"This is downright stupid," Hongbin deadpans, looking at the flowers displayed in front of him.

Jaehwan cackles. "Betting while being drunk was stupid in the first place."

"I was supposed to be surrounded by kind and caring friends," he cringes, angrily grabbing a bouquet. "Not the kind that makes you keep stupid promises."

Both are standing in front of a flowers row, on a bright Sunday morning, sunglasses on – not supposed to protect them from the sunrays but more to hide their red eyes. With his slightly pink hair, memory of a whole post-terms week-end spent wasted, Hongbin looks like a romcom movie main character, bouquet in hand, with his cheeky friend Jaehwan smirking besides him. 

It will be midday soon and they should be still sleeping to recover from their stormy night, but Jaehwan is a man of words, and he clearly remembers Hongbin promising to do whatever stupid thing he wants him to do if he can beat his score at the karaoke. Therefore here they are, head pounding and throat dry, buying the cheapest bouquet for Hongbin to offer the first person he shall meet.

"What if they don't want it?" He asks Jaehwan, reaching his wallet.

"You go to the next person to offer them. Simple as that!"

"You just want me to embarrass myself, don't you?.."

His friend beams, patting his shoulder. "Hyung is simply being your Cupid of the day!"

"Bull," he scoffs, "You'll be even happier if the first person I see is an ajhusshi!"

"Who wouldn't be?" Jaehwan laughs, and Hongbin wants to make him eat that bloody bouquet.

They go out of the store with a bouquet of freesias. Jaehwan grins and goes waiting on a bench while Hongbin waits with his bouquet, removing his sunglasses to look less like a creep. He feels ridiculous, standing here alone in the sun, making baby steps around the place, cheeks flushed. He isn't even well-dressed, because Jaehwan woke him up in a haste this morning, and he wears that colorful cardigan his sister bought him that makes him look like a 90's teenager in his opinion. 

He looks nervously around, as nobody's showing up; it's making him feverish. He nearly jumps when he sees a young man walking in his direction, typing on his phone. He seems tall, and handsome from Hongbin's point of view, dressed up in a casual V-neck white shirt and turquoise pants. His heart starts pounding quicker and louder with each of the other's step, as he comes closer for them to meet halfway.

"Excuse me!" He calls him as they are a couple of feet away. He knows Jaehwan is watching him and probably evilly snickering, and a sudden rush of self-consciousness dawns upon him when the boy shots his head up to face him.

"Oh, hello," he smiles. His eyes form two crescent moons that send Hongbin at a loss of words.

"Uh, I—“ he fumbles with his hands holding the bouquet, tripping on words. "I just uh – wanted to give you this!"

He nearly shoves the flower to the other's chest, far too embarrassed to do anything properly. He half expects the other boy to frown and turn him down, but the light laugh that escapes his lips soothe him. 

"Freesias? Oh I get it!" The boy laughs some more.

Hongbin freezes. "What do you get?"

"Maybe you would want to know my name first. I'm Han Sanghyuk, but just call me Hyuk."

Sanghyuk delicately takes the bouquet out of his hands, retrieving it to his chest.

"I'm Lee Hongbin."

"Maybe you also would like to know I'm still a high school student... I'm 17,” he the flowers' petals, smiling to himself.

"You're young," Hongbin blankly states. "I'm 19. But why are you telling me this?"

"Do you know the flower language?"

"I don't."

Sanghyuk chuckles, eyes narrowing maliciously. Hongbin finds him definitely attractive.

"Freesias mean... Carnal desire. It's an invitation," he eludes, and his smile becomes a smirk. Hongbin opens and closes his mouth without a sound coming, mind broken down.

Sanghyuk laughs some more, before coming closer to whisper in his ear:

"Since you already offered me flowers... Shall we go on a date?"

It takes a couple of minutes for Hongbin to recover. 

"S-Shall we?" He stutters back, as Sanghyuk is eyeing him behind the flowers.

"Are you free now?"

Hongbin turns slightly towards Jaehwan who is staring at them, probably snapping pictures to show to their other nosy friends. He shrugs. "I could be."

"You could be?" Sanghyuk chuckles. "Let's go then! I know a nice place not so far away."

The younger goes first, flowers in hand. Hongbin takes the time to wave Jaehwan goodbye, because he didn't take his phone that morning, before pacing behind Sanghyuk.

"Where are we going?" He asks as he catches up with him.

