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“What flowers did Y/L/N bring you today?”
“Don’t know or care.”
Kaminari snorted and Kirishima laughed disbelievingly from his seat against the foot of the bed. The three were in Bakugou’s room on a Friday night after class, and for the entirety of their walk to the dorms, he wouldn’t stop muttering curse words under his breath with the bouquet of flowers you made for him clutched between his hands.
“Right, you don’t care…” drawled Denki. “Which is why you’re putting the flowers she gave you in a vase right next to your bed?”
“Well, what the fuck else am I supposed to do with them?” he fumed, gently arranging the bundles of lilacs despite the deep scowl etched onto his face.
“I don’t know. Maybe toss them on your desk and call it a day? They’d wither up eventually, but you know Y/L/N could just produce some more to replace them.”
Bakugou glared at his dumbass of a friend. Toss them on his desk? Didn’t he know how cluttered and disorganized that would look? (Or how Katsuki would rather chew through glass than place the flowers you gave him in anything less than a clean vase? Not that he’d ever admit that to anyone…)
“I just put them in a stupid jar I found lying around– It’s not that deep, dumbass,” he scoffed.
Kaminari raised a brow as a cocky little grin formed on his face. “Sure.”
“Hey!” Kirishima popped in before Bakugou could send Sparky flying off the edge of his bed. “No matter the reason, I think it’s cool you keep Y/L/N’s flowers.”
Bakugou narrowed his eyes dubiously.
“You do?” voiced Denki.
He nodded. “It’s kind of manly when you think about it. Bakugou keeping the bouquets and learning the meanings of each flower just for Y/N–”
“I don’t learn their fucking meanings, dumbass!”
“Is that right?” Eijirou asked challengingly. “What do peonies stand for?”
Katsuki made an indignant noise. “Hell if I know.”
Kaminari raised his hand with an excited look. “I know! I know! It represents how much she wants you to smash the living daylights–”
“Watch your fucking mouth!” he hissed, hurling a pencil at him with full force, only for it to be stopped in the nick of time by Shitty Hair’s quirk. Bakugou glowered. “I’ve already told you before peonies symbolize a bashful yet compassionate love. Or can your two and a half brain cells not recall?”
His two friends–if they should even have the privilege of being called that–exchanged glances that made Bakugou want to kick them both out of his dorm room. Who the fuck let them come over in the first place?
A grin spread on Eijirou’s face, showing off his sharp teeth. “So she gave you the peonies to tell you she loves you but is too shy to say so herself?”
Katsuki’s face burned. “No! What the hell–?”
“Or maybe she’s saying she knows you love her but you’re too much of a pussy to say anything?” suggested Denki.
“First of all, fuck you. And that’s not it either, you dumbass!”
“Then what else could it mean?” he asked.
“That she liked peonies?” cried Bakugou incredulously. “Why are you asking me?! How should I know?”
Katsuki kept his fists clenched by his sides, seconds away from completely losing his temper at the two idiots in front of him.
Kirishima raised a brow. “You’re telling me you don’t care at all about the flowers Y/L/N gives you.”
“Yeah, pretty much,” he lied through his teeth. He hated how he felt an uncomfortable pang in his heart as he said those words.
What the fuck was that? he thought, glaring down at his chest.
“Interesting,” Kirishima mused. “So, if I were to unlock your phone, I wouldn’t find tabs of ‘flower symbolism’ open on your browser?”
Kaminari grinned, looking over at the vase of purple flowers. “He probably searched up ‘the meaning of lavender’ and is currently reading through ten different flower blogs.”
Bakugou’s left eye twitched. “Lilacs.”
“What?”
“They’re lilacs you dumbass! Not lavender. Can’t you tell by the color?”
Denki blinked. “No?”
“Tch. Stupid,” he grumbled, rubbing a petal of the flower between his thumb and forefinger.
Lavender represented serenity and calmness– Dumb shit he didn’t care about. But lilacs were a different story.
Lilacs, specifically the light purple ones you gave him, symbolized first love. Love, happiness, passion… All those things reminded him of you. It was a thought so gentle it brought a strange feeling to his stomach, but he couldn’t say he hated it.
