It was a clear Saturday afternoon, and Kim Jongdae was working his shift at his aunt’s flower shop. The day had been pretty slow so far, most likely because his aunt had stepped out for most of the day to visit friends, trusting Jongdae to handle the store on his own. It wasn’t the first time Jongdae had manned the shop on his own, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

It’s a cute little shop, with big front windows to show off their displays, and types of purchases are organized into three categories: pre-made bouquets kept in the fridges lining the left, potted plants and terrariums in the back, and clusters of individual flowers on the right by the register. It’s a tiny shop on the first floor of an apartment building, sharing its space with a noodle shop and a barber, but it’s Jongdae’s favorite place in the world.

He didn’t think it would be at first, when his aunt offered him the job. His aunt had managed the shop all by herself until last Christmas, when Jongdae’s parents mentioned Jongdae was job-hunting over dinner. His aunt jumped on the chance of having someone to watch the store while she left to take a breather, get coffee, or whatever his aunt did while she was out, and Jongdae accepted her offer graciously. He had donned his green apron indifferently - he was just here for the money after all - but by the time he was a month in, and his aunt handed him his first paycheck, he was already in love with the atmosphere. He quickly grew to love the slightly damp air, the sweet smell, and the beautiful visuals that come with working in a flower shop.

He’s watering the potted plants they keep for sale in the back when the entrance swings open, bell tinkling.

“Welcome,” Jongdae calls, finishing up watering a succulent plant before standing up - pausing midway to set the watering pot on a nearby shelf - and turning around, wiping his hands on his green apron. “What can I do for...” he drifts off as he takes his customer in: a handsome specimen in a white t-shirt and black jeans, with soft eyes and perfectly styled brown hair. Jongdae quickly realizes he stopped mid-sentence and tries to compose himself. “You,” he finishes, flushing.

His struggle to form a complete sentence must have amused the stranger, because he smiles. “I’m here for a bouquet?” His kind grin reveals a dimple that makes Jongdae's insides melt. “And uh, I’ve never really been to a flower shop before, so I don’t really know what kind I should get?”

“No problem.” Jongdae puts on his customer smile, because he doesn’t trust his face to remain normal if he keeps it relaxed in front of someone so attractive. He might even start drooling. “I can’t make you a custom bouquet, but I’ve got tons of pre-made ones in the fridge perfect for any event. What’s the occasion?”

“My friend is performing a flute recital,” he says, following Jongdae to the bouquets, all hand crafted by his aunt.

Jongdae may work here to fund his stupid high-school shenanigans, but he does know his flowers and takes his job seriously. He studies the bouquets, displayed in the fridge to keep them cool and fresh, and strikes up a conversation so it doesn’t get awkward. Not because he wants to get to know this Gorgeous Guy or anything. “A flute recital, huh? Are you talking about that orchestra competition the school district is holding tonight?”

The guy scratches at his head, calling to attention a silver hoop strung through one of his ears that Jongdae is not imagining pulling with his teeth. “Yeah,” he answers, a bit shyly. Jongdae thinks it’s adorable.

He grins. “I have a friend that’s playing violin at that event.” His heart jumps suddenly when he realizes that Gorgeous Guy has a friend performing in the competition, as in, he might go to Jongdae’s high school, and he coughs, opening the fridge to pull out a bouquet. He hopes it looks casual. “What school do you go to?”

“Sogeum High.” Gorgeous Guy flashes a smile again, and god, his dimple is so deep Jongdae could dive in it. “You?”

Jongdae shakes his head, trying not to feel disappointed. “Huchu. That makes us rivals, but don’t worry - I won’t let that come in the way of selling you a bouquet.” He winks, and holds up the bouquet he chose. “How do you like this one?”

It’s primarily made of white lilies, dotted with splashes of purple tulips and baby’s breath, all wrapped up in spring green cellophane. Jongdae thinks it’s perfect.

Gorgeous Guy’s smile widens, and Jongdae has to concentrate on his breathing. “It’s perfect!” He takes the bouquet from Jongdae, fingers brushing against his own. Jongdae is convinced that the stranger is trying to kill him now.

“Great!” His voice comes out slightly squeaky, and he tries not to wince. He’s usually so composed around customers - even the hot ones. “Let’s ring you up then.”

The register is right by all the single flowers, for small purchases or - when his aunt is here - making custom bouquets. The flowery fragrance is strongest here, and it’s Jongdae’s favorite spot. He closes his eyes and inhales deeply, hoping the scent will help him calm down and stop blushing from Gorgeous Guy’s killer smile.

He’s about to finish ringing up Gorgeous Guy’s bouquet when he hears a “Wait.” He looks up from the register, to see Gorgeous Guy looking just as flustered as Jongdae has felt since he saw him walk through the door. He holds up a red rose, plucked from the nearby display. “Can you ring this up too?”

“Sure!” Jongdae chirps. He tries not to shiver when Gorgeous Guy hands him the money, their fingers brushing again. He makes a point to drop his change into his palm rather than hand it to him, so he doesn’t hyperventilate. He’s never been this flustered by an attractive person before. He blame the dimples.

“I can wrap up the rose too if you want-” Jongdae closes the register and glances up, then freezes, breath caught in his lungs.

Gorgeous Guy - or should he say Furiously Red Guy, because man Jongdae has never seen anyone blush that hard - holds the rose out to him, his pretty brown eyes giving away how anxious he is.

“For you.” Jongdae must be just as red as Gorgeous Guy by now, judging by how hot his face feels. He may or may not also be going numb from shock. His dumbfounded expression must have comforted Gorgeous Guy, because as Jongdae takes the flower from him he winks and adds, “Even though we may be rivals.”

“Uh,” Jongdae says. His conversational skills are nonexistent. No one this hot has ever flirted with him before. It’s ruining his ability to function. His head might explode. “Thank you,” he manages to say. Somehow, more heat manages to flood his face.

“Have a nice day,” Gorgeous Guy says, holding his hand up to say goodbye. Somehow, holding a bouquet is a perfect look for him. Jongdae waves back slowly, his face still frozen.

“Yeah,” he says as an answer, almost a minute after Gorgeous Guy has disappeared.

He wants to turn the shop’s sign from open to closed, curl up, and die - but his aunt trusts him to be responsible, so he maintains his post.

He stands there, staring blankly at the flower for god knows how long, until his aunt enters the shop without him noticing. “Hello Jongdae! Thanks for taking care of the shop while I was out.” Her eyes fall on the rose - still clutched in Jongdae’s clammy hands. “What’s this?”

“A customer bought it for me.” His eyes not moving from the deep red bloom. “A really, really cute one,” he adds without thinking. He instantly wants to kill himself, because he knows that his aunt will never let this go.

She gasps, her face positively beaming. “Oh my! Is it someone you know?”

“No,” Jongdae replies, and he kind of wants to cry because he knows, unless there’s another flute recital soon, he’s probably never seeing Gorgeous Guy again.

_________________________________________________________________________

Or so he thought, until the next day rolls around, and Jongdae is snipping leaves off of flower stems. The shop bell tinkled, his aunt calls out a welcome to the new customer. Jongdae looks up, and nearly cuts his finger off.

Gorgeous Guy is standing in the shop’s entryway, somehow better looking than before, dimple digging into his cheek as he scans the store as if searching for something. His gaze falls on Jongdae, Jongdae flushes as he stays there, unmoving. He fixes his eyes on the stem he’s pruning, not trusting himself to cry at the utter beauty of Gorgeous Guy’s face if he looks at it any longer.

“What can I do for you?” he hears his aunt say. He moves on to another flower and refuses to look up, for his own good.

“Can I have a sprig of holly?” Gorgeous Guy asks. Jongdae isn’t sure what he’s going to do with that holly, especially since it’s an unusual flower to buy out of the Christmas season, even though it's small buds are beautiful. He wants to ask, but whenever he talks to Gorgeous Guy, he feels like he’ll embarrass himself horribly.

Purchase complete, Jongdae relaxes as he waits for Gorgeous Guy to leave (and yet at the same time he doesn’t want him to), but instead he approaches Jongdae. Not that Jongdae is watching him out of the corner of his eye or anything.

“Hello again,” Gorgeous Guy chirps and damn it, now Jongdae has to look up or he’ll seem like a jerk. He looks at him, fighting heat from his cheeks.

Gorgeous Guy is smiling at him, and he gets the sneaking suspicion that something bad is going to happen.

Tilting his head innocently - god that is cute - Gorgeous Guy asks, “Do you know what holly means in flower language?”

For some reason, his aunt snorts from the cash register. But Jongdae shakes his head, relaxing at the normal question. Customers often ask him if he studied flower language so they can pick a better bouquet for their occasion. “I only work part-time here, so I’m not a flower expert,” he explains. “I can tell you the names of every flower in here, but my knowledge doesn’t extend to flower language just yet.”

“Oh well, just so you know-” Gorgeous Guy takes his hand, placing the holly in (on)  it - “It means ‘looking for love.’”

He leaves with a grin and without uttering another word. Jongdae’s throat makes a weird noise.

