Chapter Text
“That’s a beautiful jasminum mesnyi specimen you have there.”
Yosuke looked up, a bit startled - he hadn’t realised anyone had come into the shop, but then he had been busy trimming dead foliage off the jasmine plant sitting in front of him - but he couldn’t stop a smile of pride from spreading across his face; the plant had been small and shriveled when he’d gotten it, and he’d been caring for it for months, and the fact that it now had a sprinkling of fragrant yellow blossoms made all of the work worth it. It was one of his favourite parts of his job.
“Thanks. Been a rough ride, but I think she’s finally coming into her own.” He nodded, sizing up the customer; it was a young man, about his age. The first things Yosuke noticed were the silver hair and eyes; the second thing, just how cute the guy was. The third thing - immediately following upon the heels of the realisation of wow he’s cute - was the beautiful bouquet the man was holding; it was hand-picked from the buckets of loose cut flowers lining the back wall of the shop, and it looked even better than any of the bouquets Yosuke put together for sale each morning, a fact which made the brunette feel a little jealous. Camellia, yellow poppies, white violets, and amaranth formed a charming bundle, and Yosuke took the bouquet with a brief pang of admiration at how beautiful the flowers all looked together.
“Will that be everything?”
“Mhm.” The silver-haired man nodded, reaching for his wallet as he nodded at the bunch. “I was surprised to see that you had amaranth. I haven’t been able to find that in most shops.”
“Yeah, I just got it in, you’ve got a good eye.” Yosuke smiled. “Most people grow it for grain, but I think the flowers are beautiful.”
When he said this, the customer smiled; it was soft and bright, and Yosuke found himself more than a little mesmerised. Unaware of this, however, the man nodded. “Do you know what amaranth means? In the language of flowers.”
Now, Yosuke knew that flowers had meaning, but he’d never learned what any of them were; still, he loved flowers, so he just shook his head. “I don’t, what is it?”
“Immortality. Camellia means ‘unpretending excellence,’ yellow poppies mean ‘wealth and success,’ and white violets stand for ‘modesty.’”
Yosuke raised an eyebrow at this. Interesting choice for a bouquet for your girlfriend. “Modesty and unpretending excellence? Getting a bit of a contradiction there.” He chuckled.
“Yes, well.” Smiling, the customer said no more, handing over a debit card with the name “Souji Seta” on it and looking around the store as Yosuke rang him up. “I wasn't aware this shop was even here, but you have an amazing selection, and it's clear you take good care of your plants.” He nodded at the now-blooming jasmine. “I'll have to make sure to come back.”
Handing the card back, Yosuke carefully picked out some tissue paper that complemented the selected flowers. Wrapping them gently, he finished it with a twist of white ribbon and a sticker with his shop’s name - Junes, a name he'd picked because of the English month, one of his favourite months for flowers - and handed the bundle to the customer, who'd seemed content to wait and watch.
“Well, I'll hope to see you again, then.” He put on his best smile, and the man looked surprised.
“You work most shifts?”
“I own the place.” Pulling himself up, proudly, Yosuke held out a hand. “Name’s Yosuke Hanamura. My brother Ted helps out during the day sometimes and on weekends, but I'm almost always here.”
“I see.” The silver-haired man shook his hand with a nod. “Souji Seta. You’ve got a good shop here, Yosuke. I’ll be back.”
“Well, have a good night.” Yosuke put the tissue paper away as Souji held up the bouquet, using it as a gesture of farewell before stepping out into the twilight. Yosuke watched him go, then turned back to the jasmine plant.
“All right, let’s get you someplace warm and damp, I think I have the perfect corner for you out in the greenhouse.”
A few days later, Yosuke was arranging columbine, sweetpea, and gardenia into a handful of nosegays when the bell on the door tinkled, signifying a customer; when he looked up, he was surprised to see Souji again. The man stepped inside, looking around with an expression of contentment; when his eyes met Yosuke’s, he smiled brightly, nodding.
“Welcome back.” Yosuke waved with his scissors, and Souji nodded again.
