A week goes by in the blink of an eye. Sometime in between the day after Leon's birthday and the day of the photo shooting session, Leon delivered the address and information to Emil. He is then told to put on his most presentably "hip" outfit and wear it with pride.
"Pride?" Emil softly reads aloud on his phone when he reviews the message again. Pride is what it says, and pride it shall be; however, Emil is not the proudest person in the world and falls behind in comparison to Mathias and Leon and, gods, even Lukas, but if these are the requirements for meeting up with Leon and getting into the studio, then he will have to bear with it for a little longer.
Before setting off, he checks himself in the mirror twice and another time by his brother who continues to give him funny looks.
"I don't remember buying this for you," he states, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as though he were a fashion critic.
"Brother, I can buy my own clothes, too, you know," Emil rolls his eyes. He stops midway as he tries to mentally remind himself to break that habit. It will not do for him to express any forms of irritancy during the photo shoot. As Leon Wang's soul mate, he wants to leave a decent impression in the eyes and minds of those he will meet, and he hopes they are not too overwhelming in arrogance and charisma like Leon can be.
After another round of examining his brother, Lukas gives him a pass in presentation. "It's still plain compared to the fashion these days in Volt, but I think you'll live. It's just to see the photographs and models work, after all. It isn't like you'll be participating." He chuckles and straightens out Emil's silky white hair. "It's better if you hide in the shadows sometimes."
Emil swallows and keeps silent. He has not told Lukas that he might be participating in the actual photo shoot. There was never any way to bring it up without discussing other past events—the "kidnapping" most of all.
"You have your phone?"
"Yes."
"My number is in there now, correct?"
"Yes. It's, like, one of the only three I have."
"Now that sounds depressing."
Emil refrains from making a face. "Hearing you say it's depressing makes it even more depressing. I'm fine, Lukas. You don't need to worry."
"It's going to be in Trip. You don't know that place very well."
"Yeah, but it's not crazy like Neon or Retro, right?" Emil also points out.
Lukas sighs and fixes his collar for what must be the seventh time. "I don't want you getting lost or kidnapped. Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"
"Lukas. I am one hundred. Percent. Sure."
"It will be like I wasn't even there. And we can stay in the shadows together."
"Okay, stop it. Now you're sounding like a super villain. I'm not going to get lost with my phone, and if I run into trouble, I'll tell you. I'll contact you when I arrive, I'll take the stupid video of Leon for you, and I'll call you once we're out. Happy? Did I forget anything?"
"Yes."
Emil growls through his teeth. "Now what?"
Lukas' mouth does not move. Instead, his arms spread out in a T-like shape like a scarecrow from old picture books.
"Lukas, no."
"Don't make me do it for you," he says in an airy voice.
"Lukas, please, I'm twenty years old."
"I guess I need to follow you then—"
"Alright!" Emil embarrassingly grumbles as he throws his arms around his brother and squeezes him in an awkward embrace. It has been years since he has voluntarily given his brother a hug like this. Of all the times to ask for one, it has to be when he is trying to act as much of an adult as possible.
"There, was that so hard?" Lukas smiles as his brother releases his hold.
"N-No…" he begrudgingly admits. "Gods, Lukas, leave that stuff to Mathias. I'm going."
"Don't forget to call."
"I won't!" Emil raises his voice and runs out the front door. He immediately breaks into a brisk walk and turns the nearest corner down the street in case his brother is watching him. He even looks back a few times just to be sure he is not being followed. That will be the most terrifying thing of all, not stalkers, not drug-addicts, not thieves—
When was the last time there were any large crimes in Holo? Emil stops his thought process to dwell on that. He honestly does not know why his brother even bothers to get so worked up. Holo is one of the safest cities in the country. Even in districts like Neon and Retro, crime is kept to a minimum. Emil comes to the conclusion that his brother must have read too many crime stories in his spare time. If that is the truth, then it is a very juvenile way of thinking.
The walk to the nearest station does not take too long. Like every other time since encountering Leon, Emil bypasses the Bolt line and hops aboard the Lightning Rail. He has since gone over being uncomfortable and alienated as a passenger and begun to adjust to an empty, clean seat. If he is going to be Leon Wang's soul mate, sitting in the fancier cart is expected to be an everyday privilege.
Not more than half an hour later, Emil reaches the Trip district. He pulls out his phone and calls Leon, remembering his request to leave as few messages as possible.
The call connects almost instantaneously. "Ice, you there?"
"Yes. I just got off."
"Good. Right on schedule. Hey, so, like, I'm going to try and meet you over by the Maes Warehouse, alright?"
"Okay, but I still don't know why I can't just meet you at the studio," Emil brings up. "I'm technically an invited model, right?"
"Yeah, but it's going to get crazy in there when the people start pouring in. It's also pretty big inside. I don't want to lose you."
Emil presses his lips together to keep himself from making any sort of flustered expression out in public. It sounds very thoughtful of Leon to wait for him outside of the district, and there is still a decent walk before getting to the actual studio.
"I appreciate it, Le—" He stops himself short just in case someone is listening. "Yeah. Thank you."
He hears a chuckle. "Don't mention it. If you don't see me there, just call me, okay?"
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Emil hangs up and heads over in the general direction of the warehouse. Along the way, he takes the time to absorb the scenery of Trip. While definitely not as flashy as Retro or as colorful as Neon, Trip makes its claim as the business district. There are towers of skyscrapers that stack sideways along the streets and sidewalks. Overheard, the roaring echoes of jet engines and cargo planes fly overhead in great numbers, delivering packages and bringing in business vendors and representatives from all over the world. Down at eye level, the shops are not as abundant or as stylized as Volt's shopping area. Where company buildings are not present, agencies and warehouses set themselves up all along the back, covered with sheets of frosted glass and blocked off by security guards and specialized Cubes.
