Chapter Text
The day felt straight out of a fairytale. The sky was a lovely shade of blue, with shimmering white clouds shifting across the sky slowly. It looked as if it was right out of a painting. The trees were bristling, and the birds within the leaves were singing a beautiful song. Practically everyone was outside, despite the early time, whether they were taking a walk with a loved one, sitting on the patio of a homey cafe, or simply playing in the shining grass.
Inside the Number 7 Flower Shop, it was the exact opposite.
As Nene slammed open the glass door, Kou lost his grip on the bag of soil, spilling it everywhere. She continued to sprint through the doorway, and Hanako gazed upon the older girl in amusement.
“Wow, Yashiro, how irresponsible of you. Thirty minutes late, a new record,” Hanako scoffed, the corner of his lips curling into a mischievous smirk.
“Nene!” Kou cried out, as he fell to the ground to gather up the mess.
Nene’s eyes widened as she turned to look back at the soil behind her, “oh my god, I am so sorry.”
She swiftly made her way towards the blond boy, and joined him on the tiled floor, scooping up as much of the soil as she could, and returning it into the bag.
“Oi, asshole! Aren’t you going to help?” Kou shot a glance towards the boy behind the cash register.
Hanako shook his head innocently, “I don’t like getting my hands dirty.”
Kou scoffed, “I’m sure you don’t. You’re on toilet duty.”
The brunet gawked, “what?! But it’s Yashiro’s turn!”
“Well, Nene is helping me clean up! Unlike someone-”
“She was the reason you spilled it in the first place!”
Nene sighed at the two boy’s useless argument. Of course she had countless things she could’ve said to Hanako, and that’s no exaggeration, but she felt it really wouldn’t help her case.
“You two please,” Nene scolded, “we’re opening in less than thirty minutes, we have no time to goof around.”
“Fun killer,” Hanako pouted, crossing his arms and throwing them onto the cash register.
Finally, the chaos had died down. Kou wandered through the store, his eyes bouncing off of each flower as he passed. The store was organized by color, as Kou found that had been the most appealing formation. As he examined each and every section with as much intent as the last, he adjusted every small error in organization. Kou adored this shop, even if his coworkers were… unique, to put it nicely.
As Kou neared the end, gently moving his hands toward a plant that held a gorgeous pink zephyranthes, Hanako announced, his voice echoing throughout the tiny store, “it’s 8! Yashiro, flip the sign!”
Nene stumbled out from the storage room, grumbling “a please would’ve been nice,” as she obeyed the shorter boy. She took the sign off of the hook, before returning it to its original spot, though revealing the new side which read “Open!”
And just like that, their day had truly begun.
Business was never quick for the flower shop, but the fact that the shop was still in business had to say something about it’s success. Every time a customer walked through the glass door, the bell stationed above it alerting the workers inside, Kou couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.
Though, when an unusual boy entered the shop, Kou was left speechless. For most customers, he would waste no time to assist them. But the soft pink hair, the gigantic sweater that was way too big, the mole placed underneath his pink, with a hint of blue, eye, Kou couldn’t get himself to move an inch.
He watched, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped, as the boy made his way around the store, his left hand gripping a camera. After a while of observing, Kou was able to shake his gaze from the boy. He bounced towards the shy boy, rehearsing exactly what he’d say to the cute boy.
“Hello! Would you like any help?” Kou offered. He flashed a blinding smile, revealing his little fangs.
There was a moment of silence following the kind words, as the pink haired guest observed the worker head to toe, before spitting out, “could you quit bothering me, lame ass traffic-safety earring.”
Kou flinched at the harsh words. He almost couldn’t believe they came from the soft boy. His eyes were so bright, his hair looked so soft, everything about him seemed so kind. So why..?
“Huh?!” Kou huffed, clenching his fist. He lifted his right hand to caress the lame ass traffic-safety earring.
“What, was my adorable appearance so captivating that you ignored me? Tsk,” the boy accused.
Kou stumbled over his words, as Hanako caught notice of the ruckus. Nene found herself watching the two in fear, though she’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy a bit of drama.
“No! No I heard you loud and clear, I just-” Kou retorted, before being cut short by the photographer.
“Then buzz off!” The boy with the small ponytail asserted, before turning his back towards the blond, and stomping off to the next section of flowers.
Kou kept a close eye on the boy, he swears it was out of spite, as he picks up a lightly colored primrose. The annoying boy reluctantly brought the flower up to Hanako, as he began to buy it. Kou couldn’t hold but eavesdrop just a little, and the shop was small enough that it wasn’t obvious he was listening in. It was practically begging him to listen in.
“Alright, here you are, enjoy the rest of your day,” Hanako mumbled, Kou noted to scold him on his enthusiasm later, as he passed the potted plant over to the bitter boy.
Kou anticipated the salty attitude, but was knocked right out of his fantasy at the sight of the smile of the pink haired boy. He wished he could say his face didn’t heat up at the sight.
“Thank you so much! You too,” he responded, as he took the flower from the amber-eyed boy.
The boy spun around, clutching the pot within his sweater-covered arms. Without another word to the dissatisfied Minamoto boy, he left the shop. The ding of the bell confirming that Kou had been defeated this time.
“Well,” Nene spoke first, “that was quite the customer.”