Birds of Paradise [5/5]
Series: Joker Game
Characters: Amari/Tazaki; Hatano is there to judge the happy couple
Rating: G
Summary: Tazaki never found a reason to talk to the shopkeeper with the chestnut brown hair and god-like jawline – that was, until his pigeons attacked the flower display. (AKA The Flower Shop AU no one asked for)
Words: 2105 + bonus
Notes: Modern AU/Flower Shop AU; *slam duNKS MY KEYBOARD* it’s finally done!! I’m so sorry for such a delay, school started plus my insecurities hit hard orz but I’m finally done with this ;w; Please check AO3 for more notes plus some other notes tangentially related to my writings lol
ko-fi // Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | You can read this on AO3! Thanks you guys so much for following this and reading, I hope you all enjoy~! ( ˊᵕˋ )♡.°⑅
Ch. 5: Truly Paradise
After so many failed and awkward attempts, Tazaki knew one thing and one thing only: this time around had to go perfectly.
Carrying the zinnias, primroses, cosmos and the mystery flowers as carefully as he could, Tazaki walked the path towards Persephone's once more with his darlings at his side. Giving a bouquet to a florist -- especially ones that weren't even fresh -- was a flimsy idea at most, but the best one he could come up with after much contemplation. All he had were some withering flowers and his beloved birds, but Tazaki was a handyman who knew how to use his resources. Perhaps it was cliché, perhaps it was dumb, but as Persephone's came into view, Tazaki decided that this was it.
That is, if his feet would let him walk through the door.
Just like so many times before, his breath hitched the moment he saw Amari through the window. Mundane as it was, seeing Amari tend to the flowers was a sight to behold. No one could deny that he was an attractive man, but there was so much more to him. It was the way that he put such care into his work, the way he acted so earnestly, and the way he treated everything with the utmost importance that Amari truly stood out. Tazaki couldn't thank his lucky stars enough that he'd gotten to know such a kind and gentle guy who was waving right at him -- hold up. Oh wait, oh no, oh God, he was waving at him.
Dammit. He really couldn't back out of this one.
"Okay, guys," Tazaki whispered, turning his back to the window. As discreetly as he could, he handed the bouquet of pressed flowers to his pigeons. "You know the plan, right?"
Like always, he'd practiced and practiced what he'd wanted to do but even now his doubts plagued him. Hearing the coos of his pigeons was all the answer he needed, though, reassuring and encouraging. Giving them a nod, he made an about face like a soldier heading off to battle and pushed open the door to Persephone's.
"Hey," Amari greeted him, his voice as sonorous as the bells that signaled his arrival. "You came."
"I'm a man of my word," Tazaki said, thankful Frate came bounding towards him to give him some time to get his life together.
"You're a bit earlier than I expected, though." Leaving his flowers at the counter, Amari walked towards him with his trademark smile on his face.
"Earlier is better than later in my opinion," Tazaki said, standing up once he finished petting Frate. "Besides, there's something... there's something I need to do first."
"Hm?" Amari cocked his head to the side.
Gulping for air, Tazaki reached for Amari's hands. He stopped short as his fingers hovered over his. His palms grew clammy as his nerves wracked through his body once more. Breathe in, breathe out, he told himself. Then, forcing himself to meet Amari's eyes, Tazaki took his hands in his. Here goes nothing --
"Would you go out with me?"
The second those words came out, Tazaki clamped his mouth shut. Oh goodness. Wait. Wait, wait, wait, that was supposed to go last. Behind him, he heard his birds fluttering and the bouquet rustling and he put a hand up to signal them to stand down. Before Amari could say anything, Tazaki quickly continued in an attempt to save himself.
"Uh, ever since I first saw you here, even before we actually met, I thought you were a really great guy," he said, steadily gaining confidence as he spoke. "This'll sound weird but I just had a gut feeling. And then... I actually got to know you. You're just... everything I expected and more." Here, he tightened his grip on Amari's hands but looked away. He could only imagine how red his face was with all the heat rushing up.
"You're so dedicated to everything you do, from taking care of the flowers, and the shop, and your daughter, and you're able to smile while doing all of it, and I really admire that about you and..." He paused. "I'm rambling now." He let out a nervous laugh, not once letting go of Amari. "But my point is... I like you. A lot. And... I was wondering if you'd go out with me?"
