𝜗𝜚˚⋆ tattoo artist!mingi x florist fem!reader
𝜗𝜚˚⋆ warnings: minor injury, mentions of blood, swearing
𝜗𝜚˚⋆ contents: a bit of angst, lots of feelings, reconciliation, fluff, comfort
𝜗𝜚˚⋆ summary: on his way to a date, mingi decides to stop at a flower shop to grab a small bouquet for the girl he’s having dinner with. he didn’t expect to see his ex girlfriend from college behind the counter, arranging flowers.
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part 3. ˚˖𓍢ִ໋❀
TWO months have passed since the late-night encounter thanks to some emergency flowers. A lot has changed between Mingi and y/n ever since then.
Mingi found any excuse he could just to go visit the flower shop to see her. At first, she was a bit opposed to the idea, considering she was trying to move on. But eventually, she started enjoying his company again.
He started staying longer, visited more often. It became an everyday thing. y/n waited patiently every day, finally looking forward to these visits.
Then, he started staying. Even if he didn’t have work, he was found in the flower shop, annoying her as usual. Customers noticed him too. Many automatically thought they were a couple. And y/n hated to admit that it still felt… nice.
She almost choked on her spit.
Setting down the scissors, she abandoned her work on the freshly received flowers. She spared a glance at Mingi, giving him a questioning look. “In a good way?”
Mingi let out a laugh, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Don’t worry, he just asked how you’re doing. I kept talking about you, so.” he admitted shyly.
y/n smiled at that, grabbing the scissors and resuming her work, just to have something to do. “Yeah? Clearly, that hasn’t changed.” she teased.
He rolled his eyes with a huff but still couldn’t help the smile on his face. “Uncalled for.” he pointed out. “I talked about you an appropriate amount.”
“Right, that’s why Yunho and the others ran for their lives back in college.” she laughed.
“Okay, that was years ago. Things have changed. We’ve changed.” he moved closer, leaning on the counter with his elbows.
“I wouldn’t mind it now either though.”
Next thing y/n registered was the sharp pain shooting through her palm. She hissed in pain, withdrawing her hand with a muttered curse. The scissors clattered out of her hand and onto the counter, breaking the silence further.
Mingi straightened up immediately when he realized what had just occurred. He watched as y/n clutched her hand, quickly searching for a tissue. She was trying her best not to panic, focused on treating herself. She had always done that.
He rummaged through his bag, knowing he always had a pack of tissues in case of any emergencies. “Hold on, here.” he gently grabbed her hand, ignoring the fact she stiffened for a second.
Walking around the counter to join her, he inspected the injury. She had snipped into her skin. It wasn’t serious, but the cut was deep enough to continuously bleed. He applied some pressure, glancing up to gauge her reaction.
Once he saw her nodding back, he increased the pressure a little.
“I have a small first aid kit in the back.” she told him, leading him where the kit was stored.
Entering the small bathroom in the back, y/n pulled away from him to search for the small red kit. She opened the cupboard above the sink, grabbing it and trying her best to open it with her shaky hands.
Mingi’s presence behind her wasn’t helping a lot either.
She managed to open it before Mingi stepped in, taking the needed things out and setting them on the sink. He took her hand in his again, ignoring the rush he felt at the contact. He was here to treat her wound. Not reminisce about their college days.
He worked in silence. Cleaning it, muttering a quiet apology when she flinched at the alcohol coming in contact with the wound. He could feel his hands shaking, but tried his best to keep them steady. y/n had enough for today.
Regret settled deep after analyzing their previous conversation that led to all of this. Why did he say that? He wasn’t sure. They’ve only been talking for two months, and he decided to drop that onto her in the middle of the day.
The two haven’t even talked about their old relationship, keeping things strictly platonic. And he went ahead and said that. Yunho is going to enjoy this.
He looked up at her. Her gaze was focused on her hand, watching as he treated it. He couldn’t blame her for staying quiet. His admission was probably a lot for her.
Not wanting to overthink more, he put his full focus onto treating her injury. Didn’t really help. It was unbearable.
The silence lasted only a few seconds before Mingi couldn’t take it anymore.
He cleared his throat. “I meant what I said.”
y/n took a deep breath at the statement. She hated this. Hated that he had come back into her life, and she found herself enjoying that. Hated that she would take him back in an instant. But she physically couldn’t.
She wasn’t ready. So unsure of what she wanted.
And it hurt because Mingi was lovely. He was so good to her. For her.
