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Act 1, Birch Tree
Finally, after a few years of apprenticeship, Chan has opened his own tattoo shop. It took a few months in order to get the needed money from the bank to set up the shop, after all, they weren’t sure if Chan’s investment was going to be fruitful in any way. But he proved them otherwise, showing them a list of clients that he had acquired over the years of his apprenticeship and that seemed to win them over.
They had bought a relatively sized shop in one of the slightly cheaper places in town, right next to a florist and a record store. There were some pretty interesting shops around them, including the one right across the street from them, a pretty thing aptly named Mirror .
Chan’s own store was called M.I.A., the letters in neat bolded italic font. It wasn’t too fancy, and wasn’t too bland, as Minho had said, one of his friends whom he opened the shop with. They had hired a close friend of theirs as well, Ginam to be the person who worked the front desk. He had experience in working with timetables and appointments, and also had a bit of knowledge in tattoos as well.
Then there was Changbin, his longtime friend from high school who apprenticed at the same shop as him. Changbin looked intimidating at first, what with his full sleeve and stony, sharp face. But underneath all that he was a big softie, one who’s artstyle didn’t match his kind personality.
Chan was proud of his shop, and couldn’t wait for the first appointment to come, he sat in his room, decorated with his designs and his own flare. His first appointment was an early 9:00 a.m., and he could feel the excitement in his bones shake his whole frame. He stood up, hoping to walk the excess energy off before the client arrived, as steady hands were needed in this kind of business.
He exited his room, smiling at Ginam who grinned back.
“Excited for the first day?” Ginam asked, noticing the beaming smile on the other’s face and the jittery way he walked.
Chan laughed. “A bit, I’m gonna take a walk before shop opens, maybe get something from that cafe down the street?”
“Alright, just make sure you make it back in time for your first client.” Ginam said, shuffling papers and typing away on the computer on the desk.
“I will!” Chan called behind him, exiting the shop, the door swinging shut behind him.
It was a nice day, beautiful blue sky, just enough clouds dotting the horizon. It couldn't get any better.
Chan was proven wrong.
He was coming back from the cafe, a tray full of iced coffees in one hand when he spotted the most beautiful boy ever. He was gorgeous, with plush lips and high cheekbones, and pretty brown eyes. The boy wore a big oversized pink sweater, with blue jeans, and was tending to the plants outside the shop next his.
He was kinda just standing there like an idiot, until the boy noticed him and smiled in his direction. It was a pretty smile, and Chan watched as the other giggled at him before entering his own shop.
“Shit.”
Chan ventured over to the florist’s the next day, on his lunch break. His curiosity was piqued, and he also just wanted an excuse to talk to the pretty boy.
It was a quaint little shop, filled to the brim with plants galore, many he had never even seen before. Chan stood there, a little out of his element as he gazed around. It was absolutely beautiful in the shop, the plants were held in little decorative pots, the hanging plants were strung next to little fairy lights. He started to roam around the place a bit, transfixed by the cozy atmosphere of the shop until a voice broke him out of his stupor.
“Hello, how may I help you?”
Chan whirled around and was met with a tiny old lady, with pure white hair held up in a neat bun. She wore a brown apron, and was carrying around a tray of flowers. She smiled at him, a sort of twinkle in her eyes.
“Uh-Hi, I’m Chan, my store just opened up next door and I thought I’d say hi to my neighbours.” Yes, nice save Chan, he thought, smiling sunnily at the old woman.
“Why, that's very sweet of you,” She replied back, as she put the tray down on a table next to a row of ferns. “I’m Minji, it’s nice to meet you.”
“It's nice to meet you too,” Chan returned, bowing a little as he did so. “I better be going I have an appointment soon, I hope we see each other around thou-”
“Grandma, have seen where the mandrakes have gone off to?” A velvet-like voice suddenly yelled from the back of the store.
Chan stopped walking backwards as Minji sighed, exasperated, before turning around and responding.
“They should be in the greenhouse out back, you know how tricky they are!”
Minji turned back to Chan, shaking her head as she did so.
“My grandson,” She explained, a fond glint in her eyes, “Had always been a little scattered-brained.”
