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Wylan, having walked all the way up here, clutching the shopping list of small doodles tightly in his hand, hoped this would go better than last time.
The man entered the brand new, cheaper grocery store and paused by the baskets. He wouldn't need more than a few things and a whole cart would be a little much, but what really troubled Wylan was the color coding of the baskets. He'd never seen two different colored baskets in the same store before. He glanced up at the pictures, the light orange one had words and an image of two people. The dark green one had more words and one person. Wylan reasonably deducted that he was one person and should take the green basket.
So, off he went, eyeing his drawn list, then the pictures above the aisles. This place, however, didn't have pictures like the store that Wylan frequented, this one only had words. Fine. Wylan was smart, he didn't need to be able to read words to find what he wanted. Grocery stores are all basically the same, anyway.
After various minutes, going through aisles with little to no luck, only a box of crackers thrown in the basket haphazardly, Wylan started to feel a familiar claw of dread and anxiety in his chest. He pushed the horrible words of his father back, he could do this... all he needed was someone to read him the aisle names.
Wylan looked around, poking his head into several aisles before finding a tall black man standing with an orange basket, dressed in a bright green shirt that displayed some tropical location, with khaki shorts, the belt holding them up had tourist print with turtles of alternating colors decorating it. The man was tapping his foot as he looked over the options in front of him. Orange... Orange had to mean friendly, after all, there were two people on the sign. "Hey, uhh," Wylan forced himself to walk up to the man, "Do you know where the uhh... bread is?" His voice was suddenly very small. This man was far taller than Wylan thought he'd be.
The man turned towards the smaller man, and damn, he was handsome, especially with all that lean muscle. "Bread?" Grey eyes sparkled in the fluorescent light, Wylan adored them, "Well, I don't really know. We could look together, it's my first time here."
Wylan's eyes drifted all around the man's attractive face, eyes, lips, eyebrows... "Ohh, it's uhh... It's my first time, too," Wylan suddenly realized how awful that sentence was, and cringed. This man, however, laughed heartily.
"Good to know we're both in the same boat," He said, grinning, showing off perfect, white teeth. "I'm Jesper."
"Wylan," He squeaked, sticking out his hand, which Jesper took, shaking firmly. His hand was very warm, a comforting warmth that Wylan liked as well.
"Wylan?" Jesper asked, tilting his head, "I like that, it's cute, like you," The man hummed casually, finally grabbing a jar of pasta sauce in front of him. Wylan blushed several shades of red while he waited. Had Jesper actually called him cute? Was this some code? "Bread? Is that it or do you have other things?" The man asked, turning towards Wylan now, his full height being a great deal taller than Wylan himself.
"I have... um, kind of a list," Wylan said, still holding the crumpled list out to Jesper. He didn't feel scared, though. His heart beat a little faster, but not in the anxious way that Wylan knew, it was faster, but better. It made his cheeks naturally warm and pink. It felt nice.
Jesper unraveled it gently, looking over the sketches of a cereal box, peanut butter and jelly jars, one slice of bread, and a milk carton. None had names. Jesper stared for several seconds, "I really like your drawings," Jesper said with a confident air, making Wylan's cheeks go red again, "Do you always draw your grocery lists?"
"Ahh, thank you," Wylan beamed up at Jesper brightly, "And, uhh, yeah, I always draw them." Since forever. Before he'd been kicked out, before he'd lived on his own, before his father caught on to his disability...
"That's super creative," Jesper grinned at Wylan, and suddenly Wylan was positive that this week was already marginally better than any other week had been, and probally ever would be. "Let's get you some food, you need some more meat on your bones."
Wylan was going to faint. This man... This man made everything okay. "J-just lead the way."
Then he indeed did, walking to the end of the aisle, looking up at the signs that hung high above them, but Wylan was rather convinced was only a foot or so from Jesper's head, and lead Wylan along to get everything on his list, without asking. It made Wylan feel really good, that his drawings were decently good. Jesper made him feel valid.
As Wylan headed towards the register, Jesper got a text and told him he'd be 'right back'. That gave Wylan a good excuse to check his pockets quickly, having already mentally tallied up the total. Numbers were so much easier than words. He'd have just enough, then he'd get his paycheck next week. He could do it, if he conserved.
Wylan glanced at the total as a double-check after the woman rang up everything, Jesper arriving behind him with his last few things, placing them on the conveyer belt. The smaller man pulled out his wallet, pulling crumpled cash from it and counting out coins. It added up perfectly-
"I'll pay for him," Jesper's baritone voice chimed from behind Wylan, who turned around quickly, a shocked look painting his features.
"Jesper, you don't have to."
"Aww, c'mon, let me pay for a pretty guy's groceries and make his day a little better," Jesper grinned, sidling up beside Wylan.
"You already made my day better," The shorter man admitted, "You really don't need to pay for my things..."
"But... I want to and I've got plenty of money," The tall man said, frowning with those handsome grey eyes.
Wylan gave in, stepping to the side, "Thank you so much," He said, shoving his money back in his wallet.
Jesper's charming smile graced his face again, "Of course!"
When the bags rang up, Jesper covered the total from Wylan's eyes, paying easily and hanging Wylan his bags. As they go to part ways, Jesper smiles, "I hope to see you again, tiny Wylan!"
Wylan couldn't help but smile with all the brightness in his soul, "I hope I see you again as well, Jesper."
With that, they parted ways, Jesper pulling out his phone to call somebody, and Wylan walking back down the sidewalk, towards his small apartment in the less safe side of town. He hoped he'd see Jesper again, and again, and again, until he was sick of that handsome face. But maybe he'd never get sick of it... and maybe, just maybe, Wylan would finally get some courage and ask out Jesper. But, Wylan had a distinct feeling that Jesper would be the one to do that. He had the feeling that wouldn't be the last he'd see of Jesper and his beautiful grey eyes.