moving day | Heeseung x Jay

twenty-six

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"Why do you need flowers?" Jay complains as he turns off the car. Heeseung has been too jittery to be trusted in front of the wheel, so not only is Jay being strung along, but he has to do the hard part, too, which is driving. "You already have so many plants!"

It's Heeseung's idea to take Jay to Home Depot. Again. This time it doesn't even make sense because Jay can't feel his toes, and he's pretty sure his nose fell off from the short distance of the parking lot to the inside of the store.

"I'm not getting plants to nurture. I'm getting flowers for fun!"

"Please don't say 'nurture' ever again. It makes you sound like my grandma."

Heeseung follows the signs to the plant section and starts browsing while Jay lags behind with lackluster interest. "I didn't even know that flowers were sold in December. There's literally ice outside."

"Some flowers are in season in the winter," Heeseung says. "I'm hoping to find daisies, but I'm not sure if they're selling them. We'll see."

Jay's mind tickles, like a memory from long ago trying to resurface. When it doesn't, Jay groans exaggeratedly, and Heeseung rolls his eyes before pointing him in the direction of kitchen appliances. "Listen, if you're just gonna grumble about being here, then you're better off looking at something that holds your interest more. I know you like furniture. Go act like you're on an HGTV interior design show and browse for a new fridge for our apartment."

Jay acquiesces and sets off, leaving Heeseung among the leaves and fertilizer.

When Heeseung had told Jay that he wanted to dye flowers for fun earlier in their apartment, saying: "I know it's not good for them, but it's extremely self-indulgent, and I want to do it so badly," Jay had been more supportive of the venture because he didn't know he'd be brought along to shop for said flowers.

Now, as he strolls by different makes and models of refrigerators, he thinks about how he has never liked shopping that much. Maybe it's bad memories of getting lost at the grocery store as a kid, but there's something about the countless aisles and the constant rolling sound of wheels, punctured only by the sound of someone dropping a carton of milk that was too heavy or by the chill of the frozen foods section that always sends a chill down Jay's spine when he opens a door to pick out a tub of ice cream.

Home Depot feels the same. Everything is orange, the ceilings are high, and air circulation could definitely be way better than it is. The building itself feels like a labyrinth, and he could get lost in here. After fifteen minutes of roaming aimlessly, he almost does, but then—

"Jay!"

Ah. Lighthouse. Radiant and yellow and shining brighter than suns.

"Found you! 'Thought you'd hightailed it outta here for a second." Heeseung is speed-walking towards Jay with a pot of white flowers in hand. "I couldn't find daisies; I don't think they're in season, but I think I can use carnations."

Found me, Jay thinks as he's led down the aisle to the cashier's counter.

The car ride is filled with the smell of the flowers, and Heeseung breathes in and out like he can't get enough. Jay finds himself enjoying the smell but knows that if he tells Heeseung that, Heeseung will talk about it and never let it drop.

"You know I have to go soon, right? I might not be able to see the results of your experiment," Jay says as they near their apartment complex.

"Oh, the experiment takes a few days. It won't be done today." Heeseung sniffs loudly for the hundredth time. "Are you ready for Cali?"