A/N: I swear I usually know how to write. Hope you like bad humor.

Edit: Now it is all combined into a one shot, enjoy:)

 

Part I:

Peonies and daffodils

 

Kyungsoo stared at the colorful composition and grinned at himself. It was nearly perfect: carnations for admiration, hydrangeas for heartfelt emotions and sweet peas for bliss, all wrapped up in a beautiful violet tulle cloth.

If that didn't scream love at first sight, he didn't know what would.

"Come my creation" he whispered maniacally at the flowers "You shall be in the center of the display"

Kyungsoo entered the main door of the "EXtrasOlar" flower shop from his back storehouse with a huge smile on his plump lips and carefully put the violet composition in the front of the shop's window, near the little card that spelled "Joyful love".

If there was anything he was proud of in his life were his flowery creations, each and every day trying to find some new combination that could bring a light of sunshine in someone's gray life.

Yixing, his constantly sleepy assistant, looked at him from behind the counter and couldn't contain a happy hum; every day his boss would change the shop's front display was a great day. It meant a longer lunch break to chat with him about the new arrangement and a lot more time to stare outside the window pane, day dreaming. 

And that was exactly what he was doing when Kyungsoo came up to him, stretching his arms with a yawn.

"Did you spend all night on books again?" asked the assistant with a knowing look on his face.

"Yeah, I couldn't find the right flower for innocent attraction. At the end I gave up and switched, but I still like it"

Puffy clouds awaited Yixing to trap his eyes in his usual lazy thoughts but the sudden jolt in Kyungsoo's gaze when he looked at his wrist reminded him better not to doze off. It was that time of the week, uh.

Yixing leisurely looked at the wall clock and counted the seconds left. It was Friday so he was sure he could come, not a minute earlier nor later.

A chiming of the doorbell, a jolt in Kyungsoo's usually relaxed posture and there he was: scrunched up, heavily panting and possibly even more handsome then the week before, Kim Jongin in all his tall and lean self.

As always, Kyungsoo saw Yixing silently retreat in the back of the store, winking ever so slightly in his direction.

Jongin was the same as usual: covered in sweat because of the long run from his house to the store, black jacket and slick pants fresh out the wash under his right arm and that pouty, melancholic gaze that Kyungsoo was by now accustomed to see.

Every month Kim Jongin was invited at some of his numerous friends' wedding and had to buy flowers in Kyungsoo’s shop as a gift because damn, after ten of the same neatly packaged gifts, his creativity level had gone under his shoes.

"Whose turn is this time?" Chanted playfully the florist, already picking out the white wrapping paper from below the counter.

Jongin sleeked back his freshly dyed blonde hair and sighed deeply before plopping onto one of the chairs near the lilies.

"Taemin and Minho. They're in my dance course, may them die painfully"

Kyungsoo couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's not nice to threaten the newlyweds Jongin. Do it after the wedding, at least?"

"But Huyng! Don't you think it's not fair? Everybody is off marrying and I'm stuck here with the same best man's dress. I want to be the fricking groom, not the one who has to give the awkward speech saying how happy I am when I'm not. I want to say yes, I do, I want to throw the bouquet"

Now it was Kyungsoo’s turn to sigh.

"Jongin, pretty sure that's the girl's role"

It was not the first time they had that conversation and every time he didn't know how to reply. He just quietly finished cutting the stems and placing them together with the iron twine, twisting them so that they would form a beautiful bouquet.

Jongin looked at him with curious glint in his eyes.

"What you got for me today, flower boy?" he playfully asked.

"Peonies for happy marriage and daffodils for new beginning"

Kyungsoo knew that by now Jongin knew most of the flowers’ dictionary by heart, but he still enjoyed explaining their meaning, just so that he could snatch his attention for another more minute before seeing him leave with a bitter smile and a faint "Thank you" heading to the cobbler to pick up his good shoes.

Every wedding he had to attend had his shoulder sinking a little bit more and Kyungsoo attempts to make him smile a little bit more desperate. Was there a floral composition to say "Cheer up, you're going to marry too, don't be such a brat"? Kyungsoo doubted that.

And so the days went, Yixing sleeping on the counter muttering something about unicorns, Kyungsoo with his nose in the flower dictionary and Jongin sprawled on the now declaimed Nini chair, the one he always used, talking about how all his friends were infected by the wedding virus.

And he had not been wrong: the "EXtrasOlar" was flooded with orders of white bouquet for the latest engagement. Kyungsoo was slowly growing sick of the omnipresent lack of color in his creations so he sometimes slipped a rosy or violet one at the center, just so that his esthetic sense wouldn’t kick him in the balls anymore. He was an artist, for goodness sake!

"How about I give him a "I hate you" bouquet?" Jongin asked.

This time it was Jin and Namjoon’s turn to walk to the altar and the tall man had described them as "the crazy aliens next door". Kyungsoo’d had the gumption of not questioning anything.

"You'd be surprised as how many of them I'm asked for but no. My job is to make people happy, not to start civil wars between friends"

Jongin looked up at him with his beautiful puppy eyes and Kyungsoo felt his legs go jelly. Did they really had to be that pretty shade of hazel, sparkly and adorable? Life was just unfair.

"But hyuuuung. Nobody would ever find out, only you and me know their meaning"

"And me, thank you" came Yixing's faint reply from the back of the store, making the other two chuckle lightly as the assistant walked back and plopped onto his usual chair behind the counter and started snoring in about two seconds.

It was one of those chilly autumn days when the leaves were already a symphony of yellows, browns and golds, flaring in the frosty air and cracking under the kids’ boots on the boardwalks. One of those days where you just wish to stay at home and drink hot cocoa and cuddle with your loved one.

