Peter slammed his front door, throwing his back against the wood. Despite being alone, despite not having roommates, Peter covered his face. He knew if he let go, the emotions would explode out of him. His heart pulsed, pounding the walls of his body. The kiss played over and over. No matter how hard he tried to hide, his memories always found him.

In perfect HD, he could see Elias lowering to his knees. He remembered the car engines blowing hot hair against his legs. He could still feel the stares of the entire city... but just like before, all those meaningless things faded away and Peter could only see Elias. In that moment, Elias appeared so vulnerable as if he was already rejected as if he was prepared to be hurt.

Elias didn't hear the sigh that escaped Peter's lips. He missed out on the blushing and the tears pricking his eyes. Peter held his breath the same way he always did before he jumped face first into the unknown. It felt cruel not to reach out and touch his face, his soft skin among the rough stubble. He just barely touched Elias' lips just to get him to stop talking to stop saying all the things that turned Peter's knees to mush.

Peter touched those lips to see if they were poison.

If they were the grenade that would detonate his life.

It was like a curse that was prophesied at his birth. Peter Flynn, when he turned twenty-four, he would meet a beautiful lie. He shall kiss this lie and feel the happiest he's ever felt. Peter knew the next part by heart. He'll think he got what he always wanted, but it wouldn't be true. Peter knew disappointment. This fire will turn to ash and he'll be alone again. Like always.

Peter knew the cost and yet, he kissed Elias. He touched his neck, feeling the thrum of his heart against his fingers. He touched his hair, the streaks of starlight gray and deep chocolate brown. He spent so much time just staring at Elias, he never thought about what it'd be like to finally touch him and feel his warmth. Peter never thought about tasting him either.

The press of his lips rivaled every rollercoaster ride. It was like standing at the very edge of a building with the wind tousling his hair and clothes while his heart thundered. Elias gripped his arms, leaving a burning impression.

Crawling onto his floor, Peter curled up and touched his lips.

Those icy blue eyes were pinned to his and Peter couldn't breathe. They looked right through him, but Elias saw him. He finally looked at him. Peter wasn't passed over. He wasn't ignored. Elias smiled at the sight of him and said, "Hi."

He said "Hi."

Like they were meeting for the first time.

"Why didn't I say anything?" Peter screamed into the void that turned into a long groan that did not make him feel like anything less than an idiot. He sighed and laid flat on his back, begging for the world to swallow him whole. "Why did I run?"

His silver and white tabby cat, Catnip sauntered closer and licked Peter's knuckles, until they unfurled and scratched behind his ears. Catnip nuzzled his hand as Peter scratched all around his head and neck.

Peter knew exactly why he ran. He was terrified. After spending so long just watching him and expecting to be ignored, Peter didn't know how to interact with Elias. He didn't know what to expect now that anything could happen. Peter didn't know what to do.

#

'I can't talk right now,' Peter texted Delphine, after she tried calling him three times in a row and left three voicemails. Still, she called again. Peter's phone buzzed as he walked out of his apartment and down the street.

'I'll call you later...' Peter started to text again, but Delphine rapid fired texts, one after another. He could hear her perfectly like she was in the room, the way she spoke like she addressed an entire amphitheater.

'WHAT HAPPENED???'

'I MUST KNOW THIS INSTANCE!!'

'IS ELIAS A GOOD KISSER?!'

'PETER'

She also sent lots of emojis, basically the whole keyboard. James called next, which went ignored. Peter had more than a little feeling that it was just Delphine. She sent more texts, a block of loud text. 'PETER! I'M DYING TO KNOW! DYING! CRUMBLING! YOU'RE DENYING A FISH HER WATER!'

Sighing, Peter sent one more text. 'Delphine. I promise I'll call you later.'

'WHEN'S LATER???'

Peter slipped his phone into his pocket and focused on the sidewalk underneath his feet just waiting for it to crumble. His eyes gravitated down the road, towards the crossing lane. It stood out like a national landmark, the way people could recognize a picture of the Eiffle tower or the Statue of Liberty without ever seeing it in person. Peter just knew. That was where Peter kissed Elias. His cheeks flared up at the memory.

Before he realized it, Peter arrived at the Greenhouse. He gathered the mail in front of the door and glanced up and down the sidewalk. Strange, he thought. Usually, Reyna was already here with a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Yet, he was alone.

Chewing on his theories, Peter struggled with the mail, the front door and his phone as he attempted to send Reyna a worried text. He noticed there were a dozen more texts from Delphine, which made Peter shake his head. He still smiled. No matter what Delphine did, she always made him smile. He walked through, using his shoulder to flick the light switch.

His world exploded into color.

