dance to this.

jasper song. twenty. florist. under the kitchen lights, you still look like dynamite, and i wanna end up on you. oh, don't need no place to go, just put on the radio, you know what i wanna do—we can JUST DANCE to this. don't take m u c h to start me—we can just dance to this, push up on my body, yeah. you know we’ve already seen ALL of the parties—we can just dance to this.

[ripenedkiss]

—— sooa.

          she’s  about  to  respond  with  a  quick  quip,  but  the  atmosphere  takes  a  more  sombre  turn,  &  sooa  furrows  her  brows  at  jasper’s  sudden  heavier  tone.  “  yeah,  of  course.  what’s  up,  j  ?  ”  there’s  an  inkling  of  tension  beginning  to  spread  through  her  shoulders,  like  she  senses  that  she’s  going  to  hear  something  upsetting,  so  she  takes  a  deep  breath  &  attempts  too  cool  her  expression.  

      sooa was not only his roommate, but also his best friend—and had been for a while now. he trusted her with just about everything. he sits quietly for a moment, chewing at the inside of his cheek as he figures just where he’s gonna go with this and just how he’s gonna lay the news on her. “ the, uh... the other day. i was at chapter one, right ? “ jasper stalls as he tries to hold off on coming clean, before finally his brain kicks his ass into gear. “ a-and i ran into steele.. “

[ripenedkiss]

—— lucy.

“ oh, always. it’s important you know that i know absolutely nothing about cars, though, so it would be a misery loves company situation. ” she leaned on the counter, her head in one hand, thoughts on how lovely that couple’s life must be. “ i’m sure i would have cried, that’s so touching. that kind of love must be out there for everyone with some patience and effort, you know ? ” lifting her head, more seriously, she pointed at him mainly for emphasis. “ and i can’t seriously imagine you not finding someone, you’re still young ! ”

      “ you and me BOTH. i think it’s actually a good sign that i have no clue how to drive. the streets are safe—for now. “ jasper certainly HOPES that love is out there for everyone, because god is he waiting on his. “ but i’m so IMPATIENT. “ he adds, a small pout painting itself to his plump lips. “ i know, i know. if i wasn’t so HUNG UP on my ex, maybe i could find somebody to settle with. but what about you ? i hope your love life isn’t as d r y. “

[ripenedkiss]

—— aj.

he grunts – a low, dismissive grunt as he fumbles with the few coins in his pocket. the woman heading the register snaps her gum in impatience. when he glares, she nearly swallows the pink rubber. the coins drop on the counter, chiming against the laminated surface. he hadn’t said a word in regards to his little friend’s rambling, paying for the both of them with the coins tumbling from his pocket. “take your tea,” handing him the paper cup of steaming liquid. the tea happily settles in his stomach, “tea’s better’n roses, in my opinion.” 

      an appreciative hum leaves jasper’s lips as he takes the paper cup with both hands, a small smile taking his lips lips at the warmth immediately beginning to form. the weather is cold today, enough that he’s actually had to break out a sweater from the depths of his closet. “ really ? personally, i’m not a very big tea drinker, and i’d much rather be surrounded by roses. but to each their own, you know ? i think that’s how that saying goes. “ always such a rambler, jasper was sure aj really couldn’t give a rats ass on what he was going on about—or if he was even listening.

[ripenedkiss]

—— hunny.

“My business.” Jihun repeats, a little bit amused at the wording. He doesn’t really know what he’s doing right now, but he knows that he feels compelled to do it nevertheless. With a look on his face that remains dripping in softsoftsoft, he picks up the carnation and holds it ou to Jasper. “For you.” He says, though they are surrounded by flowers, and he knows it as well. This one is his though, and that makes it different. Flirting isn’t something he does very often, but he’s definitely not being subtle with this.

      eyes widen a bit when the flower is offered BACK to him, heart already pounding in his ribcage at the kind gesture. “ f-for m e ? “ he stumbles over his own words, a grin beginning to break out over his face as he brings a hand up to tuck his hair behind his ear and get it out of his face. “ please, that’s way too nice of you. you don’t have to do that. “ but jasper can’t HELP IT as his fingers reach out to take the carnation, a warmth sitting heavily on his stomach. “ thank you so much. “

[ripenedkiss]

—— steele.