Except Kyungsoo had to work until late and wake up earlier than anyone to buy the new batch of flowers and that he was painstakingly single. So there he was, making tea for three, leaving Yixing's cup next to his asleep body near the window and handing Jongin his one with a timid grin.

"How about you choose your own flowers today? We could do a little experiment and see what comes through"

Jongin hummed approvingly, jolting up from the Nini chair and scanning his possible colorful victims, his slender fingers all wrapped up around the cup to seek its warmth.

Maybe it was the way his hair fell like a bright waterfall upon his eyes, waiving synched to his footsteps, maybe it was the elegance in his movements... no, Kyungsoo decided, it was the way he chose the flowers, the extreme delicacy in taking their stems in his hands and the soft smile he gave them. With care and accuracy, Jongin selected three types of blossoms, gently placing them onto the white wrapping paper.

"Red camellias for placing my destiny into your hands, heliotropes for devotion and veronicas for fidelity." He said, taking little sips from his tea, trying not to burn his tongue "What do you think? Have I been a good student so far?"

Kyungsoo, who hadn't realized he had been staring at him the whole time, froze for a long moment.

He's smiling at us, Kyungsoo do something!

"Uhmmm... they're... they are perfect. You’ve been an... ah… excellent student”

Nice catch, not awkward at all...

"Let me just wrap them up"

It was a relief that Jongin returned to his beloved chair and closed his eyes to taste the tea because honestly, Kyungsoo had been making bouquets his whole life but that day he had to start over three times before getting it right.

"Here you go" he said and, like all the other days, just looked at Jongin go, running with his clothes all scrunched up under his fluffy coat, his tones figure disappearing down the road.

Every time he wanted to say something more, something funny and smart that would make Jongin realize just how amazing and datable he was, his tongue turned to gelatin and nothing came out of his mouth.

He sighed, hitting his forehead on the counter.

 

"Soo?"

"Yeah Yixing?"

"There's drool on your chin"

"Oh for sake!"

 

 

 

 

Part II:

White roses

 

If Yixing could describe himself with a word, it would be genius.

After sleeping his way throw Beijing College for fine arts, it’d only took him a day in Seoul to find the little squishy florist and get the job. And what a job! He only had to pay attention to the chime of the doorbell and accept the costumers’ requests to give them later to his boss. In the evening he would always stop by and help Kyungsoo arrange all the freshly cut stems and throw away all the residues, because one could never say no to the cute florist, but more than sometimes he would wake up early and offer himself to check the morning deliveries.

And that's when he could call himself genius a second time: yes, he was doing it so that Kyungsoo could sleep a little bit more, but also because the delivery guy was drop dead gorgeous.

Flexing the toned muscles of one true soil worker, Junmyeon handed him the crate full of white roses and wearily smiled at him.

He was shorter than Yixing, but strong nonetheless, with jet-black hair pinned backwards by his trusty green cap. However, what the tall assistant loved above everything else was his cheesy smile whenever he would crack one of his lame jokes.

"Here you go sleepyhead. Be careful with them, this cold season was harsh on their health"

"I will, don't worry. Wait... flowers can catch colds?"

Junmyeon had to refrain from facepalming (something that happened a lot) and just smiled, climbing back in his van.

"Well, see you tomorrow. Tuck the roses tight"

Just like every other day, Yixing was left alone with only the silhouette of Junmyeon's car getting tinier and tinier in the distance. They only had a few minutes of conversation every time, but they were the best part in Yixing’s day.

Then again, how one does tuck in white roses?

 

 

Kyungsoo was doing it again. He knew staring at Jongin was a dangerous game, one glance too long and that could end in the most awkward silence, but it was one he was willing to play just for sake of his mental sanity. Everything around him was constantly screaming JONGIN and he didn’t know how to make it stop if not when having the man in flesh inside his store.

“Hyung, help me choose”

With a smiley sigh, Kyungsoo got up and stood next to him, not really eyeing the flowers but enjoying the view nonetheless: Jongin had been requested to go all white for that particular wedding and he looked just like a true prince charming. He had even styled his hair up with gel, making them look so soft and shiny. Kyungsoo was on the verge of stretching his hand and stoke them when he realized he was being watched.

Jongin was looking at him with a smug grin on his face, as if he had caught him doing something he shouldn’t have.

“What?” asked Kyungsoo, hoping he wasn’t blushing as hard as he was thinking.

“Nothing you looked happy today so I’m trying to guess why”

It’s because of you, you twerp!

“It’s just a nice day, that’s all”

But Jongin didn’t looked like he had bitten it.

“Sure. Well, since it’s such a nice day, let’s pick some happy flowers”

At the end, they chose a mixture of blue and yellow violets, faithfulness and rural happiness, just so there was something not blindingly white in his appearance. Even when all carefully wrapped up in the transparent paper, Jongin was clutching them so delicately it looked like he was holding a wounded bird.

Kyungsoo couldn’t stop staring at him, his heart doing somersault at his every movement, but he had to gulp down all his feelings with the bitterness of what he already knew all too well: Jongin wanted a beautiful bride, not an awkward florist that worked down the road. Every time he had to be reminded of that crucial detail, something inside him ached, cracking and bending with bursts of impossible pain.

He was already used to it, but that didn’t make it more bearable, not even in the slightest. If anything, it had made the ache more intense, the nights more relentless, the dreams wildest. But he was still there, behind the counter, while Jongin was already projected to the church’s altar.

After watching him run away in the next shop, because really, Jongin was always late for everything of importance, he plopped once again onto his chair, frowning deeply. He didn’t even register Yixing walking inside the store completely covered in white petals, reaching out for a place to sit next to him.

“Soo?”

Kyungsoo turned around to give his tired reply but could only look at his assistant with wide eyes.

