"They're not here." Jackson murmurs, eyeing the shelves with a frown breaking his forehead. He looks around him- -he looks at the many candy bags and the inviting colorful chocolate bars. For a second, he asks himself if one of those would equally do, but the answer comes immediately: his dad will kill him if he finds out that his son ate some of those full of calories junky food.

Plus, he will certainly feel a bit guilty afterwards.

Shaking his head, he mentally scolds himself because he cannot allow himself to be weak like this. He should never give in the tentation.

Never.

"Are you done?" It takes Jinyoung's words to cut off his train of thought.

Jackson looks behind his shoulder at his friend who has his arms folded on his chest. The latter's face is the perfect representation of a teenager who's had waited enough. He's usually patient and cheerful. The only explanation for this kind of behavior is that Jinyoung probably hasn't made up with his girlfriend yet. (There should be probably a 'non' before the noun because nobody has ever seen this girl who's captured the guy's heart. Everyone, minus Jackson, just believes that she truly exists because, even though Jinyoung has always been the type of person who likes texting others, ever since this so called girlfriend has popped up in his life from nowhere, he spends an horrendous big amount of time with his fingers attached to his device).

People should put a limit on their sulking, though- -in Jinyoung's case, at his moping. Because it's kind of 1) very annoying and 2) extremely annoying.

It's been days for 's sake.

"Give me a minute."

Upon hearing his words, Jinyoung looks like something has off the possibly remaining little bit of happiness from his being. Great, really. Just great. " Just so you know, I can totally stay here all day." He sneers, sarcasm dripping from his mouth.

Jackson ignores him in favor of surveying the products on the shelves quickly for the second time. He sighs. "I can't find my energy bars." He tells the other guy, not bothering to explain further because Jinyoung knows what kind of diet he is going through. And not abandoning for the next years. "Let me ask- -" He doesn't finish because his friend lets out a humorles laugh. Jackson suppresses the urge to call him a for the only reason that he's not up for a fight right now.

Besides, less than three seconds later, Jinyoung has fished out his cellphone from the pocket of his jeans and now, he's typing rather violently on the screen which means two things: he's occupied for the next five or ten minutes that is the time it will take Jackson to go and ask someone working in the supermarket for his thing. And two, that Jinyoung will be unsufferable when he comes back.

He finds a middle aged woman re-organising stuff as he turns the corner. She's got cereals surrounding her and Jackson just stops a couple of steps from her to ask his question.

It turns out that the energy bars are not between the candies anymore which is in part good because that's not really the place for them, and in part a pain in the since Jackson has to find where they are now- -"Go in the energy drinks and medical department," the saleslady's told him.

Luckily, his eyes fall easily on them as the plastic of his bars is orange and they're the only with that bright color. He grabs a hand of them, and then, because he doesn't want to run back nor to meet Jinyoung's depressed yet, he calls his friend and tells him to meet him at the checkouts.

His jaw nearly drops when he arrives and he sees four long lines and Jackson would choose the least long if there was any. He randomly stands behind a man who's buying only some drinks, thinking that maybe even if there seems to be about dozen of people before him, they'll be fast with their things. 

"ing never get in a relationship," is the first sentence that exits Jinyoung's mouth as he approaches him with his cart- -Jackson raises an eyebrow because he didn't have it before.

Or maybe Jackson wasn't paying much attention.

Either way, he scrunches his nose at the foods inside it.

It looks like Jinyoung's trying to gain as much fat as he can. Jackson blinks at the various fruits and the bars in his basket and then he snorts when he glances back at his friend's cart.

Motherer can eat whatever he wants. 

And he can eat how much he wants.

How irritating is that?

Jackson taps his shoe on the floor and looks ahead. He's pretty sure that some time has passed and this means that the line must have shortened at this point. Wrong. He's still almost glued to the man with the drinks. 

The hell.

He sticks his head to look at the ing slow cashier. Must be a grannie.

But no.

