Blossom
Author: ANONYMOUS
Prompt #: 172
Title: Blossom
Word Counts: ~6400
Side Pairing(s): Kyungsoo/Jongin
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): none
Disclaimer:The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Baekhyun’s life revolves around his flowers, until it doesn’t. Chanyeol stops by and changes everything. Puppies are involved.
Author's Note: Thank you to the Mods for being so lovely throughout this entire journey! This is my first time writing something this size and it was quite the project for me. Dear prompter, I hope I’ve done your prompt justice, it was a great one. Thank you to my beta A, you are perfect.
It was May. The season of peonies, freesia, snapdragons, tulips, and many more beautiful flowers. Some that Baekhyun carried in his little flower shop, and some that he didn’t. Looking around his shop, Baekhyun happily took in the sight of rows upon rows of colourful petals, all so meaningful in their own way. There was an indescribable satisfaction that the young florist got from being around flowers, maybe it was their pure beauty, or the fact that flowers were able to survive in the harshest of weather conditions and still come back each season, just as lovely. They were a lot like people he supposed. A lot like himself.
Baekhyun was snapped out of his daydreaming by the tinkering chimes on the door of his shop. He looked up to see… legs? Baekhyun raised his header higher and was met with a set of shining teeth. He looked at the man who had just walked into the store, and the first thing that came to his mind was tall. Tall and handsome.
That was until tall and handsome and opened his mouth and out came the deepest voice Baekhyun had ever heard, “Um… you sell flowers right?”. Oh gosh.
The guy looked pretty flushed, maybe he realized what a pointless question he was asking while standing in a shop literally called Byun’s Blooms.
With an amused lilt to his voice Baekhyun answered, “Well, yes I do. Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?” He hoped this guy at least had an idea of what he wanted.
“Well… um… I need a bouquet of flowers… yeah”. Tall and handsome was running his hands through his hair, which by the way was a creamy chocolate brown and looked really soft. Baekhyun would be lying if it wasn’t at least a little endearing.
“Are they for an event, or anyone in particular?” Baekhyun was hoping it was the former for some reason.
Tall and handsome was looking around the store and turned his back at Baekhyun until he heard his question, “Uh yeah, they’re for a girl. Its her birthday today and I wanted to get some flowers as a gift. Do you have something for that?” The guy got a fond look in his eyes when he mentioned said ‘girl’. Baekhyun felt his hopes deflate a little. Of course someone like him would have a girlfriend, there was no point in getting his hopes up in the first place.
Baekhyun swallowed his disappointment, this was a customer and it was his job to help him. “Well, since she’s born in May, her birth flower is Lily. I can put together an arrangement of those for you.” All the while Baekhyun was speaking, tall and handsome would not take his eyes off his face. It was a little unsettling.
“That sounds great!” Said the mystery man with more enthusiasm than Baekhyun though the situation called for.
Baekhyun began to move out from behind the counter to start getting together the materials he would need, “This will take about 15 minutes since it’s a relatively simple bouquet. You can take a look around the store if you want.”
Baekhyun was hoping his mystery man would stay out of his sight as he worked. He wasn’t sure he would be able to concentrate if he had someone so distracting in his personal space.
As the florist picked out flowers, he slowly transitioned into his private working zone where nothing less than a disaster could distract him. When Baekhyun was working with flowers he was in his own world. He had to concentrate on treating the blooms with the utmost care, making sure that no stem was twisted or bent the wrong way. His mind was focused on arranging the flowers so they each displayed their individual beauty, but still worked together to make a dynamic unit. Anyone who said flower arranging wasn’t a form of art was sorely mistaken.
While working, Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel like he was bring watched. It was that weird feeling you got when someone was stating from nearby. He was about to look up and investigate when-
“ACHOO, ACHOO, ACHOO!” Baekhyun was harshly broken out of his concentration by loud sneezes and a crash that sounded a lot like a flower pot. The next thing he knew, Mr. tall and handsome was calling out loud apologies and promising to pay for the flower put he mistakenly broke.
Walking over, the florist was relieved to see that no actual flowers were harmed. “Its fine, accidents happen don’t worry about paying.”
“Are you sure? This looks like a pretty expensive pot.” The mystery man had such an upset look on his face, almost resembling what Baekhyun’s friend Jongin’s puppies looked like when they got scolded for scratching the furniture.
Baekhyun let out a laugh, “Seriously, its okay. Let’s go up to the front, your flowers are ready to be wrapped.”
As they made their way to the main desk, tall and handsome offered a couple more apologies, all of which Baekhyun brushed off while assuring him that it really was OKAY. Hell, even the florist himself had broken a pot or two, or three. He was kind of clumsy.
Baekhyun deftly wrapped up the tulip bouquet in light blue paper to match. He finished by tying a bow around the arrangement and turning it around in his hands, making subtle tweaks to the flowers. When he was fully satisfied he turned back around to his mystery man, who was looking even more flushed than before. It was probably all the sneezing from earlier.
“Here you go! One birthday bouquet all ready to go!” This was Baekhyun’s favourite parte of owning a flower ship, the reactions on peoples faces when they saw the creation he’d made just for them.
Tall and handsome looked awed as he took the bouquet from Baekhyun. “Its absolutely perfect, thank you so much!” He said this while looking right into the florist’s eyes, and Baekhyun had to look away for a second so he wouldn’t drown in those warm brown eyes.
“Its my pleasure, I hope the birthday girl enjoys them.” Smiling at tall and handsome, Baekhyun rung him up and with that his mystery man was on his way after another “I’m sorry about the pot,” and a, “Thank you so much for your help!”
After the shop was once more quiet, although a little numbingly so, Baekhyun made his way over to the broken pot an began to collect the scattered shards. He thought about tall and handsome, and how his probably equally as beautiful girlfriend would be so happy to receive the flowers that were hand picked for her. For as long as Baekhyun had been working with flowers, he’d never once been given a bouquet himself. He often found himself wondering when, or if, he’s get his own arrangement. What kind of flowers would be in it? What would the colour scheme be? Most importantly, who would give it to him?
.
His day had been going like any other. Baekhyun had come into the shop at 6:00 am and had opened up all the blinds to let the sunlight stream in and bring life to the store interior. The florist then spent the next half hour watering all his plants, making sure they al had enough liquid to keep them fresh. All was quiet in the shop for the rest of the morning, aside from a few customers coming into buy bouquets. Baekhyun was particularly happy to see his favourite customer, an old ajumma who had an affinity for flowers just as he did.
They chatted about what flowers the ajumma was growing in her garden and about how the weather was perfect for planting these days. Baekhyun sold his favourite customer some snap dragon bulbs and sent her on her way.
As Baekhyun reflected on his morning he found his thoughts wandering from place to place. Talking to the ajumma about her garden brought about memories of a special garden with every flower imaginable growing in it. Flashes of a motherly smile and hands caked with dirt. These thoughts were never far from Baekhyun’s mind, like ghosts that were always whispering in the back of his consciousness. He had figured out the best potting mix to use for peonies and how much water was the perfect amount for daffodils, but Baekhyun had yet to figure out how to quiet the voices in his head.
The young florist shook his head, trying to physically clear his mind of obtrusive thoughts and caught sight of his gorgeous white lilies. He was reminded of long legs and a sunshine bright smile. Mr. Tall and handsome hadn’t visited the shop since that day about two weeks ago. Baekhyun knew he shouldn’t be disappointed, its not like the guy owed him anything. The florist was just hoping to see that smile again.
In that moment the bell above the shop door rang out, and Baekhyun looked over the shelf he was behind, calling out, “Welcome to Byun’s Blooms!”
That’s when he caught sight of the customer. Just as tall and handsome as he was last time, Baekhyun’s mystery man walked into the humble shop in all his long-legged glory. What a coincidence.
