Chapter 9 Part 1
1003 Words
Valentine is a presence in the modeling industry worth every contract and runway promised to him. He's an unforgettable name. Countless years of honing his aura to capture his audience in a seductive trance show in every methodical twist of his body.
Ardyn falls headfirst into that trance. He can't—won't—look away. Not when Valen's staring right at him. There's a gentle authority in his eyes, lidded as they were. It's something soft and subtle that grips Ardyn, but it's there stirring Ardyn's primal instincts. He wants to please Valen.
"Lower, Clem," Valen utters, staring into Ardyn. His eyes shift to Clementine. "I'm not as tall as you. Lower your camera."
Valen visibly sinks deeper into his role. He focuses on Clementine, guiding him as every click and flash of the camera illuminates his dark eyes in the dimmed room. "Good, Clem," he murmurs, shifting into a different pose. He slows his movements every time he corrects Clementine. "Just like that."
Ardyn hangs onto his every word.
Kahili says something and Ardyn misses it, his voice only vaguely registering in Ardyn's ears. It's an effort to tear his eyes away from Valen, but when he does he finds Kahili already watching him, a knowing smirk on his lips. "What do you think?"
"He's..." Ardyn's vocabulary is far too limited. It doesn't ascend into the vastness of otherworldly divinity that Valen belongs to. "..a natural."
"He loves it," Kahili says. He's watching Valen again, so Ardyn does too. "Knows just how pretty he is."
Good, Ardyn thinks. "I'd love to photograph him." He pictures himself as Clementine so easily. The camera's in his hands instead, and Valen's eyes are tracking his every movement, a predator to its prey.
Kahili nods at the camera Ardyn still holds. "You should."
It startles Ardyn from his thoughts. "Oh, no," his head shakes. "I was just talking aloud, I promise. Watching him is— it's amazing."
Ardyn grips the moment for what it is.
He wants to remember it forever, this feeling. He's overcome with it, the desire to create something everlasting. His hands clamp around Kahili's camera and he considers it. Walking up to Valen and gently molding him in the pose Ardyn so vividly imagines, then stepping back to admire his work. He'd adjust the lights and exhale slowly, breathing out every ounce of anticipation. The deafening click and flash of his camera would follow.
And Valen's attention— it would be all his.
Clementine sighs in what can only be frustration. "Can we take a break?"
"No," Valen answers. "You're doing well. Take a deep breath—now keep going."
"But—"
"Keep going, Clem," Valen repeats. "You wanted me to do this for you, so I'm here." Don't waste my time, sits on the tip of his tongue, Ardyn sees it.
Clementine raises his camera. He's sulking.
___
Ardyn isn't sure how he ends up behind the camera.
It started with him offering a suggestion, something that spilled past his lips without thinking. Clementine's click of the camera went deaf and they all looked at him. Ardyn fidgeted under their curiosity, ready to swallow his words, but there was a subtle pressure on his back. A gentle nudge. Kahili encouraging him.
The shutter speed, he said, slowly getting up. It's too slow.
He brings Kahili's camera with him and shows Clementine how to speed it up. "Your pictures are going to come out blurry," he mumbles, toying with the camera. "You need a tripod or something steady to hold the camera if your shutter speed is this slow."
The flash, he says next. It's too harsh.
"The flash should enhance him, not be a focal point."
Clementine bends and makes a noise of interest, earnest and curious as he looks over Ardyn's shoulder. He takes every suggestion in stride. When Ardyn tells him his lighting setup is contradicting he adjusts the strobes until Ardyn gives a thumbs up. And when Ardyn points out that Clementine's shadow is likely in most of the photos, Clementine asks for help on how to fix it.
Ardyn opens one of the front blinds. Natural sunlight pours through and makes Valen's eyes sparkle.
"Wow," Clementine laughs. It sounds so bright and genuine. "I was doing everything wrong." Then, he sighs and fits his hands on his hips, but he's smiling. It's so similar to Valen's. "I don't think I like photography."
"No!" Ardyn shakes his head, realizing he'd just pointed out every single one of his shortcomings. "You weren't doing bad, I promise. Just— the small adjustments will help enhance your photos even more."
It's the truth, but Clementine only tilts his head thoughtfully. "Can you show me how you'd do it?"
Ardyn goes to say no, it teeters on his lips reflexively, but Clementine watches him like an overgrown, excited puppy. He caves in.
Valen's staring at him with a smile when Ardyn turns, a challenge in his eyes. "You're a photographer."
It's not a question, but Ardyn mumbles shyly, "Just a hobby."
Valen extends his hand where Clementine was previously standing. "Please." His smile widens as he takes Ardyn apart with his eyes. There's that feeling within him again— that urge to please Valen. To submit to his instincts.
Ardyn mentally shakes out his nerves. This is easy, he convinces himself. His eyes click up and he dares a small smile. Teases, "Are you gonna coach me too?"
"No," Valen says after a considering pause. His eyes weigh on Ardyn appreciatively, taking the hybrid in with an obvious interested gleam. His gaze flicks up. It's decisive, amused. "Something tells me you know what you're doing."
Clementine dumps himself next to Kahili with a noise of protest. It falls on deaf ears. Ardyn is consumed in Valen, everything else seemingly mute, and Valen seems just as enthralled with him.
Something inside Ardyn stirs.
His chest falls with a slow exhale.
He brings his camera up and clicks.
- Writer
