Title: A Gift Of Flowers
Fandom: FAKE
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Drake, JJ.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: On his way over to JJ’s for dinner, Drake picks up a gift for his lover.
Word Count: 1351
Written For: My own prompt ‘FAKE, Drake/JJ, A bunch of daisies,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
It was a spur of the moment kind of thing; Drake wasn’t even sure whether JJ was the type to like being given flowers, but he definitely liked colourful things and the display in the shop window looked so bright and cheerful as he passed, a reminder of summer in the midst of the cold, grey winter weather, that he found himself unable to resist. Pushing the shop door open, he slipped inside and scanned the floral array, suddenly feeling a bit out of his depth; there were so many kinds of flowers to choose from! How on earth was he going to decide which to buy?
Not roses, obviously; he and JJ had only been together a couple of months, it was still too soon for such a shamelessly romantic gesture. Not lilies either; lovely though they were, Drake equated them more with funerals, not the sort of gift you give your lover before a date. Nothing too highly scented in case JJ didn’t like the smell… That barely narrowed down the choice at all; he didn’t even know the names of half of what was on display.
“Can I help you?” A woman appeared from amidst the masses of flowers, dressed in such bright colors it was little wonder he hadn’t noticed her before; she blended right in with her wares.
“Um, I hope so. I want a bunch of flowers but I’m not sure what kind I should get. They’re for my, uh, my boyfriend. I’ve never bought him flowers before and I’m not sure what he’d like.”
“Well, let me see if I can help you choose something to suit him. Tell me about him, what sort of person is he?”
A goofy smile spread across Drake’s face as he thought of his partner. “Happy, full of fun, very bubbly and energetic; he’s almost always smiling. Very fashionable too. I mean, I don’t have a clue about fashion, but he does, and he’s always dressed in the latest styles and colors. He loves colorful things, but he hates it when colors clash.”
“Well, in that case, I think these would be your best bet.” The florist gestured to a display of daisies in vibrant colors. “Gerbera daisies are cheerful and they come in almost every color you can think of. If you want to go with a fairly simple color palette, shades of yellow and orange would look good together, perhaps with a few white ones mixed in for contrast?”
That sounded good to Drake, and he said so, waiting patiently while the bouquet was made up and wrapped against the cold outside, then paying, hoping he hadn’t just made a gigantic mistake.
Because of the time he’d spent in the flower shop he had to hurry the rest of the way to his partner’s apartment building, not wanting to be late for his date. JJ had said he was going to cook dinner for them and the last thing Drake wanted was for the meal to be ruined because he didn’t show up when he was expected to. Arriving outside the towering concrete and glass skyscraper he headed inside, nodding to the doorman, and took the elevator to JJ’s penthouse on the top floor. Ringing the bell, he waited nervously, shifting from one foot to the other, until the door swung open and JJ stood there, beaming happily at him.
“You’re right on time!” he said, then he caught sight of the flowers clutched awkwardly in Drake’s hand. “Oh Drakey, are they for me? They’re so beautiful! How did you know daisies are my favourites?”
Drake handed the flowers to his boyfriend. “They are? I didn’t know that, I just saw them when I was on my way over and they looked so cheerful they reminded me of you. D’you really like them? You’re not just saying that?”
“I love them! They’re like a splash of summer sunshine, just the thing to banish the winter blues! Come on in, dinner should be ready in half an hour or so, plenty of time to put these in some water and have a glass of wine with the appetisers I’ve made. Take off your shoes and coat and pop them in the closet; I need to find a vase for these, I think I have the perfect one to set them off.” JJ reached up to give Drake a quick kiss on the lips. “Thank you, you’re so thoughtful!”
Drake was fairly glowing with happiness as he followed JJ into the apartment, shedding his coat as he went and closing the door behind him. He paused at the hall closet, putting his coat on an empty hanger and his shoes on the shoe rack before following his partner into the kitchen, which was bigger than Drake’s kitchen and living room combined. The air was filled with delicious aromas that set Drake’s mouth watering.
“Whatever you’re cooking smells really good.”
“It’s nothing fancy, just beef in a red wine sauce,” JJ told him, laying the bunch of flowers carefully on the big island in the middle of the kitchen and heading into the living room beyond to collect a midnight blue vase from a shelf. Coming back, he set the vase beside the flowers. “Oh yes, I was right, they’ll look lovely in this one.” He smiled at Drake. “Don’t stand on ceremony, Drakey; make yourself at home! Why don’t you pour us both a glass of wine, and help yourself to the appetisers.” He gestured to where an open bottle of wine stood beside two glasses and several carefully arranged plates of finger foods.
JJ mixed the flower food that had come with the bouquet in some water and filled the vase, then carefully trimmed the stem of each daisy, arranging the blooms artistically. Drake found himself grinning again as he watched, sipping wine and munching on the tasty little morsels his boyfriend had thoughtfully provided to take the edge off his appetite. Perhaps he should have guessed that JJ would have a flair for flower arranging; he was so good with colors and had such a keen eye for other details. He was glad now that he’d given in to impulse; JJ’s sheer delight in the simple bunch of daisies warmed Drake’s heart. He loved making his boyfriend smile. This definitely wouldn’t be the last time he brought JJ flowers as a gift.
“What d’you think?” JJ stood back and indicated his flower arrangement.
“Gorgeous,” Drake replied, looking at JJ rather than the daisies. “You should always look this happy.”
JJ blushed, although the compliment obviously pleased him. “I meant the flowers, silly!”
“They look beautiful too. You’re really good at that.” JJ had cut the stems to different lengths so that every flower could show its face. Drake would never have thought of doing that. “Here.” As JJ walked over to join him he held out the other glass of wine he’d poured. “You’re falling behind.” Drake’s glass was already half empty, but he had no intention of filling it again until the main course was served. He didn’t want to spoil the evening by getting drunk.
Taking the glass from Drake, JJ took a sip then reached for one of the appetisers, devouring it in a couple of bites, clearly as hungry as Drake was
Drake followed suit, savoring the food instead of shovelling it down the way he so often did; it would have felt like sacrilege. “These are delicious.”
“Thank you.”
They didn’t bother to go into the living room, just leaned against the kitchen counter chatting idly about this and that, waiting for the timer to tell them JJ’s main course was ready to be served. The lack of awkward silences was refreshing; JJ was so much easier to talk to than any of Drake’s girlfriends had ever been, perhaps because they knew each other so well. It made him feel relaxed and utterly content, under no pressure to be anyone other than who he was. He had a feeling this evening was going to be memorable for all the right reasons.
The End