what not to get for that special someone [for zitaoppars]
For: zitaoppars
Title: what not to get for that special someone
Pairing(s)/focus: Jinyoung/Youngjae
Rating: G
Word count: ~2K
Warnings: None
Author's notes: For zitaoppars. The image of Jinyoung working in a flowershop amuses me way too much~
Summary: roses are red, violets are blue, flowers are reproductive organs, a hint from me to you
"... That is a lot of bouquets."
Jinyoung looks up from his fiftieth arrangement for the day and grins at Youngjae’s surprise. "It’s tax season."
Youngjae blinks at him before checking the pre-orders list. There are less than a dozen names listed. "Tax season means we have a lot of flowers to get rid of? Because if so, can I have one please?"
"Nope, just the usual inventory." Jinyoung is entirely too cheerful for someone who’s been on his feet the whole day. "But tax season means lots of people will be working late. Like, really late. Like husbands-need-something-to-calm-the-wife-down late."
Youngjae thinks about that hard. The last time he saw Jinyoung this cheerful was the night before Valentines day, when husbands and boyfriends realized that, yes, they do need to get flowers this year and everywhere else was already sold out. Jinyoung loves to anticipate business needs. "I see. So that’s why you asked me if I had any plans for this evening."
Jinyoung grins at him proudly. "I figured I’ll need help when the rush comes in. And to spend time with you, too," Jinyoung adds hastily. He doesn’t want Youngjae to get the wrong impression. "We haven’t hung out in a while, you’ve been really busy with soccer training since you got in the team."
"No, I’m pretty sure we lost our hanging out time when you asked your sister if you can manage her flower shop by yourself in the afternoons. I still bring you lunch, though."
"And I appreciate that-"
But the rest of whatever Jinyoung has to say gets lost when a customer comes in hurriedly. "Jinyoung," Jaebum says, panting. "I’ll need-"
"Already have it," Jinyoung cuts him off. Jaebum never has time for pleasantries during weekdays. He raises a bouquet he made specially for Jaebum’s girlfriend. "You can pick it up on your way home tonight."
Jaebum nods. "Where’s the closest I can buy chocolates? And not the standard department store kind, I’ll need-"
Jinyoung raises his eyebrows. "This season’s gonna be that bad, huh? No worries, I’m on it. Creamy and filled with liquor?" The relief on Jaebum’s face is worth a hundred favors. Jinyoung makes a mental note to call it in when Jaebum least expects it.
"Thanks, man, you’re the best friend of my dreams." And with that, Jaebum’s out the door with Youngjae blinking at what just happened.
"Jaebum works for a gigantic finance firm," Jinyoung explains as he pulls out his calculator and punches in a few numbers. "He’s usually a good weathervane for how things are going in the corporate world. So if he’s looking for chocolates there’s a good chance a lot of other guys will, too. I’m thinking it’s time to cash in on the flowers-and-chocolates cliche. So. Youngjae, my best friend, my favorite junior for seven years-"
Youngjae scrunches his nose at him. It’s his favorite way of passing judgment. "I’ll get the chocolates, don’t worry. There’s a chocolatier not far from where I live, maybe I can ask Hyunyoung-noona for a discount if I buy in bulk."
"And-"
"I’ll be mindful of your budget, don’t worry." It’s not the first time Youngjae’s been asked to go on an errand for Jinyoung’s shop. The things he puts up with for… someone special. "And Jaebum’s your best friend, not me. Although I won’t dispute that I’m your favorite junior."
Jinyoung hugs him tight. "You’re the perfect dongsaeng, I swear-"
The shop door opens once more. It’s Jinyoung’s favorite sound of all time, followed by Jackson, who has Jinyoung’s least favorite voice of all time. "Stop the lovey-dovey shit, man, I need help!"
"I know, Jackson, flowers and chocolates. Got you covered."
"Thanks! And my roommate will be dropping by later, too. Name’s Hongbin, make sure you reserve some for him!" Jackson leaves in a whirlwind of stressed energy.