The pedestrians that happen to be walking instead of using vehicles are also different. Tightly fitted suits and fancy shoes stick out in shades of dark blues to blacks. Very rarely are there colors outside of the grayscale tones, and yet it fits the uptight atmosphere of this place. Most of the pedestrians appear to be businesspeople of some kind, and nearly all of them are using phones or conversing with others who might be business partners. Some carry briefcases that Emil knows to be files and physical documentation for company record purposes. Most of the contents can be carried in one's pockets nowadays, but Emil understands the importance of security measures. It is better to be safe than sorry when dealing with any form of identification and money. These notes and visuals are traits he sees quite often until his phone's map brings him to a remote corner of the main streets.
Unlike the area where Emil arrived at, these streets are pleasantly quiet and muted by the tall buildings. With it being a summer day, there is little to no wind blowing in between the skyscrapers. He begins to wish he dressed lighter for the occasion.
"Ice! Over here!"
Emil looks up, startled that someone is calling his nickname. Leon is waiting for him not ten meters away, looking incredibly plain against the rest of the crowd. He is not even wearing anything to conceal his identity, and that sets Emil on edge.
"Leon, are you crazy? Someone's going to see you! Where are those stupid—sorry, D.U.M.B.—glasses of yours?"
"I gave them back," he shrugs. "The owner needs them more than I do. That's not important. C'mon, I'll walk you there." He gives Emil a quick run down. "You don't look too bad, by the way."
Even the smallest of compliments from him makes Emil want to shy away. He has to hold himself together. He came here mainly on Leon's accord, so he needs to act more professionally. "Thank you. I can't exactly say the same about you, though."
"This getup?" Leon laughs. "Yeah, It's because all the good stuff is back at the studio. You'll see when we get there."
Emil shakes his head. "That's not what I was talking about. Won't someone recognize you without something covering your face?"
Instead of denying a mistake, Leon brushes off Emil's worry with his casual demeanor. "Are you kidding? In Trip? Everyone's so caught up in what they're doing, they don't have time to pay attention to anyone but people they have connections with."
"Really?" Emil raises an eyebrow, still skeptical about that claim. It might make sense, considering he did not appear to catch anyone staring his way. Everyone went about minding his or her own business, as Leon implied, but it feels off. "Why don't you hang out here all the time if you were worked up about publicity?"
Leon's lips twist into a contemptuous smirk. In a manner of amplifying his point, he spreads his arms out to both sides, gesturing towards the warehouses surrounding them. "Ice, look around you. It's all business here. Sure, I have connections, but most of the people here are from other countries. They're here because they've got time to spend here with a purpose, and they sure as fuck aren't going to waste it trying to convince me to deal with them."
Emil wants to chuckle. "Why, because you'll wring them dry?"
"C'mon, is that really how you think of me?" Leon asks in a mockingly hurt tone. "Time is money was what I was getting at. Whatever. We should get going. We're on time, actually."
"How on time is 'on time?'" Emil asks as he follows the celebrity through the warehouses. He uses the moment to look at the signs and logos all while listening to the planes flying overhead. It is almost like being in a completely different city with the way everything is structure and designed.
"On time is being able to review your wardrobe, meet the hosts, see the dressers, look around, and see the final setup of things. So I'd say…Mm, give or take three hours?"
"Three hours?" It is fortunate for the two of them that they are in a remote area. Emil was louder than he expected.
"Yeah. So?"
"What are we supposed to do for three hours? You know the longer I stay here, the more my brother is going to worry!" He softly curses. "I still need to call him when I'm get to the studio."
"Chill," Leon responds in a typical one-worded answer.
"Leon!"
"What?" he innocently looks to his friend. "I thought you wanted to be here with me. Coming early isn't hurting anyone, is it?"
Emil feels hot air coming out of his nostrils, and he is sure it is not because of the summer heat. "No, but it feels ridiculous. You could've used that time to do your stupid community service crap."
"Ah, don't talk about that," his friend scrunches his face. "I haven't even gotten on that, yet."
"Well, you should. Then you'd have the free time you so desperately desire."
"You're sounding like your brother, Ice."
Emil throws him a look of disbelief. "How could you even know what my brother would say? You've only met him a few times."
"Yeah, but I get those vibes from you."
Emil lowers his head in exasperation and tries to distract himself with the background skyscrapers. "I can't believe you tricked me into coming early."
"I'm being truthful, Ice," Leon chuckles. "The whole meet and greet thing can take a long time. This is your first big one, so it's going to be important."
"Okay, fine. Then do you want to tell me about it while we're getting there?"
"Sure."
Leon goes into detail about how the whole process works. The first part is becoming familiar with the dressing room and the makeup and touchup booth. Some of the wealthier models have personal dressers and artists that touch them up, whereas others have to become accustomed to each other's policies. Being full of himself, as Emil remarks, Leon claims he does not need his own stylist or touch up.
"Every so often, my cousin visits me to do my hair. That's all," Leon tells Emil.
"Which cousin? Wait…" Emil holds back his question and tries to remember the trivia he studied up on. The one he still remembers is Mei Wang, the designer for Blossoms, the same store where Leon bought him his puffin hat. "Is it Mei?"
"Bingo. You're getting better."
Emil fixes his stoic face in place. "It's just something I remembered is all."
"But yeah, she normally has her hands tied with travelling overseas—clients and all—but she comes over sometimes. I think you'll like her."
