Mann, 32, südlich von München, der sehr an Bondage, Gags, Gear ... interessiert ist. Bevorzuge lieber die Softe-Richtung! Switcher
Immer an einem netten Chat interessiert. Also zögere nicht, mich anzuschreiben :)
If you see anything you'd like me to remove, don't hesitate contacting me! I do not own any of these unless stated otherwise.
Summary: Nick Nelson is a well-known photographer who is tasked with providing headshots for Charlie, a young man who wants to break into modeling. Charlie comes in fairly often, though, insisting he’s not getting that much work. Although Nick is trying to act professionally, he finds himself developing intimate feelings for his client. What happens when the truth finally comes out?
Format: Short Story
Word Count: 4.4k
Genre: Alternate Universe; Fluff; Romance
Additional Tags/Warnings: you only ever “see” Nick and Charlie; other characters are just mentioned; one character makes an appearance over the phone; Nick’s POV is predominant; everyone is aged up; “love at first sight”; some of your favorite moments are included and reworked a little; apologies for any inaccuracies involving photography and modeling
Author’s Note: This is a first for me – writing for a ship that DOESN’T involve Reader! 😲 I was thinking about saving this for when the Heartstopper movie comes out, but 1.) I’ll be working on something else during that time (stay tuned for more info on that!), and 2.) this could be something to get people excited again and tide them over until the finale drops in July. I hope I did a good job!
P.S. I DO NOT OWN HEARTSTOPPER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!!!
The young boy giggled and smiled brightly as the flash went off. The boy’s mom and dad smiled their own smiles, with mom holding him tightly in her lap.
Nick gave a big thumbs up. “I think we got it!”
“Great!” the mom said, turning her son around to give him a smooch on the cheek. “You did such a good job, darling!”
After going over which of the dozen photos they wanted, Nick walked the happy family to the door. “Now remember,” he said, “it’ll take at least a week to receive the final photos. I’ll email them to you and take the rest of my payment once I know you’re satisfied with everything.”
The dad assured him, “I’m sure we will be. Thank you so much.” He gave Nick a firm handshake. Mom came up next, son on her hip, to offer her own handshake and thanks.
“Can I get a high five, little man?” Nick asked sweetly, holding up his hand for the boy. He enthusiastically gave it to Nick. “Woah! Awesome! Thank you!” He then opened the door and waved at another set of happy customers.
Nick Nelson had been in the photography business for ten years and worked with a number of people - couples, families, businesses, local politicians, up-and-coming artists, independent authors, actors in theatre and film, and simple, everyday people. Whether it was for a job interview, a website, to surprise their partner, or to add to the family photo album, Nick treated each session with professionalism and positivity. Such a sterling reputation made him one of the best photographers in the city.
While Nick went over the photos from his latest session to start editing, the phone rang. He answered, “’Photos by Nick.’ This is Nick. How can I help you?”
“Hi,” a young man’s voice greeted him. “Um, I got your number from a friend of mine. Elle Argent?”
Nick perked up at the name. Elle Argent was a transgender artist from the area who blew up a couple years back. Every now and then, she’d come to Nick for photos involving her and her artwork for her website.
“Yeah, I know Elle! What are you looking for exactly?”
“Well, um, I would like to get some headshots done. I looked you up and saw that you’re having a buy one, get one deal.”
“Yes. It ends this Sunday.”
“Okay. So, are there any available times between now and then?”
Nick took a moment to look through his planner. His eyes quickly landed on a spot that he had previously written in but had to erase. “I actually had someone cancel on Saturday at 11am. Does that work for you?”
“Sure!” the voice answered quickly.
Nick smiled, grabbing a pencil to write out the stranger’s information. He took down the phone number and email address, and was about to hang up but stopped when he remembered the most crucial piece of information.
“Oh, wait! What’s your name?”
“Charlie. Charlie Spring.”
“Alright, Charlie Spring. See you Saturday!”
“It’s a date!” Charlie said, only to quickly yell into the phone, “I mean, not a date date! Obviously! It’s not a date… like that. It’s just… it’s… an appointment!”
