#i thought it was ready to be repotted shortly after i got it but then when i did almost all of the roots fell off? and then it got brown

[californiaquail]

oh man it's turning into spring and a bunch of my houseplants are putting out new growth

[helloalycia]

The Wrong Lifetime – Four // Wanda Maximoff

chapter three | story masterlist | main masterlist | wattpad | chapter five

author’s note: I hope you all don’t mind the slow burn because it’s like my favourite thing and i promise things will get spicy soon 😂

Since my rather abrupt revelation about Wanda, I found myself racked with guilt.

Not because she was a girl – I couldn't help my feelings in that sense – but because she was my brother's fiancé. And every time he came to me, gushing about how great of a date they had or how much he was falling for her, the guilt hit me like a sharp pain in the chest, because I understood what he was saying. I felt the same.

And it didn't help when they would occasionally go on dates in front of me, and all I could feel was an unexplainable jealousy in the pit of my stomach. I had no right to feel like this when she was an engaged woman. Her naturally flirtatious personality was simply that: a personality. And even though we'd had a genuinely lovely day a week ago when she invited me to her home, it was no reason for me to think of her in such a way.

The next date on Y/B/N and Wanda's journey to marriage was at our house in the garden. I wasn't actually aware of it until I saw them sat on some garden furniture.

My mum wanted me to help her with some gardening and I found her kneeling by some plant pots, a fair distance away from Wanda and my brother. As I approached her, I glanced in the couple's direction, seeing them sat opposite one another and enjoying a selection of finger foods and tea. They were far away enough to have privacy, but close enough for me to make out their expressions.

"For goodness sake, Y/N," my mother said when I kneeled down beside her to help. "Do you have to wear those horrendous trousers?"

I rolled my eyes, sitting on the ground comfortably. "I'm curious, mother. Do you like anything that I do?"

She gave me a disapproving glance. "I'm only looking out for you, dear. That outfit is very... unladylike."

"Well, they're comfortable," I quipped, before grabbing a spade and getting to work.

"So are dresses," she pointed out, continuing repotting her plants. "And they're prettier, too."

"Considering I have to wear a dress all the time and that I'm in the comfort of my own home, I'm going to pretend you didn't just make me feel bad for wearing these."

She didn't say anything, but I could tell she wasn't happy. I didn't mind wearing dresses, but I would be lying if I said trousers weren't more comfortable. The only time I could wear them was at home when doing chores or simply lounging around. I'd make the most of it whilst I could, no matter what comments my mother made.

I wasn't afraid to get my hands dirty as I helped her repot the plants before digging into the soil and planting some seeds she'd bought this morning. My mother, despite adoring gardening, hated getting messy, so you can imagine the look on her face when I got soil all over my clothes.

"I wish you would act like a lady sometimes," she mumbled to herself, but I didn't let it faze me. It was all I heard, so I was used to it.

Laughter sounded from behind us and I risked glancing back, seeing Wanda laughing at something Y/B/N said. I rolled my eyes subconsciously before looking back to what I was doing. My fingernails dug into the soil with irritation, directed at them and also myself. Though, despite my irritation, I still had an urge to glance back at Wanda, and when I did she was looking my way this time. A mere glance on her part, but she directed a smile my way before looking to my brother again.

I'd like to say that was it, but I continued to steal glances of her as I worked alongside my mum, taking what I could get as I admired her from afar.

She looked stunning today, as she always did. Her long curls were left out, flowing over her shoulders and pretty green dress; I wasn't close enough to be able to tell, but I was sure that her dress complimented her eyes. A dark forest green colour with golden flecks, matching the deep green of her dress. Or so I assumed.

"They seem like they're getting on well," my mum said at one point, earning my attention. She was talking about Y/B/N and Wanda as she continued, "They make such a lovely couple."

I swallowed hard, nodding lamely. "They sure do, mum."

She gave me a sideways glance. "You know, your brother will be married soon and then it will be your turn."

I groaned quietly, knowing where this was going. There was no point trying to stop her because once she started, that was it.

"You can't just keep locking yourself in your room and writing stories," she was saying, but I attempted to tune her out which sometimes felt impossible since she had no off button and her shrill voice always managed to break through my bubble. "You have to find a husband. An actual person who you can marry and who can take care of you."

"I can take care of myself."

"Y/N, you know that's not what I mean..." but I stopped listening as she got started going on another ramble about the benefits of having a husband.

Instead, my eyes darted around the garden until they naturally gravitated towards Wanda. It was definitely the wrong time to get distracted by her though, since she seemed to be sucking some food off her thumb. As she did, her eyes found mine and she took that as her opportunity to wink in my direction playfully, hiding a smile as her thumb remained between her teeth. Y/B/N didn't seem to notice, as he was looking the other way, and I felt my cheeks heating up as I looked away quickly, remembering my dream.

She's going to marry your brother. She's going to marry your brother. She's going to marry your brother.

A stupid mantra that didn't work, but I attempted to drill it into my brain anyway.

"...and it would be nice to be able to do all the wedding stuff for you next time around," my mum continued to ramble, unaware of my flustered self.

The image of Wanda sucking her thumb was permanently engraved in my head and I struggled to wish it away. No more staring for today, I told myself, before getting lost in gardening again.

After ten more minutes of nonstop nattering about finding a husband for me, my mother excused herself to refill the watering can. I was grateful for her momentary absence, appreciating the silence and lack of guilt-tripping. Until I heard footsteps behind me shortly after, making me groan loudly.

"I'm not finding a husband right now!" I snapped, unable to take it any longer. But when I spun around to give her a piece of my mind, my mouth hung open like a fish out of water.

"I'd sure hope not," Wanda answered with a stifled laugh. "Then I'd have to share your company with somebody else."

Closing my mouth and standing up, I cleared my throat. "Sorry. I thought you were my mum."

