of flowers and piggyback ride
Title: of flowers and piggyback ride
Pairing: sehun/luhan (with side lay/kai and slight!layhan fufufu)
Rating: PG
Summary: in which luhan is a florist and sehun is a college boy who forgets to bring his umbrella.
A/N: this is inspired by the anime Natsuyuki Rendezvous (minus the dead husband character lol)
image source: ✿
sehun had tons of small potted plants in his apartment. his already crammed apartment. in his bedroom, in the kitchen, on his study table, on the window sills and even in his bathroom; greenery was something you couldn't escape upon entering sehun's territory.
and he was not a nature lover. not really. but thanks to a certain someone, sehun came to love plants and flowers. all it takes was a bad weather and a forgetful oh sehun.
sehun passed by a florist shop on his way home from the campus. he didn't notice the small shop when he first started living in that area. it was his first day of school and it started raining when he was on the way home. sehun searched his bag for an umbrella but apparently he had forgotten to bring it. cursing, he ran to the nearest roof to take shelter.
ruffling his hair to get rid of the rain droplets, he was surprised when a slim figure emerged from the entrance. accompanied by an alluring smile, the other boy tilted his head slightly.
"are you a customer?"
sehun couldn't answer the question. he kept on staring at the pretty face in front of him. round, sparkling doe eyes stared back at him, bearing questions. it was only a few moments later when sehun caught himself.
"ah, no. i'm just taking shelter. um, do you mind?" sehun replied in a timid voice, blushing slightly. he noticed that the boy was holding a tray of green seedlings, perfectly lined on dark soil.
the boy gave a small laugh. sehun found his voice soft and melodious. addictive too, he thought.
"i don't mind. stay as long as you want," he said as he placed the tray he was holding on a rack. sehun peered at the nametag on the boy's oversized apron.
luhan.
giving sehun a bright smile, luhan disappeared into the shop. sehun stood there, feeling as if his head was floating in the air. he looked around him and finally noticed that there were lots of small plants and colorful flowers, neatly arranged on tiered racks. sehun looked up and read the sign over his head: lulu florist.
grabbing the smallest potted plant near him, sehun walked into the shop. as he watched a beaming luhan wrapping the thorny plant with an old newspaper, sehun decided there was nothing in this world that could beat luhan's smiles.
from that day onwards, in order to see a smiling luhan, sehun dropped by the florist shop and purchased a random potted plant every day after school.
that explained why his apartment had turned into a greenhouse, literally, much to his best friend's dismay. but sehun didn't care.
"we're art students and we don't take botany subjects," jongin once pointed out.
"hm."
"your house smells like fertilizers."
"thanks."
"i don't like it when there's an orchid staring at me while i'm taking a dump in your toilet."
"too bad."
"i wish i breathe weed poison."
"...fuck you."
sehun felt as if he just hit a jackpot when he saw a memo on the door of lulu florist one day.
vacancy. part time assistant wanted. qualifications not required.
sehun grabbed the memo and stuffed it deep inside his pocket.
luhan watched as sehun bounced around, back and forth, carrying pots and bags of fertilizers. sehun had just started working there for a few days and luhan already felt attached to the younger boy. sehun didn't talk much and he blushed whenever luhan asked him questions. luhan liked that. he liked it even more when there was a pink tinge coloring sehun's pale cheeks. he liked it how sehun licked his lips when he was nervous.
"manager, where do i put this container?"
startled, luhan fumbled over his pen, feeling heat slowly crawling to his cheeks. composing himself together, luhan cleared his throat.
