You know that DIY where people in a relationship will choose beads that match each other eyes and make bracelets with them? That feels very Finn/Sunflower to me and I'm incorporating that into my HC Finn and Eden designs I think.
After all the pet name talk in the discord last week, I've had them on the brain! I have all the love in the world for the default Listener pet names, but more is more and I want to share some personalized pet names specific to my OC's along with the ones they have for the YuuriVoice characters they're in relationships with 💜 I'd also love to hear about other people's HC pet names and nicknames! Using a Read More because literally every YV listener I currently have is here and that's, uh, long.
Tana/Alphonse/Seth
Tana has a name that's very fun to rhyme, so Tana Banana and Tana Bo-Fana are the kinds of casual nicknames they have with everyone, along with TanTan because I think it's cute. Tana has a more-is-more approach to accessorizing, which means you can hear them coming from a mile away and Alphonse will sometimes call them Jangles along with his Boo/Babe/Sugarboo repertoire. Seth's Southern charm nicknames are pretty hard to compete with for ideas, but I like the idea of him calling Tana the pet names Buns and BunBun, as their twin-bun hairstyle is pretty reminiscent of some pretty sweet treats. Plus Tana has an awful lot of ass and the double entendre is fun.
Tana has pretty fixed pet names for their boyfriends, favoring sweet themed pet names for their candy boy and to match with Seth's "Sugar." Seth's main 4 nicknames are cycled through as such based on Tana's mood at the time and how silly they're being:
Hon
Honey
Honey-bunch
Honey-bunches of oats
and honestly I think Seth is a sap for silly pet names, so he gets the last one a lot because Tana loves how he can't choose between laughing at the goofiness and melting at the affection. Alphonse's pet name is also a multiple choice questionnaire with Tana obviously choosing a candy for him:
Toots
Tootsie
Tootsie Roll
It's also got that sweet silliness, and there have been a non-zero amount of times where Tana has called him Tootsie Roll and they started singing and doing the dance and laughing like it's the funniest thing in the world. It's not really that funny, but it does make Alphonse crack a smile at his Boo every time. Also them calling him Toots cracks me up specifically, it's so dumb and I love it.
Monroe/Auron
Overall, Monroe isn't a huge fan of pet names. Their mom's favorite way to misgender them is to use feminine pet names, like "Mar-Bear" where the first part is a shortened version of their given name, Marilyn. Monroe's younger siblings will call them Roe, but that is allowed because those are basically their kids and it feels more like an additional name than anything. Overall, pet names tend to feel patronizing to Monroe, and they only like to be patronized in the bedroom. So rather than a cute pet name, being assigned a role like "my heart" in the moment suits Monroe far more. They do not give Auron a pet name unless they're teasing him, calling him things like Prince Charming when he's going overboard with the sweetness.
In terms of their d/s dynamic, I like Sir and Pet as their honorifics, as Pet is both gender-neutral and has that sort of "dehumanized but precious to me" vibe that I think suits what subspace looks like in their dynamic. Sir is pretty canon tbh, but I do love the idea of there being some all-hands meeting where Monroe addresses Auron and calls him Sir with juuuust the right inflection for the word to shoot straight downwards when it reaches his ears. Nothing obvious enough for anyone else to consider unusual of course, just enough to get some consequences for their bratty behavior later. In line with the Prince Charming from earlier, I think Monroe will sometimes call him Sir Auron with an exaggerated show of subservience, and if the address feels oddly familiar neither mentions it.
Casper/Charlie
The thing about deciding to make Casper their actual name (chosen to be their new name because of how precious it was as a name Charlie chose for them) is that I have actually removed a pet name from Charlie's arsenal, whoops. Luckily, I have a pet name that I think can fill that void nicely. With Charlie being a rat (figuratively) and DD being a raccoon (literally) I think it only makes sense that Casper also gets an urban-coded cutie, so they have the nickname Pigeon, sometimes shortened to Pidge. Along with me just loving pigeons, something about Casper coming to Charlie like a homing pigeon that didn't forget the way home just feels right. Casper uses the skateboard trick nickname "Ollie" from when they were kids with Charlie a lot, along with calling him their Rattie or Sugar Glider.
Eden/Finn
Garden Variety Finn: Eden's canon nickname of "Sunflower" divides into their two kinds of nicknames from the flower shop Finn. He'll call them Sunshine or Sunbeam, and he'll also toss out more flowers for them. Why call someone baby when you can call them Baby's Breath? Eden's not particularly used to using pet names, as past partners have called their attempts awkward at best. In their exes' defense, someone straight-faced calling you Earthworm can be a little tough to take, but Finn can read Eden well enough to know it's a term of endearment for how he brings life to his garden. They'll also call him Bumblebee or Honeybee, especially when he's being such a busy little bee running his shop the way he does.
