Flowers Speak Louder

He holds the flower up again. “This was left in front of the door.”Mr. Coran’s eyes light up. “Well then, it seems you may have a secret admirer, Mr. Shirogane. In the language of flowers, lilac signifies the first emotions of love.”Shiro’s cheeks bloom with heat and he’s sure he’s gone quite red with embarrassment. He clears his throat again. “That’s, ah, very interesting. I’m sure it’s merely coincidence, however. The wind was quite high last night. Perhaps it blew up here from one of the gardens.” The explanation is weak even to his own ears and the looks on Allura and Mr. Coran’s faces reinforce that.“Perhaps,” Allura allows doubtfully. Her eyes sparkle once more. “And perhaps Mr. Kogane will be able to shed more light on the matter.” Shiro barely manages to hold back a groan, blush spreading to his entire face as his mind turns to his gardener.***In which Mr. Shirogane has a secret admirer and a not so secret admiration for a certain gardener in his employ.