She nodded, eyes roaming my whole body for a second, making me nervous under her stare. I hadn't actually seen her since my inappropriate dream and it was growing increasingly difficult to be so close to her without thinking about it.

"I figured. I just wanted to say hi," she said, expression softening as she met my eyes.

I was right about the dress bringing her eyes out more. A forest green colour, as I'd predicted.

"Hi," I said, giving her a small, nervous smile. "Erm, how is your date going?"

She shrugged, raising her hand to hold her forearm comfortably. "It's okay. It's wonderful out here, I'll give him that."

Relaxing into the conversation, my awkwardness fading already, I smiled in agreement. "Yeah, it is pretty."

A smirk appeared on her lips. "Yeah. So are the gardeners."

Admittedly, it took me a few seconds longer than it should have to realise she was talking about me. When I did, I felt a heat creeping up my neck and to my face and looked to the grass to distract myself. See, when she did stuff like that, it made me question a hell of a lot.

She chuckled. "So, gardening. Another dislike of yours?"

I shook my head, risking looking back up to her. "No, actually. I don't mind it. I'm just not a fan when it gives my mother an opportunity to discuss marriage."

Wanda's interested was piqued as she quirked a brow. "Oh? Your mother has suitors for you?"

I squeezed my eyes shut at the possibility, shaking my head. "I'd rather not ask, Wanda."

She let out a short laugh. "You've got time anyway. At least until Y/B/N and I are married."

I hoped she didn't see the involuntary wince I did at the mention of that. "Honestly, I'm not even thinking about that now... I'm nowhere near ready for that."

"Would you not want to get married?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

I sighed, looking around, unable to keep my eyes still. "I don't know, I guess? Eventually? But to somebody I love, not some arranged marriage just for the sake of it." My words sank in quite quickly and I straightened up, instantly looking to Wanda with apologetic eyes. "Bloody hell, that is not what I meant to say–"

"It's fine," she reassured me with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I get it. And, well, you're not wrong."

I smiled halfheartedly, the guilt at my previous words still present. I could honestly say that I wasn't aiming that comment at her, but I wouldn't blame her if she took it that way.

"It's important to fall in love with the person you marry," she said, gaze locked on mine. "You have to learn about them, who they are. Their likes, their dislikes. Their personality. If they have a sense of humour or if they're as dry as cardboard. If they're into you as much as you're into them."

Nodding slowly, I wasn't sure what to say. My mouth went dry the longer she watched me, eyes dancing with an emotion I couldn't recognise. Then her eyes fell to my lips and my knees began to shake subtly, wanting to give in because of how confused I was.

"Y/N, dear, don't dirty Wanda's dress with your muddy hands!" my mum called, breaking the strange silence that had built between the brunette and I.

Stepping back with realisation (and grateful for the interruption), I wiped my hands on my shirt subconsciously, making a further mess of my already mud-stained clothes. "Sorry."

When I looked up, Wanda was chewing on her lip, eyes doing a once over on me yet again. It was moments like this when I couldn't tell if she was teasing me or if she actually had an interest in me, maybe, like that.

"Wanda, honey, let's get you inside," my mum spoke, approaching the two of us and looking to her.

Nodding, Wanda glanced at me once more, shooting me a sweet smile, before being led away by my mum. I breathed out slowly, knowing it was wrong of me to feel this way about her. But it was hard not to fall for her when she had so much about her that was interesting.

Her passion for art, her teasing, playful attitude, her sense of humour... and then there were the physical aspects, like her beaming smile, her luxuriant brown hair and her entrancing hazel eyes. She was literally perfect and my brother was one lucky man. For once in my life, I was actually jealous of something he had that I didn't.

"Y/N!"

Speaking of the devil...

"Y/B/N, hey," I said with a smile as he approached me with an extra jump in his step. "What's up?"

Grin on his lips, he smacked my arm. "Did you see, Wanda? Didn't she look stunning?"

The guilt was cutting real deep. "She did."

"I think I'm in love," he gushed, eyes rolling backwards with delight. "She's perfect, Y/N, you don't get it."

"I can imagine...," I mumbled, but he barely noticed, too lovestruck to realise.

"Every date I've been on with her has been amazing," he continued. "If we weren't already engaged, I would've proposed!"

I raised my eyebrows with surprise, definitely not expecting this. He'd made his attraction to her known since the moment we'd met her, constantly talking about how gorgeous she was, but he'd never sounded happier than he did now.

"Mum adores her," he said with a content smile. "Dad would probably marry her if we was thirty years younger. And you–" He looked to me gratefully. "You're making an effort and I appreciate it."

Oh, God, the guilt was overwhelming.

"Everything is going perfectly," he finished with a sigh. "I just– I can't wait to marry her, Y/N."

I smiled for his sake, but my insides were shrivelling up and failing me. I was a horrible person, wasn't I? What kind of monster falls for her brother's fiancé? Me. I'm the monster. But not anymore. I couldn't let this get out of hand. I had to do better.

I promised myself I'd do better.

—

Doing better was going well, I'd like to think. I mean, it had only been two weeks, so I couldn't guarantee, but I was no longer having... thoughts... about the Maximoff in question.

Yes, there was that familiar inkling of jealousy tugging away in my stomach whenever Y/B/N would talk about her, but I think I was getting better at ignoring it. I had convinced myself that my feelings towards Wanda were not true but merely a schoolgirl crush (which I wasn't allowed to have, but still) and that I'd get over it after some time.

I'd liked, maybe two girls in my life before her. The first being when I was a child, about five, and a girl in my class did something different to her hair. If I remember correctly, she always had one ponytail that sat at the back of her neck, then one day, she came in with two braids down her head and it really wasn't a massive change, but five year old me developed a huge crush on her. That was when I learnt that a girl liking a girl was not only forbidden, but viewed as a sin.

