Pairing: Sunggyu/Yongguk

Prompt: flowershop!au

Genre: Slice of life, fluff

Word Count: 4,745

Daydream

A long jean covered leg held the door of a small shop open. A cart was pushed outside lined with potted Nierumbergias, Zinnias, Cosmos, Hollyhocks and Marigolds. It was full of color and was settled against the huge window of the shop. There was still a smaller cart that needed to be rolled out and placed in front to build a beautiful show of colors. Late spring was just about the perfect time for the flowers to start bringing in customers again after being confined to the four walls of the shop with no one to admire their beauty, dormant.

Kim Sunggyu, a brunet with soft features and a beautiful smile, co-owned a small flower shop in the foreigner filled streets of Itaewon. He figured the place was a good spot. There was always a never ending need to impress or woo a native or foreigner by buying them flowers. Business was going to pick up again soon, of that he was sure. The dull months of winter slowed their business down considerably with the exception of the small bursts of busy weeks before Christmas and New Year.

He rolled the second cart out and was soon inside preparing some flower buckets for a good cleaning. He was wearing his black apron and slipped on some rubber gloves to start the tedious task. He didn’t even get a chance to get the water running when an incredibly deep and daunting voice filled the air around him. He turned, alarmed to hear such a deep baritone around and was surprised to see someone standing by the counter at the front of the shop.

Sunggyu pulled his gloves off before quickly making his way over, “Hi, how may I help you?”

The guy was wearing a thin white tee with a low collar and some torn up jeans. The tattoo underneath the shirt was very visible and dark against his skin but he quickly glossed over it, not wanting to make the other uncomfortable. He was carrying a small black portfolio under his arm. The shop owner wondered if he was the owner of another local business that wanted to partner up. The newcomer was a bit taller than he was, with long wavy hair gently parted in half that softly framed his face and a mole that rested sharply under his right eye. He was handsome.

“Hi. Well...”

The stranger seemed to be having a hard time finding the right words.

“Are you buying flowers for your girlfriend?”

“Ah, no...”

“Someone’s birthday?” Sunggyu tried.

“No, no,” he waved his hands to try and desist the other from making assumptions, “I was just hoping you could let me draw some of your flowers here,” the male spoke in that same deep voice he heard earlier, “for reference purposes. Or should I ask your boss?”

Sunggyu showed a friendly smile before replying, “I am the boss. Kim Sunggyu,” the male introduced himself and offered a handshake.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Bang Yongguk,” the male took up the hand offered to him and shook it firmly, he offered a smile in return, “Would you mind?”

Sunggyu was slightly stunned by the sudden dazzling smile, “No. Go right ahead. The shop is yours. I’d just like for you to be mindful of any customers.”

“Of course. Thanks.”

The brunet watched the male walk around his shop curiously, bending over to look at a particular flower before continuing. Sunggyu could only tilt his head in wonder before deciding to get back to his previous task. He was a bit perplexed at the sudden situation. He found himself forgetting about the male as he went about washing the buckets and having to stop to help customers. It got a bit busy in the late morning as college couples began to show up in the area, entering his shop and buying their girlfriends a rose on a whim. He didn’t even notice when the strange male left.

It wasn’t until later in the afternoon that he remembered the encounter in the morning. He was talking to Dongwoo, the co-owner, about how he could already tell business was picking up. Sunggyu decided to act on Dongwoo’s idea to reach out for partnerships with some of the local coffee shops around the area. They needed a bit of color for the winter months so they thought it would be a good idea to offer them a deal so long as they also allowed their business cards to be available for customers to take.

They’d seen an improvement within a few weeks. He was really impressed. They were both owners of the shop but Sunggyu took charge of the business side of things. Dongwoo helped him out with everything else. He was incredibly talented at building eye catching bouquets with vibrant colors.

“Some guy came in this morning. I thought it was gonna be some pushy salesman. He was carrying a portfolio and everything,” Sunggyu explained as he started working on the day’s cut.

“Really? What did he want?”

“He just wanted to draw the flowers. I guess he was some kind of artist... Actually,” he stopped what he was doing to look at Dongwoo pensively.

“What?”

“Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure he had a huge tattoo on his chest...”

