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joaquinwhorres · 4 years

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Best of Friends (Ch. 1) {Bucky x Reader}

SUMMARY ››››› When your best friend steals marries Bucky's best friend, the two of you are left with only one solution: to become best friends yourselves.

PAIRING ››››› Bucky Barnes x Reader

WORD COUNT ››››› 3,916

WARNINGS ››››› There is no abuse in this story, no drug use, no depression, and as the only warnings worth putting up throughout the series, will be based around major plot points and surprise, I’m just going to rate certain chapters on the movie scale. This is chapter PG.

A/N ››››› So I love and adore this story so much. I originally wrote it as an OC story and you can find those versions of the chapters on AO3 or FFN

The pounding on the door was seriously the last thing you needed right now.

The first thing you needed was a drink.

Unfortunately there was no way on God's green earth you were going to successfully parallel park that UHAUL, and the idea of going to a liquor store within walking distance of your new place seemed about as safe as letting in the person on the other side of the door. Something told you it wasn't the UPS guy causing the door to rattle against the frame.

You sent up a silent prayer that whoever it was would just go away and leave you to the excellent pity party you had been throwing herself.

The banging grew louder. Which was about right for today.

Since dying probably couldn't make you feel any worse than you did right now, you strode across the apartment and wrenched open the door. In the next second, you were pushed back into the apartment as someone hurled themselves at you.

"You're here!"

Thank goodness. Bernadette.

Your shoulders dropped as you wrapped your arms tightly around your best friend, squeezing your eyes shut and willing yourself to relax into the wave of relief. "Hi," you mumbled.

"Took you long enough to open the door," Bernadette complained, but you could hear the smile in her voice as she rocked you from side to side.

"I thought you were a crazy person."

Bernadette let out a wild laugh right in your ear, and you flinched but refused to let go.

"She is a crazy person," a male voice interrupted your moment, and you opened your eyes to find two hulking figures leaning against the wall behind Bernadette. The brunette smirked at you--or maybe Bernadette--as the blonde seemed preoccupied with scanning the hallway.

"Fuck you, Bucky," Bernadette lifted her middle finger for him to see without releasing you from the hug.

Bucky just laughed in response. "I suggested texting you that we were on your way, but she thought you'd enjoy the surprise." His eyes glimmered with amusement as your eyes rolled on their own accord.

"And you did, right?" Bernadette asked, pulling back enough to look at you eagerly.

"Maybe we should get out of the hallway," the blonde suggested, putting a stop to the bickering and saving you from having to pick sides.

"Yes!" Bernadette's attention shifted as she released you from the hug. "Let's see it!"

Your stomach constricted. "It's pretty rough."

"Of course it is. You just got here like thirty minutes ago," she dismissed, pushing past you. You sighed, opening the door and letting the men enter.

“Hi Y/N. Sorry we didn't text,” the blonde greeted, giving you a quick hug on his way in.

“It's fine, Steve,” you patted his back before dropping back down onto your feet.

“Your Honor,” Bucky grinned, entering the apartment.

“Your Bestness.” You smiled back, following him in and closing the door behind you to keep anyone else from seeing the depressing state of your new reality.

The three quickly fanned out to survey your apartment.

"This is a .....nice place," Bernadette smiled too brightly as she circled a pile of boxes in the kitchen to flip on the tap water. You watched as it sputtered a few times before picking up into a yellow-ish stream. She quickly flipped it off, turning to face you and see if you had seen. Making eye contact, she shrugged. "That clears up."

Bless her. She had to be the best friend to ever exist. Because if you were her, you totally would have hit her with an 'I told you so' by now.

Bernadette had warned you that an affordable single apartment was suspicious. That sometimes landlords blurred the neighborhood lines. That you may need to fix it up in order for it to even be considered a fixer-upper. Everything she warned you about was true.

You had thought you were going to Williamsburg. Instead you were in Bed-Stuy.

The picture on the listing must have been from like 10 years ago. Or maybe it was a neighbor's place. Or straight photoshopped. Because exposed brick was one thing but crumbling walls were another.

Add to that the three locks on the door and the fact that you were eight hours away from pretty much everyone you knew and loved, and you were feeling super great about this life decision.

"Does it?" you asked, making your way over to the living room area where about half of the floor seemed to have been ripped up.

"Sure," Bernadette nodded, moving out of the kitchen. "And if it doesn't, that's what Brita is for."

"You locked the truck, right?" Steve asked from where he stood by a window, staring out to the street below.

"Stop, the neighborhood's not that bad," Bernadette waved at Steve. She made a show of rolling her eyes as she moved past you to open the door to your bedroom."You did lock the truck, right?" she paused to whisper in your ear. You hummed a yes and turned to follow her.

The bedroom was less depressing than the rest of the apartment in the way Mount Everest was less dangerous than K2. It was still a fucking mountain.

"Interesting paint job," Bernadette remarked, staring at the wall which was half royal blue and half blood red. And not even artsy diagonal halves. No, of course not. Vertical halves. "I think I've seen something like this on Pinterest."