His aunt watches him, amused. “Was that the cute customer you were talking about yesterday? I think he likes you too.”

Jongdae groans, burying his face in his hands. He’s not sure what to do with this information. He certainly can’t choke himself with it.

He can’t imagine whatever’s going on between him and Gorgeous Guy will end well. He knows nothing about the guy, besides the fact that he’s beautiful and Jongdae might be in love with his dimple. Hell, he doesn’t even know his name. And once again, who knows if he’ll see him again. He could have been flirting with Jongdae just to amuse himself, only to drop off his radar once monday rolls around.

But he doesn’t. Gorgeous Guy came back again and again, all in a row, never failing to miss an afternoon ever since he walked in the day of that goddamn flute recital.

It’s Wednesday night when Jongdae sighs at his ever-growing collection of flowers, and decides to call in an expert.

_________________________________________________________________________

“Wait so let me get this straight.” Oh Sehun, king of seduction, who has slept with more people than anyone else Jongdae knows (despite only being a sophomore), takes a sip of his iced coffee and leans forward in his chair. He, Jongdae, and four other people that count as his closest friends are in their favorite coffee shop, killing time before Jongdae has to go work his shift and inevitably die all over again when Gorgeous Guy walks through the door. “Some hot guy has been giving you flowers all week, and you’re just telling us now? Give us the details you jerk.”

Jongdae sighs, playing with his straw. He’s not even sure if he can even recall the past week without blushing. “It all started on Saturday,” he begins, and he launches into the story, giving all the details except Gorgeous Guy’s appearance, because if he gets started on his dimple he’s not sure if he’ll be able to stop.

“Wait, hang on,” Jongin says, holding up a hand. He’s here as a special occasion, because usually the dance team practices every day after school. Apparently Sogeum High has a team that’s hard to beat. Sehun is in the dance team too, but he ditches practice more often than he attends. “What’s this guy’s name? You have yet to mention his name.”

“Um.” Jongdae shifts his green tea latte in his hands. “I kind of don’t know?”

Sehun suddenly groans, looking at Joonmyeon with a look that screams can you ing believe this and says, “This guy has been hitting on you since Saturday and you don’t even know his name?”

Minseok snorts, the only thing he’s contributed to the entire conversation.

“I can’t help it,” Jongdae whines. “Every time he comes in I get so flustered, I don’t know what to do.”

“Well for starters,” Sehun says, somehow managing to look sassy while taking another sip of his coffee. But then again, Sehun always manages to look sassy. “You can find out his name. But until then, I refuse to help you.”

“What does he look like?” Kyungsoo jumps in before Jongdae can start whining, sensing a fight coming.

“He’s tanned, tall - compared to me at least, I think he’s shorter than you Sehun - and beautiful dark hair that’s kind of styled like this-” Jongdae sweeps his hair out of his middle part and across his forehead, framing his eyes and praying it looks similar to what he has in his mind - “and he’s got the fullest, most kissable lips I’ve even seen. Oh and one of his ears are pierced, and he’s got this dimple, the cutest, most wonderful dimple I’ve ever seen -”

“Okay we get it,” Jongin says, interrupting his fangirling. “I actually think I know who you’re talking about. Sehun, don’t you think Jongdae’s talking about the captain of Sogeum’s dance team?”

Sehun smirks. “Yeah, I think you’re right. It was the dimple that convinced me.” His eyes slide over to glance at Jongdae from head to toe, with a sort of bitter envy. “Consider yourself lucky - I tried flirting with him once during a competition last year, but he wasn’t interested. And like, no one isn’t interested in me.”

Jongdae makes a mental note to never miss another dance competition again, because if Gorgeous Guy looks good simply standing still, he’ll look illegal moving his hips. But wait -

“Wait, you guys know his name, don’t you?” He leans forward until his nose is nearly touching Sehun’s. “What is it?”

“Yeah, if you think I’m going to do all your work for you, you’re wrong.” The blonde leans back in his seat, away from Jongdae, and crosses his arms. “Find out his name yourself. Until you can manage to do that, I refuse to help you get a piece of dancer .” His expression turns slightly pouty. “Especially when I  couldn’t get any of it. What does he see in you that makes you better than me anyways??”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. Jongdae would too, but he needs to stay on Sehun’s good side.

Joonmyeon gives Jongdae a comforting smile. “Don’t worry, you can do it,” he says.  “Plus, if you suddenly knew his name without him telling you, wouldn’t he think you’re creepy?”

He’s got a point, but Jongdae still has zero confidence in himself. Minseok rubs his back. “It’ll be easy,” he assures him. Jongdae leans into his touch, wanting to be spoiled, and Minseok complies by massaging his neck. The eldest is probably his closest friend, in an almost domestic husband-wife kind of way. “He already likes you enough to buy you flowers, you shouldn’t be afraid of simply asking for his name.”

He had never thought of it that way before. Jongdae sits up, slurping the rest of his tea. “You’re right,” he says, rejuvenated. He stands. “I’m gonna go to the shop now, before I lose my confidence.”

He left with his friends’ cheers at his back. When he arrives at the flower shop, his aunt is in a rush, loading flower arrangements into her van. Jongdae begins to help right away, catching her eye as she flies back inside. “Perfect timing,” she says. “I’ve got four weddings to deliver flowers to - four Jongdae - and I need you to watch the shop while I’m gone.”

He salutes around a vase of irises. “You can count on me.” He expects to watch the shop until closing time, because his aunt almost always returns late when making major deliveries. Jongdae has no idea what she does for that long, but he suspects she drinks the day’s stress away.

He sees her off with a wave, and realizes with a jolt that he and Gorgeous Guy will be alone today. At least he won’t have an audience when he embarrasses himself.

But as the minutes tick by, four-thirty turns into five, and Gorgeous Guy’s usual arrival time passes by, Jongdae can feel his heart - and his confidence - sinking. He tries to distract himself by pruning flowers, being extra cheerful to the customers that come through the door (not without feeling a tingle of excitement every time the bell tinkles, only for it to fade into disappointment as he realizes it’s not who he’s waiting for), and even attempting to make a few flower arrangements himself. Eventually, he tries to ignore his crushed expectations as he closes up the shop at six-thirty.

He knew Gorgeous Guy would lose interest quickly, especially with how much Jongdae embarrassed himself. He just didn’t expect it to hurt this much. He walks  upstairs and enters his aunt’s home, planning to cook dinner so she can eat as soon as she gets home. He focuses on frying rice noodles and vegetables and tries not to think of a certain dimple he’ll never see again.

Shuffling in the hallway tells him that his aunt is home, just in time for him to put dinner on the table. She smiles at him proudly. “Jongdae you are too sweet. Maybe I should get married so I can have a wonderful child like you.” She never will though - Jongdae has never met anyone more aual than his aunt, Minseok included.

“Oh!” His aunt is hit with sudden realization. “I’d love to dig right in, but I just remembered that I had to do something.” She stands, resting her chopsticks on her bowl of noodles. “I’ll be right back.” Jongdae hears the front door slam.

She returns with a little potted lotus plant and he smiles, because she shouldn’t have (no really she shouldn’t reward him for watching the shop, because Jongdae doesn’t think he can look at another flower again without thinking of Gorgeous Guy - plus out of all the flowers, why choose one that’s aquatic).

She sets it in front of him and begins eating, and smirks when Jongdae thanks her through a mouthful of chicken.

“Oh that’s not from me,” she replies, in a false casual tone. “I wasn’t able to tell you earlier, but your new crush came in while you weren’t working today.”

Jongdae freezes mid-chew.

“He was incredibly disappointed when he found out you weren’t working until later,” she continues, like Jongdae hasn’t stopped breathing. “Said he couldn’t make it, so he asked if I could give you this instead.”

Their eyes flick to the innocent plant, resting between them. Jongdae breathes in, and his chest feels a little lighter.

So he didn’t lose interest.

“He also mentioned that, even though you work part-time, you should still study flower language. I promised I would help you out.” His aunt rests her hand on the lip of the flower pot, smiling the trademark evil Cheshire grin his family is known for. “So here’s your first lesson. A lotus has three meanings. It can mean ‘purity,’ ‘chastity,’ or -” she pauses here to relish in Jongdae’s painful expression - “‘far from the one you love.’”

Jongdae’s mouth suddenly feels very dry, so he swallows, remembers that he has half-chewed chicken in his mouth, and begins to choke. He coughs violently, and his aunt thumps him hard on the back, until a chunk of food sails majestically out of his mouth and onto the table.

“I’ll go get a washcloth.” His aunt heads to the kitchen, turning her head to call, “Oh yeah, and I told your future boyfriend your weekly schedule, so he won’t be missing your shift again. You’re welcome!” She winks.

Jongdae wonders if it’s possible to commit suicide using a pair of chopsticks.

_________________________________________________________________________

Jongdae wishes he could act like how he does at school in front of Gorgeous Guy, because he acts so much cooler when he has his friends next to him. He's always found strength in numbers, but everyone (including Minseok) refuses to help him until he finds out Gorgeous Guy’s name.

