Archive of Our Own

 Sunlight pierced through the space of the shop, spilling in through the windows and highlighting everything it touched. It fell across freckled cheeks, slipped into viridian irises, and got lost in the dips of unruly green hair. It was a mesmerizing sight; one that could enchant passerby, friend, and foe alike- everyone.

 "You look fucking stupid," Katsuki spat, ever the exception to any rule. According to himself, at least.

  Deku huffed out a short laugh, rolling his eyes with endearment at the comment.

 "Thanks," he said, voice warm.

 Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the too-friendly customer. He came to the shop every single week on the same day at the same time, and for the life of him, Katsuki could not figure out why. Who the hell needed this many flowers? Did the nerd just have so many friends they were constantly having birthdays?

  Unlikely, he thought.

 Maybe he was keeping some weird ass collection of expensive bouquets? Or was he a doting boyfriend with a needy girlfriend? He didn't know because he never asked, despite his mounting curiosity. It wasn’t really his business, anyway. (Though that didn’t stop him from theorizing constantly because, seriously, what the hell?)

 Currently, Deku was in the shop again, perusing the selection of flowers with practiced ease and concentration. He never left the store with the same arrangement of flowers he'd left with last time, and until recently, Katsuki had thought that the idiot was just choosing random things that he thought looked pretty everytime. However, Katsuki had started noticing a pattern, and that idea was thrown out the window. Every time he came, he'd leave with flowers that meant variations of, "I love you", "Live long", "I'm here for you".

 Yeah, Katsuki was putting his money on the needy girlfriend theory.

 "Oi, Deku. Are you just gonna stare at the flowers all day or are you actually going to buy some?"

 Deku turned to him, blinking a couple times before a small grin overtook his lips.

 "You know, Kacchan, you really shouldn't be so rude to your customers." He said softly before turning back to the flowers.

 Katsuki growled and swiped half-heartedly at him, but Deku ducked just in time, a professional at dodging Katsuki by now. “Shut the hell up, idiot! I can do what I want.”

 “Technically, you can’t. You’ll get fired.”

 Clicking his tongue, Katsuki just rolled his eyes at the remark and grumbled out a simple, "Whatever." Not like he particularly cared for his job, anyway. There were thousands of titles he'd prefer over 'flower boy'.

 Katsuki sighed, resigned to his fate of watching the nerd mumble to himself about flowers and ribbons for the next however many minutes. He slumped over the counter, resting his head on his hand. The nerd just couldn't ever come to the shop on Katsuki's day off, could he?

 When Katsuki had first met Deku, he'd been shy and meek, trembling whenever Katsuki so much as looked at him. Which Katsuki did a lot. Not because his wild, untamed hair complimented his eyes, or because his freckles looked really cute splattered across the bridge of his nose, or because when he bent over in those tight jeans- no. Katsuki looked at him a lot because it was funny watching Deku nearly shit himself over it. Katsuki was aware of the affect he had on others and used it to his advantage, taking every opportunity to fuck with the nerd.

 Said nerd had stayed anyway, though, holding firm under Katsuki's intimidating aura and buying his flowers, despite the way his hand shook as he handed over his debit card. And Katsuki, watching all this with mild amusement, was actually kind of impressed. Though he'd never admit it.

 It only took one glance at his card to start calling him Deku.

 Katsuki knew it actually said Izuku, even before the dumbass tried correcting him. He wasn't an idiot, alright? He just thought it was funny. At least until Deku- after numerous visits to the shop and getting far too comfortable with him- started calling him 'Kacchan' as payback. Now, Katsuki called him Deku as a declaration of war. Each and every time he said it, he was reminding stupid Deku that he wasn't one to be fucked with. (Though he never actually tried to get Deku to stop.)

 Finally, Deku was making his way over to the counter, flowers in hand. He held them out for Katsuki to wrap and subsequently blinded him because holy fuck there was way too much yellow.

 "Jesus, isn't this a bit much, shitnerd?" Katsuki asked, annoyed, as he started wrapping the flowers in the purple wrapping paper Deku had picked. Deku had chosen Goldenrods, which mean 'Good Fortune', Daffodils, which symbolize 'Unequalled Love', Coreopsises, meaning 'Always Cheerful', and Clematises- 'Mental Beauty'- the only type of flower he'd chosen that wasn't yellow.

 "I like yellow! And the purple disrupts it nicely, don't you think, Kacchan? You're the flower expert." Deku’s smile was as bright as the flowers, and his eyes crinkled with mirth.

 "Yeah,” Katsuki grumbled as he finished tying the ribbon on with an unnecessary flourish, “and I say you're gonna blind your fucking girlfriend with this much yellow, shitty nerd."

