Chapter Text
Wilbur does get annoyed by the frequent stan calls he keeps receiving, he thought after changing his number for the third time they might get a hint that he is not up for a chat, but he guesses that not everybody understands basic human boundaries.
When his phone rings again he is about to hang up on whoever is calling as he always does, but he sees it is one of his contacts, in fact it is his Project Manager, Philza Minecraft.
“Hi, Phil! How’re you doing? Life has been such a fuss after Milan Fashion Week I barely even had time to call you, so sorry for that”
“Hey, mate. It’s alright, but I’ve got great news for you…”
Wilbur always knew what was coming after that, especially since it had been nearly a month he was last featured in a collection. He was definitely getting another job, and one that would pay a dirty amount of money
“Hit me”
“You know Rêverie?”
Philza said it with such a naturality that it was almost forgettable; it was the number one fashion magazine.
“They are doing their spring collection and needed some models for some gigs at Runaways and Photoshoots, think you can do that?”
Wilbur wanted to scream, jump, do a cartwheel, but like a good professional he his kept calm
“Is there even the need to ask? Of course! When is it happening and where are we going?”
“Hah, I knew you would like it. Anyways, we are going to Paris, first Sunday of March. We're staying there until late May. I will be buying the plane tickets for you and a small crew that are coming from NY with us, I’ll send you the details later”
“Thank you, Phil! You are the best”
And even though it might have been rude, he hung up the phone on Phil’s face, jumping on his couch and screaming into a pillow.
He was going to The City of Light during springtime, there was truly no way for it to get better - Maybe the value on his paycheck - but these futile details could wait. Seeing the Eiffel Tower, Seine River, the bakeries, parties, everything… he probably wouldn’t enjoy most of it, spending most of his time working, but the few breaks he had, he most definitely was visiting his tour list.
Far away from Wilbur’s apartment in Manhattan, Quackity laid on his sofa in his small studio in Brooklyn. He watched TV, Breaking Bad, a new series that really piqued his interest.
As if made just to annoy him, during the clímax of the episode his phone rang. He wanted to just leave it hanging, but curiosity won over him and he went to check it.
“Hello, is this Alexis Quackity?”
An unknown voice that seemed so familiar to Quackity spoke, he almost felt like he heard it before, somewhere he should remember, but it was an unsaved contact.
Noticing he was taking long to respond the man asked again, and quickly broke Quackity’s train of thought
“Ah, sorry. Yeah, that’s me. And you are…?”
“I am Philza Minecraft, from Craft Enterprises. We were looking for a freelance photographer for you. The Rêverie Spring collection, you would need to travel to France…”
As the man’s voice kept explaining the details, Quackity’s brain stopped, was he really getting invited to a Rêverie event? Him? The rookie photographer who just started getting bigger gigs already landed on one of his dream projects?
“…Is this fine for you?” The man finished, awakening Quackity from his excitement driven trance
“Oh, of course, I would love to collaborate with you for this project.”
He said, trying to sound casual and professional, which was frankly hard.
“Alright, mate. I am going to email the details later, and you just have to forward me a formal confirmation with some information I will request on the first email so I can buy your plane tickets, okay?"
And through that Quackity might as well just pass out right now. He was finally getting a shot at a big project, one of the biggest projects to many, and he had that chance. He might as well be the luckiest photographer alive.
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Some weeks passed and Wilbur was counting down the days for the plane boarding, but for now he would have to stick with the boring pre-collection meetings, one of Craft Enterprises many highlights - explaining the project, laying out who would be the main model and their main photographer, discussing where everybody would be staying, and more stuff that just made them seem extra professional
“So, this years the me will be ‘Flaneur’, I hope you already have checked the concept pictures I’ve sent you, but to anyone who still didn’t quite get the theme: Flaneur is a french word meaning ‘A person who strolls the city in order to experience it, deliberately aimless’. They want to match their new collection of bohemian clothes to the small spaces of Paris, the night life, and even the iconic points but from a different view. There will be two runaway shows, one in the middle of march and one in the start of june”
Listening to all the details Philza listed he couldn’t help but pretend it was made for him, like the design team read his dream projects and made it into this one.
He was almost sure he would be the main model too, Phil looked at him too frequently white talking, now he only needed the main photographer to be good - it was easy to cite the names of a few he had already worked with he thought deserved the spot.
“Since you are already all here, I would like to announce the lead model and photographer of this project, I know everybody worked really hard these past few months….”
Why couldn’t he just say it already? Philza was known for doing the whole ‘softening the blow’ discourse, but dammit, when you just want to hear your name already it seems so much longer than normal
“Wilbur Soot and Alexis Quackity! Congratulations you two, stay until a bit after the reunion if you can.”
He felt proud at the round of applause thrown at them, mainly at him of course, he didn’t even know who that Quackity was - and half of the people there too - why did Philza put a nobody in such an important role?
He wasn’t one to question Phils decision making, but this one felt important to him, and a random photographer just withered his dream job a little.
After the meeting was over, he was in Philza’s office, and Quackity was there too, sitting beside him as they waited for Philza to come back from his ‘quick tea refill’.
“So, you are Wilbur, right?”
He raised a hand for Wilbur to shake, which after taking way too long to be educated, he shook.
“Precisely, you must be Alexis?”
“Exactly! You did some work for American Vogue last winter, didn’t you?”
Wilbur hated the small talk, but working in this field you learn it is the easiest way to get you somewhere, even though the man standing by his side didn’t look like somewhere Wilbur had to get, quite the opposite.
