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SUMMARY: A very handsome man who introduces himself as Leander approaches you asking to do your portraits for free. Will you agree?
About the content: fluff, sfw, modern au, Leander is a youtuber who clicks portraits of people he finds eye catching on the street and is down bad for you on first sight lol
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A smooth, rich voice, warm and velvety, jolts you from your daydream.Â
You lift your gaze, eyes tracing upward until they meet his.Â
Standing before you is a tall, handsome man with an effortless charm. His sea-green eyes sparkle with a hint of mischief as he gives you a gentle smile.
Too busy admiring the fine specimen of a man in front of you, you almost fail to notice the camera quietly recording the entire interaction.Â
An Influencer? Maybe a Youtuber ?
You raise a questioning eyebrow.
"Well, hi," he begins confidently, his tone smooth and unruffled. "I'm Leander."
"Oh," you reply, your voice flat.
He chuckles, a bit sheepish but undeterred by your curt response.Â
"I'm a street photographer," he says, gesturing to the camera slung over his shoulder. "I capture portraits of people."
He pauses, pulling out his phone and holding it out to you. "Here, this is my Instagram."
Your gaze drifts over his feedâphotos of people from all walks of life.Â
Some faces are unique and exotic, others classic and timeless, each image radiating its own quiet beauty.
"I see," but before you can say more, something catches your eye on his profile. Your gaze freezes on his follower count.
His following was in the lakhs. LAKHS!
"What do you want?" you reply, your voice sharper than you intended.
"Uh, well, you see, you caught my eye, and... youâre quite the sight for sore eyes, soâ" he begins, the practised charm evident in every word.
"Get to the point," you cut in, unamused.
Sure, he was easy on the eyes , but your stranger-danger senses were stronger than any pull of "pretty privilege" right now.
"Would you mind if I took a few photos of you?" he asks, a hint of hesitation in his smile as he gestures toward his camera.
The gesture, of courseânot him.
A hint of shyness and the blush spreading on his cheeks looks good on him.
You hum thoughtfully. âAre you going to post them?â
âYeah?â he replies, picking up on your unease.
Your eyes answer for you.Â
He chuckles, noticing that while your mouth remains silent, your expression says it all.
He clears his throat, pausing as he gathers his thoughts.
Usually, heâd offer a polite "it's alright" or "I understand" with a practised smile before moving on.Â
Heâs willing to make an exception for you though.
"I wonât post those pictures," he reassures.
How could he not have pictures of you?Â
Youâd caught his eye from across the street, and before he could consciously decide to approach you, his feet had already carried him over.
Hell, he would keep the pictures for himself.
It was better that wayâhe tells himself.
Yet, as this thought settles, the sudden wave of possessiveness surprises him.Â
Why did he feel this way about a stranger?
"Uhm," you say, nervously chewing on your bottom lip.
"It's okay if you donât want to. I understandâ" he replies, mentally sighing as he struggles to hide his reluctance to walk away from you.
"Itâs fine," you say, finally standing up. "But Iâm not really photogenic, so this might be a challenge." You let out a wry chuckle.
He grins, and for a moment, you swear he resembles a golden retriever.
"Oh, I love a good challenge," he replies smoothly.
Especially if the challenge is someone as pretty as you, he thinks to himself, knowing better than to voice that thought aloud for fear of creeping you out.
"Follow me," he says with an enthusiastic grin. "Letâs find a good spot for some great shots."
You trail behind him, eyes shifting subtly to the camera thatâs quietly recording.
"Is that... recording?" you ask, trying to keep your tone casual.
Leander catches on quickly. Though he may look laid-back, heâs far from oblivious.
"Yes, sorry for not mentioning it earlier," he says, as if reading your thoughts. "I post behind-the-scenes videos on Insta and YouTube, along with the final shots."
You hum thoughtfully. "I see."
"Do you want me to stop?" he offers, surprising even himself.Â
Normally, he wouldnât compromise. Those BTS videos were part of his success, boosting his follower count to a whopping 17.5 lakhs.Â
Yet here he was, making an exception for you. He wasnât ready to explore whyânot just yet.
"No, itâs fine," you say, with a shy yet friendly smile. "I guess thatâs part of the fun in all this," you add, gesturing vaguely between the camera and the two of you.
"Yeah, it is," Leander replies with a grin, pleased to see you comfortable enough to go along with something clearly outside your usual comfort zone.
He pauses by a striking tree draped in red blossoms that stand out against the vast, blue sky. "I just realisedâI never got your name.â
You give him your name, your eyes following his, towards the beautiful tree heâs been admiring.
You look back at him, only to catch him already staring at you intently.
His eyes are so deep and mesmerising that you could easily lose yourself in them.
Feeling heat rise to your face, you awkwardly redirect your gaze to the tree, not wanting your feelings to be too obvious.
