Chapter Text
A hot Wednesday in June. It felt like forever since Suga last felt the peace and quiet the shop originally had, especially when he’s alone in the store. Sure, having tons of clients and projects are great, but he’s afraid he might get burnt out anytime soon. He began to play his favorite jazz background music broadcast, taking a sip from his iced mocha. His time alone was disturbed by the chime of the door.
“Welcome to La Vie E--oh, Daichi!”
“Hey,” he shyly greets, wearing a navy blue hoodie and a white cap, perhaps to keep a low profile. This man is too shy for his build , Suga thought.
“How have you been? You alone?”
“Yeah, it’s just me. I just thought of dropping by since I have free time.”
"Same here. Do you want some coffee? Tea?"
"Tea would be lovely. Thank you."
Just as Suga was about to turn on the electric kettle, the door chimed once again and he noticed a foreigner walk in. "Hello! Welcome to La Vie Est Belle," he flawlessly greet in English.
"Hi! I'm looking for a bouquet, any flower will be great but it needs to have shades of emerald." Though the tall man meant well when he spoke at a slow pace, the British accent was pretty challenging to Suga. Especially when it's his first time to hear the word emerald.
"Emerald?" Suga nicely asks.
"Yes. Something green, perhaps?"
"Oh, green! Like this?" He showed him a bundle of chrysanthemum. It made the conversation more confusing as it was definitely not the emerald shade the man was looking for.
"Excuse me, Suga, but I think he's looking for something darker. Like the preserved flower on that shelf," Daichi butts in.
"Oh, emerald!" Suga exclaims in English. "I'm sorry, but we only have--um…" gazing at Daichi as if asking for further help, the former understood quickly as if telepathically.
"Sorry, sir, but we only have preserved roses for the color that you want." Suga's eyes widen upon hearing Daichi fluently speak English.
"Oh hey, you're Daichi Sawamura, right? The danceur noble. Oh, where are my manners?” he said as he stretched out his hand to which Daichi took and they shook hands. “The preserved roses will be great. And perhaps a three-piece bouquet with white carnations."
Daichi gladly translated the gentleman's order to Suga to which the latter obliged. The two English-speaking men began to chat while Suga worked on the order, amazed at how fluent the dancer is and how easy it is for him to pick up a conversation.
Once done, the tall man thanked them and bid farewell. Suga felt exhausted as he never truly experienced having a long conversation with a foreigner. He's doing good, but he definitely needs improvement. Not to mention listening to Daichi was both amusing yet exhausting. "I didn't know you could speak English so well," he said as he walked back to where the kettle was to brew tea for his guest.
"Well, I studied the language a few years ago."
"Amazing. Why did you decide to study it?"
"You see, I want to get a scholarship to Julliard."
"Hm? What's that?"
"It's a prestigious school in New York City, in America. A lot of famous artists came from that school. Although I do have options if ever I don't pass there."
"Well, I think you'll be great. And having that kind of goal is inspiring."
"How about you? You're studying, too?" Daichi asks as he takes a sip on his tea.
"Well, yes. There's this school in America where they offer great courses for agriculture, farming, and floristry. There's not much to offer here, and I do have some relatives there."
"That sounds great!"
"Not as great as you," Suga giggled. "I dream of having a farm of my own. Tanaka's family is a huge inspiration, and so is this shop. I'm also taking up some online classes for English."
"You're amazing, having to jumble that up with your work. I could teach you some English whenever I drop by."
"Oh, no, no. I don't want to take up much of your time. You should be resting."
"Let's just say that I consider this as taking a rest."
"Well, okay."
"How about going on a trip to Hokkaido or Kyoto? They have great flower fields there."
"No, I have work and trips are pretty expensive."
"My treat."
"Hell, no! Who am I to actually ask you something like that?" Suga complained.
"Hm… then we can go on your birthday."
"It's already passed, just last week-June 13."
Crap, Daichi hissed. "Okay, then, think of it as a belated birthday treat. If you want, we can share the expenses. No more discussions."
"Geez, fine. You're too stubborn sometimes."
