A/N: Happy (super late) Valentine's Day, everyone! Have some rare fluff from me in celebration of my art portfolio being submitted!
It was already sunset by the time the last of the Valentine's Day crowds left the shop.
The sky was deep set in shades of reds and oranges, stars already twinkling in the streaks of violets and indigos coloring the edges. The sparse sunlight that did stream in through the large front window cast everything in a flurry of warm hues. Mingling in with the sweet, faint scents of the flowers decorating the shop, it certainly was breathtaking to behold. Definitely a contrast to the hectic chaos that had taken place earlier in the day.
Everything was quiet, save for the shuffling of a young man as he organized and reorganized a few of the bouquets that sat atop the counter. He let out an annoyed sigh as he eyed the damaged peonies that he was currently tidying, gaze drifting to look at the rest of the mess littering the surface. Some of the flowers had been strewn around as customers roughly shuffled through them, not even bothering to place them back in their proper spots. A few of the flowers even had torn petals from others impatiently grabbing at individual stalks in attempts to create their own bouquets.
He scoffed at the thought. As if they could ever be better than what he can put together, but that wasn't the point. If only these people knew just how hard it was to arrange everything in a neat and pleasing spread, they wouldn't be so—
A soft yawn broke through the silence, pulling him back to reality in a split second. He looked towards the direction of the sound and his face immediately lit up, setting the peonies back down onto the counter.
A young woman emerged from the back room, languid movements almost cat-like as she stretched her arms lazily above her head. She rubbed at her tired eyes before they opened slowly, revealing a beautiful shade of color that mimicked the glittering stars outside. They flittered around the shop before finally landing on him, a brilliant smile growing on her face as she made her way over to him.
"Not bad for a first time Valentine's Day rush," she mused, wrapping her arms around his neck, "though I will say that I never knew middle-aged women could be so serious about their flowers."
He only hummed in response, leaning down to absent-mindedly press a kiss to her hairline before pulling her close to his chest, smile still etched onto his features. He wanted to relish in her warmth just for a minute; the sheer amount of customers today made it to where they barely saw each other. He deserved a reward for his hard work, right?
She only laughed, tilting her face up to press a kiss of her own to his chin. She pulled away slightly and examined his face. She noted the vacant glint in his eyes, her smile only widening. "Seriously?" She asked, "That's all you have? A hum in response?" Her tone was meant to be annoyed, but the playfulness in her voice told him that she was merely amused. "Perhaps you were too distracted thinking of other things to have noticed?"
"Sorry," he mumbled, attention finally pulled away from his thoughts enough to focus on her. A cheeky smile graced his features as he pulled her back into his chest, playing with a lock of her hair. "You're right, I probably was distracted. After all, I'm always distracted when it comes to you."
He gave her a sly smile, watching with amusement as a blush spread across the girl's cheeks. She pulled away again to give his arm a playful slap. "Oh my god, Saeran," she giggled, "That was so cheesy!"
"I'm only cheesy when it comes to you, my precious flower," he stated. He released her and went back to his task at hand, picking up the peonies once again with a sigh. She gave him a confused look before finally registering the state of the shop. She winced before a heavy huff escaped her lips.
"Geez, you would think customers would have more tact," she tutted, bending down to gather some of the scattered flowers on the floor. "But I guess when you're the consumer, you have a free license to act like a prick, huh?" She swiped an arm in an arc, gesturing to the flowers that lay in ruins. "If only they knew how hard we worked, they wouldn't be like this." Saeran merely nodded; she took the words right out of his mouth.
They continued to clean up, the two of them sharing stories and quips about some of their hellish customers, laughs and chortles coloring the once quiet shop. After what seemed like an eternity, the shop finally resembled an actual shop rather than a slice-of-life anime.
"I just realized something," the girl spoke up. Saeran gave her a sideways glance. Her gaze dropped back to the floor, smile fading. "We didn't even get to really do anything for Valentine's Day this year…"
"Are you mad?"
"No, not really. I was kind of expecting it." She sighed, looking over to him. "But maybe…from now on, we can close the shop for Valentine's Day? Or at least close it next year and spend the day together? Just the two of us?"
"That sounds like a good idea, my angel, we'll definitely do that next season." He wrapped his arms around her waist, head falling to the crook of her neck. She giggled as he nuzzled her and reached up to card a hand through his fluffy locks.
They remained like this, reveling in the peaceful silence, when, all of a sudden, he felt her wiggling out of his grasp. "Oh, oh! Speaking of which," she said, darting towards the back room, "I have a gift for you! Close your eyes!"
Saeran did as he was told, patiently awaiting until he was given the okay to reopen them. Her footsteps and soft voice floated around the shop, muttering incoherent words as she shuffled around. After a few moments, he felt her take his hands and turn them over before placing something in his now open palms. It was round and quite…heavy? Kind of prickly too.
