Chapter Text
It was a sunny afternoon when Yunho decided to stop by the flower shop his best friend Mingi always raved about. After spending a couple of years in the US, Yunho was finally back in Korea, and the first thing he wanted to do was surprise Mingi. He figured stopping by the shop unannounced would be the perfect way to reconnect.
The bell above the door jingled as Yunho pushed it open, the fragrant smell of flowers immediately filling the air. The shop was smaller than he expected but cozy, with an abundance of blooms in every possible color, making the space feel vibrant and alive. Yunho’s eyes scanned the room, expecting to see Mingi at the counter, but instead, he was greeted by the back of a young man—bent over a large bucket, watering the plants with a focused expression.
Unaware of Yunho's presence, the young man swung his arm back carelessly, holding a watering can that was still dripping with water. Before Yunho could react, a splash of cold water hit him directly on the chest.
“Hey!” Yunho yelped, stumbling back in shock. His crisp white shirt was now soaked with water, the liquid trickling down and darkening the fabric.
The man—Jongho—whipped around at the sound of Yunho’s voice. His eyes widened for a split second before narrowing into an unimpressed glare.
“Maybe don’t stand so close next time,” Jongho said, not bothering to apologize as he stood up straight, putting the watering can aside with a shrug.
Yunho’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me? You’re the one splashing water everywhere!”
Jongho crossed his arms over his chest, looking Yunho up and down. “It’s a flower shop. You should expect some water here and there. What did you think, everything’s just dry and spotless like your fancy clothes?”
Yunho glanced down at his now ruined shirt and muttered under his breath. “Fancy clothes... these are new.”
Jongho smirked, clearly catching the comment. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I ruin your precious designer outfit? Maybe next time you can wear something more... practical when you step into *my* shop.”
Yunho shot him an incredulous look, hands on his hips. “Your shop? I thought this place belonged to Mingi.”
Jongho raised an eyebrow, surprised that this stranger knew his brother’s name. “Well, technically, yeah, but I run things around here. Why? You a friend or something?”
“A friend or something?” Yunho mimicked, annoyance creeping into his voice. “I’m his best friend, thank you very much. I’ve known him longer than you’ve probably been alive.”
Jongho scoffed, refusing to be outdone. “Oh really? If you’re such a close friend, why haven’t I heard anything about you?”
Yunho blinked, surprised. “He’s never mentioned Yunho to you?”
“Yunho?” Jongho tilted his head, acting as though he was racking his brain. “Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell.”
Now Yunho was the one crossing his arms. “I just came back from the US. We’ve been best friends since college.”
Yunho want to continue the argument but then Jongho throw the dry towel that he take under the table counter and glare at him
"Mingi will be here soon. You have option either leave with that soaked wet clothes or stay until Mingi come"
30 minutes later,
Jongho glanced at Yunho, still drying off the counter and trying to ignore the fact that he had just soaked a man he didn’t even know. His irritation was starting to fade, but there was something about this Yunho guy that really got under his skin.
Yunho, meanwhile, was still wringing out his soaked shirt, muttering something about "ruined first impressions" under his breath. He glanced at Jongho and smirked. "So, is this your idea of customer service, or do you just splash everyone who walks in?"
Jongho didn’t miss a beat. "Only the ones who look like they could use a cold shower."
Yunho narrowed his eyes but couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped out. "You know, for someone who works here, you're really good at making people never want to come back."
Jongho crossed his arms, matching Yunho’s energy. "And for someone who claims to be my brother’s *best* friend, you’re not doing a great job of getting on my good side."
"Your brother?" Yunho raised an eyebrow, finally catching on. He tilted his head slightly, curiosity piqued. "Who are you, exactly?"
Before Jongho could answer, Mingi strolled back over with a bouquet of sunflowers in hand, still completely oblivious to the tension hanging in the air. " Yunho, You’re here? How are you" Mingi asked, and hug him tightly.
Yunho shot a glance at Jongho, then back at Mingi. "Well, it’s… wetter than I expected."
