unmade_kamig (unmade_kamig) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2017-01-27 15:19:00 |
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Ash had to give it to Kami: she really wasn’t kidding when she wasn’t going to put him in anything ridiculous. In fact, she’d gone all out and found him a suit that wouldn’t have looked out of place on David Beckham. And when Ash looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t believe how debonair he looked. “Wow,” he remarked. He wasn’t a vain man, but the change was so dramatic he couldn’t stop looking at it. “This one’s pretty amazing.” *** After Ash had agreed to model for her show, Kami had spent a long time trying to decide what to put him in. She had certainly toyed with some rather outrageous ideas of what to put him in - including a rather hideous looking goth outfit that a designer had try to sell her on. Then she had seen the suit and knew it was a better choice. Mostly because she doubted that Ash would expect it - that and every girl in the audience would melt into a puddle and would be more susceptible to spending additional funds which was important. So standing back and looking at him, Kami’s own feminine sensibilities went a little wild. It definitely made her think that she maybe had more than a wee crush on him. He looked absolutely delicious and some days she loved him more than Simon and some days Simon won the battle and on others, memories of Jared did. Right now, at this moment, she wanted to go over to Ash and wrap her arms around him and kiss him until neither of them could breathe. That wouldn’t be fair to either her or Ash or more importantly Simon and Katniss. So she shoved her desire back into its box. “It’s perfect,” Kami agreed with a grin. “You, not so much, but the suit is quite stunning.” Hopefully the teasing answer would further knock back her own desire. One could always hope. *** They no longer had the door open between their minds, but there was something just then that made Ash pause and look at her, remembering the time when he'd had such a huge crush on her that he'd been willing to defy the man who's shaped him into becoming the person he was. He smiled at her, that perfect Disney smile, and reached out to hug her. “It's a good find,” he said. “If the rest of your models get anything this nice, your designers aren't going to lack work.” *** Even though Kami didn’t think it was a good idea to hug Ash, but at the moment she wasn’t able to refuse him. So she responded by wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tight. “I think a lot of the things are quite amazing,” Kami agreed, stepping back out of the hug and her arms wrapping around her own waist defensively. Or maybe it was to stop her from continuing the inclination to hug him further. Because she really wanted to hug him. She wanted it so badly that she knew there was a line that she was close to crossing. “I am hoping that the designers don’t regret doing this,” Kami continued. “Because they should get stuff out of it. I hope the models don’t either.” She stopped and bit her lower lip, suddenly nervous. “You don’t mind do you? Truly?” *** “Like I could deny you anything,” Ash said wryly. She could've put him in a ridiculous goth outfit and Ash still would've done it: Kami had a way of bending people to her will. Ash had been swept up by it the moment he'd met her, and by the time he'd realized what was happening, it'd been too late, and he'd been smitten. But that kind of drive was exhausting, and he was glad he'd found Katniss. Kami would've driven him to the ground within months. “I just hope I strut properly out there.” Because he'd be doing a disservice to this suit if he didn't. *** Something about this moment combined with all the stress she had been placing on herself to get things done and be perfect made Kami especially vulnerable at the moment. She constantly lived on pins and needles that someone would refuse to do what needed to be done at this point and she would be left without a solution to a problem. “I am sure that you could,” Kami commented, refuting his belief that she was undeniable. “Besides the fact that I should learn not to demand too much of people.” Coming further in, Kami sat, or one could say more like slumped, down on the stool in the corner and leaned her head against the wall. For once she did not look like the unstoppable Kami Glass. She looked tired and vulnerable - a far cry from her energetic self. “I swear I am going to sleep for a week after this is over.” It was more of a comment to herself than anything else. Leaning there, she closed her eyes and muttered again, “I need to find someone else to train with. I think that would help.” *** Seeing her weariness, Ash stepped over to pat her on the shoulder. It seemed strange to see the indomitable Kami Glass so shrunken and small. But if she was doing training at the same time she was putting on this show... “What are you training on?” *** “Combat techniques - mostly hand to