bakerstreet | the floriography meme

the floriography meme

the floriography meme

Flowers, in the Victorian Era (1837-1901), were often used as means of communication when people could not openly say things that we do these days. Think about someone who is naturally repressed; now imagine a whole society focusing on being repressed. You can see why lovers needed some sort of secret code. Poor things.

No longer used much, there are some remaining, well-known meanings—roses inspiring passion and love are a classic example. So, grab a bouquet and give it to someone special. Beware of what certain flowers could say, though. Not all flowers were used happily.

note: some prompts might cause triggers; be aware and specify in your comments

oo1. comment with your characters
make sure to put names, series, & preferences somewhere!
oo2. reply to others in character
oo3. go to RNG and roll 1-20
oo4. play out what happens! anything goes!
oo5. profit? profit!
oo6. originally from here

p r o m p t s

oo1. begonia ❀ beware

A hidden message is always appreciated. You need to keep an eye out, because your best friend might be banging your girl, or your girl is trying to off you!

oo2. chrysanthemum ❀ you’re a wonderful friend

Commonly used for funerals, this flower can also be used to send a gentle message. Someone is interested in you, but you only see them as a friend. Sorry.

oo3. clover ❀ promise

Promises, promises. Sometimes you mean them, sometimes you break them. Today, you promised your lover the best day ever. But does it work out?

oo4. daffodil ❀ unrequited love

There is an old tale of how a youth fell in love with his reflection and drowned. This is the ultimate rejection: no sparing of feelings, no kind words. Crush their souls.

oo5. forget-me-not ❀ memories, don’t forget me

This well-known flower is often given to loved ones as parting gifts. Who knows how long you’ll be gone? Maybe for only a day, or forever and a lifetime.

oo6. hazel ❀ reconciliation

You and a former love have parted ways for one reason or another. Time has cooled your head, but not your heart, so maybe it’s time to rekindle that fire.

oo7. hyacinth ❀ sorrow, forgive me

This holiday does not bring happiness to everyone. Yes, you’re sad and alone this year—but what are you going to do about it? Hopefully not mope with ice cream.

oo8. marigold ❀ cruelty

Love doesn’t mean a thing to you. The people around you are all puppets, and you love playing with them in the meanest way possible. Have fun, you psychopath.

oo9. mistletoe ❀ kiss me

Pure and simple: give someone a kiss! Your lover, your little sister, a stranger from across the room, or go wild and give the whole town some love!

o10. orange blossoms ❀ wedding, marriage bliss

Oh yes, you’re doing it: having a wedding on one of the cheesiest days of the year! Bring your rice and gifts, a priest is waiting to unite two people in love.

o11. plum blossom ❀ beauty, longevity

It’s a long shot, but you gotta try it. Flattery and buttering people up is one of the best ways to get what you want… romance, a date, money, sex…

o12. poppy ❀ oblivion

It is never good to be oblivious, and it’s awful to not see that someone is in love with you. But sadly, you are. Or is the other person the clueless one?

o13. primrose ❀ can’t live without you

You need them. More than lust or financial stability, you cannot imagine a world where you are not with this other person. Who said anything about a healthy relationship?

o14. rose (dark red) ❀ mourning

You never broke up with them, you never forgot about them. This is true love separated—they’re dead and gone. But have you moved on?

o15. rose (red) ❀ i love you, confession

Today is the day to express love, and nothing is better than expressing a love not expressed before! So go on, confess those beautiful feelings!

o16. rose (white) ❀ secrecy and silence

Sometimes you have to keep secrets. Sometimes that secret is someone else. So, enjoy a midnight rendezvous or run away for a passionate day somewhere.

o17. rose (yellow) ❀ infidelity

You couldn’t help it, this other person was just too… something to resist. That’s right! You’re cheating on your public lover today, but do you care or not?

o18. saffron ❀ abuse

Not all love is happy. Sometimes the problems are worse than money or cheating. It’s not limited to physical abuse either: there’s emotional, verbal, psychological…

o19. sweet pea ❀ good-bye

This day can really suck sometimes. Not as bad as being dumped on Christmas, but all the same. Your special someone obviously doesn’t feel the same anymore.

o20. violets ❀ let’s take a chance

Go for it! Love is exciting, and you don’t have to stay in a rut. Date someone new, elope, or do something creative. In the end, be different from the norm this year!