Jinyoung adds Jackson’s orders to the list. "I love tax season!"
It’s when they’re wrapping up after the chaos of harried customers that Jinyoung finds the piece of paper tucked neatly under the pocketbook he left on the counter. "What’s this?"
Youngjae glances over from where he’s doing inventory. There’s not much left to count, anyway. "Looks like an order slip. Maybe someone wants flowers that aren’t related to tax season?"
Jinyoung still hasn’t taken his eyes off the paper. "It has my name on it."
"Because you’ll be the one to arrange it?" Youngjae asks blankly.
"No, as the recipient." Jinyoung shows him the slip. Scribbled messily in the For: field is Jinyoung’s name. There’s no dedication but the order specifically states that the bouquet should have a dozen pink roses. There’s a wad of cash, too, which Jinyoung assumes is payment for the request. Enough for a bouquet and chocolates bundle.
"You look shaken, hyung."
"A dozen pink roses is the cliche ‘you’re special’ in flowers language." Jinyoung turns the paper over in case there’s something on the back, but it’s as empty as the field where the sender’s name should be. "It’s what suitors normally get for Valentines. Or when they have intentions for someone and they’ve decided to not be subtle but they’re leaving themselves a way out."
"... Oh. Not red roses?"
"Red roses means you’re going all in. You get pink if you want the excuse ‘hey, it’s not like they’re red or anything’." Jinyoung stares at the paper, shrugs, and stuffs it in the orders folder. "Let’s worry about that tomorrow. Why do you look upset?"
Youngjae schools his expression into something close enough to neutral. "I do?"
"Is inventory not going well?" Jinyoung looks over the chart that Youngjae is filling in. "Oooh. Yeah, looks like I need to refresh my inventory tomorrow. But that means, we did well today, I really stocked up for tax season. And you still look upset, by the way."
"I’m not upset, hyung." Youngjae tries to adjust his face further.
Jinyoung looks at him like he’s trying to figure something out. "Is it because you’re already done with inventory? Don’t worry, we’ll put that order in tomorrow’s books, you don’t have to change your numbers for tonight. And you still look upset."
"How do you know me so well?"
Jinyoung laughs like it’s the funniest thing he’s heard all day. "You’re not exactly good at hiding your feelings, Youngjae, you have the most expressive face in the world."
Youngjae pouts at him. "Maybe I’m just hungry."
Unlike Youngjae, though, Jinyoung is good at keeping his expression blank. "Come on, let’s get dinner. My treat, since you helped me out so much."
"For someone who wraps bouquets all afternoon for other people," Youngjae leads in over their fourth serving of barbeque, "you seem shaken about finding one dedicated to you."
Jinyoung shakes himself out of his thoughts. "You’re not upset about it anymore?"
"I wasn’t upset over it, hyung."
Jinyoung lets that one slide. "I wouldn’t say shaken, exactly." he says breezily. "I was just… I don’t know. I guess I just started thinking again."
Youngjae chews his rice carefully. "Thinking about?"
"About the whole relationship thing." Jinyoung keeps his eyes on his soup. He’s been stirring it in silence for the past three minutes without ever having taken a spoonful. "I guess maybe I started thinking again about how nice it would be to receive flowers. To know that someone’s thinking of you."
Youngjae lowers the barbeque he was about to bite into. "The way you treat the whole thing as just business, somehow I thought you were jaded?" He shrugs. "I mean, you make up all these reasons for why people buy flowers for romantic partners. Like missing an anniversary. Forgetting a birthday. Like flowers are a man’s way to say, ‘Please don’t be mad at me’."
"Still," Jinyoung says wistfully. "Having someone care enough to go out of their way and buy a bouquet because they know I’ll be upset." He sighs and raises his glass to Youngjae. "Although I do have someone who goes out of his way to help me out when I need it. And to bring me lunch, even if I don’t get to thank him enough for it. So somehow I’m still better off. I mean, lunch is definitely important."