Bakugou stiffened. What the fuck was he thinking?
Shaking his head fervently, he forced himself out of his thoughts and turned to his two bumbling friends.
“…what do you think, Bakugou?” he heard Eijirou ask.
He scratched the back of his neck. “Think about what?”
Kirishima glanced at him curiously, noticing the uncharacteristic way Bakugou has been spacing out recently. “I said me, Kaminari, and Sero are going to the comic store tomorrow. You should join us.”
Katsuki internally cursed, knowing what he was about to say would bring along teasing that came with no end.
“I would,” he said carefully, “but I already have plans.”
“Oh, are you going home this weekend?” piped Denki.
“No.”
“Hero training?” asked Eijirou.
“No.”
“Are you banned from leaving campus grounds again–?”
“No!” Bakugou growled, rubbing his temples in slow circles. “For fuck’s safe, you two make my head hurt. I can’t go because I already made plans with someone else.”
Dumbass Number One gave him a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. “Someone else, huh?”
“And who is this someone else?” the blond-haired Dumbass Number Two questioned.
Kirishima nudged him with his elbow, causing Kaminari to nudge him back until the two were on the verge of wrestling on the floor of Bakugou’s dorm room.
Bakugou could only look back and forth between them and sigh. Dumbasses.
“He obviously means Y/L/N,” Eijirou said in a matter-of-fact tone, giving Katsuki a thumbs up. Katsuki responded with an eye roll. “He just didn’t want to say it because he likes to pretend his enormous crush on her isn’t obvious.”
“I don’t have a crush on Y/L/N,” he protested, folding his arms across his chest defensively.
“Right, and who exactly are you hanging out with tomorrow?” asked Denki.
“Listen– Just because I agreed to hang out with her doesn’t mean I like her!”
Kirishima hummed. “Sure. Have fun on your date tomorrow.”
Katsuki fumed. “It’s not a date!”
“Yeah, but you wish it were.”
With a final twitch of his eye and clenching of his jaw, Bakugou marched over to their seats on his floor, fingers flexing as the sweat that popped off his skin mad a sound so menacing his two idiot friends exchanged nervous glances with a visible swallow.
Laughing nervously, Denki shoved Eijirou in front of him for more time and made a dash towards the door.
“Have fun on your date!” Kirishima called, whacking Kaminari in the back of the head as he ran frantically away from a seething Katsuki.
“Use protection!” Denki warned, tripping over the carpet as he rubbed his sore neck, struggling to scurry away before Bakugou could lay hands on him. “Lots of protection!”
“I’LL MURDER YOU. BOTH OF YOU.”
- - - - -
In the end, Bakugou didn’t murder anyone.
If he had, Aizawa probably wouldn’t have let him leave campus grounds and he would’ve missed his not-date with you. (Not that he cared if he saw you or not. He just figured slaughtering the two idiots wouldn’t be worth a week of cleaning duty.)
“Thanks for coming with me, Bakugou-kun,” you thanked once more, picnic basket swinging in hand as you walked beside him.
“Yeah, whatever,” he mumbled, rolling his eyes with a nonchalant shrug. “It’s not like I had anything better to do.”
Just stop fucking talking, you asshole, he scolded, wanting to punch himself in the face.
But his words didn’t seem to phase you in the slightest. You were well aware of his blunt, harsh persona and yet you chose to stick around him anyway.
You laughed, brushing off his dismissive remark with a sideways smiles he couldn’t look away from. “Well, I’m glad you had nothing better to do then.”
“Pfft.”
By the time the two of you arrived at the nearby park, the sun was resting lazily atop the clouds, rays shining through as you found a spot in the shade for the picnic blanket. You finished setting up the food before getting comfortable, offering Bakugou a sandwich as he took a seat next to you.
“Thanks,” he said, awkwardly taking a bite as he tried to think of what to say.
“No problem,” you replied, clearing your throat as the silence settled between you. “Did you like the flowers I gave you yesterday? They’re one of my favorites!”