He furrows his eyebrows because there's someone with a red head at the cash register and he guesses that he or she has to be young because he can't imagine an adult sporting dyed hair. That would be beyond weird.

Don't get him wrong, he's seen a couple of extravagant things in his life, but that would be a lot. If it happened, he'd be in shock, but he'd surely recover and start taking secret pictures at the old man slash woman because epicness slash weirdness needs to be seen all over the world.

So Jackson is looking forward to see the face of this person. He'd have liked to share his discovery with Jinyoung, but when he jerks his head behind at the sudden excitement (he's a roller-coaster of emotions, you see) he finds his friend muttering what sounds like profanities to the snacks he's picked from his cart. 

Nope then.

He waits and waits and waits, until there are only three people in front of him. This time, he repeats his previous action and- - this .

He's changed his mood for nothing because there's a guy who looks just a couple of years older than him with a hairstyle that reminds a bit of Kakarot's from Dragonball. The difference is that this person's head is red and, why isn't he a fifty-year-old-man, seriously? 

The guy moves like one, though.

It doesn't matter how many remaining customers with a small amount of things there are before him because it seems like there are thirty.

Red like a rose, wait for him you'll decompose.

Around fifteen minutes later, it is finally Jackson's turn.

He starts taking his stuff and before he can put the apples and the cherries down, he looks up because they're taken from him.

"You don't look like a nutritionist." Even though the guy is worst than a turtle, up close he's not bad. He has a baby face, kind of adorable honestly. He looks like no more than nineteen or twenty years old- -around Jackson's older brother Henry's age. He has a really deep voice for someone with that appearance. This has Jackson an eyebrow at his direction and do not let him start with the pink and black plug on the guy's left ear. "Are you a vegan?"

"A veg- -what the hell." Jackson splutters. He says nothing when the cashier-guy starts laughing. Jerk. He lets him take his fruits, anyway, because it's the other's job. Jackson puts the content of his basket on the conveyor belt. 

It's painful to watch this guy work. Has he already said that red-head is too slow?

My god.

"Is vegan meat good?" The cashier-guy is giving him a teasing smile. He- -Jackson squints at the target on his chest. It says Mark.

Well, that doesn't sound like a korean name.

Not that Jackson cares.

He throws a pointed look at this Mark-guy. A reply is necessary at this point. He certainly doesn't let anyone pick on him twice without getting anything in return. He opts to say something neutral, but what comes out of his mouth is,

"Vegans don't eat meat, genius."

Sometimes it is hard to suppress both his sass and the nicknames.

If Jackson's worried that he's offended the other, he can take a sigh of relief since the next thing he receives instead of another stupid question is another round of laughter. 

"Do you need to eat all these nutritious foods because you need muscles on your scrawny arms, meatball?"

Mark-guy did not just call me- -

"Meatball?" Jackson widens. Excuse you, he's fit. He cannot, but be fit because he's an athlete, a fencer. And he has to be fit because otherwise his Dad, who is his coach, will cut him in two. This time he breathes slowly and deeply. "Can you just be fast?" He snarls, managing a fake smile as the last word rolls on his tongue.

"Anything for you, Cherry-berry."

"Your nicknames are ridiculous."

"What you eat is ridiculous. You're ridiculous." 

The cashier guy is one to talk. He smiles at Jackson, looking genuine and like he's having real fun. It is impossible having your eyes curve in that manner, Jackson thinks, but he erases the thought immediately.

When the guy- -Mark straights himself on his rotating chair and a second later he leans to him, Jackson jerks back in pure instinct. "Pay me before the boy behind you kills you."

Oh, right. He glances back. His aim is to do it so fast that his friend won't notice it. Too bad Jinyoung has his eyes on him and they look like they are trying to burn him.

"Are you done flirting with the punk cashier?" Jinyoung asks, very displeased.

"I was not- -"

"Your money, honey." The Mark-guy cuts him off.

Jackson huffs, annoyed. "Stop, it's your fault." He pokes his inner cheek with his tongue. A frown is breaking his forehead again. He takes his wallet and pays for his things before that crazy person of the cashier can say something else.