“What the hell were you doing?”

“Trying to tuck in the roses. Why? What were you doing?”

Sometimes Kyungsoo lost all faith in Yixing being normal. But it was also the reason he had employed him, so he just smiled and removed the petals from his hair.

“Jongin was here” he simply said.

His assistant’s expression instantly softened.

“Do you want to talk? I’ve got nothing this night; we could go drink something”

Flashes of the last time they had a drink together creeped in Kyungsoo’s mind, making him shiver. He was still finding glitter inside his pants to that day, but he really needed to vent about the whole Jongin situation so he gladly accepted.

The thing about Yixing was that he loved drinking because he had a very high tolerance of alcohol, while Kyungsoo’s was very low so it wasn’t really a surprise when he woke up the morning on his assistant’s bed, all tangled up in the bedsheets sporting only a very large pair of boxers and a neck tie around his ankle. Groaning, he got up and began his search for Yixing, not even fazed to find him sleeping on the kitchen’s table with a pink blanket over his shoulders he faintly remembered taking out of the wardrobe the night before.

One quick glance at the clock, a very loud “ Yixing we are an hour late! Wake up and start running!”  and they were both sprinting down the road to open the shop and accept the delivery of a very irritated Junmyeon.

“I’m very sorry” said Yixing while Kyungsoo was carrying all the new boxes inside the store “We had a really rough night”

Junmyeon shot a quick glance in Kyungsoo’s direction and cocked an eyebrow.

“We?”

Yixing, however, didn’t catch the subtle meaning of that look and smiled sweetly.

“Yeah, Kyungsoo was very frustrated lately so we went out for a drink or two”

Junmyeon remained silent for a moment as cough in a sudden deep thought, so Yixing diverted his attention to the flowers that had to be carried inside. If he hadn’t had such a good hearing, he would have surely missed the other’s frustrated mutter.

“Maybe I should start selling flowers too.”

Yup, Yixing was indeed a genius.

 

 

 

Kyungsoo looked at himself in the mirror: he was beyond tired but oddly satisfied and it really showed. He had deep dark circles and his hair was all over the place, but there was something that day that was making him smile in spite of his appearance. Yixing already knew everything about him and Jongin but it had been refreshing talking with him once more about the subject, taking out all the pain with words instead of actions.

For the first time in many month, Kyungsoo was feeling good. Well, aside from the hangover, of course.

“You look like a mess”

The florist almost jumped off the chair, balancing with one foot and his free hand.

“Jongin, you almost gave a heart attack!”

The young man just grinned slyly and winked, leaning on the counter with an amused expression. He was all dressed up, ready for the wedding he had to attend in a matter of hours, his precious flowers abandoned on the Nini chair along with a pair of sunglasses.

“What brings you here before the big event?”

“Just wanted to hang out. The church is just around the corner so I thought I could wait here instead of going to greet the same old faces”

As much as Kyungsoo wanted to cheer because of his visit, something in Jongin’s words was off: he wasn’t his usual cheerful self, he was… well, the right word would be gloomy. There were new shadows in his eyes, like some deep darkness awoken just for that morning.

“Jongin, are you okay?”

The young man lifted his gaze and met his, biting his lower lip in frustration. There was something he wanted to say, that far Kyungsoo could see, but he was holding himself off from doing so. Trembling nervously, because really, he had never dared to touch Jongin in the past if not to hand him his delivery, Kyungsoo placed his hand on his forearm, his skin still warm even in the chilly weather.

“Don’t worry. If you don’t want to talk you don’t have to, but even if you do, it’s not like I’m going to tell you aunt Muriel that you still wet the bed at night”

Jongin finally broke into the first true smile for that day and Kyungsoo called it a victory.

“It’s just… I always see the same people at weddings. We’re a very large group of friends and we all know each other, but this time someone invited Soojung, my ex-girlfriend and let’s just say that the last time I saw her she kicked me out of her apartment under the rain and threw all my clothes in the recycling bin.”

Kyungsoo emitted a low whistle.

“Wow, talk about crazy people”

“It wasn’t like this at first. It was one of those relationship where you think that you’re going to marry one day or another, where you think that you’ve finally found the one, but apparently I was the only one thinking that way”

Kyungsoo really didn’t want to talk further, he had still some self-respect left in him and he didn’t want to hurt himself on purpose, but Jongin looked like he needed to talk or else he would blow up, so he forced on a comprehensive smile and asked:

“Why did you broke up?”

“Well, it was one normal work day. I wanted to surprise Soojung with a cake that I knew she liked so I got off from work earlier than usual without telling her. The instant I walked into the house I knew something was wrong, but I still didn’t want to believe it, so I went into the bedroom. She… they were smiling, all tangled up in the bedsheets and looking like they were living in a dream.

I remember I dropped the cake on my feet and started yelling. I didn’t think I could say something so mean until I did it. Two weeks later when I asked for my apartment back she locked herself in, crying and throwing the furniture from the kitchen’s window.

The dinner table hit my car, just so you know”

Kyungsoo was at loss for words.

“Well, she sounds like a psycho.”

“Trust me, she’s a lot worse. The last thing I want to do is see her” Jongin shifted his weight on his other foot, leaning forward to look at Kyungsoo with his best puppy eyes “Say hyung, wouldn’t you come with me? So we can suffer together”

Don’t you dare say yes. It would be suicide!

“Sure. Why not?”

Idiot.

 

 

 

 

Old A/N: Guys! It's still the 11 here where I live, but in Korea it is officially Kyungsoo's birthday \(^-^)/. My favorite penguin is turning a year older and I just hope 2017 will be a great year for him and his career *cough and maybe more Kaisoo moments cough* <3<3

Warning: Yixing is turning dumber and dumber every chapter I write, please be aware of corny humor.