You groaned.

Bernadette tilted her head slightly, considering the room. "I think you probably have enough room to fit a twin and a dresser in here if you line them up against the wall."

"It's terrible," you whined. "The whole place is a complete shithole."

Bernadette gave you a sad smile. "It's better than I thought it would be," she brushed past you, walking back into the living room.

"There's a random hole in the kitchen ceiling!" You flung an arm out gesturing vaguely towards the kitchen.

"It could have been way worse. I was expecting it to be like a fourth of the size or for there to be a random dude you had to share it with. And anyway, Bucky's handy."

Your eyes flicked to Bucky, who was surveying the hole in the kitchen ceiling.

"You can't see into the apartment upstairs, so that's good," he commented and Steve snorted. Bernadette slipped off her shoe and chucked it at Bucky. He ducked, and it hit the wall of the kitchen, knocking loose part of the wall.

Whatever.

Bernadette winced. "Sorry," she apologized to you, meekly, shuffling across the apartment to retrieve the shoe from Bucky's outstretched hand. Taking the shoe, she whacked him in the arm with it. Bucky laughed again, making eye contact with you and shaking his head. You allowed a single exhale of amusement to escape you. But that was pretty much all the humor you had to spend on the situation.

"Do you have the keys to the truck?" Steve asked, and you nodded, patting your pockets before finding them and offering the small keychain to him. "Alright, Buck," he nodded with his head towards the door, and Bucky moved around Bernadette, giving her a wide berth as he went to follow Steve.

She started to follow when Steve stopped her.

"We got it. It's just the heavy stuff, right?" he asked you.

You nodded. "Yeah, I got most of the boxes up before you came."

"Are you saying we can't handle the heavy stuff? Did I secretly marry a misogynist?" Bernadette asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Steve shook his head, smiling. "We need someone to watch the stuff up here since the door's going to be open."

"Steve--" Bernadette started to protest again. You weren't sure if she was about to argue about her physical prowess or the apartment's safety, but regardless of the argument this eternal optimist wanted to make, you were fairly sure Steve was right.

"That'd be great, you can help me figure out where to put things as we unpack."

Bernie brightened at the prospect. "I'm glad you said that, because I already have some ideas." She turned back to face Bucky and Steve.

"Bucky, make sure he doesn't overexert himself. I need him fully functional tonight." You hoped that everyone mixed the grimace that crossed your face. Steve blushed slightly, and leaned down to whisper something in Bernie's ear. A grin spread across her face, and you were very thankful Steve was not one of those people who couldn't whisper.

"Ah newlyweds," Bucky made eye contact with you again, and you couldn't read the look on his face. He seemed almost like he was waiting for you to get the punchline of a joke. Maybe if your brain was operating at all correctly, you would have gotten it. Instead, you snorted before turning to Bernadette.

"Kitchen should be easiest and least in the way, right?"

"As long as we get it done in time for Bucky to take a look at the ceiling. And the bit of wall he knocked off."

You knew Bernadette well enough to see the red herring for what it was. You were not going to get distracted with holding her accountable for further destroying your shitty apartment.

"I'm not going to ask Bucky to fix my ceiling," you said, gathering the utensils out of the box and sticking them in a drawer by the stove.

"It's not a big deal--" Bernie dismissed, crossing paths with you to take the utensils and stick them in one of the mason jars you'd already unpacked.

You shook your head, "It's weird to ask one of your friends to fix my ceiling--"

"He's your friend too," Bernadette argued, taking the napkins out of your hands and disappearing with them.

"I've met him twice."

Bernadette came back and rustled through the open boxes, the sound of glass clinking and metal shifting against each other in her wake."Yes, but the second time you spent four days practically attached to the hip with him."

"Because he was the best man, and I was the maid of honor. It was our job to be attached at the hip and make sure everything went well."

"Was creating cute little nicknames part of the job as well?" Bernadette asked, pausing to pin you with a look.

"It's just an inside joke, and they're not that cute."

"Oh, they're pretty cute," Bernie smirked, bending back down to go through a box. "Where did you put your dish towels?"

You stood up from your box, coming over to join her in looking through the box. "I mean he calls you Bernie."

"Everyone calls me Bernie now," Bernadette dismissed. "Besides he has two nicknames for you."

"K is not a nickname. It's a taunt."

"You mean flirtatious teasing."

"I mean a jab at how I'm a shit texter."

Bernadette looked you dead in the eyes before shooting you what was probably supposed to be a sultry wink. " 'k."

You threw the dish towels you'd just dislodged at her and she laughed, picking them back up from where they fell in the box, and moving over to the open drawer. "Setting aside the two nicknames and their quality, he volunteered to come help you. I don't think he'd mind taking a look."

"Maybe," you conceded, knowing Bernadette wouldn't stop until she'd had some measure of success. It's what had to make her such a good law student. You had given in enough times on the promise of maybe that with a glint in her eye she dropped the subject.