"Haven't I told you? A nice place."

They walk side by side for a little while without saying anything.

"So, uh..." Hongbin clears his throat, eyes fixed on the flowers balancing back and forth with each of Sanghyuk's steps. "Do you... Usually invite strangers on dates?"

"Only the ones who buy me flowers, obviously." The younger lifts the bouquet to his nose to smell the delicate scent; Hongbin's gaze lifts to his face. "What about you? Do you often wander around offering bouquets?"

"Will you be offended if I say that it was just one of my friend's stupid bet?"

"Not at all. It's kind of nice to receive flowers when I come downtown to buy some ice cream. You're lucky you offered these to me instead of an old woman though."

It's Hongbin's turn to chuckle. "I don't know which one is better."

"Too bad I didn't invite my grandma to have some ice cream with her favorite grandson then, uh?"

"It's a shame."

They smile. It's kind of awkward, like young loves are, but all around them is so soft and inviting, they feel a little more at ease. 

"Were you supposed to meet friends to eat ice cream? I don't want to be a bother.” Hongbin enquires after a little while.

Sanghyuk shrugs, smiling. "I'll just tell them I have another important matter to attend to; such as, going on a date with a gorgeous person. I'm sure they'll understand."

The word "gorgeous" makes him blush.

"Don't be silly."

They arrive not long after to a crowded place Hongbin recognizes immediately; it's a place where half of the town gather as soon as days get warmer and brighter. There are wide spaces of grass to sit, lots of water points, and even on a tiled space, some sort of fountain basically consisting in water splashing from the ground.

"I went there when I was eight!" He laughs, watching the kids run between water jets with envy. "Should we join them?"

Sanghyuk beams. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

They toss the bouquet aside, along with their shoes. Hongbin is lucky to have forgotten his phone; Sanghyuk simply hides it inside of one of his socks. They roll up their pants, excitedly chatting about their memories of the place. Hongbin is the first one to run to the water, quickly followed by the younger shouting to wait for him, and soon their laughs mix up with the children's as they find themselves being drenched immediately after stepping on the tiles. They are the only ones above the age of twelve, running to avoid the water even if they are already wet, pushing each other under the falling drops. Hongbin forgets for a moment that they are basically strangers hanging out to do nothing, not even talking, simply splashing each other and shouting; he forgets for a moment how hard it actually is for him to make friends to focus on Sanghyuk's laugh, the dampness of his clothes and the chills on his skin, their bare feet slipping on the floor, the water running down his face.

At some point, they don't know which, they get closer. Completely soaked, a tad breathless, but with a grin so wide, they can't take their eyes off of each other. Something is building between them, tending thin strings between their bodies, pulling them together like a spell. Hongbin reaches a few strands to get them out of Sanghyuk's pretty face, and without knowing what's happening, he finds himself leaning in to kiss the younger.

It's a bare brush of lips, at first, before their mouths connect. It's sloppy and awkward because of all the water streaming down both of their faces, and because of their limbs standing perfectly still instead of embracing the other ; however it makes Hongbin's heart skip a beat and his legs weaken. Against his, Sanghyuk's lips are soft -and, well, wet. He cups his face to feel his skin under the tip of his fingers, as the younger's hands delicately graze upon his waist, and a cheesy as it sounds, time seems to freeze around them.

They are reminded of other people's presence by a child shouting next to them.

"We should get ice cream now," Sanghyuk says as they part, although looking intensely at Hongbin's lips, waiting for another kiss.

"We certainly should."

Hongbin grabs him by the hand to go to the ice truck. There is a long moment of awkwardness in which they don't dare to look at each other, simply walking side by side. Sanghyuk pays for both of their ice creams, since Hongbin kindly offered him those flowers, and they slowly make their way to their stuff roasting in the sun, looking everywhere but in the other's eyes.

"It will take us hours to dry out," Sanghyuk states, plopping on the grass to face the sun.

Hongbin hums. "We have all day long, haven't we?"

"Yes."

They eat their ice cream in absolute silence, sun bathing their damp bodies. Sanghyuk bites his lips. Maybe Hongbin regrets kissing him back there, and now wants to leave. He can't blame him for it; they've known each other for about 2 hours, and haven't spoken much. He surely wouldn't bother sticking around with a kid like him, when they have had so little talk.

