Work Text:
Tsukasa slips through the shop door. His arrival is announced by a happy jingle from a little bell on the door, and instantly, the floral aroma of all sorts of flowers fill his nose– roses, hyacinth, lavender, forget-me-nots– and instantly give the air a springy cheer.
He steps over petals on the floor and past hanging baskets and shiny glass vases through the store. A snakelike vine creeps from beside the register, curling a young green tendril down to the tiled floor. Shadows are faint as sun streams in from all sides and countless windows with flyers taped in the corners.
Tsukasa finds the sweet old lady who runs the shop– a lifelong gardener who passed on her love of plants to her daughter, who become a botanist, and who has pictures of her kids and grandkids all plastered on the wall behind the register– gently watering a daylily.
“Hello, Auntie,” He greets cheerfully. He flashes her a smile and she lowers the watering can, old and thin slips stretching into a smile. “How have you been?”
“Tsukasa! It’s good to see you, dear,” She says happily. She sets her watering can down. “Is Miss Saki doing well?”
“She’s doing fine, just had a fever scare, she’s in this week to see if it gets any worse.” He says. “I came to get her some flowers to make it livelier in her room.”
The granny pats his arm and begins to shuffle towards her pot of white hyacinth by the window. She looks toward the register and to a little brown stool in the corner.
“Rui!” She calls. “Could you stop tinkering for a moment and get me a vase and yellow ribbon?”
On the stool, a boy about Tsukasa’s age and a little taller than he is, puts down a screwdriver and a heap of metal and wires and slides to his feet. He doesn’t look at them as he crouches down and carefully takes a glass vase off of a shelf behind the counter.
The granny snips a handful of hyacinth from her plants, gently holding them as the sound of a sink filling a vase somewhere in the background starts up.
A few more snips to a spring crocus, the sharp sound of scissors on ribbon. A white lily taken from the plant, and the shuffle of feet to the counter. Tsukasa waits patiently as she approaches the boy– Rui– where he fumbles with the ribbon on the vase. She drops the flowers in and arranges them, all as the yellow ribbon continues to slip out of pale and callused fingers.
“How about you do the register and I tie the bow, dear,” The old woman laughs sweetly. “I’ll show you how to tie them later.”
“Alright, grandma.” Defeated, the boy steps away and lets the yellow grosgrain ribbon fall to the counter. He watches his feet and walks like a dog with its tail between its legs to the register.
He lifts his eyes up to look at Tsukasa once he reaches the register. They scan over him momentarily, and slightly, they widen. He meets Tsuaksa’s and he pauses, then crams his eyes shut and shakes his head.
“What flowers did you get…?” He asks, lifting up a pricing guide to his face, avoiding eye contact with a small, embarrassed flush on his cheeks. The blond smiles at him and looks at the vase. Old fingers deftly tie together a bow around the glass.
“Hyacinth, crocus, and lily!” He lists proudly. The boy punches in some numbers, then a few more numbers, then he pushes a card reader forward.
“That’s $12.12, do you want a card with that?” He asks, still avoiding the blond’s eyes. His lemon-lime eyes keep darting between the numbers and the guide, occasionally flashing towards Tsukasa’s chest, then aborting mission the moment he finds then climbing higher.
He takes a glance at the rack of cards. “Do you have any get well soon cards?”
Rui leans over the counter to look at the rack, scrunches his nose, and looks at the granny. Eloquently, he says, “Uh, grandma…”
She walks over and sets the vase down on the counter in front of Tsukasa. Her platinum hair has the slightest violet tint to it when he squints.
“Do we have any get well soon cards?” He parrots the question. “There’s none up here, are there any in the back?”
She hums for a moment and looks towards the back room, shrugging. “You can take a look.”
Rui scurries into the back room. His grandmother laughs out a sigh and shakes her head, looking at the item he’d be fidgeting with earlier. Now that he’s up close, Tsukasa can make out a circuit board and propellers connected to the wires.
