𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ☾︎ soonhoon

C H P - 9

"Yeah."

The shorter male hummed thoughtfully and removed an apron--one that appeared to be about his size--from the rack, being quick to slide the strap around his neck. He reached behind himself to tie the side strings; unfortunately, though, he wasn't making much progress, as each time he tried, all he ended up with was a knotted mess. "Can you tie the straps for me?" he asked with a hint of annoyance, both of his eyebrows pulling together to form a slight pucker.

Soonyoung's poor heart skipped a beat. "Y-yeah," he stuttered as his cheeks flushed with a deep shade of red. "I can."

His thoughts had already turned to turmoil.

He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be so close to Jihoon again--close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off his skin, close enough that he could listen to each and every breath as it was exhaled from his lungs. Oh, he wanted to groan, I don't think I can do this... But nonetheless, he stepped forward and slid his fingers along the strips of cloth. His senses were bombarded, his head becoming fuzzy. He held his breath in hopes that that would make it better for him.

Working quickly, he slid the fabric around and inbetween, forming an awkward bow. "D-done."

In that moment, all of the panic he had felt was replaced with a warm yet bittersweet longing.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Thanks. Anyway, why don't I explain some of the rules and stuff?"

And from then on, Soonyoung gave Jihoon somewhat of a tour, making sure that his red cheeks did not become the subject of discussion. He showed him the shop's outdoor greenhouse, explaining that when they ran out of flowers in the back room, they would come here to grab the exact amount of replacements. He took him to the front, too, and revealed the hidden compartment under the counter, where they kept their supplies for making bouquets or random flower arrangements. He showed him the flower book he kept on the back counter, and many, many other things soon after.

Jihoon, having a decent memory, picked up everything rather quickly, only needing to ask a few questions. Before he knew it, the last step of the employee process had arrived, and he was being introduced to Wonho.

"This little guy," Soonyoung began lovingly, stroking up and down the bridge of the animal's nose, "is kind of like our shop's mascot. He actually belongs to Minghao, but Minghao brings him here a lot. His name is... ready for it?" He paused before grinning widely. "Wonho!" And had he had it his way, the name would have been followed by a chorus of trumpets.

"Wonho?" Jihoon already found himself cooing as he bent down to crouch beside the bunny's fenced home. He reached in slowly, to keep from startling the animal, and hovered his hand beneath his nose. He knew it was always best to let an animal familiarize itself with one's scent before anything else happened.

The critter's nose twitched once, twice, three times before he chittered happily and pushed his forehead to the male's palm. His ears pulled back in content.

Jihoon gently swiped his thumb along the bridge of the bunny's nose, mimicking his friend's movements. He didn't know what sort of things the rabbit liked and disliked, so for now, he would do the exact same thing Soonyoung did.

"'Cute, isn't he?" the blonde gloated after a few moments of silence, sounding almost like a proud father. He could never truly be the father, though; that was Minghao's role to fulfill.