“Mmm… hi…” I let out a cozy little sigh, which cuts off into a sharp, half-laughing breath. “What are you doing?”

I haven't opened my eyes yet, but I feel Aiden lift his head a little between my knees to give my thigh a soft bite. “Saying good morning.”

“Wow, okay-” I let out a stuttering breath, briefly forgetting how to talk. The goosebumps flung up the length of my body are followed by a deep shiver. “Good morning.”

Aiden huffs out a soft laugh. I swallow hard, feeling the warm rush of it against my bare, sensitive skin.

“Did I - do something yesterday - to get woken up like this - today?” My words are catching on my uneven breaths. I reach down to sink my fingers into Aiden’s glossy hair, my head tipped back on the pillow. “Just want to know - so I can - do whatever it was - every day.”

Another quiet laugh from Aiden, another flame of heat rolling up my hard-breathing body.

"I thought,” he murmurs, his lips brushing my skin with his words, his deep voice pouring through me like warm honey, “That it would be good if you had a relaxing start to your morning.”

“Oh, yeah?" My breath hitches. I stroke my fingers through his hair, my mouth slightly open, lips turned up in a smile. "Why’s that?”

“So you don’t get all up in your head about starting on the wedding flowers today.”

It takes me a good long second to realize what Aiden said. All of my concentration was on the feeling of him saying it. I was happily lost in the rumbling depths of his rich voice, the teasing, open-mouthed kisses that he placed on the curve of my hip bone between his words. The delicious scratch of his stubble against my skin.

But the second I process what he said, I sit bolt upright in bed.

“Oh, my fucking god!” I sputter, my eyes suddenly wide open. “The wedding is the day after tomorrow, Aiden! Oh, I have so much to do today-”

“Yes,” Aiden interrupts gently, his quiet voice cutting through mine. “But not just yet.”

He places a hand on my chest, pushes me flat onto my back, then wraps his huge hands around my thighs.

“Aiden,” I begin, but then he suddenly uses his grip on me to wrench me further down the bed, closer to his mouth.

Whatever I was going to say dissolves into a choked little gasp, all of my thoughts scattering from my brain.

“Yeah?” he murmurs after a moment, without lifting his head.

“Nothing. Nevermind.”

Aiden laughs again, and the feeling of it nearly makes me dizzy.

“Just stay calm,” he rumbles, his thumbs stroking me. "Don't freak out."

“I - I can’t help it,” I manage. “I’m so nervous. Ralph kind of boosted me up about it when we went to the flower market together-”

“Yeah, I still can’t believe that happened, by the way.”

“But now I’m just worried…” I swallow, breathing hard as Aiden rolls a little bit of sensitive skin between his teeth, then gives me a playful nip in the same place. “I’m not doing the traditional thing with the flowers. I just hope that was the right choice. I have no way to know, since it’s all gonna be a surprise for the three of them.”

“Mmm.” Aiden’s thoughtful little sound spills through me, resonating throughout my body. “You know what I think?”

“What?”

“That if you're the one doing it, everything comes out beautiful.” Aiden lifts his head, meets my eyes with his breathtaking, brilliant blue gaze. Then he leans up to kiss my mouth, deeply and slowly. “Trust me on that, okay?”

“Okay,” I stammer stupidly, blushing hard as he kisses his way back down my stomach. “Oh, shit, though - I still haven’t figured out where I’m gonna put everything to keep it fresh for the wedding! I can’t use the coolers at the shop, they’re full.”

Aiden pauses for a moment, thinking that over. “You just need someplace cool to keep them?”

“Yeah. I guess I could put them in the empty bedroom and run the - oh, no. This house doesn’t have AC.”

“Right, but it’s got a Heliomancer.”

I blink at Aiden, caught by surprise. “You don’t mind keeping it cold in there until the wedding?”

Aiden slowly drags the tip of his nose over my hip bone. “Temperature is easy, Keane.”

I give Aiden a grateful look, filled with relief - then stop, troubled. “Is that - a misuse of your magic, though? You doing something like that for me?”

Aiden stops, slowly lifts his head again. I’m propped up on my elbows, but I nearly melt into the pillows when I see the shining smile in his eyes.

“I like that you worry about that,” he says, and I let out an indignant laugh.

“What-?”

“And no, I don’t think so. If anything, I’m doing it for slightly selfish reasons.”

“Which are?”

“You sound stressed out.” Aiden puts his mouth to my inner thigh again, just beyond my bent knee, and now he’s kissing his way down, down, down. “Prefer to hear you sing.”

I blink at him, then press my lips together, fighting back a smile. I reach out to affectionately wind my fingers into his chestnut hair, but before I can, he draws a moan from me, sends me falling flat onto my back, grasping tight handfuls of the bedding.