But she knew how college ended. She lived it. And that part terrified her. She knows herself too well. She knows that if they got back together and broke up again, it would be horrible. It had been horrible and this time it would feel even worse.
He had stopped treating her hand. She didn’t even know when. Only the warmth of his skin was felt against hers.
“Thank you for the hand.” she said softly, her voice fragile. Pulling her hand away from his, she let out a breath, smoothing down her clothes.
Mingi felt a pang at the loss of contact.
His eyes followed her movement. Nervous fidgeting, glancing around just to avoid eye contact with him.
y/n cleared her throat. “I should probably get back to work.”
Mingi watched as she rushed out back to the front, just in time to attend to a customer.
It’s been two weeks since the incident.
She has not reached out. At first, Mingi thought it’d be a few days, giving her time to process the confession he dropped on her. So, he waited patiently. Once she didn’t reach out after an entire week, he knew he had messed up.
Every time he visited the flower shop it was either closed, or she was nowhere to be seen, probably hiding in the back until he gave up and left. She stayed inside even after closing time just so she didn’t have to face him.
His messages were left unanswered on his phone, not even opened and left on seen. The small ’delivered’ under the latest message haunts him each time he opens their conversation.
He knew it was probably a bad idea, saying all that so early on in the process of reconciliation. Yet he went ahead and still let it slip out of his mouth as if it was nothing. And he hated himself for that.
Having her back in his life was his absolute dream for the longest time. It finally happened after years of waiting. He will never understand how.
Now, it feels like a chance that has already left. It was bright and vibrant, creating hope for their future. Then, it was dimmed and crushed the moment those words left his mouth.
Yunho says he’s being dramatic. Which he probably is.
But to him it feels like college all over again.
He noticed the way she inhaled sharply, deeply at his words. The way she fidgeted, tried to busy her hands before excusing herself back to work, leaving him there in the back of the shop devastated. He couldn’t blame her though. Her reaction was valid.
He just hated the consequence. Each time his phone pinged and lit up with a notification, he hoped it was her. The repetitive disappointment from every notification not being y/n’s was getting exhausting.
The sound of keys jingling snapped him out of his thoughts. Coldness bit at his cheeks as he waited outside, opposite of the shop. He felt like a stalker, waiting for y/n to close up just so he could talk to her. He saw this as the only way, the only opportunity. So, he took it.
y/n locked the doors of the shop, letting the keys fall into the mess of her purse. A tired sigh left her lips as she began walking, her heels clicking against the concrete. She just wanted to get home, shower and sleep.
The sound of footsteps creeping closer didn’t even register in her mind, too focused on getting home quickly. Until a familiar voice called out her name.
She stopped and turned, brushing her hair out of her face to see clearly. Her heart sped up at the sight of him, his blonde hair messily falling around his face, framing it unfairly attractive. His cheeks and nose were a bit red due to the cold outside. Made her wonder how long he’d been waiting for her.
He stopped right in front of her, at a loss for words suddenly. City sounds around them filled the rather tense silence.
“I’ve been texting you almost every day since then.” he stated. He couldn’t help but let his eyes flicker towards her hand. The cut was almost healed, a faint scar taking its place on her palm.
He looked back up at her, trying to gauge her reaction, her thoughts. Everything.
She stayed quiet, eyes avoiding his gaze.
“I know you’ve been getting them. They’re all delivered.” his voice was low, barely audible in the night.
y/n sighed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She could feel the leather strap of her purse beneath her fingertips as her grip on it tightened. “I needed time.”
“It’s been two weeks, y/n.” he reminded her. “You stayed in the shop even after you closed. You didn’t even come to work for an entire week after basically. Don’t lie to me, please. Talk to me.”
“Mingi, you can’t just drop something like that on me on a random fucking Tuesday.” her voice wavered, her eyes meeting his finally.
“I know, and I’m sorry. But ignoring me isn’t the solution either.”
“I’m just not ready for… us, again. You know what you want, but I don’t and that wouldn’t be fair to either of us.” she confessed. She could feel the familiar burn behind her eyes, her throat too dry.
“You just said it so casually. I panicked.”
Mingi stepped closer, slowly reaching out. He gently took her hands in his, squeezing them. Like he used to.
“y/n, you know I’ll wait.”
She shook her head. A few tears fell unwanted as her eyes closed, salty trails falling down her cheeks. She sniffed, taking her hands out of his. Wiping away the tears, she took a deep breath, embracing herself for her final decision.