Bakugou snorted. “You say that about every flower.”
“Because every flower deserves to be loved!”
Although he scoffed externally, on the inside he couldn’t help but feel a begrudging flutter at your words. It just wasn’t possible for someone to have such a kind heart– There must’ve been some catch.
“The lilacs were fine. Thanks,” he mumbled under his breath, uprooting a strand of grass as he rested his palms behind him.
He wasn’t sure why he felt so nervous. Katsuki had hung around you plenty of times, but something about this moment sent his nerves on edge.
You beamed, a smile so bright it was capable of disarming all his defenses. “I’m happy you liked them! And you knew they were lilacs? I’m impressed. Most people would mistake them for lavender.”
Bakugou thought back to his certified dumb blond friend and scoffed at the memory. “Tch. Only idiots would mistake a pale purple lilac for lavender.”
With a teasing giggle at the somber frown on his face, you nodded. “Right. It definitely didn’t take me months to learn the difference, or anything.” You nudged his shoulder with your own at the sight of his wide-eyed expression. “Maybe you’re just a natural-born flower expert.”
He bristled. “Don’t call me that.”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that,” you protested, folding your arms across your chest at his indignant tone. “I think it’s cool. Besides, flowers are amazing!”
“They’re whatever.”
Katsuki shrugged dismissively as he tried to ignore the knowing look on your face.
“Come on, Bakugou-kun. It’s me,” you said, poking his arm with your index finger. (If it were anyone else, he would’ve shoved them off. But since it was you… He sighed.) “You can admit that you like flowers. I won’t judge.”
“Hmph.”
You pouted, lip jutting out in a small frown. “At least tell me what your favorite flower is.”
He thought about it for a while. “I don’t have one.”
“You have to have one!”
“Don’t you have like 50 because you can’t choose just one?!” asked Bakugou incredulously.
“Yes, but… I have one flower that I love slightly more than the rest,” you said conspiratorially, tapping the bottom of your chin.
Crawling over to the edge of the picnic blanket, you held your hands about the fertile soil and sprouted bundles of white-petaled flowers with yellow centers.
“Daisies?” he guessed.
You nodded in excitement. “Yes! See, I told you– Flower expert!”
Katsuki fought the blush off his cheeks. “It’s just common knowledge.”
It most definitely was not because he spent hours researching all the different types of flowers after the first week of you constantly giving them to him.
“Sure.” You grinned. “I love daisies for a lot of reasons, but one of the reasons is because they make the prettiest flower chains.”
His brows furrowed. “Flower chain?”
You turned towards him with a disbelieving look on your face. “You’ve never made a flower chain?”
“Never even heard of it.”
Your eyes looked as if they were about to bulge out of their sockets as your held your hand above your chest. “My… My heart is hurting.”
Bakugou dismissed your over-exaggeration with a tsk, but felt the corners of his lips quirking upwards nonetheless. Glancing down at the cluster of white daisies you had just sprouted, you took one between your thumb and index finger and pinched it at the stem.
“Can I show you how?” you asked with a hopeful expression.
He blinked in surprise but managed a shrug. “I guess.”
“Great!” you cheered. You beckoned him over to the spot beside you as you kneeled against the soft bed of grass. Gently plucking a bundle of flowers you had just sprouted, you handed them to him. “There are lots of different ways to make a daisy chain, but I think the braiding method is the best.”
Bakugou wasn’t sure how the fuck there could’ve been different methods for sticking flowers together, but he nodded despite himself. “You can show me that one then.”
Moving closer next to him, you held three daisies in one hand and showed him how to braid–one strand over the other. As you went down the stem, you slowly added more and more flowers to the chain, twisting as it began to curve into a circle.
“Am I doing this right?” he asked gruffly, looking between your chain and his with a slight frown. His was sparse with some areas looking like they were about to fall apart.
Taking in the condition of his flowers, you stifled a laugh. “Looks fine to me.”
“Hmph.”
After a few minutes of grumbles and complaints, Bakugou slowly got the hang of making the daisy chain. In a way, the repetitive movements were sort of relaxing.