“Uh, hey! Its me again, I don’t know if you remember from last time…” Mystery man looked bashful as he waved at Baekhyun, giving his another one of his sunshine smiles.
Baekhyun had to hold his breath for a second as he took in the man’s features, his hair was just a brown and soft looking, and his eyes the same melted chocolate. “How could I forget the guy who broke my favourite pot, huh?” He couldn’t help but grin at the look of despair that crossed the face of tall and handsome.
“Ah, I’m really sorry about that.” The poor man looked like Baekhyun had sentenced him to time in jail.
“I’m just playing with you. Like I said before, its no biggie. But if you really want to repay me, why not give me your name?” Smooth Byun Baekhyun, smooth.
“Oh! Its Chanyeol! Park Chanyeol”
Tall and hand- wait no, Chanyeol said this while running his hand though his hair again. Baekhyun was of course distracted by his need to feel that hair.
“I’m Baekhyun, resident florist. Here for all your floral needs!” Baekhyun cringed slightly, how much more lame could he get? “Oh hey, how did your friend like her flowers?”
Chanyeol looked surprised that Baekhyun actually remembered the flowers he bought, “She loved them! She was actually really surprised that I managed to get something so nice… All thanks to you in the end!”
Of course Chanyeol’s girlfriend loved the flowers, who wouldn’t. They probably got all cozy that night and- Baekhyun realized that his thoughts were not headed to a particularly nice place and put a halt to them. This is one thing he could control. “What are you looking for today?” Looking up at Chanyeol, Baekhyun noticed the man looked al flushed again and wondered what could possibly be doing that to him.
Chanyeol looked around the store for a few seconds and seemed at a loss for words, like he’d come into the store with no plan, “All flowers have like, special meanings right? Like love and caring…”
At this Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile, it was incredibly endearing to see the giant man confused about the great meaning of plants, “Yeah! You can pick out the flowers you want based on their meanings.” The florist thought there was nothing better than someone buying flowers with the intention of passing on a message. It was like a puzzle piece waiting to be put together.
“What about flowers for liking someone, b-but secretly?” Chanyeol’s face seemed to grow even more red at this request.
Baekhyun felt his insides grow warm at the thought of Chanyeol buying flowers of admiration for someone, “Those would be yellow chrysanthemums, they’re absolutely gorgeous!” He envied the person receiving the flowers from Chanyeol.
Chanyeol looked thoughtful for a second, like he was thinking about his secret crush, “Can I get a bouquet of those then?”
“Of course.”
Chanyeol wandered around the store as Baekhyun grabbed the flowers and set them down on his work desk right behind the cash register. This time the giant looked like he was making as effort to keep his hands pressed tightly against his sides, lest there be another accident. All Baekhyun could hear was constant sniffling coming from the general direction of Chanyeol. Either the guy had a cold, or he was severely allergic to flowers. Baekhyun guessed it was the former, why would the guy bother coming to the store if it made him so uncomfortable.
Eventually Chanyeol made his way back to the front of the store, it wasn’t exactly a huge place.
“Alright, I’m just about done. All you have to do is pick a ribbon to finish it off!” Baekhyun thought it would be fun to let Chanyeol pick out the ribbon for the flowers himself since this was for his crush after all.
The giant started at the flowers for a few seconds before asking, “What’s your favourite colour Baekhyun-ssi?”
This surprised Baekhyun and he answered a few beats late, “Oh uh, I like green…”
“Alright then, a green ribbon will be perfect!” Chanyeol was beaming at Baekhyun as though he’d just given him the week’s winning lottery numbers and not his favourite colour.
Baekhyun cut a green ribbon engraved with his shop name and tied it around the bouquet. He spun the arrangement around in his hands, making sure there was no flower out of place.
Looking up at Chanyeol he smiled and moved to the cash register to ring up the flowers.
Once Chanyeol had paid he thanked Baekhyun for all his help once again and started walking towards the door.
“Oh hey Chanyeol!” the giant stopped and turned to look at Baekhyun, “Just Baekhyun is fine, no -ssi needed!” He wanted Chanyeol to be completely comfortable with him, even though they had recently met.
“Okay Baekhyun, I’ll see you soon!” With a smile wider than the florist had ever seen Chanyeol said his goodbye and was off.
Once again this left Baekhyun in an empty shop. Well not completely empty, he did have his flowers. He’d always have his flowers. It was still lonely though.
.
That evening, after closing the shop Baekhyun met up for dinner with Jongin. Jongin was his long time friend and neighbor. They’d met back in college where they were roommates, and had been close ever since.
As Baekhyun walked into their favourite sushi restaurant he anticipated seeing his friend. It had been a few weeks since the two had dinner together. Jongin was busy finishing up his finance degree and had no time to do anything other than study and sleep. And play with his puppies of course.
“Jongin-ah! How are you?” The student looked tried but happy nonetheless. The kid was always happy to go to dinner with Baekhyun, mainly because it was a free meal for him.
“I’m good hyung, on the last stretch before I’m finally done.” Baekhyun remembered his last year of college well. It was a tornado of assignments, exams, and planning for the future. All the things Baekhyun hated.
As they caught up on the goings of their lives they ordered dinner and silence ensued for a little while as both boys stuffed themselves with soup and sushi.
“Anything new happening with the puppies?” Baekhyun knew this was a tricky question to ask Jongin because it would result in a one-sided conversation that would take at least 15 minutes to run its course.
Jongin made a noise of excitement from somewhere in his throat and opened his mouth while it was still full of tuna and rice.
Baekhyun made a disgusted face which forced Jongin to finish chewing before he started his mini documentary about his ‘babies’.
“They’re doing so well hyung! Monggu just keeps getting bigger and bigger, I swear she is going to take over my entire bed one day! Jjanggu and Jjangah and the best of friends, they seriously do everything together! They even do their business together how cute is that?! I can’t believe my babies are getting so big already, it feels like just yesterday I brought them home. I’m so so so incredibly grateful to have them in my life! Are you ever going to get puppies Baekhyun-hyung?” Jongin said all this in one breath and got some stares from other people seated nearby. Luckily Baekhyun was anticipating this and ducked low enough into the booth they were sitting in so as to not be seen.
Once Jongin caught this breath Baekhyun went back to sitting up normally and said, “As much as I love hearing about your dogs, I’d rather not have one of my own.” Jongin’s face fell as Baekhyun said this, “Jongin-ah, we’ve been over this many times. I just don’t have time for a pet, I’m at the shop all day. You wouldn’t want me to neglect a doggy would you?”
This changed Jongin’s mind faster than anything else Baekhyun had said. “You’re right hyung, don’t get a pet. You have your flowers anyways. How is the shop by the way?”
Baekhyun thought about the shop for a second. Everything was the same as it always was. Of course the flowers in stock were different from the last time Jongin has asked, but he doubted the student cared about that. The only thing that was different about the shop was a certain man. But was he worth bringing up? It was one thing to think about Chanyeol when Baekhyun was in his shop, but to bring him up in conversation with his closest friend was completely different. It was like admitting Chanyeol was somehow more important than just a customer. Was he?
“It’s more or less the same as usual. The new flowers are lovely and I’ve been getting more business than usual!” That was partially true, Baekhyun had been getting more business in for form of a specific tall and handsome man. He didn’t need to go into details.
After finishing up dinner the boys started walking home together and Baekhyun suddenly remembered something very important, “Jongin-ah, how is it going with you and Kyungsoo? I remember you told me about the date you were going to have with him awhile back…”
Baekhyun looked at Jongin while saying this and saw his cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink. The boy looked at him with a smile spread across his face and his eyes crinkled at the corners. He let out a small giggle, “Its going really well hyung,” Jongin looked forward and continued, “We’re uh, dating now.”