Yandere (& Withered?) Finn: Orchid is a fine nickname, especially for how he wants to preserve Eden in a glass dome that keeps them perfectly contained in the ideal environment. Their adorable habit of reaching around to bite back against his firm love gives them additional plants in the garden of pet names, such as Belladonna (gender neutral lol) or Foxglove. In return, Eden names Finn for the weeds that see fit to strangle a lovely flower such as themselves, calling him Thistle or Dandelion, sometimes shortening the latter to Dandy (oh hey that's my fursona's name lol)
Bunny Finn: This one is interesting since I'm not sure if Bunny Finn's listener has a name? Like maybe Dearest but idk. In contrast to the floral and herbal leanings of the previous Finns, I associate Bunny Finn with a food-based garden and could see his pet names aligning that way. Names like Pumpkin or Sweetpea would suit their sensibilities just as well as they do their dinner plates. As a dryad, this Eden is even less accustomed to pet names than their human variants, and they only find themselves calling him Bunny or, if they're feeling particularly creative, Cottontail.
Vega/Faust
Vega's online handle is "CopyKat" so it goes without saying that she gets ALL of the kitty-themed nicknames, including Felis. Felis was a housecat constellation, but has since been absorbed into the greater Hydra constellation in terms of official recognition (tho I think one of the stars got the name?). He'll also call her Two Step since she's big in dancing, her first viral video being one where she did a DDR routine blindfolded and got an incredibly high score. Since Faust gave Vega the Star nickname based on his own streamer branding, obviously they had to give him one based on their own. So she'll often call him Catnip, and if they're in proximity the nickname will be accompanied by a sudden burst of physical affection like how a kitty rolls around in catnip. I think it starts as one of those "oh yeah, we're TOTALLY FRIENDS" things that makes everyone in the general vicinity roll their eyes and take bets on when these numbskulls will realize they're dating.
Aditi/Angel
Running in theme with Angel, I like the idea of Lucien having pet names with a bit of mythological origins. Apple would be a cute one, referring to Aditi as his temptation that keeps him from returning Hell or, in another interpretation, as the golden apple that drives gods insane with jealousy. Aditi as the source of chaos that leads to the Trojan war? Lucien finds it fitting for him. Brimstone would be another fun one, and probably suit those goth vibes in a way that gets Aditi feeling all cool and smug before Lucien grabs and covers his face in kisses like he's a housecat. I really like Aditi using Jaanu as a term of endearment towards Lucien, as they would have grown up with their parents showing each other that kind of affection. They also never stopped calling Lucien Big Red, and now that they have his name they added things like Lulu to the name ammunition tray.
Jay/Seth
Jay has all those "babydoll" and "sweetheart" nicknames, sure, but with their origin as the Bird listener they also get some greaser-flavored nicknames along those lines. J-Bird is an obvious one, which evolved into just getting called Birdie in that soft tone of voice that makes them melt. Seth also has a real talent for making things like "fucking nerd" sound like sweet talk (why I have "Sweet Talk" by Saint Motel in their playlist tbh) and so he keeps bullying Jay with that updated context. Jay, for their part, loves the canine themed nicknames. Jay will.be calling Seth things like Big Dog, which makes him grumble that he's a wolf not a damn dog, but he loves it. When Jay is more in the mood to do a little ragebaiting, they'll call him Puppy and they both pretend he isn't So Fucking Into That when he snaps back at them. Wolf gets his own pet names, as Jay thinks it's important to treat him as his own person, with nicknames like Tough Guy and Tank. Both Seth and Wolf get called a Good Boy tho, and one is more honest than the other about how much he likes it.
Berard/Seth
Oh hello my Scout, I never do anything w/ you. The "Cub Scout" basis of the Scout pet name goes double for Berard, as he's a short and stocky guy who hasn't quite hit the stage of T where his dad's genetics are activating the body hair growth yet. So while tossing a playful Cub in there, Seth will also call them Bear or Teddy, as Berard simply has bear vibes even without taking the "husky gay nonbinary guy" elements into account. Berard likes to call Seth his Sasquatch, teasing him and also being heavily envious of his body hair situation, as well as calling him Trout, considering themselves lucky for the fact that this fish returned to their little river so that the two could meet.
