Prompt: I saw you at the mall with your friend, and I thought you were really cute, but I was too scared to approach you, so I just hid behind my dog and watched you from afar.

Mark sighed once he exited the pet shop, a bag of newly bought dog toys in one hand and a leash in the other. He had just gone to the store to buy his dog Coco some needed chew toys, seeing as all of her old ones were worn out and couldn't be used anymore, but he found it very hard to shop when all of the female employees (and even some of the male ones) were practically breathing down his neck in hopes of getting to help him shop and maybe even get his number. Honestly though, all of his attention was being given to his precious Coco, because she was the only one that Mark was concerned about. So, after a stressful half hour, Mark was able to escape the thirsty employees and was now leisurely walking around the mall with Coco by his side. 

"Are you hungry, Coco?" Mark asked, picking up the walking fluff ball. After hearing a bark that he obviously didn't understand, he decided he would just grab food for himself and offer Coco whatever it was he ordered at the food court. 

Upon entering the fairly crowded food court, Mark could already hear whispers from the people he passed, them not-so-quietly whispering about how good-looking Mark is or how cute Coco is. He was used to something like this happening, so he just brushed it off and faced the problem at hand: what he was going to have for lunch. There were so many places he could get food at, but definitely so many that he couldn't decide what to get. 

" it. Burgers it is."

With a juicy burger and a side of fries in front of him, Mark suddenly found his appetite gone. It wasn't that he didn't want the food; it's just that he would rather have the very appealing brunette that was sitting just a few tables away from him. With a smile so bright and a laugh so loud and melodious to Mark's ears, how could he not be drawn to the stranger that he didn't even know?

The mystery boy was sitting in front of another boy, who, from where Mark was sitting, looked to be quite tall. Both boys had brown hair, but the one that caught the American's eye had a lighter shade of brown than the other one. 

Damn, Mark hoped that they weren't dating, because he'd really love to get to know that stranger. Even if they weren't, Mark knew that he probably wouldn't have the balls to go up to him and ask for his number anyway. He was fine with just watching this cutie from where he sat, even if he regrets not going up to him later on.

Mark didn't know he was staring, until he felt a nudge on his arm, startling him out of his trance. He looked down to find Coco trying to reach up to take a bite of his untouched burger, making him feel bad for momentarily forgetting about his child. He cooed at the puppy's cuteness and lifted her up into his lap. 

"Sorry, Coco," Mark apologized. 

"Here." He tore off a chunk of meat from his burger and fed it to the Maltese, who happily began to eat the patty.

Once he was sure Coco was busy eating, Mark glanced to the side to try and sneak a peek at the attractive boy. He was pleasantly surprised and a little shaken up to see that the boy was already looking at him, a small smile adorning his face.

 When he realized he was caught, the boy quickly averted his attention away from Mark and looked down at his empty food tray. Mark could clearly hear the taller male laughing at his friend (which is the relationship Mark assumed the two shared) and heard when he said, "You got caught! Hahaha! You're not slick, hyung!"

"Shut up! His dog is just really cute," the flustered boy shot back, his cheeks already a deep crimson color. The mention of Coco made Mark deflate a bit, since he was really hoping that the cutie was staring at him, not his dog.

The friend's words, however, helped get Mark's spirits back up. 

"His dog isn't the only one you think is cute."

"Shh! You're too loud, Yugyeom," the stranger whisper-yelled, proving that he wasn't all that great at keeping his voice down either. How endearing, Mark thought.

"You know," Yugyeom began, leaning back in his chair, "I'm gonna go and get his number if you don't. This one is way too good to be passed up."

Mark eavesdropped on their conversation, amused at how this Yugyeom guy was teasing his hyung. He almost laughed at the faces the other was making, and he would've been the first to actually make a move now that he knew that he he had a shot if he wasn't so damn shy. He could tell that the stranger was shy as well, judging by his flustered actions and the fact that he hasn't made a move either. 

So, it was a surprise to Mark when he saw the stranger get up from his seat and start making his way towards Mark's table. He could do nothing but stare at this beautiful stranger, who looked even more attractive the closer he got. 

"Um, hi?" Mr. Stranger awkwardly waved at Mark, who said a simple "hello" back. 

"Can I.. Can I pet your dog?" 

Mark smiled at the boy, who was obviously having a hard time staying calm. His hands were clutching the ends of his sweater sleeves and his cheeks were still that same red color from before. 

He lifted Coco onto his lap and allowed the boy come closer to pet the puppy's head. The puppy instantly forgot about his food and was now relishing in the gentle touch of the foreign hand, making the stranger giggle at Coco's adorable reactions.

"She's so cute. What's her name?" The smile on the boy's face as he ran his slender fingers through the puppy's fur made Mark's heart beat faster, for he was sure he had never seen a smile like his.

"Her name is Coco," Mark finally answered, watching as Coco began to playfully bite the other's hand. 

Right when the brunette was just about to ask what kind of dog she was, a shout from a few table down caught their attention, along with the rest of the food court inhabitants. 

"I swear, Youngjae hyung, if you keep asking about the dog instead of his fine , I will go over there and snatch him from you." 

"Yugyeom! Oh my god!"

Mark burst into laughter at Yugyeom outburst, and he had to stop himself from laughing too much, otherwise tears would start spilling from his eyes. He didn't want to somehow upset the boy in front of him and give off a bad impression.

"I am so sorry. My friend is an idiot, so please ignore what he just said." Youngjae, as Mark found his name to be, quickly apologized to him, though there wasn't anything to apologize for. He assured him that it was alright, but that didn't stop him from apologizing once more.

"Since you want to know more about Coco, how about you give me your number and I can text you about whatever you want to know?" Mark was already taking out his phone and handing it to the frozen brunette to punch in his digits. It took a while for him to comprehend what was going on, but he was quick to take Mark's phone and give him his number. When he was done, Mark did the same with his phone.

"Great. Then I'll be expecting a text from you later tonight, yeah?" Mark was gathering his things and almost missed the way Youngjae was nodding his head.

"Perfect. It was great meeting you, Youngjae. I'm Mark, by the way."

When Mark had gone and Youngjae returned to his table, he received a slow clap from Yugyeom.

"If I could replay this scene again, I would have jumped in that trash can to hide from how awkward you were." 

"Hey," Youngjae said, slapping the male for offending him. "At least I got his number."

"Yeah, after you finished obsessing over his dog." Youngjae rolled his eyes and didn't retort back, because he knew Yugyeom was right.

Ting!

Youngjae glanced down at his phone and immediately smiled at the text he received. He maybe, possibly even blushed a little, because the contact name was typed in by Mark.

That Cute Guy with the Cute Dog

Hey :)