Chapter Text
Cliché as it may sound, Jeon Jungkook and Park Jimin met on a sunny day in the second week of spring, with birds singing and children running outside the small flower shop. Even more cliché would be to say that the whole world stopped when their eyes crossed – but it was the truth.
Jungkook hesitantly made his way to the counter, looking around and feeling so lost in the middle of so many colors he got the urge to turn around and leave.
“Good morning.” Jimin greeted in a high-pitched voice, the kind one could listen to forever.
Jimin, Jungkook read on his nametag and committed that to memory, suddenly hoping he could get to taste the name on his lips someday.
“Good morning, um…” He checked his surroundings again and frowned.
“Don’t know what you want?” Jimin asked and leaned with his elbows on the counter, a soft smile on his face that had Jungkook loosing track for a moment.
“Flowers.” Jungkook deadpanned and Jimin giggled, making him mentally slap himself; of course that was what he wanted, he was in a damn flower shop!
“Good, that’s a start.” Jimin’s tone wasn’t mocking, however, and it made the younger feel better even if his face was still burning.
“They’re for my mom.” Jungkook scratched the back of his neck. “She’s coming to visit.”
“See? We’re getting there.” Jimin was still smiling as he walked around the counter and began arranging a medium sized bouquet. “What’s your name?”
“Jeon Jungkook.”
“I’m Park Jimin, it’s nice to meet you.”
Jungkook was never one for smiles, but he was sure his heart’s reaction to the way Jimin’s lips curved up and his eyes turned into small crescents was far from normal.
“Come here.” Jimin beckoned him closer and Jungkook did as he was told, carefully so he wouldn’t touch any of the displayed plants in fear of hurting them. “Did you know flowers can talk?”
“What?” The younger asked, incredulity seeping through the word and making his forehead crease. He belatedly wondered if Jimin would feel offended by his tone but the florist only laughed and explained.
“Each flower has a meaning.” Jimin started. He delicately cradled the bouquet in his arms and looked around his shop. “If you’re in love, which one would you pick?”
Jungkook frowned; he had never given anyone flowers and didn’t even know they had different meanings until now but he knew of one particular kind that seemed popular amongst lovers. “A rose?” He risked.
Jimin smiled. “A red rose.” He corrected. “White roses convey innocence and chastity, while yellow ones are symbols of friendship.” Jungkook listened intently, not sure if he was more captivated by the new information or by the passion with which Jimin explained it to him. “Now, for your mother: pink carnations, white lilies and violets; gratitude, purity and devotion.”
“It’s beautiful.” Jungkook muttered as he eyed the arrangement in Jimin’s hands, fascinated by the colors and the way they were put together. “How do you know all this?”
“My mother taught me.” Jimin answered as he made his way back to the counter. “She was a lover of beautiful things.” He continued as his hands worked on wrapping up the bouquet. “She would have liked you.”
Jungkook froze when the words registered in his brain. Was that a compliment?, he asked himself and looked up from the flowers to the man in front of him; there was the hint of a smile on his lips but aside from that, nothing that gave away what he meant. Jimin looked up just then and their gazes crossed; he took in Jungkook’s wide eyes and pink cheeks and bit his bottom lip to stop himself from grinning and giving himself away.
They didn’t exchange any more words as Jimin worked on the finishing details of the bouquet and calculated the price – if he sneaked a discount here or there no one would have to know. Jungkook watched him as he worked, trying and failing to not be so obvious that he was completely infatuated by the amount of beauty standing in front of him.
“I hope your mother likes it.” Jimin said as he gave Jungkook his receipt.
“Thank you.” He smiled softly and bowed in gratitude. “I’m sure she will.”
Their eyes met one last time and Jungkook turned around to make his way out, the words see you around dying inside his mouth before they could be spoken.
“Wait.” Jimin said before Jungkook could leave and left him there as he disappeared behind a shelf stacked with a diversity of species in different colors.
Jungkook stood where he was, half facing the front door, and frowned. He was sure he already had everything he had gone to the shop for and had no idea why the florist was making him wait – truthfully, Jungkook just wanted to leave before he could trip over himself even more.
“Here.” Jimin called his attention back to him when a new flower was placed in his field of vision. “For you.”
“What’s this one?” Jungkook asked as he hesitantly accepted the unexpected gift.
Jimin smiled and brushed his hair away from his eyes, a dangerous glint in them. “A variegated tulip.” He said, without any further explanation, as if the name itself could answer the question.
“What does it mean?” The younger pressed but Jimin only shook his head as he leaned on the counter, his chin resting in one of his hands.
“Figure it out.”
The universe picked that moment to send another customer in the shop, the little bell above the door signaling her entrance, and Jimin threw a wink Jungkook’s way before leaving him to help her.