“Thanks.” He headed straight for the cut flowers, spending some time browsing; Yosuke was just putting the finishing touches on his last nosegay when Souji came up to the counter, holding an armful of white carnations, a backdrop for a vivid splash of red chrysanthemums. In his other hand, he held a glass vase, an art piece Yosuke had just gotten in - he hadn’t been sure about it at the time, but something told him that it would look good with the flowers Souji had brought over, and he shook his head.
“You really have a great sense of colour and style, don’t you?”
"Thanks." Souji chuckled as he set everything down, but he gave a small frown when he looked at the nosegays Yosuke had been preparing. “Hmm. Those really are lovely, but… I don’t know about the columbine.”
“Why’s that?” Yosuke wanted to feel irritated, but the gentle way in which Souji spoke took the sting out of his words.
“Columbine means ‘faithlessness’, but sweetpea means 'gratitude' and gardenia means ‘secret and sweet love, joy, and good luck.’”
The brunette side-eyed the nosegays. “I… really don’t think anybody’s going to know that when they come in. Other than you.”
“That is true.” Souji gave a quiet chuckle. “Sorry. It’s just a habit of mine.” He smiled at Yosuke, and Yosuke found himself swallowing at the expression. “They really do look beautiful together. You’ve got a good eye for colour, too.”
“Er, thanks.” Casting about for a change of subject, he nodded towards the flowers the silver-haired man had brought up. “What about carnations and chrysanthemums?”
“White carnations mean ‘sweet and lovely, innocence, pure love, faithfulness’ and red carnations simply mean ‘I love.’”
Yosuke’s eyes fell on the flowers, and he thought with a small pang that it would be the kind of bouquet that would make any lover happy, especially when paired with the vase. Better than the last bouquet’s meanings, I guess. Shaking his head, he smiled brightly at Souji. “Want them together or wrapped separate?”
Souji raised an eyebrow. “Huh- oh. The flowers and vase? Separate. I’ll arrange them when I get home. Thanks, though.”
“‘Course.” Yosuke picked out another complementary tissue, carefully wrapping the flowers as he did last time; ringing everything up, they made small talk - mostly about flowers in season and how Yosuke’s jasmine plant was doing. As with the time before, Souji gave Yosuke a bright smile of farewell, carrying out his purchases; this time, the brunette watched him go, feeling a little distracted.
After a few minutes, he looked down at the nosegays he’d prepared; biting his lip, he wavered for a time before plucking the columbines out, putting them into their own little bouquet while he replaced them with purple violets. When the shop closed that night, he went online to do some shopping.
He was just unwrapping his new Encyclopedia of Plant Language a few days later when the doorbell tinkled again; when he looked up to see Souji, he was both surprised and pleased. The silver-haired man smiled warmly, making his usual pass through the vases and bowls before heading for the flowers. Yosuke flipped through a few pages, admiring the colour photos, but he didn’t really have time to read it at the moment, so he simply set it on the shelf behind the counter next to a small potted primrose before heading to the opposite side of the store to start watering the fruit saplings he’d gotten in that morning.
Souji took a bit longer than usual; eventually, he brought over white lilacs, irises, and a potted mayflower, laying them carefully on the counter. Yosuke set the hose down after locking the nozzle; heading over to the register, he wiped down his hands and arms and nodded towards the counter. “Going for white and purple today, I see.”
“Mhm.” Souji looked up, and then brightened when he saw the book sitting behind the counter. “Did you just get that encyclopedia?”
Yosuke flushed a little before nodding. “Yeah. It’s kinda interesting. I haven’t had time to read it, though, and I don’t know when I will.”
“You do work a lot.” Souji smiled. “I won’t make you look these up. White lilac means ‘youthful innocence and memories,’ mayflower means ‘welcome,’ and iris means ‘good news.’”
He smiled, but Yosuke found himself feeling a little off. That… almost sounds like something you’d throw together for… a baby shower? Announcement? His eyes flickered to Souji’s left hand, but he saw no ring; the silver-haired man didn’t wear any jewelry, however, so that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Mentally shrugging, he just smiled, making small talk again; Souji asked him about how he’d come to work as a florist, and Yosuke told him that it had been a family business, and Souji talked a little about how much he loved flowers, and once Yosuke had wrapped the loose blossoms and found a small bag for the potted mayflower, Souji left.
Watching the door close, Yosuke sighed quietly.
Why are the cute and sweet ones always taken?
