The smoldering heat of summer weighed down wispy pieces of hair unto his forehead. The weather was unbearable and the air conditioner in his apartment was broken. He sighed miserably and tugged at the hemline of his shirt.

What could be worse? He thought and reluctantly sat down in his worn recliner.

It was another typical day for Ken Hidaka. Wake up, shower, sweat, sit around, eat, and sweat some more. The young brunette couldn't possibly stand having to live like this his whole life. But what other choices did he have? He couldn't get a decent paying job because he had dropped out of high school his sophomore year and he certainly had no one else to rely on. The thought of being alone simply made him shudder but, he was too shy and was wallowing too deep in his own self pity to do anything about it.

He frowned and got up from the blue corduroy seat. "I've got to do something." He declared to himself. The fiery words echoed throughout his miniscule apartment.

"Well Mr. Hidaka," The woman, Ms. Haneoka, let the words roll off her tongue with a delicate ring. "You sound very capable for this job but, we need someone…older. I'm very sorry." The blonde woman was sitting erectly in her chair at the end of the long, grey table. On the side opposite of her, sat Ken, dressed in his nicest clothes (which weren't nice at all) with his hands tucked, almost feminine in matter, on his lap. He bit his lip rather hard as he listened to the devastating words come out of the pretty woman's mouth. It had been his second interview of the day and he had only one left. The employers had often told him he was too young but, he thought it was just and easier way to tell him he wasn't fit for the job.

"Um, thank very much, Ms. Haneoka. Good day." He dismissed himself from the table. The brunette could feel a burning sensation at his eyes. He suddenly realized he was crying as he walked out of the building's glass doors. Maybe father was right. Ken sniffled and grabbed the copper handles of his bike.

Maybe I'm not good enough at all.

He hopped on his bike and set off to his last resort: Kitty in the House Flower Shoppe.

Ran glared at Omi, his co-worker and younger brother. "You put up a Now Hiring sign? We don't need anybody's help!" He hissed. The short, petite blonde let out a squeak.

"Now don't throw a hissy fit! Mr. Hidaka is waiting out there for the interview to start. Besides, we'll need all the help we can get once you start college."

The redhead grumbled and stepped outside the back room. He really did not like the idea of someone working at his mother's flower shop. It was his job to take care of his adoptive brother Omi, and it was his job to manage the shop.

It was all his job and his job, alone.

Ran glanced at the boy sitting on a stool next to the cash register. The brunette was rather cute, he concluded, especially with the slightly disgruntled look on his fair features. His clothes, Ran noted, were rather old and maybe a bit too tight (not that he was complaining.) Ken had dark brown eyes and they had an intriguing, but pretty, sparkle to them. He was thin and looked a tad vulnerable. The quiet redhead thought Ken's lightly bronzed skin was absolutely beautiful compared to his own.

"Mr. Hidaka, I presume?" Ran had to use his 'ice princess' façade (as Omi lovingly called it) and hoped to scare him away. He could tell that he would easily get attached to the adorable boy and that wouldn't be good for the both of them.

Ken's face went florid as the handsome man spoke to him. His voice was deep and melodic. "Yeah. Call me Ken, though? Please."

"Hm. Okay then, Ken. Have you ever arranged flowers?"

"Um, quite some time ago. But, I'll learn again—anything to land this job!" Ken's voice hushed. He didn't want to seem too desperate, but he really needed the money. After all, who would want to live on stale bread and crackers their whole life?

"Your age?" Ken certainly did not like where this was going.

"I'm, um.." Ken hesitated and pondered whether he should be honest. He figured being honest was the right thing to do. "Seventeen, Mr. Fujimiya."

Ran's face changed in a flash, a blink-and-you-miss-it smile graced his features for a mere second. "You have the job, Ken."

A/N: Yes, this is extremely AU. Ken is 17 (as already stated), Ran is around 19, and Omi is 16. More characters will pop up soon enough. Oh, and forgive me if the errors (with the interview info and such) are glaringly incorrect. I'm only 15 so I have no clue how interviews go, etc.

Adieu.