“Oh, a tattoo artist?”

Sunggyu shrugged and returned to the paperwork in front of him, “He was cute though.”

The other male laughed, “Are you saying tatted guys are ugly?”

“Of course not!”

Dongwoo laughed before glancing at the wood accented clock behind the counter. It was about 10 minutes until closing time. He went to retrieve the broom and dustpan in order to start cleaning up.

“Wonder if he’ll come by again.”

“Who knows,” Sunggyu answered offhandedly before changing the subject, “We did pretty good today.”

“Really? That’s great news.”

“We still need a bit more but...” Sunggyu looked up with a big smile on his face, “we’re on the right track!”

“Hey, so I’ve been thinking about doing other things, to help us out a bit more.”

“What do you have in mind Mr. Jang?”

Dongwoo giggled, “Let’s close up shop and we’ll talk about it.”

Sunggyu looked at the list of people that signed up for the flower arrangement classes they decided to start and was a little more than shocked at the response they received. He imagined they’d get a mediocre response, but ever since their part-timer started, their shop got a bit busier.

“This is ridiculous...do they know he won’t be hosting the classes?” Sunggyu asked Dongwoo, both turning their attention to the handsome guy helping a pair of girls.

The male laughed, “Come on. They’re not all here for Myungsoo.”

“Sure, sure,” Sunggyu conceded, “I wish they were all here for the flowers instead.”

“At least they’re actually buying,” Dongwoo observed, moving to the side when the male went up to the counter to ring up the girl’s purchases.

“At least,” Sunggyu mumbled before pushing Dongwoo towards the new wood tables they set up towards the back of the shop. They decided to hold the classes in a little corner of the shop that was more or less out of the way of the customers that would come in, “I can’t believe both were filled today... You’re doing the afternoon class, okay?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“I hope we didn’t just pile on a whole bunch of more work on top of what we have already.”

Dongwoo only laughed, “Don’t worry. It’ll work out. Besides it’ll be fun!”

“I wish I was as carefree as Dongwoo,” Sunggyu sighed, causing said male to giggle.

“Hey, Sunggyu? Someone’s here asking for the owner?”

“For the owner? Did you steal someone’s girlfriend already?”

“What?”

Dongwoo let out a hearty laugh at seeing Myungsoo’s confused expression. Sunggyu chuckled before approaching the counter where a male was waiting.

“Hi. How may I help you?” the brunet asked, hoping to catch his attention.

Sunggyu’s eyes widened when he realized it was the same guy from a week ago, the one that asked to draw his flowers. He was wearing a dark low cut tee and khaki colored chinos this time, all tied together with white converse. His hair was styled the same, slightly parted in the middle with the strands framing his handsome face, his chest tattoo very visible against his honey colored skin and the dark mole as visibly sharp as last time.

“Hey, yeah, I don’t know if you remember me from last week?”

“Oh Yongguk?” He watches a half smile form on the handsome face, “Are you here to draw again?”

“That was the plan. If you don’t mind, of course.”

“Not at all. Go ahead. Just be mindful of our customers.”

“Of course. Thanks.”

“Sure,” Sunggyu smiled and watched him walk towards a little corner of the shop set up with a wooden chair, surrounded by colorful potted tea roses.

He watched the male scan them slowly, almost meticulously. Taking some and shifting them this way and that before setting them down again. It took him a few tries before he decided on a pale pink Catherine Mermet that was in full bloom. The petals of the rose rolled back on themselves, giving them a pointed appearance and the layers of petals gave it a full and fluffy look.

“So that’s the guy, huh?”

“Yeah... That’s him.”

A moment of silence passed between them as they watched him pull a notebook out along with a pencil before Dongwoo decided to , “Don’t forget, you’re supposed to be at work.”

“Shut up,” Sunggyu responded, shoving the man away lightly in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

Luckily for him, Dongwoo was whisked away by a customer who wanted to know which type of flower was the best to give for a get well present. Sunggyu gave Yongguk one last glance before continuing to fret over the classes they would be starting in a few weeks.