Winslow/Alphonse
Similar to Werewolf!Seth, the Clownphonses coat their affection in a level of meanness, though the vibes are sharper since these two are yandere and tsundere. A favorite nickname besides the condescending pet names is Slowpoke, partially for the second half of Winslow's name, partially to call then dumb in that sort of dollification way that I like to think Winslow has been low-key brainwashed, and partially to tease them for every time the two play their own sexy/dangerous version of tag with their favorite toy. Winslow actually doesn't use any nicknames for either Alphonse, simple referring to each by name. "Does it get confusing that they have the same name?" someone asks, and Winslow tilts its head to try and process the question. "How is it confusing?" Then they call out each Alphonse individually from a distance and all 3 know exactly who they're calling for. Idk something about that tickles me.
Rowan/Thomas
We haven't spent a whole lot of time with Thomas for me to get a handle on their exact relationship vibe, but I can figure out a few nicknames based on Rowan's traits at least. Part of their backstory is that, while between jobs as a travelling farm laborers, they earned recognition by saving a civilian from a werewolf attack (on the night that the treaty was broken, if I'm not remembering the timeline wrong) armed with a pitchfork, so they sometimes get called Sheepdog for defending against a wolf like that. They've also got ginger hair and a tan that's more pink than brown, they're perfect for nicknames like Carrots or Gingy. I know that they're already crushing on Thomas at this point of the story (because Look At Him!) but I don't have enough of a handle on their dynamic to figure out how playful they can be with a nickname when not in the middle of Plot, so gonna have to hold on that.
Jay/Ulrick
Jay gets to go again because I keep shipping them with werewolves, wooooo! Similar to Rowan I feel l don't want to jump the gun too much with nicknames, but unlike Rowan I have Jay in an AU where I've been able to do more character building and exploration, even if the setting is pretty wildly different. On brand with the Bird theme, I want to make a fan-creature for Evalas that is a specific type of messenger bird that their family, the Corvidane House, used. Ulrick can call them Skydove (or whatever I call it) along with the other bird names he's got on lock. Jay is also defined by their general shyness and awkward behavior, and I could see them getting a nickname like Silk for their perceived fragility, or Trinket for their corvid-like fondness for sticking shiny odds and ends in their pockets (this is probably surprise no one, but Jay is based on a Blue Jay and I gave all their family member corvid names), both nicknames also feeling referential to their noble background prior to being quite literally thrown to the wolves.
Sometimes I remember the fact that my Sunflower is over a foot taller than my Sugarboo and am reminded that I need them to be Best Friends after Finn and Sunflower move to Willowbrook.
Tana is 5'2" and Eden is 6'5" and they are so very opposite but in ways that I think would be complimentary. Like Tana's not good at reading people and Eden's not good at emoting, so they just comfortably verbally communicate their moods and take each other at their word. Like if Tana tells a joke and Eden deadpans "that's so funny" Tana is genuinely delighted. Also if I was someone who did animations I could do that one "we're face to face but we don't see eye to eye" meme with them, and that idea makes me giggle.
Well, card may not be the right word. It's more like a Valentine's booklet made from brown crafting paper held together with silky ribbons threaded through punched holes. The front cover has a picture Eden had printed from their trip to a Sunflower garden as a homage to both that beautiful date and their beloved Finn's pet name for them. Each page is designed with the same theme: a single flower, pressed and dried and carefully affixed, lest any petals try and fall off. Finn handles the gift with gentle hands. Each flower is accompanied by a pasted note card that names and explains its purpose in this pseudo arrangement.
Page one has a pink hydrangea taped in. With such a cluster of petals, it was inevitable that some would fall off, so they were reattached to the page to make it seem like a shower of them are blooming across the paper. A dedication to heartfelt feelings of love.
A lavender rose is on page two, with a declaration of love at first sight scribbled onto the note card. A pink stargazer lily on page 3 for the commitment to the success of their relationship and life together. The alstroemeria on page 4 is in a beautiful shade of purple: a love that burns eternally on the foundation of deep connection rather than a brief and explosive passion.
Finn recognizes these flowers in an instant, but that doesn't mean he rushes through them. Rather, each turn of the page only sets his smile even deeper into his face, his chest blooming so brightly that it's almost painful. It's a sweet pain, however, just as strong as the day he'd made that flower arrangement for Eden's crush, only to have the bouquet returned to his open hands with a declaration of love.