Souji continued to come by the store several times a week. Yosuke found himself planning his flower deliveries carefully; more than once he took a chance on an unusual flower, and almost every time, Souji would comment on the rarity and buy some, and each time he did, Yosuke found himself feeling particularly proud. He didn’t really have time to read any more of the encyclopedia he’d bought, but that was okay; Souji told him, each time, the meanings of the flowers he was buying.
Usually, they were something in the vein of love or affection; after a few weeks, Yosuke stopped trying to lie to himself that he wasn’t jealous, because he was, but there was no reason to let that affect what was slowly becoming a friendship - or at least a flower-friendly acquaintance. Sometimes, however, the meanings would be random - or unique - and the brunette felt like he was seeing a small window into Souji’s home life with each arrangement.
I really do hope his girlfriend - boyfriend, whoever - appreciates these bouquets.
One afternoon, Souji brought up a bundle of yellow roses and some star-of-bethlehem; when he explained that yellow roses meant ‘apology’ and star-of-bethlehem ‘atonement’, Yosuke couldn’t stop himself from snickering.
“Did something to piss your girlfriend off, eh?”
Souji blinked at him, looking confused. “Huh?”
“Er.” Feeling confused, Yosuke looked down at the bouquet, then back up at Souji. “Er, boyfriend, girlfriend, whichever-”
An odd look on his face, Souji shook his head. “These… aren’t for me? Didn’t- didn’t I ever mention that I practice ikebana? Most of the flowers I buy are for arrangements that people have commissioned.”
Yosuke turned bright red as an expression of dawning comprehension spread across his face; he wanted to sink into the floor, but he just looked down at the flowers and started to laugh. After a moment, Souji joined him; after a few more moments, Yosuke finally rubbed his face.
“Well, I feel like a complete idiot. Here I was thinking that you were just some super-devoted boyfriend giving his girlfriend or boyfriend all kinds of sweet messages. Sorry about that.”
“Oh, no. Don’t apologise.” Souji gave him a smile. “I can see where it seems like that, and to be fair, it’s probably something I would do, but no- I’m single.” He said this last line with careful indifference; the words caused Yosuke to flush, and Souji just gave him another smile as he reached for his wallet. Pulling out a business card, he handed it to the brunette. “I’m actually doing an ikebana demonstration tomorrow afternoon, if you’re interested. Don’t feel obliged, of course, but-”
“Oh! No, I’d love to come.” Yosuke looked at the card; the address wasn’t too far away. “I can get Ted to watch the store; I need to get out from time-to-time, anyway.”
“Yes, you do.” Souji gave a soft smile that seemed more than a little pleased; they talked a little about the time of the exhibition as he paid, and then he gave the brunette another bright, warm smile as he said farewell.
When he left, Yosuke looked down at the card and immediately started to mentally search his wardrobe, wishing he’d asked exactly how fancy the demonstration was going to be.
Eventually, he settled on slacks and a pullover that looked… respectable, but not too fancy. Knowing that he was probably getting his hopes up for nothing, he left Ted in charge of the store the next afternoon; the weather was nice, so he decided to walk.
As he neared the address he found himself in a neighbourhood of older buildings, most built in the traditional style; it made sense for someone who practiced ikebana, and Yosuke thought back to some of the conversations they’d had - Souji had said something about following in his parents’ footsteps, as well, and he probably came from an older, more traditional family.
The workshop was easy enough to find - it actually seemed to be a home and workshop combined, with a mailbox that said Seta - and Yosuke found himself in a small crowd of mostly older individuals (and a few young women) as he took a seat in the small exhibition room. The building itself was elegant and simple, and there were several floral displays around the room; Yosuke was pleased to see his flowers used in nearly all of them, as well as several bowls and vases Souji had bought from his store. There was a table in the front of the room, on which sat an assortment of bowls and vases, florist’s tape and thread, and varying sizes of scissors and shears. There were flowers, as well - familiar yellow roses and star-of-bethlehem - as well as various branches and pieces of greenery.
The quiet murmur of talking died away when the curtain in the back of the room parted; as expected, it was Souji - but he was dressed in elegant, traditional clothes, which Yosuke did not expect, and the brunette had to take a deep breath to keep his jaw from dropping. The blue-and-silver haori and grey hakama looked good on Souji’s tall figure - and the colours contrasted with his hair so that even Yosuke, in the back of the room, could tell how attractive he was.