hand,” Kami said. “It’s been a good release, a good outlet for … things.” Kami stopped and rubbed her hand up and down her arm at this point, which she knew that Ash may understand. It was where she had damaged herself the most in her depths of depression. Focusing on a different outlet with her body had made all the difference in how much she needed to relieve the mental pressure through blood. “But with Rose gone, I haven’t found anyone tle help me out. I need to find something…” Kami stopped and looked up at Ash, lost in his handsomeness for a moment. Shaking herself mentally, Kami said, “Did you want to do a practice walk down the runway? To make sure you know how to strut yourself and display the suit?” She offered a smile to him, hoping to be more like herself. *** Ash’s gaze followed hers, but he didn’t quite understand the significance of it. Self-harm had never been on his radar. Harming others, sure - but neither of his parents had been in a place where they’d had to find a way to relieve that kind of pressure in that way. “There are other people who are willing to help out, I’m sure,” Ash said. “You can’t throw a stone without hitting someone who was some kind of warrior back home.” Sensing that Kami didn’t want to continue, however, he let it go. “I’ll give it a try, but go easy on me, okay? I’ve never done this before.” *** “It’s all about being confident and owning the suit,” Kami pointed out, leaning Ash to the runway. There were several people around, but for the most part it was quiet. The entire cast would be here in about 45 minutes for the official rehearsal, but Kami had let people know she would be here if they needed a warm up time before the rehearsal. Standing on the end of the runway, Kami looked at Ash. “You just walk down, turn, pose and then back. It’s not slow, it’s purposeful. People are going to be watching, but you look at the ends each way. No need for eye contact with the audience or anything. Remember it will be dark around them so they’ll be hard to see anyway.” Being in the presence of where it was all going to happen brought a real smile to Kami’s face. It was amazing to see what she had accomplished. “Do you want to try?” *** “Uh huh,” Ash said dubiously, but he stepped up onto the catwalk anyway. From his vantage point, the runway was long and empty. It was already intimidating as it was, and he couldn’t imagine what it would be like with the bright lights on and cameras flashing and people filling up the seats. He took a deep breath and made his way down the aisle. Of course the heir of Aurimere, the son of Robert and Lillian Lynburn, would have a fantastic walk. He had a very proper, graceful walk already, and striding down the catwalk with purpose gave him a look of power and elan he didn’t usually bring out. *** If she hadn’t been in lust with him before, she definitely was now. Dear Lord above. The few workers, setting out chairs and sweeping spaces, stopped to watch too. It didn’t seem to matter if they were male or female - all eyes were on Ash for those few minutes. Shaking herself mentally, Kami called out, “Make sure you stop at the end, turn left and right. You want to give them a moment to consider the suit. In fact,...” Kami was sparked by an idea and got up off her seat to move to the end of the runway - nearer to Ash. “Stop here and unbutton the jacket and put a hand in the trouser pocket. Since the inside has that interesting pattern, it would be good to show it off.” *** Ash obeyed, giving a look so haughty he'd looked right at home in Milan. And then came the slow unbuttoning of the jacket and then loosely confident slide of hand into pocket. There was a clatter as one of the girls dropped her broom and pretended to swoon. That got Ash breaking character, and he looked to Kami for her approval. “That work for you?” *** Turning to give the girl a rather pointed glare, Kami looked back at Ash and said, “Yes. Now we should probably get you out of that suit before you end up with a pile of wet panties at your feet.” She shook her head at him in a measure of annoyance. Yes, she could lust after him, but in the end, he was just a friend. Someone who knew far too much about what rattled around in her mind. “We don’t want you to wear out your power before you get to actually sell something,” Kami said, pointing back toward the dressing room and turning and glaring once more at the random workers. “Hopefully you’ll bring Katniss to the show for the benefit of staring at you alone. Hmm - maybe I should make sure to invite her. If only to protect your virtue” She squinted at him. “You do still have that, don’t you?” *** That stopped him dead in his tracks. “Kami, you cannot ask that,” he asked scandalized. Although he'd grown up in America, he still had very British sensibilities. “I'm going to take this off now,” he informed her with great dignity, and then promptly ruined it by closing his eyes with mortification when he realized how that could sound. “I mean I'm going to change.” *** |