There is no way he's going to wait for Jinyoung to finish.

Call him hypocrite, but he doesn't really want to wait, so he walks out of the supermarket.

Jinyoung comes out five minutes later with two plastic bags, still angry with the world.

"Are you trying to alleviate your pain with food?" Jackson asks his friend in a sing song way.

"Go back to your vegan , Banana."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are out of school right after Physical Education because their teachers have an important meeting to attend.

Jackson's shirt doesn't feel like a second skin. It is more like it's fused with his real skin because it is so soaked in sweat that it feels impossible to pull the two apart. 

He ruffles inside his rucksack, looking for his bottle of water. Finding it not there, he scratches his head. He's sure to have put it in this morning. You see, water is essential for him. He absolutely doesn't leave home without it.

And he repeats it: he put a bottle inside his rucksack this morning. 

He remembers that his Dad threw it at him when he stood up from the table after breakfast and he caught it in mid-air.

Where the is- -he hasn't lost it, has he? Plus, who loses a bottle of water? Not him.

"Thank you." Jinyoung wakes him up from his wondering. When Jackson looks at him, the latter is proffering to his body what seems like the plastic container of the precious important drink.

It is empty.

"Why did you finish all the water?" He demands to know, making a mental note to put his belongings far from his friend. This is absolutely not the first time that the guy steals something from him. Stingy is not surely an adjective to describe him, but if stop sharing means that he gets to be called like that, Jackson can deal with it.

"Why do you think people drink?" Jinyoung shoots back, rolling his eyes. "Because I was thirsty."

"I am too!"

Jinyoung doesn't seem affected by his friend's condition. He grabs his own rucksack, puts it on and then grips the stripes and adjusts them. "Then let's buy another bottle. C'mon." He invites, signing with his hand to follow him. "I'll treat you, Jackson, " he says, a bit exasperated even though he does not have the right to be. 

Thief.

"You better be."

It is a wonderful day. The sky is clear of clouds. The sun is shining bright, but it is also true that Jackson doesn't like it so much since it feels like its rays are hitting too hard on his bare arms. Because of Jinyoung, he's completely forgotten to change back to his school uniform until now. (He doesn't know if trying to peel his still drenched clothes off his body would have been a better idea, though). Oh, well, maybe he can appreciate the fact that he's wearing shorts.

But there's not even the slightest blow of wind and he's kind of smelly.

Duh.

"No, no, where are you going?" Jinyoung's warm palm on his forearm gives the most unpleasant sensation at this moment. It lingers there only for a mere second, but Jackson can still feel it pressing on him afterwards. 

"In the bar." He responds, looking sidelong at the building and at the barista that is already smiling at him. When Jinyoung seems like wanting to grab him again, he makes a whiny sound which he will deny that he's emitted if the other talks about it. "No touching, man."

"A biual asking the teenager version of Kim Soohyun not to touch him." Jinyoung comments dryly. "Yes, madam, but I'd like to inform her that we're not going there 'cause I'm not going to waste my Won when there's a supermarket just a couple of steps from here."

Jackson tries his best to look more pitiful than he already is. "But I might die."

"Faint, probably." Jinyoung says easily, taking the other by his rucksack and dragging him away. "Don't worry. If you ever fall and I'm too tired to catch you or to even rescue you, stay assure that someone will come to help. A lot of Pokémon are attracted by a nice body."

Jackson blinks. "Did you just compliment me?"

The younger rotates his head at him. "I did, didn't I? Told you that I'm worn out."

It's two-ish of a Tuesday. Adults are back to work, children at school. No wonder that the supermarket has only few customers at this hour of a working day.

The two are already carrying the bottle, but they wander inside because there are air conditioners there and because they have nothing to do. 

Jackson has to practice at five o'clock. His conscience tells him that he should go home immediately and start doing his homework, but years and years of being able to turn it off during those moments when his stubborness mixed with a little bit of laziness (that he can afford rare times) reaches the top leads him to pass half an hour doing nothing with Jinyoung.

