Concerts aren't really Minseok's thing. Actually, there aren't many things that are his thing considering there are many things that involve lots of people in crowded spaces and Minseok's freakish ability to see people's emotions in colors tends to magnify his anxiety in crowded spaces. But Joonmyun had convinced him to step outside his family's flower shop just this once to see a battle of the bands competition in the park. Though it's more like Minseok didn't have a choice. It was either he shows up to this concert with Joonmyun or Joonmyun brings some of his obnoxious friends over to Minseok's place with too much alcohol.

He figured that at least this was better than having to clean up vomit from his carpet.

They're settled towards the back and a bit farther away from most people. It gives Minseok space from all the bright colors of people. Most people are mixes of yellow from excitement and red for enjoyment, and once the first band comes onstage, there's a surge of everyone's auras and the colors pulse even brighter. 

Joonmyun looks over at him with a bit of sympathy, not that he knows that Minseok's got this strange ability. No one knows. Minseok still appreciates the sentiment anyway.

"Oh, the next band is amazing!" Joonmyun says, trying to peer behind stage to get a look at the band members. "Outkast is gonna kill it this year."

Minseok's not sure what the hype is about, even the crowd seems to be eagerly waiting as well. He follows Joonmyun's gaze backstage and manages to make out three auras. The tall drummer is bursting with yellow around him, pulsing and flashing offstage. The shorter lead singer has a similar aura though the air surrounding him is tinged with orange- he's anxious. And while the guitarist is still surrounded in yellow, there's more blue to his aura for being nervous. 

Minseok glances over at Joonmyun for a moment to see the green tinges of calmness wipe away as the red of his aura takes over from excitement and anticipation. Being able to do this kind of thing is almost natural for Minseok now. He knows every person before they've even spoken.

The announcer steps on stage, the reds and yellows of his auras pulsing around him as he picks up the microphone and yells, "OUR NEXT CONTESTANT IS LAST YEAR'S SEMIFINALIST AND THEY'VE COME BACK THIS YEAR WITH A VENGEANCE! GIVE IT UP FOR OUTKAST!"

The crowd roars in response, everyone's auras sparkling as the band steps on stage. The three Minseok had spotted before take their places, their colors even more intensified. They're all matched up in tight black skinny pants and torn up t-shirts with their logo written in gold. And just as Minseok is about to close his eyes from the incoming headache of too many bright colors all at once, the bassist runs up on stage, glowing a vivid gold.

After that, Minseok can't turn his eyes away.

The bassist is all lean muscle highlighted under his tight clothes. His bangs are pushed back and held up with gel, giving him a much edgier look to go with his dark eyes and the glittering piercings in his ears. But to Minseok, what's more enchanting than his appearance is the gold that shimmers around him. He's had nearly five years with this freakish ability after a car accident to see people's emotions in colors, and he's never once seen anything that has shown as pure gold as the bassist does.

The song ends before he realizes it and the surge of the crowd finally forces him to close his eyes and wait for the spots of color to fade. Joonmyun is excitedly clapping beside him, the red of his aura slipping into Minseok's vision even as they wait for most of the crowd to leave before they decide to head home. 

As they're walking out, they end up passing by Outkast as they are still packing up their things. Minseok doesn't want to look- but the gold catches in the corner of his eyes and he turns to find the bassist staring at him, his gaze unreadable because his aura is still pure gold.

Minseok feels his heart twist in his chest and he doesn't know what to think. He manages to tear his gaze away once Joonmyun tugs him along, but the gold is still shining behind his eyes even when he finally falls asleep much later that night.










Minseok is arranging a bundle of hydrangeas when someone behind him clears their throat.

He turns around to the blinding, bright pink light highlighting a teenager. The light pulsates vaguely in bright reds and darker pinks, hazy as it disappears in the air around the boy’s broad shoulders. The boy fidgets, holding a bundle of pink camellias as he tugs the sleeves of his school uniform jacket over his palms. His cheeks are flushed a light pink as he holds out the bouquet in his hands.

“I’m ready,” he murmurs, eyes shifty as he tries to look at anywhere but Minseok. He’s not the first boy to come in today with a bright pink aura of color around the blue of his uniform, but he’s the first to buy something other than the typical red roses to confess to a girl. Nowadays, it’s rare that teenagers use flowers to confess, and it’s even rarer that they buy something other than red roses, but maybe this kid just wanted something atypical.

Minseok nods, blinking as soon as he turns towards the register to clear the red lingering in his sight. He wipes his wet hands on the green apron tied around his waist before he punches keys into the cash register with steady clicks that sound loud in his quiet flower shop.

