[Fic] Game Face - 1/1
Jul. 28th, 2011 01:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coley_merrinTitle: Game Face
Author: Coley Merrin
Pairing: Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU
Summary: They sold two totally different things. It should’ve been the thing that kept them apart - and instead brought them together.
A/N: Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wobaozhewo for keeping me on the straight and narrow. :D (She makes things readable (and fun!). XD)
***
***
The game store. Kyuhyun’s first real job.
His parents had looked at him like he’d decided to change his name to Audrey and sing naked on a street corner. But it was a job. And money, like it or not, was necessary for the finer things in life.
Like more gaming. And he didn’t think he’d be doing it forever. However if there was a job he knew the inside of, it was that. Plenty of time for his college work, and to game himself. And money in the bank.
The first six months had been great. He wasn’t the most outgoing person in the universe. He’d enjoyed the parts of the job of working in the back and stocking more than he did actually interacting with the customers. It was a game store. Not like it was some huge department store full of things like jewelry and wallets and perfume. People came in for games. Or walkthroughs. Accessories and systems. Most people who came in, to that branch anyway, knew about what they were looking for. Or they were there to play a demo or scope out sales, or just bored.
Lots of guys. Girls, too. At first he mostly he lurked. Hid behind displays. Working retail, it was pretty easy to spot the “look around for someone to help out” move after a while, and thus avoid it. The significant stare. The shift that implied impatience. Most of the time he’d let the other guys take care of it.
The girls he did talk to were not his finest hour. Possibly there had been stuttering. One time he’d knocked over a display of DS games. One girl had been insulted that he’d asked if she needed help. He asked everyone if they needed help. It was a non-gender-specific question. And there were the girls who had boyfriends in tow.
Retail was probably not his calling.
Sungmin’s girlfriend had given him a very pitying look when he lamented his cruel fate.
“They’re people, too. It’s not like a Martian walked in.”
“They look at me like I’m creepy!” he protested, trying to win back his dignity.
“So stop being creepy. Besides, you work in a game store. So.”
All he could do was frown into his patbingsu. “Who’s prejudiced now.”
The whole of the female race was against him. Not all, he supposed.
Just every girl who came into the store after that, all he could hear was “they’re people, too!” floating around after him as he tried to look busy.
His stare was notcreepy. He had eyes just like everyone else.
***
Kyuhyun’s method of walking was Point A to Point B, with few detours. Getting from his car to the store, get the work over with, go home. Eat, schoolwork, game, sleep. Simple.
He almost swerved when someone started talking to him when he was almost to the entrance to the store.
“Hi! Do you have a moment for me to introduce—“
He gawked at the tall man holding a bottle. First at the bottle, then at the still-moving mouth. Bottle. Product. Product in a bottle. Guy with a mall badge around his neck, standing next to a decked-out cart. There were always those in the hallways with various wares. Kyuhyun just didn’t tend to get stopped by them.
“Um.”
That was his key to move away from the smile that glinted a little too cheerfully for the hour of two in the afternoon.
“I work--” Kyuhyun gestured over to the entrance ten feet away, hoping the message would get across.
“Oh, okay! If you have any questions let me know.”
Another smile and Kyuhyun slipped between gaggles of people so he could start his shift. A lot had changed, clearly, in the two days since he’d been to the store.
“I see you met our new neighbors,” Donghae said, grinning at him over the counter. The store was quiet, but that was pretty normal for that part of the day.
“Were they selling toothpaste? I didn’t get much out of that.”
“He’s nice, and the girl is cute,” Donghae said, stuffing half a candy bar into his mouth behind the counter. “Did you introduce yourself as a fellow poor inmate?”
“I said something about going to work. I don’t know what to say to them. Sorry I don’t need whatever you’re selling?”
“Not everyone can sell awesome stuff like us,” Donghae said airily, heading off to stock shelves.
The good thing was, it was kind of entertaining to look out every so often and see the guy that had talked to Kyuhyun talking to others. Gestures and laughs, the occasional stomped foot. Made him wonder what was being said to warrant that reaction. The bad thing was— The cart was right there. To get into or out of the store, he had to pass by it, especially if he was heading to the food court.
If the guy was free, he waved at Kyuhyun. Sometimes with a “Hallo!” tacked on after. It just made Kyuhyun scuttle along a little faster, or try to leave only when the guy was talking to people. It took up time, was part of the excuse. He was a prisoner inside a glass-fronted game paradise. And his guard wore a leopard-print scarf.
He stared down at his own uniform as he got his lunch. It was clean. No one cared what he looked like, as long as he rang up their purchases or pointed them toward the PSP section. And the mall was high end enough that he saw all kinds of people. All he had to do was look into the hall to see a different storefront outfit every day. Did that make him a mannequin? A mannequin he’d had to sneak past. Again. Logic said there was no reason to be afraid of a greeting from a guy he didn’t know. He just took a while to figure out why he acted that way. Most of the time he could just shrug. He wasn’t afraid of people. Bored or annoyed by usually were more accurate.
“Is this seat taken?”
“No?” Kyuhyun mumbled around his food, looking up from his seat in the cafeteria.
And then there was a leopard print scarf on the man in the seat directly across from him.
There was no escape.
A hand was extended. “I’m Zhou Mi. I wanted to introduce myself since we see each other every day.”
Zhou Mi talking gave him just enough time to swallow, and wipe his hand on his napkin before reluctantly reaching out to grasp the offered hand. Not doing that would have made him feel like more an antisocial jerk than he already felt some days.
“Kyuhyun.”
“There are always so many interesting things to look at in your storefront,” Zhou Mi said. “Videos and things. Have you worked there long?”
Kyuhyun cleared his throat. “Six. Seven months?”
Zhou Mi was smiling and nodding, and he was aware that he should be saying something else. Like how fun the job was, or asking Zhou Mi about his job. His brain was caught up in an endless loop of what to say.
He glanced down at his lap, hoping his phone would yield some answers, and caught sight of the bright red, canvas sneakers that were under the table.
“Nice shoes,” he said, apropos of absolutely nothing.
But it allowed him to finish his lunch, able to get away with the occasional sound and comment, and glance at Zhou Mi’s face. Zhou Mi told a mean story about shoe sales, that was all he could say from the experience. Zhou Mi was just friendly, and they saw each other most every day. That was all.
Kyuhyun was even proud of himself, when he managed to leave after eating, with an excuse that wasn’t over a hundred words. Work, the best excuse to get away from friendly men he didn’t have a clue why he was avoiding.
***
That was when the ducking started. When he caught Zhou Mi turning around at any point. Slipping behind a rack, behind the counter. Folding in on himself like an ironing board. He swore Zhou Mi hadn’t looked into the store that often before. Before Lunch.
Customers didn’t notice it so much. Maybe they thought he was just - still - being a creeper. Coworkers apparently couldn’t see it and not notice. Even when he tried to be subtle.
“Are you part of the X-Men?” Donghae asked him one day.
“What?”
Kyuhyun had been asked a lot of weird questions in his life, but that was odd even for Donghae. And it had nothing to do with what Kyuhyun was doing, because all he was doing was changing his receipt paper.
“I just wondered, because it’s like you’re afraid your powers will disappear if you make eye contact with the face cream guy.”
“What, like he’s kryptonite?”
Donghae snorted. “Wrong comic. Seriously, what’s your issue? Does he bite?”
Only food, as far as Kyuhyun knew. He saw Zhou Mi eating every so often, though they didn’t eat together after that first time. Zhou Mi, if their eyes caught as Zhou Mi was going for a seat, would waggle his fingers at Kyuhyun. As though he expected one of those times Kyuhyun would wave him over, hey buddy, come over so we can talk about trends in face cream.
Zhou Mi was animated at everything he did. From eating, to talking on his cell phone between bites, or doing whatever he was doing on it otherwise. Texting or reading emails. Memorable, had probably been Kyuhyun’s first impression of Zhou Mi’s looks. Fashionable, was the next one. He was pretty sure that Zhou Mi pulled off clothes he could never manage without looking like a total buffoon. Cute came after. A nice voice, nice shoulders, nice hands. He’d caught a glimpse of Zhou Mi in sunglasses. He had a nice profile. Infectious smile. It was a slippery slope. One second he could be ogling the guy from his glass game castle, and the next panting after him like an adoring, or alternately horny, puppy.
“You like him?” Donghae asked, when he had just started to think that silence had worked in making Donghae forget the question.
“Do I-- Do I like him? I-- He works right there.”
It sounded like a better excuse in his head.
“So ask him to lunch or something.”
And with that, Donghae wandered off with a pen in his teeth, and Kyuhyun didn’t bother telling him that wasn’t safe. And then ducked, because Zhou Mi was turning around.
