Live Life in full Bloom

Aoko's job as a florist was simple, pure and pleasantly repetitive. Not until one day when a man suddenly came into her store and said: "How do I say 'screw you' in flowers?" Florist!AU

The warm sunlight passed through the large glass window beside Aoko, a nice little gesture from the mother nature to give her some warmth in the air-conditioned store. Business had been slow today and the wondrous mixture of sweet scents and the comforting colours around her didn't help to make Aoko any more awake then she was trying to be. Other than roaming around the store to freshen up the flowers or to pick them out at the request of the customers, she always stayed behind the counter. Standing all day wasn't good for her back, so she'd bought a high chair with a fancy pink cushion to make herself more comfortable. Her favourite song was currently playing on the radio and she closed her eyes just for a second, head tipping a little low and-

All of the sudden, the bell by the door chimed and Aoko shot up from her seat, eyes wide as she tone down the radio. Before she was deciding whether to sheepishly add an apology and a greeting, her attention had flown off herself and fell upon the man that entered her store. His frown was the first thing she noticed before her focus dropped to the thick bandages that were wrapped around both of his hands like two sausages.

Aoko was experienced enough to know what the customers wanted before they even asked most of the time. A nicely suited-up man would probably request for roses for his fine date, a worried yet hopeful face with a bag of fruits could mean a visit to the hospital later. But on rare occasions, like this, she couldn't determine anything. The man was donned in jeans and sweaters with its sleeves rolled up, his hair was uncombed and messy at the end. His head was scanning around like he was hunting for something and his lips had turned into a pout. He seemed like her age, maybe, though the way he portrayed and dressed made him look like a teenager. She would believe that if she didn't notice his mature jawlines and deep blue eyes that held more maturity than it would probably show.

"Good afternoon." She spoke up.

He glanced at her, looking as if he didn't realize she was there before trudging towards her with a slightly intimidating air around him. When he stood before the counter, she noted she had to tilt her head a little to meet his eyes.

"Can I help you?" Aoko tried a smile.

Seeing the tiny tug on one side of his lips, Aoko thought something from her expression must have helped to lift his mood just a bit, though she didn't dare to give herself so much credit. Because the next sentence she heard from him was a vast contrast from what she thought as mood-uplifted.

"How do I say screw you in flowers?"

She blinked.

What?

Aoko straightened her posture in pretense when in fact she was trying to register the oddest request she had ever heard in her lifetime as a florist. There were some flowers that popped in her mind that might fit, but she let the silence hung around for two more seconds and glimpsed at the weary look in the man's eyes. Her shop might not be the first he visited.

"Um, I can try to show you some of my choices." Aoko tentatively walked out of her counter and approached down the aisles. He followed closely behind her as she manoeuvred around a few pots. He looked like he was having a field trip and making observations along the way.

"Are those geraniums?" He smirked while pointing at a small pot filled with the said flower. "I can't believe you have these here."

Aoko stared at him, almost baffled when she checked he was right. If she picked someone from the streets and asked what geranium was to them, she wouldn't be surprised if they thought it was some kind of Greek cheese. This guy really did some homework. She shook her head inwardly; Her amazement should be saved for later.

"Well, why not?" She asked.

"It symbolizes stupidity." His wry smile grew bigger. "The perfect flower I'm searching for."

Amazingly, he got one of the meanings right, but that wasn't the main purpose she was selling this flowers for. She cleared her throat. "It also means true friendship, actually."

He waved a sausage hand and attempted to take the stalk, but Aoko helped him; She was still making a business after all, even if she disapproved the symbolization this man cared about for geraniums. This beautiful flower deserved so much more.

"I want two stalks of that." He corrected her when she only took one. "To emphasize my point."

She forced herself not to roll her eyes as she picked out another stalk. "Done."

"Good, now show me what you wanted to show."

This guy still wants more insult? Aoko sighed inwardly. They continued their way until they stood before a couple of pots that were leaning against the white wall. "You can try yellow carnations. It means disappointment. Or," she shifted to the next pot. "Orange lilies. It conveys hatred."

"Great. So I want one of that yellow carnation and five of the orange lilies." He looked around again and grinned. "And I want two of that hydrangea."

"It represents heartfelt-"

"Heartlessness, too." He continued glancing around, but gave up in his search halfway. "I think it's more than enough."

She plucked out the two hydrangeas from the pot and gazed at the weirdest combination of flowers she was holding. This was the very first time she felt the colours and the shapes of the petals contradicting and uneven, much to her disbelief as a florist for so many years.

They arrived back at the counter again and Aoko was in the midst of wrapping the bouquet when the man picked out a palm-sized square card from the small shelf beside the cash register. She peeked a glance and quirked an eyebrow incredulously when she realized it was a get-well-soon card. Aoko was actually half-guessing if he was attempting to bust his ex or rival's wedding, but it turned out to be something she wasn't expecting in a million years. She silently scrutinized his hands' injuries and something clicked in her mind.

"Are you sending the bouquet to yourself?" That would explain the two geraniums.

He stared at her with a straight face. "Very funny."

Aoko stiffened a smile. She couldn't believe she had insulted a customer, but it just slipped. If this bouquet was meant for a prank, she guessed this man wouldn't mind her poor jokes too. She decided to act like the past twenty seconds didn't happen and patted on the final masterpiece while trying not to cringe at her work. No matter how many times she changed the wrappers, it still looked completely incompatible. Ended up, she used a white one to match with the all flower's uneven colours.

"Anyway, this is it." She announced.

"Nice." He tossed the card onto the bouquet. "Can you help me to fill in the card? It's a little bit inconvenient for me."

"No problem." She picked out a pen from the stationary holder and readied herself to write. She was hoping she looked as calm as she wanted to, though her foot was tapping eagerly below the counter, unable to hide the excitement of knowing what would be written inside the card. Curious was an understatement.

"Go to hell, Hakuba Saguru. Lots of love, your faithful annihilator."

That explained a lot.

"Well," Aoko said as she began to write. "I'm not sure how he's going to sense your hate when you're giving him flowers and a get-well-soon card."

"Of course he can," his lips tugged. "After I sprinkle some of my sneezing powder on it."

She gaped at him, unable to continue writing if she didn't get her words across. "You can't be serious."

He raised his bandaged-sausage hands. "He landed me in this state."

"He's in some kind of state too, right? Since you're giving him a get-well-soon card."

"I guess so." He shrugged. "He fractured his leg."

Oh God. What on earth-? "Did you two fight or something?"

He shrugged again.

It was the end of the conversation and she knew it wasn't meant for her to pry. She quietly finished her writing and stuck the card in between the flowers before handing it to him. He clasped the end of the bouquet between his forearm and chest and slid the money across the table towards her. She returned him his change.