 

PART III:

Jonquils

 

It was official: Kyungsoo hated weddings. He had to rent the tiniest suit that was left in the shop and the fabric was itchy as hell. Plus, he looked like a penguin ready for the winter season and that was definitely lowering his charm points with Jongin (not that he ever thought he had any).

He was now stuck in a crowd of unknown people, all in expensive clothes and ridiculous looking jewelry on their neck and wrists. Just because the white was blinding enough. Jongin had left him to go help the groom prepare himself and to let him listen to his speech, even though he had revealed to Kyungsoo it was the same damns speech he had wrote almost three years ago for his aunt’s wedding. So now the poor florist was surrounded by hordes of smug looking people without a single idea of where to go or what to do.

Fortunately for him, it seemed like Jongin had sent some of his famous friends to the rescue: a short looking brunette approached him with a huge grin.

“You are Kyungsoo, right? I’m Baekhyun. Jongin made me your prince charming so you wouldn’t feel all alone while he’s busy. Here, follow me”

To give the man some credit, he did take Kyungsoo to his seat inside the church and kept him company until the bride arrived, but damn, Baekhyun was one of the loudest people he had ever met. Now practically the whole church knew where he worked and that he preferred coffee to hot chocolate.

“You just lost all my respect man” was Baek’s response, to which Kyungsoo could just laugh.

When Jongin finally reappeared it was time for the ceremony to begin, but the florist barely captured a word of it because he was busy staring at him: even when overly tense and with a tired smile plastered on his face, Jongin looked beautiful. Not in that esthetical kind of way that had the perpetually-best-man always complain about people on the streets whistling at him, but in a way that made Kyungsoo’s chest feel a little bit too tight for his poor heart.

At the end when the couple sealed it off with a kiss, Jongin made his way through the crowd up to him and finally grinned freely.

“Now’s the fun part: they have rented a place to eat not far off and that’s where everybody begin backtalking about exes and family members. Your mission is to stay by my side and not commit suicide while I try not to stumble into my possible death by the hands of Soojung. Sounds good?”

“ing marvelous. Let’s go”

 

 

 

It turns out that Baekhyun was not the only funny friend Jongin has: there was Chanyeol, the softest giant he had ever encountered, Jongdae, Jongin’s really kind and playful cousin, and Sehun, his brother-in-ballet.

“I didn’t know you could dance”

“There’s a lot that you don’t know about me and that probably should remain unspoken, right guys?”

The whole bunch of goofs just laughed and nodded a little too vigorously. Needless to say, the second Jongin was off to get some drinks, they started talking about all the most embarrassing moments they witnessed through their friendship. In about five minutes, Kyungsoo learned that Jongin almost did his first ballet performance in a see-through leotard, thought nail polish was lipstick and applied it to his lips only to cry for a week straight and all throughout high school he pretended to have a girlfriend when he was actually in a deep relationship with his three dogs.

Somehow, all these funny information made Kyungsoo feel a little bit better: he didn’t just liked a out-of-this-world-gorgeous man, but also with a complete goofball and he loved it.

However, minutes passed and the man in question was nowhere to be seen.

“Guys, do you have any idea of where Jongin might be?” he asked.

Sehun grinned wickedly and shot a look to his friends.

“He’s probably stuck again between some really weird lady that wants to ask him out.”

“You really wouldn’t think that could happen this often” added Chanyeol.

"But don't worry Kyungsoo, he'd never go with anyone in this place" slyly said Baekhyun, looking at him and adding in a lower tone "Well, maybe with some exceptions"

After some really hard pats on the back, the four guys agreed to let him search for Jongin among the crowd while they would keep an eye out for his crazy ex. And so the florist made his way through people, or at least tried to since it appeared that everyone at the wedding was a ing giant, and started searching for some familiar puppy eyes and tanned skin.

After twenty minutes Kyungsoo was starting to get tired of walking back and forth in a room full of strangers. He was there just because of Jongin and if he had decided to vanish there was no point in staying further so he made his way to the exit and finally got out in the chilly air.

Serves you right for being a softy and saying yes to this wedding. Jongin’s not even here.

The florist released a prolonged sigh and started taking a stroll around the place: it was a really nice event house, white walls immersed in a garden full of fruit plants and variety of flowers you wouldn’t normally find in Seoul. He reached out for a candid bouquet of angelicas and smiled: angelicas for inspiration and admiration. He truly needed both of them but, at the moment, the only thing on his mind was that he was surrounded by what he most loved in the world and there was nothing that could disturb his peace.

Aside from the heavy panting of two people making out.

Really? Ambushed in the garden? Who the hell is this disrespectful to such a beauty?

Annoyed and a little bit curios, Kyungsoo turned around the corner.

Apparently, he must’ve have killed someone in his past life, because what he saw was the cherry on top of the soon to be called worst day of his life.

“JONGIN?!”

 

 

 

Citron for sadness, harebell for grief.

Yixing goggled, brows wrinkled in confusion: why was his boss, just a day ago the epitome of happiness, laying on the counter like he wanted to smash his head onto it?

“Soo? Are you okay?”

His response was a muffled sound of agony.

“Are you making a dying moose imitation? Because if you are than it’s perfect!”

His boss ran his hands through his hair, turning his head just to shoot him a death glare. The tiny florist was ususally very sweet with him, but catch him on the wrong foot and even Yixing had to know when to run.

“No Xing, I’m mourning, can’t you tell?”

The confused assistant took a chair and sat next to his boss, placing a hand over his short hair, them lightly. He knew he was the only person Kyungsoo let be this intimate with him without getting his arm torn off and he was secretly in love it, sneaking in a touch or two every time he had the chance.

