𝕾𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖜𝖇𝖊𝖗𝖗𝖞 𝕸𝖎𝖑𝖐

1

The tiny bell that hung above the door dinged quietly as a small boy stepped inside the shop. Namjoon looked up, ready to unenthusiastically greet another customer but his breath caught in his throat.

This was not just another customer. This boy was so adorable Namjoon felt like he was making heart eyes at him.

'No, stop! He could be a minor, you idiot!' Namjoon mentally scolded himself. He couldn't stop staring, despite his mind telling him not to.

The cute boy looked over at him, squeaked with wide eyes and scurried away. Namjoon felt his heart skip a beat. It didn't look like the boy was...scared of him. It was as if he were expecting someone else, but Namjoon was there instead.

It made sense, considering had just started working here a few days ago.

Namjoon smiled dumbly, watching the boy hide from him in the aisle with the freezers. He hadn't even gotten to greet the boy. He would've definitely done it with much more enthusiasm than planned.

Meanwhile, the small boy that just entered the shop was fidgeting with his sleeves and biting his lip. He glanced at the cashier, who seemed to be looking in his direction. He blushed bright pink and looked away, staring at what he was there for through his pretty lashes.

Strawberry milk. His favorite.

Only there was a problem. He was tiny, and that precious strawberry milk was on the tippy top shelf of the freezer. He pouted, looking around for the worker he was familiar with.

Nowhere to be seen.

He looked back at the new worker at the counter. The new worker was kind of...handsome. He blushed even more and let a small whimper slip out when realization hit him.

If he wanted his precious strawberry milk, he'd have to ask the handsome worker to reach it for him.

He shook his head. No way, he was too shy for that. He'd just have to reach for it himself. He nodded to himself, smiling bravely as he opened the glass door to the freezer. He stared up at his strawberry milk that seemed so close yet so far. He always got exactly 50.

The pack was pretty heavy, but he could manage to carry it home. He came to this very place every Sunday to restock his supply. Even buying the most he could possibly get in one pack, he blew through them very quickly.

He carefully lifted one of his feet and pushed himself up onto the ledge of the freezer. He wobbled a bit to gain his balance. Now both of his white converse were on the edge. He swore the freezer was meant for 7 foot people, because even standing on the ledge, he still had to stand on his tippy toes to reach the pack.

He smiled triumphantly when he wrapped his hands around the package. He pulled it off the shelf, and then realized his mistake. He wasn't prepared for the weight of the package and certainly hadn't grounded himself to not lose his balance.

Before he knew it, he was falling backwards. He was expecting to crash horrifically on the hard floor, but instead bumped into someone standing behind him, who clumsily held him up from falling. The savior hadn't necessarily caught him, but they had at least prevented the brunt of his fall.

Yoongi squeaked, the pack of strawberry milk falling to the floor. Thankfully, none of the bottles had broken open and made a giant mess. He regained his composure and heard a chuckle behind him.

"Be careful, little one."

Yoongi gasped and turned around, only to see the handsome worker. Of course. Who else would it be? They were the only two people in the small store. Yoongi's face went red upon hearing his gentle voice and seeing his dimpled smile.

"If you needed help reaching, you could've asked me." Namjoon smiled even wider when the boy looked away, embarrassed.

"I-I um..." Yoongi mumbled, trying to say something, anything to redeem himself. Words seemed to vanish his mind.

Namjoon was already crouched down, picking up the strawberry milk. He stood up.

"Strawberry milk, huh? Sounds good. I've never tried it." Namjoon hummed casually. The boy's head snapped up.

He stared with wide, unbelieving eyes. It was delicious! How could someone have never tried it?

Namjoon seemed to read his mind, laughing. Yoongi went back to being flustered. Not once had he heard someone who even had an attractive laugh.

"W-Where's Hobi?" Yoongi whispered, staring down at his converse.

Namjoon raised his brows. "Oh, that guy Hoseok?" Yoongi nodded. "He's on vacation, I barely know him, though. I just started out here."

"Oh." Yoongi replied.

"Should I take this to the register, then?" Namjoon motioned to the strawberry milk he was holding in one hand. Yoongi stammered but just settled for nodding along.

The small boy's kitten eyes caught the name on the handsome worker's name tag. Namjoon. He liked the name.

Namjoon brought the package to the counter and quickly rang him up. He started to say the price, but the boy had already held out the exact amount in cash. Namjoon was surprised by this.

"So you buy this often, then?" Namjoon smiled, taking the money from him and printing out his receipt.

"Mhm." Yoongi nodded, avoiding eye contact.

Namjoon tried to ignore how happy that made him. That meant he'd get to see the cutie more than once. He felt so creepy, but he wasn't trying to be. The boy was adorable. He really wanted to see him again.

Namjoon handed him the receipt and smiled. The boy picked up his milk and said a quiet thank you, before heading for the exit. Then he stopped. He hesitated, but slowly turned around and set the package back on the counter. He began to wordlessly open it.

Then he held out a bottle of strawberry milk to Namjoon.

Namjoon raised his brows. The boy quietly spoke,

"Y-You should try it, M-Mister Namjoon. It's delicious."

Namjoon broke out into another huge smile. He took the bottle from the small boy and thanked him.

"I will. Thank you, little one."

The boy nodded and hurried out of the store, oh so embarrassed. Namjoon opened the bottle the boy gave to him and took a swig. It was a lot better than he expected.

For the rest of the day, the once unenthused worker couldn't stop smiling.

I needed something soft and all credit to this book idea goes to animeforeskin so thanks hoe ily bye