#i tried to stay away from recommending more popular fics since i tend to assume most fic readers have at least encountered them

[tisajest]

you are always welcome to send me recs on either one of these accounts of mine, just fyi. and thank you for the han/anakin fic too~

Awww thanks! ❤️

I'll leave you with these few fics if you're interested.

This is a very silly, very cute cat!boy Anakin series. The first fic is Obi-Wan having to deal with his young padawan and the second one is an oc stormtrooper pov on a suspiciously cat-like Vader. Both very fun and adorable, both very platonic (though the stormtrooper does basically worship Vader).

If you enjoy getting a little spooked, these two are some of my favorites. Maybe I'm showing my hand in how little horror I consume in general, but these authors genuinely succeeded in making goosebumps run up my arm. The first is a haunted house adventure and the second is Obi-Wan visiting his old childhood home.

This one is just good fun and banter among friends, it's brilliant in its simplicity and I adore that about it. If you enjoy Mara Jade at all, it's a good read. Hell, even if you don't and just enjoy some Han and Luke ribbing, it's a good read.

This one is a/b/o so if you're not into that, maybe skip this, but it's nothing sexual. It's basically Luke/Zev's daughter getting found by her 2 grandparents (Veers and Vader) and it's all Veers pov. It's good fun if you enjoy some outsider pov on Vader's Vaderness and his relationship with Luke.

This one is a Boba/Vader fic from Boba's pov that starts with Boba pining and ends in them becoming fuck buddies of sorts. Not sure if you're into that, but it's really well-written and builds them up in a way that is pretty believable for the characters.

This one has a special place in my heart because I'm a firm believer in Han and Anakin being friends had things not gone like That. It basically centers on Luke and Han finding Vader's chambers. It's Han pov and he's very empathetic to Luke and, to a degree, Vader. Really well written and just amazing characterization for all involved.

And lastly, here's one of my favorite Anidala fics. It stars middle-aged Anidala renewing their vows and it's just so lovely to me, very cute characterizations and just the concept of middle-aged Anidala is so precious to me.

Hope at least one of these appeals to you!

[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?