Flowers for the Farmer

Scarlet couldn’t help but nibble on his bottom lip, shuffling from hoof to hoof as he found himself staring up at the large, brightly coloured, floral sign. He wanted to do something nice for Diego… Maybe nice was the wrong word; he wanted to do something, well, romantic. So, despite the nervousness, here Scarlet was; standing in front of one of the more popular flower shops in Burrowgatory.

Would Diego think he was silly? Or that a bouquet would be a waste of carats? They had flowers back home on the farm– maybe not ones this fancy and pretty, but flowers all the same. Maybe he should find another gift idea. Scarlet fiddled with the empty basket in his little paws and looked around at the other shops on the street. He didn’t have a clue as to where he should even really begin. Diego didn’t really seem like he would want new clothes and he had just gotten himself a set of headphones for while he was tilling the fields.

Scarlet really wasn’t sure what propelled him forward into the shop, some strange sort of determination. He’d received a little extra carats today in tips, selling some of the hardy vegetables that had freshly ripened. If nothing else, at least the carats wasted would be ones that weren’t missed or needed to be spent right back on the farm.

The older woman behind the counter greeted him warmly, coming around to crouch down low next to the bun.

“I’m looking to um… Try and put together a bouquet for someone.” Scarlet mumbled, sheepish and a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice. The flowers were all gorgeous, the aroma of them heady and almost painfully strong in his little nose. Where did he even begin?

“Well, that much I was sure of.” The florist teased him patiently, reaching out with a strong hand to pat Scarlet on the head. “How about you tell me who you’re getting flowers for and I’ll help you build the perfect mix.”

The bun’s ears perked at the thought. “That would be real helpful! Is it true that flowers have all sorts of different meanings?”

“Mhm. Some even have different meanings depending on their colours.” As an example, the woman moved to the roses, and picked up a red one, then a yellow. “It’s a complex, beautiful language.”

Scarlet tilted his head and looked at the pair of blooms. He couldn’t imagine sitting down and giving each flower its own meaning, creating a whole language. It seemed a bit much. But, if the bundle ended up pretty, he wouldn’t complain. He could always set them on the dinner table if Diego wasn’t interested.

“Well, he’s the bun who took me in after I was brought to Burrowgatory. I had a rough few first weeks,” Scarlet didn’t really like to think about the first month he spent in the city, and he was sure the florist didn’t want to hear his sob story. He cleared his throat quickly. “But he cleaned me up, showed me the ropes.”

“Oh? That’s always a special bond. Tell me more.”

Scarlet recounted the days that he spent learning to work the land in the upper burrows, the way Diego had chuckled while bandaging his skinned knees and sore hands. He talked about the first time he’d kissed Diego, terrified that the man would reject him. And as he spoke, the older bun hummed and shuffled through blooms.

Scarlet recognized most of what she picked; deep blue violets, bright yellow daffodils, forget-me-nots, and - lastly- three soft red chrysanthemums. She padded out the rest of the bundle with green peony leaves.

“Well, I think this arrangement will suit you and your darling just fine.” She leaned down to slip the bouquet into Scarlet’s basket.

“They’re beautiful.” He agreed happily, following her over to the counter and pulling the carats from his basket. “What do they all mean?”

“Well, the forget-me-nots are fairly straight forward hm? You have fond memories with Diego. They’re also a symbol of love.” Scarlet felt his little cheeks burn with embarrassment as the woman accepted the carats and dropped them into her till. “Deep blue violets mean loyalty, faithfulness. It’s a statement that you’ll always be there. Then there are the daffodils… Those are a plea.”

“A plea?” Scarlet wrinkled his nose. “I don’t need to plead for anything though.”

“Are you sure? You don’t want him to love you back?”

“...”

“A plea for love and affection returned.” The florist continued. “The mums are a connecting statement. They simply stand for you loving him.”

It felt strange and almost shameful. He couldn’t admit it out loud, but maybe that was what he felt. That he loved Diego. His blue eyes flitted down, and he shuffled his hooves before giving a little nod.

“W-well… Thank you. For everything.” He squeaked out before he practically ran from the shop. This was a stupid, stupid idea. Mortified and facing down his own feelings, Scarlet was tempted to just dump the flowers somewhere, or maybe just passing them off to the next bun he saw. But when he turned his eyes down to look at the bouquet, he found himself hesitating.

Diego wouldn’t know anything about flower meanings, right? Surely. It could just be his little secret.

He made his way home quickly from there, hopping off the trail and pushing the smaller door to the home open.

“I’m home!” He called out, unsure if Diego was still out in the field. The silence that returned was answer enough. Scarlet made his way into the kitchen and found a nice vase. He filled it with water, fluffed and arranged the flowers before setting them onto the table, just in time for Diego to walk in.

“I thought I heard you.” He rumbled, seeming pleased to see Scarlet was home. The red and cream bun perked up and immediately moved Diego’s way with a smile.

“I-” whatever Diego was going to say died on his lips as he noticed the flowers that had been set on the table.  He moved toward them until he could lean over to give them a good sniff. “These are gorgeous.” Diego comments, “No idea what most of ‘em are but I recognise a daffodil when I see one!” He gave Scarlet a smile, unaware of the relief that the admission brought.

“Someone tryna steal you away from me?”

“Oh! Oh no, I just… I got a lil’ extra today from the tip jar. I thought some flowers might brighten the place up.” Scarlet rushed to assure, giving a little laugh as the other bun came closer. “They’re… They’re for you.”

Even in his bun form, Diego towered over Scarlet, so he bent down so they could nuzzle noses together. “Well, ain’t you just so thoughtful.” Diego hummed as he leaned back, eyes softening as he looked over Scarlet. “Don’t think anyone’s ever given me flowers b’fore. Gonna have to see if I still remember how t’ preserve ‘em.”

While Diego may not have known the meaning of the blooms, Scarlet couldn’t help but think at least some of the message had been properly conveyed. If nothing else, he’d provided the other bun with a first. That was enough to have Scarlet giddy, even when Diego tried to use his lasso in the house for the eight hundredth time.