We talk and then you walk away, every day.

That's how it went every morning before Park Chanyeol left for work. He'd speak to his neighbor, Byun Baekhyun, every morning for about fifteen or twenty minutes before heading off. He'd never tell a soul (besides maybe his dog, Dozzie), but talking to Baekhyun in the early hours of the morning was quite possibly his favorite thing out of the entire day. The morning was the only time they'd be able to see each other as Chanyeol only caught Baekhyun before he'd head off to work. Chanyeol worked two jobs; one as a clerk at a flower shop and then he worked as a bartender during the late night and into the early morning hours. Baekhyun worked a job with complete opposite hours as him. He worked the night shifts at a hotel located in downtown Seoul, so as Chanyeol would head off for his job at the flower shop Baekhyun would be returning home from his front desk shift. 

Baekhyun seemed to like him enough. He would always laugh at whatever lame joke Chanyeol would tell him and always kept that sweet smile on his lips the entire conversation until they would bid each other farewell and Chanyeol would end up rushing to work because he'd end up getting too distracted by Baekhyun's soft laughs- honestly he was just surprised his boss hasn't fired him yet. Then again not many people were applying for the clerk position at a flower shop.

Oh, you don't think twice about me.

It was honestly becoming quite the problem on Chanyeol's end. The black-haired boy took up a majority of his mind whenever they were apart (which was often) and it was starting to interfere with his work. He flinches when he feels a sudden whack to the back of his head. "Chanyeol, what are you doing? We have four orders that need to be prepared within the next hour." It was Kris Wu, his boss who barely tolerated him yet never fired him because of his lack of employees. Chanyeol was pretty sure he'd get fired the moment the opportunity arose. 

Chanyeol stands dumbly at the counter for a whole minute under Kris' glare before his words finally sink in and slap him. "Oh, sorry, sorry." He scrambles around in his spot as he hurries over to start arranging the flowers together in a presentable manner. "Four orders?" That was kinda busy for them; they were normally pretty slow on Tuesdays. There were no major holidays coming up so it was unexpected for so many orders to flood in at once. "When are they supposed to be ready?" He asks as his fingers shakily decorate the small vases that the flowers would be placed in. Decorating was the easiest part, but Kris always made him nervous when he hovered over him. 

"Within the hour." He repeats casually. "Expect more orders to trinkle in today. It's graduation week for high schools, so families will be ordering lots of bouquets for their children." Oh, that's right. Graduation was this week, that made a lot more sense. "Okay, I'll be on it." He needed to get his mind off Baekhyun if he wanted to survive his shifts this week without Kris killing him. Maybe Baekhyun would order a bouquet- that would be nice. He didn't have a kid, but maybe he had a sibling or cousin who'd be graduating this week. It would be exciting to see Baekhyun at another time during the day, especially outside of their apartment complex. His chest bubbled with excitement at the thought, though he knew the chances were slim. How could it be that the person living next to him could be so far away? 

He sighs in relief as he steps away from the four decorated vases, all covered in appropriate school themed colored ribbons. He was kind of proud of himself, they looked really nice. He leaves from his spot behind the counter to pick out the appropriate flowers in order to make a fitting bouquet that Kris would approve of. He decides to go with buttercups, peonies, hydrangeas, dahlias, garden roses, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums. He nods in approval as he looks at the several flower pots in front of him, the mental picture of the flower bouquets in his mind. He carefully brings the vases over in two trips, setting them up on the counter as he begins to go to work with the flowers. 

He's in his own little world putting flowers in vases when the door opens, a soft bell chiming in the distance. He looks up when reminding himself that a potential customer walked in, not wanting Kris to chew him out for ignoring their guests despite him needing to finish his four orders. He nearly chokes, however, when looking up to see a certain tiny neighbor of his. "B-Baekhyun?" He wants to slap himself for sounding so anxious. "I mean, Baekhyun! Hey!" He tries to sound cool and unfazed, though he comes off as a stuttering mess anyway. As if on cue his hands start to sweat and he nervously wipes them off on the front of his apron. "What brings you around here?" Obviously he's here for flowers. Why else would he be here? Chanyeol wants to slap himself again for sounding like a fool asking redundant questions. 

"A daughter of my mother's friend is graduating tonight and she wants me to be her errand boy and pick up a bouquet for her." A soft smile is gracing his lips and Chanyeol feels his heart skip a beat (maybe several-- he should consult with his doctor) as he finds himself getting lost in the delicate and beautiful features of his face. The beautiful and unique shape of his eyes, his cute button nose that he may or may not have wanted to boop a few times, the small mole above his pouty lips, his long lashes, his flawless tan skin, or what about the way his black hair- "Chanyeol?" Chanyeol has to quickly pull himself from his thoughts so he doesn't appear to be a creep. "Did you hear me?"

"Of course I did." He quickly covers himself and smiles sheepishly. 

"Ah, good." He smiles brightly at this, his lips forming the rectangle shape that always seems to squeeze at the younger's heart. Oh, this was bad. "I remember how you mentioned that you worked at a flower shop in downtown Seoul, so I figured it would be best to come to you for something as last minute as this. Most other shops wouldn't be as patient as you." He has to summon every high power in him to keep himself from blushing like an idiot in front of the shorter boy, though a wide and dumb smile forms on his lips. "I can come to you even if it's this last minute, right?"