"um, will you please put that alongside our new stock at the back? thanks."
sehun nodded, his hair bounced slightly with the rhythm of his head. when the boy disappeared from his sight, luhan let out a sigh.
what has gotten into me?, he wondered as he checked the list of customer orders of the day.
it had been three months since sehun started working in lulu florist. apart from stocking up fertilizers, arranging newly-arrived flowers on the front racks and watering the plants, sehun didn't have anything much to do. so most of his time was spent stealing glances at his boss.
sehun knew he shouldn't have any ulterior motive when he applied for the job. he told luhan that he needed extra money to pay for his tuition fees while in fact, the real reason was that he wanted to get closer to the older boy.
the more time he spent with luhan, sehun found himself attracted to the other boy. like, there was an invisible thread connecting him and the shop's owner. luhan might be a bit weird; he talked to flowers and gave them names -- luhan was especially fond of an evening primrose he called marie -- but sehun thought it was cute.
every morning, after opening the shop, luhan would saunter around the small greenhouse at the back of the shop and greeted the plants: "good morning, lovely friends!"
luhan also bid farewell to the flowers he sold off -- "goodbye, little janes. be more beautiful every day," he would whisper as he wrapped his favorite bunch of pink hybrid tea roses for a beautiful lady. sehun was taken aback at first but upon seeing luhan's beaming face, he began to love luhan and his weird habits.
luhan treated every plant like a precious friend. sometimes it made sehun wonder if his boss had any. luhan seemed to be spending his time mostly on the shop, going straight home as soon as a busy day ended.
sehun's question was answered the very next day.
"i'm working, jongin. i'm sorry i can't be your source of amusement today," sehun said over the phone, rolling his eyes.
"eehhhhhhh~~ but i'm already in front of your apartment," jongin whined noisily into the phone, causing sehun to cringe. he could almost picture his best friend pouting and stamping his feet to the ground like a child.
"maybe you can come to my workplace. we're closing in an hour. stay there, i'll come and fetch you," sehun said and hung up on a cheering jongin.
since there was not much work to do, luhan gave sehun a nod, saying he'd be pleased to meet sehun's friend. sehun immediately ran off to his apartment with his apron flapping against his legs.
when he returned to the shop with jongin, sehun found luhan talking happily to another guy. he didn't look like a customer though. noticing their presence, the guy turned around and gave them a warm smile, revealing a sweet dimple on his right cheek.
"sehun-ah, there you are! let me introduce you to my friend. this is yixing, who came to visit from china. previously he worked here as my assistant," luhan chattered cheerfully, radiating sunshine in the little shop.
"hi, i'm yixing. are you the new assistant luhan kept on babbling about? nice to meet you," yixing held out a hand, grinning as luhan made a pouting face.
"nice to meet you too. my name is oh sehun," sehun shook yixing's hand and glanced at a flushing luhan. suddenly remembering about jongin, sehun perked up. "ah, manager, this is jongin, my friend from col--"
"oh my god are you the zhang yixing-hyung?" jongin squealed in excitement. "sehun-ah, he's my senior from the dance academy i'm attending! he's really great, you should see him dancing!"
"hey now that i think of it, i've seen you in a dance battle before," yixing exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. "your moves are really fluid. maybe we should practice together sometimes."
feeling out of place, sehun could only stare as jongin nodded furiously, flustering and blushing beside him.
"you've got a fan now huh, yixing? i thought i'm your only fan," luhan smiled and began to poke at yixing's dimple mercilessly. swatting luhan's hand away playfully, yixing laughed and tickled luhan's sides. soon after that, the two older boys were engaged in a catch-me-if-you-can game inside the shop.
not moving from his spot, sehun watched as luhan finally gave in and yixing tackled the other boy to the ground, all the while giggling and grinning over his small victory. sehun felt something tugging at his heart when he saw luhan doubled over in laughter.
i've never seen him laugh this much before, sehun thought as he bit his lower lip.
jongin was still in a daze to notice sehun turning away with an aching heart.
after closing the shop, luhan dragged the three boys to a food stall nearby. they chit-chatted over a drink. sehun and jongin found out that yixing became a dance instructor in his hometown in china, teaching aspiring young dancers.
"i was just helping out luhan with the shop after he inherited it from his father. truthfully, i was quite worried for him when i had to leave but now with sehun around, i'm at total ease," yixing said as downed a shot of soju, patting sehun on the shoulder.
sehun blushed ever so slightly as he slurped on his orange juice. jongin kept on swooning at yixing like a lost little puppy after yixing ruffled the boy's hair playfully. sehun sighed, knowing that his friend had fallen head over heels for yixing. he stole a glance at luhan, whose face had turn bright pink from the alcohol. noticing the younger boy's gaze lingering on him, luhan gave sehun a bashful smile.