"Thanks." He gestured his head at the flowers after pocketing his money, which he managed to do so with some difficulty. "Your flower shop is the real deal."

Aoko wasn't expecting that. "Oh. No problem, and thanks."

With that, he turned to head for the door and somehow, she couldn't help but feel bad for no reason in particular. His knowledge for flowers was more than enough for Aoko to be a little happy for the rareness that someone was on the same page as her, even if he only looked at the bad side of them, and she didn't want that someone who understood flowers to just... go. She made an abrupt noise that hindered his movement and the sound of the ringing bell hanging by the door died out.

His blue eyes turned towards her.

"Get well soon too." She awkwardly pointed at his hands.

"Sooner than you think." He said before departing out to the streets. He walked the other way where she couldn't see him by the glass window beside her counter.

What a day.

.o.

As early as the time when Aoko unlocked the door to her business, there were people already waiting outside to buy flowers, be it for an additional gift to a birthday surprise or a farewell party that wasn't remembered at the last minute. Her business was brisk at the start, and only till it reached past noon, it was much less busy for her.

Other than freshening up the flowers, Aoko used the free time she had to practice her flower arrangement skills. Ever since the day when that man made his unusual request, she had been drafting a bouquet idea for this special screw you package to put it up on her catalogue. Well, it was indeed an interesting concept and it wouldn't do harm to try it out, and she might even be the first to bring this idea to the industry. This just got to show how much flowers could be used to send so many different messages.

Foxglove goes well with geranium. Aoko smiled at the shades of purples in her half-completed bouquet before turning to the remaining flowers she had picked and left on the counter. But what can I do to make the yellow carnation fit in...?

The bell by the door chimed and her head shot up. The first thing she noticed was the familiar messy hair she recognized and then the sharp blue eyes-

It was the very said man who inspired her the screw you package.

Aoko's welcome greeting ended up stuck in her throat. She quickly fumbled with the little mess on the counter and covered it with a thin piece of wrapper sheet before pushing them aside. It was too late when he was smirking all the way as he trudged towards her.

"So someone is ordering a revenge bouquet too, huh?"

"You can say so." She feigned a laugh. There was no way in hell she was going to explain what she was even doing. The last thing she needed was that to happen, and the embarrassment that would follow. "How can I help you today?"

He whipped out his completely healed hands from his pockets and leafed through the small gift cards from the shelf beside the cash register. Once he had done the picking, Aoko straightened her back, her curiosity at its peak.

A picture of a baby stroller was on the cover of the card, along with two golden shimmering words Guess What? above the image. She jerked her head up, just in time to see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I want flowers base on this theme." He said.

Aoko narrowed her eyes. "Are you pregnant?"

He chuckled. "What do you think?"

Forget all about picking flowers that represented mean meanings or the stupid sneezing power. This was another level. Her frown turned deeper. "Is this another prank of yours? That's a little harsh, don't you think? What if the recipient is really expecting a child?"

In a flash, his laughter had died away like a wilting flower and it turned to a scowl. "That's what he gets for flirting with my audiences. He needs to learn his lesson about his womanizing ways."

Audiences? Aoko tilted her head, not really understanding but he gave no more words to explain himself. He glanced up at the clock above her head before dropping his lazy gaze back at her.

"So do you have the flowers?"

"Hold on a second." She turned to approach the pots just a few feet from her counter. She could feel his eyes on her back, and if she would like to admit, it was hard to focus on her task with that thought. She sauntered her way back after her treasure finding and set the flowers on the counter, making sure it was far away from the screw you package she was making in case she happened to mix them up. "Betony is good for surprises. Celandine represents the joy that will come."

"Pretty enough." He fished out his wallet. "Just these will do."

He paid for the purchase and browsed through the flowers and give a sniff before shaking his head. Aoko was on full alert. She was always more attentive towards her customers' reaction for her flowers. She bit her lips anxiously. "Is something wrong?"

"No. The flowers are perfect." He sighed. "It's a pity for it to be wasted on him, but it's a needed prop for my stunt."

What on earth is this guy even planning?

"Anyway, can I borrow a pen?"

"Yeah." Aoko plucked out a black pen from the holder and passed it to him. He set the bouquet gracefully aside and began penning down his words onto the card. She tried to see what he was writing, but his messy fringe provided a greater distraction for her.

All of the sudden, he stopped and glanced up, his blue eyes staring straight into hers. Aoko was definitely taken aback and she couldn't hide the redness that tinted her cheeks when he surprised her like that. She wanted to retort and ask what was wrong, but he spoke first before she could get the words out of her mouth.

"Give me a girl's name."

She shook her head. "Don't involve me into your plays."

His eyes twinkled. "I would've asked for yours if I wanted to. Though if you're keen, I don't mind."

"No." She spat.

"Fine." He looked down again and thumped the end of the pen on the counter repetitively before his face lit up and he began writing again. He closed the pen with a click after he was done and handed it back to her. "Thanks."

She took the pen from him and twiddled it for a few moments. Tonight would be a night she wouldn't have any sleep if she didn't get this question out of her system. Daring herself, Aoko took a deep breath and asked "Is it for the same guy again?" She pondered for a moment and tried hard to recollect. "Hakuba Saguru, if I'm not wrong."

"Yeah, it is." He picked up his finished card and planted it in the middle of the bouquet. "Thanks for your service, again."

"You're welcome." Aoko mustered a smile. Her job was done and the success for whatever stunt he was playing was never her business, in fact, it was supposed to be something she disapproved if she was a respectable florist who used flowers for meaningful purposes. But this guy... He'd twisted her ideology in so many ways, and it's all within the span of two trips to her shop. She watched his broad back depart towards the door and before she knew it, she gave a loud squeal, which instantaneously stopped him from moving.

He turned to stare at her. "Was that a mouse or was that something else?"

She hastily cleared her throat. "Uh, I- I just want to wish you all the best in whatever you're doing, if it's the right thing for you."

"Here's a little tip. It's never a right thing to screw a police officer." He smirked. Something about his lopsided smile was much distinctive than the bouquet of beautiful flowers he was holding in his hand. "But you're correct. For me, it's the rightest thing to do."

With that, the bell tinkled and he disappeared down the streets.

Aoko blinked at the air.

What the hell?

.o.

Simplicity was Aoko's favourite thing. Being in the room filled with flowers was enough to make her happy, which meant she was always blessed every day because that was basically what she had been doing all her life. She didn't need confusing things like philosophical questions or unfathomable secrets in her life.

And Kaitou Kid was included.