His mouth gaping, Peter dropped everything. Every shelf, every table was covered in bouquets of sunflowers. There were buckets full of sunflowers crowding the floor, leaving Peter the smallest walkway. It was like being swallowed by the sun as the petals caught and glowed against the light. The world slowed to a halt as if Peter's life was now timed to the gentlest slow song. The tips of his body burned like sparklers as indescribable joy flooded his body. He smiled, almost unable to allow himself to think this was real.

His feet moved on their own, down his cleared path, soaking in the sunflowers as he passed them. His sweaty hand grabbed the doorknob to his work room. He could feel all the blood draining down his body, his head feeling light and airy. Closing his eyes, he braced himself and took a deep encouraging breath.

He opened the door to find disappointment.

No one was there. It was just him and a hundred more sunflowers. Letting the door close behind him, Peter walked to his workbench where one vase stood alone on the table. He touched the edge of a soft petal and he felt a magical thrill zip through him, almost enough for him to grow wings. The way most people feel electric current from static, Peter felt that from flowers.

A knock on the door made Peter jump. He snapped around and from his window, he could see the back of Elias' head and Peter nearly spat out his heart. He took a deep breath and panicked, glancing back and forth around the room.

"Peter?" Elias spoke up and littered Peter's skin with goosebumps. It felt so different hearing that voice being directed right at him. Peter clenched his hand over his chest to keep his heart from smashing a whole through his ribcage. Elias said, "I don't mean to catch you off guard..."

This felt oddly familiar. Peter hidden inside his workshop with Elias on the other side, in sight, but out of reach. Story of Peter's life, everything sat just out of reach. Peter grabbed a sunflower for strength, rubbing his thumb up and down the stem. It's real. It's all real. He took a step towards the door.

"You don't have to come out," Elias said. "I just wanted to talk, now that I know you can answer back..." His head dipped. The anticipation pulled Peter and he stepped closer. He tilted his head, worried if everything was okay. Elias wasn't saying anything anymore. Maybe Peter was supposed to say something, but his throat had gone dry.

Finally, Elias released a nervous laugh. Elias Baines. Elias, former mercenary, hired muscles, Baines. Elias "Just Business" Baines was nervous. Taking another step, Peter smiled. It was more than just a little endearing. Peter's hand twitched, eager to take Elias' hand and help him over this hurtle.

"I'm sorry, I'm usually much more eloquent," Elias grumbled. He shook his head. Peter wished he would turn around. He wanted to look at his face. Elias continued, his voice heavy as if he was already defeated. "I don't know what to do. I'm not good at being genuine. I don't want to sound like I'm playing you. How we met, who I was when we met doesn't help my case. I want you to know this is real... but I'm the expert of ruining good things."

"No, you're not," Peter piped up, the words flying out of his mouth and Elias jumped this time. Peter sounded mousier than he wanted and his face flushed. He cleared his throat, softening his words. "You're more than that... I don't think you're perfect. No one is, but I think you're doing your best."

"Can we- can we start over?"

"No!" Peter panicked again and flinched at his own words. He had to be cool. In the next two seconds, he needed to stop feeling like an exploding star and just talk to him. Peter took a deep breath and said, "I don't want to forget everything I know about you. I like all those things. Your chivalry and all your charm and how hard you're trying to help your pack."

Peter gripped the knob. He felt the weight of his entire life in his arms. This was it. He had to take a leap of faith. It was time to leave the workroom.

"Hi," he finally got to say.

The door creaked as Peter slowly opened the door. He peaked out. Elias walked from the wall into the center of all the sunflowers and they suddenly, didn't compare. Elias looked at him, really looked at him and Peter's whole body blushed. Sparks popped and whizzed between them, creating greater tension. Elias lifted his hand, dragging his fingers from the middle of Peter's throat to his chin. Peter shuddered.

"Sorry," Elias admitted, retracting his hand. "Just making sure you're there."

A laugh flew out of Peter's mouth and he turned away to hide it. He always thought his smile scrunched up his face and made him look like a deflated kickball. Elias tilted his head to get a look, so Peter hid behind the flower.

"I can't get over how beautiful you are," Elias said, moving the flower to the side and Peter gaped wider.

"Oh, God," Peter guffawed out of pure awkwardness and whipped around for the workshop, but Elias grabbed him and pulled him back as they both laughed.

"You're not getting away that easy," Elias smirked and pulled Peter into a surprising embrace. "Not again. I've got a lot of catching up to do too. I know just a little about you..."

Elias slid his hands across Peter's jaw. His eyes studied Peter's face, picking apart every expression and detail. "You're a florist, who makes every single person that walks into the Greenhouse, happy. You're patient enough to be friends with Delphine and James. You're also kind enough to give me a chance. A few things, but I like them all."