***
It got to the point where he was kind of curious about what Zhou Mi sold all day. Face cream, yeah, he got that. But there was no chance he was going to go check it out while Zhou Mi was there. He wasn’t sure if his self-esteem could take the blow if Zhou Mi and his friendliness were directly related to what he thought he could do for Kyuhyun’s complexion.
“There are people out there who find you attractive,” he told himself in the mirror. “Maybe he’s one of them.”
He wasn’t used to strangers being interested. Most of his previous dating experiences came from friends or friendly people who kind of were interesting or interested, and it wasn’t a huge deal. He didn’t crush on strangers like that - ever. His last big “stranger” crush had been somewhere around third grade, on a kid in another class. Okay, maybe a couple in high school, but they’d been more manageable. More oh, hot guy who would never notice me, and/or exile me to Mars. Not that sort of gnawing unknown wistfulness.
His big break came when Zhou Mi wasn’t there. It was a swift decision, exiting the flow of traffic to go over and ogle the wares. It was pretty typical. Moisturizers, and things for older skin, dry skin, oily skin, acne-prone skin. He had all of 7.5 seconds before Zhou Mi’s coworker descended on him with a smile.
“Hi! You’re our neighbor, right? Nice to meet you. Zhou Mi mentioned you.”
Her name tag read Tiffany and he’d heard Donghae make a few less-than-subtle comments about her appearance.
“Oh. Haha. Well. I hope it. Yeah. Um. So.” He hefted a bottle of aloe something or other and tried to look helpless instead of stupid.
“Did you want to hear about the products? That’s a really great lotion for dry skin.“
She walked him through their offerings, and he got a sample rubbed on his hand and a brochure. And then he escaped to the sanctity of the paradise of games.
And tried not to imagine Zhou Mi with that scent on his skin. Way, way too easy of getting into the fantasy of smelling it on Zhou Mi’s neck, behind his ears. Smoothing cream between his fingers and—
“Pervert faces are not allowed,” Donghae sing-songed, tossing a mushroom-shaped plush at Kyuhyun’s head. Kyuhyun caught it and lobbed it back. Luckily there had only been one customer, and they hadn’t noticed.
“Stop trying to get me fired.”
Donghae make a sound of disbelief. “Get laid, and maybe you wouldn’t space out.”
“Right. How is that working out for you?”
“Hey, you have no idea what all I’m getting when I’m not here.”
“I don’t want to know,” Kyuhyun shot back.
So much for being able to enjoy his little almost-edible fantasy. The cream probably tasted gross, even if it smelled nice, so kissing would probably be kind of iffy anyway. Though Zhou Mi seemed like he’d be good at it. Probably emphasis on the extra sweet and earnest. Though who knew what kind of kinky things were hidden under that.
And he was trying to get himself away from those thoughts, not deeper in.
The depth of his actions made it to him, when Zhou Mi flagged him down the next day.
“Oh, Kyuhyun. Tiffany told me you stopped by yesterday. She said she kept you way too long talking about the creams.”
Kyuhyun laughed, fingers itching for his pockets. “It wasn’t that long.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”
It sounded like Zhou Mi thought that Kyuhyun had stopped by expressly to see him. The sound didn’t intentionally come out panicked, but it might’ve sounded that way.
“I just wondered what you guys were selling, since I walk past it every day.”
The truth, and also deflection. His neck was the temperature of the inside of an erupting volcano. But Zhou Mi was nodding, tucking promotional material under one arm.
“It actually is a really nice product. I’ve been using it myself since I’ve been working here. Cheaper than some branded stuff. But it does work for some. Always a difference between people, right?”
“Right,” he agreed, unable to do anything else.
Zhou Mi was fumbling in his little pouch, stepping closer to Kyuhyun while he did so. He felt boxed in, and there was a hundred feet of relatively empty hallway behind him.
“I wanted to give you these coupons,” Zhou Mi said, quiet, like they were conducting some kind of illicit trade in a mall hallway. “They’re not much. You can share them with your coworkers if you want!”
He had five or six coupons held awkwardly between his fingers. Of course.
“Thanks.” And hoped it wasn’t as mumbled as he feared.
Zhou Mi really did use what he sold. And suddenly picturing Zhou Mi with wet hair and nothing on but face cream was all he could do. He was trying to oust the image by force, when Zhou Mi grinned at him again and decimated all thought processes.
“You know, if you have free time on your breaks you can come out. She doesn’t mind, if it’s a real person standing here and I can pay attention if someone comes up. Not to talk about face cream. Just to talk. Or maybe lunch?”
He stared back down at his hands, having made the mistake of keeping his eyes on Zhou Mi’s face during that little speech.
“Customer,” he croaked, pointing behind Zhou Mi.
Zhou Mi’s head whipped around and he smiled at Kyuhyun.
“Thanks. Talk to you later?”
He should never have gone over to look at the product. Or. No, wait, that was exactly the wrong thing. He was an idiot and getting exactly what he should be hoping for. Zhou Mi was giving him an out, a way not to lurk around and wish the hot guy across the way noticed him. He actually noticed him. And Kyuhyun wasn’t sure what to do about it.
Talking. Lunch. Friendly. A date? It sounded kind of date-like. But he was him, and Zhou Mi was… Was with a customer. Throwing his head back, baring his throat for the briefest second, and laughing.
Fingers snapping against his cheek broke knocked him out of his gawking.
“If you’re going to be a voyeur, go restock,” Donghae hissed. “Jerking off on store hours is probably frowned on.”
At least he’d made Donghae flinch, and the glare of death had been satisfying.
***
The thing about unrequited crushes was the point at times when it became not so unrequited. He had no idea what they had in common. Or, even, what Zhou Mi saw in him particularly. It couldn’t be that Zhou Mi was lonely, since even when he was quiet, he seemed to get on okay with the customers. He didn’t think stare at really cute guy from afar really got anyone places.
And he did, sort of, take Zhou Mi up on his offer. The two times a week he was actually early enough to do so and on the coincidence that Zhou Mi was free, he sort of drifted that direction. Really casual, too, like he was on a river current and needed to splash against a rock.
It was several minutes of him half looking at Zhou Mi, and hitting and missing. It made his nerves explode, and he felt stupidly happy afterward, even if he was edging away and saying he had to get to work.
They talked about the mall! And sales. And cars. And the weather. And movies. And it was all so carefully constructed so Kyuhyun had an excuse to get away. And figure out what tidbit he could bring up to Zhou Mi the next day.
Donghae thought he was an idiot, and they sparred about that for a couple of weeks at least.
“I don’t know what to do,” he grumbled.
“Yes, you do. So man up,” Donghae told him. “Look, he’s looking over.”
And that meant Kyuhyun found a spot on the floor he had to duck down to rub at.
Donghae made a disgusted sound. “Are you stupid?”
“No, but look at him!”
“You do plenty of that for me.”
“Is he gone?” Kyuhyun asked, too far away to get an elbow to Donghae’s knee.
The blocking of the light drew his eyes from Donghae’s smirk, and his neck drew down even as his eyes went up. He was not, absolutely not, hiding behind a counter and staring up as Zhou Mi, Face Cream Guy, smiled down at him.
Gone? Obviously not gone. And if he knew better, Donghae had signaled Zhou Mi to come in. Had Zhou Mi heard him ask Donghae if he was gone? Strangling might not be a harsh enough punishment if he had. The loss of a workplace, too, would require stiff penalties. It wasn’t like avoidance was possible. Zhou Mi seemed to work eight days a week, face permanently stuck on pleasant.
And moving the store wasn’t an option.
Kyuhyun cleared his throat, legs bringing him to a standing position most unwillingly. "Can I help you?"
"I hope so," Zhou Mi replied.
Kyuhyun's new plan: get as far away from Donghae as possible. Even if that meant stutter-touching Zhou Mi's arm to get him to move into the Nintendo corner, far away from the counter. "So you're here to buy a game?"
Mall ID around his neck. Distracting open collar. Long neck. Fake glasses. Zhou Mi blinked at him, before staring at the wall. The Wii games. The DS games. Kyuhyun had seen that kind of look before, that not-subtle squint of concentration.
Gamers in puzzle mode. Tigers. Sharks, if they used their eyelids.
"If I buy a game," Zhou Mi started out, making Kyuhyun's stomach clutch at the swallow between phrases, "will you teach me how to play it?"
He was not a walkthrough. Or a teacher. In fact, Kyuhyun thought he was a pretty crappy teacher all around, given past reviews from family and friends. He tended to take a hands on approach - just doing it. And some people just didn't get all they needed to from watching him do whatever they'd asked him to fix or demonstrate at his own speed.
It didn't help that his brain was drowning, as it seemed Zhou Mi's eyebrows kept getting higher. Are you going to answer????? they seemed to be screaming.
