#but I was a clerk so my job was to do all the boring intricate paperwork the game doesn't bother with

[mayasaura]

Having worked in a law office makes ace attorney both hilarious and frustrating. What do you mean I have to find further contradictions in Lotta Hart's testimony? I've revealed she was lying about her occupation, her motive for being at the scene, and the level of attention she was paying the crime in progress. Her credibility as a witness is in the toilet, your honor, I move to dismiss her testimony!

Now I would like to submit new unreviewed evidence before the court that I just discovered during recess by snooping 😊 what the fuck is paper work?

[fairstarlights]

​Crowns and Thorns

Chapter Summary: Patton and Logan take Virgil on a fun outing.

Chapter Warnings: N/A - Enjoy the fluff -

Chapter Pairing(s): Logicality

Word Count: 1,761

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

- Chapter 5 -

After tea was finished Virgil took the cups and deposited them into the sink to be washed later Patton grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the main room. “For all your hard work Logan and I are going to take you out and do stuff! Just for a while since Logan is a stick-in-the-mud.”

“I am a person and there is no mud in here, if there was Virgil most likely has cleaned it by now.” Virgil snorted at Logan's reply. He was as dumb as he was smart it seemed. Virgil lightly shook out of Patton's grasp and took a few steps backwards because the guy apparently doesn't know about personal fucking space. 

He opened his mouth to object but it died on his lips as he remembered these people worked for King Thomas and gave him this job. 

“Can we go out another day? I'm kind of tired from cleaning and would like to relax.”

“Kiddo! This is exactly why you need a few hours out of this place! It's boring because your work place is also your home and you can pick stuff up to decorate your room or something.” Patton said as he grabbed both Virgil and Logan and lead them through the door, Logan knew not to protest and Virgil just didn't have the energy for it.

The town-square was bustling with people doing whatever people do and a lot of one day set up shops among the normal every day ones. Crowds made Virgil anxious, but since he had all that free time while Roman trained he had time to explore and get used to it. As used to it as allowed anyway.

 Patton seemed to enjoy all the people and Logan looked apathetic. Something else seemed to be there, something in his eyes spoke more emotion that Logan seemed to allow himself to show. Virgil considers himself rather perceptive but his intuition lacked so he wasn't even going to try to guess.

“Patton, would you please let Virgil go? I do not think he will be running away and if he chooses to do so it would not be the end of the world, finding him would not be a problem.” Logan said and Patton pouted, but let go.

'If I wanted to be found.' Virgil thought to himself. But just like Logan said, Virgil didn't disappear into the crowd after being freed. It almost made him want to do just that but he kept that impulse at bay and focused on the shops around them.

“Wait, I don't really have money right now.”

“Do not worry Virgil, we will buy the things you require. After you cleaned the place from that horrible disarray, we could do this much for you.”

“Logan is right! There was no way we could have done that ourselves with all our normal day things. We didn't think we'd even be able to hire someone in time because of the little time we have for things like that. Then an angel walked through the doors and made our dream come true.” Wow this guy was as extra as Roman. Ugh, he needed to not think about him right now.

“I'm not an angel.”

“Of course you are, you saved us!” Patton went to ruffle Virgil's hair and Virgil promptly ducked and hissed. Logan and Patton looked at Virgil like he had two heads and the anxious boy was filled with immediate regret. Not because he was embarrassed, no, these were just two very important people to the King. He needed to be more careful.

“You're like a little black cat, oh my goodness.” Patton gushed as he pressed his hands to his face, which looked infuriatingly adorable. If this guy kept up the cute names there would end up being words. Logan seemed to realize this and cleared his throat, his face back to it's usual neutral expression.

“Patton, I do believe you wanted to stop by the cafe? Perhaps we could go and get a bite to eat.” The curly hair boy gasped and jumped up and down, making his curls bounce slightly chanting yes's before taking off into the crowd, hand in hand with Logan. Those two were going to get caught one day and Virgil didn't want to see what would happen. 

He went to the only cafe he knew of and happened to catch sight of the two dorks going in. As Virgil entered the smells of the pastries and tea hit him like a horse drawn carriage to the face. That had happened once at his home village and Roman had a field day over it, nearly chasing after it but relented due to Virgil not wanting to cause more of a scene.

