So it's my birthday again, and as is tradition, I'm celebrating with some self-indulgent f/f rarepair fluff. I hope you enjoy it!
The title is because, like dandelion seeds, this is nothing but fluff.
Peko was pretty sure the store she worked at was a front for the mob.
Not that she minded, particularly. The work was pleasant and the pay was good. She just hadn't expected it when Fuyuhiko first suggested she apply.
She'd been just out of high school at the time, and completely unsure what she wanted to do with her life. Her only real talent was kendo, and she wasn't sure she wanted to make a career out of it. Her grades had been good but not great. She might have gotten into a decent college, but she hadn't wanted to spend the money without any idea of what she would study.
Thus, the job. It was supposed to be temporary while she figured things out. The store didn't get much traffic, whether because of the mob connection or because people got their flowers at the grocery store. She'd thought the quiet would give her a chance to think.
She hadn't expected to enjoy it so much. The peace of the shop suited her disposition. She liked working with the flowers, making something beautiful instead of destroying things. The few customers she did get weren't awful. Her boss even let her bring her shinai and practice fighting in confined spaces when business was slow, though that may have been for the intimidation factor.
She felt the benefits were more than worth the questionable bookkeeping. Sure, sometimes she showed up to find the store closed mysteriously, but as long as she was paid for the day she didn't mind.
Besides, she'd recently found another benefit of the job. Three times a week, at roughly 2:13 in the afternoon, someone walked right past the front window with a dog. There were other dogs occasionally, and that was always great, but having a regularly scheduled dog in her life was a particular delight.
Once she noticed the dog, she began strategically positioning herself for a better view of it. She tried not to make it obvious. She'd just happen to decide to rearrange the window displays at 2:10, or realize she needed to step outside for a minute.
It wasn't enough. She quickly realized that there was only one thing to do: she was going to ask to pet it.
She normally didn't bother getting close to animals. She knew that something about her demeanor scared them off, and for the most part, she'd accepted it. But this was a large dog, almost a wolf, and it looked intelligent enough to realize she wouldn't hurt it. She could already imagine its fluffy fur beneath her fingers.
2:13 approached. She didn't bother pretending to work, instead standing behind the counter watching the window. As soon as the dog came into view, she was out the door.
If its owner was surprised by her sudden appearance, they didn't show it. They just looked at her calmly. "Hello," Peko said. "I've seen you walk past the shop a few times, and I was wondering if I could pet your dog."
The stranger blinked, then nodded. "His name is Fenrir," they said.
Peko knelt by the dog. "Hello, Fenrir," she said, holding her hand out for his approval. He sniffed it without any signs of fear, which Peko thought was a good sign. She reached out to touch him.
His fur was even softer than she'd imagined. Fenrir leaned into the touch, his tail wagging furiously, and Peko couldn't suppress a smile. Dogs were so good.
"He seems to like you," Fenrir's owner commented.
Peko looked up, keeping her hand in Fenrir's fur. "I'm so glad. Animals usually don't, for some reason."
"Yeah, I understand. I have the same problem." They shrugged. "Fenrir is the exception."
"He's a very good dog," Peko said. She could have kept petting him for the rest of the day, but it occurred to her that his owner probably had somewhere to be, and that she was keeping them. She stood up reluctantly. "Thank you," she said.
"Of course," the stranger replied. "I'll be around, so let me know if you want to pet him again. He loves the attention."
"I probably will," Peko said. She hoped she sounded more casual than she felt. As it was, she was working to convince herself not to steal some stranger's dog. "I'll see you later, then."
She went back into the shop before she did something she'd regret. She could pet Fenrir again next time they walked past. She could wait until then.
That's when she realized she'd never gotten his owner's name.
They were back again two days later, right on schedule. For once, the shop had had actual customers, so Peko wasn't watching the clock the way she usually did. She hadn't realized what time it was until the shop door opened and the stranger came in. They had Fenrir with them again. Peko didn't actually know if pets are allowed inside the store, but she was hardly going to kick them out. "Welcome," she said automatically.
"Hello," the stranger said. "I forgot to introduce myself last time, so I'm Mukuro Ikusaba. It's nice to officially meet you."
Their expression was resigned, but to what, Peko didn't know. She settled for introducing herself. "I'm Peko Pekoyama. It's nice to meet you."
