TW: Cussing

Coffee shop/florist au

{Third Person POV}

Virgil wrote the date neatly on the chalkboard by the counter, February tenth, four days before Valentine's Day, and he drew a few hearts around the words with pink chalk he had found in the back before standing up to look at it.

He figured it looked alright and heard the door opening, the light jingle of the bell signaling the entrance of a familiar florist just across the street.

"Good morning Emo," he said as he strolled over to the counter, Virgil sighing and walking behind it. "'Morning Ro. What do you want?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to give you something." Virgil curiously looked up from where he was ready to take the other's order. Roman smiled and pulled out a rose from his apron pocket, the crimson petals swirling around the center as he handed it to the other.

Virgil timidly touched the stem before realizing there were no thorns, taking it and twirling it around his fingers. "Is it fake?"

Roman snorted inelegantly, Virgil realising the stupidity of his question and mentally face palming when Roman spoke. "No, it's not fake."

"Yeah, I know. I don't even know why I asked that, it was stupid." He held the rose and used his other hand to caress the soft petals.

"It's really pretty." He commented, Roman humming as he watched the other's smiling face, lipstick covered lips quirking into a contented smile.

"Well you seem to really like it." Virgil nodded, still holding the rose, "I'm not around flowers a lot."

"Why? Do you kill them?" Roman asked with a teasing smile, Virgil smacking him lightly. "Shut up, I don't kill them."

"You sure? Because you dress so gloomy I'm sure flowers wilt at the sight of you. Like some witch." Roman said, already painting the picture of Virgil walking through a garden with colorful flowers, only for them to die.

"I'm not a witch." Virgil deadpanned, Roman smiling. "That's what a witch would say~" He sang, Virgil rolling his eyes.

There was a moment of silence, Virgil still lovingly gazing at the flower, Roman staring at his smile as he did, leaning against the counter with his elbows propped, chin resting on his folded hands.

Then the bell rang.

"Roman!"

Roman shot up, Virgil jumping at the voice and the stomping of boots.

"Get your ass across the street, we have jacarandá bonsais to put away and you're flirting with Virgil!" Remus gestured over to Virgil, who had found a spare glass to put the rose in for now, before adding. "Again."

Virgil's face reddened at the implication but he didn't say anything, instead walking to the back to pour water into the glass.

Roman groaned, "I'm not flirting! And it's not even seven yet!"

"Still, I wanna get it done. It's like there's a hurricane of those damn jacarandás, and I'm not gonna put them away myself while you're over here being gay-"

Roman slapped his hand over his brother's mouth, "Shut up! I haven't told him I'm gay."

Remus raised an unamused brow, licking Roman's hand. And while Roman groaned about how gross he was and wiped his hand on his apron he spoke, "How subtle do you think you are? No straight guy just brings the batista across the street a red rose four days before Valentine's."

"I was planning on bringing him a purple one tomorrow. Or at the end of the day." Roman contemplated, Remus rolling his eyes, "You're a dummy."

"You're being mean." He pointed out, "Is it because that one guy you met has allergies and can't come make-out with you in the back by all the extra ribbon and cellophane paper?"

Remus kicked the other in the shin, which hurt relatively well considering he was wearing his obnoxiously bright green platforms he absolutely loved because they glow in the dark.

"Ow!" He shouted out, wincing and glaring at the other.

"You son of a-"

"Alright, that's enough." Virgil said from the counter and the two turned, seeing him stacking to-go cups neatly. "If you two are going to argue go do it at your own shop, I don't have time for this."

"Fine." Remus nudged Roman, "Let's go put up the jacarandás." He began walking and Roman happily followed behind.

"Bye Vee!" Remus exclaimed, Roman waving bye.

"Ro, can you stay for a moment?" Virgil asked and Remus wiggled his eyebrows at Roman, who shoved him the rest of the way out of the shop.

He walked back over to the counter and Virgil spoke, leaning over a bit. "I heard what you said."

Roman felt his face heat up a bit, sweat starting to build up on the palm of his hands. "Um.. about what?"

"About being gay." He deadpanned, color draining from Roman's face when Virgil spoke again.

"Ro, you're fine." He reached over to take the other's hand comfortingly before changing his mind, retracting his hand away. "If it helps, I'm bi."

Roman perked up at that statement. "You are?"

"Well- well I'm pretty sure I am." Virgil stuttered out, "But that really plays into the "sad bi emo artist" trope, huh?" He laughed quietly.

There was silence as Roman pondered over the news he had heard. Virgil was bi. Which meant girls and boys.

Which meant he could possibly get a date with him.

Though he knew that just because of that it didn't mean Virgil liked him, people are friends.

And when thinking about the words Virgil had said he remembered another specific one.