 Deku handed his card over, soft laughter bubbling out from between his lips, "Girlfriend?" He asked, lighthearted curiosity and amusement dancing off his tongue with the words.

 Katsuki swiped the other’s card and shot him a questioning look. "Yeah? Why the fuck else would you get this many flowers?" He huffed. Deku stared back at him, incredulous, and opened his mouth to speak, presumably to correct him, but Katsuki beat him to it.

 "Obviously you got some needy bitch suckin' your bank account dry."

 Katsuki knew that was the wrong thing to say the moment Deku's mouth snapped shut and his smile fell, any laughter in his eyes drained in a second. The energy in the air shifted dramatically and suddenly the cheerful atmosphere that’d built up around them came crashing down on his head.

 He felt regret first, and then came the guilt, settling somewhere deep in his chest as he handed Deku's card back to him and the nerd turned away silently, bouquet in hand. He didn't even say goodbye as he left.

 Katsuki really shouldn't have cared. He should’ve been happy he got some peace and quiet instead of the usual playful bickering Deku always instigated before leaving.

 Instead, the silence he was left with was heavy and uncomfortable, and he did care.

 He didn't usually want to be there, he hated work, but now he really didn't want to be there.

 "Fuck."

• ♧•

 The rest of the week went by just as resentfully boringly as the last one, only this time, there were undertones of frustration and pensiveness lining his days that kept Katsuki on edge. He kept waiting, all day, to see green curls round the corner outside, to see big red shoes clumsily clamber in the doorway, but he saw neither of those things. Instead, 30 minutes after the time Deku usually got there, in came a girl with bouncy brunette hair and chubby cheeks. She didn't look happy.

 Katsuki felt his shoulders slump with disappointment- though he wouldn't admit that's what it was- and put on a scowl to cover it up.

  "Oi. What the fuck do you want, Round Face?"

 Round Face turned and stared at him in shock, sputtering for a few seconds before crossing her arms over her chest and telling him, “My name is Uraraka, not ‘Round Face’. Are you always this rude to your customers?”

 “I don’t have to answer to you, Round Face.” Katsuki knew he was being an ass, but he couldn’t bring himself to really give a shit at the moment.

 Round Face- Uraraka, apparently- simply sighed and shook her head at his less-than-pleasant response, murmuring to herself just loud enough for him to hear, "Ugh, he told me he was a jerk, but he didn't tell me he was this bad."

 Wait. He? Did Deku send her?

 Katsuki felt something twist in his gut.

 "Hey, are you Deku's girlfriend or something?" He asked, his tone sour.

 Uraraka looked at him like he just grew another head and Katsuki felt himself getting more annoyed. He sighed harshly.

  “Izuku.”

 Her eyes lit up with understanding at the sound of the nerd’s real name and suddenly she was furious .

  "No , I am not Izuku's girlfriend, Izuku doesn't have a girlfriend- doesn't even like girls . Not that I see why you would even care. You're the one who insulted his mother and put him in a god awful mood!" She yelled, voice rising to match the powerful scowl decorating her features. Katsuki wasn't paying any attention to her anger, though, or the words still pouring from her mouth.

 "Jesus, I mean, what does he even see in you? Does he just have a thing- "

 "His mother?" Katsuki finally asked, face contorting in confusion. Was that who all those flowers were for? Oh man, if so, Katsuki really fucked this one up. No wonder the nerd was mad, he'd called his mother a needy bitch.

 But why did he buy her so many flowers?

 " Yes , Izuku's mother! He's been coming here for weeks and you still don't know that?" Round Face put her hands on her hips, staring at Katsuki like she couldn't believe he really existed. Unfortunately for her, he did, and he wasn't happy about it right now either.

 "Oh yeah and I just ask every fucking regular who they're buying their flowers for. Why the hell should I care why they’re getting bouquets?" His voice rose as well, promoting the obnoxious conversation to rage-filled bickering.

 "You should care when you insult people for it! If you asked, you would've known he was buying those flowers for his mother who is sick in the hospital!"

 And, well, that shut him up pretty quick. He wanted to be angry, wanted to pipe up with a snarky reply and get the last word in, but for once he kept his mouth shut because oh fuck.

 It all made sense now. The encouraging and loving messages each one of his carefully crafted arrangements sent. How, sometimes, he'd catch Deku looking a little sad down at the arrays of flower petals and curled ribbons. The frequent visits and copious amounts of bouquets. Why he'd reacted so badly to Katsuki's comment.

 That made things so much worse. It was bad enough to find out he'd insulted Deku's mother, but to know he'd insulted his sick and in the hospital mother was a thousand times more horrible.

