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people tend to drift off into thought, their fantasies indescribable and outlandish, and at other times, they are humble ideals that they wish to fulfill. many think about idealistic scenarios with themselves and the person of their dreams, fitted to their every whim and trait.
wilardo adler was not one of those people. romance was certainly not an option, and an “ideal type” just didn’t exist. he was content with his flower shop, selling bouquets and watching other people carry along with their romantic adventures. whether it was a simple schoolgirl falling for her upperclassman or noel dropping by to get claire something for her birthday, he didn’t want to pry into others’ lives. he was the man who ran the town’s beloved flower shop, nothing more, nothing less.
he was also accustomed to travelers. they stopped by, gazing at what the land had to offer, and, seeing a quaint place left a smile on their face before they left. travelers never bought anything at his shop unless they wanted a souvenir, and he didn’t care whether they did or not. as long as he made some sort of profit, he was happy. he didn’t bother to ask about where they came from, or listen too intently about their stories. as long as they were content with their stay there, no matter if it was a mere half a minute, he would be content as well. perhaps his gramps saw the kind heart in him before he passed away.
one traveler came in feeling especially chipper that day, wielding a smile brighter than the sun and a backpack bigger than the galaxy. it still didn’t affect his disinterested expression, far from it, but he was just particularly brighter than anyone he had ever encountered. it was strange, to say the least. perhaps some people were just naturally like that.
“ah, greetings, greetings!” the stranger’s eyes mimicked his smile, upturned and breezy. what a carefree guy. “so this is a flower shop in this part of the world… interesting…!”
he stayed silent because, well, most flower shops looked the same. why was he so fascinated over such trivial details? it was a fairly simple layout, nothing as grand as others he had seen in magazines or in the stories others spread from other travelers.
“say, how long has this shop been open?” the traveler as curiously, tapping an index finger to his pale cheek in thought, mouth open and vividly expressing what was on his mind. ah, to be as jovial as he was.
“three years.” wilardo replied, noticing the much more despondent nature in his tone. “this shop has been open for three years.”
he lifted both of his brows in curiosity, nestling his chin in the crook of his index and his thumb. “i see, i see… three years for a flower shop, huh? well, say, what kind of flowers do you have? i’d like to keep one as a memory of my visits here, if that’s not much of a problem!” he had a wide, open mouthed smile, beaming over the counter and overpowering wilardo’s much more… laid back (was that the write word to describe it?) aura.
“it’s fine. it’s a shop for a reason, after all.” the shorter male replied. “what kind are you looking for?”
“well, hmm… perhaps one that would last rather long! at least for longer than a week.” the stranger contemplated, listing out his criteria in a thoughtful manner. “could it also be one meant to symbolize happiness or something positive? i’m not very knowledgeable in flower language, you see… because i’m actually a traveling researcher! a medicinal researcher, to be more specific.”
“a medicinal researcher, huh…” this guy was certainly odd. “yeah, i guess i can arrange that. do you need them now, or are you going to pick them up later…?”
“hmm, i suppose i can wait. i am going to be staying here for a while.” the man thought to himself. “well, i’ll stop by when i need them! maybe, hmm… two weeks or so? i won’t be here for that long.”
“understood. i’ll have your flowers in two weeks.” wilardo told him, scribbling down his order onto a sheet of paper.
“oh, could i catch your name as well?” the traveler asked, his smile acting like the sun; too bright if he was looking directly at it. “i’d like to acquaint myself with this place. of course, this is only if you’d like to! i understand if you’re not comfortable.”
the male paused for a moment before delivering his answer. “…wilardo adler.”
“ah, i see…! i’m ashe bradley, nice to meet you wilardo!!” the male chipperly spoke, reaching out to shake his hand. “i hope we can become friends in the future!”
“…yeah.” he responded, and couldn’t find much else to say, so he kept silent and watched the male leave with a spring in his step and a hum leaving his lips. what an odd guy. he’d rather not get involved with him much, considering that he was traveling and wilardo would probably be spending the rest of his life here.
it’s safe to say that he was caught off guard when ashe bradley came in the next day, snapping him out of his train of thought and letting his eyes widen a bit before pushing himself off of the counter, head leaving his palm and lips pursed into a straight line.