“I can’t keep seeing you, knowing you still feel something towards me. Not without remembering college or it sending me into some crisis.”
“And I feel horrible for not being able to give you an answer right now. I don’t know if I ever will. But I just can’t do this. Not right now. I’m sorry, Mingi.”
Mingi could feel the panic rising as he watched her turn and walk away. The distance between them grew bigger and bigger with each step until she was out of sight completely. He just stood there. Shocked. Heartbroken. Unmoving.
She had just walked away. Again.
He hadn’t stopped replaying her words since then.
It’s been three months. Three whole months of not seeing her, not talking to her. Nothing. Pure silence. It was genuine torture.
At first, he sulked like crazy. Understandably so. Yunho had to keep dragging him out of the apartment for the simplest tasks and was in charge of their tattoo shop during that time. He had to take care of him until he picked himself back up.
No matter how much it hurt, how much her words haunted him in his sleep and throughout his day at the most random times, he had to keep going. Had to move forward.
Deep down, he still hoped for another chance.
That’s the one thing that probably won’t change. He hates it.
y/n had thrown herself into work after cutting contact with Mingi.
She took multiple orders, sometimes too many. Surprisingly, she handled it all just in time, further growing her business. New customers walked in, regulars did too, her flowers and bouquets leaving the shop one by one.
She managed the financial part of her shop as well on top of that. Anything to be distracted.
It was definitely stressful during holidays that demanded flowers, but Andrea was there to help her out from time to time.
y/n had told her everything that happened between her and Mingi, staying with her all night that day. She ran her a bath, made her breakfast in the morning with some coffee. Everything just the way she liked.
She was so thankful for Andrea.
Even arranged a bouquet for her as a ’thank you’ gift.
So, when the doorbell rang at her childhood home, her mom expected to see literally anyone but her daughter. She was definitely surprised to say the least.
Now, y/n sat at the dinner table in the kitchen she grew up in, a warm, steaming cup of hot cocoa held between her hands. Looking around the kitchen, all kinds of memories returned, clouding her mind.
The fridge, where she begged to have every drawing of hers be put up. She eventually overshadowed her older brother.
The kitchen counter where she learned how to cook and bake every meal she knows till this day. She used to cook with her friends here after school almost every day. Some core memories were made in this room.
She sometimes baked cookies and brownies with Mingi in this very kitchen.
Her mom sat down across from her with a sigh, taking a sip of her apple cinnamon tea. She set the mug down in front of her before looking at her daughter. “So. What’s going on, sweetheart?”
“Sorry, continue.” her mom said, bringing up the mug to take another sip.
y/n shifted in her seat, finger picking at the skin around her nail on her thumb. “A few months ago, I ran into Mingi.”
Her mom hummed in response, aware of that.
“We became friends, kind of?”
y/n sent her a look before continuing. “He just kept coming to the shop. He wasn’t buying flowers, he just came to talk. Hang out. Some of my customers even remembered him after a while.” she began. “Then I found out he still hasn’t moved on.”
Continuing to explain everything that happened the past few months, her mom’s expression shifted into a knowing one, laced with empathy. She knew of their history. She was there for their entire relationship.
Mingi was her first boyfriend and after getting to know him, she had never felt more relieved. He was absolutely perfect for her daughter. Almost too perfect sometimes.
She loved their relationship. Her daughter was clearly happy, loved and cherished in all the right ways possible. It warmed her heart, seeing y/n so in love.
When the older woman found out about their breakup, she could barely believe it. No matter how many times y/n explained why, she just didn’t get it. But that wouldn’t have helped y/n, so she comforted her each time, supporting her in the aftermath.
“I don’t know what to do, mom.” y/n finished, the statement almost a whisper. Her finger traced the rim of the cup, not daring to look at the woman across from her.
Her mom got up and walked around the table to embrace y/n, wrapping her arms around her daughter and pulling her in. The two stayed like that for what felt like hours, the hug too comforting to leave.
She leaned down to place a soft kiss against y/n’s hair. “I think you do. You just don’t want to, y/n.”
The words landed harder than they should’ve.
A front door shouldn’t be so terrifying.
Yet here he was, standing in the hallway of her apartment building, heart about to jump out of his chest. He’s been standing here for 15 minutes now, second-guessing every little thing.
What if she hadn’t changed her mind since then? Or changed her mind and decided to give up on him. On them. What if she still didn’t want to see him?
It was too late for that. He’s already here, having come so far as standing in front of her door. Might as well just take the risk.
