Work Text:
Margaret looked over the selection of flowers, carefully eyeing and feeling each one to make sure they were healthy and vibrant in colour. Having the right and best flowers were necessary when making a bouquet, as well as picking ones with the right meanings. This was especially true if you were making one to give to another. While anyone could give a bouquet of roses or other flowers, there was something more special, more romantic when you took the time to carefully plan out what flowers to give and how they looked in the bouquet itself. The process could also take hours, unless you had someone with you.
Louisa, who was standing off to the side after being roped into joining her, was just that person. “Do you know what ones you’re going to pick yet?” she asked, her tone timid as Margaret tapped a finger against her chin.
“I have a general idea of what I want to put in it, but there are a few I’m having difficulty placing.”
“Well, what sort of message do you want to give? Or maybe you could choose the ones that best reflect how you see him?”
Margaret fell silent, looking back to the flowers as a light pink blush dusted her cheeks. “…I think I know which ones I want to go with. Thank you, Louisa dear.” With that she quickly picked out the ones she wanted before watching the sales girl carefully put it together.
Once the bouquet was done, Margaret couldn’t help but smile brightly. The bright colours, carefully arranged in the order of her feelings and thoughts from then to now, was the perfect way to communicate to him without words.
“I love it.”
--------------------------------
He had only ever needed one book in his life. While he had read many books, there was only one from which he gained the information he needed to live his life and which told him all he needed to know. However, that book which he held dear didn’t prepare him for what he was now faced with.
Nathaniel looked over the bouquet of flowers that was currently on his work desk, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out why it was left outside his door, who sent it, and what it all meant. It didn’t take long for him to realize that this was no ordinary bouquet that he would see outside a flower shop; the flowers were arranged in a pattern rather than roughly put together, and there seemed to be a wider array of flowers in this one than in a regular bouquet. What the flowers meant, or why they were arranged as such, still escaped him.
“Wow Nate, I never knew you were a flower kind of guy.”
Nathaniel heaved a sigh before turning to look at Mark, who had entered without his permission.
“I am not,” he said irritably before looking back to the flowers. “These were left outside my door, but why they were there, I do not know.”
“Isn’t it obvious? Someone got them for you! Anyone could figure that much out, Nate.”
“But who gave them to me is still a mystery.”
“Wasn’t there a note left with them?”
“Not that I can tell.”
Mark frowned as he too looked to the bouquet. “Well whoever sent it certainly went all out. I’ve never seen so many flowers together.”
“And that is another thing; this bouquet isn’t like any other you would see outside, or inside a store. There are even flowers in here that I have not seen before.”
“Whoever sent them either has good, or expensive taste, or both.”
Nathaniel shot him a look. “That is not the point; look at how they are arranged. It clearly means something.”
Mark looked to the bouquet again before looking back to Nathaniel. “…you’re kidding, right?”
“I am not.”
“They’re just flowers, though very pretty and expensive ones.”
It took all of his willpower not to snap at Mark, and he settled for pinching the bridge of his nose. “You are of no help.”
“Well I’m not a flower guy.”
“So how am I supposed to figure this out, exactly?”
“Why not read a book. I mean that’s what you’re always doing and you are a nerd.”
Nathaniel made to retort when Mark’s words sunk in. “…you actually said something intelligent for once.”
“Of course I did! I have good ideas, you know.” Mark’s words were promptly ignored as Nathaniel quickly left the room. Realizing that he was being abandoned, Mark hurried after him. “Wait up, Nate! I wanna come too!”
------------------------------------
After hours of searching, Nathaniel returned to his room, a small stack of books in hand with Mark in toe.
“Well that was a boring way to spend time,” he complained as Nathaniel set the books down not too far from where the flowers were.
“No one said you had to join me, or follow me back here.”
“I was curious.”
“Then do stop complaining. You brought this on yourself, after all.”
Mark let out a huff as Nathaniel sat down to take the book on the very top of the stack, wasting no time in opening it and rapidly flicking through the pages. In no time he found what he was looking for, and a small smirk crossed his lips. “I found the first one.”