It took Bucky and Steve a little over an hour to unload all of your things from the truck. It was another forty-five minutes of Bernadette reimagining the floor plan and forcing the four of you to continuously shuffle the furniture around before she was satisfied. When all was said and done, the apartment did look marginally better. At least some of the punched in outlets were hidden and the worst of the floor was covered.

"Well," Bernadette said, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "That's it. You're officially a New Yorker."

"And you can officially stop sending me those sketchy Craigslit ads and Monster listings," you nodded, placing your hands on your hips and surveying the apartment.

"Neither of you are New Yorkers," Bucky shook his head, navigating the words around a hair-tie as he fixed his bun. Bernadette turned to glare at him, and he laughed, slipping the hair-tie around the bundle of hair.

"You married in. Doesn't count."

"Excuse you, I’m fluent in Subway Announcement and I’ve had a rat steal some of my food. If that doesn’t make me a New Yorker then I don’t know what does,” Bernadette huffed.

"You're a New Yorker," Steve soothed, putting an arm around her, and kissing the top of her head.

"Well," you sighed, hoping to stop another bantering fight from breaking out between Bucky and Bernadette. "I need pizza. And beer. And to get out of this apartment. Anyone else?"

"Oh," Bernadette's face fell as she glanced quickly up at Steve and then at you. "I wish we could, but Steve and I have reservations. I wasn't even thinking when we made them, and it's such a long wait list…" she trailed off, frowning sympathetically "I'm so sorry, babe."

"I'm free," Bucky offered. "And I actually know a decent place that's not too far from here. Since I'm a real New Yorker." The jab effectively stopped the sly grin that was growing on Bernadette's face.

"I--"

"What line did we take to get here?" Bucky asked, and Bernadette sulked. "It just slipped out."

"It's a tourist mistake," Bucky shook his head, tsking. "The green line."

"Well," Bernadette hmphed, "Steve and I are going to take the G train back home to get ready for dinner." She moved over to you, placing a kiss on your cheek. "I will see you for lunch sometime soon because we can do that now that we live in the same city!"

You smiled, and reached up to hug Steve as he bent down to say goodbye.

"Bucky, please do not take my best friend to any godforsaken hole in the wall back alley pizza joint that's definitely just a front. I don't care how good their pizza is," Bernadette cut off his protest and he smiled, shaking his head.

"You're missing out on all of the best food."

"Ok," Bernadette dismissed, her disbelief dripping from each syllable. She took Steve by the hand, and you and Bucky walked them to the door. "Love you both." And with that, Bernadette and Steve were gone, leaving you alone in your apartment with Bucky.

He sighed, running a hand through the roots of his hair, despite the fact that it messed up his perfectly done man bun.

"You don't have to get pizza with me," you said, flashing a quick smile at him.

"Trying to get rid of me?" Bucky asked, looking down at you amused.

You shook your head, turning away from him quickly to try to locate your purse amongst the boxes. "No, I just--didn't want you to just come along to be nice. Or because you felt bad that Bernadette ditched so I'm all alone."

"How could I feel bad when you put it like that?"

"I didn't mean it like--" you started, stuttering and Bucky stopped you, coming up beside you with your purse hanging from his finger.

"I know. Just rest assured that I'm happy to put up with you for pizza."

You snatched the purse from him, slinging it across your body as Bucky laughed at you. "Ready?"

You nodded and the two of you headed out the door.

For all of the inconveniences and tragedies that had befallen you today, the walk to the pizza place was not one of them. In fact, second to seeing Bernadette at your door, it was probably the best part of the entire day. The walk was short, and the September evening air was pleasantly warm. With Bucky and his MMA fighter build next to you, navigating through the neighborhood didn't wrack your nerves as much as it could have. Although, it might not have been Bucky's muscles as much as his easy conversation that provided the comfort. He told you about his job, where to find the best bodegas, and one embarrassing story of Steve growing up. By the time you arrived at Tony's Pizza Spot, you had almost forgotten about how awful your day was.

"Hey Tony," Bucky called out, entering the place, and the owner looked up from where he was cutting a pizza. He jerked his head up in a nod. It was a small wood paneled shop with no tables or counters to sit at. Instead, there was one large display case with different meats and breads. You looked up at the simple menu, and Bucky stood closely next to you despite the fact that you had a feeling he didn't need to look at the offerings.

"Pepperoni and sausage ok?" Bucky asked, and you nodded, scanning the drink refrigerators for any sight of beer. "And for your milkshake?"

You raised your eyebrows at him. "I'm getting a milkshake?"

"You are," he nodded.

"Well," you looked up at the board. "Cherry vanilla."

"Excellent choice," Bucky smiled, approaching the counter as Tony tied off the pizza box with twine and then approached.

"What can I getcha?" he asked his eyes flicking between you and Bucky.

Bucky placed the order quickly, and Tony nodded, quickly tallying it up on the register. You reached into your purse for your wallet, but Bucky waved you off. "I got this."

