Mingyu and Vernon share a love for photography and art, and during one late-night photo session, the quiet atmosphere allows them to admit the feelings they've both been hiding.
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The city was wrapped in a hush, with only the occasional hum of a passing car or the distant echo of laughter breaking the stillness.
The night air was crisp, tinged with that metallic bite that signaled the transition from fall to winter.
Mingyu and Vernon wandered through empty streets, cameras in hand, searching for the perfect shot.
It had become their ritual on nights like these, slipping away from the noise of the world to capture fragments of the city that felt like secrets.
They'd been at it for hours, neither speaking much, but each word or glance they did exchange seemed to hold a weight that hadn't been there before.
Mingyu could feel it, an almost palpable tension that thrummed in the space between them.
He'd been trying to ignore it, convinced that Vernon would pick up on his awkwardness if he lingered too long in any single moment.
But the silence was so thick that it left him wondering if he was the only one who felt it.
They stopped at a small park, framed by rows of old street lamp that cast a warm, golden glow over the benches and the rustling leaves on the ground.
Mingyu looked through his camera lens, capturing the way the light danced along Vernon's jawline as he focused on his own shot.
Mingyu's fingers hovered on the shutter, wanting to preserve this moment, not just the image, but the quiet, unspoken connection that hung between them.
"Here."
Vernon said suddenly, breaking the silence as he handed his camera over to Mingyu, the strap slipping easily into his friend's hands.
"I want you to take one of me."
His voice was barely above a whisper, and there was something vulnerable in his eyes, something Mingyu hadn't seen before.
Mingyu took the camera, his hand brushing against Vernon's in a fleeting, electric moment.
He swallowed hard, steadying himself as he looked through the lens.
The shot was perfect; Vernon against the dim, sepia glow, his eyes softer than usual, as if he'd taken off the guarded mask he usually wore.
It was a side of Vernon that few people got to see, and in that moment, Mingyu felt like he was holding something rare, something precious.
"I didn't know you liked being photographed."
Mingyu said, keeping his tone light, but he couldn't hide the faint tremor in his voice.