  “Fuck , ”

 Round Face huffed and shook her head, finally turning away to get down to business. Apparently, she came here to actually buy something and not just to chew Katsuki's head off.

 He just watched her as she made her way to a rack of flowers. He was still trying to wrap his head around the information he’d just been given.

 His mother was in the hospital? With what? It was obviously something serious if she had been there the whole time Deku was coming to the store. But how was he supposed to know? At the end of the day, it really wasn't his business, and the nerd never bought 'get well' flowers. They were always cheerful and happy messages. How was he supposed to know there was sadness behind them?

 Why didn't Deku tell him?

 He had a pretty good guess as to exactly why Deku didn't tell him, but it still stung a little. He didn't want to admit it, but over time, the nerd had kinda grown on him. Somewhat. And he sorta thought that maybe he had grown a bit on the nerd too.

 “Ahem.” Uraraka angrily pretended to clear her throat, successfully gaining Katsuki’s attention. He sighed and straightened, reluctantly grabbing the bouquet she'd set down and ringing it up.

 It sucked.

 Katsuki could tell by the clusterfuck of mixed meanings that she had no idea what she was doing. She was nowhere near idiot Deku's level. He wanted to crush the damn thing in his hands and just make the nerd one himself, but before he could actually act on that idea Round Face was snatching it back.

 "Oi!" He called, offended. Nobody snatched from Katsuki Bakugou- even if they were a friend of his cru- of stupid, idiot Deku.

 She just raised her eyebrow at him, as if daring him to do something, and oh boy did he want to.

 But this girl, however obnoxious she may be, was someone Deku cared about- probably- and Katsuki really didn't want to have another reason to be marked down on Deku's naughty list. So instead, he gripped the counter tightly and pointed at her accusingly, putting on the best scowl in his arsenal.

 To his utter dismay, she didn't look the least bit intimidated.

 "Listen here, Round Face. Deku obviously has a fucking thing for flowers, and it's weird, but he knows what he's doing- unlike you. I'll make one for the damn nerd." He growled out.

 And Round Face laughed. Actually laughed.

 Katsuki was so fucking close to just bashing himself upside the head with a trovel. Or her. Preferably her.

 "Oh, you think that's funny, hah? Well, see how fucking funny Deku thinks it is when he sees the flowers you chose."

 "W-What are you even talking about?" She asked, grasping her stomach in a poor attempt to calm her laughter.

 Katsuki pointed at a pretty red flower nestled neatly in the bouquet.

 "Begonia. Means 'Beware'." Round Face' laughter died down suddenly. Katsuki felt great satisfaction at that.

 He then pointed to another flower, this one a pretty pink, standing proudly in the center alongside its brethren.

 "Crab Blossom. 'Ill Nature'." Her face fell.

 "Red Poppy. 'Consolation'." She bit her lip and looked off to the side, avoiding eye contact.

 "Snapdragon. 'Deception'." She sighed and hung her head, opening her mouth to say something.

 "Zinnia. 'Absent-"

 " Okay! I get it! You can make the bouquet, but if I get one complaint from him, your ass is grass.” She threatened, but Katsuki simply smirked. Victory was his.

 Katsuki threw Uraraka's bouquet away, because it was honestly just awful, and got to work preparing one himself. He was gonna make the best goddamn bouquet for that little nerd and Round Face was gonna eat shit.

 Katsuki pulled together a beautiful assortment of whites, reds, and pinks, tying it all together in light green wrapping. It took a little longer to make than Round Face' did, but it looked way better. Plus, he knew Deku would appreciate his bouquet's message much more than hers.

 "Peonies, White Carnations, Pink Roses, and ferns as filler. Means, basically, 'sincerity', 'pure love', and 'happiness'. Nerd will fucking love it, guaranteed."

 Round Face had the audacity to snatch this one out of his hands, too, but this time Katsuki only huffed.

 "He better. Now I'm leaving, because I'm tired of hearing your dumb voice. Have an awful day." She said, turning on her heels and heading straight for the door.

 Katsuki felt his blood boiling at the comment but pushed it down. She was about to leave, and even if he didn't like her and liked apologizing even less, he realized it was kinda necessary this time.

 "Wait!" He called, but she was already stepping out the door.

 "Hold the fuck up! Tell the nerd I'm sorry, alright?!"

 Whether she heard him or not, Katsuki didn't know. Whether she would actually tell Deku or not if she did hear... well, it wasn't promising.

 "God dammit.”

• ♧•

 “Kacchan!” Deku squaked, mouth falling open in shock as Katsuki threw his soda away. “I was gonna drink that!”

 Deku’s bottom lip was pushed out in a pout and he stared at Katsuki with big eyes, who clicked his tongue and promptly looked away to hide his heating face.

