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Cyno had the biggest love-hate relationship with his job anyone could ever imagine. Regardless of the parts he loved, he was seriously leaning into the hate territory at the moment.
“What do you mean my coupon has expired!? It says here it’s OK till the first of November!” The indignant woman -who was already graying at her age- practically screeched from the other side of the counter.
“Ma’am, please. The coupon says it's available till November First, 2016 . You can’t use this-” Cyno exasperatedly began, pointing to the date on the coupon the woman gave him, only to be rudely cut off, which didn’t earn any points in Cyno’s heart.
“Get your manager out here! Hopefully they know that the customer knows best! You don’t know how badly my daughter wants this costume!” the middle-aged woman shrieked, holding up the Sally dress she was clutching tightly in her hands to the point of wrinkles.
If he hadn’t painstakingly been put through the same process time and time again, Cyno would’ve said he’d been waiting for this moment his whole life. He darkened his gaze, his eye glowing with the help of the dim light overhead, and looked at her with all the vitriol he could muster, “I am the manager.”
The woman immediately bristled and slammed the dress on the counter with a loud smack. She tried holding Cyno’s gaze but was found outmatched, she gave one last retort before turning to storm out, “See me come here ever again!”
Without turning to look at her, Cyno monotonously yelled after her to give a snarky piece of advice, “The Spirit Halloween is on the west side of the mall.”
While she was leaving, the door behind Cyno opened and revealed one of his employees who muttered something under his breath, “Good riddance.”
“Xiao, are you done taking inventory?” Cyno asked, leaning his back against the counter in need of some sense of relaxation after the ordeal.
“Sadly.” Xiao sullenly responded, unceremoniously dropping the clipboard he was holding onto the scrunched up dress and taking Cyno’s spot at the register. If Cyno knew anything about Xiao, he knew the man hated working the register.
“Mhm,” Cyno hummed, snatching the clipboard off the marble counter and retreating to the break room on the opposite side of the store. He could feel Xiao’s disdainful but still pleading eyes on him as he walked. Cyno paid him no mind as he maliciously opened the break room door, only stopping when Xiao called after him.
“Cyno, wait!”
He back-pedaled and asked, “What is it?”
Motioning him over, Xiao walked out from behind the counter. Sighing, Cyno trudged back to the counter to find out what Xiao wanted.
“I heard some girls talking earlier about their opinion on the store,” Xiao explained, gesturing over to one of the displays where Cyno assumed the girls stood in the past, “They complained about us -of all stores- not being in the Halloween spirit.”
Cyno narrowed his eyes at the display before looking Xiao in his eyes and at the smudged eyeliner outlining them, “And why in Teyvat would we care?”
Xiao, ever the man of many words, shrugged his shoulders and went behind the counter once more. Not being in the Halloween spirit? If anything, the only store that should have that is Spirit Halloween. Still, the man had a point. The only kind of “Halloween” the store emanated was the small amount of orange splashes in the clothing and merch. Cyno wasn’t big on holidays, but he’d always had an affinity for Halloween. It wouldn’t hurt to add some Ghostface posters and pumpkins here and there. No matter, he would mull this over in the break room. Well, he would have, if not for the tall blonde man leaning back leisurely in Cyno’s chair of choice.
“Kaveh. Al-Haitham isn’t at work today,” Cyno deadpanned in his second exasperated tone of the day, clutching his clipboard tighter to his chest with the hand unoccupied by the doorknob. He didn’t dare ask just how the man got into the breakroom, and how long he’d been there for.
“Oh, really? I apologize, I’ll take my leave,” Kaveh miraculously responded with a surprised expression, quickly replacing it with a sly smile. That was never a good sign, “Before I go, as someone who specializes in design, you should really get the place more…Halloween-y before the season ends. Fake bloodstains, bats, something . Every other store is doing it, and you’re sticking out like an ugly duckling that doesn’t become pretty at the end.”
Cyno tensed at the patronizing words, then gritted out his riposte, “Don’t you have better things to do? Go flirt with Al-Haitham on the mall bulletin already.”
After a barely detectable twitch of the eye, Kaveh sauntered up to Cyno and slid his business card onto Cyno’s clipboard, being ever the cheapskate, “How you wound me, Cyno. Here, my card, come over if you need an example of being spirited. Tell Al-Haitham I said ‘hello’ if he ever comes to work!” Kaveh told him with a flourish, slipping past Cyno to -thankfully- exit the store.
Cyno bit back another counter about the two literally sharing a residence, and abruptly slammed the door shut in irritation. He could no longer see Kaveh, so Cyno plucked the light red card from his clipboard, looked at it critically, and viciously crumpled it, tossing it into the trash-bin near the door. Archons, why did all of Teyvat want to keep him from his break? With his quickly waning energy, Cyno slumped into his knockoff faux-fur chair. It creaked slightly, but Cyno knew it was nowhere near the end of its days. Not when Cyno still needed it.
