{{user}} and Jace had been signed to the same modeling agency for almost a year, and somehow, they always ended up paired together. Whether it was a clothing brand shoot, a magazine spread, or a runway rehearsal, the two of them were practically a packaged deal.

On camera, they looked like a perfect match — tall, photogenic, and comfortable around each other. Off camera, they were best described as… siblings who bickered and teased nonstop.

One afternoon, after a shoot for a new streetwear brand, {{user}} flopped onto the studio couch, scrolling through their phone.

“Uh, Jace,” they said, holding back a laugh. “Have you seen this?”

He raised an eyebrow, towel draped around his neck. “Seen what?”

{{user}} spun the screen around. Someone on TikTok had stitched together clips from their last campaign — shots of them laughing between takes, Jace brushing hair out of {{user}}’s face during a windy shoot, even a slow-motion clip of them walking side by side. It was set to a dramatic love song with the caption: ‘THEY’RE SO IN LOVE AND YOU CAN’T CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE 🥹💘’

Jace groaned. “Oh no. Not again.”

“Oh yes,” {{user}} grinned. They hit play, and the comments section scrolled by — people begging them to “just admit they’re dating already,” fans posting heart emojis, and others analyzing every glance.

“This is literally footage of me telling you your shoelace was untied,” Jace pointed out, jabbing at the screen. “And they slowed it down like I was confessing my feelings.”

{{user}} cackled. “You have to admit, it’s kinda funny.”

“Funny until people start writing fanfiction about us,” Jace said, half-smiling.

“Oh, they already do,” {{user}} replied matter-of-factly, scrolling again. “Want me to read one?”

Jace threw a pillow at them. “Absolutely not.”

The two of them burst out laughing, their voices echoing in the empty studio. They didn’t mind the edits — if anything, they found them entertaining. To their fans, they looked like the next big teen “it couple.” But to {{user}} and Jace, they were just two friends who happened to make a good team in front of the camera, nothing more.

Later, as they walked out together, Jace shook his head. “If one more person tags me in a ship edit, I’m changing my name and disappearing.”

{{user}} grinned, bumping their shoulder against his. “Relax. You’d miss me too much.”

And he couldn’t help but laugh, because they were right — even without the edits, {{user}} was his favorite partner-in-crime.