After graduating from Alfea, Flora then later on ended up in an amazing yet totally unexpected relationship with Professor Palladium. Even in her adult life, she spent a decent amount of time back at Alfea whether it be for research or simply to catch up with the faculty, and it was in these visits that she ended up reconnecting with Palladium over their shared interests. Over time, that connection grew and blossomed into a lovely relationship between the two of them. The only catch to it was that, even though she was no longer a student there and had been an adult for a while, they were concerned about how others might react to them being together, so they chose to keep their relationship secret.

Even though they both were in agreement about this decision and neither felt pressured by the other to do it, it was difficult for them. For one thing, Flora always shared everything with her friends and her family so it just felt really wrong to keep things from them, especially something this significant. For another, it meant that, however subconsciously, they were doing their best to not let their feelings and attachment get too deep because of how they couldn't openly be together. Even though they were very close, they couldn't entertain the thought of anything like children or marriage since they weren't even openly dating yet.

Flora just tried not to think about it too much and instead simply focus on how much she loved him and valued her relationship with him and how that made it all worth it, even if the secrecy was difficult sometimes. That only got her so far, though, and didn't do as well as she would have liked at drowning out the part of her that wished to be free and open with their relationship, the part that fantasized about things like marriage in the wee morning hours of sleepless nights. That's why when, one fateful morning, she discovered that she was pregnant, she felt like the universe must have decided to listen to that part she kept trying to silence, though she wasn't sure whether that was out of a benevolent desire to grant her her wish or an antagonistic urge to make her life that much more difficult.

When she first found out, she had no idea how to react. She laughed, she cried, she paced a divot into the floor, and no less than 30 times did she pick up her phone to call her mom, her sister, her dad, or her friends, just to put it back down again without doing so. She was ecstatic, but she was also terrified. She wanted this baby more than just about anything else but she was still worried about how people would react to her relationship, never mind her pregnancy. All the anxiety she'd already had about public perception and others' reception of their relationship just multiplied tenfold with this development.

Eventually, though, after a good long while of contemplating everything and freaking out, she decided that she needed to tell Palladium, at the very least. The most she could manage in her current emotional state, however, was to send a text, not trusting her ability to tell him if she had to actually say it to him over the phone. She hit send before she could psych herself out and then was eternally grateful when he responded within only a few seconds, sparing her from having to wait for his response.

"We should be discussing this in person. I'm heading over to your apartment right now. I love you."

It was short and simple but it did wonders for her anxiety. She was still full of nerves, of course, but she felt a bit better. Thus, with her newfound optimism, she went to get herself a cup of tea and wait for her partner to arrive.
. . .

He didn't make her wait long before he arrived. When he came in, it was clear to her that he was every bit as much of an emotional mess as she was but that he was doing his best to appear calm and collected for her sake.

"I got your text," he started simply, unsure of how to start the conversation they needed to have.

"And I got yours," she replied.

He let out a trembling sigh as what composure he'd had fell apart. When he pulled her into a tight embrace, she wasn't sure whether it was him or herself she felt shaking.

"It's okay," he reassured her. "I know it'll be difficult no matter what you choose to do but it's going to be okay. I promise."

Tears began to fall from her eyes but, this time, it wasn't from sadness or fear.

"I want this baby more than anything," she told him, her voice shaky.

"As do I."

She pulled away from him to look up at him, eyes wide.

"Really? You mean that?"

He smiled.

"Yes, I do. Were it not for our agreement about keeping our relationship secret, I would have brought it up a while ago, but I didn't want you to feel pressured since you seemed so uncomfortable with the idea of telling others about us."

"I appreciate that," she murmured. "Ever since we first got together, I keep wanting to tell everyone but then I get scared so I never brought up that idea with you. I've come to realize that I want things to be more serious between us but that all this secrecy has made it so we can't be. Maybe, even if this situation is tricky, it's really a blessing for us because now we don't have a choice to keep hiding anymore."

"I agree. I think it would be best to tell everyone now and then, from there, take things as slowly as we want. Not to be too bold or anything, but I would like to marry you at some point, but I would want to go about all of that properly and not just throw it in there because you're pregnant."

Hearing him say that, her heart skipped a beat.

"If you asked me right now, without a ring or anything, I would say yes and marry you today," she said bluntly. "I think we've spent long enough 'taking things slow' and now, I don't care at all about 'doing things properly.'"

He blushed scarlet at her admission.

"Are you sure?"

"Very."

"Then is next week too soon?" he asked.

Her smile was dazzling to him.

"Not at all."

And just like that, any fear and anxiety about their situation was gone and replaced with hope for a beautiful future together.