Writer's Block

Floriogr-Avi (Scavi)

Based off this prompt from MistahKato (thank you!):

The bell above the flower shop door jangles and Avi looks up from his spreadsheet where he can't quite make yesterday's sales balance. The man at the door doesn't look like one of his typical male clients. They're generally slightly bewildered and a bit embarrassed, but determined to make their girlfriend, wife, or crush either love them, forgive them, or sleep with them.

No, this guy looks angry. It's a good look on him, actually, and he's definitely exactly the sort of man Avi finds attractive. But Avi doesn't have a chance to truly appreciate his once again inappropriately-timed libido, because the man is striding towards him as soon as they make eye contact. He pulls out his wallet and slaps a credit card down on the counter. "How do I passive-aggressively say 'fuck you' in flower?"

Okay, well. At least florigraphy is something Avi knows a lot about; it lessens the chances of stumbling all over himself. "Um, well, that's not one of the traditional meanings available, but maybe if you give me some context, I can help you choose a combination that gets your point across?"

"I'm looking for 'fuck you' as in 'Fuck you, I'm dumping your sorry ass because you're physically incapable of keeping your dick in your pants and I need to salvage my self respect because I think I threw it away almost a year ago and that's what pisses me off the most.'" The man smiles tightly. "Think you can help me?"

Avi winces in sympathy, although he has to admire the guy's attitude. Also his shoulders, height, hair, and jawline, but his attitude is a safer target. "Hmm, what about yellow hyacinth for jealousy to start?"

The man frowns and shakes his head. "Jealousy implies I still want him. I'm over that."

That seems reasonable, given the circumstances. "Okay. Maybe yellow carnations for disappointment and rejection?"

He nods. "Better. What else?"

Avi glances around the store for ideas, settling on a pretty batch of anemones that he just cut that morning. "How do you feel about forsaking him?"

That gets a smirk that makes Avi's stomach flutter. Wow his eyes are blue. "I feel excellent about it."

Avi would truly love to make him feel excellent. "Maybe some pink larkspurs for fickleness?"

He wrinkles his nose. "I've always associated larkspurs with my mom."

That's out, then. "Evening Primrose? For inconstancy?"

"Inconstancy is perfect." The man purses his lips, his very pink, deeply-bowed lips. "Rejection, forsaking, inconstancy...I feel like it's missing something." He waves his hand in a vague circle in the air. "What do you have in hatred?"

Avi knows immediately, but it won't go well with the rest of the flowers. "Do you care if the bouquet looks appealing?"

He laughs. "I couldn't care less. Uglier the better, actually, but I assume you have standards."

Avi most certainly does have standards, and his disgruntlement must show on his face because the man laughs again, this time more gently.

"I'm sorry, of course you do. I didn't mean it like that."

He's cute when he's apologizing. "An orange lily. It doesn't really suit the less showy flowers of the rest of the bouquet, but if we made it the focal point, the rest could just fill in around it."

"I love it," the man says. "Slay."

Avi's not entirely sure what slay means in this context, but he takes it as a good thing and gets to work. A few moments later, the bouquet is constructed, wrapped, and paid for, and Avi is smiling awkwardly, wishing he could think of a reason to delay the man's departure.

The man smiles, wide and bright, and Avi's breath catches. "Thank you so much for your help," he says, and then heads out the door.

Avi sighs. Tall, gorgeous, and obviously not straight. Exactly his type. Too bad Avi tends to come off straight himself, despite owning a flower shop, and can't flirt to save his life. He's never even going to know what happened with the breakup, never mind getting to spend anymore time with the pretty man.

Except, apparently, he will. The bell jangles again, and the blond man pokes his head back through the door. "Um, I'm Scott, by the way."

He looks at Avi expectantly, until he finally realizes he should speak. "Avi."

Scott smiles. "So, um," he looks awkward for the first time. Hesitant. "I'm not actually a cheating asshole myself, so I can't ask yet. But if I were to come back say tomorrow, when I'm single as fuck, and ask for your number, would you give it to me?"

That sounds...promising. He picks out a forsythia and hands it to Scott. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Thoughts?