"Pretty sure it's customary for the person who just subjected you to two hours of moving stuff to pay for the pizza. "

"Nah," Bucky shook his head, already handing the cash over to Tony."Think of it as a housewarming gift."

"Just moved to the neighborhood?" Tony asked, passing back Bucky his change, and you nodded. "Welcome."

"She's right down the street," Bucky said, dumping the change into the tip jar and stuffing the bills back into his pocket. "Figured I'd show her the best pizza spot in town."

"Damn right," Tony grinned, moving away to grab out an already prepped cheese pizza.. "How's Clint doin'? Didn't see him last week."

Bucky shook his head. "Broke his wrist last week, so Kate's placed him under house arrest to make sure he doesn't make it worse like last time. I'm guessing one of them will be in soon."

Tony had the same look of exasperation as Bucky as he ladeled sauce onto the pizza. "It's always something with him. Broken bones. Concussion. That boy's a walking accident."

You sorted through your memories trying to remember if you had met Clint at the wedding or either of the times you had been up to visit Bernadette at school. The name sounded familiar enough, but you couldn't picture the face. If Bernadette was here she could jog your memory. She'd remind you who Clint was give you a few facts about his life and a quick story so you felt like you knew him already. But she wasn't here. She was off being married, and you were in this tiny pizza shop with a boy you hardly knew who was doing his best to keep you company.

"You ok?" Bucky bumped shoulders with you. You hadn't realized their conversation ended and Tony had moved away to make the milkshakes.

"Yeah, I'm fine," you shook your head trying to clear your thoughts.

Bucky shot you a very disbelieving look. "I can't tell if you're a bad liar or just too tired to try to be good at it."

Your shoulders dropped. Frankly, it was both. "It's nothing...it's stupid," you dismissed.

"Bummed you're stuck here with me instead of Bernie?" Bucky guessed. Very correctly.

"No," you sighed. "I just wish she was here too."

"Yeah, I get it," Bucky nodded, facing back forward to watch Tony making the milkshakes.

You felt bad. After all, Bucky had volunteered to give up his Monday evening to helping you move in. He probably had a whole list of things he'd rather do after work than lug a bookshelf up your stairs, but he'd done it, hadn't complained, and then treated you to pizza. And here you were wishing he was Bernadette.

"It was kind of rude of your best friend to steal my best friend," you commented with a half smile.

Bucky snorted. "Sorry, your honor, but your best friend stole my best friend."

"What?"

Bucky looked back down at you. "You weren't there. He was gone long before she was. Pretty much the second he met her it was over for him."

"What, and you were there the second they met?" you sassed back, placing your hands on your hips.

"Actually, yes," Bucky said, reaching forward to grab a milkshake Tony placed up on the counter. He peered into the top of the cup and passed it over to you. "Steve volunteered both of our services to move in Bernie's stuff."

"I didn't realize you were there," you said, accepting the dessert from Bucky. "She only ever mentioned Steve."

"Maybe he did steal her away fairly instantly then." Bucky shrugged. "Anyway, you realize there's only one solution to our problem, right?"

You gave him a flat look. "I'm not going to kill them."

"Holy shit, no," Bucky laughed. "That's where you went first?" Your face heated up, and you quickly busied yourself with a sip of the milkshake which was very good. Better than alcohol good. "And?" Bucky asked.

"It's delicious," you said, returning for another sip before looking back at him. "But what's the solution?"

"We'll be best friends."

"You want to be my best friend?" you asked, with a small smile.

"More like I want you to be my best friend," Bucky said. "Steve's been doing a shit job recently, and you moved all the way from North Carolina to be with Bernie--I like that kind of effort."

You laughed, and Bucky grinned back, taking his milkshake from off the counter.

"Alright," you agreed, feeling a little bit lighter. "I'm not replacing Bernadette though. You'll just have to be the substitute for when she's not up to par."

"I can work with that," Bucky nodded. "And as my first act as your substitute best friend is to demand to throw you a housewarming party. Don't make plans for next Saturday."

The smile slid off of your face. "No, thank you. I don't want anyone walking into my trap house apartment."

"Your apartment is not that bad."

"Bucky. It's terrible."

"Your Honor, Steve and I shared a glorified closet for our entire sophomore year of college. We couldn't both stand in our kitchen." Bucky leveled you a glance. "And our friends still came over to visit us."

You mulled it over, stirring your milkshake with the straw. It wasn't a terrible idea. It was bad,, uncomfortable, ill-thought out, and overall not good, but it wasn't terrible. You nodded. "Alright, Your Bestness. Saturday."

"Excellent," Bucky grinned, grabbing the box Tony slid across the counter. "We'll discuss details over pizza."

Masterlist

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x you #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes au #mcu fic #modern!au #marvel fic #marvel imagine #best of friends #bucky fic

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talesofpanem · 5 years

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Tattoo Fixers : Panem

Author: @thegirlfromoverthepond

Rating: T

Summary: Katniss needs someone to fix a bad tattoo.

AN: Deepest, deepest thanks to the amazing @xerxia31 who beta-ed this piece.

