Chapter 1
Storms and Snowdrops
Water fell heavily on to bending leaves, dripping into the soil below. This was not good, not good at all. Today was supposed to be cloudy, sure. But it wasn't supposed to be raining cats and dogs! He bent over a pot of orchids, hoisting them up and quickly bringing them into the small roadside store. Water dripped from his azure bangs as he again looked outside and peered up at the sky. "Gods, just what I need…"
Shaking his hair out a bit, he takes his place behind the counter and sits on an old wooden stool. The store was pretty quiet today, though he guessed that shouldn't really surprise him. It was like this every day after all.
A voice called out from the back room "Chrom! We have to do something!" A woman with blonde ponytails stumbled out from behind the curtain, carrying two more orchids in her arms. Setting them down with a huff, she turned her light green eyes up to meet the deep blue ones of the man seated on the stool, defiance burning in her gaze. "The orchids are soaked! We needed them for the Chon'sin job, but at this rate they'll be dead by morning!"
Letting out a small chuckle, Chrom shook his head in disbelief. "Well what do you propose we do? Go back in time before it started raining?" Shock spread across the young woman's face, wild yellow hair standing on end.
"We needed this job, Chrom! And you just sit there smiling?! UNBELIEVABLE!" With a huff, the woman spun on her heel and stormed off to the back once more, muttering something about her 'stupid brother' and 'certain doom'.
Once he saw that his sister had gone upstairs to preoccupy herself with less annoying company, Chrom reached for the old landline below the countertop. Dialing in the familiar number, he brought the phone up to his ear. On the third ring, a pleasant, though disinterested, voice sounds from the other side. Not the happy-go-lucky country voice he was hoping to hear.
"Hello? Warren Plant Nursury."
"Hey Panne. Chrom here. Hey listen, you wouldn't happen to have-" A strict voice cuts off his hastily gathered courage.
"Chrom. I'm sorry but I can't sell you anymore flowers until you repay us for those carnations you ordered two weeks ago." Damn.
"O-Okay, I know I haven't completed the payment, but this is an emergency. We have a job for a banquet tomorrow, but our orchids got rained out and we'll need new ones. After I get paid, I'll have enough money for the orchids and the carnations! I promise." A moment passed before Chrom heard an exasperated sigh from the other side of the line.
"Fine." Relief washed over Chrom, his body already feeling lighter. "But this is only because you and your sister have been regular customers since our opening. I can't keep making exceptions for you."
"Of course! You're the best Panne." A scoff.
"I don't need your flattery. I'll send Donnel with the truck. He'll be by in about 2 hours."
With that, the line went dead. Chrom smiled to himself, humming at his small stroke of luck. Though rather stoic, Panne was a good friend. After placing the phone back on its dock, the man stood to his full height, and stretched his arms above his head. As he lowered himself back onto the rickety stool, the quietness of the shop began to take hold of him. The muted sound of rain made for a great lullaby, effectively wearing away what little resolve Chrom had for playing the 'vigilant shop owner'.
Just as his eyelids began to fall shut, the clear ring of the brass bell hanging above the door shook the drowsiness from him. Stifling a yawn, Chrom attempted to focus his gaze on the front of the store. A petite hand held the door agape, soaking the entrance with rain water. White hair, frizzy from the humidity, spilled forth from the hood of a deep purple rain coat. Several strands had escaped the ponytail at the back of her head, and were plastered to her forehead. Deep brown eyes, a shade barely lighter than onyx, burned with fire and determination.
She started forward, heels clacking against the cement floor as water pooled below her with each step. She made her way up aisle after aisle of flowers, eyes furiously scanning each and every bouquet. It was a rather novel sight, really. A woman, soaking wet, in a black evening gown and plum raincoat frantically stomping about a flower shop like a Feroxi in a tea shop. A disgruntled huff stirred Chrom from his reverie.
White strands flew in an arc as the woman whipped her head in the direction of the counter. A sudden fear came over Chrom as the anger that had been previously focused on the flowers settled on him instead. She surged forth like a tidal wave, body crashing against the counter. A hand slammed down on its surface, the sound of coins and dollar bills clattering beneath her palm. A stiff silence established itself between the two as furious orbs met with two slightly startled ones. Gathering himself, Chrom straightened his apron and cleared his throat.
"C-Can I help you, ma'am?" A pregnant pause.
"…Do you happen to have any flowers that mean 'Fuck off?"
.
.
.
"Wha-?"
A scowl broke out across the lady's face, a small growl escaping from her throat. Dark eyes searched Chrom's disoriented face, but for what, he couldn't begin to guess. "Well? Do you?" All Chrom could register was the stare boring into him, sharp and deadly as a knife. It seemed that silence wasn't the answer that the mysterious girl wanted, for a moment later she dropped her head and her body turned toward the door. Her hand dragged, bringing the pile of money with it. In that moment, Chrom's focus shifted. Suddenly, a large calloused hand found itself on top of soft fingers and the currency both. The pair stopped mid motion, gazes glued to their overlapping hands. Chrom, realizing his mistake, hastily recalled his hand, blush covering his face. Taking a moment to collect himself, Chrom cleared his throat and steeled his eye.
"U-Um well that depends on exactly what kind of… 'Fuck off'… you were looking for, miss." Chrom stepped out from behind the counter, and started down the various aisles. He first stopped at a pot filled with bunches of bright pink flowers. "Geraniums, for stupidity, like my earlier blunder." A light chuckle escaped from the girls lips. The next stop had beautiful bell flowers, stacked on a high stalk. "Foxglove, for insincerity." The next, small, delicate, white flowers. "Meadowsweet. Means uselessness." He took a turn around the corner and turned up the next aisle. "And these are Yellow Carnations and Orange Lilies. The lilies mean 'hatred' and, well, the carnations pretty much translate to 'you are a disappointment to me'. I'm afraid these are all I have to offer you. Flowers aren't much in the way of insults…"
The girl studied the flowers, a single hand to her chin, without saying a word. Chrom stood there, unsure of what to say or do. With startling speed, the woman whirled around to face him. "These'll do," she said, nodding her head in resolution, eyes unwavering. Chrom scrunched his nose and scratched his head.