 “That's why I threw it away, idiot. Shit'll rot your teeth out.” He spat, soaking his words in (mostly) manufactured condescension.

 Deku just shook his head and regarded Katsuki with something like endearment sparkling in his eyes- something that still gave Katsuki pause. Over the many visits to the shop, Deku had become friendly with Katsuki, much to the latter's dismay.

 Katsuki just didn't understand. He'd insult Deku, lace his words with venom he was sure would sting, pushed him away at every opportunity, and yet the nerd just continued onward. Every obstacle Katsuki threw at him Deku would dodge with a roll of his bright green eyes and a sunshine smile.

 It was stupid, and pointless, and did he mention stupid? Looking at those freckles, staring at those wild curls that framed his face perfectly, hearing the squeak of his huge, ugly ass shoes should not affect him the way it did.

 Katsuki just scoffed the thoughts away and went back to charging Deku for his bouquet.

 “Y'know, I think you owe me now, Kacchan.” Deku said, resting his head in his hand as he leaned on the counter and looked up at Katsuki, a coy smile tilting his mouth and... was that a blush?

 Katsuki dismissed that idea as quickly as it had come.

 “Like fucking hell I do. I just saved your teeth, shit nerd.” And for whatever reason, that made Deku laugh.

 “I've been upgraded to 'shit nerd' now, huh?" He teased, “And yes, you do owe me, Kacchan. I spent money on that soda!”

 Katsuki sighed heavily. He could tell the little shit was mostly just fucking with him, but he plucked a rose from a nearby vase anyway, adorning his own coy smile.

 “Here, take this. Free of charge.” He offered, holding the rose out for Deku to take. “Happy now?”

 Deku beamed as he was handed the rose, and Katsuki took that as his answer.

The bell chimed, signaling someone had just entered the store, and effectively pulled Katsuki from his ruminating on old memories.

 “Oh fuck, it’s you again.” He groaned upon catching sight of springy brown hair and matching chocolate eyes. It’d been yet another painfully long week wrapping horrible and bland bouquets for love-sick teens and old ladies, and now not only was there still no Deku, but he had to face Round Face again. Sue him for being a little cranky.

 “Yeah yeah, I’m not delighted to see you, either.” She huffed, coming to the counter instead of looking around the store like he would’ve expected.

 “Alright, listen,” She started and continued before Katsuki could complain about being told what to do, “Izuku loved the bouquet you got him. Apparently Inko, his mom, knows a thing or two about flowers, so he likes to get ones with loving messages, and that’s something I don’t know a thing about, so.”

 “...So you want me to make his bouquets?”

 Uraraka sighed deeply and pushed the pads of her fingers to her forehead in resignation. Katsuki could already feel the smug smirk curling his lips.

 “Unfortunately, yes.”

 Katsuki barked a laugh, smacking his hand down on the counter in glee. “Hell yeah, I win again! I knew the nerd would love that arrangement, it was so sickeningly sweet.”

 Round Face groaned miserably, flopping down over the counter in defeat. “You’re insufferable. Just make the bouquet before I take my chances with one of my own.”

 “Don’t worry your stupid head about it, Round Face, I got it. Gonna knock Deku’s socks off with this next one.”

 The only reply he got was an exasperated sigh, and Katsuki got to work pulling together another sweet arrangement. He nabbed the prettiest flowers, all bright and soft hues like he knew Deku would like, and fit them nicely together with lively green foliage to offset the barrage of colors. He took great care in picking ones with great meaning, too, making sure each flower reinforced the overall theme with messages of familial love, dedication, and hopeful promises.

 “You seem to put so much care into these bouquets,” Uraraka pointed out as Katsuki was wrapping the newly formed arrangement. “Is every bouquet you make as intricate as these last two?”

 “Tch, you think I got time to make bouquets like these for every fucking customer? I don’t get paid near enough for that.”

 “Mm. You really like him, don’t you?”

  “Hah?”

 “Izuku.” She clarified, leaning further over the counter. Katsuki took a step back, tying off the wrap a bit more roughly than he intended.

“What the hell would you know, Round Face?”

 “Well, I know that Izuku never shuts up about you.” She told him, her eyebrows arching upward, and for once Katsuki decided to listen instead of argue because he very much needed this information. “It’s always Kacchan this and Kacchan that, which, by the way, that nickname is so cute. Doesn’t suit you at all, you’re such a gremlin.”

 “I’ll show you a fuckin’ gremlin-”

  “Anyway, what you said upset him a lot, but I can tell it’s killing him not seeing you. For some reason that I’ll never understand, he seems to really like you, and as much as it pains me to say it, I’m actually okay with that.”

