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Arlo was a second year when Rei asked if he wanted to make flower crowns.
His initial response had been “hell no” because he was going into his sophomore year of high school and that was a childish thing to do. Plus, what was he going to do with the flower crown? He certainly was not going to wear it, and he definitely was not going to use it as a status symbol for his new position as King.
So, he wasn’t exactly sure how he ended up making one. The two boys were sitting down on the floor of Rei’s dorm room with a package of wire placed between them and an assortment of flowers spread around them. There were also a few twigs with fake berries on them, and smaller blossoms that Arlo figured would be used to make the crown fuller and better hide the wire.
The green haired boy in front of him had his lips pursed as he scrolled on his computer, looking for a guide because while he had sent the invitation out, he didn’t actually know how to make the crowns.
It was unsurprising, Arlo mused as he rested his chin against his knee.
A soft tune played from Rei’s phone that was perched against the wall; knowing Rei it was probably from some TV show he’d seen recently. When he asked why it wasn’t connected to a speaker, Arlo learned that Rei had somehow broken it commuting between the university and a nearby town.
Which wasn’t surprising either.
Arlo snapped out of his thoughts when Rei finally moved the laptop from his lap and placed it between them next to the wire. “Okay,” the older boy smiled wide, “the first thing we need to do is measure our heads and cut the wire to fit.” Arlo hummed, ripping open the plastic wrap as Rei scrambled over to his desk for a pair of scissors then returned. “Are those going to work,” he asked.
The older boy shrugged, taking the wire from Arlo once the wrapping was off. “I don’t have wire cutters so it kind of has to. Come here, we’ll measure your head first.” Though he rolled his eyes, Arlo scooched over so that their knees were touching each other. Rei gave him a quick smile before unraveling the green wire and careful measuring out how much would be needed.
“You have a big head.”
“Rei, your stomach is in punching range.”
“And I have a pair of scissors in my hand, your point?”
Arlo huffed in defeat, ears burning when he heard Rei laugh followed by a quiet snip.
“Oops, I think I got some of your hair.”
Arlo’s hand flew to the back of his head, hoping to grasp the destroyed locks before he met Rei eyes and stopped. Lips raised in a smirk, Rei said nothing as he pulled back from Arlo and handed him the cut strand of wire. Arlo took it with more force than necessary along with the scissors. “Keep testing me Rei, and I will cut you.” Rei rolled his eyes, crawling over to his phone and skipping a few songs before the music settled on quiet “chill” music once again. Arlo raised an eyebrow when Rei came back over; the older boy simply responded with another small smile before gesturing to the wire. “Oh,” Arlo muttered then began to measure out the wire for Rei.
Quiet moments between the two were few and far between, Arlo thought while he worked. They were rare but pleasant moments, where Arlo got to see what he considered a realer version of Rei and where he found himself feeling sociable for once. So maybe he had been wrong to originally pass on the flower crown suggestion, immature idea as it was, it gave way to a very peaceful setting.
It was a much-needed break, Arlo thought while he and Rei began picking out flowers from the pile. While he’d only been King of Wellston for a solid three months, he’d been itching for a break. For a chance to not run a school, not fix the hierarchy, not deal with people talking down to him.
While he was loath to admit it, he’d been wanting a chance to act like a teenager for once.
Maybe this was a break for Rei as well, Arlo pondered as he flicked his gaze up from the floor. Rei looked tired, as all college students usually do, but this felt like more. There were small nicks across his fingers, he seemed hesitant to bend his back more than necessary, and peeking through the sleeve of his hoodie was a bandage wrapped around his wrist.
They had avoided the standard “how’s school” conversation whenever Arlo got to the dorm, because Arlo didn’t want to talk about Wellston and Rei didn’t want to talk about college.
“School sucks,” Arlo sighed as he decided on his flowers. He tried to grab flowers that would look good with his hair—his original idea had been to go all yellow but that wouldn’t work—so he had settled on various pink, red, and white flowers with a few green stems to go in between. “What are these?” Arlo asked as he twirled the green stem between his fingers. Rei looked up from his own collection, narrowed his eyes at the plant for leaning back and nodding in recognition.
“Ferns. They’re not really a flower but I figured they would look good just as…fluff, you know?”
Arlo didn’t know, but he nodded anyway. “What about the rest?”
