Mad Season
a Weiss Kreuz story
by Magic Toes 11
It was gardenia season again, that time of the year that Omi had grown to dislike above all other flower cycles. He'd only been through one other such season while Weiss had been stationed at the Koneko flower shop, and it had almost been more than he or any of the other boys could handle. The high school girls a year ago had flocked to the store in droves, looking for a glimpse of their favorite boy behind a spray of white petals. They giggled, they squealed, they packed the store so full that true paying customers had to fight to get to the register. Of them all, only Ouka had really bought any flowers, all for Omi...
If the girls weren't enough, the scent of the gardenia flowers bothered him. None of the boys in Weiss had any sort of allergy or hay fever -- Persia had made sure of that when selecting his assassins. But, after a day of carting bouquets and white-potted arrangements from door to door, placing them carefully onto large displays, pulling more and more trays from the back room so that he was constantly breathing in the scent, Omi's nose would feel coated, itchy, as if he'd never manage to be rid of it. Sometimes, after a long day, Omi would close himself away into his room, shut the door as tightly as he could manage, and give in to the inevitable flurry of sneezes as he struggled to rid his nose of that horrid, cloying scent.
Not that sneezes weren't uncommon around the flowershop. In addition to the girls that would flock to the store in spite of horrendous hay fever, the boys weren't completely immune either. Sometimes, even outside gardenia season, the strong scent and sheer amount of pollen would get to be too overwhelming. Omi secretly envied the other boys, who apparently weren't quite as self-conscious as he was about sneezing in public. Yohji would often revel in the attention it got him from the gaggle of girls who would try to be first to give him a hanky. Aya would glare down anyone who dared even to bless him. And Ken... Ken was the type who wouldn't give it a second thought -- if he had to sneeze in the middle of conversation, he'd let it out and go right on with whatever he was saying.
But Omi just couldn't do it. Not in public, not with the flocks of girls that crowded the store on a regular basis. There was something mortifying, not only about the act itself, but also by the way he sneezed. Instead of one or two, they'd come in multiple waves, hard, loud, and most of all painful. No, Omi figured, best to keep it behind closed doors where no one could heap sympathy on him, or tease him relentlessly about it afterwards.
Omi had been at the flowershop since he'd gotten home from school, taking over Aya's ending shift and joining Ken on the floor in fighting off the schoolgirls that had decided they had nothing better to do with their after-school time than goggle and squeal at them. From the moment he slipped on his apron, it was an endless gaggle of females -- and gardenias. Omi rang up orders, arranged bouquets, helped Ken carry seas of trays from the greenhouse, all for women (and one or two token men) who wanted to experience the peak of gardenia season.
And at first, the scent didn't truly bother him, nothing more than a little discomfort at the smell. But as the day wore on and the orders racked up, the fragrance of gardenias seemed to grow exponentially stronger. It coated his senses and filled his nose, making the itch within steadily worse. But soon he'd be able to close the doors, dash up to his room, and just be rid of those blasted gardenias until his next shift. If only Ken would just finish fending off the remaining girls in the store and usher them out the door, he could --
"I'd like to buy all of these, please!"
The overconfident voice startled Omi from his thoughts, and he immediately put on a falsely brilliant grin. Big mistake. When he looked up from where he sat behind the register, an overly exuberant smile beamed back at him from atop a sea of fragrant white petals.
Omi's classmate, Ouka slapped a credit card upon the counter -- the part that wasn't covered with pots upon pots of gardenias.
"You should be greeting all your customers with a smile, especially me!" Ouka said. "Which is why I'd like to give these to you, to cheer you up."
"I'm sorry, Ouka-chan," Omi said, trying hard to hide the sinking feeling in his chest. Just what he needed -- more gardenias. As if selling them day in and day out to customers weren't enough. "I guess I'm just a little preoccupied."
"Oh?"
Quickly, to cover his discomfort, Omi said, "How do you think you did on the biology quiz at school today?"
Ouka waved a hand dismissively. "Piece of cake! Don't tell me you think you did anything /but/ ace it."
"I... I don't know," Omi said, not looking up as he rang up Ouka's rather large, overly fragrant order. "Some of those questions really threw me."
Ouka stuck her lower lip out in a pout. "Well, then, I'll just have to tutor you. I know biology like the back of my hand!" She winked.
"I'm sure you do," said Omi, trying not to blush. "But I think I just need to study harder. And not work quite so many late nights." He smiled sheepishly.
"Yes, that would be a good idea, wouldn't it? Omi-kun doesn't want to flunk out of school after all."
"Oi. Are you going to finish up, or are you going to stand there and talk all day?" Ken's voice broke in over Omi's shoulder. "We're closing. Go home."
Ouka didn't turn and stuck her nose in the air. "That's no way to treat a customer, you know! Isn't that right, Omi?"