“you’re here again…” wilardo pointed out. “why don’t you meet the rest of the town?”
“ah, truth be told, i want to get acquainted with you, wilardo! or, at least until i find the type of flowers i want.” the boy sheepishly admitted, letting his braid fall down by his neck when he extended a hand to rub back at his male. “i don’t want to bother you if i get something i wouldn’t call satisfactory, though i’m sure they’d be great…! i just don’t want to take the chance.”
“i see. if you want to find your flower, you should accompany me.” he suggested, shrugging his shoulders and grabbing a basket from the back room. “you can find a flower you’d like out in the field, or choose one from in the shop if you don’t like them.”
“i see! well then, i suppose i’ll let you take the lead.” he smiled brightly, finding his way to wilardo’s side as they headed out. “you know more about this than i do, but would it be okay if you told me a bit about flowers…?”
and so the two walked, wilardo telling him about flowers and ashe doing most of the expressing. every now and then, wilardo would take his gaze off of the road ahead and nod along to what the taller male was saying, not particularly interested but still trying his best to pay attention. he didn’t want to miss out on potential profit by being rude. at least, that’s what made the most sense to him. the easiest option of comprehension, so to say.
just in the middle of explaining the different colors of carnations, or, to sound more intelligent, dianthus caryophyllus, they arrived at the field wilardo had taken a liking to. “this is the spot. feel free to pick some of your own.”
“oh, this place is rather pretty, isn’t it?” he gushed, cheeks tinted a rosy pink and his eyes shimmered like the stars. wilardo didn’t think comparing him to the galaxy wasn’t as fitting as things like nature and his surprisingly pleasant hair color similar to a creamy mint, but even so, he was a chipper person.
well, wilardo has gotten so accustomed to visiting the spot that it seemed to have lost its beauty. it was still fresh, unlike the (somewhat) corvine male who seemed rather lackluster. “…i guess so.”
“hmm, i like this red flower!” the shorter male didn’t realize the other had gone on ahead and pointed at a yellow carnation. “it looks rather nice, doesn’t it? intricate and elegant… is that how you could describe it?”
“ah, that flower means rejection.” wilardo responded, fingers grazing a tulip gingerly by its stem and placing it carefully in the basket.
the dull male let an amused expression phase over him like a full moon set into place. the chipper male’s reaction was hit with realization and he peered at some of the others. “a-ah, i see… perhaps i should save myself from looking back on a flower meaning rejection.”
“…yeah. well, there’s always striped carnations.”
“striped carnations…? those sound rather interesting!”
wilardo couldn’t help but let out a low laugh. “those also mean rejection.”
“a-ah—! i see… well, perhaps i should stay away from carnations…”
wilardo let out a soft chuckle underneath his breath before continuing his work. “there’s lots of flowers out there, and carnations with good meanings as well.”
ashe cleared out a small patch of grass, rustling it slightly as he sat down. “you must really enjoy your job, wilardo. i mean, this is certainly pleasant for me.”
“it’s just work.” the man replied. “i just make profit off of it, so i’d have to have some knowledge.”
granted, new fields were a sight to see, but they quickly grew old. wilardo chose not to speak this thought aloud and kept silent, letting ashe blabber about his day, whether they were outlandish fairy tales he had heard or some highly idealized encounter he had made. he was quite the upbeat male, always smiling that sunshine filled smile of his.
“ah, i’m probably going on too much.” the taller male thought aloud, quickly growing quiet after his most recent story, something about him and poison ivy. “apologies! please continue with your work.”
“it’s fine. i’m sure there’s not much for you to do right now.” the corvine male dismissed his doubts and plucked another flower gingerly. “i mean, unless you want to help.”
“ah, if that’s not too much of a problem, i’d like to learn how to pick flowers!” ashe stated enthusiastically, treading his way carefully to wilardo as to not step on any of the tiny pulchritudinous dashes of color. he still rushed nonetheless, always as energetic as ever. “it might aid me in the future for my medicinal practice!”
he waited for the other to make his way before speaking. shouting would stress his voice out too much and he’d rather not in the first place. “sure. just take it like this… and then you can pick it safely so it lasts longer like that.”
