It was extremely hard to get up for work the next day, but somehow Jack miraculously managed to do it. He had a splitting headache and a broken heart, but the shop still opened on time. It was the one day he really hoped to be low on customers for the first few hours, and the bell on the door was already ringing five minutes in. "Hi there. Welcome to 's Blooms. What can I get yo- Jamie?" He looked up to see his old friend walking through the door.

"Hey, Jack. How's it been going for you?" The brunette smiled his usual sunny smile and pulled him in for a hug.

"It's been going. How have you been?"

"Pretty good. Listen. I may have heard through the grapevine that you're considering leaving this place and coming over to mine."

"When I was feeling a little less hungover later today I had planned on swinging by, yes."

"So you are considering coming over to beg for a job, huh?"

Jack nodded miserably. "Think your dad would be willing to give me my old job back?"

"Probably, considering he's taken a step back recently and given me more control of the place." Jamie leaned on the counter and smiled. "So? You gonna beg or what?"

"Do you really want me to?" He leaned on the other side of the counter and met his eyes. Normally he'd have met Jamie's teasing with his own tease, but he just wasn't feeling up to it.

"Maybe a little."

Jack put his hands together in front of him to plead. "Please let me have my old job back, Jamie. I've gotten myself into a rough patch, and I'm desperate to get out of this store as soon as possible."

"Okay."

"Really?" His eyes brightened in shock.

"Yep. I was planning on giving it to you anyway, but you know I can't resist any opportunity to make you beg."

"Thank you," Jack sighed in relief. "I don't know what I would have done if you said no."

"You probably would have made that sad puppy dog face, and then I would have given you the job just to make you stop."

"I don't know about that. I'm sure with my skills I could have found a better position at another shop. Probably would've paid better too," he grumbled under his breath.

"You know, I can take the job back."

"I'd rather you not. Don't mind my ramblings; only inwardly lamenting my transition from 'Manager/Designer to 'Assistant/Clerk.'"

"Well, don't think I haven't noticed your design skills while you've been here. Maybe we could add 'Designer' to that list of job titles with us too."

"Don't worry about it. I'll get over it." Jack stood up and smiled, wiping his hand on his apron before holding it out to shake Jamie's. "When can I start?"

"Whenever you'd like." Jamie took Jack's hand and shook it.

"How about tomorrow? Aster comes in later today; I can tell him what's going on then."

"That would work just fine. But you're sure? I know you love this place."

Jack nodded solemnly. "I'm sure. I do love this store, but I'm also desperate to avoid someone who knows where I work."

"Sounds pretty ominous. Should I be worried?"

"You have nothing to worry about. I promise."

"Okay, cool. As long as there isn't some stalker following you, we should be good to go."

"Perfect. I'll see you tomorrow then. Can I get you anything while you're here?"

"How about a dozen roses?"

"Y-yeah. I can do that." Jack turned away with a frown to get the order. Would he ever be able to think about a rose bouquet the same way again? He handed the flowers out to his friend along with an alstroemeria bloom to show his thanks.

"Thanks. I've got a date with a girl named Rose, and I thought she might enjoy the play on her name." Jamie grasped Jack's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "See you tomorrow, man."

As his friend walked out the door, Jack called out, "Good luck on your date!"

"Thanks! I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!"

Jack watched him go. The instant the door shut, his loneliness and heartbreak became ever present in his mind once again. "Today's going to be such a long day..."

The next day, Jack was already well settled in his new job which, thankfully, Jamie had given him the day to grow accustomed to. Their shop had grown a lot bigger since Jack had worked there, and their flower assortment was more diverse. This also meant that they had more clients, which kept him busy. This continued on for a couple weeks until Jack finally began to feel some semblance of happiness again. He was working on putting together a wedding bouquet when the front door bell jingled.

"Good morning! Welcome to Bennet's Bouquets. I'll be with you in just a second. Feel free to look around," Jack called from where he was finishing up the bouquet in the back. There was no response except for the sound of someone shuffling around in the front of the store. Jack put the last lily in place with a smile before leaving his work. He wiped off his hands and stepped out onto the sales floor. "What can I help you w-" He instantly ducked back into the workroom to avoid the gaze he hadn't been able to stop dreaming of for weeks. Jack slapped a hand over his heart, feeling like he had to stop it from hammering right out of his chest.

"Don't run away from me, Jack. Please."

