gootaeng mall

@santaclaws.bbh.com "nah, syao isn't necessarily picky. i can just grab some diapers for him or something, and he wouldn't mind. for sure." a playful grin embodied itself on seungyoun's face as he gently tossed the bag on the younger male's shopping cart. as his eyes feasted upon the sorority of colors popping in and out of the cart, seungyoun couldn't help but feel his heart melt at san's kindness. holding a party wasn't anyone's responsibility to being with, if anything - it was a chore.

sure, seungyoun was also more than capable of hosting one - but seeing as the said deed was his life's backbone since childhood, it didn't take him a second to let go of that life and start anew as a nobody. but on san's end, he knew the guy was geniune. that was enough confirmation on seungyoun's end that regardless of how he presents himself in and out of the chatroom, his kindness was ever unchanging. his gentle gaze lifted itself from the cart and back at san's pleading eyes, to which he responds with a mischievous hum.

fingers tapped themselves in an inconsistent rhythm atop his chin, his head bumping as though there was an incoherent tone somewhere that was casually playing in the space. "san, do you perhaps..." he took a few steps closer to the man and swung his arm around san's shoulders, pulling him closer to him, "...like my company so much that you're asking me out on a date?" for a good five seconds, he stared - he didn't want to speak for san's feelings, but somehow - he had a clue. he didn't mind, but he wanted to see how things would flow now that they've met in the flesh.

before the younger male could even respond, seungyoun used his free hand to hold onto the handle of the shopping cart - the other hand still casually gripping gently on san's shoulders. "you didn't have to ask, san. either way, i would've accompanied you."

he started walking, and slowly he dragged san along with him and the cart as they motioned towards the other sections of the store. "so, what else did you need? aside from me of course, but that's already a given as you can see." he sweetly smiled.

@luizinho.bbh.com normally, he would be incredibly embarrassed and annoyed if someone laughed at him, for something he was shy about. yet as he watched the cracks in seungyoun's little skit break through, the boisterous, contagious laughter that washed over him only caused san's lips to twitch upwards into a smile. whenever he read lui's messages to him, saying how happy he was to talk to him, it warmed san's heart. seeing his mirth in real life? it would be a miracle if san's heart ever calmed down.

"it's okay," he mumbled softly, blowing the blonde bangs out of his eyes as he took pleasure in observing seungyoun laugh. his fingers absentmindedly grasped around the box of biscuits that was passed to him; the shorter male was more focused on the way that simple confession had him floating on cloud nine. pride swelled hotly in his chest.

the protest was on the tip of his tongue; san was ready to insist that no, seungyoun should take the box, seeing as it was a token of his appreciation to someone else, but the words died in his throat upon hearing the man speak. good ing lord, he was not going to survive. especially considering how the taller man's fingers in his hair, even though the contact was brief, weakened san's knees like a new-born foal.

barely resisting the urge to let out the squeak that threatened to make itself heard, san shook his head, gently pressing the box back into the other student's hands. perhaps it was a reason for their fingers to make contact again. perhaps it wasn't.

"no, please, you should– these are good ones, syao would like them. i have other snacks i can buy. besides, i was.. uh, i was just shopping for the party. uhm.. you can– if you want, of course, you can..." breathe, san, breathe. "if you want.. you can.. join me?" the boy cleared his throat, his smile nervous as he gaze up at the other but his amber pools glimmered with hope. "it would be nice to uh, to have like a second opinion?"

@lalipop.bbh.com it was pointless arguing with lalisa, san knew. she was incredibly strong against him, and san was too weak to stand up to her as it is. so instead, he shrugged a shoulder slightly, the corner of his lip curved upwards into a defeated but affectionate smile. it was incredibly endearing how invested she was in getting him prepared for his date, whether it be fake or not.

there was no one he'd rather have as a best friend in this world, and that was a fact. lalisa knew exactly how shy he was even talking about boys, no less going on dates. if he ever came out of the closet, cleanly that was, lalisa would be the first; san knew this in his heart.