Short Bio: Eden was a child of the foster care system who never found a family that fit. It's not like they were a bad child or anything like that, they just never made that connection. Part of that could be that Eden has difficulty emoting with either facial expressions or verbal tone, but that doesn't mean her emotions don't run as deep as everyone else's. He loves people, but struggles to build connections beyond the superficial. Enter Finn: a boy who knows flowers better than people, but somehow has no problem reading Eden's subtle expressions and loving every one.
Song Breakdown Below Cut
Montage Melodies
1. Opening Theme: Home by Cavetown
"Get a load of this monster/ He doesn't know how to communicate/ His mind is in a different place/ Will everybody please give him a little bit of space"
Eden loves people as a whole, but struggles with building meaningful connections. This is at least in part due to their difficulties emoting, whether through facial expression or vocal intonation. He's tried, really he has, but the effort it takes to remember which faces to make is so exhausting that he just sort of gave up. They still love with and spend time around lots of different friend groups, they just sort of accepted that it's not going to result in having that many actual friends.
2. Day In The Life: RUT by Adam Klobi
"Ooh, and if the water should rise, at least I should try/ To swim, it's all I can do/ But nobody likes feeling like nobody wants you"
Eden was listless prior to meeting Finn, and this montage would show their routine prior to that. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to their job at the vintage resale boutique... Lather, rinse, repeat. Eden craved that human connection they struggled so much to build and was treading water in the meantime.
3. Put 'Em Up: Until We Go Down by Ruelle
"Erase darkness 'til the break of day/ And I need that fire just to know that I′m awake"
Unless the plot reveals otherwise, Eden is not much of a fighter. She's clever enough to avoid many types of confrontations, as that was a skill she utilized while running laps through the foster care system. That being said, she loves so strongly that she refuses to let go, and any type of fight would end with her getting back up over and over again until her body is cold.
4. Shake It Off: Remember Me Happy by Alex Warren
"Sometimes I wonder would you visit when I'm gone/ Put petals on my stone/ Remember me happy or not even at all
It's easy to see someone with a flat tone and even flatter expression and so "Oh, they're so serious and unflappable." Eden is, however, a Dramatic Bitch. If he's having a bad day he gets through it by quite literally imagining his own funeral and all the things people would say about him. It helps them feel vindicated in a "oh you'd feel so bad about this if I were DEAD!" way.
5. It's a Good Day: Real Love Baby by Father John Misty
"I'm in love, I'm alive/ I belong to the stars and sky"
Happiness is the truest expression of love. Not just for the people in your life, but for the world as a whole that holds your place in this spinning galaxy. On good days, Eden's love for Everything spills over and leaves droplets everywhere they go. Even if people have a hard time recognizing that joy, it still infects them.
Biographic Beats
6. I Have A Dream: Holding Space (Acoustic) by Luke Adamson
"So take all your loving/ And set it free/ But hold a little space for me"
Similar to Tana, Eden's dream is one of home. In contrast though, home is very much a Place that Eden dreams of, not a feeling. After not feeling like she had a home with any kind of permanence as she shuffled from foster family to foster family, Eden wants nothing more than to find someplace that is safe, permanent, and she'll never be forced to leave. If they happen to have their beloved Finn, that only makes it all the better.
7. Family Matters: Never Love an Anchor by The Crane Wives
"There is love that doesn't have a place to rest/ But it would have buried you if it had settled on your shoulders"
Eden was abandoned at a firehouse when they were a few days old as a Safe Haven surrender, and ended up carrying the Lindbeck surname as that was the street name the fire station was on. His mother was a very young woman having an affair with a married man, and when she got pregnant she thought that he would leave his wife for her. Instead, he threw enough money for an abortion in her direction and told her not to bother him again. She carried Eden in term in delusion, believing that he would change his mind once he met their perfect baby. He didn't. She could have fought for child support and all these things, but between al of the foolish parts of her was a key nugget of clarity: she would not be a good mother to Eden as she was now. So, because she loved Eden and wanted them to have the best chance, she surrendered them in secret. She had no way of knowing that he would struggle so much in the foster care system, in part because of her foolish belief that everyone would love Eden as much as she did. She was willing to hurt herself by never seeing her baby again, but you know what? DNA kits are a thing now. (That line is for me, a reminder to Write That Fic where Eden reconnects with her)
8. You Take The Good: Wildflowers by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris
"When a flower grows wild/ It can always survive/ Wildflowers don't care where they grow"
The nickname "Sunflower" is appropriate for Eden, as they are like a wildflower that is capable of planting themselves in any quality of dirt and growing beautifully. Of course, that durability is not the same thing as thriving, and truthfully he's finding that city life really brings out the best in him. The idea of moving to Willowbrook with Finn really is a dream come true 💛
9. With The Bad: Growing Sideways by Noah Kahan
"'Cause everyone's growing and everyone's healthy/ I'm terrified that I might never have met me/ Oh, if my engine works perfect on empty/ I guess I'll drive"
Eden did a lot of growing up during their childhood, but now? She feels like she really hasn't been making any kind of progress for a good while now. They work for a vintage fashion resale, which is fun and aligns with their interests but doesn't have much upwards mobility. He's doing fine financially, but he's not exactly sitting on a down-payment worthy nest egg to move from an apartment to a nice house. Even their relationship with Finn, as wonderful as it is, hasn't been charging in any kind of direction. Time's passing, but Eden isn't growing. Maybe moving to Willowbrook is what they need to change that.