He announces the price and the teenager eagerly throws out a mess of bills onto the counter, tugging on the loose ends of his school jacket as Minseok counts the money. The bright red aura around him dims as it dips into blues of boredom and the oranges of anxiety. Minseok is thankful- it spares his eyes from squinting for a brief moment.

He quickly rings up the payment and hands a receipt back to the kid. “Thank you,” he smiles, trying his best to grit his teeth through the sudden brightness of the teen’s aura. “Please come back again.”

The teenager mutters his thanks and is out the door in a flash. Minseok exhales as soon as he leaves, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm to try and clear out his vision. He can hear Kyungsoo chuckle behind him, his part-time worker stepping out of the back room.

“I thought for sure his house was on fire with how fast he left,” Kyungsoo says, a wry smile on his lips as he carries an arrangement of flowers out from the back. Minseok watches from the corner of his eyes as Kyungsoo pulls out ribbon from underneath the front counter and measures it around the vase.

He exhales, pulling his hands away from his face. Kyungsoo has a green glow about him, content as he focuses on his work. It’s one of the reasons why he likes having Kyungsoo around- his aura is never too bright and Minseok can bear to be around him. “At least he picked a flower that didn’t mean ‘deceit’ even if he just picked it out for looks.”

Kyungsoo hums, tying off the ribbon into a neat bow and setting the vase aside. Two more customers walk in- a man in a stiff business suit with a bright yellow aura surrounding him and a small girl with a pale blue clinging to her frame. Minseok smiles politely at the man but keeps his distance- his eyes are still sensitive to the bright light of his happiness. Instead, he leads the girl into the shop, picking up a single white lily, and smiles as the blue around her flickers with yellow. The girl wipes at her swollen, red eyes and cautiously takes the flower from Minseok’s hand.

“Can I help you with something?” he murmurs, sitting on his knees so that he’s eye-level with the girl. She has a purple bow tied into her black, shoulder-length hair, to match her purple dress. She sniffles, a tiny sob hiccupping out of her as she harshly wipes her eyes from the tears still dripping down her cheeks.

“I’m lost,” she stutters, bursting into tears then. Her blue aura flares around her, and Minseok squints at the sudden light. “I can’t find my mama,” she cries, curling into Minseok’s chest. And Minseok takes her into his arms, even as her blue aura stings behind his eyes. The flower is crushed between their bodies but Minseok grabs another to ease the bright blue around her and leads her outside, hand held in hers.

Even though his flower shop is on a quiet street, Minseok still feels dizzy at the sight of all the colors surrounding everyone in the street. In varying shades of every color in the rainbow, people mind their own business, unaware of the colors surrounding their bodies. Minseok closes his eyes for a moment, unconsciously squeezing the girl’s hand tighter as he collects himself.

Sometimes Minseok wonders what his own aura looks like. Even if he can see every color in the rainbow surrounding everyone passing by on the streets, he can't stare in a mirror and see his own. He can only imagine that it's just a mush of colors until it amounts to a static grey. 

The wind chimes ringing over his door snap him from his daze, forcing his eyes open to the colors splattering the street. He keeps his eyes downcast, leading the girl over to a rustic park bench outside his shop to sit on. She looks up at him, eyes wide as she nervously fidgets with the flower stem between her small fingers. Minseok pats the spot beside him and the girl hops up into the seat, leaning in close to Minseok’s side.

He asks questions that keep her blue aura flickering with reds and yellows- her name and her favorite toys and what her favorite flower outside the shop is- until her mother shows up. She thanks Minseok profusely while hugging her daughter desperately. There are a few tears shed, and both their auras magnify from blues into blindingly bright yellows. Minseok simply smiles, handing the little girl outside his shop the flower she’d mentioned before.

He’s about to head inside when he sees an aura of gold flash in the corner of his eyes. He stops dead in his tracks, hand frozen over the door handle to his shop as the gold flickers brighter. Beside him is the bassist from last weekend, admiring the flowers outside his shop, standing on his toes to peek through the window even though he’s tall enough that he doesn’t need to.

The man looks up from the flowers and catches Minseok’s gaze. Minseok doesn’t know what to feel but his chest feels like it’s twisting and his pulse is beating heavy in his veins and so he dips back into his shop without another look. Kyungsoo looks at him a bit strangely, the green around him flickering with dark blues as Minseok sits behind the counter and rubs his eyes harshly. But he simply pats Minseok’s back and picks up a broom to sweep the front of the store, leaving Minseok alone.