Mukuro huffed a laugh. "Okay, that's almost as bad as mine. I'm impressed."
Peko sighed. "My parents were not very creative people." She'd given this explanation many times before. Mukuro's eyes still gleamed with amusement, as Peko had come to expect, but for once it seemed to be born of empathy rather than mockery. She had to wonder what kinds of parents would name a child "Corpse."
Fenrir barked, and Mukuro shook their head. "Right," they said. "The other day was the first time I'd noticed this store, but it's nice. I was thinking of picking something up for myself."
"Okay," Peko said. "What did you have in mind?"
Mukuro made a noncommittal gesture. "I don't know," they said. "I don't have much experience with plants. Probably something tough, though. I'm better at killing things than keeping them alive. At least Fenrir can remind me if I forget to feed him."
Peko smiled. "That's fair," she said. "I was the same way until recently." She didn't want to think about how many flowers she'd accidentally killed when she'd first gotten the job.
After a moment's thought, she led them to the limited selection of succulents. Mukuro studied them intently before selecting the prickliest of them. "There," they said. "This looks like it can defend itself."
"I'd certainly think twice before attacking it," Peko said, and checked them out.
It wasn't until they'd left that Peko realized she hadn't even gotten a chance to play with Fenrir. She couldn't even really bring herself to mind. Helping Mukuro had still been the highlight of her day.
Mukuro's next visit took Peko by surprise. It was right around noon, so Peko hadn't been expecting them. She was taking advantage of a slow day to get some kendo practice in. She'd been getting much better about not mutilating the plants, but the sound of the door opening startled her enough to cut the heads off some peonies.
Mukuro raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, are you busy? I can come back later."
"No, you're fine." Peko focused on sheathing her shinai to hide a blush. "I just wasn't expecting anyone."
"Sorry," Mukuro said again. They looked around the shop. "I actually have another request, if you're free."
"Certainly. Would you like another succulent?" Peko turned to the right aisle, only for Mukuro to stop her.
"Actually, this time it's for my sister." They roll their eyes. "She saw the plant sitting in my window and came up with another of her brilliant ideas. She says she wants to give someone a passive-aggressive bouquet."
"A what?"
"Yeah, I know. Apparently she wants to find flowers with aggressive meanings and put them together in the prettiest way to tell someone to fuck off." Mukuro gave an apologetic look.
Peko wouldn't have minded, as it sounded more interesting than yet another bouquet of roses, but there was a slight problem. "I don't know anything about flower language," she confessed.
Mukuro shrugged. "Neither does she. I don't think she'd notice if you looked it up online."
"I can do that." Peko did so. It was not as simple as she'd hoped. "Why is there a meaning for dead leaves?" she asked absently. "Oh, apparently nuts means stupidity, but I can't exactly work that into a bouquet."
"I can always stop by the grocery store later and pick up some almonds to sprinkle on it," Mukuro offered.
Peko couldn't tell if they were joking or not. Just in case, she redoubled her efforts to find actual flowers that would fit the theme.
She eventually came up with a list. She started to gather them, only to realize yet another problem with the increasingly dumb bouquet. "These are probably going to clash," she said. "I'll do my best, but…"
"Honestly, Junko will be delighted." Mukuro's expression was a mixture of exasperation and fondness. "I promise you, no matter how bad the final product looks, she's going to love it."
"If you say so." Peko went back to gathering the flowers.
She'd just started to arrange them when Mukuro spoke up again. "Were you using a sword when I came in?" Peko looked up, startled, and they shook their head. "Nevermind. I shouldn't distract you while you're working."
"it's fine," Peko said. She wouldn't have said she was the best at arranging bouquets, given how little practice she got, but it wasn't a particularly complicated process. "And yes, I was practicing kendo. It's something to do when business is slow, and I enjoy the knowledge that, should it be necessary, I could protect the store and its contents."
Mukuro's eyes lit up. "That's amazing!" they said. "I tried kendo once, but gave it up once I started learning to handle a gun. Like you said, I like knowing that I can defend myself, and a gun seemed like the best way to do that. You don't have to worry about getting close to an attacker."
"I can understand that," Peko said. "Personally, though, guns seem loud and overly obvious, not to mention the amount of work it takes to acquire one. I'd rather have a sword. They're much easier to carry around without attracting attention."
"That's a good point." Mukuro smiled. "It sounds like we'd make a good team. I can go in and distract them with gunfire, and you can sneak up behind them and cut their heads off."