"Oh," is all Emil can say, since he knows little to nothing about Mei's personality through the archives.
As they approach the studio, Leon goes into more detail about the types of people he will meet there, not necessarily exact names or photography procedures, since he knows Emil will have little knowledge about specific brands or faces. When asked, he oddly does not give any tips for how to pose, only to act the way he is if approached and be as modest as possible. So much for being prideful.
"I'll do the talking if you need me to," Leon tells him. "Just act naturally and you'll be fine. A lot of these guys have done this for so long, they've kind of got it in over their heads, so try not to turn into one of them."
"Right, and I'll be the handsomest model Holo will ever know," Emil sarcastically responds to that, and Leon laughs.
"You're not really handsome, Ice," he tells him, and it stings when he says that. However, he adds on, "You don't have that rugged look to you. I'd say you're more on the beautiful side, and that's fine with me."
Like the other times Leon compliments him, Emil can detect the underlying hint at teasing him. Part of him wants to be upset at him, yet the majority of his emotions lean towards accepting it as something positive coming from Leon. While barely audible, he mumbles a soft "Thanks" and continues listening to his friend's tips.
Not ten minutes later, Leon brings Emil to the front of the studio. He waits for his friend to contact his brother and confirm he has safely arrived. Before connecting, he mentions that Lukas does not know about his contract or possibly participating in the photo shoot.
"How long do you plan on keeping that in the dark?" Leon asks as Emil pushes the "Call" button.
"Until I know he's okay with you kidnapping me," Emil quietly spits, implying Lukas may never know. He stops as the call goes through.
"Have you arrived safely, Ice?" his brother's smooth voice asks.
"Yes. Leon's here with me."
"I see. And you're outside of the studio, I suspect. Show them both to me." Emil slightly winces, as his brother does not request a video feed in the form of a question but a demand. He pushes the camera button and displays Leon and the studio behind him as his brother requested.
"Yo, Lukas," Leon waves with a smug smile, as if telling him, "See? Ice is in one piece."
"That's Trip, alright," Lukas speaks through the speakerphone. "You're in the clear for now."
"For now?" Emil quietly echoes as he sets the phone back on its voice setting. "Is that good enough, then, Lukas?"
"For now," he repeats. "Have fun and be safe, little brother."
Emil lowers his eyes to the ground. "I'll try to. I'll call you later, then."
"Of course. Goodbye."
"Bye." He hangs up the phone and lets out a deep breath. "That's done. No lies, no fabrications, and no stupid hacking." At the last word, he glares daggers at Leon, still remember the events back at Neon.
"What?" he mockingly smirks. "You're good, aren't you?"
"It would be so much easier if you just told the truth," Emil tells him. "I know it's scary, but it makes things more approachable in the long run."
Leon throws his arm out and takes ahold of Emil by his neck. As he leads him to the studio, he has an air of resistance about him. "Relax, Ice. I haven't lied about anything, I just haven't brought you up as that person."
"That person?" Emil furrows his eyebrows. "You mean soul mate, right?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah," he echoes Leon with a more bitter tone. "What was that all about last week? Why did you say the world wasn't ready for me?"
"Because I'm a charming young bachelor who still has a whole career ahead of me. If I come out and say I have a soul mate, what do you think that's going to do to me? Or more importantly to you?"
Emil sighs. Leon has a point: being affiliated with a celebrity can attract unnecessary attention to oneself and to everyone related. He can imagine he will be flanked by people he barely knows and start having friends he never knew he had. Stations and journalists may stake his house out and try to dig into his family's past for juicy information. That will drive him and Lukas insane. Mathias, he can do without, but he will undoubtedly be dragged into it all, too. And that is only scratching the surface.
What about negative attention? How long will it be before someone insanely jealous starts to manipulate information or stalk him for "stealing" Leon away? What sort of hateful words will he have to put up with because he was chosen by fate rather than naturally getting to know Leon?
But will it make a difference, Emil wonders? He has gotten to know parts of Leon that no one else has, and he feels fine being able to know about those sides. It makes him feel privileged and comfortable, knowing how he truly feels—special, if anything. Because of that, he also believes that he has a right to feel the way he does towards Leon, and as time goes on, however gradual it may be, he has the notion that those feelings will only grow stronger. He wonders if Leon feels the same way.
"I guess," Emil lightly sighs. "It would be difficult trying to handle all the attention. If you're alright with things how they are, then…I suppose I am, too. But why would you take me to a place like this if you wanted us to keep a low profile?"
"You're my soul mate, Ice. You're not a nobody's. Sooner or later, you're going to have to get used to it. Might as well start while everyone isn't in your face."
"Maybe…?" he answers in an unsure tone. "I don't know…"
He expects things to stay there until something soft brushes up against his cheek. The same familiar smell from those nights ago floods back into memory as he registers the sensation. Against his skin, he can feel Leon's bangs tickling him and sending tiny waves of electricity up and down his body. He always believed the celebrity's hair was styled and stiff with gel, but it is surprisingly soft to the touch and naturally swept to the side with little resistance. A fleeting thought crosses his mind as he wonders if Leon will mind him touching his hair. He gets his strangely white hair handled and touched by curious people, so why would it make a difference?
But he resists the temptation as he refocuses on the more important issue at hand—that issue being how close they are to the studio and how open the streets have become.
"Leon, stop!" he hisses and jerks his head away. There is a light wet mark on his cheek where his soul mate kissed him. It tingles even as he wipes the spot with his sleeve as though Leon's lips were still there.
"Really, Ice?" Leon's voice sounds dejected after seeing him rub the kiss away.
