This is to @thecutestgrotto for their beautiful divers that made me think of this, also I love them and I now headcanons that agott knows an abnormal amount about flowers. If you want them this is the link
Irises-Arkco
The afternoon had been uneventful so far.
Not that Coco seemed to mind.
She was happily chatting beside Agott as they followed one of the paths winding through the countryside surrounding the atelier, drifting from topic to topic with no apparent destination in mind. Agott wasn't entirely sure how Coco could maintain a conversation for this long without exhausting herself.
"...and then Tetia somehow convinced everyone it was a good idea."
"It wasn't."
"It definitely wasn't."
"Then why did you agree to it?"
Coco smiled sheepishly,
"I thought it sounded fun."
Agott sighed.
Coco laughed at her reaction and continued walking, occasionally wandering a few steps off the path whenever something caught her attention. A butterfly. An interesting rock. A particularly shaped cloud.
Agott followed.
Someone had to ensure Coco didn't accidentally throw herself into a river because she spotted a fish.
The path eventually opened into a grassy clearing.
Wildflowers dotted the landscape in scattered patches of white, yellow, and violet.
Agott's attention settled on one cluster immediately.
Irises.
A surprisingly healthy patch, too.
Without thinking, she slowed her pace and stepped toward them.
Coco noticed.
"You found something."
"It's an iris patch."
Coco wandered over.
Agott knelt beside the flowers, gently brushing her fingers over one of the petals.
"They're in excellent condition."
"You sound impressed."
"I am impressed."
"There it is."
"There what is?"
"The flower voice."
Agott frowned.
"I do not have a flower voice."
"You absolutely have a flower voice."
Before Agott could argue, Coco crouched beside her.
Close.
Far closer than necessary.
Agott tried very hard not to notice.
"They're pretty," Coco said.
"They're irises."
"Those things can both be true."
Agott rolled her eyes.
Still, she found herself explaining.
"Historically they've been associated with wisdom and admiration. Their structure is fairly unique compared to most flowers as well."
Coco listened quietly.
Actually listened.
Not pretending.
Not waiting for her turn to speak.
Just listening.
Agott hated how much she liked that.
She picked one of the blooms carefully, examining the petals as she continued talking.
"The upper petals are called standards. The lower ones are called falls. Most people don't know that."
"That's because most people aren't Agott."
Agott paused.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you know everything."
"I do not know everything."
"You know flower anatomy."
"That is not remotely the same thing."
Coco giggled.
Agott felt herself smiling slightly despite her best efforts.
A terrible mistake.
Coco immediately noticed.
Of course she did.
Before Agott could compose herself, she felt movement beside her.
Then something brushed against her hair.
She froze.
Completely.
Her breath caught somewhere in her chest.
Slowly, cautiously, she turned her head.
Coco was still close.
Far too close.
One hand lingered near Agott's face as she finished adjusting something behind her ear.
An iris.
An iris was tucked into her hair.
Agott stared.
The world abruptly ceased functioning.
"What?" Coco asked.
Agott continued staring.
Coco blinked.
Then glanced at the flower.
"Oh."
The realization crossed her face.
A smile followed.
"I thought it'd look nice."
Agott's brain supplied no response.
Not a single one.
She could feel her heartbeat in her ears.
Coco had put a flower in her hair.
Coco had looked at an iris and thought of her.
Coco had reached over and tucked it behind her ear as though that were a perfectly normal thing to do.
As though Agott's heart wasn't currently attempting to escape her body.
"You okay?" Coco asked.
Agott opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
An impressive achievement for someone who usually had an opinion about everything.
"Agott?"
"I..."
Brilliant.
Truly eloquent.
Coco's smile softened.
"It suits you."
That did not help.
At all.
Agott immediately looked away.
The grass suddenly seemed fascinating.
The sky was fascinating.
Trees were fascinating.
Anything that wasn't Coco.
Unfortunately, Coco stepped into her line of sight.
"You're blushing."
"I am not."
"You are."
"I am not."
"Agott."
"I am not."
"You totally are."
Agott wished she would stop smiling.
The smile was making this worse.
Everything about this was making it worse.
Most concerning of all was the fact that she didn't want Coco to take the flower back.
She should have.
It would have solved several problems.
Instead she found herself carefully touching one of the petals.
Just briefly.
Making sure it was still there.
Coco's expression changed.
Something warm flickered across her face.
Something that made Agott's pulse jump again.
The silence stretched between them.
Neither moved.
Neither looked away.
And for one terrifying moment, Agott became aware of how close they still were.
Very close.
Close enough to see the gold flecks in Coco's eyes.
Close enough to notice the faint curve of her smile.
Close enough to forget every fact she had ever known about irises.
Which was particularly frustrating because she knew a lot about irises.
"Agott?"
"Hm?"
"You stopped talking about flowers."
Agott stared at her for a moment.
Then at the flower in her hair.
Then back at Coco.
"...I wonder why."
Coco burst out laughing.
Agott groaned and covered her face.
The sound of Coco's laughter followed her all the way back down the path, and despite everything, she couldn't bring herself to remove the flower.
