Lukadrien June 2.0

Adrien wanted to defend Luka, but it was getting hard to. Adrien had been working at the flower shop over the past few months after he moved back to Paris after living with his aunt and cousin in London. With no friends except Chloe, Sabrina and Kagami – and the latter two girls where more Chloe’s best friend and his cousin’s girlfriend respectively – Adrien hadn’t been expecting much to happen while working there. The one other person close to his age at the shop was Marc, who was shy and introverted, preferring to hide in his hoodie and journal. Normally, his boyfriend would arrive and pick him up, leaving Adrien alone with Marc’s mother, who was a quiet person herself past giving him instruction and answering questions.

Then Luka came. He was a delivery boy but would also sometimes set up as a busker outside the shop. It was normally the sound of his guitar strums floating into the shop but rarely, the sounds of a violin would come through, still playing notes that spoke to Adrien in a way he’d never expected. He told Luka as much the first time he took passing the deliveries to him. Marc’s mother normally did the talking with Luka, but she’d been in a consult meeting, so she pointed to where the deliveries where and told him Luka would walk him through everything.

Luka was securing the orders to the wagon attached to the back of his bike when Adrien spoke up.

“The music you were playing yesterday?” a day he’d been feeling lost and wondering why he convinced his aunt to let him move back to Paris alone, a day Luka’s music seemed to play the feelings Adrien had bouncing around him. “It, it was really good. I felt like…I understood.”

“I should hope so. That was your heart song. I’m glad it’s sounding better now.”

Luka explained heart songs to him, his blue eyes gleaming as he got into how Luka played to help them settle, though sometimes it meant playing what they sounded like first. “Normally helps the person recognise how they feel so they can face it. helps more than you know.”

They continued to grow closer and before Adrien knew it, he was taking care of passing off deliveries and spending more time with his first new friend. He told him bits and pieces of his life, how after his mother’s passing, his father disappeared as well and he moved in with his aunt, how his godmother in everything but name had been running his father’s fashion company and how he missed home. He’d convinced his aunt to let him move back and was staying with Chloe while trying to figure out if he should attend public school.

“I’m not help there. My sister and I are 3 years apart and I did homeschooling since I was 10.” Luka said. “But, I do miss the chance of making friends on my own. I’m lucky my sister’s friends and classmates like me. I mean, we’re even considering making a band together, though it’s more Rose’s baby than my own. Whatever you choose, you’ll be ok. You’ve got friends on the outside.”

Was it any surprise Adrien got a crush? But he’d never confessed to anyone and he was still fuzzy on how his cousin and Kagami got together, so they were no help. Anime could only tell him so much, so he came up with an idea. He’d use the flowers. He got a free bouquet with leftover flowers as part of his benefits and Adrien had a vast knowledge of flower language, so whenever Luka started picking up deliveries, Adrien would give him a bouquet of flowers to tell him how he felt.

It had been going on 2 months now and somehow, Luka was still clueless.

 “Maybe,” Adrien said, trying to push for some hope that maybe Luka just missed something, “he just can’t say anything.”

“Telling someone your not interested, isn’t hard.”

It wasn’t. Adrien might be sheltered, but he knew that. He knew he could just say it, make everyone’s lives easier, but why couldn’t he have some whimsy in his life. He didn’t assume Luka knew the language of flowers, but from their conversations, he knew some. So, Adrien went for obvious flowers and still, nothing. For the bouquet this time, Adrien went as obvious as he could make it. Roses and tulips, along with baby’s breath. The filler flowers had a deeper meaning that Adrien assumed Luka might know about, seeing how he knew the story of peonies within Greek mythology. Again, clarification would help him, but sue him for hoping he could get an easy understanding of someone just getting him.

Luka came by after Chloe left, which was probably for the best. Chloe cared in her own way, but she had a habit of letting her mouth talk before her head and he didn’t want any issues to arise.

“Hey!” Luka greeted, his guitar on his back and his helmet slipping off his head. “How’s it going?”

“Good. Not too many deliveries this time. are you gonna come back later?” Adrien asked looking at the case.

“I was working on a song. I think you might like it, if you’re not busy.”

Hope filled Adrien’s heart. “Oh?”

“It’s something I’ve been hearing for a while and I think I’ve finally got it down.”

Feeling his heart raise in anticipation, Adrien nodded. “I’ll definitely be listening. I’ll go get the orders. You know where to leave your guitar.”

The orders were quickly put into the wagon and Luka was given his instructions, leaving Adrien hoping that this could be it. he tied up his already made bouquet of the roses and tulips with brown paper and worked on making other ones for the store to keep himself busy. Luka came and collected his guitar, giving Adrien a smile since the younger was busy with a customer. The music came falling in not too long after and even without words, Adrien could tell it was a love song. It was full of feelings of nervous confession and hopeful answers. Could this be it?

______________________

Luka pushed his bike up the gangplank, trying to figure out where he messed up. the bouquet that had been thrown at him was a little dented but still in good shape. He thought Adrien would appreciate the song he’d been working on based off of Rose’s heart song, what with the bouquets that spoke of love. He wasn’t 100% sure on that, flower language wasn’t something he really knew. The roses felt like an obvious tell, but he wasn’t about to say that when he had a crush on Adrien.

