Chapter Text
It had been a good fifteen minutes that Boothill had been walking in circles in the store. He had grown a headache, and his stomach felt like it was hesitating between vomiting and a full-on dance. His heart, contrary to what he would have thought, seemed to barely pump any blood inside his body; like after drinking five coffees in a row, his heart was beating at an awfully fast rate but with little energy.
Argenti kissed him—him, Boothill! This… relationship, or whatever it was, had developed at an unusual speed, and in such a short amount of time, they had passed from neighbors who never talked to kissing.
Boothill was so lost in his sea of feelings that he had not even glanced out the window to see if Argenti was just continuing his day like any other day, or if he was in a similar state to Boothill—definitely not as lost as him, that’s for sure.
For this special occasion, he decided that he would close the store early today and go take a calm walk in the nearest park to calm himself down; it’s not like there were going to be many clients.
Just like he planned, Boothill turned the open sign on his glass door and left Roslynn Hill with a headache.
Boothill strolled in the green park filled with the blossoms of the not-yet flowers. Primrose Park wasn’t really big; this so, few people were around him and his feelings. He appreciated the silence and the fresh wind, caressing his cheeks just like Argenti had. From the top of the hill, he could see the high buildings of London. He always loved being slightly out of the city, living surrounded by people without the constant traffic and manifestations.
Boothill took a second to close his eyes and absorb the air around him; everything smelled so good. The smell seemed familiar to him. He thought deeply about what it reminded him of; it had a mostly earthy smell with a hint of… roses. Yes, that was it, but no roses were out at this time of the year… and why would this smell remind him of something that created instant happiness in him?
“Am I disturbing?” asked the gentle voice from behind him.
Boothill didn’t even jump. A fraction before he heard the words, his mind had found the answer. This was his smell, of course. No one else smelled anywhere near as good as he did—or maybe that was just an opinion.
“No… no, you’re not,” said Boothill. “I actually think we need to… talk, or at least sit down somewhere.”
“You’re right, Boothill,” answered Argenti with a low tone.
They walked side by side for a couple of meters until they found a bench that was a little wet. Argenti, like the gentleman that he is, used his shirt to remove the majority of what was on the bench, not letting Boothill wet his arse.
They sat together in silence, waiting for the other to speak first.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t—” started Argenti.
“I don’t think I—” said Boothill at the same time.
They let out a light laugh. Gosh, this was such a cliché.
Argenti took a deep breath, determined to start. “I’m sorry for kissing you like that. I-I didn’t ask for your consent…” Boothill laughed at Argenti being so sorry for not being a gentleman enough. “What? What’s so funny? And—and that’s not all. I also followed you even if I knew you probably needed space.” The man looked down at the ground. “I’m so selfish. I didn’t even think about what you wanted a single time today…”
“Argenti… respectfully, I don’t care,” said Boothill with a smirk and laughter in his eyes.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“I’m glad you kissed me. I’m happy you followed me. That’s exactly what I needed, I think, to talk to you,” he continued.
Argenti looked confused. “Then what’s the problem? You were clearly unwell, and you were saying something… well, I didn’t quite catch what you were saying, but I assumed it was negative.”
“I just… look, Argenti, I like you. I really, really do, but I don’t know if this is what I need right now…” he said with a frown.
“A relationship with me? Is that what this is?”
“Yeah, pretty much. In like no time, we became a hell lotta close, and I’ve had less time to be with my daughter, and I’m not takin’ care of the store as much as I should. I should’ve found a way to attract more customers a long time ago, and this ain’t helpin’ at all,” told Boothill, with a serious look and pain in his eyes.
Boothill had never seen such an awful expression on the beautiful man’s face; he looked like he had just been told that the world was ending tomorrow.
“I’ve been only thinkin’ about you, and I… neglected my daughter, and that’s somethin’ I can’t keep doin’, Argenti,” he continued.