“Now stop talking for a second, yeah?” he rumbles.

I let my head fall to the side, panting breaths breaking into the sheets, and give Aiden a little nod of sweet, blissful surrender. “Yeah.”

~~~~

In a good and bright headspace, I pull on my flannel and some warm socks, then take out the scuffed pair of work boots I wear to traverse the slippery pathways of the flower market.

Dawn is slowly starting to unfold outside. Through all of our mismatched windows, the sky is a deep shade of indigo. The air in our bedroom is tinted by it, and it adds a subtle blue glow to the sheets falling over Aiden’s bronze skin.

He’s stretched out on his stomach, but with his face turned towards me, his cheek resting on his folded elbows. He hasn’t put on any clothes yet, and the comforters have slipped down to sit on the smooth, graceful dip of his lower back.

He looks warm and cozy and tempting. It's an effort not to get back into bed with him.

He watches me with suddenly shy blue eyes as I roll up the sleeves of my flannel, then stuff my work gloves into the back pocket of my jeans.

I let out a little laugh when I see the sweet, bashful look on his face. “What?

“Nothing.” Aiden smiles, his face half-hidden in the pillow. “Like to watch you in work mode.”

I roll my eyes at him in the mirror as I push my hair back out of my face, but I can’t suppress the smile turning up my lips.

“For once I’m getting started earlier than you,” I tell him softly, meeting his eyes in the mirror.

“And earlier than I thought, in general. The wedding’s not till the day after tomorrow. How come you’re picking up the flowers now?”

“It’s good to get them a little early, if you can keep them in the right conditions. You have to give them time to really bloom.”

Aiden lets out a peaceful sigh into the bed. “Well, that’s something you’re real good at, Keane.”

I stop for a second, smiling to myself. “You and Noah are running a ton of errands today too, right?”

“Yeah. First thing is that we’ve gotta go buy some mustard and hot dog buns, apparently.”

“I meant stuff for the wedding.”

“That is something we’re doing for the wedding, according to Noah.”

“What-?” I stop and shake my head, letting out another laugh. “Whatever. I’m not asking any questions. Actually, no, I am. Why the hell-?”

“Nah, don't.” Aiden huffs out a laugh of his own. “You start asking questions, you’re gonna end up stuck here all morning. And I don’t know the answers, anyways.”

“You know what? You’re right. And I really do have to get to the flower market.” I check my watch, then glance at myself in the mirror. “How do I look?”

Aiden smiles a little, his eyes lingering on me in the mirror. “Handsome. You - really - yeah. Handsome.”

I stop, then slowly turn around to face him, biting down on my smile. He watches quietly as I come back over to the bed. I drop down beside it, then lean forward to brush a slow, affectionate kiss on Aiden’s lips. Smoothing my palm over his stubbled cheek.

“Look who’s talking,” I murmur against his mouth, and he huffs out a warm little laugh. “Want me to bring you up some coffee before I leave?”

“No, go on.” He settles back into the bed, looking at me with fond eyes. “Get to work, Flower Boy. I can tell you’re dying to.”

I place a soft kiss on Aiden’s forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I step out of our bedroom to find Luna perched on a windowsill in the hallway, watching birds fluttering beyond the glass. She turns her unblinking gaze on me when I stop in the hallway beside her.

“And you!” I point a finger at her face. “I know you like to destroy, but I’m gonna need some cooperation on this. You shred one flower I bring back, there’ll be hell to pay. Understood?”

Luna leans forward and happily scrapes her little furry face over my fingertip, like I was kindly offering her a scratch and not issuing a stern warning.

“Hell to pay!” I repeat over my shoulder, already striding down the hallway.

I hear Aiden laugh in our bedroom, apparently having overheard that whole thing. Blushing hard, I head straight for the front door, snatching up my bag on the way.

I settle it across my chest as I cross the front garden - then stop in surprise when I see Kent and Destinee, standing together just inside the rounded green gate. Both of them are blinking slowly and sleepily, yawning over the Mugshot cups in their hands.

“Hey, guys,” I call softly, in case Aiden is trying to go back to sleep. “I didn’t know you were coming by, I’m actually kind of busy right now. I’m headed to the flower market to pick up what I ordered for-”

“The wedding, right?” Kent yawns, handing me one of the Mugshot cups as I stop beside him. “Yeah, we’re here to help.”

“What - really?” I stop, staring at him, then look at Destinee. “Des, hi.”

She gives me a sleepy smile, then a playful, twirling salute. “James, hello, good morning.”

“You’re in an awfully good mood, considering you’re the world’s worst morning person.”

“Oh, am I?”

“And is that Rasheem’s sweater you’re wearing?”

“Oh, is it?”

I let out a laugh, then stop, shaking my head in disbelief. “Are you two really here to help me haul flowers around all morning?”

“And get them stored right once we get them back.” Kent pulls the rounded green gate open, then stands back to let me and Des through. “I brought the van from the shop, it’ll be smoother that way.”

“What - seriously? You guys want to do this on a day when the shop is closed, and you could be relaxing?”

I catch Des’s eye as we walk through the green passageway, and she shrugs.

“I’m here for my babe Mel. And for you, because if you try to lift all of this on your own, your arms are gonna fall off.”

I make a face at her, then shoot Kent a questioning glance over my shoulder as we all head out to the road.

“I’m here for my boys in the Dads Group Chat,” he explains, and I let out a sputter of startled laughter.

“Really?”

Kent presses a solemn hand to his heart. “The dads-bond goes deep, Jamie.”

“Oh, my god.”

“You’ll understand when you and Aiden get added to it,” Kent says, then slaps my shoulder before he hops into the van.

I stand there for a second, blushing deeply. Then, suppressing a little smile, I rush around to the back of the van and hop in. Destinee settles herself into the passenger’s seat, taking another long sip from her coffee.

“We have everybody?” Kent twists to check on me, and I give him a thumbs-up, sitting down just behind the driver’s seat. “Alright, Team Flowers. Let’s fucking go!”

“Team Flowers!” Destinee and I chant in answer, and Kent, smiling over his coffee, pulls us away from the curb.