The second girl I liked was in my Literature class in secondary school. She was probably the first person I'd fallen for in a way that was considered more than a simple crush. Something about her way with words was so attractive to me, as was the cute smile she'd send my way whenever she'd be my partner for an assignment. I never told her how I felt for she only ever treated me as a friend and the last thing I wanted was to bring shame to my family for liking girls.

Those instances, and the fact that I regularly found myself admiring women in a way I found incapable with men, made me realise I was different and I always would be. And so, the chatter about finding a husband and getting married always scared me because I was afraid that I'd be stuck in a place that I would never get to be myself in. Even though that was the reality of most women anyway.

So, in addition to the fact that it was wrong of me to like women (though it felt anything but) and that the woman I liked now was my brother's fiancé, I convinced myself it was just a mere crush I had on Wanda. She was a pretty girl with an attractive personality and that was it.

Or so I thought.

"Go get your brother, Y/N," my mum said one evening. "He's in his study. Dinner is almost ready."

I nodded and headed to my brother's study across the hall. He was sat at his desk, focusing on something specific that he was writing and barely acknowledging my presence. I glanced around the room, taking in the bookshelves filled with manuscripts, both published and unpublished, and notebooks of ideas piled on desks.

I wasn't jealous of this place, I really wasn't. And I wasn't jealous of my brother either, even when he got credit for things I'd written. I was just angry and hurt that I couldn't have the some privileges he got, such as his own personal study to write whatever he pleased.

"Dinner's almost ready," I called to him from the doorway. "C'mon."

He didn't turn around as he answered, "I'll be with you, one second."

Curious to what had captured his attention, I pushed myself from the doorway and approached his desk. He had a lamp turned on, the yellow light lighting the page he was scribbling on. I peeked over his shoulder and saw him pause from writing, stuck in thought. It gave me the chance to read some words and I tried not to laugh.

"Oh my god, is that a love letter?"

Surprised at my presence, he covered the page with his elbows and leaned on them, looking to me with red cheeks.

"What? No, that's... no," he stumbled out, shaking his head.

Stifled smile on my lips, I looked to him with humoured eyes. "You have to let me read it."

He shook his head frantically, trying to play it cool. "I don't think I can do that."

Well, now I was really curious.

"C'mon, I've read pretty much everything you've ever written," I told him, perching myself on the edge of his desk. "Just a little read and I'll drop it."

Pondering my words, he slowly began to straighten up, uncovering the page. With a sigh of submission, he nodded to it, wordlessly giving me permission to look. I grinned, grabbing the page and holding it to the light so I could read it.

It was mostly ramblings – unfinished sentences, phrases, clauses – but it was all about a certain someone, a love letter as I predicted. It talked about this person's body and lips and humour and fingers and because I was so caught up in teasing my brother, I failed to realise that I was reading about Wanda. At least until it mentioned her accent.

My smile faded when I saw the way he wrote about her, with such passion and ferocity and– he was seriously in love with her. And it may or may not have stung a little because everything he'd written was accurate and I felt the same way. Well, not the in love bit, but pretty much everything else.

"So? Is it bad?" he asked nervously, and I lowered the page to see he was waiting for a verdict. "It's messy, I know. I was just journaling and then it kind of happened."

"It's sweet," I told him truthfully, offering him a reassuring smile.

His shoulders relaxed as I put the page back on the desk before him. "Thank you, Y/N." He paused, before glancing up at me sheepishly. "Now that you're here, you may as well tell me if there's anything I can do to improve."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why? Are you planning on giving this to her?"

He shook his head instantly. "No, oh God, no. That would be severely humiliating. I just thought you could help me for me. You always make my writing better."

I snickered, shaking my head with amusement. Behind the scenes was where I thrived apparently.

"Quickly," I told him as he held out the paper to me. "Mum is waiting for us."

He nodded obediently and I took the paper from his grasp, getting another look at it. Skimming it with my eyes yet again, I found the first criticism and pointed to it so he could see.

"This bit here," I said gently. "You talk about her eyes and say they're magnetic."

"Is that not good?" he asked with a frown.

"It is, it is," I said politely, not wanting to offend him. "But that's all you've written. You want to give the reader a reason to believe you. Why are they magnetic? What about them do you find yourself attracted to?"

He nodded, seeming to get it. Leaning back in his seat, he had a think. I waited patiently, curious to what he would come up with, but then he sighed defeatedly and looked to me.

"What would you write?" he asked, and I smiled with disbelief. It always ended up like this. Me helping him, challenging him with a thought, then him ending up using what I say.

"Okay, let me think," I said, crossing my arms and staring ahead. "Wanda's eyes."

"Here," Y/B/N said, making a gesture to placing something invisible on my head. When I quirked a brow of confusion, he added, "It's your thinking cap."

I rolled my eyes but laughed quietly at his stupidity, then tried to think about what to describe Wanda's eyes as.

It wasn't difficult to imagine them despite having not seen them in a few days. They were always bright, animated, lively. Whether it was green, blue or brown, they were irresistible and as my brother wrote, they were magnetic.

I breathed out, speaking from the heart without thinking. "When Wanda Maximoff looks into your eyes it's like she holds all of the elements in a single gaze. At times, they're greener than the earth itself, captivating and tranquil and daring you to look away. But then they're also bluer than the brightest of skies and darkest of oceans, deep and and liberating and easy for you to get swallowed up in."

A smile fell on my lips at the thought. She truly was something.

I continued slowly, "In the light, you can make out golden flecks, like the first sliver of the sun in Spring. It's hopeful and guiding and fills you with warmth. But what isn't obvious upon first glance is how tempestuous they are, like air itself. She's got a passion behind her eyes that is scary at first, but when you get to know her, you realise that it's a storm worth raging."