I am so, so sunk.
Stepping up to the table, Souji addressed the group, thanking them for their attendance before speaking a bit about the art of ikebana and the Shinpa Seizan style, which was the school that he practiced. As he was explaining the school’s philosophy - to let nature and the flowers’ meanings influence the work - he caught Yosuke’s eye and smiled; the brunette gave a small smile back, praying that his face wasn’t too red.
Picking up a few roses and one of the smaller pairs of scissors with a practiced hand, Souji started to talk about the flowers’ meanings, as well as the importance of considering the intent of the piece while putting it together; his hands moved so deftly and his gestures were so graceful that Yosuke found himself entranced as he watched the piece grow before his eyes, as if it were a living thing unto itself.
It wasn’t until the piece was finished and everyone was applauding - with Souji bowing in the front of the room - that Yosuke focused again; he’d spent the whole demonstration in what he hoped wasn’t too visible of a reverie, and he had to shake his head for a moment. Everyone stood, crowding around to look at the finished decoration, or the other pieces around the room, or to approach Souji and tell him how much they enjoyed the demonstration; Yosuke hesitated, wondering if he should stay, go tell Souji how much he’d enjoyed it (and risk tripping over his tongue or saying something stupid), or if he should just leave.
Before he could decide, he heard his name, and looked up to see Souji walking towards him with an elderly man at his side; Souji gave him Yosuke a warm smile that made his toes curl, but he held out a hand as if to introduce the brunette to his companion.
“This is Yosuke Hanamura, Matsumoto-sensei. I get most of my flowers from his shop - I believe he grows some of them himself.” He said this last part with a raised eyebrow, and Yosuke - snapping into business mode - nodded.
“Yes, my family has been in the floral business for generations and I have a well-established greenhouse, as well as contacts with quite a few reputable importers.” He bowed to the old man, who returned the bow.
“You have quality stock, Hanamura-san.” The two talked a little about Yosuke’s shop, where it was located, and the importance of fresh flowers. Souji listened with a smile, not moving from Yosuke’s side, and by the time Matsumoto-san had left and the rest of the crowd had cleared out, Souji had spent the entire time standing next to Yosuke - even when answering questions from other attendees - and the brunette took this as a sign that the silver-haired man didn’t want him to leave yet. He only hoped he wasn’t actually blushing, as warm as his face felt.
When the last person left, Souji turned to Yosuke with a soft smile. “I’m glad you came. How did you like it?”
“It was amazing.” Yosuke tried to keep his enthusiasm to a somewhat normal level, but he couldn’t keep all of the excitement out of his voice; Souji looked pleased, and even a little embarrassed, and Yosuke warmed at the sight, feeling a little vindicated for his own bashfulness earlier.
Clearing his throat, Souji nodded. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Would-” the embarrassment lingered on his face, and he paused for a moment, as if looking for words - or courage. “Would you be interested in seeing me make another piece?”
“I’d love that!” Yosuke remembered the skillfulness with which Souji had put together the last centerpiece, and he flushed a little, and when he did the silver-haired man smiled.
“Thank you. Please, come inside; I do most of my private work in my personal quarters - this space is just for demonstrations. Can I offer you some tea?”
A quarter of an hour later found Yosuke holding a mug of tea and kneeling in front of a low table in a living room that was surprisingly comfortable, despite its traditional style; there were low couches and chairs around, and one stool held a curled, black-and-white cat who opened one eye, chirped at Yosuke, gave a quiet purr when Souji petted her, and then went back to sleep. Souji knelt on the other side of the table, focused on the flowers in front of him; while Yosuke certainly knew what the flowers were - purple lilac, jonquils, and a flower that he hesitantly identified as linaria bipartita - he didn’t recognise them as having come from his shop. That thought made him feel a little disappointed, but as he’d only ever seen the snapdragon variant of linaria in person, he couldn’t particularly blame Souji for not buying what he didn't have.
