Prompt: Setsuna/Taiki, Flowers
Event: Cheerupemofic for teamvanessacloud
Dahlias and Coffee
"I'll take a bouquet of those dahlias," Taiki said to the florist on duty. "A dozen of them, please."
"Right away, sir." The florist, a young woman in her early twenties, gathered twelve of the dark red flowers and wrapped them in cellophane. "Here you go," she said when she finished, tilting her head as she handed them over. "You know, you look awfully familiar… Didn't you used to sing with that idol gr–"
Taiki cut her off. "Sorry, you're mistaking me for someone else. How much do I owe you?"
She told him the price, and he paid, sighing as he left the florist shop. It wasn't the first time he had recognized from his previous life. He had thought the Three Lights would have long faded into obscurity by now, but it seemed he had underestimated their fans' memories.
It was strange the twists his life had made. When he, Seiya, and Yaten returned to rebuild Kinmoku with Princess Kakyuu six years ago, Taiki had no desire to ever set foot on Earth again. He had tolerated living as a teen idol on a backwater planet in order to locate their missing princess, but he had few fond memories of that period of time.
Then word reached Kinmoku that Usagi Tsukino had ascended to the throne of Earth, alongside her beloved.
Upon hearing the news, Princess Kakyuu felt it was important to establish diplomatic ties with the newly-crowned Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. Seiya, as the one who most enjoyed their time on Earth, had been first choice as ambassador, but the thought of seeing Usagi and Mamoru together and married had been too difficult to bear. Yaten outright refused, claiming to be too busy with projects at home.
Thus the ambassadorship had fallen to Taiki.
He had not been enthused about the prospect at first. However, a political life suited him far better than the lifestyle of a pop idol ever had. He felt he was making a real difference, helping Kinmoku regain the prosperity it had enjoyed before Galaxia had destroyed everything. Earth had also grown on him in the year since his return, once he decided to give it a fair chance.
But the thing he loved most of all about his new home was…
"Ah, Kou, there you are!" Setsuna said when he entered their apartment, glancing over her shoulder. "I was wondering where you had gone."
As usual in the mornings, she was sitting in front of her laptop at the desk, reading the top news stories and responding to emails. She had yet to take her shower, still wearing the dress shirt she had worn to bed, her long, shapely legs on full display.
"We were out of coffee, so I decided to go to Starbucks," Taiki said, walking over to the desk and setting one of the two styrofoam cups next to her computer. "A grande dark roast with a splash of soymilk and extra cinnamon dolce sprinkles, just how you like it."
"Perfect. You know me so well." Smiling, she reached for the cup, pausing when she noticed the bouquet of dahlias cradled in the crook of his arm. "Are those also for me? But today isn't my birthday…"
"I know." He handed her the flowers. "I just happened to see these in the window of the florist shop on my way home. They reminded me of you, so I decided to buy some."
"They're beautiful! Thank you. That's so sweet of you."
"No, you're beautiful," Taiki said, bending down to kiss her on the lips. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"
"Hmm, not since last night," she said, setting the flowers aside. Standing from her chair, she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him with heavily lidded eyes. "But I'm always happy to hear it some more."
DISCLAIMER: "Sailor Moon" doesn't belong to me.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hope you enjoyed the story! Feel free to follow me on Tumblr! My username is kaleidodreams.