 “Who are you to say what you think about his relationships, hah?” He bit back, quickly ringing up the bouquet and taking Deku’s card from her.

 “His best friend. I was there first, gremlin.” Katsuki bared his teeth at her, but she just ignored him in favor of picking up again. “I was kinda worried at first, because you’re not a very nice person, and I don’t want Izuku getting himself into an abusive relationship, but it’s pretty clear now that you care about him a lot, too. Besides, you’re all bark and no bite.”

 “Keep talkin’ and you’re gonna get bit, Round Face.” He threatened as he handed back the card. He kept the bouquet in his grasp for a moment as he plucked a card from a stack on his desk.

 “No I won’t. Also, what’re you doing?”

 Katsuki grabbed up his pen from where it’d been lying next to the register and scribbled down a little note on the card before attaching it to the arrangement. Uraraka watched him with narrowed, suspicious eyes, but didn’t attempt to stop him.

 “I didn’t insult his mom again, if that’s what you're thinking. I just left him a message.”

 Round Face plucked the bouquet from his hands, then, but to Katsuki’s surprise, didn’t immediately take a peek at the note clipped snugly to the ribbon. She apparently noticed the surprised look on Katsuki’s face, because then she was laughing. “I’m not as rude as you, gremlin. Obviously whatever you wrote is something private.”

 “Besides,” She continued, turning to make her way out of the shop, “If it is something bad, I’ll just have to come back and turn you into fertilizer.”

 “I’d like to see you fucking try,” He spat, but the statement wasn’t as sincere as it probably should have been.

• ♧•

  ‘Hey nerd. Sorry for what I said about your mom. I didn’t know, maybe I should have asked.

 Call me. Or text, whatever, I don’t care.

 My number: xxx-xxx-xxxx

  Sincerely, Kacchan

 -Katsuki’

  “That was, uh, a really lovely message, Kacchan,” Deku giggled over the line, and Katsuki couldn’t keep the small grin from creeping up on his face as he leaned back in his chair. It was his lunch break, and he was in the back, enjoying a quickly cooling cup of slightly stale coffee and a hard biscuit.

 There was only one table in the small room and only one chair, as there were only two employees- himself and some annoying fuck named Kirishima who was constantly trying to give Katsuki hugs and give him “manly tips” regarding his love life- and only one employee was ever in the breakroom at any given time. He could hear the obnoxious red-head up at the front greeting customers; he was always way too damn loud.

 What he was focused on, though, was the voice still trickling out through his phone and into his ear. “It’s- It’s okay, I know you didn’t know. I shouldn’t have run away like I did, sending Ochaco down to buy flowers for me. I was just… really upset. I’ve been super stressed lately, and that comment just kinda pushed me over the edge, you know?”

 Katsuki frowned. “Yeah, uh, sorry, again. I wasn’t…”

  “You don’t have to apologize again, Kacchan, I-”

 “No, I fucking need to. You deserve more than some poorly written, half-assed apology I scribbled on the back of a business card.” Apologizing was somewhat of a foreign concept to Katsuki. He didn’t care about most people he offended, and in the event he did his pride always got in the way of ever actually getting the words out, but Deku was different. Deku deserved this, and Katsuki would give it to him, even if it obliterated his beloved pride.

 “I say a lot of shit I don’t mean for no good reason. Even if it was just a needy girlfriend having you buy all those flowers, I shouldn’t have said it. I don’t have any excuse. I’m sorry.”

 There was nothing but staticy silence for a moment, and Katsuki was worried he’d fucked it all up, but then there was a sniffle and oh boy the nerd was crying wasn’t he.

  “Th-Thank you, Kacchan, I’m- I’m sorry for crying, I just, thank you. Can I… would it be okay if I came down to the shop again?”

 Katsuki let out a soft sigh of relief as he leaned back in his chair. Fucking finally. “Of course you can come back to the shop, idiot.”

  “Yay! I want to come right now, to see you and get another bouquet for my mom, but she’s fixing to go into surgery again and I want to be here for her.” There was something about the way he said the words that told Katsuki he wasn’t quite done, so he stayed quiet, waiting for him to speak up again. “I’m- I’m honestly really scared. This is her final surgery before she’s gonna be released, and all of the doctors are so positive and confident but still, I just can’t help worrying that something’s gonna go wrong, you know? What if… What if this is the last time I’ll ever see her…?”

 “Fuck, Deku, don’t talk like that, alright? You’ll just freak yourself out. If something horrible like that happens, we’ll deal with it then, take it step by step.”

  “Y-Yeah, okay. Um, this is kinda embarrassing for me to ask, but…” Deku breathed shakily over the phone, “Do you think you could come to the hospital and wait with me?”