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[ Arthur feels his jaw clench at that, turning his head to look out of the window. He has a mental list of all the things Peter could be or what he could be doing. He's just refrained from voicing it. Maybe now was the right time. Maybe now it was necessary. ]

Don't you mean I'm the liability? To you, to your work and whatever image you're trying to maintain?

Because you're what? A spy? Agent? Hit man? Assassin?

Or is it more mundane than that? Is there someone else you're seeing? Do you want me to move out? Are you ashamed of what we do behind closed doors?

Or can you honestly not answer any one of those?

[ He keeps his voice level the whole time but there's an obvious tightness to it, a frustration and anger bubbling underneath because his patience has been exhausted. He doesn't want to give up on Peter, on them. But it fucking hurts to be shut out all the time. ]

[ Someone else lands on a nerve that's still red raw. He shocks himself by shouting - something tight in his chest ruptures overboils. ] No! No, for God's sake, there's no one -

[ He nearly misses the exit; swerves; makes it onto the ramp without much room to spare. It's what Richard had thought, too - someone else. Because of course, there is. There's the Circus and the truth is it's the only thing he's ever got a hope of being really married to. And it isn't fair.

But he has to calm down or he's going to run this damned thing off the road. He sets his jaw. ]

There's only you. There's only you, and I'm not ashamed of you, but that's not fair. It's not my fault we can't walk down the street arm-in-arm - you think I wouldn't like that? You think this is what I want? If I said assassin, what - you wouldn't be ashamed of me?

[ Arthur actually jumps at the shouting and then grabs onto the door when the car swerves, his posture going tense out of reflex. He swallows so hard his throat clicks, realizing that having this kind of conversation in the car really wasn't a good idea.

Until his attention is back on Peter, on what he's saying.

There's relief at what he's saying. Even as it brings a burning pressure to his eyes, blurring his vision. It's what Arthur has needed to hear for a long time. Now that he's hearing it... It's a little overwhelming.

But he's not going to waste it. Shaking his head, his eyes still on the other man. ]

No. I wouldn't be ashamed of you.

Well - [ It's not the answer he was expecting, and it takes some of the wind out of his sails. He's wound up with anger, not at Arthur but at everything, and he doesn't know what to say that isn't more in that same vein. Now that it's been tapped he could let it bleed for hours. Except he can't. ]

I'm not quite that.

[ No, he's just in charge of the actual assassins, kidnappers, thieves, blackmailers, and other ne'er-do-wells that Arthur likely would be ashamed of if he knew anything about it. So thank goodness for that. ]

But please believe me when I tell you it's not an image I'm protecting. [ Christ, he can't even tell his own partner where he works; he hasn't got one. ]

[ He looks away long enough to rub at his eyes. ]

Then what are you? If not "quite" an assassin...

[ A corner of his mouth quirks at that, teasing a little simply because he knows there is little Peter could tell him that could make him stop loving him. ]

The British government does not employ assassins.

[ This is a terrible idea. He's good at what he does, he's loyal, he's discreet, he doesn't do things like this, he doesn't drop national secrets at the feet of civilians of oh God American civilians just because he's tired of having his life uprooted and terrified of being left alone. He doesn't do this. ]

But if it did, I'd be the man in charge of them.

[ Well, he thinks - grim thought, but in some way a comforting one - well, now Arthur really can't leave him. ]

[ Arthur looks back over at Peter, silent for a long time. Peter was the man in charge of, for the lack of a better phrase, government killers. Of course they didn't employ assassins. They recruited them, trained them, turned them. Arthur had heard plenty of stories, seen plenty of movies. While he knew there was plenty of fiction out there, he wasn't naive enough to think such people and things didn't go on "behind the curtain".