Even though I liked the prompt, it took me times to find the idea for this story - until I watched my TV, which prompted an episode of Tattoo Fixers - London. Maybe some of you from the EuroClub know about it ? Anyways, here is my take at this week’s prompt.

Hope you have fun.

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She would be fascinated by the ballet of assistants running around the shop if she wasn��t embarrassed to be sitting there, being prepped by a team of make-up artists and a hairdresser.

Just looking at the people putting mascara on her eyebrows or trying to tame her hair was a spectacle in itself, with their tattoos poking out from under every bit of clothing, along with piercings or blue hair.

Katniss felt utterly out of place, waiting for her turn to appear on a television show she didn’t even want to go on. Alas, it was the only free way to fix something she had regretted since she had woken up after a particularly drunken night with her cousin Gale.

It was all Gale’s fault. It had been the day of her father’ funeral, the day after Gale buried his own. After the ceremony, after everyone had gone home, Gale had taken Katniss out. She hadn’t asked, just silently nodded when he had grabbed the keys of his father’s old pickup, heading out to their favorite spot in town, to get drunk.

In the hopes they could forget the void left by their fathers.

They had spent hours in that bar, drinking until they couldn’t drink anymore, until everything faded into blackness. The next morning, however, they’d woken up together in the bed of the pickup truck, each sporting the mother of all hangovers and a lovely souvenir of their evening

Apparently, they had somehow found their way to a tattoo parlor.

Since that night, Gale had sported a wonderful peacock on his biceps, which he still found funny all these years later.

Katniss wasn’t as lucky. She all but hated the cartoonish, badly drawn bow and arrow on the inside of her forearm. The only good thing about it was its size - tiny, so a wristband could cover it easily. She took to wearing one everyday. Solid. In leather.

Arrow. Her father’s name, had been inked forever on her arm. She would have loved it if she had been able to choose the drawing properly, instead of having been branded with a cupid-ike tattoo design.

Hence her presence on the set of Tattoo Fixers, a reality show where talented tattoo artists helped people cover up their tattoo disasters with gorgeous works of inked art.

Removing the tattoo was way too expensive for her bank account. But Prim had convinced her to share her story with all the whole country, risking the humiliation of being branded as a drunk crazy woman on cable TV.

Wonderful.

“Katniss? You’re on in five,” a young assistant told her, making the team of preppers buzz around her like there was a breach in a beehive. One man, Flavius she thought his name was, because why not, was complaining about the state of her nails, how chipped they were, how he couldn’t do miracles, how he couldn’t find time to fit in a manicure in the remaining five minutes.

“I’m a botanist. It would be destroyed by tomorrow anyway.” She shrugged the thought away, almost taking pleasure in the disgusted look on his face. Take that, Flavius.

When the assistant came back, all smiles and happy mood, Katniss followed her out of the parlor and onto the street. Just like any other participant, she would have to walk to the shop, entering as if she was a totally random client.

Bull.Shit.

The only random part was which tattoo artist she would choose. At least she would be surprised by their drawings.

This was staged TV, reality-TV. She usually couldn’t stand it.

She sighed, taking her place ion the street.

“Remember, start walking when the director shouts ‘Action!’”

Katniss resisted the temptation to roll her eyes.

She started walking as casually as possible when she was told to, entering the shop as naturally as she could manage, trying to avoid laughing at the host’s attire of the day. Nobody ever bothered telling Caesar Flickerman that he might be colorblind. Today, he was mixing a flashy orange shirt with beautiful purple bermuda shorts. No doubt the episode would air in summer.

“Here is our next client!” Caesar sounded a little too enthusiastic at her entrance into the parlor. “What’s your name, darling?” He took her hand, helping her sit on the couch facing the one where the three tattoo artists were sitting.

She took a deep breath before answering, hoping her voice didn’t falter.

As she explained why she was there, Katniss took a good look at the three people in front of her, mentally thanking Prim for the briefing she’d given Katniss before she left that morning.

There was the woman, Jo, whose body was almost fully covered in tattoos and piercings. Only her face remained pristine, making her red hair stand out. She was sitting next to Finnick, who as the star tattooist of the program was sitting between his two colleagues. Finnick’s body was a work of art. Prim had swooned over it for much too long when she had briefed her sister, showing Katniss pictures of the man who appeared to live his life shirtless. Katniss had then been privy to the numerous tattoos that adorned his back, a chinese setting, dragon included.

She had seen several shots of him, of his so perfect body that made women of all ages swoon over him. Of course, Katniss was well aware of the dispatch of muscles, the Greek-god physique Finnick had, and fully expecting to be struck with lust as soon as she laid eyes on him in person. Yet nothing happened.

Nothing. At. All.

She was much more intrigued by the third tattooist, sitting next to Finnick. If Jo was a picture of the bad girl, Finnick the perfection, this third person was something else. He screamed “normal”, standing out from the two others, in Katniss’ opinion. Maybe it was because she couldn’t see a single tattoo on him, not even the required tribal band around his biceps.