"Artistic?" He asked and Virgil's eyes widened just a bit. "Uh.. yeah. I paint."

"No way! What paint do you use?" Roman asked excitedly, basically jumping across the counter in elation, Virgil pulling back in surprise.

"First of all, calm down." He nudged him off from where he was leaning against it. "Second, usually water paint. But sometimes oil."

Roman smiled at the information, even if it wasn't super important. It was nice to know more things about Virgil.

"And lastly, we both need to start our days." He gestured to the clock and at the time. "Besides, you need to help Remus with those-" He paused.

"Hac-" He stopped again, furrowed his eyebrows and trying to think of how to say the word he previously heard from Remus. "Hackerandas?"

Roman stared at him. "What?"

"The thingies!" He exclaimed, "The flowers Remus was complaining about!"

He thought for a moment before gasping out, "Oh! Oh, you mean jacarandás!" He laughed and Virgil rolled his eyes, "Gods, I was so confused! I thought you were trying to say some made-up word."

A few more moments of Roman's loud and amused laughs and Virgil sighed. "Alright, I get it. I failed Spanish in high school. Now get out."

"I mean... I can always give you a lesson," he said as he walked out, Virgil rolling his eyes again. "I'm not letting you make fun of me."

Roman shrugged and opened the door. "Suit yourself."

Virgil hummed, Roman shutting the door and walking back across the street.

He watched as Roman walked into the flower shop, Remus whipping him over the head with a caladium leaf. He smirked in amusement and glanced back down at the rose sitting next to him.

He had found a mason jar under the counter and filled it with water, the rose stem resting elegantly against the rim of the jar.

He truly couldn't get over how beautiful the rose was, and it was such a simple thing. Something that shouldn't make his heart race and face soften into a loving expression like it did.

His thoughts were interrupted by the jingle of the bell, his first customer of the day walking in.

~

The next day Roman strolled in with another rose, this one a plum color, the stem elegantly held between his pointer finger and thumb.

Virgil raised a brow, "A purple one?"

"Plum, actually." Roman replied, plopping the rose in the mason jar. "Purple roses come in different shades and there really isn't just a pure purple one." He explained and Virgil tilted his head. "Why?"

"Well purple ones are hybrids, so what we have to do is cross-breed to get the color." Roman explained, "But they're pretty. I'll try to bring a lilac one tomorrow."

"You say "cross breed" like it's a dog or something." Virgil pointed out, brushing his index finger over the petals, something he had been doing with the other rose ever since he had gotten it.

Roman laughed, Virgil chuckling and looking back up, "Well they're not dogs. They're roses." He smiled softly and put his own fingers over the red petals, Virgil's still on the purple ones.

"And are much more quieter than dogs." He added, Virgil laughing softly and pulling his hand away from the rose, his and Roman's fingers brushing against each other. He tried to ignore the electricity that shot down his spine at it, something that happened everytime they touched. The very few times, anyway.

"Well thanks, it's pretty." He looked back up at Roman, who was still softly caressing the petals of the red rose.

"Yeah, flowers are really pretty. Especially roses." He was still looking at the roses with a look Virgil couldn't quite name, though he looked deep in thought.

Virgil watched as he sighed and stood back up normally, "Anywho, I'll bring a lilac rose tomorrow, those are gorgeous."

"You really don't have to, I'm fine with just these ones." Virgil gestured to the two flowers and Roman shook his head, "No, I love bringing you flowers. Besides, we don't really need them."

Virgil eyes him skeptically, "You don't need roses three days before Valentine's Day?"

Roman flushed a bit at being called out. "Well... not these specific colors-"

"No red roses are being bought?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest, amusement flashing in his eyes as he did.

"No..." He trailed off and Virgil rolled his eyes, "Right. Well it's six thirty, you should probably go back."

"Aw, but I wanna stay with you! Rem's been mean lately." Virgil rolled his eyes, "You're only staying if you help make coffee." He looked the other up and down, "You don't even look like you drink coffee."

"I drink coffee!" Roman defended, Virgil side-glancing at him. "It's just really sugary and doesn't have caffeine 'cause I get too hyper."

"But it has alot of sugar..?" Virgil asked, Roman nodding. "And cream."

"Of course it does." Virgil waved him off, "Now go, it looks like you got a delivery." He pointed out the window and Roman turned, seeing Remus walking out and to a delivery truck.

"Ooh, fun." Roman replied, rolling his eyes, "Because putting away a bunch of thorny roses is loads of fun."

Virgil hummed, "Sounds like you just love your job."

"I do, just not putting things away." He said, beginning to walk towards the door.

"Alright, well bye Ro."

Roman waved, "Bye-bye Vee, see 'ya tomorrow!"

Virgil waved as Roman walked out, "See 'ya,"

~

The next day when Roman walked in with a lilac rose he noticed how the shop was decorated more for Valentine's Day, which was only two days away at this point.