“interesting… so like this?”
the male furrowed his brows, making sure to try to take extra care of the plant… and ended up pulling most of it off of the stem. wilardo stifled his laughter and kept a straight face as ashe looked dejectedly at what he had done to the flower.
“a-ah…”
the shorter male demonstrated his actions once more, letting the other stare as if witnessing a truly breathtaking phenomena. he was really just a man with a child’s brain, someone who only grew physically. ah, to have the same sense of wonder that the other held.
“do you get it now?”
“yes! i think i can try one more time!”
he watched intently, gaze flickering between the male’s concentrated face, lips pursed tightly together and his eyes burning with an intent to achieve his goal. it was such a simple task that it was almost comedic how serious he took this, but wilardo supposed he could grasp some sort of acknowledgement. this would help him in the near future, but still, it was a laughable moment as the male brushed up against the fuzzy green stem, fingertips encapturing its figure and tugging softly at first, his pale hand shifting up and he pouted, but tried adamantly one more time. success.
narrating this to himself was a good thing to have done, because wilardo couldn’t help the smile on his face as he watched his face light up brightly like the sun. “i did it! you saw that, surely you did, huh, wilardo?”
“yeah. good job.” he responded, not knowing what to do with his body, so instead he turned his head and kept still. “keep it. it’ll be something to remember it by. i can even preserve it for you so that it lasts longer… if you want.”
“preserve it? well, if that’s not too much trouble, then of course! i should remember this moment well. after all, i’m going to be a doctor soon! my origins with herbs start here!” the male puffed his chest up to exert how he was feeling, crossing his arms and nodding to himself. a sense of accomplishment, or maybe just the fact that he was feeling good about himself. wilardo couldn’t quite tell, but he could tell that the male was in high spirits, even more so than his usual, chipper self.
it made him smile, but he was aware it only lasted for a moment. such an outlandish man. ashe bradley, a man filled with curiosity and outlandish fantasies. compared to himself, wilardo adler… he was certainly much more bland in comparison, but who could say? maybe he just didn’t know how much he revealed. it’s not like he pushed people away, at least, he didn’t think he did.
either way, ashe bradley was pleasant. pleasant, but perhaps the slightest bit overwhelming.
wilardo adler waited by the counter two weeks later, his hand holding his weight and his elbow holding up his hand. the male noticed how his sleeves dropped, irritatingly so, but he didn’t fix it because he didn’t really care for it at the moment.
the male was in thought, rightfully earned because of his time spent organizing and soaking flowers in ethereal liquids. he didn’t know how they even kept them alive because it was like magic to him. perhaps it was a little childish, but he truly didn’t understand how exactly a liquid could help support a being’s lifespan by years to come.
though, coming back out from the little corner in his mind that he had reserved for wondering, the corvine male began roaming the part of his mind that was recently invaded by the soon-to-be doctor. he was quite the open book, with his face displaying the emotion he usually felt in his mind, and his tone of voice shifting around to channel what that specific feeling was.
still, the taller male didn’t speak of anything personal to him. yes, he told tall tales of his experiences traveling, but never anything more than that. he even gave out his birthday, his zodiac sign, his height, hell, even his blood type, but not once had he mentioned his family. wilardo thought that he could read the joyous fairytale that was ashe bradley’s world, but really, he only knew about his personality, if that even was a real thing.
yeah, he felt kind of bad for suspecting him, but still. the world wasn’t so merciful, not sunshine and rainbows and gigantic gingerbread houses that were found deep in fairytale forest. wilardo knew because he just grew up to be a realist.
well, now he was doubting the male. he didn’t want to lose profit off of him, almost reaching the full two weeks in which his order was due… but he couldn’t help it as he leaned against the counter and thought, watching people pass by through the pristine glass he had cleaned earlier that day.
it startled him when the shop’s bell jingled, slowly fading out and causing him to push himself up to stand. of course it was ashe bradley. the only other one who had come in on those bright sunny days was the giggling schoolgirl who wanted to make a flower crown. it made him content, considering she had spent a generous amount and even left him a tip in her giddy demeanor, but now he was face to face with the tall traveler.
of course ashe bradley wasn’t a reckless schoolgirl.
