"Where exactly are you taking me?" Jeno asks as he tugs on his backpack strap whilst following Jaemin.

The latter continues to lead them somewhere, a place Jeno may not know. "It's a surprise." He merely smiles at the younger boy behind him.

"Then I'm not going," Jeno halts on his tracks. Jaemin did as well and turns around to look at him, "if you're planning on something–"

"Do you really think I'm going to kill you or some fucked up shit?" Jaemin snorts as he stares at him intently.

Jeno gulps but nods anyway, trying to be as honest as he can. "On broad daylight?" Jaemin flatly points out with a brow raised.

"Others do it, who knows that's your style too."

"Who knows I'm taking you to a romantic place as a date." Jaemin said and bursts out laughing a second later, not missing the reaction he got from Jeno.

The latter was flustered, eyes blown wide as his jaw dropped before he quickly closes his mouth shut, not having anything to say due to his mind also malfunctioning.

"Of course, if you're up for something else." Wiggling his eyebrows to tease the shellshocked Jeno in front of him, Jaemin snickers when his second teasing snapped Jeno out of his stupor.

"I'm calling help."

"No, I'm just kidding, jeez." Jaemin cackles and reaches to pull Jeno closer to him by his forearm. "Why would you think I'd do something bad to you?"

Jeno looks up at him instead of the pathway and scoffs, "you're trouble." He briefly answers.

"That's a bad assumption of some guy who works at a tattoo studio and hangs out with his three equally troublemaking friends." Jaemin states matter-of-a-factly.

It obviously gets Jeno blushing in embarrassment, but the younger boy wouldn't really admit to it especially vocally as his pride and image of a "goody-two-shoes" are higher.

"Cat got your tongue, darling?"

"Shut up." Jeno hisses.

"Rude," Jaemin chuckles in amusement. Not at all bothered with Jeno's attitude. "For a goody-two-shoes, you're pretty rude."

"I am not a goody-two-shoes." Jeno takes offense in that for some particular reason, glaring at Jaemin who furrows his eyebrows.

"I thought you knew, but I guess not all people know about their own behavior." Jaemin shrugs his shoulders.

"Take it back."

"Take what back?"

"Saying I'm a goody-two-shoes." Jeno parrots with gritted teeth.

"You are." Jaemin snickers. "I don't take my honest words back, pretty boy."

Jeno pulls his arm away from Jaemin's loose grip and crosses his arms. "Take it back."

Although his friends have said the same thing before in the same teasing manner, again, it is something about when Jaemin says it.

It kinda feels different.

"Nah."

"Jaemin...." Jeno drawls his name out in a warning tone.

"I'll take it back on one condition." Jaemin trails off with a smirk forming on his face. Jeno tilts his head to the side in curiosity and confusion, a brow raised as he listens.

"Give me a kiss."

"Ew! You pervert!" Jeno groans and pushes him on the chest, the tattoo artist stumbling back a little but still manages to laugh.

"Fine, if you want to save the kissing for later, how about a date?" Jaemin giggles and leans in to grin widely at the younger boy.

Jeno scoffs and pushes him away again, but his face slowly heating up has Jaemin grinning even more if that was possible.

"Forget it, I'm going home." Jeno was about to take a turn but Jaemin, as always, prevents him from doing what he wants to do and pulls him by the hand this time.

"No you are not."

Grip firm as Jaemin practically drags him along, Jeno squeaks at the action and not able to process properly, almost tripping on his own feet if it weren't for Jaemin stopping just in time.

"And we're here!"

"Where?"

"My place." Jaemin smiles at him before leading him inside his small yet humble home.

Jeno quietly admires how clean it is inside, very cozy and warm– shamefully scolding himself for assuming it'll be a mess inside Jaemin's own place.

"Hey, pretty boy!" Jaemin's call snaps him out of his thoughts, looking up to see the tattoo artist by the small kitchen area. "You thirsty? What do you want to drink?"

