tratie one shots, vol. i

[ flower shop au ]

i got this random idea at 3 am this morning and wrote it. i love this trope because it's so out of nowhere lol.

words: 888

. . . 

Katie Gardner loved flowers.

No matter the color, the shape, the size... all flowers were flawless in her eyes.

So, she'd started a flower shop.

It was a quaint place, with dozens of arrangements in the window for passersby to be in awe of. Neutral colors and fairy lights greeted customers when they walked in, and Katie ran a playlist of French cafe music to maintain her aesthetic.

She loved it.

One morning, she trimmed a bouquet of roses and baby's breath for an order in the back when she heard the bell ring at the door. "Coming!" she called as she set down the flowers, wiped her hands on her apron, and entered the front room. She expected someone getting flowers for Easter, seeing as it was only a few days away.

"What can I-" she began, but cut herself off. "Uh, sir, are you okay?"

A distraught man about her age stood before her, blue eyes darting around the room of flowers. Her heart skipped a beat when they landed on her.

"I need help, fast," he spat out. "How do you say 'I'm sorry mom' in flowers?"

Katie offered a smile in attempt to calm him down. "Okay, um, I just got a new order of pink tulips this morning, but roses are the most common apology flower if you're interested in a more universal route."

"Alright, how many can I get? This is a big apology."

She felt intrigued to ask what on earth he'd done to his mother to be so wrecked, but she refrained herself. Instead, she handed him her laminated sheet of selections. "Well, the largest I'm currently offering is-"

Ring! Ring!

"Ah!" The man jumped when his phone went off. He sent Katie a panicked look before hesitantly answering with the chillest voice she'd ever heard. "Hey, mom! What's up?"

It didn't need to be on speaker for Katie to hear the screaming.

"No, look, I-" he sighed exasperatedly. "You weren't supposed to be home yet! It was supposed to be for Connor, okay? It was just a prank... no, I know I've only been home for a week, but... I'm sorry!"

Katie stood awkwardly as she awaited for him to smooth things over with his mom. The details she caught were that he'd meant to set up a prank for someone else, but he found out his mom was coming home before the intended prank-ee.

Frankly, she found it amusing.

"Okay, yes, I promise. Love you, too." The man wrapped up his conversation (which didn't go as well as he'd have probably hoped) and put his phone in the back pocket of his jeans.

He sent her a dazzling smile as if he hadn't just been chewed out by his mom in front of her. "Sorry about that... moms, am I right?"

Katie chuckled. "Are you from around here?"

"Yeah, I go to NYU. I'm going home for Easter. My mom lives in Brooklyn with my brother, and I just... uh, apparently she doesn't appreciate pranks as much as she used to."

She had a feeling that his mom never liked pranks, based on her reaction to one that wasn't even intended for her.

"Okay, well, I can get you a bouquet of 24 unless you'd like a whole arrangement?"

He tapped a finger on his chin. "I suck with flowers. Whatever you think's best."

Katie grinned, thoroughly enjoying the interaction. "I'll just fix up a bouquet. Moms tend to like those better."

"You're a lifesaver."

Usually, it took Katie approximately two minutes to trim and arrange a bouquet for a customer, but she prolonged it as much as possible in order to talk to the man more. For some reason, he fascinated her.

"So, you have a name or do you just go by 'prankster'?" She raised her voice as she went to the back to retriever the flowers and trimming scissors. When she returned, he was in a different corner of the store, inspecting an arrangement of daffodils.

"Travis. I'm guessing you're Katie?" He gestured to the sign above the register that read, Katie's Florals.

She nodded. "You're smart, too."

She normally didn't flirt or snark with customers as she saw it as unprofessional, but this Travis brought something light and childish out of her.

They sat in comfortable silence as she wrapped up the roses in a eco-friendly plastic alternative. She smiled and said, "That'll be $57.26."

He groaned, pulling his wallet out and handing her a card. "Who knew pranks could cost so much?"

She giggled, finding it somewhat charming that he pranked people at his age. After his transaction had been completed, she handed him the receipt and smiled. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

He smirked, placing his hand on the counter and leaning on it. "I dunno, what flower means 'I think you're cute, do you wanna go out sometime?'"

Raising her eyebrows but feeling her heart take a giddy leap, Katie's lip tugged upwards. "You do realize I just helped you apologize to your mom for a prank you set up?"

"Yup. I thought it was part of my charm."

"Well, there isn't really one for that specifically, but i do know this," she grabbed a business card and circled her number on it, "means yes."