Work Text:
The first time he showed up, Sora had accidentally tripped and knocked over two rows of potted hydrangeas before disappearing into the shop with sputtered apologies to his brothers. His youngest brother, Roxas, watched him with mild curiosity as he continued his morning routine of watering the hanging plants. The eldest, Cloud, had to sidestep to avoid him in the doorway as the brunet ran passed, idly tying the back of his yellow work apron with a tight knot.
A raised blond brow and a question of “what’s with him?” had been all the eldest had time to spare on the matter before helping the very same customer that Sora ran away from. It wasn’t until later that afternoon while they were in the process of closing did they get an explanation for Sora’s earlier behavior.
He stood between one of the rows of hanging plants, hands balled into loose fists at his sides, bangs covering his eyes as a red hue dusted his cheeks. He had exhausted all of his previous options trying to avoid this very conversation; Roxas already having swept in front of the shop as Cloud had just finished counting their leftover stock for the day.
He had trouble meeting their identical blue gazes, so he focused instead on his scuffed work shoes as he muttered something hushed under his breath. Blond spikes swayed gently as Cloud shook his head. Roxas stood next to him with both hands on his hips and a look in his eyes that read, “You know that’s not going to fly.”
“He...” Sora attempted once more, voice soft and reflecting his obvious embarrassment, “he was just... hewasjustreallycuteokay!” His head had snapped upwards at the sound of rich laughter and he huffed his cheeks with lips pursed in a thin line.
Roxas was hunched over with Cloud’s hand on his back, holding his stomach as he forced between breaths, “That’s... that was all?!” When they had recovered, Sora was looking at his shoes again. His hands fiddled absently at the sides of his apron, the reddening of his cheeks extending down to his neck.
“I thought he said something weird to you,” Cloud had said, his tone still light from humor but the protectiveness was clear. Roxas had peered up at him and added, “He totally snuffed him.”
Sora’s breath hitched at the statement, fully aware that if Cloud (or even Roxas) felt that anyone had done him wrong they wouldn’t hesitate to take matters into their own hands, regardless of what that entailed. It had been then that Sora realized that maybe, just maybe running away hadn’t of been the best choice after all. It clearly portrayed the wrong idea to both of his brothers and surely the silver haired customer from earlier would never return to the shop again if Cloud really had roughened him up thinking he had done something to hurt Sora’s feelings.
But before Sora could panic, like Cloud knew the brunet would as soon as those words had left Roxas’s mouth, he said, “I mentally snuffed him. And okay, maybe a little hint of vocal snuffing but I’d never slug a customer.” A roll of his eyes as he directed his next statement to the blond next to him, “You should have thought about that more before you spewed it. Sora legitimately thought I whacked him.”
“And you wouldn’t have? If it actually had been something semi-serious?” Roxas had countered.
With a firm nod Cloud agreed instantly. “Of course, I might have had to break that code of conduct just this once if it turned out that he had in fact said something harmful. But he didn’t, so I can focus the energy I could have used punching the guy into something more productive.”
“Like replacing the hydrangea that Sora completely totaled.”
Sora’s shoulders had dropped then, feeling less embarrassed and increasingly more guilty. “I’m really sorry about the hydrangea. I’m sorry for acting like that in general.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, offering a small smile that had the two blonds shaking their heads.
“It’s no big deal, really,” Cloud tried to assure. Roxas had walked over to Sora and gave him a gentle slap on the back and told him to “brighten up; Mom always said to be prepared for stuff like this so we’ve got it covered.”
Before they had went to bed that night after making sure the shop door was locked and all lights were off (Roxas insisted that he be in charge of this task since the idea of wasted energy irritated him), Sora had stopped Cloud before the eldest had a chance to enter his bedroom. He regarded the younger brunet with slight interest, his lips morphing into a smirk when Sora asked his question.
“Just... out of curiosity. What did he end up getting anyway?”
“He just asked for two bunches of white tulips. He might have mentioned something about family but honestly I wasn’t paying too much attention.”
Sora had just nodded, mumbling a tired thanks as he retreated back to his own room. Before he closed his eyes for the night, he made a promise that if that silver haired customer ended up coming back, he’d muster the courage to serve him instead of running away.
...Or that had just been wishful thinking, really. For when that very same customer showed again that next morning, just before noon, Sora couldn’t do it. He reached out to Roxas instead, pleading for the water hose just this once, just for today I promise. Roxas reluctantly obliged, regarded the customer with boredom akin to watching a snail crawl.
