Work Text:
“Why do I have to buy a present for your niece?”
“C’mon dude! Can’t you do your old buddy a favor? Do you know how many essays I wrote for you!”
Jihoon rolled his eyes “You never got past 300 words before you fell asleep!”.
Seungcheol was his college roomate and the lousiest person to ask when you were 2 hours away from an important literature deadline.
But he always had a knack for convincing professors to extend a deadline. Which is probably why Jihoon found himself inching across the mall strip towards Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Jihoon wished he was invisible as he made his way through the store. But of course he stood out like a sore thumb, as he was wearing his black and white, vertical-striped work uniform that made him look like a referee. And he was shocked to see that they, in fact, sold more than just bears.
Jihoon made it his mission to get in and out as quickly as he could, so he grabbed the first bear he saw and stood in line to get the toy stuffed. He held on to the empty bear body awkwardly and prayed this line of 4 kids would move faster. He could just see over all their heads and was able to tell the employee was blabbing away, holding the line longer.
After moving up the line two spots, he was able to figure out just why the line moved so slowly. The employee spent so much time talking to every kid and making them laugh. He gave the toys silly voices and complimented the outfits the kids picked out. He even added three hearts to the toy, saying it was extra love and informing the child that this was a secret.
Jihoon was in awe. This guy looked no older than him but had such an amazing way with children, meanwhile Jihoon was careful to touch as little as he could in the store, lest it be covered in little kid germs.
As he sent the last excited kid away, the smile he greeted Jihoon with faltered when he focused on the lonely bear in Jihoon’s hands.
“You didn’t get an outfit?” he asked, looking a little disappointed. His name tag was covered in happy puppy stickers, drawing attention towards his name in big black letters: Mingyu.
What’s with this guy? Jihoon thought. “Uh, No. I didn’t know I was supposed to. I just grabbed this bear... carcass…”
Mingyu laughed, loud and big, before covering his mouth and looking around nervously. “Maybe you should save the darker jokes for when you’re not in a children’s store.” He said, giggling, taking the bear from Jihoon’s hands.
“Sorry…” Jihoon said, watching as Mingyu maneuvered the stuffing machine with ease,
“No it’s fine! It was funny! I don’t get much humor like that working here.”
“That bad, huh?”
“My job? No, I love it! This is the best job I’ve ever had! A change of pace is just nice every once and awhile.” Mingyu’s eyes glittered as he smiled and Jihoon barely realized that he had finished stuffing the bear and gently placed a small heart in its cotton chest. “Do you want to record a message?”
Jihoon looked at Mingyu, confused.
“I mean, it’s a gift, I’m assuming…”
“Uh, right. Yeah, it is. I don’t know what to say though…”
“You can say anything!”
Jihoon hesitated.
“Or just say ‘I love you’?”
He scrunched up his nose.
“...Or just sing happy birthday?”
Jihoon thought for a moment. “I guess I could do that.” So he sang happy birthday for this kid he didn’t know and who wasn’t even here. He didn’t put much effort into the song, since he was in the middle of a now fairly empty store, but he had a good enough voice for the recording to not sound crappy.
Mingyu smiled and clapped when Jihoon finished “Wow, a singer and a comedian! What can’t you do!”
Blushing and embarrassed he shoved the little recorder into Mingyu’s hands to be placed in the bear. “Can I pay for that thing now.”
“No, it needs clothes! Come on, I’ll help you pick out an outfit!”
Jihoon sighed as he followed Mingyu to the clothing racks “What’s wrong with a naked bear. It’s not like they wear clothes in the wild.”
Mingyu laughed again but Jihoon knows he’s not that funny.
“So who is this for?”
“Uh, my friend’s niece.”
“Okay, what do they like?”
“I have absolutely. no. idea.”
Mingyu thought for a moment before the metaphorical light bulb flickered on above his head and he bee-lined straight to the clothing rack. He picked out a simple pink t-shirt under denim overalls, giving the bear an outfit more stylish than anything Jihoon normally wears.
He brought the bear to the register with Jihoon following foot, engaging in small talk while he rung him up.
“I’m Mingyu by the way.” he smiled politely.
“I know.” Jihoon pointed at Mingyu’s name tag, then at his own. “Jihoon.”
Mingyu was embarrassed that he never realized Jihoon had a foot locker name tag, as if the outfit didn’t give it away. Maybe he thought Jihoon just really liked vertical stripes? And he insisted on giving Jihoon a sticker for his nametag. “It’ll make your name stand out!” he defended against Jihoon’s refusal before digging out several sticker packs from his pocket and placing a bright green frog sticker on the black and white piece of plastic.
After Jihoon finished paying he headed back to his store directly across from build a bear. Mingyu waved him off “See you around!”
-
Jihoon opened the next day. And apparently, so did Mingyu. They both happened to open the doors at the exact same time. Mingyu waved and shouted across the empty walkway “Morning neighbor!” Jihoon waved back, the gesture much smaller than Mingyu’s. He wondered how Mingyu could be so cheery this early in the morning.