A pause. But there was something off and it wasn't Amari's lack of response.
"Hold on," Tazaki said, glancing behind him. He cleared his throat. "Ahem, I said: I was wondering if you'd go out with me."
Once again, his birds flapped their wings, popping up from behind him with the bouquet in their hold and flying towards Amari. The pounding of his heart drowned out the noise around him, the beating drumming in his ears. With much hesitation, Tazaki dared to look back up at Amari.
In spite of his expectations, a grin greeted him. Amari gazed at the bouquet the very same way he did his other flowers despite the fact that they were all pressed and dried, yellowed and old, the very same flora he'd given Tazaki not so long ago.
"You actually kept these?" Though Amari's voice was soft, it was enough to break through his internal screaming. Still holding onto Tazaki, Amari took the bouquet with his free hand and looked over it. As he turned the bouquet around back and forth, his grin only grew wider. "You took good care of them."
"Of course I did! You gave them to me, so they're special." While Tazaki spoke, Amari admired the flowers as if entranced by each petal, each stem, and each bud. "I always wanted to repay you so... I figured this was a way to start."
A bout of silence fell over them, but wonder and awe filled Amari's face much like Fukumoto at one of his idol concerts. Yet, Amari said nothing. He was probably wearing one of those polite smiles; he was a shopkeeper, he must be used to giving those. Welp, he said what he needed to say and Tazaki figured that was good enough. There were plenty of birds in the sky, after all --
"If that's the case,” Amari said, finally turning his chestnut brown eyes towards him. “How can I possibly say 'no' to you?"
Whoa.
That wasn't a rejection. Just to make sure he was hearing properly, Tazaki rubbed his ears.
"So... that's a 'yes'?"
"Today's a day for Emma, but --" Taking one of Tazaki's hands, Amari pressed a kiss against his knuckles. "-- I'd love for a day for just the two of us, yes."
There was that familiar wave of goosebumps with the feeling of Amari's lips on his skin. Tazaki's mind ceased to function, his heart ready to burst out of his chest. Before he could let everything sink in, the door bell chimed followed by the pitter-patter of small footsteps.
"Papa!" Jumping away from Amari, Tazaki turned to see Emma run in through the door, followed by a nonchalant Hatano who made a beeline to the break room. "Oh, and Mr. Tazaki, too! You're here!"
Snapping back into reality, Tazaki stumbled back as Emma rushed over and hugged him at his knees.
"A little birdie told me you'd be here today, so I thought I'd drop by," Tazaki said, patting her head.
"Yay! I learned a lotta cool things I can show you and I taught Frate how to do some tricks and oh, maybe we can go to the park later --"
"That sounds like fun, Emma," Tazaki said, trying to keep up with all she said. "But what does your Papa think about it?"
Emma clapped a hand against her cheeks, eyes widening as if she just remembered about him.
"Oh yeah!" Turning to Amari, she put on her puppy dog eyes. "Can we go out today, Papa? Please?"
Humming, Amari tapped the bouquet against his chin.
"Hm, I dunno..."
"Aw, please!"
"I suppose you've been a good girl lately, so... why not?" As Emma cheered, Amari ruffled her hair. "Just remember to treat Mr. Tazaki well, okay?"
"Yes, Papa~"
"Let me find a home for these flowers first, then we can head out, okay?" And with that, Amari winked, giving Tazaki a grin as he showed her the bouquet.
It was funny, Tazaki thought, that even though he was surrounded by flowers -- all bold and in full bloom, all standing tall and proud, all vibrant and striking -- none of them could possibly compare to Amari's smile.
"Don't you look happy."
Hatano's words cut Amari's whistling short as the two of them met at the entrance of the break room. Even when faced with Hatano's incredulous look and crossed arms, Amari's grin didn't falter.
"Yeah!" he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I feel great, actually."
Hatano huffed, half hearted as it may be. One of them had to be the responsible one here and it sure as hell wasn't gonna be Amari.
"Cool," he said. "That's swell and all, but what are we gonna do about the costs?"
"What do you mean?"
"The zinnias, the primroses, the cosmos?" With each flora Hatano listed, he increasingly stepped into Amari's space, pointing at the very same ones Amari held in his arms. "Not to mention the freaking birds of paradise," he said, throwing his hands up. "Why'd you even get those!? Y'know how expensive they are."