10. Total Relationship Killer: Fade Away by Rebelution
"Keeping it calm/ Until we all fade away and move on"
Eden's relationships, be they with foster families, friends, or romances, always ended like a song that fades to silence. They would simply step back, take another step, and anticlimactically watch as the dynamic cools down to nothing. It hurts how no one ever fought to keep Eden, but on some level she needs to acknowledge that she didn't fight for the relationships either. Eden still keeps in touch with all of them, but they're more of an acquaintance than anything now. It's easy to maintain a surface-level relationship like that.
Romantic Rhapsodies
11. At First Sight: First Day Of My Life by Bright Eyes
"Yours was the first face that I saw/ I think I was blind before I met you"
The rut of Eden's life felt like it was building to this point as they locked eyes with that soft boy with the warmest smile as he held onto those flowers he loved so much and brought them together. As he put together that first bouquet for Eden to give to his friend, Finn explained them with such reverence that it made Eden feel something new. Eden wanted to hear Finn talk again and again and envied those flowers that could touch his hands with so little effort, and made a point of finding excuses to keep going by.
12. To Love: NEVER WANNA LET YOU GO by Bren Joy
"I should be fired by the gods who invented roses/ ′Cause I'm picking each one for you/ And still, I smile"
Eden isn't used to loving wholeheartedly. In fact, they didn't even realize how much they'd been holding back in their previous relationships for fear of rejection until they wrapped their roots around Finn and started to bloom. They have committed themselvesfully to him, not letting that fear get in the way.
13. And To Be Loved: Rhythm Of Love by Plain White T's
"Warm sun and wind in my ear/ We'll watch the world from above/ As it turns to the rhythm of love"
Each speaker character shows their affections in different ways. How is your character loved by the one(s) they've chosen to be with?
14. Until It's Over: The Night We Met by Lord Huron
"I had all and then most of you/ Some and now none of you/ Take me back to the night we met"
Like their past relationships, if Eden/Finn failed it would be a lack of fighting. Not arguing, of course, but fighting for the relationship. It would fizzle out, but be so much more heartbreaking than all those other failed relationships because Eden really wanted to make it work this time and would feel helplessas is starts to fade away like all the rest. It would make Eden wish that he had the ability to reset the world and start over from the beginning, doing it right this time.
15. Unless It's Forever: Something I Need by OneRepublic
"With broken words I've tried to say/ "Honey don't you be afraid/ If we got nothing, we got us""
Every boho flower-crown wedding pinterest board would pale in comparison to the event that Finn and Eden would put together. It would be a bit of a track, somewhere in the forest that's private and beautiful and perfect. They would write their own vows and exchange arrangements with meanings that mirror the sentiments of those vows. I could see them incorporating a handfast ceremony where their hands are tied together with the chords that were wrapped around their bouquets (and they will later make some kind of knotted wall art with those same chords) and kissing as they promise to love each other. They can't promise Easy, or always Happy, but they can promise Forever knowing that when things are hard or unhappy, they will always at least have each other.
Characters: Eden (Sunflower/Orchid OC) and Finn (all versions)
Ships: Eden/Finn
Rating: Teen (brief toxic/abusive relationships, allusions hand-based body horror elements in parallel to plants, use of glitch text)
Summary: Once upon a time there was a flower. This flower loved people so much it wanted to be one. So it became many different people, who all loved the different versions of their sun.
Soundtrack: Every Timeline by HorizonVox
Word Count: ~1700
Notes: Out of all the Yuurivoice fics I’ve written so far, this is the one most likely to have me going “Well, this no longer works with the lore. Never really did tbh” and I am fine with that. I just wanted to craft something complex enough for Eden to kind of match up to Finn while also acknowledging that holy shit there’s still so much for me to figure out about Finn. Also 100% lifted the talk of cuttings from my own private musings of life cycles and the idea of them extending beyond yourself like the flowers you pinch off, propagate, and share with loved ones.