This time, Souji didn’t say anything about the plants' meanings; he mostly worked quietly, although he’d occasionally look up and smile at Yosuke, or make a comment about the layout and why he’d chosen a particular bloom. Yosuke sipped his tea, and the cat eventually decided to wander over and plop down next to his knee, so he petted her - at which Souji gave him another warm smile - and despite the fact that he was sitting in an unfamiliar living room with a guy he most certainly had a massive crush on watching said guy do amazing things with his hands, Yosuke found himself feeling comfortable.
Finally, the piece was finished; a single spike of lilac stood in the centre of the arrangement, surrounded by jonquils, spears of soft grass, and waterfalls of white linaria. The dish was smooth and simple, of ivory porcelain, and it spread outwards as if opening up to reveal the beautiful flowers within. It was absolutely lovely, and when Souji finally sat back after looking at it, critically, from every direction, Yosuke gave a quiet clap.
“It’s gorgeous.” He didn’t try to hide the admiration in his voice, and Souji blushed a little before smiling and giving a tiny, joking bow.
“I’m glad you like it. I made it for you.” He slid it across the table as Yosuke blinked, looking at the arrangement with wide eyes; before he could say anything, however, Souji looked out the large bay window. “It’s twilight; I assume you need to be back at the store before closing time?”
“Yeah.” Distracted by the talk of time, Yosuke sighed, nodding as he put the tea mug on the table and pushed himself to his feet. Beside him, the black and white cat grumbled, wandering back over to its stool; Souji stood, as well, picking up the flower arrangement before handing it to the brunette. Yosuke looked at it, a bit wistfully. “Souji, I can’t-”
“Please?” There was a hesitant note in the silver-haired man’s voice, and Yosuke found that he couldn’t say no; besides, it was beautiful, and Souji had made it for him, and he really, really wanted to keep it. It was so light and delicate in his hands; when he looked down at it, he couldn’t help smiling, and so he nodded.
“All right. I- thanks. It’s… amazing, really. I’ll give it a place of honour in the store, or maybe I’ll be selfish and take it upstairs to my apartment so I can look at it at night.”
Souji gave a quiet, pleased chuckle. “I’d like that. Now, let me find something for you to carry it home with, I think I have one of those handy plant bags from your store…”
Once the arrangement was safe, and Yosuke had bid the cat (whose name was Vasha) farewell, Souji saw him to the door. “I got a couple of arrangement orders today at the demonstration, so I’ll probably be by tomorrow to pick out the flowers.” He smiled, and the brunette returned the smile, and after a moment, Souji's voice dropped, just a bit. “And… you’ve still got that encyclopedia, right?”
Yosuke raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, but I haven’t really had a chance to read it…”
“That’s fine.” There was a small, hesitant smile on his face, and he nodded. “Look those flowers up when you get home, okay?”
Curiosity - mingled with a bit of hope - threaded its way through Yosuke’s heart as he nodded. “Yeah. Of course.” The sky was completely dark by now, so he sighed. “Gotta go before Ted has a fit, but… thanks for the invite, Souji. It really was great.”
“I’m glad you came, Yosuke.” Souji smiled, standing at the door to watch him go. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Yosuke made his way back to the shop with a spring in his step and a smile that he couldn’t banish - nor did he want to. Ted complained a little, but it was mostly for show, and by the time he was out of the store it was close enough to closing time that the brunette decided to call it a little early that night. Turning the sign on the door from 'open' to 'closed,' Yosuke gently lifted the flower arrangement out of its bag, relieved to see that it had made it home intact; pulling the Encyclopedia of Plant Language off the shelf, he started to flip through the pages.
J... jaborosa… jasmine… here we go, jonquil. He blinked at the text, feeling his cheeks flush. ‘Return my feelings’..? Hands trembling, he quickly moved on to the L’s. Lantana… lavender… lilac. White lilac, ‘youthful innocence and memories,’ he told me that already, purple lilac- He bit his lip. -'first emotion of love'. Oh my god… He put a hand to his cheek, looking back at the flowers, then flipped through a few more pages. Linaria bipartita… clovenlip toadflax, what a name…
After reading the entry, he closed the book, wrapping his arms around it as he buried his face against the cover. Oh my god. ‘Please notice my love/feelings for you.’ Oh my god. He remembered Souji’s careful indifference when he’d said he was single, as well as the small smile when he’d said that the idea of giving someone a message through his bouquets was ‘probably something he'd do,’ and the brunette felt like he was floating on air.