You were seated beside him, so close your thigh was brushing against his and he struggled to remain focused on the task at hand.
“Did you know daisies are actually a mix of two flowers?” you said, drawing his attention even more towards you. “The yellow centers are disc florets and the white petals are ray florets.”
He peered closer at the head of the flower in between his fingers, examining the small floral discs that made up the yellow center.
“That’s why, in flower language, white daisies are known to symbolize true love,” you told him. Katsuki looked over at you to find a small smile on your face as you finished up the last of your daisy chain. “It’s the joining together of two different types of flowers, and they fit perfectly. One wouldn’t be the same without the other.”
Your gaze flitted to his as a flush filled his cheeks at your intimate words, and for once in his life, he was at a complete loss for words.
There was a slight twinkle in your eye as you stared with your lips slightly parted. The tension in the air grew when neither of you wanted to look away first in fear of ruining this moment. The setting of the sun cast gentle shadows of your eyelashes and cheekbones and Katsuki was completely annoyed but how disarming your smile in the sunset was.
Clearing his throat, he glared down at the floor as you bit your lip, toying with the petals of the daisy in your lap.
“Ahem– Um, well…” you trailed off, opening and shutting your mouth as you tried to form your thoughts into a sentence. “I made this for you!”
Fumbling with the daisy chain in your hands, you extended your arms out, offering the flower crown to him with your head bowed. His eyes widened in alarm as you waited for him to take the gift.
“W-What are you doing, baka?! You don’t need to bow!” he cried, an intense blush making its way to his cheeks as you peered up at him through your lashes.
“But I wanted to give this to you.”
“You don’t have to give it like that!”
You huffed, puffing your cheeks out in an embarrassed pout. “Do you not want it?”
“I never said that–! But even if I did, it’s not like it never stopped you before,” Katsuki said defensively, muttering an oath under his breath when he felt even the tips of his ears heat up at your actions.
Fighting the flushed expression off your face, you chewed the inside of your cheek. You withdrew your extended arms, hugging the daisies close to your chest as you absentmindedly stroked a white petal.
“Do you want me to stop?” you blurted, your voice quiet.
He looked taken aback. “What?”
You avoided his questioning stare as you continued, “I like giving you all these flowers because the look on your face for the fraction of a second you let your guard down is something I always want to see–” Katsuki’s palms grew sweaty as he felt his temperature rise to inhuman heights. “But, if it annoys you and you want me to stop… I will.”
Bakugou glared down at his lap, unsure where the hell your thought came from or how the fuck he should reply. He didn’t want you to stop– He thought that much was clear.
“Tch.” He shook his head, mumbling under his breath. “Baka.”
You blinked. “I’m sorry?”
He looked up at you, meeting your confused gaze with his intense one. “If you were annoying me, I would’ve told you. I don’t– I don’t mind you giving me all these…dumb flowers.”
Tilting your head to the side, you asked cautiously, “So you like them?”
The most Katsuki could bring himself to do was shrug, but it was enough for you to understand the true meaning he couldn’t bring himself to admit. Slowly, a grin lit up your face as you nudged his side.
“Well, good. Because they like you, too.”
The smile you gave him made it clear there was something more behind your words as well. He glared, flustered. “We’re talking about the stupid flowers, right?”
“Of course,” you said with an all too innocent nod. “What else could we be talking about?”
The two of you shared a knowing smile before he rolled his eyes, taking the daisy chain in your hands and placing them on his head. It felt weird and awkward, but he figured he could put up with it for you. As you stared at him, a weird expression dawn on your face that made him frown in embarrassment.
“What are you looking at, baka?”
You hid the secretive smirk on your face behind your hands. “You. You look cute in that.”
“Yeah… Whatever,” he scoffed, despite the warmth spread in his chest.
And by the time the not-date came to an end, Katsuki wasn’t sure how the two of you ended up walking back to the dorms, smiling dazedly as you walked hand-in-hand. All he knew was, one day, he wanted to be the one to bring you flowers.