There was something about his blue eyes, about his messy blond air that made her look at him more than the two others. Something that attracted her.

“This is Peeta, but we call him Peet. He’s the newcomer as Cato decided he needed a year off,” Finnick said and Peeta smiled. “So, how do you want us to cover the tattoo? Any specific request?”

“Well, nothing arrow-esque, or cupid-like. I’d like something that’s more inspired by nature,” she said. She just wanted the stupid bow and arrow to be covered.

Both Finnick and Jo grabbed their sketchbooks and started to draw. But she could feel Peeta’s eyes on her, lingering for a few seconds before he in turn, dived in.

“Well, tell us about you, Kathy?” Caesar said,making idle conversation to allow the tattooists time to finish their drawings.

“It’s Katniss, actually. Nothing thrilling, I’m a botanist and I live with my sister, Primrose.”

“Oh, that’s nice, she’s named for a flower!”

Katniss couldn’t help rolling her eyes. She knew this part would be cut because nobody really cared about the chit chat between a host and someone they would forget as soon as she left the office.

“Just like I am, it’s kind of a family tradition.”

“And you’re a florist! Isn’t it amazing.”

“I’m a botanist, but not far away.”

She was already over her talk with the host. A talk she was quite sure only lasted a few minutes, still felt like two long days.

“We’re ready, Kitty Kat. Here’s my drawing.” Jo handed over her sketchbook, on which a beautiful cat was displayed. With red fun, he would have been a striking copy of her sister’s cat, Buttercup, aka the bane of her existence. “You strike me as independent and very focused, hence, the cat.”

“It’s beautiful, Jo, thank you,” Katniss said, as she took in the beautiful shape of the cat’s ear, the detailed eyes. The woman had talent.

“I went for something more… natural,” Finnick said. “ I hope you like it!” He handed her his sketchbook, then leaned back on the couch, taking a sugarcube out of his pocket before popping it in his mouth.

On the page in front of her was a display of gorgeous intertwining orchid flowers.

“I can do them in different shades, like a watercolor painting, you know?” Finnick added, as Katniss stared in awe.

“It’s lovely, wow, I wasn’t expecting that, Finnick.” Between the two drawings, her choice was made. She wasn’t even sure Peeta would be able to compete.

“She’ll pick mine, guys, I’m ready to bet ten bucks!” Finnick lifted his arms in victory.

“It doesn’t have to be a big one, right?” Katniss asked, hoping his answer would be a no.

“It can be whatever you desire, sweetheart.” Finnick’s voice was sugary, and his green eyes sparkled as he winked at her.

Which made Katniss roll her eyes.

“Well, Finnick, this one’s immune to your charms.” Peeta’s voice, amused, chimed in. “Katniss, here is my take for your tattoo.”

She put down Finnick’s sketchbook to take Peeta’s. There were no words to describe her feelings when she looked down at the drawing on the paper. She had expected something somewhere between Jo and Finnick’s like an animal in nature, or just a drawing of a beach, absolutely not what she had before her eyes.

Peeta had drawn a wave.

A single, simple wave.

Yet, the closer she looked, the more details she could see. The wave was made entirely of flowers.

Primroses and katniss were braided together with such precision, with such attention, it was mesmerizing.

From two feet away the drawing looked like a wave.

But to her, for the closer her eyes got, it was a flower wall.

She opened her mouth to talk, to express how incredible she found the drawing.

No words came out.

She had to take a deep breath before gathering her thoughts before she was able to talk again.

“This. This is what I want.”

“Shall we go, then?” Peeta asked, rising from the couch.

She nodded her agreement before following him to the back.

She was glad the cameras didn’t filming the whole process. They were busy filming other segments with other “clients”.

“What prompted you to draw this? I mean I had no idea that was what I wanted until you showed me…” she asked.

“Your talk with Caesar. You told him you were a botanist, that it was a tradition to have flower names in your family. So I checked what Katniss was. It came up with sagit-something…”

“Sagittaria sagittifolia.,” she said under her breath.

He laughed, as he charged his machine with ink.

“Yes, that. You said you live with your sister, and I remembered you told us you got this awful thing after a funeral so I added one and one… You must have a pretty close relationship with your sister.”

“Yeah, we do …..” She was watching him come closer with his machine. She had a question, though. “How do I know you can tattoo? I mean, you don’t even have any of your own?”

“I do have one tattoo, but it’s hidden. I’m not as extrovert as Finn and Jo.”

“I noticed.. Could I see it ?”

“Well, it would involve you seeing me at least half naked… “

She blushed. “Oh, my, sorry…”

“No need to apologize. I did Finn’s dragon, and can show you pictures of previous works I’ve done, if you need references …. “

“It’s okay, I trust you.”

He smiled, a gentle, kind, warm smile at her words.

As soon as he started working on her forearm the cameras returned. He explained the steps he was taking, using the shape of the bow for the wave, the body of the arrow to line up the braids of flowers.