"We're in the public eye," he attempts to defend himself. "Besides, that came out of nowhere."
He watches as the celebrity exhales and rubs the back of his neck. "I didn't think I needed a reason to kiss you," he tells him. "It was just a peck."
Emil feels his cheeks growing redder as they move to the front. He wants to cut off the conversation, but he needs to establish boundaries. He does not doubt Leon is smart; however he is also reckless. They cannot openly walk around if the walking attention-magnet is going to make a move on him at spontaneous impulses.
"If you're going to do that, give me a hint next time," he gruffly tells him. His voice quiets down as the front doors come into view. There is but one street they need to cross in order to reach the studio now. "I…I don't mind it, but tell me so I know to get ready."
"Huh. I hoped you were the type to like surprises."
Emil appears unsure. "Not really…? I like knowing what to expect before I get into something. It's just to be safe, you know. Plus I don't really like getting touched."
"Sure," comes another one-worded response from his soul mate. Emil huffs to this.
When they arrive at the studio, Emil gets a good look at the words printed on the glass door and the logo. There is an "H" and a "P" formatted in a linking loop, with a bright hot pink colored in a tinted gradient. Beyond that, the doors are shaded, so outsiders cannot see beyond the logo. On the side, he also notices a pass scanner, the type that can register phone information for convenience. Leon takes his business phone out and scans it over the reader, and the door slides open without so much as a creak.
"After you," he says, gesturing inside. Emil walks in first and widens his eyes as he sees the entire first room is nothing but pink, pink, pink. He had plenty of time to research the line, Hipster Pink, before coming to Trip, but he did not expect the entire studio to take its name so seriously. Everything down to the lighting and the decorative plants are pink. Pink rug, pink picture frames, pink cushions, even pink lighting in the water feature beyond the front desk. The oversaturation of the single color makes him uncomfortable given the cooler colors he is wearing, and it makes him wonder if that is the theme of this photography session. If so, he wonders if it is optional to pass. He has never felt too confident wearing anything drenched in the rosy color before.
"Neat, eh?" Leon chuckles like he knows Emil would have this reaction.
"It's…pink." That is the only comment Emil can muster as his eyes adjust to the flood of company colors.
"Yeah. You'd better get used to it, because the main designer loves pink."
"We're not going to be wearing only that color, are we?" Any hopes he has of feeling some relief drops when Leon shrugs.
"Mr. Wang! It's so good of you to come today!" the receptionist says with a plastic smile. "Y-You're early! Feliks isn't even here yet. Do you want me to send a message to him?" Something feels off about her, Emil thinks, and he believes it has something to do with the way her hair is tied too tightly into a bun—not to mention the odd assortment of accessories stickered all over her hair that makes her look like a sprinkle-covered donut.
"Nah, I'll call him, myself. Tell Honda I'm here, would you?" Leon tells the woman while barely glancing at her, and she gives an obedient nod. Just like that, he walks through the front desk and down the corridor towards the main open set. Emil follows uncomfortably behind, remembering how little his soul mate actually works in his workplace environment. There is no check-in process and no mention of why he, himself, is following the celebrity. With them arriving so early, there is not even escort staff to show them around or get them put into place. Everything plays out how it is. All the same, he takes this for how things function and follows diligently behind Leon.
The main studio, as expected, is pink. The saving grace behind all of this is the jet-black background from all of the piping and camera poles, offering a contrast to the otherwise glaring hue. The spotlights this time around, Emil notices, are bright white, possibly to get a good lighting when displaying models and taking photos. It is not every day when people walk around in pink lighting, so it only makes sense for them to get the most natural shine as possible.
Sound-wise, since they are three hours early, the only visible people are those with pink blouses and black pants, whom Emil suspects to be on-staff members, making the studio quieter than he expected. That is not to say it is quiet by any means. Loud pop music with a strong base booms throughout the many pink speakers littered throughout the ceilings and walls. It shakes the floors and vibrates any fragilely placed furnishing and amenities, also sending a shock through Emil's eardrums. Having always lived in a quiet household, he has never gotten used to the loud music that plays during events or parties. The same experiences can be said about going to Retro and Waves.
"Our place is this way," Leon tells him and checks his phone. Emil glances over and sees that it is a map of the studio. Being seemingly invited into the studio on such short notice, he suspects that is the reason he was never given a proper invitation or a map, and he is grateful Leon has one on him.
As it turns out, Hipster Pink's studio is larger than he imagined. There are multiple sets aside from the large pink setup in the front area. Behind, there are small areas for shooting simple backdrop photos and aisles upon aisles of dressing rooms, makeup stations, and wardrobes. Everything is marked or tagged with some form of simply designed Plastichip, displaying dimly lit numbers, names, and designer information. All these appear to be women's clothing, he notices, however. He wonders if there is a completely difference section for the men, seeing as how Leon will be participating.
A smile makes it way across his lips as he pictures the rebellious and concealing pop star wearing pink of all colors. It is not that he has a problem wit the color, itself, but it will be a dramatic change to his otherwise flashy or dark attire. Picturing him in something fluffy like a boa or being adorned with glittering pink pants makes him chuckle, and Leon hears it.
"Something up?" he looks back to him.
"Nothing," he shyly denies, but Leon persists.
"C'mon, it's rare for me to hear you laugh. What's up?" He does not leave it just in the form of a simple statement and question. He leans in and brings his hand around Emil's arm, pulling him close to his chest as they walk. Part of the overtaken new model wants to push Leon away, afraid someone will start getting ideas; however, the inner side of him wants them to stay this way, being able to feel so close and intimate in such an unfamiliar setting. The inner side of him wins, and he stays within Leon's grasp.