~~~~

Kent, Destinee, and I stand back together to survey our work. We’re all exhausted, but in the nice way that comes after getting a lot done.

All the flowers are set out before us. Every bucket or tub we’ve placed them in, we meticulously washed out first. Every stem has been carefully trimmed at an angle, then stripped of stray leaves and buds that might reach the surface of the water. Some stems are sunk deep in water, others planted in soaked-through foam bricks. Each flower is spaced out enough that when they open and blossom, they’ll have all the air, all the space they need.

They make colorful circles where they’re arranged in the currently-empty bedroom. It looks like there’s a small garden growing in here, and the air is perfumed with it.

The room is the perfect temperature, just like the coolers at the shop. It’s been this way ever since we got back, even though the sun was still up when we started working.

On the floor beside the flowers are big pieces of folded fabric. Bunches of forest moss. Twine and glue guns and pruning shears and wire and glitter spray and -

“Good luck, Jamie,” Kent says quietly, then gives me a little slap on the back.

Destinee gives me a quick, tired hug, then follows after Kent.

“Thank you again!” I call after them, then turn my eyes back to the flowers.

This is gentle work, so I take off my gloves and set them aside. All the complicated stuff, the assembling of the flowers into what I’ve envisioned for them - that’ll come later. Tomorrow.

For now, everything just needs time to blossom.

In the slow-falling dusk, I drop down to one knee beside the nearest bunch of flowers. Humming softly to myself as I work, I take out any stray petals or leaves that have dropped to float on the surface of the water. Then I carefully pour in some of my homemade flower feed.

I’m deeply absorbed in what I’m doing, so I’ve gone through a few containers of flowers this way by the time I look up and realize that Aiden is standing in the doorway.

He’s still got his bag on his shoulder, so at first, I think he must have only just now stopped there. But something tells me that he’s actually been here for a minute. He’s leaning one shoulder against the doorframe, standing perfectly still. Watching me with a soft, shining expression in his eyes, like he’s half in a dream.

He blinks hard and fast when I catch him, then blushes deeply. He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it, clearly struggling for an explanation. But I think I already have the idea.

Like to watch you in work mode.

I go over to Aiden, gently touch his cheek, and roll up onto my toes to place a kiss on his mouth. Then I head back into the room and kneel down behind another cluster of flowers.

Aiden blinks in surprise, breaking into a slow, relieved smile. He hesitates, then sets his bag down and comes into the room. He sits down on the floor, rests his back against the wall, and watches me.

I lift my eyes from where I’m on my knees behind the flowers. I look at my Companion Plant over the soft petals. I cast him a warm, intimate look, and he stares back at me, biting the inside of his cheek.

I hold his gaze for a moment longer, then drop mine back to the flowers.

Dusk has deepened, and I forgot to turn on the lights. But it turns out not to matter.

All of a sudden, I have fireflies to see by.

They float throughout the green stems, shedding their soft golden light over every delicate petal, on every unfolding blossom. Painted in Aiden's light, they’re all twice as beautiful as they were before.

The love in my heart spills out through my hands as I get back to work.