"Ah." Omi looked from Ouka back to Ken. "I'll take these out to Yohji-kun for the last delivery and let you use the register."
Ken nodded and gave a saccharine smile to Ouka. "Have a nice day."
"That's still not very polite!" Ouka started to protest, but cut herself off quickly as Omi gathered the pots of gardenias into his arms. "Now see here, Omi, these are a gift!"
"Yes, they are. You gave them to me, and in return, I'm going to give them to your mother. Please send her my regards," Omi said pleasantly, at the same time trying not to wince as the white-petaled gardenias tickled the tip of his nose. The scent was nothing if not overpowering.
"I -- okay, Omi." Ouka wrinkled her nose. "But be careful with them! I don't want you bruising them!"
Omi sighed inwardly, all senses on overdrive as he carried the white flowers out to the delivery van. He sniffled faintly as he loaded them in, adding to the numerous other pots and arrangements of gardenias, the fragrance strong, cloying, overpowering in the small space in the back of the van.
But at least the persistent sniffle gave Omi an excuse to send Ouka off quickly, claiming he felt as if he were coming down with something. By the time he returned to the store, Ken had quickly put the `closed' sign on the door and was already counting out the register.
"Ne, Ken-kun, what more is there to do?" Omi asked immediately upon entering.
Ken glanced up from counting the register drawer. "Huh? Oh, not a whole lot, actually. Aya took good care of things before he left. There's that display to restock, and general clean-up, and that's about it." He gestured towards the front window, where he'd already placed the tray of flowers to be arranged neatly.
Omi tried not to sigh as he picked out the pots from the tray one by one, the fragrance of gardenia assaulting his twitching nose. Gardenias. Always gardenias...
"That girl's a pain in the ass," Ken said, wiping down the front counter.
"Who, Ouka? She's not that bad," Omi said, trying to ignore the unabating scent of gardenias that he placed in a neat arrangement on the display. "She's just a little overzealous, that's all."
Ken shrugged. "At least she buys something, unlike some of the other girls."
Omi ran his finger beneath his nose, which was starting to itch like crazy. But with Ken still finishing up the closing work in the shop, there was no way he'd be able to let it out. Not with Ken still around. "Why don't you let me finish up for you, Ken-kun? As an apology for taking up the register before."
"You weren't taking up the register," said Ken, sliding out of his red work apron. "But I won't complain if you'll let me off shift early." He grinned.
"Not a problem." Omi tried not to look at Ken, nostrils twitching as he rubbed his index finger against the base of his nose in a vain effort to still the tickle until Ken could leave.
"I'll be upstairs playing video games if you need me," Ken said as he walked towards the door to the upstairs apartments.
"Have a ... nice night, Ken-kun!" Omi said, his breath hitching in the middle, eyelids fluttering as he struggled to keep from sneezing.
"Ja," said Ken, and closed the door behind him.
God, Ouka drove him crazy.
God, he thought Ken would never leave.
God, but he had to /sneeze/.
Omi practically dove behind the counter, grabbing two tissues from the box on one of the lower shelves, kept there for the periodic allergic customer. Two gasping breaths escaped him before he sneezed fiercely into the tissues, practically doubling over at the force.
"Henh... heh... chhhhsssh! Huh-chuuhhh! Huh... cchhuuush!"
Panting, Omi leaned his head back, glancing towards the ceiling light as if to hasten along the next round of sneezes. He just wanted it to be over with, to get that blasted scent of gardenia out of his nose. The tickle was still too strong in his sinuses, almost too much to bear. He brought the tissues up to his nose once more, convulsively taking in a short breath as another fit of sneezes was on the brink, when --
"Oi, Omi, I can't find my keys. You got yours?"
Omi gasped, managing to stifle the sneeze behind a tissue just as the door from the upstairs apartments slammed open and Ken emerged, appearing thoroughly disgruntled. Righting himself, Omi pulled his free hand through the hair that had tumbled into his face, and he sniffed hard. The tickle was still there, like a cat, playing with him. Omi rubbed hard at the base of his nose to try to still that incessant tickle. "Ken-kun... keys?"
"Yeah. I had `em down here earlier. I don't know where they might have gone, and I'm locked out of my room." Ken lazily scanned the countertop, before his eyes turned to Omi and narrowed. "Ne, Omi, are you okay?"
"Fine... I'm fine, Ken-kun..." Omi managed between hitching breaths.
"You look like you're about to cry."
Omi shook his head, index finger poised beneath his nose and pressing down hard. It wasn't helping... "Just gotta... hh-mmph! ...s-sneeze." Somehow, he managed to stifle the one sneeze that attempted to escape; but it did little to quell the fierce tickle that only seemed to swell and intensify exponentially. He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to maintain his composure at this rate. The smell of the gardenias was so strong just thinking about it made his nose twinge.
Ken rolled his eyes and let out a wry laugh. "You call that a sneeze?"