It somehow became routine to see the male show up every Monday right after the shop opened. He didn’t know if the male planned it that way, but it was when the store was the least busy both in terms of customers and employees. Only Sunggyu and Yongguk would provide company to the blooming flora, sometimes doing their own thing, sometimes getting to know a little bit about each other.

Yongguk would sometimes show him the sketches he’d made previously. A satisfied smile would grace his lips when Sunggyu would name the flowers simply by his sketch. Most times Yongguk would arrive with an extra cup of coffee, “My way of thanking you for letting me do this,” was his reasoning. Sunggyu would take it gratefully and flush ever so slightly when their fingers would brush. Yongguk would have the brunet go over some sketches that he would do from memory.

Sunggyu wasn’t sure when he started looking forward to seeing him walk through the shop door with that charismatic smile and his uniquely deep greeting and his mysterious aura. He just suddenly found himself completely infatuated with the man. He would look forward to the start of the week more than ever. He caught himself smiling much more than he used to and it would draw more customers to him. He was busy, but he was happy.

It would especially make his week when Yongguk would hang out at the counter with him and talk, like today.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Yongguk said as he leaned over and rested his elbows on the counter, his shirt drooping lightly and giving Sunggyu a much better view of the tattoo underneath.

“What is it?” Sunggyu asked, genuinely curious, copying the male’s actions as well.

It eased a small chuckle from Yongguk before he spoke again, “You’ve never asked me about my tattoos.”

The brunet seemed quite surprised, “Do you want me to ask?”

“Usually, it’s the first thing that comes up in a conversation.”

“I believe it. It’s a little unusual to see them so openly displayed, especially with all the stigma surrounding them but what I’m really curious about is, what you need so many flower sketches for,” the brunet asked pointedly.

It was the dark haired male’s turn to look a bit shocked before standing up straight again and avoiding the other’s gaze, “I get a lot of, uh, commissions involving flowers. I just want to have as many in my portfolio as there are flowers. They’re quite popular in my line of work.”

“Really? And what is it that you do?” Sunggyu asked, the avoidance not going unnoticed by him.

“Uh, well I--” Luckily Sunggyu’s attention diverted to a customer that just walked in and Yongguk took that opportunity to end that conversation there, “Time for you to work, Mr. Kim.”

Sunggyu merely smiled at him before turning his complete attention to the older woman who was looking to start her own garden at home. He didn’t know how many times he looked up to glance at Yongguk and caught the man doing the same. He became quite flustered by it but the taller male only smiled before continuing to work on his sketch. It took him a bit longer than usual but eventually the man stood from his chair, signaling that he was taking his leave.

The shop owner was at the counter ringing up a customer. The tattooed male waited patiently until Sunggyu finished and proceeded to approach him with a half smile to which Sunggyu responded with a full one.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah. This took longer than I thought,” Yongguk replied but slid a piece of sketch paper onto the counter face down.

“What’s this?” the brunet asked.

“It’s for you. I hope you like them.”

Sunggyu cocked his head to the side curiously before picking the paper up and turning it around. The other side boasted a myriad of beautifully drawn flowers. They were in black and white but the detail on them was mindblowing. Sunggyu admired it openly before looking up, about to thank the male, only to realize he was already walking out of the shop. He was disappointed but didn’t have much time to dwell on it as a few more customers came in along with Dongwoo. He put away the drawing for the time being and continued to work. He’d have time to look at it comfortably later.

“We always get really busy on the days leading to Parent’s Day,” Dongwoo commented as he sat down, exhausted. There were a lot of orders for arrangements and bouquets but by far, the most popular were carnations, as it was every year. Their store was bursting to the brim with the popular flower.

“On top of that we have to manage the classes, too,” Sunggyu sighed as he waited for the end of day cut to be printed.

“See you guys tomorrow,” Myungsoo said his farewell before leaving

“Alright. Take care. Good work today, Myungsoo,” the brunet said before smiling at the paper now in his hands, “We did really great today,” he said to Dongwoo who was locking the door behind their part timer.

“Alright! Dinner on you tonight!” Dongwoo giggled when he saw the look on Sunggyu’s face but the male relented nonetheless. They both looked at the numbers and roughly estimated the gains of the day.

“We’re doing really good. This is what I wanted to see,” Sunggyu spoke to himself before being interrupted by his co-owner.