"Important but not romantic?" Youngjae prompts. Then he laughs, though to Jinyoung it sounds forced. "I’ll bring you flowers tomorrow, hyung. Cheer up."
Jinyoung grins despite himself. "Nah. Save it for when you have to apologize for something."
"There’s the cynical Jinyoung-hyung I’ve grown to know and love. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you’re sizing me up."
"Doesn’t matter." Jinyoung takes a slice of rice roll from Youngjae’s plate. "You doing anything tomorrow morning? You don’t have class, right?"
"Let me guess," Youngjae says, pretending that he’s still trying to figure out what Jinyoung wants. "Your sister will be busy tomorrow morning so you have to watch the shop?"
"It’s normally slow in the mornings." Jinyoung admits. "So it won’t be a madhouse like tonight."
Youngjae nods. "Sure. We can hang out. Even if I have to wake up early. But no promises, okay?"
"See? I have someone who’s willing to give up sleeping in just to be with me." Jinyoung reaches across the table to pinch Youngjae’s cheeks. "I feel better already."
The man who walks into the shop right before lunch is way too attractive than the customers that Jinyoung is used to. Usually the more handsome someone is, the less likely that they’ll buy flowers. Jinyoung isn’t fond of that observation. "How can I help you?"
The man’s grin chills his spine. Those dimples should be illegal. "Did you get the flowers last night?"
Jinyoung blinks blankly. "I’m sorry?"
"Well, technically they weren’t flowers," the man says. "Unless you picked up the order and made the bouquet and gave it to yourself."
Youngjae peeks out of the backroom. The conversation just turned interesting, and the shop is too small to avoid eavesdropping anyway. He takes one look at who Jinyoung is talking to and promptly fails to stop himself from frowning.
Jinyoung takes the order slip from the folder. "So this is yours? I didn’t fill it yet since I don’t have a sender’s name."
"I’m Hongbin," says - apparently - Hongbin.
"Jackson’s friend?" Jinyoung asks. "He mentioned you yesterday."
"Yeah, him." Hongbin shakes his head, exasperated. Jinyoung is very familiar with that feeling, it’s normally people’s reaction whenever they’re talking about Jackson. "He wanted to say thanks for putting up with him. So he asked me to place that order."
And suddenly things make a lot of sense. Jinyoung looks shrewdly at Hongbin. "You don’t know much about giving flowers, do you?"
"Not really," Hongbin admits delicately. "I just get what my girlfriend wants. And she really loves roses. I thought red roses were for romance so pink roses are more neutral, right?"
Jinyoung nods in that special way that people do when they really shouldn’t be nodding but they just do it anyway so the conversation can move on. He hears Youngjae laughing loudly in the back room. "Right. So the flowers are from Jackson?"
"Exactly."
"So that was his money?"
"Yup." Hongbin winks like he’s letting Jinyoung in on a conspiracy. "If you want to get a more expensive set, just tell me. I can wrangle him for some more."
"Nah, this is good." He raises the order slip after some thought. "But if you don’t mind, I’d rather not use it for flowers and chocolates. You can tell Jackson that he bought me a meal, though."
Hongbin’s smile, like the rest of him, should be outlawed. "Will do."
"So." Youngjae comes out of the back room right after he hears the main door close. There’s a flower on his ear, courtesy of a very bored Jinyoung. "That mystery solved itself nicely."
"Indeed it did." Jinyoung raises the money that Hongbin left last night. "Wanna go get dinner later? Jackson’s treat."
"We definitely should," Youngjae says. He pauses to think about what he just heard. "Really dinner? Not lunch?"
Jinyoung throws an arm around Youngjae. "I’ve got someone bringing me lunch already. And lunch is important."
Youngjae blushes redder than the rose in his hand, which he places on Jinyoung’s ear. "Red means going all in. Right, hyung?"
Jinyoung smiles and grabs a carnation from the stand. "Worried about some competition back there, weren’t you?" he says, carefully treading the stem through Youngjae’s hair.