"I imagine that if you're aiming a gun at someone, you'll have killed them before I have a chance to strike." Peko grabbed the nearest ribbon to tie up the bouquet. It was already enough of a mess that ribbon color wouldn't make a difference. "Still, I'll keep you in mind, should it come to it. Anyway, your bouquet."
"Oh, right. Thank you." They pulled out their wallet and paid. "I wonder if I still have my shinai lying around. I'd love to see your skills up close."
They left before Peko could respond. Peko watched them go. Now that she was paying attention, she saw that they held themself like someone accustomed to combat. It suited them, she thought. She'd be interested in seeing them in action.
She hoped they could find their shinai.
Speaking of which, she pulled hers out again and returned to practice. If they were going to challenge her, she wanted to be prepared.
If her strikes were a little more forceful than usual, there was no one around to know.
Peko didn't have a good explanation for why Natsumi chose to drop by the store at random times. Surely she had better things to do with her time. She'd asked, once, and the only answer she got was a flippant, "Can't I come visit a good friend?" As gratifying as that was, it explained exactly nothing.
But she'd accepted it, as she did most things about Natsumi, if only because Natsumi didn't give you much of a choice. It wasn't as if she was complaining. It was much better than sitting at the counter staring into space.
This time Natsumi had fished a stool out from some hidden closet as if she owned the place. She sat on it and complained about some class she was taking. Peko made sympathetic noises as appropriate. She still wasn't sure what the class was about or why Natsumi was taking it if she hated it so much, but then, she always seemed happiest when she was complaining. Maybe that was reason enough.
It was a nice way to spend a day. Still, as two o'clock approached, Peko found that she couldn't pay attention to Natsumi's rant. She was too focused on the window.
"Anyway, I'm thinking of getting that professor fired." Natsumi wound down her monologue and turned to look at the window. "Not that you care, apparently. What's so interesting out there?"
Thankfully, Mukuro chose that time to walk by, so Peko looked slightly less weird. "Excuse me," Peko said. She went out to greet them before Natsumi could respond.
"Hello," she said, already bending down to pet Fenrir. He was just as friendly as she remembered, basking in her attention. She was more than happy to give it to him.
"Hi," Mukuro said. "Thanks again for that bouquet. Like I predicted, my sister loved it. Of course, so did the person she gave it to, because most people don't assume that flowers will have obnoxious secret meanings."
"That's… good? I'm glad she liked it, at least."
"Yeah, that was probably the best way it could have worked out." They shrugged. "I still don't know what her problem with him was."
"Your sister sounds like a very strange person." Peko realized she'd said something rude and looked to gauge Mukuro's reaction, though she kept scratching behind Fenrir's ears absently.
Fortunately, they just laughed. "Trust me, I figured that out a long time ago."
Peko relaxed. Now that her attention was on Mukuro, though, a new thought occurred to her. "Oh, did you ever find your shinai?"
They shook their head. "I haven't really gotten a chance to look for it. Once I do, though, you'll be the first to know."
"I'll look forward to it," Peko said. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about guns, or I'd offer to go shooting with you sometime." She'd be interested to see if any of her skills would transfer over. Things like maintaining a stable stance seemed like they'd be applicable no matter the sport.
Mukuro smiled. "That would be fun too. Let me know if you decide you want to learn." They looked away, only to straighten up abruptly. "There's someone in the shop. Do you need to go?"
Peko looked back inside, where Natsumi was conspicuously playing with her phone. "Probably," she said. "But feel free to come back later. I don't have any work that's more important than petting a dog."
They looked startled for a moment before laughing. "Fair enough. See you around, then."
"See you."
They left, and Peko went back into the shop. Natsumi waited until she was back at the counter to look up from her phone. There was a dangerous glint in her eye. "Who was that?"
"Just someone who comes by occasionally." Peko shrugged. "They have a very nice dog."
"I'm sure they do." Natsumi's grin was far too bright to be trusted. "And that's why you spent the conversation staring at them?"
"Did I?" Peko turned to the nearest flower arrangement and began messing with it, hoping the motion looked casual. "They'd just bought a bouquet recently and were telling me how it went over. That's all."
"Mm-hmm." Natsumi made a dubious sound. "Are you interested in them?" she asked abruptly.