"I'm working right now?" he managed to get out.
Zhou Mi laughed, almost a hiccup, before sobering. "Yes. Yes, I know. But after work. Maybe today or tomorrow, or...any time?"
Kyuhyun licked his lips, and wondered if that wouldn't be an appropriate time for some boss music to start playing.
"Do you even own a game system?"
"I have a Wii!" Zhou Mi informed him. Gesturing very helpfully at all the white cases.
Focus on the game. Not on Zhou Mi. With a Wii controller in his hand. Which kind of seemed dirty when he thought about it. No, the games.
"Do you like long games? Role playing? Sports? Music? Racing?" It was like watching a window ice over. Nothing but glaze. "Mario?"
"Mario! I like Mario," Zhou Mi agreed, nodding.
"Do you like the games that came with the Wii?"
"It came with games?"
New news apparently. Kyuhyun cleared his throat. The situation had gone from weird to weirder, and it jabbed him out of his discomfort zone. "You have opened the box, right?"
"Yes? Oh. And can the game be multi-player?"
Kyuhyun hoped that first part wasn't a question. But Mario, he could do. He settled on a title he figured was more toward Zhou Mi's skill set, asked the 35 questions it took to make sure Zhou Mi had everything he needed. Like more than one controller, and everything the game required. He didn't think Zhou Mi was slow. He just wanted to be quite certain.
"So yeah," he finished. "I think you'll enjoy it."
"When will you be free to come by?"
It wasn't like he'd forgotten that it was Zhou Mi he was talking to. Or that Zhou Mi had mostly been trying to... To something. "Proposition him" seemed too hopeful.
"You really should be able to do fine by yoursel— Oof.”
He nearly rammed into Zhou Mi's chest, the man stopped and turned so abruptly.
"But I can't play multiplayer without someone there to play with."
"It also offers single-player?”
Zhou Mi narrowed his eyes. Again. That predatory look. Only with judgement tacked on.
"If I buy a game, will you teach me how to play it?"
That had been the deal. If he'd actually answered the question. Going to Zhou Mi's apartment, teaching him how to play. There wasn’t really any question whether he wanted to go. It was more like, if he could.
"If you really don't want to," Zhou Mi began.
"Let's get this purchase rung up for you," he said, a touch more brightly than he'd intended.
He scanned all the purchases in, gave Zhou Mi his total. Got the credit card purchase sent through. Had Zhou Mi sign.
He snatched the receipt the second it had finished printing, and fumbled for a pen. And he made sure Zhou Mi couldn't watch him to see what he was writing.
Cho
Kyuhyun.
Stupid adding a period after his name, really. And he very precisely wrote his phone number.
Free any night after closing
He was pretty sure he hadn't had a shot in hell, so desperation was the least of his concerns. Zhou Mi not laughing his ass off was a higher priority.
"Thanks for your purchase," he said, and then tried not to bite his lower lip off when he handed the receipt - and almost the pen as well - to Zhou Mi. Waiting that breathless moment as Zhou Mi read the note he'd penned.
Zhou Mi looked up at him and the smile did something loopy to Kyuhyun's insides.
"I'll call," Zhou Mi promised. "Thanks. And enjoy your shift!"
Kind of like telling him to enjoy his own cooking, but he understood the sentiment.
But as he raised a hand in a half wave and knew he was smiling in some approximation as Zhou Mi walked out. The second Zhou Mi turned in front of the glass, he dropped behind the counter for a very different reason. Not to hide.
To exult. Fingers barely holding on to the edge of the counter as he rocked on the balls of his feet and laughed almost silently but for an odd clicking sound in his throat. People might've wondered if he was having a seizure. But it was way better than that.
Panic was just a distant stormfront. Lightning and all.
Donghae just skirted him on the way to ring up another customer, finally getting a chance to hiss down at him to stop scaring the customers, and what was his problem.
He yanked Donghae down to his level, not trusting that he could stand.
"Holy shit, Zhou Mi - Zhou Mi! - invited me to go to his apartment and teach him to game. To game. With him."
Donghae considered him a moment. "Buy condoms before you go."
And Kyuhyun nearly knocked them both over punching Donghae in the side. "What the hell."
"You've finally met a guy who figured out a way into your pants. Congratulations," Donghae said, patting his shoulder, and standing back up.
It was displeasure that had him on his feet after that, scowling after Donghae and finally getting back to doing his job. It wasn’t like he’d asked Zhou Mi to come in and harass him.
"I've dated gamers before," he grumbled as Donghae passed behind him.
Donghae looked out toward the hallway where Zhou Mi was talking to a woman who looked about half his height.
"But he's not a gamer. He must really want in your—“
Donghae knew well enough to run.
***
“Hi! This is Zhou Mi. Calling like I said I would. Sorry I didn’t catch you. I’m free all this week! How about tomorrow? Call me back~”
Kyuhyun stared at his phone, the voicemail ringing in his head. He could hear the humor, the little hitch in Zhou Mi’s voice as he spoke, like he was a little nervous about what he was saying.
Kyuhyun pressed the call button twice, before cursing himself out. It wasn’t going to get easier. And as Zhou Mi picked up, he realize his planning hadn’t been so well thought out. He had no idea what he was going to say.
“Hi. This is Kyuhyun?”
“Hey! Thanks for calling me back,” Zhou Mi said, and Kyuhyun could almost hear the smile. “Are you free tomorrow, then?”
“Tomorrow is okay.” Any time would’ve been. He wasn’t sure how enthused or cool he was supposed to sound. “I can come by after we close up.”
“Great. Ready for my address?”
He was, writing it down, and repeating it back. He didn’t want to have to call Zhou Mi for desperate instructions and make it even harder on himself.
“Okay,” Zhou Mi said. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then! At work and then…here!”
“Sounds good.” Good. Great. Amazing. Terrifying. Arousing. He could pick any number of adjectives or verbs or whatever. “Okay. See you then. Bye!”
“Bye bye.”
He hung up, and exhaled half the air in the universe.
And then, seconds later, he had a thought.
“What do I take?” he texted Donghae, feeling uncharacteristically frantic. “Snacks? Drinks? I don’t know what he likes.”
“You should’ve asked when he called.”
Kyuhyun grimaced at the screen. “Thanks.”
“I doubt he’ll care. You’re going to play a game, not propose marriage. Take yourself. And condoms obviously.”
Kyuhyun locked his phone, face flaming even though there was no one there to see it. Idiot. And there in his head was Zhou Mi leaning over the counter and smiling at him.
“Fuck me,” he groaned. And then exploded in the laughter of idiots when he realized what that sounded like.
***
When in doubt, go with his own likes. He found sports drinks he liked, and bought a couple varieties. A couple different kinds of chips. Gaming, hard work. Bringing food was a friendly thing. After he’d gotten past the part of him that froze up, he realized— He wanted it. Not just to sit with some dopey expression, but to go and have a good time. And it made him fidget to get there faster, not to drag his feet.
But what he found, wasn’t exactly what he’d prepared himself for.
It was like expecting Santa and getting a reindeer instead. The man who wore leopard print and scarves and bright shoes and hats and sunglasses was nowhere to be found. The man who pushed the door out for him had hair that was 95% dry, a bright blue t-shirt, and plain cotton basketball shorts. No socks, just bare feet. For one of the few times in his life, Kyuhyun felt overdressed.
"You found it, Zhou Mi said, ushering him in. "Welcome. It's good to see you."
“Yeah, easy. Thanks for having me. Uh. I brought snacks?”
“Thanks! Go ahead and have a seat.”
Zhou Mi gestured him over, disappearing into what seemed to be the kitchen. It gave him time to look around. There weren’t curtains of sequins or acres of fancy fabric. It was small, but a nice room. Two comfortable-looking plush chairs, even if they were small, in front of the TV. Meant Zhou Mi probably had company at least sometimes. The Wii was beside the TV, and plugged in, even. All the stuff Zhou Mi had bought from the game store was stacked in front of it.
Zhou Mi came back out with a little tray holding cut-up fruit, and bowls of chips and the drinks Kyuhyun had brought. Putting it on the little table so it was in reach for them.
“Tho,” Zhou Mi started, rooting around beside the TV. Kyuhyun interpreted that as “So” since Zhou Mi had a piece of fruit in his mouth. There was a pause, which Kyuhyun assumed meant a swallow. “I charged everything like you said to.”
And a pause from Kyuhyun, since he had gotten caught watching Zhou Mi’s backside wiggle in the trim shorts before he stood.
“Oh? Yeah. Good.”
Zhou Mi knew his way around the Wii, at least. Inserting the disc, getting them both controllers, before settling in.
The necessary “Make a Mii” happened before they even made it to the game. Zhou Mi went first, and the insisted there be a Kyu Mii to go with the Mi Mii.
