⋆ hiraeth // anime x male reader oneshots

flowers : howl's twin x gender-neutral reader [☁️]

type: fluff, bookshop au (kind of)
requested by: didiwhat
word count: 2388 words

~ howl's twin's name is milo in this ~

~~~

"good morning, welcome to [l/n]'s book emporium, how may i help you?" [y/n] said with a smile, as the bell above their shop's door tinkled, signaling a customer. they were in a good mood, and everyone who had walked in that day had noticed it and walked out with a bigger smile than the one they'd walked in with: it was a warm, sunny afternoon, and patches of light filtered through the store's windows and onto the wooden paneled floor. it hadn't been a particularly busy day for them, but [y/n] was pleased with their work nevertheless.

the shopkeep had just received a box of beautiful, hand-bound astrology textbooks, half of which were still sitting on the cart near their hip, and they had spent most of the morning putting them in place. they slid the one they were holding, a heavy tome with a detailed star chart on the cover, into its spot on the shelf before them, and then brushed their hands off on their apron with a content smile.

"ah- i'm just taking a look around." the customer said. "you have a lovely shop, i might add."

[y/n] beamed: that shop was their pride and joy, and the thing they loved most other than selling pretty books was receiving compliments about those pretty books. plus, the customer's voice was velvety and pleasant to the ear. "thank you! i'll be here if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask me."

the customer hummed in reply, and disappeared behind a shelf, leaving [y/n] practically alone in the shop. they shelved the last of the books, and then walked over to the front desk where they'd left a mug of tea and a book when their break had finished earlier. there was nothing left to be done, so they settled down in the chair and, with a blissful sigh, took a sip of sweet, milky tea. it was truly one of the most perfect days of the season, and they were glad that they could just sit down and appreciate it. some time passed, though they were so engrossed in their reading they wouldn't have been able to tell how much, until finally someone stepped up to the counter.

"ah- hello? i hope i'm not interrupting anything?" the customer's voice rang out, and [y/n] slowly closed the book and put it aside on the desk. they stood up, smoothed out the creases on their apron, and slipped out from behind the desk. "of course, is there anything you need?" they started, and then their eyes flickered up to the customer's face, and a soft gasp escaped their lips. "howl pendragon! it's been so long! how are you and sophie doing, is she alright? you should've told me you were coming, i could've made you tea as well! the blonde hair suits you, when did you go back?"

their newfound enthusiasm was cut short when they noticed his odd expression. it seemed like a mix of surprise and knowingness, as if he knew something [y/n] didn't, but was trying to hide that he knew for their sake. for someone less perceptive, his face would've come off as a little strange, but nothing more. however, [y/n] picked up on it almost immediately. "howl? are you alright?"

"i'm, ah, afraid you have the wrong person, dear shopkeep." he said, with a slightly sheepish smile. "my name is milo, it's wonderful to meet you. howl is my brother, we haven't seen each other in a while but i was passing by and wanted to visit him. i thought i'd bring him a book on botany, see, for his shop, but i'm afraid i don't know the first thing about flowers."

"oh!" [y/n]'s cheeks went a brilliant shade of red as they realized they had treated a stranger, no matter who the stranger was, as if he were a close friend, and they stepped away instantly. "! i'm so sorry! you- the two of you look-"

"identical? i suppose we look similar, but we're not quite the same. he's not very fond of the blonde hair, really, whereas i like it. at least, enough to not bother dyeing it every week. plus, my eyes are green." milo explained with a soft laugh, as [y/n] led him towards the botany section. they were still red in the face, but his presence was calming and easygoing enough to relax them, and the botany section was one of their favorites in the entire shop. the shelves were carefully lined with books of varying shades of green, brown, and yellow, and it was just so beautifully peaceful there was no way anyone could feel tense while walking through the aisles.