"Thank you for coming! Have a nice day!" Atsushi passes a bouquet of flowers across the counter to a woman who smiles at him before strolling out of the shop, the bell tinkling behind her. He sighs, leaning on the counter a bit and fanning himself. It's getting a little hot in here, maybe I should turn on the AC?
He leaves his post from behind the counter, winding his way through the aisles of plants and fertilizer and gardening tools to the back of the store where a large AC sits mounted on the wall. He presses the button to turn it on, and stands there for a moment with the cool air blowing on him. Ahh, that's better.
The bell faintly tinkles in the background, and he's drawn out of his trance, striding back to the front of the shop and to his place behind the counter, which a man is standing in front of.
"Hi! How can I help you todaayyy..." Atsushi trails off as he looks more closely at the man. He has mostly black hair, except for two chunks sticking out in the front that are dyed white at the ends. His eyes are a dark black, and he has an unamused expression. He is wearing a loosely-fitting t-shirt and jeans. Goddayum, this guy is really good-looking. Atsushi finds himself thinking.
"Hi, um, I'd like some flowers. What's the best kind for your girlfriend?" He coughs a bit into his hand.
Oh, he has a girlfriend. "Um, well if you want something romantic, I'd recommend roses, but I don't know what she prefers, so maybe tulips or daffodils, or something like that? What's her favorite color?"
"Oh. Uh. I don't know?" He coughs again.
"Are you okay?" Atsushi finds himself leaning over the counter a bit. "You're coughing a lot."
The man's expression stays blank. "I was born like this. Back to the flowers, I think she likes yellow?"
"Okay! Maybe daffodils then? I'll get you some right now!" Atsushi turns behind him to the rows of flowers displayed and grabs a handful of daffodils, wrapping them up and sticking little bits of baby's breath in between them. As he makes the bouquet, he can feel his spirits dropping a bit, but he shakes the feeling off. Who cares if this guy you just met 5 seconds ago has a girlfriend? I mean, it's not like you think he's extremely hot and want to keep talking to him or anything... hahah.
He turns back around, thrusting the bouquet into the man's hands. "Here. That'll be $18.75." the man tosses Atsushi a 20 dollar bill.
"Keep the change."
"Oh! Um! Thanks! Come again soon!" Atsushi can't hide the fact that his face just turned bright red so he laughs and shoves the money into the cash register.
The man raises an eyebrow at him, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a smile, and Atsushi's face blushes crimson red. "Bye." The man says, and he sweeps out through the door, leaving a blushing and confused and very in love Atsushi in his wake.
...
The next day, Akutagawa somehow finds himself on the same block he was yesterday, a few feet away from the entrance to a small flower shop. He has no idea why he's here, his feet just carried him. Higuchi really liked the flowers I got her yesterday, maybe I should get some more.
A small bell tinkles above his head, and the same man that was across the counter yesterday looks up, clearly surprised at seeing him again.
Akutagawa clears his throat. "My girlfriend... she really liked the flowers I got her so I'm gonna get her some more, any recommendations?"
The man gives him a look that he can't even begin to comprehend, a mixture of disappointment and excitement and sadness, and Akutagawa feels a little bad for some reason, although he has no idea why.
"Um, how about tulips this time? She likes yellow right?" The look is gone from the man's face, and he's smiling at Akutagawa, who finds the corner of his mouth twitching up involuntarily.
"Yeah, tulips sound great." He puts his hands on the counter, drumming his fingers along its surface as the man prepares the bouquet.
"Okay, that'll be $18.75 again, can I help you with anything else?" The man presses the bouquet into Akutagawa's hands, and he shakes his head. He hands the man another 20 dollar bill and lets him keep the change.
"Come back soon! Thanks for shopping here!" The man calls after him. Akutagawa doesn't know what to say, so he raises his hand as a farewell.
For the next week, Akutagawa finds himself returning to the flower shop every day, and having short conversations with the man behind the counter, who he learns is named Atsushi. Going to the store quickly becomes the best part of his day, even better than spending time with Higuchi, who recently seems more interested in his sister than him.
Still, he goes to get her flowers every day, and he cracks jokes and talks to Atsushi. They're real friends now. He just wishes he could spend more than about 5 minutes every day with him.
Akutagawa strolls through the park he's meeting Higuchi at, a bouquet of flowers he got from Atsushi tucked under his arm. He's in good spirits, he talked to Atsushi for a while today. He spots Higuchi and walks over to the bench she's sitting on. He presents the flowers to her, and some small part of him thinks of Atsushi. She looks up at him a little sadly.
"Ah... thanks. It's so nice that you always get me flowers." She takes them and Akutagawa sits down next to her.
"Is something wrong? You look a little sad." He asks, coughing into his hand.
Higuchi stares at the fountain before taking a deep breath. "Akutagawa... we need to talk."
...