Sensing his eyes still trained on you, you tease, "Click a picture; itâll last longer."
The comment catches him off guard, but then he bursts into laughter, clearly enjoying your sass.Â
âOh, I will,â he smirks. âNow, how about you pose for me under that tree?â He gestures toward the shade beneath the tree, where the grass is dotted with red flowers that have scattered down from the canopy above.
"How should Iâ" you ponder aloud as you approach the tree. "Is this okay?" You lean your back against the trunk, folding your arms in front of you, still feeling jittery and awkward.
Leander smiles, ever patient. "Of course," he replies, angling his camera at you. "Now, look somewhere else, as if youâre lost in thought."
You follow his instructions, grateful for his guidance in this moment.
He smiles as he looks down at the photos, whistling in appreciation.
Curiosity piqued, you take a few steps closer to see the pictures for yourself.
He hands you the camera, and you gasp in surprise.
Is that really you? Sure, youâve taken a few decent selfies and your friends have occasionally captured good angles, but these were just two quick shots, and he already has some stunning images. It all seemed so effortless.
"Wow, youâre quite the pro," you chuckle, a smile lighting up your eyes.
Thereâs a hint of mischief in the crinkle of your smile, which prompts a teasing grin from him as he admires you silently.
âPro?â he replies with mock disapproval. âYou make it easy.â
 You raise your hands, amusement dancing in your eyes. "Empty flattery doesnât work on me."
Leander raises an eyebrow, a playful smirk on his lips. âGood thing I never flatter emptyâjust like your beautiful smile.â
You scoff under your breath and blush, turning around and pretending to look anywhere but him.
"I'm not done with you yet," he murmurs.
You freeze as you feel his breath brushing against your neck, goosebumps erupting at the rich, velvety cadence of his voice, which has dropped a few octaves lower.
You summon the courage to turn and face him, but in the blink of an eye, heâs standing at a respectful distance.
"I need a few more photos," he says, turning to walk away and gesturing for you to follow. "This is the entertainment district; itâs hard not to find some eye-catching spots for a good shoot.â
You fall in line behind him, a few steps back.
A bit breathless from the sudden closeness, you wonder if what just happened was real or just a figment of your imagination.
Still, you pretend to be oblivious, not wanting to succumb to delusion, even though the air between you is thick with tension and unspoken desires.
The question catches you completely off guard. "Birds?" you ask, a little lost.
Leander grins, glancing over toward an old lady holding a bunch of brilliantly coloured parrotsâvivid blues, greens, reds, and yellows.Â
For a moment, you feel like you're back in high school with a hopeless hallway crush, drawn in by every small detailâthe subtle tilt of his head, the playful glint in his green eyes, the easy curl of his lips that you canât help but linger on. Then thereâs the scar, a faint line beginning on his cheek, running down his neck, peeking out from the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt and stretching all the way to his forearm.
"Hey, sweetheart?" He snaps his fingers lightly in front of your face, breaking your trance. "Am I losing you already?â
"Oh⌠uhâ" You stammer, muttering a curse under your breath as you quickly glance around, desperately avoiding his gaze.Â
"Yeah, sure, I guess," you say with a sheepish smile, pulling out your phone in a hasty attempt to look busy.
Leanderâs gaze drops to the screen, his eyebrows lifting in curiosityâuntil he spots the payment app open. His eyes widen, and he straightens up. "Waitâwhat exactly do you think youâre doing?â
"Well, someone has to pay the lady," you chuckle, flashing a smirk. "Sheâs not about to hand them over just because you flashed that pretty face and charming smile."
The bold flirtation slips out before you even realise it, leaving you just as surprised as Leander, whose eyebrows raise slightly, a grin spreading across his face.
"Donât worry your head about something so silly," he says with a wink.
You open your mouth to argue, but Leander leans in close, his voice dropping to a low murmur. âTrust me, will you?â The words are rich, almost velvety, and you canât ignore the delicious shiver that races down your spineâit has to be intentional.
âI invited you here, so this is on me. Just relax and look pretty,â he adds, leaning back with a playful smile. He takes your hand, his touch gentle, guiding you toward the woman with the birds.
You try to steady your breathing, eyes drifting over the way his black shirt perfectly moulds to his sculpted back.
âHow much?â he asks with a friendly grin.
âFive bucks,â the old lady replies, rising slowly with the careful movements of age. âTake as many pictures as you like.â She extends her hands, offering you the vibrant little birds resting on her fingers.
You stifle an "aww" as you gently take the birds, carefully placing two on your head and trying to balance them without letting them tumble.Â
But managing so many little ones at once is tricky.
Noticing your struggle, Leander steps in with a grin, placing one bird on your shoulder and positioning another on your index and middle fingers.
He steps back, adjusting his camera before bringing it up to his eye, his focus fully on you.
