Wen Junhui knew there was something about the boy inside his flower shop, he just couldn’t tell what, exactly.

The boy was a new face, that much was sure, even if he seemed to navigate his way around Junhui’s jungle of pots like he’s been there his whole life. He entered the shop with his eyes immediately darting around towards every flower and herb present; Junhui was rather taken aback at that—most customers went straight for the counter, either too impatient or too clueless with what they needed. So he took to watching the boy instead, a bit cautious. He didn’t even notice that he didn’t say his usual greeting.

For some reason, the customer—if he was a customer at all, maybe he was just browsing at this point—didn’t seem to mind. He continued taking his time, the bright yellow of his shirt almost blending in with the sunflowers on display. Junhui knew he should probably say something, anything, at this point. He cleared his throat a few times to catch the other’s attention. It worked the second time he tried.

“Hello,” the brunette greeted, as cheerfully as he could muster. “May I help you, Sir?”

The raven haired boy nodded, “I’m looking for a specific type of flower. I don’t think you sell it here, though.”

“Impossible,” Junhui said immediately. He wasn’t one to brag, but he knew his shop was the best in town. He was careful to keep at least a little bit of every flower in stock, although some only came to him during a specific season. Maybe the customer was just looking for one that wasn’t in its time to bloom. He stepped away from behind the counter and gestured towards the store and all the pots he had on display.

“Try looking again, Sir. What’s the flower you’re looking for, if I may ask?”

“It’s small, with the petals a bit purplish blue in colour. The center looks like its own separate yellow flower,” the customer began to explain; a small, almost sad smile on his face. For some reason, Junhui could feel a sense of pain radiate from the other boy. “The scientific name is myosotis.”

Flower knowledge was something Junhui prided himself in, ever since he first decided to open the shop a whole year ago. He wasn’t sure what compelled him to suddenly open one, though. He liked flowers, that much was true, but it was never to the extent he had for them now. One day, it just felt like what he should do, and he’s been learning about flowers and collecting them ever since. It went well for the most part. Customers tend to praise him on how well he could arrange a bouquet, too. 

Junhui would usually remember each customer who entered the shop, too. Some of them were regulars who always ordered the same thing, for specific reasons. A few were first timers who just wanted their date to go well. All of them counted on him to give them the perfect bunch of flowers. It was all about the meaning of the flowers, too. That was another thing he liked about his job. He knew his craft; people trusted him for it. He figured he knew everything there was to know. Except this.

The brunette frowned, “I’ve never heard of that flower. Does it go by any other name?”

“Forget-me-not,” the other boy said, so soft that Junhui had to lean in a little to hear him properly. He glanced at the flower shop owner after he spoke, meeting his eyes. “Does that ring any bells, Junhui?”

His frown deepened, “not at all. Is it a new type? You have to tell me all about it, I’m usually updated with these things. It’s a bit embarrassing to have to ask you.”

He moved around the store as he spoke, a flurry of excitement rushing through him at the idea of a new flower to be discovered. He still didn’t quite know how he didn’t hear about the flower, but Junhui would rather focus on the future of getting to know this new flower more. It seemed beautiful already as he pictured it in his head—delicate and soft. Thankfully, the customer followed him back to the counter without a word.

Does that ring any bells, Junhui?

“Oh,” Junhui said suddenly, looking at the customer in surprise. “You know my name. I don’t recall introducing myself.”

“Ah, my bad. I have a friend who visits this shop a lot. Jisoo? He told me about you,” the other boy began to say as Junhui nodded; he remembered Jisoo, of course, always in a mess since Jeonghan insisted on flowers every date. “My name is Minghao. Xu Minghao.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Junhui said with a bright smile. 

Minghao smiled, but Junhui could tell it was strained. It was somewhat similar to the way he smiled earlier that day, too. Now, he wasn’t a mind reader of anything, but he could tell something was bothering the boy. It was obvious in his sad smiles and his small moments of pause whenever Junhui spoke to him. Maybe the something Junhui noted when Minghao walked into the store was sadness?

“I’m sorry for not having the flower in stock,” the brunette decided to apologize. The other boy was probably disappointed about that, too. He felt bad that he added to Minghao’s apparent sadness. 

The raven haired boy shook his head, “it’s alright. I wasn’t expecting it, really. No worries.”

Junhui bit his lower lip in thought, “I don’t mean to pry, but are you alright? If you need flowers for something important, I could still try and get something for you.”

A slight chuckle came from the other boy at that, which seemed like genuine amusement.

“I’m fine, Junhui. The situation’s out of your control,” he said casually at first, before his tone dropped a bit beyond Junhui’s hearing range. “Out of mine, too.”

Another reason why Junhui liked having a flower shop was because he knew flowers could be a solution for anything, at least if one tried hard enough. He excused himself from the customer and headed towards the section of the shop devoted for his roses. They were a