"Mark, Mark look!" Bambam  excitedly pulled the older boy towards the candy shop's window on the corner of the street they walked by every morning. There was a display of candy everywhere. In jars, baskets, and fancy racks. Bambam stared at the window in awe, his mouth agape and eyes wide. "I've never seen so much candy before!" Bambam gasped and Mark laughed at the younger boy's reaction.

    "You've never been to a candy shop before?" Mark asked the gawking thai boy. Bambam shook his head in a silent no, blonde hair shifting out of place on his forehead.

    "Can we go in? Please?" Bambam looked up with his large begging eyes, a fatal weapon against the older.

    "But we have to get to class soon..." Mark tried to reason. "...besides, I can't buy you anything, I only have money for lunch today."

    "Thats fine! I have some money saved up!" Bambam announced proudly as he dug out a few crumpled up bills and some coins from his pocket.

    "You have money? Then why am I always buying you stuff?" Mark sounded slightly annoyed.

    "Because you always offer to pay, idiot!" Bambam retorted. "You never ask me if I actually have money, anyway." Mark rolled his eyes, but he had to admit that Bambam was right.

    "...Okay, I guess we could go in for a little while..." Mark surrendered when Bambam continued to stare at him with his large eyes and slight pout.

     "I'll be quick!" Bambam called as he excitedly bounced up the steps to the entrance. The door opened with a tinkle of a bell and Bambam looked around the shop in wonder.

    "Woah, look at the size of those lollipops!" Bambam exclaimed when he came across a small display rack of over-sized rainbow colored lollipops and picked one up. He turned around expecting Mark to be behind him, but the older boy seemed distracted by a table of chocolates.

    Bambam decided to grab another lollipop and quickly payed for them at the register and rushed back over to Mark. "Surprise! I got you a lollipop! Isn't it huge?" Bambam presented the treat to him with a large smile. Mark chuckled and but shook his head. "Thanks, Bambam, but...I don't really like sweets..."

    "Oh..." Bambam frowned but nodded in understanding as he put into his jacket pocket for later.

     The blonde haired boy wandered the store a bit more while he unwrapped his lollipop and began tasting it. He came upon a small section of the store filled wall-to-wall with jelly bean dispensers of every flavor imaginable. "Wow...there's so many..." he gazed around all of the different colors, idly on his lollipop in the middle of the section while examining the large assortment, pondering on which flavors looked the best.

    "Do you need any help?" A voice sounded behind him, causing the younger to jump a bit in surprise. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" The stranger, however, was holding back his laughter because of the smaller boy's reaction as he apologized and briefly placed a hand on Bambam's shoulder.

   Bambam blushed slightly at the sudden contact and turned to face (or rather, look up at) the other. "I was just, uh..." Bambam swallowed, momentarily lost for words as he gazed up at the attractive male in front of him. "...looking...for..."

    Bambam's eyes darted down, suddenly unable to look the other in the eye, but as he looked down he noticed the other's large frame underneath his uniform.

    The taller wore a white button-up shirt that fit rather tightly around his chest and arms so the definition of muscles could be slightly made out. On top of that he had on a bright pastel colored apron with the shop's logo and a name tag that read 'Jackson'.

    "I was...trying to decide on a flavor. Of, uh, jelly beans...to...get..." Bambam finally worded, gathering the courage to look up at the taller, or rather, trying to stop himself from admiring the stranger's attractive muscular frame. Bambam felt a little more at ease once he saw Jackson's warm smile though. Plus, he was handsome, so that was a nice bonus.

    "Well..." Jackson began to say, causing Bambam to notice he'd been staring at the taller's lips and Bambam quickly shifted his gaze away. "...you should try the Blueberry Blitz! Its one of our best sellers." Jackson stepped to the side and pointed out the container.

    "And everyone really likes the Sour Apple." He moved along the wall a few steps and Bambam followed, watching Jackson point out the other flavor. The employee continued along the wall, pointing out a few other flavors that he said were popular with his customers, but none of the words seemed to reach Bambam as he got distracted with the opportunity to stare at Jackson's face without seeming too weird. The taller had a very nice and genuine smile as he went on about the flavors, seeming very passionate about his job selling jelly beans in that moment.

    "Also..." Jackson suddenly stopped and looked around the shop as if checking to make sure they were alone before he leaned in slightly. Bambam's breath hitched in his throat at the unexpected proximity Jackson was currently in, and he couldn't help but think 'what the hell kind of cheesy drama am I living in if we are seriously about to kiss'. Not that he would mind or anything.

    "...Whatever you do, don't get the Peachy Keen. I've heard it tastes horrible!" Jackson said in a hushed voice with a playful smile.

  Bambam felt a strange rush of relief and disappointment when Jackson backed up, but he giggled slightly at the other's strange behavior. "Shouldn't you be trying to sell the candy instead of telling your customers not to buy things?" Bambam teased, causing Jackson to laugh. And wow did he have a really strange high pitched laugh, but it was endearing in a way. Bambam really liked his laugh. Wow, how cheesy did that sound?

    "Probably, but you wouldn't like me very much if I told you to buy candy that tasted bad, would you?" Jackson replied.

    "Oh, so you want me to like you?" Bambam continued to tease but immediately regretted it when he realized what he had just said. Did he really just say that? Where did that even come from?