And I'll know if you're lying, so don't even try it, Sehun had said, earlier between classes. He sounded so accusatory that Jongdae almost choked him then and there. He hadn't even thought of lying about his name. They all knew him too well for him to be able to pull it off.

Jongdae grins when Minseok approaches his locker, opening his own right next to Jongdae's. He shoves his books inside before slamming it shut and leaning on the younger’s shoulder. “Where are we heading to today?” Jongdae asks.

“Joonmyeon told me to tell you everyone's hanging out in the choir room today. Amber got pizza for everyone.”

“Sweet.” He shuts his locker and they set off. “I'm so glad I'm a junior now, I can go and get food for everyone like you guys do.”

“What does being a junior have to do with anything? Sehun is a sophomore and he sneaks off campus to get bubble tea all the time.”

“Ok, but that's Sehun.” Jongdae wonders what school is going to be like next year, without Minseok and Joonmyeon. He doesn't think he could handle Sehun without them.

“Hey! You guys made it!” Jongin says as they enter the choir room, a large classroom set up with soundproof walls and a small stage, as well as two tiny practice rooms. The pizza is on the stage, balancing on the stands as everyone crowds around it. “You better hurry hyung - the pineapples are almost gone.”

“You didn't save a slice for me?” Minseok rushes to the stage. Jongdae takes his time - he's always been a cheese person.

It's quiet as the group (featuring a few choir members like Amber) munchs on their food, but the silence is quickly broken when Joonmyeon finishes first, and heads to the piano at the corner of the stage, playing a quick song to warm up. He's not as talented on the piano as he is with a violin, but he's not bad.

“C’mon Jongdae,” he says, beginning a song the choir is currently practicing. “Sing for us.”

“I'm still eating!” Jongdae protests, but he shoves the rest of his pizza in his mouth anyways and chews quickly. Kyungsoo sings a few lines, accompanied by a few fellow choir members. Jongdae joins them right at the peak of the song, unleashing powerful vocals. The school's music teacher is constantly trying to recruit him into the choir, but Jongdae has his job, and he'd rather make money than practice after school (plus his aunt really needs the help). He joined Choral Club to keep him happy, and he's always recruited when Valentine's Day rolls around and students can pay the club five dollars to serenade their lovers in class. Jongdae likes it because he can skip classes.

The choir song turns into 'I Will Always Love You,’ and that's Jongdae's jam, so he stands up, getting so passionate that he begins to drown out the other singers. They give up when he gets too loud, resolving to sit and listen instead.

They actually clap when he's done, and Sehun points at him and says, “See that? Why can't you be that confident around Mr. Dance Captain? You've serenaded tons of people you don't know on Valentine's Day, you should be able to talk to one ing person.”

“Wait, Mr. Dance Captain?” Amber perks up, curious. Jongdae wants to kill Sehun. “Jongdae, do you have a crush on Taemin?”

He lets out a groan. “No,”  he says. “And we're not talking about this.”

He ends up telling the whole story again anyways.

_________________________________________________________________________

“Sehun has a point,” his aunt says, later, while he's working in the shop. Jongdae doesn't know why he bothered to tell her what happened earlier at lunch - his aunt, like all adults for some reason, is absolutely in love with Oh Sehun. He could tell her Sehun said killing puppies was good for the planet and she'd still agree with him. “You need to relax. Want me to play some music while you work? Singing always helps you stay calm.”

She's right - Jongdae's head is always clearest when he's immersed in a song - but the idea of Gorgeous Guy accidentally walking in on him in the middle of SISTAR’s “Give It to Me” makes him want to crawl in a dumpster. “I'm fine.”

“I'm putting music on anyways,” his aunt picks up her phone, connecting it to the shop's speakers. “You don't know what's good for you, Jongdae.”

He doesn't reply, merely refusing to sing as the first song comes on, determined not to succumb to his aunt. And Sehun, though he didn't exactly do anything.

He thinks he's doing pretty well, until he's watering the orchids and realizes he's singing to “Like Rain, Like Music” under his breath. He tries to stop, but he gives up after he catches himself singing it again.

He can't (and won't) punch his aunt, but tomorrow Sehun is getting a knuckle sandwich.

He's singing the Boys Over Flowers theme song while putting fresh bouquets in the cooler (he won't admit it, but he loved that drama), and the volume of his voice is probably why he doesn't hear the shop's front door open as he twirls around, reaching for more flowers. He locks eyes with Gorgeous Guy - who's slightly gaping - and lets out a small scream of surprise mid-lyric.

“Oh my, look at the time.” His aunt is grinning and Jongdae can hear that she's trying not to laugh. “I'm going to go grab some coffee, I'll be right back.”

He tear his eyes away from Gorgeous Guy and whips his head towards his aunt, silently pleading her not to leave him and Gorgeous Guy alone, but she pretends not to see him as she exits the shop.

And then there were two.

Jongdae clears his throat. “What can I do for you today?” His voice squeaks, rising sharply at the end.

“I didn't know you could sing.” Gorgeous Guy says, ignoring his question. “You have a beautiful voice.”

Jongdae blushes. “Thank you,” he whispers. Gorgeous Guy smiles, and god it's only been a day but Jongdae didn't realize how much he missed that dimple. His knees might buckle.

“You're adorable, you know that right?” His grin widens, and his expression looks so endearing, like he could watch Jongdae forever.

Jongdae is able to relax slightly when Gorgeous Guy begins to look at the flowers. Once again, Jongdae gets the feeling that this guy and flowers mix really well. He could write a book about it.

“Your name is Jongdae, right?” Gorgeous Guy asks. It's the first time he's really attempted to have a conversation with Jongdae. Maybe the singing was a good idea after all. “Kim Jongdae.” His name rolls off Gorgeous Guy's tongue beautifully.

“That's what it says on my name tag” is his reply, and it's really awkward, but Gorgeous Guy laughs anyways.

He picks up a pink carnation. “Well Jongdae, are you in choir? Because you should be - you could give my friend a run for his money.”

Jongdae shakes his head. “Practice clashes with my job schedule.”

“Then I take it back - I'm glad you're not in choir,” Gorgeous Guy replies smoothly, as Jongdae struggles not to choke on air. He holds up the carnation. “I'll take this, please.”

Jongdae rings him up, acting almost as normally as he did the first time he met Gorgeous Guy. He's flustered, but not as much as before, and he likes it this way much better. He doesn't touch the carnation this time, because he knows Gorgeous Guy is just going to give it to him anyways. “What's the meaning of a carnation in flower language?” He asks, and okay, he might be flirting a little bit.

“It can mean 'distinction’ and 'love’-” Gorgeous Guy holds the flower out to him with a cute half smile - “but in this case, it means 'fascination.’”

His face flushes and probably is as pink as the carnation. He decides to jump another hurdle. “You know my name, but you've never told me yours,” he manages to blurt as a reply.

There you go Sehun, I've done it.

“Oh yeah, you're right.” Gorgeous Guy turns sheepish. “My name is Zhang Yixing.” He lifts his elbows off the counter and strolls to the door, pausing his turn to say, "I'm already fascinated by you Kim Jongdae. But I'll like to see how much more fascinating you could be."

Jongdae smiles wide, and the butterflies in his stomach feels amazing.

_________________________________________________________________________

“What do you mean Flower Boy has a prettier voice than me?!” Byun Baekhyun, good friend and sometimes the bane of Yixing’s existence, scoffs at him, looking more offended at Yixing than he ever has before. “I thought I was your friend.”

He buries his face in Chanyeol's arm, seeking solace in his boyfriend. Yixing doesn't know why he's friends with someone this extra.

He can tell that Luhan is just as fed up, because he rolls his eyes. “It's not like you're the best singer in the world, Baekhyun.”

“Oh, but Flower Boy is?!” Baekhyun's head snaps up.

“Can we stop calling him that?” Yixing asks. “I told you - his name is Jongdae.” Baekhyun just ignores him and inserts his face back into Chanyeol's armpit.

“Take us to meet him and we will,” Tao says. Honestly, he's just as bad as Baekhyun. Sometimes.

“If I do that, he'll never talk to me again. And I just got him to start talking to me.”

“Are we that embarrassing?” Baekhyun emerges from his cave that is Chanyeol, once and for all.

Yixing looks him dead in the eye. “You certainly are. I'd take Kris and Luhan to the flower shop, but no one else.”

Baekhyun lifts a hand to his chest as Tao lets out a hurt gasp. “You wound me Yixing. First,  you insult my singing-”

“Wait, what's wrong with me?” Chanyeol exclaims, interrupting his boyfriend.

“Chanyeol, don't even pretend,” Kris says. “You know you'd bring Baekhyun along.”

Yixing grins. “It's not you, it's your boyfriend.”

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch and sparing Yixing from Baekhyun's next verbal attack. He cleans up quickly, catching up to Luhan when he's done. Him, Kris, and Luhan, as seniors, have a free period before their seventh periods, so the three usually waste their time fooling around between lunch and their final classes on campus.

“Will you check my dancing?” Yixing ask him. “Our competition is a week away, and I want to make sure my solo is perfect.”

