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Shota is aware that he’s quiet. Too silent. Unnerving. He wasn’t exactly the most talkative nor would he go out of his way to make his presence known, but surely his step-brother would know him well enough by now, right?
Well, wrong. Because he’s currently lurking behind Intak as the guy dragged someone of the same height and build as Shota. The kid seemed to not realize as well since he had been staring down at his phone while he got dragged around. Maybe it was the same clothes, and maybe because Shota recently got his hair bleached, courtesy of his brother experimenting on him, so Intak didn’t realize he had the wrong kid in his grasp. The other kid didn’t respond to any of his brother’s quips, though that’s probably because he was listening to music from his chunky, oversized SkullCandy headphones. He silently wondered how the other kid got his parents to buy that for him.
Intak’s still staring at the different stalls, his hand wrapped around one of the other kid’s wrists, “Shota, what do you think about korean grilled?”
“GET BACK HERE KIDNAPPER!”
Shota kept his mouth shut as he watched what he assumed was the kid’s guardian bolt at Intak, who had stood frozen in the middle of the mall, like a deer in headlights. He gripped the kid’s wrist tighter, finally managing to make him look up and realize the switch-up.
“Oh. You’re not my brother.” The kid quietly muttered. He removed his headphones and slipped off of Intak’s grasp, whose face now reflected how mortified he was. Shota stepped up beside him to quietly comfort the panicking man, though that may have made him more flustered.
“Oh Jongseob-ah, are you okay? Did he try to give you drugs?” The other man worried over the kid, which they watched. Intak, because he seemed like he got glued to the spot, and Shota because he had nothing better to do. He did respond to Intak’s question, “Yeah, grilled sounds good.”
“ You .” The man’s eyes were sharp, he also had many piercings and Shota noted that it all made him look extra terrifying. “What the fuck were you doing dragging my brother around, huh?”
“Hyung,” Jongseob, or what Shota assumed his name was, tugged at his brother’s shirt to hold him back, “I think he just didn’t realize.” He muttered. Jongseob’s voice was soft but raspy, as contradicting as that sounds. Shota liked it.
“Oh.” The older man gave Shota a glance over, then a double take when he really looked at Shota. “Oh damn that’s freaky .”
“What- What is?” Intak snapped out of his reverie. He reflexively covered one arm over Shota. As oblivious and airheaded his brother was, Shota knew that the man was overprotective about him. Weird, but he didn’t dare to question what goes on in the man’s head. Shota wasn’t paid to know or care.
“He looks just like my brother.” The other said, “down to the hair and everything.”
Intak gave Shota a look, then Jongseob, and then Shota again like he just saw a ghost, “Holy shit that ’s why.”
The stranger’s ears were bright red, but he kept a stoic face. “Ehem.” He covered half of his face with his fist, “I… I’m sorry. I thought you were kidnapping my brother. Sorry.”
“Dude, no. I’m sorry,” Intak hurriedly waved his hands awkwardly, unsure whether to approach the man or keep his distance, “I didn’t check closely and grabbed the wrong sibling, I guess. I’m sorry.”
“Can we go?” Jongseob groaned behind them, which caught Shota’s attention again.
“Oh, sure bub.” The man ushered himself next to his brother and gave them a simple wave before they disappeared off into the crowd, leaving Intak and Shota to themselves finally.
“I think your big bro has a crush, Shota.” His brother finally spoke after a few minutes of standing idly. Shota nods, “I know.”
♡♡♡♡
Intak’s head is a warzone at the moment.
Not only did he lose his step-sibling (Sorry, Mom) in the mall, but he also had the audacity to fall at first sight when a very angry and very hot man stormed up to him. Sure, Intak doesn’t believe that much in fate, but it was practically fate that he bleached Shota’s hair, dressed him up all cutesy today, and accidentally lost him. It’s all fate because he ended up grabbing the stranger’s brother instead, and then they ended up having a conversation. That was all that mattered.
He sighed and reached beside him, snatching the pork skewers from the tray as he sulked. He dipped it in the cooking pot in front of them, the satisfying sizzle of meat eased the noise from within his skull. He already made his own mixture of sauces and condiments, coating the meat with expertise while his mind replayed the other guy’s face and voice in his brain for the nth time this past hour.
He had three piercings on his left ear, then two on the left. His nose piercing paired with the snake bites and eyebrow piercing were like beautiful gems used to adorn his face. His voice was sweet as honey and had a slight upturn to it that got Intak’s stomach fluttering with butterflies, and his lips just looked perfect . Was it so wrong to fantasize about making out with someone?