Mingyu popped in to foot locker later that day, asking Jihoon to share a cinnabon with him for his lunch break. Jihoon agreed since 1. He did have a big breakfast and a whole cinnabon is too sweet for him alone and 2. His coworker brought a tuna and egg salad sandwich that smells worse than many of the feet he’s been around. Besides, Mingyu wasn’t completely terrible to be around, even though he was dreadfully cheerful. However, Jihoon was appalled to find out that Mingyu asks for extra icing on his cinnabon.
“Why can’t you get it on the side? I don’t want my bun that sweet!”
“Your buns could use a little sweetness…”
“You’re disgusting! And keep your dirty eyes off me!”
To save himself from Jihoon’s judgement, Mingyu suggested they eat lunch somewhere else next week, after figuring out which day they had another similar shift. They got along perfectly, jokes never failing to make the other laugh, as if they had been friends for years.
-
“I don't know what you mean, Mingyu said my taste in music is impeccable.” Jihoon bragged.
His coworker raised an eyebrow at him “Mingyu? Is that the guy you’re always eating lunch with? Build-A-Bear guy?”
“Yeah… Build-A-Bear guy…”
“You’ve really been hanging out with him a lot lately. It’s been...what? A little over a month since you started ditching me during lunch break?”
“Sorry” Jihoon laughed awkwardly, as he pushed around his food court orange chicken with a plastic fork. “He’s pretty cool. Fun to hang out with.”
“He’s pretty handsome too.”
“Mhm. Yeah he’s pretty funny.”
“You know that’s not what I said.”
“What? Oh yeah my orange chicken is great!”
-
Mingyu walked into foot locker, this is starting to develop into a bad habit, Jihoon thought. But today was different, he wasn’t wearing his uniform but instead an emerald green sweater and black jeans, and he looked nervous, his hands fidgeting behind his back.
“What’s up? You off today?”
“Uh yeah,” he laughed quietly, contrasting his usual loud and bright giggle “I got bored at home so I decided to walk around the mall a bit.”
Something was off. “Oh, okay. Well do you want to look at shoes or something? I have to close in like 5 minutes, but if you find something you like I could hook you up with my employee’s discount.” Jihoon winked and Mingyu replied with a quick “thanks” before side-stepping over to the nearest wall of sneakers. Women’s sneakers.
Jihoon gave him a strange look before stepping away to pick up some trash.
Mingyu didn’t find any shoes. In fact, he didn’t even look. So he sat on a bench in front of the store while Jihoon locked up. He came out in a plain black hoodie and matching black sweats, the usual for him, Mingyu assumed.
Jihoon patted his pockets for his keys and looked down at Mingyu as he reached the bench.
Mingyu stared back, chewing on his bottom lip.
“So? Should we go or-”
Mingyu stood up from his seat and held out a toy to Jihoon, arms fully extended and head bowed, the nose of the white polar bear pressed ever so slightly against Jihoon’s chest. It was, coincidentally, dressed exactly like him.
“Press the paw.” Mingyu said, quiet.
So Jihoon did, and Mingyu’s voice played. “Do you want to go on a date with me?”
Jihoon’s blushing showed on his ears, Mingyu’s showed in his cheeks.
Mingyu said he had something special planned, that he had “connections”.
They stood together, staring at the unlit carousel in front of them. It was after hours, so obviously it was shut down, but Mingyu said his hookup would arrive shortly.
“Do you get dizzy easily?”
“No.” Jihoon replied, clutching the bear to his chest. “But why are we here? We Work at this mall. Why not go somewhere different?”
“Isn’t this more magical and thrilling? An empty mall. Nobody here except me, you and- oh Jeonghan’s here!”
Jihoon ducked his face behind the bear, he totally forgot Jeonghan works at the carousel. Thankfully, Jeonghan just winked at Jihoon as he entered the carousel’s operating booth rather than revealing to Mingyu that they’re roommates. Jihoon sighed in relief, bullet dodged. This time.
Although he would have preferred his roommate to not be present on his first date with Mingyu, there was something about how the carousel glowed when only half of the mall’s hideous yellow lights were on.
“Come on!” Mingyu called, opening the gate to enter the ride. “Do you mind if we ride the teacup first?”
“Is the teacup your favorite?” Jihoon asked, holding the bear in one hand and Mingyu’s hand in the other as he stepped into the comically large cup.
“I love feeling small.” Mingyu admitted, shrugging his shoulders. He stepped in and sat across from Jihoon, smiling widely as Jihoon sat the stuffed bear by his side and strapped it under the seat belt with him. Jihoon looked up, a light blush covering his cheeks. Mingyu was watching him, a smile taking up his whole face and his eyes reflecting the twinkling glow of the carousel lights.
Mingyu was right, this is kind of magical.
Together, breaking the mall rules, as the world spun around them.