“Why? In case Flower Boy shows up?” Luhan jokes. Yixing flushes because, yes, he was hoping that - since Huchu’s dance team would be participating - Jongdae would see him perform.

They enter the dance team's currently empty practice room, courtesy of Yixing's captain key. He dances his heart out, and Luhan gives him some pointers. He's more passionate about his flute than dance, but he has attended the same dance studio as Yixing for the past six years.

Yixing really does hope Jongdae shows up to the competition. He wants to impress him, because he's been getting mixed signals from Jongdae since the day of Luhan's competition.

Yixing remembers entering the flower shop (recommended to him by his mother's friend, who got her wedding arrangements from there) for the first time, and being welcomed by a glorious backside as Jongdae had bent to set his watering can on a shelf.

Then he turned around, and Yixing saw the most adorable pair of kitten lips, curled into a smile, and a nametag that read Kim Jongdae.

He thinks they both froze at the same time. Jongdae recovered first. Yixing recovered better.

He's not one hundred percent sure what compelled him to buy the first flower - that's something Baekhyun would do - all he knew was that he thought Jongdae was adorable, with his wide smiles and crinkly eyes, his flusteredness and even the way he smelled like flowers is appealing to Yixing. But even so, the action of plucking that rose out of its display and handing it to him was out of his control, a freudian slip of sorts.

He stiffened once he held the flower out, realizing too late that it was a very weird thing to do, and god what if the guy wasn't into other guys?

But then red exploded across Jongdae's face, and he could barely function, just managing to take the rose from Yixing's hand, and he knew he didn't screw up.

He screwed up when he told the story to Baekhyun.

It was after the competition (Luhan's flute solo getting first place in his section but some soul called and Joonmyeon ended up winning the collective solo award) Yixing, Luhan, and the gang were celebrating with pancakes at the local twenty-four hour diner.

“These flowers smell amazing Yixing, thank you again for getting them,” Luhan had said, and that's what opened up the subject.

“Speaking of flowers, you'll never believe what I did at the flower shop,” Yixing started, and he launched into the whole story.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Baekhyun asked when he was done. The story had made him freeze in the middle of feeding Chanyeol, so Chanyeol bent down to finish eating the pancake himself, his eyes still trained on Yixing with interest.

“What do you mean 'what am I going to do about it?’” Yixing picked up his fork. “I'm not going to do anything, I don't have a reason to go there anymore.” He wished  he did, but buying flowers isn't an everyday occasion for him.

“But actually,” Tao said, “you do.”

“Flower Boy is your reason,” Baekhyun added. “You can't just buy him a flower and then drop off the radar - you've made a commitment. Plus I really want someone to go on double dates with Chanyeol and I,and it sounds like you're my best option.”

Yixing grimaced. He would rather die than go on a double date with Baekhyun and Chanyeol - their idea of a date is each other’s faces - but he didn't say so. “So you're saying I should go back?”

“You have to go back,” Baekhyun insisted.

“Oh my god, you know what you should do?” Luhan looked up from his pancakes, looking like he got the epiphany of the year. “You should go in everyday, buy a flower, and give it to him. Just keep repeating what you did everyday until he gets the message.”

“Kind of like courting,” Kris said. “I like it. You should study flower language too, so each flower has a meaning.” That earned him strange glances from everyone at the table.

“How the hell am I going to learn flower language?” Yixing asked, already regretting talking about the flower shop.

“I've got a book about flowers - I'll lend it to you,” Kris replied. Yixing has no idea why someone like Kris would get a book to study flower language. “Until then, get him a sprig of holly - they should be budding around now - it'll be perfect.”

“Why? What does it mean?” Yixing asked, and Kris leaned over to whisper the meaning in his ear.

Yixing jerked away. “Oh hell no, you're crazy, if you think I'm going along with this plan-”

He did it anyways. He followed his friend's directions (ignoring most of what Baekhyun advises, which involves a lot of ual innuendos) the whole week, but he could feel his morale slipping when Jongdae doesn't even look him in the eye anymore.

“Should I just give up?” He's taking Tao to his after-school martial arts practice (it's on the way to the flower shop anyways) and confiding in him, mostly because he's the only one there to listen to him vent, but also because he feels like Tao, unlike Baekhyun, will take him seriously. He's a good kid when they're alone, but Baekhyun influence him heavily whenever they're together. “I don't know if he likes me at all, he avoids looking at me unless he has to, and he doesn't try to talk to me like he did on Saturday.”

“I think you should keep trying,” Tao says. “I think Flower Boy does like you - he's just really shy. It's hard not to be when a cute stranger keeps giving you flowers. I mean, imagine if you guys switched places.”

Yixing flushes as he imagine Jongdae holding a flower out to him, lips curled into a feline smile as he murmurs holly means 'looking for love.’ His chest suddenly feels too tight. “ Okay, you have a point,” He says as he pulls up to Tao’s dojo.

“I know I do.” Tao blows him a kiss as he waves goodbye. Yixing suspect that Tao thinks it makes him look cool. He should tell him that it just contributes to his white girl image.

When he reaches the flower shop, the store owner flashes him a Cheshire smile, and he's struck with the feeling that she and Jongdae are related. He smiles in return, then scans the shop, looking for him.

“My nephew's not in yet, if you're looking for him,” the shop owner says, and Yixing's suspicions are confirmed, just as his stomach begins to sink in disappointment.

“Do you know when he'll be here?” He asks her, and immediately feels stupid - she owns the store, of course she would know.

Her grin somehow gets wider.  “I can tell you his weekly schedule, if you want it.” She moves from behind the register. “I think what you're doing is adorable by the way. I approve of this relationship.”

Yixing laughs sheepishly. “Thanks, I guess?”

“Let me know if I can do anything to help.”

“Well, that schedule would be great, for starters.” God, Yixing hopes he doesn't sound like a stalker.

“I'm already on it.” She shuffles around in the back for a bit, and returns with a printout. “This is his weekly schedule. It rarely changes, only for holidays and things like that.”

Jongdae's aunt hands it to him, and he studies it closely. His face falls. “He doesn't come in until four-thirty today?” He's supposed to be visiting his grandparents at four-thirty. “I'm busy at that time - what am I going to do?” He wonder how missing a day would change his (Luhan's) plan.

He sends a quick text to Kris, pleading for help. He's not sure why, but he feels like Kris would have the perfect solution to his problem. He doesn't feel like turning to Luhan for advice - he's the one who got him into this mess in the first place. Plus Kris - for some strange reason - knows a lot about flowers. Yixing feels like this makes him more reliable.

The reply he gets makes him feel like an idiot.

Dude, just leave something with the owner.

And then:

Get a lotus

It means far from the one you love

He'll love that

Yixing wonders when Kris became such a romantic loser.

He looks up, and finds Jongdae's aunt stuffing arrangement after arrangement into the cooler.

“Uh, excuse me?” He feels bad bothering her with his stupid crush when she's so busy. “I'm sorry, but do you have any lotus flowers?”

She halts in her movements, and another Cheshire grin spreads across her face. “Oh I see.” She sets down an arrangement and goes to the small section of potted plants. “Lotus flowers are aquatic and hard to use in arrangements, but I've got some potted ones. They're hard to take care of. But since it's for Jongdae, I'm sure it'll be in good hands.” She hands him the small plant with a wink. “It's on the house this time.”

“No, I can pay,” Yixing starts, but Jongdae's aunt waves him off.

“Consider it a gift,” she says. “For courting my nephew - he's been needing to get some action for ages. I feel bad charging you for flowers that just end up in his hands anyways.” She pats his hand. “I don't think he's gotten rid of any of the flowers you've given him so far, by the way. He keeps asking me for more vases and plant food.”

A surge of warmth rushes through Yixing. “Really?” He breathes.

Jongdae's aunt laughs. Yixing is grateful for the new ally he found in her today. “He may not seem like it because he's so shy, but Jongdae likes you - a lot. He hasn't said much about you - though I will admit he gushes about your dimple sometimes - but I can tell. He gets significantly happier after you visit, and his overall mood this week has been brighter than before.”

“Oh thank God,” Yixing says without thinking, and she laughs again. He hands the lotus back to her with a grin. “Can you give this to him for me? And make sure he knows what it means - even if he works part-time, he should know some flower language.” He winks.  

He leaves with some orchids for his grandmother (because he couldn't just leave without buying anything) and a smile on his face, because like Jongdae, his week has been feeling brighter too.

_________________________________________________________________________

“You know, instead of just hoping Jongdae shows up to the dance competition, why don’t you just ask him to come?” Luhan asks. Him, Kris, and Yixing are spending their free period in the library, pretending to do homework.

Yixing groans. “I can’t just do that.”

“Why not?” Kris asks. “The worst he’ll do is say that he can’t make it.”

“C’mon Yixing, trust us. We wouldn’t set you up with a plan that would ruin you.” Luhan adds. His tone turns bitter. “We’re not Baekhyun.”

“I knew you never forgave him for that incident with Huchu’s soccer captain-”

The eldest cuts Yixing off with a deathly glare. “We do not,” he says quietly. “Talk about that.”