Minseok is thankful because his chest is still twisting from the sight of the man and the gold just won't fade from behind his eyes. Maybe it's just a coincidence that he's still glowing like the first time he'd seen him on stage, but somehow, Minseok can't seem to convince himself that the pit in his stomach is something as simple as coincidence. 




Even days later, Minseok hasn't been able to wash away the gold that lingers in his mind. People come in and out of his flower shop glowing in all shades of yellow, but none of them are the same- none of them even come close. None of the yellow auras that step into his flower shop are the same vivid, glittery, blinding gold of the man who had peeked in through the windows and disappeared down the street.

"You okay, Minseok?" Kyungsoo asks, wrapping up a bundle of daisies in plastic. He ties it off with a silver ribbon before glancing over his shoulder at Minseok.

"I'm fine," Minseok replies, rubbing his tired eyes. He's not sure why he's still thinking about the man surrounded in gold anyway.

Kyungsoo smiles and brushes it off, moving to set the bundle of daisies in a water bucket among the others. His aura today is his usual green mixed with a few flashes of red- anxiety for his exam later in the day. Minseok ushers him to the counter and lets him study so long as he watches the register. Instead, he takes the watering can outside and begins watering the blue hyacinths. It's bright outside with the mix of colors on the street, but Minseok keeps his back to the colors and waters all his flowers.

"Uhm, excuse me?"

Minseok looks up and feels the familiar twisting of his heart. Gold, too much and too bright, makes him want to close his eyes. It's the bassist standing next to him. Minseok catches focus on his mouth, his eyes, his face, and suddenly it feels a lot harder just to breathe.

"I am new around here and I was wondering if you knew where this address was?" The man holds out a sheet of paper with an address scribbled in messy English.

"It's down four blocks and then take a left at the traffic light," Minseok murmurs. He forces his eyes down but the gold is still sparkling in his vision.

"Thank you!" the man says, holding out his hand. "I'm Zitao. I just moved to this area and I got a little lost."

Minseok smiles politely, taking Zitao's hand firmly, even as the sparks from their skin touching sends nerves buzzing through Minseok's fingertips. “I’m Minseok. Feel free to take a look around my flower shop if you’re ever in the area.”

Zitao smiles brilliantly, testing Minseok’s name between his lips. It comes out as mumbles of syllables and in heavily accented English, but feels a shiver zip down his spine when Zitao finally settles on an almost correct pronunciation.

“Actually, I was looking for some orchids if you have them?” Zitao flicks his dark bangs from his eyes that curve up when he smiles. “My of a friend tore up his ACL from soccer and I think bright obnoxious flowers will upset him nicely for me.”

Minseok can’t help but laugh. He leads Zitao back into the store and points over to a corner of orchids. “Seems like you’re pretty close with your friend.”

Zitao steps past him and admires all the orchids with his tongue caught between his lips. “Yeah… I guess you could say that.” He runs his slim fingers over the purple petals of a bunch before he glances back at Minseok. “Which color do you like the best?”

Minseok settles back on his heels, nervously twiddling his fingers with the apron ties behind his back. He’s about to say the same gold that glitters around Zitao. “The white is my favorite. However, the pink or the purple would be obnoxious if that’s what you’re going for.”

Zitao purses his lips as he looks through the flowers once more. He settles on the pot of white orchids and turns around to face Minseok with a bright smile, the gold around him pulsing. “Hey are you interested in music festivals? You should come out and see my band sometime!”

And there is the painful tug of his chest. “I know. I've seen you play before. Outkast, right?”

Zitao flushes, and yet his aura still glimmers with gold.

“Our next performance is at the park a couple blocks back. Maybe you'd like to come see us again?” Zitao fishes out a flyer from his back pocket and unravels the folded paper before he hands it off to Minseok. “We’re battling another band for the semifinal spot and it’s gonna be in a big amphitheater. I mean, if it’s not your thing that’s okay. I just-” Zitao swallows, shoving his hands in his pockets- “I kind of wanted to see you there.”

Minseok takes the flyer from him. The band’s logo is pasted on the front, letters colored in gold. He’s almost ready to say no until he glances up at Zitao’s eyes, flickering with gold, and somehow Minseok is at a loss for words.

“I’ll think about it,” he manages to say, folding up the flyer and tucking it into the pocket of his apron. And somehow, Minseok is expecting Zitao’s aura to sparkle with yellow and somehow it sparkles and more vivid gold.