Jongho smirked, and Mingi blinked, confused. "Wetter? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing," Jongho jumped in, putting on his most innocent smile. "Just a little mishap with the watering can. Totally not Yunho’s fault for standing in the way, right?"
Yunho shot him a look, but Mingi just laughed, still not picking up on the underlying tension. "Typical Yunho. Always causing trouble."
Yunho pointed at himself, incredulous. "Me? You think I’m the troublemaker here?"
Mingi shook his head and patted Yunho on the back, grinning. "You’ve always been like this. Remember that time you accidentally knocked over my whole plate of food at that party? You were just like—oh!" His eyes widened suddenly, and his grin grew even bigger as he shifted gears. "Speaking of family, Yunho, do you remember my brother?"
Yunho blinked, feeling like a puzzle piece was about to click into place. "Your brother? Uh, kinda? You used to talk about him all the time back in the day. You called him... what was it, ‘Hoho’? The kid who followed you around everywhere?"
Jongho’s cheeks flushed at the mention of his old nickname, his heart doing an embarrassing little flip. He quickly turned away, pretending to rearrange some flowers, hoping to avoid eye contact.
Mingi nodded, his grin widening. "Yeah, that Hoho! You two actually met before, but it’s been so long, you probably don’t even remember—"
Before Mingi could finish, Jongho interrupted, his voice tight. "Hyung, you don’t have to tell him everything. Besides, we’re not here to talk about me."
Mingi gave his brother a playful nudge. "Oh, come on, Hoho, don’t be shy. You used to have the biggest crush on Yunho, remember?"
Jongho whipped around, eyes wide with panic. "Hyung!" he hissed, his voice a mix of anger and embarrassment.
Yunho froze for a second, trying to process what Mingi just said. "Wait… hold on. You had a crush on me?"
Jongho shot Mingi the deadliest glare he could muster before turning back to Yunho with an awkward laugh. "No, no, no. He’s exaggerating. I was a kid. Kids are dumb, you know?"
Mingi laughed, clearly enjoying the chaos he’d just stirred up. "You were like, what, thirteen? And you wouldn’t stop talking about how cool Yunho was."
Jongho wanted to sink into the floor. "Mingi, seriously, just—stop."
Yunho, however, was starting to connect the dots, his eyes flicking between Mingi and Jongho. "Wait, wait. Hold on a second. So you’re Mingi’s little brother? The same kid who used to hang around us all the time? You’re Hoho?"
Jongho grimaced, giving Yunho a half-hearted glare. "Please don’t call me that. I’m not a kid anymore."
Yunho stared at him for a moment, realization dawning. "Wow. I didn’t even recognize you. You’re, uh... definitely not the same kid I remember."
Jongho raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Yeah, well, people grow up, Yunho. Maybe you should try it sometime."
Yunho couldn’t help but grin. "So you had a crush on me, huh?"
Jongho rolled his eyes, trying to act like it didn’t bother him, even though his heart was practically racing. "I was thirteen. Everyone has bad taste at that age."
Mingi burst out laughing again, completely oblivious to the awkward tension between the two. "You should’ve seen him back then, Yunho. He used to follow you around like a lost puppy."
"Okay, that’s enough," Jongho muttered, face burning with embarrassment. He turned his back to the two of them, pretending to busy himself with the flowers, but he could still feel Yunho’s amused gaze on him.
Yunho stepped closer, his tone teasing. "So, if I’m remembering correctly... you liked my style back then. Thought I was ‘cool’, huh?"
Jongho turned around sharply, his flustered expression immediately turning defensive. "Like I said, bad taste. I’ve learned better since then."
"Clearly," Yunho smirked. "Because soaking someone with water is a great way to start over."
Jongho glared at him, his arms crossed again. "I told you, it was an accident."
"Right," Yunho said, dragging out the word, clearly enjoying how flustered Jongho was becoming. "An accident."
Mingi finally stopped laughing and looked between the two, blinking as he started to realize the tension was more than just bickering. "Wait... are you two okay?"
"Oh, we’re fine," Jongho snapped, his voice tight. "Absolutely *fine*."
Yunho chuckled, giving Mingi a knowing look. "Yeah, we’re just getting reacquainted."