He ordered the same as the day before: two bunches of white tulips. As he turned to leave, Sora could have sworn that he had glanced his way, but didn’t want to read too much into it. He offered a quick smile - just in case - and when Roxas turned to face him only seconds after he nearly dropped the hose at the unnerving smirk the blond shot him.
“Next time,” Roxas said slowly, clearly, “you’re serving him.”
Sora’s brows furrowed. “Next time? What makes you think he’ll be back?”
Roxas shrugged, smiled that unnerving smile that made Sora wary of what to expect from him next. “I have a hunch is all. He totally checked you out before he walked away though.”
This time Sora really had dropped the hose, snapping back into focus at Roxas’s yelp when the water spray soaked the top half of his form. Sora expected Roxas to be angry, expected a snide remark about how clumsy he was and how he was never to be allowed near the hose again.
So it surprised him when Roxas didn’t do any of that. Alternatively, he met Sora’s eyes and asked, “What’s so special about white tulips?”
“If I remember correctly... Mom used to say that any time a customer would request white tulips, it was typically because they wanted to gift them to repent for something; to ask for forgiveness; to show they were worthy for something. She also said that they could represent purity or respect.”
“Huh.” Roxas left it at that, untying his now wet work apron as he quietly headed inside to get a spare. If Sora was being honest, a part of him was curious about the reasoning behind the customer’s need for the tulips. If his mother’s stories about them had been true, then it couldn’t have been anything pleasant if he felt like he needed them to apologize with.
The silver haired customer seemed to have been falling into a routine. Over the next couple of days Sora had managed to weasel his way out of serving him, but the man never failed to request his white tulips. However, unlike the first time Sora was sure that he was being acknowledged.
So when the fourth day came that he showed up, before noon like always, Cloud and Roxas made sure to hide out in the shop, leaving Sora with no choice but to greet and serve the man himself. His hands started to feel clammy as he made his way over to him. The customer didn’t notice him right away as he silently scrutinized the small magnolia saplings they just put out for display that morning.
His gaze then swept to the rows of primrose that were aligned neatly in plastic containers. Sora always enjoyed their presence outside the shop. With the various assortment of colors they had it definitely served a purpose to liven up the outside along with the other plants.
He cleared his throat nervously, catching the customer’s attention. Blue eyes met bright teal, and Sora briefly wondered if eyes like those could really exist. “Good morning,” he said as he attempted to steady his voice, “is there anything I can help with?”
The other man regarded him silently for a second before responding warmly. “Yeah, I was hoping that I haven’t bought you out of those white tulips yet.”
“No, we still have plenty. Um... two bunches, right?” Sora led them between a few rows of colorful flowers and saplings (the brunet almost dying from embarrassment as his face nearly missed being well acquainted with one of the hanging plants) before stopping at the tulips. He carefully wrapped the bunches in clear plastic wrapping foil with simple floral patterns. “That’ll be $8.”
Holding both bunches in one hand, the customer reached into one of his pockets and produced a $10 bill. Sora thanked him as he rang up the order, dealing out the change as the man said, “I’m hoping that maybe today’s the day these will actually get accepted.”
“Do they not like the flowers? The person you’re buying them for?” The questions bolted from his mouth before Sora could think. He immediately shook his head and opened his mouth to apologize for being nosy until the man raised a hand and laughed softly.
“It’s okay to be curious. It’s not that they don’t like them,” he said simply. “The flowers themselves are nice. I know that deep down it kills her to throw these away at the end of the day.” He frowned here, and for a moment Sora forgot all about the two dollars in his hands.
“Tulips are my favorite, so I know a thing or two about them. I’m sure that... for whatever reason you’re choosing this white, I’m sure that with persistence maybe it’ll turn out okay for you, uh...”
“Riku,” he offered.
“Then, Riku, I’ll be wishing the best for you! And if... well, we’ll always have the tulips here if you need them.” He handed Riku his change with a bright smile. His eyes widened a bit when Riku motioned for Sora to open his palm, gently placing the change back into his hand.
“It’s really not much, but you can keep the change. Think of it as a thanks for the encouragement.”
Sora watched as Riku left, the two dollars in his hand serving as the only proof that he had actually done it; even though Cloud and Roxas hadn’t of left him much choice, he applauded himself for not giving into his nerves throughout the sale. His exhilaration was short lived when later that night at dinner, Sora let his head fall on the table, effectively making both of his brothers jump (though they’d never admit it).
When asked what was wrong, Sora looked up with an expression that screamed ‘I'm stupid’. “I totally forgot to tell him my name!” The groans he received in response did little to make him feel better.
