Thorns & Roses || Kyoya Ootori x Reader

Ch. 2 - Second Chance

{— ~ —}

"Thank you and come again!" Y/N cheered, waving towards a departing customer.

Due to her sudden expulsion—and having the free time to do so—She had been assigned to work the store during the mornings she would've been in school. It wasn't her ideal way to spend her time, but it wasn't bad.

The beautiful arrangement of flowers scattered across each shelf gave a sense of warmth to this place sending even the crankiest of customers into a sense of ease. Well—most of the time anyways.

She would still get her usual patrons that would ask questions such as why can't they get their arrangements delivered today or why are the prices so high for one bouquet? Then they would spiral into a raging fit for not getting their way, but she suppose that's to be expected in the business industry.

Y/N walked over to the nearby supply closet before grabbing a broom. There weren't any customers right now, so it would be a perfect time to tidy up a bit.

She began sweeping dirt into a pile only to be caught off guard by a sudden thud.

Y/N's eyes shot behind her to spot her aunt decked out in a semi-formal attire. Some nice black slacks followed by a presentable blouse. Nothing too fancy, yet it seemed rather odd.

Her aunt was never known for her elegant nature—it was actually quite the opposite. She was well-known to be rowdy and for her insatiable appetite for a good time. After all, that kind of attitude made sense for a woman in her late twenties. So this appearance seemed out of the ordinary.

"Hey Daisy, I have to run so can you run the store for me?" She asked while hastily sliding on some black flats. She didn't even give her time to answer before rushing towards the door. "Thank you sweetie! I'll be right back!"

"Hold it!" Y/N's hand swiftly took a hold of her collar causing the woman to stop in her tracks. "You never call me sweet names like those."

"Well, I thought I'd give it a try!"

"And 'Daisy'? You haven't called me that since junior high."

"I thought I'd bring it back, you know? Kind of missed calling you that."

Y/N spun her around revealing the more than nervous expression on her face. "What are you up to?"

"Up to? I'm not up to anything!"

Y/N's glare deepened causing her Aunt to crack. "Fine! I have a meeting with a company today. Some new plants I'm trying to get for the shop."

For such a genuine response, Y/N felt a sense of uncertainty. "Really? What type of flowers?"

"I'm not quite sure yet." She replied. "They said it would be some foreign flowers. I'm supposed to examine some of them today."

"Well, take some pics for me. I want to see what they look like."

"As long as it's not a scam then yeah, I'll do that." Koto sighed out a laugh, continuing her way towards the door. "I'll be back soon."

With one final wave, Y/N watched as her Aunt departed to who knows where. She let out a sigh before her eyes cascaded upon the various plants tucked into their designated spots. There was a lot to get done in just a short time span. She wondered if letting her aunt leave was a good idea or not.

Whatever the case, she was a one-man-band now, and she had a job to get done.

{—~—}

"Thank you, please come again!" Y/N called out for what felt like the hundredth time today.

Work had been nonstop for the past several hours. Each chime of the bell was a customer waiting to be helped—not to mention the ones that were dying to cause some mischief with their constant complaints. It was beginning to become unbearable.