The reality of what Peter did, once he processed it, wasn't anything to snuff at.

He was in charge of actual men that did brutal things. Not just in this country but others. It was dangerous for more than just them. If Peter made the wrong decision, it could have a ripple effect on everyone under him and what they did. It was a great deal of responsibility for one man.

And now it all made sense. The late nights, the days when he didn't feel like talking, when he was too exhausted to stay awake for dinner. The cancelled dates, the calls in the middle of the night.

A deeper relief came from finally knowing what was behind it all. At Peter finally telling him, trusting him enough or wanting him to know so he wouldn't leave (Arthur was willing to take either). But then worry sank in for his lover. It truly was a dangerous job. Not just for what he did, but he was a man in a position of power and living a life many still deemed "perverted" or "disgusting".

Peter being with him, agreeing to him moving in. It was downright ballsy, as the American phrase went.

Eventually, all that he could say, Peter already knows, has already thought. Arthur would just be pointing out the obvious. He reaches forward with one hand to rub at the other man's thigh through his pants. ]

Guess that explains your intense dislike for James Bond, now.

[ There was so much more to say. So much that needed to be said. And would be said. But right now, he wanted the other man to know that he wasn't going to bolt or be scared off by the truth of his work. If anything, it made Arthur more determined to stay by his side. Not let him be alone. ]

Edited 2014-01-19 18:23 (UTC)

[ Peter glances away from the road for half a second to throw Arthur a reproving look - this is serious - but he hasn't got any room left for scolding. He's frightened, angry, relieved, thrilled, miserable, a hundred other things he stands no chance of identifying. He merely shakes his head and makes sure to drive very, very carefully, counting the seconds until he's home. ]

Well, thank God for that.

[ There's certainly a lot he knows he should say - he can't answer anymore questions, Arthur's never to breathe a word, all that sort of thing - but Arthur's not stupid. It's implied. And at the moment it isn't even the point. He struggles through to the core of it: ]

It's the sort of thing - it could swallow you, you know. If you didn't have anywhere to come up for air.

Please don't go.

[ The look on Arthur's face is soft, loving. There's no mockery or amusement there, even as he was trying for some lightness. He knows this is serious. He's scared for the other man, for what is asked of him and all that relies on him and what he does. A dozen possibilities of what could happen to him flit through his mind and he tries to shove them all away, not focus on any of them.

But on the man beside him.

He gives Peter's thigh a gentle squeeze before taking his hand back as they pull up to the flat. His voice is almost too quiet. ]

I'm not letting you go, Peter Rabbit.

[ He has only said that exact statement once before. In their bedroom, late one night, after waking up to Peter having a more than unpleasant dream. Jerking and twisting in his sleep, practically sobbing. Arthur had held him after waking him up, muttering whatever soothing nonsense and endearments he could to get him to calm down.

It had been one of those moments that had made Arthur realize how much he loved the other man. That this wasn't just another 'I-like-him-well-enough' sort of things.

Now, Arthur wanted him to know he was going to continue to be there for him just like he had been that night. Knowing the truth wasn't going to change that. ]

Thank you for telling me.

[ Peter flushes red - not because he's opposed to terms of endearment, necessarily, but because of what it recalls to him. He's not a man who relinquishes control easily, nor does he leave himself open, vulnerable. Moments of weakness are rude shocks to him. That night was one of them, the first time he found himself in Arthur's power and not just his affections. Because that is power, having someone in so delicate a position turn to you for comfort.

Arthur proved himself a good enough man to be trusted with it, that night. And now it's happening again.

He nods, and says nothing as he parks - just gets out of the car and silently takes Arthur's bag from the back seat. But as they're going inside, starting up the stairs, his hand hovers for just a moment at the small of Arthur's back. ]

[ Arthur doesn't need a verbal acknowledgment. The nod is all he needs to know Peter accepts his words. He grabs his other bag before heading up with the other man.

He pulls out his keys when they are in front of their door and unlocks it. Another way for him to show Peter he had always intended to come back: he kept his keys on him. After going through, he sets his bag down and waits for Peter to close the door before he's lunging for him. Hugging him tightly, almost desperately.