Crossposted On AO3
Once upon a time there was a flower. This flower loved people so much it wanted to be one. Then it died. The End.
No no, that’s not how the story goes. You can’t simplify any life in such a way, much less their lives, plural. Do it right.
Each world hosts its own variety of beautiful flora. In the oldest of the worlds, there was a Flower that was without peer. This is not to say that none could compare to this Flower, as there were so many magnificent plants in this world that could do so many things, but this one was unique in that it was the only of its kind. It had rooted itself within the narrow cracks of an old mountain, though there were no seeds that could have possibly been planted there. During the day the Flower would extend golden petals towards the Sun, reaching out to its love with a longing embrace that could not be returned. When the Sun crept over the horizon, those once-golden petals would shyly curl into themselves and fall, exposing the next row of petals in a bid to court the Moon. The second set of petals were delicate things, white lacy nothings with droplets of purple and pink that blushed when observed. These petals could not cover the provocative stamens that flagrantly flashed themselves, sprinkling pollen in the wind to coax the Moon closer with its illusion of stars. Just like the Sun, however, the Moon would stay its course in the sky and leave the love unrequited. When dawn came, golden petals pushed their way past the sepals and tore through the delicacies. Like this, the Flower lived, cycling its petals and dropping them to the ground beneath the mountain for others to find magic in.
One day, a magnificent tree was felled in the forest. An angry Storm had pushed the flower's beloved Sun and Moon aside for the time, claiming the sky for itself and punishing the world beneath for its blatant favoritism for the celestial bodies. The tree, which had done its best to protect the fauna of the forest, took the bolt of lightning without complaint and fell to the ground. The Storm taunted the tree, as that fall may have taken more lives than the tree saved, but it quickly grew bored and moved on from the sky, giving it to the Sun once more. The Flower had turned to mourn the tree and intended to resume its cycle of obsessive affection, but was taken instead with the lake.
You see, this forest also housed a clear lake that perfectly reflected the sky above it as a mirror. Now that the tree was not between them, the Flower could observe this mirror water, and saw in it worlds beyond the reflection. There was another sun there… no no, a son there. A young man who was burdened with a great love for the people he knew and for the people he didn’t. The Flower strained at its stem, looking deeper into this world. Oh, how interesting this garden was! Humans of all shapes and sizes, freely dancing across the surface of their world. They had other words for it, of course. Sometimes the dance was called Labor, sometimes it was Worship, and sometimes it was Love. A lucky few even moved their feet in complex steps to dance their Worshipful Labor of Love. The Flower ignored the day’s cycles in favor of its view into this other world, its petals growing again and again in spiraling rows of gold and white with shadows cast in purples and pinks. There was no reason to drop its petals to reshape itself to be beautiful, and paradoxically it was growing more and more magnificent. Both the Sun and Moon noticed its glamor and gently tried to coax its attention skywards once more with their beams of light, but the Flower was unmoved. Its golden human had all of its love now, along with all the other people they both loved from a distance. How could a simple Sun and Moon possibly compete with the chaotic beauty that was people?
The Storm returned with its loud cries and violent outbursts, and it too was taken with the new life of the Flower. Rather than the celestial empty promises and pretty words, the torrent of rain reached out with the intent to pluck the flower from its mountain planter and take it for itself. In the process, the surface of the lake had turned choppy and the view of the Flower’s love was broken along with the observance of the loves beyond. The Flower cried out in the only way flowers know how to: it plucked its petals out one by one and let the wind greedily grab at them. He loves me. He loves me not. They love me. They love me not. Each petal carried its declaration as it whipped around the sky in its own panic. The Storm held no gentleness in its love and tore into the Flower eagerly, assisting in its self-flagellation. The petals desperately flitted around for safety and found their refuge on the surface of its lake. The ripples of the raindrops could not offer the peace that the petals needed, but they instead brought a certain kind of novelty. It is a myth that a mirror disrupted can no longer reflect, whether it is the reflection born of water or of glass. Rather, the reflections splinter into so many more.
While the Flower was crushed beneath the affections of the Storm, so scorned by the envious Sun and Moon that no savior existed for it, the loose petals held their breaths and sank into their various reflections. They did not see the ones they have been so enamored with, but rather the other worlds beyond that one. They had no pollen or seeds, but knew that with the magic they carried there must be some way to plant themselves in these worlds. They may not be Flowers there, so they all prayed in a choir of voices that they would be People and that they could find their own dances of Worshipful Labors of Love. In a last desperate act, the Flower plucked its pistil and flung it to the lake, hoping to find its own love as well, before it was well and truly trampled by the Storm. There was a moment of regret from the Storm, but just as with the tree, its feeling soon faded and the clouds dissipated the clear the sky once more.
