"I am never never eating three day old pizza. Ever again." Sehun groaned piteously from his current position of being slumped over the cash register counter, "I mean EVER."

 

"We get it, Sehun." Chanyeol assured him sarcastically as he deftly trimmed some leaves off the twined arch he was working on, "We got it the first seven times you said it, to be honest."  Sehun moaned again, but managed to summon enough energy to raise a three- salute. Chanyeol just snorted and continued working.

 

Jongin patted his younger cousin on the back comfortingly. He felt bad for him, he honestly did, but at the same time he wanted to bless that three day old pizza too for making Sehun miss work that Friday - because he would never have made that delivery or met Do Kyungsoo otherwise. He made up his mind to buy something really nice for Sehun to make up for the agony of food poisoning. 

 

"Sehun-ah, you ok, dude?" Jongin rubs his back soothingly, "Did you take some oral rehydration salts and meds? It's been four days, why are you still so sick? You should see the doctor again, ok? I don't want your mom coming after me, saying I didn't look out for you."

 

"Hyung, my tummy hurts sooooo bad," Sehun whined.

 

"We don't have any more deliveries today so you should just go home and sleep it off. Luhan can handle anything that comes in after you leave," Jongin continues rubbing Sehun's back consolingly.

 

"I HEARD THAT!" Luhan's voice was shockingly loud as it disturbed the zen-like silence of the flower shop, "But yeah, go home, Sehun. You look and sound like you're dying of bubonic plague. It's gotta be scaring away potential walk-in customers and that's just bad for business. Just go home, for 's sake."

 

Jongin frowned in the direction of Luhan's office and made a mental note to have some music in the store at some point so they wouldn't all have a heart attack every time Luhan decided to be loud - which was way more often than everyone liked. The  problem was they all had such diverse taste in music that it had just been easier to not have any on at all. Everyone had always just plugged themselves into their individual iPods when they needed.

 

Jongin liked his grunge music best and didn't have a whole lot of tolerance for any other kind of music. Sehun was into punk rock bands like The Killers and My Chemical Romance, while Chanyeol was on the extreme other end of the spectrum with his classical pop preferences - no one was going to agree to the likes of Josh Groban and Charlotte Church wafting through IN BLOOM, Jongin suspected. Last but not least, Luhan had an unexpected and inexplicable penchant for show tunes, and loved Andrew Lloyd Webber's work especially. Jongin shuddered as he remembered walking in on Luhan once while Christine was warbling "The Phantommm of the Operaaaaaaa is here inside my miiiiiiiiiind." It had given him nightmares for weeks. Honestly, they were an eclectic disaster zone where music was concerned. Jongin scratched the back of his head and sighed in resignation - perhaps they should leave the music off after all. 

 

Sehun moaned some more like it hurt to even breathe and agreed to go home. Jongin felt sorry for the poor guy - he was usually a hyperactive ball of energy who talked practically  non-stop and on mints all day long. It was unnerving to see him all sapped and in agony. After Sehun left the store, Jongin turned his concentration back to the five bouquets he was preparing for a beach wedding that would take place the following evening. Ironically, he was working with gardenias and he truly did not need anything else to remind him of Do Kyungsoo and his distractingly large eyes, strong eyebrows and beautifully shaped mouth. He was putting the final touches on the third bouquet when his phone vibrated in his back pocket.   

 

Jongin stared at the screen in disbelief. It was a text from Kyungsoo asking if he'd get into trouble with his boss because he'd forgotten to sign for the flowers. Jongin balked a little at that since technically he was his own boss and it wasn't even a real delivery and oh my God, he was a lying evil stalker and he was going to hell! Jongin felt himself drowning in an ocean of guilt for making Kyungsoo worry about him.

 

He quickly typed some evasive (and basically dishonest) crap about his boss trusting him and that he wouldn't get into trouble because his boss trusted him. Then to distract himself from his raging feelings of remorse, he decided to ask Kyungsoo if he liked the gardenias, and gave him some tips on how to care for them.  After clicking send, Jongin started kicking himself. What was he doing?! He was boring the man senseless with horticultural tips. He could almost see the deadline: DEATH BY HORTICULTURE: Accountant Found Lifeless in Meyer Building.

 

 

The phone buzzed, making him jump. It was Kyungsoo again, asking if he was sure he wouldn't like to come by the office as he'd be in all week. Jongin might have a problem with debilitating shyness, but there was nothing wrong with his ability to reason. He desperately wanted to see Kyungsoo again and this was the perfect opportunity, so he hastily agreed before Kyungsoo could change his mind and retract the offer. He suggested Thursday after lunch and proceeded to attack the flower nearest to him as he waited for the answer. Jongin had plucked all the petals off a hapless gardenia by the time Kyungsoo's reply arrived, thanking him for the gardening tips and confirming that Thursday would be fine and that he'd see him soon.