“It’s done. You can look.” His voice took her by surprise. She looked down, finding herself at a loss for words, again.

There was no way she would hide this one under a wristband.

After the mandatory shots for the TV, Peeta was wrapping her arm in cello, when he asked.

“I kinda won twenty bucks earlier, thanks to you. Want to share it with a tea?”

“No,” she answered. As his face fell, she added, “But I’d love a hot chocolate with whipped cream, if you know a place.”

He knew a place.

(Turned out he had a tree of life tattoo along his ribcage. She could spend hours tracing it with her fingers. Or her tongue.)

#tales of panem #talesofpanem #week 7 #wave #thegirlfromoverthepond #submission

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chocdono · 7 years

Text

5 Must Read Tips Before Remodeling Your Kitchen + 3 Modern Kitchen Combos

Hi Everyone, this is Kristin from Postbox Designs and today I’m all about choices.

I love choices so much, today I designed for the Remodelaholic readers three different combinations for designing a Modern Kitchen. Pick any combo or mix and match for your own look! But before we jump into the pretty details, let’s talk kitchen design blunders. Kitchen remodels can be expensive, so read on to get to most bang for your buck.

I’ve been a kitchen designer for over a decade and had the privilege of designing high-end custom spaces. But after designing six-figure kitchens, I have learned tricks that will make your dollar stretch, AND will keep you from learning some expensive lessons. While your budget (or mine!) might not be limitless, here are some take-ways I have learned over the years.

Must-Read Modern Kitchen Remodel Tips

TIP #1: Go classic with the “big items”.

Cabinets and counter tops are difficult and expensive to upgrade, so go more neutral with those. I love trendy looks as much as the next person. But bold colors, or trends such as painting your lower and upper cabinets different colors will not last forever. These white tops and white cabinets will outlive the trendier gold accents:

SF Girl By Bay

TIP #2: Lighting is a focal point, so make a statement here!

Use sparingly and with high impact. When you use “accent” lighting (think pendants, chandeliers, etc.) it is usually one of the first things that catch our eye since they tend to be at our line of sight. Take advantage of this and go bold here. And this is an easy item to swap out down the line.

Beacon Lighting

TIP #3: Don’t overspend on cabinet hardware.

There are so many amazing sources for easy-on-the-wallet hardware, that you don’t have to spend a fortune here. Start with places like Home Depot, Amazon, and Wayfair. Unless you have a small kitchen, this is a place where costs can add up fast. If you fall in love with an uber expensive pull, try it on an island or a specialty cabinet, like a pantry.

Thompson Remodeling

TIP #4: Pick one place to go bold, and let the rest of the space support it.

This would be your “splurge” factor and you can be free to choose less expensive items other places. If you have multiple over-the-top pieces, they can get lost in a crowd. If you have a tight budget, choose one place to make a statement and THAT is what people will remember. I recommend either doing it with lighting, or with an amazing, to-die for-backsplash. Going into a tile store is like being a kid in a candy store for me. There are millions of options, so it seems a shame to play it safe here when you can choose something dreamy. The tile on this kitchen is what everyone is going to remember:

via Decoist

TIP #5: Molding makes everything look more high end!

Molding is an inexpensive material, but if can work miracles when you apply it to your kitchen. Take builder basic cabinets, and add crown and valence molding (molding that goes under your wall cabinets) and they will look high-end in an instant. If you have a more traditional space, adding details such as bun feet, corbels, and furniture toe kicks can cost as little as $10 a piece but give a high-end custom look.

House & Home

Modern Kitchen Finishes

Feeling Inspired? So here is the Custom Mood Board I created for y’all! Here are 3 Modern Inspired Kitchen Combos I designed JUST FOR YOU….choose a combination or, mix and match. Go crazy!

Love It? Want It? Can’t Live Without It?

Simply click on the below links and it will take you right to the beauty you have your eye on!

Kitchen Combo One: Pendant Faucet Counter Paint Hardware Backsplash Tile

Kitchen Combo Two: Pendant Faucet Counter Paint Hardware Backsplash Tile

Kitchen Combo Three: Pendant Faucet Counter Paint Hardware Backsplash Tile

But…what if your budget is even smaller?

A Full Kitchen Remodel Isn’t in the Budget This Year. What Can I Do With $1,000?

Okay, I know a full tear-out kitchen remodel isn’t in everyone’s budget. Or maybe you like the shape of your cabinets and dig your layout: there is no reason to start from scratch. A few small updates will take your kitchen to the next level with a fraction of the cost. I remodeled my own kitchen for $1000 myself, check out the details HERE (and all ten budget savings ideas-such as creating a faux hood for just $100).

Steps to a $1000 Modern Kitchen Remodel

UPGRADE #1: Take your existing cabinets and paint over them.

I love a classic white, but a warm gray or deep navy are other classic combinations. Need some help painting? Check out this fantastic step-by-step tutorial HERE!

Mimosa Lane

UPGRADE #2: While you are at it, change out the hardware.