It is when he sneezes because he's finally not sweaty anymore and he starts feeling slightly cold that he asks Jinyoung to go.

"Oh, this must be my lucky day." He utters as he stops walking at the sight of a red-hair cashier in his seat. He's serving a costumer, accepting what looks like a credit card and swiping it with a hella bored expression on his face. 

Jackson guesses that maybe the guy leaves others in peace if they are not teenagers and he can't ruin their days.

"Look. Don't you know him? Isn't he- -oh, yes, he's the guy who called you sweet names last time." Jinyoung muses next to him, eyes looking in the same direction. 

Sweet is not really what Jackson would have used. 

"Let's- -" He starts, already turning to the left because he sees another checkout with no line.

Now, there should be a whole paragraph regarding his hatred toward those type of friends who sense that they should not do something because it might piss him off, but do it anyway because they are ing s.

Jinyoung is currently walking to where red-ha- -Mark, his brain provides the name- -is. He winks at Jackson, probably thinking that it would be enough to tail after him. Man, can Park Jinyoung be any more wrong.

That , though. Why exactly is he going to the guy who annoyed his friend? 

Jackson notes that after relaxing, the crave for water is still there, but not as big as before. With his peripheral vision he sees Jinyoung talking to Mark-the cashier. And then, after a short time, the guy is pointing at him.

At him.

The hell is Park Jinyoung saying and doing.

What a mothering big . Oh, boy. You're so ing screwed. Jackson's so going to let him when he's miserable and now, he's going to leave him here. He'll go catch the bus and goodbye, ing Jinyoung. The dickhead will go home all alone. Ja- -

"SUGAR LIPS, C'MERE!"

A shiver runs down Jackson's spine. Then, he goes rigid. He stops breathing for a moment as well. He counts one to ten after his brain re-starts working. He immensely detests the fact that he recognises that voice even after hearing that only for a few times that last day. Maybe it is because it is kind of unmistakable, being that deep and all, but still.

"Sugar lips?" The two words taste horrible slipping out from his mouth.

"SWEET CHEEKS, DON'T STAND THERE."

His gaze flies right and left and he notices that there are girls giggling at the scene and the other cashiers are either shaking their heads or smirking. Jackson is forbidding himself from wondering what the others might be thinking at this moment. He's lucky that there are not many people witnessing this moment.

With long strides, he covers the distance between his spot and the one where the two idiot are. He sends a deathly stare at both.

"SMOOCHIE, HERE YOU ARE!"

Jackson has never been so scarlet in his life. He can feel the blush all over him. His face is so hot that he could cook an egg on it and that egg would be done in an instant. "Lower your ing voice, will you?"

If after the first encounter, he thought that there's something wrong with this cashier, now he thinks that this 'something' is more like completely damaged. How often do you see a worker being like this?

"I see that all the vitamins are somewhat effective." The Mark-guy is offering him a sly smile while Jinyoung has an elbow on the conveyor belt, snickering like a hyena. 

Somewhat? He's been like this for months thanks to the training. Jackson has muscles in places that he won't say.

So please.

"Isn't harassing customers against your job rules?"

The guy lets out a small laugh, revealing sharp canines. . Is he a vampire or what. He's inclining his head to the right, chin up in a challenging manner. "Of course, but why? Are you going to tell my boss?"

Jackson gives him a sharp look. "Why not." He adds, "I don't even know you and here you are irritating me with your ty mouth and words. What if I want you fired?"

"Oh, Snuggles, don't be like that." The cashier says, and Jackson petrifies.

That has to be the worst thing someone, girlfriend, friend or family has ever called him. This stranger is getting on all of his nerves.

Meanwhile Jinyoung is wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

"This is the second time you are being like this to me." Jackson doesn't want his frustration to color his words. "Are you like this to anyone? Because maybe you should find another employement if you're- -"

"Nah, only to those I like." The red-hair guy is cupping his own face with both of his hands. "You got me the very first time- -which is a week ago precisely- -with your cute nose." 