What exactly did she give him?
He opened his eyes and looked down, only to find a…pineapple? He turned it over a few times in his hands, eyebrow raised, trying to find some hidden meaning. After all, she was quite the mischievous type; maybe there was something taped somewhere on the fruit or…?
A few minutes of this passed until she couldn't keep her composure any longer. "Ahaha!" Her laughter rang out at his confused expression and she moved to set the fruit down on the counter before moving to embrace him. "Sorry, sorry; I read somewhere that, in flower language, pineapples apparently mean 'You're perfect.' I thought it was funny, so I got you one because you're definitely perfect in my eyes." Her eyes crinkled at the corners in a bright smile and he swore his heart almost stopped for a second.
"…I'm kidding about the pineapple, by the way. This is your actual gift." He didn't register what she said. He was too entranced by that dazzling smile of hers that he didn't notice the neatly-made flower crown in her hands until it was promptly placed atop his head. Saeran froze, holding his breath as he watched her comb a few strands of his hair here and there with her fingers. When she was finally satisfied, she gave him a lopsided grin and nodded at her handiwork.
"A flower crown of forget me nots, lilacs, and lily of the valley, with some rosemary to cover the floral wire," she said proudly, admiring the way that the blue and white hues stood in stark contrast against his fiery hair. Saeran instinctively reached up a hand and gently patted the crown, almost as if he wasn't quite sure it existed. He still held that bewildered expression on his face, causing her to laugh.
"I'm assuming that you can tell me why I used the flowers that I did?" She asked, trying to get his attention. He finally looked at her and she continued. "I know that you worship that book on flower language that I bought you last year."
Saeran thought for a moment, hand resting against his chin in deep concentration and mind running through the different meanings. He turned back to her eager face. "Forget-me-nots for true love," he murmured, "lilacs for first emotions of love, rosemary for remembrance, and…" A fond smile graced his features. "Lily of the valley for a promise of happiness," he said, pulling her back into his chest.
"Yep, right as always. I was going to throw in some snowdrops but we were fresh out of stock and I figured I didn't need to." She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his jaw. "After all, I already have the best looking snowdrop here."
"Now you're being cheesy."
Saeran was met with another playful smack to the arm. "Hey, I can be as cheesy as I want and it will still never be as cheesy as you, you cheeseball," she said. But then she rested her head back against his shoulder, eyes drifting shut as a sweet smile made its way onto her face. "But that's okay. I love cheese."
"Well now I suppose it's time for me to give you your present, huh?" She felt him shifting under her and she lifted her head up from his shoulder to stare at him. He was looking at her with such love in his eyes. She felt her cheeks heat up…but that was soon forgotten as a devilish grin replaced all shyness in a second.
"Ohoho, I wasn't expecting a present here at the shop! Maybe one at home but not here…" She waggled her eyebrows at him and cracked up when he groaned loudly.
"You've been spending way too much time with my brother," Saeran muttered under his breath.
"Jealous?"
"No," he stated plainly, "at least…not yet." That caused the girl to stop; her cheeks were nearly as red as his hair. He laughed at her expense and placed a quick kiss on her cheek before walking away. "But seriously, stay here for a second while I go get it," he called over his shoulder.
She watched with rapt interest as Saeran made his way over to a secluded corner of the shop. She could hear the movements of boxes shuffling about, a few of his muttering escaping into the quiet air and filling the silence with "not here"'s and "nope, not here either"'s.
She was beginning to grow a little worried as this continued on for quite some time. Maybe it was misplaced? Did…did he need help looking for it?
It wasn't until his voice, loud, clear, and full of excitement, echoed through the shop with a "Thank god they didn't touch it!" that she relaxed and waited for Saeran to make his way back.
When he returned, he was clutching a rather large bouquet of roses between his hands. She scanned over the bouquet, eyes looking over the multitude of colors that swirled together in a kaleidoscopic rainbow. "A rose," he said, glancing down at the bundle, "for each day that it took for us to fall in love. And a rose—" he turned his attention back to her— "for each season that we've spent together ever since."
She remained speechless as she watched him shift the bouquet carefully into the crook of his arm. He tilted his head this way and that, looking over the bouquet before finally reaching his now free hand to pull one of the roses out from the bunch. He held it out to her. It was a lovely lavender color.
"It started when I first heard your voice through that phone call." She looked at him and saw nothing but adoration in his eyes as he reminisced on the memory. "You sounded so lovely and beautiful that I found myself unconsciously wanting to know everything about you. And when you agreed to come to Magenta, I could hardly contain my excitement! I made sure to have everything prepared to the best of my abilities. Even down to the smallest detail. Everything had to be perfect for you. And I knew that I made the right choice; you looked so beautiful when you first arrived that I'm sure my heart skipped a beat."
