The first time she found one, she was rather surprised. Soul wasn't one for mushy things, especially not giving her flowers out of the blue. It was after one of his Death Scythe missions. He brought her back a book, telling her he thought she'd want to read it. When she finally decided to open it, a pressed flower fell from its pages. When she asked, he told her it was a morning glory and said nothing else.
The next time she found one, it had been in a book she was currently reading. She supposed he put it there while she was sleeping, but she wasn't entirely sure. Tsubaki had recently come home from Japan, bringing flowers to keep herself thinking of home. Maka was sure this was one of the camellias she had brought back. When she asked, he told her he overheard her say she liked them and Tsubaki agreed to give him one. He said nothing else.
Finding the pressed flowers between pages of books became her favorite past time, but she would never tell Soul. She was sure he already knew, however, since more and more were appearing. She would always ask about them, not sure what she was hoping he'd say. Sometimes she would try guessing what the flowers were, other times she'd just ask. What she loved most was his little stories behind each one. He never spoke more than a sentence or two about them, simply telling her where he got them or how.
Now was different. They were stationed together in London to meet with the European division about new policies from Lord Death. Soul forced her to go sight seeing, claiming she needed to experience more than what Death City had to offer. "Live a little"' he had said. He wasn't necessarily wrong, she could use a change of scenery. They traveled a lot for work but they never really had time to stay and visit. This time they had plenty of time; their meeting had adjourned, they didn't have any calls from Lord Death, and they had the next three days ahead of them. It was almost like a vacation.
The air was a little cold and the weather was rather dull, but Soul told her it was always like that. Sun was a rarity in England. He told her about the time he visited with his family for one of Wes's performances. The weather had been just as dreary then, too. They walked through the city stopping at the different attractions and visiting the local shops. Mostly, they walked through each one, simply admiring the different trinkets and bubbles. It wasn't until they passed a flower boutique that anything really caught their eye.
Maka pulled Soul to a stop, admiring the lilies that were on display. The shopkeeper told her they were the heart of London and offered her one to which she politely declined. They continued their stroll through London, enjoying their break and the company the other provided. Soul returned to the booth the next day.
She found it when they returned home, stored away in her copy of Sugarplum Dead. When she asked, he told her he liked seeing her happy. The kiss that followed was languid but sweet. She told him the liky was her favorite and he inquired why.
"It's my favorite shade of red."