In solitude did Cyno skim the inventory, using the pencil he had tucked behind his ear until now to mark what they should request shipments for. Every scratch of his pencil was almost on beat with the ticks of the clock in the room. One, two, three, four, then mark. He had settled into a rhythm of making a line next to anything that seemed too low for the kind of item it was. Other than what he suggested to himself earlier, just what would compliment Hot Topic and be…‘Halloween-y?’Cute little pumpkins? That’s something Forever 21 would die for, and what Hot Topic customers would die at the hand of . Extremely lifelike bats? Cyno shook his head and outwardly cringed. Maybe the blood would work, but Cyno would rather coat himself in honey and be eaten by Rishboland Tigers, than give Kaveh something to lord over him. At that moment, fueled by his own horrible suggestions, Cyno had an epiphany.
Flowers.
Orange and purple flowers around the store would be perfect. Cyno closed his eyes and pictured it, vibrant flowers around the store in mugs. It would advertise their very underappreciated mug collection (Candace, the Aaru Real Estate employee’s, words), and it would add more spirit to the store (words of his own). Orange, purple, black, red, and white were the colors of Halloween, at least in Cyno’s book. Hot Topic already had three of the five, and Cyno knew exactly where they would get the flowers. It was his break, and he had almost half an hour to himself to kickstart his little pet project. He hopped up before lumbering back down with his head in his hands. If he went to the shop on the other side of the hallway, he would see… him .
There was nothing wrong with him , per se. Cyno wasn’t going to sugarcoat the notion that stopped him from casually strolling into Avidya-Gandharva Florists. He’d fallen for the sweet and knowledgeable manager, Tighnari. From the way the man carried himself to how he treated every customer and flower with benevolence, Cyno’s heart threatened to fly straight out of his chest and into the man’s arms. Not his actual one, that would be much too morbid. But if the man desired his heart, Cyno would fork it over in a dying heartbeat. The day he saw the florist unlock the door of the long-unused lot with flowers in arms, Cyno had already lost. They looked at him once and smiled once , and Cyno completely and utterly lost. He remembered it vividly, the way they cocked their head in curiosity before a smile bloomed onto their face, subsequently making affection bloom in Cyno’s heart. From then on, he’d visited often to talk about their similar backgrounds, or listen to Tighnari ramble excitedly about his favorite topics. Cyno enjoyed the uncontrollable smile and twinkle in the man’s eyes during both scenarios. Under his palms, Cyno’s face was heating up against his will.
Cyno groaned into his hands and stood up once more. He began to clean himself up: facing his choker in the right direction, brushing lint off his Dresden Dolls tee, and finally, cuffing his black baggy jeans to achieve a cleaner look (and not violate dress-code). It had nothing to do with Tighnari, Cyno just liked looking as professional as he could with his casual attire. Say it did have something to do with Tighnari, Cyno would still never concede to the notion. Xiao looked at Cyno quizzically as the man strode out the store, and sighed miserably when he realized he would have to look after the place while Cyno was on break.
Cyno took this into account, and popped back into the store to say, “Put the ‘out for lunch’ sign in the window till I’m back.”
Xiao let out another sigh, but this one came from reassurance. Still outside his store, Cyno patted his pockets to find his phone. Pulling the device out one of his back pockets, Cyno poured over how he would go about his time efficiently. It was already 1:10.
That was less time than Cyno thought he had, now he only had twenty minutes tops. Maybe if Dehya was on duty he would have a five minute grace period, but she wasn’t on duty at this side of the mall at this time of day. Now Cyno really had a time limit, if he was gone for too long, the mall security was sure to notice and there would be hell to pay. Cyno lamented the loss of the opportunity to surprise the florist with a cup of cha . Puspa Café was always too busy at this time of day, especially on a Monday.
Cyno weaved through the crowd, occasionally muttering an apology. Once he reached the slightly less busy storefront, Cyno took in the cleaner air around the shop and all the green he seldom saw in his own store other than the Invader Zim merch. When looking at the windows, Cyno thought he felt a vein pop. While there were gorgeous flowers on display, there were also cut out bats and pumpkins stuck to the glass. If the masses wanted Halloween, Cyno guessed he had to deliver. Taking a breath, he pushed open the door and was greeted by a little bell chime. At the noise, a familiar light green head of hair popped up from behind the hydrangeas.
“Mr. Cyno! You’re here!” The young florist’s apprentice chirped, weaving clumsily between various displays to approach Cyno.
“Just Cyno is fine, Collei. Do you not have school today?” Cyno asked with all the peppy emotion he could muster.
“Master Tighnari told me I could stay home today since-” Collei began excitedly, before breaking into a fit of coughs. Cyno’s hands hovered over her back, unsure if he should touch her. Her once ecstatic features became sullen, quickly fixing her gaze to the floor, “since…that”
The second week Cyno came to see Tighnari, he met Collei. She was humming while watering flowers, but once she heard the bell, she dropped everything and ran into the supply room. The next week, she’d warmed up to him due to Tighnari vouching for him, but she was still wary. The more Cyno visited, the more comfortable she became. Not only with Cyno, but with the other customers as well. The next month, Tighnari told Cyno about her medical condition and past, with Collei’s permission of course. To Cyno’s horror, the poor girl had Eleazar, an incurable disease that would petrify those who had it and were untreated. Cyno was beyond confused about why the two would tell him of all people, but Tighnari simply responded with, “ We trust you, Cyno. I trust you Cyno.” He would be lying if he said he didn’t think of those words everyday like a lovesick broken record.