It went quiet when I finished and I zoned back into reality, Wanda's eyes blinking away from my mind in an instant. I pursed my lips and looked to Y/B/N with mild concern, realising just how much I'd rambled. He raised his eyebrows with surprise, staring at me.

"Y/N, that was amazing! How did you think of that?" he asked in bewilderment.

I shrugged, feeling my face heat up with embarrassment. "I don't know. I just thought about a random set of hazel eyes and applied my thoughts to it."

He smiled, impressed. "Amazing. I love it."

Grabbing a pen, he began to write furiously on the page and I stood up, dusting myself off.

"You sure that's not going to her?" I asked, still feeling fuzzy from what I'd said and hoping she'd never see it.

"Very sure," he promised, not looking up. "It's just for me."

I studied him judgementally. "Okay, well, maybe get rid of that part about her breasts then. It's a little creepy."

He looked up to me with a boyish grin. "I'm only a man, Y/N. Can you blame me?"

I rolled my eyes, shuddering at what he was implying. The mere implication of a thought of him and Wanda... nope, I didn't want to go there.

"I'll see you at dinner," I said, pointing a thumb over my shoulder. "Try to hurry, yeah?"

"Yes, I'll be right with you," he assured me, his hand moving in a flurry as he wrote. "Just writing what you said so I don't forget. Could be good for a future book, who knows?"

I forced a smile, humming in agreement. "Right. Well, I'll see you at the table."

He nodded and I left his room, letting out a deep breath. Just another day in the Y/L/N household.

—

Popping into town for errands was surprisingly not a task I found boring. If anything, I preferred it, using it as a chance to get away from my mother's incessant marriage-related conversations and my father's constant praising for anything Y/B/N did. Nowadays, it was also a way to escape anything wedding-related, which was a plus.

This time, I was only nipping out to return a book to the library, but my mum caught me before leaving and asked me to deliver some letters to the post office since I was already heading that way. Happy to prolong this outing as much as possible, I accepted the errand and headed to the post office after returning my book.

When I was there, an advertisement caught my eye. A chalkboard outside the store displayed a deal the train station were doing. I probably would have ignored it if it weren't for the mention of Blackpool.

2 FOR 1 ON BLACKPOOL TRAIN TICKETS THIS WEEKEND

Remembering my conversation with Wanda, I realised I hadn't actually followed up with her on my promise of taking her there to paint. She probably didn't even remember, since it was a while ago when we spoke of it, but the idea of going there with her made me excited. Was it stupid to get the tickets? Probably. But did I go inside and get them? Of course.

It was only when I got home did I realise how silly it was. Would she even want to go? What if she made an excuse to get out of it? Oh, this whole thing was stupid. I was overthinking it. Friends went on day trips all the time, it's wasn't a big deal.

To my surprise, when I poked my head into the living room to tell my mum I'd posted her letters, Wanda was sat on the couch with her. They were drinking some tea and having scones, chatting away. I'd called my mum before noticing, so when they looked my way, I clumsily entered and straightened up to make myself look presentable.

"Sorry, I didn't know you had company," I apologised with an awkward smile, eyes flickering to a smiling Wanda before looking to my mum. "I just wanted to let you know that I dropped the letters off by the post office."

"Perfect, Y/N, thank you," she said in response, before looking to the setup before her. "You can join us if you'd like."

I was quick to smile gratefully, though shook my head. "It's okay, you guys enjoy. I'll just be in my room if you need me."

My mum shrugged, sipping her tea, and Wanda watched me with a small smile, nodding in greeting, before looking away. I licked my lips uncomfortably before backing out the room and heading upstairs.

I was working on yet another manuscript that wouldn't see the light of day at my desk when I heard a knock on my door about an hour later.

"Come in!" I called, not looking up.

The door opened and I finished my train of thought before turning around, surprised to see Wanda walking into my room.

"Oh, hi," I got out suddenly, words falling from my mouth without me thinking first.

She smiled softly, stopping before me. "Hey. I'm heading home now, but I just wanted to say goodbye."

I stared at her, forgetting how to speak because she was wearing a lovely floral dress that complimented her figure perfectly.

"Oh, and I thought you might like these," she added before forgetting, then held out a box towards me.

Recovering from my initial stupor, I reached out and accepted the box, realising they were chocolates.

"I got them for your mum, but she said she's not a fan of hazelnut," she explained, and I looked up to see her looking elsewhere with a nervous smile on her lips. "You don't have to have them of course. I can just... eat them myself."

An amused smile tugged at my lips as I quirked a brow. "You'd eat them all yourself?"

She was very much aware of how silly she sounded, but she was adamant on appearing confident, so she nodded with certainty. "Yes... apparently I would."

Lighthearted laughter escaped my lips as I set the box to the side. She was trying to stand her ground, but then she sighed and began to laugh, too. My heart fluttered in my chest at the sound and I appreciated the crinkle by her eyes when her smile widened.

"Thank you," I said, settling on a smile as I watched her with amusement.

She nodded, smile of her own still present, before pointing behind her. "I'll, erm, go now."

When she turned to leave, I felt inclined to say, "Wait!"

She paused, turning around patiently, and I knew there was no going back now. Standing up, I grabbed my purse from the side and pulled out the train tickets.

"When I was out today, I saw that the train station were doing this deal on tickets to Blackpool," I started, hoping she couldn't see my hands trembling slightly. "And I remembered that I promised to take you so you could see the water." I closed my eyes, praying that this wouldn't be a mistake, before opening them and looking to Wanda. "We can go, if you'd still like to." 

She raised her eyebrows, eyes glued to the tickets in my hand. No words were being said and my heart thumped in my chest with the realisation that I may have done something insanely stupid. Before I could even think to apologise, a grin spread across her face and her dazzling blue eyes met mine, freezing me in place.