The dark blue beanie was clearly not meant to go with a button up, and don’t even mention those suspenders, who still wears then as an accessory? It was a bold move, one that made Wilbur think Quackity would choose random items from discarded collections and put them together.
“I did. But I think I’ve never heard about you, are you new?”
“Depends on what you consider as new, I have been working with photography for around three years, but I just started doing Fashion shots recently”
“Hmm, interesting. Funny to see a rookie getting such a big role in this project.”
“Are you trying to imply something, Soot?”
“Me? No, never. I just thought Philza would put someone with more experience in this role, there are many people I can name from the top of my head that were a perfect fit.”
“Soot, I know you have your name quite established in this branch, but I quite frankly think I deserve this spot.”
Quackity was clearly getting fussed up about this, always the thing with newbies, they couldn’t handle simple criticism and already got so worked up about it.
But cutting into their friendly conversation
“Sorry for keeping you two waiting, I had to wait to use the kettle.”
Philza walked in, his hot tea cup in hand as he scrambled to sit across them.
“No problem, Phil. Me and Alexis were actually getting along while waiting, we are going to be such great partners for this project”
It was hard to ignore a side eye as sharp as the one Quackity gave him, especially since it was only with one eye, how did he even get that scar?
“Yes, we were… chatting about our past projects, truly a good match you made here Phil”
“I am glad to see you guys are working out, Wilbur is such an easy person to work with, everybody compliments him on that”
“Really? I would have never guessed”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing.”
There was an awkward silence after that, how dare Quackity just show blatant disrespect in front of their Project Manager. If he wanted to go and bad mouth him around, or tell him to his face in private he was ‘the worst’, fine - it’s his opinion and Wilbur didn’t care about it. But doing that in front of Phil? That was so unprofessional.
“Uh… let’s talk about what’s most important, since you two are going as the main pair during this collection, you’ll need to stay out of drama, and appear together. Everybody knows that tabloids are one for cheating fake fights, but if you two appear to be friendly in public it will help with the marketing a lot”
That is why Wilbur wanted to keep things professional - in front of the others - the main model and main photographer fighting would just lead to immense backlash, especially in such a romantic and graceful collection.
“Easy, Mr. Craft, I am going to make the press love us.”
Quackity said with that type of confidence that only someone who values himself too much would have, he isn’t someone who looks easy for the press to love. I mean, look at that outfit, where does it match the candid theme?
Wilbur was elegant and had his perfect porcelain face, and Quackity - even though he had to admit the man looked hot - was not the type of guy to fit such a theme, messy and all over the place was not what came to mind with ‘Flaneur’.
“Of course, we will make sure this collection does its best, count on me”
He remarked, so humble, so precise, he sometimes wonders if he should’ve been a politician instead of a model, but all the paperwork reminds him he chose the better option.
“Good to hear guys. You are excused now, but don’t forget, this saturday at 10 p.m. in the LaGuardia airport”
They said their goodbyes and were leaving, but of course, he wasn’t going to have the peace of laying down on his couch and reading some magazines, he had to deal with Quackity
“I don’t know what is your deal, but just so you know, I am not going to keep my head down just because you are more experienced in your field”
Here it was, they had barely stepped away from Philza’s office, and the second they were alone, this man decided to confront him. Truly his luck.
“Calm down, Alexis, I don’t have any ‘deal’ as you say, I was just voicing my truth”
“You were saying I didn’t deserve this role, and one thing I hate is people undervaluing my work, you’ve never even seen my portfolio to form an opinion on that”
The other said, taking steps towards Wilbur, who started stepping back, he didn’t want to get physical here.
“Alexis, please, just one look at you and I know you are not someone meant for ‘The Rêverie Spring Collection’. Maybe a fashion article in the Rolling Stones would fit better”
“What do you even mean about looking the part, Soot?” It irritated Wilbur how the other intentionally pronounced his name wrong. “As far as I know, I am not posing for anything, so I don’t have to look like anything, just take my photos”
“Please, everyone knows a photographers aesthetics always marches their work”
“Would you quit talking about my work?”
Wilbur hadn’t noticed how close they had gotten, he just realized when his back hit the wall and Quackity was almost boxing him against it.
They stayed like that for a second, Wilbur’s mouth trying to say something but for some reason his brain had stopped responding, Quackity too close into his personal space, only a few inches away from him.
From this close he could take a good look at his face - it was not something he wanted, but since he was here already - the scar cut from his left eyebrow to the corner of his mouth, jagged white skin against the tan face, filled with moles. The other eye was a dark brown, contrasting with the milky white of the other, and those lips looked somewhat chapped, did the man even use a chapstick?
He was cut from his not-rude face analyzing session by Quackity abruptly
“What are you staring at?”
He said, clenching his fists.
“Uh… nothing.“
He looked around for an excuse, why was he even looking for excuses? He didn’t need to explain himself to him. But with the other staring with fire in his eyes he just felt lesser than, like he just shrunk into a tiny insect that Quackity could squish under his shoe.
“Look man, I don’t want it to be weird between us, we will have to work together so if you could just… not be so pretentious”
“Are you calling me pretentious?”
“Not like that, it’s just- Ugh, we will just have to keep peace for our jobs sake, alright?”
“I’ll think about that”
With that he walked away a bit too fast, not even taking his time to say proper goodbye to the workers of Craft Enterprises, just waving.
Gosh, why was he acting like this?
First, starting beef with the main photographer - why was that even a thing - if Philza had just chosen someone else…
Second, backing down after being put against the wall, why was he being so submissive towards the other? Where was his attitude?
Wilbur was going crazy, but back in his house as he laid down on his couch his mind just kept drifting back to that moment, to Quackity’s face. That asshole.