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Seishiro likes working at the flower shop. Well, likes is putting it strongly, but things could be worse. His boss is easy-going, permitting him to take naps in the backroom when the shop is slow, which is more often than not lately. Sometimes Seishiro wonders if his boss is worried about the decline in sales, but he personally isn't bothered that much. As long as he has a job, then it's fine. His tasks are typically limited to ordering flowers and other supplies, as well as answering the phone if his boss is already assisting customers in the shop.
However, Seishiro probably should have paid more attention when his boss was speaking to him, because it comes as more of a shock than it should when they tell him that their last day at the store will be in a couple weeks.
"Ehh?"
Looking at him with a puzzled expression, his boss explains, "I told you this was only temporary for me. I think two years was more than enough, really. I'm going back to school for my master's."
"Oh…in what?"
They roll their eyes and Seishiro guesses they'd probably already told him this too.
"Business. You think I ever wanted to run a flower shop?"
"Well, I don't know. It doesn't seem too bad."
"Yeah, of course it wouldn't from your perspective. All you have to do is a few basic tasks while taking naps in between. Listen, good luck with your new boss."
The conversation quickly vanishes from Seishiro's mind and he's content to return to his nap when his boss returns to the front counter. And if his boss says anything to him before his last day, Seishiro doesn't remember, because he fails to be prepared seeing his new boss when he walks into the shop on a Monday morning, still sleepy and eager for a nap.
"You're late," a stern voice says.
"Late? We don't open for another ten minutes," Seishiro groans.
His new boss emerges from the backroom and Seishiro is looking at the most beautiful person he's ever seen. Tall, lean, sculpted muscles, with gorgeous purple hair tied up in a loose bun and dazzling amethyst eyes to match. He's dressed in a white button-up and neatly pressed black slacks, a green apron tied around his waist.
The man looks Seishiro up and down, his expression softening with a small smile when he says, "But you're supposed to arrive thirty minutes before we open."
"Well, sorry," Seishiro murmurs, feeling his cheeks warm.
"I'll have different expectations from your last boss. They were perfectly content to let this flower shop's business continue to decline, while also having their employee do whatever they want it seems. Starting tomorrow, you will be on time each morning. And starting today, we will begin planning how to turn this flower shop around."
Thinking about it makes Seishiro even more tired and so he retreats to the backroom to set his head down on his desk for a few minutes before the shop opens. Was his new boss really going to make him work harder? He supposes he could put in effort for such a handsome man, but he can begin making a good impression tomorrow. Right now, he just feels so—
"Nagi! What do you think you're doing?! We open soon and we can only accomplish so much before then. We need to put together a quick display."
Seishiro yawns, looking up into his boss' eyes and becomes mesmerized, staring into them for longer than what should be deemed appropriate, but a vigorous shaking of his arm disrupts his reverie.
"Your old boss warned me about you, but seriously, this is ridiculous! Let's get the customers in here! We'll make this the best flower shop in town!"
"Huh?"
Why does his new boss care so much about improving business on his first day? Has he never heard of settling into a new job?
"We make enough to pay the rent and our wages, so I don't see the big deal…" Seishiro trails off, settling his head back onto the desk.
"It's not just about that! Have some pride in what we do here! Don't you want a sense of fulfillment? Like you're making a difference in others' lives?"
Seishiro blinks up at him tiredly. He still doesn't really understand what his boss is talking about, but he does enjoy the sound of his voice. But its cadence is soothing enough to help lull him back to sleep.
"Okay, how about this. If you don't get up, I'm docking your pay."
"What? You can do that?"
"I'm the boss now, Nagi," he says triumphantly, sticking his tongue out at him.
He's sure if his previous boss told him this, Seishiro probably would have quit on the spot and find another job where he could get away with doing the bare minimum. But he's already pretty enamored with his boss, so instead he gets up and follows him to the front of the shop.
"I'm Mikage Reo, by the way, but you can just call me Reo," he says with a gleaming smile. "Now, we just received a beautiful shipment of dahlias that I'd like to put into vases and set out in front. Let's get rid of these lilies."
"What's wrong with lilies?" Seishiro asks, puzzled.
"They're boring, that's what!"
"But we only have a few minutes left before opening now."
"Chop chop then! This could have all been done had you not been dallying."
