“Hi, I’m here for the Gucci shoot? Sorry I’m late- the receptionist couldn’t remember if it was studio four or five. I think he’s new.” Sebastian stepped into the room, smiling at the man setting up the camera. You’d think by now they’d have some kind of online booking system, but this particular studio was the cute independent kind that he loved and hated for that exact reason- too cool or too broke to keep up with technology but quirky and full of talent enough to get bookings from the bigger agencies. They were great in that the staff were friendlier and the studio rooms themselves were more interesting than the commercial places, but getting to them was difficult at the best of times; often tucked in and behind other factories in the more run down parts of the city, and there was also rarely complementary food or drink.
Sebastian had a lot of experience with studios of all kinds, okay?
“Oh yeah sorry, the guy just started. Our last one had terrible handwriting and he forgets to actually listen when we go through the bookings for the day. Still, I hope it wasn’t too much trouble?” The photographer smiled, soft brown eyes crinkling in an apologetic smile as he held his hand out. “Ruffalo, Mark. I’m just here to set up, you’re actually working with Hayley today, she’s just running late and Chris is in with our makeup artist Jeremy. Would you- oh here she is.” He smiled at Hayley as she bustled in, unwrapping the layers of warm clothing she had on and explaining about the traffic- Sebastian empathised- shaking his hand warmly but briefly before taking over the set up, arranging the lights how she wanted them. Sebastian left her to it, making his way into the alcove at the back of the room that held the dressers and two men, chatting comfortably.
And wow, even if he hadn’t been the one getting his face done, Sebastian would have been able to point out the model. Not that Jeremy wasn’t attractive, because he was, but Chris was something more. His cheekbones were high and elegant, soft looking lips turned up in an amused smile surrounded by an imacculate frame of facial hair and his eyes- ugh. So unfair. Sebastian groaned and did an unhappy sort of shuffle in his mind’s eye, pouting at the guy’s face. Who was even allowed to have such feathery eyelashes? Even his eyebrows were shapely and graceful… god listen to him. Graceful eyebrows? He walked forwards, hand out and a polite smile pasted on his lips as he hissed at his inner thoughts to shut up already and let him be professional.
“Hey, Sebastian. You must be Chris, right?” He said with his trademark crooked smile, the one all the more casual and supposedly intimate shoots liked him to use. Chris smiled back, broad and genuine and Sebastian felt a little out of his depth.
“Yeah, nice to meet you man. I saw you did the GQ not long back- that was amazing, seriously. Who was your lighting guy? I gotta work with him, your eyes…” He whistled, and Sebastian blinked at the man’s unashasmed enthusiasm… about his eyes?
He smiled back, smaller and shyer but much more honest, managing to avoid a blush only by virtue of having too much experience with getting stared at to fall prey to such silly instincts, but it was close. “Oh wow, yeah thanks. I’ve gotta say I’d never met him before- some local guy from Romania I think. He was good though, did most of the prep before I even turned up.”
Chris nodded, prompting a soft scold from Jeremy and rolling his eyes. “Sorry.” Jeremy just tutted, chuckling. “Yeah well it’s not my eyes that’ll hurt if I poke them with the brush right?”
“Should I dress or wait or-”
“Nah Ryan’s got you covered, don’t worry. He’s just, uh, around somewhere? He’ll take care of you. As for dressing, it’s just the one suit, for a couple full size, and then mostly up close for the face. Gotta get some use outta your moneymakers boys, haven’t we?” Sebastian shared a smile with Chris and sat down, peeling off his leather jacket and scarf and brushing a hand through his short hair, tugging at it. He hated leaving it unstyled but coming to a studio with gel in would’ve been unprofessional, rude and a waste of time for everyone involved. He looked over and saw Chris’ eyes glide away in the mirror, chatting to Jeremy about kids or something- apparently he had a nephew- and opted to pull out his phone, playing a few quick levels of flow before Ryan, tall and vaguely familiar, appeared behind him with a stream of words.
“Oh my gosh sorry I’m late I just got caught up downstairs anyway what are we doing with you? Weren’t you in GQ? Oh the light was great wasn’t it? Right so definitely some kind of liner for those baby blues, just gorgeous, and the lips- man Jeremy be jealous of this one, oh but yours has got some good smackers too so maybe not, hey are you using your gloss mascara shit? I gotta get a refill on mine but good shout man-” It went on and Sebastian relaxed, letting the man work as Jeremy interjected every so often and Chris’ snort and huff laugh filtered in as well. He loved his job, seriously.
He was roused with a pat on the shoulder, meeting Ryan’s grin in the mirror. “Okay go time.” Sebastian nodded, hopping off the chair and stripping down efficiently, pulling on the fabric he was handed and letting Ryan sort him out, arranging the shirt and jacket and finishing his hair off. “Perfect. Exquisite, a masterpiece.” He kissed his fingers, making Sebastian laugh as he was guided to the white cloth set.