"Stay away from me." He rubbed at his eyes, hoping if he rubbed hard enough it could turn out thehe was only imagining things. It was depressing how weeks of happiness could disappear with one glance at this man.

"I need to explain. You don't have to look at me, just...will you listen to me?"

"Why should I? The tabloids and newspapers and magazines and blogs and the entire fucking internet made everything very clear to me, Mr. Black," Jack practically spat the name, venom dripping in his tone.

"That's only half the story. In all of your searching, did you find anything I told you?"

"Of course not; just how all of your big words to me didn't include how you're a playboy who sleeps with a new girl or guy every night. Then how you leave them with a bouquet of roses. Roses you had bought from me!"

"I don't deny that." There was a deep sigh, and then the voice was suddenly so much closer, just on the other side of the wall. "You were meant to be just another conquest; a little bit of fun. I lied to you, I admit that. But over time, I truly began to develop feelings for you. I told you things about me that no one knows because you were special. When we finally made love, I realized that every 'I love you' had been real because I had fallen in love with you. Your kindness, your selflessness, your teasing smile, your shy smile, the way you loved and trusted me so implicitly. The rose I left you that morning was the first time I had ever left a flower in true devotion. I know you probably don't believe me. Hell, you can't even look at me. Jack, I'm sorry. I've been looking for you for weeks, trying to find you so I could apologize. You deserve so much better than me, but I can't just let you go without trying to make you understand."

Jack wiped at the tears streaming down his cheeks. Kozmotis was saying everything he had hoped to hear for weeks, but he couldn't ignore the stabbing pain in his heart. "You are so full of bullshit. I specifically told you how hard it is for me to trust someone. Multiple times! Yet you tempted me into trusting you only to break it in the worst ways. I've dated guys who turned out to be abusers, rapists, and stalkers, and none of them hurt me as much as you did!"

"I know that. Fucking hell, I know that more than I know anything. I didn't care about your feelings until they became as important to me as my own. Why do you think I manipulated you into not wanting to have sex in the car? You deserved better than some quickie in the backseat. I wanted to take you home and make love to you in a bed as you deserve."

"Seriously? Don't act like you weren't just being a stubborn ass who wanted to get me to cave first." He scoffed at the idea. "You know what the worst part is?"

"I have many ideas."

"I fell in love with you the very first time I saw you. Not in lust with you like you apparently did with me but actual love. I was so in love I could have forgiven your playboy attitude and dating habits. The lavender rose I gave you represented my feelings, and every flower after that did the same. They all meant love or adoration in one form or another, and I truly hoped you had returned my feelings all along. Now I get to find out that it wasn't until you slept with me that you realized you love me. Here's some news for you: that's not love!"

"I knew I loved you at the restaurant during our second date. I denied my feelings, but I knew. And now you hate me." There was the sound of fabric rustling and a muffled thump. "I still have those flowers, you know. Every single one you gave me with that tiny, shy smile of yours."

"You don't have to lie anymore, you know?" Jack wiped at his nose. "And I don't hate you. If I didn't love you still, none of this would be hurting as much as it does."

"They've lost their vibrancy, I'm afraid. I couldn't save their colors but I saved them. I pressed them in books, and now they're all together." There was the sound of pages being slowly flipped. "Your flowers...all pressed in The Secret Garden."

The flipping of the pages caught his attention, and Jack couldn't resist taking a look. He peeked around the corner and watched Kozmotis turn to different flowers in the book. He reached down to lovingly pick up the one that had caught his attention, the only lavender rose he'd ever given to someone. "Wh-why did you save these?"

"I dunno. I think a part of me fell in love when you gave me that, and I've just been in denial all this time. Regardless, I couldn't bear to part with them." Pitch sighed and bowed his head. "It's over. All of it. I've left the acting business."

"Seriously?" Jack stared down at him in shock. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm desperately in love with you, and that version of me is unlovable." Pitch looked up at Jack with tired, swollen red eyes. "Now I'm just a man begging for your forgiveness."

"There isn't one aspect of you that's unlovable, idiot." He slid down the wall to sit next to the other man, twirling the dried rose between his fingertips. "If you really have changed like you say you have, then it's the past you that's unlovable. It isn't dependant on your job."

"It is. I was an actor, a liar, when I met you. I don't want to be that anymore." Pitch slowly leaned closer and nuzzled Jack's temple. "I want to be someone you can be proud of. An English Lit. professor, perhaps."