With a heavy sigh, Seishiro does as he's told, helping Reo trade out the lilies for the dahlias. They miraculously finish before opening the shop and exhausted from over-working himself so early in the day, Seishiro attempts to sneak back to his desk, but Reo grabs him by the back of his shirt.
"Oh, no you don't, Nagi! You're going to be working up front today."
"But I'm sleepy, boss," Seishiro whines, directing a pitiful pout toward Reo, hopeful it will grant him some sympathy. He almost thinks he imagines it, but Reo smiles softly before schooling his expression into a frown and shakes his head.
"You can take a nap on your lunch break, Nagi. I need to work on more displays."
"More displays?" Seishiro asks incredulously.
"Time to open!" Reo grins.
Seishiro's surprised when more customers than usual trickle in throughout the morning and he actually has to prepare several dahlia bouquets. It seems silly that so many people want to buy the flowers simply because they were put on display and each of the sales were keeping him from a good nap. A lull finally comes after a few hours and Seishiro sets his head down on the front counter to close his eyes. He's just drifting off to sleep when Reo's voice startles him.
"Nagi, come on. Don't be such a zombie. No one wants to buy flowers from a sales clerk that's asleep!"
Blinking blearily up at him, Seishiro groans, "My cells all died, my heart stopped."
Reo chuckles, so Seishiro counts making him laugh as a win even though a nap is apparently not in the cards for him yet.
"Haha, very funny. But seriously, it's no wonder sales haven't been great lately with such a drab storefront and lazy employees."
"Not my fault," Seishiro grumbles defensively. "I was mostly in the backroom ordering things."
"Well, your former boss didn't set a very good example. I know this wasn't their dream, but if they're studying business management, then they should have applied themselves more here. Such a good learning opportunity wasted."
So it seems that Reo can be a little scary when he wants to be, then. Seishiro would make sure not to get on his bad side. Seishiro dreads the idea of working hard, but he'll do it for him. He knows crushing on his boss is probably unwise and nothing could come from it, but there isn't any harm in admiring and daydreaming about Reo.
"Why don't you take your lunch break early? I'll cover the counter."
"Thanks, Reo."
Seishiro really is still tired, having stayed up too late playing video games. He sluggishly gets up from the counter and retreats to his desk in the back, where he has the most pleasant dream. He sits with Reo in a rose garden, head in his lap as Reo combs fingers through Seishiro's hair. Picking a rose and giving it to Reo, he's rewarded by an adorable blush, and Seishiro smiles softly at him.
"Nagi!"
"Yes, boss?"
Seishiro scrambles up from the desk, ready to be at attention for anything Reo needs him to do.
"Did you sleep through your whole break? Have you even eaten anything?"
The concern in Reo's voice melts his heart into putty. Seishiro doesn't remember the last time anyone worried about him like this. He doesn't really have friends, talking to people online when he plays games sometimes, but Seishiro knows they probably don't count. His parents check in on him occasionally, but they're busy people who also understand he isn't much of a talker and keep most conversations brief.
Realizing he's been staring at Reo in silence for too long, Seishiro mumbles, "N-no."
Reo sighs dramatically. "Well, please eat something now before you get back to work."
Pulling out the jelly packet from his pocket, Seishiro barely takes one sip before noticing Reo looking at him with widened eyes.
"What is it?"
"Um, is that all you're going to have, Nagi?"
"Yeah, why?"
"A jelly isn't nearly enough for lunch. Come on, I'll give you the other half of my sandwich."
"R-Boss, I'm fine."
"Nagi, please," Reo says, placing his hand on top of Seishiro's, "Your nutrition is important."
There's a long pause while Seishiro gazes down where their skin connects before his boss snatches his hand away, face reddening.
"Erm, I mean…as your boss, I need you taking care of yourself so we can continue helping customers to the best of our abilities."
"Yes, boss."
"That's what I like to hear! Come on," Reo grins, leading Seishiro to his own desk, handing him half of his sandwich.
It's only peanut butter and jelly, but it tastes heavenly, maybe because Reo had made it and gave it to him out of concern for his well-being.
"Good?" Reo asks after Seishiro's finished eating.
"Mm. Yeah," Seishiro responds.
"Alright, let's get to it then."