Kris snorts and mutters something that sounds horribly like blow it like a flute and Yixing pales, instantly holding Luhan back when he lunges at him. His death threats are kept quiet, since he doesn’t want them to get kicked out, so Luhan sounds more like a hissing cat than anything. It doesn’t make Yixing any less terrified.

He eventually gets Luhan to calm down, shooting Kris scolding looks that wipe the grin off his face, and sits down with a huff.  Now that Luhan doesn’t scare the out of him, Yixing looks at him, disappointed. “Really Luhan? In the library?”

“I’m sorry, but,” he slouches in his seat. “You know how I feel about what happened last year.”

Him and Kris end up abandoning their calculus homework and thoughts of Jongdae to comfort Luhan, because out of the whole group, only they truly realize just how much Luhan pined (maybe still pines) after Kim Minseok, captain of Huchu High School’s football team.

_________________________________________________________________________

This time, when Yixing enters the flower shop, Jongdae greets him with a smile, one that knocks the air out of him. Because his smile isn’t like his usual friendly or polite ones - he’s smiling at Yixing like he’s waiting for him to come over there and tear his clothes off.

Which Yixing would do. Religiously.

He takes a step forward fully intending to do so, but Jongdae’s aunt brings him back to reality as she brushes past him,  claiming that she needs some air. Yixing does too, because he thinks he’s forgotten how to breathe. He doesn’t know what sparked this change in Jongdae, but he’s certainly not complaining.

“Welcome, “ Jongdae says, almost like a purr, accentuated by those feline lips of his. He manages to hold the face for a moment longer (just enough to get drool pooling in Yixing’s mouth), before he turns red and he breaks his sultry expression, exchanging it for one of embarrassment.

“Oh god.” Jongdae covers his face with his hands. “That was so stupid.”

Yixing smiles, trying to regain his cool. “Is that how you greet all your customers?” he teases, trying to see if he can make Jongdae blush harder. He likes making Jongdae blush. And he can handle blushing Jongdae, not the god he got when he walked through the door.

To his dismay, Jongdae answers him with a “No, just you,” and he doesn’t know what happened to the old Jongdae, but now he kind of hopes the old Jongdae never comes back. He avoids answering by examining the flowers, trying to think of a way to get back at him by being seductive as well, but honestly the only time Yixing knows how to be seductive is when he’s dancing, and he can’t exactly break into a hot solo in the middle of a flower shop that’s not even playing music.

He gives up and just tries to achieve his main goal, which involves dancing anyways. “You know, the district is holding a dance competition this weekend. And it just so happens I’m on Sogeum’s dance team.”

“Really?” Jongdae says, leaning across the register to look at Yixing. “Well, prepare to lose, because two of my friends are on my dance team.”

Yixing finds the flower he’s looking for - an aster tataricus. Kris had shown him plenty of pictures so he could recognize it. He picks it up. “We’ll see about that,” he replies, approaching the register so Jongdae can ring him up. “You will come, right?” He asks as he hands him the money.

Jongdae focuses his gaze on the register, his face pink. “A competition with my best friends versus my favorite rival? I would never give up a chance to watch them crush you.”

“Good,” Yixing sys. He leans in extra close when he hands Jongdae his flower. His cheeks go from pink to red. “Then here’s a reminder.”

He leaves in a way that he thinks seems cool, but it’s not until he’s in his car driving home that he realizes he forgot to tell Jongdae that an aster tataricus means “remembrance.”

_________________________________________________________________________

Jongdae groans, burying his face in his hands. In front of him, a row of small vases full of flowers (and one lotus plant) line his windowsill. He had long since run out of room to store his growing (and withering) collection on his bedside table. They seem to mock him.

He hates Oh Sehun.

“Ok, now that I’m helping you, it’s time to get some payback,” Sehun said, today at lunch. “Mr. Dance Captain has been flustering you a lot right? Now it’s his turn.”

Jongdae leaned forward, pleased with the idea of making Yixing blush. “What do I have to do?”

“Okay, so you know how you sometimes make eyes when you really get into a song during karaoke? I want you to do that, but to him.”

Jongdae’s stomach dropped. “What?! No, I can’t do that!”

“Sure you can.” Jongin chirped. “It’s just like flipping a switch inside yourself. God knows I do that whenever I perform.”

“If all else fails, just pretend to be Sehun,” Kyungsoo says. “He makes eyes at everything that moves.” Sehun doesn’t even bother to deny it.

“I’m telling you, it’s just going to make me look like an idiot,” Jongdae replied.

And he was right.

He pulls out his phone and sends a message to their group chat. Some jerk renamed it to ‘The Jongdae Support Squad.’ Jongdae suspects Minseok.

My life is over I hate all of you

Joonmyeon, the forever concerned mother, instantly replies, despite it being two in the morning. What happened??

Jongdae is just grateful he still has Joonmyeon on his side to comfort him as he types out a response.

I made a fool of myself hyung

Unfortunately Sehun joins the conversation, blowing his chances of seeking comfort.

Oh cmon my plan totally worked stop being such a drama queen

He’s about to tell Sehun to drink bleach, but Kyungsoo beats him to it.

Sehun if you wanna see a real drama queen look in the goddamn mirror

Jongdae sees the typing bubble pop up and suspects an incoming text war, so he quickly changes the subject.

He invited me to the dance competition on sat

He receives a flurry of messages at once.

Sehun: WHAT DID I TELL YOU

Jongin (of ing course he would choose to join the conversation now): You better not cheer for him hyung if you do we’re not friends anymore

Joonmyeon: Why don’t you bring him a bouquet?

Jongdae thinks that’s a great idea. Thanks hyung, he replies, ignoring the influx of texts from everyone else. It’s mostly plans of what to do to prepare him for this weekend. He turns off his phone (why is everyone awake this late anyways) and drifts off to sleep, imagining the perfect bouquet for Yixing.

_________________________________________________________________________

“Close your eyes,” Minseok says, holding an eyeliner pencil.

“I thought this get-together was to help Sehun and Jongin get ready, not Sehun, Jongin, and I,” Jongdae whines, but he obeys. “I’m not even performing today.”

“Yes but this is the first time Mr. Dance Captain is going to see you in something other than your work uniform,” Sehun says. “And I’m going to make sure you blow his mind or else my name isn’t Oh Sehun.”

Jongdae opens his eyes to squint at him as Minseok pulls away from his face for a moment. “But what’s wrong with my uniform?” Jongdae likes his uniform, he thinks it’s cute. It’s a white button up and a green apron. He like button ups and the color green.

“There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just hard to be seductive in it.” Jongdae gets a glimpse of Sehun tinting his lips pink in the mirror before Minseok signals him to close his eyes again.

After a few more flicks of the pencil, Minseok gives him an affectionate tap on the chin to tell him he’s finished. “Open your eyes, let me see how it looks.” Everyone clusters around his chair for a good look, curious to see the finished product.

Kyungsoo flashes Jongdae one of his squishy smiles. “You look great.” Jongdae is touched. He has no idea why Kyungsoo’s nickname in choir is Satan.

Sehun begins to beg Minseok to do his eyes next as Jongdae goes to Joonmyeon’s mirror to see how he looks for himself. They’re all clustered in Joonmyeon’s bedroom, their usual pre-competition hang out spot, which is like twice the size of Jongdae’s own room, and that’s not even counting the luxurious bathroom attached to it.  He doesn’t know where Sehun and Jongin are going to get ready next year, because no one else has nearly the same size of a room as Joonmyeon.

“Okay,” Sehun settles into the chair Jongdae was previously occupying, hair styled out of his eyes, his makeup nearly complete. Minseok leans over with his eyeliner pencil again. “Jongin can do your hair while Minseok-hyung does my eyes and then we’ll work on your outfit.”

“Why can’t I just do my own hair?” Jongdae whines. He doesn’t understand why everyone is going through such lengths to get him ready. It’s not like this is the first time him and Yixing have met. If anything, he feels almost embarrassed that he’s going to be so much more dressed up than he is on a daily basis. “I know how to do my hair just fine.”

“Yeah, if just parting it in the middle counts as fine,” snarks Sehun.

Jongdae lifts an eyebrow. “Excuse me, but name one person that looks better with a middle part than me.”

He hears Joonmyeon mutter a “He’s got a point,” and he smirks, knowing he won.

“Okay whatever, but we’re trying to make you look incredibly good tonight,” Sehun says. “Like, ‘I’m so hot you’ll want to me backstage’ kind of good. And no one’s better at styling hair better than Jongin.”

Jongdae rolls his eyes, but he gives in, because Sehun’s right. Jongin’s hair is always styled like he’s just had the best of his life, in the best way possible. Jongdae also can’t name a better turn-on than hair. He takes a seat in front of Joonmyeon’s bathroom vanity (Jongdae swears the only reason he has all this is for days like these) and lets Jongin go to town, which is mostly just him running his hands through his hair with the blow-dryer on high. Jongdae thinks that it  looks good enough, until Jongin whips out a comb and does some kind of insane black magic that leaves Jongdae stunned, because wow, he’s never gonna look at his reflection the same again now that he knows he can look this much like a god. Jongin grins at him through the mirror, giving him a high-five.