[readers, don't forget to leave a comment! anonymous is on if you're shy.]
Title: what not to get for that special someone
Pairing(s)/focus: Jinyoung/Youngjae
Rating: G
Word count: ~2K
Warnings: None
Author's notes: For zitaoppars. The image of Jinyoung working in a flowershop amuses me way too much~
Summary: roses are red, violets are blue, flowers are reproductive organs, a hint from me to you
"... That is a lot of bouquets."
Jinyoung looks up from his fiftieth arrangement for the day and grins at Youngjae’s surprise. "It’s tax season."
Youngjae blinks at him before checking the pre-orders list. There are less than a dozen names listed. "Tax season means we have a lot of flowers to get rid of? Because if so, can I have one please?"
"Nope, just the usual inventory." Jinyoung is entirely too cheerful for someone who’s been on his feet the whole day. "But tax season means lots of people will be working late. Like, really late. Like husbands-need-something-to-calm-the-wife-down late."
Youngjae thinks about that hard. The last time he saw Jinyoung this cheerful was the night before Valentines day, when husbands and boyfriends realized that, yes, they do need to get flowers this year and everywhere else was already sold out. Jinyoung loves to anticipate business needs. "I see. So that’s why you asked me if I had any plans for this evening."
Jinyoung grins at him proudly. "I figured I’ll need help when the rush comes in. And to spend time with you, too," Jinyoung adds hastily. He doesn’t want Youngjae to get the wrong impression. "We haven’t hung out in a while, you’ve been really busy with soccer training since you got in the team."
"No, I’m pretty sure we lost our hanging out time when you asked your sister if you can manage her flower shop by yourself in the afternoons. I still bring you lunch, though."
"And I appreciate that-"
But the rest of whatever Jinyoung has to say gets lost when a customer comes in hurriedly. "Jinyoung," Jaebum says, panting. "I’ll need-"
"Already have it," Jinyoung cuts him off. Jaebum never has time for pleasantries during weekdays. He raises a bouquet he made specially for Jaebum’s girlfriend. "You can pick it up on your way home tonight."
Jaebum nods. "Where’s the closest I can buy chocolates? And not the standard department store kind, I’ll need-"
Jinyoung raises his eyebrows. "This season’s gonna be that bad, huh? No worries, I’m on it. Creamy and filled with liquor?" The relief on Jaebum’s face is worth a hundred favors. Jinyoung makes a mental note to call it in when Jaebum least expects it.
"Thanks, man, you’re the best friend of my dreams." And with that, Jaebum’s out the door with Youngjae blinking at what just happened.
"Jaebum works for a gigantic finance firm," Jinyoung explains as he pulls out his calculator and punches in a few numbers. "He’s usually a good weathervane for how things are going in the corporate world. So if he’s looking for chocolates there’s a good chance a lot of other guys will, too. I’m thinking it’s time to cash in on the flowers-and-chocolates cliche. So. Youngjae, my best friend, my favorite junior for seven years-"
Youngjae scrunches his nose at him. It’s his favorite way of passing judgment. "I’ll get the chocolates, don’t worry. There’s a chocolatier not far from where I live, maybe I can ask Hyunyoung-noona for a discount if I buy in bulk."
"And-"
"I’ll be mindful of your budget, don’t worry." It’s not the first time Youngjae’s been asked to go on an errand for Jinyoung’s shop. The things he puts up with for… someone special. "And Jaebum’s your best friend, not me. Although I won’t dispute that I’m your favorite junior."
Jinyoung hugs him tight. "You’re the perfect dongsaeng, I swear-"
The shop door opens once more. It’s Jinyoung’s favorite sound of all time, followed by Jackson, who has Jinyoung’s least favorite voice of all time. "Stop the lovey-dovey shit, man, I need help!"
"I know, Jackson, flowers and chocolates. Got you covered."
"Thanks! And my roommate will be dropping by later, too. Name’s Hongbin, make sure you reserve some for him!" Jackson leaves in a whirlwind of stressed energy.