“What are you mourning?”

“Clearly a big moron that you don’t need to waste your time on”

Kyungsoo and Yixing snapped their head in synch at the foreign voice just to be met with the fuming face of none other than Byun Baekhyun, followed shortly by Chanyeol and Sehun who were looking angry just as much as amused at their friend.

“Hi Kyungsoo” greeted the giant with a grin so wide the florist was sure it could have blinded people “We thought we could come by and finally see the shop Jongin raves about”

On another time Kyungsoo would have been thrilled to know that Jongin liked his shop, but now just hearing his name made him groan loudly and crash his forehead on the counter again. Why was life so unfair with him?

Sehun was quietly looking around, sniffing the flowers ready to be assembled in cute bouquets, while Baekhyun propped himself on the wooden surface near Kyungsoo’s face, still sulking. It was interesting just how much red a face can get when someone’s angry.

“Are these your friends?” whispered Yixing.

“They’re Jongin’s friends, but they are okay, I guess”

The assistant introduced himself to the three boys and disappeared in the back of the store to prepare some tea for everybody. When he returned with five mugs full of hot chamomile, everybody thanked him and finally began explaining to the clueless Yixing what had happened at the wedding.

“He got back together with that psycho Soojung, the idiot!” Screamed Baekhyun at the end.

“He’s so tired of being the best man that he got the first girl he could get. I don’t think he has really thought this through; Eventually he’ll realized just how much he has ed up and will come back to senses” added Sehun, trying to take a sip of the tea without burning his tongue.

Yixing nodded: now his boss’ bad mood had sense, but the situation still hadn’t. He was so sure Jongin was starting to like Kyungsoo back, all the subtle touches and the stares he had seen while totally innocently eavesdropping in his dictionary meant that he was interested, but now this was giving him a hard time understanding what was going on.

“Wait” exclaimed Kyungsoo, interrupting his train of thoughts “Even if you are mad and everything, why come to me?”

Chanyeol tried to hide a giggle behind his hand, shaking his shoulders so hard the florist thought he had been put on vibration mode.

“Because Jongin always talks about you and we were curious. Plus, yesterday at the wedding it was so obvious that you liked him it was ridiculous”

Told you you were being subtle, idiot.

Kyungsoo was sure he was blushing up to his ears, so he just hid between his arms and buried his face until he could not see anymore. It would have been a blessing to become a mole and start living underground.

“Don’t worry, the nitwit doesn’t know” said Baekhyun, smiling sympathetically “We won’t tell him, but we think you should, before it’s too late”

The florist suddenly got up, almost making the man fall on the floor, with tea and everything.

“What do you mean with 'too late?'”

The three guys looked at each other uncomfortably, until Sehun decided to speak.

“Well…”

 

 

Kyungsoo sighed. All his fears and concerns were coming true right in front of his eyes: Jongin was back on his Nini chair, cutely dangling his feet from the ground. Yixing had made them a rose infuse which was just lovely and had disappeared in the black hole that was their shed.

“Can you help me? She asked it to be super pretty”

Kyungsoo had to gulp down all the words that were coming up his throat. He wanted to get mad, he wanted to shout and break things, possibly not expensive and definitely not his, but he had not energy to do so. He had cried all night on Yixing’s lap, each tear taking away a little piece of his heart, soaking the fabric with his sadness, and now there was so little left that he wanted to protect it at all costs.

“What meaning does it have to have?” he asked drily.

Jongin turned to him with a puzzled expression, like he hadn’t thought about that aspect. Normally Kyungsoo would have and cooed at his cute blank expression, but now there was only the huge white space between their feet.

“I… something that will make her happy. That’s all”

The florist grimaced, not even trying to hide it, and walked up to the flower dispense. He picked the ones the ugliest he could find, the ones that would have died in a matter of hours: an arrangement of bright yellow and white Jonquils, all wrapped up in an ivory paper.

Jongin looked at it and, for the tiniest moment, a melancholic smile appeared on his lips, so fast Kyungsoo thought he had imagined it.

“’I desire a return of affection’, uh?” he simply said.

Without another word, the young dancer payed for his purchase and bolted out of the store. No goodbye, no thank you. Something was really wrong.

 

 

 

“Hello?”

“Hi, Junmyeon speaking. Who’s this?”

“I’m Yixing”

“(choking sounds in the background) H… Hi Yixing. I didn’t think you got my number”

“I stole it from Soo’s agenda. I really need to talk to you”

“Sure. Tell me everything”

“You see, Soo is really down these days and I wanted to make him feel better, but I can’t cook for life and I have no idea what to buy him so can I make a special flower request to you for him?”

“For Kyungsoo? Wow, you two are really close”

“Well, there is this guys he likes that has just recently got back together with his girlfriend and he’s really lovesick. It’s my duty as his best friend to cheer him up”

“Oh, now I understand. Well, for a special delivery if you tell me what you had in mind I can see if I have it in one of the greenhouses”

“I’m really happy that you painted your houses green Junmyeon, but I was talking about flowers”

“(sounds of a head hitting a hard surface) Just tell me what kind of plant you want Yixing”

“… I hadn’t thought about something specific yet. How about I come to choose it personally?”

“That… uhm… that'd be nice. I’ll pick you up at seven?”

“Okay, thank you Jun”

“(In the distance, forgetting to end the phone call) Hell yes!! This is so a date. Oh God, I have to decide what to wear!”

 

Indeed, a genius.

 

 

 

 

 

Old A/N: if you haven't seen Four weddings and a funeral we can't be friends (also the main actor is the cutest most handsome thing and reminds me of Jongin so shut up and watch it :) 

Part IV:

Primroses and heathers

 

Days turned into weeks and the weather started to become chillier. Kyungsoo had been taught that time recovers and heals but each time he didn’t see the familiar sight of Jongin waltzing into his shop with his beautiful smile on his face he folded a little bit more on himself.