“Are you bad mouthing me to customers?” The deep velvet voice asked, suddenly closer than it was before.
Chan looked behind Minji, and was met with the pretty boy he had seen yesterday. He was wearing a blue sweater this time, with black jeans. In his hands was a potted plant, and he was staring at his grandmother with his eyes narrowed.
Minji put on an innocent facade, picking up the tray of flowers she had been carrying around before and starting to walk away.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” She cooed at him as she passed by, the boy raising his eyebrows unconvinced, “I was just introducing myself to our new neighbours.”
The boy’s face brightened as he turned to Chan, who was stunned by the boy’s effervescent demeanor.
“Oh, you’re the one who moved in beside us, the tattoo parlor, right?” His eyes sparkled as he spoke, clearly excited as he spoke to Chan in a flurry. “Welcome to the neighbourhood, I’m Felix, I run this shop with my grandmother, whom you've already met.”
Momentarily blinded by Felix’s energy, Chan nodded before speaking.
“Chan.” He simply said, his voice clearly not working in front of beautiful boys with sunny smiles.
Minji quirked her eyebrow, seemingly having caught on to Chan’s state of disarray, from where she stood at the counter. Felix seemed to be oblivious to Chan’s inner turmoil, smiling brightly at Chan who smiled weakly back. Who knew pretty boys with orange hair and deep voices were his Achilles’ heel?
“It was nice meeting you!” Felix said, passing by Chan who stood stone still. “Grandma, I’m going to see Jisung, can you handle the shop for a few minutes? I won’t be long.” Felix called back, pausing at the door.
“Go on, tell him I said hi, but make sure not to stay too long, those mandrakes aren’t the patient type.”
Felix laughed, waving goodbye to Grandma before exiting the shop. Chan stood there, feeling a little like he’d been standing in the middle of a desert with how bright Felix had been. He felt a pair of eyes watching him and noticed Minji smiling at him knowingly. He blushed, as bright as the roses they had displayed at the window. It seems he wasn’t as cool as he thought.
2 weeks later...
Chan had been seeing Felix a lot more lately, he always seemed to bump into the other as he was returning from the shop across from theirs, the one called Mirror . He was always toting a different plant around with him too, all in cute little pots with faces on them which seemed to match the boy’s quirky personality. He was always seen in comfy sweaters and jeans or bright t-shirts and overalls.
He was luminous, practically vibrating with life and energy, Chan was practically drawn to him like a sunflower was to the sun. So maybe he had a small little crush on him, no biggie. It was fine, perfectly fine. He could deal with this like a grown adult, no problems.
Okay, so maybe there was a little problem. Chan had no idea how to talk to pretty boys, especially ones who looked like Felix and seemed to have everyone’s eyes on him at all times. Felix was known in their little shopping district, everyone knew the boy, as well as his friends, and swore by the boy’s big heart and kind soul. Minji was also apparently a long standing resident, having a good amount of respect for her shop. If you wanted a bouquet or flower arrangement with a certain meaning, Minji was known to go above and beyond in order to make sure it was well said.
Chan sighed, feeling a little dejected as he sat at his desk. He was thinking about this morning when he saw Felix at the cafe down the street. He had meant to say hi, but was greatly put out by the fact that the barista, Jeonghan, was blatantly flirting with the boy. He wasn’t sure if Felix knew what the other was doing, and didn’t feel like wiping the giant smile of his face.
So, here he was, feeling sorry for himself as Ginam stared at him from his door.
“Chan,” Ginam sighed, trying to sympathize with his friend but feeling more exasperated than anything, “You don’t know if he was actually interested in the man, maybe he was just being overly polite, everyone around here swears that Felix is the nicest one on the block.”
“I guess…” Chan mumbled, head resting on his desk amidst an array of papers.
Ginam sighed again, shaking his head with a smile. At that moment, the door to the shop opened. Ginam turned around and a sly smile came over his face as he saw who it was.
“Chan, you might want to see who this is.” Ginam sang, walking out into the front room of the shop.
Chan lifted his head up, a paper sticking to his cheek as he looked out the open door of his studio to the front room. Standing there, was Felix, in a bright yellow sweater and light wash jeans. He was holding a long, green leafed plant. Felix's eyes wandered, before stopping on Chan. He smiled, giggling when he noticed the paper stuck to the other’s face. Chan waved back, brushing the paper off with a slight blush. He got up from his desk, walking over directly to Felix.