"I was thinking about what you'd look like in the Hipster Pink line," he tells his soul mate. "There's a lot of pink, after all."
"You think?" Leon smirks. "You don't believe I can't pull pink off?"
Emil quickly redirects his initial implication. He does not mean to offend the celebrity, even if he knows his emotions are being teased. "Th-That's not what I was saying. I'm just used to seeing you wear more dark clothing. You know…black and stuff."
Leon laughs. "Black and stuff?" he echoes. "That's because I'm always trying to blend in with the crowd when seeing you. I can do bright colors if you want me to. We can try out some stuff in the dressing room. What d'you say?"
Emil blinks and moves his eyes away. "Sure…" Trying out new clothes means having to strip at some point. He wonders if Leon will be the only one changing while they are waiting for the rest of the models and photographers to show up. Thinking about seeing Leon shirtless again makes him blush, and he is grateful the music is so loud and the lighting is so pink. He is afraid Leon might hear his heartbeat growing louder.
The room they go to is a cozy dressing room with a label spelling out "Leon Wang." Emil notices how far in the back his room appears to be and wonders if this was intentional or just a mere coincidence. There are almost no people around so far towards the back, and even the music has softened up a bit. Leon tells Emil he is free to look around while he makes some calls. One of those calls must be to Feliks, whom he knows is the lead designer for Hipster Pink and a fanatic of the fashion brand color.
Emil goes to the mirrors first, which attract him because of the bright white lighting compared to the rest of the rosy tint. Some mirrors are bendable for angling at different perspectives, perhaps to get a better look of one's appearance as a whole. There are few make-up items, as Emil recalls Leon saying he hardly needs to use any of the stuff. Neatly aligned on the side are expensive-looking bottles of what appear to be colognes.
Curious and believing Leon will not mind, Emil takes a random bottle and sprays it on his wrist to test it. His father used to do this whenever browsing through the aisles of cologne and perfume. Emil remembers how he would take the sample bottle, give it a little spray on the front of his wrist, and bend down to let him and his brother take a smell. If he and Lukas agreed on the smell, he would purchase a bottle, claiming their mother would like it, too.
Emil is not sure if Lukas will like the smell of this cologne, seeing how it has a spicy kick to it. He wrinkles his nose and sets it down. The smell is not familiar to him, even on Leon's body. He cannot imagine the celebrity wearing something like this, as he has often known him to wear subtle but sharp smells. The only thing he can think of is either this scent is only for special occasions, or these bottles were placed here by default.
Moving on, Emil studies the drawers. There are few of them to be seen around the room, probably to avoid too much confusion during the changing process, and each one has a Plastichip label attached. One label he reads says "Spares" while another says "Pins." He takes the labels for what they are and then goes to the barred racks which have scarves, belts, and decorative chains hanging in an erratic order. There must be some reason to how they are arranged, but he cannot make it out. Some belts are paired with chains, and other scarves of dissociating colors are matched with scarves of uneven lengths and sizes.
He then diverts his attention to the foldable dressing screen that, unsurprisingly, is pink with plastic bubbles for aesthetics. He looks behind the screen and sees a decent enough space in the corner for changing should anyone need any privacy. There are even mirrors on the back end for the changer to look into. Right next to the screen is the large rack of clothing. Most of them are arranged in a reasonable line-up of pants, blouses, coats, and undergarments. Whatever does not match the studio's iconic color goes onto a separate rack, and from there, a miscellaneous arrangement by pattern and size.
Leon is still talking after Emil finishes looking around. Bored and without anything else to do, he sits himself on a squishy pink pillow seat and waits for the calls to finish. There is little to eavesdrop about. Most of the calls consist of Leon confirming questions or setting up times and dates for events Emil does not know about. One of the calls is completely in Jiang, and Emil wonders if he is calling anyone from his family. If there is shouting, he suspects it is Yao on the other end, but none of that happens, and he is left to assume it is someone else.
Finally, after the fourth call, Leon hangs up and throws himself on the spot next to Emil. "Sorry about that," he exhales through a relieved smile. "I had to make sure everyone knows I'm here, so I don't get into any more trouble."
Emil smiles slightly and leans back. "I thought you'd be having Kasem tag along after what happened with your birthday concert."
Upon mentioning his birthday shenanigan, Leon starts to play with his bangs. "No, I'm good on that, so as long as I don't fuck up. Cheng talked to my old man about some things, and shit got cleared up."
"Huh. You're lucky to have someone like that," Emil comments, recalling how fond of his cousin Leon is.
"Mm? I'm lucky to have you, Ice," Leon tells him in gooey words and buries his lips into his white hair.
"Quit it," Emil snaps, stiff as a board from the sudden advance. "What if someone sees us?"
"There's nobody here, Ice. I can lock the door if that's what you're worried about."
"No!" Emil outright refuses, hoping the rosy walls will mask his blush. He knows enough about the typical movie scene where two people in a locked room can do things he is not prepared for. A locked room will raise suspicions regardless of what he and Leon are doing, and he wants to play things safely. This is supposed to be an innocent gathering to see each other again, not…that.
"Leon…" Emil breathes in uneven intervals. He cannot bear to look at the celebrity for fear that he will lose himself in his penetrating golden eyes. "…I just wanted to see you again. I…I missed you…Can't we just leave it at that?"
He feels a pause coming from Leon as he does not move or say anything. The cushions shift as he redirects his weight away from Emil, much to his relief. "Sorry, Ice. I've missed you, too."