“Where did you get this?”

“Hm?” he saw the soft lines of the flowers on the paper Dongwoo was holding and gasped. He completely forgot about it!

“Yongguk gave it to me before he left this morning.”

“Really?” the other brunet turned the drawing to look at it a bit more closely and hummed knowingly.

“Yeah.”

“So have you looked at it?”

“Not really. We got busy and I forgot afterwards... Why?” he asked as an afterthought.

“I think... He’s trying to tell you something...”

“He is? But I don’t think I saw any writing on there?” He took the sheet from Dongwoo’s grip and scanned it with his gaze.

“Kim Sunggyu,” the man sounded very serious for once, it was so unlike his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor that it caught Sunggyu’s attention without a doubt, “He’s very aware that we’re florists and he gave you a drawing containing flowers.”

Sunggyu was still confused as to what his friend was talking about. The male sighed and pointed to a particular flower, “What flower is this?”

“A trumpet lily.”

“And where are they used?”

“In wedding bouquets?”

“Because?”

“It’s traditional?” Dongwoo gave him a sour look, “What? This is why you’re in charge of arrangements. I don’t know the meaning of so many different flowers!”

Dongwoo sighed, “No, not because of tradition, although I guess a little bit is because of that, but these convey beauty and magnificence... What about this one?”

“A belladonna lily.”

“Right. These also stand for beauty. And this?”

“A carnation, obviously.”

“These indicate beauty, too. Do you see these. He hid these pretty well but they stand out once you notice them.”

“Gardenias?”

“Do you know what these stand for?”

“Beauty?” he tried his luck.

“No. Love. These symbolize a secret love.”

When Dongwoo saw the male still wasn’t sure where he was going with all of the information, he laughed his infectious laugh, “…He did only complement your looks, not your brain.”

Sunggyu was offended until something clicked in his brain and he gasped in surprise, “He gave this to me...”

“Bingo. He specifically picked out these flowers and gave this drawing to you. They weren’t random because we don’t even have gardenias in yet,” Dongwoo explained.

Sunggyu set the drawing down and stared at it for a few seconds before shaking his head and slamming his hand down on the counter, “I don’t care what these symbolize! It’s just a drawing! He’ll have to be more direct!”

His friend couldn’t help but laugh at the flustered appearance of the other. He was red in the face and trying not to smile but he lost in the end and he smiled wide. He’d have to buy a frame fit for the beautiful flowers blooming just for him.

Sunggyu and Dongwoo were surprised to see Yongguk walk into the shop with a girl near closing time on Wednesday. His hair was no longer the long soft parted waves that framed his face and smile. Instead it was cut short and was in a messy style. He wore some jeans and a black v-neck. The girl he was with was short but pretty, and wore a bold colored lipstick. She had a nose piercing that glinted in the sunlight.

“So I can get whichever one I want, right?”

“That’s right, bae. Get whatever you want.”

The smile that graced Sunggyu’s face fell away almost immediately. Yongguk... had a girlfriend? He glanced at Dongwoo who in turn glanced at him. They were both entirely confused. The brunet didn’t want to be right, but he figured the drawing meant absolutely nothing. Maybe he was just trying to show Sunggyu how much he’d improved. But it didn’t hurt any less to see the guy strutting around the shop with his girlfriend and not even acknowledging his presence. He set the arrangement of lilies and daisies on the table but didn’t realize how close to the edge he placed it. The vase came tumbling down at his feet, breaking upon impact and sending shards of it in all directions, water spilling onto his shoes. It scared the patrons for sure but it snapped Sunggyu out of it. The knot that he felt welling up in his stomach both confused and angered him but he quickly picked up the flowers that were still somehow intact in the moist foam of the arrangement.

“Hey, why don’t you go rest some in the break room. I’ll take care of this,” it was Dongwoo who took the flowers from the man’s grip.

“No. I’ll clean it up. I was just a little distracted,” Sunggyu tried, avoiding eye contact.

“Come on. Take a break. Myungsoo and I can handle this.”

Their part timer went over with a broom and dustpan, quickly gathering the shards. Sunggyu looked up and caught gazes with the dark haired male. He quickly averted his eyes and turned to leave to the break room, away from all the curiously prying eyes.

