As a hello

Howl peered out the windows of their flower shop and onto the streets of Market Chipping. It was rare for him to watch the shop alone, but Michael was out with Margaret and they were running low on eggs so Sophie had popped off to get some.

"I'll just be a bit." she had assured him as she shed her apron and tossed over his head, "Quicker than a fox."

"With the attitude to match." Howl had said, his voice slightly muffled by the apron as he pulled it off.

Sophie snorted in what Howl assumed was a loving way. Then she was gone, basket swinging under her arm, as she disappeared into Market Chipping.

That had been over ten whole minutes ago. No one seemed to want flowers today. People did look into the shop but upon seeing Howl, quickly went on their way not wanting to buy more flowers then they needed.

So Howl was left to stare lonesomely at the letters "Jenkins Flower Shoppe" that were printed neatly on the door. He groaned and flopped his top half onto the counter.

"I'm so dreadfully bored. I will die of boredom, and when Sophie gets back, if she ever does, she shall find me, naught but bones." he capped off his speech with a dramatic sigh.

He looked at the vase of roses next to his face.

"I'm bored." he told them.

Then he squished his face into the counter, "So bored." he told the counter.

Then he looked forward, at the door and its letters, "Yes so very bored." he told the door.

Then he stood quickly and raised his hands to the ceiling, "So very bored that I'll die!" he cried towards the hidden sky.

He had stood so fast that he suddenly found himself with a horrible head rush. Black and yellow spots swam in front of his eyes, and he had to grip the shelf behind him to keep upright. He swung his head dizzily around to come eye to eye with his own warped, blurry reflection in a vase of lilies.

"It's true," he said even though his vision had begun to clear "I am dying."

He released the the shelf and let himself crumple to the floor.

"Death by boredom." he told the lint under the counter, "a fitting end for a cowardly wizard."

"Howl," he squeaked from the corner of his mouth, mimicking the voice of the lilies above him, "don't you have any regrets?"

"Just...one." Howl coughed for dramatic effect.

"What is it?" he said in the deep husk of the roses.

Howl stopped and actually pondered this question that he - er the roses had proposed to him.

"I never...hm... I.. never have actually said I love you to Sophie." he announced to the flowers. Then he coughed again, and he raised a shaking hand skyward, his breath ragged.

"Sophie." he gasped and then went limp, his hand fell to the floor with a dramatic "whump".

"Nooo!" cried the lilies above him.

"He was a good man." the roses grunted, as they held back tears.

Then the flowers fell silent, and Howl lay there staring at the dirty space under the counter. He considered what he had said. He truly had never said I love you to Sophie. They had been together for several months, it should have been said by now. But as per usual he was too cowardly. He had been waiting for Sophie to say it first but she had also dodged the sentence. He traced little circles in the dust with his finger.

He heard the front bell jingle and Sophie call out "Howl?"

"Sophie!" he shot up from behind the counter, "I love you!"

If Sophie had been surprised by his sudden appearance it was nothing compared to the surprise she felt on hearing him say that.

But even that surprise was put to shame by Howl's expression. He was beet red then white, then red again. He stumbled backwards as a second bout of headrush hit him.

Sophie got over her surprise quickly and placed the basket of eggs on the counter.

"Hello to you too Howl." she smiled.

If it was possible he went even more red. He stuttered for a second then fled out the back door to the house. Sophie heard several loud bangs and Calcifer shouting .

"What a drama queen." she told the roses.

"You have no idea." they replied gruffly.

(AN: Did you like it? I recently read the book and if it's possible Howl is even more dramatic then he is in the book. Also he doesn't turn into a bird man in the book. ಠ_ಠ i don't get it. Also no the flowers don't actually speak Sophie and Howl are just pretending. Dorks.)