{ON HOLD!}The Language of Flowers (ShuuNeki/TsukiKaneAU)

{9: Red Tulip}

{9: Red Tulip}

Shuu is happy. Shuu is REALLY REALLY happy. Shuu, who had planned to spend the weekend alone cleaning his shop, is currently cleaning his shop, with the help of Kaneki. Shuu can't help but wonder why Kaneki would choose to spend his weekend with him. Surely someone as kind as Kaneki must have a lot of friends, and admirers...

Admirers.

The very word makes Shuu feel annoyed. Even if he were to tell Kaneki that he likes him, it is likely that there are many others that like Kaneki... That and Shuu isn't even sure if Kaneki is single. Kaneki could be dating Touka! Upon thinking that thought, Shuu shivers. Kaneki and Touka would make a strange couple.

"Tsukiyama-san, are you alright?" Kaneki asks, upon noticing the fact that Shuu has been sweeping the same part of floor for the past ten minutes.

Kaneki's sweet voice forces Shuu to focus on the present. Although, Shuu soon becomes discracted again. Kaneki looks adorable. His short, dark hair is partially hidden by a rainbow bandana. Additionally, a pink apron partially hides Kaneki's clothes, and compliments his pale skin. Overall Kaneki looks like an angel. Well, that is if angels spent their spare time cleaning flower shops.

"I'm fine... Well, I am a little tired," Shuu responds with a small yawn. The yawn doesn't go unnoticed by Kaneki, and soon Shuu finds himself being forced to sit in a chair by the surprsingly strong Kaneki.

"Fine, fine, I'll take a short break," Shuu says, meanwhile trying to prevent himself from smiling. From his chair he can watch Kaneki clean. He can watch Kaneki clean with a surprisng amount of energy. He can watch Kaneki clean with a smile on his face, and a gleam in his eyes. Kaneki looks like he enjoys cleaning.

Kaneki looks happy...

It is the first time that Kaneki has seemed happy since Hinami's death.

Shuu inwardly curses at himself as his eyelids begin to droop, and eventually darkness is the only thing he sees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Shuu sleeps, Kaneki works tiressly. In fact, he works so hard that he feels as though by the end of his cleaning, that he has run a marathon. Emiting a small sigh, Kaneki shyly glances as Shuu.

Shuu looks adorable. His purple hair is in slight disarray, and his mouth is partly open. Additionally, his delicate looking hands rest in his lap, and Kaneki can't help but feel that Shuu is an angel. That is, if angels owned flower shops and had purple hair.

Kaneki sighs yet again. Kaneki likes Shuu but is unsure of how Shuu feels about him. Does Shuu consider him a friend? Or does Shuu see Kaneki as a friend of a friend, a friend of a dead girl... Just thinking about Hinami makes his eyes water.

Hinami was his friend.

Hinami was like family.

Hinami is dead...

Someone he cares about, and someone that cared for him is dead.

Kaneki really enjoyed Hinami's company. Hinami filled the hole in his heart that was created by his exboyfriends.

Yeah, that's right EXBOYFRIENDS.

Kaneki is gay.

None of his past relations lasted very long... And all of them ended in similar ways.

"I'm sorry, you're just too quiet..."

or

"I'm sorry, you're just too nice..."

(Is there even such a thing as being to nice?)

or

"You seem to love your books more than me."

Previous failed relationships made Kaneki hesitant to allow himself to fall in love. In fact, Kaneki forced himself to only like people. Kaneki didn't allow himself to like-like. Ever. However, everything changed when...

"Neki-kun,I discovered a wonderful place and person today!" Hinami announces upon entering the cafe where Kaneki works. Kaneki chuckles at the nickname Hinami uses and soon finds that her happy mood is contagious.

"Really? I'd love to hear about it," Kaneki says, all the while making Hinami's usual order, Chai tea with a chocolate chip cookie.

Hinami, due to being so happy, talks loudly, even though she sits at a table near Kaneki. "I was just walking around, with no real destination in mind when I stumbled across it... A flower shop! The displays in the windows were colorful and eye-catching, and before I knew it, I found myself walking in. Upon walking in I was welcomed by the owner. Although he didn't greet me right away, he was reading..." Kaneki can feel his smile widen as Hinami inform him about the fact that owner was reading his favorite book The Black Goat's Egg. In fact, Kaneki, by the end of Hinami's talking, finds that he wishes to meet the owner of the flower shop himself.

His desire to meet the flower shop owner only grows as Hinami, once a week, visits Kaneki just to tell him about the flower shop, and the flower shop owner.

As weeks turn into months Kaneki begins to have mixed feelings.

Kaneki really wants to meet the flower shop owner BUT he knows it would be a bad idea. Upon learning about the flower shop owner from Hinami, Kaneki knows that they would become friends.

Kaneki knows that they would get along.

KANEKI KNOWS THAT HE LOVES SOMEONE THAT HE HAS YET TO MEET.

Then again, its almost as if they have met, since Hinami includes even the smallest of details, such as what color the flower shop owner's eyes are.

One day, after noticing that Hinami seemed to be purposely leaving out one piece of information, Kaneki asks, "So what is the flower shop owner's name?"

With a mischevious smile, Hinami says, "You'll have to visit his shop if you want to find out."

Kaneki is forced to focus on the present as the sound of light snoring echoes throughout the shop. Shuu, who had been sleeping quietly, is now snoring softly. The sound isn't very loud... In fact, Kaneki finds the sound of Shuu's snoring strangely adorable.

Moments like this drive Kaneki crazy.

He should just confess!

But what if Shuu is straight?

Suddenly, Kaneki has an idea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaneki lays a red Tulip on Shuu's lap, who is still sleeping. "I hope it will do, since I'm too shy to confess in person..." Kaneki whispers, as he exits the shop.

Little does he know that Shuu wasn't sleeping as soundly as he thought.