for that trope thing... would you consider Damen/Laurent, 7 & 56?
Damen/Laurent Florist AU, Awful First Meeting:
Setting
Laurent is a florist and your boy takes it seriously. He spent five years as an apprentice with Paschal, who I’ve decided is a florist in this universe as well, and he’s finally saved up enough to start his own business with Paschal’s blessing.
Laurent’s shop is so hipster that walking inside is like stepping into a Pinterest board. I’m talking parquet floors, distressed wood shelving, bench spaces constructed over stacks of crates, drop lamps hanging from the ceiling, Florence & The Machine always on the radio.
Every inch of this space has been intentionally cultivated by Laurent to create an integrated experience. He’s very proud of it.
His shop is in a hipster district too. I like to think that there’s a craft beer brewery down the road, and that they’re so taken with Laurent the Florist that they concoct a special flowery brew with Elderflower and Hibiscus, and name it after him
As an aside, Laurent travels to work on a vintage bike with a basket. He parks it outside the shop, leaning it against the wall because #aesthetics.
It is not a huge shop. It’s a humble little place, long and narrow. There’s not much space anywhere but Laurent makes very effective use of it.
Scene
One display is entirely occupied by ceramics and glassware. We’re talking terrariums, bubble vases, ceramic jugs - every kind of vessel you can imagine in which Laurent can work his magic.
One fine morning, the tranquility of Hipster Street is disrupted by the ROAR of a motorcycle. It’s loud enough that everyone seems to hear it from streets away, but it comes closer and closer until Laurent realizes with distaste that it’s stopped and parked right outside his shop. He crinkles his nose.
Through the window, he sees a hulking figure disembark - face concealed by a heavy black helmet, frame concealed under a heavy black jacket.
In a slow-motion sequence, soundtracked by Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”, Damen takes off the helmet and shakes out his curls before running a hand through his hair.
Laurent sees the whole slow-motion sequence; temporarily forgets his distaste; and finds himself thinking, Oh no, he’s hot. And tall. And hot.
Damen walks into the shop and, god, he almost completely takes up the doorway. When he walks in, the bell above the door rings. He looks up towards the till, and notices Laurent, and gives him the kind of smile that - just for a moment - makes Laurent consider giving up everything and leaving with him on the back of his motorbike.
Laurent only gives a cool nod in return to acknowledge him, He doesn’t smile back because then, this stranger is going to know immediately that Laurent is wondering whether those dark curls feel as soft as they look.
Damen takes one step into the long, narrow shop, and then another, and then a few more. He pauses by the display with the ceramics and glassware.
Something on the other side of the store catches his eye. He turns —-
—- and his oversized elbow knocks into the glassware and ceramics display —-
—- and every single item in that display tumbles off —-
—- and falls to the ground —-
—- and shatters with spectacular fury.
Neither of them moves.
Damen is horrified.
Laurent could kill. He is ready to rip this man’s motorcycle in two with his bare hands and throw both pieces at him.
Neither of them says anything.
Laurent orders Damen to get out. Damen refuses. Laurent repeats the request in a voice so low and so deadly that the or else can remain unspoken.
But Damen won’t leave. He says that he won’t leave until he’s helped Laurent clean up, and until Laurent has calculated the exact cost of the damage so that Damen can pay him the cost immediately.
Which doesn’t absolve him in Laurent’s eyes, because the store floor is a wreck and it’ll take days before replacements come in, but Laurent might let him live. Maybe.
Laurent makes Damen close the door and turn the “Closed” sign, and walks over with two dustpans. They both hunch down and begin sweeping the (many, many) shards into the rubbish bin in silence.
Laurent’s still angry, but this stranger smells really good?? And it’s distracting??
At some point, Laurent’s hand accidentally sweeps across broken glass and it cuts his skin.
There is a lot of blood. Laurent doesn’t do too well with blood. Damen immediately picks up on that fact, weasels from him the location of the first aid kit (under the till counter), and takes him to it.
A Very Soft Sequence follows, where Damen cleans and bandages Laurent’s wound with tender hands that caress a little more than they ought to. Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” soundtracks the scene.
There’s a point where Damen is focused so intently on the task that he doesn’t notice Laurent looking up silently at him, cautiously wondrous.
Laurent thinks, Oh no, he’s hot AND gentle.
When Damen’s done, he absently swipes a thumb across Laurent’s palm, realizes what he’s done, and looks down, embarrassed —
— except he’s still holding onto Laurent’s hand.
Everyone blushes.
[This was fun. Feel free to send me more.]