Yixing swore it was a matter of weeks before reaching the floor with his nose. Luckily for them, Jongdae, Chanyeol, Sehun and Baekhyun had been visiting almost every two of three days, sometimes alone, sometimes together. It seemed like they really had grown a soft spot for Kyungsoo’s marvelous flower creations and that was what was keeping him afloat for now. Well, that and the constant presence of beautiful foreign flowers in his shop thanks to Yixing.

Unfortunately for him, keeping afloat was a matter of balance and he was the type of person to trip while standing still, so it really wasn’t a surprise when things got worse: it had been a month without Jongin and Kyungsoo now knew how smokers felt while trying to quit on cigarettes.

It was a chilly day, the wind was whirling some leaves around right in front of his shop’s door, the greens mixing with the yellow and the browns in a palette entitled “Autumn”. Kyungsoo had been staring at them for a good twenty minutes when suddenly someone blocked his view and he heard the door’s chime.

“Good morning, what can I do for… Guys are you going to a funeral?”

Right in front of him, Jongdae, Sehun, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were all dressed in black suit and tie, dark expressions on their faces. For some terribly long seconds nobody spoke, then Jongdae stepped forward and theatrically handed him a letter. There was something ominous about it, Kyungsoo wasn't sure if someone had simply written him or was trying to put a curse on him.

“What is this?” Kyungsoo asked, terribly confused.

Jongdae looked at him with a pained smile, so harsh to see on his face usually stretched in a kind laugh.

“We got dragged this morning out of bed by a really panicked Jongin and taken to one of those fancy dressmakers downtown. We couldn’t make him calm down so we left him at home, even though he wanted to come, but given the occasion we thought it wasn’t a really good idea” the young man took a deep breath a shook the envelope once more, signing him to take it “Kyungsoo, you are hereby invited to Jongin’s wedding next week with Jung Soojung”

Kyungsoo felt the floor under his feet disappear. Only once he had dared to wish for something and that was Jongin’s company, but the universe had decided otherwise. In that moment, he promised himself to never fall in love again, because that little piece that was left of him had turned to ashes.

Nobody had ever seen him cry in public if not Yixing, but, as Kyungsoo later discovered, there really is a first time for everything.

 

 

 

“You don’t understand Xing: I feel like I’ve been thrown into Four weddings and a funeral. Except I’m not Andy McDowell and i don't get a happy ending;, I’m Simon Callow, the best friends that ends up in a coffin”

Yixing his hair one more time, smiling even though he knew his boss was masking his pain with humor.

“Soo, you’ve been watching too many romance movies these past few days”

There were in Kyungsoo’s apartment, the florist’s head resting on Yixing’s lap on the sofa. The TV in front of them was showing some kind of documentary that none of them was really watching, but it made "coping with silence a lot more bearable” as Kyungsoo had said to him.

“No, it makes sense: Jongin is the handsome Hugh Grant, forever searching for the right girl to marry when he doesn’t want to admit that she is already next to him, that’d be Soojung. We are just secondary characters in their big romantic movie” his body begin to shake, hiccups taking the place reserved to words “It’s not that I don’t want to see him, but just thinking about him hurts so much. What can I do Yixing? How does one cure love?”

The livid assistant opened his mouth, searching for the right words to cheer him up, only to realize there were none. You don’t repair a broken heart; you can only hope bandages will hide your scars long enough for you to forget about them and he was no doctor. What Kyungsoo needed was to talk with Jongin and settle it all down, but it seemed like they preferred to play cat and mouse, hurting each other and masking the pain under a façade.

Decisions had to made and if Kyungsoo wasn’t up for it, Yixing certainly was.

He abruptly got up, darted into the closet and came back with the cleanest white shirt and elegant pants he found, throwing them onto the florist’s face.

“Xing, what the hell?”

“You are going to the wedding, period. I can’t bear to watch you cry one more time, it breaks my heart too, you know? You are going to go and you’ll be so fabulous Jongin will have to beg for you to the be the bride instead” the assistant dropped on his knees and lightly shook Kyungsoo’s shoulders “Love doesn’t wait for you, it’s either sadness or taking a risk. Go be the Carrie to your Charles and if it doesn’t work out at least you have taken the first step in moving on. How do you think I scored all those dates with Junmyeon? I risked it all and tried”

These are the moments.

Kyungsoo gulped his tears down, watery eyes full of gratitude and a trembling smile, just for his best friend.

These are the moments Kyungsoo feels grateful to be alive, just to experience the multitude of oddness and pure greatness that was Zang Yixing.

“Thank you Xing. Now help me choose a tie”

 

 

 

Nope, Kyungsoo still hated weddings.

He knew Jongin would be in the backroom preparing for the big event in a matter of hours, practicing his speech and polishing the ring; the more he thought about it the more he felt like throwing up. He had to talk to him before it was too late, before he was off kissing somebody else without knowing about his feelings, so he kept walking faster and faster, exploring every nook of the old church before heading out in the garden.

He was fairly early so the place was still deserted, the flowers greeting him with tiny bows in the wind. Kyungsoo wanted to cry: not only he couldn’t find Jongin, but everything reminded him about the amazing person he was about to lose that day, the man that had made his heart beat like a drum and made him see the stars in plain daylight.

He turned around to take a look at the church again but he stumbled over his wobbly feet and slammed his forehead into something hard.

“Damnit, today really is the worst” he murmured.

“The worst? Is there something wrong with falling into my arms?”

