Chapter Text
New York Fashion Week, September 2007
From the outside, the building was ordinary. Red bricks, three floors, some big windows. Eiji lifted his head with a little smile, welcoming the pleasant heat of this bright summer day.
“Ready to go inside?” Ibe asked warmly, his hand coming to rest for a moment on the boy’s shoulder.
“Yes,” Eiji simply responded, but his tone was sparkling with excitement.
“It’s a big moment for you and for me,” Ibe reminded. “Dino Golzine may be new in the fashion industry but he is turning this world upside down with these two boys. I can’t wait to see them today on the catwalk.”
“Me too. Thank you for taking me under your wing, Ibe-san. I will do my best not to disappoint you,” Eiji promised as they entered in the impressive hall. The inside was white, bright and renovated. They could smell the scent of fresh paint in the air. A woman dressed in a black silky dress with a high strict bun gave them each a black and white paper with the detailed show program.
“For which magazine do you work?” she asked solemnly. Ibe quickly handed her his press card. “Fudge, madam. And this is my new assistant, Eiji Okumura. It’s an honor to be invited at the New York Fashion Week this year.”
“It’s going to be something we will never forget…” she said dreamily. “I’ve seen a glimpse of the rehearsal… They are mesmerizing.”
It was useless to name them. Everybody was talking about them for several months now. In the fashion world and outside of it. Men and women were head over heels about them. Everyone was curious about these mysterious and unknown young boys. Dino Golzine had the greatest idea to make them walk down the catwalk side by side. And they weren’t like these other lifeless models… They were like the fire and the water entwined. A silent battle between hot sharpness and cold slickness. And sometimes, it was the other way around: cold sharpness was defying hot slickness. At such a young age, they knew exactly how to play with the audience. And it was pretty disturbing. But it was also that aspect that the public loved. They seemed to share a dark secret, a strange knowledge of the human kind. Their eyes were telling a long story, a truth that no one was ready to hear…
0 ~ 0 ~ 0
“And now welcome the new autumn and winter collection of the year designed by Ralph Lauren,” a man voice announced which sounded more like a robot than a human.
The tall walls were perfectly white, except from the wall connected to the backstage which was pitch black. The catwalk, made of glass, was also black. Sitting at the end of the catwalk, Ibe and Eiji were ready to shoot. The young Japanese steadied his breathing and took plenty of pictures of all the beautiful men models, dressed elegantly in black and white costumes. Some of them stood out in a poppy red outfit.
“That’s classic Ralph Lauren,” Ibe whispered excitedly.
“I love his style very much,” Eiji responded without stopping to capture every moment. But he knew the best was to come. Dino Golzine’s collection was kept for the very end of the show. He felt his heart suddenly racing like crazy when his name was announced. Electric whispers were rising as the lights dropped slowly. A second later, darkness and heavy silence fell on the audience. Everyone was holding their breath.
And then, here they were.
Walking slowly, following the hauntingly soundtrack of the film The Whale.
Only two boys.
Only two stunning outfits to close the entire show.
Only two stylish kimonos to represent the Golzine house.
One displayed a painfully red color, as strong as fresh blood, with big white peonies. Yut-Lung Lee was wearing it beautifully, his feminine side emphasized. His long black hair was tied in a delicate braid and his make-up was inspired by the geisha’s: skin covered by white rice powder and a touch of red on his lips and eyelids. His black eyes shined powerfully as the lights went slowly up, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
“Dear Lord…” Ibe mumbled for himself, his camera temporally forgotten in his hands.
The other kimono was simpler and more masculine, grey like silver with little swallows flying at the bottom of the silky fabric. Eiji’s mouth fell open when his eyes met his. Direct. Intense. Cold. A long shiver was shaking him to his core.
“Eiji, the pictures…” Ibe whispered, while nudging lightly his side with his elbow.
Ash Lynx seemed to dove into his soul and strangled his throat. Eiji couldn’t move, blink or breathe like a poor deer already in his claws. His gaze was dangerous, his green eyes so beautiful and tormented, circled by a grey and glittery outline. The young Japanese realized that it was shiny because a string of little diamonds was glued along the outline of his eyes.
“H…holy shit. Ash is so hot,” a young woman stuttered next to Eiji.
Ash Lynx wasn’t smiling at all. He seemed even on the verge of shattering in million pieces of sharp shards, ready to be spread in the audience. As the music became suddenly loud and powerful, the strings kicking in dramatically, Ash and Yut-Lung faced each other, forehead against forehead, Ash’s hands gripping violently Yut-Lung’s shoulders. Ash was panting with rage while Yut-Lung was defying him with a seductive smile.
In complete awe, Eiji couldn’t stop looking, even if he felt like he was seeing something real, raw and private. When big fans started to blow from different places in their direction, the room plunged in the dark again except from the exact spot where the models stood, the audience gasped loudly as the show reached his pick. Their kimonos were special in a way that a lot of pieces of tissue were floating freely in the air, revealing a shocking amount of pale skin. Eiji was transfixed by this vision, weirdly beautiful and disturbing and he wasn’t alone. Tons of applause and whistles filled the space for several minutes.
“Their stage presence is insane!” a man told to Ibe with a press card hanging from his neck.
“Right?” the Japanese responded while taking his last photos. Feeling guilty, Eiji made the effort to take some pictures too.
“I want to meet them,” the man said, determined.
“Then we are two,” Ibe explained.
“I’m Max Lobo by the way. I’m a freelance journalist.”
“Ibe Shunichi from Fudge magazine and this is my assistant Eiji Okumura.”
Dino Golzine finally appeared in a black costume with a smug look on his face from the backstage. Ash and Yut-Lung moved slowly aside and let the old man settle between them and place his large hands behind their necks.
“So, we have to approach Dino Golzine. He’s created this collection and he also has tied these boys with an exclusive model contract.” Max said...