Hydrangea [Oneshot]

[h_itoshi]

Title: Hydrangea
Fandom: Hey! Say! Jump
Pairing: Inoo/Daiki
Rating: G-ish.
Wordcount: 1948
Warnings: None.
Notes: You know that prompt "how do I say fuck you in flower" and that shoot where Daiki works a flower shop? Good combo huh?

Daiki likes his job. He likes coming into the store every morning to the smell of heavy verdure and flowery perfumes mixed with moist and dirt meeting him, likes the cosy feeling of the small shop. He enjoys being able to care for flowers every day, making them even more appealing in order to make someone happier, enjoys telling customers how to help them stay beautiful longer.

But he's never considered it a very important job. Sometimes he does flower arrangements for weddings, but the brides are mostly too stressed about everything being perfect to even compliment the work. Often he helps men pick out bouquets for their significant other, but they're mostly confused about what they want and just ask for “something pretty” or sometimes as specific as “something with pink and white”. There are also funeral flowers, but it's self explanatory that it doesn't bring much happiness. All in all, he doesn't feel like he's making much of a difference in anyone's life.

There's always a need for flowers, his boss tells him continuously, and Daiki just nods with a smile and continues helping lost boyfriends and controlling brides to be.

So when the door opens a sunny Thursday afternoon in September, Daiki can't be blamed when he expects another lost boyfriend.

It's a good looking man, probably around 25, the sun gleaming in his brown dyed hair when he steps inside, and his pretty face tells Daiki he's got a gorgeous girlfriend at home. Except that as soon as the door closes and the man heads straight for the counter, there's something fierce and determined in his eyes.

“Hello, how can I help you?” Daiki asks with a smile as usual, and the man stops before the counter, crossing his arms on the shiny surface and Daiki thinks that his beige trenchcoat must be expensive.

“I need a massive bouquet that says fuck you in flower.” The man says clearly, and even though his tone is hard Daiki notices he has a pleasant voice.

It takes him a few seconds longer to comprehend the sentence just spoken, not sure he heard right. “I'm sorry, what?”

“There's a flower language, right?” The man inquires, but doesn't wait for an answer. “I need flowers that says fuck you in a very passive aggressive but still clear way. Make it big.”

He breaks eyecontact for a moment to dig into his pocket and pull out a wallet, fishing a note out of it and determinedly puts it on the counter. It's a 5000 yen note.

Daiki looks at it for a moment, then looks up at the man again, wondering what the hell this is because this has never happened before.

“Uhm... okay.” He says finally, thinking about flowers with bad meanings that he doesn't normally recommend people. “I'll just double check a few.”

There is a book under the counter with flower meanings, because there's a surprising amount of people who want to make sure they're not sending the wrong message with their bouquets, and he picks it up, opening it even though he's not sure where to start. “Is... there anything specific you want them to say?”

“That he's a useless fucking piece of shit and that if he's stupid enough to think he'll see me again he's an even bigger disappointment than I could ever imagine.” The man says as unashamedly as he's said everything else, but there's irritation in his voice, and Daiki tries to just pick out the adjectives but he's really intrigued.

“So useless, stupid and disappointment?” He suggests, and the man nods.

“Sure, something like that. And something angry, like hate, there has to be flowers for hate. Stupid shit.” He goes on, almost seeming to talk to himself at the last part.

“You'd want orange lilies for hatred.” Daiki says, because that's one he knows by heart.

“Orange, really?” The man frowns. “That's a shame I like orange.”

But it only takes him a moment to seemingly shape up. “But sure, whatever is best.”

Daiki nods and opens the glass door to their bouquet flowers and starts picking out a few lilies.

There's a silence as he chooses some yellow carnations with it, and he just waits for the man to keep talking, but he doesn't.

“These mean disappointment.” He explains after a moment.

“Good, lots of those.” The man says, the irritation back in his voice.

“... I don't mean to pry, but who is this bouquet for?” Daiki can't help but ask, his feeble excuse being that maybe he can choose better flowers if he knows. He's just happy his boss isn't here right now since he'd be yelled at for asking personal questions.

“My to be ex-boyfriend.” The man answers, sounding upset just mentioning him, and it takes all Daiki's willpower not to look at the man again and re-imagine who he could be. “He's a complete douchebag who can't keep promises for shit, he always brings some goddamn friends on dates and he's lazy and not even that pretty to be honest.”

“Oh.” Is all Daiki dares say as he turns pages in the book for more ideas, settling on foxglove for insincerity.

“And he's into poetry so he thinks he's so fancy and educated but he really only puts words together and uses flower meanings as metaphors and even I know that's not metaphors. His poems suck anyway but he could at least learn his theory don't you think?” The man goes on, and Daiki's a little surprised at being asked for an opinion.