Peter dipped his head, overwhelmed by the butterflies going crazy inside his stomach. Peter fell into shoulder. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Elias into a tight embrace. His chest pressed to Elias' and his aftershave enraptured Peter. Elias felt strong. He felt sturdy, the way an old oak tree would outlive generations of families. He imagined living his whole life being carried inside of Elias' arms.

"Thanks for chasing after me," Peter whispered.

"Anytime. I just want to warn you, now that I have you, I'm never going to let you go."

Peter kept the Greenhouse closed that day.

Elias and Peter ordered too much Chinese food and sat in the middle of the floor, sharing stories. Anything past a few years ago, Elias kept vague and mysterious. He had short answers about his childhood, but Peter didn't take it to heart. This was still new.

Finally, Elias explained that Reyna helped him with the flowers and setting them up. It was very Elias, a romantic gesture, plus a lucrative win for Peter.

"But..." Peter grinned, wiping the sauce from the corner of his mouth. "Why flowers? You know I'm a florist, right?"

"Yes, you're surrounded by flowers everyday but..." Elias did a little shrug. "Who buys you flowers?" Peter raised his brow, overwhelmed by the warmth of Elias' eyes. Those icy blues melted into the ocean at a sunny beach.

Peter grabbed the end of Elias' tie, working his way up its silk and bringing Elias closer. Saying nothing, he only smiled like he was keeping the juiciest secret. Peter leaned up and placed a kiss on Elias' lips. Elias melted in his hands. Elias' rough hand grabbed Peter's face and Peter loved the way he did that, the way he secured Peter into place. Elias opened his mouth and kissed Peter until he forgot his own name. Elias draped an around Peter's back, letting Peter sink into his hold and be at the mercy of that strong wolf.

Elias pulled Peter forward until he was up on his knees. Pressing between them was something hard and warm that made Peter's whole body burn with a pink magnolia blush. Peter sucked in a breath between kisses, grabbing handfuls of Elias' hair. Slowly, in one long gentle movement, Elias laid Peter on his back. Peter's teeth dragged down Elias' bottom lip, a hunger bubbling inside him. Elias pulled away, hovering on top of Peter. They didn't say anything, looking into each other eyes and imagining the next step.

Overwhelmed, Peter glanced to the side at the horde of sunflowers. He chuckled, breathlessly. "I don't know what I'm going to do with all of them..."

"I didn't really think that far ahead," Elias admitted.

Then, an idea dawned on Peter. He blinked and looked up at Elias. "Actually, I have an idea. Do you have time to help me?"

"Peter," Elias smiled and shook his head. "How can I get it into your head that from this moment on, I'm your guy. What I'll do for you, won't be considered favors, it'll be my life's work. Just tell me what to do."

Peter licked his lips, feeling his heart in his throat. He touched the corners of Elias' jaw as the wolves' eyes sparkled. His leg wiggled impatiently, eager to do a thousand things at once. He whispered, "We can get started in a little bit." Wrapping his arms around Elias' neck, he brought him into a deep kiss as he breathed a lungful of Elias.

Elias was playing inside Peter's head over and over. Elias. Elias. Elias.

#

"Come visit the Greenhouse," Elias told two girls walking by the storefront. He handed them each a sunflower. A ribbon and a tag were tide to each stem, advertising the Greenhouse. He flashed them his signature 'I am very charming and convincing' smile. The girls grinned, thanked him and hurried down the street. Giggling, they threw their heads back over their shoulders to get another look at him and the buckets of sunflowers by his feet.

"You're better than a billboard," Peter chuckled, smiling at his shoes and just like that, Elias lost all train of thought. He was tempted to just leave all the flowers out here and pull Peter back into the Greenhouse and have his way with the florist.

Somehow, Elias' eyes always found Peter's lips. Elias' heart beat to the rhythm of Peter's shortened, nervous breaths. His little mate's smell trickled down the walls of Elias' body like warm honey. The smell of honeysuckles caused him to drool.

"Thank you," Elias smirked. "I'll remember that on my bad days." With that, he got another laugh out of Peter, but he turned away. He handed out more sunflowers to everyone who passed. Both men and women, old and new were happy to receive the flowers. Everyone should be given flowers.

Every time Elias glanced at Peter, he looked away in time to hide his smile. This ignited childish response inside of Elias that he thought was long gone that he thought was sold to the witch that obliterated his existence. Elias leaned across Peter, snatching his wrist. "Let me see your face," Elias grinned and pretended Peter was putting up a good enough fight. He let the Fae struggle, but it didn't feel like anything more than a slight breeze.