Jungkook drove home only half-focused on the traffic in front of him. His mind kept going back to the flower shop: never had he felt such a deep connection to someone he had just met; the way in which his body reacted to Jimin was new to him and he would be lying if he said it didn’t leave him a bit apprehensive.
The thing about Jungkook was that he was never good at dealing with or expressing his feelings – nor was he one to feel so strongly to begin with. Therefore, he was at a loss of what to do given this unexpected turn of events, which meant there was only one person he could go to for help.
“He gave you a flower?” Yoongi asked after he heard the whole story and teased Jungkook for looking like a lovesick idiot.
“Yeah…” Jungkook answered as he frowned at the plant in front of him as if it held all the answers of the universe. “And he wouldn’t tell me what it means.”
“Well, have you looked it up?” Yoongi inquired, straight to the point as always.
“No…” He bowed his head, avoiding the look he knew his friend was giving him. If Jungkook was being honest, he was postponing doing that until he couldn’t take the curiosity anymore in fear of finding what the florist wanted to tell him.
Yoongi sighed. “What did you say it was again? A what tulip?” He pushed as he unlocked his phone.
“Variegated tulip.” The younger said under his breath, dreading the results that search would bring.
Jungkook looked up abruptly when Yoongi burst out laughing. He felt himself pout and slump down on his seat and the older must have noticed it because he tried to recompose himself to explain.
“It’s not bad, kid.” Yoongi coughed into his hand but couldn’t stop a new set of chuckles that escaped him. “It’s actually pretty fucking adorable.”
Jungkook pulled the phone from Yoongi’s hand harshly and tried to tune out his laugh as he read the text displayed under a picture of the same flower he had received. Tulips in general are a display of love. He skipped over what he wasn’t interested on and scanned the paragraph for what he really wanted to know. With a simple, yet meaningful message, variegated tulips will let a special someone know you think they have beautiful eyes.
“Beautiful eyes.” Jungkook repeated what he had just read and felt his face heating up at the idea that Jimin had looked at him and thought that.
“Look at you, blushing like a middle schooler.” Yoongi shook his head, still laughing, and took his phone back. “You’re 23 years old, just go talk to him for fuck’s sake.”
“N-no, I…” Jungkook sighed, defeated, as he looked back at the tulip and lightly caressed its petals. “I wouldn’t know how.”
Yoongi was quiet for a moment before he suggested, “Why don’t you win him with his own game?”
It took three weeks for Jungkook to gather up the courage to go back to the flower shop and do what Yoongi had told him. Even then, he stood outside for a good five minutes trying to calm his racing heart and hoping to everything he held sacred that his voice wouldn’t fail him.
“You’re back.” Jimin greeted when Jungkook finally collected himself and walked in, the little bell above the door ringing just a bit too loudly in his ears.
“Yeah…” The younger answered, quite eloquently, and cleared his throat as he pushed himself to walk closer.
“Need more flowers?” His tone was teasing, recalling their last encounter, but Jungkook didn’t find it in himself to feel bothered by it. The entire time he spent procrastinating his visit to the shop was also filled with the image of Jimin’s smile dancing around his brain; Jungkook didn’t know what the man had done to him but he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried, stop thinking about the florist with the kind eyes.
“Yes, I…” Jungkook felt his heart skip a beat when Jimin absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair and had to look away to get a grip on his thoughts. “I want, um… A bouquet of white camellias, pink ranunculus and red gloxinias.” He said everything in a rushed tone and hoped Jimin had heard everything well because he would most likely spontaneously combust if he had to repeat himself.
The florist seemed to have understood it since he walked to the back of the shop in no time, making his way through pots and shelves with natural ease as if it was second nature to him. Jungkook moved from foot to foot impatiently and tapped his fingers against the wooden material of the balcony while Jimin didn’t return; he wasn’t sure whether the other man had caught up on what he was trying to do – and in all honestly, didn’t know what would be worse – but waiting for him to go back was taking its toll on him when each second felt like an hour to his anxious heart.
Jungkook was so absorbed in trying to even out his erratic heartbeat that he barely heard the backdoor close and soon the sweet florist was back behind the counter.
“Here you go.” Jimin smiled as he handed over the flowers but Jungkook was too busy staring at the balcony to see it.
“Thank you, um…” He clenched his jaw and took a deep breath before looking up and extending his arm to give the bouquet back. “For you.”
“Oh.” Jimin giggled, surprised that Jungkook had actually done that. He didn’t expect the younger to go to such lengths, given how shy he had seemed to him when they had first met. “Do you know what they mean?” He asked, feeling his own cheeks heating up to match Jungkook’s.
“Yes.” They didn’t break eye contact despite every cell in Jungkook’s body telling him to turn around and run. “Do you?”
Jimin looked down at the bouquet carefully placed over his right arm and smiled so brightly it could light up an entire town.
“Of course.” The look on Jimin’s face when their eyes met again convinced Jungkook he had never done anything more right in his entire life.