The room is dark, and Viole’s mood is even worse, a gaunt, sullen figure stumbling around the room as he blindly searches for the light switch. He should be used to the creeping shadows by now, but it still takes him a while to find it.

A small sound of surprise escapes him as the lights flicker on again.

He walks with slow, unsteady steps and hesitantly picks up the gardenia flower that’s lying on the pillows. It’s a beautiful, fragile thing, but Viole is more concerned about the violation of privacy than anything else.

Bringing the gardenia to eye level, Viole examines it more closely, curiosity overcoming fear. Yeon Yihwa is slowly warming up to him, but not that warm, and none of his teammates have a habit of doing what he wants.

Well, Viole thinks wryly to himself, all of them except one.

A loud knock resounds on his door, followed by an enthusiastic “Hey! Viole!”, and the brunette thinks he knows.

Huh, he says loudly, and his voice echoes through the spacious room. You must have taken it as an affirmation, as you open the door happily.

You give him an expectant look and immediately pale when you see Viole’s raised eyebrow. In his slender hand is the solitary gardenia he bought a while back.

Is it yours? Viole asks in his usual soft voice. You blush even more.

"Y-yes, but it's yours now," you stutter, trying to look around discreetly, in case Jinsung was lurking around the corner. You relax when you see that it's just the two of you in the rented apartment, and your shoulders finally lose their earlier tension. "Do you like it?"

Viole blinks. He looks at the flower intently again, his eyes wide. Does he like it? Better yet, could he like it? Hunter candidates shouldn't get teary-eyed over a flower.

Maybe.

I think so, the brunette looks at you from under thick lashes. Flowers are such ephemeral things, they can only remain beautiful for a day or a week before they finally wither and disappear. Viole can appreciate impermanence, even if it makes him sad. Yes, thank you.