Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

For a while now, there’s been this customer, Noelle, that comes into Collei’s flower shop, Floral Sidewinder, every few days. Collei doesn’t understand how one woman could really need that many flowers, though she doesn’t complain— Business is business and the woman is very kind, and very beautiful.

Collei pushes those thoughts away though, because she’s already dating Freminet, and she’s happy with that. She loves him with all her heart and surely this is just some instance of her having a strong desire to be her friend, right? Right…?

Collei’s just gotten done with a bouquet for another order, and pushed most of her thoughts about Noelle away when she hears the bell of her shop ringing, letting her know a customer is there. She sets the bouquet aside, putting on her best smile and calling out. “Hello! Welcome to Floral Sidewinder, how may I help you today?”

Of course, it couldn’t be any normal customer, or perhaps her boyfriend , who she, mind you, is very in love with— No, it has to be Noelle. The one she’s trying to forget exists. She internally screams as Noelle approaches the counter, the other girl’s smile so beautiful that for a moment she’s wondering if she can stay sane through this interaction.

“Hello! Long time no see, right, Collei?” Noelle said, already pulling out a list from her pocket. Collei raised an eyebrow. “You were… just in here the other day, Noelle.” She stated bluntly, before scrambling. “Not that I mind! You’re always a delight.” The silver-haired girl smiles even more at that, and oh , now she’s giggling , and Collei can feel every thought of hers just disappear like some cruel joke from the Archons above.

Collei mentally waves the thoughts about how pretty Noelle’s laugh is away, and tries to refocus on the task at hand. “So!” She starts, looking at the list. “More flowers for the office? You know, they’re lucky to have you! Always getting everyone flowers.” Noelle shrugs, passing along the list to Collei, which the green-haired girl hurriedly picks up, as if it’s her lifeline, because maybe, just maybe if she can get the order done sooner rather than later, she can forget about the feelings she’s feeling for Noelle and pretend that there’s nothing wrong at all. 

“I think I’m lucky to have my job, in all honesty!” Noelle grinned, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “I’m just appreciative! Do you not get flowers, Collei?” The silver-haired girl asked, eyebrows raised inquisitively, and the look on her face makes Collei want to scream into a pillow like a schoolgirl.

“Oh! Uhm…” Collei thinks for a moment, back to when Freminet offered to buy her flowers, and she declined because she’s around flowers all day, every day. “No.” The green-haired girl shrugs. “But that’s fine! I’m around flowers enough, you know? I don’t need them. Providing them for others is enough!”

Collei gave Noelle a shaky smile as she ran around preparing the bouquet of flowers. Noelle gave the girl a smile back, nodding. “I get it! Sometimes you want other gifts.”

Collei nods, and looks back at the list out of desperation to be distracted from the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous girl in front of her.

Heliotrope, Hollyhock, Hydrangea, Sage . 

Collei repeats the list in her head like a prayer, hoping that if she just focuses on the flowers, the only thing she’s any good at, then maybe she can forget about Noelle’s pretty smile and her pretty laugh and her—

Heliotrope, Hollyhock, Hydrangea, Sage . 

She grabs the white bouquet wrapping paper, Heliotropes, and Hollyhock to start out with, beginning to arrange the first few flowers in a nice way, and she catches herself triple checking it and tries to stop herself. 

As Noelle watches the girl work, she decides to make conversation. “So, Collei, how are you today?” The silver-haired girl asks, innocently enough, but it makes Collei’s thoughts start up again. “I… I’m good! Very good!” She squeaks out, running around to grab the Hydrangeas and Sage flowers now, and under her breath she keeps muttering ‘ Heliotrope, Hollyhock, Hydrangea, Sage .’

As she drags herself back to her workstation, she asks Noelle the polite question in response. “How about you? How are you today, Noelle?” Noelle grins at this, and Collei turns away back to her flower arrangement before she has any more wild thoughts.

“I’m doing good!” Noelle exclaimed, leaning on the counter as she spoke. “Work has been same-old, same-old though. More… hard to deal with customers.” The silver-haired girl put it lightly, and that makes Collei laugh. “You could say that again!”

The green-haired girl giggled as she arranged the flowers, making sure they looked perfect . “Just today this man came in to buy flowers for his girlfriend— I asked him what her favorite flowers were, as I do with anyone buying for their partner!” Collei rolled her eyes as she worked, and Noelle nodded, giving the other girl a small ‘ mhm ’. 

“And— And this man didn’t even know her favorite color . Like, what’s the point of dating at that point!” Collei exclaimed, shaking her head as she fiddled with the flower arrangement more. “And! He had the nerve to get upset with me because I didn’t magically know what flowers to give him. You’d think he’d at least research some meanings of some flowers beforehand, but no, leave it all to me to figure out what this random girl would like.”