“You should take a break.” Cyno suggested, unsure of what else he could say.
“I am taking a break,” she explained, taking Cyno by the wrist and dragging him behind the hydrangeas, sitting him down on the floor, and handing him an unopened Frooti .
Cyno accepted the juice box graciously, poking the straw into the box and stuffing the stray plastic into his front jean pocket. For a solid minute, the two enjoyed the other's company with their mango-flavored drinks in silence, save for the noise of slurping to get all they could from their long-finished juices. From Cyno’s right, a door creaked open and closed with a slam, making the two on the floor flinch. A plasticky thud resounded through the store.
“Collei? Where are you?” A voice yelled from the counter.
Quickly glancing at Cyno, Collei shouted in the direction of the voice, “Down here!”
There was a sigh, and then a response, “Down where , Collei?”
Cyno shot a smirk at Collei and also gave an answer, “We’re here.”
She giggled uncontrollably at that, giving Tighnari a better grasp of their position, evidenced by him finding the two behind the Hydrangeas after some aimless walking. Cyno gave the man a phlegmatic look as Tighnari looked down at Cyno incredulously before melting into a friendly smile.
“Cyno. I’m afraid I don’t have much time to talk today, but Collei would love the company,” Tighnari told him remorsefully, wiping his hands on his apron, small amounts of dirt falling to the floor. He extended a hand to Cyno to help him up.
“It’s alright,” Cyno reassured, taking the hand and letting himself be hauled to his feet. Their hands stayed clasped together for one beat too long, and Cyno let go, “I’m actually here on business.”
“You? Here on business? That’s less likely than a hydro slime being in the desert.” Tighnari joked, appealing to Cyno’s interest in Genius Invokation TCG. Blame Tighnari’s knowledge of the topic on Cyno, since he was the one who suggested Tighnari should learn to play.
“But there’s still a chance,” Cyno fired back, taking in the man’s wry smile. He stuffed his hands in his pocket, fiddling with the plastic, “That aside, I need flowers.”
“You’re perpetually unpredictable, Cyno. I thought you came here for our delectable Frooties ?”
Normally, Cyno would have rolled his eyes at such a jest, but it was Tighnari. Cyno did nothing but blink. Beginning to walk back to the counter while chuckling to himself, Tighnari made a motion for Cyno to follow him.
“The Frooties are a well-received bonus.”
Cyno fulfilled Tighnari’s request in a heartbeat.
“Do you mind helping me with moving these pots to the front? Tell me what you need while we’re at it.”
Once again, Cyno compiled without protest. Picking up his fair share of pots, he followed Tighnari to the front like a little duckling. Archons, he loved the feel of this place, even if there were still trowels on the stands and some dirt on the floor. It just added to the…coziness. Making Cyno want to be here all day, making him want to be here all week, making him want to… stay .
During his daze, Tighnari stopped near the hydrangeas in the middle of the store, Cyno nearly bumping into the stagnant figure in front of him.
“Collei? Are you going to move to the supply room or will I have to find a way to un-melt you from the floor?” Tighnari quipped with an amused smile, readjusting the large stack of pots in his arms. It was true, she’d been sitting there during their whole discussion, draining the poor store’s Frooti supply.
“I can sweep the floor ‘stead of melting into it. I haven’t done anything all day!” Collei offered, getting up with boxes of juice in her hands.
Tighnari sighed and refused to concede, “No, Collei. Today is your break day, I’ll sweep on my own.”
“But!-” Collei pleaded, looking between Tighnari and Cyno.
“But nothing, Collei. I’m not allowing you to work in your condition.”
Collei gave the best puppy-eyes she could in Cyno’s direction. They nearly worked if not for Tighnari staring daggers at him. Begrudgingly, Cyno shrugged and looked away.
“Can I at least throw the Frooties outside?”
“Yes Collei, you may. Be careful.”
The two men watched as Collei gave a curt nod and sped out the door while balancing at least five juice boxes in her arms. Slowly shifting his fond gaze to neutral, Tighnari adjusted the pots once more and resumed walking. Trailing behind him, Cyno flinched at a small wet feeling hitting the center of his head from the overhead plants. He looked up and considered if those plants would look nice, but they were much too big and devoid of the colors Cyno was looking for. What was the plant called again? Marble Pothos , Cyno remembered, reminiscing about Tighnari describing the best hanging plants.
The hot topic manager looked around the store, critically thinking about what flowers he would choose and what he could properly take care of. Tighnari knows best. I’ll wait for him to tell me his suggestions , Cyno thought, mind wandering to past times of Tighnari exuberantly recounting his favorite flowers for different situations. Was it so wrong of Cyno to want to hear that voice again?
