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Jeonghan will never, ever admit it, but he starts to get a little hot around the collar about a dozen photos in.
'What?' Mingyu asks, his mouth curving in a knowing smile, syrup-slow and intensifying the effect of the bedroom eyes he's still giving Jeonghan. It's the kind of look that should really only precede clothes coming off, which is awkward because he and Mingyu do not have that sort of relationship, even if sometimes it almost feels like they're baiting each other into one.
'Nothing,' Jeonghan says calmly. He raises the phone again and dedicates himself to taking a good photo for Mingyu, which has to be clear and perfectly centred and show off those big arms and shoulders and—
Jeonghan's thumb twitches and accidentally hits the camera button before he's ready. He covers it up by casually pressing it several more times in rapid succession. Well, odds are there's at least one salvageable photo somewhere in there.
'I think I got some nice ones,' he lies.
'Oh, thanks,' Mingyu says. He turns to dig around in his bag, leaving Jeonghan frozen with his hand outstretched over the table, midway through passing the phone back. 'Do you mind taking a few more for me? I want some with these glasses I got recently.'
It's the suppressed laughter in his voice that makes Jeonghan take a closer look at the glasses now perched on Mingyu's nose. Recognising them, Jeonghan huffs in annoyance. That makes the score 3-0 in Mingyu's favour, and it's only been a couple of months since they started keeping track.
Joshua occasionally tells Jeonghan he's a terrible influence on the members, as if Joshua himself isn't just as bad. But he might have a point, considering Mingyu is now regularly burglarising Jeonghan's room and so good at it that he's leaving Jeonghan solidly in the dust. Those glasses weren't even lying forgotten in the back of a drawer or anything; Jeonghan kept them proudly on display in his room with some of his other favourite accessories. It's frankly unbelievable that he hadn't noticed they were missing.
'How's this?' Mingyu asks, testing a couple of poses and finally settling with his cheek resting against the back of his hand. He's dialled down the bedroom eyes, but the intimate little smile isn't much easier to handle.
The things Jeonghan actually wants to say get filtered and reworked until they finally come out as a single acceptable word. 'Cute,' he tells Mingyu as he takes a few shots.
'Just "cute"? Nothing else?'
Jeonghan determinedly pretends to be blind. 'Like what?'
'I'm not working out so much just to be cute, hyung!'
'I know,' Jeonghan says with a straight face. 'You're doing it for exercise and good health, right?'
Mingyu stares at him incredulously until Jeonghan cracks and starts laughing. But he's abruptly cut off when Mingyu grabs his hand and pulls it over to press his palm directly on Mingyu's left bicep.
'These,' Mingyu says, interlacing his fingers with Jeonghan's and firmly guiding them both in groping his own muscles, 'deserve way more than a "cute".'
The air in the tiny room of the restaurant— one of their favourite haunts when they need a breather from being constantly on alert for fans and media— suddenly feels too thin. Mingyu smooths Jeonghan's fingers flat against his skin, which reminds Jeonghan of the fact that he can't quite close his hand around the whole of Mingyu's biceps anymore.
'You can squeeze it,' Mingyu says encouragingly, like he's bestowing a rare gift upon Jeonghan. It's offensive, is what it is. Maybe a lot of people would kill for the chance to feel Kim Mingyu up, completely unrestrained, but Jeonghan's certainly not one of them.
Still… If Mingyu's asking him to, it would be rude to refuse. Jeonghan squeezes lightly a few times and tries to convince himself of how unflustered he is. He's around Mingyu all the time, so he should be used to all of… this, the touching and earnest smiles and playful flirting. It's all part of a game they've been playing for a very long time, but it's starting to feel like it's evolving into something Jeonghan doesn't understand yet.
Mingyu's hand is still lying warm and heavy over Jeonghan's. He rubs the side of his thumb against Jeonghan's to get his attention.
'What do you think?' Mingyu asks, looking eager for a compliment, and there's no way Jeonghan can bear to disappoint him.
'You have people telling you every day, and you need me to say it, too?' Jeonghan asks. He bites his lower lip— not consciously, but he'd be lying if he said he doesn't like the way Mingyu's gaze drops to his mouth— and grudgingly admits, 'Yes, you're hot. Burning hot. You're on fire, Mingyu.'
Mingyu breaks into a laugh, but he lets go of Jeonghan, seemingly satisfied. Jeonghan immediately draws his hand back to safety on his own side of the table.
Mingyu takes off the glasses and picks up his phone, abandoned by Jeonghan during this interlude, and swipes across the screen for a moment. Jeonghan's not sure what to make of the expression that suddenly flickers across his face.
'What, are the photos that bad?' Jeonghan wonders, refilling his half-full teacup, just for something to do.
'No, they're actually pretty good.' Mingyu sounds surprised. He dodges the paper napkin Jeonghan hurls at him and absentmindedly returns it, still focussed on his phone.
'Then what's wrong?'
'Nothing's wrong. Who said anything was wrong?'
But he looks so deep in thought that Jeonghan figures it's a good opportunity to steal back the glasses. He manages to sneak the tips of his fingers onto one of the temple pieces before Mingyu swats him away.
'Nice try,' Mingyu says kindly, tucking the glasses back into his bag.
Jeonghan shrugs the failure off and shamelessly goes back to drinking his tea like nothing even happened. 'So what was so interesting about the photos? Were you dazed by your own attractiveness again?'
Mingyu rolls his eyes and takes the teapot from Jeonghan to top up Jeonghan's cup for him. 'Don't mix up your own issues with mine, hyung. I was just picking some out to post later, that's all.'
'Say something nice about my photography skills when you post them,' Jeonghan demands.
'No,' Mingyu says. 'But I'll take some pretty photos of you for your instagram if you want.'
Jeonghan's not as invested in maintaining his account as Mingyu, but since their food hasn't arrived and he's mostly happy with his hair today, he agrees. He lets Mingyu order him around into artsy poses, gazing dreamily out of a non-existent window and then gazing pensively at an empty corner of the room.
'Now look directly at me,' Mingyu says, lifting Jeonghan's phone high between them.
Jeonghan looks at him: the familiar curve of his jaw, the fall of hair over his eyes, the fingers curled around the phone. Mingyu doesn't seem to have any other instructions for him, so the room goes very quiet, enough to hear the muffled sound of other diners' conversations.
'All done,' Mingyu finally says. His eyes are strangely soft as he passes the phone back.
Jeonghan wants to ask Mingyu about it, but the question dries up in his throat when he scrolls back through the last handful of photos. There's no need for words when his expression, open and so terrifyingly unguarded as he looks straight at the camera— at Mingyu— says it all.
'I look at you the same way,' Mingyu says suddenly. He's watching Jeonghan with something oddly like sympathy. 'I didn't even realise until I saw those photos earlier. Have I always been so obvious?'
There's a gentle knock on the door, followed by the waitstaff arriving with trays of their food.
'Mingyu,' Jeonghan says, helplessly.
'Hyung, it's fine.' Mingyu smiles affectionately at him, then politely at the waitstaff. 'Let's eat first, okay?'
Jeonghan has never felt so terrified about anything in his life, but as he shifts to help arrange all the dishes, his foot bumps into Mingyu's under the table. He hesitates, then tentatively hooks his ankle around Mingyu's, a private point of connection just for the two of them, and the smile that blooms on Mingyu's face chases away all of his doubts.
It's pretty embarrassing to have been so obliviously in love with someone, Jeonghan has to admit, but at least he's in good company.