It’s the last class.

They arrived in Paris just in time for the cherry blossom trees to be in full attire, gracing the landscape in pale shades of rose. The morning was spent sightseeing—first to the Opera House where Jongin tried to reenact the Phantom of the Opera and steal Junmyeon away into a secluded corner to kiss him, then Notre Dame where they gawked at the window mosaics and architecture, and finally the Palais du Luxembourg where they sat around, had a hearty lunch, and admired the view of the castle grounds.

It’s well into the afternoon now and Junmyeon led them all to the Eiffel Tower for their final assignment. The sky is a perfect cerulean dotted with puffy white clouds, the kind that is usually only seen in travel magazines. The wind is fresh and sharp, moving the clouds slowly across the sky and keeping the sun from over saturating their shots.

They’re pretty close to the Eiffel Tower taking pictures with the topic of ‘romance’ in mind. It’s so cliché Jongin could vomit, but it is so very Junmyeon that he can only smile.

Thinking of him, Jongin searches around until he sees Junmyeon’s ochre MCM backpack. He’s explaining something to Mark and Old Lady Frances, two other students in the photography group. The soft breeze keeps flicking pieces of hair across Junmyeon’s eyes, and he flicks them back with a careless move that has Jongin’s breath stalling.

Jongin raises the camera and presses the shutter just as Junmyeon repeats the action. The movement alerts Junmyeon who turns, eyes wide, until he sees it’s Jongin. His expression softens, mouth quirking up into a lovely smile. He shakes his head and points back to the landscape before continuing his explanation to the other two.

Unable to resist, Jongin takes one more picture for good measure, before returning to today’s photography exercise. He hasn’t stopped taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower since they arrived, but he hasn’t found the perfect shot yet. The tower itself is a hard metal against a beautiful sky and a background of blossoms, but the assignment says ‘find romance at the current location.’ Where is the romance in a metal structure? Capturing one of the many couples around the area too easy, too obvious.

Jongin frowns. The previous assignments hadn’t been this hard. He goes over the previous lessons as he moves about, trying to find a good shot.
 

• How to capture reflections in The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken in Brussels.
• Stopping objects in motion at the Jordaan neighborhood in Amsterdam.
• Shooting with dim light in the awe-inspiring interior of St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna.
• Framing architecture in a shot on the many piazza’s and palazzo’s of Florence.
• Using light to set the mood in a shot at the Roman Forum and the Colosseum in Rome.
• Focusing on interesting details at Park Guell and Casa Mila in Barcelona.
   

Capturing an emotion in just one shot seems almost impossible, but Jongin thinks he gets it. He moves closer to the tower, under the shade of a tree. He raises the camera to his eye and searches for romance in the landscape. It’s there in the way the leaves move, in the blossoms that drift in the wind, in the people moving about, in the blue of the sky. It’s also there in the way Junmyeon laughs and his cheeks color from embarrassment right after, and in the way he tilts his head back, eyes closed, and breathes in deep.

And then Jongin gets it.

Romance is in the eye of the beholder.

Jongin is over the moon in love with Junmyeon, so he sees romance in everything. The assignment isn’t about finding love in the landscape, but about capturing that which ignites the feeling of romance in him. In other words…Junmyeon.

With this new mindset, Jongin starts to play with the angle again, taking test shots, until he finds it. He presses the shutter, and revises the preview when it comes on screen.

This is it.

The perfect shot.

“Jongin!”

He turns, grinning already. “Hyung!”

Jongin shows the picture to Junmyeon. “This is romance to you?”

“The color of the blossoms reminds me of your lips,” Jongin says, feeling the burn of a blush settling over his neck and cheeks. “So, yes. It is romantic to me.”

Junmyeon’s ears get red and he hands the camera back. “You’re so cheesy.”

Jongin snorts. “Says the guy who brought us to the Eiffel Tower to take romantic shots with the cherry trees in full bloom.”

“It’s the perfect emotive background!”

Jongin slings an arm around Junmyeon’s shoulders. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, hyung.”

They walk down one of the pathways, content enough to be near each other. Junmyeon pauses to inspect the other students at work, his voice gentle, but firm as he gives them tips on how to better their shots. They keep moving, hand in hand, and Jongin’s heart could just burst from the steady and comforting warmth of Junmyeon’s palm.

However, Junmyeon looks pensive, a tiny wrinkle between his brows that Jongin wants to smooth out. But he knows better than to ask. Junmyeon likes to take his time mulling things over, before he speaks. So, Jongin gives him time, content to swing their arms back and forth between them.

Finally, Junmyeon speaks. “It’s back to London soon.”

