The bells above the door to the flower shop jingle, and Y/N looks up from the bouquet she’s arranging. “Hey, Bucky.” She smiles, seeing her friend walking through the door. 

“Hey, doll.” He responds. She tries to hide her face so he can’t see her blushing at the fact he called her doll. After all, he calls most people doll. She’s convinced that for Bucky, doll is simply a term of endearment. But sometimes, she likes to pretend it’s just for her. Ever since Bucky, with both his arms, hands (and as she later found out, most of his thighs), covered in tattoos, arrived in town and started working in the tattoo shop across the street, Y/N has found herself falling head over heels in love with him. Her crush on him is not helped by his propensity to walk over to her flower store to visit her multiple times each week, sometimes bringing a snack or drink for them both, ready to tell her about the new art pieces he’s working on and the weird and wonderful things people want to get tattooed. He visits her so many times a week that she’s found herself missing his visits and feeling upset when he doesn’t appear. “That looks nice.” Bucky gestures to the assortment of flowers that she’s arranging. 

“Thanks. It’s for an anniversary, so I want to make sure it looks extra perfect. I’ll be with you in just a sec.” She replies, cutting some ribbon. 

“I don’t think you need to worry about that. I don’t know much about flowers, but it looks great.” His words make Y/N stop in her tracks, and she mumbles a quick thank you. As she finishes the bouquet, Bucky glances around the shop. Various colours and varieties of flowers surround him, each smelling wonderful. Soft music plays from the radio, and Y/N hums along to it as she ties the ribbon around the bouquet. Bucky smiles. Sometimes he wishes he had a shop like this or that he could just spend more time in Y/N’s. The atmosphere is calming, and it’s really pretty inside. It makes a change from the shop he works in. Of course, he loves his job as a tattoo artist and the way his art can be on someone’s body permanently. And after a while, the sound of the needles became second nature to him...but whenever he comes to Y/N’s shop, smells the flowers and hears the calmness in the air...he realises that sometimes he likes spending time here much more than he does being at the shop. And of course, the cute shop owner Y/N helps too. Even though he’s too much of a pussy to admit his feelings for her.

“There we go, all sorted.” Y/N announces, taking the bouquet through the back so it can be picked up later. “Now, Bucky, what can I do for you?” 

“Well, I have a favour to ask you.” Y/N’s eyebrows raise. Knowing Bucky, this could mean anything from asking her to make a bouquet for an ex-girlfriend to just asking her what a specific flower is called. “I want to branch out with my art, and I’m thinking of incorporating some more flowers into my tattoo designs. Obviously, there’s roses and daisies and stuff...but I want to try and add less popular flowers as time goes on. So, would it be okay if I got some of your flowers to practice drawing?” He takes out his wallet, holding it in his tattooed hands. “I’ll pay for every single one of them, don’t worry.” Bucky continues, looking at her hopefully. Y/N’s eyes scan over the tattoos covering his arms. She still remembers when Bucky told her about some of his tattoos.

“So on this arm...” He gestures to his left arm. “I went for more of a blast over kind of thing. It’s a coverup, but not really. You can still see the original tattoo underneath.” Y/N nods along. To be honest, she’s too busy staring at Bucky’s muscles and the tattoos covering them to fully pay attention to what Bucky is saying. 

“Why did you decide to not cover the whole thing?”

“Well, we all make mistakes, and I definitely did with my first few tattoos. But tattoos and mistakes are a part of you, and because you can still see the original tattoo underneath, I feel like I can still see and accept my mistakes...cause they made something new.” He grins, and she smiles. It’s so obvious how much Bucky loves his job. It’s really nice to see his face light up every time he talks about his tattoos.

“Oooh, look at you, being all philosophical. That’s unlike you.” She giggles.

“Hey!” Bucky throws some popcorn at her. “Besides, I look totally badass, right?!” He grins, flexing his left arm. And there’s the Bucky she remembers.

“Hmm, I don’t know. I’m not so sure about the whole badass thing.”

She was lying. Of course he looked like a badass. He always does. A very hot badass. She swears that’s the day she realised she was in love with Bucky Barnes. One day, she’d like to ask him about each of his tattoos and what they mean. But part of her is okay with not knowing. It makes him seem more mysterious, which to her, makes him look more attractive. Bucky is still looking at her expectantly, and she blushes.

“Sure. You can use my flowers. Take as many as you’d like.” She nods. Bucky grins. Of course, he knows he could just google pictures of the flowers, but it’s different than seeing them up close. And it gives him an excuse to see Y/N, which is always a plus.

“You’re a star.” Y/N grins and gestures to the rows of flowers on the walls of her shop, some reaching as high as the ceiling. 

“Right. Where do you want to start?” Bucky looks like a fish out of water as he looks over at all the flowers in the store. Y/N giggles. “I’ll give you some simple ones to start off with. Here’s a daisy. They mean innocence and purity.” She informs him, passing one over.

“So the complete opposite of me.” Bucky winks, gesturing to himself. Y/N shakes her head.

“Nah, I don’t think you’re that bad.” She picks out some more flowers, informing Bucky of the meaning of each. After he’s gained quite a lot of flowers, Y/N sends him on his way. She leans against the door and grins as the door closes behind him. She gets a chance to see Bucky more and use her knowledge of flowers for good. 

