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“A… surprise?”
Mary had just finished her shift at the local Daycare when Raihan passed by, proposing something he didn’t want to reveal just yet. Still, there was no human way she could reject him, with his bright expression and curved smile (those dimples on his cheeks were simply too much!). Even her heart melted upon noticing how hard he was trying to hide the soft blushing on his face.
“Yeah! I was thinking that, maybe… You know…” Raihan mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. His voice was shaking, and the way his lips trembled didn’t go unnoticed. “I’ll show you there.”
Just for once Mary was going to pass Raihan’s ambiguity, and just because he was a little too nervous for his own good. That surprise was probably outworldly if it made the great, powerful dragon-type gym leader Raihan behave like that. But, in a way, it’s not like she minded at all, seeing his true personality (that sweet, caring and princely man) was something she couldn’t get tired of.
She had already folded her Daycare attire and, only wearing the casual outfit she used underneath her uniform, she approached him and slowly reached out her fingers to his, but hesitated at first. When Raihan felt that warm touch of hers, he took the first step and gently intertwined his fingers with hers. Mary looked up and met his gaze; he had a much calmer smile on his face this time, slightly painted in a soft, crimson glow on his cheeks, and that sight was enough to cause a grin on her face.
“I can’t wait to see what you planned this time.”
And her positive answer widened the smile on Raihan’s face, to the point of showing a fang that, for others, was frightening; but for her it was simply adorable and part of his natural charm. Judging by his expression, it was almost as if he wanted to reveal the surprise earlier than expected and, in an impulse to gain some self control, he took a deep breath. “Oh, right, that reminds me…” Setting her hands free, Raihan stood behind her and carefully covered her eyes with his hands. “I’ll take you there, I want it to be a great surprise.”
Mary couldn’t tell how far they had walked since they left the Daycare, but Raihan had been covering her eyes for, at least, twenty or more minutes. Occasionally he would whisper sweet nothings on her ear, making her giggle softly, tendered. Even such long walks were nice if they were together.
Judging by the tall grass tickling her legs and the breeze caressing her skin, Mary could guess they were in an open place. After some time, Raihan stopped walking and waited some seconds until he said something. “Don’t open your eyes yet, Mary.”
After giving his warning, he took his hands off her face and walked away. Mary was covering her own eyes this time, and the excitement was traveling through her body at the speed of one of Raiki’s bolts of lightning. In an effort to mitigate her eagerness, she swung her body from side to side, until Raihan’s voice finally came around.
“You can look now.”
As Mary opened her eyes, the blinding light of the sun momentarily blinded her, but when she got used to the brightness, Raihan’s silhouette stood in front of her, wearing the kindest grin on that adorable face of his. One hand was elegantly resting on his back, and the other was extending her a beautifully decorated bouquet of many different flowers, varying in forms and colors. Mary stood in silence for a few seconds, analyzing what Raihan had in hand. Is that really for me?, she wondered silently in her head. But seeing that they were the only ones around, and he was staring directly into her eyes, there was no other alternative. She took a few, doubtful steps forward, until the bouquet was in her reach. Raihan carefully put it in her hands, and having them up close, Mary was charmed by the sweet aroma of the different flowers.
“Beautiful flowers for the most beautiful lady of the world,” he said shortly after, putting his hands on Mary’s waist, lovingly caressing her with his fingers. “And that’s not all. Look around.”
As Raihan asked, Mary checked her surroundings. Behind him, a vast field of flowers resulted in a breathtaking sight. The sun shone brightly above them, reflecting the flower’s most charming hues, and the breeze made them dance on the spot. Raihan offered a hand and, with the other, he pointed with an open palm to the field. That silent invitation was perfectly understood by Mary, who held his soft hand tightly. Walking towards the field of flowers, they made sure to not step in any of them. Finally, he stopped in a wide space where florets surrounded them, and sat down. Mary followed him, putting the bouquet on her lap.
“This is so… Beautiful,” Mary whispered, charmed by the view around her. Raihan leaned over to put one strand of her mahogany hair behind her ear, which only caused her cheeks to light up.
