Work Text:
Draco sneezed as he rearranged the pink magnolia display next to the entrance of the flower shop he worked at, Bonnie’s Blossoms. It was summertime, and the pollen-filled flowers were messing with his nose; Draco was allergic to flowers. Weird, he knows; his friends are quite confused about his line of work. Blaise is constantly questioning his ironic choice of a job, and Pansy, despite being named after one, absolutely despises flowers. Draco waves off their concerns, for he learned too much about gardening and plants from his mother to not put his extensive knowledge to good use. Draco sneezed again, the force of it impacting the petals of the display flowers and leaving them shaking underneath his fingertips.
The bell chimed loudly behind him, announcing the arrival of another customer. “One… one second,” Draco managed to slip out before sneezing once more.
“Don’t worry. Take your time, yeah?”
Draco sniffled quietly, shuffling around to face a quite attractive, messy-haired boy with gold-rimmed glasses and a hint of a heart-shattering smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His emerald green eyes sparkled like the gems they impersonated the shade of, and shined with just the same amount of intensity, if not more. His skin was the color of melted caramel, and Draco was reminded of tiny little confectionary caramel squares that his mother would always reward him with after finishing his homework when he was in primary school. Draco’s eyes skimmed over the diamond nose stud that shimmered in the soft light of the flower shop, his gaze flickering across the snakebite encircling the tail of this boy’s left eyebrow before settling briefly on the silver glinting lip ring nestled in the corner of his bottom lip. Draco would have spent more time studying the mysterious man’s simple outfit of a black hoodie, jeans, and boots, but he felt he had stared too long and an introduction was necessary before he continued his scrutinization of the captivating man that stood in front of him.
“Hello,” Draco managed, before a barrage of sneezes overtook his body. He counted one, two, three sneezes consecutively before the attack on his own body ended. He wiped his watering eyes with the hem of his shirt, realizing he had not bothered to put on an apron before touching flowers. Too busy dabbing his sneeze-induced tears away, Draco did not notice Harry’s eyes skim Draco’s abdomen, much longer than necessary or explainable.
“Hi.” The attractive stranger’s voice was the perfect combination of husky and hoarse, and the one-syllable word held a hint of seduction buried within it as he let it brush past his lips. “I, um, I came to buy flowers?” He ended his statement as a question, as if he were unsure of what he was doing in the shop.
“I would assume so.” Draco felt his signature smirk slide into his expression as he calmly approached the cash register set atop a pale blue counter, taking his spot behind the marble island as he eyed the other man appreciatively. The boy’s cheeks pinked, realizing that there would be no other reason to enter a flower shop if your intent was not to buy flowers.
Pushing the frame of his eyeglasses higher up the bridge of his nose, he glided around the tiny store, brushing the pads of his fingers against petals every once in a while. Finally, he settled on a rectangular boxed pot of larkspur, the vibrant violet petals contrasting with the dark colors of his outfit. He carefully scooped the miniature plant into the palms of his calloused hands, carrying the plastic box over to the register counter.
“Good choice.” Draco offered politely, taking the plant from the boy’s hands with special care. His fingertips grazed the other boy’s palms, and Draco gasped quietly from the heat of his skin. The boy just replied with a sheepish smile, and dug into the pocket of his leather jacket for what Draco assumed would be money. Draco scanned the bar code of the plant, ringing up the total amount and printing a receipt.
“Hey, are you allergic to plants?” The stranger blurted the words out of his mouth. “I don’t mean to be intrusive, but I noticed you sneezed a lot, and I didn’t know if you were just sick or…” He trailed off, his hands fidgeting at his side. Draco gave him a small smile.
“Yeah, I’m allergic. I would choose this flower job over any other profession, though.” Draco replied, rubbing the identification tag of the larkspur between his thumb and forefinger.
“I see.” The boy said quietly. There was an awkward silence between the two boys, and Draco was just about to grab the receipt when the visitor stammered, “Do you mind, um, giving me your number?” He visibly turned scarlet, opening his wallet and looking up to meet Draco’s eyes clouded with shock. “It’s just, ah,” the man pulled out a few notes, “I think you seem really nice, and I would love to get to know you.” He gently took the cashier’s hand and set the currency in his palm. “That is, if you didn’t mind.”
Draco blanched. “Oh, yeah, of course I’ll give you my number!” Draco spluttered, his hands still tingling from their brief contact. He frantically searched for something to write with, spotting a pen next to the register. “My name is Draco,” He grabbed the pen and scribbled his number on the back of the receipt, along with his name. “and you are…?” Draco handed the receipt over to the boy.
“Harry.” He grinned brightly, his smile lighting up the shop tenfold. Draco stuttered over something to say as Harry thanked him for the number and picked up his newly bought plant.
“I’ll call you tonight, then.” Harry bit his lip as he stared at Draco’s flustered form. “I hope you pick up.”
Draco opened his mouth to reply, only to realize that he had no idea what he was supposed to say to that. “I will.” He settled for that response, although he chastised himself in his head because what kind of response is that -
Harry waved before pushing open the door of the flower shop, the bell tinkling softly. He looked back in time to see Draco raise a hand and wave, a smile gracing his face.