Author's Notes: Sap. Complete and utter sap. Read Zarla's 'Vargas' in order to understand this better. Not entirely what I first planned it to be. Inspired in part by "Near You Always" by Jewel. Yes. Jewel. Shut up. Descriptions of flowers may not all be entirely correct. So shoot me. I'm not perfect.

Disclaimer: No ownie, no sueie. Heh. Sueie. Like.. pigs. Uhm. Right. NOT CRAZY.

Bouquet

By Dai

Pain. Incredible, unbelievable, tear-jerking pain. The second he awoke his hands automatically flew to his throbbing head.

Vision slightly blurred, Nny tried his hardest to take in his surroundings.

Lots of white. Silence. No, wait... Beeping. Footsteps.

"Nny? Are you awake?"

He tried to turn towards the voice, but was stopped midway by the sudden jolt of pain. His vision swam and he could feel his eyes watering. He groaned, "F-fuck."

More footsteps and something colorful was placed on his bedside table: a mass of purple, yellow, green and white.

"Does your head still hurt?"

"No, I'm holding my head because it's fun." Johnny growled, then instantly regretted it. "Fuck!"

"Here. Take this."

Nny forced his teary eyes open to stare at what seemed to be a hand in front of him; a small white dot surrounded by peach.

"The doctor told me to give it to you when you woke up."

Nny took it out of the hand and was given a glass of water.

"Go on, Nny. It'll help with the pain."

He eyed the white dot warily.

"Nny... Either trust me and take it or wait several hours before the pain lessens. Take your pick."

Johnny was suddenly able to place the voice. "Edgar." His vision cleared slightly and he looked up at the familiar face hovering near his: stringy black hair, glasses slipping down his nose and identical scars under his eyes.

"Yes. It's me. Now would you take the medicine, please?"

Nny glanced back down at his hand and gripped the water glass tightly. "Fine." He threw the white pill into his mouth and quickly downed the water.

"There. Now it'll take a few moments to kick in, but you should feel much better once it does."

Johnny laid his aching head back onto the pillow and gave the water glass back to Edgar. With his vision slowly returning, he recognized the colorful something that had been placed on his bedside table. "...You got me flowers?"

"Er, yes, well..." Edgar coughed into his fist, scars camouflaged by his sudden blush. "I wasn't sure when you'd be waking up and I thought perhaps it would make the room a bit easier to wait in. More cheerful, I mean."

"Cheerful. Right."

Johnny didn't believe a word of it and Edgar could tell. It would be better if he just told him the truth.
Edgar sighed and stood up from Nny's bed, hovering over the bedside table and absentmindedly running his fingers over the silky petals as he tried to remember what he'd been planning to say. "There are several reasons, really."

Nny's gaze shifted to Edgar's hands as he took a handful of assorted flowers out of the vase.

"The first reason is because I wanted something... new to help you remember me." Edgar returned to his spot on the bed and placed into Nny's hand a string-like stem holding small, round, yellow blossoms. "Acacia," he whispered. "Concealed love."

Nny's eyes widened slightly and he quickly looked up from the flower to watch Edgar.

"The second reason is because I wanted to show you that I hadn't forgotten about you." He put a second flower in Nny's hand, this one very bright and easily recognizable. "Daffodil. You're the only one. Regard. And unrequited love."

Johnny opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Edgar hushed him softly. This time he took a piece of a plant without blossoms, just leaves. "The third reason is because I wanted to remind you that I continue seeing you because I want to, not because I feel it is an obligation." He added this "reason" with the others in Nny's hand. "Fern. Secret bond of love. Fascination. Sincerity. And magic."

Nny's head, which had been starting to feel better, was now throbbing with confusion instead. "Wh—"

"The fourth—" Edgar interrupted, "—is because I wanted you to realize just how sorry I am for all that I have, unknowingly, put you through." A delicate, violet blossom was added. "Purple Hyacinth. Please forgive me. And sorrow."

Nny gave up on stopping Edgar and continued to listen, carefully touching each plant that was added.

"The fifth is because I wanted you to know that I still, and will always, be here to help you in any way that I can." Another familiar flower joined the group, this one a stunning mix of indigo and purple. "Blue violet. I'll always be true. And watchfulness."

Nny noticed there was only one left in Edgar's hand. "And the last reason..." The petals were a stunning white, the thin stem held between two fingers before they were added to the small bouquet. "...is to remind you of the promise I made to help fix you." Edgar took Nny's other hand and wrapped it around the group of flowers as well. "Yarrow. Healing." Another pair of hands were placed around Nny's.

Johnny looked down at their hands. "...what is this?"

Edgar took one of his hands and brought Nny's chin up to look at him. "This... is our bouquet."