モーブカーネーション
summer

This time, it was Taehyung's turn to wear the bear suit. Watching him, Jungkook had to admit that the older certainly was better at it than he was. The florist more energy and was bouncing around excitedly, attracting more attention from the passersby. The sight nearly distracted Jungkook from his own job, as he balanced on the bike and watched Taehyung. He chuckled to himself. He was certain the older male would overheat soon and lose all this energy.

Jungkook's job soon began as he rode away from the flower shop. He was grateful for another relatively cool day ― in comparison to the previous days ― as it made the bike ride slightly easier. That being said, the sun bore down on his back to the point where it was almost painful and it didn't take long for sweat to start dripping down his back. He itched to scratch it but couldn't because he had to keep his hands on the bike. He couldn't afford to lose control and topple the bike again, not with the little arrangements in the basket at the front of the bike.

Jungkook rode all around the town, placing arrangements here and there and handing out pamphlets to anyone willing to take them. By the time he was done, his legs were like jelly and his shirt clung to his body. He sighed as he took a break, resting his bike against the wall.

"Hey kid!" Someone called out and he looked up. He frowned when he saw a man standing across the road, waving at him. The man was wearing a white apron covered with smears and had a platter in his hand. Judging from the fact he was standing outside of a butcher's, Jungkook assumed he was a butcher. "Hey kid, you look tired! Come over here!"

Jungkook warily made his way across the road, unsure of what to make of this. The male just stood there expectantly until the florist was beside him. Then, he held out the platter to him.

"Want a lamb skewer?" He offered. "You look like you've had a long day. Treat yourself to a delicious free lamb skewer."

"Uh... thanks." Jungkook responded as he took the skewer. He bit into it slowly, not taking his eyes off the man who was just as intently watching him back. To an outsider, this probably looked like a rather awkward interaction. For the two insiders, its awkwardness was rather subjective. "Is this poisoned?"

"No. I'm offended!"

"Then why did you give me this? For free?" The butcher frowned at the florist for a few seconds, a confused expression spreading across his face.

"Business, promotions, advertising ― it's just a freebie to get you hooked." He said, as though this was the most obvious thing. In hindsight, Jungkook realised it was. "You eat my skewer, you like my skewer, you come back for more and spend more money. It's simple, really."

"It's a good skewer." The younger admitted.

"Exactly! Now next time you need some meat for a party, who're you going to call?"

Jungkook glanced up at the sign on the butcher's before answering, "Min's Meat?"

"Yep. Won't find a higher quality meat around."

"Well, thank you... for the lamb skewers, and everything." A smile spread across the butcher's lips and he pat Jungkook's shoulder.

"Don't mention it. But, if you really do mean it, you can show it by coming back again sometime and buying some food from here." The brunette nodded, parting with promises that he would indeed come back in the future. Whether or not the promises were legitimate or not, he wasn't quite sure ― but he certainly hoped they were. They were some good lamb skewers.

――＊――

"This rose's beauty pales in comparison to yours." Jungkook said as he handed a rose to a girl, who promptly turned as red as the rose and dropped her gaze. He smiled at her, finding it surprisingly easy to flirt with these people. The lines just rolled off his tongue, getting the desired reaction nearly every time. Taehyung, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling a little.

"A pink rose has connotations of sweetness, y'know... I think it suits you, uh―" He would awkwardly say before whispering, "God, there's nothing poetic or romantic about this at all."

While this was one of the few times the older male didn't feel confident at all, it did provide some amusement for the younger. Whenever he wasn't trying to get some girl's attention, he would watch the pink-haired male attempt to spout some flowery nonsense without coming across as weird. When there weren't any females passing, Taehyung would curse Seokjin's idea.

"Why would this get more customers? Shouldn't we be doing actual jobs?" He asked, grumbling as he sat beside Jungkook. The younger just chuckled.

This had all been because of the lamb skewers. After realising how effective freebies could be, Jungkook told his boss about them. Seokjin, naturally, came up with a plan on how to make freebies work for their summer promotions: hand out the flowers with flirtatious lines to "get the ladies' hearts thumping". The only problem they seemed to be encountering was Taehyung's femininity and awkwardness around the ladies. So as soon as the eldest florist noticed this, he called his cousin back inside the shop while Jungkook continued working.

The other pair took long enough for the brunette's curiosity to spike. But, luckily, as soon as it did so, Taehyung re-emerged. Jungkook's eyes widened at the sight of him.

The older male was now wearing a light floral dress that started at the base of the neck (presumably to hide whatever was creating the 'breasts') and a pink skirt. Upon closer scrutiny, Jungkook realised he also had more makeup on than usual. The pink haired male grinned at his friend, chuckling at his expression.

"Jin thought it would be a better idea if I go undercover ー now I can target the male population."

"Will the flowers work on guys?"

"Dunno..." Taehyung frowned slightly. The frown then disappeared as he noticed something, and he hurried over to one of the stands of flowers. He then picked up a mauve carnation. "Oh hey, I have I ever told you what this carnation means?"

"Uh, no... I don't think so." The older male stared down at the flower as he spun it between his fingers. He then chuckled, smiling at the younger.

"It means dreams of fantasies. Coriander flowers mean lust but they don't look as nice. I think, after striped ones, these flowers are my second favourite." The florist put the flower back with the others. Wiping his hands on his skirt, he looked around the street for some men walking past. Jungkook watched him as he suddenly ran off, approaching someone he'd spotted. Taehyung began chattering away to him, obviously saying some things that got his interest. There was a bit of pointing back at the shop, before the florist skipped back to Jungkook with a proud smile on his lips.

"Why do you look so pleased?"

"Because I reckon next time he needs to buy a girl something, he'll come here." The older male waved at the man they were discussing as he walked away. "This is fun. I should dress up as a girl more often ― there are so many more guys this way."

"But what happens when they find out you're a guy?"

"Well I guess we part ways... Unless he's fallen for my charm and looks so badly he can overlook my... manly bits."

"I'm not sure that's how it works..." Taehyung just shrugged.

"We'll see." He said as he turned around. He reached down, picking up another flower from the stand. He then, to Jungkook's surprise, placed it in the front pocket of the younger's shirt and kissed his cheek. The brunette blinked slowly, his mind taking a moment to process the quick act, and looked down. In his pocket was a mauve carnation. He blinked again and looked over to where Taehyung was entering the shop, looking as though nothing had happened. The younger florist could feel his cheeks heating up unwanted and just hoped he could play it off as the heat causing it. It was, definitely, in no way caused by the kiss that had caused his cheek to still be tingling. Definitely not.

――＊――
note : double update coz of what I said last chapter + because I can