Virgil shoved the thoughts away and sat down at the table Patton and Logan were sitting at. The place looked like something Virgil couldn't afford on a daily basis or even a weekly basis. Maybe not even monthly. Logan and Patton were likely to give him a living wage but he wasn't sure how much he would need for food, clothes and other life necessities and still have room to do a little bit of indulging. Not that Virgil would indulge too much, he wants to make sure he can money saved up just in case something happened to his job.

The waiter came up and asked for their order. Patton got a couple chocolate chip cookies and tea with cream and sugar. Logan got a jelly filled scone with black tea. Virgil ordered a slice of chocolate cake with water since he just had tea.

“Water? That's interesting.” Patton commented and Logan nodded.

“Yes, I think Virgil is doing the best thing, unlike you Patton. You should be look after yourself better.”

The two playfully bickered back and forth till the waiter gave them their order, and then dug in. Virgil noticed there was a half sliced strawberry on top of his cake and internally cheered, he loved strawberries. After chatting and hearing a fluency of puns from Patton, they finished their treats and tea, or in Virgil's case: water, Logan paid and they headed back out to the square. 

Logan took them to a small shop full of furniture and some other smaller things. Virgil ended up with a dark violet tea cup set, silver cutlery and various other things for the kitchen. For his bedroom he got black blankets and curtains (to keep out the light) and a black mirror to match.

“That's an awful lot of black kiddo, don't you want something with more color? You're not getting only black because it's cheapest are you?”

Well he wasn't far off. Virgil didn't want to spend anymore than he had to, plus back in his village blacks, browns and greys were the cheapest because they were the easiest to make, so Virgil grew a fondness for the color. He did like purple as well, but that was a color for the wealthy and unfortunately he was not one of those. Though with the things he was currently buying he felt wealthier than he ever had in his life.

“Nah, I just like the color or the lack of. Just that type of person.”

“That very well may be, but we can not have our messenger only wearing black. You are not undercover and black is the most useful at nighttime. I recommend us stopping by the clothing store to buy something with a color of your choice. I would recommend purple since it is the color we wear to identify ourselves.”

“We could get you a haircut too! Your hair's in your eyes.” Patton chimed in.

“No. My hair stays the way it is.” Virgil defended and coincidentally his bangs fell further into his face. He didn't stop to move them despite them tickling the top of his nose. Logan looked reluctant but didn't voice it. Patton shrugged and happily steered them into the most expensive looking clothing store Virgil had ever seen. Oh boy.

After hours of looking and butting heads with the Logan, Patton and the store clerk, Virgil ended up with a black shirt with purple trimmings on the color, down the sides of where they buttons were, sleeves and the hem. It also had a purple pocket. It came with a pull over cape, black with purple trim. His pants were black with purple around the bottom of the pant legs. A messenger bag was added to the mix and was white with intricately stitched gold and purple trim. He had the same clothes but in white with purple trimmings. Two purple outfits were added, one with black and one with white. All with matching capes. 

Virgil thought he saw Logan grab a pair of shoes but it happened so fast he wasn't sure if he saw correctly or not.

As they left the store Virgil realized something very important. “Do I pick up the things later?” Patton giggled at that and danced around the darker and emptying square.

“Of course not silly! We had it all delivered. Couldn't walk around with it all day or keep taking stuff back to your home, that would be tedious. Oh! We had new cleaning supplies and table with chairs delivered as well. And food!”

Well, Virgil was speechless. “Oh wow. Uh, thanks.” He said lamely and Patton quickly ruffled his hair before Virgil could react. Not that he would and he thinks Patton knew that.

“It is not a problem. These are basic things you require and we are more than happy to give them to you.”

“Yeah! No worries on paying us back cause we definitely needed this time out too.”

“Oh. Oh no. How could I have not paid attention to the time? We must left, Patton and I have things to attend to back at the castle. Your things should be there already and put away, please do enjoy and take care of them.” Logan said as he offered his hand. Virgil shook it and Patton's as well as the two rushed off towards the castle.