"yixing returned to korea because he's invited to perform in the dance academy's anniversary event," luhan said, nudging at jongin. "he will gain more fans. so, jongin, you'd better keep an eye on him."
"y-yah, luhan! stop teasing that boy," yixing reached out to clamp luhan's mouth, a pink tinge creeping slowly on his cheeks.
"wooooo yixing is embarrassed hahaha~" luhan said in a singsong voice as he hiccuped in between. a series of hiccups followed after the boy drank another shot of soju.
"uh oh, i think luhan-hyung is drunk," jongin said, pointing at the dreamy-eyed florist.
"i'm haaaapppyyy because --hiccups-- yixing likes jongin --hiccups-- and jongin likes yixiiiing~~ yayyy~" luhan babbled and took yixing's and jongin's hands together before lifting them above his head.
sehun watched in amazement because as ridiculous as it sounds, luhan looked really cute in a drunken mode and he felt like glomping at the babyfaced boy.
sighing, yixing stood and collected luhan's jacket. "shall we call it a night? i should inform you guys that luhan has very low alcohol tolerance level," he grinned as he placed luhan's arm on his shoulder.
"hyung, let me send him back. i'm sure you're pretty tired from your journey," sehun offered and squatted, gesturing for luhan to be placed on his back.
"i'll leave him to you, then. thank you, sehun," yixing smiled gratefully.
with luhan on his back, sehun walked slowly, heading back to the shop. that was where luhan lived, literally. the shop was a two-storey building with a room upstairs, large enough for a single person to live in.
shifting luhan's weight, sehun was surprised at how light the older boy was as yixing and jongin helped him on his back earlier. encouraging the other two that he would be fine by himself, sehun decided to let them be together a bit longer.
jongin should thank me later, he mused.
as he walked in total silence, sehun could feel luhan's even breathing. with his chin rested conveniently on sehun's shoulder, luhan's warm breath caressed sehun's cheek gently.
"sehun-ah..."
sehun perked up at the sound of luhan's voice. turning his head slightly, he whispered, "manager? what is it?"
luhan let out a sniffing noise before circling his arms tighter around sehun's neck. "you can just leave me here --hiccups-- if you're too tired."
"i can't do that. i promised yixing-hyung to take care of you," sehun smiled as luhan hiccuped like a puppy. "besides, i'm strong!"
luhan snorted and began to doze off. enjoying the feeling of the other boy's hair tickling his cheek, sehun continued to walk in silence when suddenly, luhan let out an inaudible murmur.
"what did you say? manager, i can't hear you," sehun stopped and turned tentatively to look at him.
"stop calling me 'manager', sehun," luhan mumbled, his breath ghosting on sehun's neck. his face is flushed, the pink shade tinting the tips of his ears as an aftereffect. "'manager this', 'manager that'. i can't take it anymore."
sehun felt his face warming up at luhan's words and he stared at the older boy. "ma-- um, luhan... hyung?"
luhan sighed. "i just wanted you to call me by my name, like how you did with yixing and jongin. i'm sorry, sehun. it's just me being stupid and--"
luhan's words were abruptly cut when sehun turned, craning his neck in luhan's direction to seal their lips together. sehun coaxed the older boy, moving his lips to pepper gentle kisses on luhan's and he smiled when luhan finally came down to earth and kissed him back. luhan tightened his grip around sehun's neck and the younger boy clutched at his legs in respond. they kissed and kissed under the fluorescent street light, indulging in each other's warmth as the cool night breeze whispered in their ears.
a smile lingered on sehun's lips as he pulled away. he embedded the image of luhan's furiously blushing face in his mind and stored it safely at the bottom of his heart. luhan squirmed in embarrassment, kicking his feet in silent plea for sehun to start walking.
they inched closer to lulu florist -- with measured speed -- just like how sehun began to inch closer and closer into luhan's blooming heart.
fin.
