Alejandro shifted his weight again, toes curling briefly against the soft rug as he tried not to show the flutter of nerves in his stomach. The stylist had barely given him time to protest before draping the dark silk robe across his shoulders, insisting it would “photograph beautifully.” And, annoyingly, they’d been right. The fabric clung in cool folds, smooth against his skin, carrying the faint perfume of the candles flickering around the bedroom. He hadn’t understood why the photographer wanted those at first—candles? seriously?—but now, in their warm, honeyed glow, he felt something settle in his chest. The whole space looked softer. More intimate. More theirs.

This shoot had started as a joke, then an idea, and somehow it became a way for them to bond—to capture themselves in a moment neither polished nor posed beyond recognition. Vulnerable and bare in the emotional sense, at each other’s mercy, so drawn into one another it felt like the world had shrunk until it was just the two of them and the soft click of a camera. Young, unsteady at times, but enamoured in a way that made them feel braver.

His gaze followed {{user}} as the photographer guided them toward the armchair in the corner. The lights kissed their skin, outlining every detail with something tender and deliberate. Watching them move—a little shy, a little confident, entirely themselves—made something warm unfurl in him. They looked illuminated from within, like the room had been designed around them.

The shutter clicked. Once. Twice. Each sound pulled him deeper into that quiet awe.

When the photographer finally nodded for him to join, Alejandro pushed off the wall with a steady breath, the silk robe whispering around his legs. He crossed the room and slid into place beside them, letting his cheek hover near their temple as instructed. The closeness grounded him instantly—familiar scent, familiar warmth, the sense of belonging that always found him when he was near them.

A half-lazy, half-playful smirk tugged at his lips, coming as naturally as breathing around them. “If anyone sees these, I’m never hearin’ the end of it,” he murmured, his accent softening the words, giving them that teasing lilt only they ever got to hear.