“…your reading skills terrify me.”
“If you spent more time doing such, you could have them too.”
“No thanks; I’d rather write.”
Nathaniel rolled his eyes before going back to the task at hand. The first one was a Candy Tuft, which meant indifference. As he wrote this down, his brow furrowed while Mark snickered. It seemed the other had taken to reading over Nathaniel’s shoulders, which only added to his irritation. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all!”
Giving another roll of his eyes, Nathaniel went back to work, deciding to simply ignore Mark as he did so. The second flower, which was nestled neatly next to the first one, was an orange rose, which meant fascination. The third was a germanium, which meant stupidity or folly. It seems whoever had sent these flowers wanted to start off on a rough note, perhaps as a way to get under his skin.
However, as he went through the list of flowers, he quickly realized this wasn’t the case.
There was a red morning glory, which signified attachment; a variegated tulip, signifying beautiful eyes; a yellow rose, which signified friendship and perhaps joy. There was also a dark pink rose, which meant thankfulness.
After these were a variety of red flowers, the meaning of each one becoming increasingly romantic; a red tulip, a red rose, a red carnation, a jonquil, and to end it all was a white violet, which meant to take a chance on happiness. There were other flowers in the mix, and a quick glance at them revealed similar meanings. Whoever sent the bouquet knew what they were doing, and while the first flowers were definitely platonic, perhaps even marking a start, the flowers that followed told him of feelings that had developed over time.
This was a confession.
It took him a moment for the realization to hit him, and once it did, combined with the low whistle coming from Mark standing behind him, Nathaniel felt his face begin to heat up.
“Wow. They really went all out for you, didn’t they?”
“…but that still doesn’t tell me who sent them.” Now that he knew why they were there and what they meant, all he needed to do was figure out who sent them. The answer surprisingly came from Mark, who spotted something out of the corner of his eye.
Bending down, Mark plucked a card with delicate, fancy handwriting on it. There was no name attached, only a message: ‘I hope these will suffice.’
“Seems like someone’s playing the mystery card,” he said before Nathaniel took the card from him. “Hey! I was still looking at that!”
Once he had the card, Nathaniel quickly looked it over, and it didn’t take him long to recognize just whose writing it was. He should have known; there was only one person he knew who liked anything remotely romantic, and who would go this far with things.
“There is no need. I have already figured it out.”
“Oh? And who is it, exactly?”
Nathaniel said nothing. A small smirk formed on his lips as he took the paper he had been writing on, looking it over before putting it into his pocket. “It seems a response is in order.” Without another word Nathaniel left the room, leaving behind a rather confused Mark who simply shrugged before looking to the bouquet of flowers. While he didn’t know who sent them to the reverend, Mark did know that he was a lucky son of a bitch.
-----------------------------------
When Margaret had returned from a solo mission, the last thing she expected was to see a bouquet of flowers outside her door. At first glance the bouquet looked very similar to the one she gave him, and immediately she though that he was returning it. This brought a scowl to her lips as she picked up the bouquet. If he was returning it, then she was going to go right over there and make him take it.
However, when she looked at the flowers, Margaret was quick to spot the different ones hiding in and among the flowers she had put into her own bouquet. One that stood out in particular among the red was an ambrosia, which meant that her love was reciprocated. Next to it was a primrose, which meant that one couldn’t live without you. There was the white violet at the end, which she included in her own, and next to it was a lily-of-the-valley, which was followed by a gladiolus. The first flower meant that she made their life complete, while the second referred to her honor.
After taking in the meaning of the flowers, she noticed the card that was attached. At this point she didn’t need to read it to know who gave them to her, for there was only one person she knew who would reply in a similar manner. Said person was also known for trying to one up her, which was the case with some of the new flowers.
Still, she would humor him and read the note that was left.
‘Indeed they did, so it is only right to return in kind.’ There was no signature, but again none was needed.
Unable to conceal the bright smile currently spreading across her face, or the colour in her cheeks, Margaret hurried into the room with the bouquet in hand.
She has a certain Reverend to meet later.