Work Text:
“Can we speak in flowers.
It will be easier for me to understand.”
― Nayyirah Waheed, Salt
To say Chenle didn’t miss his mother would be a blatant lie.
Despite loving his life in China, after two-and-a-half years studying abroad, he seems to value those little shows of affection his mom used to have with him. With time he learned to love and treasure those good-night forehead kisses, those home-cooked meals... even the absurd reprimands he earned from his bold and disrespectful teenage behavior. That’s why he decided that his favorite times of the year were the holidays because it means he could pack his belongings and take the first plane right to Seoul.
What Chenle, YangYang, or any of the students in the residence weren’t expecting was that holidays came a little earlier this year.
“So you’re really flying to Korea tomorrow?” Yangyang, who has been questioning his life decisions quite a lot recently, asked from the other side of the room.
“Yes, I already bought my ticket.”
“I don’t get it,” he heard his friend say. “I mean, I know the residence will be under reparations for two months due to the water-flood incident but you could just stay at mine or Xiojun’s.”
“And deal with your annoying asses for free? Or bump into one of Xiaojun’s making-out sessions?” He couldn’t repress a laugh. “No thanks, I prefer being as far as I can from you guys. I deserve a break. Plus, I miss my mom, so it’s a win-win situation for me.”
💐
When the plane landed an hour and a half later Chenle finally gets time to breathe and think about his impulsive decisions. His mother will probably get the hell out of him by yelling how irresponsible it was to spend his savings on a boarding pass, but the surprise will definitely be worth it.
Seeing her smile was always worth it.
💐
Jeno stopped his car by the sidewalk a few blocks away from the Zhong’s residence and smiled at his friend. "You sure you don't want me to go with you?"
"You just want to see if she kicks my ass after seeing how much I spent on a last-minute flight, don't you?" He laughed mid-sentence, opening the door. "Thanks for picking me out, Jen."
"Good luck with your mom," he smiled, waited for his friend to get out of the vehicle, and then silently left.
Now, standing at the side of the road, Chenle can see the front of his house a few meters away. As he gets closer he recognizes the old wooden bench his grandfather made pressed against the wall and the white paint cracking under the windows… From the outside, everything looked exactly like the last time he was there, except for the little flowers painted on the front door. He looked at them directly, analyzing them: tiny little yellow dots covering the wood, nothing compared to the messy and now withered bunch of lilies he had gotten on his way from the airport.
He's about to knock when a boy opened the door. "Can I help you?," he looked at the flowers and opened his mouth again before Chenle could even reply. "Wait, you're looking for Mrs. Kim's memorial? Because that's down the street, I can show you the way if you want to."
"What?" confusion evident in his voice. "No. I'm looking for my mom actually… Who are you?"
"Your mom?," Chenle nods. "Wait, you're Mrs. Zhong’s son? Weren't you in China or something?" Another positive answer. "What are you doing here? and with lilies…" He sent the flowers a strange look.
"What's wrong with them?" Chenle unconsciously pouts at the bouquet.
"White lilies represent peace, they're usually given at funerals or memorials, that's why I asked if you…" he giggled at Chenle's confused face. "You know what? Never mind," he moved to his left, leaving enough space for him to fit in. "Come inside, we're having tea in the backyard."
That image, that mysterious boy giggling, made something bloom inside his chest. He looks at him in detail now, before stepping into the house. Tall, pointed nose and squishy cheeks. Beautiful. "By the way, you didn't tell me your name," he said awkwardly as he got inside.
"Right. I forgot. Sorry…" He blushed almost immediately. Cute. "I'm Jisung, nice to meet you."
He smiled."It's very lovely to meet you too."
💐
Later that night, in the confinements of his room, he allowed himself to mentally review the events of said day. He has had breakfast with Yangyang like every other day before heading to the airport, he also happened to sleep through his flight so when he landed in Jeno was already at the parking lot waiting for him. He had bought a bunch of lilies so small that it can’t even be considered a bouquet and then...
And then he had met Jisung. Cute, shy little Jisung.
He can perfectly recall the bright red on the other’s cheeks when he realized he had returned without the sweeter he was supposed to get from his mom's car. The melodic sound of his laugh when Chenle got hit by his mother on the backside of his head, and the way his eyes sparkled when both ladies suggested they should spend time together.
"For the sake of our business," Mrs. Park had said. “And our family-friendship, of course.”
Right, their business. Turns out that his mother was tired of being a housewife. His father was constantly traveling because of work and with him studying in China, it didn’t make sense to spend all her time in an empty house. So she started taking courses and attending workshops, and somewhere along the way she had met Mrs. Park. And now they have a flower shop together.
