Work Text:
san loved his job.
he loved waking up at 5 am to the quiet realm of his apartment complex. he loved getting ready while it was still dark outside, the birds just beginning to wake up. he loved brushing his teeth while listening to soft music and the soft echos he would make while getting ready. he loved feeding his cat and telling her bye bye baby. he loved the jangling of his keys as he left his apartment to walk down the hall, down the stairs, and out to his bike by himself. he loved the cool, quiet ride to his small shop, pedaling slowly as he swerved gently back and forth along the road, just for fun, just because he could.
he was never more content in his life than when he unlocked the glass door to his floral shop. he flipped on the lights and smiled as the bright colors and familiar scents greeted him. he didn’t have to come to work this early. after all, people didn’t start coming in until around noon. people would stroll in quietly, appreciating how the store always felt like a different dimension, separated far from their normal lives. sometimes, san would turn up his playlist a little if he heard a customer quietly singing along to the soft kr&b.
after he puts on his apron, san plugs in his phone behind the counter and shuffles his playlist. he picks up a watering can and a spray bottle and begins making his rounds. when he started up his shop, san first felt as if it took hours upon hours to give each plant the attention they needed. now, after three years, he’s fallen into a rhythm of zoning out while singing along to his tunes.
when all the plants were watered, san arranged a few bouquets to set around the front desk. they were quick and easy to sell, especially if a customer didn’t have time to look around and, with san’s help, build the perfect bouquet. he had a few rose bouquets out, perfect for almost any occasion, especially romantic ones. get well soon! bouquets full of gerbera daisies. dining table bouquet sets with specific color schemes and sizes. the blond arranged them all neatly around his desk and smiled to himself. he straightened the small sign on the desk which read would you like to add some baby’s-breath to your arrangement? San loved baby’s-breath. the flower looked simple and fragile, yet it added lovely detail to bouquets and corsages and dried beautifully. he was always guilty of adding a little too much baby’s-breath from time to time.
at 11:55, the first customer came through the door with a soft chime of a bell. san looked up at her and smiled, dimples on full display. she smiled back and waved, approaching his desk. san liked that customers weren’t afraid to speak to him or ask for help. of course, florists are almost never intimidating. it isn’t their job to be intimidating. san assumed he was approachable because of his soft sweaters, dimples, and cute voice. he had never thought of his voice as cute until his regulars began commenting on it. he didn’t mind being “the cute florist”, it made him feel loved and content.
“hi, um, i want to send my girlfriend some flowers to her office. she hasn’t been doing well mentally lately,” the young lady began gently, “what would say ‘i love you and i’m here for you’?”
san grinned and put his face in his hands as he leaned on his elbows to listen to her. he loved young couples. they almost never asked for help making an apology bouquet. the flowers they wanted always said i love you or i believe in you or i’m thinking about you. it was sweet.
“roses are always nice. however, did you know two of the flowers that represent sapphic love are violets and calla lilies?” the florist provided. the girl shook her head and smiled. “how does your girlfriend feel about the color purple?”
“it’s her favorite,” the girl said. she pushed a curl behind her ear.
“me too!” san exclaimed. he walked out from behind the counter and snaked a hand through his wavy hair. “would you like me to help you find some flowers and then i can assemble your bouquet for you?”
the girl nodded and the two meandered around the shop, discussing pricing and the customer’s girlfriend. once san had a small collection of violets, lavender roses, a few calla lilies, a white hydrangea, and some foliage, they walked to san’s assembling table at the back. he showed the customer his vases and ribbons, then began working quietly. he sang quietly as sam kim’s heavenly vocals drifted through the shop.
“do you have a girlfriend,” the customer asked as she looked at san’s name tag for the first time, “san?”
a small group of teenagers came into the shop, all holding hands and laughing together. san smiled at them and a few of the kids blushed, others laughing harder at their flustered friends.
“no…” he replied, looking at the girl as if asking her name. he slipped the calla lilies into place.