He’d bickered with others before over the looks of a little avatar, but it blasted through some of his apprehension to see Zhou Mi laugh and defend his legs.
“They are not toothpicks. I’m not that skinny.”
“Says you,” Kyuhyun said, but didn’t really help his case that he was feeding himself while he said that. He waited until the starting music of the game began to look over at Zhou Mi. “You have played a game before, right?”
The withering look Zhou Mi sent him just made him smile.
Not even Zhou Mi’s toes stayed still as they gamed. Kyuhyun had mercy. A little. Doing as he’d said, to teach Zhou Mi how to play. And how to win.
It meant he ended up on his knees on the floor in total defeat within the first hour, laughing hard enough to break a rib.
“I won? I won!” Zhou Mi crowed, doing a little boogie in his chair. “The student surpasses the master.”
“We haven’t finished playing yet,” Kyuhyun retorted. No more mister nice guy.
How much tutorial was really required for this kind of game? They’d moved past tutorial stage, and it was full-out war. Kyuhyun beating him the next time had Zhou Mi moving to the floor, too. Gloves were off. They were on an even playing field.
A playing field that got continually smaller, until they were both on the floor and leaning against the same chair.
And he didn’t want to move. The brush of their shoulders, or occasional knee bump. Imagining crawling over Zhou Mi’s legs made him lose again, and he scowled. It wasn’t his fault.
He just leaned in more.
***
His thumbs felt like they’d been molded out of cast iron and then pounded for hours with a rubber hammer. He’d won the last round, cackling at he heard Zhou Mi hissing between his teeth, knowing he was getting beaten. And his victory confirmed, he collapsed, totally undone. A subtle look at his phone told him they’d been there for hours. Luckily the game had a few modes, so they hadn’t just been doing the same thing over and over. Lots of gaming, a bathroom trip - Zhou Mi really did have the face cream - and more snacks later. He just wanted to sink bonelessly into the floor, but knew he couldn’t.
“I wasn’t counting but I think I came out ahead,” he said, feeling his socks move against the textured floor.
“I guess I can’t call myself a master yet,” Zhou Mi admitted. “But I still won some of the time.”
“Luck?”
Zhou Mi laughed, shoving Kyuhyun’s thigh. Not a hard thing to do considering how close they were sitting.
“I should go before I get stuck. Work tomorrow.”
A groan from Zhou Mi’s mouth as they both tried to get up. His butt felt flattened and Zhou Mi, with less padding, seemed to feel the same way.
He would’ve helped clean up, but Zhou Mi waved away his efforts. Just packing what snacks he’d brought that they hadn’t eaten so Kyuhyun could take them back. He was half tempted to tell Zhou Mi to keep them for next time. And couldn’t quite figure out how to make his brain do that. But there was something he felt he should address, as Zhou Mi stood with him near the entrance. He contemplated his shoes, and exhaled. If he hadn’t had fun, there would’ve been no reason to say anything. But he had.
“I don’t know what Donghae told you about me—“
“He didn’t,” Zhou Mi told him, interrupting. “Well. He did. But that was after I went in and— I wanted to make sure you were really interested.”
“And he told you…?”
Zhou Mi looked a little sheepish. “That one of us had to make a move before the mall combusted.”
Sounded like Donghae. He hung his head, anxiety romping about. And hope. It meant there wasn’t any chance that he might be imagining things.
But Zhou Mi cleared his throat, not giving Kyuhyun much time to really process that thought. “Would you go out to dinner with me, some night? Lunch would be great, too, if our schedules line up. But dinner, too. We could eat, and then come back here. Would you like to game some more?”
The way Zhou Mi said it, it was as though he were asking ”Would you like a blow job?” Husky and low and soft and intimate and seductive.
Zhou Mi was speaking his language. Even as his hands curled into awkward fists, the corners of his lips were trembling.
And that would have been the moment to have been suave, and say something like, of course, that sounds okay. Let me check my schedule and see what night I can pencil you in.
His “schedule” was so full, after all.
So of course, as Zhou Mi’s grin kept getting wider as Kyuhyun’s eyes ping-ponged around the room, he sputtered out a laugh. All his overheated brain would allow.
And so what if he’d have to go into work every day with a red face because Zhou Mi smiled and winked at him? He’d have better skin, because he’d be getting a ridiculous discount on face cream. And he’d be able to do his job because he wouldn’t have to lurk and hide, or starve to try and miss Zhou Mi while he creeped out to eat.
Plus he could sell Zhou Mi more games that they could play together. It was win/win.
At least, he thought so until Donghae texted, “CONDOMS? DID YOU TAKE THEM? :D”
And Zhou Mi saw, because they both looked down at the vibration and it might as well have been a billboard flashing between them on his phone screen.
He thought Zhou Mi’s ears were red. And his mouth was slightly pursed. Those were the only two places he could look.
“We can have dinner after you help me kill him,” Kyuhyun offered after he swallowed the urge to die.
“Agreed,” Zhou Mi laughed, clearly thinking it was a joke when Kyuhyun was mostly serious.
But he was pretty serious about the dinner thing, though, too. Dinner. Sounded so official. And stiff.
Though he’d been a little freaked out about playing games only to get a guy in shorts and bare feet, so maybe he was just an idiot for worrying in the first place. So they had their agreement. Dinner, in two days. And games.
He steadied himself on the door frame as he got into his shoes, and hitched in a breath when he realized Zhou Mi was practically against his back, cheek right beside his. Personal space? Anyone? All he could do was freeze and listen.
“You could tell him I had condoms here,” Zhou Mi offered.
And then let Donghae extrapolate from there. Mental images. Maybe that was a crueler fate than death.
He grinned twofold. One, because it was a horrendously devious idea and he liked the way that Zhou Mi’s mind worked. Two, because more than that, it was a hint. Maybe one day they wouldn’t just be gaming. And he liked that idea, too, as much as he liked the way Zhou Mi’s mouth was curving as they considered each other out of the corners of their eyes.
And just like that, he had two new reasons to look forward to going to work in the morning. To screw with Donghae’s mind.
And Zhou Mi.
***
Author: Coley Merrin
Pairing: Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU
Summary: They sold two totally different things. It should’ve been the thing that kept them apart - and instead brought them together.
A/N: Thanks to
wobaozhewo for keeping me on the straight and narrow. :D (She makes things readable (and fun!). XD)***
***
The game store. Kyuhyun’s first real job.
His parents had looked at him like he’d decided to change his name to Audrey and sing naked on a street corner. But it was a job. And money, like it or not, was necessary for the finer things in life.
Like more gaming. And he didn’t think he’d be doing it forever. However if there was a job he knew the inside of, it was that. Plenty of time for his college work, and to game himself. And money in the bank.
The first six months had been great. He wasn’t the most outgoing person in the universe. He’d enjoyed the parts of the job of working in the back and stocking more than he did actually interacting with the customers. It was a game store. Not like it was some huge department store full of things like jewelry and wallets and perfume. People came in for games. Or walkthroughs. Accessories and systems. Most people who came in, to that branch anyway, knew about what they were looking for. Or they were there to play a demo or scope out sales, or just bored.
Lots of guys. Girls, too. At first he mostly he lurked. Hid behind displays. Working retail, it was pretty easy to spot the “look around for someone to help out” move after a while, and thus avoid it. The significant stare. The shift that implied impatience. Most of the time he’d let the other guys take care of it.
The girls he did talk to were not his finest hour. Possibly there had been stuttering. One time he’d knocked over a display of DS games. One girl had been insulted that he’d asked if she needed help. He asked everyone if they needed help. It was a non-gender-specific question. And there were the girls who had boyfriends in tow.
Retail was probably not his calling.
Sungmin’s girlfriend had given him a very pitying look when he lamented his cruel fate.
“They’re people, too. It’s not like a Martian walked in.”
“They look at me like I’m creepy!” he protested, trying to win back his dignity.
“So stop being creepy. Besides, you work in a game store. So.”
All he could do was frown into his patbingsu. “Who’s prejudiced now.”
The whole of the female race was against him. Not all, he supposed.
Just every girl who came into the store after that, all he could hear was “they’re people, too!” floating around after him as he tried to look busy.
His stare was notcreepy. He had eyes just like everyone else.
***
Kyuhyun’s method of walking was Point A to Point B, with few detours. Getting from his car to the store, get the work over with, go home. Eat, schoolwork, game, sleep. Simple.
He almost swerved when someone started talking to him when he was almost to the entrance to the store.
“Hi! Do you have a moment for me to introduce—“
He gawked at the tall man holding a bottle. First at the bottle, then at the still-moving mouth. Bottle. Product. Product in a bottle. Guy with a mall badge around his neck, standing next to a decked-out cart. There were always those in the hallways with various wares. Kyuhyun just didn’t tend to get stopped by them.