What more could a girl ask for?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As the weeks go on, Bucky continues to return to Y/N’s shop for more flowers, brandishing his sketchbooks and showing her all of the flowers he drew and the tattoo designs to go along with them. He’s also written the names and meanings of each beside them. “Have you started tattooing some of your designs yet?” She asks one day as she picks out a tulip to go with the growing bundle. 

“Some.” Bucky muses, sitting at the counter, drawing some more designs in his sketchbook. “Unfortunately, most of the big burly guys I tattooed recently weren’t too enthused about having a little tulip or a daisy tattooed on them. But, all the flowers do make my workstation smell and look nice, though, so thanks for that. Steve and Sam keep commenting on it. They say you’re very talented with bouquets.” Y/N rolls her eyes. 

“Well, that’s stupid. Not the talent thing. Tell them I say thanks. I just mean there’s nothing wrong with having a flower tattoo. Flowers have so many meanings. Look.” She pulls out a yellow carnation. “A yellow carnation means you’re disappointed in someone. And purple anemones mean protection from ill wishes. I mean...that’s so cool!” She exclaims. Bucky laughs, and she blushes furiously. Now he probably thinks she’s a weirdo. Most people do anyway, so she wouldn’t be surprised if Bucky does too. Even though it would break her heart.

“I love how invested you are in this stuff.” Bucky tells her. Y/N sits beside him, placing the flowers on the counter beside them.

“Well, it’s my job.” She sighs. “And it’s interesting too, at least...to me it is.. I don’t know, I just think having a tattoo of a flower that’s meant to protect you from evil is quite cool and rockstar like. I’d love one like that. But I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong. I’m not exactly cool to most people.”

“What? Are you kidding?! Of course you are! I don’t know anyone else who knows as much about flowers and their specific meanings, including by colour as you do. I think you’re pretty cool.” Bucky grins. Her heart rate rises, and heat spreads throughout her body, settling on her cheeks. Bucky thinks she’s cool? The weird girl obsessed with flowers is cool?

“Well, you’re probably the first and only one to say that about me...but thanks.” She smiles.

“And besides, I told the ones I did tattoo with flowers all about you, your shop and how good you are, so if you get more visitors, you have me to thank.” She giggles.

“Thanks, Bucky.” The two friends sit in silence for a while, both looking at each other. Both think about how cute the other is and wonder if they feel the same about them. 

“Were you serious, by the way?” Bucky asks suddenly. Y/N frowns. “About a tattoo! If you have something in mind, I’d be happy to sketch some designs, you can tell me what you think, and then we could see about fitting you in for an appointment for me to tattoo you. If you want, of course.”

“Well, I’d love one, especially from you, but I pricked my finger on a rose the other day, and it really hurt, so I’m not sure if I can handle the pain.” 

“Don’t worry! Tattoos don’t hurt that much.”

“Easy for you to say, you have lots of them!” Bucky chuckles.

“That’s true. But seriously, they don’t hurt as badly as you think. I was shitting myself before my first one, but it was a breeze. And besides...” He takes her hand reassuringly, intertwining his tattooed fingers with hers. “I’ll be right there with you during it. I promise I’ll be gentle.” Y/N swears that her heart is beating so hard it feels like it’s about to break out of her chest. A silence falls over the pair again. She looks over at Bucky, his blue eyes sparkling in the light and his long brunette hair falling in his eyes ever so slightly. She has to stop herself from brushing the hair out of his eyes, leaning in closer and kissing his lips. His lips, so chapped from the number of times he’s bitten them as he works on a new sketch. She’s sure that Bucky probably has no idea that she knows he does that. Just as Bucky’s sure that she has no idea that she sometimes dances to herself in the shop as she’s creating bouquets. It’s pretty cute, actually. The scent of Y/N’s perfume enters Bucky’s nostrils. He chuckles softly. Of course, she smells like daisies. Bucky remembers Y/N telling him that daisies mean innocence and how little that fits him. But god, it fits Y/N so well. 

Every time he enters the shop, she’s there with a smile on her face and a look of wonder as she glances over him, trying to notice if he’s got any new tattoos in the time since she last saw him. Bucky swears she’s like sunshine personified. Sometimes, he can be a complete asshole, but Y/N wouldn’t hurt a fly. Bucky knows their pairing must look weird to others. To be honest, it’s weird to him too sometimes. After all, he’s covered in tattoos and wearing leather jackets all the time, whilst Y/N wears cute floral dresses and skirts. But despite how weird they might look together, and how other people would think they don’t match, both Bucky and Y/N know that doesn’t matter. After all, they’re close friends, and that’s all they care about. And although both of them wish they could be something more...neither of them has the guts to admit it.

Bucky’s phone suddenly buzzes on the table next to them. “Shit.” He mutters, reading the text. “I gotta go. My next appointment is at the shop.” He scoops up all his things and the flowers. “I’ll see you later. Thanks again for the flowers. And try and think of a tattoo idea!” He grins before gently pressing a kiss to her cheek and rushing out the door. Y/N watches him go, feeling her cheek start to burn where Bucky kissed her.