Magic was fun. Magic and thievery were not. Aoko had no interest in being one of the delusional fans and joining them to support this so-called Phantom Thief. She preferred reading her magazine without having to see silhouettes of KID being on almost every page, or having to hear the chants and echoes of his name whenever she switched on the television. But all of it was unavoidable when she was living in Japan, the country Kaitou Kid executed his heists the most. The lesser she tried to care, the more the Phantom Thief came back to taunt her.

Even her love for flowers got involved.

Aoko thought she could never be any happier than celebrating the first day of her store opening, until she'd bought a ticket to a flower festival held in the heart of Tokyo, and things couldn't be any better for her when she realized the opening dates lasted for a week. If she didn't see enough in a day, she could come on another again. But if that were to happen, she swore she would never pick the last day, which was the day Kaitou Kid had announced to the public about stealing Garden Angel from the event. She didn't mind the last minute crowd, but she minded a lot if the crowd consisted of Kaitou Kid's feisty and wild fans jumping all around and having their focus on the white thief instead of all these flowers around them.

As the name said it, the statue was a marble stone being crafted into a shape of an angel standing on a plate, and what made it worthy of Kaitou Kid's attention was the big red jewel fixated on the chest of the statue. Aoko had to admit Kaitou Kid had some taste to aim for this masterpiece, though she'd never understand the reason why he always returned his loots in the end. Was he bored of the prize? Was he too rich and didn't have enough storage for any more treasures? Aoko rolled her eyes at the thought.

There wasn't any queue when she came as early as the event timed to be open. Viewing the Garden Angel with a much lesser crowd was a much pleasant experience, but once was enough for Aoko; she wasn't even really interested it in anyway. She was about to leave to see the flowers she had come for when she halted halfway through her turn, her eyes grew wide at the sight of the man beside her.

"You-!"

Surprisingly, the screw you bouquet package she'd finished was well-received by her customers, who liked it for the joke and out of fun. And the very man who brought such popularity to her store recently was right here, in his usual sweater and jeans and the signature crooked smile plastered on his face.

"Yo." He raised a hand in greeting. "What a coincidence."

"Why are you here?" The sentence was curt enough and Aoko made it worse by sounding just as snappy as the question already was.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Why can't I?"

"Uh, I mean-" She scratched the side of her cheek, feeling unsure of what to say to explain herself. First thing first, she was genuinely surprised when he was standing beside her and the blunt words came tumbling out. Secondly, his wisdom for flowers was one thing, but whether he was appreciative of them was another. "I never thought you'll like flowers to the extent of attending this event."

"Not just for the flowers." He gestured his head over at the statue before them. "Didn't you come to look at it too? This will be the last time you'll ever see the jewel once Kaitou Kid steals it after all."

As expected, a Kaitou Kid's fan. Aoko rolled her eyes. "I'm more interested in the flowers. And you sound pretty confident about it getting stolen."

"I am confident."

"Why are you even confident?" She scoffed and cast a sidelong glance at him. "You aren't Kaitou Kid."

"I guess you're right." He chortled, his eyes not leaving the statue. "Are you visiting other places?"

Aoko rummaged through her bag and pulled out the map. There were many things she wanted to see and she had no idea where to start first. She stared at the map and twisted it around, as if it was any better in helping to make her decision. "I am, but I don't know which one I should go first."

He turned to her with a sincere look. "What's your favourite flower?"

She rebuffed with a firm stare "Don't."

"Don't what?" He asked, confusion masking his expression. He seemed a little hurt if Aoko bothered to care.

"Don't ask me that question," she shook her head. "I can spend days thinking of an answer and never come to any conclusion. It happened before and those sleepless nights weren't appreciated, thank you."

"Are you serious?" He gaped at her. "It's just a question."

"It means a lot to me." She replied, too lazy to explain further since she could picture the judgmental reaction she would receive like every other time. All the flowers in the world were her babies, and she couldn't bear to have a favourite out of all. It was too selfish, though not like anyone would ever understand. She looked back at him with an air of finality.

"Fine." He snatched the map away from her hand and stuffed it back into her sling-bag before she retaliated. "Then let's walk around aimlessly and see what surprises us."

"Wait- We are going together?"

"I'm bored and you're alone. Why not?" He grinned.

"You'll be even bored with me as a companion." Aoko tugged onto her bag nervously and zipped it up, the map was left inside. "I'll ignore you for the flowers, definitely."

"That's fine with me."

Before they'd even moved from their spot, a voice suddenly came from behind her.

"I knew you'll be here on the first day this event commences."

If the person was talking to Aoko, she would've agreed very enthusiastically because it was true, but the question was definitely not meant for her. She just knew it in her gut since it didn't sound as pleasing as she thought the question should have been and she didn't deserve that. Still, her curiosity piqued when the voice was close by and she turned, her eyebrows raised as she watched a blonde man walking towards her direction and finally stopped before the man beside her.

"Why not? It's a beautiful event with lots of beautiful scenery. Not until you came, that's for sure." His voice was merry at the start but died down to a grim at the end.

Instead of a scowl or a normal nasty expression Aoko expected, the blonde returned a polite smile. "It's an honour that I've been entitled a chance to be part of the view for you."

"Take it whatever you want, Hakuba." He drawled back.

It only took Aoko a choke for the two men to turn and stare at her. She winced and knew her face must be as red as fire because her cheeks felt like it was burning. But how could anyone blame her for that? This blonde man-

He's that Hakuba Saguru?!

The prankster must have understood what her sudden interruption meant as his bored expression was taken over with a simple grin, which sort of confirmed what Aoko was thinking in her head. Hakuba obviously didn't. He glanced between them skeptically before stepping in front of her.

"Please take this warning very personally, miss." Hakuba shook his head disapprovingly. "This man is dangerous. Do not associate with him."

Aoko blinked. "Um-"

"Come on, Hakuba. Leave her alone." The supposedly dangerous man laughed. There was nothing in his demeanour that Aoko could deem as dangerous. Playful, yes, but dangerous was another level. Or five levels away, actually. Would it be a bad idea to admit that she got used to his presence faster and better than everyone else she had tried to warm up with before? She sealed her lips tightly together. Yeah, a very bad idea.

Hakuba turned and stared at him. "I should be the one telling you that."

"She's got nothing to do with me." He replied plainly before his face lit up. "Oh, by the way. Did you manage to find your long, lost pregnant lover?"

What a thing to say after telling him I've got nothing to do with you! Aoko screamed in her mind and stared at the side of his face, which only conveyed that he was unmoved by the fact that she was glaring at him.

"I don't have a long lost lover," Hakuba clicked his tongue annoyingly. "Or a child. Stop talking about it already."

