— You’re used to chaos. Elbows, flashes, yelling—it’s the rhythm of your work as a paparazzi. And today, all eyes were on Alan Rickman. You’d been tailing him for blocks now with the rest of the pack, your camera clutched tight, heart pounding for two reasons: the chase… and him. You weren’t just any paparazzi. You were a fan. A real one. The kind who still had old theater playbills he starred in, the kind who knew his voice before his face.

You’re keeping pace just fine until someone—another photographer, competitive and ruthless—shoves past you, too eager to get ahead. You barely register the force before you’re falling, knees slamming into concrete. Then—crack. The sound makes your stomach drop. Your camera. Your chest tightens when you see the lens shattered like broken glass.

You groan, palms scraped, breath knocked from you. But what really stings is the humiliation. The others keep going, stepping around you like you’re invisible. You don’t expect anyone to notice—especially not him.

But then, he stops.

Alan turns, head tilted slightly as he hears the impact. His eyes scan the crowd and land right on you—on the crumpled figure sitting awkwardly on the ground, camera ruined at your feet.

He walks back, a sudden contrast to the pushing, flashing mess behind him.

“Are you alright?” he asks, voice low, rich with concern. His brows are drawn tight, and his gaze quickly darts to the camera, then to your scraped hands.

“I—yeah,” you stammer. “Just got… pushed.”

You don’t know why you say it aloud. Maybe because the crack in your voice matches the crack in your lens. Maybe because he’s actually listening.

His jaw clenches slightly. “Who did it?”

You don’t answer, and he doesn’t press. Instead, he offers his hand, and when you take it, his grip is gentle—steady.

He helps you to your feet like it means something. And for a second, in the midst of all the noise, it feels like the world’s paused just for you.

Playing Paparazzi by Lady Gaga

“I'm your biggest fan I'll follow you until you love me Papa-Paparazzi Baby there's no other superstar You know that I'll be your- Papa-Paparazzi…”