"Which ones?"
"All of them, and arrange them in a nice bouquet if you can…please."
Chrom looked down at the girl in utter confusion, before releasing a heavy sigh. First the rain and the orchids, now a crazy lady as a customer. This really wasn't his day after all.
"Alright. It'll be an hour or two before it's done," Chrom muttered, defeat in his tone. He started collecting the different blossoms, ones that would last longer in a vase.
"That's fine, I can wait." Chrom turned at this, and found the woman sitting on the floor propped up against one of the cabinets. As if sensing his stare, she raised her eyes from her lap, an eyebrow lifted in challenge. "That's not a problem right?"
Gods, this woman. "No, none at all."
Chrom made his way to the back of the store and tried to put the crazed woman with the hair as white as daisies out of his mind. If there was one thing that mattered to him, it was building bouquets. When he was young, he'd spend countless hours watching his older sister, Emm, weave together stem after stem, different colored petals mixing together in an elaborate dance. He repeated the same process now. Pinks, oranges, yellows, and whites clashed in striking harmony.
It's a shame that they're being used as a weirdly discrete insult. I pity the man that got her so pissed off that she found it necessary to say 'Fuck you' in flower language…
Chrom lost himself in his work, carefully clipping away leaves and arranging the flowers in such a way that the colors blended to that of a sunset. Deft hands worked a pair of shears over the stems, evening out the lengths and cutting loose stale ends. Grabbing a purple ribbon, Chrom tied a bow around the stems' width, careful to make it one that will hold through whatever hell that deranged woman will put it through. Wiping the sap from his hands, the bluenette took a moment to examine his work. As he stepped back to further study the composition, a pained yelp broke his trance.
Stumbling over himself, Chrom found himself staring down at an angry red foot and a white head of hair.
"Oh Gods. I am SO sorry! Here, let me help..." Chrom scrambled to the counter to pull out a first aid kit, and in his haste knocked over a flower pot and sent dirt flying everywhere. Choosing to ignore the mess, he grabbed a jar of salve from the box and knelt down beside her. He quickly dug two fingers into the gel, and slathered it onto a band aid. Just as it seemed Chrom was about to have an embarrassing breakdown, a stifled laugh broke him of his panic. Looking up, the woman had a hand over her mouth, shoulders gently shaking.
Recognizing the confusion in his eyes, she carefully reached a hand out and swiped it across Chrom's cheek, bringing away fingers darkened by dirt. "It seems we've gotten ourselves into a bit of a mess, haven't we?" Chrom blinked away the stupefied expression on his face, and let out a chuckle of his own. "So it seems."
After helping the woman with her foot, Chrom grabbed hold of her hand and hauled her up to his chest. Quickly separating himself from her, he grabbed the bouquet and set it on the counter top. "I believe these are what you asked for." Upon seeing the intricate arrangement, a scowl took the place of the humored smile that had rested there previously. She made no move to collect it.
Clearing his throat, Chrom averted his gaze to the flowers below him. "So, why were you standing behind me when I got up?"
At this, the woman looked up at him questioningly. "You didn't notice me? I had been watching you for about forty minutes. I assumed you just didn't care."
"Oh. My bad. Whenever I start on a bouquet, I tend to get a bit absorbed in the process. My sister always said that I had more of an eye for flowers than people."
The woman's eyes settled themselves on the flowers once more, as she ran a finger over the individual petals. "It's beautiful. You're very skilled at what you do."
Such a simple statement, but the woman's eyes were clouded in doubt and sadness, portraying something far deeper. Chrom had never been good in situations like these. He could never find the right thing to say or do. That had been Emm's thing. But still, flowers were meant to be viewed with joy, not with muted agony. Chrom extended his hand, hoping to instill some sort of comfort in her, but a sound stopped him in his tracks.
The clear chime of the front bell rung, and the pair diverted their attention to the front of the shop. A man with unruly purple hair shouldered his way through the door, inviting some of the storm in with him. In each arm rested several orchids, covered in plastic to protect them from the rain. With a smile and a cordial greeting to them both, he quickly disappeared into the back room.
Chrom returned his attention to the woman, but found that she had already pulled out her wallet and was adding up the dollar bills. Hastily depositing her money before Chrom, she grabbed the bouquet and took a step back from the counter.
"Well I suppose it's about time I head out, before I get flooded in," muttering with a small smile plastered on her face. "Thank you, the flowers really are lovely."
Without so much as a word from Chrom, the mysterious lady spun around and headed for the door. She pulled up the hood on her coat and stepped out into the rain.
Before he could even think about what he was doing, the bluenette bolted out of the store and onto the side walk. Pushing strands of damp hair from his face, he spotted the familiar of bright color of geranium further up the hill. Without another moment wasted, Chrom found himself chasing after the purple rain coat.
"H-Hey! Wait! I didn't get your name!"
The figure stopped short, coat and dress swishing as she half turned in his direction. Though he could not see her face clearly, a voice broke through the incessant pounding of water on concrete.
"Robin! My name is Robin."
And in that moment, he could see it. A bright smile and crinkled, brown eyes, framed by foxglove and meadowsweet.
Robin.
Author's notes:
Hi guys! This is my first official fanfiction! It was inspired by a Flower Shop AU prompt I saw on tumblr (original post by demisexualmerrill, and supporting post by koscheiis). I hope you guys like it and let me know what you think!