"What- oh, well-" Technically he needed to make an appointment beforehand. Kris liked to think that they were this upscale flower shop (they weren't) and that customers needed to make appointments at least a week beforehand (probably why they never hand any customers) for a bouquet. He found it ridiculous, but this helped cover his rent and groceries so who was he to argue with the man who owned the building? However, Chanyeol didn't want to damage any chances he had with the other, plus his pout would probably kill him on spot. He quickly glances at one of the bouquets that was almost finished, an idea forming in his mind. An idea that would probably get him fired, but Chanyeol would worry about that later. "If you give me five minutes I can have one ready for you." 

His heart nearly gives out that very second when Baekhyun gives him the brightest smile, lunging forward and giving the taller a tight hug. "Oh, thank you so much, Yeol! You're such a life saver. I'm not even attending the graduation," probably because he has work, Chanyeol figured, "but my mom would never let me hear the end of it if I couldn't get her these damn flowers. I don't even think she's attending the damn thing." He scoffs softly, completely unfazed by the fact that he just hugged Chanyeol. Oh, why couldn't Chanyeol handle this as well as he did? "How much do I owe you? I don't mind paying an extra fee for being so last minute, really." He's already fishing for bills out of his wallet and Chanyeol nervously chews on his lip as he looks around Kris. He wasn't in the front so that probably meant he was somewhere in the back or in his office. Perfect.

Normally flower arrangements for special events would cost anywhere from $100-$150, though that depended on the event and was mostly for weddings. For a graduation, it could be anywhere from $50-$75, and an additional $20 (depending on the shop) for last minute appointments or walk-ins, that is of course if it was more upscale as Kris claims they are. Chanyeol didn't want to take Baekhyun's money though, especially when he knew how much he struggled covering his own rent. "It's only $30." He'd so get fired for this, but maybe he could quick whip up a new bouquet before Kris could find out and before the clients walked in for their bouquets. Baekhyun seems to do a double take at this. "Only $30?" He asks with raised eyebrows. "Is it a special or something since there's so many graduations going on?"

"Yeah, it's a special." He technically wasn't lying. It was a special. "Um, you can just wait by the counter and I'll ring it up once I finish the bouquet. I only need to add a few more flowers." He states awkwardly as he once again wipes his hands off on his apron. He hoped Baekhyun didn't notice how sweaty he was. Baekhyun only nods happily, walking over to the counter afterwards. He's impressed Kris hasn't come out yet, and maybe it was a bad idea having Baekhyun wait by the register as that might draw Kris' attention. He quickly throws in a few more flowers, making sure to add more buttercups and colors that he thought Baekhyun would find pretty. He carefully carries the vase over to the counter before walking behind to the register. "Did you want to buy a graduation card or anything?" He asks while "ringing up" the bouquet into the register. 

"You guys sell cards here too? Who would have thought." He hums while shifting in his spot. "Well, I suppose I should get a card too. If my mother can't even pick up a bouquet of flowers at a market then I suppose she can't pick up a simple card either." He chuckles as he drums his fingers along the countertop. "This is a very cute place." He comments after taking a minute to look around. It was small and cozy with a small table placed outside the front of the shop, colorful lanterns strung up along the edge of the roof. The inside was just as nice if not modern. The shelves along the walls were square black boxes with flower plants placed in each one, giving the store a nice and chic look. The floor was made out of a chocolatey brown wood paneling that matched with the black shelves well with the walls painted a nice and creamy white. In the middle of the store was a large table with flowers placed on top and underneath, large heating lamps attached to the ceiling above in order to keep the plants in the light they needed. Kris took great pride in how the shop looked and it wasn't in vain. The hard work and money poured into his shop showed and Chanyeol would be just as proud if not more if he were in Kris' shoes. It was ironic to have such a cute shop and to have Ebenezer Scrooge himself own the building. 

"The hotel I work at is so bland and boring." He huffs as he hands his money to Chanyeol when he rings up the bouquet. "You'd think a five-star hotel would be more exciting to look at, but apparently that's just not the case. I wouldn't even vacation there if I were in my late seventies and had a ton of money to blow." Chanyeol laughs at this and Baekhyun smiles in response. "Well," Chanyeol says as he hands the bouquet and the free card to the older boy, a sweet smile on his lips, "I hope your mother's friend's daughter enjoys the bouquet."

"I'm sure she will. What girl wouldn't love a bouquet of flowers made by a cute boy?" Chanyeol freezes in his spot, his eyes probably bulging out of his head as he tries to register his words in his mind. Was he hearing this correctly? Did Baekhyun just call him cute? Or was he referring to himself as cute? The latter was probably the case and he was just overthinking things; that was his talent after all. He must have looked like a computer that just blue screened and shut down because Baekhyun immediately burst out into a fit of laughter. "You're adorable." He mumbles while wiping the tears away from the corners of his eyes. However, Baekhyun hesitates when he picks up the vase, shifting in his spot as it looks as if he's thinking over options carefully. Before Chanyeol can ask if he's al