After an awkward ten minutes of Jin-kyu instructing Sammy in the basics of shower-use (with clothes firmly still on, thank heavens for small mercies. Okay maybe not the heavens, Jin-kyu wasn't exactly on speaking terms with the stars right now.) They finally managed to get out of the door and head in the direction of the nearest department store.
Unfortunately, this involved another ride on the subway and subsequently, Jin-kyu trying to convince Sammy to lower the volume a little when reading posters detailing the symptoms of chlamydia.
"HAVE YOU BEEN CHECKED?" Sammy read the emboldened script and immediately turned expectantly to Jin-kyu.
"Jesus Christ," Jin-kyu muttered, whilst trying to shift lower in his seat and wishing he had a winter scarf behind which to hide completely.
By the time they eventually arrived at the store it was well past midday and Jin-kyu's stomach was growling at him threateningly.
"You should have eaten more pancakes!" Sammy grinned infuriatingly as they walked into one of the shops.
"I would have but by the time all the egg shell was removed there was barely any left," Jin-kyu muttered as he glared hard at the shop assistant making her ill-advised way towards them.
She seemed to get the message as her step faltered halfway across the shop floor. Jin-kyu then nodded in grim approval as she began to backtrack with a 'deer in the headlights' expression.
"Jin-kyu," Sammy whispered beside him. Jin-kyu turned to see an anxious look on the younger man's face. Sammy was lifting up the price tag of one of the pairs of jeans.
"These are way more expensive than the pet toy from the grocery store!" Sammy hissed, "and I still don't have any money."
"I'm paying," Jin-kyu replied bluntly, "you're my responsibility."
'For now,' he added in his head.
Sammy bit his lip as he glanced back down at the jeans but Jin-kyu thought his expression looked pleased. Sammy’s cheeks were slightly flushed. It was a good look on him Jin-kyu mused absently before snapping out of it. After all, it felt a little smug to be complimenting his own work.
"What clothes should I try on?" Sammy asked, running his long fingers down the denim fabric.
"Well we can start with these," Jin-kyu grunted, grabbing the jeans and sighing as the shop assistant rushed over again, fresh with new enthusiasm.
Ten minutes later and Jin-kyu was sat outside the changing rooms with a complimentary cup of ice tea, waiting for Sammy to show them the outfits he was trying on.
The now beaming assistant was stood beside Jin-kyu, trying to engage him in inane chatter about things that he couldn't care less about. Like 'friends' and 'night's out'.
"You okay in there Sir?" she called through the curtain to Sammy.
"Jin-kyu - why did you have to give me all these blue marks?" Sammy whined back loudly, making Jin-kyu choke on his ice tea and the shop assistant titter nervously beside him.
"They're all over my body!" Sammy cried, sounding aghast, "look how far down they go!"
The assistant tried and failed to cover her laughter with her manicured hand whilst Jin-kyu wondered whether dissolving into the carpet would be an option right about now.
Clearly, Sammy was talking about the paint brush splatter that seemed to have left him with a patterned litany of dark freckles.
Before Jin-kyu could think of a reply that would explain this to the overly smug assistant without also implying that he was a madman, Sammy swished back the curtain to reveal his first outfit.
"Sammy."
"Do you like it?"
"Sammy, did you wander over to the womenswear section when I wasn't looking?"
Jin-kyu's eyes tracked up the clinging, pink Playboy cropped shirt that Sammy was currently sporting. The assistant was looking positively gleeful,
"That's very fetching Sir, but it is in fact from our ladies' section. Not that such things matter nowadays and of course, someone of your...physique..."
Jin-kyu couldn’t help but feel like she wanted to say something else.
"...could most probably pull such a look off, more easily than say, your partner here."
Jin-kyu was just going to give up on trying to drink his ice tea.
"Because of his muscles," Sammy nodded thoughtfully whilst staring hard at Jin-kyu, who tried not to squirm under the scrutiny.
"Try on the next outfit Sammy," Jin-kyu prompted, "You can't show up to dinner at Sun-hee's looking like that."
She'll think I've hired a rent boy
...although that might not be a bad cover story if it all goes to shit.
Sammy reappeared moments later wearing the jeans he had picked out, a grey t-shirt and a blue cardigan. Everything was fitted narrowly and seemed to suit Sammy's shape in a way Jin-kyu couldn't put his finger on. So instead he grunted,
"You look like a hipster."
Sammy's face fell, "Is that a bad thing?"
Jin-kyu eyed Sammy up and down again before deciding, "No."
They purchased Sammy a selection of outfits that were both dinner-at-Sun-hee's appropriate and comfortable enough for Sammy to wear around the apartment for the duration of however long he was going to be staying human.
Jin-kyu thought that perhaps he might be being optimistic with the small amount of clothing, however he figured Sammy could always do laundry. Or ask Jin-kyu to do laundry.
As they were walking back, Jin-kyu noticed Sammy standing and gawping at a shop front with a winter-wonderland themed display.
"I really like that," Sammy whispered, almost reverently as he pointed towards one of the mannequins who was sporting one of those awful knitted Christmas sweaters that people had started wearing ironically, which subsequently made Jin-kyu want to grate their face off.
His dad used to wear those kinds of sweaters, Sun-hee and Jin-kyu would tease him mercilessly about how he was going to end up being buried in one.
He wasn't.
"Jin-kyu?" Sammy was looking at him with a questioning expression as Jin-kyu jolted back to the present. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just zoned out," Jin-kyu replied automatically.
Sammy cocked his head, "Where to?"
Jin-kyu shrugged, not really wanting to discuss this at 2pm in a crowded mall. "The past I guess."
"Why do you want to go there?" Sammy asked with a confused look, "do you not like shopping with me?"
"Shopping with you is fine Sammy," Jin-kyu sighed.
Sammy nudged Jin-kyu with his shoulder, "Then stay here."
Jin-kyu's chest twisted slightly as he grabbed hold of Sammy's arm and steered him, against his better fashion judgment, into the store.
One hour later and Sammy was the proud owner of no fewer than five Christmas sweaters, one set of tartan pyjamas, three plaid shirts in red and green check and last but not least, a woolly hat, gloves and scarf.
One of the sweaters even had rows of reindeer on it. Sammy looked like Christmas had come early as he bounced out of the store, swinging the multiple bags happily and bashing over a few of the mannequins. Jin-kyu darted forward to steady them before there was an avalanche of plastic limbs.
"I'm really looking forward to the dinner!" Sammy sighed happily as he dragged one of the sweaters out of the bag and started fondling it.
"That makes one of us," Jin-kyu grunted, wondering if the stars would allow him another wish and whether asking to be snowed in tomorrow would count?
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