The Break-Up Bouquet
Summary: Phil's first ever break-up bouquet, an unexpected friendship and the beginning of a story.
Notes: It has been done before, but I had it laying about unfinished for far too long. I legit didn't know how to close it, though. Also, worst summary ever. I'm sorry.
prompt: Person A owns a flower shop and person B comes storming in one day, slaps 20 bucks on the counter and says "How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?"
Phil Coulson had had a quiet day. Six customers – it was a busy day – and he was lowkey considering to call it an early day.
Suddenly the door opened, the bell overhead gingling, and a beautiful young woman walked up to the counter and slapped down 20 bucks with enough force Phil wondered if she left a dend on the counter.
"How do I passive-agressively say fuck you in flower?" she asked.
"Uh...That has never happened to me before." he said, a little scared/surprised.
"I am trying to break up with an asshole here. Help me." the woman said.
"OK. Let's see. Flowers to convey contempt..." he mumbled, wipping his hands on his daisy-themed apron. "Why flowers?" he asked, as he picked a couple geraniums.
"He hates flowers." she replied.
"Can I ask what happened?" he looked at her over his shoulder for a moment, then walked about the shop, looking for something.
"A lot of things." she replied shortly.
Phil cringed, picking geraniums and foxgloves.
The woman sighed.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's alright." he said quietly. "I should appologise; it's not my business to ask you something personal."
He picked meadowsweets, yellow carnations and orange lillies.
"This will certainly attract his attention." she commented once she saw the bouquet.
"It certainly is quite...striking." Phil agreed.
The woman snorted from the other side of the counter.
"You think?" she smirked, looking at him. Then she turned to the bouquet, chuckling. "It's horrible! I love it!"
"That is also a first." Phil said, stuck between amsument and bemusement.
She kept chuckling, as she paid for the bouquet.
At the door, she hesitated.
"Nice apron." she smirked.
"Uh...thank you." he replied self-consciously.
"By the way, my name's Daisy." she laughed and left the shop, leaving poor Phil Coulson frozen with shock.
"Seriously?" he asked the door.
DJ~~~~PC
Two days later, she came back.
Well he hadn't noticed immediately, as he was arranging some flowers and so had his back turned to the door.
"Welcome!" he greeted nonetheless. "Give me a second and I'll be with you in a moment."
"Take your time." a familiar voice said. "I'm in no hurry."
"Daisy?" he looked around surprised.
"Hey, you remembered my name!" she beamed.
"Kinda hard to forget." Phil said, wipping his hands on his daisy-themed apron.
"Smooth." she smiled.
"Not really." he smiled back. "So. How can I help you today?"
"I'm not buying anything today. Just wanted to let you know he absolutely hated it and that the breaking up was a complete success."
"Good to know, I guess." he frowned. "I think you're the first person ever to ask for a break-up bouquet."
"Really? No one ever thought that it's a good way to let someone know their the worst that happened to someone by using a few choice flowers?"
"Normally, they are used to appologise or a last thought present." he shrugged.
Daisy hummed.
"You got a lot of customers?"
"Not really. A few regulars, mostly the people living in the neighborhood, and the sudden last minute panicked husband or boyfriend. I go days with no one coming in to buy more often than not."
"So, if I dropped by once in a while, I wouldn't be bothering you, would I?"
"No, not at all." he said. "Can I ask why?"
"Visit you?"
"Yeah."
"You look like a good guy, Phil. I'd like to get to know you."
"Oh."
"That also a first?" she smirked.
"Yeah." he chuckled.
"Good."
DJ~~~~PC
They often went out after he closed, to dinner or coffee, or for just a walk, talking about anything; something interesting that happened since they last saw each other, an anecdote from their pasts, sharing memories.
It had been going for half a year, when Daisy's ex stumbled on them one evening while they were out on a dinner.
"You broke up with me to be with him?!" he almost shouted, incredulous.
"Uh..." Phil looked up surprised. "We're not like that." he said.
"And if we were, it's none of your damn business. I broke up with you before I started going out with Phil, Lincoln, because of who you are and that is not a good boyfriend. I am not here to make you feel better about your bad choises. Take some responsibility." Daisy said, calmly.
It only seemed to infuriate the younger man more.
By then a lot of people were looking at them and a couple of waiters were walking over to try and difuse the situation.
Phil, trying to avoid this becoming a bigger scene than it was, laid one hand on Daisy's shoulder and the other on the man, in an attempt to calm him down. The young man punched him in the face.
In a blur of motions and shouts, Phil had found himself in a chair, with Daisy holding a towel over his right eye.
"What happened?" he frowned.
"The moment Lincoln punched you, I punched him and the waiters kicked him out of the restaurant telling him they'd call the police if he comes again. With or without us dining here." Daisy said.
"Huh."
"Sorry about that."
"I've had worse. Do you know what it's like to have to take cactus needles from your butt?" he asked.
Daisy snorted.
"Don't laugh! It's why I do not allow cactuses in my shop. Worst of all; it happened while Hunter was still in the shop and he was just standing there laughing like a moron!"
"Poor, poor Phil." Daisy said, smiling.
Phil pouted.
Chuckling, she took the towel away from his forehead to inspect the struck area.
"Hmm." she hummed. "You're gonna have a bump." she said, feeling the space over his eyebrow.
"Better a bump than not being able to sit for a whole day. Or a broken nose. I'm lucky he had terrible mark."
"Lincoln?"
"Yeah."
"I am really s -"
"Don't say you're sorry for someone else's actions." he cut her off. "You're not responsible for him or anyone but yourself."
"How did you happen in my life?" she sighed, drawing him in a light embrace.
"You walked in to my flowershop, angrily gave me 20 $ and asked me how to say 'fuck you' in flower." he smiled.
Daisy laughed.
"I make a good entrance?"
"I was a little bit scared. It looked like someone had made you really angry. And then you asked for a break-up bouquet. Yes, you made an unforgetable entrance, Daisy."
"Come on. Let's pay and go home." she said, softly.
"Yeah."
Phil paid for the dinner and then the two of them took the road home.
"Would you like to come to my place for a beer?" Phil asked, shyly.
"Yeah, I'd like that." she said softly.
He lives over the flowershop, and they sit in the living room, Daisy forcing him to sit on the couch, as she takes another look on his head.
"You said I will get a bump. Can't have gotten worse in the past thirty minutes, Daisy."
"Hush. I am just checking."
Phil smiled.
"Daisy?"
"Yeah?" she looked him in the eyes.
"Would you...uh..." he looked away, blushing. "Would you like to go out with me? For dinner. Or drinks."
"Phil, are you asking me out on a date?" she smiled softly.
"Yes." he said quietly.
Daisy kissed him lightly.
"I was worried I was imagining things." she told him, against his lips.
"No." he shook his head. "I was a little scared. You're so amazing. I'm just average."
Daisy kissed him again.
"Don't sell yourself short, Phil. You're a really sweet guy." she said. "I liked you almost from the moment I saw you."
"I think it was when you first laughed. And when you told me your name. And when you came back to tell me how it went down. And how you enjoyed hanging out with me." he listed.
"So, you like me all the time?"
"Yeah." he kissed her. "I really, really like you all the time."
"You are so..."
"Dorky? Corny?" he supplied, beaming.
"Both." she laughed, kissing him. "You're my corny dork."
"That sounds nice. Yours." he smiled.
Daisy hummed.
They end up cuddling on the couch, slow kisses and light caresses, his fingers through her hair, falling asleep curled up around each other.