Virgil watched them go till they got into a carriage. He turned around and headed back towards his new place of residency. The day could not have gone any better and if day were even nearly the level of happiness he was feeling and definitely not showing, he will eat his left foot.

Back in the carriage Patton was feeling proud of himself from the various happy looks Virgil had been sporting the whole day.

---- Fic Tag List ----

@laytonsartblog, @ambrechandra

Thank you <3

[piquantpiper]

A Reading of "The House That Jack Built" As A Scathing Condemnation of Misogynistic Directors and the Complacent History of Hollywood

This contains spoilers for every bit of the film.

Lars von Trier's latest, "The House That Jack Built," features an architect-turned-serial killer named Jack traveling down the River Styx at the end of his life and telling anecdotes about the gruesome murders he has committed. He explains that he began taking post-mortem photos of his victims and dubbed his serial killer persona "Mr. Sophistication." His once-overwhelming OCD waned, and he became better at faking emotions, confidence, and charisma.

My reading of the film was that it was one huge takedown of directors who frequently employ cheap or gratuitous violence, especially against women. It highlights their resistance to criticisms and uses symbolism to call out the stagnation and complacency of the industry.

Jack drives a big obvious red van, leaves a trail, is clumsy, and is a terrible liar, yet he gets away with everything for over a decade because of everyone's willingness to look the other way, and also likely because it was “a different time” - the 1970s and 80s. The complacency of men and the law is underlined here. Cops in this film are ignorant as hell and never catch Jack even when he's daring them to or admitting his crimes to their faces. Al, the clerk at the end of the film, has known something has been fishy about this customer for years but he doesn't call the police until the very end, when Jack finally yells at him for once.

Jack stuffs dozens of women he's randomly killed into a walk-in freezer, literally "fridging" them and acting out a bad entertainment trope. The street sign here - Prospect - is broken off and only reads "Pros." It is featured every time he adds a body. The freezer is also filled with hundreds of cheese pizzas, representing the need for instant gratification and the homogeneity of the industry. "Fame" by David Bowie blares several times during the film until it nearly becomes a gag.

Like every insecure film school grad, Jack over-explains and over-justifies everything on his ride down the River Styx, going so far as to give little meta PowerPoint presentations about William Blake, the protocol of wild game hunters, how cool Albert Speer was, and how everyone who doesn't agree with him is a sheep who will never become a beautiful tiger embracing savagery as he does. He thinks he is explaining and justifying his choices, his influences, and his pursuit of artistic perfection. This is all utter bullshit and good ol' Virgil calls him out on it at every turn. When Jack says that we should look at the works of a person, not at their actions - an all-too-common comment on abusive but revered directors like Polanski, Kubrick, Allen, and von Trier himself - Virgil basically replies "you lost me when you started abusing children."

Uma Thurman plays the first victim. It seems significant that she would be involved in this project, given how vocal she has been this year about her experiences with Weinstein and Tarantino. In fact, her scene here seems like meta commentary on her own conflict with Tarantino during Kill Bill: They drove up and down a road a few times in preparation for a stunt. She felt unsafe and wanted a stunt driver. He kept pressuring her to do it herself. She did, and she was seriously injured. So when her character here insults Jack repeatedly and calls him a wimp, he snaps, killing her in his passenger seat after she's made him drive the same road three times. Both people in the car represent Thurman in real life. She "snaps" and finally does the stunt scene after being taunted, but she's the one who pays dearly.

Jacqueline Simple is the only character/victim we actually witness screaming for help, leaning out her window at night. Her name is a clue - she is a mirror to Jack, a representation of his fear of being unintelligent and his fear that he is merely screaming into the void with his art and will never be listened to. He cuts her phone line earlier that night while on a date at her apartment and enters into a feedback loop with her/himself, reassuring her and lulling her into a false state of security before he attacks. Jacqueline's scene could also represent the relationship between actress and director - her line to the outside world is severed and she now derives all validation from her abuser. He holds the keys to her freedom, literally.

Jack represents problematic creators, specifically directors, throughout the film. Chief among these parallels is his proclivity for post-mortem photography of his victims - posing their bodies to suit his whims. Jack finds the negatives of his photos more interesting than the originals - having an obsession with violence and drama. We see him shooting people often, either with a gun or a camera. He tries to rewrite the experiences of some of his victims by means of grim taxidermy, putting smiles on their faces before they freeze in storage.