"They'll be heartbroken to hear that." He turned towards Aoko with a wide-eyed innocent look and pointed at Hakuba. "Tell me who's the dangerous and mean man now?"

You won by a landslide for the latter, actually. Aoko cleared her throat and mustered a smile. "I'll leave you two alone." She stepped back and waved weakly before skipping to the other end of the garden to head to the next location, not very interested in staying to hear what else they had to say. She only peeked a glance back when she was at a safer distance and saw Hakuba standing alone in the middle of the garden, arms crossed and looking very unsatisfied. The other guy was nowhere to be found, but it was none of her business, she thought, and she continued sauntering to where she intended to go.

Well, the trip turned out eventful with lots of pictures taken and inspirations had hit her in all sorts of places. But at the end of the day, she was actually slightly hoping that prankster would show up behind her with that idiotic grin and kept to the so-called promise of accompanying her for this festival. At least she was lucky she'd kept her hopes low. Disappointment wasn't her favourite feeling at all.

.o.

Aoko noticed something different about him the moment he stepped into the store.

His black tousled hair looked the same as usual, but the attire he was wearing managed to cancel out the messy and lazy look he often portrayed. He was wearing a pressed long-sleeved dress shirt and a tailored pair of pants that tightly fitted his long legs, and the way he put one hand in a pocket was especially spectacular and smart no matter how Aoko was trying to think the other way.

"Hey." He was the first to say the greeting. It couldn't be helped when Aoko was too busy googling her eyes out at him at the moment.

"Um, hey- Good evening, I mean." She cleared her throat. "So what's the occasion?"

"I need red roses." He walked over her counter gracefully. There was no hint of mockery in his tone, no attempts to beat around the bush. "Twenty of those. Do you have them in stock?"

Of course, how could Aoko have not have known? She should've been experienced enough to link his smart attire to roses but it just slipped from her mind, for reasons she didn't want to know. Maybe, laughably, this might be the first time they finally engaged in a professional sort of business transaction. She decided to get onto her task and be as cool as she could, but she ruined her facade by nodding her head a little too dumbly for her taste before leading the way. Even when he was behind her, she could smell the fragrance of cologne coming from him, and the smell grew stronger when they stood side by side after reaching the end of the store where the refrigerators were.

She distractedly pulled the door open and rummaged through the metal tin filled with the said red roses when he abruptly stepped closer to her. For a moment, Aoko was puzzled when she couldn't smell his perfume even though his shoulder was touching hers, until she realized oh, it was because she'd stopped breathing. How silly of her.

How dumb of her.

"Do you mind if I pick them out myself?" He asked before quickly adding. "I don't doubt your skills. It's that I need to pick specific kinds to fit what I need."

His cologne filled her nose again and it took quite some effort to get the words out of her mouth. "Specific kinds?"

"The length, the number of petals and bla bla." He sounded in a hurry, but there was no signs of hastiness as he began to pick the flowers. During his hunt, Aoko silently stood at the side and watched him do his own work, though she wasn't sure if her main focus was the red roses or his slender fingers that brushed across the petals and stalks with a care like a jewel.

"Done." He said after a couple of minutes and grinned triumphantly at the bunch of roses in his hands, the bouquet almost as big as the size of her head. "I don't need wrapping. Just payment."

"Okay." Aoko led him back to the counter and proceed with what she needed to do.

It was the most common knowledge for any florist or a person who happened to have a knack for flowers to know twenty roses represented faithfulness and sincerity of love from the giver to the receiver. He should know the reason for his purchase better than Aoko, and she wasn't sure if she should feel happy or any other emotions (like sad, maybe?) for his growth in maturity and finally doing something honest like this. But about picking the length and number of petals... Even as a florist, she hadn't gone so far in counting the petals and remembering the significance. And what was with the choice for length? She tried to ignore the puzzling thoughts and focused on punching the cash register's buttons as it went with a traditional ping! after she was done.

"That will be-" Her business-smile faltered once she looked up. "Wait. Where are the roses?"

He glanced at the numbers on the little screen monitor and busily fumbled through his money notes in his wallet, the roses that were originally in his hand was nowhere to be seen. Not stuck under his arms, not between his legs, not on the counter, not anywhere at all. He passed her a big note he had fished out and beamed at her obvious, perplexed look. "Keep the change. As a tip."

Aoko blankly took the money, her eyes still on him. "No seriously, where are the roses?"

"You can find out later." He stuffed his wallet into his pocket. "I have a performance at the clock tower some time soon. If you're free, do drop by."

"Performance?"

His eyes twinkled. "I'm a magician."

She widened her eyes in amazement. It had never once crossed her mind that he was a magician, but once she knew, she couldn't think of any sort of career that would fit him better than that. "That's pretty cool."

One side of his lips tugged. "Many would say, but I find a florist equally as interesting."

Her mouth was sealed shut, though the blush on her cheeks betrayed the modest demeanour she was trying to show. "Thanks," Ok Nakamori Aoko, get over this conversation! "Then the twenty roses are-"

"For my performance."

"Oh."

There was a glitter of humour in his eyes. "Are you assuming that I'm giving it to a person?"

"Yeah." She admitted bashfully. There wasn't a point to beat around the bush.

"Possible." He nodded rather exaggeratedly, which gave her a feeling she might not quite like the words he was going to say next. "And then I'll add a card that says To my dearest gay partner, I love you. From Hakuba Saguru."

Aoko gaped, her mouth hung wide open. "You wouldn't."

"Relax. I'm not and I won't. I have better things to do than to mind that guy now." He glanced at the clock on the wall above her head before turning to her again. "Well, I've got to go. Hope to see you there, if you're keen."

She was more than keen, but she kept her composure in check and simply smiled back without directly answering his question. There might be last minute orders, or her friends or father might call her for a dinner date, who knew? She wouldn't dare to promise him until she was truly there, and maybe that was why his grin wasn't as big and natural when he returned her a smile before he turned to the door without looking back. For the first time in his visits, she didn't stop him from leaving too.

.o.

Apparently, there were no last minute orders, and her friends and father were much busier somewhere else to have dinner with her. So... Since she was free and keen, why not? After she pulled down the shutters to her store and kept her keys in her bag, she strolled towards the direction of the clock tower.

The brown clock tower stood tall and proud when it came to her view. The sky was mixed with a hue shade of dark orange and blue, and what came out for the clouds was like a pinkish purple sort of candyfloss. She thought the sight would be a great comparison to a bunch of purple dahlias surrounding a stalk of brown hybrid orchid. It'd be beautiful.