"Are you serious? Y/N, I'd love to!" she exclaimed, then proceeded to launch herself onto me, arms wrapping tightly around my neck.

I gulped as she did, not expecting that reaction, but returned the hug by folding my arms around her waist loosely. She smelt really good, which was probably wrong of me to note, and I enjoyed the feeling of her so close to me, also wrong of me to note.

"Okay, well, the tickets are for this weekend," I said, desperately trying not to stammer when she pulled away. "I can meet you at the station in the morning. Eight."

Her eyes danced with excitement as she accepted the ticket I held out to her. I reminded myself that this was just a friendly day trip and nothing more.

"Eight," she confirmed, attempting to stifle her eagerness by biting her lip and nodding.

I swallowed hard, trying ever-so-hard not to let my gaze drop to her lips. Because then I'd think about kissing her and that was definitely not what I should be thinking about my soon-to-be sister-in-law.

Oh, God, I was screwed.

[tocksickart]

Shit weekend

OK, so it wasn’t an absolutely shitty weekend, but it wasn’t fabulous. 

I’ll start with Friday, even though that’s not clearly not the weekend. I went to get my bloodwork done at a place that is 30 mins north of my house. I got there slightly early, signed in, thought I was good to go. WRONG! I get called to the window and was asked for my paperwork...the paperwork that was supposed to have been sent electronically from my doctor’s office the previous Friday...they had not sent anything. Cool. The office was also not open yet, but I tried calling anyway. After three calls and two separate phone numbers, I got the chick in the office who seems to hate me. I told her the situation and gave her the fax number, she said she would fax it asap. Well, 45 minutes later, they still had nothing, so I called again. She swears she faxed it, says she will fax it again, and also emails it to me. They still get no fax. I pull it up on my phone and offer to email it them so they can print it, but I’m told that is not possible. I took matters into my own hands and sent that shit right to one of their Bluetooth printers. So an hour and a half after getting there, they finally get me in and get all ten vials of blood drawn. I started to black out, in regular fashion, but came back around pretty quickly. I sat there for a bit, then sat in my car for awhile longer before starting my 50 minute trek to work. Oh and I hit almost every single red light on the way to work because US 1 sucks and has lights every quarter mile. Yea, so 17 miles of lights every quarter mile. Good times. Anyway, work wasn’t awful. I powered through it, even though I was in pain and a little out of it from the blood loss. After work we went and got food at a bbq place that we frequent. I got my typical salad with a side of pulled pork. I ended up feeling like total shit right after eating. The pains were not fun. We got home and just relaxed on the couch. 

Saturday morning I woke up before my alarm and was laying in bed when I heard a crash against the window and then another. I thought the dude was just messing with me. I got up, opened the shutters, and there was a hark staring back at me! We have mirrored windows so it couldn’t see me, but it went on with trying to fight its own reflection. I ended up videoing the encounter. After about a minute it flew away to the fence, where it sat for another minute, then it flew away. It was pretty wild. After that excitement, I got ready for my MRI and headed over there. The MRI took about 45 minutes and was crazy uncomfortable. My head was pounding and the back of my head was hurting so badly where is was touching the board. I had to have the contrast stuff injected, which was very uncomfortable, too. Yay nerve issues. Once it was all done and I was able to stand up, I was super disoriented, which hadn’t happened during the other scans, but it went away after about an hour. After leaving, we ended up going all over the place and stopping at all these random stores and buying a bunch of bullshit that we didn’t need, but it was fun. We made bacon wrapped jalapeños stuffed with tons of cheese and a pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon. 

Sunday involved sleeping in, then going to the flea market. We really didn't find anything super exciting there since a lot of vendors still haven’t come back. I did score some cute Gingher bird scissors, though. We got back home and I pulled up a bunch of old plants and weeds to put in the composter. I repotted a bunch of seedlings, also. Meanwhile, it was hot as all fucking hell, so I was sweating my brains out, feeling like I was going to pass out. I hadn’t eaten all morning and definitely hadn’t drank enough water, so I had no business being outside in that heat. I finally dragged my ass inside and went to eat, but I felt like such shit, I just drank water and took a shower. But of course, not before heaving a meltdown from feeling like shit and being stupidly hormonal, because fuck Nexplanon and Endo. I balled my eyes out in the shower, then got in bed. The dude encouraged me to eat and drink more water and just chill. I laid around until our smoked chicken wings were done. I managed to eat about 10 and then I tapped out. I spent the rest of the evening putting away clothes, watching SVU, and making new designs for my Redbubble. While in the bedroom I had kept hearing noises above me, and then out of nowhere I heard a bunch of scrambling and scratching. Then what sounded like a critter falling down behind the wall. I banged on the wall a bunch and the noises stopped. Shortly after, the dude heard the noises all the way out in the living room. He set traps immediately. I tried going to sleep early, but could not get comfortable and ended up rolling around until about midnight. Good times. 

Well, I certainly didn’t expect to ramble on this long about nothing. I’m in a weird mood this morning. Really hoping to hear from the doctor about my MRI and bloodwork. Obviously I want it all to be normal, but if it isn’t, i seriously hope she can give me some damn answers already.

OK. I need to end this. I’ve gone too far. Goodbye.

[memyselfandwe00001]

Say it with Flowers (2/?) ~by memyselfandwe09

~Beta’d by the brilliant @tenroseforeverandever​

Fandom: Doctor Who *but it’s an AU, so it can be read by whomever*

Rating: M 

Ship(s): Twelve x Rose, Jack x Ianto 

Characters: Twelfth Doctor (Human), Rose Tyler, Ianto Jones, Bill Potts, Jack Harkness, Wilfred “Wilf” Mott, Donna Noble, Jackie Tyler

~~Based on the prompt; Person A owns a flower shop and person B comes storming in one day, slaps twenty bucks on the counter and says “How do I passive aggressively say ‘fuck you’ in a flower?”~~

Summary: Rose Tyler had just moved into her new London flat. It was everything she ever wanted, with one major drawback; the madman living upstairs. Can she put up with his antics as he endlessly torments her, or will she be forced to move.