Omi gave another fierce shake of his head, feeling his hair tickle the tip of his nose. This was torture, sheer torture, and Ken standing there, watching him with that smirk on his face, just wasn't helping matters. Pinching his nose, Omi leaned forward and, with a gasping breath, stifled two more sneezes. "Hh-mmph! Mmf!"
"Come on, Omi, just let it out. It ain't healthy for you to stifle it."
"Ah... Ken-kun... I can't.. cah...Ahh--" But as hard as he tried to contain it, his nose had won. Omi bent double at the waist, tissues flying up to his nose and hair falling across his eyes as the fit overtook him. "Huh-csssssh! Hah-chisssh! Heh... heh... heh-CHUUUSSH!" Pausing for breath, he sniffled once, twice, and then... "Hah-cchhssh! Ah... Oh, God... Hah-chisshh! Hah-chhhsssh! HAH-CCHHUUSHH!"
Ken's eyes were wide, almost in awe that such a loud sneeze could come from such a small young man. "You done?"
Omi paused as he caught his breath, feeling as if he /could/ cry. Yes, it seemed the fit had abated for the time being. But to lose it like that, and in front of Ken, of all people... "Mm-hmm."
"Bless you. You coming down with something?"
"I'm sorry, Ken-kun," Omi said, flushing miserably as he blew his nose hard, snatched another tissue, and blew again. "It's just the gardenias."
Ken lifted a brow dubiously. "Allergic?"
"No, they just bother me." Even in spite of his embarrassment, Omi managed a small laugh. "I think I sneezed my brains out there, Ken-kun."
"Ah, don't worry. You didn't lose much." Ken smirked and patted Omi on the head, mussing his hair further.
"Hey!" exclaimed Omi indignantly. "At least I /had/ a brain to begin with!"
"Aw, I'm only teasing you." Ken smirked and nudged Omi's shoulder with a fist. "You know, I don't think I've ever heard you sneeze before."
Just like Ken, to speak so easily about it, Omi thought as his cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. "That's because I don't sneeze in front of people."
Ken arched a brow. "Why's that?"
"Well... I --" Omi struggled for the words to explain, before blurting out, "You heard me! You'd be embarrassed too if that's what you sounded like."
"Bah. You sounded like you needed to get that out. You should do it more often, too. Wouldn't want your pretty little head exploding."
"Ken-kun!" Omi sputtered. "I couldn't do that... Not with the girls in the shop. They'd probably try to give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!"
At that, Ken laughed, his head thrown back in amusement. "Too true, Omi. Your lips did seem to be turning a little blue back there."
"Ne, Ken-kun? Can we go upstairs now?" Omi sniffled running his finger beneath his nose once more. The scent of gardenias, so thick in the flowershop, had begun creeping back into his nose. If he didn't get out of the shop soon, he'd have to relive another mortifying sneezing attack....
"Huh? Yeah, of course." Ken drew away from the counter and started towards the door, glancing back over his shoulder with his brows raised. "You sure you're not allergic to gardenias?"
"If anything, I'm allergic to you," Omi said in a lightly joking voice.
"Oi!" Before Omi knew it, Ken had grabbed him around the neck and was giving the younger boy a firm noogie. "What'd I do to deserve that?"
Omi laughed aloud, squirming out of Ken's grip, and spun to face him, sticking out his tongue. "Nothing," he chuckled, backing quickly towards the door.
"You really have that much of a problem with sneezing in public?"
"You're not the one who can knock down houses with a single sneeze," Omi said, a little begrudgingly.
"That's true," Ken said, pausing before the door leading upstairs, to blessed freedom from the flowershop. "But it's nothing to be ashamed about. Hell, I think you should use it if you ever run out of crossbow bolts against an enemy! Omi and his mighty sneeze of doom!"
Omi started to laugh a little again. "I don't think I could ever do that..." he murmured.
"Come on," Ken said with a wink as he opened the door. "Let's get upstairs. Or we can stay downstairs and find out if you really will need mouth-to-mouth."
"Ken-kun!" Omi cried, cheeks blushing a brilliant shade of scarlet. He tried to hurry past Ken on his way to the second floor before the other boy could see his embarrassment.
"Or," Ken said, slowly following behind Omi, seemingly unmindful of his discomfort, "we could stay upstairs, if you need mouth-to-mouth."
"Ahh!"
As Omi tried to dash up the stairs, Ken grabbed him fast around the waist, hands immediately mussing the other boy's hair. But somehow, in spite of it all, it was okay -- because amid the laughter and the games, Omi could put the day, the girls, the gardenias, and the sneezes behind him. And Omi had all intentions to ensure that Ken was the one who'd need mouth-to-mouth by the end of it all...
The End
A/N: Now, now, Ouka isn't all /that/ bad. Don't hate her just `cause she's moving in on Ken's territory. *wink*