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"Come on Phel, get out and show me" said Ezreal with a tinge of teasing in his voice.
"No way, I can't wear this, Ez. It's too..." the young man behind the curtain of the dressing room paused for a moment.
The way his voice faltered made him sound a bit insecure and Ezreal doubted Aphelios would even finish the sentence.
"What is it, Phel? You're afraid you'll be too sexy, is that it?"
The curtain rustled slightly and then the softest hint of a laugh came from the other side.
"Yeah right, it's probably that."
Aphelios' head made a shy appearance. Silently, he looked at his friend, his eyes quietly pleading for help.
"Come on, Phel, let me see!" jumping closer to his friend and prentending to force the curtain open to reveal Aphelios' outfit.
As usual, Ezreal was trying to lighten the mood and push his friend out of his comfort zone.
Today wasn’t just any shopping day : it was a mission. Earlier that morning, the band had learned they’d soon be attending a photoshoot for none other than GQ magazine. Yone had instructed them to prepare outfits worthy of the occasion, almost lectured them. Ezreal had suggested that he and Aphelios hit the shops together. At first, Aphelios was reluctant, insisting he already had plenty of clothes but none had passed Yone’s critical eye. And so, here they were: on the hunt for the perfect look.
Ezreal had already found his at the previous shop. He’d gone for a rock-and-roll kind of look: a statement coat studded with rhinestones and silver-plated shoulders, paired with classic black pants and —according to him— a "glamorous" silver chain that "swung just right" when he moved. Unfortunately, Aphelios hadn't found anything he deemed appropriate or cool enough. Ezreal couldn't say whether his friend was being very picky or quietly overwhelmed by the whole thing and using indecision to stall for time.
"Pheeeeel, come on" Ezreal pleaded, his voice bordering on a whine.
Finally, after a long pause and a sigh, the curtain slid open. Aphelios stepped out slowly, eyes fixed on the floor, like he wanted to vanish into it. The outfit was sleek, elegant without being flashy, and tailored so well it almost looked custom-made. The top, a suit jacket in shifting tones of green and blue, shimmered slightly under the store lights, its hues echoing the soft teal in Aphelios’ hair. The rest of the outfit was deep black and created a bold contrast that made the colors pop even more. It was sharp. Clean. It looked effortlessly cool, perfectly capturing Aphelios both as a person and an artist in Ezreal's eyes. Ezreal blinked, words failing him for a few seconds. Aphelios’s earlier hesitation hadn’t prepared him for this. The young blonde had never doubted his friend’s ability to look cool for a second, but he knew Aphelios wasn’t used to suits and such, so he expected him to look a bit awkward. That wasn’t even the case.
"Wow," he finally said, blinking again as if to confirm what he was seeing. "Okay, yeah, you're buying that."
"What?" Aphelios just stood there, as if he’d heard the most shocking news.
"You’re buying that. We’re buying that. Whatever. This is the outfit, Phel."
Aphelios looked at his reflection in the nearby mirror, tilting his head as if examining every angle, every detail of the outfit. After a long moment, he turned back to Ezreal.
"It feels like too much," he murmured.
Ezreal gave a light shrug. "Nah, I can already see the headlines: 'Aphelios, the quiet lyricist, finally reveals himself in a shockingly glamorous outfit.'"
Aphelios stared at him in disbelief before bursting out, "Oh my god, Ez. Did Alune put you up to this? You sounded exactly like her just now. I don’t know what’s worse, the use of the word glamorous to try and force me into buying that outfit or making up cringy headlines like that."
A flicker of malice made its way into Ezreal's eyes as he silently smirked.
"What is it now?" Aphelios asked, raising an eyebrow and doing his best to sound unimpressed, though a faint smile threatened to betray him.
Ezreal leaned in just slightly, lowering his voice into a whisper.
"Phel... Don't you wanna see... Sett's reaction?"
He paused deliberately, watching as a faint blush crept up Aphelios’ cheeks. The subtle warmth in his friend’s face only made Ezreal grin wider as he continued. "I swear, that fool would probably forget how to speak if he saw you all dressed up like this."
Ezreal’s eyes sparkled yet again with playfulness. "Imagine Sett, standing there all dumbfounded, trying to find words but failing miserably because you look so good he's got no idea how to handle it."