“yejin. a boyfriend?” she asked, leaning her head on her hand.
the corner of san’s mouth lifted. “no, i don’t have a boyfriend, yejin.”
“why not?”
she wasn’t the first customer who had asked san if he was seeing anyone. older customers would often ask and then express their concern about him being alone, working all the time. younger customers sometimes flirted. then, there were customers like yejin, just making conversation.
“my life is simple. i’m comfortable. content.” a blond lock fell in front of his eyes as he made the final adjustments to the arrangement.
“simple? comfortable? what about love?”
“i have love,” san giggled and gestured his hand to his shop, the flowers, soft voices, and music drifting around them.
“yes, this is nice. but don’t you want to fall in love?” yejin asked. the teenagers who had come in had split into two groups: one group browsing the aisles and another hiding not so subtly behind the ferns to peek at san.
“of course i want to fall in love,” the man shrugged, “i know it will happen someday. but i’m safe where i am, you know?”
“i guess i understand. i’m sorry if i intruded. i like talking about love. especially with people like us.” yejin pointed a finger rapidly from her to san, back and forth. san squeaked out a giggle and he heard the teens aw over the sound. he knew they couldn’t hear their conversation, though.
“what do you think?” san asked, showing her the bouquet. “violets always make me feel better because they hug your nose when you sniff them.” to prove his point, san leaned down and sniffed one of the flowers, the petals closing around his nose. he giggled and pulled away, yejin following his lead. when the petals hugged her nose with her sniff, she jumped back slightly and began to laugh.
after yejin had paid and san had wished her girlfriend to feel better soon, he approached the peeping teens.
“hi! do you guys need help?” he gave them a dimpled grin and one of the girls blushed. the three all held hands.
“uh, uh,” the boy tried to speak, and another girl elbowed him in the side. he let out an oof and sent her a sideways glare.
“no!” the girl responded, just a little too loud. san laughed and nodded, returning to his desk. he watched as the group reassembled as one and headed to the door.
then, with a burst of awkward bravery, the boy shouted, “bye!”
san waved as they all stumbled out into the street, laughing and jumping around. he watched them leave before turning on his computer and checking his email for orders. he had one from yesterday after he had closed, and two from today. he read the details of the order. an engagement party: low-key and outside with a blue, dark green, and brown color scheme. a little weird, san thought, but kind of like a blueberry! cute.
the tiny bell attached to the door frame dinged and san looked up from the computer, only to feel his heart flutter and rise to his throat. the man who had walked in was gorgeous. he was on the phone, talking animatedly to someone. his hair was dark and fell softly around his fingers as he raked a hand from the front to the back. silver earrings decorated his ears and his rounded glasses perched on the end of his nose. his black button up was unbuttoned about three buttons, showing off his nice dark skin. a silver chain rested against his skin. he was beautiful and-
“bye! what?! no, i’m in a flower shop! i’m hanging up!”
-incredibly loud. his voice was higher than san had expected and it had startled him. not even the teenagers had been that loud.
“hello, do you need help?” san asked with a soft voice, hoping it would bring down the volume in the other’s.
“what?” he asked loudly. apparently not, san thought. he seemed to have understood the question a second later and smiled. he had a pretty smile. “oh, no. i’m just looking around.”
“okay,” san nodded, feeling the blush creep up his cheeks the longer the other man made eye contact with him. the other finally looked away and headed over to the daisies. he seemed to have made it his mission to sniff every single one. san didn’t have the heart to tell him they all smelled the same. he moved back to his table to begin on the engagement party order.
as san was preparing the vases with the matching ribbons, he felt eyes on him. when he looked up, the other man was looking at him from over by the hydrangeas. instead of looking away quickly, the man smiled at san. san felt his feet go cold and gave a small grin in return. the dark haired man’s smile grew until his teeth showed. san looked down quickly.
once the vases were finished, the florist picked up a small green basket he used for collecting flowers and began walking through his aisles. when he got to the sweet peas, he realized the other man was already there. san felt his cheeks warm again as he began placing flowers into his basket. god, his face was warm.