“Great.” She sighs. “How the hell am I supposed to be tattooed by Bucky when I can’t even tell him I’m in love with him?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two weeks later, Y/N sits in the waiting room of Bucky’s tattoo shop, waiting on him to finish with his current client so she can be tattooed. 

“Can you fill this out, please?” A voice asks, and she looks up to see a man handing her a clipboard. She takes it, and her eyes scan the form. "Don’t worry. It’s just to make sure you’re over 18, you understand what’s going to happen and that tattoos are permanent, so you don’t sue us or anything.” He jokes. She nods. She decides against asking him what would happen if she’s in love with her tattoo artist, and if it would ruin her tattoo if she admitted it to him as he’s tattooing her. She fills out the form, passing it back to the man. He looks over it and grins. “So, this is the famous Y/N whose flower arrangements have been all over my shop recently?” 

“Yup, that’s me.” She nods. The man holds out his hand, his arm almost as tattooed as Bucky’s.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sam, Bucky’s boss and one of his friends. You know, Bucky has told us a lot about-”

“Ohhhkay, Sam! No need to terrify the girl even more before her first ink.” Another man cuts in, walking into the room. “I’m Steve. I’m the other artist here, and I do some piercings too. Ignore him.” He gestures to Sam. “Can I get you some water, juice or anything?” Steve and Sam decide not to tell her that Bucky told both of them that he would be the only one tattooing her, and that he would kill them both if they even touched her skin with the needle.

“No thanks, I’m good.” She shakes her head. Thankfully, Bucky emerges from a door a few moments later.

“Okay, so keep up with your aftercare, just like we said. If there are any issues, just give me a call, alright?” The girl nods. “Great. Let me ring you up.” As he heads over to the desk, Bucky notices Y/N sitting on the couch. “Hey! Just let me finish up here, and get my stuff disinfected, then I’ll be right with you.” Y/N nods, still considering making a break for it.

Of course, Bucky was very helpful and reassuring when he showed her around the shop and gave her tips to prepare...but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel any less anxious. After a while, Bucky calls her in. She sits down on the chair, and Bucky cleans her skin and applies the stencil. She decided to get a peony tattooed on her forearm with some leaves around it. “Okay, this is my needle and my tattoo gun. I know it might look scary and feel a bit weird at first, but I promise you it’ll be alright. If you want to stop at any moment, you just tell me, alright? We can go at your own pace.” Bucky’s reassurance makes her feel a little better. Despite how badass Bucky Barnes looks, she knows he’s just a giant softie at heart.

“Okay.” She nods. Bucky turns the needle on and starts the tattoo. Y/N gasps slightly as she feels the needle moving along her skin. 

“It’s weird, right?!” 

"Do you say this to every person you tattoo? Can’t imagine it goes down well with everyone.” She asks. Bucky chuckles.

“Eh, true. But it helps calm nerves, I think. If your artist thinks something is weird too, it’s nice to know, rather than internally freaking out about it and thinking you’re going crazy.” She nods, and he goes back to the tattoo. As he tattoos her, she notices his brunette hair has been pulled back into a man bun. She smiles. It suits him. He looks even better with it, if that’s even possible. “Remind me why you chose a peony again?” Bucky asks.

“Well, whenever people think of flowers that symbolise love, they always go for roses. Most people don’t know that peonies also symbolise love, just like roses. So people hardly ever choose peonies. And cause of that, I think they’re an underappreciated flower, especially when it comes to love, so I wanted to fix that with this tattoo. And besides, I prefer peonies anyway.”

“Me too. I love that reasoning, actually. It means your tattoo is extra unique. Just like you.” Bucky grins, and a familiar heat rises to her cheeks once again. She watches him as he continues to tattoo her. It’s nice. He’s seen her at work so many times, so it’s nice to see him at his work for once. “There we go! Two leaves are all done.” He announces, moving his head so she can see. 

“Already? It doesn’t feel like it’s been that quick.” 

“Well, you’re a trooper.” He tells her. “Okay, doll, are you okay to continue? Or do you want a break?” She tells him to continue, and he does. As he tattoos her, he continues to reassure her and make sure she’s okay, especially when he goes over a bone a few times, causing her to grimace slightly. And in what feels like no time at all, the tattoo is done. “There we go!” She peers down at her arm and gasps.

“Holy shit Bucky, this is incredible! Thank you so much!” 

“No problem. Okay, I’m just going to wrap this and get my aftercare sheet for you. You just sit there for a bit cause you’ve been getting tattooed for a while. I don’t want you collapsing or anything.” Bucky wraps her tattoo and sits with her a minute or two to make sure she’s okay. “I’m gonna grab a Coke. Do you want one?” She nods, and Bucky disappears out of the room. As he leaves the room, his sketchbook falls off his desk. Y/N hops down off the chair and picks it up. As she sits back down, she sees the sketchbook is open on a page. She sneaks a quick glance.

“Lily. Means purity and chastity. Aka, still not me.” She giggles at Bucky’s comment and continues to flip through the book looking at Bucky’s drawings of various flowers from her shop. But as she turns the page once more, she sees something else. It’s her. Standing in her shop, preparing a bouquet. Bucky’s drawn her. Her eyes widen. She turns the page. Another drawing of her, this time picking out flowers. Another of her dancing in the shop. There’s even small sketches of her face, her forearms, her fingers, some with and without tattoos added on. She can feel tears stinging in her eyes. Bucky’s done so much artwork of her. She looks beautiful. 