The green-haired girl sighed as she ran to grab some ribbon, going back to her workstation to tie the ribbon to the flower arrangement, making it a bouquet. She brought the bouquet over to the counter, shaking her head as she sat it down. “...Sorry, you probably don’t really care about all of that. I just needed to get that out.” 

Noelle shook her head as she grabbed the bouquet, fishing for her wallet in her pockets. “No, don’t be! I understand more than anyone that sometimes you just need to let it out.” She smiled, taking out the appropriate amount of money and handing it over to Collei.

“Besides! We’re not strangers— We’re friends! Friends vent to each other every now and then.” The silver-haired girl stated, which made Collei want to go home immediately and stuff her face in Freminet’s shoulder as she screamed. “...Friends? Really?” Collei raised an eyebrow. “Not that— Not that I don’t want to be friends with you! It’s just we don’t really hang out outside of…” She gestured between her and Noelle, then at her shop. “...This.”

Noelle thought for a moment, nodding, before she put her wallet away and got her phone out. “Let’s change that! You seem like a very nice girl, Collei!” She slid her phone across the counter to Collei, the New Contact screen already pulled up for her. “Put your phone number in. We could talk more! And maybe hang out sometime.”

Now Collei was sure the Archons had some sort of vendetta against her, or Noelle’s personal mission was to make Collei absolutely die . Her brain short circuited as she nodded, quickly putting in her number and her name into Noelle’s phone, sliding it back over to Noelle. The next moment, Collei got a ding from her phone.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket and checking, she had a new text from who only could be Noelle.

Maybe: Noelle

Unknown Number: Hey!!! This is Noelle! Just testing it out :)

Collei felt a smile creep onto her face as she put her phone back in her pocket, making a mental note to reply back to her later and add her as a contact in her phone. “I’ll make sure to text you whenever I get home!”

Noelle nodded, grinning. “Okay! Well, you know—” She started, before checking the time. “Oh! I should probably get going. It’s about time for training!” The silver-haired girl put her phone away, made sure she had the bouquet before running for the door. Before she left, she called out to Collei, wishing her goodbye.

Collei sighed, slumping down behind the counter.

What was she supposed to do ?

— — — —

A few days later, Collei was working at her shop yet again, scrambling to complete yet another order, when she heard the familiar ringing of the bell above the shop door, alerting her to the fact that there were customers. She left her workstation to go to the counter, putting on her best customer service smile.

“Hello! Welcome to Floral Sidewinder, how can I— Freminet!”

Collei interrupted herself as she spotted Freminet, though he wasn’t alone, no, he was with Noelle . “Noelle?” She asked, tilting her head slightly at the pair. “I didn’t know you knew Freminet!”

Freminet gave Collei a small smile as he just sort of stood by Noelle, seemingly letting her talk instead. The silver-haired girl seemed happy with that arrangement, because she started speaking immediately. “Yes! Well— Not well, I just met him. But! I was at his work and he’s just so polite and helpful, you know?” Noelle grinned, gesturing at Freminet. “I wanted to get him and his co-workers some flowers as a thanks for their help.”

Freminet’s cheeks lit up with blush the more Noelle talked, and Collei knew he was probably screaming on the inside. One thing was weird, though— He didn’t look like how he usually looked when he got embarrassed by people. It was more like when he got flustered with Collei.

Maybe her and Freminet had the same thoughts about Noelle after all.

“Oh!” Collei exclaimed, nodding. “That’s awesome! That definitely sounds like Freminet.” She looked at Freminet, who now had started looking at the floor as if it was his only salvation in this conversation. “He’s always been so polite with me. You know, he still tells me off when I push myself too much?”

“...Because otherwise you’d run yourself to the ground. And I don’t want that.” Freminet spoke up, looking Collei in the eyes. It made Collei stop, blush forming on her face. The girl sighed, nodding. “...You’re right, I guess. It’s still really nice of you, though!”

Watching the pair’s conversation, Noelle grinned. “You two are so sweet !” She gestured for Freminet to step up to the counter with her, which he did after she took the first few steps. “Anyways! I’d like to get two bouquets this time. Same flowers in both, though!” Noelle looked over to Freminet. “I hope that’s okay! I didn’t have enough time to research what type of flowers you guys might like…”

The poor boy looked like he would combust any moment, quickly nodding. “That’s alright. I think we’re just happy with any flowers…”

Collei felt a grin creep onto her face as she watched her boyfriend and Noelle interact. She wondered if maybe, just maybe they could make it work. “So!” She said, taking out the list of Noelle’s orders that she kept under the desk. There were a few others from frequent customers, but Noelle’s was the easiest to find. “ Heliotrope, Hollyhock, Hydrangea, Sage . Is that right?”