“so how has your day been, sweet pea?” the other man asked, his voice lower than it had been. san’s blush deepened as he looked up to the man smirking at him.
“oh, uh, pleasant. n-normal,” he fumbled.
the other sucked sucked a breath through his teeth and shook his head slightly, “oh god, i’m so sorry, this is so awkward. I was actually asking him.” the man pointed a ringed finger to one of the flowers.
instinctively, san laughed, high-pitched and quick. the other man smiled wider.
“i knew it! you do have dimples! so cute, san,” the other man said.
san blinked and pulled his eyebrows together. “how did you...” he hadn’t given this man his name, had he?
“your name tag, silly,” the man said with a loud laugh.
san’s whole face heated up. of course, dummy. he placed more flowers into his basket before moving over to the white hydrangeas. the other man followed with his hands in his back pockets. his jeans hugged him well, and san had not been thinking about his thighs ever since he walked in.
“my name is wooyoung, by the way,” he said, walking closely behind san. san could feel his breath on the back of his neck and he shivered. the bell dinged again, and an older man walked in. san turned to his direction and welcomed him with a slight bow.
“hi, wooyoung,” san said once the old man had turned his back. he placed several of the large flowers in his basket. wooyoung stood at his side and watched his face as he handled the flowers. san had his soft blue sweater pushed up to his elbows, and he could see goosebumps rise on his arm from wooyoung standing so close. he felt so dumb. a customer had never made san feel so flustered before.
“has anyone ever told you that you’re beautiful?” he said suddenly. san looked over at him, shocked at how forward he was.
sure, people had implied it. people who came in the shop would flirt with him, or stare at him, or blush when he spoke. older customers would tell him how handsome he is. but nobody had ever said you’re beautiful. instead, san said, “uh…“
“do you own this place?” wooyoung asked, changing the subject so suddenly san heard static in his brain for a few seconds. he began to walk over to the green foliage and wooyoung followed closely behind.
“yes, this is my shop. it’s been mine since i was nineteen.”
wooyoung whistled. “that’s impressive. i was going to enlist but then my best friend yeosang told me he was going to go to this fancy music school and asked me if i wanted to go with him. i thought, ‘what the hell i can sing and dance, so why not?’” the man talked pretty fast, and san felt himself smiling along. his voice was interesting to listen to. and of course he was a dancer. his body was beautiful. and san was not thinking about this complete stranger naked. nope.
wooyoung brushed his finger tips over the ferns and long pieces of grass. san stared at his hands and studied the rings on his fingers and the veins on the back of his hand.
“are you glad you didn’t enlist?” san asked, turning to the other and shifting the basket to his other hand. wooyoung smiled and nodded.
“if i would have enlisted, i would have never met a gorgeous florist,” he winked.
san smiled and covered his face as he blushed. the man who had come in cleared his throat loudly from the front desk. san peered around wooyoung to see him glaring slightly. the florist put on his cheekiest grin and headed over to his desk, dropping his basket off on his assembling table on the way.
“i’m sorry to have kept you waiting, what can i help you with?”
“that your boyfriend?” the customer asked gruffly. san waved his hands frantically in front of his face, grin still plastered on his face.
“no, no, no sir, he’s a customer like you, sir.”
the man looked back over to wooyoung, who winked. the customer shook his head gently but gave a chuckle. the sound alleviated some of the scary pressure in san’s chest.
“can i have a dozen roses please?” the elder asked, pulling his wallet out of his trouser pocket.
after san took his money and wrapped up his roses, the man gave him a sturdy pat on the bicep and turned away. behind him in line was wooyoung. he leaned against the front counter and san’s old friend blush reappeared. wooyoung pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“i have to go, i have dance practice in an hour,” wooyoung said with a slight pout. “what time do you open tomorrow?”