Peko rustled some paper, hoping the noise would distract from how red her cheeks were getting. "I enjoy speaking with them. We have many things in common. I wouldn't say I know them well enough to be interested, though."
"They don't seem worried about that. I mean, telling you whether someone liked the flowers? Either they were having the calmest bitchfit ever, or they wanted an excuse to see you again."
"They were just thanking me." Peko wished she sounded more forceful. It wasn't that she objected to the thought of Mukuro being interested in her, exactly. She just didn't know what to do with the information. The closest thing she'd ever had to a romantic relationship was in kindergarten, when Fuyuhiko proposed to her for buying him a popsicle.
Some of her discomfort must have crept into her voice, because Natsumi backed down. "It's not like you're obligated to do anything just because they like you." She shifted the stool, making a horrible squealing noise as it dragged across the floor. "Ugh, sorry. But I'm just saying you should think about it."
Peko risked looking over at her. For once in her life, Natsumi seemed completely sincere. "Thank you, but I can manage my own personal life," she said.
"I know, I know. You're an adult with a job, etcetera, etcetera. I just don't want you to miss a chance at happiness because it never occurred to you it was an option." She ran a hand through her hair, suddenly casual. "Anyway, did I tell you that Fuyuhiko got us kicked out of another movie theater?"
"No?" Peko said.
That was all the encouragement Natsumi needed to set off on another monologue. Peko tried to pay attention. Natsumi was an excellent storyteller, especially when the story made someone else look bad.
Peko could deal with the Mukuro thing later.
As she probably should have expected, Peko didn't so much deal with the problem as worry about it uselessly.
It wasn't that she minded the idea of dating Mukuro. She liked talking to them, and it would be nice to have a reason to spend time with them outside of work. But what if Natsumi was wrong? She didn't want to make them feel awkward. And even if she was right, it wasn't like Peko knew anything about dating. They might not want to deal with her trying to figure it out.
And of course they were ridiculously attractive, which didn't help Peko's nerves.
She ended up doing some basic kendo drills to calm herself down. It worked, but it also meant that she hadn't settled anything by the time Mukuro came by again.
She went out to greet them, both out of habit and because she wasn't going to pass up a chance to pet Fenrir. He was as cute as ever. Mukuro, though, looked at her apologetically. "I can't find it," they said. "I've looked everywhere, and found a bunch of knives and even a spear, but not my shinai."
They looked so dejected about it, and Peko hated it. She searched for something that would make them smile. Without thinking, she said, "Do you want to get coffee some time?"
They both froze. Peko cursed herself mentally. She shouldn't have let Natsumi get to her, and now she'd gone and made things awkward. She rushed to perform damage control. "Only if you want to, of course. I was just thinking that we didn't have to have a fight to spend time together. I suppose I could also obtain a gun license, but that would take some time, and you might not even want to do this anyway." She resisted the urge to bury her face in Fenrir's fur. This was a disaster.
"Okay," Mukuro said.
They didn't sound mad, so Peko risked looking up at them. They were practically beaming. They were also blushing, but it just drew attention to their freckles, which were ridiculously cute.
And they were still talking, so Peko pulled herself back attention. She could scream about how good Mukuro looked later. "That sounds great," they were saying. "There's a coffee shop not too far from here, and I generally pass it when I'm walking Fenrir. Do you want to meet up there sometime? Actually, I should probably give you my number and we can figure things out later. I don't want to distract you from your work."
Peko looked back at the shop. It sat empty, as usual. She considered it, then flipped the sign to read "Closed" and locked the door. "It looks like I have some time off," she said.
"Looks like it." Mukuro looked like they were trying to keep a straight face, but it was hard when they kept breaking out in a massive grin. "In that case, I guess we can go right now. If you like."
"Let's," Peko said, and they did.
A few months later, Peko's suspicions about the store were confirmed when she was offered a "promotion" to hitwoman.
She thought about it. Her sword work had only improved now that she had someone to train with whenever she wanted, and Mukuro had recently begun teaching her to shoot.
On the other hand, it sounded like a demanding job, and Peko didn't want to spend that much time away from her partner. They'd just decided to get another dog, and Mukuro had promised to let Peko name it.
She ended up turning the job down. She asked them to keep her on file, though, just in case. It was always good to have a backup plan, and Mukuro had promised to help if there was anyone who needed killing.
Peko knew that together, they'd be unstoppable.