Pressing his face into the side of Peter's neck, he's trying his best to keep it together. But, well, they were home now. They didn't have to hide how they felt here. If the other man felt wetness on his neck, Arthur honestly couldn't help it anymore.

Hot and muffled against his skin, ]

I'm so sorry. I am. I'm sorry I hurt you.

[ It's with a pang of regret and of pride that he notes that they're both so well-trained - nothing out of doors, nothing in the hall, wait until the door's shut. No shouting. But everything he could possibly say is in his grip around Arthur's shoulders, so tight he can't breathe except in time with him. When he releases him - with a rush of breath to dissipate the tightness in his throat - it's to bury both hands in his hair. ]

It isn't your fault.

[ The tears on his face are a kick in the gut, all guilt. Peter's all right at coping with that, though. He just wipes them away with his thumb - and tries a smile, even if it is decidedly watery. ]

And you can keep on doing it, if you like. As long as you stay.

[ The noise that comes out of Arthur is a mixture of a laugh and sob, his hands buried in Peter's clothes. ]

I don't like doing it, you idiot!

[ He sniffs several times, trying to get his tears under control as he presses his forehead to his lover's. ]

I just want to be with you.

I want you to be safe.

I want you to be happy.

[ It's such a joy to hear - made all the sweeter by the sharp, guilty fear that still haunts him and his revelation. This is what it feels like to share this. He's only imagined it before. It's the sort of change he knows he won't even comprehend, not really, until he wakes up tomorrow and everything feels different - maybe not even then. For now he's swept up in it almost like it's drunkenness.

He kisses Arthur and then pulls him to his chest again, cradling his head in his arms. ]

You make me extremely happy. Extremely.

I don't deserve a bit of you.

[ He turns his face enough to press it into Peter's clothes, breathing him in and giving him another squeeze around his waist. ]

That's not true. You deserve so much more.

[ I was so lucky to have found you. ]

[ He can't answer that without feeling like a complete ass - he knows it isn't true, not with what he's put Arthur through, not with what his work actually entails - and so he doesn't. He just rests his head on Arthur's and rocks with him, slightly, side to side.

But he has to address the business of the matter, before he lets it go for good. He does it as softly as he can, but he has to be serious. ]

You know you mustn't tell anyone - anything. And when I can't tell you where I've gone, just know I'm thinking of you.

[ Sniffing, Arthur nods his head as best he can without jarring Peter's. ]

I know. I won't.

[ He'd never betray Peter like that. It wasn't just his job at stake, it was a matter of keeping his trust. Arthur's finally gotten the truth. He isn't going to take that lightly. Ever.

The latter statement only seals that. ]

You better come back. When you go, wherever it is, you better come back.

[ It's really not that dangerous, he wants to say - part of the perks of being the man in charge is you don't run the rough missions. But he's not going to say anything more. He tilts his face down to press a kiss against Arthur's forehead, stoops to pick up his bag where he left it leaning against the wall, and nudges him gently inside. ]

I will. So long as you do. Agreed?

[ Arthur wouldn't have believed him if he had. Man in charge or not, it was still dangerous.

He lets go of the other man reluctantly, nodding. ]

Agreed.

[ He doesn't care about his bags. He reaches to grab the front of Peter's jacket and starts pulling him towards their bedroom. Doesn't bother to explain or ask. ]

[ That's settled, then. Even if it doesn't feel settled - even if he's about as tranquil as if he's just narrowly avoided being stabbed to death - even if his heart threatens to break out pounding again at every second thought - for now, at least, it's done. And it feels ... a little lighter. A little better.

And Arthur's staying. Until at least tomorrow, that can be all that matters.

So he drops the bag, follows without objection, and very happily leaves the rest of the world behind. For now. ]

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the floriography meme

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i apologize for the sappiness

THIS IS WHY NO ONE CAN KNOW ABOUT US ARTHUR. NICKNAMES.

LOL. BUT HE MEANS IT WITH LOVE AND ADORATION.

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