Her job habit was stored to the back of her mind once she noticed a crowd standing around a booth with the very said man she came to see before it. She was far enough to watch him despite all the tall heads blocking her way, and he must be standing on some kind of box or platform to increase his height for the back audiences to see better. His hands were currently making weird gestures in the air until he gave one solid and firm wave and more than a dozen doves fluttered out of his sleeve. Everyone erupted into a round of applause and she didn't know she herself was giving one as well until she realized her hands were a bit sore from clapping too aggressively for a while.

The sky gradually turned dark enough to see a couple of stars despite the light pollution and Aoko had no idea how much time had passed till he concluded his performance. He bowed and flashed a very pleasant and charismatic smile, which didn't much fit his sarcastic and childish behaviour she'd came to known for those past meetings, but it still worked for him as many of the audiences swooned from where they were. The plain ending of his show was somewhat unsatisfying and Aoko was still half-suspecting something to happen. As if they'd shared the same wavelength, he answered her doubts by turning swiftly in his position and disappeared into a puff of smoke, but the main part of his fancy exit was how his booth and props suddenly turned into a flock of doves as they flew into the sky and dispersed to different directions. White feathers fluttered all over the audiences and they began scampering around and squealing everywhere to escape.

This was more like the finale Aoko expected him to do. Her eyes softened as she watched the make-shift snowflakes for a long while until realizing she was one of the few people left standing in the middle of the parade square. Everyone was heading home, though their face was still filled with excitement and children were animatedly recapping what they'd seen to their parents, as if the performance hadn't ended. Her lips tugged at the scenes and her little memory bell started singing inside her head. She remembered watching a couple of magic shows when she was young, those innocent times when she didn't know how one ticket could be so expensive. And those memories of sitting in between her lovely parents and smiling at all sorts of little tricks... The nostalgic feeling had never hit her so hard before.

All of the sudden, Aoko didn't know where to go.

Everything and everywhere...

Just felt so... lonely...

"Hello."

Aoko didn't even realize the clock tower had been chiming all along until the familiar cool voice speaking behind her had nearly muted the hypnotic sound of the bells. She spun her whole body around and her breath hitched-

He had changed out from his formal wear and was wearing his usual jeans and a loose sweater, but that wasn't it. A hand was raised, and with a snap, a rose suddenly poof between his fingers and he tilted the deep red petals towards her face. She glanced up, eyes wide and the shock that was numbing her throat still hadn't gone away.

"My name is Kuroba Kaito." He smiled, but not the pleasant, charismatic one that he showed to the audiences. The one that fitted him better, the one that seemed more real and genuine to Aoko than anything else. "Nice to meet you."

Because seeing something you like will make you excited. Because seeing your favourite colour reminds you of happiness. Because the feeling of skipped heartbeats and flaring cheeks means you've found your-

That must be it. She'd decided at that moment her favourite flower was red roses.

"Hello, my name is Nakamori Aoko," she smiled back and accepted the rose into her hands, her eyes slowly travelling up from the flower to Kaito's glinting blue eyes. "N-Nice to meet you too."

.o.

Aoko's job as a florist was simple, pure and pleasantly repetitive. Greetings. Helping the customers to get what they need. Payment. Thanks. Maintaining the growth and freshness of the flowers. That was it. She wasn't complaining; Aoko loved her job. But there was a slight change to it and she had no idea since when it had happened.

Now and then, Kaito would randomly make irregular visits for no reason in particular, but what Aoko could tell was he came here during most of his free time. He would always be in casual wear, the lazy sort of attire that ironically fitted him better than anything else. It was luck that he often popped in when there weren't any customers and during those time, he would loiter around the flowers pots or poke around the shelves of cards as they randomly engaged in some kind of conversation (She couldn't remember what because there were too many), until a customer came and he would leave voluntarily for her to focus on her job. Like some manipulation, psychological thing or effect, Aoko realized she was starting to dread the tinkle of the bells whenever Kaito was with her.

On the contrary, when she was alone with only her radio as company, her anticipation would increase when the bell jingled loudly and the sound of footsteps entering the store cut off her concentration on her song. She would jump off her seat and wore a smile that seemed impossible to grow bigger, but she'd prove the world wrong when she registered the so-called customer that came in was none other than Kaito, the man who made use of her air-conditioned store and eat on the little snacks and sweets that were meant for the waiting customers.

The person she wanted to see everyday besides the flowers in her shop.

"Hey." He gave a wave.

"Hello." She would reply.

And the cycle repeated itself.

.o.

Aoko loved sweets, and it was her greatest luck for her shop to be situated beside a nice cafe. The community here was pretty united, so whenever there were fresh bakes out from the hot oven, she was one of the first few to be called to go over next door to try it out. Her "be-back-in-fifteen-minutes" sign was always prepared for this moment.

It was cinnamon rolls this time. She received a box of it in glee and thanked repetitively like always to the baker, Satoshi. His bakes were one of the few things Aoko was willing to turn a blind eye to the calorie counts for.

She exited the cafe with a skip and turned to Satoshi who gentlemanly sent her out of the door.

"Thanks again." Aoko pointed at the box in her hand. The warmth that was seeping out from the box and to her hands were basically tempting her to try it out as soon as possible.

"No worries, really." He waved a hand and grinned. "Your cute expressions are always worth it."

"Mind you." Aoko lightly punched the side of his arm. "Don't let your girlfriend hear that or I won't get any more of these." She caressed the box like a baby. Something close enough.

Satoshi chuckled and rubbed his arm that received the attack. "We're just honestly happy when someone is eager to eat the things we make."

Aoko scoffed. "You two must have said that a lot of times then."

"We wish." Satoshi rolled his eyes before jabbing his thumb to the direction of her store. "Anyway, you should get going, don't keep your customer waiting too long."

"I should be the one saying that." She shook her head jokingly.

"No, I'm serious though." He emphasized his jab and Aoko turned her head. It was weird that among the bustling crowd, she could instantly focus on only one man's back and knew he was the one Satoshi was referring to. Well, he had been responsible for her little fame because of the screw you bouquet, been a very dedicated visitor as of late and he was a magician, the sort of talent you wouldn't find so frequently in your group of friends.

Friends...?

Kaito was walking the other way, his shoulders slouched and hands in pockets. She always watched his back when he left her store, and this was the first time she saw it in this manner, so disheartening in a way that even her posture began to copy his.

"Aoko?"

Why didn't he wait for her?

"Aoko!"

"Uh-! Huh?" She spun back to Satoshi, her voice croaked as if she just woken up from a long sleep.

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." She stared down at the box and mustered a smile again. "I'll go back now. See you soon."

"See you."

She turned on her heels and approached towards her store while trying to scan for Kaito among the crowd again. But it was too late; he was long gone

.o.