If something is methodical and informed by theory and research, it HAS to be good, right? Boring directors probably think so. That's all the effort and thought that they care to put in. Jack explains the ethical pattern in which to shoot a family of deer: fawns first. If you miss the doe, she can survive without the fawns, whereas inverse is not true - and that would just be cruel! Jack even says he considers himself a gentleman for following this pattern as he shoots down a human mother and her two sons. (There's another layer of symbolism here, hinted at by the sign-off of von Trier's video that prefaced the screening of the film I saw in theaters: "Remember: Never another Trump." The clueless family had all donned red baseball caps at the start of this scene as visibility/safety gear at the shooting range, yet the caps make them into targets once Jack begins his spree. The caps represent MAGA caps, and the family's refusal to remove them even when in danger shows how reluctant Republicans are to admit that they were wrong. The apple pie at the picnic and the act of feeding it to the dead child further comments on von Trier's view of America.)

"Why are all the stories you've told about dumb women?" Virgil asks him. "I killed men, too." Jack answers. "But you're only telling me about the dumb women because you need to feel superior," notes Virgil.

When Jack starts killing men in the last fifteen minutes of the film, it's all intricately planned: he monologues, gives a bunch of backstory, brings up the military, and reminisces about hunting trips with his best friend, the elderly S.P. (Standards and Practices? ...Am I reaching now?) before shooting him to death. This stands in contrast with the earlier, fumbling murders of numerous unnamed women throughout the rest of the movie, which were sometimes even played for laughs. Jack finally gets caught, right after he murders his first man onscreen but before he can pull the trigger on another seven he had prepared.

There is no way in hell that we are supposed to sympathize with Jack or think he is a cool, slick killer. There is no way the director sympathizes with him. Jack is a massive joke who keeps getting away with things due to dumb luck and the utter complacency of the world around him, yet he gives more than one "you're all sheeple who can't understand my art!" lamentation. He even goes on a "men have it so hard, men are always assumed guilty" rant as he's skinning a woman alive. Hi, irony, nice to meet you.

Jack has absolutely no hope of redemption at the end. Virgil knows his narcissism will compel him to try to cross the broken bridge that no one has ever conquered, which results in him falling and burning in the very deepest pit of hell. Turning the screen to a negative exposure at the moment of the fall is the film's final taunt to Jack's character, as in "now let's see him try to find the beauty in that, in his own suffering."

We never see Jack at work at his day job as an architect/engineer. He buys a picturesque lakeside plot of land. The house that he demolishes and restarts multiple times at that location was supposed to be his real masterpiece, but instead he became fixated on his identity of "Mr. Sophistication” and the accompanying photography. He confuses this compulsion for his true calling, all while Bowie's "Fame" plays on loop. The house is never completed.

It is easier to destroy than to create, and it is easier to talk yourself into thinking destruction is some grotesquely beautiful esoteric art than to actually challenge yourself and endeavour to create anything original.

The character Virgil repeatedly reminds Jack that the greatest works of art have been borne of love. True art needs love, humanity, and feelings, which Jack will never understand because he is a stubborn psychopath.

This film is an overt callout of creators who think that stylized violence is a substitute for substance and that anything that is informed by theory is inherently good. Those who refuse to admit they're wrong or may have taken an unfulfilling life path, leaving a cheap and hollow legacy with no new message to impart. Those who think it is easier to paint someone's suffering as artistic than it is to unpack their own suffering and the root causes of it.

[mlnmoongle]

Love Speaks in Flowers

Genre:  Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Fluff and Smut, Eventual Romance, Awkward Romance

Pairings: TaoHun;

Rating: Mature;

Length: Chaptered - 1/12;

Note: WIP;

Warnings: Smut, Semi-public;

Summary: Sehun's mundane job as a florist clerk is the same day in and day out. Until one rainy morning brings a change in Sehun's life in the form of Tao, a tattoo artist next door, and Sehun's not sure he's ready for him.

First, thank you for reading and I appreciate any feedback!