He feels like he could even give Sehun a run for his money looking like this. It seems that even Sehun agrees, because when he re-enters Joonmyeon’s room his mouth drops open and says, “ hyung, if this thing with Yixing doesn’t work out we have to make out sometime.”

A cocky smile slides over Jongdae’s lips, because if Sehun’s attracted to him enough to say that, he can’t even imagine how well Yixing is going to react.

_________________________________________________________________________

“Wow, Tao and Baekhyun really did a number on you,” Luhan says when Yixing arrives at the performing arts center. Kris lets out a whistle. “You look great.” The two elders are dressed entirely in black, their uniforms as part of the tech team. Luhan always volunteers because of his love for dance, Kris because the team needs someone his size.

“Yeah thanks for warning me that they were coming,” Yixing says. “Baekhyun just barged in and started making out with Chanyeol for like an hour.”

“I did his hair, do you like it?” Tao interrupts by approaching them from behind, his expression practically begging for praise. “Baekhyun wouldn’t let me do his eye makeup though.”

“That’s because you’ve somehow mastered the art of lining eyes in a way that looks amazing on you, but bad on everyone else,” Baekhyun says as he joins them alongside Tao, hands intertwined with Chanyeol’s. “I’m really jealous of that, by the way.”  The three of them had tagged along in Yixing’s car after invading his home in order to do his hair and makeup, because apparently the way he usually did it was unacceptable if Jongdae was coming.

He won’t admit it, because he’s annoyed and his beauty skills has been insulted, but he really does look great. Tao styled his hair in soft brown waves and Baekhyun lined his eyes in the most subtle way possible. He’s confident he’s going to sweep Jongdae off his feet.

That is, until he enters the building’s foyer, Huchu’s tech team is already doing their part to get everything ready, setting up signs with Sogeum and organizing the concession stand - and a figure blows through the entrance to the stage, box in his arms and whining. Yixing halts, both in his steps and his breathing.

“I can’t believe they won’t let me tech because I’m not wearing black,” Jongdae whines to another tech. He sets the box down, amazing biceps rippling below the sleeves of his white t-shirt - biceps Yixing has never seen but now wishes he could stare at for the rest of his life. Jongdae turns and then halts, eyes wide open.

They both take each other in, frozen to the spot. Yixing can feel his friends’ eyes on him, but he can’t bear to look away, not when the iest person alive is right in front of him. God, he knew Jongdae was hot but his tousled hair makes him look like actual sin and Yixing has never been this attracted to someone before.

He thought he would be the one flustering Jongdae again. He was so wrong.

The tech next to Jongdae nudges him then, and he breaks out of his stupor, as if he just remembered he’s supposed to be doing something. His lips curl into a y, Cheshire Cat-like grin, and he puts his hands on his hips.

“Hi there,” Jongdae says. “I hope you brought your best, because if not, prepare to lose.”

He leaves with a small wave, the stage door swinging shut, and Yixing struggles to gather his wits.

He’s in deep.

“That’s not Flower Boy, is it?” Luhan asks, his eyes still on where Jongdae stood. “There’s no way you were hiding someone that hot from us, right?”

He can sense when the five of them takes his silence as a yes, because the next moment everyone is grabbing him, Tao is whining that it’s not fair and that he has to share, and Kris can’t stop laughing.

Yixing tunes them out, sinks to his knees, and groans.

_________________________________________________________________________

Jongdae’s hands are shaking, and he’s not even the one that’s performing tonight.

Kyungsoo hands him a water bottle. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah.” He is not. His chance encounter (ok not really chance but Jongdae hadn’t planned on seeing Yixing face to face until after the competition was over) with Yixing has left him more shaken than he’d like to admit. He looked so good - how was he supposed to impress someone like that?

“So that was the guy?” Kyungsoo sits next to him, ignoring the bustle backstage. They’re both sitting cross legged in the corner, so it’s not like they’re in the way anyways. “You’re right, he’s pretty handsome - but I bet Jongin’s a better dancer.”

Jongdae laughs. Trust Kyungsoo to stay faithful to his favorite maknae.

“Jongdae!” He looks up at Joonmyeon’s call. “The competition’s starting soon, we should go find our seats.”

Jongdae stands, as Sehun wraps an arm around the eldest. “Wish me luck mom.”

Joonmyeon just ruffles his hair, but Sehun accepts the encouragement, leaning into the touch. He jerks his neck at Jongdae “Let’s go.”

Jongdae makes his way out, shouting a, “Good luck guys!” before shutting the door.

“Jongin said he reserved some seats for us in the front, a few seats down from his parents,” Joonmyeon informs him as they make their way through the audience. Jongdae recognizes tons of people from his school, lots of girls talking excitedly as if they’re at a concert. He remember that the dance events never really got much attention, until the 94-line joined the team. He blames the way Jongin seems to get possessed by some sort of demon every time he steps on stage.

“Do you think my bouquet will be safe?” he mutters to Joonmyeon as the lights darken, indicating the first performance is about to begin. The order has been shuffled so Huchu is up this time - with Sogeum closing each round. Jongdae assumes it’s because they’re the two best schools in the district.

“Minseok promised he would keep an eye on it,” Joonmyeon assures him, and then Huchu’s dance team is stepping on stage. Jongdae screams as he always does, easily drowning out Jongin and Sehun’s fangirls. Sehun finds him in the crowd and winks.

Of course their performance is killer, with Taemin front and center, Jongdae screaming his hardest when they finish. He’s incredibly proud of his friends - especially when they manage to blow away a whole auditorium of people. He can’t imagine them losing, and he continues to feel confident as the other schools in the district perform their routines.

Then Sogeum is up, and Yixing, like Taemin, is right in the center, easy to pick out even with the stage lights darkening to a soft blue glow.

Huchu’s routine was quick, full of popping and gyrating hips, but when the music starts Jongdae can tell that Yixing’s team is the exact opposite. The song they dance to has a slower rhythm, their body rolls less ualized as they flow into the next step. With Huchu he imagines a well-oiled machine, but Sogeum is like an orchestra performing a ballad.

They’re good, and Jongdae is no longer confident in who will win first for the group routine.

He claps hard as they finish, and Yixing’s gaze, which had been roaming around the audience the entire performance, finally find him, and rest there. Jongdae promised Jongin that - at the very least - he wouldn’t cheer for Yixing’s group performance, yet Jongdae can’t help but give Yixing an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. He earns a smile back, the sweetness of the dancer’s dimple rivaling his y appearance.

Duets are next, and Yixing doesn’t compete in this section, but Jongdae does get to to watch Jongin and Sehun engage in an intimate duet that makes their fans go insane. His own throat feels parched due to the waves of thirst surging through the crowd, and he wonders what Jongin’s parents think about his...popularity. Sehun’s parents are the chillest people ever, so Jongdae just assumes that they’re proud Sehun has became a icon of the school.

The duets are over quickly and the competition moves to solos, the final and longest section. Jongdae knows Jongin’s managed to snag a routine for this too, both because of skill and because Taemin knows the reason why the dance team has become so popular. He has to admire the way Taemin has used that to his advantage, because he’s heard whispers from the girls that the main reason they came was for the maknaes’ duet performance.

Jongin blows the entire audience away with the first beat of his solo, finally releasing the dance demons he keeps locked inside him when he’s not on stage. His moves are impeccable, but what really makes his performances are his expressions, the ferocity in his eyes as he moves quickly to the beat, and his love for dance that practically radiates off him. Girls are frothing at the mouth by the end of his performance.

The rest of Huchu’s lineup follows suit, and Jongdae figures the reason Sehun didn’t receive a solo was because of all the practices he skips. Jongdae will never admit it to his face, but for someone who doesn’t give a about dance and skips practice as much as Oh Sehun, he’s got talent. It’s how he still managed to snag a duet with Jongin, the team’s devoted prodigy.

Then Yixing’s solo is up, and honestly, Jongdae should have known better. He should have seen this coming the moment he started taking Sehun’s advice and making eyes at him everytime he stops by for another flower.

How else could Yixing get back at him, other than kneeling on the stage and ing his hips like he was born for it, all while maintaining intense eye contact with poor little Jongdae.

He has never felt this attacked before. But at the same time, he’s never been more grateful for a dance performance. He hopes Yixing never leave the stage. His thoughts must have shown on his face, because as Yixing bows and walks off the stage (sending a wink targeted right at him), he feels a hand clap onto his shoulder and he turns to his right to see Joonmyeon with a Very Understanding expression, offering him a water bottle.

Jongdae swallows the excessive spit pooling in his mouth, and takes it.

_________________________________________________________________________

Yixing has never dreaded and anticipated the end of the awards ceremony this much before. A smug smile is pasted on his face, the awards for best group dance and best solo in his arms. He’s incredibly proud of himself, but he’s disappointed that Sogeum didn’t win for the duet section as well. He’s never concerned about the other schools in the district, but he has to admit that Huchu puts forth some big competition. He wonders which members are friends with Jongdae.

