Carnations

[gaiages]

Carnations

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV
Sometimes, the best memories consist of the little things. And also swindling a merchant.

Rating: General Audiences

1,071 words
Relationship(s) / Characters: OCs/OCs
Tags: Pre-MSQ ; gift-giving ; flowers
CWs: none

It's not the most obvious thing, but both of the boys wear a carnation earring, and it's something they both treasure very deeply. I had to sit down and just write how they got them really quick :)

Also, it makes for a nice story for Valentine's Day! Not that it happened during the FFXIV equivalent, but it's a sweet, romantic fic.

Other links: Tumblr | AO3

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"You! Ma'am, yes, you! Over here!"

Gale chuckles inwardly as he turns towards the merchant. While Viera weren't the most uncommon sight in Dalmasca, many had trouble telling male from female—a fact he's used many times to his advantage, though he hadn't planned on doing so today. I wasn't going to buy anything… but maybe I can weasel a deal out of this man. He seems less than observant.

The merchant's eyes light up when Gale gives him an amused, inquisitive glance. "Ah yes! Come over, please!" The Hyur waves him over and practically tugs Gale into the stall when he gets within arms' reach. "You, young miss, seem the type that would appreciate some lovely flowers."

"You've guessed correctly, sir." Gale quickly scans over the man's flowers. Quite a selection, I suppose. "But we are in the middle of a desert. How did you stop them from withering?"

"A very good question, miss." The merchant's smile falters slightly. Does no one ever ask him that? Or is he that poor a liar? "These blooms have traveled with me all across the Far East, and never once did a single petal shrivel up! With proper care, you can even grow them in the desert. I'm sure of it."

Gale looks over the flowers once again, before clicking his tongue. "No, I don't think I believe you, sir." Before the merchant objects, he picks up a bright bloom and lightly touches its leaves. "These flowers are already becoming sunburnt, it shows on the leaves. They're by no means a flower you can grow under the intense desert sun."

He then picks up a rose. "You can't fool anyone that these roses are different because they're from the Far East, if even that is true. They're cold—too cold, clearly preserved with a bit of ice magic. But when thawed, the blooms will quickly die, even faster than they would had you never frozen them in the first place."

"And these," Gale gestures at a large swath of flowers. "These… well, they're carnations."

Carnations, hm? Gale taps his chin in thought while the merchant tries to string together a rebuttal. It's been ages since I've last seen these. Reyna would love them…

The merchant finally finds his voice, though he still stumbles over his words. "N…Now see here, young miss—"

Gale raises his hand to cut him off. "It's sir, sir, nor am I young." He turns towards the merchant, a mischievous smirk on his face. "You'll need to be a better liar if you ever want to be a successful merchant. Especially here, where lying can have… consequences." The Viera shakes his head as the other's face turns red. "But you have something I want. So let's make a deal, shall we?"

** **
Laurent rubs his neck as he gets ready to enter the apartment. Did Gemna need to reorganize everything today? I'm so sore…

The Viera quietly opens the door—you never know who may be on the other side—and relaxes when nothing seems out of the ordinary. "I'm home."

"Reyna!" He hears Gale's voice from another room, and he quickly comes out to greet him, powder blue ears bouncing in his rush. "You're here! Come along, I have something to show you."

Before Laurent could say anything, Gale grabs his hand and gently pulls him toward the bedroom. What has him so excited? Eir's so cute when he gets like this…

Laurent lets out an amused chuckle and lets the other Viera lead him through the apartment. "What's this about, Eir? It was a long day at the bar, I'm pretty tired—"

"Shush, just come here." Gale gives Laurent's hand another light tug as they get to the bedroom door.

"Oh, Eir, this is…"

The moment he steps into the bedroom, Laurent notices the flowers decorating every corner of it. It was a veritable rainbow of carnations, carefully placed as to fill the room with color, but not overwhelm.

"All of these carnations! And in so many colors, too…" Laurent reaches out to gently touch one of the flower's petals, and he can't help but smile. "They're real! We live in the middle of a desert, how did you even manage this?"

Gale chuckles and squeezes the other Viera's hand slightly. "I happened upon a merchant selling flowers, and by some stroke of luck, they weren't damaged or sickly. So, I made a deal with him."

That sounds ominous. "...What sort of deal?"

"Nothing special. Just taught him how to ply his wares better." Gale steps in front of Laurent and wraps his arms around his waist. "But that doesn't matter. I'd do anything just to see your smile."

Laurent feels his ears heat up and glances away from Gale, and the light-haired Viera chuckles. "You're too adorable, Reyna. I take it you like them?"

"I do, Eir… thank you. They're beautiful."

Gale offers a soft smile before leaning in for a kiss. "I'm glad… Oh! I almost forgot." He suddenly takes a step back and grabs a small box from the nightstand.

"The carnations won't last forever, but I do have something that will." He opens the box to show Laurent two small carnation earrings. "One for you and one for me." Gale lifts the white earring out of the box and holds it up to Laurent's ear. "I think the white one would look best on you."

Laurent nods before tilting his head and ear slightly. "I think I agree."

Gale knits his brow, but puts the earring into Laurent's ear regardless. "You haven't even looked at it in a mirror yet, my love…"

"I trust your judgment." Laurent pulls Gale into a hug. "Thank you, Eir."

"Oh, I-I…" Gale stumbles over his words for a moment while in the embrace, but after a moment wraps his arms around Laurent. "Of course, my love."

The two lean in for a long, tender kiss, and when Laurent pulls back, there is the smallest hint of a smirk on his face. "Now, how did you really pay for all this?"

"Oh please, my love. The merchant was gullible and a terrible liar—all I had to do was hint at knowing people that wouldn't take kindly to such tricks."

"Eir… you don't know anyone like that."

"He didn't need to know that. Now let's enjoy his goodwill some more, shall we? I can't believe he had blue blooms…"

.

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