“Great!” Zitao takes his receipt and the flowerpot. “I’ll see you later, okay? I'll look for you in the crowd and I'll signal you when I see you!”

Minseok finds himself nodding, gaze drawn to the gold that finally fades as soon as Zitao leaves. But when he turns around, Kyungsoo’s green aura nearly blinds him.

“He’s so into you,” Kyungsoo says, winking at Minseok. “I don’t even know why you’re thinking about not going to his band’s performance.”

Minseok sighs, leaning back against the counter and internally thankful that Kyungsoo has backed off to give him some space. As much as he hates crowded places, his curiosity about Zitao’s gold aura is starting to get the better of him. “Are you free next Friday night?”

Kyungsoo’s smile immediately widens. “You bet! I’m not going to let you back out of this either.”

Now that Minseok’s interested, he supposes there’s no way he’s going to back out anyway.









The park is more crowded than before. Minseok meets up with Kyungsoo and Joonmyun a block away so that they can all walk together. They take up the same spot in the back and wait for the performances to begin. Now that there are more people, Minseok is even more uncomfortable being around here, but he's too intrigued to see if Zitao is still going to glow gold.

"Hey," Joonmyun chides, smacking Minseok upside the head. "Are you even listening to me?"

Minseok manages a smile. "No, but I'm guessing you've got some new anime to whine about, right?"

Kyungsoo snickers beside him and the dark reds of embarrassment and anger tarnish Joonmyun’s yellow aura. He retaliates by running his knuckles through Minseok's hair before Minseok can flip him over and tackle him to the ground.

"You win this round," he shouts indignantly, folding his arms over his chest with a huff. " a maybe."

"Actually I think the bassist of Outkast has his eyes on Minseok's--"

"Can we stop!" Minseok closes his eyes and hides his burning face in his hands. "The next band is about to start!"

Thankfully the announcer steps out onto the stage and the crowd's roars drown out the heat in his face. There are eight bands in total competing for a semifinalist spot, and Minseok watches all seven before Outkast steps up on stage.

And somehow, everyone's auras seem normal until Zitao steps up on stage and is still glowing in gold.

The performance continues and Minseok isn't sure if their eyes ever directly meet, but Zitao winks into the crowd and Minseok's heart twists just the same as if Zitao had actually meant it for him. 

Just as last time they wait until most of the people have left before they try to even make it out of the amphitheater. Minseok is almost hoping that they don't run into Outkast, but somehow they do run into the band and Zitao's brilliant golden aura is filling up his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Hi! You came," he says, a little breathless. He takes Minseok's hand between his, even if it's a bit much for only seeing each other a few times, but the gold around him shines a little brighter. "What did you think of our performance?" 

Minseok swallows around the pulse beating through his entire body. "It was great. You guys are amazing."

Zitao smiles brilliantly, a faded pink dusting his cheeks. "I saw you sitting towards the back. I'm glad you liked the song! Our lead singer Jongdae wrote it."

Minseok hums, still distracted by the thought that Zitao had even noticed him among the sea of so many people.

"Well," Joonmyun sighs, "We will catch up with you later, Minseok!" He proceeds to grab Kyungsoo's hand and tug them away from the park, leaving Minseok alone with Zitao.

He sighs. He'll probably beat up his friends later.

"Actually," Zitao's eyes glance at his feet before they look up at Minseok. "I was wondering if you were free next Saturday night?" His hand clenches tighter around Minseok's. "You don't have to accept but I have some free time after practice next weekend and I was wondering if I could take you out? Only if you're free of course--"

Minseok chuckles, freeing his hand from Zitao's and shoving it into his pockets. Somehow Zitao's gold aura is calming to all the nerves swimming in his body. "I close shop at 6 so pick me up then, okay?"

He says his goodbyes and walks off, his smile growing on his face hearing Zitao yell at his band mates that he scored a date. Minseok notices that his heart is beating heavy against his ribs with the same sentiment.









Zitao shows up just before Minseok is about to close up the store. Kyungsoo has already left and Minseok is still cleaning up the shop in his apron just as Zitao steps through the door dressed like a model. Tight leather pants hug his thighs and his black leather bomber jacket highlights his broad shoulders and makes his silver earrings shine. Minseok swallows thickly, knowing what he has in the back isn't going to even compare to what Zitao has on.

"Just give me a minute," he says, untying the apron from his waist and hanging it up on a hook. "I'll just change and lock up and then we can head out."