"I think Hokkaido will be in full bloom by July. How about that?"
"Don't you have shows coming up?"
"Yeah, but I can schedule a vacation ahead of time."
"Well, okay. I guess I'll have to talk to Kiyoko about my leave."
The atmosphere went silent for a bit, with Suga looking at his cup of tea with an expression that seemed to look like guilt - guilt from having someone spend money on him.
"I'm also taking up another language class," Daichi shared to lighten up the mood, but-
"Okay, now you're really making me feel guilty," Suga joked.
"No, no, I'm just sharing about it. I really want to help you, honestly."
"And what language are you taking up this time, mister perfect?" Suga teased, causing Daichi to chuckle, and boy did that do a thing to him.
"I'm studying Tagalog, a language from the Philippines."
"Okay, now that is interesting. Why?"
"I just find it such a beautiful language. Amusing, too. There's this sentence that goes like: bababa ba?" Daichi states as he counts the syllables with his fingers.
Suga’s brow furrowed in confusion, as if in disbelief that it's a real sentence. "It means: is it going down? You know, like if the elevator is going down."
"What in the world is that?" Suga laughed.
"I don't know, but I also made that face. It's fun. I think their language is quirky, and romantic at the same time."
"Oh, yeah? How romantic?"
The question made Daichi's brain light up like a bulb with a crazy idea. Should I do it? No, Sawamura, it's now or never, he said to himself. "How about I share with you my favorite Tagalog song?"
Suga walked to his side and sat at the vacant stool, accepting the right bud of Daichi's earphones. His expression widens by the first second the music plays, amused at the sound of the cello. Something he could describe as a rare instrument to be used for a modern song.
Kay laki ng mundo at bigla ito'y lumiliit
(The world is so vast and in an instant it grows small)
Natira na lang ikaw, ako, at ang buong daigdig
(All that’s left is you, me and the whole universe)
Mga planeta't bituin
(Planets and stars)
Nakisayaw sa ating damdamin
(Dance with our hearts)
Ako'y nalunod sa iyong tingin
(I drown in your eyes)
Ako'y nabibighani
(You enchant me)
Removing the earphone, Suga let out a mix of wow and amazing to Daichi, speechless at the song despite not fully knowing what it means, and so he asked.
"It means I'm captivated or enchanted by you," Daichi tells him, looking directly into Suga's eyes, hoping that he was able to convey his feelings.
"Wow. That lady is really good. I wonder if she also played the cello."
Cheeks slowly turning red, Daichi did a second take on his motive. "Actually, I wanted you to listen to it as a way of confessing."
"Hm? Confessing what?"
Can you be this dense?! Or am I just a failure at this flirting thing? Daichi screamed in his head biting his lower lip. Breathing in, he clenched his fist and blurted out: "I like you, Suga. Always have."
Silence.
Nothing but silence and the sound of the AC, eyes glued to each other, until what felt like forever when the door chimed and Suga had to greet the customer. Daichi felt weak as he let out all that was stuck in his lungs, his face feeling hot, and his ears burning red.
After noticing that the customer left empty-handed, Daichi used up all of his remaining strength. "Suga," he said, which made the man jolt. Looking back at him, Daichi noticed the shy pink building up on Suga's cheeks. Score.
"I like you, Suga. And I want to go out with you… if you’re okay with that."
"P-please let me think about it."
"Oh, um. Sure… I better go, I have rehearsals tomorrow morning."
"Okay, take care," Suga said, avoiding eye contact.
Seconds later, Suga found himself squatting down, holding his heated face, calming his beating heart. On the other hand, Daichi drove past the shop to stop at a corner and collect his thoughts.
"Dumbass! What the hell was that?!" Daichi shouted. Up to this day, no amount of rehearsal or performance felt more exhausting than that confession. Not even his past relationships can compare.
"Let me think about it," Daichi recalls in his mind. Analyzing the response, he knows there is still hope. It wasn't a rejection, nor was it acceptance. He'd give it his all, just like how he does on stage.
- to be continued -