Idly, she brushes the flowers and adjusts invisible details. “Sorry about my grandson, he’s a little…scatterbrained. He’s switching schools and I think he’s nervous.”
“Where’s he switching to?” Tsukasa asks. He leans on the counter and studies the well-cared for flowers. The healthy stems and vibrant petals welcome his eyes to their sight and offer their faint fragrance.
“He’s switching to Kamiyama– he’s at a high end, elite school and it’s too strict for him, he keeps getting in trouble, so he’s switching halfway through the year.” She replies.
Tsukasa perks up. “That’s where I go! What year is he?”
“A first year.”
“Oh, we’re in the same year!” The blond beams. “He might be in my classes.”
The woman opens her mouth to say something, but Rui comes back from the back room empty handed. He shakes his head, still unable to meet Tsukasa’s eyes.
“There aren’t any sympathy cards, sorry…” He mumbles. Then he clears his throat, lifts his eyes up to the blond’s, and pushes the card reader forward. “Your total is $12.12.”
The woman shuffles off to pick up her watering can and begins tending to a rosebush near the doorway. Tsukasa swipes his card, and takes his vase with a big grin and wave. The boy gives a tenative wave back and fidgets with his sleeve.
On his way out the door, the granny stops him briefly. With a warm smile, she glances back to her grandson as he begins to furiously twist his screwdriver.
“If you see him at school, take good care of him for me.”
Tsukasa looks back at him, gives a little smile himself, and nods. “I will.”
It isn’t until a week afterwards that Tsukasa finally gets a glimpse of Rui at Kamiyama. He’s in uniform, breaking a handful of dresscode rules, and writing in his notebook as he goes towards the rooftop. Instead of going to his usual lunch spot, Tsukasa spins on his heel and follows him up.
He opens the heavy doors with a loud click and scans for the boy, who is positively engrossed in his notebook. Sitting on the ground with an ignored lunchbox at his side, he flips between pages and checks his phone back and forth.
The blond prances up to him and casts a long shadow over him, standing at his side. With eyes wide as the moon and frightened like a rabbit’s, Rui looks up at him and stops writing.
“Can I sit with you?” Tsukasa asks.
The boy seems to shrink, looking away, then nodding slightly. He swallows hard. “Uh, sure, that’s okay…”
“What are you writing?” Tsukasa asks, setting his bag down and sitting down. He leans over to see the boy’s notebook, who leans away and twists it out of sight.
He hesitates, briefly, then moves the page into sight. Quietly and a little ashamed, he mumbles, “A…script. For a play.”
Tsukasa lights up. “No way! I didn’t know you were into theater! I’m going to be a star– the greatest to ever shine! I, magnificent Tenma Tsukasa, will be the most famous to ever grace the stage!"
He strikes a pose where he sits. A mixed look of confusion and relief falls over Rui’s expression, before he sighs and points to certain lines in the script.
“I do it mostly for fun, since I know I’ll never have the chance to actually make them real…” He pauses, then clears his throat. “This one is about two princes who are separated by their kingdom's ideals. They’re represented by black and white– the symbols for both kingdoms are lilies in their respective colours. They sneak into each other’s parties just to see each other.”
“Are they in love?” Tsukasa asks. Rui looks at the notes he’s written off to the side, then glances at Tsukasa, and makes a thoughtful sound.
“The black lily isn’t sure yet.” He says finally. “He and the white lily don’t know each other well enough yet to tell if he’s in love.”
“I think it’s the perfect premise for a thrilling romance! In fact, the white lily should fight for the black lily and for his love! He slaughters anyone who tries to get between them and keep them apart!” The blond mimics a sword, striking a pose and laughing triumphantly.
For the rest of lunch, Rui explains his script to Tsukasa. Then lunch is over, and the rest of the day passes by fast. The blond waits at the gate for the boy to pass by, rocking on his feet expectantly.
When Rui leaves the school gates, Tsukasa nearly pounces on him.
“Hey!” He greets, beaming. The boy goes rigid and his spine straightens, wheeling around to look at the blond.