"I- -" Jackson honestly does not know what to say. He shakes his head a lot before he comes to a,

"You are crazy."

Mark the cashier grins at him, full and showing two rows of white teeth. For an unknown reason his facial expression completely changes into a blank one. It is a brief moment later that Jackson finds out why, when the other suddenly bursts into a hysterical crescendo of laughter that he justifies by saying,

"You're adorbs when you pout, Patootie."

-

"Jerk."

"."

"Dickhead."

"Moron."

"Motherer."

"."

"."

"."

Jackson whistles. "Running out of insults, useless bastard?"

"What, Patootie?" Jinyoung replies, shaking the bottle of water in his hand.

"I hate you."

"Yes, you do." His friend agrees. What kind of friendship is this, seriously? He rocks his body on his feet. He stuffs his hands inside his pockets, blowing out air from his mouth. "I think the cashier really likes you, you know."

Jackson snorts. "He likes annoying me, right."

"That too." Jinyoung half-confirms. "He didn't make me pay for the water when he knew it was for you." He shrugs at Jackson's raised brow. "When you walked out again he said that it was his way to say sorry for both times."

He doesn't know why, but he can't believe that.

Jinyoung goes on. "He also said that 256 Won is too much for someone like you."

If Jackson's thinking about really forgiving him (which he's not, but still), the idea vanishes after hearing the second reason.

That tosser of a ing stupid colored head.

Jackson values more than that.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"What the are you doing, Jackson?" Jaebum hisses at him, and the latter would at least pretend that he's a little embarassed for standing near the entrance and checking furtively inside from this spot, but this is more important.

(Look, at some point of your life, you ought to ask yourself what's happening when you're hesitating to enter a supermarket because of an employer).

"It's just that- -"

That he doesn't want to be ridiculed. Besides, the weekend's starting so there's certainly going to be a lot more of people compared to his last encounter with red-vampire-cashier-Mark.

Guess who hasn't signed for bein humiliated?

Exactly, him.

He doesn't see any bright head inside. The building is clear. Fantastic.

"- -that nothing. False alarm. We can go." He announces as he finally steps in between Jaebum questioning his odd behavior. He dismisses it by answering that it's nothing, really, and then he changes their topic.

He talks about this party that the guy is organising at his house to celebrate him being accepted in the football team.

Jaebum lits up. "I've invited all of my friends and the entire team."

"Your parents must be happy for you," Jackson says with a smile, "since they're letting you throw a party."

"Yeah." The other replies with a nod. "And you're going to help me carry everything I'll need since you owe me."

"Fair enough."

Three intimidating mountains consisting of bread, peanut butter (a ing lot of peanut butter), salami, shrimp chips, Chocopies, cookie sandwiches, onion rings, and a scary amount of beer and other more alcoholic drinks, are towering inside their carts. Jackson hopes that Jaebum's mother will prepare something healthy and tasty, or at least if not tasty, something poor of fat, because if these are the only things that are going to be eaten at the Lim party, then Jackson will better have a secret meal at home before he goes out.

As he picks up objects randomly from one of the three carts, Jackson halts for a moment to look at the common black hair and the not showing any earring ear of the person that is serving them. It is a young cashier as well and he seems full of polite small smiles. 

"See something you like?" Jaebum whispers at him teasingly, elbowing him in the ribs.

Jackson quickly averts his look. "Nope." His hand circles around a beer, then another. He starts piling them, one after another. He frowns when he looks at the sticker on the neck of the drinks because his brain starts elaborating Kakarot-styled hair and before they become of a certain color or he starts thinking of canines and other silly stuff, he clears his throat and thinks of something else. 

Like the fact that he needs to beg Henry to accompany Jinyoung and him at the celebration party.

It is when Jaebum is handing bills to the cashier that the latter acknowledges Jackson. "Hey, it's been long."

Jackson stares. "Excuse me?"