He taps his foot impatiently as tonight’s mc wraps up the competition, ready to leave the stage. He wants to see Jongdae as soon as possible, and yet he can’t bring himself to lock eyes with him in the crowd.

It’s tradition for Yixing to take his friends out for pancakes after every competition. But tonight, he’s trying to work up the courage to ask Jongdae instead. He wonders how his dance team friends would feel about him celebrating with the enemy, if Jongdae has mentioned him to his friends at all, like Yixing has. He wonder if his friends have a nickname for him too.

He quickly dismisses the thought. Not everyone is like Byun Baekhyun.

The competition finishes with loud applauses, and Yixing steps off stage and enters the foyer, scanning the swarming crowd, trying to locate Jongdae before he exits. A jumping hug from Baekhyun interrupts him.

“Oh my gosh, you almost won the whole competition!” he exclaims. The shorter pulls away from him, retreating into Chanyeol’s arms as the rest of the group joins them, Luhan draping an arm around Yixing’s shoulders.

“You should pay for our pancakes, as celebration,” Tao adds. The ing cheapskate.

“Yeah, about that...” Yixing drifts off when he locates Jongdae, his heart rate picking up, because he’s heading right towards him.

With a bouquet in his hands.

“The yellow poppies in that arrangement mean ‘success,’” Kris whispers to him. “He must have been confident that you were going to win today.”

For some reason, the idea leaves Yixing blushing.

“Congratulations.” Jongdae steps in front of him, clutching the bouquet with both hands. He’s a lot more bashful now than he was earlier this evening, eyes flicking nervously at Luhan, who still has his arm around Yixing. He holds the bouquet out for him. “This is for you.”

Yixing smiles and takes it, fingers brushing against Jongdae’s. The shorter’s cheeks turn pink. “Thanks, but do your friends approve of you congratulating the enemy?”

Jongdae laughs, an angelic sound Yixing could listen to all day. “They’ve accepted that I’m a traitor.”

Yixing musters up his courage to ask him to join him for pancakes, but Baekhyun beats him to it, stepping forward.

“You’re Kim Jongdae, right?” he asks, tilting his head in a way that’s supposed to trick the florist into thinking he’s innocent. “Yixing talks about you all the time! We’re heading out to get pancakes right now, do you want to join us?”

Yixing glares at Baekhyun because this was not how it was supposed to go, and then it gets worse when Jongdae’s friend joins them, wrapping a hand around Jongdae’s waist possessively.

“I was looking for you hyung,” Oh Sehun, the flirty, bratty maknae of Huchu’s dance team, whines. Yixing didn’t expect Jongdae to be friends with him, out of all the people on the dance team. It makes him wonder just how popular Jongdae is at school, because if his friend is popular enough to fill up half the auditorium with his fans, Jongdae should be pretty well known as well. “Aren’t you coming to celebrate with me, Jongin, and everyone?”

Yixing gulps. So he’s not just friends with Sehun, he’s friends with the total duo that snagged first place for the duet routine.

“Actually, I was going to have pancake with Yixing,” Jongdae says. A bubble of happiness swells in Yixing’s chest. He sees Baekhyun grin in the corner of his eye.

Sehun flicks his eyes over the other dancer with a look of disinterest, but Yixing remembers how he tried to hook up with him at a competition last year. “Oh, are you guys going to the 24-hour diner down the street? Their pancakes are good.”

Yixing smiles stiffly. “We are.” He wants to rip Jongdae out of his arms and into his own.

“You should try their pumpkin pancakes - they’re great.” Sehun releases Jongdae, much to his relief. “Well I’ll let you consort with the enemy then.” He moves to leave, but pauses, eyes on Luhan.

“Were you a dancer?” the blond asks.

Luhan blinks, surprised. “I’m not on a team, but I do dance,” he answers. “How’d you guess?”

“Just intuition.” Sehun winks, turning on the same charm he attempted on Yixing. “You should show me some moves sometime.” He leaves without  another word, and Jongdae rolls his eyes. Yixing kind of wants to laugh.

“Shall we get going then?” Baekhyun offers, as Chanyeol tugs him closer into his arms. “I’m Baekhyun, by the way, and this loser is my boyfriend, Chanyeol. The giant is Kris, the blonde is Tao, and the one that looks like a girl is Luhan.”

“Call me a girl one more ing time Baekhyun,” Luhan snarls at him. Baekhyun just grins at him.

Jongdae laughs. “Well, I’m Jongdae, but I figure you guys already know that.”

“So how are we splitting into cars?” Yixing says quickly, before Baekhyun can say anything else and possibly embarrass him. “I’ll take Jongdae with me.”

“Baekhyun and Chanyeol can tag along with Kris and I,” Luhan says, reading the situation. He knows Yixing would rather die than have Baekhyun in the same car as him and Jongdae. “You can take Tao, yeah?”

“But-” Baekhyun starts, but Chanyeol, god bless his soul, distracts him with a peck on the lips.

“Sounds like a plan!” Yixing chirps. He begins to usher his passengers out of the auditorium, laying a daring hand on the small of Jongdae’s back. “We’ll meet you guys at the diner!”

When he faces forward, he notices Jongdae’s face is completely red. Yixing decides that his new look looks much better when he’s flustered. He’s nervous that he won’t be able to strike up a conversation, but then Tao asks Jongdae how he did his eyeliner and Yixing couldn’t feel better.

“My friends kind of forcibly gave me a makeover,” Jongdae admits.

Yixing barks out a laugh as he pulls out of the parking lot. “The exact thing happened to me,” he says lightly. He jerks his head towards the backseat. “You’re looking at the guy who showed up unannounced at my place and started brushing my hair.”

“You make it sound like it was all my idea!” Tao whines. “Baekhyun’s the one who came up with it.”

“Oh yeah, a word of advice,” Yixing says, dismissing Tao completely, “Stay as far away from Baekhyun as possible.” Jongdae laughs, and Yixing begins rattling his mind for jokes that will make him laugh again.

“What grade are you in, Jongdae?” Tao asks. “Yixing’s a senior and I’m a sophomore.”

“I’m a junior, so you should be calling me hyung.”

Yixing chuckles - he was afraid that with how shy Jongdae always seemed at the flower shop, he would feel uncomfortable around his friends, but he’s doing well. Tao’s actually getting a better conversation out of Jongdae than the elder ever has. He’s kind of jealous of that.

They pull up to the diner, and Kris’s car parks just as they all hop out of the car. The parking lot is mostly empty - not many people come to visit the diner this late.

“Same rules?” Luhan asks as he exits his car.

Yixing shakes his head. He doesn’t want to have to focus on eating pancakes tonight. “Let’s not have a competition today.”

“Let’s have Kris pay for everything,” Tao says, shooting Kris a mischievous grin, and the two of them start arguing. Yixing already knows Tao is going to win, so he turns to Jongdae, who has a confused expression on his face.

“Usually when we’re here we all order endless pancakes,” Yixing explains. “And whoever eats the least pays for everyone.”

“Who usually loses?” Jongdae asks.

“Kris, but I think he does it on purpose so Tao doesn’t have to pay. He’s like a second father to him.”

“Kris said he’s buying!” Tao declares, and Yixing grins at Jongdae as they enter the diner.

_________________________________________________________________________

Byun Baekhyun is literally a second Oh Sehun. From this day forward, Jongdae is going to pray that the two never meet. He likes Baekhyun though - he treats Jongdae well enough but he’s been giving poor Yixing a hard time all night - he’s like a puppy, small and begging for attention, his pink hair giving him an air of innocence that’s ruined by his mouth.

Baekhyun’s boyfriend, Chanyeol, has the  biggest but cutest ears Jongdae has ever seen, and seems pretty laid back. He gets the feeling that Chanyeol joined their group after he started dating Baekhyun.

Tao is the youngest and the only sophomore of the group - and it’s already obvious that they baby him, but Baekhyun seems to to harder than everyone else to make up for it. He’s incredibly friendly and Jongdae already likes him better than his maknae. He suspects if he continues to talk to him he’ll end up spoiling him as well.

Luhan is pretty - like Minseok level pretty - but even sitting next to Kris, he gives off the coolest aura in the room. He seems to put up with Baekhyun the least - he’s already threatened to cut him when they were sitting down.

He doesn’t know what to think of Kris yet. He’s been quiet for the most part, but from what he’s heard from Yixing, he’s probably the caretaker of the group.

“So Jongdae,” Baekhyun leans forward, resting his face in his hands. “Yixing says that you apparently sing better than me.” He adds little finger quotes around the word ‘apparently’.

Jongdae freezes mid-chew. He remembers Yixing had told him that his singing could give one of his friends a run for their money. For the love of god, why did it have to be the Sehun-incarnate Byun Baekhyun. He swallows and tries to change the subject. “Singing for me is just a hobby,” he says. “I’m not in choir, but I have friends in choir. Have you ever met Do Kyungsoo?”