This could be the simplest step (no power tools needed!) for a huge impact. If you have exposed hinges, you can replace them or simply spray paint them to match your new hardware. If you want to be on trend, try a warm metal like gold or brass (it is an inexpensive item to change out later down the road).

Coffee & Pine

UPGRADE #3: Replace (or add) a new light fixture.

Over the sink, an island, or eat-in area is the perfect spot. An electrician can add one in for usually under $200 and it can be a huge statement piece.

Michelle Bask Interiors

UPGRADE #4: Pick your tile.

White subway tile is a classic yet modern choice, but I’m in love with this herringbone (Combo 1) or the faux wood geometric tile (Combo 2). Tile is the place to take a chance and do something a little more bold. It’s like adding red lipstick to an outfit. Plus, it can be a completely DIY task that can save the big bucks. Here is a great tutorial to get you started HERE!

UPGRADE #5: Get a new faucet.

Finally, even if you can’t change out your counter tops, a new faucet can be an easy fix. If you have a limited budget, I would suggest keeping your sink and swapping out for a newer faucet. Everyone tends to look past the sink, so spend your money where it shows. Just be sure to choose the same hole drilling style as your existing faucet. Fall in love with something different? With most faucets you can order an “escutcheon plate” which covers all of the holes of your sink. It’s not as streamlined of a look, but it’s a good band-aid solution until you replace your counter tops/sink down the line.

Have a Little Extra in Your Budget?

If it is in the budget, replacing counter tops can make a kitchen look brand new. Combos 2 and 3 are from Home Depot, which means you can get a high end look for a fraction of the cost. Plus, they are still custom measured and installed, just like the pricier companies!

I hope these ideas inspired you to make your kitchen a bit more beautiful today! But the fun doesn’t have to stop here! I love sharing free design tips, peeks into real projects, and giveaways over on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM. Plus find all of these kitchens and oodles more inspiration over on PINTEREST!

Cheers,

Kristin

More kitchen design inspiration:

Whitney’s Dated to Open and Amazing Kitchen Renovation

Charming Vintage Kitchen Style

Mint and Copper Kitchen

Get This Look: Fixer Upper “Cargo Ship House” Kitchen

The post 5 Must Read Tips Before Remodeling Your Kitchen + 3 Modern Kitchen Combos appeared first on Remodelaholic.

from mix1 http://ift.tt/2jBjKJl via with this info

#mix1

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sherlocklexa · 7 years

Text

5 Must Read Tips Before Remodeling Your Kitchen + 3 Modern Kitchen Combos

Hi Everyone, this is Kristin from Postbox Designs and today I’m all about choices.

Must-Read Modern Kitchen Remodel Tips

TIP #1: Go classic with the “big items”.

SF Girl By Bay

TIP #2: Lighting is a focal point, so make a statement here!

Beacon Lighting

TIP #3: Don’t overspend on cabinet hardware.

Thompson Remodeling

TIP #4: Pick one place to go bold, and let the rest of the space support it.

via Decoist

TIP #5: Molding makes everything look more high end!

House & Home

Modern Kitchen Finishes

Feeling Inspired? So here is the Custom Mood Board I created for y’all! Here are 3 Modern Inspired Kitchen Combos I designed JUST FOR YOU….choose a combination or, mix and match. Go crazy!

Love It? Want It? Can’t Live Without It?

Simply click on the below links and it will take you right to the beauty you have your eye on!

Kitchen Combo One: Pendant Faucet Counter Paint Hardware Backsplash Tile

Kitchen Combo Two: Pendant Faucet Counter Paint Hardware Backsplash Tile

Kitchen Combo Three: Pendant Faucet Counter Paint Hardware Backsplash Tile

But…what if your budget is even smaller?

A Full Kitchen Remodel Isn’t in the Budget This Year. What Can I Do With $1,000?

Steps to a $1000 Modern Kitchen Remodel

UPGRADE #1: Take your existing cabinets and paint over them.

I love a classic white, but a warm gray or deep navy are other classic combinations. Need some help painting? Check out this fantastic step-by-step tutorial HERE!

Mimosa Lane

UPGRADE #2: While you are at it, change out the hardware.

Coffee & Pine

UPGRADE #3: Replace (or add) a new light fixture.

Over the sink, an island, or eat-in area is the perfect spot. An electrician can add one in for usually under $200 and it can be a huge statement piece.

Michelle Bask Interiors

UPGRADE #4: Pick your tile.

UPGRADE #5: Get a new faucet.

Have a Little Extra in Your Budget?

Cheers,

Kristin

More kitchen design inspiration:

Whitney’s Dated to Open and Amazing Kitchen Renovation

Charming Vintage Kitchen Style

Mint and Copper Kitchen

Get This Look: Fixer Upper “Cargo Ship House” Kitchen

The post 5 Must Read Tips Before Remodeling Your Kitchen + 3 Modern Kitchen Combos appeared first on Remodelaholic.

from car2 http://ift.tt/2jBjKJl via as shown a lot

#car2

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