 

Jongin's immediate instinct was to reply with an impersonal "Ok, see you" or just "Ok' but his emotions wrestled his head to the ground and he ended up typing: See you on Thursday. Looking forward to it. As soon as he clicked send, he was wracked with self-doubt. What if Kyungsoo thought he sounded desperate? What if ...?

 

"Oi, Kim Jongin! Who are you texting and why do you look like somebody just died?" Luhan was eyeing him very suspiciously.

 

"Um ..."

 

"Nobody?" Well, Jongin reckoned it was worth a try.

"I definitely saw you texting someone and don't try and tell me you were exchanging messages with a supplier or a client because I saw you blushing and stressing. Definitely not business. I'm on to you, Kim Jongin."

"You need a new hobby, Luhan."

"I have hobbies - in the plural, thank you very much. One of them just happens to be tormenting - I mean looking out for you." 

"What other hobbies?" Jongin snorted in disbelief.

"Paintball. You know I love paintball - we play it all the time,"

"I wouldn't call playing it once a month 'all the time' but okay, so that's two. What other hobbies do you have other than torturing your best friend and playing paintball?"

"Playing strip poker with Xiumin," Luhan waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"STOP." Jongin covered his ears, trying his best not to imagine Luhan and his boyfriend in various stages of undress, "Too much information! Stop."

"I told you I had hobbies," Luhan grinned wickedly at him before abruptly changing the mood and asking in a rather serious tone, "No, but honestly, Jongin. Who were you texting? When I see you doing stuff you don't normally do, I worry. Is everything cool?"

"Sure it is, Luhan," Jongin gave his best friend a smile and it wasn't even a pained one. Then after a moment's hesitation, he added, "I think he asked me out. Accountant Guy, I mean."

"What?! When were you planning to tell me, you little ?" Luhan was first shocked, then positively aggrieved.

"Well, I wasn't going to, actually. Because you're nosey, ok? But I'm telling you now since you asked and you sounded worried and stuff. So ... yeah, he asked me to meet him for tea on Saturday afternoon."

"Tea? Who goes out for tea?" Luhan looked genuinely perplexed. He was a bonafide coffee aficionado who couldn't fathom why anyone would consider drinking what was clearly an inferior beverage. 

"There's nothing wrong with tea, Luhan," Jongin chuckled, "I drink tea all the time."

"I rest my case. So what's he like, this Accountant Guy? Is he boring? Because he is an accountant after all. Is he nice? And more importantly, is he nice to you? Because if he breaks you, I will maim him."

"Calm down! I've only met him twi- once and he seems nice so far. He's not giving off any serial killer vibe anyway. And we haven't really had enough conversation for me to tell if he's boring. But if anyone's boring, it's probably me." Jongin was inwardly relieved that Luhan hadn't seemed to realize that Jongin had almost admitted to meeting Kyungsoo twice.

"Jongin, you're not boring! You just take time to warm up to people is all. Once you get into your groove, you're a lot of fun. I wouldn't have stayed friends with you through middle and high school if you'd been boring, dude. Anyway, I'm glad you're giving this thing a shot." Luhan patted his back reassuringly. 

"Is he bullying you again?" They both turned to look at the clean-cut, attractive man leaning against the doorway. He had prominent cheeks and his eyes twinkled with mischief. 

"All the time, Xiumin! You know how he gets." Jongin gave Xiumin a wry smile, gently pushing Luhan in Xiumin's direction. He was always happy to see Luhan's boyfriend for two reasons. One, he was a nice guy, and two, he generally always put Luhan in a good mood. Happy Luhan meant happy everyone else at IN BLOOM. 

"I can't get off work yet. Sehun is home sick." Luhan sounded almost petulant and Jongin sniggered at his friend. Luhan might be a troll to the rest of them most of the time, but he always turned into a melting blob of affection and light when his boyfriend was around. Jongin found it both amusing as well as mildly disturbing. 

"Oh, I wasn't here to take you out or anything. I just happened to be in the area so I bought you guys a bag of donuts."

"You mean you didn't drop by because you were dying to see me?"

"Too much information! I'm not interested in your people-in-love conversation. Get out of my workroom!" Jongin grinned as he shoved them both out and shut the door firmly.

Now that they'd left, silence settled once again over the room. Almost three more days before he saw Do Kyungsoo again. Jongin swiped his fringe out of his eyes, sighed, then forced his attention back to the gardenias on his work table. 

---------

Jongin sank contentedly into the overstuffed maroon fabric couch that dominated his small sitting room. He'd had home made chicken stew and salad for dinner and his stomach felt comfortably warm and satiated. The fact that Jongin didn't enjoy dealing with strangers meant he wasn't a huge fan of eating out, so he mostly made simple meals at home which he ate alone - although he did eat with Tao and Kris once a week, and Luhan and their other friends a few times a month. This was his favorite time of the day, when he could just unwind in the comfortable safety of his own home and watch some tv or read a book. 