There were mainly red decorations, some were paper hearts, stringing down like vines placed randomly with red heart lights lining the shop, dim just enough to where they didn't overpower the rest of the lighting but just bright enough for auras of light to shine down.

At each table there were glass heart-shaped vases, though they were all empty, and under all of them were white lace doilies, also shaped like hearts.

Strung across the counter that showed heart-shaped sweets was a garland of white, pink, and red hearts, all looped between the other to make the chain.

"Wow," he breathed out, walking over to the counter where Virgil was decorating some sweet Roman didn't know the name of.

"I didn't know you liked Valentine's Day." He remarked, still looking around at the decorations.

"I don't." Virgil replied, still focusing on the sweet. "Customers love it though. And it's so much easier to sell cake when you make it heart shaped and slap frosting and the word "love" on it."

Roman chuckled, "Alright. Well I like the decorations. Especially those heart string things."

Virgil smiled, "Thanks. Me and one of my friends made them. But he wouldn't shut up about how hearts don't look like that," he vaguely gestured to one of the nearby decorations. "I had to keep telling him that people didn't care and just wanted something lovey-dovey."

"Well no offense, but your friend sounds like a huge nerd." Roman observed, Virgil snickering and looking over at him. "I'll tell him you said that."

"Right. Well here," he held out the rose and Virgil looked over, smiling a bit as he took it. "Thanks, I'm really starting to like having these roses next to me all day." He said as he put the rose into a clay vase.

Roman noticed the lack of the mason jar and broke into a smile, "Where'd you get that?" He asked, pointing over to the bottle-shaped vase. It was painted white with small red and purple hearts painted randomly on it.

"Oh," Virgil turned his attention to the vase, "I made it."

"You made it? That's so cool!" Roman gushed with a smile, Virgil smiling shyly and covering it and the small blush forming with his hoodie sleeve.

"It's really not that big of a deal, it didn't take too long. And it's not that great." He said, moving his sleeve a bit so his wording wasn't muffled. Roman simply waved him off, "Stop that, it's fantastic."

Virgil sighed, "You're not gonna let me say it's bad, are you?"

Roman shook his head and Virgil sighed again, removing his hoodie sleeve from where it was near his mouth. "You're a nuisance." He said, though there was no malice in his tone, and there was a smile still on his face.

"Sure am!" Roman said proudly and Virgil laughed out, Roman smiling at the noise, proud he had made the other happy in some way.

"You're such an idiot."

~

At exactly four thirty that same day, just an hour before the flower shop closed and right after Virgil's shop was closed, Virgil walked across the street and strolled inside, immediately hit with colorful sights surrounding him and sweet scents flooding his nose.

He looked around at all the bright colors, mainly reds and pinks with splashes of white. He didn't know the name of all the flowers, but they were beautiful beyond words. One particularly large flower's petals bloomed out and brushed against the side of his face as he walked over to the counter.

When he walked in Roman had looked up from where he was reading something and broke into a smile, surprised to see the other but not complaining one bit.

"Witch!" Virgil rolled his eyes and muttered a "shut up" as Roman stood up correctly and shut the magazine he was previously flipping through. "Now whatta need, you beldam?"

"Flowers, duh." He replied, looking around.

"But what kind?" Virgil shrugged, "Something lovey to put in those vases I have at the cáfe." Roman nodded, "Well you could always get roses." He suggested and Virgil shook his head, "Nope. The only roses allowed in there are the ones you bring me."

Roman rolled his eyes but felt his heart basically stop right there. "Right. Well how about carnations?"

"Those are for high school prom dates, and I didn't even go. So no."

"Why didn't you go to your prom?" Roman asked as he flicked through a nearby book, one filled with flowers and their meanings. Him and Remus could ever remember all of them.

"Anxiety. The loud noises and dark lighting would have been a living nightmare for high school me. And I didn't have a date and my only other friend didn't care to go. He wanted to spend the whole night re-reading his favorite books." Roman nodded as he listened, looking up at him. "Well that's too bad. Hopefully you're better with your anxiety."

Virgil nodded, "Much better. High school Virgil would never be able to take people's orders all day."

"Oh, and your friend also sounds like a huge nerd."

Virgil sniggered, "It's the same friend."

"Of course it is."

A moment of silence as Roman read through the pages. "How about..." He scanned the page one more time, "Lilacs?" Virgil scrunched up his nose in a way that shouldn't have been so adorable to Roman and shook his head. "I fall asleep to the smell of lilac."

"Okay..." He looked down again, "Primroses?"

"I thought I said no roses." Virgil reminded with a smile, Roman huffing rolling his eyes. "God you're picky. How about camellias?"