Nick chuckled softly. “Of course. See you for your appointment, Charlie.”
As soon as he hung up, Nick did a double take. He normally wouldn’t call a client by their first name until he got to know them better. However, talking with Charlie seemed so natural that it just slipped out. Plus, Nick felt that calling Charlie by his first name might loosen him up a bit. He sounded nervous… and cute.
Nick shook his head in disbelief. He barely knew Charlie! He couldn’t be thinking things like that! Besides, Charlie was about to be a client. Thinking those kinds of thoughts would be totally unprofessional. Nick forced the interaction out of his mind for the time being and busied himself with editing.
Saturday snuck up on Nick. He was just setting up his area like any other appointment when he heard the bell over his door go off. “Hello?” he heard a male’s voice call out.
Nick set his stool in place, turned around, put on his best smile, and said, “Hi! Welcome to ‘Photos by Nick.’ I’m Nick.”
Correction – he attempted to say that.
What he actually said was, “Hi…”
Once his eyes landed on the man, the rest of his words flew out of his head.
This man was pretty. Beautiful, actually. He had curly, deep black hair. His eyes turned a stunning shade of blue in a certain light. And his jawline…
“Hi,” his shy voice brought Nick back to reality. “I’m Charlie. I’m here for headshots?”
Nick blinked. This was Charlie? No wonder he wants to get into modeling, he thought.
He quickly straightened up and said, “Hi! Sorry! Sorry, I was… Sorry. I’m Nick.”
He dared to stick his hand out, and Charlie accepted it with the hand that wasn’t holding onto his backpack strap. Nick didn’t know if it was real or his imagination, but he could’ve sworn that he felt sparks when holding Charlie’s hand. However, just as quickly as they came together, they let go.
It was time to be professional.
Nick tried to get himself back on track. “Headshots. Right. The two-for-one deal.”
“Yes. I was thinking just two. One a bit serious. The other, more casual.” As he spoke, Charlie set his backpack down and dug through it. He pulled out a plain white shirt and a black suit jacket. “I was thinking this for the serious one.” Nick nodded thoughtfully, and Charlie took that as permission to go back and pull out a red jumper. “And this one could be for the casual one.”
“Sounds good to me,” Nick agreed. “It’s probably best if we go in order. Start off serious, then have some fun. There’s a bathroom around the corner if you want some privacy to get changed.” Charlie let out an “okay” and scurried off to the bathroom.
It was kind of adorable.
A few minutes later, Charlie came out in the shirt and jacket. God, he looked straight out of a magazine shoot. This was going to be one of the easiest sessions Nick ever did. He gestured for Charlie to sit on the stool in front of the blue backdrop (a color that Nick was glad he chose because it helped bring out his eyes).
Once Charlie got situated, his hands placed gracefully in his lap, he looked to Nick. “So, is this the part where you tell me how to pose and quickly snap the picture before I ruin it?”
Nick chuckled. “Actually, I kind of do things a little differently. Why don’t we get to talking a bit about yourself.”
“Okay. What do you want to know?”
“How about what your goal is with these headshots?”
“To get into modeling. I hope to send these to an agent I’ve been researching and-“
SNAP!
Charlie blinked. “And go from there,” he finished. The photographer just smiled and asked, “And it was Elle who recommended me to you, yeah?”
Charlie cleared his throat and got back into it. “Yeah. I’ve seen some of the photos you’ve taken of her and her work and always thought they were-“
SNAP!
“Gorgeous… When I brought up my idea of modeling, she immediately gave me your number and-“
SNAP!
Charlie’s jaw dropped as it finally hit him. “You’re trying to distract me!”
“Sort of,” Nick admitted, cringing at having been caught. “But it’s also so I can genuinely get to know you.” He gave his new client a moment to let the idea settle with him. Charlie eventually said, “Continue, then.”
Nick scrambled for another question. “Have you been friends with Elle for long?”
