petals and ink - b.b x reader
I work at a flower shop and you’re a tattoo artist from across the street and you always come in here to practice drawing flowers and you’re really hot AU || AU prompt by @aesocias and found on this blog
Plot: Looking for inspiration for some new tattoos, Bucky visits his friend and crush Y/N, who owns the flower shop across the street from the tattoo parlour he works in. Pairing: tattooartist!Bucky Barnes x flowershopowner!Reader (AU) Notes: In my mind, tattooartist!Bucky looks like he does in Infinity War and Endgame, just with his arms covered in tattoos and some eyeliner, like when Sebastian was T*mmy Lee. Also I don’t have a specific song rec for this oneshot, but I listened to Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift a lot as I was writing this, so I suggest you listen to that, hahaha. Also thanks to @buckysbarnes who gave me the idea to give Bucky a blastover tattoo. Warnings: Mentions needles and getting tattooed if you dislike that kinda thing.
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.
“Oh I can make sure that’s what will happen. In that case, how about I fit you in tomorrow?” He teases, pulling her in close for another kiss.