As she’s studying another piece of art, Bucky returns. “Okay, one Coke, and-” He stops, seeing what she’s looking at. “Oh. Um, you kinda weren’t meant to see those.” His cheeks turn scarlet.

“They’re really good, Bucky.” 

“Well, I needed to practice my people drawing skills, and cause I see you almost every day, I thought you were a perfect choice. I’m sorry, it’s weird, I shouldn’t have-” He stammers, clearly embarrassed.

“No! I love them. I do! I love them, and you.” Her eyes widen, and so do Bucky’s as they realise what she said.

“You...love me? Oh, thank god.” He breathes a sigh of relief. “Cause...I love you too.”

“You do?” Bucky nods, placing the things down on the desk beside his chair. 

“Can I kiss you?” She nods, and Bucky leans in close, pressing a kiss to her lips. His tattooed hand gently caresses her face, and her hand gently brushes through his hair. 

“Mmm...I should get tattooed by you more often if this is what happens after every appointment.” She whispers as they break apart.

***

The cab ride to the airport was a blur. So was the flight, and the ride to her hotel. It wasn’t until Aelin locked the door of her hotel room and set down her bags, that the events of the day finally hit her.

Whether it was adrenaline or shock or relief, she couldn’t be sure. Aelin fell back onto the bed and rubbed her face, groaning. She thought back to that morning when everything had been fine.

Fine, not great, just fine. That’s how things always felt with Chaol, just fine.

Her brain was still working through what happened when she jolted up from the bed, eyes wide.

“Shit. What did I do?”

Aelin scrambled towards her purse and rummaged through it. She couldn’t find it; maybe she didn't take it. She turned the bag upside down over the bed and watched as her things fell out. She pushed aside her little paperback mystery novel, her lipstick, her boarding pass, she moved aside a wrinkled coupon and froze.

“Fuck.”

***

After wearing a track into the carpet with her pacing, Aelin decided to call Lysandra. It was going about as well as she expected.

“Lysandra, I did a bad thing.”

Aelin chewed her fingernail between her teeth, a bad habit she couldn’t kick when she was stressed, as she tried to tell her best friend what just happened. She was standing on the small balcony of her hotel hoping the fresh air would help clear her mind. So far, it wasn't doing a great job.

“Aelin,” Lysandra’s voice sounded amused through her phone, “This is you were talking about, you’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”

Rolling her eyes, Aelin ran a hand through her hair. “I did a petty, horrible, impulsive, really bad thing.”

There was a long pause as Lysandra seemed to realize how serious Aelin sounded.

“Okay. Now I’m getting worried.” Then a sharp gasp, “Was it illegal? Have you been arrested? Are you calling me from a foreign prison?”

“Lys—” Aelin tried cutting in, she wanted to stop the hysterics before her friend’s imagination got out of hand.

“When you told me you were going on a trip with Chaol I thought you’d be spending time on the beach, not using me as your one phone call from a dirty jail cell hundreds of miles away!”

“Lysandra!”

“And where’s Chaol? Is he there with you?”

“Lysandra, stop! I haven’t been arrested, I’m not in prison, I’m fine. Actually, I’m great.” Aelin closed her eyes and sighed, trying to scrounge up some guilt but failing. “Actually, it's because I’m feeling great that makes what I did so much worse, because I don’t really feel bad about it.”

“Don’t scare me like that.” Her friend's voice echoed in her ear. “If you’re fine, then tell me what happened and tell me why you’re calling me at,” she paused and groaned, “six in the morning.”

“Sorry,” Aelin winced, “I’m still on a different time frame.”

“Still? Where are you now? Are you not in Antica anymore?”

“Slow down, Lys.” Aelin loosed a breath and ran a hand through her hair, “I’m back in Terrasen.”

“What? When did you get back?” Lysandra sounded confused, and Aelin couldn't blame her, after all, she was supposed to be in Antica for four more days.

“Today. Less than an hour ago. I’m at a hotel, I just needed to clear my head.”

After a moment of silence, Lysandra asked again, “Where’s Chaol? Have you talked to him about whatever this is? Not that he’d help much “Lysandra muttered the last part, but Aelin still heard.

Here we go, Aelin thought, “No. We broke up.”

“What?” Lysandra was definitely awake now. “Really? Oh, honey, I’m sorry if you’re hurting, but good for you, I never really liked him.”

“Yeah, I know.” Aelin barked a wry laugh, “He dumped me, actually.”

“He dumped you?”

Aelin barked another laugh, getting angry as she told Lysandra the rest, “Get this, that bastard invited me on this trip specifically to break up with me”

“What the actual fuck?”

“Yeah, and honestly?” Aelin took a deep breath, feeling a mess of emotions as she explained. “I can’t blame him.” She amended herself quickly at Lysandra's sound of protest, “I don’t mean about taking me on a trip to do it, because that’s fucked up, but I mean the actual breaking up part. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, it was more about who would pull the trigger first. Come on, Lys, you knew I was more excited to spend a week on the beach than to spend a week with him.”

Lysandra snorted, “Yeah, Ace, I knew that. I was hoping you realized that, too.”

