. He really wanted to do right by his trainees, so the idea that this sudden outburst could be his fault…
…it hurt. Like City just stabbed a dagger through his soul. A tear fell from both of their faces.
“…What was it?”
City fully turned away from him, as she sat on one of the desks. “You know, initially, I never thought you’d see me as that pretty doll that the rest of the world views me for, but I guess I was wrong.”
“Shichi, you know I don’t think that way. Yes, you’re pretty, but-“ Angel noticed Shichi curling up in response to what was, admittedly, a Freudian slip. “Please. You know I see you as more than that. I know you have truly amazing potential as a runner, and…”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that nothing he could say would change her mind, as she didn’t even acknowledge his futile attempt at a speech.
“Angel, I thought you were better than this.”
Shichi made it for the door, and Angel didn’t even try stopping her. He knew better than that. At least, he hoped he did. In an instant, he was all alone, and all he could do was stare at the wall, and lament.
This was supposed to be the dream circumstance. Instead, it turned into both of their nightmares.
✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
Eventually, the shoot had to continue, but the atmosphere was never the same. Gold City clearly began to slip. Usually, she'd just get into position without any problems; it was practically second nature to her. But, after that brief confrontation with her trainer, there were points where the on-site crew needed to remind her to face the camera. Comments about her smile were especially sensitive. You could hear the photographer asking for City to smile more, to which she'd apologize and correct, but her corrections still lacked something in the photographer's eyes.
Shichi just couldn't find it in herself to show a real smile. Sure, there was a part of her that stood by what she said, but there was also a part of her that knew she was being far too harsh for a slip up.
Angel, on the other hand, was much worse. The photographer that took over complimented him for the amazing photos he took, to which he could only respond with a soulless "Thanks." From that point onward, he never got remotely close to the camera, opting to stand in the back scrolling through his Umatter feed. He turned himself into a supervisor who was only there to make sure the crew didn't break anything. Just a few minutes ago, he was actively getting himself involved in the process, providing his own creative input and making sure Shichi wasn't being overwhelmed. Now, it felt like he couldn't even do that without spoiling the mood any further.
Angel felt lifeless. The one thing running through his mind was that he made a mistake, and broke his trainee's trust. No amount of doomscrolling could distract from that harsh truth.
Soon enough, Shichi noticed her trainer's sudden detachment of interest from the photo shoot, and she knew exactly why that would be the case. As Angel wrapped up with helping the magazine crew pack their supplies, City approached him.
“Hey, trainer. Can we talk for a moment?”
Shichi’s affirmation as her trainer didn’t feel right in Angel’s mind. Besides, it was massively out of character for her to not call him by his first name. The apathy was clear in his voice. “What do you need?”
Shichi urged Angel to follow her to somewhere more private, since this was a personal issue that they needed to solve, fast. They found a spot under the shade of some nearby trees, as the duo took seats on the grass.
“Look, Angel, I’m sorry for that outburst earlier. I see how that’s been affecting you, and-”
Angel stopped her. “No. You did the right thing back there.” Shichi was stunned, but he continued. “You reminded me that I still need to watch what I say around you. It won’t happen again, I promise.”
They sat staring at each other in silence for a while. Shichi tried her best to unravel what just happened. Was Angel making a good point? Yes, of course he was. But did he need to take it like this? Absolutely not.
“Angel, I’m just worried that you’re being too harsh on yourself.”
Clearly, that was enough to get her point across as the expression on his face changed, but he was still persistent. “I feel like that harshness needs to happen if I want your career to be smoother going forward. I need to hold myself to higher standards from now on, and I’m sorry if I crossed any boundaries.”
Shichi started to get fed up with her trainer’s insistence. “Angel, you already met my standards. All I asked for was somebody who believed in my racing capabilities. Sure, there was a part of me that hoped I could also have someone who never saw me as a pretty face, but…
…I think I’ve already accepted that the reality I hoped for doesn’t exist.”
Angel softened his voice. “Shichi, no. I know I can make that reality happen, just-”
“How can you do that when you agree with them yourself?”
He paused. She was correct. Those Freudian slips proved that much to both of them. As much as he wanted to deny it for her sake, there was a part of Angel that thought Gold City was pretty. Of course he did, everyone else around her thought the same way. Even some of her closest friends knew how drop dead gorgeous Shichi was. But he continued to push this boulder further up the hill.
“I can always change. For your sake.”
Shichi raised her voice at that. “You don’t need to change. Not if you can’t help it. Watch this, just try using your camera to take a photo of me. Right now.”
Angel looked down to his neck. Of course he brought his Umaroid camera to the shoot. It’s become a habit of his to just bring that thing everywhere he goes. So, he reluctantly turned it on, and pointed it straight at his trainee.
Admittedly, she was gorgeous through the lens. The way the sunset reflected off her face through the canopy of the trees was just…breathtaking. But these were all thoughts that stayed locked in Angel’s mind, and he was content on throwing the key away. However, Shichi held a lockpick that she was not afraid to use.
Just as Angel snapped the shutters, Gold City spoke up. “So? What are we feeling?”
Angel immediately put down his camera, lowering his head. “It’s…a good photo, yeah.”
“It’s a beautiful photo, is it not?” Angel tried his best to conceal the blush creeping up his face. “Come on, say something.” He was still speechless, using his hat to conceal his face. “Look, sometimes, you just need to accept reality as it is. I’m pretty, I’ve been reassured of that fact my whole life. All that matters to me is that people start seeing me as a racer.”
Angel was able to regain his composure. “Okay, but what if your beauty continues to overshadow your racing? Like at the selection race.”
“Well,” She stood up, ”I’ll just have to keep running until they change their minds. Watch, by the time my career is over, they’ll see me as the girl who raced against the world and won, not as some model to be gawked at by the masses.”
Angel smiled at the notion, as Shichi helped him back on his feet. “Then I’ll just keep you on the track until that happens.”
She smiled. “I’m not believing that for a second, you know that, right?”
Angel shyly scratched the back of his head. “Well, someone’s gotta believe in you, and I guess that person has to be me.”
Shichi sparkled knowing that her trainer was doing much better than he was a few minutes ago. “What are you waiting for, then?
Remember, we’ve still got three years ahead of us.”
✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