Saeran gave her a loving smile, waving the rose a little to catch her attention. She took it from him, twirling it a few times while she waited for him to continue. He fished out the pretty pale pink rose next, again holding it out to her. "You were so sweet," he said, "so kind, so gentle. You never questioned me; always believed wholeheartedly in whatever I said. And even now, you remain ever-so sweet that I find myself falling more and more in love with you."
The next rose he pulled out from his bundle was a gorgeous shade of green. He looked down at it fondly before reaching it out to her. "Much like this rose, you gave me the energy to take on the day. I adored our conversations in the messenger. Your praises and your concerns, I held them so near and dear to my heart." A rosy red painted his cheeks as he briefly looked away, chuckling nervously. "And now, your smiles, your hugs, and your kisses give me strength in hopes that I can always see your beautiful face from dawn to dusk.
"As those four days passed," he continued, pulling out a bright yellow rose, "I found myself craving your attention. At first, I thought it was mere fixation. But I found that those feelings kept growing…leaving me with the conclusion that, somewhere along the way, I had fallen for you." He looked straight into her eyes, expression of love never wavering, as he said those last words.
She blushed profusely at this declaration, taking the yellow rose from his grasp. Of course she remembered those four days; he always doted on her fervently, making sure she was well-taken care of. Especially during their first visit down to his beloved garden, she felt herself being drawn to him just as much. So when Saeran, under the name 'Ray' at the time, confessed that he had fallen for her—in the chatroom no less, but not the point—she was over the moon. She had hardly slept that night, clutching her phone and rereading his heartfelt words on the screen. Her mind played back the events that followed, fond nostalgia taking over as she recalled how the other RFA members were worried sick when she missed nearly five chatrooms after finally passing out.
The next rose he pulled out was a vibrant orange. He paused to look at it before letting out a hearty laugh. "I'm not sure if you know the meaning of this one," he said in between laughs, "But it means 'enthusiasm and desire.' I could definitely sense your enthusiasm, my angel. Especially after you caught me by surprise with that sneak kiss in the garden." He gave her a knowing smirk, chuckling at the way her cheeks immediately flushed crimson when she realized what he meant. So adorable.
"Okay, but look—!" She sputtered, trying to save her dignity, but he already had the next rose presented before she could argue. She gave him a pointed glare before taking the new rose and eying it. Oh, she knew this one! It was one of those Fire and Ice roses; they were one of her favorites among the different types, only because of its beautiful dual color scheme.
"You remind me so much of that rose in particular," he mused, watching as she smiled fondly at the rose, "You're calm and collected. You never seem to falter under pressure. And yet, underneath that cool demeanor, lies a fiery spirit. You've certainly proven that to me, especially during those…those three days." The words died on his tongue and his expression dropped, mind recalling those terrible three days back in Mint Eye.
The ghost of memories past flashed behind his eyes—he could see her thin, pale body shivering in fear; the terror that shone in her eyes, no matter how much she tried to hide it behind her tough facade.
But what was worse was that he saw himself reflected back in her haunting eyes, saw the way he sneered as he looked down at her condescendingly.
How he wished that he could turn back time and find a way to prevent that from ever happening, but he knew more than anything that that was impossible.
From the corner of his eye, Saeran noticed her expression shift, brows furrowing in concern and worry as she looked at him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, turning his attention away from his thoughts and back to the task at hand. Now wasn't the time to self-loathe. This was more important.
"You never backed down," he continued, "always rose to my insults and countered them so perfectly. And yet you also never panicked in the face of even your own potential demise." He thought back to how she acted so calm in the chatrooms, not once showing her fear of possibly undergoing the dreaded cleansing ceremony. He shot her a melancholic smile. "One day, my flower, you must tell me how you manage to keep your composure so poised."
"Only because I knew your reason for doing it," he heard her say, "I knew that you were only doing it because you were just trying to protect yourself." He felt her hand reach up to his face, before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. She pulled away and continued, "And I've already told you that I've forgiven you for it. So please, don't beat yourself up about that anymore."
Saeran felt his heart skip a beat, relishing in her honey words. How lucky he was to have her by his side. But that feeling was soon dropped as he winced inwardly at the realization of which rose he was about to pull out next. He could only hope that she wouldn't think what he thought she would upon seeing its color.
She watched him as he stared at the now small bunch of roses clutched in his hands. Her eyes widened, heart stuttering, as she saw his expression shift and an uncertainty overtaking those beautiful mint hues. A short gasp left her as she saw his hand hesitate before slowly pulling another rose from the dwindling bouquet. She was about to say something, ask for an explanation, but the words died in her throat. After all, he didn't have to say anything. She already knew what that rose meant.
The midnight black petals said it all.
