Work Text:
It started happening almost a month ago by now. Every few days, at 9:15 on the dot, he showed up. In his pierced, freckled glory, arms decorated in explosive colours, he would pop into the florist. Without fail, Tsukishima would get flustered, fumble his order, then send the man on his way. Tsukishima one more embarrassing memory richer.
As Tsukishima putt around the florist, distractedly touching flowers for no reason, he would glance up at the clock, then the door, then back both the flowers. With a sigh, Tsukishima dropped his shoulders. He was being ridiculous but even the acknowledgement of how silly he felt didn't stop the nervous flutter of his stomach as the minute hand on the clock ticked over.
It was almost 9:15. Leaving flowers as they were, Tsukishima quickly slipped behind the counter. Once behind the desk, he pulled out a notebook to scrawl nonsense on the blank page, hoping he exuded a cool nonchalance.
Then, exactly on time, the door opened.
"Hello."
His voice was sweet and warm. Tsukishima wanted to melt and the man had only just said one word.
"Uh, hey," Tsukishima glanced up.
The man was already looking at the pre-arranged bouquets.
Tsukishima sighed as he dropped his pen, barely remembering to ‘act cool’. The light glinted off the man's piercings. Black metal lining his ears, a few pieces of metal scattered across his face. His hair was a little long, fringe framing his face. The rest of it pulled back into a low ponytail. The strands curling haphazardly at the end. Stereotypes said he was probably a delinquent, but he had the softest smile on his face as he looked over each of the flowers.
He plucked one out of the cheaper bins, mindful of the water dripping down the bottom of the stems. He set it down on the counter and pulled his wallet out, beaming at Tsukishima with a smile that could melt snow.
"Is that it?" Tsukishima's voice came out harsh, immediately cursing himself when he noticed the freckled beauty flinch.
"Um, yeah ..." his voice trailed off, no longer making eye-contact with Tsukishima.
"Ok, here," Tsukishima rang him up and turned the card reader around. "Done, have a good day."
The man startled, then a soft smile spread across his face.
"You too!"
"Yeah ..."
Tsukishima was going to die.
The man scooped up his bouquet and left. Tsukishima now alone in the shop.
"You look happy today."
Tsukishima jumped as a hand came down on his shoulder. Frowning, he turned to find the owner of the flower shop. His annoying older brother.
"Come on! Don't look at me like that. You always look like you've eaten a lemon during your shift," Akiteru bumped Tsukshima out of the way with his hip to flip through the notebook on the counter. "It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the man with the piercings and tattoos that comes in every few mornings?"
Tsukishima's face lit up red.
"No. Shut up and leave me alone." Tsukishima quickly moved to pretend to be busy with some flowers. Rearranging how they sat and messing with their petals.
Akiteru just smiled at his brother's back.
~*~
"Another bouquet? What are you doing with them all?"
Yamaguchi sighed as he dropped the bouquet on the receptionist desk.
"Oh don't you know, Ennoshita-san, my dear Tadashi has feelings for the tall blond that works in the florist across the street."
Yamaguchi ignored Oikawa, walking past him to fetch another vase.
"Is he telling the truth?" Ennoshita raised an eyebrow as Yamaguchi sat the new bouquet beside the old one.
Yamaguchi appreciated the scepticism.
"I am so offended you would think I would just lie to you like that!" Oikawa gasped, draping himself over the back of Ennoshita's chair. Arms trailing over his shoulders.
Ennoshita just rolled his eyes with a huff.
"Uh, I wouldn't call it a crush. I just think he looks nice, and, and flowers really liven up the studio. Don't they?"
"Oh baby, you have it bad."
"I hate to say it, but I agree with Oikawa on this one," Ennoshita shrugged Oikawa off as he agreed, paying no mind to how Oikawa dramatically flailed.
Yamaguchi blushed furiously, refusing to look up from the floor.
"What are you guys doing? Don't leave clients waiting!" Daichi yelled, hands on his hips.
"Fine, fine."
"Sorry!"
Yamaguchi would have to remember to buy Daichi some drinks sometime soon.
~*~
Although for privacy and safety reasons only the piercer or tattooist could be in the room with the client, Yamaguchi still found himself getting bothered.
"Oikawa-san, I can still see you there."
"Ahaha, you caught me," Oikawa popped up from behind the divider he had been crouching under.
"You know you can't be here when I have a client," Yamaguchi chastised, waiting for Oikawa to leave before continuing work.
"Aaah, but Kunimi-chan doesn't mind."
"Sawamura-san, there's a weirdo in here," Kunimi drawled, not looking up from his phone.
"Kuni-chan! You're so cruel!" Oikawa whined as he walked over to Yamaguchi, looking at the piece he was working on.
Oikawa-san, if you could please," Yamaguchi gestured towards the entrance," I would like to finish this before my next appointment."
"Aaah, but this is young love! I have to help," Oikawa stood up to lean against Yamaguchi. "Beside,
Oikawa turned and grabbed Yamaguchi's face, grip uncomfortably tight as he turned Yamaguchi's face towards his, "ever since you started styling your hair the girls have been asking for you more than me, and we can't have that."
Yamaguchi just sighed as he smacked at Oikawa's hand,
"And what's that got anything to do with you trying to meddle with my private life?"
"I'm hoping if I get you off the market you'll stop being so popular. Anyways, I'll leave you be. You have half an hour until your next appointment.
Yamaguchi groaned as Oikawa left with a little skip in his step.
