Work Text:
June 25th
The tiny bell at the door at the entrance of the florist rang as Riruka pushed it open. She carefully guided it closed and gave a small wave to the elderly lady behind the counter. She'd come to know her quite well over the years, Riruka visited almost weekly without fail.
Flowers were her and Orihime's thing. Orihime dearly loved them and the way her face would light up every time Riruka handed her a new bouquet was enough to make Riruka want to buy out the whole store for her sweetheart.
Riruka gave Orihime her first bouquet on their first official date as a couple. They saw a movie, some cheesy romance movie that Orihime wanted to see. Riruka didn't remember a single thing about the movie itself, she spent the whole time sneaking glances at the woman she loved.
When they went inside Riruka's apartment afterwards she presented Orihime with a bouquet of sunflowers, yellow and bright. Orihime's face lit up like a Christmas tree and since then Riruka vowed to give her a bouquet weekly.
She borrowed books on meanings of flowers at the library, pouring over them and taking notes, planning upcoming bouquets with just the right meanings.
This week it was lilies, pink ones specifically. Different types of flowers had different meanings but different colours also had their own seperate meanings. Pink lilies symbolise gentle affection, admiration and compassion.
Many things in both Riruka's and Orihime's lives were turbulent but their love never was and most likely never would be. Gentle, tender love is what their relationship was based on.
Riruka also had deep admiration for Orihime in how she handled things with such compassion and gentleness. Riruka herself struggled with this, her go to had always been to shut herself off from people, putting up a cold front. Yet, Orihime broke through that. And for it Riruka had deep appreciation for not only having Orihime in her life as a partner, but for just how much Orihime had changed her for the better.
So pink lilies it was. She slowly made her way to the back of the store in the cooler room where the flowers were kept, careful not to bump any of the delicate pots and giftware that lined the shelves of the store.
Riruka scanned the room, searching for that beautiful splash of pink and spotted them tucked away in the corner. She decided that two of the pre-bundled bouquets would suffice, an extra special bouquet that was double the size of the usual bouquets she'd have made.
She peered into the cylinder like container they were kept in, making sure to pick the nicest, pinkest, freshest looking bundles. After a brief few moments of scanning she picked the most beautiful bundles and made her way to the counter.
"Obaasan, I've picked my flowers." The elderly woman glanced up from the order she was currently wrapping and took the bundles from Riruka's hands. She smiled and remarked, "two bundles today Riruka-chan? Orihime-chan is a lucky woman."
Riruka blushed, touched at how lovely she always was to her. To be fair, Riruka was probably her most loyal customer. But being remembered meant a lot to her always. The woman continued, "what colour paper do you want today? And ribbon?"
"Can you do two colours today please for the papers? Orange and pink please. And orange ribbon if you have it." The lady nodded and got to work. She carefully unravelled the flowers from their bundles and set up her overlapping papers pink and orange as requested.
As she wrapped she hummed a tune, nothing Riruka was familiar with but she wasn't a big listener of the songs played on mainstream radio that the woman had playing. Next came the ribbons, organza material with a hint of sparkle. When the bows were tied the florist rang her up at the register.
"¥3300 today dear." Riruka reached into her purse, handing the money to the florist. "Thank you Obaasan." The woman smiled, "see you next week Riruka-chan.
Riruka made her way out the door and started her trek home. Orihime was at work, no doubt selling up a storm of bread and pastries. Her shop was always busy. The baked goods were great yes but in Riruka's opinion it was Orihime's personality that kept people returning more than anything.
After a brief walk Riruka reached the entrance to their apartment complex. She keyed herself in with her keycard, riding in the elevator and stepping through her front door. She sat the bouquet ends in a vase with a little water, ready to grab when Orihime got home.
Riruka sat at her desk working on some new fashion designs while she waited. Not too long later she glanced at the clock, Orihime would be home within minutes. So she grabbed the bouquet and waited at the door for her lover.
She heard the lock click as Orihime entered and she held the bouquet behind her back. Orihime walked over to the kitchen area where Riruka was waiting.
"Ruka-chan, hello!" Riruka smiled, "hello my love. How was work?" "Well, it was soooo so busy, we ran out of bread and donuts. It was insane."
Riruka looked at her sympathetically, she looked exhausted. "I have something for you" she said as she pulled the bouquet from behind her back. Orihime's eyes lit up, as they always did and she reached out to take the flowers into her hands.
"Oh love, these are gorgeous! Lilies! Thank you!" She leant in to kiss Riruka sweetly on the lips, a chaste kiss. She pulled back and made her way to the waiting vase. Orihime carefully undid the ribbons, setting them aside for later. She collected them to tie into her hair.
She unwrapped the bouquet slowly and placed it in the already water filled vase. "Aww, pink and orange paper and ribbons. Our colours." Riruka smiled, "yes, our colours."
"What do pink lilies mean?" Orihime questioned. "Many things, gentle affection, admiration and compassion. Adoration too. All the things I feel about you." Orihime blushed and came to borderline tackle Riruka with a tight hug. She pecked her on the lips over and over, then peppered kisses over the rest of her face.
"I love you, so much" she whispered. Riruka kissed her lips, a deeper one that lasted a few moments. "I love you too."