Rain pounds on the awning outside, and Atsushi hums to himself as he organizes bags of fertilizer in the back. When he's done, he brushes his hands off and makes his way back towards the counter. Akutagawa should be here soon, he usually comes around this time. At the thought of the black-haired man, Atsushi's heart gives a little flutter. Jesus, Atsushi, he has a girlfriend, calm down. You two being friends is enough.
He takes his place behind the counter, eyes roaming around the store and landing on the glass door. It's a bit hard to see because of the rain coming down in sheets outside, but there is a man standing under the store's awning, dripping wet. Wait, is that Akutagawa?
Atsushi runs to the door and pulls it open, ushering him inside. "Akutagawa, why are you just standing there? Come inside, it's pouring!" Akutagawa shuffles inside, shivering as the AC hits him.
"So, what kinds of flowers do you want to get for Higuchi today?" Atsushi claps his hands, grinning at Akutagawa, who stares back blankly.
"Oh, uh... um... we broke up." Akutagawa stares at the ceiling so he doesn't have to see Atsushi's face.
"Why?" He hears.
"Turns out she's actually a lesbian, I'm happy for her, but I don't know, I kind of always knew we weren't exactly right for each other, but it still hurts." he sneaks a glance at Atsushi, who is looking at him with sympathy.
Atsushi points to a stool behind the counter, a few feet away from his own chair. "Here, do you wanna sit?" Akutagawa nods and takes his seat.
They stay like that for a while, customers trickling in and out of the store. Akutagawa stares at the rows of seeds and fertilizer and gardening tools and is suddenly inspired.
"Hey, Atsushi." Akutagawa says once the customer he was helping leaves. "How do you start a garden?"
Atsushi spends the next hour talking to Akutagawa about gardening and how to start a garden and types of plants he might want to grow in between dealing with customers. He gives Akutagawa a few gardening tools and some seeds along with directions on how to plant and take care of them. Akutagawa nods along to his every word.
After a while, Akutagawa stands up. "I should go now."
Atsushi glances nervously out the window, where the rain is still coming down hard. "Are you sure? You don't have an umbrella." Akutagawa nods, and Atsushi gives him a sad smile. "Okay, see you then."
Akutagawa turns to leave, but he trips over a bag of crocus bulbs left discarded on the floor, and he rams into Atsushi, leaving the two of them pressed up against the counter, faces inches apart.
Atsushi stays where he is, waiting to see what Akutagawa will do. Part of himself screaming at him to pull away, the other part wanting to wrap his arms around Akutagawa and never let go. His heart is racing.
"Uh..." Atsushi says, but suddenly Akutagawa leans forward and presses their lips together, their noses smashing against each other. It's messy, but Atsushi leans into the embrace, placing his arms around Akutagawa and kissing him back.
They kiss for a minute, until Akutagawa suddenly rears back, panting a little. He looks confused, and Atsushi immediately regrets what just happened.
"I... I have to go!" Akutagawa says, scooping up the bag of gardening stuff and bolting for the door. Atsushi doesn't stop him.
For the next three days, Akutagawa doesn't return to the flower shop. Atsushi tries to forget about it, you barely knew him anyway, Atsushi, he tells himself, but he finds that he can't, his brain keeps going back to the moment their lips met, the happiness that was shooting through every bone in his body.
On the morning of the fourth day Atsushi is still sitting in the flower shop, lovesick. I messed up real bad. He sighs and glances at the stool that he hasn't touched for the past three days. He picks it up and deposits it in the back of the store. There. He's just checking over the rows of gardening spades when the bell jingles and in walks the person he wants to see the most right now, who also just happens to be the last person he wants to see right now.
Akutagawa catches sight of him, and his pale face turns bright red. He shuffles over to where Atsushi is standing.
"Um..." He starts, but Atsushi interrupts him.
"I'm sorry about the other day! And if I made you uncomfortable! I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship! I'm really sorry! Sorry!" He closes his eyes, waiting for a response, but all he hears is a small giggle, then a laugh. Akutagawa is laughing. "What?" Atsushi says.
"Haha... well, I just came here because I wanted to tell you that, um, my garden is doing really well, and..." He looks at the floor, his face still red. "You don't have to feel bad about what happened the other day because, well, I don't regret that." He meets Atsushi's eyes.
Atsushi blinks, the words taking effect. He... doesn't regret kissing me? He liked it? He likes me?
A small laugh escapes Atsushi, and then he's throwing himself at Akutagawa, pressing their lips together for the second time that week. Akutagawa kisses him back, and everything is perfect in that moment.
Atsushi pulls away, breathless. "Um, well I have to get back to work now, wanna meet in front of here at, like, 4? My shift ends then."
Akutagawa nods, almost in a trance, and waves goodbye as he exits the shop, his mouth breaking into his first real smile in a long time. Atsushi smiles after him.
After he leaves, Atsushi stands there for a minute, overflowing with happiness. He goes back to his place behind the counter, but first he collects the stool from the back of the store and places it right next to his own chair.
Perfect.