âReady? One⌠two⌠threeâŚâ
Without thinking, you shift into another pose, gazing softly at the bird perched on your finger. Leander, not missing a beat, snaps away.
The little bird on your shoulder ruffles its feathers, alerting you and gently you reach over and place a warm hand on it, adjusting it to a more comfortable spot.Â
You canât help as you lean in to place a light kiss on its tiny headâtheyâre just too cute to resist!
You chuckle, raising an eyebrow. "Having fun?"
"A lot," Leander smirks, his eyes never leaving the camera.
One by one, you hand the little birds back to the old lady, watching as she gently returns them to their perch. You notice there's no cage in sight, and a small sense of relief washes over you.
âTheyâre trained well,â Leander comments, as if reading your thoughts.
Itâs not the first time heâs done that, and it spooks you. With his sunny personality, itâs easy to forget how sharp his eyes can be.
âSo, where to next?â you ask, steering the conversation away .
He gestures down the road. âLetâs find a barâthe dim lighting makes for some stunning shots.â
And now here you are, leaning against the bar counter, trying to strike a casual pose.
You debate whether to keep a neutral expression or offer a smile.
âEasy⌠easy,â Leander soothes, as if sensing your nerves.
"Ah, sorry," you mutter under your breath.
"No, no," he reassures, his tone encouraging. "Take your time.â
"I donât know what to do with my face," you admit, a bit flustered.
Leander quickly clears his throat, pushing that thought aside, though the temptation lingers.
"Try looking to the right⌠avoid looking at the camera,â he suggests gently.
You nod, turning your head to the right.
Leander watches you in the dim light, noticing how the soft, golden glow highlights your features.
He adjusts the focus and takes a few shots.
âDo something with your hair,â he says softly, âlike youâre fixing itârun your hand through it.â
You follow his direction, hoping for a picture-worthy moment just as the camera shutter clicks again.
âPerfect,â he says with a satisfied smile, scrolling through the photos.
You chuckle. âI can already imagine the captionâ âThis was a particularly difficult one,â â you say dramatically, adding air quotes.
Leander bursts into genuine laughter, clearly amused at your humour.
âHonestly, I donât know who told you otherwise,â he says, raising a brow. âYou seem like a natural to me.â
âOr maybe youâre the natural,â you shoot back.
Leander smirks, his eyes gleaming with playful mischief.
âAt photography, I mean,â you quickly clarify, feeling a sudden need to explain yourself, as though heâd read a double meaning into your words.
âOnly at photography?â he murmurs with an intense gaze, lips curling into a devilish smirk.
You blink, caught off guard. âWhat?â You werenât oblivious to flirtations, but you didnât want to be delusional and get ahead of yourself.
âNothing,â Leander says, shaking his head with a slight smile as he checks his phone.Â
But the faint pink blush dusting his cheeks betrays himâhe was definitely flirting.Â
A surge of boldness sparks within you, and you wonder if you should indulge.
Maybe offer him your number, or even suggest a date...
âGuess itâs getting late,â his voice interrupts your thoughts, pulling you back to the present. âIâve probably kept you long enough,â he chuckles, a little sheepishly.
He turns off the camera that was live recording, signalling the end of your time together.
A slight panic flares upâyou werenât ready for this to end. âActually, I really enjoyed our time together,â you say, hoping he hears the sincerity in your voice.
âDid you?â he asks, grinning with a playful glint. âItâs okay, you can be honest.â
This was your chance. Now or NEVER!
You take a steadying breath. âNo, reallyâI wouldnât mind part two.â
âYeah,â you pause, letting the anticipation build, âmaybe⌠a date this time.â
Your words catch him completely off guard. After a beat of silence, nerves begin to creep in, and just as youâre about to laugh it off and backpedal, he speaks up.
âI thought youâd never ask,â he chuckles, a blush paints his cheeks again as he glances away, then back at you. âBold, arenât you?â he teases, mirth dancing in his eyes. âYou stole my move, but hey, Iâm not complaining.â
âSo⌠is that a yes?â you ask, grinning from ear to ear, your heart fluttering.
âOn one condition,â he replies, a teasing glint in his eyes, drawing out the moment.
You pause, brow furrowed. âOh? And whatâs that?â
He grins, holding out his phone. âYour number.â
You roll your eyes, playing along. âHow suave. What a gentleman.â
But you take his phone, entering your number.Â
âNo wonder you asked me out,â he chuckles, matching your sass.
âCareful,â you smirk, typing your name into his contacts. âDonât make me second-guess it.â
âWouldnât dream of it, sweetheart,â he teases, drawing out the nickname with a playful grin.
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A/N note: I hope you all enjoyed this! I was getting lazy to post this, this was written way back in September I think lol, sorry.
Constructive criticism is appreciated as I am still finding my writing style and experimenting.