“Your requests are quite specific, Cyno. I don’t think I’ll be able to arrange that,” Tighnari explained, his words dripping with equal parts gloom and satire. It made for a convincing performance and an adequate wake up call for Cyno. What was the point of walking and talking if they didn’t talk?
“I need flowers for my store,” Cyno requested, quickly adding to his request when he saw another sarcastic remark on the man’s tongue, “Purple and orange. For Halloween.”
Tighnari gingerly set down the pots in a designated corner of the store occupied by a singular pot similar to the ones they were holding. He must have been in the middle of replacing stock when Cyno walked in. Busy with lining up the large stack of pots, Tighnari didn’t reply until he made sure the tower wouldn’t tumble.
Cyno raised his own pots above the highest container in the organized pile and -with the same care as Tighnari- dropped them in. Giving a hum of surprise and approval, Tighnari took Cyno by the wrist and dragged him over to one of the displays near the front of the store. Think nothing of it, willed Cyno internally, tearing his eyes away from the hand wrapped around his wrist. The man's hands were constantly protected by gardener’s gloves, and Cyno tried his hardest to not think about how those hands would feel if those gloves were off. Tighnari stopped them in front of a display with the exact kind of flowers Cyno was picturing.
“Flowers for Halloween, right? That’s peculiar, Halloween is in a week,” Tighnari wondered aloud, releasing Cyno’s wrist before he lost blood flow, “Would it not be pointless to put up the decorations now?”
“Never too late.” Cyno reasoned, missing the warmth already.
Tighnari simply replied with a befuddled hum, and moved to the other side of the display to pluck out a flower. At least that’s what Cyno assumed the man did with the arrangement obstructing his view, only hearing ruffling, a small noise of triumph, and the shifting of dirt. When the florist came back around, sure enough there was a pile of dirt in his hands and a purple flower poking out of it.
“As much as I would rather give you some lavender, I think a pansy will suit you much better…for the time being.”
Cyno visualized how the flower would look. A dark purple flower with a bright yellow…dot (don’t depend on Cyno to know the technical term) in one of their ghost mugs on the register counter. He was warming up to this idea more and more by the second, but he slowly went cold after fully digesting Tighnari’s words.
“For the time being? Am I being insulted?”
Cyno didn’t think he fit the ‘pansy’ description, but if Tighnari thought so he would take it in stride. He forgot the last time he had any internal self-respect when talking to Tighnari.
“No, no. On the contrary. It’s all floral talk, don’t lose brain-cells over it, you’re enough of a lummox already.”
Cyno had to force himself to scoff like a normal person would. If he didn’t, Cyno would be two for two on the times he’d stared at Tighnari like a spellbound idiot. Delicately placing the flower back in its rightful place, Tighnari circled the display table again, searching for another flower to bring up. Under his breath, Tighnari was naming each flower as he softly skimmed his fingers across the petals. The two of them perked up at the sound of the tiny bell ringing above the door. Standing in the doorway was a very spent Collei. Tighnari dropped everything and ran to check Collei and help her in.
“Did somebody bother you, Collei? You took an awfully long time to throw away trash in a can just two stores down. Does anything hurt?” Tighnari rambled, taking her arm and rolling up her sleeves to check for any sign of her Eleazar getting out of control.
“It’s ok Master Tighnari, no one did anything except advertise to me.”
“Were they blonde?” Cyno questioned, while walking onto the same plane as Tighnari. He truly hoped his suspicions weren’t true.
“Now that I think about it, yeah they were? I mean it was kind of dirty blonde. Here, their face is on their business card.” Collei recalled, digging the card out of her pocket. Cyno’s face blanched the moment he saw the light red color of it.
Tighnari leaned into Cyno to look at the card, huffing disapprovingly. Guess Cyno wasn’t the only one subjected to the architect’s antics. Archons, Kaveh was desperate, shoving his business card into just anyone’s face. Cyno pocketed it, intending to give the card the same treatment as the last one.
Saving them from thinking about Kaveh any longer, Tighnari changed the topic, “Forget him, Collei. Go to the back, take a break, and drink water, please.”
"But I want to help! Please, Master Tighnari?” Collei begged, clasping her hands together.
Cyno felt like he was on the outside looking in, watching Tighnari pinch the bridge of his nose. The two paid him no mind while they were arguing, Collei pratting off reasons she should stay and Tighnari combating her with reasons she shouldn’t.
“Since you insist, you may stay,” Tighnari defeatedly began, Collei’s posture straightening at his words, “but only if you bring the stool behind the counter to sit on. No standing.”
Collei nodded quickly, running to get the stool and coming back with it in the same fashion. Tighnari relayed Cyno’s order to Collei, her nodding along at important parts and cocking her head when Tighnari finished.
“Pansies? Don’t we have some lavender that’s still growing? It’ll last through this week.” Collei proposed, shifting around on her stool to look for the lavender.
“Good observation, but pansies are much better for this occasion,” Tighnari praised, for some reason not mentioning why pansies would be better.
