Work Text:
Red Rose
For more than two weeks now, he saw him walk past that stupid store window every day. At the same time of day every single goddamn day.
He wasn't like those normal passers-by who just hurriedly passed the store on their way home after working in the office, or the teenagers who occasionally cast a curious glance at the flowers in the display, unsure what flowers were for. Neither was he like the housewives and mothers who often passed by and stopped to look at the flower arrangements, probably secretly dreaming of receiving those very flowers as a gift from their partner.
No, this man was different. Of course, the first time the dark-haired man had walked by, he’d thought it was a trick of the eye, but ever since then, his eyes searched for him, every day without fail.
It wasn't just the man’s height and tattoos that had caught Luffy's eye several times by now, nor was it because of his perfectly cut facial features that even the noticeable black shadows under his eyes couldn’t detract from. No, there was something different about him. He glanced furtively into the store each time, hurrying, but only feigned hurry, past the decorated store window, his gaze searching inside as if he were on the lookout for a very special flower. But as soon as Luffy raised his head and tried to return his gaze, the man turned away and was gone.
Luffy found himself almost secretly waiting to see if the stranger would be on time. Whether he would pass the shop window again on the minute.
Yesterday, he hadn’t been able to catch a glimpse of the stranger. A young woman had been in the store with her two small children and he had had his hands full trying to both satisfy her wishes and, at the same time, keep the naughty, wonderful children from pulling out the cut flowers from the floor vases.
‘I wonder if he'll stop by again today at exactly 5:41 p.m.,’ Luffy thought to himself. He didn't know, but he kept squinting nervously through the window as he tied a bouquet, reserved to be picked up just before closing time. As he cut the last stems to a common length and pulled up a vase to temporarily store the bouquet in, he spied the longed-for shadow outside.
It was 5:40 p.m. His heart leapt.
There he was. The handsomer-than-average young man with the black hair and golden eyes hurried past the shop window as usual. Even if he was a little slower than the last few days. Even if he was getting slower and slower—
He suddenly stopped in front of the door. Not at all prepared to see him for longer than just those few heartbeats it usually took him to pass the store, Luffy swallowed hard. He blinked rapidly, palms sweating, and had to remind himself to keep breathing.
The golden eyes' gaze was on him - he could feel it. He had turned aside busily when he recognized the stranger, pretending to check very urgently whether the cut flowers beside the counter were still fresh, when the door opened and the little bells hanging on a cord above the store door sounded. The little jingle seemed unnaturally loud to him at that moment. The young florist tried his best to be as friendly as ever and not let on how nervous he was.
Nervous? What nonsense! Why should he be? There was no reason for that. Luffy knew it, and yet he couldn't help clenching his fingers into fists for a moment and taking an inconspicuous breath before finally opening his mouth.
"Good afternoon, may I be of assistance?"
The stranger looked in his direction as he addressed him. He looked a little lost as he stood there, the door just slamming shut behind him. Today he was wearing midnight blue jeans, dark shoes, and a shirt that was far too cool for the weather, the color of sunflowers blooming in the summer. A barely perceptible hint of a smile curved his lips. Or maybe Luffy was imagining it because he liked to see him smile.
Luffy’s hands were clammier than they’d ever been. Shit, what was wrong with him? He had only ever seen him through the window, had never spoken a word to him, and knew nothing about the taller guy besides the fact that he passed by the store almost every day at 5:41 p.m. on his way from wherever to wherever.
Luffy gulped as he met the intense gaze of the golden eyes. Goosebumps crept up his spine. An uncertain flicker passed through the luminous irises as the taller one stepped fully into the store and looked around.
"I..." his voice rang out, and the sound flowed through Luffy's guts like warm honey. When had he ever heard such a deep, gentle voice?
"I'm looking for a gift. Something simple. Preferably just a single flower."
Luffy grew hot instantly. Warmth crept into his cheeks even though his heart grew heavy and his chest burned in the same breath. The handsome man wanted a single flower. A gift for someone. His girlfriend, perhaps? His wife? Luffy’s eyes darted to the large hands with slender fingers, searching them closely. He lingered on the prominent tattoos, the black inked letters on the fingers and the circles with crosses on the backs of the hands.
But... no ring. So girlfriend rather than wife... He hurried to come out from behind the counter and nodded to the man, going to the cut flowers in the back display and waving the man over, who silently followed. The tall stranger didn't seem to know anything about plants.
"Is it for a special occasion? Then perhaps one of the chrysanthemums? I only have them in two colors at the moment, unfortunately, but they're very pretty and make quite a statement on their own. If you'd like, I'll put a little greenery with it, and it will look even prettier. Or the dark king proteas? They'll fully bloom over the next few days, so they’ll last for a while."
