Shoe Store Love
Title: Shoe Store Love
Pairings: BaekYeol with slight!KaiSoo
Rated: PG-13 (for language)
Type: Oneshot, Fluff
Word Count: 2,407
Summary: When Baekhyun is fired from his job, what happens when his best friend drags him to a store that he'd never seen before?
His nervous eyes glanced up at the bright lights of the store. He bit his lip, contempulating whether he should enter or not. But he didn't get a chance to think about it because in the next second, he was roughly pushed in, letting out a small scream of shock. Several customers gave him some questioning looks before going back to the items they were buying or looking at. He gave them an embarrassed smile, scratching the back of his head, before he spun around and glared daggers at the boy behind him.
"Thanks for the public humiliation," he glared as he crossed his arms in disapproval. The younger boy just chuckled as he slung an arm over his hyung's shoulder. He tried to start walking but his hyung wouldn't budge from his spot.
"Oh come on Bae-Hyung! If it wasn't for me, you probably wouldn't have even layed a single eye on this place! Do you want a job or what?" the younger smirked as he cocked his head to his side. Baekhyun gritted his teeth together, knowing that his dongsaeng was completely right.
Baekhyun had lost his job about a week ago. He didn't even know what he did wrong. He worked diligently as salesman - using his bright, aegyo smiles to bribe the noonas and younger women to buy the various items in the department store. He always followed orders from his seniors and tried to fulfill them at his best. Since the sudden loss of his only job, Baekhyun needed to get a job. He needed the cash and he was desperate to get the Won he needed.
Well, not that desperate.
Baekhyun stood just inside of a store that had no appeal to him whatsoever. As he stared at the large, red glowing sign and the stripes that framed its sides, Baekhyun scrunched up his face in distaste. The letters were obviously in English - it was one of those rare moments where Baekhyun was thankful that he at least listened to the English teacher during class. His tongue tried to test the words out, rolling them around in his Korean dialect but it was no use. He was thankful, though, when he spotted a small sign just underneath the main one. It was in Korean and he was pretty damn sure he understood what it said.
발 로커
- - -
He sighed heavily as he put yet another pair of shoes on the shelf. After five minutes of trying to angle it a certain way, he smiled contently as he looked back at his effort. The pride and confidence was suddenly ripped from his hands as another pair of hands grabbed the sneakers roughly off the shelf. He watched as the man took the shoe to one of the seats and began to unlace the perfect bows Baekhyun had tied together.
"How's the first few days working at Foot Locker?"
Baekhyun nearly jumped out of his skin at the alarming sound but he relaxed when he realized it was only his dongsaeng. Baekhyun groaned with frustration as he grabbed a black shoe box and brought it up at the counter, the younger sipping on his soda as he trailed right behind him.
"It sucks balls," Baekhyun said simply as he slammed the box down onto the counter and huffed. He leaned over and placed his head against his palm as his gaze dropped over to the scene playing outside the store. He could see the cheery faces of the passing shoppers, making his mood drop even more. He wished he could be the ones selling those people the clothes they were buying instead of shoes.
"How?" the boy asked as he took a ridiculously obnoxious sip from his drink. Baekhyun just groaned as he shook his head back and forth. When he had first heard that the job was going to be selling items to people, he was ecstatic to find out that it would be similar to his previous workplace. But when he realized that he would be selling shoes to a bunch of men, his hopes dropped. It's not that he had a problem with men - he played for either team and actually preferred them over the female race - it's just that his aegyo wouldn't work on them meaning that Baekhyun wouldn't be able to sell the products. Nonetheless, he accepted the job because, well, he needed the money.
"It just does Heenjabuja," Baekhyun whinned.
"Yah! I told you not to call me that!" the younger pouted, his lip curling against the clear straw.
"Mian, D.O.," Baekhyun smiled sheepishly. It slipped his mind how annoyed D.O would get when he called him that. D.O. gave his hyung a skeptical look from behind his drink before sighing and telling his hyung it was alright.