This last part was said in a hush and it took Baekhyun a moment to process what he’d just heard. When he did he abruptly stopped walking. His little Jongin, his sweet puppy-obsessed Jongin had a boyfriend. An actual boyfriend.
“Oh my god,” Baekhyun whispered.
“What did you say hyung?” Jongin had also stopped walking.
“OH MY GOD JONGIN-AH!” Baekhyun ran forward and wrapped his arms around Jongin’s neck, nearly knocking them both to the ground.
Baekhyun’s heart felt like it was going to burst, this was everything he’d wanted for Jongin when the boy had first told him about the cute senior in his third year calculus class. He remembered Jongin going on and on about the senior and how his smiles were few but so worth waiting for. How he helped Jongin with a few questions he couldn’t figure out, and about how Kyungsoo even brought Jongin coffee from time to time.
“Hey hyung I can’t breathe here, are you going to let go?”
Baekhyun released Jongin from his hug and looked at him. He’d sounded a little annoyed but the kid had a silly smile on his face.
“I’m really happy for you Jongin-ah. You deserve this.”
“Thanks hyung, I’m happy as well. Kyungsoo is a great guy and an even better boyfriend.” As he said this Jongin started walking towards their apartment building once again.
“If he ever gives you any trouble you better tell me right away Jongin-ah.”
“Shut up Baekhyun hyung.”
.
Another two weeks passed before Baekhyun saw Chanyeol again. Not that he was counting or anything.
The giant stumbled in around noon on a Friday with the usual request for a bouquet.
“Is there something for a promise?” Chanyeol tilted his head sideways as he said this and Baekhyun felt his heart skip a beat. His hair had gotten longer and flopped adorably to the side, making him look like a puppy with too-big ears.
Instead of dramatically passing out like Baekhyun felt like doing, he told Chanyeol he’d check the back. Baekhyun was hoping he had apple blossoms in his store room, that was pretty much a mini garden, because they represented promise. He wondered why Chanyeol needed flowers symbolizing promise anyways. If he’d just bought yellow chrysanthemums for secret admiration what was the point of making promises so early on? Maybe it was just Baekhyun that didn’t understand promises, they never worked out for him.
To his delight the florist found just what he needed and made quick work of the bouquet, this time going for more of a wildflower look.
“Woah! This looks like you just got it from the forest, but its still so pretty,” Chanyeol exclaimed when Baekhyun handed him the arrangement.
This brought a pleased smile on Baekhyun’s face. He was used to getting many compliments from his customers, but Chanyeol’s unfounded joy meant more for some reason. Maybe because it was just so pure.
“I’m glad you like it; I hope whoever they’re for feels the same way.” As Baekhyun rang up the order he couldn’t help but notice Chanyeol become jittery. His infectious smile was replaced with a look of apprehension and he was shifting from foot to foot constantly.
Baekhyun looked up and opened his mouth to thank Chanyeol for his business when the giant started speaking instead.
“So I know we just met but um, I think it would be cool if we were uh… friends, yeah friends.” Chanyeol was sniffling as he said this and Baekhyun was mildly concerned for his health. He was also red as a tomato and looked like he might make a break for it any second.
“I was wondering if you and I could go for coffee sometime? I mean if you even drink coffee I guess we can get tea, or bubble tea, or ice cream…” Chanyeol trailed off and started to run his hand through his hair in the way Baekhyun had really come to like.
Was Baekhyun going to go through with this and potentially fall into a hole and hurt himself? Byun Baekhyun was a risk taker if nothing and so he decided right then and there to throw away fears he had about getting to know Chanyeol. In the end he’d end up with a great new friend.
“That sounds great.”
.
They decided to meet the next day and a small coffee shop whose owner Baekhyun was good friends with.
“Hey Minseok hyung!” Baekhyun arrived before Chanyeol and took a seat by the window.
“The usual Baekhyun-ah?” Minseok asked as he wiped down the front counter. He was a sweet guy who wanted to do nothing but run his café, Baekhyun understood that.
“I’m actually waiting for someone; I’ll order later on.” With a nod Minseok let Baekhyun be. Before Baekhyun was even able to settle down he heard the door open and was met with Chanyeol in all his long-legged glory.
The giant took a seat across Baekhyun and gave him his best sunshine smile, “I hope you weren’t waiting long.” He looked genuinely apologetic and it warmed Baekhyun to see it.
“Nope, I just got here.” As Baekhyun said this Minseok came by and gave them two menus, not before giving Baekhyun a knowing smile. He would have to tell Minseok later that is wasn’t like that. Chanyeol already had a girlfriend.
As they book looked over the menus, Baekhyun glanced at Chanyeol a few times, and even caught him glancing back. He guessed they were both a little nervous about this.
They placed their orders and once their coffee was served, the boys found themselves in easy chatter about everything and nothing.
“Is there a reason why you decided to become a florist?”
This was a tricky question. “I went through a lot in my teen years and I ended up falling in love with flowers because of their strength. I know it sounds a little odd, but at the time I was astounded by how flowers, especially wildflowers, would grow back regardless of what weather conditions they went through. I guess I still am…”
Chanyeol was looking at Baekhyun with this awe in his face that made Baekhyun feel like he’s just said something worth quoting.
“I think that’s amazing Baekhyun.”
Baekhyun chuckled and shook his head, “What about you, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a photographer, I do wedding shoots and stuff for magazines,” Chanyeol said all this with hand movements to demonstrate himself taking photos. He just kept getting more endearing.
The job suited Chanyeol. He seemed like the type of person to bring out the best in everyone, whether it be through his smiles or his photos.
“I’d love to see some of your photos sometime.” Baekhyun could already imagine how beautiful Chanyeol’s shots would be.
“I’d love to show them to you.”
.
After that coffee meetup Baekhyun saw a lot more of Chanyeol. He continued to buy flowers from the shop, but now they went out for food more frequently.
He had even taken the leap and told Jongin about Chanyeol. Jongin thought they would make a great couple, but Jongin also thought his dogs would make a cute couple so his opinion wasn’t weighed heavily. Nonetheless, ever since Jongin had brought up Baekhyun and Chanyeol being a couple, Baekhyun couldn’t stop thinking about it.
He’d imagine the giant hugging him after a hard day at work, and kissing him before they fell asleep together. He even found himself glancing at Chanyeol’s lips more frequently. When he was talking, eating, even when he was listening to Baekhyun, the florist kept looking at his pink, slightly chapped, pouty lips.
A few times Baekhyun caught Chanyeol looking at his lips, but that was probably because he talked too much.
After a month of outings with Chanyeol Baekhyun came to a bitter realization. He had a crush on Chanyeol. On Chanyeol who had a girlfriend who was probably gorgeous and nice. He was so screwed.
.
When Chanyeol walked into the shop right before closing one day, Baekhyun was mildly concerned about how jumpy he looked. The giant normally looked pretty damn excited, but today he was worse than usual. He also looked absolutely adorable.
“I was thinking Baekhyun, that you should come by my place today and take a look at some of my paintings!” Chanyeol looked so excited at the idea of this that Baekhyun couldn’t do anything but agree.
“Let me close up, I’ll meet you outside.”
.
The walk to Chanyeol’s place wasn’t a far one, and soon enough they arrived at the loft style apartment that was covered in photography equipment. There were cameras hanging off walls and photos taped to the ground. The space was a lot like Chanyeol himself, scattered but comfortable.
“Sorry for the mess, I didn’t really plan ahead for this.” Chanyeol looked bashful as he led Baekhyun over to a large desk on the other side of the room.
He pulled out a large leather photo album from under the desk and plopped it in front of Baekhyun.
“These are all my favourite shots. Most of them haven’t been published, they’re more for myself.”
