In His Arms - Wonheon ( Wonho x Jooheon )

Chapter 28 : What If ?

Wonho ends up pulling a dozen security cameras off the shelf of Barton Supplies and stacks them neatly inside his cart, one on top of another. It’s a bit excessive to grab so many but he can't risk Jooheon getting the jump on him again. Yesterday had been too close. What if Jooheon had knocked him out? What if Jooheon had managed to run past him while he had laid uselessly passed out on the floor?

Even if Jooheon hadn’t knocked him out, he could have ran. For how long-- Wonho doesn’t know, but the point is that he could have, if Wonho hadn’t handled the situation. And that fucking terrifies him.

He isn’t concerned about police. He isn’t concerned about Jooheon finding help. All that matters is Jooheon getting away and leaving Wonho with no possible way of ever seeing him again. Just thinking about it makes Wonho’s chest hurt, makes him want to add another metal bar across the door just to be extra careful. Then again, that’s what Wonho is doing, technically. He may not be ordering another bar lock, but he is purchasing a dozen security cameras just so that he can always know where Jooheon is.

This is better for the both of them. For Jooheon because it only adds more to his protection. For Wonho because now he can have eyes on Jooheon during all hours of the day whenever he isn’t actually home to watch him. These cameras will essentially be his peace of mind.

With the shelf cleared, Wonho maneuvers his way around the metal basket and grips onto the carts handles before making his way towards the cash register to pay. Like his last visit, there isn’t an overwhelming amount of people that make the checkout process a hassle and amazingly, the exact same cashier is there to greet him.

Her lips are stretched in a wide grin and its obvious by the head to toe look she gives him that she’s admiring the view. It still makes him uncomfortable when he catches those types of looks from people. Having grown up small and weak and on the verge of an asthma attack at all hours hadn’t really been a self esteem boost and no one back then had given him the time of day to actually get to know him. Now, people like the young cashier, only saw what was on the outside, something that he had worked hard on sculpting for himself thanks to a growth spurt that first summer out of high school. They only saw what they wanted to, not caring for what was on the inside.

He gives her a tight lipped nod as he approaches the counter and begins to unload the cart by stacking the security camera boxes on top of one another. Each box he sets down, the young cashier’s brows raise further and further on her forehead.

“Gee mister, you trying to set up security for the entire city of Brooklyn?” she jokes.  

It falls flat to him and he gives a useless, forced huff as if it’s amusing because it’s the expected reaction. Having grown up not a people pleaser makes it’s almost embarrassingly easy how he can read them so well now, how he can predict what they want from him in return. All those years sitting on the playground alone, watching his classmates play and interact with each other, and those hours when he was benched for sport games and sat uselessly when they ran around bases or shot hoops-- all of it paid off in the end, being a people watcher. That’s what he did best.

He grins, shooting her a falsely amused look. “Just about,” he responds back, his voice clipped.

Wonho thinks that’s the end of conversation. He keeps unloading his cart until there is nothing left to grab and he isn’t paying attention as the woman scans each box and bags them, instead, he reaches for his wallet in his back pocket.

“Hey. Wonho, right?”

Wonho’s head darts up, his fingers freezing against the leather. He halts because the voice is not feminine, and it’s definitely one that he’s heard before. He glances across the counter and sees none other than Hyungwon standing there, a look of unsureness on his face.