"Oh! I get it! Because pansies mean-”
“Here it is!” Tighnari loudly interjected, breaking out of usual soft tone, pointing at a vibrant fully orange flower in the display, “Cosmos flowers. Low maintenance -I don’t take you to have a green thumb- and its orange! Is it not perfect?”
Cyno was everything but ignorant, while he appreciated the help thus far, he couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at the florist suspiciously after his actions. The man looked askance, scouring the table for another trowel, doing everything but meeting Cyno’s gaze. Looking at Collei, she too was taken aback from being cut off. Tighnari -still not looking at either of them- rolled his sweater sleeves up again and stuck the trowel in the dirt, the force making his hair fall out of its hair tie. Cyno’s heart stopped. Tighnari always looked nice with his hair up, but down? Cyno cursed the fact he could only see the man from the side. Tighnari cleared his throat.
“Cyno? I take it you know how to tie and clip hair. Do you mind?” Tighnari implored, frozen in his spot, unable to work with hair in his face.
Archons , Tighnari would be the death of him, and even death wouldn’t do them part. Cyno’s soul would be bound to the earth by his regret of not taking up Tighnari’s request while he could. The man cleared his throat again, and Cyno jumped to action, moving behind him to pluck the near falling hair tie from Tighnari’s hair.
“The hair tie almost fell out. You could say it was hanging by a stran-” Cyno joked stoically, stopping instantaneously when a foot stomped on his own.
“I either get you your flowers, or I glue you to the mall floor and let people trample all over you.” Tighnari spoke indignantly, making Collei barely suppress a snort. Cyno rolled his eyes and scooped up Tighnari’s dark colored hair, missing the light green highlights at the edges. His fingers ran over the light pink clips that were currently ineffective before they slipped through his fingers like sand with the rest of the hair. The rest of the very soft hair.
Cyno tied the hair as tightly as he could without hurting Tighnari. Archon forbid he ever did. Cyno moved from behind Tighnari to his side, taking out the two clips and laying them in his palm. Cyno desperately wanted to take a moment to get his bearings before he did this, but didn’t dare waste anymore time. He used his right hand to gently brush the florist’s hair behind his ear, and reclipped the hairclips one by one. Cyno hoped Tighnari wouldn’t notice Cyno’s fingers lingering behind his ear, not ready to separate just yet. Eyes that were once focused on the flower in front of them shifted to look at Cyno, and the two were stuck staring. So he did notice.
Cyno took in the most breathtaking hazel eyes in Teyvat, a side profile people would kill to have, and soft-looking lips meekly upturning. He reveled in the moment. The whole exchange must have taken twenty to thirty seconds at best, but Cyno felt like he was frozen in time. If he stayed locked in this position, he wouldn’t be able to leave. He reluctantly stepped back. He didn’t even check the time once, and sadly, Cyno had responsibilities. Cyno had to wrap this up.
“Your suggestions are perfect. Can I arrange five for each of them?”
Noticing Tighnari wasn’t replying nor moving, Collei took up his mantle, “When do you want them by Mr. Cyno?”
“At your nearest convenience.”
“Of course,” Collei answered very matter-of-factly, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. After a beat, she dropped her professional facade, turning to Tighnari for help, “Master Tighnari, when’s our nearest convenience?”
Hands still dug into the dirt and head down, Tighnari blurted out a time, “Tonight. Before closing.”
“Really?”
Finally setting down the trowel and freeing his hands, Tighnari turned to stare Cyno dead in the eyes, even though Collei was the one who spoke. A shiver ripped through Cyno’s spine.
“Really.”
Conveniently, Cyno’s phone vibrated in his pocket. Whipping it out with fake irritation, he was met with Xiao’s contact flashing across the screen. Looks like he overshot the time.
“Don’t get arrested by the mall cops before I can get you your flowers.” Tighnari jabbed with a smile that Cyno would have loved to describe as lovestruck instead of simply friendly.
“I’ll try not to.” Cyno muttered, spinning on his heel to head out of the shop, unable to stay any longer in case his heart burst. To Xiao’s annoyance, Cyno didn’t pick up his call, only nonchalantly walking into the store to announce his presence. Being met with an unamused squint, Cyno acknowledged Xiao with a nod and wordlessly walked behind the man into the supply room, faintly hearing the man click his tongue. Xiao would probably get to him first before death did at this rate.
Once the door closed, Cyno’s legs gave out and he slid down the wood with a sigh, hands once again meeting his face because of the same reason as before. Archons, all he did was tie the florist’s hair and everything came crashing down. Tighnari was like a sweet quicksand, and all Cyno could do was sink and enjoy the pleasant haze overtaking him as he went down, down, down.
“Oh! I get it! Because Pansies mean-”
What did Collei mean by that? And why was Tighnari so quick to stop her? What was it that Cyno didn’t know? Or was supposed not to know? Thankfully, all the information he needed was right in his pocket. Typing in his password at lightning speed, Cyno clicked on Safari and input his question, forgoing any professionalism: Pansy flwer meaning. In less than a second, millions of results popped up, but Cyno was focused on the one highlighted by a box. It read:
“Most often, pansies are used to symbolize loving feelings. You can give a pansy flower to just about anyone whom you hold dear to your heart. The ideal gift for a mother, partner, or friend, it is best used as a symbol of platonic love. Pansies can also represent free-thinking and consideration.”