It is strange hearing such tender words coming from the celebrity's lips. Even if he has uttered sweeter and more affectionate words on camera, they were only written as such. Emil detects the sincerity in Leon's voice and how truthful he sounds, and in that moment, he forgets his capability as an actor and feels guilty for rejecting him. As such, he immediately apologies, too, albeit not as smoothly as Leon does.
"No, I-I should be the one who's sorry," he bashfully refutes. "I'm being selfish…"
Leon raises an eyebrow. This is interesting. Emil may be modest, but he did not expect him to openly admit a fault—at least, not without pointing out something faulty of himself first. He decides to inquire about it. "How are you being selfish?"
He sees the answer before Emil even answers him, even though the answer is as indirect and vague as he can possibly state. "Um…you know…You…On the day after your birthday, you gave me something to hang onto…"
A smile spread across Leon's face. He knows what he lent him, and he wants it back—with interest. The coy nature of Emil's embarrassment is only amplified by his quivering eyes and reserved body posture. Having studied as an actor nearly all of his life, he can tell what Emil is feeling from his bound arms and knees locked together by his chest. Emil wants him so badly, and he does not even know it, being the pitiful soul mate he is.
That is fine with him, Leon thinks. He will be more than happy to show him what his thoughts desire and more. But first he needs to open Emil back up without forcing himself onto him directly. Emil is a delicate little bubble that can be more easily moved than popped. Advancing on him from the outside will make things too fast. He has to be careful, just as Cheng warned him about. Emil will break if handled the wrong way.
So, he starts off in a safe direction. "Hang onto that for a little while longer, Ice," he smirks. "I'll collect later." He gets up and straightens the wrinkles out of his pants. "You still want to see me dress up, or do you maybe want to see your room? I have the number on my phone."
"Eh?" Emil's thoughts are still trying to correctly process after the events that just occurred. He is slow on his response and not as confident as he can be. "Um, sure, I'll see my room instead." He should be asking why Leon knows his room number or even why he has it instead of himself. The celebrity just smiles on the outside and leads his soul mate out of his stuffy dressing room.
"It's just down this way, Ice," Leon says and shows him to the other end of the corridor. They do not even need to turn before reaching a room that only reads "Ice," followed by some numbers and a label that does not make any sense out to the new model.
"That's right, you never gave them my real name…" his voice fades out as he stares at the label. "I didn't even see this room when coming here."
Leon rolls his eyes, more so at the designers of this place than at his soul mate. "You'd be surprised at what you can miss when everything's the same color. I'd never decorate this way."
"Me neither," Emil agrees and goes into his designated dressing room.
His dressing room looks just like Leon's minus the larger set of clothing and bottles of cologne. Interestingly enough, the clothes on display are not entirely pink, causing him to wonder if perhaps there is a separate session all to himself.
"I have no idea what the program is going to be like," Leon says as he looks over Emil's clothes with him. "Feliks isn't here, yet, so we have to wait before seeing the order. Then after that, we still have the outfits to worry about…" He picks out something of interest and takes it out for Emil to see. "You want to try some stuff on, Ice?"
Of the many questions Emil has about how this entire thing plays out, the one that comes to mind is, "How do you know if any of these fit me?"
"Easy. I gave them your body proportions."
"What?"
Leon completely ignores Emil's outburst. "You're a pretty slim build. A little on the short side, too, but that's nothing a little camera perspectives can't fix. And you're cute, so that's a plus."
"Wait! No! When did you—? How did you get my body proportions?"
Leon laughs and takes his hand out, aligning it from the top of his head to Emil's. There is barely any difference. "Relax, Ice. I'm not selling myself short—no pun intended—but we're almost the same height. I just took a couple of ticks off your arm and leg sizes because let's be honest: you're as scrawny as a stick."
It is childish and pointless to refute that statement, and Emil cannot deny that is practically the truth. He never works out, always studying and cooping himself up in his house or the university like a hermit. Still, he feels that it came off as a slight insult and will at least try to defend himself.
"Are you saying it's not good to be scrawny?" he asks.
His soul mate makes an unreadable face. "No. That's fine for someone like you, actually. I'm pointing out how that's your style, but that's also how I gauged your body proportions. Let's see if I was right, shall we? Because if I fucked up, you're out of the show."
Emil haughtily crosses his arms. "Meaning it would've been pointless for me to come three hours early to this thing."
"Give me some credit," Leon says while picking out a scarf. "I'll make it up to you if I'm wrong. How about I take you on a trip?"
"Leon…"
"I'll take you with me to Altorien, and I'll show you where the best food is. It'll be a blast."
Emil's brain is a mess. "What? No. You—Stop. One thing at a time. You can't just bring things up out of the blue and think people work on your clock. First of all, give me the clothes."
"Gotcha." Leon hands him the clothes he picked out and backs up into the far corner out of consideration. "Tell me if you're having trouble putting anything on, and I'll be more than happy to help."
"Do they teach you lines like that in the studio, Leon?" Emil groans at the exaggerated dialogue.
"You'd better believe it, Ice," he chuckles, admitting the cheesiness of the line.
Emil hopelessly shakes his head. "Well, this isn't a movie, and I'm not one of your cheap actors." He goes to the folding screen and looks over it to make sure Leon is still stationary. "Don't come over here."
Leon puts his hands up to show he is harmless. "I'm right here, Ice. I'm not moving."
His lips tremble in a shaky frown, and he retreats back into the relative safety of the screen. "Good."
"Don't you trust me?" he hears from a falsely hurt actor's voice.
"I 'trust' you to screw with me," he throws at him, only for the quick-thinking celebrity to snowball it right back.