“You only deserve the beautiful things in life,” he added. Not so long after, he reached out to pick up a flower to decorate her hair. “Hey, have you ever made a flower crown?”
“Um, I don’t think so…”
“Well, me neither,” a chuckle escaped his lips. “Wanna learn together?”
And, just as he was saying that, he took out a pair of pieces of wire and some floral tape from the pockets of his hoodie. Mary held one of the wires and put it on her head - it was perfectly trimmed to fit either of them. Upon raising her head to see Raihan, he was already grinning proud of his own early work. “Learning together is the best,” Mary replied.
Raihan laid down on the ground beside her, looking at her from below and sometimes raising his arm to reach her cheeks that he liked to stroke so much. With his other arm he picked up another flower, and Mary did the same with a nearby pink camellia. After trying to figure out for some time how to start, Mary suggested wiring the stems of the flowers to the wire, and securing them with the floral tape.
The first flowers were kind of wonky, but after some time (probably an hour or so after), they managed to perfect their technique to the point of hiding those flowers with others that were far more pretty and well-placed. Upon finishing, Mary raised her crown to the sky, with a wide grin on her face. Raihan loved seeing her like that, so carefree, content and, on top of everything, confident. It was an uncommon sight, and probably Mary didn’t notice it herself, but luckily Raihan was there to admire her charming expression whenever she was ready. He wouldn’t trade her smile for anything in the world, no matter how precious.
“I think it turned out good!” Mary gushed, turning to see Raihan.
“Are you sure you ain’t a professional, Mary?” Raihan joked. “Why don’t you put it on?”
“Actually…” Mary hugged the crown against her chest, her words were but a soft murmur. “I made this for you…”
He could feel his own heart loudly pounding upon hearing her, and he was sure that his face could be easily compared to a Tamato berry at that point - the warmth of his blush soaking through his skin. The exaggerated simper on his appearance was sweet, to say the least.
“I’d be pleased to wear it, then…”
Raihan stood up from the ground and leaned over to Mary so she could reach his head. After closing his eyes, he could only feel her soft hands taking off his headband and softly stroking his hair. Her touch was always so soothing, so ethereal. Afterwards, she placed the flower crown on his head, securing it behind his ears.
“Done.”
After Mary gave the notice, Raihan opened his eyes and straightened up his back. “So, how do I look? Pretty cool, huh?”
“I think it suits you alright,” Mary replied, a little embarrassed of seeing him. He was simply too sweet for her heart.
“Do you want to try the one I made?”
“Y—Yes!”
Raihan took the flower crown that was resting on his lap and also put it on Mary's head. His hands were too big and, afraid of messing up, was being extra cautious when securing the crown. He also fixed the flowers that were decorating her - he wanted to make sure everything was perfect, just like the wearer. After he was done, he put a hand on her chin and tilted her head in his direction. Mary opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Raihan’s breathtaking, ocean-like eyes that she liked so much. But the thing she loved the most about them was how they expressed his real self and rather than being a barrier, they were a window to his heart.
“You look so charming,” Raihan complimented, “like a princess.”
“I don’t think I deserve this…”
“Oh, you absolutely do.” Raihan was being dead serious, and the way he didn’t hesitate to answer proved it. “You deserve a lot more, actually.”
Leaning over, he planted a soft, short kiss on her forehead, causing her to close her eyes as his words crawled through her. Raihan was always so nice to her...
Mary placed a hand on the ground, as her other hand was holding Raihan’s face. He cradled up in her hand, kissing her open palm from time to time. Seeing him like that, so calm and caring, melted her heart in ways she could never have thought would be possible. They were so different from each other and, at the same time, so alike. Two sides of the same coin that complemented the other whenever they were together, and she was always so grateful for being able to meet him, and even more grateful to have gotten the courage to talk to him in the first place.
Thoughts carried her away for just a few seconds in which she could only think about them. The world surrounding them was disappearing slowly in her mind, leaving only the image of Raihan’s kind eyes and soft attitude towards her, and her beating heart synchronizing with their feelings. Even the fresh breeze and the hot sun in her skin were meaningless for a moment, and the flowers around them stopped dancing - or at least to her eyes.