Baekhyun flipped open the book and was met with a blank page with the name, ‘Park Chanyeol,’ on it. As he turned to the next page Baekhyun felt this breath leave his lungs. With each page Baekhyun felt more lightheaded. Chanyeol’s photographs were glorious. They depicted people in their natural habitats, doing the most mundane of tasks, but somehow it was beautiful.
Baekhyun particularly liked a photograph of an old man feeding a stray cat, it sounded like an ordinary thing to see, but the photograph made it look like a precious interaction between two old friends.
“I honestly don’t know what to say, these are just beautiful Chanyeol.” That was all Baekhyun could force out of his mouth in the moment, he was speechless.
Chanyeol let out a quiet laugh, “I’m glad you like them, it means a lot to me.” His hand was back in his hair and Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself from looking at Chanyeol lips. They looked so soft in the light of the setting sun.
Baekhyun had to stop himself before he did something stupid. He realized how close he and Chanyeol were standing, and took a jerky step back.
Apparently Chanyeol had something different on his mind because in the same moment he took a step forward and they ended up even closer than before.
“Chanyeol what are you doing?”
“Uh, Baekhyun can I- kiss, can I kiss you?” Chanyeol stammered and put his hands on Baekhyun shoulders.
Baekhyun was at a loss for words.
“Wh-What about your girlfriend?”
Chanyeol cocked his head to the side, “My girlfriend, what girlfriend?”
“The one you always buy flowers for Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said with an exasperated sigh.
Baekhyun expected Chanyeol to apologize or have a sudden moment of realization, but all the did was laugh. The giant laughed so loud Baekhyun was sure the entire apartment complex could hear them. He went as far as sitting down because he was so overcome with the hilarity of the situation while Baekhyun stood there and stared at him.
Once he was back to breathing normally Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun’s hand and walked him over to the other end of the room. There was a smaller desk here and it was covered in flowers, both fresh and wilting.
“What- “
“I try not to come to this end of the room often because my allergies flare up, but this is for you Baekhyun. Its not done yet, but I might as well give it you now.” Chanyeol handed Baekhyun a green scrapbook and looked at him expectantly.
Baekhyun was utterly confused, but he opened the scrapbook anyways. He breath left him once again.
On every page there were a handful of flowers, expertly pressed so their shape was preserved. On the bottom of each page was the meaning of each flower and a date. The scrapbook started with lilies and ended with yellow tulips, the flowers Chanyeol had bought from Baekhyun last week.
“I don’t understand, what is all this?” Baekhyun really didn’t understand. Why were all the flowers Chanyeol bought for his girlfriend in a book, and why was he giving it to Baekhyun?
“I don’t have a girlfriend Baekhyun, I never have. Unless we’re talking about grade three because I did have a girlfriend back then, but I don’t think you are.” Chanyeol was looking at Baekhyun with a fond look in his eyes as he said this. “I like you Byun Baekhyun, I like you a lot. That’s why I kept coming to your shop, even though I’m allergic to pollen. I came to see you. I made this book with all the flowers I bought from you to keep track of how I fell for you. Its like a bouquet of flowers, except each page means something different.”
Baekhyun’s first bouquet.
“You’re allergic to pollen?”
A nod.
“I don’t know whether to be incredibly flattered or to yell at you.” Baekhyun glared at Chanyeol. His glare didn’t last long because he couldn’t get over the fact that he was holding his first bouquet of flowers.
Chanyeol looked like a sad puppy when Baekhyun said this, “I just confessed to you, and you want to hit me? At least tell me if you like me back.”
Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, and then at the scrapbook on the desk, and he thought. He did like Chanyeol, a lot. He’d been through a lot the last couple years, but one thing he’d learned was that people grow, they come back. If he said yes to Chanyeol he’d be allowing himself to grow.
“I guess I do like you,” Baekhyun said with a smirk.
“You guess…”
“Oh stop with the faces, I like you a lot as well okay.” At this Chanyeol’s entire face brightened up and he set free one of his signature sunshine smiles.
“By the way, you can kiss me now.”
In the next moment Baekhyun felt two large hands grip his waist and a pair of soft lips meet his. The press of their lips was warm and remained a simple press for a few moments before they started moving against each other.
Eventually they broke apart to breathe but within seconds their lips met again. This time the kiss was less innocent and soon enough Baekhyun’s felt Chanyeol lick along his lips, wanting access to his mouth. Baekhyun willingly opened his mouth and let out a groan at the feeling of Chanyeol’s tongue pressing against the roof his mouth. After a few seconds of this Baekhyun forced Chanyeol’s tongue back into his own mouth and took to exploring himself. Chanyeol tasted like the iced teas they’d gotten on the way to the apartment, sweet and refreshing. Baekhyun bit down on Chanyeol’s pouty lower lip and earned himself a moan from the taller man.
They broke off the kiss, each taking a few moments to catch their breaths. Chanyeol’s hands were still on Baekhyun’s waist and he pulled the florist closer and wrapped his arms around him. Baekhyun reciprocated the hug and wrapped his arms around the giant’s waist.
Baekhyun felt Chanyeol let out a sign against him. As he looked at the desk covered with flowers, an old lily caught Baekhyun’s eye.
“Hey Chanyeol, who did you buy those lilies for, way back in May?”
Chanyeol let go of Baekhyun and looked at him confused for a second. “Oh right! Those were for my noona’s birthday.”
Of course they were for his sister. Of course.
Baekhyun buried his head in Chanyeol’s chest and let out a frustrated whine.
.
“So Jongin can be a little childish at times, but I promise you he’s really smart. Top of his class actually, he just gets excited about little things.”
Baekhyun directed Chanyeol into the restaurant they were eating at. Today was the day Jongin and Kyungsoo were going to meet Chanyeol, and to say Baekhyun was nervous was an understatement. His first meeting with Kyungsoo had gone great and he wanted this one to as well.
“Relax Baekhyun, I’m sure I’m going to love them, not as much as I love you though!” Chanyeol laughed at his own remark and Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile while he elbowed his boyfriend in the ribs.
As they approached the table, Jongin and Kyungsoo stood up to greet the couple.
“Jongin, Kyungsoo, this is Chanyeol. Chanyeol, this is Jongin, and Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun gestured to the individuals respectively.
Chanyeol reached for Kyungsoo, “Its been awhile Kyungsoo, I see you’re doing well though.” The men exchanged a hug and Baekhyun stood back with his mouth hanging open.
“You guys know each other?”
Chanyeol ushered Baekhyun into a seat, after shaking hands with Jongin, as he explained, “Kyungsoo and I have worked on shoots together, not as many in the past few months, but we make a great duo.”
Baekhyun knew Kyungsoo was a photographer, but this was a complete surprise. At least it was one less person he was worried about making a good impression on.
He looked over at Jongin who was smiling at the whole ordeal like he wasn’t shocked at all.
“Jongin-ah did you know about this?”
“Yeah hyung, Kyungsoo hyung has pictures of himself and Chanyeol-ssi in his apartment.”
Baekhyun wouldn’t know if Chanyeol had any pictures of his friends at his apartment because it was a mess, plus they were always preoccupied with other things when they were there together.
Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol who had started an easy conversation with Kyungsoo, “Lets just order already.”
.
As the end of dinner approached Baekhyun found himself leaning against Chanyeol comfortably. It had gone better than he could have hoped. Chanyeol and Jongin got along perfectly and were currently engaged in a conversation about dogs. Baekhyun looked at everyone sitting at the table and thought about how much he’d grown. In the span of a few months he went from being pretty lonely, to having his whole life flipped upside down. He’d been on his own since high school, but that wasn’t the case any longer. He’d gone from having one close friend to having two, and a boyfriend. Like a flower, he was in full bloom.
“Baekhyun! Jongin said we can take home one of the puppies Monggu is going to have soon, we’re going to be parents!”
