Moonbin has been working at Pine Cove Department Store one city over since his freshmen year of high school. It’s part of a large shopping complex, and there’s one closer to his own high school, but Pine Cove is in a posher neighbourhood and the shoppers usually tip better and spend more. The perfume bar is usually his favourite counter to work, and his manager Jinwoo knows he’s good at it. There are some occasional more sensitive customers, but they’re farther and further between compared to any other department. Working the clothing sections is the worst because no one likes to be corrected on their size, and cosmetics is marginally better, but not by much. Scents are neutral, and invisible—the fact Moonbin’s got heightened olefactoury senses is just cheese on the burger.

Seeing four year olds run around in Ugg boots and sixteen year olds use Gucci totes as schoolbags took some getting used to, especially considering he has to pay his own phone bill and gets his hair cut from his mom, but it gets easier sophomore year when he meets Sanha.

Sanha is another, for lack of a better word, rich , but at least he’s cute? Moonbin had spotted him wandering through the cosmetics aisle carelessly near Christmas one day, and was initially on high alert.

Men never just wander into the cosmetic aisle, as nice as it would be if they did. Men take tentative steps into the cosmetics department, like mice tip toeing through a den of voracious tabby cats, eyes sharp to anticipate anyone questioning their presence, shoulders high steps stiff like they’re trying to stamp the sole of their shoe into the glossy marble tile. They instinctively answer any and all inquiries, from “what’s your name” to “what are you looking for today?”, with “I’m not sure I’ve never been here before I’ve never put on makeup I’ve never a ” and Minhyuk who works at the Starbucks downstairs has confirmed that there are homeless people who come in for free coffee that tip better than these s.

Moonbin was so distracted by the scruffy freshmen that he accidentally bumped into a gentleman carrying coffee, what scents like a caramel macchiato to be precise, and after some misplaced center of gravity shenanigans he ended up with a large caramel stain on his trousers.

.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going!” The gentleman shrieked, shoving Moonbin in the shoulder, eyes fixed on the stain.

Moonbin tuned the gentleman out after that on reflex, because angry rich people say the darndest things, but he made sure to look sorry and downcast and bow a couple of times. He passed the time thinking nasty things about cream coloured suits, because everyone is allowed coping mechanisms, and hoped Jinwoo would get here soon. His manager’s better at vocalising under stress.

“Mr. Kang!” A voice too airy and prepubescent to be Jinwoo’s exclaimed, from right behind Moonbin’s ear, and when he turned his head to see who it was he caught the briefest whiff of baby powder.

“Excuse me?” The gentleman asked, as he glared the two of them down.

“I’m Yoon Sanha!” The previously suspicious and now less so kid replied, smile puerile but tone more devious. “I think you work with my dad, Doojoon?”

Nothing makes a rich man’s wilt faster than mere references to an even richer man, and with the connotations of the arm Sanha threw around Moonbin’s shoulders Cream Suited ended up purchasing three pairs of the shoes Moonbin had been standing by, mentioned Moonbin’s name twice to the cashier to make sure he gets commission, and tipped him extra in cash on the way out.

“Your welcome.” Sanha greeted, patting the hand on the arm around Moonbin’s shoulder.

And that had been that.

Sanha imprints and starts to visit the mall daily after school. Moonbin’s suspicious at first even after the Cream Incident, because what’s wrong with this kid that even other rich s don’t want to hang out with him, but it turns out that Sanha’s new to the neghbourhood and still being vetted. He’s not too much of a hassle, since weekday afternoons aren’t particularly busy for department stores anyway, and after they become friends Sanha starts making random purchases to gift to his chauffeur and forces extra bills into Moonbin’s pocket. There’s a morality struggle for a few days, in which Moonbin feels like he’s being paid to be this lonely kid’s friend, but after finding out that Sanha spends most of his allowance on Candy Crush levels and Naruto figurines Moonbin just keeps all the money in his savings account and doesn’t think about it. University isn’t going to pay for itself.

After Sanha’s birthday party, apparently a big deal at Rich Academy, he impresses the other students enough that they start befriending him and he stops coming around every day. Moonbin even misses the kid a little, since his coworkers aren’t nearly as amusing, but Sanha still comes at least once a week. It’s often enough that Sanha’s probably one of Moonbin’s closest friends, definitely his closest underclassmen, and he likes to think they know each other relatively well.

All of this evidence to the fact something is definitely going on with the kid.

“I think something’s wrong with Sanha.” Moonbin says, taking his break behind the Starbucks counter as Minhyuk runs around making peppermint mochas and pumpkin spice frappuccinos.