A flower shop Jisung works on after school because somehow the younger boy is a flower enthusiast who studies plants for fun. Which is very attractive of him, if you ask Chenle. And it also explains his commentary against his greeting election of flowers...
💐
It was proved to be that not even the floret nor his apologetic smile could warm his mother’s heart. She was still mad at him for showing up unannounced, arguing that if he had told her about the situation at the dorms she would have bought him a plane ticket immediately because she missed her son. Past is in the past though, he can’t undo what he did. Even if he wanted to.
Now he was grounded, and his mom has to seriously reevaluate her idea of punishment because spending time around the pretty boy he couldn’t get out of his head seemed more like a blessing than anything else. Hanging out with Jisung, getting to know him better… yup, not an idea he would dislike. It looked more like a punishment to Jisung though, the younger one got the worst part out of it, dealing with Chenle’s clumsiness and frustration while teaching him florist’s basics such as flower meanings or common flower combinations.
“Chenle! Can you, please, focus?” Jisung whined from his seat behind the counter. “If you’re gonna stuck around the least you can do is help me.”
“Sorry, sorry. It’s just that flowers are not my thing you know,” he sighed. “I’m a business major, not a florist. I can’t even pick up a rose without pricking my fingers.”
“Well, this is a business too… If I explain to you the stats of our sellings, would it be easier for you to understand?”
“I think so but you don’t really have to…”
“It’s okay, it’s not that hard.” He smiled. “What flower do you think is the most sold in the world?”
“I don’t know, roses?”
“Exactly! See? You know something.” His smiley eyes disappeared behind his bangs. “Now, chrysanthemums takes the second place, tulips the third, carnations the fourth, and lilies the fifth. Don’t ask the science behind it because I’m not sure myself but I like to think it’s thanks to their meanings and not only their appearance.”
He picked a random paper from the table he was working on, a pen, and smile at the other. “Do you mind sharing the meanings with me? If it’s not asking too much…”
“I- Yeah, sure. I would love to.”
And while taking notes, stealing glances of the other - frowned brows and reddening cheeks working on a bouquet, he felt extremely thankful. Of himself, for having made impulsive decisions. Of his mother, for putting him in this situation. And of Jisung, for allowing him to walk through this flowery path with him.
💐
Now - considering he’s been grounded for what seems to be an eternity, during the time he’s been in Korea he’s only been allowed to go from home to the flower shop and vice-versa, which means he gets to spend a lot of time with Jisung and ignore his friends. Or at least that’s what he thought.
Losers (+ Chenle)
Jeno: Hey lover boy <3
Yang: Good one, Jen!
I kinda regret having introduced you to each other…
What do you want?
Dejun: Rude!
Yeah, whatever you say
Jeno: So…
Jeno: You and this Jisung kid
Oh no.
Don’t even think about it.
I’m not talking about him with you.
Yang: C’mon :(
Dejun: We just want to know more about him :(
Dejun: Or if you’re doing something about it.
About what?
Jeno: About your obvious feeling for him!
He stared at the screen, speechless. What do you even reply to that? He knows he has feelings for the younger. God, he’s so obvious that probably his mother and Mrs. Park know about them too but, what about Jisung? He’s a hundred percent sure the younger wasn’t aware of the effect he has on him, that would explain why he had believed him when he said he was sick whenever his heart made a backflip, or his tummy felt weird as if it was filled with angry bees instead of butterflies, or…
The sound of a new text message brought him back to reality.
Jeno
Hey, I know you’re overthinking
Are you psych or something?
I’ve known you since you were five so, yeah
Tell me what’s wrong
The Chenle I know wouldn’t be struggling this much just for a boy
The problem is Jen, that he’s not just a boy
He’s cute and kind
He’s so shy but yet so patient with me…
I really like him
Then do something about it!
But it’s not fair to him!
I’m gonna have to stop you right there, Zhong Chenle
Why isn’t it fair?
Because you’ll eventually have to leave?
Yeah…
Bullshit
We’re in the 21st century, for the love of God
There’s the internet, text messages, video calls…
If he likes you back, you’ll make it work
Jeno’s right. It’s not like they’re never gonna see each other again, they have the facilities to keep in touch after all. And China’s not even that far away so maybe he can come to visit him - and his family of course, more often. Well, if he actually likes him. Or if they remain friends after the whole confession thing, it would be embarrassing if that’s not the case.
But first, he needs a plan.
💐
He tries to recap all his encounters with Jisung, looking for something he can use - maybe some hint of what he likes or what he enjoys, so he can make his confession something nice and memorable. But there's nothing, just pictures of him smiling, eyes sparkling, and the scent of his favorite flowers.