Virgil shrugged, "Sure." So Roman walked out from behind the counter and to double doors with little windows on each one, opening them and walking out, Virgil following behind him.

It went out to a sort of glass hall, a tunnel that lead out to a glass greenhouse, some of it covered by a black tarp.

In there was Remus mindlessly talking to nobody, sitting on a stool with a drink in his hand.

"So then I said-"

"Rem, you're supposed to be watering the plants, not talking to them." Roman said when the two walked in, Remus glaring over at him when they did.

"Talking to them helps them grow, so shut the fuck up."

Roman grumbled something under his breath Virgil couldn't make out and guided him across the greenhouse to some flowers while Remus went back to talking.

"Anywho, here are the camellias!" Roman seemed very excited to show the other the three bushes of almost rose-looking flowers, one bush white, another pink, and the last one red.

"I dunno, those look like roses to me." Virgil teased as he observed the flowers, Roman playfully glaring over at him. "They do not."

Virgil hummed, "Okay, well these look good to me. I'll get four of each color."

"Great! I'll bring them over tomorrow with your rose." Roman decided, Virgil smiling a bit at hearing he would continue to bring roses.

So Virgil went ahead and payed when the two were back inside, Roman happily chattering as he always did during the transaction.

Eventually though Virgil had to cut in and tell the other he had to get home, but if he wanted to talk to him more he could have his number. And he got it.

Virgil walked out of the flower shop with a content smile on his face.

~

The next day Roman walked in with a box of white, pink, and red camellias, Remus opening the door for him.

"G'morning Vee!" Roman greeted, setting the box on a nearby table and picking up the rose on top of them, something Virgil hadn't noticed when he walked in.

When Roman handed it to him he gasped a little. It was white in the center but spread through the petals and into a deep pink.

"It's called a double-delight rose." Roman said as Virgil continued staring in awe at the rose.

"It's beautiful, I didn't even know roses could be two different colors." Virgil breathed out and Roman smiled, "Well you do now."

Virgil looked up at Roman, eyes still filled with adoration as he looked at him. Roman felt his heart beat quicken at the look, Virgil's dark brown eyes soft while he stared. "Thank you."

Roman waved it off, heart still beating a mile a second. "No problem! Now, do you need any help putting these away?"

Virgil shrugged, focusing back on the rose as he walked to the counter to put it with the rest of the roses, the vase now with lilac hearts painted with the plum and red ones.

"If you want to." He replied and Remus spoke from where he was pawing at the string hearts. "I don't."

"Well I do." Roman said, Remus glaring over at him with a knowing look, "Well you better hurry up."

"We will," Roman reassured, Remus humming as he walked to the door. "Right. Well I'm leaving, you two have fun doing..." He gestured vaguely as he trailed off, "Gay shit."

"Fuck off." Roman muttered as Remus sauntered out of the shop.

"Alright, we should probably get started." Virgil said, walking over and picking up a few flowers from each color. "I wanna hurry and put these in vases."

"Alright," Roman picked up a few himself and walked over to some tables, plopping a flower in each vase.

A few moments of silence and Roman spoke, "So why don't you like Valentine's Day?"

Virgil shrugged, "I never really had anybody to celebrate it with, so I didn't see much of a point to it."

"Oh. Well do you have any plans for it tomorrow?" He asked, attempting to sound casual as he asked.

"Nope. Just a night of reading and listening to music." Virgil said, "Why do you ask?"

Roman felt his palms start to sweat a bit and blinked a few times, trying to come up with an answer.

"Just wondering."

"Well do you have any plans?" Virgil redirected the question to a very nervous Roman, who had already ran out of flowers but was a little scared to turn around and face Virgil.

"Nope..." He trailed off, "Uh- Remus does though, he somehow managed to get a date."

Virgil looked at the other, eyes drilling into Roman, who still didn't turn. "That's bothering you, isn't it?"

Roman let out a chuckle, "Yeah," he breathed out. "I just don't get how someone could even like him, he's a sociopath."

Virgil let out a breathy laugh, "Well I'm sure you'll get a date for tomorrow."

For the first time during their task Roman turned, being met with Virgil's chocolate brown eyes staring at him with a somewhat knowing look, the expression shifting into a softer one the longer they stared at each other.

The atmosphere suddenly shifted as well, going from the two's light-hearted banter to something more serious, yearning and adoration settling around the two.

A few more moments of this and Roman cleared his throat, walking back to the box. "Right- Well, same to you."

Virgil nodded, "Thanks." He muttered, plopping a pink camellia into a vase.

~

It was Valentine's Day and Roman walked in as usual, a coral rose in his hand, which he promptly set into the vase, cream and pink hearts added with the other ones.