“Oh, yeah. We’ve been friends since school. Me, her, and her boyfriend, Tao. They would always drag me around to their places after school and have me participate in their projects.”
As he snapped another picture, Nick imagined a young Charlie posing for some abstract painting by Elle or being filmed by Tao, a future award-winning filmmaker, doing random things like eating lunch or playing in the park.
“Would you say it was them that kind of planted the idea of modeling into your head?”
“Sort of. It was also my mum and dad. They would always talk about how pretty I looked and how they could see me on the cover of a magazine or on some billboard. My sister used to joke about all the stuff I could advertise. Toothpaste. Dog food. Digestives.”
SNAP!
“Your sister?”
Charlie hummed in agreement. “Tori. She’s older than me.”
“I have an older brother myself. He can be a real pain. Same with your sister?”
“No! Not at all. I mean, yeah, she can be closed-off at times, but she still cares. She’s the best.”
Charlie looked off into the distance at the thought of his sister. Nick waited a few more seconds for him to look back up. Once he did, before he could open his mouth and make some comment about Nick not taking a picture for once, Nick caught the moment.
“And there you have it,” he concluded.
Charlie’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s it?!”
“That’s it. Now for the fun part.”
Charlie quickly got changed into his jumper and took his spot on the stool.
He looked so cozy.
Focus, Nelson! Nick told himself. He resumed his position behind the camera. Before he could speak, Charlie beat him to it.
“Can we do something a bit different for this one?”
“Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, I’ve been talking about myself quite a bit already. Could we talk about you? Unless you don’t want to! I completely understand if-“
“No, no! That’s very sweet. Sure. Anything you want to know. Ask away.”
Charlie smirked. “Anything I want? That’s dangerous.” Nick laughed and Charlie followed suit. “I won’t be too harsh, I promise. Probably the most obvious thing in the world – what made you get into photography?”
“Obvious and easy,” Nick started. “I went back and forth between here and Paris when I was young. I was constantly surrounded by beautiful places and things. I would take pictures whenever I could. It started with a lot of disposable cameras. Then I got a digital camera - thank you, mum. Now I get to work with these bad boys.” He pointed to his current camera, and swelled with pride when Charlie marveled at it.
“That’s really cool! So, your parents travelled a lot?”
“Not really. They’re actually divorced. My mum is here, my dad is in Paris.”
Charlie’s face dropped. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Nick waved it off. “At least I wasn’t alone. I had my dogs there to keep me distracted.” He was delighted when Charlie’s face lit back up at that tidbit of information. “You have dogs?!”
“Yes! Two. My collie, Nellie, and a pug named Henry.”
“They sound adorable!”
“They are. They were my first and favorite subjects.”
“I’ll bet.”
Nick suddenly realized that this was the perfect segue for the next part of the shoot. “You know, it wasn’t easy trying to get them to look at the camera. I had to say random words to get their attention.”
“Like what?”
“Like… banana!”
Nick caught Charlie’s confused expression that morphed into understanding followed by delightful surprise.
“And… biscuit!”
Another picture of Charlie’s giddiness at the game. “And squirrel?” he dared asked.
“And squirrel!” Nick exclaimed as he hit the button. Charlie’s belly laughter was on full display.
Nick threw a few more random words Charlie’s way, snapping photos after every one, and the man took it all in stride. Once he wiped the tears from his eyes, Charlie commented, “That was way more fun that I was expecting.”
“I’m glad,” Nick said. “Want to have a quick look?”
Charlie nodded and jumped out of his seat. Nick removed the camera from its stand to bring up his gallery. While scrolling, he would often catch Charlie staring in awe from the corner of his eye. “These are good. Really good.” Nick’s heart skipped a beat at the praise.
The two looked at each other. Time seemed to stand still all around them. Nick wished they could stay like that forever, but his mouth was starting to get dry and his attempt to salivate it caused him to let out a little cough, breaking the spell.
Charlie scratched his head. “I, uh, better get changed.”