"Didn't you just start a new movie when you went on your trip?"

Pitch shrugged. "I didn't even film a single scene. The directors are pissed I pulled out of it so last second and threatened to sue at first. I just have to pay them a fee though, since we hadn't actually started anything yet."

"And what about your expensive 'lifestyle'?"

"I want you instead."

"I hope you know there's no guarantee I'll take you back."

"Then I'll spend the rest of my life fighting to win you back and earn your love."

"You won't have to spend the rest of your life." Jack leaned against him with a small smile. "But I think you could start with a few dates."

"I can do that." Pitch smiled and tilted Jack's head up. He leaned in and kissed him softly. "Hi. I'm Kozmotis Pitchner, but I was known as Pitch Black in Hollywood."

"Nice to meet you, Kozmotis," he chuckled. "I'm Jack Frost, a simple florist. I hope you're ready for my complete lack of self-confidence, tendency to blush a lot, and full length probation period."

"I can handle it. After all, I'm a simple professor now who's madly in love with someone."

"You're not a professor yet. You have to get a job at a university before you can call yourself that."

"Should be easy. I already have my doctorate."

"We'll see just how easy it really is. I hope you have enough saved up to get you by until you have a job again."

"I may have a little put aside, unless my boyfriend decides to spend it all." Pitch smiled and nuzzled Jack's nose. "Or do I presume too much to call you my boyfriend still?"

"I wasn't aware we had ever agreed on the title in the first place."

"What title would you give us?"

"Right now we're just dating, remember? Starting from square one again. I think we'll make it to boyfriends soon enough."

"Then I suppose 'heart's desire' will just have to do for now."

Jack nodded. "I have one more request."

"Anything."

"I want to hear your real accent. You're not an actor anymore, so there's no need to keep faking it. I want every aspect of the real you." He jabbed a finger into the man's chest.

Pitch sighed. "It may be hard, but I'll try." He cleared his throat and spoke in a heavy accent that rung with roots from Liverpool mixed with Wales. "Well? Does it live up to your expectations?"

Jack couldn't help but grin. "It far exceeds them."

"Are you laughing at me?"

"Not at all. Only incredibly happy when I wasn't sure I could be anymore."

"All because of my accent?"

"Because it means you're willing to share with me the real you. Hollywood doesn't know this you. Your fans don't know this you. Just your parents and me. Kozmotis Pitchner trumps Pitch Black in my book three hundred and sixty five days a year."

"I love you, Jack Frost," Pitch whispered before pulling Jack close for a kiss. "I was so scared. Fairy answered your phone and said you were done with me and I panicked. I got on the next flight home only to find you gone, and no one would tell me where you were. I've been looking for you ever since."

"You've really been looking for me for all this time? I thought I was just another conquest because you had your way with me and then disappeared on a trip." Jack looked into the amber eyes he loved so much. "How did you find me?"

"I've been checking every florist's shop in the city. I was prepared to start checking other states if you weren't here." Pitch smiled and brushed some white hair back from Jack's eyes. "I kept looking because, while you may have started out as a conquest, you've become so much more to me since."

"I r-really mean more than a one night stand to you?" He could feel his tears starting all over again as his heart was torn about trusting this man again.

"You mean a lifetime of nights to me. That one night gave me only a taste of you, and I am determined to have more than just a taste."

"What if I don't want just the nights?"

"Well, we will be busy working during the day, but I can give you my lunchtimes," Pitch teased with a kiss to the tip of Jack's nose.

"I meant I don't want to be just the guy you sleep with."

"What do you want to be to me?"

"I want an actual meaningful relationship."

"You want to be my everything?"

"If that's something you would like."

"What exactly do you want?"

"I want to be your everything."

Pitch smiled. "Haven't you realized it yet? You're already everything to me. I gave up Hollywood to come home and explain myself to you."

"I just want to be sure. Last time I thought you felt that way, and then I found out about all the others."

"They were all before you." Pitch picked up the book and placed it in Jack's lap. "This is what you mean to me."

"I can't believe you really saved all of these." Jack cracked a small smile and carefully put the lavender rose back in the book.

"Do you believe me above such sentiment?"

"I believe Pitch Black to be above it."

"I was never Pitch Black with you."