“Um.”
That was his key to move away from the smile that glinted a little too cheerfully for the hour of two in the afternoon.
“I work--” Kyuhyun gestured over to the entrance ten feet away, hoping the message would get across.
“Oh, okay! If you have any questions let me know.”
Another smile and Kyuhyun slipped between gaggles of people so he could start his shift. A lot had changed, clearly, in the two days since he’d been to the store.
“I see you met our new neighbors,” Donghae said, grinning at him over the counter. The store was quiet, but that was pretty normal for that part of the day.
“Were they selling toothpaste? I didn’t get much out of that.”
“He’s nice, and the girl is cute,” Donghae said, stuffing half a candy bar into his mouth behind the counter. “Did you introduce yourself as a fellow poor inmate?”
“I said something about going to work. I don’t know what to say to them. Sorry I don’t need whatever you’re selling?”
“Not everyone can sell awesome stuff like us,” Donghae said airily, heading off to stock shelves.
The good thing was, it was kind of entertaining to look out every so often and see the guy that had talked to Kyuhyun talking to others. Gestures and laughs, the occasional stomped foot. Made him wonder what was being said to warrant that reaction. The bad thing was— The cart was right there. To get into or out of the store, he had to pass by it, especially if he was heading to the food court.
If the guy was free, he waved at Kyuhyun. Sometimes with a “Hallo!” tacked on after. It just made Kyuhyun scuttle along a little faster, or try to leave only when the guy was talking to people. It took up time, was part of the excuse. He was a prisoner inside a glass-fronted game paradise. And his guard wore a leopard-print scarf.
He stared down at his own uniform as he got his lunch. It was clean. No one cared what he looked like, as long as he rang up their purchases or pointed them toward the PSP section. And the mall was high end enough that he saw all kinds of people. All he had to do was look into the hall to see a different storefront outfit every day. Did that make him a mannequin? A mannequin he’d had to sneak past. Again. Logic said there was no reason to be afraid of a greeting from a guy he didn’t know. He just took a while to figure out why he acted that way. Most of the time he could just shrug. He wasn’t afraid of people. Bored or annoyed by usually were more accurate.
“Is this seat taken?”
“No?” Kyuhyun mumbled around his food, looking up from his seat in the cafeteria.
And then there was a leopard print scarf on the man in the seat directly across from him.
There was no escape.
A hand was extended. “I’m Zhou Mi. I wanted to introduce myself since we see each other every day.”
Zhou Mi talking gave him just enough time to swallow, and wipe his hand on his napkin before reluctantly reaching out to grasp the offered hand. Not doing that would have made him feel like more an antisocial jerk than he already felt some days.
“Kyuhyun.”
“There are always so many interesting things to look at in your storefront,” Zhou Mi said. “Videos and things. Have you worked there long?”
Kyuhyun cleared his throat. “Six. Seven months?”
Zhou Mi was smiling and nodding, and he was aware that he should be saying something else. Like how fun the job was, or asking Zhou Mi about his job. His brain was caught up in an endless loop of what to say.
He glanced down at his lap, hoping his phone would yield some answers, and caught sight of the bright red, canvas sneakers that were under the table.
“Nice shoes,” he said, apropos of absolutely nothing.
But it allowed him to finish his lunch, able to get away with the occasional sound and comment, and glance at Zhou Mi’s face. Zhou Mi told a mean story about shoe sales, that was all he could say from the experience. Zhou Mi was just friendly, and they saw each other most every day. That was all.
Kyuhyun was even proud of himself, when he managed to leave after eating, with an excuse that wasn’t over a hundred words. Work, the best excuse to get away from friendly men he didn’t have a clue why he was avoiding.
***
That was when the ducking started. When he caught Zhou Mi turning around at any point. Slipping behind a rack, behind the counter. Folding in on himself like an ironing board. He swore Zhou Mi hadn’t looked into the store that often before. Before Lunch.
Customers didn’t notice it so much. Maybe they thought he was just - still - being a creeper. Coworkers apparently couldn’t see it and not notice. Even when he tried to be subtle.
“Are you part of the X-Men?” Donghae asked him one day.
“What?”
Kyuhyun had been asked a lot of weird questions in his life, but that was odd even for Donghae. And it had nothing to do with what Kyuhyun was doing, because all he was doing was changing his receipt paper.
“I just wondered, because it’s like you’re afraid your powers will disappear if you make eye contact with the face cream guy.”
“What, like he’s kryptonite?”
Donghae snorted. “Wrong comic. Seriously, what’s your issue? Does he bite?”
Only food, as far as Kyuhyun knew. He saw Zhou Mi eating every so often, though they didn’t eat together after that first time. Zhou Mi, if their eyes caught as Zhou Mi was going for a seat, would waggle his fingers at Kyuhyun. As though he expected one of those times Kyuhyun would wave him over, hey buddy, come over so we can talk about trends in face cream.
Zhou Mi was animated at everything he did. From eating, to talking on his cell phone between bites, or doing whatever he was doing on it otherwise. Texting or reading emails. Memorable, had probably been Kyuhyun’s first impression of Zhou Mi’s looks. Fashionable, was the next one. He was pretty sure that Zhou Mi pulled off clothes he could never manage without looking like a total buffoon. Cute came after. A nice voice, nice shoulders, nice hands. He’d caught a glimpse of Zhou Mi in sunglasses. He had a nice profile. Infectious smile. It was a slippery slope. One second he could be ogling the guy from his glass game castle, and the next panting after him like an adoring, or alternately horny, puppy.
“You like him?” Donghae asked, when he had just started to think that silence had worked in making Donghae forget the question.
“Do I-- Do I like him? I-- He works right there.”
It sounded like a better excuse in his head.
“So ask him to lunch or something.”
And with that, Donghae wandered off with a pen in his teeth, and Kyuhyun didn’t bother telling him that wasn’t safe. And then ducked, because Zhou Mi was turning around.
***
It got to the point where he was kind of curious about what Zhou Mi sold all day. Face cream, yeah, he got that. But there was no chance he was going to go check it out while Zhou Mi was there. He wasn’t sure if his self-esteem could take the blow if Zhou Mi and his friendliness were directly related to what he thought he could do for Kyuhyun’s complexion.
“There are people out there who find you attractive,” he told himself in the mirror. “Maybe he’s one of them.”
He wasn’t used to strangers being interested. Most of his previous dating experiences came from friends or friendly people who kind of were interesting or interested, and it wasn’t a huge deal. He didn’t crush on strangers like that - ever. His last big “stranger” crush had been somewhere around third grade, on a kid in another class. Okay, maybe a couple in high school, but they’d been more manageable. More oh, hot guy who would never notice me, and/or exile me to Mars. Not that sort of gnawing unknown wistfulness.
His big break came when Zhou Mi wasn’t there. It was a swift decision, exiting the flow of traffic to go over and ogle the wares. It was pretty typical. Moisturizers, and things for older skin, dry skin, oily skin, acne-prone skin. He had all of 7.5 seconds before Zhou Mi’s coworker descended on him with a smile.
“Hi! You’re our neighbor, right? Nice to meet you. Zhou Mi mentioned you.”
Her name tag read Tiffany and he’d heard Donghae make a few less-than-subtle comments about her appearance.
“Oh. Haha. Well. I hope it. Yeah. Um. So.” He hefted a bottle of aloe something or other and tried to look helpless instead of stupid.
“Did you want to hear about the products? That’s a really great lotion for dry skin.“
She walked him through their offerings, and he got a sample rubbed on his hand and a brochure. And then he escaped to the sanctity of the paradise of games.
And tried not to imagine Zhou Mi with that scent on his skin. Way, way too easy of getting into the fantasy of smelling it on Zhou Mi’s neck, behind his ears. Smoothing cream between his fingers and—
“Pervert faces are not allowed,” Donghae sing-songed, tossing a mushroom-shaped plush at Kyuhyun’s head. Kyuhyun caught it and lobbed it back. Luckily there had only been one customer, and they hadn’t noticed.
“Stop trying to get me fired.”
Donghae make a sound of disbelief. “Get laid, and maybe you wouldn’t space out.”
“Right. How is that working out for you?”
“Hey, you have no idea what all I’m getting when I’m not here.”
“I don’t want to know,” Kyuhyun shot back.
So much for being able to enjoy his little almost-edible fantasy. The cream probably tasted gross, even if it smelled nice, so kissing would probably be kind of iffy anyway. Though Zhou Mi seemed like he’d be good at it. Probably emphasis on the extra sweet and earnest. Though who knew what kind of kinky things were hidden under that.
And he was trying to get himself away from those thoughts, not deeper in.