“Hi…” Chan breathed when he was right in front of the other.
Felix giggled again, adjusting the plant in his arms before speaking.
“Hi, I saw you at the cafe this morning, why didn’t you say hello?” Felix cocked his head, staring at Chan curiously.
Chan froze, an embarrassed blush coming over his features as he heard Ginam snort behind him.
“I-uh-Well, you looked busy and I didn't want to interrupt-” Chan rambled, not noticing as Felix’s smile widened at the other’s wordy explanation.
“It’s fine, just next time, you can come over and say hi, I’d like that,” Felix said, stopping Chan from embarrassing himself further.
“Ah, okay!” Chan replied back a little too quickly, much to Felix’s amusement.
Chan blushed, scratching the back of his head as Felix beamed at him.
“Alright, love birds, we get it,” A new voice piped up from behind them.
Chan and Felix blushed, the former whirling around and glaring at the other who stood at the front desk beside Ginam.
He was a tall, lean man, with soft delicate features.
“Felix, this is Minho,” Chan introduced begrudgingly, Felix bowing slightly at the other who smirked at Chan, “Minho, this is Felix, he’s our neighbour.”
“I know,” Minho said, giving a sly look to Chan who proceeded to threaten Minho silently with his eyes.
Minho only laughed, turning to Ginam and taking the client folder he needed.
“Well, it was nice to finally meet you, Felix,” Minho called, turning on his heel and heading back to his studio, “Chan talks about you all the time, so it's nice to finally get a face to a name.”
Chan sputtered, feeling wholly embarrassed by Minho’s words. Felix stood beside him, eyes shining as he looked at the other. Chan, bright red, turned slowly back to Felix who was looking at him with a shy smile.
“I don’t talk about you all the time-I mean I do-but not all the time, Minho’s just being an asshole, if you could just erase this from you memory that would be great-” Chan stopped when he felt a small hand cover his mouth to stop him from rambling even more.
“It’s fine, I think it's sweet,” Felix admitted, a soft blush on his cheeks.
Chan blinked. “You….do?”
Felix giggled again, Chan’s heart flipping and tumbling in his chest at the sound.
“Yeah, um, if you wanna come by later on, to the florist I mean, I’ll be there.” Felix suggested, rocking back on his feet shyly.
Chan blinked a few more times before the words slowly sunk in. “Uh-Yeah! Sure, I’ll come by on my break, around 1?”
Felix nodded, smiling as he heard Chan’s words.
“Okay, guess I’ll see you later?” Felix said as he began to walk out of the shop,
“Yeah, seeya later!” Chan said back excitedly.
When Felix had left, Chan let a huge goofy grin stretch across his face. He turned around, only to be met with Ginam’s fond, but exasperated face.
“What?” Chan asked defensively, watching as Ginam softly laughed, before shaking his head.
“Nothing, just remember to be back before 2, alright?” Ginam said, before turning and heading to the back.
Chan arrives at the florist’s a little early. His first appointment hadn’t been hard, just a simple word tattoo in a pretty font. It still needed the same amount of concentration that Chan used for all of his other works, though. He stood outside of the florist, nervously tapping his foot and checking his hair. With a heavy breath, he entered the shop.
When he opened the door, he heard Felix’s voice.
“Ouch! Charlie, stop that, I’m trying to help you!”
Chan screwed his face up in confusion as he looked around the shop but could not find the other. It wasn’t until he went further that he saw Felix sitting in front of a row of four plants, ones that Chan had seen frequently with the other boy.
He was tending to a cactus, one with a pretty red bloom on the top. There seemed to be old flowers on the cactus and Felix seemed to be trying to trim them.
The other swore before speaking again, “Charlie, please!”
In response to Felix’s words, the cactus seemed to shiver.
Felix sighed, annoyed at the plant before noticing Chan.
“Ah, Chan! Hello!” Felix greeted, getting up like nothing was wrong and he hadn’t been berating a plant like a pet dog.