Dongwoo and Sunggyu were startled out of their work by a loud banging on the glass door of the shop. They looked up to see Yongguk standing there. Sunggyu only spared him a dry look before speaking to Dongwoo, “Can you please go tell him we’re closed.”

“...Right.”

Sunggyu refused to look up as Dongwoo did what he was told. After hearing various, “Sorry, we’re closed,” and not being able to get the guy to go away Dongwoo gave up.

“He wants to talk to you. He keeps pointing to you.”

The male sighed heavily and spoke, “Fine. Let him in.”

“Sunggyu--”

“Was there an issue with the bouquet your girlfriend picked out, sir?”

“The bouquet was beautiful. What more could I expect from you?”

Sunggyu remained expressionless prompting the other male to speak, “Listen, that wasn’t me.”

“What do you mean, wasn’t you? Who else could it have possibly been?”

“My brother. Didn’t he have short hair? He didn’t have this tattoo either.”

The brunet’s glare faltered as he realized that the man standing in front of him still had his long bouncy hair framing his face. He doesn’t remember anything about tattoos but he’s still skeptical. Maybe he wasn’t remembering correctly anymore.

“I recommended this place to him. He said he was going to buy some flowers for his girlfriend to celebrate their anniversary so I told him to come here. You’re not far from my shop either.”

“Your shop?”

Yongguk’s gaze met Sunggyu’s and he sighed, “I work as an underground tattoo artist.”

“Underground? But that’s--”

“Illegal, I know. I didn’t want you to find out. My line of work consists of drawing. Flowers tend to be the most popular subjects. That’s why I was here. To practice the curves of the rose petals and learn how to draw a beautiful blooming rose by just being able to remember this place. But spending so long watching you tend to them so attentively, pruning them and watering them as I sat there drawing... I realized the only thing I kept remembering was you. I don’t know when it was that I stopped drawing flowers, and instead started drawing you.”

Sunggyu blushed and stammered out, “W-what does that have to do with you coming in here with your girlfriend?”

“I told him I’d come with them because I didn’t want you to confuse us... You’re the person I like.”

“That’s the most absurd thing---”

A knock on the windows of the shop caught their attention and Sunggyu gasped. It was Yongguk! The one from earlier!

“That’s him, right?”

Did he say that out loud?

“He’s my brother, Yongnam.”

“Twins...?”

“Yeah...”

Sunggyu glanced between them and quietly “oh”ed before being taken by surprise as Yongguk reached for his hand. He tried to pull it back but the other held it tighter, “Now do you believe me? I like you, a lot.”

Dongwoo, who was watching from the door, relaxed when he saw Sunggyu’s tense posture relax as well. He figured he needed to give them some time alone. He slipped off his apron and placed it on top of the counter before giving a good pat on Yongguk’s shoulder.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Dongwoo said as his farewell.

Sunggyu waited until the door closed behind the man before speaking, “Is there something else I should know about? Maybe a twin sister? Or a gang affiliation?”

Yongguk laughed a deep sound that broke him out into goosebumps, “I only have one twin,” he didn’t let go of Sunggyu’s hand and instead went around the counter to join the male behind it, “And I’m not a gangster. I just believe we should have every right to express ourselves,” his free hand reached to touch Sunggyu’s face gently, “Whether with actions, or words, or flowers...or ink.”

The brunet shied away from the touch but his gaze landed on the exposed part of the tattoo on the taller male’s chest and he caught a glimpse of another one hidden behind the sleeve of his shirt.

“You’ll have to show me all the ones you have,” Sunggyu spoke, feeling brave enough to brush his fingers against the other’s collarbones.

“Whenever you like.”

Sunggyu looked up and was surprised by how close they were, “Your brother--”

His cheek was cradled and his attention was turned to Yongguk again, “Don’t worry about him. I’m the one in front of you.”

And So Sunggyu’s eyes closed when he felt those soft, full lips brush against his, the afterimage in his mind lingering on those almond shaped eyes and the dark mole sitting so seductively under his right eye. Well, he’d have time to truly uncover all the mysteries behind Bang Yongguk.