  Oh. Katsuki had not expected that. Nobody had ever called on him for comfort before.

 Apparently, Katsuki’s shocked silence stretched on for just a moment too long, as then Deku was blabbering over the phone nervously, trying to backtrack, “I-I mean! You don’t have to, obviously! It was probably a stupid idea anyway, I just-”

 “Oi, nerd, shut the hell up.”

 Deku squeaked and shut up, and Katsuki put a hand over his mouth to cover the smile no one was around to see anyway.

 “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Text me the address?”

 Katsuki stood from the uncomfortable, flimsy garden chair he’d been lounging in before and snatched his keys from the table as Deku stuttered in his ear. “R-Really? Y-Yes, of course, I’ll- I’ll text you! See you when you get here, Kacchan!”

 Katsuki returned the ‘see you later’ and stuffed his phone back into his pocket before rushing out to the front of the store, where Kirishima was leaning in far too close to another regular customer. He jumped when he saw Katsuki, pulling back with cheeks the color of his hair. The bonde he was talking to turned around too, giving Katsuki a full view of the lame black stripe in his hair and the godawful, mismatched outfit. He grimaced.

 “Hey, Bakubro! What’re you doing? Your break doesn’t end for another twenty minut-”

 “Shut the hell up, Shitty Hair. Cover for me.” He asked. Or demanded, rather, as he hurriedly plucked flowers from the shelves. Kirishima gaped after him, obviously at a complete loss for what to say.

 “U-Um, I mean, sure, dude, you know I always have your back, but what-”

 “No questions.”

 The other blonde raised an eyebrow at him, smiling mischievously, “Hey Kiri, whaddya wanna bet he’s going out to see a girl?”

 Kirishima glanced back at the blonde and that bewildered expression melted into one of fondness. “Good guess Kami, but Bakubro isn’t into girls.”

 “Are you?” ‘Kami’ asked back, leaning over the counter again, and yeah, fuck that, Katsuki was getting out of there. He snagged some wrapping paper and ribbon in the hand that wasn’t full of flowers and then he was out the door, haphazardly wrapping a bouquet as he strode down the street and struggled to check his texts with his hands full.

• ♧•

 Katsuki shuffled from foot to foot outside the waiting room doors, running a shaky hand through his locks and squeezing the bouquet in his left hand just a tad too tightly. Deku was just beyond those doors.

 It’d been little more than two weeks since he’d seen Deku last, and he knew he was being ridiculous. He was acting like this was a date for fuck’s sake, and if this was a date it was a horribly shitty one. With a grunt of frustration, Katsuki brushed off the rest of his nerves and pushed through the doors.

 Deku was easy to spot. He was the only person standing, for one, just pacing around the room, mumbling to himself. He looked up when Katsuki walked in, giving Katsuki a clear view of his tired eyes and bedraggled hair, but then Deku’s face was lighting up and Katsuki wasn’t paying attention to his chaotic state of being anymore.

 “Kacchan!” He called, attracting annoyed glances from the other patrons in the room. Katsuki walked closer and begrudgingly let himself be hugged when Deku wrapped himself around him the second he was within reach.

 “Hey, nerd.” He grumbled quietly. Deku pulled back and his eyes found the vibrant yellow bouquet clutched in Katsuki’s hands.

 “Oh, so pretty! Is that…?” Deku trailed off, the unspoken question lingering in the air between them.

 “Yeah, it’s for you. Here, take it.” Deku’s face lit up again, even brighter this time, like a goddamn christmas tree, or maybe the sun, and oh Katsuki was fucked. Completely, absolutely, utterly fucked.

 Damn nerd.

 “Thank you so much, Kacchan! So lovely! And it’s so yellow! I thought you didn’t like so much yellow?”

 “I don’t, but you do, for some stupid reason, so.” He ended the sentence with a half-shrug, refusing to meet Deku’s eyes completely.

 Deku brought him in for another hug, squeezing the life out of him with a strength Katsuki had not expected from such a lithe body, before letting him go.

 “Anyway, lets go, Kacchan. I want to take you up to meet my mom before she goes into surgery.”

 Katsuki nodded, and suddenly there was a hand in his and he was being dragged through the maze of hospital corridors and up stairwells because, “The elevators just take longer, Kacchan.”

 Deku’s fingers were intertwined with his, and the intense want and adoration surging up in him at the feeling had him focusing all his will power on not ripping his hand away. Who was Deku to affect him like this? Fuck him. Fuck Deku. Fucking Deku. Now there was a thought.

 A thought he shook away just as quickly as it came because they were in a hospital to see Deku’s mother.

