Author's Note: May Challenge AWAYYYYYYYYY
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Flowers for You
By Silver Miko
(My fandom...accepts donations of fried dough or vodka)
At exactly 11:46 am, Seijuro Hiko scratched his head as he walked through the doors of Fluer de Lecouer and stopped to look around at his business.
He noticed the display of hydrangeas to the left, the mums on the right, and the gleam of blue-black hair peeking out from the cooler with an angry expression of her petite face.
"HIKO-SAN! You were SUPPOSED to be here at 7:30!"
He sighed, and flung his white jacket over the counter which landed soundly on the tile floor as he moved behind the counter and opened the cooler door as his best employee (who was even better than him since he never really cared much for working) walked out.
"Makimachi, calm down."
"Well excuse me for being upset! I've been here alone since opening until Aoshi-sama was kind enough to come in on his day off and help!"
Misao had decided to call Aoshi 'Aoshi-sama' when he mentioned he was named after a famous leader of a spy group, and Misao thought it cute to give him an old fashioned honorific.
Hiko looked over towards the bouquets where the tall man with black hair was currently watering and arched an eyebrow back at Misao.
"Sounds like it works out for you. I'll be in my office. Keep up the good work." he said, patting her on the head and walking into his office in the back and slamming the door shut.
Misao growled softly and kicked the cooler door shut as she went to the register to finish working on display bouquets. She was thankful Hiko had given her the other set of keys to the flower shop, since she basically had been running it for the past three years since she started working for Hiko after graduation.
Despite her annoyance at her boss, she really did love her job. Ever since she was little she loved flowers and was currently studying horticulture at Toudai. She worked five days a week and was one year away from getting a degree. She secretly hoped that one day Hiko would sell the shop to her since she really did practically do everything.
As she arranged some baby's breath and pink roses, she looked over to Aoshi and sighed. Age 27 and having been a part-time employee for the past year, Aoshi was a mysterious one indeed. He didn't talk much, but he did good work. She managed to have some conversations with him and it had only taken a few months before she had become smitten with him.
It was three months ago though, that the oddest thing started. Everyday after his shift, Aoshi would buy a single red rose. Every time.
Once when she asked what they were for, he had replied they were for the person closest to his heart.
She had quietly smiled and nodded, and watched him leave. Every time, wondering desperately who the rose was for.
"Aoshi-sama," she began, reading the list of the things that needed to get done that day, "We need to check for expires and then upgrade some of the four-inch perennials. I'll take care of the outside watering, re-filling the balloons, checking inventory, blah blah. Can you start sorting through everything while I water and ring out customers?"
"Aa." he said, walking to stand across from her as he took the list from her and Misao fought from blushing when their fingers brushed momentarily. She watched his blue eyes scan over the list and then set it down.
He moved behind the counter to get the watering tank and Misao glanced momentarily at his backside as he bent to attach the hose to fill the tank and then looked away. The good thing about Aoshi, or one of them anyways, was that even wearing an apron he was still handsome and masculine.
Misao turned her attention to a customer and mentally groaned that she needed to get a hold of her crush on Aoshi before it messed up her work performance. She wasn't even sure what it was about Aoshi that she liked, but she couldn't shake how she felt.
At age twenty-one, Misao's life was playing out like some shoujo high school romance. Petite, genki girl falls for brooding older guy. Same old, same old.
'Gyah! If anything else fails I sell my story to a manga artist. Baka...baka baka!'
"Makimachi, you're crushing those lilies." Hiko murmured as he appeared behind over looking at her work.
She snapped out of her train of thought and looked down at the crushed white-colored blooms and hung her head as she exhaled loudly. Collecting them, she threw them away and grabbed new ones from the cooler.
And thus it was just another day of business for Makimachi Misao.
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"Thank you, have a nice day!" Misao said with a smile as the she closed the register drawer and began removing her apron. It was five o'clock, and her shift was officially over.
"Hiko-san, I'm taking off! Don't forget to tell Okon-san to water the azaleas."
"Right right. Azaleas. Go home, Makimachi."
Misao furrowed her brows and shook her head, hanging up her apron and grabbing her purse.
Aoshi was waiting at the counter, holding a red rose.
"Are you leaving, Misao?"
"Yep, you?"
"Aa."
"Ah, want to walk home together? You live close to me and I'd feel better with a big, tall guy like you by my side." she said, with a grin.
If only he knew she was serious. He always thought she was joking.
"That will be fine." he murmured, grabbing his trench coat as they walked outside together.
She looked at the rose, and couldn't help but feel deflated by it. He still bought them...still had someone.
There really was no chance for her, was there?
Then she recalled something. Everyday, Takani Megumi, a regular customer, always had a red rose pinned to her suit jacket.
Aoshi always bought red roses.
And Misao knew that had been in a few classes together in their college days.
Was Megumi-san...was she...
"Megumi-san...is your special person, isn't she?"
She blushed, realizing she spoke aloud, her mouth closing.
'Baka, Misao!'
Aoshi paused, and arched his eyebrow.
