"Are you sure it's just a stroll around the city?" Jeno asks, squinting his eyes in suspicion. "To walk your dog?" Quickly glancing down to the furry animal by their feet.

Mark smiles, a little awkward but he hopes it's not as obvious as he thinks it is. "Yes," he squeaks out before clearing his throat to change his tone.

"And it's not my dog."

"Right, it's your nonna's dog." Jeno nods along as he stares at the seemingly bored Maltese dog. "Sort of weird."

"What's weird?" Mark silently gulps as he tightens his grip on the leash he was holding. Not like the dog was going anywhere, he was basically dragged here.

Jeno shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know, you barely walk the dog. And when you do, it's just outside the house, then you bring her back inside after she finishes her business."

"Okay, maybe it is a bit weird. But don't you think I should try to actually take her out on a walk this time?" Mark asks, a little calm now with his words.

Not going to lie, he's a tad bit nervous on this "mission" his other two friends gave him. Not only is he luring Jeno to a hangout, but with Na Jaemin too. The guy he dislikes.

Another thing that bothers Mark right now is how he knows Jeno will lose some bit of trust in him for lying, white lie or not, kinda irritating.

But that's something to worry about later on, because there's a slightly bigger problem than that.

The pressure is on, if he can't (secretly) bring Jeno to where their friends are so he can meet Jaemin and (hopefully) have some fun; then obviously Mark owes them to Taco Bell.

Managing to keep eye contact with the younger boy, Jeno soon hums and kneels down onto the floor to meet eye level with the fluffy dog.

"You're lucky I just finished reviewing some notes," he said while letting the dog sniff his knuckles first. "Otherwise, I wouldn't agree on coming with."

Exhaling in relief, Mark lets Jeno befriend his nonna's dog before he tugs on the leash so they can head off. However, the dog doesn't budge and instead snuggles her nose on Jeno's open palm.

The latter smiles softly, scratching her ears before yelling out to his mom just to inform her. "Mom, I'm heading out with Mark hyung!" Receiving an "okay" afterwards from the kitchen.

Getting up on his feet, he chuckles when Mark attempts to pull the dog with him out the door. "Let me walk her, hyung." He insists, shaking his head at the elder boy to mock him a bit.

Shrugging his shoulders, Mark hands the leash to Jeno and doesn't even comment about how his nonna's dog almost immediately cooperates.

Too busy sending a quick text to a certain group chat.

He follows behind them, closing the door to Jeno's house and not forgetting to announce their leave while thanking his friend's mom.

𑁍

"Mark hyung." Jeno grits his teeth as he clenches on the dog leash while staring holes at a certain pink haired boy.

The elder boy beside him scratches his nape, chuckling awkwardly. "I can explain!" Frantically trying to not have Jeno walk off.

As if on cue, the younger boy almost did if it weren't for Donghyuck draping an arm around his shoulders, putting on some weight just to annoy him.

"Hyuck." Jeno glares at him. Not too intimidating in Yangyang's opinion as he stood by them. The poor Maltese dog just sitting on the grass in boredom now that Jeno's not moving.

"That's me," a silly smile on his face, Donghyuck shakes his shoulders and gestures at the pink haired boy with them. "And that's Jaemin."

Rolling his eyes, Jeno grunts. "I know, we've met." Wanting to smack each and every mischievous grin his friends and that tattoo artist has.

"So I've heard," Donghyuck's words immediately makes Jeno turn to Yangyang, looking mortified.

"Yangyang!"

"Oh don't get mad at Yangyang, pretty boy." Jaemin interjects. "He's basically helping me," sharing a fist bump with the snickering boy.

Snapping his head to him, Jeno scowls. "Of what? Kidnapping? Drug dealing?"

"The things you have on your mind assuming about my intentions right now are only illegal shit," Jaemin muses.

"And besides, do you really think your friends would willingly bring you here if I was bad? I'm not doing anything wrong, pretty boy."

"Stop calling me that!" Jeno snaps at him. He then attempts to shrug off Donghyuck's heavy arm around him but to no avail.

"Listen, Jen. We're just here to hangout." Yangyang said with his hands in his pockets.

"You guys can hangout without me." The raven haired boy hisses back, slightly feeling a bit calm when the dog inches closer to him.

Mark shakes his head and reaches out to pinch Jeno's puffed out cheek, Jaemin watches and silently wishes he could do that to Jeno sometime too.

"That's the main reason why you're here, Jenjen." Mark coos at him. "We brought you here to have fun, you already finished reviewing and it's the weekend."

"Exactly, why not take a break from books and come out of your little shell?" Donghyuck backs him up, ruffling his hair into a messy look.

"I don't want to!" Jeno squirms again in the tanned male's hold, trying to break free so he can get the frick out of here.

"Too bad, you're already here." Yangyang giggles and points at the bored Maltese dog by Jeno's feet. "Besides, that little guy needs a walk."

"It's a girl, dumbass." Mark corrects him, crossing his arms.

Yangyang only sticks out his tongue to tease him, "how would I know? I'm not a perv like you." He remarks.

"HEY!"

"Come on, Yangie, don't even pretend you haven't been a peeping Tom about more than twice before." Surprisingly, Jeno also comments.

He's obviously saying it because he's annoyed with Yangyang for telling the other two about him and Jaemin, as if there was something.

There's totally nothing, by the way.

Jaemin drawls out a whistle, a wide smirk on his lips. "Dang, pretty boy, getting feisty now huh?"

"Shut up!" Jeno now aims to yell at Jaemin. Looking around his friends, he sighs in defeat when they give him a look as Yangyang kept pointing at the dog.

"Fine, I'll stay and hangout with you guys." Getting cheers from them, he clicks his tongue and bents down to caress the dog's head.

"But only because Cara needs a walk, since Mark barely takes care of her. No offense, hyung." Slipping a quick apology at the end as usual.

The said elder boy laughs, hands up in surrender. "None taken." Sending a discreet thumbs up to Jaemin's direction.

The pink haired boy couldn't stop smiling, he gets to spend the day with Jeno.

Although they're not alone because their (coincidentally) friends are here with them, it's better than nothing.

"Trust the process." He thinks to himself while following the others to find a good spot in the park, close to Jeno's heels.