"Uhm, just water would be nice please." Jeno politely answers, still standing up; hesitating on where he's allowed to sit.

Jaemin notices and chuckles, "sit wherever you want, doll." Before Jeno could bend his knees, Jaemin then continues. "Just not on the floor."

Blushing, Jeno scurries to make himself comfortable on Jaemin's couch and places his backpack on the floor beside his legs.

Soon enough, Jaemin comes back to the living room with two glasses in his hands and his teeth clamping the tip of a chip bag.

"Thank you," Jeno quietly says when the elder boy hands him one of the glasses before taking a huge gulp of his own.

Plopping down beside Jeno on the couch, the latter rolls his eyes when Jaemin sighs loudly and leans his back on the backrest.

"What?" The tattoo artist turns to him with furrowed eyebrows, "just had a busy day at the studio, glad to be home." He defends himself.

The raven haired boy shakes his head and continues to drink his water as Jaemin opens the bag of chips, placing it in the gap between them and gesturing for Jeno to have some.

"Why did you bring me here?" Jeno spoke up as he takes a bite of the salt and vinegar flavored chip.

Jaemin looks up mouthful before quickly swallowing down his food, "oh shit, yeah I almost forgot about that."

"Wait– so you're telling me, if I didn't bring it up, you would have forgotten and I would be here for nothing?" Jeno blinks several times in shock.

Jaemin all but laughs, "most likely, something like that yeah." Shrugging his shoulders as he stands up and walks over to the shelf nearby.

The raven haired boy glares, "that's a waste of time!"

"Not really," Jaemin replies while searching for something, back turned to Jeno but he doesn't need to look back to see the younger boy frowning.

"I have homework to do."

"I'm sure you'll finish them quick enough when you get home, doll." Jaemin states and turns around to head back to the couch with something in his hands.

"What are you even showing me?" Jeno whines whilst chewing on his food, Jaemin looks up just in time to see that view and coos.

Sitting down, he hands the object to Jeno and then drops it on his lap when the younger boy hesitates to hold it.

"It's an album, relax."

"What? I don't want to see your pictures, Jaemin." Jeno says, oblivious and not getting it.

The pink haired boy cackles and then coos once again, pinching Jeno's cheek that has the owner blushing and gasping out of shock.

"It's sadly not about me, pretty boy. But I'm sure later on you'll get to see my pictures." Wiggling his eyebrows with his signature flirty smirk.

Jeno huffs in response, Jaemin smiles and gently pats his thigh. "All jokes aside, this is for the project. Take a look."

And Jeno did as told, scanning each and every picture, flipping from one page to another until he gives up and looks at Jaemin again.

"I don't get it..."

"What pictures do you see?"

"Beaches, parks, people, mountains, fields– a lot." Jeno lists with confusion still lingering in his voice.

Nodding off, Jaemin asks, "are they blurry? High quality? Half and half?"

"All." Jeno mumbles.

Smiling, Jaemin then asks as he points to the now closed album. "But do you think they're pretty pictures?"

Thinking for a moment, Jeno nods in response. "See? What I'm trying to show you, Jen. Is that it isn't about the high quality of the picture, but the vibe it gives off."

"Blurry pictures can still bring joy and make you entertained, like this one." He opens the album and points at the first blurred picture he found.

"But that's just... It's different."

"How is it different?"

"Yours actually looks good–"

"So does yours, " Jaemin cuts him off, knowing he's about to say the usual downgrade of himself.

"You're good at taking pictures, Jen. You're getting better at it." He says, then reaches to cup Jeno's cheek, the owner flinches but doesn't pull away for some reason.

"It's just your self-esteem stopping you." And Jeno frowns, looking down as he nods in defeat.

"I know..."

"But I want to fix that." He snaps his head back up to stare at Jaemin who smiles at him.

He couldn't say anything back, some part of him wanting for Jaemin to do as he said he would. So he gulps and finally pulls away to drink his water, ignoring the grinning boy beside him.