"Why would you...think that?"
"She always has a red rose pinned to her jacket everyday, and you always leave with a rose...I just figured...I mean I knew you guys knew each other and all..."
"Are you jealous, Misao?"
She blinked, taken aback. Leave it to Aoshi to be either silent...or straightforward.
"I...no, why would I be! I'm not your girlfriend or anything! Me, jealous!" she said, laughing nervously.
She made a side-glance and noticed Aoshi's lips quirked into a slight smirk.
"Takani-san is not my special person. She is...too shifty for my tastes."
"Haha, that's putting it politely! There's a reason Sano calls her 'Megitsune'. She's cunning and tricky like a fox."
"I just assumed it was because he likes her."
"Oh? You noticed too? Too bad he's too stubborn to say anything, and she's too dense to notice."
"Or maybe she's too stubborn to respond to his affections?" Aoshi suggested, as they turned a corner to walk through the park.
"That's stupid. Even if one doesn't feel the same way, it's better to at least acknowledge a person's feelings and be honest with them instead of leading them on." Misao said, shoving her hands into her pockets.
"That's a nice thought. Sentimental, really."
"Well it's the truth. Liking someone and not know how they feel, well, really sucks."
"Has that happened to you?" he asked, gazing down at her.
She blinked, blushing a bit.
"I...hmm...I um don't know. Maybe."
He looked ahead as they walked out of the park now, heading towards his apartment building.
"Once there was this girl I had feelings for, but I could never tell her. I was worried we would not suit, and that she would not feel the same."
Misao stopped walking, and bit her lip, then finally spoke.
"You...should have told her. It hurts to keep things like that inside."
He moved closer to her as a breeze blew, causing some small flower petals to fall off of the trees and a stray petal landed into her hair.
Aoshi grabbed it, slowly removing it.
"You sound like you speak from experience."
She looked up into his face.
"Perhaps I do." she said quietly, and began walking again.
God, how she wanted to say something. She was such a hypocrite, talking about being honest about one's feelings and then not even having the nerve to confess to Aoshi.
They finally reached his building, and Misao rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.
"So, I guess I'll see you at work."
"Misao, would you...like to come up for tea?"
She smiled and nodded.
"Sure!"
She followed him upstairs, and into his apartment. It was a simple but nice apartment. Black leather couches, white walls, a bookcase...simple but so very Aoshi.
"You know, when I once had feelings for this girl...I didn't think we would suit. That she wouldn't feel the same.." he murmured, walking into his kitchen.
Misao furrowed her brows as she sat on his couch.
"Aoshi-sama, you told me this already." Misao said, unable to control the slight sadness in her voice.
"But I saw her everyday, and I didn't think much of her at first. Her smiles though, they were so warm, she was so lively that I couldn't help but feel better around her. Even though I barely spoke to her, I felt...good around her. I couldn't say anything, so I thought perhaps I could show her through a gift- her favorite thing. She loves flowers, you see. So everyday I buy a red rose for her, but I never seem to be able to give it to her. I keep the roses, preserve them, hoping that one day I can give them her. Perfectly preserved in bloom."
"Aoshi-sama...can we talk about something else?" she pleaded, she didn't want to hear about another girl. It hurt too much.
"I chose red roses because they mean when in bud form- young love. When bloomed they mean passionate, adult love. I always bought them budded but they always bloom and I save them in full bloom. She's younger than me, so I thought young love was a perfect message. I waited so long that they always bloom, and I didn't want to give them to her like that, I wasn't sure the message of passionate, adult love would convey well. Even if...it's how I feel."
Misao knew this, knew Aoshi knew the meaning behind roses because...
"The girl I want to give the roses to, she told me what they mean."
Because she taught him his first day of work the meaning of rose colors.
It took her a moment to process what he meant, and she blinked as she slowly rose from the couch.
"She...told you...but I was the one who..."
She turned around to see Aoshi holding two large bouquets of roses, all perfectly preserved. A rose for every day, he had started buying them shortly after he started working...
She guessed there were at least seventy-six roses in his arms.
All for...
"You taught me, Misao. You are the one who these roses belong to. No one else."
Her lower lip trembled, as she slowly walked towards him.
"Why did you never say anything?" she asked, her eyes tearing as she grabbed the bouquets and set them down on the nearby coffee table.
"I didn't know how you felt."
Misao laughed softly.
"I thought it was obvious." she smiled, and wrapped her arms around him.
"I guess we both can't act on your sentimental notions." he murmured against her hair, lifting her face to his as his lips brushed hers and met again to kiss.
When they finally broke apart, Aoshi smiled.
"You're smiling! It's nice." Misao murmured.
"I finally have reason to."
She grinned.
"The perfect end to my shoujo manga!"
Aoshi arched his eyebrow.
"Your what?"
Misao shook her head.
"Kiss me, you fool!" she said dramatically as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Aa."
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Le fin!
For anyone wondering, you can preserve flowers with spray stuff, shellac :though I don't recommend it really, etc etc.
My head hurts lots!
Later.