The grocery store was thankfully very nearly empty. Clearly, people had better things to be doing than buying vegetables at 9 pm on a Wednesday night. Also it meant fewer people to shoot them questioning looks as Sammy became way too enthused about which zucchini to choose.
Jin-kyu did his best not to stare as Sammy fondled each one carefully, sliding the elongated vegetable obscenely through his hands before announcing, "This one - it's nice and thick!"
Jin-kyu may or may not have gone as red as the tomato stall that he was stood next to at the time.
"Just put it in the cart," he muttered, snatching the zucchini from Sammy and tossing it in alongside the other few vegetables that Sammy had so far approved, and since when was everything healthy for you so freaking phallic?
Jin-kyu was starting to wonder if there were multiple facets to this curse that appeared to have befallen him?
"Jin-kyu!" Sammy suddenly screeched, making Jin-kyu practically jump out of his skin.
"There's a pet aisle!" Sammy exclaimed, pointing excitedly up at the aisle signs overhead.
"Actually, I probably do need to get more cat litter," Jin-kyu conceded as he motioned for Sammy to go ahead.
"Look at all these toys!" Sammy cried with an awestruck look on his face as he scanned the wall that was covered in brightly coloured chew toys and fake furry mice on strings. "Which do you think Darain would like?"
Jin-kyu opened his mouth to explain once more to Sammy that Darain, being in fact a garbage unit, probably wouldn't be all that appreciative of a squeaky Kong toy. However, he subsequently noticed that they were not alone in the aisle as a good looking blond guy reached in front of him to grab a dog water bowl.
"Sorry," Jin-kyu said, stepping back and out of the way.
"No problem!" the guy smiled at Jin-kyu, "I'm just picking up supplies for my new puppy."
"Oh?" Jin-kyu asked as his eyes quickly tracked down the guy's nicely honed physique and sun-kissed skin. "What breed?"
"Alsatian," the guy replied, "what about you? Cats?" He pointed, with what Jin-kyu was pretty sure was a flirtatious grin, to the bag of kitty litter in Jin-kyu's hands.
"Two," Jin-kyu nodded with an easy smile. It had been a while since this had happened, since he had talked to a stranger and not wanted to go hide in a hole somewhere or pretend he didn't actually speak English.
For some reason Jin-kyu felt lighter today, despite the obvious life-sized ceramic problem.
Who was now currently putting the different chew toys in his mouth.
"Sammy!" Jin-kyu shouted, making the guy beside him flinch and drop the dog bowl.
"Sorry," Jin-kyu muttered quickly before turning back to Sammy, "Sammy - what the hell are you doing?"
"Testing the toys," Sammy explained with a confused look. "You said Darain had big teeth - are they bigger than mine?" Sammy opened his mouth obscenely wide to show his teeth, his tongue sticking out at full length.
"I...Sammy for god's sakes close your mouth," Jin-kyu snapped, "Just, whatever okay - that one will do fine." He waved to the plastic toy in Sammy's hands that was shaped like a rolled up newspaper and was currently glistening with Sammy's saliva.
"I don't have any money," Sammy whispered loudly, chewing his lip with an anxious expression.
"I'll lend you some. Just put it in the damn cart," Jin-kyu shook his head as he turned back to apologize to the good looking dog-bowl guy again, but the aisle was empty.
"Fuck," Jin-kyu stated bluntly before turning back to glare at Sammy. The younger man merely blinked at him owlishly before nudging the cart forwards.
"Can I push this?" Sammy asked expectantly.
"No," Jin-kyu snapped irritably, "you need a license, only real humans have them."
Sammy's face fell as he slipped into place shuffling along behind Jin-kyu. Jin-kyu groaned as he felt an uncomfortable heavy sensation in the pit of his stomach.
"Fine," he grunted, handing the bar of the shopping cart over to Sammy, whose eyes lit up eagerly.
"Will we get in trouble?" Sammy asked, looking around the store as if expecting a full S.W.A.T. team to descend on them any minute now.
"I'll just explain to them that you're a learner," Jin-kyu sighed as he glanced up and caught sight of the blond guy disappearing out of the store's exit with a shopping bag.
"Come on, we need milk and eggs apparently," he muttered, turning back to Sammy.
After they had procured all the food products that Jin-kyu could think of, and quite a few that Sammy wanted that he would never have thought of, they proceeded towards one of the three free cashiers to get it all up rung up.
"Wait," Jin-kyu said, narrowing his eyes at Sammy, "we should probably get you a toothbrush, I don't have a spare."
He bit his tongue as he clocked the knowing, smug look that the woman scanning their items gave him.
"Wait here," he growled to Sammy as he darted back towards the toiletries and cosmetics aisle. By the time he returned all the items had been scanned and bagged and the cashier was deep in conversation with Sammy before throwing her head back and laughing raucously.
Jin-kyu dreaded to think what they were talking about, but by the way the cashier blushed when he reappeard, Jin-kyu guessed it was probably him.
"This as well please," he muttered darkly as he handed her the toothbrush. It was the cheapest one he could find. Well, second-cheapest, this one had cartoon fish on.
"Are you sure there's nothing else you'd like to buy, Sir?" she asked with a look that was all too pointed for Jin-kyu's taste.
"Er, no. That's everything," he frowned back at her.
"We have lots of special offers on at the moment," she nodded at Jin-kyu before gesturing to the rack beside her that was fully stocked with seemingly every kind of condom available. A large handwritten sign informed him that you received a free tube of lube with every purchase from a particular brand.
Jin-kyu did a fantastic attempt at choking on his own spit whilst the woman winked conspiratorially at him. "Everything one might need for a romantic night together Sir, and perhaps even the morning after," she added with a satisfied giggle.
"Seriously?" Jin-kyu asked, his eyebrows raising up to his hairline. He could feel the vein in his temple throbbing and he was pretty sure his eye was twitching. "I'm buying cat litter and zucchinis and you think I've got a romantic night planned?"
The woman's expression changed immediately to very flustered as she started fussing with the till.
"I'm so sorry Sir, that will be eighty-four dollars in total."
The cashier managed to drop Jin-kyu’s change twice before finally getting it back to him. Jin-kyu grunted his thanks and turned to go, but not before noticing that Sammy was staring at the cashier with confused expression.
As they walked out of the store Sammy whispered loudly, "I think you upset that woman, Jin-kyu."
"She's fine," Jin-kyu growled back.
"I think she really wanted you to buy some of that 'special offer' candy," Sammy insisted.
"Jesus," Jin-kyu muttered, shaking his head.
Although perhaps he was a little harsh. He made a mental note to buy some condoms next time he was there. Maybe he would even run into the blond guy again?
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