“Yeah.” Nick pointed to his laptop. “I’ll get the camera hooked up so we can properly see these and pick the best.” As Charlie slowly made his way to the bathroom, Nick hoped he could get his breathing under control by the time he got back.
Things did indeed return to normal once they sat down to go through the photos. Nick picked a few out, and Charlie settled on the two he really liked.
“So, I’ll get digital copies and can do what I like with them, right?” he asked.
“That’s right,” Nick confirmed. “Although…”
Charlie turned to him. “What?”
Nick doesn’t know what came over him, or what compelled him to continue. All he knows is that he meant every word. “Well, I don’t usually do this, but I like you and I have faith in what you’re doing so I’m going to print you out some physical copies for that agent you were talking about. I’ll do them in color and black and white.”
Charlie blinked at the generous offer. “Wow. That’s really nice of you. You don’t have to, though. I’d feel like I’m taking advantage-“
“It’s no trouble. Really,” he insisted.
“Well, I… Thank you. Thank you so much!”
Nick beamed. “You’re welcome.”
After going over the details again, Nick led Charlie to the door. “It was great working with you today, Charlie.”
“It was great working with you too, Nick.”
The two men shook hands once again and parted ways. Nick couldn’t help but stare after Charlie, nor could he help the two thoughts that popped into his head:
His name sounded lovely coming out of Charlie’s mouth.
It was a couple weeks later when Nick heard from Charlie again.
“’Photos by Nick.’ Nick speaking.”
“Hi, Nick! It’s Charlie.”
“Hey, Charlie! What’s up?”
“Well, I submitted my headshots to that agent and… they took me on!”
“That’s amazing!” Nick cheered. “Congratulations!”
“Thanks! He thinks he can get me some gigs, but he mentioned needing a few more pictures for my portfolio. Can you help with that?”
“Of course!” Nick scrambled for his appointment book, which became more of a task than it should’ve been because it was literally right next to him but he was too giddy to think or act straight. “Let me just see… uh… I have an opening this Thursday at around noon. Does that work?”
“Sure!”
“Great. It’s… an appointment.”
Even though all he could hear was a snort, Nick was fairly certain Charlie was also smiling. “It’s an appointment,” he heard the man reply. “See you then!”
Thursday couldn’t come fast enough for Nick. He and Charlie more or less did their routine from last time - serious headshots first, fun headshots second. Nick did his usual distraction tactics, which still worked on Charlie. During their hour together, they got to know each other more. Charlie mentioned that he loved video games while Nick talked about liking real sports games. This led to Charlie revealing that he would get a bit rough himself when playing the drums to relieve stress.
At their next appointment a week later, Nick asked Charlie to delve deeper into his skills on the drums. Charlie talked about being in the school band and begged Nick to talk about what he was like back then. Nick bashfully shared some memories and secrets, like when he briefly dated a girl named Tara before finding out a few months later that she was gay with her girlfriend, Darcy.
The following week, the two men got to talking about their sexualities. Nick said that he was bisexual. Charlie said that he was gay, something that he wrestled with because of an old boyfriend who forced him to keep that side of him a secret. Nick felt bad for him and impulsively invited him to lunch.
And so it went for the next few months. Nick and Charlie would meet for a photo session. They’d make plans for afterwards, either for coffee or a nice stroll or meeting Nick’s dogs. Then they’d make an appointment to do the whole dance over again.
Any thoughts about maintaining professionalism were swiftly forgotten. Nick was enjoying his time with Charlie too much… so much so that he neglected to stop and think about why Charlie was coming in so often yet rarely getting any work. Neither one knew it, but the truth was eventually going to come out.
Nick was editing (admiring) the latest set of headshots he took of Charlie when he was interrupted by the phone ringing.
“’Photos by Nick.’ Nick speaking.”
“Hello,” a female voice answered. “It’s your favorite artist calling to schedule another photo session with her latest masterpiece.”
Nick recognized that voice and confidence anywhere. “Good to hear from you, Elle. It’s been a while.”