 Get yourself under control, dipshit, he chastised himself.

 When Katsuki refocused on the world around him, he noticed they’d stopped. They were in front of a plain wooden door, the small, black plate above it reading, ‘168’ in crisp font. Deku’s face was slightly pinched in worry as he reached to open the door, and Katsuki squeezed the hand in his reassuringly.

 Deku smiled at him, and opened the door. Inside was who he presumed to be Deku’s mother- Inko, if he remembered correctly- sitting up on the hospital bed with a half-finished tray of food in her lap. She had long green hair that spilled over her shoulders and big, bright eyes to match her son’s.

 “Izuku, you’re back! Oh, and you’ve brought a friend! Is this the ‘Kacchan’ you talk so much about?” She asked. Deku’s face lit up and he immediately stammered, “M-Mom, don’t just say something so embarrassing!”

 “Tch, Round Face already spilled the beans on that one, Deku. Of course you’d talk about me all the time, I’m fu- freaking great.”

 “Round Face?” Both Deku and Inko asked at the same time. This time, it was Katsuki’s face beginning to heat up in embarrassment.

 “Uh, yeah. It’s what I call your friend. You know, the one with the brown hair and the cheeks."

 “Oh my god, Kacchan, really?” Deku asked in disbelief before bursting out into laughter. “She was probably so mad! Only you would say something like that!”

 Scowling fiercely, Katsuki planted his palm right on Deku’s laughing, freckled face and pushed him away. “Shut up, idiot. She was askin’ for it coming in during your time.”

 “Aw, Kacchan! Did you miss me?”

 “Are you trying to die?”

 “Oh, you two are so cute,” Inko fawned, pressing a delicate hand to her chest. She was smiling so wide it looked like it hurt, tears beading in the corners of her eyes. Katsuki startled a little at the sight. Why did the Midoriya's have to be so emotional?

 “Mom, don’t cry! You’re gonna make me cry!” Deku pleaded as they approached the bed, and yeah, his voice was already growing wobbly.

  Yes, Katsuki thought, please stop crying.

 He did not want to deal with two literal saints bawling their eyes out on him.

 “I know, I know,” Inko sniffed, rubbing a chubby hand across her eyes to rid them of the gathering wetness. “It’s just, you’ve been working yourself so hard to support me, and you spend all your free time here. I’m so happy you found someone to keep you company.”

 “You’re plenty company for me, Mom, don’t think I don’t enjoy talking to you!” Deku leaned slightly over her as he spoke, dropping the bouquet Katsuki had given him into a pretty white vase.

 “Honey, I know, but I also know you need more than just your mother to talk to.” A small smile played on Inko’s lips. She tugged Deku forward to plant a small kiss on his forehead, and then she was turning her attention to Katsuki, who was standing awkwardly beside the bed.

 “Thank you so much for being here for my son! Would you mind telling me your name? Izuku here only ever refers to you as ‘Kacchan’.”

  “Mom!” Deku yelled, embarrassed, and Inko giggled. Katsuki snickered as well, hand moving unbidden to bury itself in his forest of green curls. They both blushed at the contact, but neither of them made any move to get away.

 “The name’s Bakugou Katsuki. You can call me Katsuki.”

 “Oh, I get to call you by your first name! How lucky am I?”

 Katsuki smirked haughtily, ruffling Deku’s hair a little roughly and eliciting a few high pitched whines from the nerd. “Very. Knuckleheads like this one don’t get the same privilege.”

 Deku grabbed the wrist of the hand currently buried in his hair so Katsuki couldn’t try and rub his scalp off again, gazing up at him with mirth-filled irises. “Mhmm, I’m special. I get to call Kacchan by a nickname.”

 Katsuki resisted the urge to punch the nerd in the nose right then and there for giving him unsolicited heart attacks.

 “Anyway,” He spoke at Inko, partly to distract himself from the nerd’s stupid eyes drilling burning holes into his face, “Deku told me this is your last surgery.”

 “Ah, yes. I’ve been here for quite a while, now. I was in a bad car accident a few months back. A truck t-boned my car and I got stuck inside. Then it caught on fire, and, well, some bystanders were kind and brave enough to help me, but the right side of my torso still got badly burned before they managed to get me out.” She told him, pulling the collar of her gown down past her shoulder to give him a glimpse of scar tissue peeking out from beneath some bandages. “I’m almost completely healed now. After this surgery, I should be pretty much back to normal!

 “I’ll have a few scars, but that’s okay. I don’t mind having them. They’re like a testament to all that I’ve lived through, proof that I’m strong. Right, Izuku?”

 Deku looked to be on the verge of tears again as he nodded, head bobbing vigorously in agreement. “R-Right!”