Tags: Flower shop AU, Neighbors, Humor, Eventual romance, Slow burn, Enemies to Lovers, Older man/Younger woman, my first Twelve x Rose fic, I was tricked into this, I tried giving the prompt away but it was given back to me.

AO3 / FF 

Chap 1 / Chap 2

Chapter 2

Aiden McGregor wasn’t very well liked and most people tended to avoid him. He didn’t let it bother him; he even told himself he preferred it that way. It isn’t that he didn’t like people, he just didn’t care for small talk or pretending to care. If some people found that rude, then so be it.  

There was a time, before the war, when that was different. He was much more approachable back then. He’d joined the Army as a doctor because he thought he could make a difference and help people. Instead, he’d witnessed one death after another. Young men and women who couldn’t be helped, no matter how hard he tried.

Once he was discharged, he’d quit the medical profession entirely, feeling he’d failed the people who’d put their lives in his hands. He hadn’t wanted any others to suffer because of his incompetence.

Not wanting to explain his decision to those who knew him, he had left Glasgow and moved to London hoping for a fresh start. Shortly after the move he’d begun seeing a therapist, only he’d refused to talk to her about the things that had been haunting him. After months of trying to get him to open up, she’d presented him with a potted rose plant in what Aiden could only assume was a last ditch effort to get through to him. She explained that just like other living creatures, flowers and plants enjoy being talked to. If he wasn’t ready to talk to her, maybe he could practice venting his feelings on this plant.

Initially, he’d laughed at the idea but eventually found himself walking out with the small thing in hand. When he arrived home, he’d placed it on the counter and basically forgot all about it.

Two days later, he’d noticed the little yellow roses were turning brown and had become brittle. Jumping into action, he gave it some water and placed it on the balcony for some light. Silly or not, this small plant was in his care and he was damned if he was going to let it die.

That afternoon he’d come home with a new ceramic pot along with soil and plant food. All the recommended items he’d read about. After repotting it and caring for it accordingly, the plant soon came back to life and new yellow roses were beginning to sprout.

What started out as therapy soon became a casual hobby and was now a full-blown passion. He didn’t know flowers could be so complex and held so much meaning, or that they held their own medicinal properties.

It was this fascination that led him to opening Gallifrey Flowers, a small shop that was hidden in plain sight. That it was inconspicuous didn’t hurt business, however, and he was able to maintain a steady flow of customers. It was his mouth that had often got him into trouble until Bill had come along.

Bill was a frequent customer who’d immediately taken a liking to Aiden, despite his snarky comments, saying she found him fascinating. Several times a week she would come in, always cheerful, and full of questions. As much as that should have deterred him, she didn’t annoy him. She was also the only one he allowed to call him “Doctor” after he accidently let that piece of information slip during a conversation.

One afternoon Bill stopped in, telling him she needed someone to vent to. Before he could stop her, she went on a rant about a failed relationship, amongst other things, before mentioning she had nowhere to go and needed to find a job. Although he couldn’t help her with her girlfriend troubles, he was able to help her with her employment situation while permitting her to stay with him at his flat until she was able to find something permanent.  

She soon proved to be a valuable asset. Not only did she take on the unpleasant task of dealing with customers, but she was also punctual, always there on time to open the shop. That was especially helpful on days like today, when Aiden found himself running a bit late after his encounter with Miss Tyler at the coffee shop.

He was still chewing the last bit of his scone when he came waltzing through the front door of the shop in an uncharacteristically good mood. “Mornin,” he grinned at Bill as he made his way past.

“Good morning,” Bill replied, puzzled. “What’s gotten into you?”

Aiden paused mid step. “All I said was good morning.”

“No, you said mornin’,” Bill mocked his tone, “as you danced in here with what might pass for an actual smile.” She stepped closer, narrowing her eyes, and studied his face curiously.

The subtle grin Aiden had been wearing faded as he took a step away. “You’re always complaining about my frequent irritability and how rude I am. Now you have a problem with my attempt at optimism?”

“It’s just not like you,” Bill admitted. “Is everything all right?”

“Of course, everything’s all right,” Aiden griped and continued his journey toward the back. He stopped at the doorway. “That’s the last time I try and show you some cheer.”

Bill’s eyes followed him as he stepped through the door into the back room, and he heard her mumble, “Sorry,” under her breath.Thankfully, she didn’t press the issue of his good mood...for now.

He stepped into his workspace and donned his apron. He had a large order to fulfill so he jumped right into his work. He laid out an arrangement of flowers and with a pair of shears, he began cleaning the stems of leaves. As he worked he could hear Bill moving around out front and he wondered if she was going to come back and pester him again. He didn’t think a simple good morning would have brought up so many questions.

After giving it some thought, he realized Bill was right: he was in an uncharacteristically good mood. He couldn’t think why. Nothing significant happened that morning aside from his row with Miss Tyler, but those were becoming a daily occurrence.

He picked up the next flower, a pink rose that matched the tinge of her cheeks as she argued with him that morning. She believed his actions were directed at her alone, as if he went out of his way to bother her.

He laughed at the idea, then paused as he gave it further thought. Many had approached him about his behavior before, but it wasn’t until Miss Tyler moved in below him that he felt the need to retaliate. She was frustrating, insufferable, completely unbearable, and quite possibly the most intriguing woman he’s ever met.  That was the problem, as infuriating as she could be, he couldn’t get her out of his head.

“Doctor?”

Aiden jolted from his thoughts and looked up at Bill. “Yeah?”

She stared at him oddly, “You’ve been admiring that rose for quite some time now. Are you sure everything’s all right?”