Knocks echoed in the otherwise empty hallway before he could process what he was doing.
“Shit.” he breathed out after realizing.
The wait for a response from the other side had him holding his breath. Why did he do that? What is wrong with him, actually. Will she be happy to see him? Or will she straight up shut the door in his face?
His spiraling was cut short when the sound of her lock rang out, the wooden door creaking open to reveal her standing there. Hair pushed back by a black headband, a purple facemask already half dried spread on her face.
She was even more gorgeous up close than he remembered.
“I, uh…” he started, but trailed off. Words didn’t come as easily as he thought they would. “Can we talk?”
y/n’s apartment was cozy. Perfect for her. It was clearly lived in, all kinds of trinkets that screamed ’her’ scattered around the rooms. Books that were halfway read, abandoned years ago probably. Maybe some were read.
Frames found on almost every flat surface, filled with pictures of friends and family, ranging from childhood pictures to the present. Her plants made the place feel alive, warm lighting creating the cozy atmosphere.
It was everything Mingi imagined whenever they talked about their future together.
The purple mask had already been discarded, now laying in the trashcan. y/n placed a glass of water down on the coffee table for him.
“Thanks.” he muttered quietly.
She hummed in response as she sat down on her couch. The distance between them was clear, y/n making herself comfortable almost in the corner of the couch. He watched as she fidgeted with the hem of her pyjama shirt, the sleeves falling over her hands slightly.
He knew that if he didn’t speak up and start the conversation, it would never happen.
He took a deep breath. “How have you been?”
A pause followed. One that felt way too awkward.
“Why are you here, Mingi?” she asked, sounding almost scared.
It made his heart twist. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened.”
She nodded in response, not trusting herself to talk any more.
“I hated this.” Mingi began. “I hated not being able to talk to you for three entire months, y/n. Yunho can confirm. I put him through hell.” he laughed quietly.
y/n couldn’t fight the small tug at her lips, a quiet, soft laugh escaping her. She nodded in understanding, letting the silence wash over them.
She tried her best to arrange the thoughts that had been running through her head ever since that night. Since the talk with her mom. Since she opened the door 10 minutes ago only to be met by the sight of him.
She probably looked like an idiot with that purple facemask.
Shifting slightly, she decided to break the silence. “I’m really sorry for that night.”
“I was scared. Deep down I knew how I felt, because nothing changed since college.” They both smiled at that.
“But I wasn’t ready to accept that. I was so terrified that we would end up the same way again. It was easier to just deny, especially after you told me how you felt.”
She sniffled, risking a glance at Mingi, finding him already looking at her. His eyes were shining with unshed tears, entirely focused on her. She felt so guilty for doing that to him. Being the reason for this entire conversation.
“Not my proudest moment.” she tried to joke, to lighten the mood.
It seemed to work, Mingi’s soft laughter catching her off guard for a second. Slowly, her shocked features melted into a soft smile as she watched him.
He was the same as she remembered yet so different. Appearance wise too.
“You had every right to feel that way, y/n. You could’ve gone about it a different way, but I understand.” he reassured her before asking for it himself. “We’re okay now, right?”
His body was warm against hers, the warmth seeping through her pyjamas. His fingers gently traced lines and circles up and down her arm as she leaned into him. The weight of the blanket didn’t help either with trying to stay awake.
Her eyelids felt heavy, body relaxed in a way it hadn’t been in a long time. The moment he pulled her close, her exhaustion kicked in, his touch draining away all the worry and stress of the past few months.
She let out a contented sigh, closing her eyes for a second.
Mingi looked down at her, a wide smile adorning his face at the sight of her. Memories kicked in, his body warming up.
He remembers how she used to fall asleep like this, against him, during movie nights at her house. How her laugh was the brightest when they baked. Or when she did his makeup out of boredom. He was surprised at the transformation back then.
College with her had been easy. She had made it easy. All the sleepless nights due to assignments and finals. Study sessions in the library or the café that sat two blocks away. Last-minute dates to make up for the lack of time spent together.
It was all so sickeningly sweet. So them.
Her groggy voice brought him back.
A soft chuckle left his lips before he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Go to sleep, y/n.”
She didn’t need to be told twice.
She really hasn’t changed.
— one more part left !!! thankyousm for the love for this series so far🥹🫶🏻
— taglist for the series is open if anyones interested!!
taglist: @weareundead, @imnameellie, @urfavleobiscuit, @oo-li, @fixonjade