He turned his gaze back to her and held out the rose, albeit hesitantly. "I see your face," he said, allowing her to take the rose first before moving closer to cup her cheek, "but please don't think I mean its meaning to be about us, about our relationship. Yes, it represents death, but it also represents resistance, courage, and more importantly…a farewell." Saeran stared deep into her eyes, watching confusion mix with heartbreak, and wiped away a stray tear as she leaned into his touch and shut her eyes. "You helped open my eyes to the truth—that Mint Eye was nothing but a harmful cult and that the Savior—I mean, Rika, was nothing more than a heartless woman bent on power.
"And because of that, I was able to regain my hopes." When she reopened them, the sight of a stunning snow white rose overtook her vision. I thought that I would forever be broken, stained in darkness. But you restored me back to white, brought back my innocence. And more importantly, allowed me to dare think that I might be worthy to stand by your side." He tucked it in among the rest of the bunch that she held tightly between her hands, giving her another sweet smile.
He chuckled, stroking her hair. "There's the smile that I love so much," he said as she smiled shyly at him, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, "Please always keep smiling just like that. Anyways, you saved me from the darkness. For that, I'm forever thankful to you. And I hope—" he took the deep pink rose from the remaining two and placed it into the bunch—"this rose shows my appreciation. Because…"
Both of them were staring at the remaining rose, her eyes widening in realization as he twirled the rose's stem slowly between his fingers. After a few minutes and a deep breath, he reached out the last rose to her, its beautiful blue petals shimmering under the fading sunlight.
"You gave me something that I thought I would never have, something that I always thought would be impossible to attain." He placed the rose into the bouquet and reached up to take her free hand in his, bringing it up to his lips. "You gave me your love, MC. Never in a million years did I ever think that I deserved love of any kind." His eyes were sparkling with small tears. "But you showed me that's not true. You gave me your heart, and so much more, and I don't know how I would ever be able to repay you for it. Though maybe this present will be enough?"
"Of course it's enough," she said, tightening her grip on the bundle of flowers, "Your presents are always enough for me—heck, your presence in my life alone will always be more than enough for me!" She sent him a dazzling smile and he swore his heart skipped a beat; it always did around her. Her eyes drifted down to the large bouquet she now held. "Though, I feel like something's off…"
His heart began to race, anxiety overtaking him slowly but surely. Did he manage to mess something up? No, no way. He had everything planned down to a tee. He nervously watched the bob of her head back and forth, eyes flittering over the bouquet in intense concentration. Even now, she looked absolutely adorable; the way her tongue peeked out a little over her lip, the little furrow of her brow…
"Wait a minute." His attention immediately snapped back to reality and the two of them met eyes. She had a confused expression plastered on her face. "Saeran, there's only ten roses here. Aren't you missing one?"
Oh. Oh, thank god.
He let out a big sigh and smiled, only increasing her confusion. "I keep forgetting just how quick you are," he hummed, "You're right; I am missing a few. Actually…give me a second…"
Her eyes never left his figure as he wandered to a corner of the shop, watching him bend down to pick something up, before returning to his position in front of her. His hands were hidden from her view behind his back. Before she knew it, two entwined roses—beautiful red and pure white—tied together by a ribbon filled the space between them.
She eyed the intertwined flowers, eyebrow raised in question. "Now that makes twelve." A dorky smile donned her face as she looked up at him. "Are you sure you're not just messing with me at the point?"
"Nope," he said nonchalantly, "I'm not messing with you. In fact, did you look closely at the ribbon?"
She eyed him questioningly, raising an eyebrow before bending down to examine the ribbon. There wasn't anything special about it; it was just a plain mint ribbon with a brooch…
Wait.
That's not a brooch.
She nearly dropped the rest of the roses, setting them down on the counter before reaching up her hands to cover her mouth in surprise. The corners of her eyes were watering, a few loose tears streaming down her cheeks. She watched with bated breath as Saeran gently tugged the ribbon free and pulled the ring off. He placed the two roses down on top of the other roses and dropped to one knee before her, one hand clutching her hand and the other holding the ring out.
"I loved you ever since that day, the day that you first trusted me and came to Magenta. Even when I was blinded by my faith in my Sav—" he stopped himself before continuing— "…Rika. Even when I tried to break your will, you stayed by my side, reaffirming words that I wouldn't have ever dared to dream of before. As a result, I only continued to fall deeper for you as those eleven days passed…
"We've grown since then." He stood, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, hand moving to gently caress her cheek. "We've made many beautiful memories together as the seasons passed." He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "I love you as much as I love these seasons spent with you. And I want to continue to make memories with you, my Valley Lily. I can only imagine what joys they would bring us—what they would bring me…" She looked into his eyes and nothing but admiration, love, hope, and devotion reflected back at her. He took her hands gently in his and brought them up to his lips, eyes never leaving hers, as he spoke.
"So, MC…my paradise, my angel…will you marry me?"