“I’m fine,” Aiden grumbled as he made the final snip. He placed the rose aside and heard the door chime. Thankful for the distraction, he waved her away. “Go on then. Do your job and leave me alone to do mine.”

“Fine,” Bill sighed and walked away, stopping at the door to study him once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Say it with flowers. What do you suppose that means,” Ianto asked Rose after she told him about her most recent encounter with Mr. McGregor.

“I don’t know,” Rose shrugged. “Maybe he thought he was being clever in some way. Since the flowers were sitting there in front of him.”

“You know, flowers have meanings. Maybe there is some flower out there you can give him that tells the recipient something unpleasant.”

Rose was intrigued. “You think there’s a flower like that?”

“There’s got to be.” Ianto’s eyes lit up as an idea came to mind. “My friend Bill works at a flower shop not too far from here. She might be able to help you come up with something.”

“Where,” Rose asked. “The only flower shop I know of is by my Mum’s salon.”

“It’s about midway between here and that coffee shop you like to stop at in the mornings,” Ianto said. “Most people miss it unless they’re looking for it.”

Rose pondered the idea then laughed it off. “No, I doubt giving him hateful flowers is going to solve anything.”

“Maybe not,” Ianto agreed. “But you’ll never know if you don’t try. Yelling at him hasn’t been very effective, so why not surprise him? I doubt he’ll be expecting you to go through with it.”

As Rose crawled into bed that night, she thought about Ianto’s idea of taking Mr. McGregor’s suggestion and using it against him. Would it even matter, or would it just make things worse?

She rolled onto her side and enjoyed the silence, hoping he’d taken the hint and would finally let her sleep for once. No such luck. The amp kicked on and Rose instinctively rolled over, reaching for the earplugs.

He began warming up. Playing a few experimental chords as Rose squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore it. It was useless, the earplugs weren’t blocking the noise this evening and the harder she tried to ignore it, the clearer the sound became.

Astonishingly, Mr. McGregor had found a new way to push Rose’s buttons through song. He began to play the first few chords of a popular song she knew too well, then repeated it several times over in a nonstop loop. Rose lay there, waiting for the next part of the song but it never came. He knew more songs than this, so why else would he be doing this if not to annoy her?

Ten minutes passed, and the loop continued, forcing Rose to get out of bed and try to deal with the issue. Unlike previous times, Rose could still hear the music as she climbed the stairs and wondered if the sound was imprinted in her mind after hearing it several times now. She reached the top and noticed his door was wide open as if waiting for her.

His flat was dimly lit with a soft blue glow coming from above and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust before she spotted him. He was seated on a stool at the center of his living room and appeared to be wearing all black along with the same long black coat she had seen him in before. He was also wearing sunglasses which surprised Rose, given that it was nighttime and he was indoors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feeling himself being watched, Aiden stopped playing and peered back at her. “Welcome back, Miss Tyler.”

“Do you know how to play the rest of that song,” she snarked. “Or are you trying to drive me mad?”

He readied his fingers on the chords. “There you go again, making this all about you.” He played the same riff again, only now he proceeded to play the rest of the song, just to prove to her that he could.

“What about your other neighbors,” Rose hollered over the music.

“What?”

“Your other neighbors,” Rose yelled louder. “Do they ever complain about the noise?”

“Can’t hear you,” Aiden hollered back.

He smirked. She was clearly perturbed. He could practically read her thoughts:. She could hear him; how could he not hear her? Boldly, she entered his flat and marched over to where he sat.

Aiden watched her approach curiously, but his fingers never faltered. Then she had the audacity to unplug his guitar from the amp, immediately cutting the sound off . He gaped at her as she scowled back.

He looked down at his amp and back to her again. Nobody got away with treating his guitar or amp so rudely. Or so he thought, because instead of lashing out like he normally would, all he could do was stare at her, bewildered.

She was first to break the silence. “Can you hear me now?”

“Clearly,” he retorted and stood upright.

She wasn’t letting his height intimidate her, he had to give her that. Looking him directly in the eye, unflinching, she pointed toward his neighbor’s flat. “Don’t your other neighbors complain about you playing so late at night?”

“Them?” Aiden shook his head. “No, they switched units.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Rose responded sarcastically. “Why are you doing this?”

“Just think of this as your own private concert,” Aiden teased.

“I don’t want a private concert,” Rose cried out. “I want to sleep!” She took a deep breath. “If you insist on playing all night, I would appreciate if you would play something else.”

“Fine,” he whined, “I’ll play something else.” He snatched the cable from her hand. “Now go! And shut the door on your way out; I’m catching a draft!”

Rose glared at him one last time before leaving, slamming the door forcefully in the process. Aiden plugged his guitar in and laughed to himself. Aggravating Miss Tyler had become his new favorite hobby and he wasn’t done yet.

He strummed his guitar, choosing a soothing, melodious tune, something to calm Miss Tyler, lull her into a false sense of security. He played for several minutes, imagining her padding back down to her flat, slipping off her dressing gown, and sliding under the covers. She was probably feeling a bloody righteous sense of victory, right at the moment.

Well, he couldn’t let her off with that.

She would just be drifting to sleep, he guessed.

He reached down and cranked the volume on his amp, choosing a new tune: something loud and fast, an obnoxious earworm he could play on a continuous loop. He was certain it would drive Miss Tyler completely mental.

Perfect

.

                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Rose had to force herself out of bed. Despite feeling exhausted from an improper night’s sleep, she was on a mission to put an end to this madness. After a breakfast of cold cereal and another phone call to her landlord to complain about her range still not being repaired, she set off to find this flower shop Ianto had told her about.

After a short walk, she found it exactly where Ianto told her it would be. Rose wondered how she had managed to pass it time and time again without so much as glancing at it.