“ashe.” he ended up acknowledging him, not wanting to upset him if he began acting cold because of his own assumptions, ones he hadn’t the slightest idea if they held true to word. wilardo gave him a nod.
“ah, wilardo! apologies for not coming earlier, but i was acquainting myself with some of the other residents here!” ashe beamed, sunshine laced in his smile.
“you don’t have to come here everyday, so it’s fine.” the male replied, and disappeared from ashe’s sight and into the back room to pick up a white peony, its neat ruffles resembling that of a woman’s dress. “i thought you might consider a peony for your souvenir. after all, it can represent beauty, and embarrassment… from what happened a while ago. if you want more for the rest of your order, i can go get a bouquet.”
“ah, i see! thank you very much, wilardo! i’ll think about it.” he watched as his cheeks tugged upward neatly, looking down at the flower as he held it by its stem.
wilardo merely nodded again, not too into spirits to talk after what he had let his mind run wild. ashe quickly led them into conversation, not like he really minded, but he was still caught up on what was on the back of his mind. his delusional assumptions with little to no facts to back them up were a hindrance.
in fact, he had to snap out of his thoughts when ashe, the real one standing in front of him, had pulled him back down to reality.
“wilardo? are you alright?” he asked quizzically, pressing his index up to his cheek. “i can leave if you have other things on your mind.”
“no, it’s fine.” the said male dismissed. “i wanted to show you something, that’s all.”
“oh, something else? i see, i see… well, i’ll follow your lead!”
he nudged his head over to the back room, and ashe followed him obediently, eyes roaming around the room in his cat-like curiosity… hopefully he wouldn’t taint the neatness of the room. he had spent an agonizingly long time taking it all out and sorting everything back into place.
“oh, what are these flowers here?” the taller male asked, looking over at one of the bouquets. “these are peculiar colored roses, at least from what i’ve seen of them.”
“yeah, they’re yellow roses… usually meant for friendship.” wilardo stopped in his tracks to explain to the figure peering intently at the neatly arranged plants. “do you want them?”
“ah, yes! i think i’d like one… though i’m not sure how i’ll be able to carry a whole bouquet around with me…”
“it’s fine. i can take a flower from there… seeing as this is the last one i have right now.”
he extended his arm as far as he could, pining at the bouquet with his shoulders stretched so far that they ached, but to no avail. he didn’t have the stool on him, in fact, it was nowhere in sight. perhaps he misplaced it, but he wouldn’t dare use such a thing in front of someone else, especially ashe bradley. he grazed the plastic with his fingers, and, standing on his toes in an attempt to finally snag it, the bouquet toppled over and he instinctively clamped his eyes shut, the plastic grazing his head and he heard a thud before fluttering his eyes back open to see what had happened.
ashe bradley was right behind him, most likely advancing to help the male with his troubles, although now he was gaping in wonder at the smothered bouquet, both vibrant yellow flowers and flower petals littering the floor like… wilardo couldn’t even find the correct words to come to him right now as he came face to face with the taller male’s chest.
when he looked up, ashe followed quickly to direct his gaze at him and they kept direct contact until the minty haired male burst out laughing.
“wilardo…” he couldn’t muse his sentence properly in the midst of his pit of laughter. “y-you have flower petals stuck in your hair…”
too bemuddled from the previous event, he took his time to regain composure and looked away. “i can clean it up. give me a second.”