Reading that was nothing short of a roller-coaster for Cyno. The high coming from the first sentence, and the low coming from the third.
“It is best used as a symbol of platonic love.”
Either Tighnari knew about his feelings and was using flowers to friendzone him, was open to being with Cyno, or just acknowledged Cyno’s feelings in general. Only one of those situations was optimal, and Cyno wasn’t one to gamble. Not unless he had more information, that is. He had another flower to research. The lavender. He scraped his previous search from the search-bar and replaced it with: lavender meaning. Once again did multitudes of results show up, Cyno opting to read the boxed words first.
“Lavender flowers represent purity, silence, devotion, serenity, grace, and calmness. Purple is the color of royalty and speaks of elegance, refinement, and luxury, too. The color is also associated with the crown chakra, which is the energy center associated with higher purpose and spiritual connectivity.”
Cyno didn’t know Tighnari to be all too spiritual, so he disregarded the third sentence and zoned in on the first. Nothing was narrowed down in the slightest, if anything, answer made the possibilities broader. Cyno scrolled down to see if some similar questions would give him any answers. Skimming the options, his eyes fell on one in particular: Does lavender mean love? He felt ridiculous actually clicking on the dropdown, even more so after it registered that he was searching up flowers to figure out if someone wanted him.
“Lavender is frequently used in tattoos to symbolize its healing properties. It can also be used to symbolize purity, love, or devotion to a person or to a cause.”
There it was again. The more he scrolled the more he saw it. Devotion. Devotion. Devotion . Every single instance of that word spilled into the pond of his mind, sending ripples everywhere, letting it bounce off the walls until all Cyno’s mind was filled with was that one word. That one hope-bringing word. Once the pond settled, Cyno poured the water of his thoughts into a metaphorical bucket and looked into it.
Cyno organized what he had already. The pansy meant loving feelings, and the lavender meant devotion. He had no idea what to make of it. Clicking his tongue, Cyno tapped his foot on the concrete floor and leaned his head back on the wood of the door. If only Tighnari could just…tell him what he thought. Like a baseball hitting him square in the temple, Cyno got an idea.
Tighnari had said: “ As much as I would rather give you some lavender, I think a pansy will suit you much better…for the time being”
If Cyno replaced the flower names with their meanings, it could come out to be: “ As much as I would rather give you devotion, I think loving feelings will suit you much better…for the time being.”
While outwardly the sentence didn’t make an ounce of sense, Cyno understood what it meant. Tighnari was willing to give him his heart, but for now, just letting his heart pound against his ribcage was enough. Just like how Cyno felt when he saw the florist. It was just a hunch, but his feelings may be…reciprocated. The best part was, he had a chance to test his hypothesis on the field tonight. He would ask Tighnari what the flowers meant. It was 1:46. Almost several hours of work until then. He didn’t want to describe his emotions as giddy, but for lack of a better word, he resorted to it. What he wasn’t giddy about, was the numerous emails he had to send and answer, and the racks he had to reorganize in those hours.
—
The day was by no means slow, but it wasn't a typical Halloween rush. Which meant wonders for Xiao, who was ecstatic to leave once his shift was over, and meant horror for Cyno. He would much rather have his mind occupied by customers than a florist named Tighnari. At the moment, that is. Taking the evening shift was someone ten times more expressive than Cyno and Xiao combined, the so-called “Arataki Numero Uno Itto.” At the interview, Cyno had to sit through the man listing off his various titles, and “Arataki Numero Uno Itto” was the only one that stuck other than the guy’s name. Cyno didn’t know why this guy of all people chose to work here , but it seemed to pertain to a magazine subscription they had.
“Cyno! Broski, homesauce, homedog-” Itto yelled sheepishly from behind the register.
“Get to the point, Itto.” Cyno sighed, hanging the sweaters he had around his arm on one of the lower clothing racks against the wall, far enough from Itto to ensure his eardrums wouldn’t burst.
“Well…I uh. Listen man, take a little look-see at the door and the store. Man, it’s so near closing that no one’ll just walk on in!”
Cyno straightened his knees with a crack, the joints still stiff after sitting for hours of email writing, “Your point being, Itto?”
The man clicked his tongue and started rubbing the back of his neck, “Can I take off early? The gang’s waiting for me.”
The gang was him and four other people, surely they could wait. After a beat, Cyno realized he was being hypocritical. Itto had a point, it was near closing, and Cyno had been spilling over interaction scheduled tonight. Continuing his streak of doing illegal manager things, Cyno begrudgingly let the man go with a wave of the hand. Itto gave a pumped shout to himself before retreating to the breakroom to get his things. Looking out the window, Cyno could see Tighnari doing some fertilizer replacement, or was that compost? He wasn’t sure, but he was relieved to see the man was still there. To know everything was real. Cyno squinted his eyes, was that a customer? A tall long haired woman entered the flower shop, talking animatedly with Tighnari before walking farther back into the store. The two looked familiar with each other.
