"Ugh… I want a cigarette."

"Suck it up." Edan chided. "Your agent is right about that one."

Emmett sighed into the phone. Tiffany had made him leave the carton behind so he couldn't be tempted, though she couldn’t stop him from slipping into one of the many corner stores along the way if he got too desperate.

Go-sees. Client meetings. His least favorite thing. It was hard to make the right impression when you weren't the average butch male.

"Ok, so I won't smell like ashes. Hasn't really made them like me more before."

"Do you take this attitude in with you every time?"

Emmett pulled a face even though he knew it couldn't be seen. "I don't need this from you."

"You don't want it. Doesn’t mean you don’t need it."

Emmett bit his tongue against some comebacks. The people on the street might not appreciate hearing the comments. “Fine, fine. But really, it’s not as if I’m any good at being charming...”

“I find you plenty charming.”

“...With people that I’m not trying to fuck.”

“There’s no reason you can’t apply a pared down version of your flirting to any of your other interactions. Just act interested and give them your 'fuck me' smile. It'll definitely still work on them even if they don't know what it actually means."

"My only smile is my 'fuck me' smile."

"Then be careful you don't overuse that power."

"I've got your mark to remind me who I belong to."

Emmett thought he heard a sound of embarrassment on the other side of the line. He laughed. "Thanks for the pep talk Edan. Even though I've been at this for a few years it still feels like a coin flip decides if I make it in."

"It's no problem Doll. You just have to keep pushing. Once you get a few designers who want you for everything you'll be set."

Whenever that happens.

"I'm at the first spot. I'll give it a try. Talk to you later."

"Yeah, later."

A click as the line disconnected. Unsatisfying. But what was he hoping for? Two nights of sex followed by two nights of pining; no one would jump to 'I love you's that soon. It wasn't as if he'd had the courage to say it himself.

It just would have been nice to hear it for the first time.

He blew out a sigh, shook out his hands. Don't carry it into the studio. He took another deep breath as he walked through the door.

Emmett knew the place from a couple years back when they'd booked him for a runway. He hadn't gotten any more jobs from them since. It was time to remind them that he existed.

There was only one person speaking with the designers ahead of him so it was a short wait. It didn't keep his heart from pounding anxiously in the meantime.

When they called him over it was handshakes and pleasantries before Emmett handed over his portfolio. More standard questions as they flipped through. Emmett tried to keep his attention on the former but he already knew Edan's picture was in there. He’d wanted to keep every photo of the pair of them that had been sent to Tiffany but he didn’t want to explain to her how desperate he was.

"Did you hear me?"

Damn it. "No, I'm sorry. What was that?"

"We'd like you to try on some things, show us your walk."

"No problem." Belatedly Emmett remembered to smile. Hopefully it didn't look as forced as it felt.

Emmett didn't have much memory of the rest of the interaction. They put him in clothes from their new line, he stalked back and forth across their floor. He heard the comments that weren't really meant for him.

"He doesn't really suit summer, maybe for fall."

"Winter, if anything."

Well, there went that job.

Emmett stared miserably into the floor length mirrors as they peeled their precious clothes off of him. Why was it this so often?

He caught a glimpse of the bite on his arm, purple and bruised now. Be charming was what Edan had said, right? And use the smile that said 'you know you want me.' Would that really make a difference at this point?

Or should he be looking down on everyone like that man had said? Emmett wished he hadn't remembered him. The encounter still made his skin crawl.

He went with the smile, practicing it in the mirror as he slipped his own clothes back on. He delivered it to the designers as he retrieved his portfolio. Was that hesitation in their eyes now; reconsideration? He wouldn't let himself wonder too long.

"Thank you for your time today." He took his leave of the building and made his way towards the next location.

--

"Guess who booked a photoshoot?"

Tiffany's voice. Emmett had been dozing on one of the benches on the backside of the agency between drags on a well earned cigarette. Six meetings in one day. He was mentally exhausted.

"Ack. Really, Emmett? You dropped ashes on your clothes!"

"Fuck, stop." He complained when she reached down to bat away the soot none too gently. He sat up, taking care of the mess himself. "What were you saying?" He peered up at her through ragged bangs.

"I got a call back from one of your go-sees. They want you for a shoot the day after tomorrow." Tiffany's voice was full of glee as she handed him the designer's business card with an address and time scrawled in her own curling script.

If wasn't the first place he had stopped at, or the second for that matter. Really, his odds had ended up no better than usual but… it felt good that he would have something to do. Even if it didn't compare…

"I hope it goes well for you. They're a pretty big name."

They weren't. Not really. But Emmett appreciated the attempt. "Thank you. I'll try to do us proud."