“I know! I was struggling with my latest collection, but lately I’ve just been cranking things out. Thank God, too. I was starting to drive everyone crazy. Tao even suggested we get an exorcist.”
Nick chuckled at the image as he flipped through his appointment book. His eyes settled on a completely blank Saturday block. “I actually have all of Saturday off two weeks form now. Does that work for you?”
“Let me check real quick.” Nick could hear Elle humming and imagined her scanning through her own calendar for the date. She finally responded, “Sorry, love, that day’s no good. There’s this fashion show thing that I’ve been invited to. I’m mostly going to support Charlie.”
Nick’s ears burned at the name. “Charlie?”
“Yeah. He’s one of the models.”
Nick’s jaw dropped. “What?! That’s amazing! Good for him! I was starting to get worried.”
“Why?”
“We’ve just been doing a lot of sessions together because he hasn’t been getting much work with his portfolio.”
“What are you talking about? Charlie’s gotten plenty of work.”
Nick looked at the phone in utter confusion. “He has?”
“Yeah. He’s done a few magazines already. Apparently, one of the brands he wore for really liked him and asked him to represent them in the fashion show. It’s a pretty big deal with so many names and all this press-“
“Elle, I’m going to have to call you back. Love you. Bye.” Nick quickly hung up the phone and typed the name “Charlie Spring” into his search engine.
The results that came up shocked him.
There were images of Charlie in fancy outfits in this big magazine and that one, looking so gorgeous. There were a couple of videos of behind-the-scenes stuff with him and some other models. He was so shy yet honest about being new to the modeling scene. There were already a few articles about the upcoming fashion show, some of which talked about how Charlie was a model with such promise.
Nick was stunned.
Why would Charlie keep something like this from him?
The phone rang once again. He instinctively picked it up and answered, “’Photos by Nick.’ This is Nick.”
“Hi, Nick! It’s Charlie.”
Nick nearly choked, but managed to regain himself and respond, “Hey, Charlie! Calling to schedule another photoshoot?”
“Yes, actually. Do you have any openings this week?”
“Um… let me check.” He already knew he had an opening for the next day, but he needed the moment to make sure he was staying calm. “I can meet you as early as tomorrow.”
“That works!”
“Okay, then. Tomorrow at three.”
“I’ll see you then!”
“See you then.”
When the call ended, Nick leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. His whole world felt like it had been turned upside down. Hopefully his appointment with Charlie would help set things right. And the sooner, the better.
Nick checked the settings on his camera for the fifth time as he waited for Charlie. With only a minute left, he went to the bathroom and took a long hard look at himself in the mirror.
Everything is going to be okay, he told himself. I’m sure there’s a good explanation for all of this.
He then heard the ball of the front door and a familiar voice call out, “Nick?”
Now or never. With a final deep breath, Nick exited the bathroom.
“Charlie,” he said with a (genuine) smile. “Good to see you. The usual?”
Charlie made his way over to the stool, trying to hide his oncoming blush. “Yeah. My agent says they could use a few more pictures of me ‘showing some skin.’” He quickly unzipped his backpack and brought out a couple of short-sleeved shirts.
It took a lot of strength for Nick to maintain a neutral expression at the idea of seeing more of Charlie’s lithe body. “Um… yeah. Yeah! Sure! We can make that happen.” He was surprised his mouth was moist enough to get those words out.
After Charlie got changed, the two men assumed their positions. Nick started off simply. “Still not a lot of work coming in?”
“I’ve managed to do a couple things,” Charlie answered. “No big deal.”
SNAP!
“I’m kind of surprised, but I’m proud of you for not giving up.”
“Thanks.”
SNAP!
“So, is there a particular job you hope to land at some point?”
“Like what?”
“I dunno. Like, a magazine you’ve been reading since you were a kid that you want to model for? Or… some big fashion show where all the big-wigs meet to look at beautiful people in beautiful clothes?”
Charlie’s eyes shifted at the question. Nick knew why, but he wasn’t going to call him out on it. He wanted Charlie to open up himself. “I guess being in a fashion show would be nice. Who wouldn’t want to be considered beautiful by the whole world?”