Kyungsoo’s head snapped up and he was met with the most beautiful view he had ever seen, but also the one that made his heart break once more: Jongin was looking at him with a cheeky smile, his hair styled up with gel and his slim body wrapped in a sleek black suit. He had even put on eyeliner! Kyungsoo wanted to die.

“Jongin, I… I was actually searching for you” he managed to say.

“Is this why you are here this early?”

“Yeah.”

The two of them sat on one of the few benches in the garden and Jongin calmly waited for him to start talking. The florist finally gathered his courage and took something from his pocket: two tiny pressed flowers, a primrose and a heather, that Kyungsoo had turned into a brooch. First love and good luck. With trembling hands, he handed it to the dancer.

“I have been wanted to say this for a really long time, but I was being a coward and never found the courage to do it. Jongin…” he took a deep breath, probably the last of his short life “I like you. I really like you; never in my life I felt happier than when you were with me and we were just spending time together. I can’t help but smile every time I see you, even now that you are marrying somebody else and I feel like dying inside, I just can’t not smile because you are here. That is all that had really mattered to me up until now.

I’m sorry for saying this in such a time and day, but I thought it was only fair to let you know why I will be crying the whole ceremony and probably run away at some point”

Kyungsoo didn’t dare to open his eyes, talking behind closed lids and waiting for the final blow at his poor heart.

Saying Jongin was shocked was an understatement, he had stopped breathing at his first words, but he also looked somewhat…angry. As soon as Kyungsoo timidly opened his eyes, rage hit him like a punch in the stomach. He stood up, his face red and his hands moving all over the place.

“How can you do this to me?! In a matter of hours I will be married and you think this is the right time to tell me you love me?

You know what? I will pretend this never happened, because I can’t take it right now. You are unbelievable. How could you be so selfish, hyung? How can you put these thoughts into my head at this moment? I hate you!”

And with these words, Jongin ran off, leaving Kyungsoo alone in the garden with the only company of his tears.

 

 

 

“Guys, do you know where Kyungsoo is?” asked Chanyeol, scanning the crowd before him.

 “I don’t know, I don’t see… Oh, wait! Here he comes” Baekhyun waved at him, signing him to come sit next to the four friends “You're here!”

“Yeah”

Jongdae looked at him with concern, lightly patting his shoulder.

“Is everything okay? Your eyes are really red”

“It’s nothing, I just talked to Jongin and I wasn’t feeling so well afterwards”

The florist felt a warm hand placed over his knee: Sehun, from the seat next to his, gave him a sad smile and a nod.

“Don’t worry, it will get better eventually.”

Kyungsoo could only just give him a weak thumb up, taking a deep breath and preparing himself for what was going to happen soon. To be fair, the bride was incredibly beautiful: a long white dress with pearls and what looked like diamonds sewed inside the many layers of the pleated dress. Even as pitiful as he felt, he couldn’t help but think about how many houses he could have bought with that dress. Probably five. Possibly a dozen. He could almost hear his bank account crying in the corner.

He was counting the words, how many until the faithful yes, but his eyes always trailed over him, making him lose count; there was so much of a person that one could love: eyes, mouth, abdomen, legs, arms… Kyungsoo personally had a thing for necks and Jongin’s was the loveliest he had seen up to that point, the color of honey. Kindness, intelligence, calmness… if asked, he would have said he admired Jongin’s passion in everything that he did and loved doing, the extraness he put in the little things.

And he was about to lose everything.

 

“If someone has something against this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

 

That was it. That was the last moment he would have been free to love him. Overwhelmed by just about everything, Kyungsoo quietly got up and left the church, tears in his eyes and cheeks.

But sometimes, people with broken hearts and great kindness are granted a miracle. That miracle was specifically named Kim Jongdae.

“I have”

The whole church gasped in shock and turned to him: the young man was standing above everyone, his hands clenched at his sides, but with eyes like fire. The priest was so taken aback he was starting to get a pretty shade of blue.

“Pardon young man, you what?!”

“I have something to say against this wedding”

The bride dropped her bouquet (Yixing had given her coltsfoots full of bugs, bless him) and hissed.

“No, you don’t”

Jongdae turned his head to his friends and they all got up to support him with a cocky smile.

“Yes, I have. I am Jongin’s cousin and I have always been his best friend since birth. There is nothing we don’t know about each other and I’m sorry to say that Jongin is indeed in love, but not with her. Ji, I can’t let you do something you’ll regret until the end of your life and I’m tired of hearing you lie to yourself”

A moment of silence stretched itself between the church's pillars and  Jongin started to get sweaty.

“Is it true?” cautiously asked the priest, followed shortly by a more angered Soojung “Is it true that you love another woman?”

Jongin looked over at his friends, breathing hard and rubbing his hands to wipe away his anxiety. Fortunately, miracles are a one packet delivery: you either get the whole thing or you don’t get anything. Jongdae, Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Sehun all looked at him and beamed, nodding profoundly.

The dancer turned to the priest and smiled, really, truly smiled.

“It’s not. I don’t love any other woman”

Relief sighs.

“I love another man”

The last thing Jongin saw was Soojung picking up her skirt and jumping on him, fists raised and a scream resonating through the church. From there, it went all black.

 

 

Kyungsoo was exactly were his friends had told him he would find him: in the garden, sat on the same bench where a few hours earlier he had rejected him. Without a word he dropped next to him, a hand over his face to hold the frozen meat over his black eye. on his jacket, a little brooch shined bright in the warm sunlight.

"Hyung" he whispered as softly as he could.

"I'm sorry Jongin, I don't think I want to talk to you right now, I'm not..." the florist suddenly stopped and looked at him in horror "What the hell has happened?"

Jongin let himself laugh, only to writhe in pain because not only Soojung had punched him in the face, she had also give him a trail of bruises on his chest and some bloody cuts on his upper arms.