Jinyoung adds Jackson’s orders to the list. "I love tax season!"
It’s when they’re wrapping up after the chaos of harried customers that Jinyoung finds the piece of paper tucked neatly under the pocketbook he left on the counter. "What’s this?"
Youngjae glances over from where he’s doing inventory. There’s not much left to count, anyway. "Looks like an order slip. Maybe someone wants flowers that aren’t related to tax season?"
Jinyoung still hasn’t taken his eyes off the paper. "It has my name on it."
"Because you’ll be the one to arrange it?" Youngjae asks blankly.
"No, as the recipient." Jinyoung shows him the slip. Scribbled messily in the For: field is Jinyoung’s name. There’s no dedication but the order specifically states that the bouquet should have a dozen pink roses. There’s a wad of cash, too, which Jinyoung assumes is payment for the request. Enough for a bouquet and chocolates bundle.
"You look shaken, hyung."
"A dozen pink roses is the cliche ‘you’re special’ in flowers language." Jinyoung turns the paper over in case there’s something on the back, but it’s as empty as the field where the sender’s name should be. "It’s what suitors normally get for Valentines. Or when they have intentions for someone and they’ve decided to not be subtle but they’re leaving themselves a way out."
"... Oh. Not red roses?"
"Red roses means you’re going all in. You get pink if you want the excuse ‘hey, it’s not like they’re red or anything’." Jinyoung stares at the paper, shrugs, and stuffs it in the orders folder. "Let’s worry about that tomorrow. Why do you look upset?"
Youngjae schools his expression into something close enough to neutral. "I do?"
"Is inventory not going well?" Jinyoung looks over the chart that Youngjae is filling in. "Oooh. Yeah, looks like I need to refresh my inventory tomorrow. But that means, we did well today, I really stocked up for tax season. And you still look upset, by the way."
"I’m not upset, hyung." Youngjae tries to adjust his face further.
Jinyoung looks at him like he’s trying to figure something out. "Is it because you’re already done with inventory? Don’t worry, we’ll put that order in tomorrow’s books, you don’t have to change your numbers for tonight. And you still look upset."
"How do you know me so well?"
Jinyoung laughs like it’s the funniest thing he’s heard all day. "You’re not exactly good at hiding your feelings, Youngjae, you have the most expressive face in the world."
Youngjae pouts at him. "Maybe I’m just hungry."
Unlike Youngjae, though, Jinyoung is good at keeping his expression blank. "Come on, let’s get dinner. My treat, since you helped me out so much."
"For someone who wraps bouquets all afternoon for other people," Youngjae leads in over their fourth serving of barbeque, "you seem shaken about finding one dedicated to you."
Jinyoung shakes himself out of his thoughts. "You’re not upset about it anymore?"
"I wasn’t upset over it, hyung."
Jinyoung lets that one slide. "I wouldn’t say shaken, exactly." he says breezily. "I was just… I don’t know. I guess I just started thinking again."
Youngjae chews his rice carefully. "Thinking about?"
"About the whole relationship thing." Jinyoung keeps his eyes on his soup. He’s been stirring it in silence for the past three minutes without ever having taken a spoonful. "I guess maybe I started thinking again about how nice it would be to receive flowers. To know that someone’s thinking of you."
Youngjae lowers the barbeque he was about to bite into. "The way you treat the whole thing as just business, somehow I thought you were jaded?" He shrugs. "I mean, you make up all these reasons for why people buy flowers for romantic partners. Like missing an anniversary. Forgetting a birthday. Like flowers are a man’s way to say, ‘Please don’t be mad at me’."
"Still," Jinyoung says wistfully. "Having someone care enough to go out of their way and buy a bouquet because they know I’ll be upset." He sighs and raises his glass to Youngjae. "Although I do have someone who goes out of his way to help me out when I need it. And to bring me lunch, even if I don’t get to thank him enough for it. So somehow I’m still better off. I mean, lunch is definitely important."