“i’ll be here at seven a.m., so then i guess,” san thought about the next day in his head, wondered if he would be ready for customers by then.
“great! i have classes until nine-thirty, so i’ll be here to keep you company then! is that okay with you, cutie?” wooyoung said excitedly.
san blinked rapidly and nodded. “sure.”
“bye bye! don’t forget about me!” wooyoung said loudly as he jogged backwards out of the store.
❀ ❀ ❀
wooyoung didn’t have to ask san not to forget about him, he thought about the boy all day. san thought about his loud, sometimes obnoxious voice and the way it sounded when he had called him beautiful. he thought about the tan sliver of chest and the silver chain that rested on it. he thought about how his thighs had looked in his mom jeans and the black eyeliner that was smudged around his eyes. he thought about how he had ran his hands through his dark hair, then thought about those hands running through blond hair and shivered. the customers kept coming in, san kept finishing orders, but his mind was wandering. not even zion t’s playful voice could coax him out of his thoughts of dark skin and sweet words.
at closing time, san went through his end-of-the-day routine and turned his music up loud to keep him focused on the task at hand, not on strange boys who called him beautiful. he gave the plants their last meals of water and plant food for the day before gathering his things and turning off the lights. the shop was silent once again, and san smiled at the flowers. he would see them in the morning, so he locked the door behind him and climbed onto his bike. the ride back home wasn’t as peaceful as the ride in the morning. everyone was getting off work, so he had to share the roads with loud cars and angry drives. but still, san could appreciate the changing colors of the sky and the way the trees looked with the warm orange light of the setting sun filtering through. he smiled as he reached his building, happy to be back home.
it was a blessing to be as happy at work as he is at home, san knew that. he knew some people hated work, the nine-to-five, waking up early and getting home late. san was just glad he had found the thing he wanted to do for the rest of his life. he couldn’t even think of any time in the future when he would be unhappy to wake up at five am, ride to work alone in the quiet, and take care of his flowers until someone bought them for the happiness of someone else. it was a beautiful cycle.
but today, san thought about how he felt as he entered his apartment for the night. tonight, he didn’t like the empty clatter his keys made as he dropped them in the bowl. he didn’t like how wide and empty his apartment felt as he turned on the lights. his cat came to greet him with her little chitters and snaked her way around his legs. san picked her up and cuddled her to his chest. her purrs rumbled against his body, and suddenly, san thought about how lonely she must be during the day. he kissed her small forehead.
“what did you do today, byeol?” san scratched her ears and put her down. she continued to meow until he poured her food into her bowl. san sat down on the floor beside her and pet her as he spaced out. he thought about someone else sitting on the floor beside him, the two of them pestering byeol as she lived her normal cat life. he thought about a loud, happy laugh filling the room.
he thought about wooyoung and that scared him. san wanted someone to come home to. he wanted to be held and kissed and loved. but he didn’t want the rough stages or the uncertainty or the anxiety. he wanted comfort, control, safety. he didn’t know how to get that without first getting through the scary beginning of a relationship or the rocky middle. he didn’t want the steady tempo of his life to be knocked off balance.
but he wanted love.
he knew this was just a crush, but it made san think so hard he felt like his brain was turning to mush. he got up and walked to his bedroom, feeling too tired and fuzzy to do anything besides shower and change into his pajamas. he settled in to his bed and hugged his stuffed animals to his body, loving the comfort and safety they brought to lull him to sleep.