"Let's just say I'm never going to enter a church ever again after this"

Now it was Kyungsoo's time to laugh, bright and loud. Everything felt so light,somehow.

"I'm very sorry, huyng. I didn't want to say all those horrible things. You are one of the most important people for me and I promise from now I'll never forget."

The florist looked at him in disbelief.

Is he saying what I think he's saying? Kyungsoo do something, don't you dare freeze on me now!

"I... uhm... Jongin, what..."

Great.

But Jongin had finally figured it out. He needed no more words than four.

"I love you, Soo"

That said, he took Kyungsoo by the neck and pushed his lips against his, kissing him as softly as he could. When the came up for air, he couldn't help but stretch an exhilarated on his face.

"I love you so much"

And then kissed him again. 

And maybe some more.

 

 

Kyungsoo could really start getting used to being loved a little . Well, Jongin being Jongin, more a lot than a little.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old A/N: and it's finished guys, Happy Kaisoo day to all of you and enjoy the shortest and corniest unedited endings of all time. Thanks to everybody who read and enjoyed, somehow, this little story and see you in writer's hell ^__^

Old Edit: GUYS! It's been a gazillion years since it has snowed in Venice and now there is a fricking blizzard! Truly a Kaisoo miracle. That's it, my next essay will be on magical Korean singers. 

 

 

Part V:

Epilogue

 

*A few chogiwas later*

 

“Xing, did you put the flowers where I told you?”

Kyungsoo looked at his assistant through the glasses and smiled: Yixing was a complete wreck of nerves, all messy clothes and hair, dark circles and too many cups of tea abandoned on the counter. They had been searching for the perfect arrangement for the wedding all night, reading almost all of the plant’s dictionary and going over and over the list almost a hundred times, but they had finally decided: red chrysanthemums for true love and white periwinkles for bliss in memory (because they all knew how much Yixing needed some).

Junmyeon and Yixing, it really sounded nice said altogether.

The assistant looked up with half closed eyes and a yawn upon his lips, raising a thumb up.

“Yes sir, in the warmest place I found”

Kyungsoo sighed, too tired to even scold him.

“I had said the coolest Xing, the coolest. Now, where did you… wait...”

Kyungsoo literally sprinted to the back of the store, throwing himself in their little self-made kitchen.

“DID YOU JUST MICROWAVED MY FLOWERS?!”

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin and Junmyeon were just about to enter the “EXtrasOlar” when they heard an inhuman scream. Shooting preoccupied looks at each other’s, they quickly walked into the shop and what they found had them break into halves from laugher.

“Hyung, what are you doing?”

Kyungsoo was on his knees, hands around Yixing neck, while the latter was struggling to breathe and was slowly turning blue. The ex-delivery guy now promoted to soon to be groom would have broken the fight, fearing for his boyfriend life, but it had happened four times in the past week and he had decided Yixing had to resolve it alone.

That or take self-defense lessons.

“Jongin, this idiot just microwaved the flowers for his own wedding. I can’t have him in the store in this state. Here” he said, punching the assistant in the arms of Junmyeon who promptly caught him and kissed his forehead like he would have done with a little kid “Take him home and make sure he can’t get out until this weekend.”

Left alone, Jongin greeted his boyfriend with his usual good morning kiss, lingering just a little bit too much on his lips to smile. Like every day since they had gotten together, the dancer dropped on his trusty Nini chair and started reading a book.

Even after all that time, Kyungsoo could believe Jongin was finally his. He could go up to him a kiss him whenever he wanted, but it was usually the other way around; it still felt like a dream.

At some point in the afternoon Baekhyun and the others came to visit the shop, bringing them cookies and some tea to make. The “ExtrasOlar” was now famous for being the only shop always full of handsome flower boys and Kyungsoo’s bank account wasn’t complain as much as before.

Out of the blue, his vision got blurred by a dark figure towering him: Jongin had gotten up while he was still munching his cookies and was now looking at him with those puppy eyes that he had learned to fear. Only God knew what he couldn’t get with that level of cuteness.

“I got us something” he proudly proclaimed, handing Kyungsoo a tiny pink box, clearly hand-decorated with bear stickers “Open it”

The florist did as he was told and removed the lid, only to discover himself smiling from ears to ear: inside, there was were two keychains shaped like poodles with roses in their fur; with a flick of his wrist he could even magnetically attach them, making it look like they were cuddling.

Without any other words, as he had not even one intelligent thing to say at such cuteness, he took his boyfriend by the cheeks and kissed him softly.

“This is the most Jongin present you could make. It’s perfect”

From behind their smiley faces, Baekhyun snickered.

“Tell me again how you thought he was straight”

 

 

 

 

 

Yixing was not a crier, never had been, however, when he saw Junmyeon put the ring on his finger and heard him say yes, he started sobbing like a baby.

At the end of the day, in all the photos he was either buried in his now husband’s neck or with a tissue over his nose. Nevertheless, that would be remembered as the happiest day in his life.

 

 

 

From the furthest table at the after party, Jongin looked at the happy couple dancing in the center of the room and turned to look at his boyfriend. A grin crept his way on his lips.

“Hyung” he whispered as he took Kyungsoo’s hand in his warm one.

“Yeah?

“Someday, when we’ll ready and old, do you think we’ll get married too?”

Kyungsoo felt his cheeks warming up, but he just welcomed the feeling and leaned over Jongin’s shoulder.

“Someday, surely”

 

“Maybe a little earlier than someday?”

Kyungsoo laughed blithely. It just felt so right, being in love and loved back, so new and lightening.

“Okay, but I want to be the one throwing the flowers”

“Primroses?”

“Primroses”

"And heathers?"

"And heathers"