“Were you seriously waiting for me?” Rui asks, narrowing his eyes. Tsukasa nods vigorously and pats his back.
“Of course! I’m going back to your grandma’s shop to get my sister some flowers! She’s in the hospital.” He says, a little calmer. “She had a health scare, but she’s probably gonna be out soon!”
“Oh, sorry she’s not well. I’d say tell her to get better, but…I don’t know her, so–” Rui starts, fidgeting with his pockets.
“Do you want to? If it’s okay, I’ll get the flowers and take you to see her in the hospital!” Tsukasa invites. Rui looks at him blankly, then shakes his head.
“My grandma probably won’t let me skip work, and I don’t want to freak your sister out.” Rui smiles half-heartedly. “Go ahead without me.”
The rest of the walk to the flower shop is filled with idle chatter, before they both scurry into the store as a cheerful ring announces their presence.
Rui pads back to the counter, setting his school bag down. His grandma shuffles out of the back room, pulling off a pair of gardening gloves. She waves at the blond happily, eyes crinkling at the edges with her warm smile.
“Hello, dear! Have you come to restock Miss Saki’s flowers?” She asks, shuffling towards the pot of hyacinth. Tsukasa nods.
“She caught a bug passed around her school, her antibodies didn’t react in time.” He says, idly studying the leaves of a nearby lilac bush. His eyes drift up to see Rui. He stands still and when they meet eyes, he looks away quickly and beings to busy himself. Tsukasa looks back at the flowers. “I want to keep her flowers fresh and lively.”
“Same as usual?” The granny asks.
The blond nods, and as she reaches for her scissors, Rui hurries over and places his hand over them before she can pick them up. He huffs and looks at her, laughing awkwardly.
“Uh, I’ll get his flowers! I want to practice, uh, doing bouquets for customers. Don’t worry.” He says. He grips them so hard that his knuckles turn white.
After blinking at him wordlessly for a moment, Rui’s grandmother just chuckles and pats his arm. “Well, if you insist.”
She shuffles away at that, and Rui looks at Tsukasa with a wimpy and lopsided grin. He looks at the pot, swallows hard, and then back to the blond. “Uh, what…what flowers do you usually get?”
Tsukasa laughs. “Usually it’s hyacinth, crocus, and a lily.”
“Right, right, gotcha,” Rui says, snipping the stems and bundling them in his hand. He trims the hyacinth off and then slips to the crocus, picking a few out. “So, uh, how…how’s your day been?”
“Not…bad?” Tsukasa says, furrowing his brow. An amused smile crosses his face. Rui nods as he trims a lily off.
“That’s good…uh, is this it?” He asks, holding the flowers up. Tsukasa nods, then shuffles to the counter while Rui pauses. He waits patiently by the register.
The boy fills up and arranges a vase while he tries to ring up the register, looking between them and nearly knocking over the glass vase. On the counter beside it, a gardenia lies, exempt from the vase.
“That’s $12.12.” Rui says, picking up a yellow ribbon. Tsukasa opens his wallet. From the corner of his eye, he catches sight of the pictures behind the register. In the one he sees, a little kid is sitting st the dinner table, pushing away a plate of salad as far as his small arms could reach.
If he squints, Tsukasa can makeout two cyan pieces of hair in the mass of lilac. He looks at the boy behind the register and it clicks. That’s him, as a little kid. His grandma put up a picture of him. Tsukasa resists the urge to giggle.
As Rui ties a ribbon around the neck, the blond shoves his card in the reader. After he pulls the bow tight, the boy takes a smaller, red ribbon and ties a bow around the gardenia stem.
“Here’s this…” He tears the receipt out of the machine, then hands Tsukasa the vase with one hand. Then, he picks up the gardenia, refusing to meet the blond’s eyes, and he says, “And here’s this.”
“Oh, I didn’t buy this,” Tsukasa says. Rui nods.