"Are you just painting the colors of the roses on that?" Roman asked, gesturing to the vase as Virgil finished making a coffee, which was odd considering the shop technically wasn't open. But Roman didn't question it, maybe Virgil was extra tired today.

Virgil smiled as he swirled whipped cream on the drink, popping a dome-shaped lid onto the plastic cup. "Maybe," He drawled out, reaching for a straw and setting it next to the cup.

"Well that's cool." Roman said, Virgil smiling shyly and looking down at the counter. "Yeah. Well, um, I made you this." He slid the coffee and straw across the counter and Roman looked down at it.

"It doesn't have caffeine." He said quickly and Roman smiled, picking up the straw and unwrapping it, "Thanks, Vee."

"No pro-" He cut himself off when Roman shot the paper from the straw at him.

Roman erupted into a fit of giggles at Virgil's face, a noise that couldn't help but make Virgil smile and make him want to hear more of the sweet sound.

When Roman eventually did stop- which took a while, Virgil spoke. "Wow Ro, how sophisticated of you." He said dryly, Roman snickering once again before speaking.

"How dare you, I am sophisticated!"

Virgil glared at him.

"I am!" He declared in an overly-dramatic way, Virgil rolling his eyes.

"Right. Because sophisticated people go around yelling about how sophisticated they are."

Roman paused before sighing, "Fine. I'm not sophisticated."

"Big surprise." Virgil muttered, Roman taking a sip of his coffee.

He immediately tasted more sugar than he had expected, scrunching up his nose before speaking. "God, you really made that sweet." Virgil shrugged, "You said you liked a lot of sugar in your coffee."

Roman sighed at the comment his past-self had made, but he nodded in agreement. "I... did say that. But that doesn't mean I want diabetes."

Virgil noticed the other's look of distaste and spoke, "You don't have to drink it, I just felt like being nice today and wanted to make it sugary." But Roman took another sip, waving Virgil off.

"It's fine, it's not that bad anyway."

"Alright" Virgil replied, a small smile on his face.

Roman chuckled a bit, "Right, well I have a question."

Virgil hummed, showing he was paying attention as he began wiping off the counter.

"So... do you wanna," he stopped, trying to think of a good way to word his question.

"Do you wanna..." He trailed off, Virgil now looking up, Roman feeling anxiety starting to build up at the way he looked at him.

"Do you want any extra help tonight?"

Virgil seemed confused and deflated a bit, "Uh... sure. But won't you be busy today?"

"Not really. People already bought all the flowers they need, and I figure people would be here for coffee dates and stuff." Roman tried to reason what he said, both to Virgil and himself.

"And we close early on Mondays. Four instead of five." He said, already knowing that Virgil closed later than usual on Mondays.

"Well thanks, just come over when you get a chance." He said and Roman nodded, picking up his overly-sugared drink and walking out, waving goodbye to the other.

He walked across the street and into the flower shop, being met with Remus' knowing smirk, face held in his hands and elbows propped on the counter.

"Did he say yes?" He asked his brother as he put the coffee on the counter, Remus swiftly taking a sip and gagging at the sweetness.

"Well... I didn't ask. Instead I asked if he needed any help tonight."

"Still. Did he say yes?"

"To me helping him."

Remus sighed, "Seriously Ro, you need to hurry up and ask him."

Roman sighed. He didn't want to admit that Remus was right, damn he'd rather go to Hell and back than admit it, but Remus was right.

But he avoided that, instead wanting a distraction from his slip-up. "Whatever. What time are the daffodils being delivered?"

Remus sighed and muttered something in Spanish that Roman didn't quite hear before answering. "Three-ish. Then we have to make them into bouquets by closing." He said, reciting the words from one of the many planners the two had.

"Great, I'll go water the plants." Roman said, walking out the door to the greenhouse, the double doors shutting behind him.

Remus sighed once again, watching from the small window as his brother began to turn on the hose to water the variety of plants outside.

~

At four-fifteen that evening Roman hung up his apron on the nails the two had hammered in, considering they couldn't get the hooks they had ordered to stay in place.

So, Remus bought a hammer and took his anger out on banging in their nails.

Speaking of Remus, he had already hung his apron and left a few minutes earlier, saying he needed to go and get ready for his date.

Roman sighed softly at the thought of his brother and his date doing whatever it is they planned. He thinks it was laser tag.

That was dumb to him. Who takes someone laser tagging on Valentine's Day? Nobody.

He'd probably want to go to dinner with his date, even if it is a cliché thing to do, it sounded nice.

But alas, he has no date. Because he got scared and said the first thing that came to his mind.

He began walking out of the back of the shop to the front, picking up his spare of keys from the counter as he did, opening the shop door and walking out.

He locked the door and shoved his keys into his jacket pocket before looking both ways and walking across to the busy-looking cáfe.