“Poppies, Daisies, and I’m not sure what that one is,” Rei answered as he pointed to the respective flowers then returned to his own. The older boy had a similar assortment of flowers, using ferns as well, along with pale shades of pink, blue, and yellow flowers. “I’m honestly shocked you’re not a plant major, or whatever the actual term for it is,” Arlo stated as he gathered his flowers into a pile. “No idea what it’s called either,” Rei shook his head,” but I’m not interested in making this a job. I just think it’s fun.” Silence fell over the two for a moment as they both scanned through the website to figure out how exactly they were supposed to put the crowns together.
“So, we make a loop here…and then,” Rei paused squinting at the screen and muttering a small ‘what.’ Arlo laughed, a soft sound made mostly through his nose before he picked up a flower and attached it to the wire base. Though it was a little loose, hanging limply off the wire, the flower stuck in place and Arlo felt a proud smile slip onto his face. “Look, I think I got it.” Rei scrutinized the progress Arlo made and looked down at his own wire. “Maybe I’m just doing it wrong,” he muttered.
“What made you want to make flower crowns anyway?”
Rei shrugged, struggling to attach a flower, giving up, and somehow succeeding with a fern with a sound of success. “I don’t know,” he finally answered, “seemed fun but doesn’t take much energy. Why, are you miserable right now?” Arlo shook his head and looked down at his work. “You’re good at that,” Rei added. The younger had to agree as he found he was making substantial progress on the crown in his hands. Arlo smirked, waving the crown in front of his face while Rei scowled at him. “Does it hurt that I’m better than you at something?”
Arlo promptly received a face full of flowers after that.
Spitting a few petals from his mouth, Arlo glared at Rei. “That’s childish.”
“I’m regretting inviting you,” Rei huffed as he finally got a few flowers added to his wire, “this is supposed to be calming and peaceful and you’re getting on my nerves.”
“This is on you Rei; you know my personality and yet you still invited me.”
Rei sighed, dropping his head in defeat, and continuing on his crown. The sound of flowers rustling, and soft music filled the air in place of their conversation. Arlo finished working before Rei and held the crown above him to look at it. It wasn’t great, someone would definitely be able to tell that he’d never done this before, but to his surprise he actually really liked it.
“I’m not wearing this. You know that right?”
“You don’t have to. Put it on a desk or hang it on a wall. Throw it away and I’ll beat you up though.”
Arlo smiled despite the threat and idly passed the flower crown between his hands as Rei finished on his. The older boy forced Arlo to put the crown on for two seconds just so he could take a picture before discarding the crowns onto his bed and dragging Arlo into the living room to play a game. As usual, Arlo complained and refused but as usual Rei ignored him and the blonde ending playing video games all night anyway.
The flower crown came home with him that night and was placed on his nightstand against his better wishes as well.
~
Arlo was a third year when Rei invited him to the university green house.
While he was more willing to go this time, Arlo was still confused as to why Rei kept inviting him to do “plant things.” He didn’t complain this time though, the smell of the greenhouse was incredibly pleasant, and it wasn’t too hot outside. And Rei was okay company so there wasn’t much for him to complain about.
“I know I’ve said it before, but I’m still surprised you are a plant major.”
“Like I said, it’s just a fun hobby. Also, I’ve since then discovered that it’s called a Wildlife, Sustainability, and Ecosystems Science major.”
“What the hell…that’s such a long title.”
“Yeah, I don’t understand it either.”
When they had first gotten into the greenhouse, he had helped Rei water a few vegetables, plant some seeds, and gather the fruits that were ready to be picked. Now they were in the flower section and Rei was supposed to be putting together a bouquet for the social media team’s new profile picture. According to Rei, someone else was originally doing this task but had decided last minute not to show up for work.
“Will a bouquet of all yellow flowers even look good?” In Arlo’s opinion, an all-yellow bouquet seemed a little on the nose, obnoxious, and like an eyesore. But Rei insisted that as long as they put different shades of yellow in the mix, it would be okay. “Besides,” Rei chatted while he added two or three brown twigs to the bouquet, “I think the customer was going for meaning rather than looks.” Arlo hummed while he leaned against a nearby counter watching as Rei moved the flowers around to make them look better.