He's about to call it, turning his head to speak, when a pair of lips crash onto his opened mouth. This time the kiss is less wet and softer, tongues shyly grazing each other. It's unexperienced, but so are early kisses, and to Sanghyuk this is far more worthy than all the other ones he's been lightly distilling during parties and such. Hongbin tastes like his mango sorbet and something else that makes his kisses addictive; he can't get enough of it. They part breathless, noses touching, a smile gracing their features.

"I don't even know anything about you," Hongbin laughs, pecking him.

Sanghyuk intertwines their fingers. "We have all day long, haven't we?"

They spend the rest of the day talking about themselves and goofing around. Hongbin likes to fix Sanghyuk's strands whenever a gust of wind messes them, and Sanghyuk likes to place daisies in Hongbin's hair. They kiss repeatedly, intoxicated by the other's presence, like a mystical chemistry bonding them. At the end of the day, when the sun is just about to set and their clothes just about to get completely dry, they walk together bare-footed, shoes and bouquet in hand, occasionally bumping playfully against each other. Down the road, Sanghyuk picks up blue Hortensias and gives them to Hongbin.

"It's no match with your hair," he remarks, placing a flower besides his head to compare.

"I'll dye them soon. It was another stupid bet with my friend."

Hongbin ruffles his hair, Sanghyuk laughs.

"I like it that way."

"I don't. It really lessens my manliness."

"It doesn't matter. I can be manly enough for two!" Sanghyuk beams, looking at the older happily.

Hongbin chuckles, shoving him slightly by the shoulder. "Stop talking nonsense!"

They stop on their tracks for a second to kiss, like young couples do. When they arrive at the place they first met this morning, it's time to part. They sit for a little while on the bench Jaehwan was seated on sooner to talk a bit more. Also kiss a lot more.

"I must go back home now..." Sanghyuk pouts when night starts to fall. "I have school tomorrow."

Hongbin pinches his cheek. "Aw, my poor pupil..." he coos, pecking him. "I have to go too. I was supposed to sleep to recover from my party yesterday."

"Uh, life is so unfair."

"Let's talk about it when I'll have my exams during your holidays, okay?"

Sanghyuk chuckles. "Will I be able to come bother you?"

"I don't know. Do you want to?..."

They stare at each other for a little moment, not knowing what to do.

Hongbin grabs Sanghyuk's phone, typing his number in it. "Call me, okay?... If you want, of course."

"I do,” the younger smiles. "Here, take these home." He shoves the Hortensias into Hongbin's arms. "I'll take the bouquet."

"Is that some sort of coded message with flowers?"

"It is. Did you know that was how the concubines used to communicate?"

Hongbin frowns. "Do I look like a concubine to you?"

"More like a princess, actually, with your pink hair."

He shoves his palm gently into the younger's face. "Go home, you're drunk."

Sanghyuk laughs, wriggling to get Hongbin's hand out of his face. He manages to throw it aside to place a last kiss on the older's plumped lips, sensing the smile against his own mouth before parting. He gets home immediately after, holding tightly his bouquet against his heart and his phone in his hand, the ghost of Hongbin's kisses still on his lips.

Hongbin watches his retrieving back with a grin. He gets up no long after, calmly pacing towards his and Jaehwan's shared flat mind invaded by Sanghyuk-related thoughts, head in the clouds, squeezing the Hortensias' stems firmly.

"You're the best Cupid of all," he says to Jaehwan as soon as he enters, seeing him taking a nap on the couch. He doesn't want to admit it in front of an awake Jaehwan, so a sleeping one will do perfectly.

First thing he does is placing the Hortensias in a pretty vase, in the center of the living-room. With their bright colors, they remind him of Sanghyuk's cheeky grin and twinkling laugh. Second thing is grabbing his phone to learn the flower language the younger seems to be all about. His heart flutters just one bit when he reads the bit about Hortensias, and he doesn't want to admit it yet but he may or may not be starting to have a crush on the redhead high school student.

Somewhere in town, he imagines Sanghyuk looking at his freesias.

Hortensias - blossoming love, hope of love.

THE CHEESINESS I SWEAR. It's so short, sob sob, but I've been meaning to write this as a short thing and then it turned out that I wanted to continue it. I think the chapters will be short like this but at least I'll be able to update quickly!

Anyway, hyukbin opens the ball, and fluffiness is ahead of you!

EDITED: 20150712 - should i remove old A/Ns i'm embarassed of? hahaha