"There is one good thing that's good about working at this place," D.O. grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Baekhyun scoffed and rolled his eyes as he pushed the box on top of another pile.
"What?"
"You get to be around cute guys in uniforms," he chimed as he gave Baekhyun a cocky grin.
- - -
He just had to say that. Baekhyun laughed nervously as he watched the older climb up on top of the step ladder and reach for the high boxes on the top shelf. His eyes were glued on the boy as if he was in a deep trance. His breathing hitched when he saw the black and white stripped shirt raise ever so slightly over that torso, exposing that teasingly white skin.
"Is this the shoe you were looking for?" the deep voice boomed. Baekhyun snapped out of his trance and glanced up, his gaze fazed by that bright smile.
"A-Araso. Kamsahamnida Chanyeol-ssi," Baekhyun stuttered. Chanyeol just smiled wider as he jumped off the steps, landing perfectly right in front of Baekhyun.
"No problem. And call me Hyung," Chanyeol beamed, flashing his teeth once again. Baekhyun blushed as he nodded his head shyly and watched his hyung go back to his place behind the counter.
Ugh. That stupid smile.
- - -
"God, why do you even show up here if all you're going to do is flirt with Kai?" Baekhyun whispered harshly. D.O. just nudged his hyung's ribs as he continued to smile and wave at the employee working with the shoe displays. Baekhyun rolled his eyes before he continued to organize the shoe laces. Is it really so hard for people to put them back where they got it? God...
"What can I say? That kid is cute. Do you think he'd go take me to lunch?" D.O. asked as he turned his head. Baekhyun just muttered an 'I don't care. Just go if you want his dick so much' as he swatted his hand in the air. D.O shrugged before he walked - more like skipped - over to the handsome, tan boy.
"Baekhyun-hyung! Can I go take my lunch break?"
Baekhyun whipped his head at the sound of his name. At the corner of the store, near the display rack stood Kai with his arm around D.O.'s waist. His best friend stood there with his arms folded as a smug expression lingered on his lips. Before he could tell Kai that lunch wasn't in about another hour, the two were off and walking into the crowd of mall shoppers, heading for the food court with enthusiastic smiles.
Fuck, Baekhyun hissed underneath his breath as he saw the messy shoes lying under the window display.
-
"So hyung," D.O. cooed against Baekhyun's ear. The boy just sighed before he dropped the floor broom. He folded his arms across his chest and stood in front of his dongsaeng with a disapproving look.
"Look D.O, as much as I want to know how 'fucking amazing' your date was with 'the sexy piece of flesh' Kai, I seriously nee--"
"I heard that Chanyeol-ssi has a thing for you."
Now that caught Baekhyun's attention.
- - -
Okay. So maybe D.O wasn't messing with him. Maybe D.O wasn't lying when he told him that Chanyeol liked him. And maybe Kai could be trusted. I mean, Kai was Chanyeol's best friend so why would he lie about crushes like that?
Maybe it was just Baekhyun imagining things but he was pretty sure that Chanyeol was just checking him out a few seconds ago. Maybe it was just Baekhyun that was over-analyzing things but he was pretty sure that he saw Chanyeol blush when their hands accidentally brushed up against it each other. Maybe it was just Baekhyun's mind playing tricks because Chanyeol was standing before him and confessing about his attraction to the younger boy.
"I know it's only been two weeks since you began working here but.. do you, I don't know, maybe want to go get a bite after our work shift is over? Dinner's on me," Chanyeol smiled that smile that could drive anyone crazy.
So maybe Baekhyun was insane for saying yes but it was just going to be this one time.
- - -
The date was better than expected.
It wasn't anything fancy - Chanyeol had taken him to an American restaurant, telling him how amazing the burgers were - but it was definitely a great time. Baekhyun would eat his crispy french fries as Chanyeol rambled on about how work could be tiring and how he just wanted to buy all those shoes for himself.