Yosuke spent another several hours pouring through the book, even over dinner, and finally fell asleep that night with the arrangement sitting on the nightstand next to his bed.
Gardenia was easy - he already knew what that one meant - and he had asters. He had to hurry to two of his importers to find rainflowers, but he managed to get a lovely bunch of them and get back to the store and still only open an hour late. He wasn’t too worried - Souji never came before lunch - and that gave him time to deal with customers and still arrange the flowers to the best of his ability. He hesitated over putting in some baby’s breath - standard filler - and passed it over in favour of purple heather. He toyed with the idea of trying to put it into a vase, but decided against it; he was no ikebana artist, and he didn’t even want to try to mess that up, but he knew he could make a pretty bouquet.
Each time the doorbell tinkled, his head shot up, even when he knew it was too early for Souji to show up; finally, he was greeted by the sight of silver hair and eyes, and he found himself turning pink even as a smile that he couldn’t stop - and didn’t want to - spread across his face.
“Afternoon.”
“Hello.” Souji looked like Yosuke felt - as if he was having to force himself to act normal and not simply rush over - but the brunette’s smile seemed to put him at ease as he hesitantly walked towards the back of the store. Yosuke toyed with the idea of hurrying back to join him, but he forced himself to wait; soon enough - as if he’d only spent the bare minimum of time necessary to pick out some flowers - Souji walked up to the counter with his arms full of roses.
“New arrangement?” Yosuke looked at the bundle, breathing in its fragrance.
“Yes, dark pink, burgundy, and white roses for a little girl’s birthday.” He nodded. “It’s not the only request I took, but I try to do them one at a time.”
“Makes sense.” Yosuke wrapped them, as usual, but before ringing them up he cleared his throat. “Uh.”
Souji looked at him, and the brunette could see the hope in his eyes; turning red, Yosuke reached under the counter to bring out the bouquet he’d put together, praying that it didn’t look ridiculous, or that he hadn’t read any of the flowers wrong. Holding it out, he cleared his throat.
“My, uh- my answer.”
Souji took the flowers, biting his lip; as he looked into the bouquet, his smile - which had started small and hesitant - blossomed into something that took the brunette's breath away. Gently touching the petals, he named off each flower in a soft voice that sent shivers up and down Yosuke’s spine.
“Aster - a symbol of love.”
The brunette nodded.
“Gardenia - joy? Luck? Or-”
Yosuke was bright red by this point, but he could see how happy Souji was. “The- the other meaning. Secret and sweet love. Although I guess it’s not so secret any more.”
Souji just chuckled. “Rainflower - I love you back?”
Catching his eye, Yosuke was almost taken aback at the joy in Souji’s expression as he nodded, and Souji touched the heather last.
“Purple heather - solitude?”
“Beauty and admiration,” Yosuke mumbled. “Better than baby’s breath.”
“Better than ‘innocence and purity of heart?’ I see.” He laughed quietly.
Yosuke looked down at his hands. “So, uh. There wasn’t a flower for ‘do you want to get coffee some time,’ but…”
“But I’d love to.” Souji bit his lip. “Do you have plans after work?”
“No!” Yosuke almost startled himself with how vehement his answer was, and they both looked at each other before laughing.
“How about I come by at closing to pick you up? We’ll get coffee or dinner. Or both.”
“That… sounds really nice.” Blushing, Yosuke rang up the roses; Souji paid, as usual, but this time the brunette walked him over to the door; the silver-haired man stopped at the steps.
“So you… like the arrangement?”
“Love it,” Yosuke said, firmly. “It's sitting on my nightstand. I'm only sorry that it's eventually going to wilt.”
Souji gave a small smile. “It may fade, but the feelings behind it won’t… I’ll make another one for you, and another one after that, and I’ll keep making them until you’re tired of me.”
“Stupid, that’s not gonna happen.” Yosuke was red again, and even Souji looked a little pink, and they laughed together and Yosuke was so focused on how nice the sound was that he missed Souji leaning in.
The kiss was sweet, little more than a brush of lips, but warmth spread through Yosuke’s fingers and toes as he looked up, surprised, and Souji gave him a shy smile.
“I’ll see you later, then?”
“I can’t wait.”