.
Prompt #: 172
Title: Blossom
Word Counts: ~6400
Side Pairing(s): Kyungsoo/Jongin
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): none
Disclaimer:The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Baekhyun’s life revolves around his flowers, until it doesn’t. Chanyeol stops by and changes everything. Puppies are involved.
Author's Note: Thank you to the Mods for being so lovely throughout this entire journey! This is my first time writing something this size and it was quite the project for me. Dear prompter, I hope I’ve done your prompt justice, it was a great one. Thank you to my beta A, you are perfect.
It was May. The season of peonies, freesia, snapdragons, tulips, and many more beautiful flowers. Some that Baekhyun carried in his little flower shop, and some that he didn’t. Looking around his shop, Baekhyun happily took in the sight of rows upon rows of colourful petals, all so meaningful in their own way. There was an indescribable satisfaction that the young florist got from being around flowers, maybe it was their pure beauty, or the fact that flowers were able to survive in the harshest of weather conditions and still come back each season, just as lovely. They were a lot like people he supposed. A lot like himself.
Baekhyun was snapped out of his daydreaming by the tinkering chimes on the door of his shop. He looked up to see… legs? Baekhyun raised his header higher and was met with a set of shining teeth. He looked at the man who had just walked into the store, and the first thing that came to his mind was tall. Tall and handsome.
That was until tall and handsome and opened his mouth and out came the deepest voice Baekhyun had ever heard, “Um… you sell flowers right?”. Oh gosh.
The guy looked pretty flushed, maybe he realized what a pointless question he was asking while standing in a shop literally called Byun’s Blooms.
With an amused lilt to his voice Baekhyun answered, “Well, yes I do. Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?” He hoped this guy at least had an idea of what he wanted.
“Well… um… I need a bouquet of flowers… yeah”. Tall and handsome was running his hands through his hair, which by the way was a creamy chocolate brown and looked really soft. Baekhyun would be lying if it wasn’t at least a little endearing.
“Are they for an event, or anyone in particular?” Baekhyun was hoping it was the former for some reason.
Tall and handsome was looking around the store and turned his back at Baekhyun until he heard his question, “Uh yeah, they’re for a girl. Its her birthday today and I wanted to get some flowers as a gift. Do you have something for that?” The guy got a fond look in his eyes when he mentioned said ‘girl’. Baekhyun felt his hopes deflate a little. Of course someone like him would have a girlfriend, there was no point in getting his hopes up in the first place.
Baekhyun swallowed his disappointment, this was a customer and it was his job to help him. “Well, since she’s born in May, her birth flower is Lily. I can put together an arrangement of those for you.” All the while Baekhyun was speaking, tall and handsome would not take his eyes off his face. It was a little unsettling.
“That sounds great!” Said the mystery man with more enthusiasm than Baekhyun though the situation called for.
Baekhyun began to move out from behind the counter to start getting together the materials he would need, “This will take about 15 minutes since it’s a relatively simple bouquet. You can take a look around the store if you want.”
Baekhyun was hoping his mystery man would stay out of his sight as he worked. He wasn’t sure he would be able to concentrate if he had someone so distracting in his personal space.
As the florist picked out flowers, he slowly transitioned into his private working zone where nothing less than a disaster could distract him. When Baekhyun was working with flowers he was in his own world. He had to concentrate on treating the blooms with the utmost care, making sure that no stem was twisted or bent the wrong way. His mind was focused on arranging the flowers so they each displayed their individual beauty, but still worked together to make a dynamic unit. Anyone who said flower arranging wasn’t a form of art was sorely mistaken.
While working, Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel like he was bring watched. It was that weird feeling you got when someone was stating from nearby. He was about to look up and investigate when-
“ACHOO, ACHOO, ACHOO!” Baekhyun was harshly broken out of his concentration by loud sneezes and a crash that sounded a lot like a flower pot. The next thing he knew, Mr. tall and handsome was calling out loud apologies and promising to pay for the flower put he mistakenly broke.
Walking over, the florist was relieved to see that no actual flowers were harmed. “Its fine, accidents happen don’t worry about paying.”
“Are you sure? This looks like a pretty expensive pot.” The mystery man had such an upset look on his face, almost resembling what Baekhyun’s friend Jongin’s puppies looked like when they got scolded for scratching the furniture.
Baekhyun let out a laugh, “Seriously, its okay. Let’s go up to the front, your flowers are ready to be wrapped.”
As they made their way to the main desk, tall and handsome offered a couple more apologies, all of which Baekhyun brushed off while assuring him that it really was OKAY. Hell, even the florist himself had broken a pot or two, or three. He was kind of clumsy.
Baekhyun deftly wrapped up the tulip bouquet in light blue paper to match. He finished by tying a bow around the arrangement and turning it around in his hands, making subtle tweaks to the flowers. When he was fully satisfied he turned back around to his mystery man, who was looking even more flushed than before. It was probably all the sneezing from earlier.
“Here you go! One birthday bouquet all ready to go!” This was Baekhyun’s favourite parte of owning a flower ship, the reactions on peoples faces when they saw the creation he’d made just for them.
Tall and handsome looked awed as he took the bouquet from Baekhyun. “Its absolutely perfect, thank you so much!” He said this while looking right into the florist’s eyes, and Baekhyun had to look away for a second so he wouldn’t drown in those warm brown eyes.
“Its my pleasure, I hope the birthday girl enjoys them.” Smiling at tall and handsome, Baekhyun rung him up and with that his mystery man was on his way after another “I’m sorry about the pot,” and a, “Thank you so much for your help!”
After the shop was once more quiet, although a little numbingly so, Baekhyun made his way over to the broken pot an began to collect the scattered shards. He thought about tall and handsome, and how his probably equally as beautiful girlfriend would be so happy to receive the flowers that were hand picked for her. For as long as Baekhyun had been working with flowers, he’d never once been given a bouquet himself. He often found himself wondering when, or if, he’s get his own arrangement. What kind of flowers would be in it? What would the colour scheme be? Most importantly, who would give it to him?
.
His day had been going like any other. Baekhyun had come into the shop at 6:00 am and had opened up all the blinds to let the sunlight stream in and bring life to the store interior. The florist then spent the next half hour watering all his plants, making sure they al had enough liquid to keep them fresh. All was quiet in the shop for the rest of the morning, aside from a few customers coming into buy bouquets. Baekhyun was particularly happy to see his favourite customer, an old ajumma who had an affinity for flowers just as he did.
They chatted about what flowers the ajumma was growing in her garden and about how the weather was perfect for planting these days. Baekhyun sold his favourite customer some snap dragon bulbs and sent her on her way.
As Baekhyun reflected on his morning he found his thoughts wandering from place to place. Talking to the ajumma about her garden brought about memories of a special garden with every flower imaginable growing in it. Flashes of a motherly smile and hands caked with dirt. These thoughts were never far from Baekhyun’s mind, like ghosts that were always whispering in the back of his consciousness. He had figured out the best potting mix to use for peonies and how much water was the perfect amount for daffodils, but Baekhyun had yet to figure out how to quiet the voices in his head.
The young florist shook his head, trying to physically clear his mind of obtrusive thoughts and caught sight of his gorgeous white lilies. He was reminded of long legs and a sunshine bright smile. Mr. Tall and handsome hadn’t visited the shop since that day about two weeks ago. Baekhyun knew he shouldn’t be disappointed, its not like the guy owed him anything. The florist was just hoping to see that smile again.
In that moment the bell above the shop door rang out, and Baekhyun looked over the shelf he was behind, calling out, “Welcome to Byun’s Blooms!”
That’s when he caught sight of the customer. Just as tall and handsome as he was last time, Baekhyun’s mystery man walked into the humble shop in all his long-legged glory. What a coincidence.