She approached the door and tugged on the handle labeled pull, but it didn’t budge. Instinctively, for reasons she couldn’t fathom, she gave the door a push and it swung open. She stepped inside and took another look at the lettering above the handle, wondering if she read it wrong.

“It’s a trick,” a female voice said from behind the counter next to her. “Sort of a joke, I guess. The owner says if people can’t figure out how to get inside, he’d rather not deal with them.”

The girl fit the description Ianto had given her. “Are you Bill?”

“Yeah.” Bill gave a slight nod. “Can I, maybe, help you with something?”

Rose pulled out a few bank notes and slapped them on the counter. “I’m a friend of Ianto’s and he said you can do anything. So, tell me, how do I passive-aggressively say ‘fuck you’ with a flower?”

Bill gawked at the money. “Uh…”

Judging by Bill’s reaction, Rose knew this was an unusual request and wondered if she was being foolish. Then she heard a low chuckle coming from the back room.

“Oh no,” Rose gasped. She knew that sound.

Mr. McGregor emerged from the back. His chuckle turned into a full bellied laugh when he caught sight of her. He was wearing a navy-blue oxford with the sleeves rolled up and black trousers. Over that he wore a black apron.

His eyes brightened as they met hers. “Miss Tyler, what brings you by?”

“Is this some sort of joke?” she stammered.

Resting his palms on the counter, he leaned closer. “Does it seem like I’m joking?”

“Well, you were just laughing,” Bill pointed out.

Aiden looked at her over his shoulder, disapprovingly.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“I can’t believe I fell for your stupid trick,” Rose spat.

“Not a trick,” he assured her in a strangely calm manner. He snatched a card from a pile on the counter and handed it to her.

Rose read the card aloud, “Gallifrey Flowers.” Below the name was the slogan: “Say it with flowers.”

“You never once mentioned this being your shop.”

“You never asked,” he pointed out.

“Because you’re an arse. Why would I strike up a conversation with you, let alone ask what you do or where you work?” She shoved the card back at him and began to leave. She was halfway out the door when she stepped back in with one final thought. “And for the last time, will you stop with that dreadful guitar playing in the middle of the night. Unlike you, I like to sleep.”

“Dreadful?” he feigned offence. “Just the other day you said I sounded like Keith Richards.”

“Just… GAH!” she cried out, feeling completely flustered and stormed out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Bill was flabbergasted by what she had just witnessed. Not because of the arguing either. She was used to Aiden having loud disagreements with customers, almost uncaring about the fact that it was bad for business. This was different. This was personal.

She studied him as he lounged with his elbows resting on the counter and his legs crossed behind him as he continued to chuckle. “Uh, Doctor?”

He held up his index finger, silently telling her to wait while his eyes danced playfully. He grabbed the money Rose had forgotten on the counter and held it up for her to see.

Sure enough, just as she assumed the Doctor had expected, the door flung open again and Miss Tyler hurried over, snatching the money from his fingers as he held it out to her.

She rushed out and the door slammed behind her for the second time. He was still grinning as he watched the top of her blonde head pass by his window. Straightening up, he looked back at her and his smile fell. “What?”

Bill pointed at the door. “What the hell was that about?”

“Just my obnoxious downstairs neighbor.” He retreated to the back, but if he was hoping to escape, he had another thing coming.

“Obnoxious how? She seemed more annoyed by you than you were with her.”

He returned to the flowers he had been working on before Miss Tyler’s visit. “She makes all kinds of noise and leaves angry notes on my door.” He looked up at Bill with another large grin. “She hates me.”

Bill smiled. “But you like her…”

Aiden chuckled. “No.” He turned his attention to the flowers in front of him.

“I saw that twinkle in your eye when she was here.” Bill grabbed a second set of shears to help him while she probed for answers. “Plus, the whole time she was yelling at you, you were strangely calm. You would never let anyone else speak to you that way.”

Aiden quirked his lips into a smile. “Did it ever occur to you that I was just being courteous?”

“Bollocks!” Bill laughed. “The Queen could walk in right now and you would probably still act like an arse.”

“If the Queen were to walk in right now, I’d charge her double,” Aiden joked.

“Exactly my point,” Bill stated. “You hired me to deal with the public because you have a habit of driving people away. Admit it or not, I think you like this Miss Tyler, and you’ve certainly made an impression on her as well. Only the wrong one. If you keep it up you’re going to drive her away too.”

“Good. Then I won’t have to deal with her pestering me over every move I make.”

Bill sighed, “You’re impossible.” She set the shears down and returned to the front of the shop. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aiden watched Bill leave then continued working. Whatever she was insinuating was ridiculous. This wasn’t some sort of crush. Miss Tyler was entirely too young for him, by about twenty years. If he were to drive her away, so be it. At least he’d be rid of her incessant nagging. It would be best for both of them... Wouldn’t it?

He switched on the radio and turned the volume up as high as it would go. Hoping this would be enough to drown out his current thoughts about Miss Tyler.

It proved to be an effective strategy and it wasn’t long before he was grooving along to the rhythm of the music while he worked his magic. He hummed along, making a few final adjustments to the bouquet before moving on to the final step, tying it all together.

Carefully, he began wrapping a long piece of ribbon tape around the stems when a familiar guitar riff pierced his ears, causing him to lose his grip. It was the first song of the two he had been playing to annoy Miss Tyler the night before. Only now it was taunting him through his own radio.

In a flash, the image of Miss Tyler standing before him in her slippers and dressing gown came to the forefront of his memory. He quickly blinked away that image and looked down to see his hard work now scattered on the floor.

Frustrated, he grabbed the radio and forcefully yanked the cord from the wall, dropping it into the rubbish bin. As if that would put an end to his madness.

Letting out an exasperated groan, Aiden dragged his hands down his face.

What was happening to him?