Pairing: sehun/luhan (with side lay/kai and slight!layhan fufufu)
Rating: PG
Summary: in which luhan is a florist and sehun is a college boy who forgets to bring his umbrella.
A/N: this is inspired by the anime Natsuyuki Rendezvous (minus the dead husband character lol)
image source: ✿
sehun had tons of small potted plants in his apartment. his already crammed apartment. in his bedroom, in the kitchen, on his study table, on the window sills and even in his bathroom; greenery was something you couldn't escape upon entering sehun's territory.
and he was not a nature lover. not really. but thanks to a certain someone, sehun came to love plants and flowers. all it takes was a bad weather and a forgetful oh sehun.
sehun passed by a florist shop on his way home from the campus. he didn't notice the small shop when he first started living in that area. it was his first day of school and it started raining when he was on the way home. sehun searched his bag for an umbrella but apparently he had forgotten to bring it. cursing, he ran to the nearest roof to take shelter.
ruffling his hair to get rid of the rain droplets, he was surprised when a slim figure emerged from the entrance. accompanied by an alluring smile, the other boy tilted his head slightly.
"are you a customer?"
sehun couldn't answer the question. he kept on staring at the pretty face in front of him. round, sparkling doe eyes stared back at him, bearing questions. it was only a few moments later when sehun caught himself.
"ah, no. i'm just taking shelter. um, do you mind?" sehun replied in a timid voice, blushing slightly. he noticed that the boy was holding a tray of green seedlings, perfectly lined on dark soil.
the boy gave a small laugh. sehun found his voice soft and melodious. addictive too, he thought.
"i don't mind. stay as long as you want," he said as he placed the tray he was holding on a rack. sehun peered at the nametag on the boy's oversized apron.
luhan.
giving sehun a bright smile, luhan disappeared into the shop. sehun stood there, feeling as if his head was floating in the air. he looked around him and finally noticed that there were lots of small plants and colorful flowers, neatly arranged on tiered racks. sehun looked up and read the sign over his head: lulu florist.
grabbing the smallest potted plant near him, sehun walked into the shop. as he watched a beaming luhan wrapping the thorny plant with an old newspaper, sehun decided there was nothing in this world that could beat luhan's smiles.
from that day onwards, in order to see a smiling luhan, sehun dropped by the florist shop and purchased a random potted plant every day after school.
that explained why his apartment had turned into a greenhouse, literally, much to his best friend's dismay. but sehun didn't care.
"we're art students and we don't take botany subjects," jongin once pointed out.
"hm."
"your house smells like fertilizers."
"thanks."
"i don't like it when there's an orchid staring at me while i'm taking a dump in your toilet."
"too bad."
"i wish i breathe weed poison."
"...fuck you."
sehun felt as if he just hit a jackpot when he saw a memo on the door of lulu florist one day.
vacancy. part time assistant wanted. qualifications not required.
sehun grabbed the memo and stuffed it deep inside his pocket.
luhan watched as sehun bounced around, back and forth, carrying pots and bags of fertilizers. sehun had just started working there for a few days and luhan already felt attached to the younger boy. sehun didn't talk much and he blushed whenever luhan asked him questions. luhan liked that. he liked it even more when there was a pink tinge coloring sehun's pale cheeks. he liked it how sehun licked his lips when he was nervous.
"manager, where do i put this container?"
startled, luhan fumbled over his pen, feeling heat slowly crawling to his cheeks. composing himself together, luhan cleared his throat.
