This love, all of it, is for you, only you.

 

-~-

 

Arséne Lupin had a penchant for giving his wife, Cardia, gifts.  A book here, a hair tie there; Cardia had begun to amass a variety of items in her room as a result of her husband’s sweet gestures.  Cardia was always touched by the presents, but she also couldn’t help but worry and wonder as to how he was able to do it consistently.

 

“Oh my, it’s beautiful!  Isn’t this a bit much, though, Lupin?” she asked when Lupin gifted her with a particularly fancy – at least, she thought it was fancy – red dress.  It didn’t help that Lupin presented it in a flashy manner, complete with elaborate wrapping paper and bows.  It wasn’t like she disliked the presentation at all, in fact, she adored it, as she took a mental note to take extra care of the pretty wrapping paper and bows.  But more importantly, how did Lupin manage to get his hands on a dress like this? She was pretty sure she hadn’t seen this particular dress in any dress shop at all. If her hunch was correct, this was custom made.

 

“Now, now, Cardia.  Don’t worry with the details.  Nothing costs a lot when it’s for you.” He pressed his finger to her lips, smiling.  “Oh, but don’t worry, I didn’t get it by dubious means!” he hastily reassured her after she gave him a certain look - a look, which Cardia soon realized, was a surefire way to getting answers out of him.  Lupin couldn’t fight against that look and would always fall apart underneath her gaze.  “No, really, I’m serious!”  His eyes widened as Cardia stepped away, giggling.

 

“I believe you, Lupin, don’t worry.” she laughed, the last part only meant to tease him.  Lupin sighed in relief, but quickly recovered from her jests.  Smirking, he rapidly closed the space between them and leaned down so that their faces touched, arms wrapping around her waist.  Cardia blushed as Lupin quickly turned the tables upon her.  “L-Lupin!  H-Hold on, I’m just tea…sin…g…” Her breath caught in her throat as she made eye contact with him.

 

“My lady, do you not believe me?  That’s alright, I will prove it to you.” he whispered to her, hand enclosing upon hers.  Cardia gulped as his eyes glinted and he gave her a sly smile, promising a multitude of things.

 

Needless to say, she didn’t sleep at all that night.

 

-~-

 

Lupin enjoyed this routine of gift-giving that he had established with his wife.  Almost every month he had something for her to look forward to, and he loved seeing the way her eyes lit up each time she opened the gifts he had for her.  To him, that was his gift in return, not that he’d admit that out loud or anything.  He truly was head over heels for her.

 

As he woke up the next morning, he was already thinking of what to give Cardia next.  He turned on his side to face Cardia, who was sleeping peacefully next to him. What could he give her?  There was a lot of lost time to make up for, as Cardia had missed out on many years of her youth. If he could, he would give her the world, but alas, that was out of the gentleman thief’s capabilities.

 

He had been really lucky to have obtained the most recent gift – the dress.  As they were currently staying in Saint Germain’s mansion, many perceived them as “the retainers and future inheritors of Count Germain”.  Saint, who had caught wind to this during his last visit, told them to use this connection to the fullest when Lupin expressed his concern over the association.

 

“Please, you are all essentially family to me.  Those associations hold some truth in them, do they not?  It’s the least I can do. Besides, what is the point of having all this if it is not to be used and instead left to rot?” Saint said, laughing lightly.  “It would be a waste.”

 

In hindsight, it was a wise move, as Lupin was able to exhaust some of those connections to obtain the dress.  Saint was friends with a well-known tailor, who, delightedly, created the dress for Lupin. A well-known shop provided the fabric, which he requested to be as comfortable and breathable as possible, knowing Cardia to prefer practicality over appearance when it came to clothing.  It was a habit that remained as a result of her days as the Horologium’s host.

 

But now he was out of ideas – or at least, feasible ideas.  The last idea was gentlemanly thievery, but he absolutely refused to even entertain that. While Cardia could care less about the perceptions of his occupation, Lupin knew that if he was going to give her gifts, they would not be things he had gotten through such means.  That would violate his personal values when it came to gifting someone beloved to him like Cardia. Of course, there were exceptions, particularly a little vampire prince, but that was a special case of special circumstances.

 

So, what could he give her?  What had he NOT given her, actually, was the important question.  He had granted her biggest wish, and THAT couldn’t be topped, at least to him.  His gaze moved from Cardia to the flowers sitting on the windowsill. His eyes widened as he stared at the flowers, which were slightly swaying with the light breeze coming in from the partly open window.

​

Flowers?

 

That’s it.

 

“How could I have been a fool?  Way to go, you idiot.” Lupin murmured sarcastically.  Out of all the gift, he hadn’t even given her the most basic one – flowers.  In common courtship this was one of the most basic gifts to give, and yet Lupin had subverted all courtship expectations and given her gifts that men would usually give at later points in the relationship.  