“Yellow flowers, from what I know, usually have happier meanings. Or symbolize joy, for the most part.” Rei suddenly gasped, pushing the partial bouquet into Arlo’s hands and rushing off. The blonde held the flower gingerly as he watched the older boy run around the corner and disappear. “Weirdo,” he muttered, standing up straight when Rei returned shortly after. “Sunflowers?”
Rei nodded, taking the bouquet back with a small ‘thank you’ and adding the sunflowers in the empty spaces. “Just thought they would be a nice touch.”
“Your inner plant major was talking.”
“Wildlife, Sustainability- “
“Rei I literally do not care.”
“Actually, wanna know something interesting?”
Arlo arched an eyebrow but nodded. Rei looked at the bouquet, gaze softening as he pushed the stems into the plastic wrapping. “Did you know sunflowers always face the sun? They have a circadian rhythm—kind of like our sleep cycle—that causes them to follow the sun across the sky.” The blonde nodded, that is why they were called sunflowers, but he kept his comment to himself. “I’ve always wondered what happens to them when the moon comes out,” the older continued, “do they stare blankly at the sky until the sun returns? Do they face the ground?” Rei shook his head, setting the flowers on the counter and turning back to Arlo.
“What do you think?”
The younger boy shrugged, crossing his arms as he shifted on his feet. “I’m not sure. What about the sunflowers kept in houses where there is no sun?” Rei smiled, looking down at his hands and lacing his fingers together. “In the absence of sunlight, sunflowers will face each other. It’s like their sharing their sunlight with one another before the real sun comes back.” Arlo didn’t have anything to say to that.
“Sometimes I think we’re like sunflowers.”
“We as in you and me, or the general public?”
“Take it as you want.”
Arlo paused, chewing on the inside of his cheek as his eyes fell to the ground. Rei continued to prattle on, “we turn to each other whenever things get rough. I mean, people talk about being in “dark places,” if you can’t get light from your usual source, wouldn’t you also turn to someone else who needs that light to survive?”
The younger remained silent, not only was he thrown off by the sudden mood shift, he also just didn’t know what to say.
When things got bad at high school, he called Rei. When he needed a break from his king duties, he called Rei. Rei was a source of fun, a break from the mundane, a light to lift his spirits. So maybe Arlo was a sunflower, and Rei was his fellow flower he turned to when it got dark.
‘Am I his?’ Arlo wondered. He wouldn’t say Rei was secretive, but Rei was definitely someone who preferred to keep their problems to themselves, thinking they could manage everything and not bother anyone else. Arlo could count on one hand the times Rei had allowed himself to be vulnerable in front of Arlo, and even then, it always felt like the older boy was downplaying things. Maybe it was simply their difference in age. Rei deemed his problems too burdensome for the younger boy and didn’t want to say anything that might hurt Arlo or cause him distress.
“Arlo.” Said boy snapped his head up, meeting the gentle gaze of Rei who held a soft smile on his face.
That, Arlo decided, was the different, realer, Rei he could remember thinking about. The one that didn’t plaster on big smiles and whose eyes were softer and a little dimmer. Maybe it wasn’t that Rei didn’t want to share his problems, but that Rei needed to forget. The older boy never talked about anything that caused him trouble, but maybe it was because around Arlo he didn’t feel the need to. Arlo was the escape he needed to just be himself and give his mind a break from whatever troubled him.
“You’re thinking way too hard about this. We’re just talking about flowers.”
“Are we?”
Rei blinked, taken aback before he slipped that small smile back onto his face. The young man pushed off the counter and lightly pat the youngers shoulder. “Come on, I’ll treat you to lunch for helping me in here.” Just like that, Rei disappeared around the corner again and left Arlo staring blankly at him.
So just as sunflowers follow the sun, Arlo followed after Rei.
~
Arlo was in his fourth year of high school when Rei died.
A small funeral was held. Rei’s immediate family, a few relatives, and some friends were present. Arlo didn’t remember much of the actual funeral; he’d spent a good chunk of it staring at the wall behind Rei’s casket. He could remember walking into the funeral home and shaking hands with Rei’s father, hugging his mother and Remi who nearly crushed his bones. Kuyo had pulled him over to one of the benches, sitting him down and keeping a hand rested on his shoulder throughout the whole service.
‘Where are the flowers?’ Had been the loudest thought circulating throughout his mind while he blinked at the wall. There were the white flowers that were standard process for any funeral, but Arlo was shocked at the lack of color. There were no blues, no red and pink blossoms, no yellow flowers to symbolize happier times. Did they not know about Rei’s love for flowers? Did Rei not tell them? Had he only shown that side to Arlo?