“I suppose that would be good.” Daiki agrees carefully, trying to keep his professionalism even though he's really interested in hearing what this dude has done to deserve a 'massive fuck you bouquet'.

“He's only done half a year at university and his major isn't even language, it's computers.” The man goes on, leaning a little closer over the counter as he talks, getting more invested with each word. “I'm an architecture major and even I know grammar better than he does. Actually, I know a lot of things better than he does. Did you get any flowers for stupidity?”

“Yes, these here.” Daiki points out the deep pink geraniums which aren't normally in bouquets like this, but the customer is always right.

“Good, lots of those too.” The man nods in agreement, and Daiki can't help but smile as he adds more.

“So he will understand this bouquet?” He asks, and finally lets himself take another good look at the man. His cheeks are a little pink from his intense talking and his eyes are shining and he's definitely very pretty. Daiki can see him as a classy architecture student, easily.

“Yeah he will. And if he doesn't he'll look it up because I don't normally care for flowers whatsoever so he'll get it.” The man assures as Daiki keeps adding flowers with meanings he sees fit.

“Did he do something in particular to deserve this?” He asks, knowing he's prying but the man doesn't seem to have any problems talking about this anyway.

“Yes. He brings home a freaking girl and sits there flirting with her while I'm home, telling her his poems and she's all batting eyelashes and that crap. And then he says that since she's a girl it shouldn't matter what he does with her! I can't fucking believe him a person is a person and you don't flirt with someone in front of the person you're dating, Jesus. Like I wouldn't care just because she's a woman what the actual fuck?” He stops talking and draws a breath to regain some oxygen.

“Sounds really stupid.” Daiki comments, and the man nods so much his hair bounces.

“Really stupid. I'm so sick of bisexual boys they just think they can take whatever they like no matter who they're dating.”

Daiki just nods slowly at the comment, trying to figure out what to say to that, but nothing comes to mind and he feels his cheeks flush a tiny bit.

“Sorry, you're not a bisexual boy are you? If you are, I'm sure you're much better than him anyway. You're at least cuter.” The man says, and Daiki has to look up at him, a little in awe at the things that come out of his mouth.

“... Thank you.” He says, not entirely sure how to respond, but it doesn't feel that awkward, surprisingly. He clears his throat, deciding the best way to move on is to talk about the flowers. “I think I'm satisfied with this, how do you like it?”

He points at the different kinds of flowers and mentions their meaning, and in the end the bouquet is a colourful mix of uselessness, stupidity, disappointment, insincerity and hatred.

“It's perfect, thank you so much.” The man says as he looks at the flowers. “It's a beautiful fuck you bouquet.”

“It really is pretty.” Daiki agrees, thinking it's a shame the meaning is so unappealing.

He charges the bouquet and wraps it while the man is surprisingly quiet, only speaking up once he gets his change back. “What flower is thank you?”

Daiki can't help but grin. “Thanking him for making it easy for you?”

“Just asking.” The man shrugs. “Might be useful sometime.”

“Normally it's just a bouquet of roses in bloom to symbolize gratitude.” Daiki explains, and the man seems satisfied with that answer.

“Thanks again for your help. I'll recommend you to all the boys I know when they're buying stuff for their girlfriends.” The man actually smiles, and he's a lot prettier with a smile, enough that Daiki pauses for a moment to just look.

“Thank you, please come back.” Daiki says, the words he says at least 30 times a day, but the man smiles even wider.

“I might. Bye.”

The doorbell sounds in the empty store when the door falls closed behind him, and Daiki has a strange feeling of actually having helped someone today. It makes the other customers the same day feel even more dull, and he almost catches himself wishing more people would use flowers to break up.

When he comes to work the next day, he stops before the front door, just looking for a moment. There's a flower package hanging on the doorknob with a ribbon, which is odd because they don't get flowers that way. He brings it inside and forgets about it while he waters and fixes up for the day, but as soon as he's opened the shop and there are no immediate customers, he sees the brown package on the counter again. He unwraps it, considering it might be a forgotten delivery or just some new employee not being sure how to deliver them properly, but as soon as he sees the flowers he knows what it is.

It's a blooming bouquet of dark pink roses, and there's a small card among them.

I forgot to ask your name yesterday. Hope you could tell me over the phone. Inoo Kei.

There's also a phone number written, and Daiki rolls his eyes but can't help but grin because it's stupid but a little cute at the same time. He keeps the card in his pocket, looking at it a few times during the day and as he can never keep from smiling, he thinks that maybe it was his time to make a difference in at least someone's life.

~*~

Comments

[arindika.livejournal.com]

to be honest, I was laughing the entire time I was reading this story. Thanks for the story. :)
Still hoping you will write many stories about Inoo in the future... ^_^

[beccy-chan.livejournal.com]

I read this some time ago but I have to comment yet :)
I just read it again. It's so funny and cute :D

[h-itoshi.livejournal.com]

Aww, thank you :D