Jongho glared at Yunho one last time before turning back to Mingi, completely done with the situation. "Anyway, don’t you have something else to do? Go hang out with your best friend or whatever. I’ve got work."
"Aw, come on, Hoho, don’t be mad," Mingi teased, poking his brother in the side.
"Don’t. Call. Me. Hoho," Jongho grumbled, brushing Mingi’s hand away.
Yunho grinned, clearly entertained by how riled up Jongho had gotten. "Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you around a lot more, Hoho."
Jongho clenched his jaw, clearly holding back some choice words. "Looking forward to it," he said flatly, before walking to the back of the shop, desperate to escape.
As soon as Jongho disappeared, Mingi turned to Yunho, oblivious as ever. "So, what do you think? Cute shop, right?"
Yunho smirked, his mind still replaying the awkward tension with Jongho. "Yeah. Cute shop. But your brother... way cuter."
Mingi blinked. "Huh?"
Yunho shrugged, that smirk never leaving his face. "Nothing. Just thinking how interesting this is gonna get."
---
Over the next few weeks, Yunho found himself returning to the flower shop more often. At first, it was to catch up with Mingi, but soon enough, he found himself looking forward to his interactions with Jongho. The teasing never stopped, but there was something different now—something softer underneath all the bickering.
One afternoon, Yunho walked into the shop as usual, watching as Jongho arranged flowers by the window.
"Hey, water boy," Yunho called out.
Jongho didn’t even look up. "Still holding onto that? You really need to move on."
"How can I? It was a traumatic experience," Yunho said dramatically, making his way over to where Jongho was standing.
Jongho finally glanced up, rolling his eyes. "Traumatic. Sure."
Yunho leaned on the counter, watching him work. "So, how’s the flower arranging business treating you? Still throwing water at unsuspecting customers?"
"Only the annoying ones," Jongho shot back with a smirk.
Yunho grinned. "So, I’m special, huh?"
Jongho paused, his smirk faltering just for a moment before he turned back to his work. "You wish."
Yunho noticed the slight hesitation and felt his heart skip a beat. Over the past few weeks, he’d found himself drawn to Jongho in a way that went beyond their playful banter. There was something about him—his quiet confidence, his dry humor, the way he tried so hard to hide his flustered reactions whenever Yunho got too close.
"You know," Yunho started, leaning in a little closer, "you’ve gotten better at this."
Jongho glanced at him warily. "At what?"
"Not getting embarrassed," Yunho said with a smirk. "Though, I think I can still get to you."
Jongho’s cheeks flushed slightly, but he held his ground. "You’re really full of yourself, aren’t you?"
Yunho chuckled. "Maybe. But you like it."
Jongho opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Mingi popped out from the back room, carrying a bunch of flowers. "Am I interrupting something?"
Both Yunho and Jongho jumped, and Mingi raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying himself. "Honestly, you two are ridiculous."
Jongho groaned. "Mingi, seriously."
"What? I’m just saying, it’s like watching a sitcom. You bicker like an old married couple."
Jongho looked ready to throttle his brother, but Yunho just grinned, watching the interaction with amusement. "He’s got a point, you know."
Jongho shot him a glare. "Don’t encourage him."
Mingi chuckled, setting the flowers down and shaking his head. "Well, I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it. I’ve got deliveries to make."
As Mingi left the room, Yunho turned to Jongho with a teasing smile. "Lovebirds, huh?"
Jongho shook his head, clearly flustered. "Ignore him. He’s just trying to mess with us."
"Is he?" Yunho asked, stepping a little closer. "Or maybe he’s onto something."
Jongho’s eyes widened slightly, but he quickly turned away, focusing back on the flowers. "You’re ridiculous."
Yunho’s grin softened, and he leaned down just enough to catch Jongho’s eye again. "Maybe. But you like me anyway."
Jongho didn’t respond at first, his hands stilling over the flowers. Finally, he let out a
soft sigh, glancing up at Yunho. "Maybe."
Yunho’s smile grew, and for the first time, he didn’t tease or push further. Instead, he just stood there, content with that small, quiet admission. Maybe was good enough for now.