Chan opened his mouth and then closed it. Felix watched him, a confused smile on his face before a look of realization passed over his face.
“Oh! Yes, this, is Charlie,” Felix said, picking up the plant from before, “He’s a moon cactus, and a bit of a brat.”
Chan could only stare, before a small smile crossed his face.
“You name your plants?” He asked, no malice in his voice, just genuine amusement and curiosity.
Felix looked slightly offended before he answered him. “Of course, they deserve to have names too.”
“They’re living beings, as well.” Felix said as he placed Charlie down and brushed his hand gently against another, much larger plant.
It had brown branches, and soft little tufts lining them. He hadn’t seen this plant with Felix before, maybe because it wasn’t as small as the other ones. Chan walked up beside Felix, looking at the plant with interest.
“What’s this plant’s name, then?”
Felix’s head snapped towards Chan, sudden worry on his face.
“You don’t think it's, weird?” Felix spoke timidly, suddenly less bright than he usually was. He wrung his hands together, staring at the plants in worry.
Chan shook his head. “Nah, I think it's cute.”
Felix slowly brightened up at the words, a smile appearing on his face.
“Oh, okay, well, this is Aubrey, she’s a pussy willow tree. She’s too big now for me to carry her around anymore, which is a shame, she does like to go outside-”
Felix continued for the next hour to talk about the different plants he had and what they were, their meanings and history. Chan watched, growing ever fonder with how happy he seemed to be talking about something he loved so dearly. There were more than just flowers, in the shop, there were herbs, saplings, vegetable and fruit plants, as well as different types of foliage. Felix had a vast knowledge about something, just like he did about tattooing.
By the end of the hour, Chan felt a small little seed being planted in his heart.
Act 2, Fennel
Chan sighs, ruffling his hair as he works on a new sketch. His desk is in disarray, many different drawings laid out. He’s just been so inspired lately, he’s not sure what it is, but he thinks he might know who caused it. He’s deeply focused on getting this one leaf just right when Ginam walks in the door.
“Chan, your next appointment is here-” Ginam stops when he notices the litters of paper tacked up against the wall and the ones strewn around his desk.
He smiles, a sly thing as he watches Chan shade in a spot on the design he’s working on. Chan eventually notices Ginam, looking up at him defeated. Ginam leans against the door-frame, looking at Chan knowingly.
“You both have it bad,” Ginam remarks, watching as Chan flushes, looking around his studio in exasperation.
“Shut up,” He mumbles petulantly, starting to pick up the papers and arrange them neatly in a pile.
Ginam just shakes his head and smiles. “I’ll send them in when you’re ready.”
Ginam leaves the doorway, leaving Chan in his mess. Chan stops at a sketch, face turning a vivid shade of red when he realizes who it is. It’s Felix , and Chan hadn't even realized he had sketched him until he was picking up the paper and looking at it. It looks exactly like him, right down to the glittering eyes and the smattering of freckles across his cheekbones and bridge of his nose.
When his client walks in he shoves the sketch underneath his book, he can deal with that later.
Chan sighs, pushing his hair back as he leans back in his chair. He’d just finished an appointment and now it was his break. Chan yawns, stretching his sore arms and cracking his knuckles. He’s cleaning up his desk when there’s a small knock at his door.
Looking up, he smiles when he sees Felix standing there, dressed in a soft blue sweater, holding a plant he’d come to know as George. George, was a venus fly trap, and a bit of a pain sometimes. He had a particular diet, that cost a pretty penny, and Felix was always complaining about how he was so picky with his food.
Felix smiled, holding the plant close to his chest.
“Hey,” Chan breathed, pushing some papers over on his desk as Felix walked in.
“Hi, how’s your day been so far?” Felix asked, sitting in the chair across from Chan.
He sat George on the table, the plant opening its little maws in greeting. Chan smiled, as he spoke.
“It’s been busy,” Chan said, putting a couple of pens away in a container, “Just had a pretty picky customer who was very critical of my line work, but other than that, it's been good.”
Felix frowned slightly at Chan’s words.
“What a mean person, I guess they were just jealous of how good you were!” Felix said, watching a shy smile play across Chan’s lips from the compliment.