"but they're comfy," he complained nonetheless with a pout, eyeing the shirts she was dumping into his outstretched arms. today – really, every day, but more so today – she was the boss, so san was going to follow her instructions. although, he had no idea if he could pull of these leather pants she was envisioning him in...

"okay, but i'm letting you know right now, i'm going to look like a potato," he huffed quietly before making his way to the fitting room. first thing's first, he got changed into the simplest of the three shirts: a pastel blue button down that weirdly accentuated his blonde hair. then, with hesitance, he slipped into the tight leather pants, even flustered with himself how it clung to him like a second skin. tearing his eyes away from the mirror, san hurriedly stepped out from the curtain, shyly rubbing the back of his neck.

"how.. how is it?"

@santaclaws.bbh.com for a good six seconds, his glimmering orbs traveled from the fearful kitten's golden disheveled locks, quivering dark spheres, and down to the thin line resting above his chin - clearly in turmoil. seungyoun was amused, and far-fetched at that. in as much as he kept denying that he had the tendency to dominate those who present themselves delicately, perhaps there was no use in doing so anymore. right in front of him was proof that, maybe - just maybe, investing much of his energy in exploring who san is might not be such a bad idea.

but to do that, he wasn't so sure. the silence between the two almost entangled beings was defeaning, only to be cut off by seungyoun snorting midway. slowly he pulled back and looked towards the left, laughing his heart out as he remembered how much the younger man stuttered and resembled a tomato. "i-i'm sorry" in between chuckles, he tried to catch his breath when all the while, his tears started to threaten in falling from the corners of his cat-like eyes. "you were just so nervous and cute, i couldn't control myself."

he pulled himself back up and regained his composure, running the long length of his fingers through his soft locks. he smiled tenderly at san, and pulled out the bag of chocolate-glazed biscuits to offer to him. "since that was the first time i genuinely had a good laugh, i'm giving this to you."

he still couldn't believe that the guy who he gave so much of his attention to in the chatroom was not how he imagined him to be. it was safe to say that he wasn't disappointed, rather - it fueled the cheeky male to further push himself to get to know this guy more. with a soft hum, seungyoun coolly responded,

"i was supposed to get syao this bag of biscuits as payment, but i decided to give him a different one instead." he states, still holding onto the bag as he waits for the other to respond. "besides, something as sweet as this deserves to be owned by someone equally as sweet - and that's you."

with a playful grin, seungyoun used his free hand to ruffle the younger one's hair, "you guys match, too. you're both a snack."

@santaclaws.bbh.com "nothing fancy... a date is still a date!" lalisa decided, and found her target store for the day. or the hour—depending on what they had in store for them. she pulled her bestfriend into her chosen store, and she huffed in satisfaction. okay, dressing san up wasn't exactly a hard feat. the man was good-looking, almost a little too much, and even though there weren't a lot who saw him in the same light she did, that was fine.

he was a hidden gem, she'd say.

she began browsing for clothes. "they are, but that doesn't mean you need to wear them every single time," she said, before grabbing at least three shirts for the man, and a pair of tight leather pants. she turned to him and dumped the clothes in his arms. "now put this on and model for me."

@luizinho.bbh.com perhaps he didn't like ash-grey? was his hair too long? were the piercings not obvious in his online profile, and now seungyoun didn't like it? there were a million insecurities breaking through the dam of his brittle walls, filling his heart with this sinking dread; negativity and darkness curled its nasty tendrils around his lungs, squeezing, restricting, suffocating– until the other man was moving forward.

seconds passed, san still a statue, awaiting those words of disapproval as seungyoun stepped closer. but they didn't come. instead, what knocked the air out of his lungs were the words that escaped the taller male's lips. and the glimmering playfulness in his eyes. san was rooted to the floor. the world fell around him – but this time, he was trapped with the man he had been crushing hard on. he didn't know whether to cry or rejoice.