—
A checkered blanket is laid carefully on the surface at the summit of this mountain. While not burrowed into a narrow crevice of stone, Eden is still firmly planted here and staring to the sky. It’s not petals they reach up with, but rather their outstretched arm and its fingers. They examine the back of their hand silhouetted by the backlight of the bright spring day. To the uninformed, their stoic face looks bored by the lack of activity. Finn, who knows flowers better than he knows people, makes no such mistake. “What’s got you so deep in thought, Sunflower?” He’s taking a pause from the notes in his journal where he records the current state of the local wildflowers they’ve seen during their hike so far.
“I’m thinking about flower cuttings,” Eden answers, transfixed by a mole that marks the knuckle of their thumb. “How you can just take a pair of shears to a plant and slice it, stick it in some water, and then you have two plants.”
Finn laughs lightly, “Well, it’s a little more complex than that. For one thing, not every plant will propagate nicely, and then there are some that need a little more help than just sunshine and water to develop roots.” He returns to his note-taking as he talks, more than happy to multitask in this way.
Eden flexes their hand, imagining the tendons and bones beneath their skin as they do so. They’ve had this body their whole life, and yet still find fascination in the way that it seems to move so effortlessly. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be effortless, at least no reason they’re aware of, but that doesn’t stop it from humbling them in these quiet moments. “I’m less interested in the technicality of it and more in the philosophy of it,” Eden states quietly. “Like are they actually two different plants? Or is the second one just an extension of the first flower?” They roll over, choosing to face the sunlight of their life rather than the sun in the sky. “If I cut my finger off, it would still be my finger even though it’s not attached to me. Does sticking it in a jelly jar of water and leaving it on the window really change that?” It’s a striking image in Eden’s mind: bloody clouds dissipating in the water as veins twist themselves into roots. Would a new Eden grow from that piece?
Finn switches from his Botanist Brain to his Witch Brain, considering the symbolism seriously. He goes through his thoughts out loud, sharing them as a collaborative process, “It’s sort of like the fruit of plants, I think. They’re technically trying to get devoured, but that’s because it’s how they make more of themselves. Sort of like a necessary death.”
Eden shakes their head, “That’s reproduction. Sometimes death is a part of that, but that’s not really what I’m talking about.”
“No, but I think it’s important to recontextualize ‘death’ in plant terms as it relates to life, since that’s our analogy.” Finn thoughtfully taps his pencil at his chin, fighting the urge to chew on it as he works through his train of thought. “I think that it’s all a form of extending life, whether through traditional means or otherwise.”
Eden considers this for a moment, “So what you’re saying is that this question is beyond cuttings. That the new growth is an extension of the single life regardless of how?”
Finn nods, and looks over the plateau of their spot to the forest stretching out below. There’s a fallen tree, and there’s a clear lake, and there are so many lives working together in the ecology that makes this pocket of the world turn. “You know, there are forests where all the trees share a single root system. Even though there are more trees than you can count, they’re all a single organism when you learn to see beyond what your eyes can observe.” He sets his journal down and lays his back against the blanket, rolling to face Eden. “Maybe all those flowers are really part of the same plant, and there’s some kind of connective thread that ties them all together.”
Eden reaches out the hand they were so entranced by earlier and gently strokes Finn’s cheek. He leans into the touch, closing his eyes in contentment before shyly looking back to his Sunflower. Eden stares him down and asks, “If I propagated my thumb and made a second Eden, do you think you would love them too?”
Finn’s laughter echoes in the surrounding land, “Whatever happened to the simple questions about loving you as a worm?” His smile is warm and affectionate, his sunshine beaming outwards and inviting Eden to love him in return. “I’m pretty sure this isn’t the right answer, but it’s hard for me to imagine that there’s any version of you that I wouldn’t fall in love with.”
Eden blinks, “It’s not a loaded question, so I don’t think there’s a wrong answer.” They use their thumb to stroke at Finn’s face while they continue to hold him. “I don’t think it’s wrong to say that another Me could be one that you love. It makes me all the more grateful that I’m the Me with you today.”
“I’m so happy that I found you,” Eden can’t smile, but the flowers that sprout from their body perk up at the endorphins coursing through their interior roots. Finn cuddles into their touch, his soft bunny body not put off by their bark-skin. “I never had anyone I could talk to like this.”