“Uh, hey! Its me again, I don’t know if you remember from last time…” Mystery man looked bashful as he waved at Baekhyun, giving his another one of his sunshine smiles.
Baekhyun had to hold his breath for a second as he took in the man’s features, his hair was just a brown and soft looking, and his eyes the same melted chocolate. “How could I forget the guy who broke my favourite pot, huh?” He couldn’t help but grin at the look of despair that crossed the face of tall and handsome.
“Ah, I’m really sorry about that.” The poor man looked like Baekhyun had sentenced him to time in jail.
“I’m just playing with you. Like I said before, its no biggie. But if you really want to repay me, why not give me your name?” Smooth Byun Baekhyun, smooth.
“Oh! Its Chanyeol! Park Chanyeol”
Tall and hand- wait no, Chanyeol said this while running his hand though his hair again. Baekhyun was of course distracted by his need to feel that hair.
“I’m Baekhyun, resident florist. Here for all your floral needs!” Baekhyun cringed slightly, how much more lame could he get? “Oh hey, how did your friend like her flowers?”
Chanyeol looked surprised that Baekhyun actually remembered the flowers he bought, “She loved them! She was actually really surprised that I managed to get something so nice… All thanks to you in the end!”
Of course Chanyeol’s girlfriend loved the flowers, who wouldn’t. They probably got all cozy that night and- Baekhyun realized that his thoughts were not headed to a particularly nice place and put a halt to them. This is one thing he could control. “What are you looking for today?” Looking up at Chanyeol, Baekhyun noticed the man looked al flushed again and wondered what could possibly be doing that to him.
Chanyeol looked around the store for a few seconds and seemed at a loss for words, like he’d come into the store with no plan, “All flowers have like, special meanings right? Like love and caring…”
At this Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile, it was incredibly endearing to see the giant man confused about the great meaning of plants, “Yeah! You can pick out the flowers you want based on their meanings.” The florist thought there was nothing better than someone buying flowers with the intention of passing on a message. It was like a puzzle piece waiting to be put together.
“What about flowers for liking someone, b-but secretly?” Chanyeol’s face seemed to grow even more red at this request.
Baekhyun felt his insides grow warm at the thought of Chanyeol buying flowers of admiration for someone, “Those would be yellow chrysanthemums, they’re absolutely gorgeous!” He envied the person receiving the flowers from Chanyeol.
Chanyeol looked thoughtful for a second, like he was thinking about his secret crush, “Can I get a bouquet of those then?”
“Of course.”
Chanyeol wandered around the store as Baekhyun grabbed the flowers and set them down on his work desk right behind the cash register. This time the giant looked like he was making as effort to keep his hands pressed tightly against his sides, lest there be another accident. All Baekhyun could hear was constant sniffling coming from the general direction of Chanyeol. Either the guy had a cold, or he was severely allergic to flowers. Baekhyun guessed it was the former, why would the guy bother coming to the store if it made him so uncomfortable.
Eventually Chanyeol made his way back to the front of the store, it wasn’t exactly a huge place.
“Alright, I’m just about done. All you have to do is pick a ribbon to finish it off!” Baekhyun thought it would be fun to let Chanyeol pick out the ribbon for the flowers himself since this was for his crush after all.
The giant started at the flowers for a few seconds before asking, “What’s your favourite colour Baekhyun-ssi?”
This surprised Baekhyun and he answered a few beats late, “Oh uh, I like green…”
“Alright then, a green ribbon will be perfect!” Chanyeol was beaming at Baekhyun as though he’d just given him the week’s winning lottery numbers and not his favourite colour.
Baekhyun cut a green ribbon engraved with his shop name and tied it around the bouquet. He spun the arrangement around in his hands, making sure there was no flower out of place.
Looking up at Chanyeol he smiled and moved to the cash register to ring up the flowers.
Once Chanyeol had paid he thanked Baekhyun for all his help once again and started walking towards the door.
“Oh hey Chanyeol!” the giant stopped and turned to look at Baekhyun, “Just Baekhyun is fine, no -ssi needed!” He wanted Chanyeol to be completely comfortable with him, even though they had recently met.
“Okay Baekhyun, I’ll see you soon!” With a smile wider than the florist had ever seen Chanyeol said his goodbye and was off.
Once again this left Baekhyun in an empty shop. Well not completely empty, he did have his flowers. He’d always have his flowers. It was still lonely though.
.
That evening, after closing the shop Baekhyun met up for dinner with Jongin. Jongin was his long time friend and neighbor. They’d met back in college where they were roommates, and had been close ever since.
As Baekhyun walked into their favourite sushi restaurant he anticipated seeing his friend. It had been a few weeks since the two had dinner together. Jongin was busy finishing up his finance degree and had no time to do anything other than study and sleep. And play with his puppies of course.
“Jongin-ah! How are you?” The student looked tried but happy nonetheless. The kid was always happy to go to dinner with Baekhyun, mainly because it was a free meal for him.
“I’m good hyung, on the last stretch before I’m finally done.” Baekhyun remembered his last year of college well. It was a tornado of assignments, exams, and planning for the future. All the things Baekhyun hated.
As they caught up on the goings of their lives they ordered dinner and silence ensued for a little while as both boys stuffed themselves with soup and sushi.
“Anything new happening with the puppies?” Baekhyun knew this was a tricky question to ask Jongin because it would result in a one-sided conversation that would take at least 15 minutes to run its course.
Jongin made a noise of excitement from somewhere in his throat and opened his mouth while it was still full of tuna and rice.
Baekhyun made a disgusted face which forced Jongin to finish chewing before he started his mini documentary about his ‘babies’.
“They’re doing so well hyung! Monggu just keeps getting bigger and bigger, I swear she is going to take over my entire bed one day! Jjanggu and Jjangah and the best of friends, they seriously do everything together! They even do their business together how cute is that?! I can’t believe my babies are getting so big already, it feels like just yesterday I brought them home. I’m so so so incredibly grateful to have them in my life! Are you ever going to get puppies Baekhyun-hyung?” Jongin said all this in one breath and got some stares from other people seated nearby. Luckily Baekhyun was anticipating this and ducked low enough into the booth they were sitting in so as to not be seen.
Once Jongin caught this breath Baekhyun went back to sitting up normally and said, “As much as I love hearing about your dogs, I’d rather not have one of my own.” Jongin’s face fell as Baekhyun said this, “Jongin-ah, we’ve been over this many times. I just don’t have time for a pet, I’m at the shop all day. You wouldn’t want me to neglect a doggy would you?”
This changed Jongin’s mind faster than anything else Baekhyun had said. “You’re right hyung, don’t get a pet. You have your flowers anyways. How is the shop by the way?”
Baekhyun thought about the shop for a second. Everything was the same as it always was. Of course the flowers in stock were different from the last time Jongin has asked, but he doubted the student cared about that. The only thing that was different about the shop was a certain man. But was he worth bringing up? It was one thing to think about Chanyeol when Baekhyun was in his shop, but to bring him up in conversation with his closest friend was completely different. It was like admitting Chanyeol was somehow more important than just a customer. Was he?
“It’s more or less the same as usual. The new flowers are lovely and I’ve been getting more business than usual!” That was partially true, Baekhyun had been getting more business in for form of a specific tall and handsome man. He didn’t need to go into details.
After finishing up dinner the boys started walking home together and Baekhyun suddenly remembered something very important, “Jongin-ah, how is it going with you and Kyungsoo? I remember you told me about the date you were going to have with him awhile back…”
Baekhyun looked at Jongin while saying this and saw his cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink. The boy looked at him with a smile spread across his face and his eyes crinkled at the corners. He let out a small giggle, “Its going really well hyung,” Jongin looked forward and continued, “We’re uh, dating now.”
