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Yuuri trimmed at the roses on display, freeing them of their stems and dried leaves. While Yuuri found humans who held the delicate beauties improperly would receive a sharp jab by the thorns most amusing, Leo always told him to make sure even a baby could hold it. He shook his head as he worked. A child would pluck a rose’s petals carelessly. Flowers are living things. Not a toy. But business was business.
A bell rang from the top of the door as it swung open. Yuuri immediately abandoned his work to fold his hands in front of his apron, greeting the guest. “Welcome to the Academia Flower Shop!” He said with the trademark cheesiness retail prepares one to handle. “Where your floral needs are as simple as 1-2-”
The guest’s hand slapped onto the counter, cutting Yuuri off. “Sorry, but I don’t have time to talk about how bad your slogan is. I need to talk flowers ”
Yuuri looked up to scowl at the guest, the look turning to confusion, seeing his bright red face and seemingly watery eyes. Allergies? What a brave soul, coming to a flower shop without his antihistamines. “What flowers are we talking?” He smiled faintly. “Always nice to talk in Hanakotoba with guests.”
He leaned in towards Yuuri, Yuuri resisting the urge to back away (or punch, but that was something he repressed more often than not). “I need the biggest, loudest bouquet, and I need it to practically scream ‘fuck you’.” He curled his hand, sliding the shiny gold credit card towards Yuuri. “As you can guess, money is not an issue here.”
Yuuri’s eyes lit up, dazzled by the concept. Not enough people utilized how cruel flowers could be. Imagine getting a friendship bouquet from your crush after confessing? Devastating, and Yuuri couldn’t possibly say he wasn’t a fan of schadenfreude. “Oh my, I can most definitely do that.” Graced by a slow shift, Yuuri immediately got into the flower atrium. “I don’t mean to be nosy,” Yuuri said, plucking out some meadowsweet, “but you just have to tell me who this is for.” He sorted through the orange lilies, taking note that he’d need to order more yellow lilies later. “Break up? Someone you hate getting a promotion?” Yuuri looked through the glass, yellow carnation stem in mouth, hoping his guest wasn’t going to keep all of the details to himself.
The guest feigned inspecting his nails, leaning on the counter, before turning to Yuuri. “My bastard dad’s in the hospital.”
Yuuri couldn’t help but choke laughter, putting the flowers onto the table. “Oh my, my, my .” His eyebrow waggled deviously as he evened out the foxglove. “To be a fly on the wall when he sees this bouquet sitting across from his hospital bed.” He snapped a look at Shingo. “I have no idea what he did, but he deserves it.”
“He does!” The guest responded, crossing his arms. Slowly, they dropped, along with his face. “My dad doesn’t care about m- I mean, Hanakotoba though, so he won’t get it.”
The florist smiled through the geranium. “The fact you’re probably using his money to tell him to fuck off and he doesn’t even know it should be suffice.” He fluffed at the bouquet, picking out stray petals. Yuuri added that he’d need to sweep later to his mental checklist. “What colour do you want for the ribbon?”
The man shrugged, still leaning against the counter, but in a new position this time. “What clashes?”
Yuuri looked at the amalgamation of colour for a second before turning back to the guest. “Literally anything at this point. Might have gone too Pollock on this one.”
“Anything then I guess then,” the guest replied, waving his hand.
Black and white pinstripe ribbon unrolled from its spool, Yuuri tying the flowers together, joined into a fancy bow. Every bouquet came with a business card for Academia Flowers on it, so Yuuri tucked it between a patch of meadowsweet. He walked over to the guest, holding the flowers as gently as one would carry an infant. “One Bastard Bouquet for the handsome gentleman with the bastard father.” Yuuri considered proposing the bouquet as an after-Valentine’s day special to Leo later while the guest blushed. The guest held his bouquet, rocking on his heels as Yuuri rang him up. Once the guest paid, Yuuri leaned onto his hand, elbow on the counter. “You know, I’d say I did so good on your bouquet, that I deserve to learn your name.” Yuuri traced the guest’s swoopy hair with his finger from a distance. “Else I’m gonna call you ‘Himawari’ when I tell the story of the guy asking me to make him a bouquet to tell his father to fuck off.”
“Don’t call me that!” The guest snapped, Yuuri’s eyebrow perking. “I mean. My name is Sawatari, if you must know,” he shot a glance at the cursive embroidery on the apron. “ Yuuri .”
“I didn’t have to, but I appreciate it,” Yuuri replied, smirking. “Try not to sneeze on them; your eyes are getting watery again.” He waved as Sawatari walked out of the nursery, the familiar bell ringing as the door opened. “Be sure to come back soon! And tell me how it went!”
Sawatari rubbed his face as he rolled his eyes, walking off to the hospital. While blurry, his eyes caught the card, taking it out as he walked. If his father loathed the flowers, it was better his influence not destroy the business. “ Academia Flowers, ” Sawatari thought as he studied the card. As he walked, he flipped it over, seeing a simple 10 digit string of numbers scrawled in black ink on the back. Sawatari blushed, much harder than earlier, shooting a quick look back to the nursery, before running towards the hospital, making up for lost time.
“Let me guess,” Dennis asked, putting his apron on as Yuuri folded his own, “you’re already thinking up plans for what breeds of flowers you’re gonna have at the wedding.”
“Mind your own damn business, Dennis,” Yuuri scoffed, deciding what shade of purple Spider Flower looked best in.