He walked in and it felt a little weird. He was used to coming in before anyone was there and before anything was made. Except for the coffee Virgil had made him, but he was already finishing it up when he arrived.

There were people sitting at almost every table, only a few were open, though that was nothing compared to the many couples at the other ones.

There was the strong scent of coffee and baked goods as Roman made his way to the counter, where a young woman was standing and taking orders at one of the registers.

She handed another woman her order with a smile and Roman was next up, standing awkwardly in front of the counter and in front of someone he didn't know.

The woman turned to Roman, smile still on her face. "Hello, what wou-"

Suddenly there was a shout from the back, "Roman!"

Roman jumped at hearing his name and the barista turned as the door for the back swung open and close, Virgil appearing and walking up to the counter.

"Oh thank God you're here, this place is packed." He spoke and turned to the woman before Roman even had time to respond.

"Iris, go get Ro an apron, he's helping out today." He instructed the other, who nodded and turned, swinging the door open to go get an apron for the florist.

Roman felt like he needed to say something and said the first thing that came to his mind. "You guys are matching."

Virgil looked up from where he was writing something down, "What?"

"You and the girl. You both have purple hair." He had noticed the long violet hair on the barista when he walked in but he had really noticed how the colors were almost the exact same shade when the two were standing next to each other. Though Virgil's hair was darker.

Speaking of Virgil, he seemed to be trying to think of what the other was talking about, despite talking to the girl just minutes ago.

"Oh, you mean Iris." He pointed over to the doors just as they opened, Iris holding a black apron with white embroidered swirls all around the bottom, twisting up the apron and to the chest, ending with small stars.

Iris handed him the apron from across the counter and Roman quickly took it, putting it on and tying the strings.

Once he had it on Virgil spoke, "Okay Ro, I love you and all, but you're in the way of my customers." Virgil gestured behind Roman and to the line that had started to form behind him.

"Oh! Yeah, I should get on the other side." Roman made his way down the length of the counter and through an opening, now on the other side, trying to ignore what Virgil has said. It was platonic, duh.

Virgil immediately rushed over to him, dragging Roman to where the two were. "Okay, now first I'll show you how to take orders and-"

"Vee, I got it. I have the same kind of register," he turned and patted the other's shoulder in an assuring way, Virgil visibly relaxing before someone shouted for him from the back.

"I'm coming!" He shouted back, swinging the door open.

Roman turned to the man next in line and smiled, apologized for the wait, and took his order.

And the evening went on. Customers swimming in and out of the shop, Roman not quite knowing how to use the coffee makers, Roman also getting scolded by Virgil for trying to eat one of the various heart-shaped cookies, and really Roman just kept Virgil on his toes the whole evening.

But he was a great help, as he was a naturally good salesman and since he was extra, had decided to do foam art on hot drinks, making hearts for each one.

And as it neared seven thirty, the time Virgil closed, people began filing out and workers began following after them, though Virgil and Roman stayed behind.

"God, today was busy." Virgil complained, sitting at one of the tables the two had finished cleaning up, the vase and flowers still sitting peacefully in the middle.

"Well at least it's over," Roman said, attempting to cheer the other up, which seemed to work, as Virgil smiled gently.

He nodded as Roman sat across from him, "That's true, I'm grateful for that."

The two sat in silence for a moment, scrolling through their phones until Virgil stood back up, wincing slightly at the pain in his feet.

"Need any help?" Roman asked in an attempt to sound teasing, though worry seeped through his words just enough for the other to notice.

"I'm fine Ro, it's like this every Monday." Virgil said as he reached the counter, Roman shooting him a confused look. "Every Monday?"

Virgil nodded, picking up two to-go cups from the small stack that was left. "Every Monday." He repeated, turning to a machine and pressing a few buttons before setting the cups in their designated spots under a small little faucet that would pour whatever Virgil was making into the cups.

Speaking of which, what was Virgil making? It was seven fourty by now, ten minutes past closing, the sign was turned and everything.

"What're you making?" He asked as Virgil opened the glass to one of the dessert displays, grabbing a few with napkins and setting them on a plate.

"Making hot chocolate." He replied simply, setting the plate on the counter and closing the display, turning around to the now filled cups.

"I always make it on Mondays and I figured since you're here I'll make you some too." He said, picking up some whipped cream and swirling it around, making a neat little mountain as he reached over to grab a few mini marshmallows, sprinkling them on top.

"Well thanks. How much do I owe you?" He asked, already reaching into his pocket for his wallet.

"Nothing." Virgil said, sprinkling rainbow and chocolate sprinkles onto the whipped cream.

"No Vee, this is a business. I have to pay." Roman said, Virgil picking up the drinks and balancing them just right in his arms as he grabbed the plate of sweets.

"Besides, you already gave me that other drink for free." He reminded, Virgil rolling his eyes as he sat in his previous spot.