A few things:

-  AO3 Link - This is planned to be a 12 chapter fic, however, due to school workload that might change to less. - I plan to update weekly or sooner. - Please give Sehun a chance. He's really not hateful, and it was hard for me to make him as such, especially towards such a bright and kind soul like Tao. Sehun has his reasons for being guarded!

Sehun yawned for what felt like the umpteenth time. He was at work and bored out of his mind.

He worked as a florist clerk at a locally owned shop downtown called Twenty Flowers. The morning shifts were usually slow compared to the afternoon shifts, but not this slow. No, today was special because it was raining. Normally a customer or two would come by early in the morning but it was highly unlikely that anyone would come in today because of the dreary weather.

To make matters worse, it was only a couple hours into his morning shift and Sehun had already completed whatever mundane tasks that were part of his opening morning routine so with no orders to arrange, no bouquets to set, and no customers to assist, Sehun was now burdened with the task to not fall asleep. Which, admittedly, he has been guilty of in the past. Sighing heavily, Sehun sat on the stool at the front counter. He placed his elbow on the surface to rest his chin in his palm as he stared half-lidded out the large windows that lined the front of the store and watched the rain pour down. No one ever came into the shop on rainy days, and if they did, it was either for pre-ordered flowers for a special occasion or someone desperately needed an ‘ I really fucked up and I’m very sorry ’ bouquet of flowers. But Sehun couldn’t blame anyone for not coming in because he wouldn’t even be out in this weather.

The rain was now coming down relentlessly. Sehun shook his head, “You would have to be a complete idiot to be out in this weather...” he scoffed, finally giving in and closed his eyes, still resting his chin in his palm. Sehun had practically dozed off when the door swung open with an ear-piercing chime and the loud rumble of the rain outside. Startled, Sehun sat up straight and blinked the haze from his eyes as he automatically started to greet the customer, “Hi, welcome to Twenty Fl --”  he started but abruptly stopped to stare wide-eyed at the completely drenched man who entered the store. Sehun’s mouth dropped open, his eyes wide as he watched the man entered the store. From head to toe, the man was soaking wet with water trickling down his legs, dripping off his hair, and right on to the welcome mat under his feet. The water was seeping into the welcome mat. Sehun’s eyes traveled back up to the man’s face who was smiling sheepishly as he took a couple steps forward, leaving small puddles in his wake, “Hi,” the man greeted as he wiped the beads of water off his face then brushed his damp blonde locks back. “It’s pretty wet out there,” he chuckled, pointing out the obvious and Sehun stared blankly at him, dumbstruck.

Blinking back to his thoughts with a sassy, "You think?" Sehun quickly got off his stool and moved from the counter and grabbed the nearest hand towel within reach and tossed it at the man. “You’re getting water everywhere,” he huffed, shaking his head as he trudged to the back room to grab a mop and bucket and ‘wet-floor’ sign from the storage closet. When he returned to the front of the shop, the man, or potential customer, had wiped his face and was currently rubbing the towel against his head to dry his hair. The man had moved to the front counter and watched as Sehun rushed past him. “Have you ever heard of an umbrella?” He asked bombastically, and really, he didn’t expect the other to actually answer the question but of course, he did. “Well I was only next door so I didn’t think I’d get this wet…” he chuckled diffidently, and it was then that Sehun looked up just in time to see the man wringing out his shirt right on the floor. “Uh, could you not…?” Sehun asked, gesturing to the newly formed mini-puddle at the other's feet. The other immediately dropped his shirt and held his hands up in defense. “Sorry, sorry. I figured while you’re at it…” he teased but Sehun just stared unamused for a moment before walking over to mop up the new puddle.

“So, do you greet all your customers like this or am I just special?” the other asked playfully, watching Sehun.

