Kingdom Hearts fic: Orchids

[mistressofmuses]

Summary: Kairi runs a small flower shop and plant nursery called Radiant Garden. Sora, a regular customer working his way toward friend, comes in to find the perfect gift for someone.

Day 27 of AU-gust: Flower Shop AU
This is another one that comes with a soft "to be continued." (I love how much practice I'm getting at oneshots, but it is still making it clear to me that my brain just loves to spin things off into long multi-part stories, haha.) I'd hoped to add another scene or two to this one, but ran out of time for today, so I apologize for how short it is. But 11:54 is still before midnight!
This one is very gen, and Riku isn't mentioned by name... though I hope it's clear (if not to Kairi) that Riku is the one Sora is buying for. ;)

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The bell above the door of Radiant Garden chimed.

Kairi ducked her head out from the back room and called, “I’ll be with you in a minute!”

“Take your time!” came the answer.

She smiled as soon as she heard Sora’s voice. He was a regular customer who had slowly become more of a friend, and it was always a bright spot in her day when he came in.

She finished shifting supplies around on the workbench and then headed to the front. She’d start putting together some more ready-to-go arrangements after she’d helped Sora.

“How’s the day been so far?” Sora asked as she returned to the counter.

“Busy. I guess there was some couples event at one of the schools, so I had a bunch of people in here buying flowers for their sweethearts. It was very cute; I just wish I’d known ahead of time!”

Sora browsed through a few of the displays near the counter.

“Are you getting your usual?” Kairi asked. “The kids earlier took a lot of the single flowers, but I definitely still have plenty.”

Sora bought flowers for his mom, and she found it unbearably sweet. He certainly wasn’t the only one to buy flowers for his mother, but he was always so happy about it. The saddest thing in the world, Kairi thought, was someone who was buying flowers out of obligation, like they were being forced to. Those interactions where someone rolled their eyes and grumbled about it the whole time were hard to get through. Sora was whatever the opposite of that was.

He bought bright, cheerful flowers for his mother at least once a week. Usually bright mixes of gerbera daisies, or sometimes carnations if the daisies weren’t at their best.

“Yes, but also something else,” he said, looking over a few more of the small arrangements on the shelves nearby.

“Oh?” she asked, knowing he would elaborate when he was ready.

“A gift,” he said a couple moments later. “But I’m not sure what he’ll like.”

She hummed a bit to herself. “Want to tell me about him, and I can help you brainstorm?”

“Sure!” Sora seemed endlessly enthusiastic for everything. “He’s an artist. He’s opening a studio, and I wanted to get him something nice.”

“An artist? That’s lovely. Do you think you want a cut arrangement, or something potted?”

“I think something potted,” Sora said after a moment of consideration. “I want it to be more of a studio-warming gift than a congratulatory bouquet, if that makes sense.”

“Absolutely. What can you tell me about his style?” She was already running through some options. She had plenty of lovely green growing plants that could be suitable for a studio. Pothos always looked nice when climbing around a window, and classic spider plants were guaranteed low-maintenance…

“Kind of a blend between modern and classic?” Sora said. “But like… always classy. His studio itself has a lot of clean lines and neutral tones, but then his art is usually more intricate, with a lot of complex linework and vivid colors.”

“Succulents are trendy right now,” Kairi said. “A miniature cactus garden can be attractively understated or built up into something that draws more focus.”

Sora considered some of the individually potted succulents. “I don’t know if he’s really the desert plant type. He strikes me more like… tropical.”

She showed Sora the pothos like she’d been thinking of earlier. Nice, viney green made her think of pleasantly tropical surroundings.

Sora shook his head. “I really like it, but I don’t know if it suits him. I feel like he’d rather have something less… random? Chaotic?”

“Something with more of a pattern to it?” she asked.

When Sora nodded, she pulled him to a table displaying several types of orchid.

“Orchids follow a fairly predictable pattern. The flower stalks have a nice, graceful curve, and the flowers themselves grow at regular intervals along the stem.”

“They’re perfect!”

Kairi helped Sora select the type he most thought his artist friend would enjoy, and they chose a lovely white and deep purple cattleya orchid.

Sora also bought a small bouquet of multi-colored gerbera daisies for his mother.

When he left, Kairi had the energy to finish out the rest of the day.