"Will you shut up and just drink the hot chocolate? You can just do a favor for me or something." He slid Roman's cup to him, "Now try it. It's my favorite drink and I think you might like it."

"Really? Figured you'd prefer coffee." Roman said, picking up the beverage and bringing it to his lips, flinching at the burning on his tongue.

"You good?" He seen Virgil had just taken a sip of his, and he knew because of the whipped cream just on his upper lip.

He restrained himself from reaching over and wiping it off himself and instead decided to nod and answer. "Yeah, that's just really hot."

Virgil hummed and began talking, though Roman's short attention span ruined it and while Roman really tried not to stare at Virgil's lips, instead trying to focus on the words coming out of them, he couldn't help it.

He was wearing lipstick, which he always did, though instead of the usual black or purple, it was now a bubblegum pink, which somehow went well with the other's dark outfit.

He wondered if Virgil had bought it just for Valentine's Day, or if he was going to wear it consecutively with the black and purple lipstick. He hopes he'll wear it more, pink looks nice on him.

It went well with the rest of his make-up, black eyeshadow neatly applied to make a sharp end and pale foundation. He knew it was foundation because he had once seen Virgil when he ran out, which was odd, though he looked gorgeous. He always does, really.

"Roman?" Virgil snapped the other out of his daze, having noticed him staring off during the conversation. Well, it wasn't really a conversation, just Virgil talking while Roman stared off.

Roman shot his eyes up to meet Virgil's, worry in them as he looked at him.

Roman didn't know why, but Virgil's eyes were just so pretty. He himself had brown eyes and didn't see anything special in them, but Virgil's? Gorgeous.

And those eyes were staring at him with such a worrisome look he felt bad about staring off.

"Sorry, just- you have some whipped cream on you and it was, uh, bothering me." He stuttered out his excuse for staring at the other's lips for such a long time. Technically, he wasn't lying.

"Oh! Thanks for telling me, I would've felt like an idiot if I just sat around talking with stuff on my mouth." Virgil said, reaching over and grabbing a napkin.

"Try one of the cookies, they're really good." Virgil said as he tried to wipe off whipped cream, not bothering to avoid his lipstick.

Roman listened and picked up one of the heart-shaped cookies, a chocolate chip one to be exact, and bit into it, secretly hoping that Virgil wouldn't be able to get the whipped cream and would ask Roman for help, like in movies where they would end up kissing.

But alas, Roman does not live in a movie.

He'd be a great main character though.

"Did I get it?" Virgil asked, facing Roman, who had taken another bite of the cookie. He nodded and Virgil put the napkin back down, "Good. Anyways, did you hear what I said?"

Roman shook his head, "No, sorry."

"It's fine. First, I said how I prefer hot chocolate because it doesn't keep me up all night, and owning a business unfortunately requires sleep, which means I had to cut down on it." Roman nodded and Virgil continued on. "And I was also talking about how you did well, I don't think we've ever gotten that many tips." He gestured to the tip jar over on the counter, where Roman's share of it was still sitting.

"Like I said Vee, you can keep my share, I don't want it."

Virgil nodded, "I know, I know." He picked up a blondie and took a bite, chewing and swallowing before speaking. "But really, you did great."

Roman smiled knowingly, "I know. I just have this natural charm to me." He swooped his hair away dramatically, using his hand to gesture to himself afterward.

"Mm, yeah you're just a charmer aren't you?" He asked and Roman snickered, reaching down and taking his cookie, breaking it in half so there were smaller pieces, something he always did when eating cookies.

"Oh, and a heartbreaker." Virgil commented, Roman letting out an unelegant laugh at the joke. Virgil followed after, despite both of them knowing how dumb it was.

After their laughter they continued talking, minutes turning into hours as they did and the two gradually moving their chairs closer so they wouldn't have to talk loud and so they could lean on the other, as they were starting to get a little sleepy. And the need to be near the other was strong for both of them, not that they would admit it.

As it neared ten Virgil let out a small yawn, eyes shutting as he covered his mouth, wiping the water filling in his eyes. "Ugh, we should probably get to our apartments."

Roman nodded slowly, taking a sip of his much cooler hot chocolate. There was still some whipped cream though and Virgil sighed, picking up a napkin and reaching over, swiftly wiping it away from the other's lips.

"God, you act like a child." He told the other, who rolled his eyes. "You got food on your face first."

"Shush," Virgil put his pointer finger on the other's lips to shush him, which worked quite well, as the other was too flushed to say anything.

Originally it was just in a teasing way, though Virgil's fingers lingered for a second more than either of them expected.

The two made brief eye contact and Roman swore he seen something flash in Virgil's eyes, something that the two of them could feel, an electric-like feeling that refused to stop, buzzing through and giving them rapid heartbeats at just the sight of the other.