"Ah, that's a night I look forward to," he teases, sending Emil's entire nerves on edge. All of a sudden, even as he is aware Leon has not moved from his spot, he feels uncomfortable being in the same room as him. They have never discussed that stage in their relationship before, and even knowing that Leon set his mind on that train of thought makes him uneasy. He changes as quickly as he can, checking the odd cuffs on his sleeves and seeing if the pants are too long or too short. Everything is just right, however unsettling that fact is.
"Ice?" Leon calls to him at the corner. "You okay? You're not saying anything."
"I'm fine," he tells him, poking his head out from the other side. "I just…what you said made me kind of…"
"Oh." The celebrity's voice quiets down. "If you want, I can tell you I was joking."
"As if you weren't implying something in the first place," Emil disapprovingly frowns and presses his lips together. Everything can be like a joke to this guy, he irritably thinks. He wonders if he takes anything seriously—their relationship most of all. It has come to a point where he knows he should understand this is how Leon behaves, but if he wants to commit, this is not the way he should be going about handling this. What Leon was talking about is an important matter than should not be discussed so openly.
"Maybe it's just Lukas…" he mutters to himself and looks into the mirror again. He frowns as he sees how strange he looks adorned in pink. It does not match his eyes or go well with his hair. Even someone as inexperienced with modern fashion knows that. Nevertheless, he gingerly steps out and averts his eyes from Leon, hoping the pain of embarrassment will be swift and quick.
"You look nice." Well, that is unexpected.
"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Emil flushes with hot blood. He hates this feeling, since he cannot bear to look in his own soul mate's direction when his body acts this way.
"No, I'm telling the truth, Ice," Leon insists. "You're cute."
Avoiding eye contact is all Emil can do to save himself from breaking down in front of him. He tries to find some logical reasoning in Leon's words in order to set his nerves straight. This is all too much.
"Calling something or someone 'cute' is reserved for girls and kids," he finally produces.
"You're special. You're cute to me." Emil can tell Leon is giving him one of his cocky smiles, and it pisses him off. How dare he make him feel this way, especially in a surreal environment like this one. "You didn't fluff your collar right, Ice. Come here, and I'll fix it for you."
Without thinking he goes to his soul mate to let him fix his collar. As Leon straightens out the folds and fluffs up the ruffled area, he continues speaking. "I wasn't kidding when I said I missed you, you know."
Emil pauses shortly before mumbling a soft "I know" as if to humor him. The response, however, makes Leon smile and look up at him. Even in lighting like this, he can still make out the golden flecks in his narrow, scheming gaze. At such a proximity, he can see every strand of brown hair perfectly in place, the creamy color of his flawless skin, and the thinly parted lips that have touched his own. He does not realize how warm his outfit is until now. Suddenly the collar around his neck feels tight, and the fabric is more than itchy. He does not understand. It was fine just a few seconds ago, so why does he feel so irritated now?
Leon. It has to be him. Only he can make him feel things he has never hoped to feel before, and it can be done without words. The little hints in body language and facial features tell each other what they desire. It is practically instinct.
Like a muggy film blurring out any logic, Emil's mind goes numb. Suddenly, everything turns into a fever dreamlike state, pink hues and hot breaths mashing into one twisted fantasy. Emil cannot remember who moved first. One moment they are a decent distance apart, the next they are clumsily fumbling on the only cushion seat in the dressing room. Leon barely gives Emil any chances to breathe as he locks his lips onto his and cups his face with his strong hands. The sounds that come from the inexperienced soul mate are short and stifled. It is embarrassing. The heat in his stomach, the breathlessness from the kissing, the jolts he feels as Leon runs his lips down his neck…all of it makes him feel helpless. He was not prepared for this. Not yet.
In a desperate attempt to break from Leon's spell, an icy whisper utters the celebrity's name. The kissing does not stop at his lips, and while their clothes remain in tact, Emil can feel fingers trailing lower, progressing from his neck to his chest to his hips. He calls again. Louder this time. And again, nothing. He flinches when something warm and wet slithers over a tender spot in between his neck and collarbone. Something grabs a pinch of skin in the same area and begins to suck, sending an entirely different set of nerves kicking into Emil's brain. At that moment, the spell breaks off, and he finds the strength to pull himself away.
"Leon, stop!" he shouts as loudly as he dares. His breath is shaky. His legs are weak. A thin film of sweat drenches his forehead and trickles down his cheek. His stomach is tied in knots. Hardly any sound comes out from his throat as he stares at his stunned soul mate. Leon looks just as shocked at he does, but not for the same reasons; he is more surprised by the fact that someone would reject him.
"I'm sorry," he immediately responds like an automatic toy. He keeps his distance, but his eyes are always on the door. His feet angle themselves out as if ready to break into a run should Emil try to escape. It will be a nuisance if his soul mate tries to leave.
A shaky voice finally breaks from Emil's fragile body. "Y-You tried to…"
"No." He speaks in a firm tone. "Ice, I wasn't. I would never try to do that to you."
"Then what was that?" he snaps. Having regained mobility, he slaps his hand to his neck and rubs it. The spot is still wet, so he wipes it dry with the sleeve of his outfit.
Taken aback by Emil's harshness, Leon lowers his head in what looks like guilt. He makes it aware that he knows how much he has hurt his soul mate; it plays out in his facial expression, his voice, and in his carefully articulated words.