“I mean… there could be some solutions for your problem, but I wouldn’t wanna… impose them or whatever, like there wasn’t any other choice, because of course you can decide to just continue with your life and only wave at me in the morning, and that could be it, or—” said the florist.
“Tell me, please,” asked Boothill with hope in his eyes.
“No, no, those would imply that you’d want a relationship with me, which you don’t.”
A cold and metallic hand grasped Argenti’s. The feeling was weird, but quite reassuring.
“Argenti, all I want is a relationship with you and a good life for my daughter,” said Boothill, emphasizing the “all.”
Waves of happiness entered Argenti’s soul. Maybe it was possible; maybe this was possible.
“My mother left me her apartment when she died. It’s big enough for a family; there’s two bedrooms. If you… wanted, which is totally okay if you don’t want to, you could—” explained Argenti, trying to contain his excitement before he got an answer.
“I’d love to live with you, handsome, and my daughter would too. You two’d really get along,” he laughed at the thought of his daughter applying makeup to Argenti or drawing him, or at least trying to draw him.
Argenti had held his breath while he answered; he let out a sigh of relief. It was possible.
“So are we…?” Argenti asked, confused by the turn of events.
“Hmm, how could I say this clearly…?” said Boothill with a smirk.
The metallic arm raised itself to grasp the back of the redhead’s head, pulling him into a deep kiss.
Argenti acted way faster than Boothill had before, caressing every part of his body from his forehead to his waist.
They kissed for a few minutes, embracing each other, forgetting that they were in a public park in the middle of the day.
“I love you, Boothill. I’ve never loved anyone like I love you. You awaken something in me, precisely in my stomach, every time I think of you,” confessed Argenti.
“I love you too, my little gentleman,” he answered with a smile and swollen lips.
Slowly, they pulled apart and got up, deciding that they shouldn’t just forget about their jobs. Argenti hadn’t even put the close sign on his door; he had just run after Boothill the moment he saw him flee for the park.
As they were walking back, Argenti, even if he wouldn’t have minded to just enjoy the moment, had to ask a question that had been on the brink of his lips for a long time.
“I always wanted to ask: why do you have a prosthetic arm?” he asked.
“Well, it’s quite a long story… but basically, I had an… accident, if you may call it that, and I lost my arm. Then my parents decided that I could probably never have a proper life without two arms, so they took a loan for it, convinced that they would repay it in no time, and I got my arm! But… my father lost his job and more… stuff, so in the end we had no money. My father asked me to go to work instead of school, and that explains why I’m so shit at readin’,” explained Boothill slowly, not going too deep into details, which was understandable.
“I’m sorry, love…” said Argenti with pity in his words.
“But this also created a certain passion for me. Every night, I’d watch my arm, wonderin’ how all those little pieces could just be perfectly placed in a way that my brain can control ’em. It’s magical, really. I wanted to do studies in medicine and help other children that had lost a member of their body, but… money was, of course, too tight for that. So I ended up bein’ the owner of a hardware store, which was the closest equivalent,” finally finished Boothill.
“You deserve all your dreams to come true, Boothill. Maybe if we get enough money together you could go to university and—” proposed Argenti.
“I don’t care about goin’ into medicine anymore. I want my time to go to you and my daughter, not teachers and papers.”
Argenti laid a soft kiss on Boothill’s forehead, making a pinkish color appear on his face.
“We’ll see, love,” said Argenti while continuing to walk toward his shop.
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**Fifteen years later,**
**Trends and World**
The company “Lively Roses”’ sales keep going up! Day after day, more and more people wish to acquire those fabulous technological flowers that may be attached to one’s body, changing colors and forms based on the owner’s emotions. This fabulous brand, created by Argenti and Boothill, has completely taken over the world with its sophisticated nature and its beauty.
Run to the only store in the world to acquire your own Lively Rose, on Roslynn Hill.
Article written by: Arthur St-John