"...Last night at Beika museum, massive gunshots were fired at Kaitou Kid's heist and the police had captured-"

The glass door swung open and the bell chimed ceremoniously as a new customer walked into her store. Aoko toned down the radio, inwardly reminding herself to check on the news she was trying to catch up later. It had been the most intense LIVE news about Kaitou Kid since forever and she'd never bothered to watch anything related to him until now when all sorts of social media were ranting about the shooting spree at the museum. So far, all Aoko knew was the bad guys were caught, but the prized Moon's Eye and Kaitou Kid was nowhere to be found.

She cleared her throat and was about to say her usual greetings when her body froze.

A familiar blonde man appeared in her sight, his head moving around until he spotted her and the next thing she remembered was his unique amber eyes, the ones she couldn't forget out of guilt.

Hakuba frowned and narrowed his eyes in a surveying manner before his face lit up upon recognition. He ambled his way towards the counter and crossed his arms, his skeptical expression was shelved away for a smirking one.

"You're that lady from the flower festival event."

She managed a smile and raised a hand to give a small wave, but her fingers curled up in defeat when his calming aura ironically made her too nervous to move a nerve. "Yeah, that's me."

Without even looking, Hakuba plucked out two cards beside the cash register before staring at it with a profound gaze. He then glanced about the entire store and placed the cards back to its original place in a slow and deliberate manner, allowing Aoko to see what he'd took. It was the get-well-soon and the pregnancy-announcement card Kaito had used to send to Hakuba.

Oh God.

"I want a normal get-well-soon bouquet of flowers. Thank you." He broke the little awkward moment that Aoko was sure she was the only one feeling.

Of course. She almost wanted to say out loud and managed to bit her tongue just in time before the words slipped. It was the usual bunch of flowers she knew where to take by heart and she returned back to the counter from her hunt within a minute. She spread a piece of white wrapper across the counter and placed the flowers on it, her task had just begun.

"Is Kuroba a frequent customer here?" Hakuba suddenly asked.

"Yeah, sort of." She pursed her lips, feeling a little dejected as she continued the next sentence. "But he hasn't been coming for a while."

He nodded his head understandingly. "Not surprisingly."

Aoko wasn't sure what that two words truly meant but she decided it wasn't for her to pry. She picked a ribbon from her drawer and turned the conversation back to the professional route. "Is there anything else you need?"

"I suppose you don't sell any sneezing powders here, do you?"

"Sorry, we don't-" Her lips slightly parted and she stared at the flowers for a moment, realization dawned upon her. "Are these for..."

"Kuroba," Hakuba smiled wryly. "Yes"

She straightened her back and eyes widened by a large fraction, the ribbon gracefully slipped out of her fingers. "Wh-What happened to him?"

"A little accident. Got some injuries here and there." He answered reassuringly. "He's still alive, no worries. Unless I'm asking for white lilies on my next visit, it means there're some problems then."

Aoko wasn't sure how to respond and choose the safest route by laughing at his jokes she presumed he was making. But her focus now was far from reality. She unconsciously drummed her fingers on the desk, her brows creased as thoughts began running through her head. Nothing to worry. Nothing to worry. Maybe it was something to do with his work. Like he burnt his finger while playing with some fire tricks and other variations of accidents that could happen for a magician. Aoko picked up the ribbon again and silently tried to focus her mind on the work instead.

Her efforts, however, failed and being distracted was an understatement. She had to get another carnation because she snapped the stem at the wrong length, and the wrapper was torn at the side because she used too much strength to fold. She was supposed to be professional, damn it! Though luckily, Hakuba was nice enough to pretend his phone was the most interesting thing at the moment and didn't seem to mind the wait. She managed to arrange the flowers till she was satisfied and handed the final piece to Hakuba for his acknowledgment. He made the purchase and having no more reason to stay, he steadied the flowers in his arms one last time and proceeded to leave the store after a polite thanks.

But Aoko had all the reason for him to stay. She needed to tell him something, she needed him to help her to-

Just do it. If you don't do it, you're not going to sleep well tonight, Nakamori Aoko!

She took in a deep breath.

"Sorry, um-"

Hakuba stopped by the door and turned, waiting for her to speak.

Aoko hastily reached out for a card from the shelve and scribbled a few phrases she recalled from the Internet and improvised it to her own. After she was done, she chucked the pen away and handed the card towards Hakuba, who had specially made his way back to the counter when she was busy with her writing.

"I know it's unprofessional of me, but can you pass this card to him? Just a few words to tell him to get well soon."

He gently took it from her grasp with a little glint shining in his eyes, one that Aoko wasn't sure if she should pretend she'd seen it or not. He was kind enough to not flip the card open in front of her to read and hid the card in the middle of the bouquet instead.

"No problem. I'll give it to him."

This was the only thing she could do.

"Thank you."

.o.

Ever since Kaito stopped coming when he left her store without a word quite some time ago, Aoko wasn't expecting his visits with much high hopes. But after Hakuba told her he was injured, she couldn't lie to herself about feeling neutral in seeing him again. Whenever the bell rang and she turned, she was always praying for the tousled black hair man to come in with the lazy and stupid grin plastered on his face. But it was always the customers, mailman, customers... It had already been two weeks and-

The bell suddenly jingled against the glass door.

Forget it.

"Hey."

"Good-" Aoko toned down the radio and twirled her chair around to face the door. What was left of her unfinished greeting was the little squeaks coming from her chair.

"Good?" Kaito smirked and tilted his head mockingly as the glass door closed behind him. "Good day, mate?"

"Y-You're alive!" She took quite some time for her throat to operate and exclaim.

His wry smile died down and he sucked in a breath through gritted teeth. "Wow, that's a little bit harsh of a greeting. What am I supposed to infer from that?"

"In a literal way." Aoko jumped off her seat while he sauntered over to the counter. She eyed him up and down, but there wasn't anything for her to see other than his clothes that covered most of his skin. "Hakuba told me you're injured."

"Yeah, I know. His big mouth." She didn't miss the little scowl that briefly appeared on his face, though once she blinked, it was gone. Kaito moved his hands from his head to hip in a scanning manner and grinned. "Well, I'm fine now and everything is better than before."

For some reason, his smile was especially contagious, even if she liked it or not. "You look very happy today." She randomly blurted.

He blinked. "Am I?"

It was too late to take back her words, might as well. "Yeah."

He shrugged nonchalantly, his cheerful demeanour slightly fading off, though Aoko personally knew it was still there. "Anyway, we got busted."

Aoko tilted her head to a side. "Busted?"

"Hakuba found out I'm his non-existent one-night-stand partner. Obviously."

She should've laughed, chided him and telling him off that his pranks were stupid and he should've seen it coming, but instead of following what her brains told her to do, Aoko glanced at him hesitantly. "Is it because of me? Did I blow the cover?"