Finn laughs lightly, his ears twitching at his own bell-like sound, “I find that difficult to believe.” He turns his head to kiss at Eden’s hand, his eye contact a confusing mix of seductive and innocent. “You’re so kind and gentle, especially to me. Anyone would love you… or, um, love spending time with you.” His blushing flustered face is cute, and it makes Eden want to tease him.
“Do you?” There’s no flirtatious lilt to their voice, dryads don’t really have those, but a pleasant sweet smell tickles at Finn’s nose, making it twitch and spread his blush further. “Do you love me?” Eden leans closer. The plants surrounding respond to their excitement, dancing in nonexistent wind as they court their beloved bunny man. “I want to hear you say it.” The tulips and buttercups lean in as well, excited to hear his answer.
“You know how much I love you,” Finn teases back with a smile. “But I’m not opposed to saying it until you’re tired of hearing it.” He leans forward with a kiss to their lips, his own lips upturned in a loving smile. “I love you,” another kiss, “I love you,” one more kiss, “I love you.” Kiss, kiss, kiss. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
When Eden pulls away from the kisses, they roll back to stare up at the sky. The clouds amble along with no intense gusts of wind to hurry them up. It reminds Eden of how they used to live; just following various friend groups and happily observing the ways people were without making their own strides towards any kind of goals. That would require having goals. “Do you think that if I hadn’t ever walked into your flower shop we would have still found each other?”
“I would always find you,” Finn coos affectionately. Twisting vines pin Eden to the ground with vicegrips and Finn lays freely beside them, stroking at their arm affectionately. “Oh my lovely Orchid, there’s no way I could ever not find you.” Eden flinches at the soft touch, the thorns along the vines biting into their skin reflexively. “Ah ah ah, be careful~” Finn’s mask of concern is transparent, his glee at their reaction too obvious to miss.
Eden does not give him the satisfaction of more than a wince. Their difficulties of self expression are limited to their emotional state, and matters of pain still contort at their face. There’s no desperation or fury or excitement of any kind, though Finn has no difficulty reading the emotion in their eyes. “I’m not afraid of you,” they state, staring Finn down.
Finn cackles, “Oh Orchid, I know that.” He lifts Eden's hand and pulls it to his lips, placing a kiss on its back. He stares at their hand as he pulls it away, too transfixed to return it to Eden, “Even if I took my shears to each of these pretty fingers of yours, you could never be afraid of me.” His other hand reaches behind him, groping blindly at the floor, and he turns his head back for a moment before returning to give Eden a gentle smile, “I don’t know where my shears are right now, though.” He stares down at them with pure love and gives them their hand back.
“Losing you scares me,” Eden admits, keeping their eyes on the clouds as they speak. “I don’t want to be who I was before I loved you.” They shift their eyes to Finn without moving their head, “Is that selfish of me?”
Finn reaches out and pulls Eden into his chest, reassuring them with a firm squeeze. “I don’t think it’s selfish, but I do find it a little silly.” He kisses the top of their head, burying his nose in the scent of their shampoo. “The version of you that didn’t love me yet was the one I fell in love with, after all. I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit.” Eden squeezes back, hugging Finn tightly. He continues, “Loving you has changed me too. It’s given me something to push myself out of my comfort zone for. I want to grow into the best version of myself, because that’s who you deserve.”
Eden shakes their head in the hug, “I think you would have grown into that anyways. You didn’t need me for that, but I’m happy to be along for the ride.”
Finneas is alone in the tower, looking out over what feels like the entire expanse of the world. It’s funny how it can be so clearly in front of him, and yet he swears the world is placed squarely upon his shoulders instead. Behind him, perched on a shelf in front of a window, an unusual flower with gold and white petals cranes forward, reaching those petals towards his back in a desperate plea to help him carry that burden. Neither move.
My Sunflower (and Orchid and all other potential Finn-teractive experiences), Eden, has a Spiritual Backstory with a previous life as a flower. So they have an instinctual fear of bugs because some deeply-buried part of them fears for the safety of their leaves. Pollinators are an exception, however, because Flower, and they have a borderline kinship with them. It's not to the point of like Insect Control Magic, but there's an instinctual peaceful coexistence where they feel safe together and Eden can coax them.
This could be cute, like "oh centipedes freak me out but I don't mind butterflies," and that would be technically accurate. But it also means Eden's just like "Awwwww, babies!!!" cooing at a wasp's nest and running away in abject fear of an anthill.