"You actually know the cashier?" Jaebum meddles in, looking amused.

"Uh, no, I don't think so." The black-haired guy says with a chuckle. Jackson doesn't think that he's a weirdo like his absent co-worker just because he has a really friendly face and his laugh is contagious. And boy, are his eyes as big as tennis balls. They look like a doll's. "I'm LuHan." He's batting long eyelashes and Jackson is tempted to ask about his gender because he's a little confused here. "Mark has been complaining- -he's been nagging over anything since the last time you came."

Mark. 

Oh.

"Why." Jackson sighs. Must be because he wants to irk me some more. He allows himself to smirk. "Is the idiot missing me?" He jokes.

"Yeah." LuHan's smile is fond and it's probably because he's talking about his fellow's feelings- -what the hell.

That is so surprising that Jackson has a hard time digesting the single word. "How can that be?" He grumbles to himself. They do not even know each other for 's sake.

Okay.

He's understood this situation: this LuHan person is kidding him.

"Don't you believe me?"

Except that when looks again at LuHan, his round enormous eyes are screaming 'truth'. How can Jackson say no to him? 

It's simple: he can't.

This does not mean that he accepts what the other is telling him. Not denying vocally doesn't consequently mean that he believes LuHan. Silence doesn't mean agreement.

Not at all.

They wave their hands at their new (almost) friend (because he's an okay guy if you put aside all the Mark crap), and when he kindly tells them to come back soon and to please take care of themselves, Jackson begins pondering over how those two cashiers can even talk to each other because let's say this: Mark, the cashier-vampire, is the pinnacle of rudeness and LuHan, the cashier-angel, is the complete opposite.

-

Jaebum was born to be funny.

No, really.

The guy is a clown- -you have to look at the positive part of the word. This is the principal reason why Jackson immediately liked him the first time they met at school. Jaebum is someone that brings comfort. He's like that the tea time at three for British and then he's also Mc Donald's for kids because he's joy. He's a perfect combination.

He makes Jackson laugh most of times.

That is probably why that's the reaction seeing Jaebum stops walking all of a sudden when they are just some meters far from his house to yell, "We have to come back! I forgot to buy condoms!", elicits from him.

"Man, you're- -" Jackson meets the other's eyes and the thin line his lips are forming. The realisation that Jaebum is not playing hits him like a slap in the face. "You're not serious, man. Don't even think about it."

"Condoms are mandatory, Jackson." His friend is biting his lower lip. 

Jackson studies his expression. "You have someone." He deducts. He would have patted the other on his back to congratulate him, but he has bags in both his hands. "Good for you. That's really cool. Amazing. But we're still not returning to the supermarket. No times three. Sorry."

"Oh, Jacks, please?"

He doesn't know what to think when Jaebum starts fluttering his eyelashes at him. In horror, he tells himself that it is definitely not because he's mimicking LuHan.

Maybe his friend has something in his eyes- -the .

Jaebum sighs, and his terrible acting finally ceases. "This time I'll owe you. You can ask me whatever you want. Just, please?"

"You can go by yourself." Jackson points out. It is when the other patheticly shifts his weight on foot to foot and then passes the plastic bag to another hand before mumbling something quite inaudible to him that he concedes.

To say that Jaebum looks grateful is an understatement. He has a gleam in his small eyes, which fades after hearing Jackson's condition. "You want us to run from here to the supermarket? He opens and closes his mouth. "You're ing with me- -tell me you're ing with me. You must be ing with me."

Jackson can see the guy's brain working, building another long train of complaints and arguments. That is why he mirrors the other's expression. He can handle this. In the end, he knows that he will win.

"We are carrying heavy things, man." Jaebum whines, but he's deflating. He's getting out of his war mode. He must be needing those condoms so much. "We have beers and- -"

"It will be a good- -"

"Don't you ing complete that with 'exercise', you masochist."

Jackson only laughs at that.

-

It's insane.

They look insane.