“Only when they create potential lawsuits,” Sehun shot back, wringing the mop out of the excess water into the bucket. When Sehun finished soaking up the puddle, he stood with on hand on his hip and the other holding the mop handle to inspect the floor, making sure he mopped up all the water. Feeling satisfied, Sehun didn’t bother rolling the mop and bucket to the back, he instead set up the wet-floor sign, rolled the cleaning items to behind the front counter where he stood. Straightened up his wide shoulders, Sehun stared at the other with a pointed look. “Well, I'm assuming you came for some flowers, right?” His smile was tight compared to the other’s genuine, friendly smile. Sehun had never seen this man before, or at least not that he could remember, but he knew would have recognized that angelic smile from anywhere. “Actually, I came to ask if you would like for you to get lunch with me sometime,” The other smiled hopefully. Sehun answered immediately, "I don’t think so.” “Why not?” The other asked dejectedly. He had shifted to lean on the surface of the counter with his arms crossed. “Because I don't know you?” Sehun replied, ending his sentence on an upward inclination and a raise of a brow.

“I’m Huang Zitao, but everyone calls me Tao,” Tao offered. “ Not what I meant,” Sehun deadpanned. Even though Sehun was clearly unamused, Tao laughed lightly. “Well, if we went out for lunch then you could get to know me,” he offered again. Sehun declined again, “I’ll pass.”

“Are you sure?” Tao asked, this time with a frown and knitted brows.

A stern “Yes,” was Sehun’s only response so Tao shrugged. “Alright. Well, it was a shot in the dark anyway,” he said casually.

The quick acceptance caught Sehun by surprise; he expected Tao to keep trying so when he didn't, the air around them went silent and heavy except for the muffled sounds of rain hitting the roof. Sehun finally broke the silence with, “So, are you going to buy anything or…?” it caught Tao off guard. “Oh,” Tao took a moment to glance around the shop; he eyed almost every plant and flower available before looking back to Sehun who was standing there with an expectant look on his face. “I would like some flowers,” Tao finally decided with a pleased smile on his face that contrasted Sehun’s deadpan expression.