Much to Sora’s delight, Riku showed up again at the flower shop the next day. And then the day after that, and the day after that. It seemed that they developed a routine: Riku would always show up between 11:30am and noon each day, and always requested white tulips. After their first actual meeting, Cloud and Roxas always left Sora to serve Riku while they focused on odd jobs around the shop or tended to other customers themselves.
Their shop was modest and not all that big, but they still held a respectable reputation among the community. Their mother had started the flower shop a few years before she passed, leaving Cloud to take over the business. Their father typically left them to their own devices but sent checks to make sure they were living well enough since he was always on the move because of work.
With each day that passed, Riku would stay longer. What started as a two minute exchange turned into a solid twenty minutes of conversation before Riku would check his watch and bid his farewells. Over the course of several days Sora found out many things about Riku.
His silvery-white hair was natural, and he was kind enough to ignore Sora’s blush when asked about it. He said it ran in the family. From what Sora gathered, Riku also worked at home with computers. He made an alright living but wanted to expand to an actual shop one day with a few of his friends. He made sure to point out that he mainly focused on hardware.
Though he never got the whole story, Riku admitted that the tulips were for his mother. He assured Sora that it wasn’t anything bad, but that news he had to share with her hadn’t of gone over so well and he thought that maybe conveying messages with flowers (she’d always loved those) would have been better than words (since words led to shouting and shouting meant nothing ever got accomplished).
Sora had a pretty good suspicion of what he probably told her since he recognized the way Riku tended to avoid the subject while also avoiding meeting the brunet’s eyes. It reminded him of when he had come out to his mother in his early teens and he felt guilty about the possibility of upsetting her (which it never did; she made sure to scold him enough that he understood she had always loved him no matter what).
Riku was also pretty young himself, only a year and a half older than Sora making him twenty-two to Sora’s twenty (“I’m turning twenty-one in just a couple of months so you’re still technically only a year older than me, not two!”). Something about Riku was just downright comfortable to Sora. In a way, it felt like they hadn’t only met a mere couple of weeks ago. It felt like they were childhood friends, like they grew up together and seeing them together was normal.
It was only when Roxas pointed out one afternoon how Sora and Riku never stopped smiling around each other, how Sora would tuck a spike of hair behind his ear when Riku said something subtly flirty did Sora realize that he liked Riku. That it wasn’t just because he was pretty that his heart raced when their hands accidentally brushed. Sora genuinely liked him in a way that scared him because what if he doesn’t feel the same?
Cloud just scoffed at the notion, said that whenever Riku and Sora were together the man’s attention was always on Sora. That he and Roxas had seen it since the first day he stopped by the shop. Roxas called it puppy love, love at first sight, and Sora just hid his face and sputtered a spiel of “no” and “stop” and “you’re embarrassing me!” when they teased him.
But no matter how often Roxas told him to “just go for it,” Sora waited. He enjoyed Riku’s companionship and looked forward to it as a staple of his work day. There were a few occasions where Riku would talk to Cloud for only minutes at a time, though Sora never bothered to ask what they talked about. The days where Riku couldn’t show because of other obligations were the most boring of all. He had been away for the last few days and Sora couldn’t help but feel a tad bit restless without seeing his now-close friend.
It wasn’t until a couple of weeks before Sora’s birthday did his waiting pay off. It was well past noon, going on 2pm when the brothers were tending to some of the plants during their downtime. Cloud and Sora worked on trimming some of the potted shrubbery as Roxas had been making sure all the hydrangeas were properly and perfectly situated, moving onto displaying some of their most recent hanging plants afterward.
The afternoon was quiet, almost too quiet, and just as Roxas was about to break the silence he spotted a familiar head of shoulder-length silvery-white hair. He nudged Cloud with a smirk, directing his attention to their guest as well. Sora remained oblivious with his back turned, only looking up at Roxas and Cloud when the youngest said slyly, “Hey Sora, look who’s here.”
Sora looked at them questioningly. Roxas had one hand on his hip, tilting his chin to signal behind the brunet as he added, “Your favorite client.”
He didn’t have to guess who Roxas was referring to, and his eyes grew wide, chancing a glance behind him to see that indeed, Riku was there. Standing in front of the same row of primroses where they had first talked what felt like so long ago now. He wore a long sleeved striped white sweater and blue jeans.
Sora took in a small breath and said, “I’m going to serve him,” choosing to tune out Cloud and Roxas’s gentle laughs. In only a few steps he reached Riku, offered a smile and asked playfully, “Excuse me... can I help you?”
At first Sora thought that he hadn’t heard him, but soon enough Riku perked up and met Sora’s gaze with a smile of his own. Something seemed different today, something was off, but it didn’t alarm Sora at all. “Hey, it’s you, Sora right?”