Jongin beams at him. “I can’t wait to start editing the pictures! There are a couple of them I want to print, like, big wall prints for the exhibit. And I want to print some for Baekhyun-hyung too. He’s been redecorating your brother’s place and told me he needed color and liveliness. Do you think we can—”

“Have you thought about it?” Junmyeon’s cheeks have turned a deep rose, and he’s trying to hide behind the pulled up collar of his coat.

Jongin bites his lip to keep from smiling. He knows what this is about, but he wants to have a bit of fun first. “About what?”

Junmyeon is not looking at Jongin, but straight ahead. “About…the thing we talked about in Rome.”

Jongin hums. “When?”

“You’re really going to make me say it, aren’t you?” Junmyeon sighs, his lips turning into a small pout that Jongin wants to kiss. “Fine. Have you changed your mind about moving into my loft?”

Jongin tugs Junmyeon closer and leans down to whisper in his ear. He smiles when the other shivers and resists the desire to nibble. “It’s not me you have to convince, hyung. It’s Sehun.”

Junmyeon’s nose scrunches up. “You mean I’ve been groveling at your feet when I should’ve been getting into Sehun’s good graces all this time?”

Jongin rests his head on top of Junmyeon’s, a wicked grin on his lips. “If you want to know my answer, you need to ask him first.”

“Okay. Let’s call him right now.” Junmyeon lets go of Jongin and takes out his cell phone. He dials Sehun’s number.

Jongin’s roommate picks it up after two rings. “Hello? Who’s this?”

“Hey, Sehunnie.”

“Oh! It’s the best friend stealer,” Sehun says, his deadpan tone making Jongin snicker.

Junmyeon pulls the phone away and frowns, before talking again. “How are you doing?”

“Excellent,” Sehun says. “How’s the class slash vacation slash honeymoon?”

Junmyeon chuckles, his eyes sparkling. “It’s wonderful.”

“If it’s wonderful then, why are you calling me?” Sehun asks. “You should be busy jumping Jongin’s bones in every landmark you find. Making history and .”

Jongin grabs Junmyeon’s wrist, moves the phone closer and presses the speaker button. “Would you shut up and let him speak?”

“Greetings, traitor,” Sehun says.

Jongin rolls his eyes.

“I wanted…I mean, we wanted to ask about your thoughts on Jongin moving out,” Junmyeon says. His hair has fallen over his eyes again, and Jongin reaches out to fix it this time, letting his hand linger. Junmyeon smiles up at him. “You’d get the current apartment all to yourself, and I’d be willing to help with rent until you find another roommate.”

“I already gave him my blessing,” Sehun yells. “Why do you have to keep rubbing salt in my wounded heart?”

Junmyeon blinks. “Wait, what?”

“Jongin called me like a week and a half ago asking me the same stupid question,” Sehun says, quite exasperated now. “I told him that it was about damn time he left the nest. I was going to kick him out myself anyways.”

Junmyeon gapes at Jongin. “You knew?”

Jongin giggles.

“Sorry, guys. Love to stay and chat but Tao just walked past me ,” Sehun says. “Gotta go!”

The call disconnects just as Tao’s screech is heard, no doubt due to Sehun chasing after him. It’s their favorite game and, to be honest, one of the main reasons that pushed Jongin into signing up for the month-long photography course.

Junmyeon puts his phone back in his pocket and glares at Jongin. “You called him,” he says, “which means you already had your answer! Jongin!”

Jongin laughs at the rain of weak slaps Junmyeon delivers. Not that Junmyeon is weak. Oh no. Jongin knows better after being thrown over Junmyeon’s shoulder and then dumped on top of his bed one night when he wouldn’t shut up and go to sleep. He’d been so stunned and more than a little .

Now, he captures Junmyeon in a hug and squishes him, rendering his faint attack ineffective.

Junmyeon hugs him back, “Move in with me Jongin,” he says. “I don’t want to spend a single day apart from you.”

“So cheesy.” Jongin snakes an arm around Junmyeon’s waist and dips him back. He takes a moment to appreciate the surprise in Junmyeon’s eyes, before kissing him.

Their photography group claps and hoots, moving in closer. After one month of traveling together, they’re used to Jongin and Junmyeon’s PDA antics. The camera shutters and flashes go off as the students take advantage of the scene to complete their assignment.

When Jongin pulls Junmyeon back up, the elder buries his face in Jongin’s neck. They receive a couple of more cheers and pats on their backs, before the students move back and give them some private time.

Junmyeon kisses Jongin’s neck, making him shiver. “I can’t believe you did that.”

Jongin chuckles and tightens his arms around Junmyeon’s waist. “I’ll move in with you but…can we get a puppy?” he whispers in Junmyeon’s ear.

Junmyeon doesn’t hesitate with his answer.

“Yes.”