"Nah. He knew it from the start but he didn't have the evidence. The sort of lame detective thing." He waved her off, but his hand slowly went back to his side after some kind of thought struck him. "I've forgotten to thank you for the card, by the way."

"Oh," she bit her lips nervously. "It's actually noth-"

"Roses are red, violets are blue. I hope you will get well soon." He pressed a palm over his eyes as his shoulders began to shake. When the suppressed energy had reached its limits, he threw his head back and began struggling for air.

Aoko growled and grabbed a couple of petals that were left on the counter from the previous arrangements and tossed it at his face. "I shouldn't have bothered." She huffed.

"No, seriously. I want to thank you for that." He swiped off whatever that was luckily littered over his head before wiping a tear from his eye. "Hakuba's existence wasn't interesting and my injuries weren't exactly pleasant. The only nice thing I had that week was your card."

A thank you was more than enough to make her embarrass, and now he'd said that. She felt her cheeks turning hot and she coughed to put up a pathetic pretense. "Well, glad you're fine." And glad that you've finally come back here too.

"I shouldn't be surprised with that quote, but I really was." He shook his head in defeat. "You're really a flower fanatic."

Aoko rolled her eyes. "You're talking to a florist here."

"A very dedicated one." He added.

On the cue, her business phone rung and she hopped over to pick it up. She kept her eyes on Kaito, an indirect signal to ask him to wait and not go, though she wasn't sure why she did it and how he sort of understood what her gaze even meant. He simply strolled over to a pot of daisies and fumbled with the petals with his tender fingers.

"Hello-"

"Aoko!" Satoshi's voice interrupted before she could introduce herself to the caller. "Today we're having chocolate brownies. How about it?"

"Chocolate brownies!" Aoko perked up. "Definitely!"

"Come over to pick it up anytime, it's ready for you."

"In a minute." She promised and hung up the call. All of the sudden, there was this abrupt, weird silence Aoko wasn't feeling quite accustomed to and she looked up, her vision disregarded all the colours surrounding him and only focused on Kaito's blue eyes.

"What was that?" He asked.

"The cafe next door baked some chocolate brownies and asked me to pick some up. We often do these little exchange things." Aoko took the "be-back-in-fifteen-minutes" sign from under the counter. "I gave them a vase of fresh flowers occasionally to spice up their cafe."

"Right," Kaito drawled and looked away. "The cafe next door."

There was something off about his pursed lips. It was a little more upturned, like a wilting flower. The familiar slump of his shoulders was back and Aoko watched him shuffle his feet on the ground, his slight discomposure increased ten-fold when he slid his hands into his pocket.

Weeks ago, she'd been worrying about how she was supposed to bring this matter up to Kaito when she saw him again, but now, this was a perfect chance for her to take the initiative to do what she thought was right, to explain everything to him when he left without giving her a chance to do so.

"Satoshi is a great baker. His specialty always involves chocolates." She tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully while ignoring the flicker of his gaze. "His girlfriend does the drink better though. You should try her ice mocha when you visit."

Kaito stopped shuffling his feet and stared at her. "Really?"

"What thing really?"

"Uh, about everything you said."

"Why do I need to lie to you?"

"I guess not." He scratched the side of his cheek and nodded repetitively to himself. There was a healthy shade of pink blossoming his face and Aoko couldn't help and smile at the sight. Knowing better than to pursue the reason, she cleared her throat to signify a new conversation.

"Do you want to try the chocolate brownies?" She walked past him and towards the door to hook up the sign. "It's really good."

"If it's really good, you shouldn't be sharing." Kaito continued with a grin before Aoko could retort. "But I'm taking it and you can't retrieve your words back."

"I didn't say the portion you're allowed to eat anyway." She stuck out her tongue victoriously and pushed the door open. "I'll be back in a second." It wasn't necessary at all, but she added the last sentence for the sake of it. "And don't leave just yet."

"I'm not going anywhere till you come back."

"Good." Her lips tugged and she made her way.

.o.

For the first time after so long, he finally had a normal, valid reason like everyone else when they visited a flower shop.

"I need some flowers." Kaito leaned against the counter one fine evening and crossed his arms while his eyes scrutinized the shop on his own. He seemed like he had his own idea in mind and Aoko waited, until he turned to her with a raised eyebrow when the silence was stretched for far too long. "Aren't you going to ask what is it?"

"What a big shot." She scoffed and regarded him up and down sarcastically. He was in his usual attire, nothing special or fancy, and he didn't specifically mention anything about Hakuba recently... There was a limited choice to guess but she decided to just go with it. "For your performance?"

"Nope."

Oh, so there was something about Hakuba. Or a new target? Aoko narrowed her eyes. "Then what is it for now?"

Kaito theatrically placed a hand on his chest. "That sounds mean."

"It's just a question." She beamed, but it was nowhere as innocent as his wide-eye look he was showing to her then.

"Well," he kept both hands into his pockets and glanced around, letting a second to fill in the short silence for a moment. "What kind of flowers can I give for a date?"

"A date." She repeated dumbly.

"A date." He echoed back.

Aoko couldn't put a finger on the cause of the sudden weird squeeze in her chest, which she ended up concluding it as doubtfulness because... what else could it be anyway? "Are you being serious?"

"I can't believe you're suspecting me." He shook his head disbelievingly.

"Once bitten, twice shy. The sort of saying, you know?"

A simple grin broke his act of sadness. "You don't look very shy to me when you're accusing your customer."

Aoko rolled her eyes and settled back to the main question. "The flowers are for a girl, I presume?"

He nodded, his smile faltered for a bit and she wondered why. Did she say something wrong? She wasn't considering on asking about his mildly weird behaviour at first, not until when he didn't follow her like how he always did whenever she headed out from the counter to the pots of flowers. He was simply standing at where he was, his hands still stuck deep inside his pockets as he balanced between the front and back of his heels.

Aoko turned dubiously towards him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Are you nervous about your date or something?" She blinked at him curiously.

"You can say so." Even though his voice sounded hoarse, nothing wrong was shown in his expression. And this was one of the rare occasions where he was being straightforward about his feelings, Aoko noted.

"Wow." She tried to say it with a teasing tone, but what came out was a croak at the end. Kaito, for the first time that day, daringly look straight into her eyes and stared at her with a brief nonplussed look and all she could do was to quickly pretend a cough and continue what she had to say. "You really do like her."

"I think so." He finally walked towards her.

Aoko took the lead and ambled her way around the store. "Tell me about the girl."

There was a slight pause in his steps before he spoke a mumble that was close to a stutter. "What?"