❀ ❀ ❀
the next morning, san fell into the same routine. it calmed his mind momentarily, as it always did. but after he had finished preparing his shop for visitors, time went by very slowly. he kept glancing at the sunflower clock on his desk, wishing ten o’clock would come around faster.
the florist checked his emails as usual, and found a request from a silly email address.
from @[email protected]
hello san’s flowers and gifts! i would like to make a very specific request. make sure to get the details perfect as this bouquet is for someone very special!
i would like a bouquet with sweet peas, violets, blue hydrangeas, and baby’s-breath. you can put whatever else you would like in the bouquet! and a pretty vase. just whatever vase and ribbons you think are the prettiest.
oh! and please place a little note in the bouquet that says “please go on a date with me <3”! i’ll pick it up at 12:30.
that’s about it. thank you so much!
san smiled at the email. it was cute. normally when people asked for bouquets to present to their crushes, they asked for roses. the specificity in this email made san appreciate whoever had sent it in. since the only customers were a regular and her child browsing the aisles, san set to work on the bouquet.
when he was done, he placed it behind his desk for when the customer came to pick up their order. he smiled down at the bouquet. san rarely enjoyed praising himself over a creation, but he really loved this one. the bouquet was beautiful and mostly his favorite color: purple. he even got to go crazy with the baby’s-breath! he hoped whoever was receiving the gift would like it. he hoped they would agree to go out with the person who had ordered it.
soon enough, some time around ten am, there was a ding as the door opened.
“as promised, cutie!” wooyoung shrieked as the door closed behind him. the woman and her child looked over and both giggled. san’s neck heated up as his gaze snapped up to the door. wooyoung had on a tight black t-shirt today tucked into ripped jeans. his glasses were nowhere to be seen, but san couldn’t complain. the man’s eyes were decorated with dark eyeshadow. the same silver chain as yesterday lay against his chest. he looked sexier than yesterday. san swallowed the nervousness in his throat.
“hi, wooyoung,” san smiled, “how were classes today?”
“boring. bland. they went on and on. but i got to dance a little this morning so it was okay. and i get to see a cute florist today so that’s a plus!” he paused his ramble to smirk as san looked down and scratched the back of his neck to hide a smile. “anyways, how was your night last night? do anything wild?” wooyoung sent the other man a wink.
“no, nothing wild. unless you count going to bed at nine wild.”
“what!” wooyoung yelled, “that is crazy! i didn’t take you as the party type.”
san laughed and wooyoung leaned against the desk. “you look good in yellow,” he said sweetly.
“oh, heh, thank you!” san pushed a hand through his soft blond hair. when his smile faded to his natural resting face and he could see clearly once again, he realized wooyoung was staring at his lips. his eyes widened when wooyoung glanced up. san felt nervous when he realized the dark look in wooyoung’s eyes. suddenly, the mom and her child appeared behind wooyoung with a small cactus.
“i’m sorry, are you in line?” she asked wooyoung kindly. wooyoung moved aside and rubbed the back of his neck.
“no, sorry! i’m just keeping our flower boy here company.”
“gotcha,” she said, “san, could we buy this please?” she set the small plant on the desk as her daughter stared at wooyoung.
“of course,” san grinned as he punched in the price for the tiny cactus.
“you’re pretty,” the girl said to wooyoung. wooyoung squatted down to her height.
“what a sweet compliment! you’re pretty too!” he gushed at her, his voice pitching up just a bit. the child smiled. “you know who else is pretty?”
“who?” she asked.
wooyoung whispered, albeit a loud whisper, “san.”
the girl gasped and covered her mouth, then turned to look at san, then back to wooyoung. “shh, he might hear you!” she whisper-yelled back.
san waved to them as they left, and wooyoung took his place back at the counter. san’s eyes briefly slid over the dancer’s arms.
“so what do you normally do here all day?” he asked san, picking up the baby’s-breath sign to read it. he sat it back down gently and arranged it exactly the way it was before he had bothered it.
“before opening and after closing, i take care of all the plants and make sure they’re okay. i help customers who are a little clueless about flowers make the perfect bouquet for the occasion. i also get online orders for parties, weddings, and sometimes smaller orders,” san nodded.
wooyoung whistled. “do you not get bored of it?”
san shook his head. “never. i’ve known that this is what i’ve wanted to do for the rest of my life since i was ten.”
“that’s cute,” was all wooyoung said. but it was soft, and san knew he was being honest. he felt his heart give a happy sigh.