Shaking the stupor out of his head, Cyno began to lock up. He didn’t bother to leave the lights on in case of thieves, since the store already had a metal protector that rolled down from the ceiling. Checking every room for potential people, Cyno locked the doors one by one as Itto zipped past with a barely understandable expression of gratitude, tossing Cyno’s backpack to him. At least now he could lock up the break room. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Cyno went to close out the register. To his surprise, Itto had already placed the cash in the secret compartment and left the register open. The biggest bonus was that Itto had successfully closed out the register on his own for the first time. Seems the man was finally settling into the nightly routine, despite him only being here for two weeks.
He stuffed the receipt in his pocket, assuring to himself he would decipher the numbers later. That was where Cyno paused, remembering Tighnari would have to get the pots inside the store somehow. The rest of the locking up could wait till then. The remaining mall goers were scurrying off the premises as Cyno walked out the store, leaning against one of the black pillars bordering the door, backpack being scrunched awkwardly.
The woman from before was led out the store, Tighnari graciously opening the door for her. Cyno was shocked to see a sleeping Collei on the woman’s back before calming down, the woman had a branded apron on. She must be one of Tighnari’s loyal employees.
Cyno could barely hear Tighnari saying, “Goodbye, Rana. Take care of Collei until I’m back.”
“You know I will! Thank you, Master Tighnari!” Rana?- whisper-yelled over her shoulder, walking as fast as she could without unsettling a peacefully resting Collei.
Looking away from the scene, Cyno was met with Tighnari already looking at him with a different smile than usual. This one was…Cyno didn’t know the word, but it made him feel like his knees would give out quicker than usual. The two met each other in the middle, pushing off their respective walls. After the silence reached its peak, Cyno opened his mouth to speak on the flowers, only for Tighnari to beat him to the punch.
“Getting flowers of all things for Halloween, and a week before the holiday no less? Cyno, did you come into my shop under the guise of flowers, just to see Collei and I? Perhaps even, specifically me?” Tighnari asked, crossing his arms in a fake accusatory fashion, leaving no time for pleasantries.
Cyno didn’t respond, watching Tighnari’s lips morph from pursed in thought to a knowing smile. He didn’t expect the conversation to escalate this fast, but at the same time, it was Tighnari he was talking to. The wonderful, painfully blunt Tighnari. Regardless, the florist didn’t have to know he was right. Cyno really did go for the sake of Halloween spirit, but he also went just to see Tighnari. Cyno internally cringed at the verbatim. Looking at him with an eyebrow raised, the two engaged in a staring contest of mirth versus placidity.
“You could have asked Collei to tie your hair.”
Cyno mirrored Tighnari’s body language.
“And you could have gotten something other than flowers for Halloween.”
Tighnari leaned forward, he smelled of grass after rain.
“I know what the flowers mean.”
“I assumed you would learn.”
Cyno would have fired something back, but over the PA an announcement resounded through the mall: Shoppers please exit the building at this time. Shopkeepers, we lock up in ten with lights out in six. He’d heard the same announcement everyday, but it frustrated him now, his train of thought lost.
“Cyno,” Tighnari whispered, “Do you remember the other flower I gave you?”
Cyno wracked his brain, other than lavender and pansies, he didn’t know what other flower. He replied in a low timbre, “Afraid not. Which one?”
“I’m assuming you didn’t search up the Cosmos flower, if you don’t remember it,” Tighnari uncrossed his arms, laying them at his sides. Cyno didn’t take note of it yet, but the man’s apron was off, revealing crisp khakis, a slightly oversized dark green sweater, and a brown bag crossing his body. The sweater's collar was slightly askew, revealing his prominent collarbones. Tighnari looked good in everything. That, he didn’t note. It would be redundant. He’d already etched the fact in his mind everyday, “That’s good. I wasn’t intending to use any flower language for that one, I just thought it would fit the aesthetic of the store.”
“Good indeed.” Cyno’s fingers itched, they’d touched on the topic Cyno had wanted to talk about once and now they were back to their petty little banter. The moment Cyno let his guard down, Tighnari evaded the topic. At his wits end, Cyno asked for what always comes out at the end. The truth, “Do we share the same feelings?”
Tighnari chucked, filling the air with a truly musical sound, “Feelings about what? Being specific is not your strong suit.”
Cyno’s eyes darkened, but Tighnari was unfazed, save for Tighnari’s hands clutching the strap of his bag, “It’s not yours, either. Must I resort to complete honesty?”
“Honesty is the best policy.”
Was Cyno really about to say it? A true confession of love may discourage Tighnari from pursuing something with someone so serious. And something vague wouldn’t get them anywhere. So many words in the English lexicon, but not a single string of them would ever allow him to describe how he felt aloud. He could hear the impatient tapping of feet already, Tighnari usually shifting into this habit when he didn’t get the information he needed. Archons , Cyno wished he could give to man already, but no words came, like his head finally went under the quicksand.