 Inko laughed again, but Katsuki could only stare, watching Deku wipe away the escaping tears with unadulterated affection.

 The doctor came in, then, informing them it was almost time to commence the surgery, and Katsuki stood to wish Inko good luck.

 “Please, come visit anytime, Katsuki. I’d love to hear more from you!” She told him, and at Katsuki’s affirmation, turned to reassure her son.

 “It’ll be alright, Izuku. I’ll see you soon, alright?”

 “O-Okay. Okay. I love you, Mom.”

 “I love you too. Now why don’t you go get some food, hmm? You take such good care of me but always forget to care for yourself.”

 “I will,”

 “Good. See you soon.”

 “See you soon.”

 And then Inko was being wheeled from the room, shooting one last bright smile over her shoulder at the two of them along with a promise of dinner as soon as she was better.

 Yeah, she would be just fine.

 “Alright, nerd, lets go get dinner.”

• ♧•

 “Kacchan, look!” Deku gasped excitedly, scooting closer on the wooden bench to shove his kebab in Katsuki’s face. “The meat looks like it has a face in it!”

 “It doesn’t have a face, you’re just stupid.”

 “So mean,” Deku whined, but he still had a smile on his face as he chomped down on the stick in his hands. Katsuki rolled his eyes and took a bite of his own.

 “Say, Kacchan,”

 “Hmm?”

 “Can I try a bit of yours?”

 Katsuki pulled the kebab away from his lips, a piece of meat still hanging from his teeth as he focused a questioning gaze on Deku. He closed his lips around the meat between his teeth and chewed quickly, watching the way Deku’s pupils flitted to the muscles in his jaw.

 When he swallowed, because he wasn’t a heathen who speaks while they chew like someone he knew, he asked, “Why?”

 “Well, you got a different one than I did! I just wanna try yours. You can try mine too, if you want.” He then held up his kabab in offering, training hopeful eyes on Katsuki.

 Katsuki scoffed, but lifted his own stick to Deku’s lips wordlessly before leaning down and sliding a piece of meat off Deku’s with his teeth. He hummed as he chewed, and looked up to tell Deku his own was way better, but Deku was just staring at him with eyes blown wide and a flush on his face so deep it was reminiscent of the red carpet. He hadn’t taken his bite yet, either.

 Katsuki’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “The hell? Nerd, are you having a stro-”

 “Can I kiss you?”

 Uh.

 “Uh,” tumbled from his lips, the simple utterance being all his dumbass brain could provide him at that pivotal moment.

 Deku was obviously just as shocked, his brain to mouth filter having clearly malfunctioned. “Oh my god,” he breathed, “I’m- forget that, I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry-”

 “Yes.”

 “Y-Yes?!” Deku spluttered, “What do you-”

 “Well, actually, no. We can kiss, but I get to kiss you.” Katsuki declared. He knew his face was probably beet-red, but he didn’t care.

 He not only managed to make up with Deku and get him back as a friend, but he also got him as- potentially- a boyfriend.

  Hell fuck yes.

 Deku was giving him one of those looks that screamed, ‘are you serious?’ but there was humor and giddiness there, too. After a moment, he broke into soft laughter, and scooted so close he was practically in Katsuki’s lap. “That’s fine with me!”

 Katsuki smirked and swooped in, pressing his lips firmly against Deku’s. The nerd melted against him, sighing against his lips, nuzzling closer, and Katsuki pressed in deeper, licking a hot stripe across the seam of Deku’s lips. Deku opened his mouth, allowing him entry, and Katsuki kissed him senseless.

 They didn’t stop until Deku had officially straddled Katsuki’s lap and passersby were starting to cough pointedly in their direction. They pulled away, Deku’s lips still shiny with saliva as he scrambled out of Katsuki’s lap bashfully.

 Katsuki wrapped his arms around him as soon as he was next to him again, pulling him flush against his side and turning slightly to rest his chin on Deku’s head. “Mine.”

 Deku giggled again, that beautiful, bubbly sound, and Katsuki pressed a kiss to the top of his head. He kept a scowl on his face, though, just for good measure. Couldn’t risk letting someone see him being soft out in public. “Don’t like sharing, Kacchan?”

 “No, I don’t.” He grumbled softly. “Be my boyfriend, Deku.”

 “Of course, Kacchan.” Deku sagged against him completely, hand inching across their laps to grab at Katsuki’s and weave their fingers together once again. “All yours.”

 And then Deku pulled back and looked up at him with that signature sunshine smile dancing on his lips, and instead of punching him for it, Katsuki dove down and stole his lips again.

 Maybe being a 'flower boy' wasn't so bad.