“Um Hyung?”
That man stood smaller than Intak, but he had never been one to focus on trivial things like height. Hell, from the way the man’s shirt hugged his frame, Intak didn’t doubt that the smaller guy could fold him easily. That would be hot. Was Intak into small tops? That’s new. Not the fact he’s gay, but the fact that a small guy got him kicking his feet under the table right now.
“Hyung.”
God, even the way his ears went red made Intak’s head sink further into a manic flurry. Maybe it’s because he’s a raging virgin loser, but damn would he like to talk with that guy more in a place where there are no others. Or let everyone watch, not that he cared. Now, he’s hopelessly in love and the guy doesn’t even care . At least Intak has something new to imagine while quietly beating his—
“Hyung!” A kick to his knees from his very adorable and very unpredictable younger brother woke Intak up from his daydreams. He grumbled, rubbing his knees with mild resentment. “What is it?”
“You stole from the table behind you,” Shota pointed at the case of meat that Intak was just holding, then to his side. Intak glanced and realized that the tray he stole was from the table behind them. Shota had their cart and trays on his side. Shit .
“That’s the second time today.” Intak grumbled. Was he that careless? He didn’t even realize that he cooked someone else’s pork skewers. Quietly, he served the cooked meat onto a plate, paired with some vegetables he cooked as well.
He turned to the table behind them and offered the plate, “Um.. sorry, I accidentally stole your skewers. I cooked them for you if you’d like?”
Intak should thank his lucky stars that he’s a good cook, or else it would have been a disaster. Intak should also thank Shota for noticing the small things, or else they would have been eating twice with a price for one. And, Intak really should start saying his thanks now, because—
“That’s the second time you stole something from me today.” A familiar, honey-dripped, heavenly, god-sent, erotic, heart-dropping, breath-taking, hypnotizing, and other adjectives voice spoke from behind the back-to-back sofa. Intak had positioned himself in a way that the man’s face was blocked, but he didn’t need to see to know .
“Oh my god, it’s you again.” Intak’s ears were red. He hoped that his hands were stable enough, because his insides surely weren’t.
A chuckle. Dear lord, even his laughs sound expensive and hot . “It’s okay. Thank you.”
A hand reached out and grazed Intak’s knuckles, gingerly taking the plate away from his grasp. It must have taken forever, because Intak’s heart was going a million beats per second at this point. He couldn’t tell left from right, and he was sure that his nose was bleeding.
“Y.. You’re welcome.”
Like a shy rabbit, he burrowed himself into his seat, afraid to make even the slightest noise. Thank God he wasn’t saying all his earlier thoughts out loud, or else—
Shota shook his head.
“Huh?” He glared at his brother, as if blaming Shota would undo every single thought he had just sputtered (apparently) earlier. Before he even knew that the stranger was behind them.
“I heard that, y’know?” The man’s voice was now closer. He must be beside Intak now, but the poor man’s brain refused to consider the logistics of how that happened. “I mean, I’m cool with someone crushing on me, but someone who cooks this good?”
He could hear the man chew a bit, clearly savoring the way Intak cooked.
“If anything, I’d say you stole a third thing from me today.” He chuckled. “My brother, my pork skewers, and now… how would you like to steal my number? Hmm?”
Gods above or below please take me now
Intak’s eyelids suddenly became magnetic the way they refused to open. If he didn’t see the hot stranger, or the way he could be eating that skewer, his lips wrapping around that oily meat cube and spreading that small shine all over his lower lip and chin, the slight canines of his teeth— God he’s fantasizing again.
“Well, thank you, anyway. Jiung, by the way. Don’t forget it.”
Intak swore he’d never go to the mall again. “I- Intak.” He managed to squeak out despite his shame.
Jiung’s voice had a smiley tone to it, if that even made sense. “Intak. I like it. You cook well, Intak. I could eat you every day— oh, I mean your meals .”
♡♡♡♡
Shota’s just grumbling that the stranger was harassing his brother to the point that they still haven’t had their own meal cooked up yet. Thankfully, Jongseob offered him an extra meat skewer from their table. Sure, it was Intak’s meat skewer, but it was still food.
He silently watched his brother become a fire alarm in his seat. Why does that Jiung guy like Intak hyung anyway ?
“They’re both weirdos.” Jongseob piped up beside him, and Shota had to quietly agree. They both chewed on their food as they watched their brothers openly flirt with each other.