clearly taking advantage of san's speechless flustered state, the shorter one watched, wide-eyed, as seungyoun lifted his hand to lay a delicate kiss to the skin of his hand. his death arrived early when those words caressed the shell of his ear.

san inhaled sharply, blood rushing to his cheeks so they would imitate cherry tomatoes.

only after he felt the overwhelming wave of 'lui' wash over him, his head surfacing from his attraction long enough to jump-start his brain, did san speak. "i.. i-it's good to meet you too, seungyoun," he whispered quietly, teeth worrying on his lower lip as he raised his embarrassedly skittish gaze to those mesmerizing orbs. he /definitely/ was not going to throw his own stomach for a toss and call the man 'daddy' in public. that would be opening a whole can of worms san was definitely not ready for.

"um.. what.. uh, ha, what brings you to these, you know, uh, i mean how come you're here?"

clearly, san's brain was still malfunctioning and his heart was in overdrive.

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@santaclaws.bbh.com after the younger male confessed his name, seungyoun's heartstrings tugged themselves tight in synchronization with the tangling of their fingers. the warmth from their skin seeped in, cooling down the threatening nervousness that crept in as he recognised the guy right in front of him. true enough, he looked a little too different from his display photo up in the chatroom, and he seemed like a totally different person. not that he was complaining, but rather - he was enjoying the contrasts playing right into his hands.

slowly, he pressed lightly onto the younger man's hand and leaned forward - closing the distance between them by a few inches. his sharp, dark orbs pierced right through san's as though reading every little bit of secret that he has kept inside his fragile body. if anything, seungyoun felt the need to know everything about the fellow cautiously standing and observing his every little move, just like how a kitten is. a small, mischievous smile managed to pull through the corners of his rosy lips, "fancy seeing you here, my love. it's a pleasure to finally be graced by your presence."

slowly, he raised their hands a little closer to the distance he kept between them and planted a soft kiss atop the back of san's hand. "as a little affirmation, yes i am indeed lui. but since we're off the chatroom," he leans in to close the distance, tilting his head to the side as he positions himself just by san's left ear and whispers in a sultry tone, "you can call me seungyoun instead, or daddy that's what you prefer."

@luizinho.bbh.com for a moment, his heart completely gave up. his ears rung with seungyoun's words as his feline eyes widened in shock, head tilted to maintain the eye contact. one that he broke away immediately to stare as he coughed in embarrassment, cheeks flaring a bright rosy pink. this was the man he had now spent a couple days... flirting with, for lack of a better term. the rush of confidence when he chatted with this man was inexplicable, but it gave san a sense of confidence that no other man had been able to.

of course, that was all behind the security of his phone screen. but meeting seungyoun in person...

clearing his throat, the shorter male returned his gaze to the other, his lips twitching into a shy smile. should he even introduce himself? would that escalate his awkwardness, would seungyoun walk away in disappointment? hesitance clear in the lines of his lean muscles, san reached out to slide his hand into the taller man's hand. god, he was so warm.

"it's okay, i don't look the same in my profile picture as i do now, haha," he began with instead, giving those long, slender fingers a firm squeeze. "it's um.. san. santaclaws, or whatever," the confession finally slipped past his lips, lips splitting into a sheepish grin. it was a tactic he used often, to hide his nervousness. lest seungyoun find out exactly how much of a loser he was so early in on in their meeting.