"Cut it out," Peter laughed, looking down and swatting at Elias blindly. "I'm warning you."

Elias could do this forever.

"Open up," Elias insisted and pulled Peter's hand up to the sky. With his other hand, he raised Peter's chin. Peter's grin created dimples and laugh lines. His eyes twinkled like diamonds catching the light. Life, from the cars to the birds, seemed to slow down. Elias dragged his thumb over those smiling lips in fascination. Again. He needed to be reminded this was real.

"What?" Peter asked after a lull. He blinked, tilting his head and looking at Elias like he'd finally lost it. He did. Elias wasn't the same guy Peter first saw. He felt born again by the hands of Peter. Peter.

"Sorry," Elias whispered. "I can't help but stare if you smile like that." He leaned in close, just hovering over his lips. "Can I take you out? On a date? A proper date?"

"As opposed to an improper date?" Peter snickered, clutching Elias' arms. He tilted his head, itching to be kissed, but Elias kept his lips just a breath away. He smiled, debating just how evil he wanted to be. Peter squirmed and Elias' smile widened.

"Is that a yes or no?"

"Yes," Peter could barely whisper before Elias was kissing him. He weighed practically nothing as Elias wrapped his arm around Peter's back and dipped his body. He liked Peter's weight in his hands as if he was suddenly anchored to the ground and he wasn't going to disappear come the slightest breeze. He kissed Peter deeply, opening his mouth and savoring the taste of magic. It was like Peter was made up of fairy dust of fables and storybook pages. Peter gasped for a breath and trembled inside of Elias' arms.

Someone cleared their throat and both Elias and Peter turned their heads. A woman flushed to the tips of her ears pushed up her glasses. She motioned to the buckets of sunflowers. "Uh, sorry to interrupt, but uh- are you the guys handing out flowers?"

From behind her legs, a little girl peaked out with big wondering eyes.

With his free hand, Elias grabbed a handful of stems and presented them to the woman. "Come visit the Greenhouse. Take as many as you want."

"Th-thank you?" The woman blinked as her daughter squealed and ran to the buckets. The little girl threw her arms around the flowers. Her mother panicked, begging the little girl to behave. As they bickered, Peter and Elias chuckled, but their laughter was cut short.

"OH MY GOD!"

Peter dropped his head and over his chin, Elias saw Delphine Kelley running down the sidewalk in heels, barreling at them. In-between yelling at people to get out of her way, she just kept shouting "OH MY GOD!" Struggling to keep up, James was following up from the rear along with Leo. The tiny spec way behind them was Eric taking his time.

Peter picked his head back as he roared with laughter. Elias brought them both upright. Peter grabbed either side of Elias' blazer and buried his face inside Elias' chest. Elias kissed the top of his adorable head and laid his cheek on top.

"We could run," Peter whispered.

Elias chuckled. "Too late for that."

Not a second later, Delphine tackled them. She started cheering and jumping up and down. "We did it! We did it!" She kissed Peter between every word, covering him in kiss marks. "Tell me you're undateable and I will find you the most excellent match!" She yanked Elias down by his collar and smashed her lips to his cheeks. "We're the greatest matchmakers in the world! I've matched the two most unlikable werewolves in the world in the span of one year! God," she huffed, fire in her eyes. "I'm good."

James was too choked up to take any credit. He joined the group hug and rubbed Elias' back. James did. Delphine kissed him again. They cared and even Eric smiled a little. Leo joined in, congratulating them both. Overwhelmed, Elias could feel the tears prick his eyes and bring heat to his face. He never thought this day would come, when he belonged. This was where he was meant to be. He never felt so strongly about a place before. He never had a soft place to land, until now with these ridiculous people. His ridiculous people. His Peter.

"Elias?" Peter glanced up at him, close enough for only Elias to hear over Delphine's cries, the married couple bickering between James and Eric and Leo's thousands of questions. Peter whispered, "Are you okay? Do you want me to stop them?"

"I'm okay," Elias stroked Peter's cheek. "Actually, I've never felt better."

He kissed Peter, creating another roar of cheers that made Elias laugh. His cheeks ached from smiling all day long. He could do this for the rest of his life.

#

Author's Note

Hello my lovelies! I'm back with the next part! I'm so happy to share it and write all this gooey mush :) And there's still one more part! Like I'm going to finish this novella without actually giving you guys the first date. So stay tuned for that!

As always, I'm excited to hear your comments. What did you think about the chapter? Were you expecting Elias' grand gesture? Are you glad Peter finally left the workroom? We haven't gotten to see much of Eric, what do you think his reaction to the relationship is going to be? LOL. 

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