He has never said that it was going to be easy, but he hasn't thought that it's going to be so damn difficult. It is troubling because the plastic bags seem to get ripped and they constantly bump against their legs.

However, those obstacles aren't insuperable. Once you get used to the small hits and to be a little careful, you can manage to do just fine.

Jackson can't say that Jaebum is feeling the same, though. The guy doesn't stop talking not even for a second: every step that he takes it's punctuated by either a shout or a huff followed by a ''.

"Murderer." A glare is being sent to Jackson's direction. It is full of understandable growing resentment. Jaebum is panting, he has the stuff on the ground, back leaning against the wall of the building. He has his hand on his chest. "I'm going to have a heart attack."

"You're in the team, man." Jackson says, throwing him a lost look. "How come you're dying?"

The other waves his hand in the air. "Condoms. You go." He's shooing him, wordlessly telling him to buy the protections alone.

Stifling a laugh, Jackson does what he's been told. He's such a nice person: you know, helping people like this. Helping his friend who's having problems right now (because of him, but let's ignore this fact).

He finds the condoms and then- -goddamit.

Don't tell him- -

Nope.

No red-head.

He grins.

LuHan hasn't shifted his turn with anyone yet. He's still working, Jackson notices. But instead of going to him, he prefers choosing a lady. He doesn't want to be trapped in a second quite awkward coversation with the black-haired cashier.

He pays, feeling happy because this is actually the first time that he'll exit this supermarket so fast.

Jackson is snickering as he throws glances back. And it is something he shouldn't do. He collides against someone when he's almost out. He involuntarily steps back after the impact and still because of that, the little box for Jaebum has flown away from his hand and it's fallen somewhere.

He immediately bows to the person he's disturbed just now because of his moment of distraction. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking."

"Large, huh?"

"Oh, my ing hell."

Jackson first rises his head, hoping that this is just a nightmare. He straightens his spine, standing painfully still, and with his jaw clenched when the least guy that he's wanted to meet flashes him a smirk.

"Hasn't your mom told you that these are not for kids?" Mark the jerk cashier asks him in a deriding tone. He sticks his tongue out in between his teeth, curving his eyes a little.

"Give them back." Jackson snaps, trying to catch the box only for the other to bring his hand behind his back. Motherer.

"Are you sure that you're a 'large'?" The red-head guy persists with his mocking. He lets out a little sneer when Jackson frowns at him. "That- -" He begins, eyes trailing down Jackson's body. He checks him out from his feet to his head, and then his gaze stops on the trousers that Jackson is wearing. Don't ask at which part of them is this ert looking. "- -are you sure that it is the right size, Cucumber?"

And this is the so called person that was missing Jackson, right?

Maybe his hypothesis about the reason of this strange feeling that LuHan said his colleague Mark had for him is right.

"Is there a way I can get those condoms back without hearing any more of you?" Jackson says a little weary. He pinches the bridge of his nose. "You're really annoying, you know?"

Locking their looks, Mark rises an eyebrow at him. He laughs. "That's part of my charm, you know." He responds, imitating Jackson's tone of voice. Boy, so ing irritating. Really. "Anyway, yeah, why don't you tell me why did you buy these?" He asks, showing the box, but holding it up. 

Jackson finds another thing to dislike about the guy: his height. Hell. "Why do you think people buy condoms?" Sometimes it is very cool to have Jinyoung as a friend because you learn to give these answers to other people.

"I know why I buy condoms." Mark the cashier says, putting emphasis on the two personal pronouns. "I guess you're buying them to make balloons."

A group of young customers pass next to them. They are snickering under their breath. They are looking at Jackson with their heads bent down. If that's their way to hide that they're making fun of him, they've got to do better.

He closes and uncloses his fist.

So there. Line crossed. Jackson's tank full of patience is now empty. 

"Hey, Mark?"

Incredibly, the other doesn't reply. The smirk has magically been swiped off his face. He's blinking actually. Looking a little surprised.

" you." Jackson says, and then he turns back to buy a new box.