“Well, I did. So, I left. I’m back in Terrasen, there was no way I was staying there with him any longer, that would’ve been too weird.”

Aelin could hear Lysandra’s coffee machine buzz to life through the phone and suddenly wished she had a cup of coffee. Once she figured this mess out, she’d go find a cafe.

“Right. Okay,” The brunette’s voice rang out, “let me get this straight, Chaol took you on a trip solely to break up with you, and now you’re back in Terrasen while he’s still on the Southern Continent. I’m still not seeing what exactly you did that’s making you freak out.”

At that, Aelin flopped back onto the bed and flung an arm over her face, groaning.

“I know breaking up with Chaol is for the best, Hellas, I feel relieved. But at that moment, I was so angry. I was furious that he’d take me on this trip instead of just doing it at home like a normal-fucking-person—I mean, who takes a break-up vacation? Anyways, when I was packing my things to leave, I, kinda, sorta, took something of his.”

“Aelin…what did you do?”

Aelin looked at the foot of the bed where the remains of her purse were strewn over the blanket. Her eyes caught on two matching little booklets with gold seals on them.

“I stole his passport.”

***

“Ms. Galathynius—”

“Aelin, please.” She cut off the silver-haired man behind the desk.

The only change in his stoic demeanor was a small twitch of his lips. “Aelin. Can you explain what exactly you’re trying to mail, that looks like that—”

‘That’ being the layers of spare newspaper she found tucked away in her hotel room haphazardly wrapped and tied with the thread from the complimentary sewing kit, also from her hotel room. She hadn’t been able to find any tape. Aelin thought if she brought it to the post office then she could re-package it with actual materials, but she’d chosen not to unwrap it before getting there. An obvious mistake.

“—to an official, protected, government Embassy?” His voice was stern and his green eyes steady.

This looked bad. Aelin could easily admit that this looked really bad.

She placed her hands on his desk and watched as his eyes tracked the movement. “I can explain. It's definitely not as bad as I’m sure you think it is.”

He remained silent, watching her expectantly.

She caught sight of the nameplate on the side of his desk. “Mr. Whitethorn—”

“Rowan, please.”

Did he sound amused?

Taking confidence from that, she sat up a little straighter and said, “Rowan,”

His mouth quirked a little higher as she said his name.

Clearing her throat, she started again, “Rowan, you can open the package, I assure you it's nothing bad. It’s just a passport.”

One of his eyebrows rose skeptically, “A passport?” He asked doubtfully.

“Yes, a passport. That’s why I was trying to send it to the embassy. It belongs to my b—ex.” She stumbled over the last word, still unused to Chaol’s new title.

He—Rowan—looked even more intrigued.

“You’re mailing your ex their passport, but decided to wrap it in the most suspicious, threatening way possible?”

Aelin winced. “I didn’t have many options.” She chuckled, remembering trying to tie the string together in the hotel bathroom’s fluorescent lights. “I thought I could fix it once I got here, but I didn’t even have a chance to ask for materials before being escorted in here.” She waved a hand vaguely and looked around his office.

Rowan was fully smirking now. He leaned back in his chair and watched her for a long moment. “It is my job to confiscate suspect packages. Especially when those packages are being sent to, say, a government building.”

Leaning forward slightly she smiled and told him, “Well, you seem to be very good at your job.”

Gods, was she flirting? She and Chaol literally just broke up. But she couldn’t deny she was attracted to Rowan. Not with the way his pine-green eyes lit up with amusement or the way the muscles in his arms flexed when he shifted in his chair. Not to mention that tattoo; she was a sucker for tattoos—and she’d never told him this, but it always disappointed Aelin that Chaol never even considered getting any ink.

Good gods, she was flirting. And not very well.

Still smirking, Rowan leaned forward and asked, “Care to tell me why you’re sending your ex their passport?”

Was it her imagination or did he say ‘ex’ like it was the most interesting word in his question.

She couldn't stop the small smile twisting her lips. “I don't see how the ‘why’ of it is any of your business.”

Rowan surveyed her and Aelin tried not to blush under his gaze. She couldn't stop herself from comparing him to Chaol, he never made her feel this flustered with just a stare. Rowan's eyes tracked her face, tracked the way her cheeks heated, and she tried with all her might to fight the blush.

She wasn’t a teenager with a crush, she was a woman who knew how good she looked and was very attracted to the man whose eyes had not stopped roaming over her. She fought down the blush and flipped her hair over her shoulder, smiling charmingly at him.

He seemed to like it and his grin widened before putting on a faux stern face.

“I try to be as thorough as possible, Aelin,” Gods, the way he said her name made her toes curl. “It would make things easier if you explained why. I could finish my paperwork quicker, get this thing sent off, and we’d both be free of this passport and your ex.”

Wow, he wasn't beating around the bush. She liked it.

He sent her a slow grin, “I’d be able to take my break at nine, and go for a cup of coffee.”

The way he said the last part left no room for guessing what he meant. He wanted to take her out for coffee.

A small part of her hesitated, she had just broken up with Chaol. But on the other hand, he took her on a fucking breakup vacation, so screw him and she could do whatever the hell she wanted. And she wanted Rowan. She wanted to go get coffee with Rowan.

