Prompt #2

Asking Out

The bell on the shop's door ringed as it opened. Hope looked up from his task on arranging flowers on the clear wrap he laid out. His warm smile appeared on his face as he recognized the customer.

"Hey Snow. Why are you up early on a weekend?" He asked twisting the pink ribbon around the stems and tied a perfect bow.

Snow yawned shrugging.

"I guess I wanted to visit my favorite smart-a-holic teenager. How you holdin' up?" He casually asked leaning against the flower shop's counter.

Hope spread the flowers evenly on the display and walked over to the temperature setting and switched it on. He went back to his area behind the counter and smiled warmly.

"I'm holding up fine. Hey since you are here can you help take these flowers outside and then spray the cool mist on the flowers inside? It would be real nice if you would do so…" He trailed off leaning towards the tall blond.

Snow chuckled and pushed himself off the counter.

"Alright I got ya; I'll work around here since I owe you." He grinned and started his task.

Hope rested his chin on the palm of his hand watching Snow. He met the older guy about a year and 10 months ago. He was only 14 years old then; running a flower shop his mother had opened, but due to her passing he became in charge of it.

He had been working a late shift that evening ago when Snow burst through the doors out of breath slapping a 20 gil piece on the counter asking for the best looking flowers with that price.

Hope was quite surprised at the sudden man, but followed his request and got a lovely dozen paired moonflowers. He didn't expect Snow to come back the next day to say 'Thank you.' It wasn't a rare thing for customers to thank the flower arranger or manager, in this case who was Hope, so he accepted the small comment.

He didn't know how it began exactly, but Snow would come in to get more flowers and Hope never really questioned the older guy why. He eventually found out the flowers were for his fiancé, now ex-fiancé, because she disappeared all of sudden. No letters left behind or her belongings.

The blond was distraught when he told his story, and he wanted to go searching for her, but he didn't know whether she wanted to be found or if he did something wrong in thir relationship.

He was still, to this day, clueless. Nevertheless, he befriended the teenage boy and soon became a regular here in Flora Fayths, a very warm loving flower shop in Palumpolum city.

Hope, barely 16 years old, had a friend whom he cared for.

With a small sigh he decided to check on the flower he planted for his own self. A rare ice rose. It literally lived up to its name: A beautiful rose that took ages to bloom and once it did it bloomed into a light blue color with the ice lining on the outside. It glowed majestically in the night.

Hope had been lucky enough to find a seed and took the chance to take care of it.

Snow glanced over at Hope who seemed to be lost in thought and then looked back down as he sprayed each flower. He was nervous inside. You see, the real reason for coming over to Flora Fayths was to do the ultimate hard task of…asking Hope Estheim out.

He really didn't know what got into him for ever having such thoughts or feelings. He's already 23 years old. An older guy like him shouldn't be interfering with a teenage boy's love life. Yet he fell for Hope. When he first met the kid, he didn't even have the single thought of wanting to date him. But after the months of getting to know the silverette, he became entranced by the boy's different smiles, his mesmerizing eyes, and his voice.

He took note of each detail, subtlety, of Hope Estheim.

That's why now…he found Hope breathtaking. The boy had grown only 2 inches in the nearly 2 year span of knowing him. Even so, Snow sort of had a thing for being attracted to small framed people. It had to be like that anyway since he was 6'7 and he really wouldn't want to know if there was a girl his height.

He sighed in utter misery. He's usually cheerful and outgoing, but he couldn't help but feel on edge for thinking of the question he's about to ask Hope. Rejection was a bit hard on him; he took it well after a week's time…sometimes. He was still bitter of the disappearance of his ex-fiancé.

He finally finished his task and turned back to report it to Hope when he noticed the teen gone. He frowned and placed the spray bottle on the counter.

The teen probably went to check on his rose…or go to the restroom.

He waited for a few minutes mentally preparing himself for the aftermath of what is to come, when Hope emerged. He smiled at Snow as usual and sat on the stool.

"What's up? Got something on your mind?" Hope asked resting his head on his folded arms closing his eyes. He could catch a little bit of resting time.

Snow ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

"Uh Hope…"

Hope opened his eyes and looked up at Snow.

"Yeah?"

"Uh well…." He glanced to the side and mentally cursed why he was acting such a flustered idiot, but he continued. "I was wondering…I mean…Do you want to go out with me?"

The silver haired teen raised a brow before sitting up.

"Go out? As in like a movie or something?"

"Yeah! I mean well we could do that anytime, but what I meant was like…dating me. You…me…in a romantic relationship."

Snow wanted to smack himself. 'What a way with words huh?' He thought to himself.

Hope blinked in surprise as he took in the confession. Was it a confession? It was certainly something…

He glanced down at the counter thinking. He was barely 16 and Snow was 23. That's kinda considered illegal right? Or were boy legal at age 16? He shook his head from that concept and bit his lip. He never really took the time to find a romantic relationship with anyone, or rather consider somebody. But here, Snow, wanted to date him. A boy. Snow's a male too…

He sighed and messed with the pen in front of him.

Snow waited in a tense silence. Hope was considering this. He reassured himself.

'He doesn't look that trouble- oh never mind Hope's furrowing his brows. He only does that when he's troubled about something.' Snow thought watching Hope carefully.

He chanted a chain of 'Please' in his mind. He hoped he didn't screw their friendship with this awkward request.

After a matter of time, the silver haired teen finally looked over at Snow and cracked a small smile.

"Um…" He began. He tapped the pen furiously up and down between his fingers as he collected himself.

Snow waited. He was going to take this in positively. No bursting out in a dramatic way if he gets rejected.

Hope opened his mouth again.

"I don't know…-"

Snow already felt his heart drop, but Hope continued on.

"I haven't really thought about dating that much, I mean it's on my list sometime, but I'm flattered you're interested in me like that. Uh it's not really that weird that you're a guy and I'm a guy. I mean it's not uncommon here…so what I'm trying to say is that…I accept…I mean, yes, I'll go out with you." He finished not looking up at the blonde male.

Snow stood there taking in the information. Did he hear right? Hope said yes? He did didn't he? He let a large grin appear on his face and he went around to give Hope a bone crushing hug.

The male in return yelped at the sudden tackle, but recovered as he wrapped his arms around the large male and smiled at the whispered 'Thank you.'

He didn't know what was to come ahead of them in their newly formed relationship, but he knew they would make it work.