She asked, reading off the list. The green-haired girl knew it was most likely correct, but she didn’t want to mess up the order. Especially not Noelle’s, she thought.

Noelle nodded, a smile still plastered onto her face. “Yes! Same as always. No surprises here!” The silver-haired girl chuckled, looking back at Freminet. “Unless this gentleman has a special request for his bouquet?”

Collei had to keep in a laugh as she saw Freminet absolutely malfunction when Noelle called him ‘ gentleman .’ The boy seemed to buffer for a moment, looking between Collei and Noelle, almost as if begging her to intervene, before he shook his head. “...Those flowers seem nice. They look nice too, I think. Collei’s shown me some of them before at home.”

The silver-haired girl seemed to take that as a good answer because she turned back to Collei and nodded. “Okay then! Guess it’s settled.” Collei gave them both a nod, moving back to her little workstation to start cleaning up and to start crafting the new bouquet.

“You guys can just kind of hang out while I make these! That’s what Noelle does, anyways.” Collei yelled back out to them, before pausing and adding on. “Unless you need to head anywhere soon, Fremi?”

“ Fremi? ” Noelle questioned, whipping her head around to look at Freminet. The boy looked as if he was going to explode at any moment. Collei knew she’d have to question him on it a bit later back at home.

“...Collei calls me that sometimes.” Freminet answered simply. “And I don’t need to go anywhere soon, so… I could stay and hangout. If that’s fine with Noelle and you.” Collei shrugged, beginning to grab the bouquet wrapping paper and the various flowers, while Noelle gasped, looking shocked that Freminet even questioned his presence there.

“Of course you can stay here!” Noelle exclaimed, taking Freminet’s hands, which the boy was obviously not prepared for. “You seem really nice! Any friend of Collei’s is a friend of mine.” Noelle declared, letting go of Freminet’s hands, and the boy looked like he could finally breathe after holding his breath underwater for too long.

The next few minutes passed in a blur for Collei as she tried to quickly get the bouquets done while also listening to her boyfriend and Noelle talk. The two seemed sweet with each other, and it made her weirdly happy to see him talking with someone else like that. 

Soon enough, Collei made her way back to the counter with the bouquets. “Alright! Two bouquets for the most giving person in the city!” She grinned, handing them over to Noelle. “It’s on the house. You’re in here so often, I don’t want to burn a hole through your wallet!”

That comment made Noelle laugh, and Collei suddenly couldn’t focus properly. Noelle was saying something , but all Collei could think about was how pretty Noelle’s laugh was, and how well it complimented Freminet’s. How much they all complimented each other.

“...Well, I should head out! See you later, Collei!” Noelle called out, walking by Freminet. “Bye Freminet! Hope to see you later too.” She smiled at him, before walking out the door, leaving Freminet and Collei alone together.

Freminet looked at the door, then back at Collei. The two stayed quiet for a moment, before Collei walked out from behind the counter, starting to speak when Freminet also did so.

“I’m gonna close up shop soon,” The green-haired girl started, beginning to gather up her stuff from behind the counter. “Do you have anything else to do at work? We could go home and just… hang out?” Collei offered, turning to Freminet for a moment to give him a soft smile. 

“I don’t have anything else to do.” Freminet stated, taking a seat on a chair that Collei kept behind the counter for when her illness acted up while working. “I’d like that. Going home and relaxing I mean…” He gave Collei a soft smile in return. “Spending time with you is… nice.”

The green-haired girl nodded, her heart filled with so much love that she felt it might explode. How did she get so lucky?

— — — —

Back at home, Collei and Freminet had just been hanging out for a while now. It was silent, but it was a comfortable silence. Collei was reading one of her favorite books on the couch, while Freminet was working on one of his mechanical projects on the floor. The sound of gears and pages turning was a welcome one in their shared space.

But something wouldn’t let Collei focus.

Thoughts of Noelle and Freminet constantly interrupted her as she tried to read, not giving her a single moment of peace.

And speak of the devil, she just got a text from her phone from who she could easily assume was Noelle.

Putting her book to the side, Collei picked her phone up from the coffee table to check.

Noelle

Noelle: It was super cool to see you and Freminet today !! 

Noelle: You guys are so sweet with each other :) 

Noelle: Hope you guys had a good rest of your day!!!

Collei felt a smile creep onto her face for what felt like the millionth time today as she started typing out a reply on her phone, before she heard Freminet’s voice ring out across their living room.

“Who are you texting?” Freminet asked, a bit blunt, but she couldn’t really blame him. The only people she really texted were him and her Dads. Maybe Amber sometimes, but they hadn’t talked in a while. She was busy training for some new big thing, last Collei checked.