When Amari didn't respond immediately, Hatano followed his eyes to see Tazaki playing with Emma and his birds. He'd always known Amari to be air-headed, but he gazed at the sight with such intent that even Hatano couldn't bring it in himself to chide him.
"Birds of paradise," Amari said, fondness in his voice. "Symbolizing faithfulness, love, and thoughtfulness; freedom and a clear perspective on life."
Rolling his eyes, Hatano clicked his tongue. Of course he had to pull the flower symbolism card. He shouldn't have expected anything else from a florist of all people. How disgustingly... cute.
"Ugh, well, your dumb ass didn't let bird brain pay for the expenses and now we're just... kinda, y'know..." Hatano trailed off, gesturing as if to find the right words before giving Amari his best death glare. "Broke."
Still, Amari continued smiling and Hatano would've socked him right then if not for the "No Violence Around Emma" Rule.
"It'll work out," Amari said, patting Hatano's shoulder. Hatano face palmed.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting --" And there was the very same bird brain he'd been talking about, with Emma in his arms and his pigeons flocking around her. "-- I couldn't help overhear you guys but I think I have a way to pay you guys back."
"You do?" Hatano asked, rather flatly.
"Oh, share it!” Just like that, Amari’s attention was all on Tazaki.
"My birds," Tazaki said proudly. Hatano raised an eyebrow but, in his peripheral, could see Amari getting way too excited already. "We can use them as an attraction, get lots of people to come over with a show. They're a huge hit with the kids, especially."
A beat.
"Are you kidding me --"
"I like it!" Emma bounced excitedly in Tazaki's hold, his pigeons fluttering about from her outburst.
"And I like it, too," Amari said, not-so-subtly nudging Hatano. "Love it, even!"
"Really?" Tazaki's eyes widened.
"Of course!" Amari said, leaving Hatano's side to join Tazaki. "And you know what else we can do? We can..."
It was right there and then that Hatano zoned out, wanting no part in the planning despite knowing that he'd get roped into whatever these two decided on. Even so, Hatano's lips quirked up as he watched Amari and Tazaki chatter on. Amari's smile had been so tired lately, as if he'd break once he let his act down.
Running a flower shop didn't rake in much profit admittedly, and Amari had to take care of Emma on top of that. But once Tazaki entered the picture, Amari started glowing again, just like the time he'd adopted Emma. There was a lilt to his whistles, a bounce in his step, and the flowers seemed to grow brighter. Not that he'd ever say it out loud, but Hatano was glad Amari found someone to make him happy. And if this bird brain was all it took to make that airhead happy, then Hatano would gladly deal with it --
Crash!
"Kazuaki!"
"I'll pay you back --"
"No, it's okay --"
Clenching his teeth, Hatano tightened the tie of his apron. Amari's happiness, Hatano reminded himself, Amari's happiness.
bonus
“Hey, by the way,” Tazaki said. “What are these?”
“What’re what?” Amari said, raising an eyebrow.
“These.” Tazaki pointed towards the beak-like flowers. “They kinda look like birds of paradise,” he said, imitating the way birds of paradise hold themselves.
Amari laughed, getting more amusement out of this than he should be.
“Well, that’s what they are.”
“Birds?” Tazaki asked, head snapping towards them.
“Of paradise.”
“Like… the birds?”
Amari nodded.
“Like the birds.”
Tazaki blinked.
“Oh. ” That explained a lot. And why he kept getting the avians in his Google searches. “I’ve never seen them before, people don’t usually sell them.”
“They reminded me of a certain someone, so I ordered them,” Amari said rather casually, a contrast to the knowing smile on his face.
Opening his mouth, Tazaki was ready to ask about who it was until he’d realized who that certain someone was.
“I’m sure that certain someone loves them,” Tazaki said, his smile matching Amari’s. “But you know what that certain someone would really like?”
“What?”
“The actual birds.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Amari said, booping Tazaki’s nose. “Since according to another someone, we’re low on funds.”
“That’s fine.” Tazaki returned the favor then slipped his hand into Amari’s. “I suppose I already have them, anyways.”
“Yeah?”
“This shop is pretty much paradise, and my birds are here. So, birds of paradise.”
Amari gave him a long look before letting out a laugh.
“Right,” he said, squeezing Tazaki’s hand. “That’s exactly it.”