"um, will you please put that alongside our new stock at the back? thanks."
sehun nodded, his hair bounced slightly with the rhythm of his head. when the boy disappeared from his sight, luhan let out a sigh.
what has gotten into me?, he wondered as he checked the list of customer orders of the day.
it had been three months since sehun started working in lulu florist. apart from stocking up fertilizers, arranging newly-arrived flowers on the front racks and watering the plants, sehun didn't have anything much to do. so most of his time was spent stealing glances at his boss.
sehun knew he shouldn't have any ulterior motive when he applied for the job. he told luhan that he needed extra money to pay for his tuition fees while in fact, the real reason was that he wanted to get closer to the older boy.
the more time he spent with luhan, sehun found himself attracted to the other boy. like, there was an invisible thread connecting him and the shop's owner. luhan might be a bit weird; he talked to flowers and gave them names -- luhan was especially fond of an evening primrose he called marie -- but sehun thought it was cute.
every morning, after opening the shop, luhan would saunter around the small greenhouse at the back of the shop and greeted the plants: "good morning, lovely friends!"
luhan also bid farewell to the flowers he sold off -- "goodbye, little janes. be more beautiful every day," he would whisper as he wrapped his favorite bunch of pink hybrid tea roses for a beautiful lady. sehun was taken aback at first but upon seeing luhan's beaming face, he began to love luhan and his weird habits.
luhan treated every plant like a precious friend. sometimes it made sehun wonder if his boss had any. luhan seemed to be spending his time mostly on the shop, going straight home as soon as a busy day ended.
sehun's question was answered the very next day.
"i'm working, jongin. i'm sorry i can't be your source of amusement today," sehun said over the phone, rolling his eyes.
"eehhhhhhh~~ but i'm already in front of your apartment," jongin whined noisily into the phone, causing sehun to cringe. he could almost picture his best friend pouting and stamping his feet to the ground like a child.
"maybe you can come to my workplace. we're closing in an hour. stay there, i'll come and fetch you," sehun said and hung up on a cheering jongin.
since there was not much work to do, luhan gave sehun a nod, saying he'd be pleased to meet sehun's friend. sehun immediately ran off to his apartment with his apron flapping against his legs.
when he returned to the shop with jongin, sehun found luhan talking happily to another guy. he didn't look like a customer though. noticing their presence, the guy turned around and gave them a warm smile, revealing a sweet dimple on his right cheek.
"sehun-ah, there you are! let me introduce you to my friend. this is yixing, who came to visit from china. previously he worked here as my assistant," luhan chattered cheerfully, radiating sunshine in the little shop.
"hi, i'm yixing. are you the new assistant luhan kept on babbling about? nice to meet you," yixing held out a hand, grinning as luhan made a pouting face.
"nice to meet you too. my name is oh sehun," sehun shook yixing's hand and glanced at a flushing luhan. suddenly remembering about jongin, sehun perked up. "ah, manager, this is jongin, my friend from col--"
"oh my god are you the zhang yixing-hyung?" jongin squealed in excitement. "sehun-ah, he's my senior from the dance academy i'm attending! he's really great, you should see him dancing!"
"hey now that i think of it, i've seen you in a dance battle before," yixing exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. "your moves are really fluid. maybe we should practice together sometimes."
feeling out of place, sehun could only stare as jongin nodded furiously, flustering and blushing beside him.
"you've got a fan now huh, yixing? i thought i'm your only fan," luhan smiled and began to poke at yixing's dimple mercilessly. swatting luhan's hand away playfully, yixing laughed and tickled luhan's sides. soon after that, the two older boys were engaged in a catch-me-if-you-can game inside the shop.
not moving from his spot, sehun watched as luhan finally gave in and yixing tackled the other boy to the ground, all the while giggling and grinning over his small victory. sehun felt something tugging at his heart when he saw luhan doubled over in laughter.
i've never seen him laugh this much before, sehun thought as he bit his lower lip.
jongin was still in a daze to notice sehun turning away with an aching heart.
after closing the shop, luhan dragged the three boys to a food stall nearby. they chit-chatted over a drink. sehun and jongin found out that yixing became a dance instructor in his hometown in china, teaching aspiring young dancers.
"i was just helping out luhan with the shop after he inherited it from his father. truthfully, i was quite worried for him when i had to leave but now with sehun around, i'm at total ease," yixing said as downed a shot of soju, patting sehun on the shoulder.
sehun blushed ever so slightly as he slurped on his orange juice. jongin kept on swooning at yixing like a lost little puppy after yixing ruffled the boy's hair playfully. sehun sighed, knowing that his friend had fallen head over heels for yixing. he stole a glance at luhan, whose face had turn bright pink from the alcohol. noticing the younger boy's gaze lingering on him, luhan gave sehun a bashful smile.