You’re already beautiful, Nick thought. He snapped another picture and forced his brain to focus. He decided to kick things up a notch.
“You know, there’s a fashion show going on in a couple of weeks.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Elle was telling me about it.”
The picture that Nick took of that moment clearly showed Charlie’s eyes widening.
“Elle?” he asked.
“Yeah. She called me up to schedule a session for some new artwork. I asked her about the date, and she mentioned that she couldn’t make it because she was going to support a friend making his debut.”
“Oh.”
Charlie’s voice was so small, realization dawning on him. His energy took quite a hit as well, Nick could tell. He stepped out from behind the camera. “Charlie… Charlie, I-“
“I’m sorry!” Charlie blurted out. “I’m sorry! I…” He tried to make a run for it, but Nick caught him by the hand and pulled him back.
“Charlie, please. You don’t have to-“
“I’ve been lying to you,” Charlie interrupted Nick once again. He looked at the floor as he spoke rapidly. “I’ve been getting a lot of jobs because of your pictures. You made me look so good, and you’re so nice and funny and handsome. I’ve been wanting to ask you out but I didn’t know if you saw me that way and I was too much of a coward to just take a risk. But I wanted to keep spending time with you, so I kept asking for appointments. I can afford them because of all the work I’ve been doing. It’s crazy how much my agent’s booked for me so quickly, and I really wanted to tell you and I’m sorry about all of this. I just… I just-“
“Charlie,” Nick stopped the man’s hyperventilating. His hands were holding Charlie’s arms, which slightly stopped his shaking. He slowly moved up to cup Charlie’s face so the two were seeing eye to eye. “I forgive you.”
Charlie let out a haggard sigh, which triggered his tears. Nick immediately pulled him in for a hug. He hesitantly put his arms around Nick’s torso. Nick thought he heard Charlie sniffle and squeezed him gently in an effort to provide some reassurance.
Despite the circumstances, it all felt right.
The two stood like that for a few minutes. Nick allowed Charlie to make the first move. He slowly peeled himself away, trying to regain some strength as he spoke. “Do you… really forgive me?”
Nick nodded. “Yes. In fact, I haven’t been totally honest with you, either.” Before Charlie could ask what he meant, he continued, “I have feelings for you, too. I’ve had them ever since you came into my studio. You are one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, inside and out. The only reason I didn’t say anything sooner is because I wanted to keep things professional.” Charlie’s face fell at that last word. “I think we’re way past professional now, though, and I don’t want to go back.”
Charlie’s eyes shot back up in surprise. “Me neither,” he admitted.
The two remained in place, holding each other, staring at each other. A small smile soon formed on Charlie’s face and then Nick’s. The two then got to laughing, the absurdity of the situation finally hitting them.
“Why are we like this?” Charlie asked.
Nick shrugged. “I don’t know.” That made Charlie laugh harder, which made Nick’s heart soar.
Once the two had settled down, Charlie timidly asked, “So, where do we go from here?”
Nick cleared his throat. “Well, we’ve still got about forty minutes left in our session, so I suggest we finish up. Afterwards, instead of money, I will ask that you pay me back by accompanying me to a nice restaurant for a proper date.”
“A date,” Charlie tested the words. “A proper date. Not an appointment.”
“No,” Nick chuckled. “Not anymore.”
Charlie’s eyes shined at the prospect. He nodded eagerly. “Okay.”
This should’ve been the moment the two let go of each other. They didn’t. Instead, they got closer and closer until their lips met in a sweet, perfect kiss. Nick almost wished his camera could capture the moment.
He didn’t need to worry. He would have many more chances to take many more photos of him with his boyfriend… and he would cherish each and every one of them.
Author’s Note 2: Electric Boogaloo: Thank you so much for making it to the end! I ask that you NOT post this story as your own, please. Instead, give it a like/review/bookmark/reblog/all of the above wherever you read it.
janainaart
andulkaphoto
vaporwave
germansingergirl
prguitarman