So she smiled, winked at him, and said, “I’m mailing it back to him because I stole it from him.”

Rowan’s smile faltered and he blinked.

“You what?”

“I stole it from him.”

He stared at her another moment before a chuckle escaped his lips and he was shaking his head but smirking.

“You stole his passport.” He sounded very amused as he wrote a note down, most likely for the report he’d have to file.

“Yup,” Aelin’s grin turned feline, “He took me on vacation to break up with me, so I stole his passport and left him there.”

Rowan stopped writing and looked at her with raised eyebrows, “He’s still there? You have his passport, and now he’s stuck,” Rowan glanced at his notes, “in Antica?”

Aelin laughed; a loud, cheerful, sound that filled the office and pulled a small grin onto Rowan’s lips.

“Okay, I’m sure you think I’m a bit crazy,” Her grin didn't falter, “but it was impulsive and as soon as I realized what I actually did, you know, kinda leaving him stranded there, I tried to send it back to him. I couldn't remember what the hotel was, so I figured the embassy would be a good choice given it's a passport, and he is from Adarlan.”

“He’s from Adarlan, you’re not?” Rowan asked.

Aelin smirked, “That’s what you got from what I said?”

He matched her smirk, “That's what I want to know.”

“No,” Aelin shook her head and glanced out the window in his office, “I’m from here, Terrasen is in my blood.”

It seemed like that was the answer Rowan was looking for. He smiled, wrote down a final note, and looked back at her.

“I think that’s all I need right now, Aelin,” Again, the way he said her name sent butterflies flitting around her stomach.

He stood up and she did the same, pulling her purse back over her shoulder. He walked around his desk and opened the door for her.

“Aelin,” Rowan’s voice made her pause as she stood in the open doorway.

“Yes, Rowan?” she looked up at him expectantly with a small smile.

“I take my break in half an hour, there's a coffee shop just down the block, if you want to hang around or come back then, I'd like to take you out for coffee.”

Aelin smiled brightly at him and nodded, “I’d like that. I’ll come back in half an hour.”

He grinned and held her gaze another moment before she turned to leave.

“Oh, and Rowan?” She turned back to look at him but saw he already—or still—had his eyes on her.

“Yeah?”

“You don't have to use express shipping on that, it's fine if it takes a couple days.”

The sound of Rowan’s deep laughter followed her through the doors.

*****

Taglist:

Once the bathroom is open, warm air gushes to your room as you pick yourself an outfit for today. You internally slap yourself for forgetting to do the laundry and ending up with only one oversized sweater belonging to your brother who left to study abroad, and a short.

“This will do I guess.” You say as you watch yourself in the mirror. “Sorry mom, got no other clothes! I am still wearing a pants.” You chuckle when you see your reflection in the mirror.

After putting your clothes on, you change your glasses with a pair of contact lenses, just because you feel more confident with them. You brush your golden hair and force a smile before dashing to the kitchen to tame your growling tummy.

Your choice for a quick breakfast is cereal with cold milk. While your hand scrolls through the social media, your brother video-calls you.

“Hey! Isn’t this too early for you to be up?” he questions you. He lives in the other side of the world, so it’s almost night for him.

You roll your eyes “Mom made me watch over the gardener today. If only you were here Jae, I’d be sleeping in and you will look after them.”

Jaehyun chuckles, “Have you ever meet the gardener?”

You shake your head “Nah, is this the one we always call?”

Jaehyun nods “If the name is Taeyong, then yes. Other than that I don’t know. I once watched Taeyong planted the butterfly pea for us. He’s nice.”

You finish your cereal lazily, while talking about other things instead of flowers and gardening. Jaehyun loves flower more than you, you are more of an adventure and water person.

The bell rings and Jaehyun’s smile appears. More like a smirk, as if he knows what will happen.

“Okay, guess that is him. Go take the door and I’ll call you later, bye!” Jaehyun disappears like that. You find it weird, couldn’t your brother just stay in the call in case things go awkward between you and the gardener?

Once you open the door, you freeze in track (ty track) and you grit your teeth when you understand why Jaehyun left you.

“Morning!” the tall man with fluffy brown hair greets you with a sweet smile. Could he possibly knock on the wrong door? Is this your mother’s gardener?

You have to shake yourself back to reality, and make your fist into a ball as you try your best to not stutter “Morning! Are you here to plant roses?”

You want to run and hide your red face right now, come on who greets someone like that. But judging by his white tee, straw hat, and that typical jeans jumper, he radiates a gardening energy.

The man just chuckles and moves a bag from one hand to another, “Yes, your mother told me you will be the one watching over me today. I’m Taeyong.” He extends his arm and you’re glad your cognitive neurons are fast enough to reach and shake his back.

“(y/n), nice to meet you.” You smile. You’ve taken control of your wild mind, your heart is beating (like any other living being, just faster) and you let him inside.

“So, she wanted me to plant red roses in the indoor garden, can you lead me there?” he asks once he gets into the house and you’ve closed the front door and lock them.

You nod your head, suddenly feeling silly for even being nervous. He’s just here to plant roses not to date you or meet your parents!

“Yes, sure. I didn’t know where specifically she wants, but since she left me no notes, I guess she wanted you to find the best spot.” You explain while leading him to the indoor garden next to your dining room.

