They would start from here.
----
With those promises, the two stood up from the hard cement ground and headed inside.
Various words and memories were shared between them as the hours passed, and soon enough, they had morphed back into who they once were: the happy versions of themselves, the ones that weren't plagued by emptiness.
Soonyoung quickly became weird and quirky again, just as his teenager self had been. His eyes, which had been dark--never truly smiling--were now alight with colors, displaying the beautiful soul he had inside of him. Pure and true, that's what it was, and he would never have to worry about it disappearing ever again.
Jihoon, too--though he himself didn't realize it--was as he used to be; not exactly, of course, but it was enough of a change that it shocked the both of them. His smile, his words, almost everything, as if it had been triggered by one flutter of a butterfly's wings, had changed. That change was beautiful, because it meant that his heart remembered them, even if it wasn't the organ itself that carried his memories. It carried the feelings instead, and the feelings had not changed.
"Question," Jihoon had softly murmured that night, his cheek pressed up against the blonde's clothed chest. The comforter they shared shrouded every part of him--up to his shoulders, where it was tucked beneath his chin to prevent a lack of air. If he could, he would have covered them completely, but because they were humans and needed oxygen to survive, this would have to do. They had enough of their own little world here in Soonyoung's bedroom. They didn't need to limit themselves to the blanket alone.
"Hmmm?" the blonde hummed, lifting his head from the pillow slightly. His eyes were narrowed in fatigue, but when their gaze connected, he was immediately filled with energy. "What is it?"
"... Is there any chance you could hire me?"
The blonde's relaxed brows furrowed at the request. Working... with Jihoon? It sounded amazing! But didn't couples that worked together have lots of problems? He didn't want to risk the chance of them breaking up when they had just gotten together... However, having Jihoon by his side sounded so pleasing that he relaxed into a smile. If they worked together, he could hug the male whenever he needed an energy boost, and they could even hold hands on their way home. But... "Why? I mean, it's not that I don't want you there, but...?"
"I want a discount on flowers for my mom," the shorter one answered honestly.
"Oh..." Soonyoung frowned. Was that the only reason...? He could understand if it was, since they had only gotten together that day, but at the same time, the fact that he wasn't one of the reasons upset him a little bit.
"Don't look so sad!" Jihoon laughed, already peering up at him with his bright doe eyes. Soonyoung's lips were set in a straight line, his brows barely pulled together. The male was sure that his boyfriend was trying to hide what he felt, and for some reason, it was adorable.
So he was sensitive to teasing, huh? It was good to know.
"I also want to see you more."
"Really...?"
Jihoon broke out into a teasing grin. "Yes."
"In that case... okay. Hired."
That was the story of how the two ended up in the flower shop on Monday morning, each of them standing behind the marbled work counter, preparing for their day together. Both Junhui and Seokmin--Chan and Minghao were a little more chill about it--were making faces at the happy aura they radiated, but the couple wasn't at all bothered by it. Knowing their friends, it was expected that they would act this way.
"It's your second time wearing this uniform. How do you feel?" Soonyoung inquired curiously, his gentle voice adjacent to the other's ear. He took either of the waist straps on the apron and brought them together behind Jihoon's back, tying them twice in a double knot. The organ inside his chest was fervent, but this time, he wasn't plagued by the need to feel ashamed about it. Jihoon was his boyfriend, now; he was okay to feel like this.
The shorter male simply shrugged. He was excited honestly, but there was no need make a big deal out of it. Soonyoung would be able to observe how he felt, and that was enough. He didn't care whether the others thought he was excited or not. "It's okay. Weird, mostly. The last time I wore this was back... you know. I don't even remember everything you taught me." His smile grew bigger, then, when he thought back to everything that had happened between them during their period of obliviousness. "Guess you'll have to teach me again, huh?"
"Guess so," Soonyoung confirmed before contentedly setting his chin on Jihoon's shoulder. A thrill once more raged throughout his veins. Ah, he sighed internally, sliding his hands around the male's slim waist, I'm so lucky....
"Gross."
"Blegh."
"Look at that... aura..."
"I know."
"Shouldn't we have an aura?"
"Minghao..."
"Just kidding."
The couple curiously turned their focus from each other to the four watching them: Junhui, Minghao, Seokmin, and Chan.
"Is there something wrong?" Soonyoung asked knowingly, tilting his head, leaving it resting against his boyfriend's own.
Junhui only cleared his throat. "Nothing at all. Why don't you teach him the ropes?"
"That's the plan."
"Good, great. Have fun."
"Junhui, don't tease them. They can tease you, too."
"About what?"
"Minghao?"
"Huh?"
"You're literally hugging him right now."
"..."
"I think that's enough," Soonyoung chided.
And so, choosing not to pay any more attention to them, the blonde separated himself from his boyfriend and took to instructing him on what to do for the day. He showed him where the cleaning supplies were kept, and which products were used on what. He also demonstrated how to cut flower stems properly, then how to wrap them according to the client's wishes. Most of the customers were pretty easy to deal with, he reminded him, meaning if anyone difficult ever came along, he could always ask for some type of assistance.
Eventually, when all of the of the procedures had been covered, the very first customer entered the flower shop.
"You ready?"
Jihoon heaved out a sigh of mental preparation and nodded. He had asked for this, so he couldn't chicken out now. "I think so."
"Well, then..." Soonyoung reached out to tangle his boyfriend's fingers with his own, offering comfort before the work day truly began. He held on tight, tighter, then even tighter as the usual tingles shot up his arm, filling him to the brim with euphoria. He would never forget their past, never forget their hurt, but he believed that they could move forward together. So, until the time came where they gave up on each other, he would hold Jihoon's hands just as he was now, and he would never let go.
With just two whispered words, the work day began--and hopefully, so did their forever.
"Smile, flower!"
----
- end -
january 1st, 2021
----
Thank you for reading and happy new year!!! I had planned a few more chapters but I decided to cut them out (it was about Jihoon's mom dying in the hospital and I don't think anyone wanted that), so here we are! Thank you again, and I hope to see you all sometime in the future ❤️❤️
'till next time :))
-Author 🖤