Flowers.

“Junhong!” Jongup yelled, looking for his boyfriend, who he could’ve sworn walked right out of the classroom the moment the dismissal bell rang.

Jongup was walking around the whole perimeter of the school, just after looking into the library, where all the students went to study.

He was getting worried, and wondered if Junhong got hurt or was stuck somewhere. The concern for the younger male grew, but he exhaled a sigh of relief after seeing the male he’d been looking for squatting in front of a few flowerbeds.

“Junhong? Is that you?” The said male jumped in surprise, looking at the direction of the person who had called out to him.

“H-hyung! Hi!” He greeted shakily, and Jongup couldn’t help but notice. Thinking back, he’d never been this nervous around him before.

“What were you doing?” Jongup questioned sternly, curious as to the younger’s actions just a few moments ago.

“I-I was just admiring the flowers! They’re very pretty,” he smiled, and gestured to the blossoms right beside him.

“What flowers?” Jongup looked at where the younger was pointing, seeing only the stems, looking back at the boy who looks like he was about to break into a cold sweat.

“Oh, um, I think we should just walk home now. Come on, you can come over to my place. Mom won’t be home ‘til midnight.” Junhong picked up his seemingly larger backpack, and that made the older more curious than before.

Jongup stared at his boyfriend. He knew something was wrong here, he just couldn’t put his finger around it.

“Okay then.”

They both walked in silence, a comfortable one. It was a Friday, and Jongup’s parents would always let him sleep over at Junhong’s on the weekends, unknown to their relationship, of course, but knowing of his orientation.

Junhong liked having Jongup over. His mom comes home the latest on weekends, when on weekdays, she’d be home even before Junhong is. She was used to seeing Jongup hugging Junhong in bed, his face nuzzled into the hair of the other. She smiles at them both. She’s the only one who knows about their relationship, after all.

The two reached Junhong’s doorstep, and he fished through his pocket to find his keys.

He put the key into the lock and fumbled with it a little, before opening the door completely, letting Jongup in.

“Jongup, why don’t you go upstairs first, I have something to do real quick,” he handed Jongup his jacket to take upstairs, and expected him to give him his backpack, but turned away with it.

“Give me your backpack too,” Jongup said.

“No, it’s fine! I have to look for something,” he said convincingly, making Jongup narrow his eyes at him and just shrugs, making the younger think he was fully convinced that he wasn’t going to anything the older didn’t know about.

As Jongup, pretended, to walk upstairs, he heard the sound of a zipper being opened, and could hear the faint sound of what he thinks are leaves, and footsteps that made their way to the kitchen. The faucet was the , and he knew the younger was washing something. Jongup quickly went upstairs for a moment and threw the belongings on the floor of the younger’s room.

He snuck down the stairs, and peeked his head into the kitchen, seeing that the younger was washing a few flowers from what he thinks was the flowerbed from earlier. Goodness knows when the school’s staff will come to realize that the male before him had taken practically all of them.

Junhong turned off the faucet, and lightly shook the blossoms, purposely making the excess dew drip into the sink and down the drain.

He reached for a plate, and placed them there before wiping his wet hands dry, taking a petal from a random flower, putting it into his mouth and chewing.

Jongup couldn’t, no, doesn’t understand what the younger is trying to do. Junhong makes a face at how the plant must taste, and swallows it. He takes another petal in between his index finger and thumb, placing it between his lips, and scrunching his face at the surprisingly bitter taste of the tulip, he notes.

Jongup stands there, dumbfounded and not understanding the situation before him.

“Junhong, what on earth are you doing?” Jongup says, concern shown in his voice.

“H-HYUNG! I thought you went upstairs?”

“That’s what you thought. Now explain to me what you’re intending by eating petals from flowers you may not know may actually be poisonous!”

“No flowers that are this beautiful could ever be poisonous. And I just wanted to...try it.”

“You have a whole bouquet of different kinds! What’s your intention?” Jongup was starting to raise his voice. He wanted answers. And now.

“N-nothing! It’s nothing!” Junhong hid the flowers behind him, hoping Jongup would just leave the situation.

“Hold on...” Jongup started.

“W-what now?”

“Where’s that flower vase that was in the center of your table? You know, the vase where you put the flowers I bought you on Valentine’s Day in. Where are those?” Jongup eyed him suspiciously.

“T-they were withered! I had no need for them...” Junhong looked down guiltily.

“You promised. You even said, ‘Even if these flowers start to wither, I’ll keep myself from throwing them away, knowing the guy I love had given them to me.’”

“Mom told me to!”

“CUT THE CRAP!” Jongup yelled, frightening Junhong, seeing as this was the first time he’d seen his boyfriend act like this towards him.

The older realizes this, and bites back another loud exclamation, “I’m sorry, I’m just worried...”

“About what? Me eating flowers? It’s pretty normal if you ask me.” Jongup couldn’t help but notice the sadness in the younger’s voice as he said this.

“Seriously, is there anything wrong?”

Junhong sighed. “Can we talk about this later?”

Jongup sighed as well, but in defeat. He nodded and he opened his arms for his best friend to return. Which he did. Jongup took his face into his hands, and left a chaste kiss on his upper lip.

“Sorry again, for yelling at you.”

“It’s okay.” I deserve it.

I didn't read through it. Pardon the errors.

I'll have the next chap
up by tomorrow.

COFFEE SHOP

-Emma