The drive had been quiet. Tab had the radio on for once, quietly playing a top 40 station that couldn’t decide if it wanted to play music or static. Emmett had fiddled with it for a little bit but there didn’t seem to be any rock stations in the area, classic or otherwise. Noise it would have to be then.

They stopped at a small town sometime in the afternoon to refill and refuel. The local cafe was charming and Emmett tried to go easy with only coffee and that morning’s fruit danish. Tab didn’t get much either, some sort of foul smelling bottled health drink and a bowl filled with grains, vegetables and lean fish. Emmett eyed Tab’s choices with a disapproving eye but when Tab offered him a chance to try they weren’t as bad as he’d feared. It didn’t mean Emmett wasn’t craving the taste of a cigarette directly afterward though.

Emmett hadn’t meant to fall asleep when they got back on the road but the sun was warm and the breeze felt nice. If he were to think back later he wouldn’t have even remembered making it to the highway before his eyes closed.

When he opened his eyes again the car was stopped. Everything was quiet. The sunlight glaring off of the side mirror was what woke him and he blinked away a few painful tears as he sat up in his seat. Tab wasn’t there. He slid out of the car.

They were stopped on the side of a road, one side lined by a fenced in wood, and the other a yellow field dotted with wild flowers. He made a circuit around the car, scanning the area as best as he could in the bright light. He almost missed him, crouched as he was by an old rotten fence post. Emmett made his way toward him.

“What are you doing?”

Tab had his phone held out in front of him sideways and Emmett could clearly see that the picture mode was active.

“I kept seeing the field from the highway. You don’t find a spot like this in the city so I wanted to take some pictures.”

Emmett clicked his tongue in annoyance. “I don’t care how new your phone’s camera is, when you have access to a real camera that’s what you should be using.”

“It’s yours though, I wasn’t going to use it without asking.”

Emmett was already opening the door to the car, pulling out the bag and the camera within. He powered it on as he walked back, adjusting a few settings for the current light before holding it out to Tab.

“I don’t know how to use that thing.” He protested, waving his hands in front of him.

“It’s already set up. It you can use a shitty phone camera then you can use this as it is now.” Emmett snatched one of Tab's hands, placed the camera directly in it and looped the strap around the kid's neck."Just know that if you break it I'll kill you." Emmett let go, regretfully. He lit up a cigarette as Tab gingerly took the camera in hand.

"Ignore the little screen Tab, you should look through the lens."

Tab directed a frown over his shoulder at Emmett. "I haven't even taken any pictures yet." Tab protested.

"Ignore me then." Emmett sat down on the ground, leaning his back against another fence post, this one less broken down. A few bugs did still scurry away in fear.

Emmett closed his eyes. The warmth of the sun was threatening to do him in again. He heard the faint snap of the camera, heard Tab shuffle off into the grass. He puffed lazily at his cigarette, snuffing it out in the gravel before he ended up dropping it in the grass.

__

"Hey Emmett."

He must have fallen asleep again. "What is it?"

"There's a spider in your hair."

Emmett's heart seized. Fake hardass. He peeked open an eye, saw Tab kneeling beside him. "Get it out." He asked, more pathetically than he'd wanted.

Tab leaned forward, pulled something Emmett didn't want to look at out of hair and placed it back in the grass. "Saved your life." He said with a sideways grin.

Emmett blew out a sigh. "Sure you did." He sat up from the post, shook out his shirt in case any other bugs had gotten the idea to sleep with him.

"Do I-" Tab was still sitting close and he looked away red faced when Emmett gave him a questioning glance.

"Go on…”

"Do I get a reward…" Tab said carefully, trying to regain eye contact. "For saving your life?"

"Suddenly I think that spider was your accomplice." Though he'd never given Tab any reason to think he didn't like then. "What boon do you beg of me kind hero?"

Tab ignored his playful tone, becoming more serious. "I want to kiss you again."

Emmett's heart seized… for the second time. Of course he wanted to say 'yes' immediately but it was starting to feel less like a 'no strings attached' situation.

"I've messed with you a lot in these last couple of days, I know, but you need to stop it if you're not serious."

Tab looked down at the ground. Considering his words? Emmett flinched when the kid's fingers grazed the back of his hand.

"I don't want to be professional with you anymore. I haven't really wanted to the entire time."

Emmett frowned. Fun was fun but this was obviously something more. "I'll ruin you."

"I don't think you're as bad as you think you are." Tab leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Emmett's.

Even sitting down Emmett had to look down at him. He closed his eyes, uncertain. "You can have your dumb kiss."

Tab was so fucking gentle. Emmett left him to have his way but Tab only took his chin lightly in hand, placed his open mouth against his own, tasted him slowly and methodically.

Several emotions at once. Annoyed, flattered, hopeful? He could have forced more out of him, but they'd already been there.

Tab pulled away again all too soon and when Emmett looked at him he was grinning. It made him want to smile too, to a lesser degree of course.

Tab pulled the strap of the camera over his head, held it out at arms length, leaning his head against Emmett's. "Smile?"

He did quite the opposite. "If you take a selfie with my camera I'll fucking murder you."

Tab passed the camera to Emmett, digging into his pocket. "Fine, fine, but I get to take one with my phone."

Emmett wanted to frown through the picture but seeing Tab's grin reflected back on the phone broke him again. He managed a simple smile, something that didn't even look that haughty.