“I don’t give a about Kyungsoo, I know I can sing better than him,” Baekhyun says, and wow, Jongdae never thought he would meet someone confident enough to say that. “I want to hear the singing that’s apparently better than mine.”

“Baekhyun we’re in the middle of a diner, you can’t expect him to just burst into a song,” Yixing says, defending him. Kris orders more pancakes.

“Okay, well we’re going to karaoke sometime.” He shoots Jongdae a death glare. Jongdae remembers what it’s like to be on Sehun’s bad side, and begins to sweat.

“Just shut up and eat,” Luhan says, and shoves a forkful of pancake into Baekhyun’s mouth.  He faces forward again, but freezes, staring at something just beyond their booth. Jongdae turns to look.

Honestly, he should have known.

“Fancy meeting you guys here,” Sehun chirps, the rest of Jongdae’s friends trailing behind him. He’s going to strangle Sehun the next time they’re alone.

But that doesn’t explain why Luhan looks so pale, like a deer in the headlights. Minseok glances at him, and his eyes widen slightly in recognition.

“Hey,” he says, stepping towards Luhan, “You’re that guy from last year’s football game-”

“I need to go to the bathroom!” Luhan squeaks, standing up with near violent speed, before booking it towards the restroom, leaving Minseok utterly dumbfounded.

“I, uh, need to go too,” Kris says nervously, and follow after him.

Baekhyun cackles, leaning into Chanyeol for support. “Oh my god,” he gasps. Jongdae thinks he’s crying. “What are the odds that you happen to be friends with Huchu’s football captain?”

It all clicks into place for Jongdae. “Wait,” he says. “Are you telling me that Luhan-” he points in the direction of the bathroom- “is the blow it like a flute guy?”

“In all fairness, that was Baekhyun’s idea,” Yixing says. “Luhan’s never been able to get over it.”

Tao shoots Minseok a dirty look, and the elder holds up his hands. “Hey, I’ve been trying to explain myself to him every chance I get,” he says. “But he runs off every time I get within ten feet of him.”

“I’d blow it like a flute,” Jongdae hears Sehun mutter under his breath, and he leans over Yixing to smack his arm, because now is quite possibly the worst time for Sehun to be thirsty. He pulls back to a pink-faced Yixing, and he blushes too as he realizes just how close they just were.

But of course, their current situation doesn’t allow them time to sort out their romantic feelings.

“I have nothing against him,” Minseok continues. “I’m just aual. I’d love to be friends with him, but everytime I try to explain that to him, he runs.”

Yixing smiles. “You should join us then. There’s plenty of room in the booth for all of you, if we squeeze.”

“Why not? Any friends of Jongdae’s are friends of ours,” Sehun says, immediately making himself at home, on the other side of Yixing.

“Shouldn’t we do something about Luhan though?” Jongdae asks. He feels like his rush to the bathroom has been completely disregarded.

“I’ll go explain,” Minseok says. “There isn’t much room to run in a bathroom.”

“I’ll come with you,” Baekhyun says, standing. “It’s partially my fault this happened.”

“Me too,” Sehun says, but Jongdae leans over and tugs him back, because he can already tell having Baekhyun as a middle man is going to be bad enough.

He glances shyly at Yixing, who turned pink again. “Sorry, I keep leaning over you.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” And dammit there’s that dimple again - it looks even better this close. They stayed like that for a moment, getting lost in each other’s eyes until Tao’s giggling ruins the moment.

“Well, let’s get everyone in here, shall we?” Yixing says quickly, looking away and trying to act natural. Jongdae thinks it’s adorable.

They get Jongdae’s friends situated and are just finishing placing their orders when Luhan, Minseok, Kris and Baekhyun returns. Luhan’s eyes look a bit pink, but he’s smiling now, making small talks with the football captain.

They all go through introductions - and the rest of the night is a hit. Jongin asks Yixing about certain moves from his solo, Tao talks about eyeliner techniques with Sehun (as well as Luhan’s likes and dislikes), Kyungsoo hits it off with Chanyeol and decides that he hates Byun Baekhyun (or he pretends to), but Jongdae loses his chances for a good conversation with Yixing, as the table explodes with interactions and chatter.

He barks out a laugh when their waitress brings them their check, and both Kris and Joonmyeon simultaneously reach for their wallets and say, “I’ve got this.”

They pause for a moment, unsure what to do. The rest of the table grows silent to watch, amused to see how the two “parents” of their groups will deck it out.

“We barged in on you guys, it’s only fair I pay for everyone to make up for it,” Joonmyeon says, taking out his credit card.

“Don’t worry about it, I had already said that I would pay for everyone before we entered the diner,” Kris replies, counting out bills.

“But that was before we showed up,” Joonmyeon counters.

“A man has to keep his word.”

“It’s against my morals to let you pay for us when we crashed your table.”

“For god’s sake, just split the bill in half,” Kyungsoo says, and the table erupts into laughs.

Which is what they decide to do, until the waitress returns and Joonmyeon expertly removes Kris’s half from the book as he hands it to her, a smug smile on his face. Jongdae doesn’t know why he loves to pay so much.

He slips the bills into Kris’s hands with a wink and says, “Next time you can pay for me.”

Kris goes deathly pale before blood rushes to his face , and Sehun swells with pride.

They end up lingering in the parking lot, talking. It pleases Jongdae that Yixing’s friends like him (and his friends) so much. He gets Tao and Baekhyun’s phone numbers, and Sehun manages to snag a conversation with Luhan as Baekhyun annoys Minseok. Yixing and Jongdae watch the youngest silently, exchanging amused glances.

“Can I get your number?” Sehun asks the older boy. Jongdae is surprised to hear a tinge of bashfulness in his voice, something he never knew existed in Oh Sehun before. “I’d love to go get coffee together sometime.”

“Yeah sure,” Luhan says, and is that a faint flush tinting Sehun’s cheeks?

“Oh my god,” Jongdae murmurs to Yixing. “I think Sehun seriously likes Luhan.” He makes a mental note to help him, as payment for everything Sehun has done for him with Yixing.

He’s gonna love tormenting him.

“And by the way,” Sehun continues, handing Luhan’s phone back to him, “In all seriousness, I would totally blow it like a flute.”

Jongdae groans. Yixing laughs so hard he clings to him for support.

Luhan looks up with murder in his eyes, only to widen them as he realizes Sehun is serious. Then he turns red. Incredibly red. Jongdae has no idea why that approach worked.

He can’t say he doesn’t understand Luhan’s situation though. He understands all too well, especially now, with Yixing’s arm still around him, even though he’s stopped laughing. He gently turns Jongdae to face him, and somehow Jongdae manages to look him in the eyes.

“You know, I need to get your number too,” the dancer says. One of his hands lets got of Jongdae to scratch his head anxiously. “Because as fun as it is to see you at the flower shop everyday, I’d like to take you out on a real date.”

Happiness bubbles up in Jongdae, rendering him speechless. Butterflies are in his stomach, his throat, and his heart. For some reason, he’s fighting tears from his eyes, because as much as Yixing has been flirting with him since Luhan’s flute recital, it’s never felt real to him that Yixing liked him. That he would eventually realize he’s a loser and abandon him, never to hand him another flower again. But after these past weeks, after all the times Jongdae has embarrassed himself, and after countless flowers, Yixing is still interested in him.

It makes Jongdae like him so much it hurts.

He doesn’t realize he’s been silent for too long until Yixing steps back, reading his silence as rejection. “Well, I mean, unless you don’t-” the elder begins to say, but he drops off as Jongdae steps forward, an idea in his mind.

“In your bouquet, there were poppies that symbolized success,” he says shyly. He can feel the group’s eyes on them, but he ignores them. “But there were also irises. Do you know what an iris stands for in flower language?”

Yixing shakes his head, and Jongdae steps even closer, until they’re mere inches apart.

“Well, I’ve been studying flower language like you told me to,” he continues, looking straight at Yixing, not daring to blink. “And an iris can mean ‘loyalty,’ or, like in this case, ‘glad tidings.’”

He can actually hear the dancer swallow.

“And my glad tiding for you is that I like you a lot, Zhang Yixing.”

“Oh thank god,” Yixing says, almost too loudly, or maybe Jongdae is just that close, and then he’s closing the few inches between them. The first kiss Jongdae receives from Yixing tastes like maple syrup.

And god, his lips really are as soft as they look. He wraps his arms around the elder’s neck, and is about to immerse himself in the moment, when Baekhyun and Sehun’s voices ruins everything.

“Alright Tao, you lose, gimme ten bucks.”

“Guys I win the best! Cough it up.”

Jongdae pulls away, feeling murderous. “Oh Sehun, you did not start a bet to see how soon I would confess to Yixing.”

“I didn’t,” Sehun replies smoothly. To Jongdae’s dismay, he’s collecting money from not just Jongin and Minseok, but Kyungsoo and Joonmyeon. “I made a bet for how long it would take you to kiss him.”

Honestly, he’s gone too far this time.

“I’m going to kill him,” Jongdae mutters to Yixing. “Will you help?”

Yixing looks down at him and smirks. “As long as you help me strangle Baekhyun.”