THE HOLLAND BOYS AND HARRISON OSTERFIELD IMAGINES

flowers - peter parker

written by: @/ suitedspdey

{ in which you work at a flower shop and one boy catches your attention }

warnings: mentions of death, angst, some needed fluff

word count: 4.1k oops

The colorful petals of each flower made the small shop even brighter, inviting new customers in as they walked by. The combination of all the different aromas filled the space, pleasing your senses every time you strolled in for work.

You scrunched up your face as you breathed in the fresh scent the first time you walked in, already feeling a slight headache forming. You were in desperate need of some money, searching job after job all over Queens. All of them rejected you, explaining that they wanted someone with a little more experience. The owner of the flower shop, however, was kind enough to give you a job even though they weren't hiring.

She saw potential in you.

New customers came in everyday, usually wandering around the store for bit before picking out the flowers of their choice. They kept you busy, handing you their picks for you to assort them into a beautiful bouquet. Seeing their faces as you handed them the finished product was enough for you to work there. Their expressions were nothing but pleased and delighted, something that always made your heart happy.

The soft sound of a bell rang as a customer walked in, the door closing behind him as he hung his head low, heading towards the lilies area. Your eyebrows furrowed at him, surprised that he didn't even bother to greet the workers behind the counter. You ignored him for now, continuing to tie the small selection of flowers the previous customer had chosen together before the boy dropped a few white lilies on the counter.

He swung his backpack in front of him, reaching for his wallet in the front pocket as you happily handed the finished assortment to the patient customer. You carefully picked up the lilies, fixing them a bit before you grabbed a matching white ribbon to tie them together. The boy rocked back and forth on his heels, noticing the small details in the flowers that surrounded him. You snuck in a few quick glances at him, studying his face as you purposely took your time.

His bright, yet tired brown eyes tried to hide under his floppy, curly hair, and the shadow from his hood wasn't enough to cover the evident bags underneath his eyes. A frown appeared on your face the longer you examined him, wondering if he was okay or not, but it was none of your business. You gave a sad smile as you tied a nice bow around the stems, ushering him to move towards the cashier so he could pay.

"How are you today?" You asked, accepting the money he handed you. He nodded his head with his lips in a fine line, not wanting to give a vocal answer.

You raised your eyebrows when you saw that he had given you the perfect amount of cash, staring back and forth at the boy who couldn't be bothered to look at you. The question of whether or not he had bought this exact arrangement before ran through your mind as you placed the money in the drawer and gently handed him the flowers.

He drew his hand from his hoodie pocket to accept them, and you flinched once you felt how freezing cold his fingertips were. Despite how warm the weather was outside, he still remained to be cold as ice.

He kept a gentle grip around the stems of the tulips, his gaze still anywhere but at you as he quickly thanked you.

"H-have a good day," you voice came out shaky, noticing that he was already heading towards the door. He mumbled out a 'you too' that you barely heard, his grip on the small bouquet tightening a little.

It saddened you to see someone so distraught as him, but you knew it wasn't your place to ask him if he was okay. He was just a customer, someone you'd probably never see again. However, the tiredness in his eyes was still very visible even though he had left already, which made you want to help him even more.