"I didn't mean to hurt you or scare you," he tells him. "All these emotions just came out. I couldn't control them. I've wanted to see you again, Ice. You have no idea how much…I'm sorry…"
Emil sniffs and rubs the sore spot again. The sensation lingers even more than a kiss. What makes him unsettled most of all is how much he actually wishes he did not stop Leon. It did not hurt; it merely caught him by surprise. He feels awful for mistrusting his soul mate. While he has not been entirely sincere, he has not been completely inconsiderate to his feelings. That he is apologizing and projecting his inner emotions is a large step in their relationship since first meeting him.
Feeling strangely guilty for cutting Leon off the way he did, Emil does not take long to forgive him. "It's fine, Leon. I-I forgive you."
His soul mate's eyes light up. "You do?" and it sounds genuine.
"Y-Yes…" he slightly nods. "I forget sometimes…about how different we are." He shakes his head. "I'm sorry. The way you act is something I'm still trying to get used to. You've done this kind of thing so many times in your movies, I'm sure, and—"
"You're wrong, Ice," Leon cuts him off, moving closer to his face but not so much that he can reach out and touch him. "I've never done that with anyone. It's only been you. It can only be you."
His words flatter Emil. He has always thought that Leon has been teasing him with his sappy words, but he has rarely stopped to consider maybe the reason it sounds so out-of-place is because this is a first for the long-time celebrity, too. If this is really how he has been acting because of inexperience and new emotions, he should not have rejected him so readily. For all he knows, Leon has been confused, too.
"L-Leon…I don't know what to say…" Emil fumbles over words and trips up in his speech patterns. He curses himself for stuttering and trailing off now, in a time when he wants to be able to reassure the validity of their relationship.
Fortunately, Leon steps in to save him from himself. "You don't need to say anything, Ice. I was wrong. Tell me if I lose myself or hurt or scare you again. Let me know. I'll stop."
"O-Okay…"
"Good," Leon softly smiles. "Now…hmm. What are we going to do about this?"
Emil tilts his head. "About what?"
"That." He points to his neck right to the place where he was sucking. Emil rubs it and dismisses the spot.
"It doesn't hurt, Leon. I'm fine."
"Well, yeah, that's good that it doesn't hurt, but that's not what I'm getting at." He moves his eyes behind him. "You might want to check out a mirror."
"Huh?" His heart jumps when he catches onto his soul mate's implication. He immediately goes for the mirror by the dressing mirror and pulls down his collar down from his neck.
Standing out like a dark stain on a white shirt, a deep red mark lays wedged between his neck and collarbone, right where Leon kissed him. It is not a bruise—not by far—but he cannot imagine what Lukas might think of it if he sees it.
"O-Oh…" he stutters. "L-Leon, I can't go out like this. What if the clothes I wear doesn't cover this?"
"The power of photo manipulation," Leon answers like being asked what time it is.
Emil lets out a shaky sigh. "That's not what I meant. What if someone…you know…gets ideas?"
"Mm, I suppose that can be a problem. Honestly, I don't mind what they think, but that's coming from the guy who doesn't have a hickey."
"Is that what it's called?" Emil frowns, unfamiliar with the term. "Well…it would just be easier for me to opt out at this point."
Leon straightens his posture. "So you're just going to bail?"
"I might. Can't I?"
"That's kind of selfish…" It can practically be considered a joke, coming from Leon. Emil glares at him as a result.
"Then what should I do? There's no guarantee I'm going to be having a collar on all of the time, and it's bad enough if I have to cover it at all."
"True," Leon acknowledges. "This could be bad for your reputation. Shit, I'm super sorry, Ice. I can talk with Feliks when he comes if that's what you want."
"I-If you don't mind. Thank you, Leon. I can still stay and watch you, can't I?"
"Definitely. No point in coming if you're not going to get something out of this." He gets up to stretch. "Crap. Well…maybe we should get some fresh air outside, what do you think? All this pink is killing me."
Emil is quick to incline. "Sure. Let's get out of here." He gets up to go when Leon stops him at the door.
"Ice, we're still cool…right?"
Unlike before when he had doubts, he is able to answer with confidence. "We're soul mate, Leon. It's meant to be. Somewhere down the road, I'm going to have to know that's who you are. I mean…as long as you're not an asshole."
The last sentence makes Leon laugh, and it breaks any tension in the atmosphere. "Alright. I'll try not to be an asshole to you. Soul mates?" He extends his hand out to him, waiting for Emil to take it.
Sighing more so in amusement and understanding than in annoyance, Emil takes his hand. "Soul mates." Then, Leon kisses his hand. Emil rolls his eyes.
"Let's get out of here."
After changing out of the frilly pink outfit, Emil exits first, having the door being opened by Leon, and is about to make his way down the hallway with the celebrity when he literally bumps into another person.
"Whoops! Sorry about that!" a peppy voice apologizes. It has to belong to a woman, and that is not just because of the voice.
"I-I'm so sorry," Emil apologizes back, his cheeks a bright camouflaged pink. "I should've watched where I was going. I didn't mean it."
"Oh, no, it's okay." It is now after collecting himself that Emil can see who he bumped into. She is a decently short young woman with long dark brown hair and a fair complexion. Like the rest of Leon's family, she bears golden eyes with a brighter honey color instead of a sparkling gold. Other than that, there are not too many defining features about her other than a loose strand of hair sticking out from the side of her locks. Emil means to leave the profiling at that, since he does not plan on seeing her again, but she bars his path as soon as she gets a quick look at him.
"Wait. You're Ice, aren't you?" she says, and it makes Emil's heart lurch.
"Um…" Unsure of how to respond, he looks back to Leon for answers. "Y-Ye…?"
But instead of answers, Leon has questions. "Mei?" he blinks. "What are you doing here?"