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“I still don’t understand why the fuck I am here,” Katsuki grumbled while he followed Kirishima down the streets.
“Because it’s Monomas birthday and we’re buying him some flowers from the rest of the drug discovery department,” Kirishima answered in a deadpan voice. He had given the same answer three times already and it showed.
“I fucking know that,” Katsuki replied. “But why the fuck am I here?”
“Technically the question should be ‘Why the fuck is Kirishima here’, since, you know, you drew the short stick,” his friend answered while shooting Katsuki a look over his shoulder. And it was definitely A Look™. “But since I know you and I know you hate Monoma, I am here to make sure the present doesn’t suck.”
“You don’t like that prick either!” Katsuki complained.
“Yeah, well, I’m a nice person.”
Katsuki only rolled his eyes and tripped Kirishima by stepping on his heel. His best friend retaliated by poking a finger into that one spot below Katsuki’s ribs that he knew would get a reaction out of him. And react Katsuki did, with a loud and very undignified screech, that he would deny until his dying breath, followed up with a fist. Only years of practice saved Kirishima, who caught it in a ready hand, laughing heartily the whole time.
"All right, Murder God, alright. You win," Kirishima relents, eyes still sparkling with laughter as he backs up and jerks his head down the street. "C'mon, lunch break doesn't last forever."
Katsuki grunts, adjusting his rumpled jacket, but falls into line as they continue down the path towards Kirishima’s flower shop of choice. It wasn’t because of any recommendations or personal experience but because it was the closest to the pharmaceutical company the two of them worked for.
Katsuki had always been fascinated by chemicals and the reactions he could get by mixing things as simple as baking soda and vinegar. As a child, he had been most fascinated by explosions and declared his dream to blow up buildings. But later in life, he had realized how chemistry and science could better people’s lives, so pharmaceutical chemistry had been the natural choice. It was how he met Kirishima, back in Tokyo University, and it led him to a job that he loved, even if there were minimal explosions, definitely none of them sanctioned. Unfortunately, today the job he loved so much put him in the position of fuckin' flower courier for a grade-A bastard .
They arrived at a small shop, nestled between two bigger buildings. It was a brick building with big window fronts and a dark green sign that simply said “Midoriya” over the front door. Behind the building, Katsuki could see a glass structure rising up over the roof of the two-story building. He raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Maybe a greenhouse? But if it was it was rather large.
Kirishima stepped up to the door and opened it. A small chime came from a bell over the door and a male voice called out from somewhere they couldn’t see: “Welcome! I’ll be with you in just a minute! Feel free to check around!”
“Thanks!” Kirishima yelled back and started to look around at the displays. Katsuki followed him with a frown on his face, his hands shoved deep into his pant pockets. Just a few minutes later they heard footsteps quickly approaching them and a guy stepped out of the back room behind the counter.
Katsuki’s first assessment was that the guy was a bit plain but cute and that he definitely looked like he belonged in a flower shop. His hair looked like a plant itself, with the way his dark green curls framed his green eyes and freckled cheeks. When he smiled at them Katsuki could feel his face heat up a bit. Okay, maybe more than just cute.
“Hi!” the guy said when he stepped up next to them. “Can I help you find something? Or are you just looking?”
“We’re looking for a few flowers for our colleague’s birthday,” Kirishima answered, his smile as easy-going and friendly as it always was. “Do you have some recommendations?”
“That depends,” the cute flower guy said. “Do you want something that just looks pretty or something that has a meaning? Do you want it to be just cut flowers or something more permanent, like a potted plant? We have many different options for different occasions! Of course, we can combine all that too! I myself always like to put a bit of meaning into my flowers, but I can also admit that some of the prettiest flowers have the worst meanings and I always hope I don’t offend people with my choices!”
Kirishima looked a bit overwhelmed at the load of information that had just been dumped on top of him and Katsuki rolled his eyes at the guys rambling. But the idea of meanings in flowers was kind of hilarious.
