Chapter Text
Jaebum had forgotten how to live like an adult and didn’t buy his groceries for the week. The realization came to him in the morning when he had nothing to eat (except for the one loaf of bread rotting away in the corner of the refrigerator.)
That’s why he was working up a sweat to drag the bag full of food to his car. The sun was beating down on his back as he threw the bags into the back of the car and slammed the hood down. He got in the car and groaned in relief as he turned on the air conditioning to battle the blazing heat. Jaebum closed his eyes and tilted his back, relishing the sweet, cold air on this body. The sound of thumping bass woke him up.
*
Youngjae was close to sobbing when he found out he had eaten all of his ramen supply for the week. He debated on starving to not step out in the melting heat or stealing some of Yugyeom’s supply. Both would result in his death. Would his money even allow it? Working a part-time shift with minimum wage didn’t treat a university student great. He calculated gas price as well (he doesn’t use his car much anyways. He could walk home with his food, but that would also result in his very being melting into the asphalt.)
He exited his shared dorm and drove to the store. Youngjae’s phone vibrated against his thigh.
“You didn’t tell me you were going out!” Yugyeom’s shrill and whiny voice pierced Youngjae’s ear, loud enough to make him wince and pull the device away from his phone.
“Chill, I’m just getting food so I won’t starve.” Youngjae grumbled, careful to keep his eyes on the road.
“Hyung, I wanted to watch a movie.”
“I have my a test coming up and you have to prepare for your dance, what do you mean you want to watch a movie?”
“I just wanted to spend some time with hyung.” Yugyeom was probably pouting over the phone. The young one hung up abruptly. Seconds later, Youngjae’s phone vibrated again.
>>> btw hyung get me some cereal im starving you wouldn’t let me die right
Youngjae stopped at a red light.
??? I thought you had your stash. <<<
>>> i ate it all
Brat. You couldn’t have told me earlier.<<<
Youngjae reached the store (in like three minutes) and proceeded to buy his food. Ramen, vegetables, some fruits, and yogurt were all in his basket. He needed to get Yugyeom’s cereal.
He approached the cereal and section and hot damn there was a stranger there standing in black sweats and a tank top which revealed his arm muscles and damn that side profile is hot as fuck.
Youngjae chided himself to stop his thirsting after (hot) strangers and went for Yugyeom’s cereal. His hand bumped into someone else’s hand and who turned down the air conditioning here because Youngjae’s face felt extremely warm looking at the hot stranger’s cold, calculating (and surprised) eyes.
“Uh - this - erm cereal is - you want?” Youngjae spluttered. His eyes frantically looked anywhere but the stranger’s eyes. A Big Mistake. Those arm muscles were defined.
And the stranger had the audacity to smile. “It’s alright, you can take the last one.”
Youngjae’s eyes widened. Last one? “Oh! Uh, n-no it’s ok. You can uh, take it.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll get a different brand.” The hot stranger smiled politely.
“Thank you!” Youngjae’s squeaked. He threw the cereal box in his basket and power walked out of that cursed section. The basket was dropped to the ground as Youngjae cupped his warm cheeks and muttered curses and swear words and “damn he’s hot.”
Youngjae didn’t see him when he was at the cashier. He might’ve been lowkey disappointed.
The trip to the car was a tortuous one and for the third time that day he wanted to cry. It wasn’t even eleven o’clock yet. Possible new record?
He threw his food unceremoniously into the trunk of the car and collapsed in the car seat, blasting the air conditioning in his face and turning on his radio. Chandelier by Sia immediately started playing. Youngjae thought, screw it, and started jamming to the (amazing) song, voice straining to hit the high notes by the goddess Sia and moving his head to the beat of the song.
Youngjae opened his eyes and met someone else’s and oh shit . Oh hell no. Hot Stranger was looking at him in his car through his window, probably watching him for God know’s how long. There was a smirk playing on Hot Stranger’s lips and Youngjae wanted to get out of his car and lie down on the asphalt and melt into the concrete under the blazing sun. He could feel Sia laughing at him across the fucking ocean.
Youngjae licked his lips and slowly (without breaking eye contact with Hot Stranger) lifted his arm to turn the car engine on and he bolted out of there .
He reached his shared dorm, got the groceries, threw them onto the kitchen and floor and ignoring Yugyeom’s strange looks, lunged onto his bed and screamed into the pillow. For the fourth time that day, Youngjae wanted to cry.