Toy | Ateez

thirteen: day out

The shopping center was one that you had been to many times with your friends, and occasionally Yunho. It was a hot spot for college students with too much time on their hands. There were many clothing stores and cafes throughout the entire mall that were packed with "youngins" hanging out with friends. You felt yourself become a little nostalgic seeing the groups of friends laughing and chatting just as you had a few years ago. You let out a sad sigh and turned your attention to Hongjoong and Mingi.

    They were both intently reading a small piece of paper with a few words written on it. You took a closer look to see what exactly was on it but the writing was so messy you could barely make out any of the letters. "Jeez, whose handwriting is that. It looks like a two-year-old wrote it." You mumbled to yourself. Mingi turned to you with a pout.

"That's my writing." He said quietly. He sounded hurt at your words, but the look on his face almost made you want to laugh. The first time he had ever pout at you was because you insulted his handwriting. These boys really weren't as scary as you thought. You muttered a small sorry to him and held back a laugh at the situation.

"We came here to grab some stuff for the studio since someone thought it would be a good idea to swing the mic around, so we need to stop by the electronics store to grab a new speaker," Hongjoong said, eyeing Mingi. Mingi's face went emotionless again as he turned back to the shorter male. Mingi stared at him, the expression on his face a bit angry. In response, Hongjoong gave him a bright smile, which immediately contradicted his next words. "Stop trying to act scary, Mingi. We all know you're a big softie."

Mingi cheeks turned a soft pink at Hongjoongs comment. You stifled another laugh at the interaction to which Mingi turned to you with a snarl. You faked surrender as a choked noise came out of your throat. Hongjoong observed from the other side of mingi. You caught sight of the chuckle he released at your play fight with the taller male.

Gosh, even his laugh is cute, You thought to yourself. You blushed a little at your thoughts, and now you were on the receiving end of being caught in your happiness. Hongjoong caught your eyes as you tried to calm your cheeks. You heard another quiet chuckle come from him as you quickly turned away. Mingi, obviously not catching on to what just happened, looking at you in confusion at your sudden move. He lowered his hands to his side again, his expression becoming slightly puzzled.

"The electronics store should be just around the corner." Hongjoong declared, eyes scouring the area to confirm his statement. The three of you rounded the corner, and just as he had said, the electronics store stood in front of you. You had only ever seen this store in passing but you couldn't deny that the items on display intrigued you.

The store was a bit different than other electronics stores in the area. This one sold a large range of items that were quite unexpected, a speaker being one of them. It felt a bit odd to you that you three weren't going to a music store which would yield a higher quality speaker than you would have found here.

Nevertheless, Hongjoong and Mingi lead themselves into the store. You followed close behind, eye wandering to the different things they had on every self. Some items were recognizable, like portable battery and USB cords, but others seemed like they would be more suited for work on a rocket. You focused back on the boys, who were slowing making their way to the back of the store where the larger items were kept.

"I need to grab some batteries," Mingi said. He stepped away from the two of you and disappeared into one of the nearby aisles. Hongjoong and you continued to make your way down the center aisle, walking with one goal in mind. As you both reached the back wall of the store, you were faced with various types and models of TVs. The speakers were lined up neatly on the floor, each one varying in shape and size. Some were much larger, built for a concert or event. Some were much smaller, built for home or, in your case, a studio.

Though you knew the boys were looking for the smaller sized speaker, you couldn't ignore the way that Hongjoong eyed the bigger speakers. You could tell his head was filled with thoughts as he gazed longingly at the large speakers. A part of you wanted to reach out a helping hand, maybe offer to split the cost. But you knew that the speaker would definitely cost more than you were comfortable with paying. Your heart sank a little at the realization. Maybe you could buy it for him when you get more money.

Hongjoong cleared his throat loudly, bringing you both back to reality. He rubbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger, thinking hard about what speaker he would want. He squinted a bit, as if that would help him make a quicker decision, then pointed his finger towards one of the speakers. "This one looks big enough."

The speaker was fairly large, with a matte black finish and gold rings. It looked to be at least $250. You flashed him a quick smile, then muttered "Good pick."

His focus was still on the speaker as the corners of his lips turned upward again. You heard him mumble something in agreement as you moved closer to his side, drawing his attention back to you.

"Let's take this up to the front." You said, eyes still trained on him. He nodded before bending down to lift up the heavy speaker. You said a silent thank you to the gods that Hongjoong decided to wear a short sleeve t-shirt today. You watched him from the side as his biceps flexed slightly when he hooked his fingers under the bottom of the speaker. He wasn't the fittest out of the group, that title, you knew, was held by Jongho, but he was still quite built. Seeing the muscles of his arms tense and relax really made your mind wander.

"Come on. Let's bring this thing to checkout." Hongjoong sent a quick nod towards the front of the store. You followed close behind as he made his way to the front, trying not to get distracted by all the different gadgets in the store. As you passed an aisle, Mingi suddenly popped out giving you a mini heart attack.

"I found the batteries," he said stoically. You gave him an awkward smile as you calmed your heart, to which he showed no reaction. You let your smile fade as you turned your attention back to Hongjoong. Hongjoong ignored the odd interaction and nodded towards the front of the store. Knowing his intention, you continued on your way towards the front of the store, Mingi following close behind you.

"How was breakfast," mingi muttered from behind you, only loud enough for you to hear. His sudden interaction caught you by surprise.

"It was amazing. I haven't had waffles in a really long time. Plus, Seonghwa is an amazing cook." Mingi nodded slowly at your response. Mingi took a step further so that he was right beside you.

"Yeah, Seonghwa is pretty good. He..." Mingi says, seeming to have a debate in his mind of whether to continue or not. "He only cooks waffles when girls stay the night."

Why the hell did he pause, was the only thought that came to your mind. The sentence was harmless. But then the sudden connotation of what he has said came to mind. A girl staying over, in a house full of guys. So they were getting around.

"Interesting." You mumbled under your breath.

"He enjoys cooking. So if you ask him to make something he'll be more than happy to do it." Mingi smiled a bit.

Hongjoong stopped in his tracks as he placed the speaker on the checkout counter. He pulled out his wallet and completed the transaction while Mingi and you waited patiently nearby.

You and Mingi stood next to each other. The air was content as if you had already conversed with him enough that you didn't need more information. Between your first meeting with him till now, you had used up your good questions. You found yourself asking more obscure questions, just trying to hold on to him a little more. But as you waited for Hongjoong, you didn't even bother to speak a word to him. Mingi seemed fine with that as well.

"Ok, it's all paid for. Let's head to the car." Hongjoong came towards you guys, speaker placed back in his hands. It took every ounce of your being not to stare at his arms again, lest mingi or him catch you. You caught Hongjoong eyes again as he stared at you, waiting for any sign of confirmation. You gave him a short reply to which he chuckled and started on his way out of the store.

Task one, done.