    –––   towering over the other was quite a familiar feeling, of course, he towered over most, but for some reason, their height difference ( of ten whole inches ) seemed like there was a WHOLE WORLD between the two. the feeling of distance between them made steele’s body work before his brain as a few long stride and he was already millimeters away from brushing shoulders with jasper. picking a book from the shelf he shrugged softly, “ not sure, half a year ago, i believe. ” answering his question, not a question he cared about, in all honesty. though, the next few came as a surprise. not knowing how to answer, but definitely not with a lie. “ seeing as am back here, not that great. ” he muttered, shutting the book with a great CLAP ! only to look down at jasper, “ i was lied to, so, i guess i know how that feels now. ” a fleeting smile appeared on his face, almost as if he were saying goodbye once more. “ i’m sorry, jasper. but i don’t want to do THIS. ”

      a small nod of his head follows as steele tells him just about when he had gotten the piercings, though not that jasper had really cared that much. he was just trying to be friendly without trying to get too invested. because getting invested meant that he’d get attached—and in all honesty that was the LAST thing he wanted. steele had already left once—who's to say he won’t do it again ? it already hurt ENOUGH to lose him the first time. the younger licks his lips as his arms come up to hug himself, face twisting up a bit when they bump shoulders—tries to ignore the fire immediately burning up inside him. “ does always suck to be lied to, yeah... i’m sorry that happened to you. “ that part of the conversation almost ends immediately when jas adds on, “ it’s good to see you, steele. “ though it physically PAINS him to say the words, because he’s on the opposite end of the spectrum completely. “ then we don’t have to. i’m just trying to be friendly. “

[ripenedkiss]

—— sooa.

          she  huffs,  as  if  she  was  a  child  &  was  denied  candy  &  ice  cream  for  dinner  (  the  prospect  of  having  to  share  jasper  seemed  worth  a  tantrum  ).  “  well,  in  that  case,  i  have  a  LOT  of  men’s  phone  numbers,  so  if  you  need  me  to  do  any  match  making,  just  call.  they  will  all  have  to  face  a  series  of  tests  though,  provided  by  me,  to  make  sure  they’re  good  enough  for  you.  ”

      when she mentions match-making, jasper’s face immediately scrunches up and he shakes his head. “ i don’t really want the scraps of whatever shell of a man you’ve left behind, sooa. no offense. “ though a fond smile begins to take over his plump lips anyways, looking back down to the orchids in the bouquet he’s making. he gets quiet for a moment as he perfects the petals, fingers starting to shake a small bit. “ hey, uh... can we talk ? i really need to get something off my chest. “

[ripenedkiss]

—— steele.

   –––  pearly whites cover his bottom lip as steele watches the boy move around the shelves. it hurts to see him move without feeling an ounce of DISCOMFORT, unlike himself who was feeling tension in the air. whether it was one-sided or not, he hated how it made his heart race. there was a just a moment that steele had to take for himself to simply look at his silhouette. memories flooded back, pictures etched onto the inside of his eyelids, taking a moment to look at each flashing image that matches his body. the legs that he held onto whenever he felt the boy hop onto his back, the waist he held as the slow danced to no music, the chest he left marks on so he remembered him once he left, hands that were engulfed by his own, and a face that could make ANGELS CRY. looking back at the books before him, he whispered toward them instead of the boy, “ and neither have you, ” his voice was gentle, pushed from his throat as if he choked on them instead.

      jasper stays silent as he simply watches steele, worrying his bottom lip between his lip. taking in the things he hadn’t noticed before, the new things—and of course the things he’s missed the MOST about steele. which jas’ brain quickly comes to realize is just a l l of him. there’s an unreachable ITCH in his heart as he watches an old lover, though he makes it a point to not scratch it—he was afraid of what may come leaking out. “ when did you get your ears pierced ? “ head tilts to the side a small bit, and he swore he was finally over steele. he really did. but having him here—standing in front of jasper after a full year. it just brings back a gnawing soreness inside him. finally the INEVITABLE question comes out, arms crossing over his chest. “ so... how was it ? y’know, when you went away ? was it all you had hoped ? any of those big dreams come true ? “

[ripenedkiss]

—— sooa.