Ten minutes after he'd settled into his third rereading of 'Magician's Gambit' by David Eddings, Kurt Cobain's raspy voice and heavy guitar chords broke the silence of the apartment, "He's the one who likes all our pretty songs; and he likes to sing along," 

Jongin took his phone from the coffee table warily. Nirvana's 'In Bloom' was his general ringtone - his friends all had their own special ringtones. Who would be calling him at this time who wasn't one of his friends? His jaw went slack as he saw the name flashing on the screen: Do Kyungsoo. 

"Hello?" Jongin's voice sounded really loud to his own ears.

"Hi, Jongin. It's me, Kyungsoo. Sorry to call you so late but ... Well, do you remember how you told me not to water the gardenias too much? What does that mean?" Kyungsoo got his words out in a rush, like he was really nervous or maybe a little discomfited.

"Hey, Kyungsoo. There's no need to apologize ... it's not too late at all," Jongin managed to answer before going into more detail about exactly how much water was required in the watering of a gardenia.

"Thanks so much for the help, Jongin. I hope I didn't interrupt anything?" Jongin heard the question mark at the end of Kyungsoo's remark. Oh my God, was he trying to extend their conversation?

"No, no! You definitely weren't interrupting. I was just, um, rereading one of my favorite books and it's not like I don't know what's going to happen next or how it's going to end. What about you? What are you up to?" Jongin fortunately managed to force himself to make conversation like a normal human being.

"So what are you reading? I'd love to know what kind of books you like. As for what I'm up to? Trying to figure out how to water the gardenia to be honest," Kyungsoo chuckled.

And in this slightly-awkward-slightly-not way, they spent the next half hour asking each other subtle and not-so-subtle questions about each other, making each other laugh now and then. But Kyungsoo had to finally end the call when his battery had pretty much run out of juice.

"So ... I guess I'll see you on Thursday at my office," Jongin swore he could hear a smile in Kyungsoo's voice.

"Yeah, Thursday. I'm looking forward to it." Jongin tried to project his smile into his voice the way Kyungsoo had, because he wanted Kyungsoo to know he was happy too, at the prospect of seeing him again.

After Kyungsoo had hung up, Jongin placed his phone on the table, groaning in frustration. How was he going to make it till Thursday? It was two and a half days away! 

He totally wasn't going to survive the next two and a half days. Jongin punched one of the throw cushions in defeat - his book all but forgotten ...

---------

By the time Wednesday rolled around, Jongin had decided that he would most surely expire if he had to wait till Thursday to see Kyungsoo. So he had texted him to ask if he could come by the office today instead of Thursday - seeing as he had to make a (bogus) delivery to the Meyer Building anyway. He felt almost guilty when Kyungsoo's response arrived, telling him Wednesday was fine. Jongin's conscience was roiling - he was totally going to burn in hell for all the lies he'd told since he'd met the poor, unsuspecting accountant.

Several hours later, Jongin took a deep breath and fussed with the soft bangs that almost poked his eyes - he really was way overdue for a haircut. He self-consciously finger-combed the straight strands of dark hair until he was reasonably satisfied that his hair was in as good a state as it was ever going to be.  Then he nervously brushed the front of his t-shirt, took one last long inhale and pressed the reception bell.

This time it was a small-built young man with wavy dark brown hair and slightly mischievous eyes who showed up. Jongin found himself wondering if any women even worked in Accounting. Other than Gennifer Hynes that is - the lady who had received that spring bouquet last Friday, bless her soul.

"Hi, can I help you?" the man had a friendly smile.

"I'm looking for Do Kyungsoo." Jongin held the flowerpot against his hip in a death grip, his stranger apprehension making him tense. The man raised a curious eyebrow before holding up a hand as if to say hold on, and he turned to leave. 

A smiling Kyungsoo arrived moments later, "Hi, how are you?" 

"Good, I'm good. How about you?" Jongin smiled shyly. 

"I'm good. So, I think I'd better sign that delivery receipt thingy first before we forget and you have to come back again," Kyungsoo chuckled at his own lame attempt at humor. They were both trying not to stare at each other openly, and they were both failing miserably. Jongin handed the clipboard over and tried not to fidget as Kyungsoo signed the delivery order. Then, as he was about the return the document, Jongin sheepishly told him he had to sign for another delivery.

"Huh? Me?"

Jongin carefully placed the pot of flowers on the counter while Kyungsoo stared at it, dumbfounded. 

"Another delivery of flowers for me? But who?" 

"It's not signed." Jongin said quietly. 

A/N:

If any of you are curious about the song 'In Bloom' by Nirvana which Jongin uses as his ringtone and which he names his flower shop after, you can listen to it here. 

Sorry! It's about as far removed from kpop and Exo as humanly possible. Grunge in a fanfic - it's insane, i know. Forgive me ...