But maybe that's enough.
During the month they've spent together, he has gathered a sufficient amount of knowledge to know how to make a decent bouquet. He just needs to keep it cool for a few days - don't look suspicious, maybe review the notes he has taken from his lessons with the younger, and one or two pairs of extra hands.
💐
He was already used to the routine - going back and forth from home to the shop, sometimes dropping Jisung's along the way. Courtesy of his mother for letting him use the car, he was still grounded thought - probably the woman's heart just softened a little.
That day wasn't any different, aside from the fact that after taking the younger home he went back to the shop, ready to put his plan in motion. With Jeno's help.
"You know I'm only helping you because I love you, right?" he jokes after hurting himself with a thorn. "Hope Jisung likes his roses covered in blood."
And between jokes and failed attempts, they made the most precious, meaningful bouquet.
💐
Seriously speaking, to say Chenle wasn't nervous would be the biggest lie in the entire universe. He had asked Jisung the night before if they could hang out in the little greenhouse behind the shop, just the two of them. No distraction from the clients entering nor asking questions every two seconds, no request from their mothers to play delivery guy, no nothing. Their shop can survive a few minutes without their help.
They sat on the small wooden bench, their backs facing the window. And they awkwardly stared at each other.
"So..." Jisung attempted to start a conversation.
"Yeah..."
He started playing with his hoodie paws. "Why did you want to come here?"
"I actually wanted to tell you... Wait no, show you... Actually both." This was ridiculous, he was making a fool of himself now.
"Hey," he felt a soft squeeze on his tight. "Breathe."
"It's just that I don't know how to start, or from where." He closes his eyes and breath deeply, making an effort to clear his head.
"Just say it," the other flashed a smile at him. "You know you can tell me whatever you want, right? That's what friends are for."
"The thing is, Ji..." he made a last pause to compose himself. "That I don't know if I want us to be just friends."
"Oh."
"Please don't say anything yet, okay?" he kneeled in front of him looking for the small bouquet he had hidden under the bench and handed it to him. "I made you this. My friend Jeno helped a little."
"This is... wow." his eyes went from the arrangement in his hands to him, and then again back to the flowers. "You made this? For me?"
"Yup!" he smiled confidently. "As I said, Jeno helped. But it was my idea, do you want to know the meaning behind it?"
"I would love to."
"Okay, to be honest, I had thought of giving you a small posy - you know, with your favorite flowers and everything. But then I remembered that every time I had asked you what your favorite flower was you had said a different thing," he laughed. "Roses, peonies, and daisies if I remember correctly?"
Jisung nodded, cheeks flushed.
"I pondered the idea of trying something different, like doing some use of all the information I have got from you. Implementing the flower meanings, I mean." He signaled to the chrysanthemums on the base. "As you may already know chrysanthemums have different meanings bases on the region you're in and their colors, but one of the most accepted meanings globally is happiness. They also represent love, joy, and fidelity. The pink ones are used as a symbol of devotion, and the red ones I put here," he slowly caresses the petals. "represent friendship, usually turning into stronger feelings."
"Chenle..." he breathes shortly.
"I'm not done yet," he warned. "So, the daisies aside from being one of your favorites - which is a big plus I dare to say, symbolize purity, innocence, and new beginnings. You, Park Jisung, are the purest creature I'd ever had the pleasure to meet. And I truly love you for that."
He pulled himself closer, cupping to the younger's face with both hands, ready to wipe the stray tears he had let out. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was crying."
"It's okay," he reassures him. "Are you comfortable with me continuing? There are only two flower types left." Jisung nodded. "Okay, hum... Next are roses - another one of your picks and my personal favorite. The yellow ones emulate a friendly meaning - because even if I'm kind of putting my heart and soul on a silver plate for you right now, I love being your friend," he smiled shyly. "The lavender ones mean enchantment, or love at first sight. In case you're wondering, I was astonished by your beauty when we first met."
Jisung leaned onto Chenle's hand, still resting on his cheek. "And what about this single tulip right here?"
"Red tulips stand for a declaration of love," he could feel his cheeks burning. "And accompanied by yellow roses they hold the hopes of our friendship turning into something more."
There was a long silence, and in a rush of adrenaline, he pushes his lips against the younger forehead, almost kissing him, and whispered, "Please say something."
"Chenle," he moves away, and delicately takes the tulip from the center along with a single rose and handed it to him. "In case there's any doubt, I kinda like you too."
💐
Turns out flowers are life changers. Jisung, and now Chenle, know that very well. Because of all the languages they know, this is the only one that’s secret - always colorful, aromatic, and full of life.