“no, no, it’s okay!” ashe shook his head, followed along by another chorus of his hearty laughter. “let me get it.”
the male began to comb the stray petals out of wilardo’s hair, hand shaking but slowly, he calmed down and he hummed to himself. this was rather embarrassing. had this man no shame at all? was the corvine male’s thoughts, keeping a straight face despite wanting to take a moment to push him away to be brought back to the present of things. it was a nice gesture, that was all it was.
the taller male furrowed his brows, as he resumed his work, leaning forward and nearly pressing his chest into the other’s face as he wove his hands to slide the petal out from its entanglement. wilardo looked up at him in confusion, not feeling that particular spot. however, ashe took a moment to look at him in surprise, before leaning down to press a chaste kiss to the other’s lips, like an entire meteor shower raining down upon him. it sent a signal of shock from his body and instinctively, his eyes widened. ashe bradley has his lips pressed against his at this very moment. truly, it felt like millions and millions of lightyears had gone by, but really, it was all of three seconds before the taller male drew back, his usual radiant, sun-like smile not present on his features for once. he expected a warm taste to be imprinted in his memories, like peach or perhaps raspberries, as odd as it sounded… but in actuality, he had mint lingering when he bit his lip in habit. maybe it didn’t linger, but instead felt like it had trailed off moments after it ended because of how terribly slow ashe had taken to draw back, still in some sort of haze.
although, as slowly as it had gone, the male donned a softer smile, like the soft glow of a star further in the distance, unattainable and yet right there in front of his eyes to see. why did he do such a thing? that ashe bradley was certainly an enigmatic figure, undiscovered like the wide span of the galaxy.
he soon snapped out of whatever funk he was in to apologize. “ah, that was my bad! i’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable! a-ah, i suppose i’ll leave…”
“wait.”
“h-huh? what’s the matter…?”
he couldn’t help but keep his gaze directed downward for a moment, a bit startled by the way he blurted out the words unintentionally. questions rushed into his head, but he decided to ignore his mind for once and to try and focus on his heart. it was an outlandish idea to him, but things like kissing and being in a relationship involved thinking with the heart at times.
“i—why did you do that?”
ashe paused. it was such a painfully long pause that wilardo felt the tension, err, awkwardness(?) in the air before he answered truthfully, or at least wilardo thought he did. “i think i might be fond of you, wilardo. after all, we’ve spent a great amount of time together. what other reason do i need?”
it kind of hit him. hard. did he like ashe bradley? was him thinking all of those thoughts just an excuse to dismiss how he truly felt about him, or was he genuinely suspicious? the corvine male didn’t know. there was a lot he didn’t know, and yet… the idea of letting ashe bradley go rather than staying with him hurt. sure, he suspected him, but he was a good person. wilardo has observed him carefully throughout those two weeks, and ashe had done nothing wrong, but still… he wasn’t sure.
“i don’t know yet,” wilardo answered, and ashe bit his lip before speaking up to say something, to which the other did so before him, “but maybe we could try. i don’t want to make any promises yet, because… i’m not sure.”
“ah, that’s perfectly understandable! i hope we can acquaint ourselves more, because i feel like you are a good person, wilardo.” it took him a moment to think. “ah, well, then i suppose i’ll have to stay here longer… do you have any doctors or such around?”
“we have an herbalist, but we could use an actual doctor.” wilardo gave him a smile, ready to combust of such a jovial feeling welling up inside of him because ashe bradley was here to stay because of him. he was willing to wait for the male to come to terms with his feelings, and he was grateful, but… there was still one more thing that needed to be done.
he decided to clean up the mess he had created earlier and told ashe to stay put as he wound through a series of bouquets and arrangements of the sort. where could they be…? was repeated with each step of his feet until he arrived at a bunch of white and pink peonies surrounded by plastic, the thin, crinkling kind, and tied together with a white ribbon. this was perfect for him, something that symbolized romance, a potential one in their case, along with the many times of less than smooth interactions between the two. it was a promise to the male as he smiled down at the bouquet. a promise that the two would be jovial and outlandishly fantastical together in the future.
ah, now he was thinking like the others he didn’t understand, feeling giddy over the thought of something that wasn’t one hundred percent certain. not only thinking, but daydreaming and drifting off into thoughts of the two of them. it was strange, but he liked it. wilardo peered over the clouds in his head, not thinking very humble. sure, he’d like to brag about ashe bradley being his boyfriend one day, but he knew he wouldn’t.
perhaps he would settle for being next to him.