Pulling him back out was the person who set the trap in the first place, proposing a compromise, “Alright, since you obviously aren’t responding, let me raise you this. First you kiss me, and then a plan will stem from the much needed catharsis. Thoughts?”
Cyno was breathless. Yes, yes beyond a shadow of a doubt he was alright with the proposal, swallowing and slowly nodding. Now, Cyno could finally call the smile on Tighnari’s face lovestruck, getting to see its beauty right in front of him. Another PA announcement sounded and Cyno closed the gap between them, taking the extra step that separated the two. Tighnari, ever the initiative taker, draped his hands around Cyno’s neck and tangled his fingers in Cyno’s white messy hair. Echoing Tighnari’s drive, Cyno hooked a thumb under Tighnari’s chin. He lifted the other’s face up ever so slightly, wordlessly telling him, eyes on me. And on him they were, pupils dilated, both the brown and green in Tighnari’s eyes shining.
First on Cyno’s side of the mall, the lights shut down.
Then on Tighnari’s side, the lights shut down.
The only source of light left was the skylight, the moon’s glow pouring through, and under that same glow, the two smitten shop owners’ lips crashed together. It was neither tentative or passionate, it was gentle. Both their lips were no were near soft, but the two could care less, only focusing on the fact the two were finally releasings the feelings they kept bottled up. Tighnari’s fingers hooked under Cyno’s beanie and let it slide off as the florist hungrily seized Cyno’s hair, deepening the kiss. In return, Cyno tugged off Tighnari’s hairtie, letting hair fall around his face, finally feeling the soft strands he’d wanted to touch freely for so long as he cupped the man’s face with both hands. Cyno brushed his ring finger idly over Tighnari’s sole gold earring. Bubbling up in Cyno’s mind was the word again, as he slid his hands down to hold Tighnari’s waist.
Devotion. Devotion. Devotion.
As much as Cyno wanted to kiss Tighnari until sunrise, the two now had less than a minute to close up and leave. The two parted, breathing heavily. Cyno was pulled back into his urge to kiss the man again, seeing Tighnari’s lips kiss-swollen, glossed with saliva, and his gorgeous eyes half-lidded. He didn’t give in, reluctantly removing his hands from the florist’s hips and walking away. The two simultaneously closed their shops, immediately being drawn back to each other, beginning to walk to the front. Luckily, their stores were close to the east entrance, allowing them to waive the consequences they would face if they were farther away.
“Fuck, the flowers.” Cyno cursed, finally remembering the true reason the two had met.
Tighnari began to laugh uncontrollably, staggering as he walked, the laughs only becoming more crazed upon looking at Cyno’s befuddled expression. The florist explained while wiping tears from his eye, “ Archons Cyno, you’re not the only one who can make excuses to see someone. The flowers would be in trouble if they didn’t stay in my store overnight.”
Cyno’s pensive expression finally cleared as he understood. Tighnari finally settled down, his tone becoming normally conversational, “Speaking of excuses to see someone, are you free on Sunday? The mall closes for Halloween because of -well I’m sure you know- so you don’t have to fret about work.”
Cyno knew alright, he didn’t want to think about the Halloween Crisis of ‘09 either, so don’t hope for any further information.
“What about Collei, is anyone free to take care of her?”
“You didn’t let me finish, Cyno. I’m inviting you over to my apartment.”
“You say that as if I know where your apartment is. I don’t recall ever receiving an address.”
“Come by tomorrow during your break and I’ll give it to you.”
Tighnari lips had never shifted into anything other than a smile during the conversation, and Cyno felt a slight upturn to his own lips as well. Fuck, my beanie is still on the floor, Cyno remembered before the ding of the PA system drowned out his thoughts. The announcement gave a 30 second warning, and Tighnari’s eyes had a competitive fire to them. As tired as he was, Cyno couldn’t back down from a challenge, and he could always grab the beanie the day after. Tighnari had a head start, already beginning to run towards the exit. Now racing Tighnari out the mall with an air of exhilaration, Cyno listened to the florist’s joyous taunts like the infatuated fool he was. Talk about the holidays bringing people together.
-
To err is to human, fellow shopkeep, meaning that I am practically inhumane with how my plan had no errs.
Your reasoning is a tower of cards that can be tumbled with a couple words: humans have free will. The man could have chosen a different route, and you would stand an even bigger ignoramus than you already are.
Ignoring the rude comment, I placed many failsafes and checks to ensure that my plan would work. The only one standing a fool is you, Scribe.
Such as bribing a poor employee and two innocent mall goers to plant ideas into someone’s head? Hardly a failsafe in my correct opinion. Why interfere with love-lives just to act like a goody-two-shoes?
The poor suffer from the rich's wealth. Thus the rich should give away their wealth for a good purpose.' says the sage Zolfikar. My actions are perfectly justified.
On one hand, you are -by no means- rich. On the other, he never said that.
He did.
No, he never said that. And you'll pay for your drinks this month.
I won't argue with you about this. But give me a month. I'll prove that he said it and that my gentle nudges onto the correct path were of use to the two. You’ll be spared from their pining, have I not done you a great service?
A great service would be you paying for your own drinks this month.