Zitao hums in response, eyes caught on the flowers. Minseok doesn't pay much mind to it as he slips into the back room and changes out of his messy clothes into fitting black pants and a casual collared shirt. By the time he steps back out with keys and wallet in hand, Zitao is standing at the front counter with two white violets between his fingers.

"Do I have to buy these if my plan is just to gift them back to you?"

Minseok laughs, graciously accepting the flower from Zitao. "Next time you'll have to pay."

Zitao's gold aura shimmers with his smile and pulses with the blush spreading over his cheeks. Minseok takes his hand and leads them out, locking the door to the shop behind them. 

"So, what did you have in mind?"

Zitao glances over at him, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "It's a surprise, of course."

Minseok stares curiously at him, and Zitao's eyes shift away nervously once their gazes meet.

"Okay, so I don't actually have a plan," he sighs. "My band mates gave me a long list of places I should take you and a lot of them involved us ending up drunk- which I am not too fond of since I kind of want to get to know you better? At least before-- well, you know."

Minseok smiles softly, fingers twirling the fraying strand on his jacket. "How about I pick the place then and you can decide what we do after."

Zitao ends up agreeing on that and so Minseok gives him directions to a Japanese restaurant. Dinner goes better than Minseok would've expected. While Zitao is young, he's more mature than most guys Minseok has dated. He's witty and a little childish, but he always seems more genuinely interested in Minseok. It's almost a little overwhelming with just how wonderful a guy Zitao is- almost too good to be true- and Minseok is truthfully a little sad when dinner is finished.

Zitao picks the next place- a Korean noraebang just a few blocks down from the restaurant. It takes a bit of time to find parking and to get an empty room. Minseok hasn't been to a noraebang since college, and even if he's not that great of a singer, it's immensely more fun coming along with Zitao who does his best to sing all those flashy KPOP songs. He sings and dances his heart out to "Gee" before he drags Minseok up for some AOA songs. He finishes up with a ballad before he flops on the couch beside Minseok, completely exhausted. 

Minseok was so occupied with Zitao that he hadn't even noticed how bright his gold aura was shining, so bright that it was nearly blinding.

"You know, something?" Zitao starts, pouring out two cups of water. Minseok just hums around the mouth of his cup and looks up intently.

"It's just," and Zitao stops for a moment, glancing down nervously at his hands. "This might sound kind of weird but I think what first draw me to you is your eyes. Maybe I'm seeing things, but I think they have the tiniest flash of gold in them."

Minseok's heart nearly stops. 

"Don't think I'm crazy. I'm being truly honestly." Zitao's eyes are focused down on his cup. He sets it down before he glances up at Minseok, every emotion filling up his eyes. "I think you're really amazing."

And it happens so naturally, Zitao's hand coming up to cup Minseok's jaw, leading him carefully into a kiss. It's shy, anxious because Zitao's not sure if he's moving too fast, but he presses his lips to Minseok's, eyes closed, and Minseok naturally falls in. His eyes flutter shut, his hands sinking down to Zitao's waist and he can tell Zitao's gold aura is blinding behind his eyelids as they kiss.

And when Minseok finally pulls away, chest heaving and his heart beating heavy, he watches in horror as Zitao's golden aura fades into colorless air around him. The gold that Minseok had liked so much is gone, and it's his fault.

He startles up from the chair, seconds from bolting for the door, but Zitao is fast enough to catch his hand. "Did I do something wrong?" he asks, panicked, searching Minseok's eyes for a clue.

Minseok manages to shake his head before he wrenches his hand from Zitao’s grip. "I have to go." 

"Wait!"

But Minseok is already running out the door before he can think too much to Zitao's saddened face as he left.









Minseok turns down Joonmyun's offers to see the semifinalist performance, and he makes sure to duck into the back room as soon as he spots Zitao rounding a corner- a lack of gold around him. Kyungsoo is worried, his normal green aura stained with blue, and he only lets it happen for a few days after the semifinalist performance before he corners Minseok in the back room.

"What do you think you're doing," he chides, trapping Minseok against the wall. "I can't understand why you're acting like this."

Minseok sighs, unable to even meet Kyungsoo's eyes. How is he supposed to admit that it feels like marring someone? Based on some supernatural freak ability that you only find in the teenage girl young adult section at Barnes and Noble.

"Look, it's complicated-"

"Is it?" Kyungsoo says, folding his arms over his chest. "Zitao paid for dinner and the karaoke and you even said yourself he's a wonderful guy. So what's the problem? All of a sudden you can't even stand to look at his face?"