It was now Virgil's turn to take in the sight of the other, trying to ignore how soft Roman's lips felt against his pointer finger, how, despite his darker skin tone, there was a small pink blush across his cheeks and spreading up his neck to his hairline.

Hair that Virgil longed to run his hands through, dark strands falling gently down his face and covering his light brown eyes. Eyes that, in the right lighting, would have a glare of red in them, specifically burgundy red.

Eventually Virgil did move his finger and Roman let out an audible groan as he turned away, Virgil turning back to him, concerned.

"What's wrong with-" He suddenly felt a force pull him forward again, feeling Roman wrap his arms around the other.

It took him a moment to realize that the other was giving him a hug.

"Virgil," he muttered softly, arms snaked around his torso and chin resting on his shoulder.

Virgil hummed gently in reply, he wasn't used to Roman saying his real name, especially in such a soft tone.

"Please don't move," he muttered, burying his face in the other's neck. "I wanna hug you." He added quietly, Virgil nodding slowly in understanding and wrapping his own arms around the other.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Virgil wriggled away, Roman whining at the loss.

"Stop, I just have a question." Virgil muttered to the other, who nodded, "Alright, what is it?"

"Why'd you decide to just hug me?" He asked and Roman looked away, apparently embarrassed.

"I just... feel like hugging you. Like, all the time." He mumbled and Virgil was sure his heart both stopped and started beating harder than ever.

"You do?" He asked and Roman nodded, still looking away, using one of his hands to scratch at the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh. Well I kinda feel like that about you," Virgil said, not quite thinking about the reaction it would get from the other.

A red blush erupted on the other's face and he continued looking down. "Vee I'm not sure if you're quite understanding what I'm saying." He muttered before looking up at him.

"See, what I'm trying to say is- um, I like you. Like, in a crush-y way." God he sounds like a kid confessing to their crush. "Sorry, I sound like an idiot, just, I like you. Like, I want to take you out on dates and stuff and I have for a while, and I'm sorry if it makes you feel weird, but I just couldn't not tell you."

The whole time Roman was talking Virgil listened, eyes widening a bit and a pink blush just barely visible on his face.

And when Roman began talking about how it would be fine if Virgil didn't like him Virgil interrupted. "I like you too."

Roman stopped mid-sentence, looking the other in the eyes. "You what?"

"I like you too." He repeated, Roman, for once, silent at the statement.

"In a crush-y way." He added with a light chuckle, hearing sniffling afterwards.

He looked and seen the other's eyes filling with tears, Roman wiping them away quickly.

Before Virgil could even ask what was wrong Roman chuckled, "God, that's reassuring." He sighed out, looking back up at Virgil. "I thought I'd die of embarrassment if you said you didn't like me."

Virgil reached over, pulling the florist over into a hug that was similar to their other one. "Aw Ro, you're so emotional." He teased, tone light-hearted as one of his hands went up, petting the other's hair softly.

Roman lightly shoved him, though he kept him close. "Shut up, you would've cried too."

Virgil nodded, "You're right."

Roman hummed in content, looking up at the other, tears no longer in his eyes, though they looked just the slightest bit puffy.

Virgil looked right back at him and Roman leaned over, pressing a light kiss to the other's cheek.

"Was that alright?" He asked softly, Virgil nodding and pressing a kiss onto Roman's cheek.

"There. Now we're even." He said and Roman laughed, "Right. Well didn't you say we needed to get to our apartments?"

Virgil groaned, "That was before you decided to tell me you liked me! Now I don't wanna move."

"But we have work tomorrow." Roman pointed out and Virgil begrudgingly sat up, "Yeah, you're right."

He stood up and gathered the two's trash, tossing them out to the nearby trashcan.

"God, I forgot all about that." He said as he pulled a rag from his apron pocket, wiping at the table.

"Well since your busy now and probably gonna be busy all week, wanna go out on Friday?" Roman asked, slightly scared for the other's answer, despite knowing Virgil returned his feelings.

Virgil smiled as he finished wiping the table, "I'd love too. How about we go to dinner?"

There it is, the cliché dinner date on Valentine's Day.

Except it's the Friday after Valentine's Day. But that's fine, it was with Virgil and it was a date.

"That sounds great."

7766 words

This... is long. And i don't know whether or not to apologize for it.

Um... anyways, I hope you guys liked that! It feels kinda rushed at the end to me but whatever. I'm tired.

Also, this was a literal nightmare to proofread.

And happy Valentine's Day!

I made my partner a gift where it's wood with nails hammered in to the shape of an anatomical heart with yarn wrapped all around it and they said they love it.

And they got me to small stuffed dogs and some candy.

Anyways,

Bi~❤💛💚💙💜