❀ ❀ ❀
for hours, the same cycle continued. customers would come in, wooyoung would move aside so they could pay, then take back his place to talk to san. wooyoung did most of the talking, but san didn’t mind. he told him about his best friend yeosang, his classes at school, the professors he didn’t like, the music he listened to. san enjoyed hearing everything wooyoung had to say. he was so animated about everything, gesticulating his arms and hands as he spoke. his life was so different from the florist’s.
at twelve-thirty, san’s sunflower clock began to ring. both he and wooyoung startled and san scrambled to shut it off.
“what does that mean?” wooyoung asked once the frantic ringing had stopped.
“it means a customer is coming to pick up their order,” san replied, “i have to set an alarm or else i’m worried i’ll forget.” he gave a sheepish grin.
“oh!” wooyoung exclaimed suddenly, “i have to go pick something up. i’ll be back soon, i promise!”
san watched wooyoung jog out of the shop and disappear around the corner. he shook his head. what a weird guy.
he bent down to pick up the bouquet he had put together that morning. as he placed the flowers on top of the front desk, the front door chimed as wooyoung walked back through the door. san pulled his eyebrows together.
“wooyoung, did you forget something?” he asked as he looked around the area where wooyoung had been standing all day.
“no? are you the owner?” the other boy asked, pushing a hand through his dark hair.
san narrowed his eyes at wooyoung in confusion. he knew the other boy had talked a lot, but he didn’t think he had forgotten the most important fact of san’s life.
“yes?”
“i’m here to pick up an order!”
san felt his brain glitch. why didn’t he just say so? he didn’t have to act so weird about it.
“okay… do you have your confirmation email?” he asked. wooyoung pulled out his phone and showed san the screen. there it was, the automatic email that gets sent to customers to confirm their order. san squinted at the order:
sweet peas, violets, blue hydrangeas, and baby’s-breath
pretty ribbons and vase
paid $35 with card
pickup at 12:30pm
oh. the order from the person wanting to ask someone out with a bouquet. well, that person is wooyoung. san felt hollow inside.
“oh. yah, of course,” san cleared his throat. he didn’t know why he felt so sad. so wooyoung was going to ask someone out. it wasn’t a big deal. they didn’t even know each other. “it’s right here.”
“um, thank you for your purchase,” the florist said as wooyoung took the bouquet into his hands. “and good luck,” he added awkwardly.
“thank you!” the boy exclaimed in his loud cheerfulness. san felt gloomy for one second, but then, as soon as he had turned to leave, wooyoung turned back around. he placed the flowers back on the desk.
“is something wrong, wooyoung?” san asked, a little tired. but i did everything right.
“these are for you, silly!”
“for me?”
“read the note!” wooyoung said as he plucked the note out of the flowers. he handed it to san, whose hands had begun to shake. san knew what it said, but he opened it anyways.
“please go out with me.” wooyoung’s voice had gotten quieter. he was playing with the chain around his neck and had put on puppy-dog eyes.
“me?” san felt so stupid, he just kept blinking at the other boy.
wooyoung laughed for a few seconds. “did you think i was going to buy flowers from your shop after spending hours with you just to give them to another guy? that would have been a dick move.”
“you want to go on a date with me?”
“i do, san. please tell me if you want to go on a date with me, because—”
“i do!” san said softly but urgently. he did. wooyoung would have to be stupid to think he wouldn’t go out with him.
wooyoung hissed a laugh through his teeth and pulled a pen out of the cup on san’s desk. he grabbed san’s arm and wrote his number on the other boy’s wrist. san’s skin felt on fire where his fingers wrapped around his arm.
“okay so call me and we can plan! i have to go to class, i’ll see you!” wooyoung said as he gathered his stuff. he shouted out one last “call me!” before he closed the front door behind him.
san squealed happily. he turned up the playlist and jumped up and down behind his desk.
san loved his job.