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“Jihoon-ah,”
FLASH!
“Eh-“ Jihoon blinks a few times to let his eyes adjust back to normal, making an annoyed sound along the way. All he wants is to enjoy a nice, breezy walk at night, away from HYBE, away from the places they always frequent: some quiet street. Soonyoung is here too because isn’t he always? Jihoon can never shake the man off, no matter how much he wants (or doesn’t want) to.
The walk was peaceful until Soonyoung basically flash-banged him with his camera mid-way. Jihoon sees him smile to himself as his phone screen lights up his face in this otherwise gloomy background of a street and feels his previous annoyance fade away. He keeps his mouth tightly closed, lips formed into a line before focusing back on the scenery passing by in front of him.
Nights have always been beautiful to Jihoon. It might’ve already been obvious to the people around him when he spends more time awake at night than in the mornings. His eyes feel more relaxed and the air feels so crisp because not a soul is ever outside at such a time. He takes a deep breath. It’s freeing.
FLASH!
“Soonyoung!-“
The other looks at him sheepishly, pocketing his phone to come sidle up and make excuses that Jihoon’ll just accept anyway. He slings an arm around him, “Ey~ Come on, it’s just a few pictures.”
“Why do you do that?” Jihoon asks, pathetically attempting get the other’s arm off him. Why does he take Jihoon by surprise? Why take these pictures at all? And why always of him?
“Just because. Also the ambiance is really good in them, wanna see?” Jihoon shakes his head. Now’s not the time to worry about self-image. Especially the one in Soonyoung’s view. Because the ones Soonyoung take are always a bit too honest for Jihoon’s liking. Something about them is so careless to opinion, or the standard. Maybe these are just as freeing to Soonyoung, like how Jihoon finds the cool night air on his skin refreshing.
“You okay?” The tone in Soonyoung’s voice is more serious and it flicks a switch in Jihoon. Things might get too real and that wasn’t the intention of this at all. Him inviting Soonyoung was not much more than subtle entertainment- a little background noise. Yet he has now (and, honestly, consistently) made himself a more prominent piece of foreground than Jihoon expected him to be. It crosses his mind for a second: that it feels like he’s never really actually going to shake him off. But he decided he’s okay with that.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Can I see your pictures?”
Soonyoung is more excited now, even showing off the folder he has specifically for Jihoon; categorised as such away from the food photos, the ones of himself, their travelling, and silly photos of other members. It proves that among all of Soonyoung’s favourite moments, there’s a space reserved specifically for Jihoon. In his phone, in his eyes, in his heart.
The way Soonyoung looks at him now (if Jihoon ever did look up to see) is full of adoration and a shade of ‘pleased’ colours over his body. He’s proud as Jihoon looks through them all, admiring himself quietly through the way Soonyoung admires him. “Why do you do the flash thing so much?” Jihoon softly asks, finding a place for them to rest before they begin the walk back to their building. Soonyoung sits next him (he always does, always will), “It’s something candid. Plus, I think it always looks good. For you, even more.”
Does he mean the flash? Or just in general? Soonyoung won’t let Jihoon nor himself figure that out right now. And Jihoon doesn’t bother to ask, so he nods, “I see…”
There’s a thoughtful look on his face as Soonyoung pockets his phone, that he wants to uncover. Then Jihoon looks at him for a second before embarrassment fills into his cheeks under the darkness, “Thank you… for loving me.”
Soonyoung wants to be funny, wants to make a comedic sound to make Jihoon smile and take the weight of vulnerability off of him. He wants to loudly go “Ey~” and make a face to let Jihoon know it’ll never be a problem, that it’ll never be awkward. But it’s too much for right now, when no one else is around and there nobody else to please other than the one important person in front of him. And he knows that Jihoon wants him to be sincere, to be honest with him.
So Soonyoung smiles and takes his hand, a bit cold from the air, and replies, “It’s a bit hard not to.”