Chan chuckled, eyes flitting away in embarrassment at his words. As he was busy looking away, he did not notice Felix perk up when he noticed something poke out from his sketchbook. Felix pulled the paper out, softly gasping when he saw the drawing. He blushed, flattered by what he saw.
Chan noticed how quiet Felix had become and turned his head to see the other staring at the sketch he had drawn of him. Chan blushed cherry red, hands covering his face.
“It’s beautiful, Chan, you made me look so good,” Felix said, eyes drinking in each small detail.
Chan removed his hands from his face, the words coming past his lips before he could stop them.
“You are beautiful, I just drew what I saw.” Chan stated, mouth clamping shut after he said the words.
Felix stared at him, awe in his face. Chan squirmed under the other’s stare, unsure if Felix was uncomfortable with what he said, but was pleasantly surprised when Felix blushed shyly.
“Thank you,” He murmured, eyes flitting to the side, bashful, “Nobody’s really said that to me before,”
Chan felt like exclaiming in shock, because how could someone not shower this amazing and wonderful boy in thousands of compliments? Chan watched as Felix looked a him before speaking.
“Could I? Could I keep it?” Felix asked, a smile overtaking his face as Chan nodded rapidly in response.
Felix neatly placed the paper in his lap, smiling brightly at Chan, a vibrant flush on his face. Chan felt his heart squeeze, and at that moment, he knew he wanted this boy to be his.
Chan goes to the florist’s for advice, specifically, Minji, Felix’s grandmother, after work. Minji was a quick-witted, but kind woman. She was quite strong-willed, and Chan was happy that Felix had someone in his life. He wanted her advice on how he should go about asking Felix out.
It seemed odd, but he had grown close to the older woman on his visits to see Felix. She was always happy to see him and help as much as she could.
He smiles when he enters the shop, the tiny bell tinkling as the door opens. Chan grinned, waving in greeting when he saw Minji at the counter. Minji smiled back, walking around the corner, holding a potted plant in her arms.
“Why, what a pleasant surprise, Felix isn’t here, he's at Jisung’s but, he’ll be back soon.” Minji said, placing the potted plant in the window display.
“I was actually looking for you, I wanted to talk to you, about Felix.” Chan murmured shyly, rubbing at the back of his neck in embarrassment.
Minji cocked her eyebrow at the words, a sly grin coming across her aged face.
“Ah, I see you’ve finally gathered the courage to ask my grandson out, about time!” Minji declared, laughing when Chan’s face turned red. “What is it you want to ask me? I’m sure I can help.”
“Well, I know Felix really loves plants, and I wanted you to help me make a bouquet for him?” Chan asked shyly, watching as a warm smile crossed her face.
“Of course, dear, what is it you want to say? Don’t be shy, tell me what it is you want to say and I’ll help you pick out the best flowers for him.”
Chan smiled, warmed by Minji’s drive to help him.
“I sort of wrote down, what I wanted to say,” He said, unfolding a piece of paper from his back jeans pocket.
Chan handed the note to Minji who took it and scanned it. She nodded, happy with what Chan wanted to say.
“My grandson is lucky to have met you,” Minji murmured, smiling softly at Chan, “He’s never been happier.”
Chan blushed, flattered by Minji’s words.
“I hope I can keep him happy,” Chan said back, Minji smiling wider.
“Oh, I know you will,” She replied back. “Come, let’s see what I have that’ll get this message across perfectly.”
Act 3, Basil
Chan exhaled heavily, a nervous breath as he stood there, hands clutching down at the bouquet he held. It was simple, made with white flowers, and accent plants. It smelled like basil and had sprigs of the plant in it. He was hyping himself up, trying to will himself into the cafe, where he knew Felix would be.
After a few moments, he steeled himself, pushing the door open and entering the cafe. A smile graces his face as he spots Felix, dressed cozy in a light green sweater and blue jeans. A dazzling smile is on his face as he speaks to Jeonghan, the barista. As Chan is debating on going over, Jeonghan pulls out a rose and gives it to Felix. Felix takes it, a polite smile on his face as he says something to Jeonghan.