“Even more than usual?” Minhyuk pries, dumping three shots of espresso into a clear cup with one hand and shaking some iced tea concoction together with the other.

“He asked me to pick out a cologne for him today.” Moonbin explains, tossing Minhyuk two straws so he can put the drinks out.

“Maybe he’s growing up?” Minhyuk offers, catching the straws and calling out the names on the cup.

“He said it right before he left though, instead of when he showed up.” Moonbin continues, decides not to comment on the fact Minhyuk and Sanha are the same age, and saunters over to the display of pastries to see if he wants one. “If he mentioned it earlier then he could have bought one right there. It’s like he didn’t want me to ask questions.”

“Maybe he just forgot.” Minhyuk shrugs, throwing a towel over his shoulder and sitting on the counter when he sees the queue empty.

“No, I think something’s up.” Moonbin refutes, trying to picture how Sanha walked through the door today. He’d been smiling, as usual, rows of dumb teeth showing, as usual, and his leg had that frantic bounce it always does that makes his shoes squeak when he’s standing still and drives Jinwoo up the wall, as usual. The argument could be made that his hair had been neater, combed over a few times, instead of his usual shaggy bedhead. His tie had also been on straight, but that happens once every month or two so it may just be probability at work. “Something’s… different about him.”

“He’ll tell you when he’s ready.” Minhyuk accepts Moonbin’s determination. He picks up the lemonade carton he just used, shakes it to find it nearly empty, and drinks the rest instead of putting it back.

“Maybe. That kid can’t keep his mouth shut.” Moonbin nods. He picks out a Christmas tree shaped sugar cookie and bites the star off aggressively.

“Just give him time.” Minhyuk agrees.

___

“What the is wrong with you?” Moonbin greets Sanha two days later, a bottle of Valentino V Pour Homme in his hands. It’s relatively sweet for a cologne, but with woodsy base notes, that should match Sanha’s natural scent well enough.

So Minhyuk’s a better person than him, big whoop.

“What are you talking about?” Sanha replies, reaching for the bottle with both hands. “Is this for me?”

“Spray it on your wrists, and then lightly tap it on the bottom of your neck. Don’t mash the skin together. If you like it by the time you leave then its yours.” Moonbin replies, holding the bottle out. “But also, what the is wrong with you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sanha replies, but his bottom lip is jutting out more than usual, like when he tries to get Moonbin to sneak off and eat oysters in the food court with him. “It smells nice.” He continues, and sprays his t-shirt like he’s trying to piss Moonbin off.

“Don’t spray your clothes!” Moonbin corrects, grabbing the bottle back and walking to set it back on its shelf. “If you spray something inanimate you’re going to end up smelling only the top notes.”

“I don’t know what that means, but it still smells nice.” Sanha rolls his eyes, flipping his shirt collar up so he can sniff it. “Yup.”

“Why do you suddenly want a cologne?” Moonbin asks, glaring at a six year old boy being dragged through the jewelery department with Yeezy’s.

“Just because.” Sanha hums, skipping after Moonbin. “I’m growing up! I should learn how to adult.”

Moonbin pointedly looks down at Sanha’s one white and grey running sock and one black crew sock.

“No reason.” Sanha shrugs, flapping his arms about and spinning in circles to avoid Moonbin’s gaze. “Can’t a man want to smell nice?”

They banter as Moonbin makes his rounds through the departments, skipping through the clothing ones quickly so there’s a smaller chance he gets stopped there, and after a while the subject drifts to Spring Break plans and the subject of Sanha’s cologne is dropped.

Until they start trekking through the cosmetics counters and Sanha’s gaze lingers on a few cushion foundations; something dawns on Moonbin then, something he hadn’t considered before, given Sanha’s lingering scent of baby powder and braces and inability to dress himself. Now that he thinks about it, Sanha’s tie is straight again today.

“What’s their name.” Moonbin hisses, shoving Sanha down into a black folding chair near the Estee Lauder counter, giving the auntie working there a scare.

“What are you doing?!” Sanha squawks, legs somehow tangled up in the struggle. “Let me go!”

“Your crush kid, what’s their name.” Moonbin continues, releasing the pressure on Sanha’s shoulders but standing immediately in front of the chair so Sanha’s can’t get up. “Name.”

“It’s no one!”

“Name!”

“I don’t have a crush!”

“Name!”

“Moonbin my leg hurts!”

“Name!”

“Your hair’s ugly and your teeth are crooked and your legs are short!”

“Name!”

“It’s not like you would know who he is even if I told you.” Sanha mutters, lips extended, staring at Moonbin’s sho