“Oh, Noelle!” Collei replied, setting her phone off to the side. She could answer Noelle in a moment. “She asked me for my number the other day because she wanted to get to know me more.” The boy on the floor put his project away, turning around to face Collei. “About Noelle…” Freminet started, clearly hesitating.

Collei felt a pit form in her stomach. Did Freminet know something about Noelle she didn’t? Or maybe Freminet just didn’t like her? Or maybe— Freminet liked her like how he liked Collei and realized Collei was too weird for him.

Taking a deep breath in, Collei nodded. “...What about her? Is something wrong, Frem?” Freminet shook his head, looking away from Collei for a moment before looking back at her. He was hesitating and she knew it. And he only did that when he thought she would be upset or something.

“Freminet, I’m not gonna be mad. If you don’t like her, you can just say that—”

“...I don’t dislike her,” Freminet shook his head again. “I just… I don’t know how to say it.”

The green-haired girl tilted her head in confusion. “Just say it!” She paused, thinking for a moment, before adding. “I could tell you how I feel about her as well?”

Freminet nodded, waiting until Collei opened her mouth before he decided to just blurt it out. Which happened to be at the same time Collei started speaking as well.

“I think I really like Noelle—”

“...The way I feel about Noelle is similar to how I feel about you—”

The pair stared at each other for a good few moments as they processed that they both liked this girl, before Collei burst out into a fit of giggles. “You like her too?” She asked, which Freminet nodded at.

“She’s… Really nice. Very inclusive and… Is nice to be around. Like you.” Freminet explained. “I’ve met her before a few times. She also asked me for my number but… I’ve been too nervous to text her back.” 

Collei nodded along with Freminet’s explanation. “I agree! She’s always been nice when she comes into the shop,” She moved to hug her knees, resting her head on them as she looked down at Freminet. “Her laugh is also really pretty. She’s really pretty.”

There was a silence, before Collei added. “Not just her looks! Her personality is pretty too. She’s just— Uhm—”

“I get it.” He stated, moving to sit next to Collei on the couch, given that she sort of gave him room to do so now. “She’s special.”

“...What should we do then?” The green-haired girl asked, a sigh escaping her lips. “We’re dating which… I don’t want that to change! I want you to know that!” She rushed to explain. “I just know that some people don’t really take to polyamory. Or if that would even be something you’d be willing to try.” 

Freminet thought for a moment. “We could always propose it as an option. She doesn’t have to accept.” He paused. “...That’s if she even likes one or both of us.” 

“True…” Collei groaned, throwing her head back in annoyance. “You know, everyone makes this whole ‘relationship’ thing seem so easy. It’s sort of annoying right now.” Freminet nodded, messing with the end of his sleeves as he thought. “...We could tell her we’re interested and see where it goes, I guess?” He suggested.

The green-haired girl looked back at him and thought for a moment. “Maybe. But what if she doesn’t like us?” Freminet shrugged. “We move on, I guess…? I think it’s worth a try. See where it goes.” 

“Okay,” Collei turned to face the coffee table, stretching out her legs before reaching for her phone. “I could text her and ask if she’d want to hang out with us? We could ask her then?” She offered.

“That’s a good idea,” Freminet agreed, shooting a glance over to his phone. “It’s better if you invite her, I think.” Collei nodded, unlocking her phone and going to Noelle’s contact. “Would inviting her back here work okay?”

“Sure,” Freminet answered. “I’d prefer to stay anyway. I’d get too overwhelmed if we did anything out in public.”

The green-haired girl gave him a thumbs up before beginning to message Noelle.

Noelle

Hi Noelle!!! Was so nice seeing you as well :)

Me and frem were talking and we’d love to hang out with you sometime!!!

Would you like to come over to ours sometime tomorrow??

If youre not super busy ofc!!!

Noelle: Oh my god!!! Of course!

Noelle: Tomorrow works perfectly actually <3
Noelle: Would about 5 pm work? That’s a bit after I get off work!!

That works perfectly !!! ill let frem know <3

Collei put her phone down, a smile plastered on her face as she did so. Freminet stared at her for a moment, before piping up. “...So, what’d she say?”

“She’s free to come over tomorrow at about five.” She answered him. “Would that be okay?” Freminet nodded, but thought for a moment. “Are you sure you’d be able to handle that? That would be pretty much right after you close…”

Collei waved him off, crossing her arms. “I’m not gonna let my illness dictate what I can and can’t do. And I’m not going to let it mess up any plans I have!” She announced, determined.

“Okay…” Freminet relented. “That works then. Just try to take care of yourself afterwards… Alright?” Collei rolled her eyes playfully at him, giggling. “Okay, fine… Love you!” She shouted, before running off into the kitchen to grab a snack, before promptly smacking her face into a wall and shouting an ‘ I’m fine! ’

Freminet felt a small smile creep onto his face as he whispered to himself. “Love you too, Collei…”