"yixing returned to korea because he's invited to perform in the dance academy's anniversary event," luhan said, nudging at jongin. "he will gain more fans. so, jongin, you'd better keep an eye on him."
"y-yah, luhan! stop teasing that boy," yixing reached out to clamp luhan's mouth, a pink tinge creeping slowly on his cheeks.
"wooooo yixing is embarrassed hahaha~" luhan said in a singsong voice as he hiccuped in between. a series of hiccups followed after the boy drank another shot of soju.
"uh oh, i think luhan-hyung is drunk," jongin said, pointing at the dreamy-eyed florist.
"i'm haaaapppyyy because --hiccups-- yixing likes jongin --hiccups-- and jongin likes yixiiiing~~ yayyy~" luhan babbled and took yixing's and jongin's hands together before lifting them above his head.
sehun watched in amazement because as ridiculous as it sounds, luhan looked really cute in a drunken mode and he felt like glomping at the babyfaced boy.
sighing, yixing stood and collected luhan's jacket. "shall we call it a night? i should inform you guys that luhan has very low alcohol tolerance level," he grinned as he placed luhan's arm on his shoulder.
"hyung, let me send him back. i'm sure you're pretty tired from your journey," sehun offered and squatted, gesturing for luhan to be placed on his back.
"i'll leave him to you, then. thank you, sehun," yixing smiled gratefully.
with luhan on his back, sehun walked slowly, heading back to the shop. that was where luhan lived, literally. the shop was a two-storey building with a room upstairs, large enough for a single person to live in.
shifting luhan's weight, sehun was surprised at how light the older boy was as yixing and jongin helped him on his back earlier. encouraging the other two that he would be fine by himself, sehun decided to let them be together a bit longer.
jongin should thank me later, he mused.
as he walked in total silence, sehun could feel luhan's even breathing. with his chin rested conveniently on sehun's shoulder, luhan's warm breath caressed sehun's cheek gently.
"sehun-ah..."
sehun perked up at the sound of luhan's voice. turning his head slightly, he whispered, "manager? what is it?"
luhan let out a sniffing noise before circling his arms tighter around sehun's neck. "you can just leave me here --hiccups-- if you're too tired."
"i can't do that. i promised yixing-hyung to take care of you," sehun smiled as luhan hiccuped like a puppy. "besides, i'm strong!"
luhan snorted and began to doze off. enjoying the feeling of the other boy's hair tickling his cheek, sehun continued to walk in silence when suddenly, luhan let out an inaudible murmur.
"what did you say? manager, i can't hear you," sehun stopped and turned tentatively to look at him.
"stop calling me 'manager', sehun," luhan mumbled, his breath ghosting on sehun's neck. his face is flushed, the pink shade tinting the tips of his ears as an aftereffect. "'manager this', 'manager that'. i can't take it anymore."
sehun felt his face warming up at luhan's words and he stared at the older boy. "ma-- um, luhan... hyung?"
luhan sighed. "i just wanted you to call me by my name, like how you did with yixing and jongin. i'm sorry, sehun. it's just me being stupid and--"
luhan's words were abruptly cut when sehun turned, craning his neck in luhan's direction to seal their lips together. sehun coaxed the older boy, moving his lips to pepper gentle kisses on luhan's and he smiled when luhan finally came down to earth and kissed him back. luhan tightened his grip around sehun's neck and the younger boy clutched at his legs in respond. they kissed and kissed under the fluorescent street light, indulging in each other's warmth as the cool night breeze whispered in their ears.
a smile lingered on sehun's lips as he pulled away. he embedded the image of luhan's furiously blushing face in his mind and stored it safely at the bottom of his heart. luhan squirmed in embarrassment, kicking his feet in silent plea for sehun to start walking.
they inched closer to lulu florist -- with measured speed -- just like how sehun began to inch closer and closer into luhan's blooming heart.
fin.