"Important but not romantic?" Youngjae prompts. Then he laughs, though to Jinyoung it sounds forced. "I’ll bring you flowers tomorrow, hyung. Cheer up."
Jinyoung grins despite himself. "Nah. Save it for when you have to apologize for something."
"There’s the cynical Jinyoung-hyung I’ve grown to know and love. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you’re sizing me up."
"Doesn’t matter." Jinyoung takes a slice of rice roll from Youngjae’s plate. "You doing anything tomorrow morning? You don’t have class, right?"
"Let me guess," Youngjae says, pretending that he’s still trying to figure out what Jinyoung wants. "Your sister will be busy tomorrow morning so you have to watch the shop?"
"It’s normally slow in the mornings." Jinyoung admits. "So it won’t be a madhouse like tonight."
Youngjae nods. "Sure. We can hang out. Even if I have to wake up early. But no promises, okay?"
"See? I have someone who’s willing to give up sleeping in just to be with me." Jinyoung reaches across the table to pinch Youngjae’s cheeks. "I feel better already."
The man who walks into the shop right before lunch is way too attractive than the customers that Jinyoung is used to. Usually the more handsome someone is, the less likely that they’ll buy flowers. Jinyoung isn’t fond of that observation. "How can I help you?"
The man’s grin chills his spine. Those dimples should be illegal. "Did you get the flowers last night?"
Jinyoung blinks blankly. "I’m sorry?"
"Well, technically they weren’t flowers," the man says. "Unless you picked up the order and made the bouquet and gave it to yourself."
Youngjae peeks out of the backroom. The conversation just turned interesting, and the shop is too small to avoid eavesdropping anyway. He takes one look at who Jinyoung is talking to and promptly fails to stop himself from frowning.
Jinyoung takes the order slip from the folder. "So this is yours? I didn’t fill it yet since I don’t have a sender’s name."
"I’m Hongbin," says - apparently - Hongbin.
"Jackson’s friend?" Jinyoung asks. "He mentioned you yesterday."
"Yeah, him." Hongbin shakes his head, exasperated. Jinyoung is very familiar with that feeling, it’s normally people’s reaction whenever they’re talking about Jackson. "He wanted to say thanks for putting up with him. So he asked me to place that order."
And suddenly things make a lot of sense. Jinyoung looks shrewdly at Hongbin. "You don’t know much about giving flowers, do you?"
"Not really," Hongbin admits delicately. "I just get what my girlfriend wants. And she really loves roses. I thought red roses were for romance so pink roses are more neutral, right?"
Jinyoung nods in that special way that people do when they really shouldn’t be nodding but they just do it anyway so the conversation can move on. He hears Youngjae laughing loudly in the back room. "Right. So the flowers are from Jackson?"
"Exactly."
"So that was his money?"
"Yup." Hongbin winks like he’s letting Jinyoung in on a conspiracy. "If you want to get a more expensive set, just tell me. I can wrangle him for some more."
"Nah, this is good." He raises the order slip after some thought. "But if you don’t mind, I’d rather not use it for flowers and chocolates. You can tell Jackson that he bought me a meal, though."
Hongbin’s smile, like the rest of him, should be outlawed. "Will do."
"So." Youngjae comes out of the back room right after he hears the main door close. There’s a flower on his ear, courtesy of a very bored Jinyoung. "That mystery solved itself nicely."
"Indeed it did." Jinyoung raises the money that Hongbin left last night. "Wanna go get dinner later? Jackson’s treat."
"We definitely should," Youngjae says. He pauses to think about what he just heard. "Really dinner? Not lunch?"
Jinyoung throws an arm around Youngjae. "I’ve got someone bringing me lunch already. And lunch is important."
Youngjae blushes redder than the rose in his hand, which he places on Jinyoung’s ear. "Red means going all in. Right, hyung?"
Jinyoung smiles and grabs a carnation from the stand. "Worried about some competition back there, weren’t you?" he says, carefully treading the stem through Youngjae’s hair.
[readers, don't forget to leave a comment! anonymous is on if you're shy.]