THOMINHO

Ice Cream for Two

Thomas watched by the magazine rack as Minho paid for the toy alpaca. The clerk, a girl around their age, was blushing furiously as she handed a smirking Minho his change. With a wink, Minho left the poor girl red-cheeked and headed towards Thomas.

"Hey, Apple Cheeks, wanna get an ice cream cone with me?" Minho waggled a piece of paper that read in bright colors, 'Buy One, Get One Free Ice Cream Cone at Little Jon's!'. "I'm paying."

Thomas snorted and rolled his eyes, he nodded. "Sure, why, not, and don't call me Apple Cheeks."

Minho slung the plastic bag that held the toy alpaca over his back and glanced at Thomas with a grin on his face. "Nope, sorry, Apple Cheeks, can't do that,"

Without missing a step, Minho left the store with a frowning Thomas following him. The ice cream shop wasn't very far and so after a few turns they found themselves across the street from it.

"Looks like Little Jon's getting some attention," Minho remarked, his eyes scanning the long line that reached outside of the shop and onto the sidewalk. "You still wanna get ice cream? It looks like it'll take forever,"

Thomas shrugged and eyed the line. It was bustling with different people - old, young, in pairs or groups, or solo, some chattering away or some quietly waiting - and it did seem like it'd take forever just to get two measly cones of ice cream. "Well, it's your coupon, I don't really care if we do wait or not. I have some time to kill."

Minho thought for a moment. "How abou-"

"No! I want ice cream! I want it!" A young girl cried, passing by with her bedraggled mother who had a tired look on her face. "I want it! I want it! I want it!"

The mother sighed and held back her daughter who was struggling against her grip. She said something quietly but Minho and Thomas were near enough to hear. "Abigail, sweetheart, mommy doesn't have the budget to buy some ice cream, right now. When my paycheck comes we'll buy lots of ice cream for you, okay?"

The girl scrunched up her flushed face and tears began leaking from her eyes. "No, mommy! I want ice cream now! You said you'd buy me some if I was a good girl and I was! You promised!" Her lip began to tremble and it seemed like a wail would escape from her mouth any moment.

The mother looked alarmed and had a forlorn expression on her. She tried to calm her daughter down but instead Abigail worsened and began thrashing around and stomping her feet. People stared as they walked past and the poor mother was blushing deeply at her daughter's tantrum.

"Abigail, please! Please, stop, Abigail, next time we'll definitely get you ice cream with any kind of toppings, too!" Her mother promised but Abigail shook her head furiously and glared at her mother with tear-stained eyes.

"Mommy is a liar! No! I want it now. You promised! I hate mommy!" Abigail shrieked and her mother had a stunned look on her face as if she was slapped.

"Abigail..."

"Um, excuse, me, ma'am?" Minho laid a hand on the stunned mother's shoulder and looked down at Abigail with a concerned, gentle smile. "Sorry, but I think you dropped these a few blocks back,"

Minho firmly placed two slips of paper into the mother's hand and closed her it into a fist. She stared wide-eyed at Minho as she saw what was placed in her hand.

"Thank you," She choked and her eyes began to water. "Thank you, sir. This is the kindest act anyone has ever done to me."

Minho grinned and nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, my older sister taught me to always be kind to strangers who need help." He glanced at Abigail and gave her a wink. "I think a certain little girl who's been good is going to get ice cream today though you have to be a little patience."

Abigail's tear-stained face broke into a smile of joy and she began squealing and saying in a singsong voice, "Yay, I'm getting ice cream! Yay, yay, yay!"

Her mother laughed at her daughter's antics and gestured to Minho. "What do you say, Abigail? If it weren't for this nice man we wouldn't be able to get you ice cream,"

"Thank you, mister!" Abigail said and gave Minho a hi-five.

"You're welcome," He replied, smiling back at her.

(^o^)

Minho returned to where Thomas had watched the whole affair and Thomas had a new outlook on the black-haired boy beside him. He had first thought Minho would be the conceited type but after watching Minho give his coupon and a whole fifty dollar bill away with no hesitation to a total stranger, Thomas felt kind of bad he assumed so negatively about him.

"That was kind and generous of you," Thomas remarked.

Minho grunted in response and began walking away. "Come on, Apple Cheeks, I'll buy you a milkshake or something at this diner near my place,"

"Okay," Thomas replied and walked in stride with Minho as they made their way (downtown walking fast, faces pass and I'm home bound, lol sorry) to the diner. "And seriously, dude, stop calling me Apple Cheeks,"

Minho stopped mid step and turned to face Thomas. They both stared at each other and Thomas found himself getting lost in that pool of rich, dark brown in Minho's eyes. Before he realized it, Minho's face was hovering inches away from his own and he flinched to feel his warm breath brush his face.

Thomas's cheeks blossomed a deep red and he began stammering at a smirking Minho. "What was that for?!"

Minho ignored his question and said, "I'll stop calling you Apple Cheeks if you don't get so red next time," And with that, Minho left a blushing Thomas to catch up to him.