 

But regardless they were the exception to the rule anyways.  They were married quickly after they had gotten together, and just before that, they saved Steam London – and, if he may be so astute, the entire world.  With all this considered, screw the courtship norms!

 

“Lu…pin?  What’s wrong?” Lupin snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing a sleepy Cardia, who had awakened. “Is everything alright?  I heard you muttering to yourself.” He chortled and reached out to hold her in his arms as she scooted closer to him.

 

“Everything’s all right, I was just thinking out loud.  Go back to sleep.” He kissed her forehead, and as if on cue, her eyes fluttered shut and she was asleep again.  He smiled and closed his own eyes, joining her in dreamland.

 

-~-

 

“It sounds like you two are doing well.” Saint Germain remarked, sipping his tea.  He and Lupin were sitting at a café, catching up.

 

“We’re comfortable enough.  Thanks for connecting me to the tailor, by the way, I appreciate it.  Cardia adores the dress.” Lupin replied. Saint Germain chuckled.

 

“It is of no problem to me.  I did tell you to utilize my associations, after all.  I’m glad she enjoyed your gift.”

 

“How long are you going to be in town for?”

 

Saint Germain set down his teacup, and it lightly clinked against its saucer.  “Not long. I just came back briefly to pick up supplies before I go on my merry way again.”

 

“What are you doing exactly?”

 

“Hm, who knows?  I’m just wandering as it is.  But enough about me for now. I also wanted to let you know of something I discovered just on the outskirts of London.”

 

“What is it?” Lupin asked.  Saint Germain smiled.

 

“There’s a hydrangea field that’s popular with couples lately.  You should take Miss Cardia there.” Lupin’s eyes widened. Did he notice?

 

“Hydrangea?  What’s that?” He leaned forward, eyes wide.  Saint Germain laughed.

 

“It’s a beautiful flower originating from Asia.  I recommend not bringing any home, however. I overheard from some people that it is potentially toxic towards dogs and cats.”

 

“That’d be bad for Sisi.” Lupin mused.

 

“Precisely.  But even if you cannot bring any home with Miss Cardia, I’m sure she’d love the experience.”

 

“Thanks for telling me about this place.  I’ll take her eventually.”

 

“It’d be a good gift, I think.  You have been looking for a gift for her, haven’t you?  You were looking at the flower shops on our way here.”

 

“So, you noticed, huh.”

 

Saint Germain only smiled and took another sip of his tea.

 

-~-

 

“Where are we going, Lupin?” Cardia asked, walking alongside Lupin in her new dress.  She really liked the dress, it was comfortable and it matched Lupin’s red attire. Her smile grew a little bit wider at the thought of them matching.  It was the little things that cemented the reality that they were a couple, husband and wife, not a dream to wake up from. Cardia had a good feeling that she would be wearing this dress often, she liked it that much.

 

“It’s a surprise.  We’re almost there.” Lupin replied, grinning.  He was excited for Cardia to see the flower field.  Today they had taken a carriage out, and now they were walking down to the location.  At a certain point Lupin stopped and turned towards Cardia, holding out his hand.

 

“Lupin?”

 

“Close your eyes, Cardia.  I want this to be a surprise.”

 

“Okay?” While still slightly confused, she put her hand in his and closed her eyes.  Lupin put his arm around her waist and slowly guided her down to the garden. It felt like forever for Cardia, and she felt the temptation to peek.  But she trusted Lupin and kept her eyes closed.

 

“We’re here.”  Cardia opened her eyes at Lupin’s voice, and gasped.  What she saw before her took her breath away.

 

There were pale blue flowers sprawled across a huge expanse of land, bunched together.  They swayed side to side, in sync with one another. Cardia had never seen this type of flower before.  Looking up to Lupin, she saw that he too was amazed by the flowers.

 

“Lupin…this is beautiful.  How did you find it?” she breathed, interlacing her hand with his hand that rested on her waist.  He squeezed her hand. She looked extremely beautiful to him now, looking at the flower field.

 

“Saint recommended it to me.  I was looking to gift you flowers this time around, but I decided to take you here instead since it sounded so much better.”

 

“It’s amazing, Lupin!  Thank you for taking me here.  Honestly, thank you for everything.  You keep giving me so many things, and I haven’t…”  Lupin shushed her.

 

“Don’t finish that, I know what you’re going to say.  And you’re wrong. You’ve given me everything I need just by loving me.” He tightened his hold on her.  “I love you, Cardia.”

 

“I love you too, Lupin…thank you.”

​

-~-

 

“By the way Lupin, what are these flowers called again?” Cardia asked.  The two were walking through the hydrangea field, holding hands.

 

“They’re called hydrangeas.  I heard they’re originally from Asia.  But apparently, they’re toxic for dogs, so we can’t bring any home for Sisi.”

 

“Aw…I did want to bring some home.  But it’s okay. Let’s keep coming here, Lupin.”

 

“This gentleman thief will grant your wish, Cardia.”