Still, there was an unaccounted sensation that brought her back to her senses; it was fur, silky, fluffy fur. When her eyes flickered down to see what interrupted her intangible but sublime world, she found a small Eevee rubbing its body against her arm. Oh, so cute!
“ Eevee! ” The Pokémon raised its head towards Mary, shaking its tail in excitement.
Raihan giggled when Mary covered her mouth to admire that little Pokémon that had showed up. She always looked adorable in his eyes, but when her eyes shone brightly in eagerness as she looked how Eevee ran in circles to (successfully) gain her attention, she was like an actual, real life angel. Raihan couldn’t get enough of her love towards Pokémon, and he wished he could engrave that image into his head. Luckily for him, the fastest thing he could do was snap a quick picture of her that he would treasure forever.
“Rai, did you plan this?!”
“Who knows,” Raihan smirked when Mary turned around to see him, “maybe this little one recognizes good people.”
Mary’s cheeks shone red with that soft blush decorating her already cute face. Eevee danced around her, fluttering its tail with utmost grace and enthusiasm, resulting in such a delightful sight for Mary. That Pokémon wasn’t similar to Bee or Souma, it held its own cuteness.
For some long minutes, even extending to hours, Mary kept playing with the little Pokémon that didn’t seem to get tired at all. Raihan joined the fun shortly after, letting Eevee hop onto his head to explore the field of flowers from up high, while Mary followed them. On a whim, Mary arranged a beautiful flower crown for Eevee too, decorating around its ears and even putting some petals on its already fluffy tail, and seeing the Pokémon jumping and dancing around her was enough reward.
They didn’t notice how time slipped from their hands, but when they finally parted ways, the sky above their heads was already painted in the most beautiful orange glow of the day. As the sun kissed off the Earth, letting the moon share its glorious gleam alongside his army of stars, Mary and Raihan approached a small plaza in the middle of the field; she was holding the flower bouquet in one hand while grabbing Raihan’s hand with the other.
“So, Raihan…” Mary started as they sat down on a bench, “these flowers are all different from the ones in the field, did you buy them?”
“Not really. I picked them up myself. They all mean something.”
“T—they do?”
“Yup. For example,” Raihan grabbed a white flower with tubular petals, its sweet aroma swiftly surrounded them both. “This is a honeysuckle. It represents happiness.” His hands were more gentler than ever when carrying the stem between his fingers, raising it for Mary to admire. After that, he put the flower back in the bouquet and grabbed another one, this one being red (almost purple-like) and having several layers of petals in a circular manner, resulting in a spherical shape. “Red dahlias symbolize never-ending love.” When Mary’s eyes danced up to see Raihan, she noticed his burning cheeks after saying those words. But she also felt how heat began to gather in her own face. The dahlias preceded another flower, whose beauty resided in its purple outsides and white insides. Small, but when gathered in little groups (just like Raihan did in the bouquet), it really stood out in her eyes. “Heliotropes mean friendship and love. I know it’s too cheesy.” A laugh that briefly exposed his own nervousness escaped his lips, and Mary could only giggle at the sight. She never knew Raihan was so immersed in the language of flowers, or if he had made his research just for that day.
Raihan sighed as he put the flower back in its place, turning around to see her. This time, a big smile in which a fang made its way too. Still, Mary was rather intrigued by the bouquet. Before saying a word, she took out a reddish flower whose petals were smaller in the center, and became bigger with each layer. It was a flower Raihan had not taken out yet. “What about this one?”
“That one? It’s a red chrysanthemum.”
Raihan’s blush was so close to spreading out to the rest of his face and neck.
“And it means…?”
He really needed to clear his throat for that one. His racing heart pounded loudly, and he thanked Arceus for the bench he was sitting on, because he would have fallen otherwise due to his nervousness. Still, after clearing his thoughts and taking a deep breath, he let his smile reign through the night, shining as brightly as the constellations above and echoing in synchrony with Mary’s own heart.
“Chrysanthemum means I love you .”