Taeyong examines the green space and his face lights up in a different way when he sees the flowers. “Your mom does take a good care of plants! Okay, I will start planting.”

You just stand there behind him and realize that must feel uncomfortable for him.

“Taeyong-shi, sorry for bothering… have you had breakfast? Do you want tea or coffee?” you feel proud you remember this welcoming manner you learned from your mom since eleven.

Taeyong looks over his shoulder to you, make a quick look over your head to toe and smiles “Thank you, just a cup of coffee and water will do good.”

You quickly nod and leave him as if you’re a waitress working a shift. As you pass a mirror in the kitchen you realize your attire and you blush when you remember him checking over you.

As you wait for the water to boil, your hand fiddles with the keyboard and you lowkey rant to your brother.

“How come no one ever tells me the gardener is this hot?!”

Jaehyun just replies you back with “Well the lazy cow is always sleeping that she missed the handsome prince. Besides I’ve told you to watch over the gardener several times, but you forced me instead.”

You groan “Jaehyun you could’ve given me a warning.”

“Didn’t mom tell you to shower beforehand?”

“Well I did take a shower, but my clothes are out of stock.”

“What did you use?”

“Your old sweater and a short??”

“Naughty!” Jaehyun teases you from the chat

“I didn’t know he is this hot! Not naughty Jae! I have no other clothes, trust me I’d rather dress up nicer and cuter than this if I knew him!”

The whistling kettle makes you leave Jaehyun and you brew the coffee for Taeyong.

Now what should you do as you wait? Staring will make him uncomfortable and you a creep.

You shrug it off and calm your nerve down. Come on you’re the queen of being confident and flirting here and there for fun, why are you nervous today?

Taeyong has finished taking care of the soil when you come and hear him humming some sweet melodious song.

“Taeyong-shi, here is your coffee.” You put the tray on one of the garden table there and walk to squad next to him.

“Thank you! Also, do you mind dropping the honority? I am not that old and it’s more comfortable for both of us to talk in a friendlier way.” He wipes a sweat that almost enters his eyes, but you notice his hands are covered with soil and dirt, so you quickly extend your arm and wipe it instead with the paw of your sweater.

Taeyong freezes but laughs afterwards when you mutter a small “Sorry…. I just don’t want your face to get dirty.”

He giggles and focuses back to the seeds “Cutie,” he mutters to himself and luckily you failed to catch that.

You nervously giggle and step back “Guess I’ll just wait and see if you need any help.”

Taeyong notes your nervousness and just shrugs his shoulder “Sure, don’t worry I got this.”

So, you only sit there waiting for him while talking about small talk. He asks about your brother, and you’re surprised he is actually quiet close to Jaehyun.

“Well, your brother never told me he has a beautiful cute sister.” He smirks while placing the seeds into the soft soil. You turn red upon his blatant remark “Aigo what are you saying? Jaehyun never talks about me to anyone. It’s nothing new.” You roll your eyes.

Taeyong pats the soil in front of him “That’s because your brother doesn’t want men to hurt your heart. He’s a good brother I think.”

You scoff “He is a good brother, until he gets to witness your embarrassing moments and you basically won’t live in peace.”

“I guess he did something good.” Taeyong pauses to take a sip of your drink. The coffee has gotten a little bit cold, but he finishes it well.

You did not realize he has finished planting the roses and your heart doesn’t want him to go. Not when both of you have learned each other’s favorite music and least favorite ice cream flavors.

Taeyong puts down the coffee cup and walks to water the new bed seed. That’s when your eyes caught attention of the other packages of seeds he has with him.

You bend to look at the organized packages and hum as you run your fingers through the selections.

“That’s all! Your mother will only need to water them nicely and make sure that no one is stepping over the new seeds.” Taeyong wipes his dirty hands on a piece of clothes.

“Thank you, but I see you have some other seeds too!”

He smiles “Yeah I have some sunflowers, jasmine, peonies, and dahlias. Why? Interested in planting one?”

You look into his eyes “Are you in a rush?” when he shakes his head and lets you know he is free for the day you squeal and grab his hands “Mind planting some more? This time I’ll help you!”

Taeyong’s smile reaches his eyes “Okay then, which one do you want?

You ponder and finally point to the sunflower seeds “Sunflower should look good in the front garden!”

“Nice choice. Come, let’s get started.” Taeyong grabs your hand voluntarily and drags you out of the house.

You laugh a little when you notice how fast both of you have become in a short time.

Taeyong gently helps you wear your gloves, and he instructs you to watch him makes the soil fluffy before putting the seeds. He also informs you on how to care the flowers once they grow.

“There, put it in and cover the seed nice and comfy like putting a baby to sleep.” He speaks with much care, as if the seeds are babies who can cry at any time soon.

“Now we water them and you promise me to take care of the sunflower until they grow big okay?” Taeyong says when he hands you the watering can.

You eagerly nod your head “I’ll send you some once they grow big.”

“You don’t have to, but I’d be happy to receive it. Well, I guess that’s all, your mother is here.” He glances over his shoulder and sees your mother coming in from the fence.

You clean yourself up and help your mom carries her things into the room. Taeyong was with her, talking about the flowers and caring procedures.