This last part was said in a hush and it took Baekhyun a moment to process what he’d just heard. When he did he abruptly stopped walking. His little Jongin, his sweet puppy-obsessed Jongin had a boyfriend. An actual boyfriend.
“Oh my god,” Baekhyun whispered.
“What did you say hyung?” Jongin had also stopped walking.
“OH MY GOD JONGIN-AH!” Baekhyun ran forward and wrapped his arms around Jongin’s neck, nearly knocking them both to the ground.
Baekhyun’s heart felt like it was going to burst, this was everything he’d wanted for Jongin when the boy had first told him about the cute senior in his third year calculus class. He remembered Jongin going on and on about the senior and how his smiles were few but so worth waiting for. How he helped Jongin with a few questions he couldn’t figure out, and about how Kyungsoo even brought Jongin coffee from time to time.
“Hey hyung I can’t breathe here, are you going to let go?”
Baekhyun released Jongin from his hug and looked at him. He’d sounded a little annoyed but the kid had a silly smile on his face.
“I’m really happy for you Jongin-ah. You deserve this.”
“Thanks hyung, I’m happy as well. Kyungsoo is a great guy and an even better boyfriend.” As he said this Jongin started walking towards their apartment building once again.
“If he ever gives you any trouble you better tell me right away Jongin-ah.”
“Shut up Baekhyun hyung.”
.
Another two weeks passed before Baekhyun saw Chanyeol again. Not that he was counting or anything.
The giant stumbled in around noon on a Friday with the usual request for a bouquet.
“Is there something for a promise?” Chanyeol tilted his head sideways as he said this and Baekhyun felt his heart skip a beat. His hair had gotten longer and flopped adorably to the side, making him look like a puppy with too-big ears.
Instead of dramatically passing out like Baekhyun felt like doing, he told Chanyeol he’d check the back. Baekhyun was hoping he had apple blossoms in his store room, that was pretty much a mini garden, because they represented promise. He wondered why Chanyeol needed flowers symbolizing promise anyways. If he’d just bought yellow chrysanthemums for secret admiration what was the point of making promises so early on? Maybe it was just Baekhyun that didn’t understand promises, they never worked out for him.
To his delight the florist found just what he needed and made quick work of the bouquet, this time going for more of a wildflower look.
“Woah! This looks like you just got it from the forest, but its still so pretty,” Chanyeol exclaimed when Baekhyun handed him the arrangement.
This brought a pleased smile on Baekhyun’s face. He was used to getting many compliments from his customers, but Chanyeol’s unfounded joy meant more for some reason. Maybe because it was just so pure.
“I’m glad you like it; I hope whoever they’re for feels the same way.” As Baekhyun rang up the order he couldn’t help but notice Chanyeol become jittery. His infectious smile was replaced with a look of apprehension and he was shifting from foot to foot constantly.
Baekhyun looked up and opened his mouth to thank Chanyeol for his business when the giant started speaking instead.
“So I know we just met but um, I think it would be cool if we were uh… friends, yeah friends.” Chanyeol was sniffling as he said this and Baekhyun was mildly concerned for his health. He was also red as a tomato and looked like he might make a break for it any second.
“I was wondering if you and I could go for coffee sometime? I mean if you even drink coffee I guess we can get tea, or bubble tea, or ice cream…” Chanyeol trailed off and started to run his hand through his hair in the way Baekhyun had really come to like.
Was Baekhyun going to go through with this and potentially fall into a hole and hurt himself? Byun Baekhyun was a risk taker if nothing and so he decided right then and there to throw away fears he had about getting to know Chanyeol. In the end he’d end up with a great new friend.
“That sounds great.”
.
They decided to meet the next day and a small coffee shop whose owner Baekhyun was good friends with.
“Hey Minseok hyung!” Baekhyun arrived before Chanyeol and took a seat by the window.
“The usual Baekhyun-ah?” Minseok asked as he wiped down the front counter. He was a sweet guy who wanted to do nothing but run his café, Baekhyun understood that.
“I’m actually waiting for someone; I’ll order later on.” With a nod Minseok let Baekhyun be. Before Baekhyun was even able to settle down he heard the door open and was met with Chanyeol in all his long-legged glory.
The giant took a seat across Baekhyun and gave him his best sunshine smile, “I hope you weren’t waiting long.” He looked genuinely apologetic and it warmed Baekhyun to see it.
“Nope, I just got here.” As Baekhyun said this Minseok came by and gave them two menus, not before giving Baekhyun a knowing smile. He would have to tell Minseok later that is wasn’t like that. Chanyeol already had a girlfriend.
As they book looked over the menus, Baekhyun glanced at Chanyeol a few times, and even caught him glancing back. He guessed they were both a little nervous about this.
They placed their orders and once their coffee was served, the boys found themselves in easy chatter about everything and nothing.
“Is there a reason why you decided to become a florist?”
This was a tricky question. “I went through a lot in my teen years and I ended up falling in love with flowers because of their strength. I know it sounds a little odd, but at the time I was astounded by how flowers, especially wildflowers, would grow back regardless of what weather conditions they went through. I guess I still am…”
Chanyeol was looking at Baekhyun with this awe in his face that made Baekhyun feel like he’s just said something worth quoting.
“I think that’s amazing Baekhyun.”
Baekhyun chuckled and shook his head, “What about you, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a photographer, I do wedding shoots and stuff for magazines,” Chanyeol said all this with hand movements to demonstrate himself taking photos. He just kept getting more endearing.
The job suited Chanyeol. He seemed like the type of person to bring out the best in everyone, whether it be through his smiles or his photos.
“I’d love to see some of your photos sometime.” Baekhyun could already imagine how beautiful Chanyeol’s shots would be.
“I’d love to show them to you.”
.
After that coffee meetup Baekhyun saw a lot more of Chanyeol. He continued to buy flowers from the shop, but now they went out for food more frequently.
He had even taken the leap and told Jongin about Chanyeol. Jongin thought they would make a great couple, but Jongin also thought his dogs would make a cute couple so his opinion wasn’t weighed heavily. Nonetheless, ever since Jongin had brought up Baekhyun and Chanyeol being a couple, Baekhyun couldn’t stop thinking about it.
He’d imagine the giant hugging him after a hard day at work, and kissing him before they fell asleep together. He even found himself glancing at Chanyeol’s lips more frequently. When he was talking, eating, even when he was listening to Baekhyun, the florist kept looking at his pink, slightly chapped, pouty lips.
A few times Baekhyun caught Chanyeol looking at his lips, but that was probably because he talked too much.
After a month of outings with Chanyeol Baekhyun came to a bitter realization. He had a crush on Chanyeol. On Chanyeol who had a girlfriend who was probably gorgeous and nice. He was so screwed.
.
When Chanyeol walked into the shop right before closing one day, Baekhyun was mildly concerned about how jumpy he looked. The giant normally looked pretty damn excited, but today he was worse than usual. He also looked absolutely adorable.
“I was thinking Baekhyun, that you should come by my place today and take a look at some of my paintings!” Chanyeol looked so excited at the idea of this that Baekhyun couldn’t do anything but agree.
“Let me close up, I’ll meet you outside.”
.
The walk to Chanyeol’s place wasn’t a far one, and soon enough they arrived at the loft style apartment that was covered in photography equipment. There were cameras hanging off walls and photos taped to the ground. The space was a lot like Chanyeol himself, scattered but comfortable.
“Sorry for the mess, I didn’t really plan ahead for this.” Chanyeol looked bashful as he led Baekhyun over to a large desk on the other side of the room.
He pulled out a large leather photo album from under the desk and plopped it in front of Baekhyun.
“These are all my favourite shots. Most of them haven’t been published, they’re more for myself.”
