Chanyeol slapped the trailing vine gently, shaking his head when the whole plant quivered.

“No,” he said sternly. “Don’t you disturb the Venus flytraps. If I find another dead one, I will tie your vines into knots.”

The plant puffed up in indignation, waving its tendrils around in the air as Chanyeol left it alone. He walked down another aisle, murmuring a charm under his breath. The rhododendrons stirred, whispering amongst themselves as he passed. He paused to give them a , smiling when they purred under his touch. The droopy fiddle-leaf fig in the corner perked up when he turned towards it, emitting a sound very much like a sigh. Chanyeol poured water into the fiddle-leaf’s pot, caressing its sad leaves. The fiddle-leaf unfurled itself, swiping at Chanyeol when he took the watering can away.

“Uh uh,” Chanyeol warned but before he could say more, a loud meow echoed through the room.

“Oh, kitty’s here.”

The sunflowers sitting at the front of the room murmured to each other. Their bright yellow faces twisted between Chanyeol and the ginger cat standing in the doorway of the shop. The cat mewled again, stepping gingerly into the flower shop just as Chanyeol rounded the corner.

“Hello, kitty,” Chanyeol crooned, crouching.

He extended a hand, cooing internally when the cat stuck out a paw at him. Pink toe beans flashed when the cat put one paw into his palm and then another, until it was sitting in it. Chanyeol picked up the cat, smoothing his fingers over soft fur. He had no idea where the cat came from. It had no collar, no witch mark that would mark it as someone’s familiar. He could only guess that it came from the familiar shelter down the road.

It had been coming for quite several weeks now, just appearing in the doorway. The flowers loved it, cooing, and whispering whenever it appeared. They were cooing now, swaying towards the feline as Chanyeol walked down the rest of the aisles. He kissed the top of its head when he reached his desk, gently swatting aside the ivy that tried to stretch up and coil around the cat. The cat did not seem to mind when he set it down, padding over to nose at the leaves. The ivy practically purred at the attention.

Chanyeol smiled, sitting himself down. He was buried in his work, scribbling more notes into the margins of his notebook when the bellflower on the door tinkled loudly. A petite man entered the shop. He emitted a nervous energy about him that Chanyeol could sense at once, fidgeting with something in his hands as he stood in the doorway.

“Hello,” Chanyeol called, waving. He narrowed his eyes at the trailing vines that had been inching sneakily towards the customer and the vines reeled back as if they had been shocked. “How can I help you?”

The man looked up and oh. Chanyeol’s breath caught in his throat. He was the prettiest man he had ever seen. His skin was as fair as snowdrop petals and his lips were touched with rose. There was a soft flush to his cheeks when he locked eyes with Chanyeol, but Chanyeol was too distracted to do anything but stare. The silence stretched on for far too long before it was broken by the cat’s plaintive mew.

“Oh, Mongshil,” the man said, stretching out his arms. The cat mewled back, and Chanyeol could have sworn it was speaking, just from the tones of its cry. It stretched lazily, tail flicking before it jumped into his arms and began to purr. “Is this where you disappear to every day?”

Chanyeol cleared his throat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“He’s been here every afternoon for the past few weeks,” he said. “Is he your familiar?”

“Oh no,” the man said, scratching Mongshil’s fluffy ears. “He’s just- a stray that I sort of adopted.”

“Ah. The flowers really like him. I’m Chanyeol by the way,” Chanyeol said.

“Junmyeon,” the man said, and oh, his smile was the sweetest thing Chanyeol had seen all day. “I was thinking of picking up an easy plant to start. My window has been looking lonely. Something cat safe?”

Chanyeol beamed when Mongshil mewed, as if in agreement, and turned down one of the aisles, gesturing for Junmyeon to follow him. He pulled a tiny, sleepy spider plant off the shelf, the tip of his finger along the length of the leaves. The plant shook itself awake with a murmur of protest and hummed when Chanyeol handed it over to Junmyeon.

“Chlorophytum comosum,” he said. “It’s a spider plant, hardy and non-toxic.”

Junmyeon petted the plant with gentle fingers, chuckling when Mongshil butted at the plant, taking a single leaf between its tiny teeth.

Kitty’s cute, the spider plant murmured. Teeth sharp. Ow ow.

“The plant likes your cat,” Chanyeol said with a smile.

“Oh, good,” Junmyeon answered. “I think Mongshil likes it too.”

They must have spent a little too long smiling at each other, for the trailing vines that had been sulky all day swatted at Chanyeol the same time Mongshil let out a mournful meow that no one was petting him.

Junmyeon’s cheeks tinted a very pretty pink and Chanyeol took a hasty step back, nearly toppling the shelves behind him. It was only the quick movement of his trailing vines that he did not lose the two other spider plants and a fittonia that shrieked like a drama Queen when the vines caught it. Chanyeol could almost feel the smugness radiating off his vines.

“I should- pay,” Junmyeon said, cradling his spider plant. Chanyeol nodded furiously, the tips of his ears a bright crimson. As if it were laughing at him, the cat made a chittering sound. Jokes on him, because when Chanyeol handed the receipt and change back to Junmyeon, he left his number and a note that said ‘call me’ in pretty letters. Chanyeol most certainly did.