“Let’s get that bastard flowers that say ‘fuck you’”, he said with a smirk.
“Bakugou, no!”
“What? It’s not as if you like him either! And I bet he doesn’t understand flower language anyway.”
“That’s not the point! We’re supposed to get him something nice for his birthday! Just because we don’t like the guy doesn’t give us the right to ruin his day!”
“I mean,” the clerk interrupted them with a thoughtful expression. “I could do both?” When both Katsuki and Kirishima just looked at him with a confused expression he continued. “As I said before, I can make a beautiful bouquet with a very nasty meaning if that’s what you want?”
Katsuki grinned and said “Yes!” at the same time as Kirishima said loudly “No!”. Katsuki glared at his friend.
“Didn’t you say it was my job to pick out the flowers? I want the insult ones!”
“I also said I came with you to stop you from doing exactly that!”
“How about I’ll show you the flowers I would use, and you can decide then?” Flower Guy suggested. Katsuki shrugged.
“Sure, go ahead.” Kirishima sighed.
“Please do.”
They followed the guy through his store as he pointed out several plants and explained their meaning to them.
“These are geraniums and they stand for stupidity, this is foxglove which reflects insincerity, this one right here is meadowsweet and means uselessness, the yellow carnations over here are used to say something along the lines of ‘you have disappointed me’ , and the orange lilies symbolize hatred. Together they look stunning and make a beautiful bouquet.” After seeing all these flowers Kirishima was forced to admit that they were indeed stunning and no one would fault them for their choice.
Katsuki could barely contain his delighted grin as the clerk gathered the flowers needed for the present. He also couldn’t look away from the guy’s backside as he bent over to collect the flowers. Cute and a great ass.
“Are you checking out the florist?” Kirishima whispered to him.
“And what if I am?” Katsuki shot back, his eyes not leaving the figure of the green-haired man in front of them.
“Please don’t use one of your stupid pick-up lines on him. He knows what he’s doing and maybe I want to come back here sometime.”
“I will absolutely use one of those,” Katsuki answered. “I’m not willing to invest time in someone too stupid to get chemistry jokes.”
“They’re puns. No normal person would get these!”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m using them.”
“You don’t even like puns!” But Katsuki decided to ignore his best friend. He followed the florist to the counter where he was busy wrapping the bouquet in a light green paper. For the finishing touch, he taped a little square bag to the outside of the paper.
“This is “Flower Food”,” he said and mimed the air quotes with his fingers. “It helps the flowers to stay alive longer. Just put it into the water before you put the flowers in.” Katsuki had seen these little packages a few times when he was forced to pick up flowers for his mother but he had never paid any mind to them.
“What’s in it?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“It’s a mixture of sugar, acid, and bleach.” Katsuki raised his eyebrows. The first two parts made sense, of course, one giving nutrients to the flowers and the other helping to maintain the pH level of the water.
“Why bleach?” he wanted to know.
“It reduces the number of bacteria and fungi in the water,” the cute florist answered. Katsuki threw a quick look at the name tag on his shirt, trying to be subtle. Midoriya… Deku? Strange name, but Katsuki wasn’t going to judge.
Kirishima joined them again just as Katsuki was paying. He threw one last pleading look at Katsuki, but as always in these situations, he went ignored. Katsuki had made up his mind. Deku was cute, seemed to have a sense of humor, and seemed to not be a complete idiot.
“Hey, Deku,” Katsuki said, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Are you made of Fluorine, Iodine, and Neon?” Next to him Kirishima let out a silent groan and tried to bury his face into the wrapped flowers. For a second Deku looked at him as if he had grown a second head. Katsuki was already prepared for the awkward laugh and the usual lack of understanding. He would be a bit disappointed, sure, but nothing to fret about.
But neither of these things happened.
