Aargh, I'm an idiot. I uploaded an unfinished rough draft instead of the actual story, and it took me several months to realize it. Here's the actual story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Weiß Kreuz. :sigh:
Warnings: …None. Vaguely implied slashiness, if you like, but you could just ignore that.
--Wishes--
"Excuse me...do you have any gardenias?"
The voice was soft, but it still took Omi by surprise. He looked up from the potted plant he was watering to see a girl with curly red-orange hair smiling timidly at him.
"I'm not sure," he said. "We've sold a lot of them in arrangements. I'll check, but do you have a second choice?"
"No," the girl answered, politely but firmly. "It has to be a gardenia."
Omi smiled. "All right, I'll go and see."
The store was crowded with last-minute Valentine's day shoppers, and Omi had to struggle a bit to make his way through the knots of people clustered around the displays. He finally managed to get to the back room, and began to look at the plants which remained after the main Valentine's day rush.
His mind automatically supplied meanings for the flowers he passed. Daisies for innocence. Chrysanthemums for cheerfulness. Baby's breath, for purity of heart. Lily of the valley meant sweetness. Poppies symbolized wealth.
The gardenias he was looking for signified a secret love, and he suspected from the girl's insistence that she knew the meaning. He thought that she was probably planning to confess to someone.
That's nice, he thought wistfully. He did not allow the thought to go any further. There was no point.
He found the last of the gardenias hiding behind a large cluster of oleander (caution.) There were only two of them left, and he hoped that would be enough for the girl.
He carried the flowers back out into the shop. The girl smiled as he held them out to her.
"This is all we had left," he said. "I'm sorry." "No, no, it's fine. I actually only need one." She took the smaller of the two blossoms from Omi.
"Oh, good." Omi nodded toward the cash register. "Come to the counter, and I'll ring it up for you."
"Thank you," she said, and followed him.
As she waited for her change, the girl raised the flower to her face, smelling it. The petals just brushed her lips, and she smiled.
"Here you are." Omi handed her the necessary coins. He leaned toward her a little. "Good luck," he told her.
"What?" Omi looked pointedly at the flower.
"Oh!" the girl blushed and grinned sheepishly. "Thank you."
"Thank you for your purchase," Omi replied. The girl nodded and left the shop, waving cheerfully.
Omi picked up the remaining gardenia and ran one finger thoughtfully over the petals. It was a lovely flower. He could see why it had been chosen to symbolize secret love.
He sighed internally. I hate this time of year, he thought. It makes me feel lonely.
"Hey, Omi." Ken was suddenly at his shoulder. "You look kinda tired, or something. Your shift's almost up. You can go, if you want. Send Yohji down, he ought to do some work once in a while."
"I think I will, Ken-kun," Omi said gratefully. "Thanks." Then, impulsively, he pressed the gardenia he was still holding into Ken's hand.
Ken looked down at the flower, a bemused expression on his face. "A gardenia?"
"One of the customers was buying them, and I cut an extra by accident." Omi grinned. "Consider it a thank-you for letting me go early."
Ken chuckled. "Okay. Thank you for, um, thanking me."
Omi turned toward the stairs, laughing and heading off to find Yohji. He wondered for a moment whether Ken knew the meaning of the gardenia, then decided that it didn't matter.
He felt better already.
--owari—
I hope you liked this version. Personally, I think it's better, as it's actually finished. ;
Ambika-san