Sehun forced himself not to smile by pursing his lips, “Well, do I have good news for you,” he quipped in a patronizing tone. This earned a light giggle from Tao that was by now music to Sehun’s ears, “Yeah, I guess that was kind of a given.” “Yeah," Sehun laughed lightly, “Well, what kind of flowers do you need?” “Um, let’s see...” Tao didn’t know a single thing about flowers other than they usually smelled good and made great gifts, well, for those without allergies anyhow. So, eyeing the room once more, Tao’s eyes landed on the first vibrant batch of flowers that came into view.  “How about some Lilies?” Tao asked, turning back to face Sehun, whose expression had softened. “I just need something for inspiration for an art piece I’m working on,” Tao started unprompted, because “I’m a tattoo artist,” Tao pointed behind him with his thumb. “I actually work next door at Electric Kiss .” “Oh,” Sehun said, glancing in the direction of the tattoo shop. Twenty Flowers was a corner store so Sehun had a clear view of the tattoo parlor right across the street. “But, I’ve... never seen you there before...?” “Does that mean you come by there a lot?” Tao asked with a smirk. Tao’s flirtatious tone and his damn, gorgeous smirk left Sehun feeling flustered as he combed his fingers through his dark strands before stammering, “No. Well---,” And forcing himself to stop mid-sentence. With a deep sigh, Sehun looked from Tao’s face and down at the counter which seemed to be the safer option before continuing, "Okay, yeah, I do but that’s because my best friend works there, so,” Sehun lifted his gaze, daring to take a moment to regard Tao’s appearance entirely. He finally took notice that Tao’s bare arms were decorated with intricate and beautiful illustrations in a deep black ink. The marks started at Tao’s wrists and snaked right up his arms to disappear under the hem of his sleeve. Sehun could still see a few of the designs through the thin, damp fabric that clung to Tao’s shoulders. He must have had some on his chest, too, Sehun thought as his eyes shifted to see if he could tell or not. Unfortunately, because of the tee’s logo, it was hard to tell if there were any tattoos on his chest or not. Regardless, the tattoos Tao had on his arms were absolutely gorgeous, mesmerizing even, and complemented his sun-kissed tan. Sehun was lost admiring the artwork when Tao asked, “Pretty cool, huh?” And Sehun’s face heated up (he was sure his ears were red, too) because he had been staring, and Tao knew and his cheeky grin was seriously just the worst. Still, Tao twisted his arms to show Sehun all the artwork that embellished his skin and idly explained some of the meanings behind the art but whatever he was saying went through one ear and out the other because all Sehun could focus on were the muscles on Tao’s arms that curved with his movements. Sehun moved his gaze to Tao’s face which he thought that would be safer, but he was wrong, it was worse because now he could see how annoyingly handsome Tao’s face was. Sehun had somehow failed to notice the soft curve of his smile that contradicted his edged cheekbones and sharp-lined and unnaturally vibrant blue eyes. Sehun hated how Tao was both beautiful and handsome even though he was drenched from head to toe. “Yeah,” Sehun cleared his throat, “They’re...gorgeous, actually,” he admitted. Tao grinned wide and proud, “I know. I designed them myself. I also have some on my back too. Here, Let me show you...” Tao turned away from Sehun and started to pull up his sodden shirt. “Wait, no!” Sehun yelped and reached out over the countertop, his torso pressed flat to the surface and gripped Tao’s wet shirt, halting Tao's movements. When he stopped, Sehun withdrew his hand immediately and could feel the familiar heat creep onto his face. Letting his shirt fall, Tao turned back around to see Sehun laid on the countertop and looking up at him. Tao stared down at Sehun in confusion as Sehun quickly removed himself from the counter, stood up straight once more and adjusted his apron, refusing to meet Tao's eyes as he mumbled, “Don’t do that here,” Sehun pressed his lips together tightly, instantly regretting the implications of his words. “Not here?” Tao repeated, an amused grin sprawled across his face. Tao leaned on the counter once more. This time he was close enough to Sehun as if he had a secret to share, and this made Sehun’s chest tighten. Tao was close. So close, and Sehun made a small noise of defeat when Tao added a flirty, “Then where?” “Oh my god,” Sehun exhaled. “Nowhere. Not here or anywhere else. I don’t want to see any more of your tattoos,” he stated in exasperation, “So please, just tell me what I can help you with so I can get back to work,” Sehun’s voice was curt from embarrassment, but he made sure his tone could cut diamonds. The playful grin on Tao’s face faded slowly as he nodded. “Alright, well, I’d like to buy some Lilies,” It was then that Sehun remembered that Tao already told him what he had wanted but Tao didn’t mention that. “What color? Or does it even matter?” He asked and Tao shrugged with a cheery, “Nope!” Sehun decided to avoid meeting the gaze of those striking blue eyes with busying himself by writing down the details of Tao’s order. It was unnecessary, but really, he couldn’t handle looking at Tao at the moment. “Okay. Then how many do you need?” Sehun asked. He could tell Tao didn’t think that far ahead because he looked stumped. After several seconds Tao finally answered, “A bunch.” Sehun all but slammed the pen on the counter and dragged his hand down his face, “That’s not an actual amount.” he grumbled, but with an exasperated sigh, Sehun walked around the counter to retrieve a few Lilies. Since the color didn’t matter, Sehun settled on red Lilies because those were his personal favorite when it came to these flowers, not that Tao needed to know that. Collecting the flowers only took him just a few minutes and Sehun returned to the front counter, still avoiding Tao’s eyes. “Dare I ask...but is that all?” Sehun mumbled and Tao laughed brightly. “Yeah. That’ll be all,” he confirmed, digging through his wallet for some cash. When Sehun took the money from Tao, his long, delicate fingers brushed against Tao’s hand. His skin was unfairly warm even after being drowned in the cold rain. Sehun pretended to not notice. As Sehun finished ringing up Tao’s order, he could feel Tao’s gaze on him. Feeling hyper-aware of his own movements now, Sehun became flustered and managed to fumble the money that resulted in dropping a coin or two onto the floor. Finally, he got his act together and Tao was all set to leave. “Alright, you’re good to go,” he confirmed, gaining a bright smile from Tao. “Thanks, and uh, sorry again about the flood,” Tao teased.

Compressing a smile, Sehun shot back, “Yeah, next time I’ll just make you leave.”