They spent an hour talking and chatting and getting to know each other before Chanyeol drove him home, telling a sincere 'Goodnight!' before driving off. As Baekhyun entered his small apartment, nagging and scolding was thrown at his way when he was faced with a worried mother sitting on the family couch. Baekhyun waved it off and promised he'd inform his mother about his outings next time before he slowly trudged up the stairs. It hadn't hit Baekhyun that he still had a pile of Biology homework - but really, who wants to learn about how homeostasis and equilibrium works? - to do until his eyes landed on his desk. Groaning with exhaustion, Baekhyun decided he could always do it in the morning or during class. As he stripped of his pajamas and rolled into bed, he couldn't stop thinking about Chanyeol.
Yeah, he thought Chanyeol was really cute and had a great personality. He was funny and knew how to crack a cheesy joke here and there. And that smile. That smile that Baekhyun couldn't resist... It was so bright and inviting and it made Baekhyun feel so much at ease because it was so damn adorable and.. derpy. Chanyeol was nice and sweet and he was everything Baekhyun could ask for in a boyfriend...But two weeks? That's not long enough for Baekhyun. He should at least get to know Chanyeol for one month.
Turning on his side and cuddling against his soft pillow, Baekhyun drifted to sleep with that bubbly boy floating in his thoughts.
- - -
The second date was just as great as the first; the two going out to watch a movie that Chanyeol said they needed to watch - The Avengers, was it? All Baekhyun knew was that he had to make sure to wear his contacts because it was a foreign movie and he still needed to read the subtitles at the bottom of the screen (in the end it was useless to bring his glasses because he just ended up staring at Chanyeol's glowing side profile in pure awe).
The third date was a trip to the local park. But in all honesty, Baekhyun was pretty sure that Chanyeol was enjoying the date more than he was - the way his hyung would run and scatter as he slid down the slide and spun around the swings. It was adorable, really, to see how energetic his date was. They spent the rest of the day strolling right next to the river and watching the sights of Seoul.
The fourth date was a trip to the pet store. The two hadn't planned on taking a trip into the store - they were merely just strolling around the mall on their lunch break - but when Chanyeol came bouncing up and pressing his face against the glass window as he stared at the puppies, Baekhyun couldn't help but enter the store, his hand lightly grasping Chanyeol's.
Baekhyun soon lost count on the outings they had together. He didn't remember when he and Chanyeol began holding hands in public or when they started sharing intimate kisses. He knew that the more he spent time with Chanyeol, the more his hyung would expose his true colors. He found out that his hyung was really into American music - his role models were two artists named Jason Mraz and Eminem - that he played different instruments, and was very fond of rapping.
It hadn't been a month since he'd known his hyung but Baekhyun was willing to make an exception.
- - -
"I told you he had a thing for you!" D.O nearly screamed when he found out that Baekhyun was in a relationship with the derpy co-worker. Baekhyun just rolled his eyes as he continued to restock the containers with the disposable socks. D.O trailed behind him, trying to snoop his way into hearing some juicy stories about his hyung's dates.
"Why don't you go make-out with Kai in the backroom? God knows how many times you guys sneak over there...,"
Baekhyun muttered, scrunching up his face at the memory of his dongsaengs lip-locking up against the black and white shoe boxes.
"Whatever hyung. You just don't want to admit that my babe was right," D.O. cooed before he sprinted into the backroom, dragging a rather-excited looking Kai behind him. Baekhyun could only laugh at his best friend's manipulative ways as he stuffed more of the fabric into the clear holdings.
"Hey," a deep voice boomed next to Baekhyun's ear. The boy simply smiled when he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist. He pressed his back against the toned chest he soon came to know. He turned around and gave Chanyeol a peck on the lips before squeezing his torso tightly.
Maybe getting fired from that job wasn't all that bad.