The depth of his actions made it to him, when Zhou Mi flagged him down the next day.
“Oh, Kyuhyun. Tiffany told me you stopped by yesterday. She said she kept you way too long talking about the creams.”
Kyuhyun laughed, fingers itching for his pockets. “It wasn’t that long.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”
It sounded like Zhou Mi thought that Kyuhyun had stopped by expressly to see him. The sound didn’t intentionally come out panicked, but it might’ve sounded that way.
“I just wondered what you guys were selling, since I walk past it every day.”
The truth, and also deflection. His neck was the temperature of the inside of an erupting volcano. But Zhou Mi was nodding, tucking promotional material under one arm.
“It actually is a really nice product. I’ve been using it myself since I’ve been working here. Cheaper than some branded stuff. But it does work for some. Always a difference between people, right?”
“Right,” he agreed, unable to do anything else.
Zhou Mi was fumbling in his little pouch, stepping closer to Kyuhyun while he did so. He felt boxed in, and there was a hundred feet of relatively empty hallway behind him.
“I wanted to give you these coupons,” Zhou Mi said, quiet, like they were conducting some kind of illicit trade in a mall hallway. “They’re not much. You can share them with your coworkers if you want!”
He had five or six coupons held awkwardly between his fingers. Of course.
“Thanks.” And hoped it wasn’t as mumbled as he feared.
Zhou Mi really did use what he sold. And suddenly picturing Zhou Mi with wet hair and nothing on but face cream was all he could do. He was trying to oust the image by force, when Zhou Mi grinned at him again and decimated all thought processes.
“You know, if you have free time on your breaks you can come out. She doesn’t mind, if it’s a real person standing here and I can pay attention if someone comes up. Not to talk about face cream. Just to talk. Or maybe lunch?”
He stared back down at his hands, having made the mistake of keeping his eyes on Zhou Mi’s face during that little speech.
“Customer,” he croaked, pointing behind Zhou Mi.
Zhou Mi’s head whipped around and he smiled at Kyuhyun.
“Thanks. Talk to you later?”
He should never have gone over to look at the product. Or. No, wait, that was exactly the wrong thing. He was an idiot and getting exactly what he should be hoping for. Zhou Mi was giving him an out, a way not to lurk around and wish the hot guy across the way noticed him. He actually noticed him. And Kyuhyun wasn’t sure what to do about it.
Talking. Lunch. Friendly. A date? It sounded kind of date-like. But he was him, and Zhou Mi was… Was with a customer. Throwing his head back, baring his throat for the briefest second, and laughing.
Fingers snapping against his cheek broke knocked him out of his gawking.
“If you’re going to be a voyeur, go restock,” Donghae hissed. “Jerking off on store hours is probably frowned on.”
At least he’d made Donghae flinch, and the glare of death had been satisfying.
***
The thing about unrequited crushes was the point at times when it became not so unrequited. He had no idea what they had in common. Or, even, what Zhou Mi saw in him particularly. It couldn’t be that Zhou Mi was lonely, since even when he was quiet, he seemed to get on okay with the customers. He didn’t think stare at really cute guy from afar really got anyone places.
And he did, sort of, take Zhou Mi up on his offer. The two times a week he was actually early enough to do so and on the coincidence that Zhou Mi was free, he sort of drifted that direction. Really casual, too, like he was on a river current and needed to splash against a rock.
It was several minutes of him half looking at Zhou Mi, and hitting and missing. It made his nerves explode, and he felt stupidly happy afterward, even if he was edging away and saying he had to get to work.
They talked about the mall! And sales. And cars. And the weather. And movies. And it was all so carefully constructed so Kyuhyun had an excuse to get away. And figure out what tidbit he could bring up to Zhou Mi the next day.
Donghae thought he was an idiot, and they sparred about that for a couple of weeks at least.
“I don’t know what to do,” he grumbled.
“Yes, you do. So man up,” Donghae told him. “Look, he’s looking over.”
And that meant Kyuhyun found a spot on the floor he had to duck down to rub at.
Donghae made a disgusted sound. “Are you stupid?”
“No, but look at him!”
“You do plenty of that for me.”
“Is he gone?” Kyuhyun asked, too far away to get an elbow to Donghae’s knee.
The blocking of the light drew his eyes from Donghae’s smirk, and his neck drew down even as his eyes went up. He was not, absolutely not, hiding behind a counter and staring up as Zhou Mi, Face Cream Guy, smiled down at him.
Gone? Obviously not gone. And if he knew better, Donghae had signaled Zhou Mi to come in. Had Zhou Mi heard him ask Donghae if he was gone? Strangling might not be a harsh enough punishment if he had. The loss of a workplace, too, would require stiff penalties. It wasn’t like avoidance was possible. Zhou Mi seemed to work eight days a week, face permanently stuck on pleasant.
And moving the store wasn’t an option.
Kyuhyun cleared his throat, legs bringing him to a standing position most unwillingly. "Can I help you?"
"I hope so," Zhou Mi replied.
Kyuhyun's new plan: get as far away from Donghae as possible. Even if that meant stutter-touching Zhou Mi's arm to get him to move into the Nintendo corner, far away from the counter. "So you're here to buy a game?"
Mall ID around his neck. Distracting open collar. Long neck. Fake glasses. Zhou Mi blinked at him, before staring at the wall. The Wii games. The DS games. Kyuhyun had seen that kind of look before, that not-subtle squint of concentration.
Gamers in puzzle mode. Tigers. Sharks, if they used their eyelids.
"If I buy a game," Zhou Mi started out, making Kyuhyun's stomach clutch at the swallow between phrases, "will you teach me how to play it?"
He was not a walkthrough. Or a teacher. In fact, Kyuhyun thought he was a pretty crappy teacher all around, given past reviews from family and friends. He tended to take a hands on approach - just doing it. And some people just didn't get all they needed to from watching him do whatever they'd asked him to fix or demonstrate at his own speed.
It didn't help that his brain was drowning, as it seemed Zhou Mi's eyebrows kept getting higher. Are you going to answer????? they seemed to be screaming.
"I'm working right now?" he managed to get out.
Zhou Mi laughed, almost a hiccup, before sobering. "Yes. Yes, I know. But after work. Maybe today or tomorrow, or...any time?"
Kyuhyun licked his lips, and wondered if that wouldn't be an appropriate time for some boss music to start playing.
"Do you even own a game system?"
"I have a Wii!" Zhou Mi informed him. Gesturing very helpfully at all the white cases.
Focus on the game. Not on Zhou Mi. With a Wii controller in his hand. Which kind of seemed dirty when he thought about it. No, the games.
"Do you like long games? Role playing? Sports? Music? Racing?" It was like watching a window ice over. Nothing but glaze. "Mario?"
"Mario! I like Mario," Zhou Mi agreed, nodding.
"Do you like the games that came with the Wii?"
"It came with games?"
New news apparently. Kyuhyun cleared his throat. The situation had gone from weird to weirder, and it jabbed him out of his discomfort zone. "You have opened the box, right?"
"Yes? Oh. And can the game be multi-player?"
Kyuhyun hoped that first part wasn't a question. But Mario, he could do. He settled on a title he figured was more toward Zhou Mi's skill set, asked the 35 questions it took to make sure Zhou Mi had everything he needed. Like more than one controller, and everything the game required. He didn't think Zhou Mi was slow. He just wanted to be quite certain.
"So yeah," he finished. "I think you'll enjoy it."
"When will you be free to come by?"
It wasn't like he'd forgotten that it was Zhou Mi he was talking to. Or that Zhou Mi had mostly been trying to... To something. "Proposition him" seemed too hopeful.
"You really should be able to do fine by yoursel— Oof.”
He nearly rammed into Zhou Mi's chest, the man stopped and turned so abruptly.
"But I can't play multiplayer without someone there to play with."
"It also offers single-player?”
Zhou Mi narrowed his eyes. Again. That predatory look. Only with judgement tacked on.
"If I buy a game, will you teach me how to play it?"
That had been the deal. If he'd actually answered the question. Going to Zhou Mi's apartment, teaching him how to play. There wasn’t really any question whether he wanted to go. It was more like, if he could.
"If you really don't want to," Zhou Mi began.
"Let's get this purchase rung up for you," he said, a touch more brightly than he'd intended.
He scanned all the purchases in, gave Zhou Mi his total. Got the credit card purchase sent through. Had Zhou Mi sign.
He snatched the receipt the second it had finished printing, and fumbled for a pen. And he made sure Zhou Mi couldn't watch him to see what he was writing.
Cho
Kyuhyun.
Stupid adding a period after his name, really. And he very precisely wrote his phone number.
Free any night after closing
He was pretty sure he hadn't had a shot in hell, so desperation was the least of his concerns. Zhou Mi not laughing his ass off was a higher priority.