Aphelios bit his lip and then shook his head, though the smile tugging at his lips left no doubt about the joy this hypothetical scenario brought him. Yet, something seemed to be holding him back. He wasn't used to showing off like this. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the way he looked. He did but the outfit was way bolder than what he usually wore. It revealed more than he was used to with his chest partly exposed, the cut deliberate. His typical wardrobe leaned toward layered and complex clothing that enveloped him like a second skin. It usually gave him some protection, like a quiet shield between himself and the world. Stripped of the usual layers, he felt strangely unarmored. Not uncomfortable, exactly, but exposed in a way that was unfamiliar and he wasn't sure he wanted that... except maybe to see Sett's reaction? Maybe, just maybe, he wanted to see how Sett would react.
The young artist looked at himself in the mirror once more as he took a slow, steadying breath, finally owning his decision. "Alright. Let's do it. I'm buying the outfit."
"Come on, Kayn, I need your opinion on this one !" Sett called out, his loud voice echoing through the shop like he was announcing a national emergency.
Almost asleep and sprawled across a worn-out couch near the dressing rooms, Kayn let out a long, suffering groan in response. He dragged himself upright with exaggerated slowness, every movement dripping with overacted exhaustion, like his body weighed a ton of bricks. His arms hung heavy at his sides as he moved forward, making a show of how dramatically inconvenienced he was. He looked at Sett with deadpan indifference before letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Dude!! You're driving me mad!"
Kayn gestured vaguely at the outfit Sett was wearing. "I swear, this is like... outfit number seven, and it looks exactly like outfits one through six. Same vibe, same color, same Sett, what's the deal?"
Sett opened his mouth to protest but Kayn cut him off with a raised hand.
"No, no, no, I don't wanna hear it. Don’t even try to convince me this one’s different because the zipper’s a centimeter lower or whatever. You’ve dragged me through shop after shop for hours, and they’re all the same, man. I could’ve been napping."
Sett crossed his arms and started protesting:
"I changed the color of the tie at the top of the shirt ... it matches my hair... and uh, the material for the jacket it reflects the light a bit differently... Uh..." His voice trailed off, probably aware of how flimsy his argument sounded when expressed out loud.
"Am I just a joke to you?" Kayn muttered, collapsing dramatically back onto the couch. "I can't do this any longer." He paused once again dramatically. "I can see right through you man."
At those last words, Sett stiffened slightly. Suddenly standing a little taller, on edge, like he knew what Kayn was about to say.
"You're trying to impress Aphelios, is that it?"
Sett didn’t reply right away. For a second, it looked like he stopped breathing entirely. It looked like Kayn's words had suddenly hit different and that was all the confirmation the other needed.
"Just show up naked to that damn photoshoot, I'm sure Aphelios is uncomplicated like that." he continued teasing.
Sett whipped around in a violent turn, looking at Kayn like he meant to kill him. His jaw tensed, his hands clenched slightly at his sides.
"Dude just shut up." he almost growled, like he was barely holding back the urge to punch Kayn on the spot.
Kayn didn’t flinch, his grin widened, smug and unbothered. "Aww, our little beast-man is embarrassed."
Since Sett didn’t respond, Kayn felt the need to be a bit more encouraging towards his friend and dropped the teasing "Just relax, you're trying too hard is what I'm saying, it will be fine".
"I can’t just take it lightly, this photoshoot is important for everyone."
Kayn raised an eyebrow, watching him a bit more closely.
"Yeah, we know it’s important" he said "But you stressing over every tiny detail isn’t gonna make it easier. I mean, the color of your tie isn’t going to make or break it, just wear something you like and own it, that's the important part."
Sett pondered over Kayn's words for a minute before relaxing.
"You're right... I probably already have something at home Yone will approve of".
Kayn smirked. "See? Here’s the rational beast-man I know and tolerate."
It was finally the day. After what felt like an eternity in the car, the boys had arrived at the GQ studio for their long-awaited photoshoot. The air was thick with nerves.
Ezreal kept cracking jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood, while K'Santé did his best to hype everyone up but even their combined energy couldn’t mask the occasional moments of silence that were loud with expectations.
Now, standing together in the polished lobby of GQ, the tension was palpable. It was like if no one even dared to speak. The noise from outside faded and the boys were waiting for their fate, time standing still. Each of them stood quietly with their own thoughts, but Sett couldn't stop his eyes from drifting toward Aphelios. He kept glancing at him when he thought no one would notice. The redhead was trying of finding words to ease the mood. He wanted Aphelios's face to light up. He felt frustrated for not being able to find the right words when Aphelios had found words for all of them so many times.