"Seriously? On our first date, you asked me if I wanted to be your hotel fuck buddy while you were at work." He gave the man a sarcastic look.

"The people I previously associated with would have gladly taken the offer and would have eagerly accepted the rose the next morning. You fascinated me because you not only refused but seemed completely unaware of who I was."

"I honestly didn't know who you were. I don't watch movies or those dumb gossip shows or tv at all really."

"I figured that out. It added a new factor to your seduction. Little did I know that I was the one being seduced."

"I wasn't seducing you."

"You were. You used those lovely eyes and that shy little smile and those gloriously, delectable blushes."

"It wasn't my intention to seduce. I was only enjoying the date."

"That makes you even more delightful. You seduced me without even trying, and I couldn't seduce you, try hard as I might."

"Sorry my past ruined any chance you had of succeeding."

"I'm not."

"Huh?"

"I'm not sorry. I'm glad I had to wait. By the time we finally slept together, we were already hopelessly in love with each other. That night wasn't a seduction but a night of lovemaking."

"I could feel your love that night. I'd never felt that connected with someone before." Jack smiled at the thought. "That's why Fairy was so upset on the phone. She watched me go from cloud nine to an all time low when we found out about you."

"I'm so sorry." Pitch pulled Jack against him and kissed the top of his head. "I began to like the me I saw in your eyes so much that I forgot who I really was. When I thought I lost you, I realized that I wanted to be the man you thought I was. I wanted to be honest and loyal and honorable. I wanted to be worthy of the love you had given me."

"This you is worthy of it. If you can truly promise me that Pitch Black never comes back, then I'm willing to give this a second chance. I've learned from my mistakes in the past, and I have to believe that it's possible for you to as well."

"You have me, Kozmotis Pitchner. You have the man who dreamed of being an English Literature professor and wants you to have your own shop. You have the man with a less than sexy accent and who actually does loves his mother very much."

"I'll have you know that your accent is sexy. And I rather like the sound of this man. That's the man who can pick me up after work tomorrow and take me out somewhere."

"I may not be able to afford Arabian Nights anymore."

"I don't mind. I'm more the simple pleasures kind of guy anyway. I'd take a good burger over overpriced seafood anyday," he laughed.

"I've heard the bowling alley downtown serves a really good burger."

"You should know that I'm an amazing bowler."

"I am not; not at all. Would you teach me?"

"I'd be happy to."

"Try not to kick my ass too hard, okay?"

"No guarantees," he chuckled. Jack reluctantly stood up with a soft groan. "For now, I think you should go though. I'm not a manager here, so if my boss comes in and sees me not working I could actually get in trouble now."

"Can I stay if I buy something?"

"Of course." He held his hand out to help the other man up.

Pitch took his hand and stood. "Okay, umm...I'd like red and pink roses mixed with daffodils, lavender, and red tulips."

"That's an interesting assortment. Can I ask who you're buying them for?" Jack gathered the requested flowers.

"I can't say yet."

"I see. Well, whoever they are, they're very lucky. That's a lot of love bundled up in one bouquet." He wrapped them up with a teasing smile.

"I know. Daffodils for new beginnings, lavender for devotions, red roses for love and longing, pink roses for gratitude, and red tulips...a declaration of love." Pitch smelled the bouquet and then held it out to Jack.

Jack chuckled. "And how would you like to pay for these today? Cash, credit, or kisses?"

"Cash officially, kisses unofficially."

"It'll be twenty one ninety five. I'll take one kiss and save the rest for tomorrow if that's alright?"

"If that's what you want." Pitch handed over the cash and leaned over to kiss him.

Jack let their lips linger as long as he could. He was smiling softly when they pulled away. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"I'll see you tomorrow. Promise you won't disappear again, flower child."

"I won't. Couldn't even if I wanted to. Aster gave my old job to someone else," he joked.

"I think you would find a way if you wanted to." Pitch pulled Jack forward and kissed him again. "I love you."

"I love you too," Jack whispered. "I'll be here. I'm off at five tomorrow, by the way."

"I'll be here," Pitch hummed and kissed him again. "Okay, I'll go."

"See you." Jack waved him off and turned back to the bridal bouquet with a sigh. He still wasn't sure how he felt, but he knew Kozmotis at least deserved a second chance.

Awwww. Wasn't that a bittersweet reunion? Yay, he's back, but you were still a complete dick so I'm pissed.

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