The brunet watched him carefully for a few seconds. He briefly wondered why Riku was addressing him as though they had only first met and as if he happened to hear Sora’s name by chance. “Yeah...”
“I’d like to buy tulips, please.” They walked over to the tulips in silence, Sora not being sure whether or not to question Riku’s odd behavior or to just go with it. He was soon snapped out of his thoughts when Riku added, “Mostly yellow ones, please. But a couple of the multi-hued. And one red.”
The brunet nodded, at this point acting on auto-pilot suddenly as though this was just another sale. He wrapped the tulips delicately in the clear plastic flower wrap with simple stripped print. Sora handed them to Riku with a self-conscious smile as Riku thanked him. “I... I hope you like them. See you... soon, then?”
Just as Sora was walking back to his former post with the shrubbery, he felt a soft tug on his apron. “Hey, wait!” Sora turned to face Riku. Blue met warm teal and suddenly Sora found himself confused. Riku had just stopped by to get the flowers, right? Sora pushed the thoughts away of who he could have been giving those flowers to. After all, tulips were his favorite. He knew what those flowers meant.
His gut churned unpleasantly at the thought that they probably weren’t meant for him. The thought was so strong that Sora didn’t even register when Riku mentioned they were his, instead just looking up at him in disbelief before Riku repeated, “It’s for you.”
Sora’s mouth suddenly felt cotton dry. He figured now that Cloud and Roxas must have been expecting this somehow, since they were both quiet and watched from the sidelines. Really, if Sora put more thought into it Roxas’s attitude should have given it away.
“I... B-But Riku, these flowers--”
“I know what they mean,” Riku interrupted. He raised a hand to his neck in a bashful gesture in a way that Sora had never seen him do before. “I figured, maybe one of your brothers knew about tulips as well as you did. So I asked Cloud.” He shyly averted Sora’s piercing look, focusing on the bunch of flowers held between them.
“The yellow ones,” Riku started, “are supposed to symbolize cheerful thoughts, right? Representing sunshine. I don’t know about you, but these last several weeks have been nothing but cheerful for me. And... this is going to sound so cheesy but you might as well be a bundle of sunshine yourself.”
Absently, Sora tucked a lock of hair behind his ear and waited for Riku to continue.
“The multi-hued tulips are said to express a message to someone special. Or, at least, that’s what I was told. Sometimes they can relay messages like, ‘your eyes are beautiful’. Something that’s equally as cheesy, but with you its no less than true.”
Sora’s teeth met the flesh of his lip. He tried to ignore how warm he suddenly started to feel. Even more so when he regarded that there was still one flower Riku hadn’t commented on yet.
“And the red ones...” Riku smiled here, features brightening as Sora held his breath. “They are supposed to represent some sort of true love, yeah? I’m um... not meaning to come off that strong, but I think... I think that maybe it could work. With us. If you... wanted it to. If you wanted to try.”
Sora stayed quiet for a few solid minutes, and Riku would be lying if he said that he didn’t feel nervous. The way Sora looked at him now... he couldn’t read it. It was an odd feeling of foreboding that made Riku feel like he quite possibly could have just made a fool out of himself; that maybe he had been reading into their flirts a little too much or started making himself see things that weren’t there and--
Sora smiled. No, Sora beamed, grin as bright as the sun and he laughed. He laughed because he felt relieved; laughed because finally, he could let himself believe that he wasn’t the only one who had felt it; that maybe now Riku could stay around beyond store hours. Get to know Sora’s brothers more and stay for dinner and have to endure Roxas’s horrible movie collection (and chance avoiding the thrown shoe if you ever said that to his face).
It’s for you.
And without a second thought, Sora leaned in close. He raised on his tiptoes slightly because Riku was just too gosh-dang tall, and planted a chaste kiss on the others’ cheek. He smiled brighter, livelier, when Riku reached a hand to cover where Sora’s lips had just been.
Roxas could be heard chuckling in the back ground, no doubt committing Riku’s face to memory to use against him later followed by a thwack! that suspiciously sounded like Cloud sternly ‘telling’ Roxas to not ruin their moment.
But Roxas couldn’t have, even if he tried. Because before Sora completely pulled away, he whispered, “And that was for you.” Like it was natural. Like they had done this a hundred times before in distant times or galaxies but all Sora cared about was that he was experiencing it right now.
That was also the day that tulips became Riku’s favorite flower alongside Sora as they laughed, walking towards the inside of the small flower shop. In the corner somewhere back near Roxas, a row of hydrangeas stood proudly and perfectly aligned.