Over the next several weeks, Seishiro works harder than he ever has in his entire life, helping Reo put up displays of delphiniums, tulips, daisies, carnations, irises, peonies, and red roses to liven up the shop's sales floor and windows. Reo seems to know exactly how to get customers inside the flower shop, running promotions like buy a bouquet and get one half off, which Seishiro wonders if offering such a discount will be a good move for a business already struggling to bounce back. But, when they make the most sales of any day Seishiro can recall, it makes him believe Reo really can make their flower shop the best one in town.
Seishiro loves watching him chatting away with customers, answering all their questions regarding the care of various flowers to a level of expertise that's pleasantly surprising. He's too used to his former boss fumbling around and having to resort to googling things when he didn't know the answer or asking Seishiro for assistance, who always knew more than he did, somehow. Seishiro likes flowers, but they often require too much care and so he'd opted for a low-maintenance cactus.
But the more Reo smiles at customers as he wraps their flowers and gives them his business card, the more jealous Seishiro becomes. He wishes Reo would direct smiles at him instead. Wondering if he needs to start working even harder to make that happen, Seishiro uses his free time to study color theory and the language of flowers, sharing ideas with Reo for which bouquet sales might do well on a given day.
Arriving to work bright and early one morning, Seishiro begins cleaning the flower shop from top to bottom, despite every muscle in his body screaming at him, but he pushes through, wanting to make the space look as beautiful as possible. The store is immaculate by the time Reo arrives and Seishiro has put together displays of pink roses, purple orchids, and camellias in the windows.
"Nagi! The shop looks amazing," Reo says joyfully with a radiant smile. "Wow, you did this all for me? Um, I mean, thank you for all your hard work lately. It's so rewarding seeing our business turn around like this. You know, I've been curious about something. What made you want to be a floral assistant?"
"It was one of the first job listings I found when I was looking and it seemed easy enough. There isn't really any other reason. What about you, boss? Did you always want to be a florist?"
"This will probably sound silly to you. Flowers have always spoken to me in their own beautiful language and I've always loved all the thoughts an arrangement is able to convey. Helping people create the perfect bouquet for every occasion gives me so much joy. Anyway, I do appreciate all your help lately. You really are amazing."
No one has ever called Seishiro amazing before and Reo says it so endearingly that it gives him an ounce of hope that maybe there could be something more between them. And it isn't like Reo's made any clear romantic advances toward him, but there's something in the pretty smiles he shows Seishiro and the way he giggles at Seishiro's messy hair from taking naps at his desk. Calling him amazing and confiding things in him like this all feels a little too friendly for a boss-employee relationship.
But Reo mentioning how you can say so many things with a bouquet gives Seishiro an idea of how to confess. Because he may be delusional, but he thinks it's possible Reo might feel the same way. Even if he doesn't, Seishiro would rather get rejected so he can have closure. It would probably mean finding another job, but he can worry about that later.
Over the next several days, he agonizes over what kind of bouquet to put together for his confession. Seishiro thinks of making one comprised of all-purple flowers to match Reo's eyes and hair, but thinks it might be too corny. He then wonders if he should prepare a bouquet of flowers that symbolize affection and love, but knows he might be coming on too strong. And so, Seishiro finally decides to keep it simple by giving Reo a single red rose, still communicating everything in his heart.
Reo keeps asking him what's wrong because he's intuitive enough to realize he's nervous about something, but Seishiro continues shrugging it off, telling Reo that nothing's the matter, perhaps a little too harshly. After the fifth time, Reo looks dejected and retreats to the back room, telling Seishiro he needs a little break, asking if he can cover the front alone for awhile. Sighing and hating the fact he may have upset Reo, Seishiro takes out the red rose he's been planning to gift Reo and follows him to his desk.
"Hey, Reo?" He asks shyly, handing the rose to Reo. "I'm in love with you."
Reo's mouth drops open as he takes the flower, turning it over and over by its stem in his hand. They stare at each other in awkward silence for several moments. Seishiro rubs a hand on the back of his neck and says, "Ehh, sorry boss, this is too forward. Or maybe I should have actually made you a proper bouquet. But I just thought—"
"No, no, no!"
Afraid that Reo is about to let him down easy, Seishiro looks down at the floor, not brave enough to meet Reo's eyes when he gets his heart broken.
"I've loved you since I first laid eyes on you," Reo says, adoringly. "And if you'll allow me, I'll treasure you more than all the most beautiful flowers in the world."