krystalkatzficz | The Art of flowers part 15

“Do you have anywhere to be after this?” Jun asked Nino quickly when the man was starting to pack away his flowers and vases. He wasn’t completely sure why he had decided to ask but he was sure that he wanted the answer to be no and he was surprised when Nino’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open for a moment before he mumbled;

“I promised my dad that I would help out at the shop. Why? What has Masaki said?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to ask you about the topiary sponges” It was a lie but he figured that it couldn’t hurt. The art of flowers was more complex than he ever would have imagined and he had to admit that he was rather warm and happy inside when Nino praised him.

“Topiary sponges? You want to ask…Don’t you have…Office things to do?” Nino spluttered looking a little embarrassed as his cheeks flushed brightly as his eyes went back to the flowers in front of him. It was a complete difference to the way that he had been only the day before and Jun wondered what Masaki had said to get such a reaction from him. His eyes went over to the other man who was still chatting very happily with Sho the pair looking as though they were lost in their own world or looking for the nearest flat surface.

“We have a half day today, actually, so I was just going to go have lunch and maybe go to the gym but…If I can get more help from the teacher before tomorrow…” Jun flashed his best grin, the one that made the female members of the team k’ya and awws when he used it. It didn’t appear to have any such effect on Nino however and he cleared his throat awkwardly and played around with his hair until the teacher sighed and then mumbled;

“Okay, as long as you’re paying”

“Yup, my pleasure” Jun agreed finally smiling now that he had been thrown a lifeline. Nino scowled for a minute and then turned back to do something with his flowers and Jun noticed that his hand completely missed the bunch that he was aiming for smacking into the table as he let out a very small groan his eyes snapping closed. “Ninomiya-sensei?”

“I’m fine, just a little headache, Masaki if you’re done flirting can you help me?” Nino snapped his eyes opening again as he turned to stare at his friend who looked more concerned than angry coming instantly to his side his hand on Nino’s wrist as though he was guiding him to the flowers. “I’m not incompetent…”

“I know, Nino-chan, but you know how your headaches are” Masaki said in an uncaring and bright voice “And you don’t scare me so stop griping and go get a glass of water while I finish these. Matsumoto-san will show you where it is”

“Um, yeah this way…” Jun said motioning with his hand and Nino followed him carefully blinking extremely quickly as he made confident but small steps. Jun wasn’t an expert with this kind of thing but he was sure that there was something wrong. A person shouldn’t bump into three tables on the way out of the room after all. “Your headache is really that bad?”

“Not so much, its already starting to fade” Nino hummed as they left the office and he rubbed his eyelids with a thumb and finger. “It’s not really a headache, more like blinding pain behind each eye…”

“Do you wear glasses? Um if not maybe you should think about getting some” Jun suggested knowing that he had experienced something similar when he was a teen.

“Maybe I will” Nino replied after half a minute of tense silence in which Jun was sure that he had said something wrong. Eventually they found themselves at the drinking station and he quickly poured Nino a glass of his own personal water and Nino took it gratefully and gulped it down “Sorry about that. It just comes on suddenly. Its irritating more than anything”

“You can’t help it so you shouldn’t really apologise.” Jun leant against the counter studying the strange teacher again knowing that there was something that he wasn’t putting his finger on and it was starting to irritate him. Nino sipped at the water and then sighed saying softly;

“If you want to call a rain check on dinner”

“No!” Jun answered with a touch too much eagerness in his voice and he tried to tone it down when he continued with “I mean as long as you’re okay with it”

“It fades almost as quickly as it comes, I’ll be fine”

“Then we’ll go”

TBC

A/N: Urgh…I hope that this doesn’t suck >.<