"Thanks for your purchase," he said, and then tried not to bite his lower lip off when he handed the receipt - and almost the pen as well - to Zhou Mi. Waiting that breathless moment as Zhou Mi read the note he'd penned.
Zhou Mi looked up at him and the smile did something loopy to Kyuhyun's insides.
"I'll call," Zhou Mi promised. "Thanks. And enjoy your shift!"
Kind of like telling him to enjoy his own cooking, but he understood the sentiment.
But as he raised a hand in a half wave and knew he was smiling in some approximation as Zhou Mi walked out. The second Zhou Mi turned in front of the glass, he dropped behind the counter for a very different reason. Not to hide.
To exult. Fingers barely holding on to the edge of the counter as he rocked on the balls of his feet and laughed almost silently but for an odd clicking sound in his throat. People might've wondered if he was having a seizure. But it was way better than that.
Panic was just a distant stormfront. Lightning and all.
Donghae just skirted him on the way to ring up another customer, finally getting a chance to hiss down at him to stop scaring the customers, and what was his problem.
He yanked Donghae down to his level, not trusting that he could stand.
"Holy shit, Zhou Mi - Zhou Mi! - invited me to go to his apartment and teach him to game. To game. With him."
Donghae considered him a moment. "Buy condoms before you go."
And Kyuhyun nearly knocked them both over punching Donghae in the side. "What the hell."
"You've finally met a guy who figured out a way into your pants. Congratulations," Donghae said, patting his shoulder, and standing back up.
It was displeasure that had him on his feet after that, scowling after Donghae and finally getting back to doing his job. It wasn’t like he’d asked Zhou Mi to come in and harass him.
"I've dated gamers before," he grumbled as Donghae passed behind him.
Donghae looked out toward the hallway where Zhou Mi was talking to a woman who looked about half his height.
"But he's not a gamer. He must really want in your—“
Donghae knew well enough to run.
***
“Hi! This is Zhou Mi. Calling like I said I would. Sorry I didn’t catch you. I’m free all this week! How about tomorrow? Call me back~”
Kyuhyun stared at his phone, the voicemail ringing in his head. He could hear the humor, the little hitch in Zhou Mi’s voice as he spoke, like he was a little nervous about what he was saying.
Kyuhyun pressed the call button twice, before cursing himself out. It wasn’t going to get easier. And as Zhou Mi picked up, he realize his planning hadn’t been so well thought out. He had no idea what he was going to say.
“Hi. This is Kyuhyun?”
“Hey! Thanks for calling me back,” Zhou Mi said, and Kyuhyun could almost hear the smile. “Are you free tomorrow, then?”
“Tomorrow is okay.” Any time would’ve been. He wasn’t sure how enthused or cool he was supposed to sound. “I can come by after we close up.”
“Great. Ready for my address?”
He was, writing it down, and repeating it back. He didn’t want to have to call Zhou Mi for desperate instructions and make it even harder on himself.
“Okay,” Zhou Mi said. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then! At work and then…here!”
“Sounds good.” Good. Great. Amazing. Terrifying. Arousing. He could pick any number of adjectives or verbs or whatever. “Okay. See you then. Bye!”
“Bye bye.”
He hung up, and exhaled half the air in the universe.
And then, seconds later, he had a thought.
“What do I take?” he texted Donghae, feeling uncharacteristically frantic. “Snacks? Drinks? I don’t know what he likes.”
“You should’ve asked when he called.”
Kyuhyun grimaced at the screen. “Thanks.”
“I doubt he’ll care. You’re going to play a game, not propose marriage. Take yourself. And condoms obviously.”
Kyuhyun locked his phone, face flaming even though there was no one there to see it. Idiot. And there in his head was Zhou Mi leaning over the counter and smiling at him.
“Fuck me,” he groaned. And then exploded in the laughter of idiots when he realized what that sounded like.
***
When in doubt, go with his own likes. He found sports drinks he liked, and bought a couple varieties. A couple different kinds of chips. Gaming, hard work. Bringing food was a friendly thing. After he’d gotten past the part of him that froze up, he realized— He wanted it. Not just to sit with some dopey expression, but to go and have a good time. And it made him fidget to get there faster, not to drag his feet.
But what he found, wasn’t exactly what he’d prepared himself for.
It was like expecting Santa and getting a reindeer instead. The man who wore leopard print and scarves and bright shoes and hats and sunglasses was nowhere to be found. The man who pushed the door out for him had hair that was 95% dry, a bright blue t-shirt, and plain cotton basketball shorts. No socks, just bare feet. For one of the few times in his life, Kyuhyun felt overdressed.
"You found it, Zhou Mi said, ushering him in. "Welcome. It's good to see you."
“Yeah, easy. Thanks for having me. Uh. I brought snacks?”
“Thanks! Go ahead and have a seat.”
Zhou Mi gestured him over, disappearing into what seemed to be the kitchen. It gave him time to look around. There weren’t curtains of sequins or acres of fancy fabric. It was small, but a nice room. Two comfortable-looking plush chairs, even if they were small, in front of the TV. Meant Zhou Mi probably had company at least sometimes. The Wii was beside the TV, and plugged in, even. All the stuff Zhou Mi had bought from the game store was stacked in front of it.
Zhou Mi came back out with a little tray holding cut-up fruit, and bowls of chips and the drinks Kyuhyun had brought. Putting it on the little table so it was in reach for them.
“Tho,” Zhou Mi started, rooting around beside the TV. Kyuhyun interpreted that as “So” since Zhou Mi had a piece of fruit in his mouth. There was a pause, which Kyuhyun assumed meant a swallow. “I charged everything like you said to.”
And a pause from Kyuhyun, since he had gotten caught watching Zhou Mi’s backside wiggle in the trim shorts before he stood.
“Oh? Yeah. Good.”
Zhou Mi knew his way around the Wii, at least. Inserting the disc, getting them both controllers, before settling in.
The necessary “Make a Mii” happened before they even made it to the game. Zhou Mi went first, and the insisted there be a Kyu Mii to go with the Mi Mii.
He’d bickered with others before over the looks of a little avatar, but it blasted through some of his apprehension to see Zhou Mi laugh and defend his legs.
“They are not toothpicks. I’m not that skinny.”
“Says you,” Kyuhyun said, but didn’t really help his case that he was feeding himself while he said that. He waited until the starting music of the game began to look over at Zhou Mi. “You have played a game before, right?”
The withering look Zhou Mi sent him just made him smile.
Not even Zhou Mi’s toes stayed still as they gamed. Kyuhyun had mercy. A little. Doing as he’d said, to teach Zhou Mi how to play. And how to win.
It meant he ended up on his knees on the floor in total defeat within the first hour, laughing hard enough to break a rib.
“I won? I won!” Zhou Mi crowed, doing a little boogie in his chair. “The student surpasses the master.”
“We haven’t finished playing yet,” Kyuhyun retorted. No more mister nice guy.
How much tutorial was really required for this kind of game? They’d moved past tutorial stage, and it was full-out war. Kyuhyun beating him the next time had Zhou Mi moving to the floor, too. Gloves were off. They were on an even playing field.
A playing field that got continually smaller, until they were both on the floor and leaning against the same chair.
And he didn’t want to move. The brush of their shoulders, or occasional knee bump. Imagining crawling over Zhou Mi’s legs made him lose again, and he scowled. It wasn’t his fault.
He just leaned in more.
***
His thumbs felt like they’d been molded out of cast iron and then pounded for hours with a rubber hammer. He’d won the last round, cackling at he heard Zhou Mi hissing between his teeth, knowing he was getting beaten. And his victory confirmed, he collapsed, totally undone. A subtle look at his phone told him they’d been there for hours. Luckily the game had a few modes, so they hadn’t just been doing the same thing over and over. Lots of gaming, a bathroom trip - Zhou Mi really did have the face cream - and more snacks later. He just wanted to sink bonelessly into the floor, but knew he couldn’t.
“I wasn’t counting but I think I came out ahead,” he said, feeling his socks move against the textured floor.
“I guess I can’t call myself a master yet,” Zhou Mi admitted. “But I still won some of the time.”
“Luck?”
Zhou Mi laughed, shoving Kyuhyun’s thigh. Not a hard thing to do considering how close they were sitting.
“I should go before I get stuck. Work tomorrow.”
A groan from Zhou Mi’s mouth as they both tried to get up. His butt felt flattened and Zhou Mi, with less padding, seemed to feel the same way.
He would’ve helped clean up, but Zhou Mi waved away his efforts. Just packing what snacks he’d brought that they hadn’t eaten so Kyuhyun could take them back. He was half tempted to tell Zhou Mi to keep them for next time. And couldn’t quite figure out how to make his brain do that. But there was something he felt he should address, as Zhou Mi stood with him near the entrance. He contemplated his shoes, and exhaled. If he hadn’t had fun, there would’ve been no reason to say anything. But he had.