Chan stopped, unsure if he should go up to Felix and Jeonghan, but before he could turn and leave, Felix noticed him. Quickly he hid the bouquet behind his back, watching as Felix’s eyes lit up. He swallowed, a heavy lump in his throat as Felix excused himself from the other, still holding the red rose. Felix jogged over to him, holding the rose carefully in one hand, Charlie in the other.
When he was right before him, Felix smiled at him.
“Hi, Chan,” Felix greeted, fingers brushing over the stem of the rose, “What brings you here?”
Chan gulped, before speaking. “Oh, just here to get a coffee, that’s about it...what about you?”
Felix opened his mouth to respond, but then noticed the flash of green behind Chan’s back. He quirked his eyebrow, curiosity piqued.
“What's that you got there?” Felix asked, trying to peer around Chan’s back. “Is that for me?”
Chan gaped, mouth opening and closing before he nodded sadly.
A small smile crossed Felix’s face before he spoke.
“May I see it?” Felix asked again, eyes holding a warmth as he looked at the other.
After a few beats, Chan held out the bouquet which Felix took with glittering eyes. Felix took in the bouquet with awe, smiling wider as he noted each plant and flower used in it. Chan shuffled his feet, nervous as Felix took in the bouquet. Felix brought the bouquet to his face, sniffing at the aroma of the plants.
“Yes, I’ll go out with you.” Felix said, watching as Chan’s head snapped up at his words.
“You will? But Jeonghan-?” Chan sputtered, watching as Felix looked at him fondly.
“Silly, I like you,” Felix said shyly, a blush covering his freckled cheeks, “I have since we first met.”
Chan’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly, Felix giggling at his stunned reaction.
“Ah.” Chan said simply.
Felix giggles again, waiting patiently for Chan to find his voice.
“I-I like you, too,” Chan admits, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. “Since I first saw you.”
Felix’s smile turned blinding, Chan smiling bashfully in return.
Act 4, Redwood Tree
“I still can’t believe you guys are actually witches,” Chan says, sitting on a wooden stool as Felix tends to the plants in the greenhouse. “Though, that does explain why your plants acted the way they did.”
Felix smiled, pruning a few leaves and flowers off of a camellia flower.
“I’m glad you took it well,” Felix said, placing the shears he was using down on the counter.
Chan made a confused face, watching as Felix picked the plant up and put it back with the others.
“Why would I not take it well?” He asked, watching as Felix walked over to him, fidgeting a bit as he began to speak.
“Most of my past boyfriends hadn’t taken it well,” Felix admits, a small frown on his face, “They thought I was crazy, and then they thought I was a freak when I showed them.”
Chan took Felix’s hands in his, a warm smile on his face.
“Felix, you’re not crazy, nor are you a freak,” Chan said watching as Felix’s face brightened up at his words, “You’re different, sure, but not in a bad way. It’s way cool that you can interact with plants the way you can, and that magic is very real. Some people are just plain mean, but that doesn’t mean other people aren’t going to accept you for who you are.”
Felix smiled, a wide and bright thing that made Chan happy.
“Ah, to be young and in love again,” Minji sighed out, startling both boys who blushed furiously at the woman’s words.
“Grandma!” Felix squawked, covering his face with his heads, as Chan smiled embarrassed.
Minji laughed, walking over and placing a tray of flowers down beside the one Felix had been pruning.
“Oh, stop it, there’s no need to be embarrassed,” Minji chuckled, bumping her grandson with her hip.
Felix crossed his arms, his freckled cheeks flaming red as pouted. Chan laughed, a bright sound that made Felix burrow his face into the collar of his pink turtleneck. Chan smiled pulling Felix by the waist and pressing a kiss to his hair.
“You’re so cute, Lix,” Chan cooed, Felix huffing and turning his head away from the other. Minji shook her head at the two of them.
“Jisung and that other boy, Changbin was it? They’re here to see you,” Minji said, watching as Felix’s eyes brightened up.
“Oh!” Felix said happily, clapping his hands together. “Jisung must’ve told him! We should go and congratulate them, come on Chan!”
Felix tugged at Chan’s arm, the blonde boy smiling happily at the other. Minji watched as the two rushed off to the store front. The older woman smiled, gently caressing a plant’s leaves.
“May your love blossom, Felix.” Minji said, a soft smile on her face.