“I may be fine, but your eyesight clearly isn't,” Deku answered, a serene smile on his face. He tapped his name tag. “My name is Izuku, not Deku.” Katsuki blinked, thrown for a loop. Not only did Deku understand his pun he also threw back some shade. So he was smart and had a spine.
Katsuki barked out a laugh. “Maybe I'll remember it for next time.”
Deku grinned back at him. “Sure. I'll keep my ion the door.”
“Did you just-?”
“Have a nice day you two!” Deku interrupted him cheerily and waved at them. “Thank you for your patronage! I hope I’ll see you again!” And the little shit had the balls to wink at them before disappearing off into the backroom.
Kirishima couldn’t hold back anymore and started laughing.
The next few days passed in a bit of a blur. The flowers were received with mixed feelings; their coworkers were happy with the good job they had done but Monoma had had a constipated look on his face when he saw them. It seemed he did understand flower language after all. Katsuki was still cackling whenever he thought about it.
What he also thought about was Deku. It had been quite some time since Katsuki had met someone he was attracted to and who had the wits to keep up with him. And even though the other hadn’t been swooning at his bad pick-up line, which honestly was kind of another point in Deku’s favor, he hadn’t looked opposed to it either.
So Katsuki had wracked his brain for another reason for him to go back and buy flowers again. And maybe use another bad line to try and crack Deku up. Making someone laugh was generally considered a good thing, right?
He pushed open the door to “Midoriya” and stepped in. Like before the store was empty and Deku’s voice carried out of the backroom:
“Welcome! I’ll be with you in a second!”
Katsuki grinned. “Don’t worry, no need to hurry on my account, Deku!” Instead of an answer all he heard something that sounded like a crash and something breaking. Slightly concerned he frowned and took a step towards the counter, unsure if he should do something. At that moment Deku practically ran out of the backroom, his hair slightly mussed and his cheeks tinted red, highlighting the cute freckles that were scattered across his cheeks.
“You actually came back!” Deku said, a disbelieving look in his eyes. Katsuki smirked at him:
“I said I would, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did,” Deku’s eyes were still wide in surprise. “But I didn’t think you meant it. I mean, you made that joke and all and I was so rude to you at the end I didn’t think you’d want to actually come back here…” he trailed off, suddenly looking unsure of himself. Katsuki decided he didn’t like that look at all. He also didn’t like that Deku hadn’t taken his attempt at flirting as exactly that. It seemed he had to step up his game a bit.
“It wasn’t a joke, I meant it.” His grin got a bit wider and he tried to lean against the counter casually. “And I came back because I need something for my mother. The old hag’s birthday is coming up soon and the one thing she would never expect from me would be flowers so that’s exactly what she’s getting.”
Deku seemed to be even more flustered than before but he tried to concentrate on the business side of things. That was fine, Katsuki had patience. He knew his goal after all.
“Something for your mother?” Deku asked while stepping out from behind the counter. “That’s a nice gesture. Did you have something in mind already?”
“No,” Katsuki answered and followed Deku deeper into the shop. If walking behind him meant getting to enjoy the view then Katsuki was more than fine in letting someone walk in front of him. “I don’t know shit about flowers. Thought you could help me with that.”
“Orchids are always a good choice,” Deku said and gestured to the flowers in question. Katsuki recognized them immediately since his mother had several of these all over the house.
“Do they stand for anything?” he asked, curious. Deku nodded.
“They stand for Love, Beauty, or Refinement. They can also mean “Beautiful Lady” , and they are a Chinese symbol for “Many Children” .”
“God no,” Katsuki said with a barked out laugh. “I don’t need any siblings.”
“Oh, you’re an only child?” Deku wanted to know, his green eyes honestly curious. Normally Katsuki would tell people to mind their own business but something about Deku made him want to open up. At least a little bit.
“Yeah. And it better stay that way, I’m too old to become a big brother.”
Deku giggled. “Aww, why not? I bet you would make a great big brother. I always wanted siblings, but I’m also an only child.”
