flowers and coffee cups

Flowers are beautiful. They are beautiful in many different ways to many different people in many different colors and many different shapes and sizes. Planting them can be a difficulty, as they can die easily without proper care, watering, and sunlight.

Sometimes Virgil felt like a flower. He could be considered beautiful to some people, but to others his looks were undesirable. Without the proper guidance and care, just like a flower, Virgil could die.

But that's not the point, as flowers often can rebloom each spring and become even more amazing to look at than before. Even though this is a general rule, there are always exceptions to the rules. What type of flower can be an exception to this rule? Fake ones.
The flowers that are painted onto cups cannot rebloom each spring. Likewise, they also cannot look accurate unless if there is a life study of them, apparently. This is where Patton comes in.

Literally, Patton seems to come into Virgil's work, small flower shop, weekly with a sketchbook or sometimes a cup in hand. He goes to a specific type of flower, grabs the vase, and retreats to the table in the front of the shop meant for flower consultations. Of course, Virgil can't complain. Sometimes Patton buys a certain arrangement that he loves or leaves a generous "tip" in the tip jar for allowing him to calmly study the flowers.
After a fair few weeks of this occurrence, Virgil was watering the potted plants on a Friday, waiting for the boy who made butterflies rise in his stomach to come into the shop. Just as expected, the bell signaling someone entering the flower shop rang behind him. Shortly after, an older boy with lighter hair and black frames on his nose stood next to him.

"Good afternoon my fair friend!" Patton smiled toward Virgil, which made the younger turn to face him. Virgil tried to contain his blush at the comment, a small smile threatening his lips as he looked down at the other through his fringe. This time, the bright artist was carrying a box in one hand with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a sketchbook in his other hand. Virgil didn't know how Patton managed to open the door.

When met without a response, Patton raised his eyebrows encouragingly, but Virgil's love-sick scrambled brain wouldn't corporate. Patton proceeded to explain with a smile, "Get it, 'cause you're pale? It was a pale joke? I got it from my boyfriend. I talk about you a lot and he called you Snow White once because I told him how pale you are. But I don't do nicknames like he does but I still wanted to use the joke." He smiled warmly again, this time sticking his tongue out.

Virgil's hopes crashed around him at the simple sentence, but he tried to keep his composure. Patton had a boyfriend, and that was fine. Virgil already convinced himself that Patton probably was straight and he didn't have any chance with him anyways, but the knowledge that he could have had a chance if he was quick enough sat like bile in his throat. But Virgil had to move past that, as it was still viable the two could be friends.

"What's in the box?" Virgil moved past the subject, his voice and face hopefully not portraying the downfall he felt in his heart.

"Oh, these are some old cups from the café across the street. I work there and I'm doing a project where I take the old cups and paint flowers on them so we can resell them.

They're mainly a trial run so my boss can see if the idea sells, then he'll get me new cups to work with." Patton explained with his usual smile, but it turned a little lopsided at one point.

Virgil nodded along with him before asking the fateful question, "So, what flower will it be today?"

Another few weeks of this steady friendship passed, Virgil obtaining new information with each day Patton came by to paint. He found out more about his boyfriend, who seemed to simultaneously love Disney and theatre but also academics and worked at the bookshop the next block over. Virgil was confused half of the time, and it did nothing to help dispel his crush. Virgil found that getting rid of feelings was a lot easier than getting them.