She whirled around but kept on moving, walking backward. She was too used to the setting of her store to manoeuvre around without using her eyes in confidence. "Tell me what kind of person she is so I can decide on the bouquet."

Kaito tilted his head skeptically. "Isn't it those typical roses and carnations or something?"

"It's not necessary to always go by the book. A rose doesn't solve everything about love. If she likes sunflowers, those are good for the date too." Aoko stopped by the pot of sunflowers and smiled. "So what does she like?"

He scrutinized the sunflowers for a long while before his face crumpled with slight annoyance, as if he was disappointed. Not at the sunflowers, but with himself, if Aoko thought about it carefully. "I don't know." He muttered.

"You don't know?" Aoko frowned disapprovingly. She knew it wasn't exactly helping with the situation but she felt a need to say it. "You could at least try to know her better or something."

"I did try." His eyes didn't leave the sunflowers. "But for this question, I really don't know."

Aoko watched him for a moment and wondered if she'd struck a certain nerve of his that she shouldn't have. It was a wonder why his disappointment had anything to do with her, but this irrational feeling of guilt had begun to disturb her too.

"Actually it's fine, no big deal." Aoko prompted lightly and continued moving forward, trying to pretend the last minute was something that had never happened in her life, not in a bad way, but because she didn't want to remember that look on his face. She reached for the stalks of jasmine and proceeded to the tulips sections to start on the plan for her design.

He followed her back to the counter with graceful and quiet steps that Aoko thought him as a floating lantern; A peaceful warmth glowing beside her, something like that. Any kind of wrappers would reduce the intensity of all the different shades of red flowers she had picked, so after altering all the stems to equal length, she wrapped the handle of the bouquet with her favourite white beaded lace.

Kaito nodded satisfyingly and took the flowers when she passed it to him. "It's pretty." He surveyed it in his hands and took a whiff of the flowers before returning to gaze at it for a long considering moment again.

She didn't mean to stare, but the way his focused and bright eyes shone the reflection of the bouquet of flowers... It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

"Like you. I mean good. I-I mean yes. I mean thanks!" Aoko finally choked out her words. "G-Glad you like it."

A hint of amusement flashed across his face and she wished for a black hole to suddenly suck her in and let this moment disappear forever. The flush that bloomed her cheeks were little compared to the sea of red flowers and she hoped it was enough to hide her embarrassment.

"Payment?" He prompted.

"Y-Yes." Stop stuttering!

The common sound of purchase formalities filled the air, the only thing to replace the silence between them. The nudging feeling in her heart was growing bit by bit and for now, she had no pathetic reason to think of to explain it.

"Thanks." Kaito glanced from the bouquet to her after they were done.

"It's what I should do."

"I'll go now." He spun around in a haste and Aoko felt herself crumbled instantaneously. To see him so excited to go wherever he was going, to see him so elated for his date, she should be contented about the power of her job, like how she was towards all the customers that left her store with their satisfied purchase. But she couldn't feel the same for him.

Why?

"Um, Kaito."

He stopped short in his track and if it wasn't her imagination, she thought she'd saw his shoulders tensed, as if he was shocked. Exactly a second had passed before he turned towards her, his face expressionless and showed no signs of what Aoko was originally expecting.

"Yeah?"

Aoko swallowed, hard. "Good luck," she awkwardly clapped her hands, not knowing what sort of gestures to do. "Hope it'll work out. Your date."

"Thanks. I need it, a lot." Kaito exaggeratedly sighed and a wave of determination embraced his features. It made her laugh, but it did no help to ease the continuous cringe in her chest. Without another word, he skipped out the shop and walked the other way, where she couldn't see him from the window anymore.

This may be the last time she'd see him as Kuroba Kaito. If his date worked out, he would be coming as a customer, a nicely suited-up man who asked for roses to surprise his girlfriend, to celebrate their anniversary, to make whoever he was with happy-

Her smile faltered and she slumped onto her chair.

He was happy.

Why wasn't she?

What's there to be sad about Nakamori Aoko? You got all these pretty flowers here for company. And so for the next few seconds, her eyes briefed through all the different colored petals in the store, expectantly wishing her heart to heal, yet she wasn't able to feel any sort of happiness she usually got whenever she was with her flowers. But it didn't take her long to realize that in the midst of everything, she was actually unconsciously searching for a specific shade of blue until the doorbell chimed again.

She rose from her seat and looked at the person that came in, to see the owner of the blue eyes walking in again.

Her breath hitched.

"Hey," Kaito spoke.

Aoko blinked and tentatively watched him walk towards her, her hands moved to the counter as she gripped onto the edge tightly. She didn't need his cute smile to remind her everything she dreaded again.

"Did you forget something?" A stuffed bear? A card? Did he change his mind about the bouquet? Did he remember his date liked sunflowers?

Without a word, he simply whipped out the bouquet he was hiding behind his back and tilted it to her face. Flutters of loose petals had fallen over the counter, but clearing up the mess was the least of her concern at the moment. She blinked at the sudden sight of red and glanced up, dazed.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." Kaito began and shook his head at the next instant. "It didn't matter, anyway I- I want to ask- I- Shit, I think I just ruined the moment."

The babbling was making her confused, but something in her chest unfurled, like what flowers probably feel when they took its deep first breath of spring. "Kaito-?"

A beginning.

His face finally set with resolution, perfectly cutting her off. "Would you like to go out on a date with me?"

A start.

The red roses among all the other flowers slightly trembled under his grip and she spotted a little strain at the corner of his lips. She could stay like this all day and teasingly watch his uncharacteristic moments, but her heart didn't allow it.

Aoko nodded her head, her hands flew to her mouth to muffle the squeals of excitement she almost couldn't contain. "Okay." She eventually found her voice to say.

If she was silly enough to believe, she'd thought all the flowers in her shop bloomed a little bigger at the signal of his brightened smile before he jumped over the counter and pulled her into a hug.

.end.

A/N: So here I am, again, running away from my priorities and I've also barely started on my next chapter for my other on-going fic lol. I don't even know what genre to put my fics anymore. Drama? Romance? My fics is often like 99% development to "romance" while the 1% is the actual main romance, so technically, it's not really romance but somewhat romance fic? (Someone please save me my brain is kinda fried for the past few days and idk what I'm typing sometimes)

I'm really crappy with dating fics and if you guys noticed that for almost all of my fics, I've barely touched on the pairings' relationship after they got together because... I'm a terrible human being. I'll try to write one someday, promise, but not for this fic (Maybe no one cares but I JUST FEEL LIKE SAYING IT). It's a wonder that you've read finished my a/n but hey, have a good day and yeah, thanks for reading and do leave a review if you liked this hehe