          sooa  nods  rather  absentmindedly  at  what  jasper’s  saying,  only  paying  the  bare  minimum  amount  of  attention  to  him  (  it’s  not  that  she  doesn’t  care  enough  to  …  she  was  just  …  distracted  ?  ),  at  least  until  he  gets  to  the  last  part.  the  hopeless  romantic  side  that  he  expresses  has  her  gasping  slightly.  “  but,  you  have  me  !  who  needs  an  endless  amount  of  roses,  that’ll  just  end  up  DYING  eventually  anyway,  when  i’m  here  to  provide  you  with  the  best  hair  cuts  &  pay  for  the  occasional  meal  ?  ”

      a small grin takes jasper’s lips as he focuses on arranging a bouquet of flowers for a wedding the shops been booked for, glancing over at the other briefly. “ i know i do—and i’m very thankful ! but like... i want a boyfriend so b a d. i don’t think you really fit the criteria for THAT though. “ a laugh bubbles up as he looks back down to the bouquet in front of him, lips pursing together tightly. “ but i am really, really thankful for the best haircuts—they’re always really nice. “

[jiminrolls]

soft

[ripenedkiss]

—— hunny.

Sharing information like that is sort of important to Hunny. Even from complete strangers, learning little tidbits of somebody’s history or present feels sort of like a privilege. Unlike most people who are not interested in the everyday lives of others, he is happy to learn and to understand those that he surrounds himself with better. With his smile lingering, Hunny gently places the carnation down in front of Jasper, and then pulls out some change. Very deliberately, he counts out the correct amount, and then slides it across. “Please and thank you.” He says, biting back the urge to grin. There’s a hint of playfulness to it.

      jasper has always been very open with his life, and has no problem with oversharing information he doesn’t need to. he views that as a flaw though,strangers really aren’t gonna care much about your life story—which was something jas would have to learn the hard way. with a grin still plastered to his lips, the younger boy would reach for the change and simply move it into the register. he didn’t feel that counting it over again would be necessary, hunny seemed trustful enough. “ and thank YOU for your business. “

[ripenedkiss]

—— athena.

       “ maybe your friend is using humor to cope with his emotional distress and here you are making light of his woes. not cool, jas. – but alright, that was a pretty damn cute story and now you have me feeling like i’m gonna whither away alone and crusty in chapter one. i expect seventy-one roses from you tomorrow or i’ll be equally as emotionally distressed as your car trouble friend. ”

      “ i always knew i was secretly the problematic friend. “ a dainty giggle bubbles past his pink lips, relaxing in his cozy chair in the corner of chapter one. “ i mean... athena, if the shoe fits, you’ve gotta wear it. i’m kidding, i’m kidding—you won’t die alone. but when it’s our FIFTIETH anniversary—i’ll think about giving you seventy-one roses. i don’t have enough money for that right now, it’s like... sixty-seven dollars. plus taxes ! “

[ripenedkiss]

—— adam.

“don’t worry about it,” adam assures. he could reach into his backpack and pull out the super cook photobook he bought recently at chapter one showing all of the new war machines developed during world war ii. but he refrained. “that isn’t so bad,” adam admits. “it’s crazy how the inflation works, based on the season. it makes sense, since it’s harder to keep plants alive during certain times of the year. but valentine’s day is in february, so i’m sure every florist is happy about the price hike.”

      “ but i WANT to know now. “ a small frown beginning to take over his lips then, looking up at the other as a smile can’t help but begin to play on his lips. “ no, it’s not that bad. you probably went to a place that really wanted to rip you off—which is just wrong. “ a quick shake of his head, lips pursed together with a sigh quick to follow. “ personally i don’t enjoy the prices increasing—but y’know, it’s good business. “

[ripenedkiss]

—— lucy.

“ i might have, too, frankly. that doesn’t seem like the ideal situation to be in, and i certainly wouldn’t know who to call to help me. ” watching his movements with a curiosity, the vibrant flowers filling her with a familiar joy. “ oh, certainly ! it was lovely, but seventy roses ? that’s simply incredible. ” she beamed, happy both for his experiences and for the couple. “ fifty years ? that’s a life time, i wonder how they managed that. they must really love each other, huh ? ” 

      “ i think i’d call you if i was in a sitch like that. i could at least have your MORAL support, right ? “ he grins at her, making sure the flowers are in tip top shape before moving onto the next bouquet. “ yep ! seventy roses. my heart was so warm as i was ringing him up, i thought i was actually gonna burst into tears. i hope to one day find my partner that wants to spend fifty PLUS years with me. it’s a d r e a m. when is it my turn to get that love ? “

[ripenedkiss]

—— steele.