“Yeah, I know, it’s…it’s from me. Don’t worry.” He stammers, lifting his other hand to cover his face. He holds the gardenia towards the boy and waves it. “Because, uh, your sister’s in the hospital, but…what about you, y’know? Sorry, it’s kinda random, but…Aha, uh–”
“Thank you!” Tsukasa beams, taking the gardenia. He looks at the leaves and petals, giving it a sniff. He smiles at the boy warmly. “I’ll take good care of this!”
A wide of greenish-yellow eyes widen when he meets them, then look away quickly and nod furiously. “You’re welcome.”
Tsukasa begins to walk towards the door, waving at Rui with his award-winning grin on full display. Before he steps outside, he makes sure to catch Rui’s eyes one last time.
“See you tomorrow, Rui.” He says.
Behind the counter, the boy almost faints.
For the following weeks, flowers mysteriously appear in Tsukasa’s wake– on his desk, in his shoe locker, in his bag, even one manages to appear in his lunchbox.
They’re all sorts of flowers, and every one of them can be traced back to the school gardens. Tsukasa’s narrowed the culprit (secret admirer?) down to someone on the greening committee, then someone he knows, and…comes up short.
“It’s been weeks!” He groans, hands in his hair. He stares at the table, hunting in his memories for any clues. “Ever since you got out of the hospital, someone’s been leaving me flowers!”
Saki tilts her head, tapping her chin in throught. “Have you checked who’s on the greening committee?”
“I’ve looked through the list, only Rui’s on there that I know.” He mumbles.
“And you’re sure it’s not him? Doesn’t he work at a flower shop?” His sister tries, looking at the latest blossoms. A rose, of all things, was on the table between them.
“I don’t see why he’d give me flowers, frankly,” Tsukasa huffs. “Or why he’d be sneaky about it.”
“Embarrassment?” Saki offers. “Or maybe he wants you to figure it out?”
“...I’ll ask him.” Tsukasa finally mumbles. “But I don’t think it’s him.”
“You haven’t asked him yet?”
“No? It never crossed my mind, really,” Tsukasa says, picking up his phone. “I don’t think he has a reason to give me flowers.”
“Tsukasa, I’m gonna hold your hand when I say this,” Saki laughs, playfully placing her hand over her brother’s. He furrows his brow and gives her a curious look. “He’s given you flowers before.”
“From the store, yeah, because he felt bad for me!” Tsukasa says exasperatedly.
“You’re very dense.” Saki pats his hand and retracts hers, crossing her arms. She studies her brother for a moment, then shakes her head. “Try giving him a gift and see what happens.”
“Why?”
“To gauge a reaction!” Saki claps. “What’s he like? Maybe bake him something!”
They brainstorm for what feels like eternity, before finally deciding on a plan of action. Tsukasa sharpens his finest acting skills in the mirror before bed that night. He cracks his knuckles, stretches, and lies down with anticipation flooding through his veins.
Before school, before anything else, Tsukasa runs to the flower shop. It opens early– Rui’s grandma is an early riser, and her shop isn’t much different. He runs with the only sounds are faint crowd chatter beginning to form and the sound of his shoes scraping the sidewalk as he pushes off with every step.
He opens the door and holds out his card, panting for air, and hands on his knees. He looks up to see the sweet grandmother looking at him like he’a a ghost.
After a moment of heaving for air, he stands up straight and looks her in the eyes. “What’s Rui’s favourite flower?”
Five minutes later, he walks out with a full bouquet of red tulips and roses. He basically books it to the gates of Kamiyama, then makes a mad dash to Rui’s shoe locker to shove the bouquet inside. He makes his moves all before the boy can catch a glimpse of him, then goes about his day as usual.
He finds flowers everywhere during the day. There’s daisies in his seat, there’s asters in his bag, there’s rose petals in his locker.
The next day, Tsukasa gets a white lily and places it in Rui’s shoe locker. He finds a black one in his own the day after. It becomes an alternating pattern– Tsukasa leaves the purest, whitest lillies, and supposedly, some total mystery secret admirer who’s name totally doesn’t start with ‘R’ and end in ‘–ui’ leaves the deepest, abyssmal black lilies in response.
