Meet Ugly #11 - New Dealer
2018-Dec-27, Thursday 11:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
felicitygs11. my old dealer is moving to be with his boyfriend, so he hooks me up with you and you refuse to sell to me because I cut in front of you in line one time YEARS ago and I’m not even sure that it was me. this is ridiculous - Meet Ugly #11
"Trust me, he's cool," Clint says as he neatly finishes tying the ribbon around the flower basket. "Really good quality stock, good eye for arrangements. He's been in the business longer than me." He leans back, looking at the basket.
"If you say so," Tony says, crossing his arms. "Are you sure you don't want me to just buy the shop and keep you here?"
Clint laughs, as if Tony's joking even though he is actually really serious. He's not sure how he could afford it, but he could think of something. Maybe a bake sale. It must be the baby face that keeps Clint from believing Tony; he stops tapping his breastbone for a second to rub his jaw. Shaving had been a mistake.
"Look, I get it, people hate change, but I'm out. I've already got an apartment in Portland and a job on the ocean."
"But Maine," Tony whines.
Clint just laughs again and slides the basket across the counter. There's a very nice looking business card tucked between some of the basket's weave, a glint of gold script in the light.
"It's been great working with you," Clint says, and Tony knows that is, unfortunately, that.
***
Fresh flowers are, Tony knows, a bit of an odd indulgence entirely at odds with what people expect from him. But they're nice--it's nice to have something green and fragrant and alive (in a different way from the bots) in the lab, and Tony's long since learned even a pothos can't survive his (inattentive) care.
Besides, it's nice to support the local economy.
Tony had been buying flowers from Clint's shop for nearly a decade now; it's frustrating Clint's moving to go live on a boat--kind of--but Tony can let go of his selfishness (a bit) to admit it's pretty cool Clint's finally getting to live out one of his dreams.
Which just leaves the matter of the new local dealer he needs to get his fresh flowers from each week. He shoves his hands in his pockets, staring at the outside of the shop. It's tucked away down a little side alley, flowers and plants spilling out from the glass doors (open) and onto the street. It's a lot more jungle-ish than Clint's shop, but Tony supposes Clint was in a part of town that demanded something approximating minimalism, and this street--and this part of town--decidedly do not.
At least he won't lack for options.
A motion sensor activated bell chimes as Tony goes inside; from the back, he hears a faint "Just a moment."
"Sure thing," Tony calls back. He starts to browse, looking through the plants, trying to assess how healthy they are. Not that he knows, but they're gorgeous, and when he touches a leaf, it doesn't have any of droop or dryness that suggests under watering. They look, to his untrained eyes, rather good.
There's a rustle from behind him of someone pushing through leaves; Tony turns and there is a six foot some odd man standing there, slacks and button up shirt with sleeves rolled and pinned at the elbows. This must be the Loki from the fancy business card; Tony starts talking even as Loki's face starts to shift from pleasant store owner to confusion to outright irritation.
"Hey, I'm Tony, Clint gave me your card because he closed his sho--"
"Get out," Loki says, pointing at the doorway behind Tony with one hand, other on his hip.
"Uh--Clint said--"
"Clint said he had a new client for me, not an asshole who cut me in line for the last baguette of the day."
"What?" Tony asks, eyebrows drawing down as he stares at Loki. Loki starts toward him, all six odd feet of him, and Tony takes a single step back, putting his hands up in front of him. "Hey, hey, I have no idea what you're talking about, so maybe think about a chill pill or toke of weed or something--"
"I remember," Loki says, and wow, he must really like baguettes considering how angry he is. "And I'm not selling to you. Get out of my shop."
"Look, I've never bought a baguette in my life, I think you're just getting me mixed up with--hey hey hey, hands off the goods, you haven't even bought me a coffee yet." Tony bats Loki's hand away before it can grab onto his arm, taking another step back in the process and nearly vanishing inside some very tall plants. He's somewhat backed into a corner, stuck between two vases and a third at his back, vibrant green leaves hanging in his vision, but it does mean Loki can't easily reach him. Loki stares at where Tony's--not hiding, Tony does not hide--standing. "Really," Tony adds, and gives his most winsome smile.
Hopefully the baby face helps here.
Loki doesn't try to reach in and grab Tony at least, just stares at him, mouth set in the thinnest and firmest line.
"When would I have, uh. Cut in line?"
"June 2010."
"What the fuck, that was nearly a decade ago!"
"So you admit it!" Loki takes a step towards where Tony's half not-hiding.
"No! I'm saying who the hell holds a grudge for a decade about someone cutting in line for a baguette! How can you even be sure what the person looks like, I barely remember yesterday, let alone ten years ago!"
That seems to give Loki some pause, and he frowns very briefly and very slightly.
"You didn't cut in line for the last baguette at Le Pain?" Loki asks.
"Wait, the shop is literally name the bread? That's stupid."
There's another few long moments of tense silence, then Loki sighs and relaxes. "Get out from there, you're standing on one of the ferns."
Tony looks down and finds he is, in fact, standing on one of the ferns.
"Sorry," he says. "It must have been a really good baguette."
"They were the best in town," Loki says, then, after a very awkward pause (one Tony is very familiar with, because he has had many of this kind of pause himself), "My apologies."
"It's okay," Tony says. "I mean, maybe. Are you going to sell me some flowers? Clint said--"
"Oh. Right. Yes." Loki gestures for Tony to follow him. "He mentioned you get an arrangement every week." Another slight pause, no where near as awkward. "I suppose I'll give you a discount. For the... misunderstanding."
"Not free?" Tony asks with another winsome smile.
"You stepped on one of the ferns," Loki reminds him, but his eyes have a glint of a smile as he pulls out a binder and sets it on the register counter, and Tony smiles back.