@santaclaws.bbh.com never did it occur to the rich young lad that he would drag himself forcefully in an e-mart to buy something for a 'friend'. a few days ago, seungyoun was battered by a swarm of art projects which led to somehow, although not intentionally, deprioritise the needs of his ever-so-sweet pitbull, bruno. lucky for him, syaoran swept in and volunteered that he take care of the dog - but in obvious cases, it came with a price.

a bag of chocolate-glazed biscuits was the way to repay the good 'ol man for the deed.

seungyoun was pretty sure that he got the right bag, but oddly - the texture he was feeling was too soft. another thing, it's as though there were live beings inside the bag with all the movements he's been receiving. with his furrowed brows, the confused man lifted his orbs away from his phone's screen and turned to look at a rather somber-looking male who seemed to have recognized him through his username. surely there wasn't someone as drab as syaoran, but this wasn't him. he cleared his throat before pulling off a really sly smile as he pulls his hand away from the touch, "i came here to buy a present for christmas, but valentines decided to greet me early."

he placed his hand coolly inside his ripped, denim jeans' pocket while using the other to reach out for a handshake, "i apologise if i wasn't able to recognise you in any way from bobohu, but may i know your name?"

@luizinho.bbh.com there was nothing better at a party than free food and drinks. not that he relied on it, but there was definitely a charm about devouring food you didn’t spend the dough on. ever since he decided to throw in his apartment for the christmas party, san had been nervously wracking his brain for a plan of action to not mess this night up. this was his chance for making more friends — to redeem his freshman, antisocial years.

so here he was at the e-mart, curating the perfect menu for his christmas dinner. shopping cart (not the virtual ones, for a change) containing a plethora of chips, some pretzels, lots of soda and tonic water and some more essential items, san realized he was missing his favourite: the chocolate glazed biscuits.

with one arm, the all-black ripped jeans and graphic tee-clad boy pushed the cart towards the biscuits section. he was glancing down at his phone, typing a message as he reached up to the last box of his favourite biscuits he had spotted when instead it comes into contact with a warm object. a really soft, warm object. and also a /moving/ object.

recoiling in surprise, san almost dropped his phone as he snaps his head up, eyes connecting with...

“lui...?”

@lalipop.bbh.com now here was the difficult part. even conjuring up that one tiny white lie had been a monstrous effort, because san was incapable of lying to his bestfriend – he was practically transparent to her. the fact that he had managed to get this far was a feat in itself.

"um... uh- i don't know, maybe like.. a movie or something? i-it's nothing fancy, haha," san laughed awkwardly, trying to prevent his lips from curling into the pout they inevitably furled into whenever he was guilty of something. "but sweaters are nice, aren't they! they- they make you look, like, soft.. or whatever.. isn't that what.." he paused for a second, looking around to make sure no one was listening, before continuing in a whisper, "what guys are into these days? soft cute boys, right?"

@santaclaws.bbh.com lalisa could only stare at her best friend, but she couldn't help but roll her eyes at his words. san was definitely the last person she'd ask for fashion advice, even if she rarely ever did ask someone for help―she trusted her own taste somewhat, and she had been a model for a while, y'know! but choi san was going on a date with his... well, er, fashion style? of course, she was going to have to save the day! she was going to make sure that he got a boyfriend by the end of this date―or at least, a second date, for all she knew.

her hand tightened around his wrist a little, but as she gazed around, fingers touching her chin lightly, she hummed. "well, mind telling me where your date will happen? just so you won't be overly dressed or... too simple for the occasion. and besides, you need an upgrade on your closet. i know i love your sweaters, but that shouldn't be the only thing you have, y'know?"

@lalipop.bbh.com "listen, it's– i don't have /bad/ fashion sense! it's just– unique, you know? like, i'm a trend-setter, i swear!"

even a deaf person would have been able to hear the lie in that. choi san was as competent at choosing bombtastic outfits as he was at cooking; his previous burnt kitchen could attest to that.

although, to be fair, san wasn't complaining about this spontaneous trip to the mall. he may have mentioned a date while they were working on their homework in the isolation of his room – and here they were. of course, san didn't have a date. he just wanted to seem more popular, considering who his best friend was. but if that tiny white lie is what provided him an opportunity to spend more time with lalisa? who was he to complain?

as they walked – read: san was dragged – into the store, he glanced around, surveying the multiple cool shirts and dresses and plethora of jeans on display. he had no problem with the way he dressed, but perhaps that's why he didn't have many friends...

"so.. are we going all out?"