You return from your mother’s room looking a bit gloom because you’ll say goodbye soon. Until you overheard mom and Taeyong talking like an old friend in the garden.

“I’m glad (y/n) is also not alone, thank you for planting the seeds. She never shows interest in flowers, but I guess this sunflower can change her. Thank you Taeyong!” your mother pats the man’s shoulder and you catch up with them right in time.

“Taeyong! Well, yeah thank you for the fun. Um… do you mind staying for lunch?” you blurt that invitation out and you can clearly see your mother looking both surprised and a bit mischievous at the same time. Oh gosh you know you won’t live a day without her teasing you about this.

Taeyong looks surprised by your invitation, after all he just knew you for two hours and you’re already acting like this?

Your mom quickly saves you when you shoot her a “help me” look.

“Yes, Taeyong stay please if you have time. We’re about to grab lunch and I think you deserve a good lunch from your hard work today.” Your mother invites him too and Taeyong knows he cannot refuse it when mothers are the one inviting.

You throw a “thank you” to your mom and she just winks.

Thanks to your unfiltered tongue, you got to eat lunch with the cute gardener, spent a good Saturday, and the best thing is you won his number.

Three months from that day, Taeyong opens his apartment door and smiles when he sees a bouquet of sunflower and a handwritten letter on his doorstep.

“Happy one-month anniversary my Rose prince! I know I should’ve sent the roses, but I promised you sunflowers, right? I love you and miss you! Come for dinner or lunch anytime soon, mom also wants to meet you and Jaehyun is staying over next week.”

Taeyong inhales the bouquet and walks to fill in a vase with fresh water. Next, he busies himself transferring the yellow flowers into the vase, trying to keep them alive.

He then walks to his small balcony with numerous greens and fragrance flowers, cut out some orchid he has been growing.

With a light hum and a radiant smile, Taeyong wraps them nicely to a bouquet. He makes sure he has his clean shirt on, sprays his favorite cologne and walks to your house.

“Happy one-month anniversary my princess! Here’s an orchid for you because you’re a rare beauty and I love you!” he envelopes you to a hug and kisses your forehead sincerely.

You inhale his scent and remember the first time both of you met, how awkward and rushed things were, but you’re glad you met him that day. You would regret denying mom’s request that day. Every time you eat in the dining room and see the red roses, Taeyong comes to your mind and every time you shower the sunflowers in your garden, you feel thankful for being brave and winning his heart.

end.

roses are red

sunflowers are yellow

you have many words unsaid

“Hey, can I help you?” You said as you approach the strange person. The guy jolted a little and turn his face to you. 

“Hey! No, thank you, I’m fine,” He said with a weird smile, obviously too distracted to feign better.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing. Just lying down, y’ know, resting” You inspected the guy closely. His hair was something to talk, with the gray and dark colors he definitely couldn’t pass unnoticed in a crowd. His eyes were an intense golden and his chest was broad and toned. But what really caught your sight was his left arm. It was hidden behind his back but you clearly noticed that it crossed your fence through a hole.

“Are you stuck?” You asked trying to guess what he was doing.

“Well, no... Not exactly,” You expected him to continue his explanation as to why his arm was at the other side of the fence in your garden.

“You see, there’s a Pokestop in this house. I wanted to spin it but it’s too far... So as I was trying to reach it I accidentally lost my phone through the fence and now I’m trying to get it back,” As he finished his story you then saw the black smartphone at the other side. A lot of questions started to swirl in your head. You knew it could probably be rude to laugh at his predicament but gosh this guy’s problem sounded like a cartoon material. Anyway, you tried your best not to laugh even when a small smirk was already on your lips.

“How did you accidentally "lost” your phone? Wouldn’t it be easier to knock at the house to get it back?” You asked as you offered him a hand to stand up from the ground.

“I didn't think this through. After I noticed that it was impossible to reach the Pokestop just by standing outside, I decided to use this large stick to get closer, y’ know, like a selfie-stick but the weight broke the tip and my phone fall in the grass...” he apologized. That’s when you lost it. You laughed out loud so hard that you startled him. Tears were appearing in your eyes and your stomach hurt. A hint of shade was at his cheeks and you felt bad from laughing.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry...It’s just, are you for real? I mean, you could just ask to come inside,” 

“I tried! But no one must be home cuz when I knocked no one answer” he said as he scratched the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed. You took a mental note that your roommate was not home.

"So you had quite an adventure, eh? Let me be your knight in shiny armor and get your phone back,” You said with a mocking smile as you took out your keys and opened the fence’s door. “You’re in luck that you don’t have to repeat this story,” You took the phone and hand it to him. He smiled at you and, to your surprise, he took your hands with both hands and bring you closer.

“My hero!” he shouted joyfully. You giggled at his statement “How can I pay you?” You noticed how close he was from you and a whole bunch of indecent thoughts marched across your mind. You shooked your head in order to shoosh those thoughts. Sure he was attractive but you barely know him.

“I think you have suffered enough for one day... What if I let you go inside, so you can finish your quest, in exchange for your name and your number?” You said, hoping you didn’t sound too pretentious. He gave you a bright smile.

“Thank you! My name is Bokuto Koutarou,” He said. “So can I ask yours in exchange for a date?”