~*~
It was bizarrely quiet in the parlour. Daichi busy with a client. Ennoshita tapping away at his keyboard, probably trying to finish another essay. And Oikawa was, concerningly not here.
Normally Yamaguchi would relish the quiet that came from Oikawa not being in the shop or having his time taken by clients. But today it did nothing but fill him with a nervous dread. Luckily, he didn't have any time to dwell on the issue. Quickly getting busy disinfecting his work station for his next appointment.
"Yamaguchi, have you seen Oikawa today?" Yamaguchi looked up to find Daichi frowning, boxes of gloves stacked up under his arm.
"Um, no, I haven't. Sorry."
Daichi shook his head,
"No need to apologise. According to Ennoshita, he did come in today. Earlier than usual and then left again right away."
"Oh," Yamaguchi frowned, confused, "That's weird."
This wasn't helping his nerves.
"I mean, he doesn't have any appointments so I suppose it's fine," Daichi mumbled as he thumbed through his phone. "If you see him can you let me know?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Well, better get going. Hope your day's good."
"Thank you, you too."
Yamaguchi pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes as he watched Daichi leave. Something was going on. That had to be it. Oikawa never stepped out of work this long without a reason.
With a huff, Yamaguchi shook his head. There was no use worrying about it. He'd just have to deal with the consequences later.
~*~
"Yahoo~" Oikawa winked at Yamaguchi as he closed the door to the shop behind himself, a paper bag in hand.
"Where were you? Daichi's been looking for you," Ennoshita frowned as he looked up from his monitor.
"Aww, he missed me? I was just buying lunch."
"Bullshit."
"Huh? The food is right here?" Oikawa pulled a container out of the bag, the sides all steamed up.
"Getting food doesn't take hours," Yamaguchi piped in from where he was wiping down a couch.
"You shouldn't question your senpai like this, it's rude."
"No it isn't. Go get ready, you have a client coming in for a touch up in ten minutes," Ennoshita shooed Oikawa, reaching out to grab the bag from him.
"Fine, fine, I see how it is. I'll just leave then."
"What do you think he was doing?" Ennoshita asked, slipping the food beside the mini-fridge under his desk.
"I don't know," Yamaguchi shrugged. He glanced at the entrance, frowning, and shrugged again.
"I guess we'll find out later."
"Yeah."
~*~
"Hello, how can I help you?" Ennoshita greeted with a smile, the door closing softly behind the client.
"Umm, I wanted to get a piercing?"
Yamaguchi slammed his head against the underside of the desk as he heard that voice.
"You don't sound too sure of yourself there," Ennoshita ignored Yamaguchi who was frantically packing away his lunch on the floor.
"Tch."
Yamaguchi heard the sliding of paper, which he assumed was Ennoshita handing over a pamphlet. With a deep breath, Yamaguchi tried to compose himself before standing up. Retying his hair and straightening out his piercings. Then, a little hastily, Yamaguchi stood up, and almost had a heart attack.
The tall blond from the florist was standing there, a cute frown on his face as he read through the pamphlet. He was wearing the same brown plaid pants and baggy cream jumper he had worn a few days prior. Only now with a comically oversized coat thrown over the top. The sleeves bunching in big folds as they slid down his forearms. He looked so soft and warm. Yamaguchi felt almost uncomfortably fuzzy.
Yamaguchi swallowed thickly, his heart jumping into his throat as he watched the man brush a loose curl across his forehead. There was a stray petal in his hair, soft and pink stuck between two locks of hair that had curled towards each other. He fiddled with a temple of his glasses before dropping his hand, his sleeve slipping all the way down his arms so only the tips of his fingers peeked out.
This man was trying to kill him.
"I can tu-" the man paused as he looked up, eyes widening in shock as he caught Yamaguchi's eyes before he cooled his expression. "Hello, I didn't know you worked here."
"You know lying isn't good~" Oikawa sang as he waltzed into the room, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face.
The man looked visibly disgruntled, shifting his weight as he rolled his eyes.
"This here, my dear Tadashi, is one Tsukishima Kei. And I guess I can see why you think he's so attractive."
Yamaguchi turned a vibrant red as he spluttered, mortification colouring his face as he looked frantically between Tsukishima and Oikawa.
"Oh don't act like that, Tsukki-chan here thinks you look good too. Now get out of here, you two have a date." Oikawa pushed Yamaguchi out from behind the desk.
"Oikawa what are you doing?" Yamaguchi whispered though his voice was shrill.
"I'm getting you a boyfriend, now go. You don't have any other appointments and I can take walk-ins," Oikawa hissed before giving him one final shove, Yamaguchi stumbling right into Tsukishima.
"Sorry!" Yamaguchi squeaked.
"Ok, now you two get going, I know you don't actually want a piercing. Now shoo before I get sick looking at you," Oikawa waved his hands at them before impatiently opening the door.
"Um, I guess we should get going?" Yamaguchi said though it sounded more like a question.
"Uh, sure."
~*~
"Another bouquet? It didn't go well?" Ennoshita greeted Yamaguchi with a concerned look.
"Uh, we-"
"No, no Chika-chan, can't you see? That bouquet is way more expensive than the ones he's always bringing in. I'd wager a bet and say it went spectacularly," Oikawa folded his arms across his chest, eyes closed as he nodded, satisfied with himself.
"Um, yeah, I guess," Yamaguchi blushed a bright red, refusing to look up from the floor as he set the bouquet down on the desk. "I’m going to his place for dinner and a movie next Friday."
"Yamaguchi you minx!"