Luffy pointed to each of the floor vases with the corresponding flowers as he spoke so the stranger could picture the bouquet in its entirety.
"Oh... I don't know..." The stranger hesitated, and Luffy saw his gaze dart to the long-stemmed roses. Was that a hint of red on the customer's cheeks? The nasty tug in Luffy's chest intensified. If he wanted a rose, he wanted to give it to someone close to him. Perhaps someone who didn't yet know what the attractive customer's feelings for him were, someone the customer was about to confess to by giving them the flower. How lucky this person would be! Luffy swallowed and forced the salesman's smile back to his lips, from which it had just disappeared stealthily. He beamed all the more at the customer now, not wanting to make him feel like he was doing something wrong.
"Would you like to look at the roses? Right now I still have red, yellow, pink and white. And the pretty bi-color ones, of course, but they're not as long stemmed. A rose always looks good. In a bouquet or by itself."
Prudently, the young salesman took a step to the side and pointed to the two full floor vases. The roses were beautiful, the petals fully bloomed and fresh. With a little greenery and baby's breath, just one rose would make an evening special. Luffy swallowed and smiled bravely. Before the stranger even said anything, he knew he would take one of the red ones. Of course. How could he pick otherwise?
His chest tightened. ‘Hang in there!’ he cheered himself on in his mind, simultaneously admonishing himself. Surely it couldn't be that he actually had a crush on this far too handsome young man? Even though he knew nothing about him, not even his name.
Luffy bit his lower lip to interrupt his circling thoughts.
"A red rose would be nice. As far as I know, that one says you like someone, right?"
Bull's-eye.
"Yes, red roses represent sincere affection."
Taking a deep breath, Luffy took the prettiest of the blossoms from the vase and showed it to him up close.
"Would you like some greenery to go with it? Veil?"
Luffy averted his eyes briefly as he moved back toward the counter where they kept the decorations. ‘Don’t let on, don’t let on,’ he reminded himself as he tried to continue smiling.
"No, thank you. Just the flower."
Nodding without looking at the customer, he placed the rose on the work table behind the register and pulled demonstratively at the wrapping paper, biting hard on his lower lip. ‘Get a hold of yourself, damn it! He's still a customer!’ Nodding to himself, he turned over his shoulder to his customer.
"Would you like me to wrap the rose for you? It's cold outside. Don't want it to get a shock and wilt."
The stranger just stared.
Law blinked, almost sinking into Luffy’s dark eyes once again, lost in thought. After all, he’d finally made it! He had actually walked into the store and he was even talking to the handsome young man he’d seen weeks ago. How long had it taken him to finally get up the courage to enter the store? Three weeks? Four? He couldn't remember. But he was finally here.
The younger man’s voice sounded like sweet honey, and every look he gave Law tingled through his body. If the doctor didn't know better, he almost thought he detected a wonderful hint of red on his cheeks earlier. And had there been, for a tiny moment, something like a disappointed expression in those dark eyes when Law had squinted at the roses?
Hope sprouted in his chest. Hope that he didn't want to give himself, but couldn't help feeling ever since the younger man had returned the look earlier, since he'd heard the sound of that wonderful voice he'd only been able to imagine for weeks after catching the young salesman's bell-bright laugh as he passed. Now, however, they were both standing here, separated only by the sales counter. The rose lay behind the young man on the counter and he still held the paper between his fingers. Law unconsciously licked his lips as his gaze scanned over the shorter man's figure, over the black, tousled hair that fell in strands down his face, over the softly cut features and the gauzy scar under his left eye, then further down his narrow shoulders and over his back to his tight buttocks, which were only accentuated by the shorts. His eyes wandered back to the handsome face and returned the questioning look.
Had he missed something?
The younger man’s brow was wrinkled in confusion, fingers rustling on the paper.
"Excuse me?" Law gave an embarrassed smile. Goosebumps crept over the back of his neck, almost making him shiver, when he saw the shorter man actually blush now and bite his lower lip. He turned all the way around to Law and that's when he spied a small white name tag on the apron. His heart pounded hard in his chest.
"Would you like to have the flower wrapped? That would be better in the cold outside if you have a long walk ahead of you..." the soft voice explained.
Law was still smiling. He couldn't remember smiling that much. But when his gaze met those wonderful eyes again, he leaned up on the counter, leaning forward a little. He saw the young clerk freeze. Slowly, Law leaned in a little more until he could whisper in his ear.
"Say, Luffy, do you want your flower wrapped?"
He tilted his head and kissed him gently on the cheek, "Both the flower and you to-go, please."
And his heart leapt again when he saw the smaller man slowly nod, cheeks red.