Ezreal was the first to break the silence, clapping his hands together, purposely being loud to energize others.
"Alright, glam squad, do your worst!"
The mention of glamour made Aphelios roll his eyes though he couldn't hide the slight curve tugging at the corner of his lips. That subtle shift didn’t go unnoticed by Sett, whose attentive gaze had rarely strayed from him. Seeing Aphelios relax, even slightly, eased some of the tension from Sett’s own expression. K’Santé bumped fists with Ezreal and added:
"We've got this, boys!"
At that same moment, an assistant appeared and greeted them with a practiced smile, asking them to follow her through a bright hallway lined with framed magazine covers towards the styling room. The group began moving forward towards the hallway. Aphelios lingered a moment longer than the others, like he was hesitating - not quite ready to cross that threshold. Sett turned back, feeling like it was his moment to offer some words of encouragement to his friend.
"You nervous, Phel?" Sett's own fingers absently fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves. His chest tightened at the sight of Aphelios standing there alone, guarded and tense in a way that somehow made him even more beautiful to Sett's eyes.
Aphelios let out a soft breath, he looked like he was not sure what to answer. "A bit, I think."
"I’m used to silence" Aphelios continued after a beat, his voice barely above a whisper. "To shadows. You know me... Writing at night, staying behind the scenes... My words get sung by other people and I'm fine with it mostly. I don’t usually have to be this... visible." Aphelios wasn't sure if he meant visible or vulnerable. He wasn't sure exactly what scared him. Was it the pressure of the band, the watchful eyes of the industry, the posible scrutiny of photographers? Or was it just the weight of Sett seeing him like this and what he would think?
"I mean, maybe the lyric boy doesn’t have any business being on the cover of a magazine" he added with a dimmed smile.
"Phel, why would you even think that?" Sett asked, his tone sharper, visibly concerned as if Aphelios' words had just hit him hard. He stepped a little closer, no longer trying to keep distance.
Sett paused as he was studying Aphelios' face, his heart pounding in his chest. He wanted to say the perfect thing to him. There were so many things he wanted to say : compliments, reassurances, whole poems' worth of praise and admiration that threatened to spill out all at oncethat were threatening to spill out of him unfiltered and clumsy. He was holding back as he knew that Aphelios would be sensitive to the right words and he didn't just want to go and say everything and anything on his mind. He wanted to find the words to make him feel comfortable being seen.
"Heartsteel's lucky to have you. Heck, you're the reason we're here today, Phel, I'm sure." Sett began, his voice gentler.
"But we can't just hide you to the rest of the world. That wouldn’t be fair. You’ve got this quiet kind of presence that… I don’t know, people are lucky just to be around. Whoever’s in that room during the shoot? They’re gonna be blessed. That’s for sure.
I mean I'm sure you're going to make us all look underdressed! Ezreal has been talking about how he found you the perfect outfit for days now. I can hardly wait to see you myself but I have no doubt about it Phel, you're gonna be the one shining the brighest in that room."
There he was, he hadn't been able to hold back that much. He was hoping the red burning his cheeks would go unnoticed as he let out a small chuckle. The words poured out of his mouth even faster.
"I mean, if you're having second thoughts, don't force yourself... but uh... I'm sure you'll be just fine. More than fine. Just don't joke with not having any business being one of the faces of Heartsteel. Don’t joke about that like it’s even remotely true. Like, half of what we perform, we’re just borrowing your voice and pretending it’s ours! You put your whole heart into this music, and it shows, Phel. Every single word, every note, it’s yours before it’s anyone else’s. Maybe you’re not the loudest in the room, but that doesn’t mean people don’t see you. They do. I do! And I just think... if the world gets even a glimpse of what I see? They’re gonna fall head over heels."
There was a long, heavy pause that felt like an eternity to Sett's panicking beating heart, before Aphelios finally replied.
"Thank you Sett." It was hard for Aphelios to phrase a proper response but Sett's cute babbling had given him the strenght he needed to head into that photoshoot with confidence.
Sett's heart was threatening to burst, he felt like he had just confessed and Aphelios' answer was a thank you. Still, it didn't matter. His babbling, as awkward as it had felt, had worked. It had reached him. What mattered was that Aphelios did the photoshoot with all of them. The two of them moved together to catch up with the rest of the group, Sett resisting the urge to reach for Aphelios' hand and silently praying that maybe one day, Aphelios would reach for him.