    Jackson only laughed at Bambam's joke, much to the younger's relief. The last thing he needed was to get rejected by the cute boy at the candy shop he accidentally hit on.

    "So, do you know which flavor you want to get?" Jackson quickly turned the subject, and Bambam quickly tried to remember one of the flavors he had heard since he had spent too much time staring at Jackson’s lips instead of actually listening to them.

    “Uhh, Sour Apple sounds good! Have you ever tried it?” Bambam asked.

    “Oh, actually, no. We’re not allowed to eat any candy without paying, and I can’t really afford it, I have to send every paycheck to my mom back in Hong Kong. And I don’t want to get fired for eating candy.” Jackson explained. Bambam found Jackson’s affinity for his mother incredibly sweet and he could practically hear the arrow being shot through his heart. Jeeze, Bambam didn’t stand a chance.

    “Ah...Well, you can try some of mine!” Bambam said as he grabbed a bag to fill at the dispenser. His grip was a little awkward with the lollipop in his hand, but after a little effort he managed to get the bag open. Unfortunately he was completely lost on how to actually...work the dispenser. He fumbled with the handle a little, but was otherwise pathetically confused.

    Jackson chuckled as he watched Bambam struggle with something as simple as a candy dispenser. “Here, let me help…” He offered, his large hand engulfing Bambam’s own as he helped take hold of the handle. Bambam was screaming internally at the contact, his face burning and heart thumping mercilessly.

    “And you need to hold the bag under here…” Jackson used his other hand to guide Bambam’s grip on the bag and at this point the younger boy was sure he was about to faint, Jackson’s scent now having engulfed his senses.

    The bag managed to get filled somehow, considering the only thing Bambam could even think about was the feeling of Jackson’s warm hands on his and Jackson’s distinct scent which still lingered in his senses when the taller stepped back and the contact of his hands were gone.

    “Th-thanks.” Bambam stampered. “Oh, here, try one!” He took one of the beans and offered it to Jackson between two fingers, his hand going only inches away from the other’s lips. Oh god, why am I trying to feed it to him? He’s going to think thats awkward, why do I keep doing this?  

    Bambam really didn’t expected it, but Jackson simply leaned forward and snatched the candy from his grip with his lips. At this point Bambam wasn’t sure how he was still standing when he felt Jackson’s lips on his fingers briefly.

    He had to hold his laughter when Jackson grimaced at the taste of the jelly bean though. “Ah, its really sour! I didn’t think it would be that sour, I hate sour candy.”

    “Sorry” Bambam frowned slightly, a little downhearted that Jackson hadn’t liked the first candy he got to try, but Bambam instantly brightened up when he got an idea. “I know, here!” He dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out the lollipop that Mark had rejected earlier.

    “I got an extra earlier, its really good...Something sweet instead of sour!” Jackson smiled appreciatively at the younger’s offer. Bambam was completely unaware of just how smitten Jackson was with the cute blonde haired boy in front of him, but the younger’s rather obvious flirting seemed to convince Jackson that he felt the same way. And Jackson was maybe having a little too much fun when he was invading the smaller boy’s personal space at the candy dispenser.

    “Oh, it looks good!” Jackson accepted the lollipop and gave it a taste with a satisfied smile. “It’s very good! Thank, uhm…?”

    “Bambam.” The younger answered the silent question.

    “Bam...bam? Like a snake? Is that your nickname? Snakesnake?” Jackson joked

    “No! Well, my real name is Kunpimook Bhuwakul, but my mom gave me the nickname Bambam after a cartoon character. So I go by that, since its easier to say.”

    “Oooh.” Jackson nodded in understanding “Well, Bambam is cute!” He complemented, causing the younger to blush madly.

    “Bambam! C’mon we have to go!” Mark interrupted the two, and Bambam wasn’t sure if he was relieved or upset to have to go.

    “Alright, I need to go...Thanks for the help, Jackson…” Bambam smiled and turned to leave, but Jackson grabbed his hand and stopped him.

    “Wait…” The words made Bambam’s heart stop, and he was secretly very glad that Jackson had stopped him. “You...should, uhm, come by again....sometime…” Jackson awkwardly sounded out. Bambam silently celebrated the victory of making the taller, more intimidating man stumble on his own words, but wasn’t sure how to respond as he stared up at him.

    “I mean, I would like to see you again...unless you don’t…”

    “No! Wait, yes! I would like to see you again too!” Bambam blurted out, embarassed by how loud his voice ended up coming out, but Jackson only smiled happy and relieved at the response.

    “Let’s meet here, this weekend, right after my shift at 12. Are you free saturday?” Jackson asked hopefully.

    “Yeah, I can be here at 12.” Bambam nodded and they both stood there silently smiling at eachother.

    “Bambam, we need to go. What’s taking so…” Mark stopped when he finally found his friend…. with someone... holding hands?

    “Uhh, I-I’m...I was just…” Bambam tried to explain as he shook Jackson’s hand off. “Sorry, Im ready! Lets go!”

    Bambam rushed Mark to front of the shop, sharing one last glance with Jackson as he quickly paid for his candy and left.

    Once they got outside Mark looked at his friend with a crooked eyebrow and knowing smirk.

    “What??” Bambam said sharply, an embarrassed blush spreading on his cheeks. Mark simply rolled his eyes and laughed at the younger boy, deciding to ask questions later, besides,

    “We’re going to be late for class.”