“Seems we have something in common,” Katsuki grinned and leaned a bit closer. The blush on Deku’s face returned in full force and the other man turned away from Katsuki.
“S-so, did you want to buy the orchids?” Katsuki shrugged.
“Sure, why not. At least the “Beautiful Lady” part would be accurate.”
“Oh?” Izuku looked at him again, his eyes crinkling slightly with his smile. “So you think your mother is beautiful?”
“Of course I do!” Katsuki said, almost offended on behalf of his mother. They clashed most of the time, but Katsuki genuinely cared for his mother and he would pick a fight with anyone who dared to say something against her. Only he was allowed to insult her after all.
“And besides,” he continued as he followed Deku back to the counter. “Everyone says I look like her, so I would only insult myself if I brought back anything else.”
“Wow, then she must be beautiful indeed, after all, you seem to be made out of beryllium, gold, and titanium…” By the way Deku’s cheeks darkened almost instantly, and the way he valiantly tried to not look at Katsuki he was sure Deku hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Katsuki smirked and leaned against the counter.
“You're hotter than a Bunsen burner turned up all the way.” Instantly Deku slapped his hands over his burning cheeks.
“It’s my complexion!” he whined, still not looking at Katsuki. “I can’t help it, okay? You don’t need to point it out!”
“But according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, you are supposed to share your heat with me.”
“Well, you're hotter than sulfuric acid and sugar and you smell twice as sweet.” Even though his face looked like it was on fire, Deku gave as good as he got. Katsuki felt an excited shiver run down his spine. This turned out to be way more fun than he had expected it to be.
“You are a photon quanta to my valence electron because you excite me to a higher energy level.”
“You must be the acid to my litmus paper because every time I meet you I turn bright red.” The embarrassed look on Deku’s face was gone and had been replaced by a cheeky grin, even though his face was still flushed. It seemed Katsuki wasn’t the only one enjoying their exchange.
“Baby, you must be an alkali metal. One touch and I can tell you're highly reactive.”
“If you were an element you'd be francium because you're the most attractive.”
“Could you tell me the oxidation state of this atom and your phone number?” Slowly the grin faded from Deku’s face and was replaced by a confused frown.
“Are you… flirting with me?”
“Have been since last time, but thanks for noticing.”
“Why?” By the honest look on his face, Katsuki knew that he wasn’t joking. He leaned back a bit, not wanting to get into the personal space of someone who might be averse to his flirting. Consent was important after all.
“Because I wanted to. Didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“You aren’t!” Deku said, his eyes wide and his cheeks still flushed a deep red. “I just didn’t think…”
“What?” Katsuki asked. “Didn’t think I was gay?”
“I didn’t think you meant it,” Deku finished, shyly looking off to the side.
“I don’t do shit I don’t want to do,” Katsuki said and crossed his arms in front of him. Deku didn’t know him, so he couldn’t get offended, but it did sting a bit.
“So you flirted back, thinking all of this was just a joke?” Katsuki asked.
“No! I mean, yes, but not like that.”
“You’re not making any sense, Deku.”
Deku huffed out an annoyed breath. “I told you, my name is Izuku, not Deku. I-Zu-Ku!”
“Could’ve fooled me, De-Ku.”
“Urgh!” Deku let out a frustrated noise and rubbed a hand over his face. When he finally looked at Katsuki again he still looked more like a strawberry than a human, but the look on his face was determined.
“What I meant to say is, I didn’t think you were actually flirting with me, but I responded because I was hoping you were.” And even though Katsuki had been prepared for and had been hoping for a positive reaction from the cute florist, the honest and straightforward way he said it paired with the cute look on his face kind of took Katsuki’s breath away.
It was his turn to blush now and he looked to the side and cleared his throat to try and get his bearing again. When he was sure the look on his face wasn’t completely embarrassing anymore he turned back towards Deku who was very much not looking at him. That wouldn’t do.