“I don’t know what Donghae told you about me—“
“He didn’t,” Zhou Mi told him, interrupting. “Well. He did. But that was after I went in and— I wanted to make sure you were really interested.”
“And he told you…?”
Zhou Mi looked a little sheepish. “That one of us had to make a move before the mall combusted.”
Sounded like Donghae. He hung his head, anxiety romping about. And hope. It meant there wasn’t any chance that he might be imagining things.
But Zhou Mi cleared his throat, not giving Kyuhyun much time to really process that thought. “Would you go out to dinner with me, some night? Lunch would be great, too, if our schedules line up. But dinner, too. We could eat, and then come back here. Would you like to game some more?”
The way Zhou Mi said it, it was as though he were asking ”Would you like a blow job?” Husky and low and soft and intimate and seductive.
Zhou Mi was speaking his language. Even as his hands curled into awkward fists, the corners of his lips were trembling.
And that would have been the moment to have been suave, and say something like, of course, that sounds okay. Let me check my schedule and see what night I can pencil you in.
His “schedule” was so full, after all.
So of course, as Zhou Mi’s grin kept getting wider as Kyuhyun’s eyes ping-ponged around the room, he sputtered out a laugh. All his overheated brain would allow.
And so what if he’d have to go into work every day with a red face because Zhou Mi smiled and winked at him? He’d have better skin, because he’d be getting a ridiculous discount on face cream. And he’d be able to do his job because he wouldn’t have to lurk and hide, or starve to try and miss Zhou Mi while he creeped out to eat.
Plus he could sell Zhou Mi more games that they could play together. It was win/win.
At least, he thought so until Donghae texted, “CONDOMS? DID YOU TAKE THEM? :D”
And Zhou Mi saw, because they both looked down at the vibration and it might as well have been a billboard flashing between them on his phone screen.
He thought Zhou Mi’s ears were red. And his mouth was slightly pursed. Those were the only two places he could look.
“We can have dinner after you help me kill him,” Kyuhyun offered after he swallowed the urge to die.
“Agreed,” Zhou Mi laughed, clearly thinking it was a joke when Kyuhyun was mostly serious.
But he was pretty serious about the dinner thing, though, too. Dinner. Sounded so official. And stiff.
Though he’d been a little freaked out about playing games only to get a guy in shorts and bare feet, so maybe he was just an idiot for worrying in the first place. So they had their agreement. Dinner, in two days. And games.
He steadied himself on the door frame as he got into his shoes, and hitched in a breath when he realized Zhou Mi was practically against his back, cheek right beside his. Personal space? Anyone? All he could do was freeze and listen.
“You could tell him I had condoms here,” Zhou Mi offered.
And then let Donghae extrapolate from there. Mental images. Maybe that was a crueler fate than death.
He grinned twofold. One, because it was a horrendously devious idea and he liked the way that Zhou Mi’s mind worked. Two, because more than that, it was a hint. Maybe one day they wouldn’t just be gaming. And he liked that idea, too, as much as he liked the way Zhou Mi’s mouth was curving as they considered each other out of the corners of their eyes.
And just like that, he had two new reasons to look forward to going to work in the morning. To screw with Donghae’s mind.
And Zhou Mi.
***
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-07-28 09:28 pm (UTC)I am greedy of course and want more. I want to see what happens after the dinner and where they go from there.
But this was perfect because it was romantic and lovely and cute with Kyuhyun being such a hopeless one. So unsure of himself.
Donghae has got to be the best manager/friend ever. One of them had to make a move before the mall combusted. Everybody could see what was going on.
Can't get much better than that.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 12:15 am (UTC)It is interesting to think about how they got on after. Them both giving to each other a little. <3 Sigh. The many ways they fit together. ;A;
And Kyu, lol. Pretty man out there, what to do, what to do. XD Can't be Zhou Mi making all the moves. All their differences and it still brought them closer together. Sigh. They could make the world combust. <3
no subject
Date: 2011-07-28 09:45 pm (UTC)I imagined the cutest, derpiest Zhou Mi at this part. "Hallo!" dfzdfhjklsgd ;__;
"And then there was a leopard print scarf on the man in the seat directly across from him.
There was no escape."
It's as if Kyuhyun is a vampire and leopard print is garlic. No escape from the dreadful man in leopard print XD
"'If I buy a game,' Zhou Mi started out, making Kyuhyun's stomach clutch at the swallow between phrases, 'will you teach me how to play it?'"
BEST PICKUP LINE EVER. CAN I STEAL IT? I DON'T CARE ABOUT REJECTION I JUST WANT TO USE IT.
"Focus on the game. Not on Zhou Mi. With a Wii controller in his hand. Which kind of seemed dirty when he thought about it. No, the games."
......The next time I pick up a Wii controller I will remember this part. I will either cry like a small child or laugh very hard.
"Donghae considered him a moment. 'Buy condoms before you go.'"
Even if his character isn't completely developed, I love it. Frisky pervert Donghae. I was actually hoping for a little Donghae/Tiffany moment ;A;
The perfect QMi kept my mind away from that, though :'D
"...a Kyu Mii to go with the Mi Mii. " YOU REALLY ARE BRILLIANT FOR THIS.
Sorry I quoted so much but I love so many lines! Can I live in the QMi section of your mind? ....I don't even know what that means. I just love your QMi. Your QMi is perfect. Kyu Mii and Mi Mii are perfect. This fic is perfect. It's funny but sweet and everything about it is amazing. The characters, the development of feelings, the humor. Wonderful. Brilliant. Fantastic. Just like all of your other fics ;w;
no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 12:40 am (UTC)Haha. If you can figure out how to work that in. XD It was such a random thing. Game Kyu indeed. XD Into his pants. /o/ Though leaving the wii controllers out of it.
It was fun adding Donghae in. XD Good advice and a little Tiffany ogling, haha. I imagine them getting together on breaks and discussing their hopeless coworkers who can't get it together. And probably after, rolling their eyes - and then putting it out of their minds as they....amuse themselves. XD
/keeps my kyu mii and mi mii forever. XD;;;;;
I'd let people in my mind if I could. It'd be quicker than writing. XDDD I'm glad it was enjoyable. XDDDD
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Date: 2011-07-28 10:21 pm (UTC)it was great :)
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Date: 2011-08-01 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 12:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-29 02:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 12:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-29 03:27 am (UTC)i love how, at the end, kyuhyun and zhou mi join forces to fuck with donghae XD
gosh, skittish kyuhyun is just so adorable.
and his conversations with donghae were hilarious.
indeed, congrats to zhou mi for figuring out a way to get into kyuhyun's pants lmao
and i loved the tiffany cameo :)
loved this!
no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 01:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-29 05:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 01:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-29 01:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 01:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-29 02:51 pm (UTC)Omg! Why is this so short! I love it. Donghae was hilarious.
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Date: 2011-08-01 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-29 05:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 01:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-30 07:54 am (UTC)I love your writing so much T.T
Love it, wish there was more!
no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 01:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-30 02:42 pm (UTC)i can imagine kyuhyun rocking back and forth like a crazy person all too well.. with like... a creeper face on 8DDD this photo in general is just very applicable XDDD
or like... this one. k mostly this one.
creeping game kyu ;~~~~;
omg if zhou mi played mario kart he'd be one of those people who sway violently back and forth with whatever direction they're turning in ;;;; and getting waaaaay more tired than they need to be ;o;o;o;
and kyu would just be like :| omg stay still you idiot /throws a pillow
no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 01:43 am (UTC)Zhou Mi and his arms all swiveled around in knots because he's trying to turn a corner or try to get to something. XDDD I'm sure Zhou Mi getting down on the floor would be a strategy... getting in Kyuhyun's way. And... well. The touching wouldn't hurt. /leans all over Kyuhyun as Kyuhyun tries to win. xD
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Date: 2011-08-01 01:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 01:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 02:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 05:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 02:45 am (UTC)it was great. i love this like i always do.
kyu Mii and mi mii. cute.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 05:44 am (UTC)They would be so cute making the miis for themselves. :o ...They'd be so cute doing anything. XDDDD
no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 08:51 am (UTC)HILARIOUSLY PERFECT.
<3
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Date: 2011-08-01 09:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 04:07 pm (UTC)XD
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Date: 2011-08-01 12:28 pm (UTC)thank you for sharing.
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Date: 2011-08-02 12:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 03:33 am (UTC)you are prection as always~
no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 06:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 04:24 pm (UTC)BUT OMFG OMFG OMFG i love this kinda style you do.
Like everyday life and awkwardness between the two! its just wow!
i love it