It happens all year. Through the thick of exam season, in the busy school festivals, and on even the most mundane of days, there will inevitably be a lily awaiting.
They never bring it up– it’s a mutual, unspoken agreement. Neither of them ever once comment on the flowers. Rui hesitates and gets flustered when he tells Tsukasa about his play. He can’t keep a straight face when he brings up the two princes, he can’t hold a coherent thought when he talks about the white lily’s prince, and he doesn’t confirm or deny if the black lily is in love.
They play this game until spring. The trees turn green and pink, the air turns fresher, and flowers spring up naturally– in the cracks of the sidewalk, in the school gardens, along the walk home. Everything becomes a new beginning, a season of change, a season of ambition.
Tsukasa writes a letter. He spends hours on it, tapping his pen to his lip, wadding up drafts and throwing them out, musing to himself over it. The final version that he settles on is flawless, a true display of his natural mastery of poetry and prose. It reads:
Please meet me beneath the pretty trees along the east side of the school!!
He signs it, too, in a codename.
With love,
White Lily
So, anxiously, bright and early on Monday morning, he places it in Rui’s shoe locker alongside another lily. Anticipation fills his veins and he simply can’t wait for his reply, mulling over it all day, and even slightly nervous.
When he finally sees a response in his locker, complete with the petals of a black lily, he nearly squeals like a girl. He unfolds it manically, as if it was life or death to read the words. Then his jeart sinks. The letter is blunt, short, sharp.
Dear White Lily,
No. Instead, meet me tomorrow on the rooftop after school.
Yours,
Black Lily.
The handwriting is undeniably Rui’s, he’s seen it in his notebook. Out of some basic protest, Tsukasa’s correspondance the following morning reads:
Dear Black Lily,
The rooftop won’t work at all! We’re there for lunch every day, can’t you pick somewhere more befitting?
With love (and irritation),
White Lily
His not-so-secret admirer has a reply that afternoon, once the final bell rings, and Tsukasa huffs as he reads it. His face scrunches into a pout.
Dear White Lily,
You’re quite picky, aren’t you? If you insist on somewhere “befitting” for whatever it is you intend to do, then by all means, suggest a place.
Still yours,
Black Lily.
Fuming, the blond writes:
My dear, sweet Black Lily,
Get your act together and pick somewhere at least mildly eye-pleasing! Rooftops aren’t exactly the most scenic spot. Sigh.
With wavering love,
White Lily!!!!!!
Tsukasa furiously scribbles a response on that same paper, shoves it in Rui’s locker, and walks to the flower shop. The boy is already sitting behind the counter when he arrives, fiddling with a piece of machinery. Tsukasa strides in with no intention to buy flowers– he’ll do it when this stubborn loverboy can finally settle on a location with him.
He stands over Rui, completely pushing his frustration out of mind. Before the boy can even look up, Tsukasa pesters him with questions.
“So, what’s your favourite animal?” He starts, setting his school bag on the floor beside him and bringing a stool to the counter. He rests his chin in his hand, watching Rui’s startled expression ease when he sees the blond. “I know you’ve shown me pictures of your chicken in a tie, but I know it’s not chickens.”
Rui sets down his screwdriver and tweezers and machinery. He studies Tsukasa. “How astute of an observation. Do you have a guess as to my favourite animal?”
"Well, knowing you, it’s something weird,” The blond laughs. “I just can’t decide if it’s a deep-sea monstrosity or some type of fictional creature.”
“Well, you’re close– it was thought to be a hoax before it’s existence was confirmed. My favourite animal is a platypus.” Rui smiles. “I have all sorts of facts on them, too. Do you want to hear about them?”
The blond beams at him. “Of course!”
On his way home that night, Tsukasa stops at the mall and buys a platypus plushie.
The next morning, Tsukasa finds his letter unanswered. It isn’t until that afternoon he gets an answer. He taps his foot impatiently the whole time he awaits, only stopping once he unfolds this letter.