Maybe Clint retiring from plant selling isn't so big a loss after all.
"Trust me, he's cool," Clint says as he neatly finishes tying the ribbon around the flower basket. "Really good quality stock, good eye for arrangements. He's been in the business longer than me." He leans back, looking at the basket.
"If you say so," Tony says, crossing his arms. "Are you sure you don't want me to just buy the shop and keep you here?"
Clint laughs, as if Tony's joking even though he is actually really serious. He's not sure how he could afford it, but he could think of something. Maybe a bake sale. It must be the baby face that keeps Clint from believing Tony; he stops tapping his breastbone for a second to rub his jaw. Shaving had been a mistake.
"Look, I get it, people hate change, but I'm out. I've already got an apartment in Portland and a job on the ocean."
"But Maine," Tony whines.
Clint just laughs again and slides the basket across the counter. There's a very nice looking business card tucked between some of the basket's weave, a glint of gold script in the light.
"It's been great working with you," Clint says, and Tony knows that is, unfortunately, that.
Fresh flowers are, Tony knows, a bit of an odd indulgence entirely at odds with what people expect from him. But they're nice--it's nice to have something green and fragrant and alive (in a different way from the bots) in the lab, and Tony's long since learned even a pothos can't survive his (inattentive) care.
Besides, it's nice to support the local economy.
Tony had been buying flowers from Clint's shop for nearly a decade now; it's frustrating Clint's moving to go live on a boat--kind of--but Tony can let go of his selfishness (a bit) to admit it's pretty cool Clint's finally getting to live out one of his dreams.
Which just leaves the matter of the new local dealer he needs to get his fresh flowers from each week. He shoves his hands in his pockets, staring at the outside of the shop. It's tucked away down a little side alley, flowers and plants spilling out from the glass doors (open) and onto the street. It's a lot more jungle-ish than Clint's shop, but Tony supposes Clint was in a part of town that demanded something approximating minimalism, and this street--and this part of town--decidedly do not.
At least he won't lack for options.
A motion sensor activated bell chimes as Tony goes inside; from the back, he hears a faint "Just a moment."
"Sure thing," Tony calls back. He starts to browse, looking through the plants, trying to assess how healthy they are. Not that he knows, but they're gorgeous, and when he touches a leaf, it doesn't have any of droop or dryness that suggests under watering. They look, to his untrained eyes, rather good.
There's a rustle from behind him of someone pushing through leaves; Tony turns and there is a six foot some odd man standing there, slacks and button up shirt with sleeves rolled and pinned at the elbows. This must be the Loki from the fancy business card; Tony starts talking even as Loki's face starts to shift from pleasant store owner to confusion to outright irritation.
"Hey, I'm Tony, Clint gave me your card because he closed his sho--"
"Get out," Loki says, pointing at the doorway behind Tony with one hand, other on his hip.
"Uh--Clint said--"
"Clint said he had a new client for me, not an asshole who cut me in line for the last baguette of the day."
"What?" Tony asks, eyebrows drawing down as he stares at Loki. Loki starts toward him, all six odd feet of him, and Tony takes a single step back, putting his hands up in front of him. "Hey, hey, I have no idea what you're talking about, so maybe think about a chill pill or toke of weed or something--"
"I remember," Loki says, and wow, he must really like baguettes considering how angry he is. "And I'm not selling to you. Get out of my shop."
"Look, I've never bought a baguette in my life, I think you're just getting me mixed up with--hey hey hey, hands off the goods, you haven't even bought me a coffee yet." Tony bats Loki's hand away before it can grab onto his arm, taking another step back in the process and nearly vanishing inside some very tall plants. He's somewhat backed into a corner, stuck between two vases and a third at his back, vibrant green leaves hanging in his vision, but it does mean Loki can't easily reach him. Loki stares at where Tony's--not hiding, Tony does not hide--standing. "Really," Tony adds, and gives his most winsome smile.
Hopefully the baby face helps here.
Loki doesn't try to reach in and grab Tony at least, just stares at him, mouth set in the thinnest and firmest line.
"When would I have, uh. Cut in line?"
"June 2010."
"What the fuck, that was nearly a decade ago!"
"So you admit it!" Loki takes a step towards where Tony's half not-hiding.
"No! I'm saying who the hell holds a grudge for a decade about someone cutting in line for a baguette! How can you even be sure what the person looks like, I barely remember yesterday, let alone ten years ago!"
That seems to give Loki some pause, and he frowns very briefly and very slightly.
"You didn't cut in line for the last baguette at Le Pain?" Loki asks.
"Wait, the shop is literally name the bread? That's stupid."
There's another few long moments of tense silence, then Loki sighs and relaxes. "Get out from there, you're standing on one of the ferns."
Tony looks down and finds he is, in fact, standing on one of the ferns.
"Sorry," he says. "It must have been a really good baguette."
"They were the best in town," Loki says, then, after a very awkward pause (one Tony is very familiar with, because he has had many of this kind of pause himself), "My apologies."
"It's okay," Tony says. "I mean, maybe. Are you going to sell me some flowers? Clint said--"
"Oh. Right. Yes." Loki gestures for Tony to follow him. "He mentioned you get an arrangement every week." Another slight pause, no where near as awkward. "I suppose I'll give you a discount. For the... misunderstanding."
"Not free?" Tony asks with another winsome smile.
"You stepped on one of the ferns," Loki reminds him, but his eyes have a glint of a smile as he pulls out a binder and sets it on the register counter, and Tony smiles back.
Maybe Clint retiring from plant selling isn't so big a loss after all.
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Date: 2018-12-27 06:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-12-28 12:06 am (UTC)Thanks for reading!
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Date: 2018-12-27 07:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-12-28 12:06 am (UTC)