Arlo jumped when everyone stood around him, quickly pushing himself to his feet and squeezing his eyes shut when his head spun. “You alright?” Kuyo asked and Arlo nodded, keeping his eyes locked on the wall as everyone moved toward the casket. His feet followed the crowd, it was time for everyone to say their final goodbyes before they closed the casket for good. Did he have anything he wanted to say? Even if he did, he couldn’t think of anything that Rei wouldn’t make fun of him for.
I’ll miss you? I sure hope so or was our friendship for nothing?”
I hate you? I didn’t really choose to die, seems rude of you to say.
Come back? You know I can’t, if I could, I would.
What does one say to the dead?
Arlo couldn’t decide, staring at Rei’s body for much longer than necessary like he was waiting for Rei to suddenly open his eyes and smile at him again. The makeup artist had done a decent job, Arlo noted. Rei’s dark circles were gone, the tiny nicks on his fingers were nearly invisible, the only thing they couldn’t cover were the largest gashes across his face.
‘Which one of your problems grew so large that it killed you, Rei?’ There, that was what he wanted to say to Rei. But his friend was dead and would never be able to answer that question for him. So instead, he said
“you look tired.”
and walked away to join the rest of the crowd outside.
~
Two hours later it was just Arlo and Remi stood beside the dirt that now covered Rei. Her parents had left a few minutes prior to make the final decisions on Rei’s tombstone that would hopefully be added within the next two weeks. Remi was sitting next to the grave, reading over the small sign that was a temporary marker just as she had been for the past hour. The girl turned, however, as she heard the crunch of grass as Arlo approached. “Where did you go?” She asked, voice no louder than a whisper.
The blonde looked down in his hands. Hastily created the night Remi had given him the news, a flower crown made solely of sunflowers was the only thing he could think of doing to calm his mind. This was actually the second one made that night, as he started crying the moment he finished the first one and tore the crown and the flowers apart.
“Sunflowers?”
Arlo nodded as he came to sit on the other sit of the dirt patch, placing the flower crown at the base of the sign with the best smile he could muster. “Rei,” his voice wavered, “he liked sunflowers.” Remi didn’t comment, whether she knew that fact about her brother or not was none of his business, but Arlo still thought he should share. “I like them too,” he added after a beat of silence. “I like what they symbolize, and I like their story.”
“Their story?”
“Yeah, how they follow the sun.”
Remi hummed, turning away from Arlo, and resting her chin on her knees that were tucked to her chest. “You know,” she started as she pushed a strand of hair away from her face, “I once heard a story about sunflowers. They always face the sun but turn to each other in its absence.” Arlo felt his smile grow, for surely it was Rei who told her that story. So maybe the older boy did share his love of flowers with the rest of his family, or at least with his sister, they did have a close bond after all.
“Turns out that’s just a myth. If there’s no sunlight then the flowers just die, just like every other flower. Morbid I know, but we are at a funeral so...”
While Remi tucked her face further toward his chest, Arlo sat still as a rock. He blinked once, twice, then stood and turned on his heel, briskly walking away from Remi and from that damn flower crown.
Had Rei been lied to or had Rei lied to him, he doubted the latter was true so maybe Rei had simply been fooled as well.
In the absence of light, sunflowers turn to one another.
‘Was I not your light?’
No, it was just a myth. In the absence of light, all flowers die. Arlo was not a sunflower, neither was Rei. In his absence, Arlo was not going to die. But his chest hurt, his vision blurred, his head felt like it was going to explode, and when he eventually collapsed to his knees, a scream threatened to tear through his throat.
“…people talk about being in “dark places,” if you can’t get light from your usual source, wouldn’t you also turn to someone else who needs that light to survive?”
The person he would turn to was gone.
Arlo was no sunflower; he didn’t need another person to share his light with.
He didn’t need to make flower crowns.
He didn’t need to help out in a greenhouse.
He didn’t need another person to survive, all he needed were the basic necessities of life.
Arlo stood to his feet, only slightly wobbly, and brushed the dirt from his knees. The boy took a deep breath before walking again, leaving Rei and subsequently a part of himself behind.
‘I hate sunflowers.’