To my somewhat beloved White Lily,
Did you genuinely write out ‘Sigh’? Regardless, Kamiyama isn’t exactly a prime scenic location, my dear. I’ll let you decide before the weekend. On Friday, I’ll go where you say to spare us the trouble.
Yours,
Black Lily
Tsukasa, rather proud with himself, writes his reply with a triumphant fervor.
Dear Black Lily,
I’m glad you see reason! We shall rendevous on the rooftop Friday after school, then! I shall see you there!!
With love,
White Lily
On Friday morning, Tsukasa buys a grand bouquet. Roses that are nothing but the finest shades of red, baby’s breath, and white lilies that are blindingly pure. He blows his entire allowance on it.
He hides the flowers in a classroom that Tsukasa is certain Rui has never stepped foot into. Until the final bell rings, they sit in the window of an empty classroom on the first-year’s wing of the school, gathering sun.
There was no letter in his locker that morning, for whatever reason. He almost spoils his surprise at lunch by talking about the flowers, but holds his ground against the flower boy well. He’s impressed with himself.
The last bell rings. Tsukasa bolts to the empty classroom to gather his flowers, scoops them into his arms, and makes a beeline to the rooftop. His premeditated scheme was in full force, about to be complete. He rocks on his heels with the bundle of flowers hidden behind his back.
It’s not long before the doors open and Rui cautiously strides over. For the first time, Tsukasa feels nervous. His heart rate picks up and his blood feels freezing and boiling at the same time. His palms start sweating.
“Rui!” He shouts, voice wavering. His legs begin to tremble. He quivers when he locks eyes with the boy, then squares his shoulders. “So you received my letters!”
“I did. I’ll admit, I was a little worried it was a prank, but…” Rui looks him up and down, then regards him with a warm smile. “I’m relieved to see it’s you.”
The blond fights off the urge to puke from excitement. He instead nods vigorously and allows a massive grin to stretch over his face, stepping a little bit closer.
“Of course! I used a codename only you would understand, of course, to enact my elaborate scheme!” He gushes. Rui tilts his head with a slightly knowing smile and crosses his arms.
“Pray tell, what’s the ultimate goal of this scheme?” He purrs. Tsukasa swallows hard and jerks the bouquet towards Rui, drawing it like a sword. He crams his eyes shut and takes a deep breath.
He clears his throat. “Your flowers have won me over!! Allow me to return the gesture!!”
Cautiously, he cracks open one eye and looks for Rui’s reaction. He stands there blankly for a moment, face slowly turning red the longer he stays still. Tsukasa opens both eyes, blinking at the boy dumbly. They both stare at each other silently.
Tsukasa scrunches his nose and waves the flowers at Rui. He snaps with his free hand, and the taller of the two blinks himself back to reality.
“You…Uh…” He fumbles, looking at the flowers. He takes them from the blond and holds them close to his chest. He clears his throat. “You know how, uh, at the start of the year, you asked if the Black Lily prince was in love with the White Lily?”
Tsukasa nods. “Of course, you said you weren’t sure yet.”
Rui looks down at the flowers for a moment, then back at Tsukasa. He swallows hard and traces rose petals idly as he looks at the blond.
“I figured it out.” He says. “He is terribly head over heels for the White Lily.”
Tsukasa grins and rushes forward, slinging his arms around Rui, crashing into him and knocking them off balance. Rui stumbles back and wraps his arm around the blond, trying to leave some room for the bouquet.
“Careful, there’s thorns on the roses–” Rui tries, and Tsukasa recoils immediately and shrieks, then swats it out of Rui’s hand. The boy looks at his now-empty hand, then up at Tsukasa.
They look at each other blankly, then begin to laugh. Tsukasa grabs his hand and laces their fingers together. He glances at the flowers lying on the rooftop beside him and leans into Rui.
“So,” He mumbles. “Uh…What…what are we?”
Rui runs his hand through Tsukasa’s hair and lets out a contented huff. “I know I’m yours.”
Tsukasa groans into his cardigan. “You’re cheesy…but I guess that means it’s mutual.”