    –––  it was the exact reaction he expected, or at least close to what he expected. though, he deserved more of a PUNCH in the face or pouring salt in the wounds jasper deserved to leave in his skin. it would’ve hurt LESS than the words that were shared between the two. it would’ve been less traumatic then leaving a note to tell him that not even JASPER could make him stay in edinburgh. “ i had nowhere else to go, ” he muttered, pulling a book from the shelf, just wanted to see more of his face, wanted to feel some sense of pain between the two. he wanted jasper to be ANGRY at him. steele wanted to see that anger in his face. “ and i knew i’d find a home here. –– even if wasn’t where i wanted. ” it’s not that easy steele.

      there’s a pregnant pause when jasper hears steele say he had nowhere else to go, and jasper wants to tell him he did—that he always had a place with jasper. but he bites it down, and pushes back memories that tend to creep to the front of his brain. “ i know you didn’t. “ there’s a nod of his head, quick to just agree with steele. the younger boy knew steele was WAITING for the anger, to maybe throw a punch or to yell and cry—but steele of ALL PEOPLE should know it would never come. jasper song did not get angry, he thought it was a useless and unlike him feeling. he still doesn’t look up to meet steele’s gaze, but instead walks away to the next aisle of books over—taking steele in for the first time in a year. “ you haven’t changed... “ he says, but in actuality he feels as though a stranger looks back at him.

[ripenedkiss]

—— steele.

    –––  the books even felt familiar, weak spines against his finger tips as they traced the etched writing of books he’d memorized cover to cover. he was never one for reading, but he remembers falling in love with just the feeling a book in his hands, it was comforting for some reason. narrowed eyes were focused before they caught sight of something else, perhaps a book that was out of place, but no. it moved… and it moved again. lowering his stance, he saw blue eyes that hid behind the blonde. dry lips part as he follows the eyes with his own, a scene that had taken place before . “ JASPER. ” he whispered, a moment passed, realizing he’d thought aloud.

      jasper remembers the night steele left VIVIDLY. sometime late at night—4 am maybe ? it was all a huge blur—he would listen to the rustling of steele climbing out of his bed and collecting his things, and would then be followed the soft c l i c k of his front door closing—signaling the older boys ABSENCE. did it hurt ? absolutely. he didn’t feel like HIM for the longest time after steele had left—but time heals all wounds. it’s not until he sees the smudged eye makeup through the bookshelf—a replay of the FIRST time they met—does the pain start to rise again, little bit by little. it’s his N A M E that finally gets him, eyes dropping from steele’s ( he knew them anywhere. how could he not ? ) to stare at the worn book in his hands. “ decided to come back, huh ? “ there’s no bitterness or sadness of the such in his tone, but he’s still speaking to the book in his hands instead of directly to steele.

[ripenedkiss]

—— adam.

“the only vehicles i know anything about are, like, old-time tanks and planes and stuff. give me a panzer ii and i’d give you a full run-down, but a toyota? hopeless. i don’t even want to know how expensive seventy roses are. i tried to buy a really nice bouquet for my sister after her first dance recital, and i had to go to the grocery store to get one because the florist ones were all way out of my budget. i’m sure you’ll find someone who’ll shower you in flowers though.”

      “ a pan... za what ? “ head tilts the side a small bit, brows pulling together tightly. jasper was lost in all sorts of vehicles and machinery—he could barely handle the coffee maker at the cafe. “ it’s not actually as expensive as you’d think ! it only came to $66.50. each rose per stem is 95 cents so. but thank god he didn’t come by in february, that’s when roses get upped to about $2.30. “ rambling on and on about flowers was something jasper was good at—and was sure people got tired of very quickly. “ yeah, hopefully one day. “

[ripenedkiss]

—— hunny.

“Right. Exactly.” Hunny smiles something lovely, something bright, and he turns his face to Jas as he does. Holding one of the carnations in his hand, he twirls it about with elegant fingers, his focus entirely on the other person now. He has n urge, though it’s quite manageable at best. “It’s beautiful. I can see why it’s your favorite. How much for one?” Approaching where he’s sat, Hunny stands on the opposite side of the front counter, burying his nose into the carnation and inhaling. It smells like it looks: pretty. Perhaps it makes him think a bit more, but he doesn’t give it away.

      “ when i was really little my mum used to plant carnations in her garden in front of the house, so i suppose that’s where i got the love for them from. and they’re absolutely gorgeous while also smelling heavenly. “ but he doesn’t get too deep into it—thinking about his mother just brings his mood down. pushing her to the back of his mind, jasper sits up straighter and glances to the monitor in front of him. as if he needs it—he’s managed to remember almost every single flowers price. “ for a single carnation ? it’ll be $0.94. “