The sheltered boy was so easy to get along with. He always had a smile and his heart song was bright. With all the time they spent during delivery pickups, they’d gotten closer and Luka couldn’t help falling. He was better with music than with words, but his songs during his busking hours were only pieces of how he felt. he was using Rose’s song to make a mock up of how to put those feelings into words and he thought Adrien would like it. he’d been explaining this after he’d been gifted another bouquet Adrien had made as practise, and watching the bright-eyed smile drop from his face hadn’t been something he expected. The thrown bouquet and annoyed look made him feel bad, but Adrien disappeared back inside the flower shop before Luka could ask and the heart song was full of anger and hurt.

“You look like you got smacked.” Juleka said, sitting in the dining area close to the kitchen.

“I did.” He put the bouquet on the counter and headed to the shared area where their rooms were.

It was quiet before the crinkling of the butcher paper from the flowers came down that hall and Juleka appeared around the corner holding them. “Pretty. The guy from the shop?”

“Adrien.”

Juleka gave him the look she gave when he was missing something really obvious. “Lu, do you know what rose mean?”

“Basic ‘I love you’ flower, right?”

The purple rose wasn’t an obvious colour and the rose tulips stood out along with white spots of the filler plant he was blanking on the name of.

“Did you read that book Rose lent you? the one about flowers?”

Luka looked over to amp he used as a bedside table. His side of the room was pretty bare compared to his sister’s and he normally focused on working on his songs when he got back from work. Rose had +of the amp.

“Read it and then tell me what you find out.”

Purple roses were given for love at first sight and tulips was a much deeper flower to say you had feelings. The carnations from the last bouquet meant affection. With each flip, he’d find the flowers Adrien had given him and find different ways to say there was affection. Luka had thought the bouquets Adrien started giving him were just ones he made as practise, an extra bonus to the bit of euro Adrien would try dropping into his guitar case when he was finished for the day.

He'd been assuming the heart song of building feelings had been his own. Maybe he wasn’t listening hard enough.

______________________

“Are you ok?” Marc, in a rare event, was at the flower shop. He looked like he’d rather be anywhere though. It had to be because Adrien had been annoyed all morning.

He hated saying Chloe was right, but Luka either didn’t know how to turn him down or he really didn’t know. It had hurt to realise and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Romantic relationships wasn’t something he fully understood and honestly, losing the friendship with Luka would hurt. He could take being told he wasn’t interested. He’d been through it with Kagami, for like 2 weeks, but she was still one of his closest friends now. He just needed an answer and knowing he was going to have to ask to get clarification.

Talking about feelings sucked, but it was probably necessary.

“I’m fine.” Adrien said, picking up a new printed order. It was lily of the valley, blue hyacinths and lilacs; an apology and confession in one. There wasn’t a name or address, so it was probably a personal pick up. normally it said that, so he was surprised it didn’t.

Still, he put the order together, not saying anything as Marc’s friend – boyfriend? – took him and left Adrien by himself. Marc’s mom was off for the day and Adrien was in charge of closing by himself. The only big thing to worry about was seeing Luka. Maybe if he just told him, it wouldn’t be so difficult to deal with.

He’d just finished the last bouquet, when Luka had pushed the door open. He gave a small smile, like he knew he had to tread lightly. Adrien let out a breath through his nose. He didn’t tell Luka was he was annoyed, knowing his actions made it clear he was, but he still owed explaining to Luka what had upset him. but he was still allowed to be annoyed for a bit longer. He did what he usually did, placed the orders, with the correct sheets, all on the counter for Luka to grab. The last one waiting was the bouquet with no address.

“I’m not sure about this one. It might be a pick up.” Adrien said as Luka came back in, minus his helmet.

“I know.” Luka picked the bouquet up, brushing one of the petals of one of the lilies. “I messed up. I’m better at music than words, that I use it to say everything I’m thinking. But like words getting jumbled up, sometimes the music gets overcrowded. I wanted to tell you something but wanted to practise. I didn’t realise I was ignoring my own music and music I heard from you in trying to figure out words. It meant that when the answer was being handed to me, I didn’t know what it was. though, to be honest, I don’t exactly know what the language is, so that wasn’t fully my fault.”

“Wh – you know the story behind peonies!” Adrien reminded, though he was getting what Luka had done and what was happening.

“I like history!” Luka defended. “Not the point. I messed up. I just thought I needed the right words but I should have just said something. Adrien, I like you and I have for a while. If you’re willing to forgive me, I want to take you out.”

Being handed back the bouquet, Adrien bit down a smile. “I could have saved us trouble. I thought being subtle was better. Chloe called me an idiot and said if you weren’t getting it I should just say.”

“Maybe we’re a perfect fit after all. So, after the deliveries are done, can I bring you something?”

“If you get me the biggest slice of quiche from the Dupain Patisserie, maybe I’ll forgive you and after I close, we can go on the date?”