Baekhyun flipped open the book and was met with a blank page with the name, ‘Park Chanyeol,’ on it. As he turned to the next page Baekhyun felt this breath leave his lungs. With each page Baekhyun felt more lightheaded. Chanyeol’s photographs were glorious. They depicted people in their natural habitats, doing the most mundane of tasks, but somehow it was beautiful.
Baekhyun particularly liked a photograph of an old man feeding a stray cat, it sounded like an ordinary thing to see, but the photograph made it look like a precious interaction between two old friends.
“I honestly don’t know what to say, these are just beautiful Chanyeol.” That was all Baekhyun could force out of his mouth in the moment, he was speechless.
Chanyeol let out a quiet laugh, “I’m glad you like them, it means a lot to me.” His hand was back in his hair and Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself from looking at Chanyeol lips. They looked so soft in the light of the setting sun.
Baekhyun had to stop himself before he did something stupid. He realized how close he and Chanyeol were standing, and took a jerky step back.
Apparently Chanyeol had something different on his mind because in the same moment he took a step forward and they ended up even closer than before.
“Chanyeol what are you doing?”
“Uh, Baekhyun can I- kiss, can I kiss you?” Chanyeol stammered and put his hands on Baekhyun shoulders.
Baekhyun was at a loss for words.
“Wh-What about your girlfriend?”
Chanyeol cocked his head to the side, “My girlfriend, what girlfriend?”
“The one you always buy flowers for Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said with an exasperated sigh.
Baekhyun expected Chanyeol to apologize or have a sudden moment of realization, but all the did was laugh. The giant laughed so loud Baekhyun was sure the entire apartment complex could hear them. He went as far as sitting down because he was so overcome with the hilarity of the situation while Baekhyun stood there and stared at him.
Once he was back to breathing normally Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun’s hand and walked him over to the other end of the room. There was a smaller desk here and it was covered in flowers, both fresh and wilting.
“What- “
“I try not to come to this end of the room often because my allergies flare up, but this is for you Baekhyun. Its not done yet, but I might as well give it you now.” Chanyeol handed Baekhyun a green scrapbook and looked at him expectantly.
Baekhyun was utterly confused, but he opened the scrapbook anyways. He breath left him once again.
On every page there were a handful of flowers, expertly pressed so their shape was preserved. On the bottom of each page was the meaning of each flower and a date. The scrapbook started with lilies and ended with yellow tulips, the flowers Chanyeol had bought from Baekhyun last week.
“I don’t understand, what is all this?” Baekhyun really didn’t understand. Why were all the flowers Chanyeol bought for his girlfriend in a book, and why was he giving it to Baekhyun?
“I don’t have a girlfriend Baekhyun, I never have. Unless we’re talking about grade three because I did have a girlfriend back then, but I don’t think you are.” Chanyeol was looking at Baekhyun with a fond look in his eyes as he said this. “I like you Byun Baekhyun, I like you a lot. That’s why I kept coming to your shop, even though I’m allergic to pollen. I came to see you. I made this book with all the flowers I bought from you to keep track of how I fell for you. Its like a bouquet of flowers, except each page means something different.”
Baekhyun’s first bouquet.
“You’re allergic to pollen?”
A nod.
“I don’t know whether to be incredibly flattered or to yell at you.” Baekhyun glared at Chanyeol. His glare didn’t last long because he couldn’t get over the fact that he was holding his first bouquet of flowers.
Chanyeol looked like a sad puppy when Baekhyun said this, “I just confessed to you, and you want to hit me? At least tell me if you like me back.”
Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, and then at the scrapbook on the desk, and he thought. He did like Chanyeol, a lot. He’d been through a lot the last couple years, but one thing he’d learned was that people grow, they come back. If he said yes to Chanyeol he’d be allowing himself to grow.
“I guess I do like you,” Baekhyun said with a smirk.
“You guess…”
“Oh stop with the faces, I like you a lot as well okay.” At this Chanyeol’s entire face brightened up and he set free one of his signature sunshine smiles.
“By the way, you can kiss me now.”
In the next moment Baekhyun felt two large hands grip his waist and a pair of soft lips meet his. The press of their lips was warm and remained a simple press for a few moments before they started moving against each other.
Eventually they broke apart to breathe but within seconds their lips met again. This time the kiss was less innocent and soon enough Baekhyun’s felt Chanyeol lick along his lips, wanting access to his mouth. Baekhyun willingly opened his mouth and let out a groan at the feeling of Chanyeol’s tongue pressing against the roof his mouth. After a few seconds of this Baekhyun forced Chanyeol’s tongue back into his own mouth and took to exploring himself. Chanyeol tasted like the iced teas they’d gotten on the way to the apartment, sweet and refreshing. Baekhyun bit down on Chanyeol’s pouty lower lip and earned himself a moan from the taller man.
They broke off the kiss, each taking a few moments to catch their breaths. Chanyeol’s hands were still on Baekhyun’s waist and he pulled the florist closer and wrapped his arms around him. Baekhyun reciprocated the hug and wrapped his arms around the giant’s waist.
Baekhyun felt Chanyeol let out a sign against him. As he looked at the desk covered with flowers, an old lily caught Baekhyun’s eye.
“Hey Chanyeol, who did you buy those lilies for, way back in May?”
Chanyeol let go of Baekhyun and looked at him confused for a second. “Oh right! Those were for my noona’s birthday.”
Of course they were for his sister. Of course.
Baekhyun buried his head in Chanyeol’s chest and let out a frustrated whine.
.
“So Jongin can be a little childish at times, but I promise you he’s really smart. Top of his class actually, he just gets excited about little things.”
Baekhyun directed Chanyeol into the restaurant they were eating at. Today was the day Jongin and Kyungsoo were going to meet Chanyeol, and to say Baekhyun was nervous was an understatement. His first meeting with Kyungsoo had gone great and he wanted this one to as well.
“Relax Baekhyun, I’m sure I’m going to love them, not as much as I love you though!” Chanyeol laughed at his own remark and Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile while he elbowed his boyfriend in the ribs.
As they approached the table, Jongin and Kyungsoo stood up to greet the couple.
“Jongin, Kyungsoo, this is Chanyeol. Chanyeol, this is Jongin, and Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun gestured to the individuals respectively.
Chanyeol reached for Kyungsoo, “Its been awhile Kyungsoo, I see you’re doing well though.” The men exchanged a hug and Baekhyun stood back with his mouth hanging open.
“You guys know each other?”
Chanyeol ushered Baekhyun into a seat, after shaking hands with Jongin, as he explained, “Kyungsoo and I have worked on shoots together, not as many in the past few months, but we make a great duo.”
Baekhyun knew Kyungsoo was a photographer, but this was a complete surprise. At least it was one less person he was worried about making a good impression on.
He looked over at Jongin who was smiling at the whole ordeal like he wasn’t shocked at all.
“Jongin-ah did you know about this?”
“Yeah hyung, Kyungsoo hyung has pictures of himself and Chanyeol-ssi in his apartment.”
Baekhyun wouldn’t know if Chanyeol had any pictures of his friends at his apartment because it was a mess, plus they were always preoccupied with other things when they were there together.
Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol who had started an easy conversation with Kyungsoo, “Lets just order already.”
.
As the end of dinner approached Baekhyun found himself leaning against Chanyeol comfortably. It had gone better than he could have hoped. Chanyeol and Jongin got along perfectly and were currently engaged in a conversation about dogs. Baekhyun looked at everyone sitting at the table and thought about how much he’d grown. In the span of a few months he went from being pretty lonely, to having his whole life flipped upside down. He’d been on his own since high school, but that wasn’t the case any longer. He’d gone from having one close friend to having two, and a boyfriend. Like a flower, he was in full bloom.
“Baekhyun! Jongin said we can take home one of the puppies Monggu is going to have soon, we’re going to be parents!”
.