The air around Kyungsoo's small frame starts to take on reds and it's making Minseok a little more anxious.

"I can't explain it, okay! He's a ing brilliant guy! He's amazing!" Minseok swallows down some anger, his chest heaving just from speaking around the lump in his throat. "He's a pure guy, ing perfect, and it feels like I'm going to ruin him."

He doesn't expect Kyungsoo to slap him. The sound rings out clear and it painfully reverberates in his chest.

"Stop. Just," Kyungsoo sighs, running rough fingers through his hair, "I don't know what the is going on in your head but it's clearly something stupid."

Minseok sags against the wall, still reeling in shock. Kyungsoo has been his friend and coworker for so long and he'd never imagined Kyungsoo could do something like this.

"You're a wonderful guy, Minseok. Amazing, even." Kyungsoo smiles slightly at him. "Don't count yourself out of the game before you've even stepped up to the plate, okay? Whatever it is that has you so spooked about seeing Zitao again is probably nothing."

Kyungsoo rests his hand on his shoulder, gaze filled with reassurance. "Give it another chance. Don't let yourself regret this." 

He steps out of the back room with the watering can, and Minseok doesn't move until the chimes over the front door ring. When he's collected himself, reassures himself that he shouldn't be worried about Zitao's gold fading, he steps out of the back room and up to the counter. There's a holly that catches under his foot, and Minseok feels relief wash over him as he tosses the dying flower away.









It feels a little awkward showing up to Zitao's finalist performance after avoiding him for almost two weeks. At one point, Zitao had stopped coming by the flower shop and that's when Minseok had firmly decided that he couldn't let seeing Zitao's golden aura disappear get to him. He'd nearly forgotten that it was normal to not see people's emotions in colors.

He shows up just at the end of the previous band's set. The crowd is still hyped from the performance, and the announcement of Outkast's upcoming performance sets their pulses racing again. 

Minseok leans up against a tree far from the stage, holding a bundle of purple hyacinths and forget-me-nots. Even without being surrounded in gold, Zitao still shines brilliantly on stage, playing the bass effortlessly. It's an amazing song as well and it's no surprise that Outkast wins this year's competition. From behind the crowd, Minseok can't help but applaud as well.

Once everyone begins to leave, he works up the courage to push through the last remaining crowd of people, shielding his eyes from their bright auras still burning from the excitement, until he's standing where Zitao's band is packing up their things and admiring their new trophy.

"Ah!" the drummer exclaims, pointing at him from the farthest away. "You're Zitao's--"

The guitarist slams his hand over Chanyeol's mouth and tugs him further away from them. "Shut up, Chanyeol, or you're going to ruin it." The singer follows behind him, kicking Chanyeol every so often as he says, "Jongin, you can't do this to me! We have to watch!"

Then Minseok is finally alone with Zitao, who has his case slung over his shoulder and looks ready to bolt.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Minseok asks, nervously shuffling his feet. Zitao leads them over to a tree a little ways off before his gaze meets Minseok's again.

"Did I do something wrong?" he starts, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "Was the kissing thing too much too soon?"

"No," Minseok sighs, "It was nothing you did." He swallows thickly, realizing this is much more difficult than what he'd practiced in front of his mirror. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run from you like that. I hope it's not too late to ask for another chance."

He hands the flowers off to Zitao before he locks his fingers behind his back. "I was scared of something irrational, something completely stupid in hindsight, and I don't want to let anything stop me from what I want."

It's silent for a moment, nearly deafening, until Zitao looks up from the flowers in his hands. "'I'm sorry' and 'true love', " he hums, holding up the flowers. "Purple hyacinths and forget-me-nots."

Minseok holds his breath, his heart twisting in his chest from anticipation. Zitao admires the flowers for a brief moment before he tucks them aside into a small pocket in his bass's case. 

"I think we should start over again," he says, holding out a free hand. "Hi, I'm Zitao, lead bassist of upcoming underground rock group Outkast and I was wondering if sometime I could stop by your flower shop to buy more obnoxious flowers for my dumb friends and for a slightly dumber boyfriend."

Minseok laughs, feeling all the restraint in his heart finally release. He takes Zitao's hand and tugs him a little closer. "Hi, I'm Minseok. And as I've been told by a strange bassist I went on a first date with, my eyes sparkle with gold."

Zitao smiles and leans down, capturing Minseok's lips in a kiss. It's sweet, more sure than their first, and just as Minseok opens his eyes, he's sure he sees Zitao's eyes sparkle with just a hint of gold.