“Next time?” Tao smirked. This time Sehun did smile but rolled his eyes, “Yeah. Next time, as in if you return as a paying customer again and not a liability,” his tone had no bite to it and it made Tao giggle. “Okay. Sounds good,” Tao lingered for just a moment as Sehun busied himself with tidying up the register area. “You know,” Tao started and Sehun looked up, “You have a nice smile,” he stated easily as if he didn’t have a lick of shame in him. Sehun didn't respond but he was sure his traitorous complexion said enough. With one last smile, Tao finally turned on his heels and headed for the door, but before exiting the shop, he called out, “See ya later, Sehun!” And rushed out the door and back to the tattoo parlor. The rain was still coming down but not as hard as it had been earlier. Sehun heaved a relieved sigh when Tao was gone, however, unfortunately for him, Sehun couldn’t focus on anything other than Tao for the rest of his shift.

+++++++++ When Tao returned to Electric Kiss, Jongin was the first to look up at him with a broad smile, “How’d it go, Romeo?” he teased, and Tao gave him a tight smile, holding up the flowers. “Need these to woo Soo?” Tao joked but it lacked humor. Jongin looked concerned if not just saddened by his statement. “Did it not go well?” he pressed, giving Tao his full attention. Jongin was the only one at his station, assuming the others were on break, had the day off, or in the back rooms. Tao walked over to his own station and sighed as he gently set the flowers on his stand. He grabbed a towel from the shelf underneath the counter to finish drying off with. “It didn’t really go at all,” he replied, plopping down in his chair, drying his face. “Are you sure he’s...looking or interested in...?” Tao asked with a raised brow. “Yes," Jongin answered quickly, confidently. "I mean, yes. Definitely. I don’t understand…” he admitted, frowning, “We just talked the other night about him dating again…” Jongin’s lips pursed in thought. “I remember Sehun saying he was going to try to date…or at least start actively looking...” Jongin turned in his chair to face Tao completely, still pouting. “But maybe he didn't mean right now..." he finished softly and Tao shrugged, wrapping the towel around his shoulders as he sat back in his chair. "I’m sorry that didn’t go well though…” Tao sighed with a small smile. “It's okay. I still like him…Even if he’s kind of….” Tao paused for a moment to search for the right word.

“A prude? A snob?” Jongin offered and Tao huffed a laugh. “I was going to say fussy, but those work, too.” This time Jongin laughed, nodding in agreement. The silence that fell was comfortable as Jongin busied himself at his station. Tao picked up one of the Lilies, admiring the crimson petals and the dark dots that lined the inside of them. He breathed in the scent when he felt Jongin’s eyes on him. Tao blinked up at him as he slowly put the flower down. “What?” he asked.

“Did you ask for red Lilies?” “No,” Tao answered simply, but Jongin just back looked down at his machine with a knowing smirk. “What?” Tao demanded curiously, sitting up in his chair and leaning forward. “What’s so funny?” Jongin bit his lip and shrugged slyly, “Nothing. It’s just that red Lilies are Sehun’s favorite color Lily,” He glanced at Tao again, wiggling his brows. Tao’s own brows shot up as a florid complexion sprawled across his cheeks, and he looked back to the Lily he was holding. He tried to bite back a smile but hearing Jongin’s amused laugh only made him smile wider.

+++++++++

When Sehun’s shift was coming to an end, he began his usual routine mid-afternoon routine of cleaning, watering the plants and counting the money in his till. As he counted the bills, Sehun noticed a business card lying on top the register that he swore wasn’t there this morning. He stopped counting and picked up the card, looking it over. One one side it had Electric Kiss ’s logo on the top of the card along with a name, a few numbers (one being the tattoo shop number) and a random design underneath the logo. Sehun rolled his eyes as he tried to compress his smile as he figured it out. “Really?” he mumbled to himself flipping over the card, and as he expected, Tao had left it here. With his smile finally breaking in amusement, Sehun looked at the name on the card. In all caps, the name read: ‘T.A.O’ with the job title ‘Artist’ underneath. Sehun considered the card for a moment longer and then looked at the numbers listed. The numbers that were listed on the other side of the card were labeled ‘work’ and ‘cell’. Sehun tucked the card into his back pocket and continued to count his till. It’s not that Sehun was going to actually contact Tao, he convinced himself, he just didn’t want it lying around the shop. Sehun finished counting the till just as his coworker came in to take over his shift and he finally left for home.