A shoulder nudged his as he smoothed the front of his pants. “Hey, you ready?” Chris asked, looking him over with- wow Jeremy was skilled because Chris’ eyes looked darker and more intense but dazzling as before. Sebastian probably paused for a bit too long but Chris was looking at his mouth and it was probably just as well that they were shooting something more, ahem, intense, because there was one hell of a spark and he was starting to think the other man felt the same. “Yeah, I’m ready.” He replied, giving Chris just as obvious a look, dragging his eyes back up and seeing the little twitched up eyebrow as Chris’s lips quirked.
“Whenever you’re ready gents, I’m going to start clicking, just keep up whatever that is.” Hayley called, and Sebastian bit his lip, looking up the small inch difference at Chris, who smiled back equally as slow and sure. The confidence on this guy was nothing like the goofy fun aura he’d had earlier, but modelling was a little like acting that way. Didn’t have to be the same person in front of the camera.
Sebastian reached up, tugging on the end of a piece of well groomed and gelled hair, brushing the blond tints at the end. “Dyed?” He asked, seeing the brown of the roots and beard. Chris nodded, rueful smile much more like what he’d been showing before. “Yeah, not sure how much it suited me but it worked well. Did a whole kinda patriotic thing, red white and blue no less. Fun but not my usual.” Sebastian wanted to see that shoot, and now please. Chris seemed the perfect choice for something like that anyway, while he got the party stuff, the darker, vampiric shit. Which for the record he did not mind at all- he was actually from Eastern Europe after all, it wasn’t far off.
Chris surprised him by running a hand down his arm and onto his waist, stepping a bit closer. “You think it suits me?”
Sebastian nodded, bringing his hand down to Chris’ shoulder- upstage, he wasn’t an amateur and he knew how not to cover the camera- humming. “I think it does. But so does this. You’ve got the shoulders for a suit.” He said casually, smiling a little smugly at how Chris’ fingers twitched on his side. “And I like this.” His fingers brushed over Chris’ jaw and the man stepped even closer, foreheads almost together when Sebastian let his eyes slip sideways, smiling demurely towards the camera as Chris looked at him, intent and focused. It was intoxicating to be the focus of that, and Hayley’s voice calling cut and clothes change was a little jarring.
“Well boys it certainly looks like we chose the right two for this.” She commented, flicking through the set with an appreciative tilt to her mouth, switching the white cloth for a black one and closing the curtains in so the light was from the cans only, darker and cosier and boy did it make Sebastian’s skin feel a little hot as he stripped to the waist. Ryan was touching up his lower lashes, sorting them out but all Sebastian could do was watch Chris over his artist’s shoulder, their eyes locked together and keeping that flame burning strong enough to get something good from it.
“Back to set, chop chop.” Ryan’s voice came from a distance and he floated to the seats that had been set up, just a little chaise with enough room for both of them. The first few photos were just Hayley taking advantage of how Chris was running his eyes over him hungrily and how Sebastian was absolutely 100% no point denying doing the same. But then, just as the other model’s hand reached up to catch his elbow, she was asking for them to be closer, sit closer, as if this is after, not before. After what? She didn’t even need to specify- sex, it was sex of course- before Chris was tugging at his waist and Sebastian lifted into his lap, tilting his head as he was pulled close and that bear brushed over the skin of his shoulder and up, up to his neck and ear and jaw, travelling over his cheek towards his lip before Hayley hummed and got him moving in the opposite direction, much to Sebastian’s disappointment. If he hadn’t been so aware of the camera he’d have been blindingly hard by now, and as it was the cut from the scene was going to be no fun at all.
Hayley gasped softly as Chris nuzzled into his cheekbone, and Sebastian flicked his eyes to her, and that was it. That was the shot she’d obviously wanted because she sighed afterwards, pulling away from the camera with a grin. “Perfect. Absolutely spot on, darlings, thanks. You two take, mm, just a moment longer and then you’re free to go.” She chuckled, and Sebastian didn’t have time to raise an eyebrow at the knowing tone as she ducked back down before Chris’ big warm hand pulled his face round and planted a firm kiss to his lips.
Click.
***
Two months later and Sebastian was standing, shivering outside some new hipster studio with the same rundown outside and bored looking kid on the front desk. He held his coffee closer to him, scarf high around his neck and hoped his makeup artist was nice enough to help him cover up the large red mark he’d forgotten about before it could be seen on camera. Normally he would have been more careful but, well…
“Hey you.” When you had Chris goddamn Evans in your bed it was hard to think about anything else.
“Hey. You’re late.”
“But I brought pizza for afterwards.” His boyfriend replied with a charming grin, and though Sebastian rolled his eyes he fell for it, like every time, leaning in for a lovely soft, slow kiss before leading the way inside for their latest shoot together since Hayley’s Gucci photos had come out and everyone had latched onto the newest power couple in modelling.
Sebastian seriously, seriously loved his job.