He straightened his shoulders and leaned back against the counter.
Hey, Deku.” The man in question looked up at him again, a mixture of fondness and exasperation on his face. Katsuki grinned.
“Are you a carbon sample? Because I want to date you.”
The smile that broke out on Deku’s face was almost blinding.
“Wait here,” he said and started running around his shop, picking up different flowers on the way. Katsuki was confused. He had anticipated a yes, or at least a clear answer to his question. He hadn’t expected whatever was happening right now.
Deku came back to the counter, his arms full of different flowers, all in different tones of pink. Quickly he arranged them into a bouquet. When he reached towards the greens that he had stored near the counter he hesitated for a second before grabbing what looked like regular grass? He also grabbed a small greeting card that he scribbled something on before he tucked it inside the bouquet. With a shy smile, he held out the flowers towards Katsuki.
“This is my answer.”
Confused, Katsuki looked from the flowers up to Deku and back again.
“I don’t speak flower, Deku.” Deku just shrugged.
“I spoke your horrible science puns. I think it’s only fair if you google what these flowers mean.”
“Excuse you,” Katsuki said, half offended, half amused. “My puns were excellent for judging your character.”
“Oh, so you were testing me?” Deku grinned and pressed the bouquet into Katsuki’s chest. “Consider this my test then.”
“For fuck’s sake Deku, I don’t even know what kind of flowers these are. And why did you put grass all around them? Didn’t you have anything a little more pretty?”
Izuku giggled at that.
“Trust me, the grass has a purpose too. And I wrote the names of the flowers on the card. You know, in case you needed help.” That sparked Katsuki’s competitiveness and he gripped the present for his mother and his own flowers a bit harder.
“As if I need help looking up a few plants. I’ll crush that test of yours.”
“I can’t wait.” And with another smile as bright as the sun thrown his way, Katsuki left the flower shop. If he himself was smiling wider than usual no one was around to comment on it.
The orchids for his mother safely put away till the next day Katsuki took a closer look at his own bouquet. It took him a few tries but after half an hour of intense internet-searching, he finally identified all of them and was able to look up their meanings online.
Satisfied he looked down on his list:
CARNATIONS = fascination and new love
RANUNCULUS = symbolize charm, attraction, and radiance
PEONIES = romance, prosperity, and bashfulness. Some even believe they're a good luck charm of sorts, bringing good fortune to whoever receives them.
GRASS = Homosexual love
The last one had been the easiest and the one that had made him throw his head back in laughter. Who would’ve thought that grass could be so meaningful?
The rest of the plants didn’t make him laugh but instead made a healthy blush rise to his cheeks. He had never thought of himself as a person who would be excited to receive flowers but it seemed he had been wrong.
Just looking at the soft and pink petals made his stomach flutter in joy and excitement. With a grin, he looked down at the card that Izuku had put into the flowers. True to his word the names of the plants were listed and Katsuki patted himself on the back for identifying all of them correctly.
But more important than the list were the numbers scribbled at the bottom of the card. Katsuki grabbed his phone and shot off a quick text.
‘Hey, nerd. Are you made of copper and tellurium? When can I pick you up for our date?’
The answer came not a minute later.
‘Who’re you calling a nerd, nerd? I’m free this Saturday. Btw, you never told me your name’
‘You, obviously. My name’s Katsuki. I’ll pick you up at 8’
‘Sounds great :)’
Katsuki was about to put down his phone when the screen lit up with another new message.
‘Hey, Kacchan? Do you want to hear a cheesy flower pick-up line for a change?’
He let out a snort.
‘What the fuck kinda name is Kacchan? Hit me with your worst shot Deku’
‘As long as I’m Deku, you’re Kacchan’
‘Well, shit seems like I’m gonna be Kacchan for a really long time then. Time for your bad pick-up line’
‘Let’s put our tulips together next time we meet ;)’
And if the way his heart skipped a beat at reading this was any indication, he would indeed be stuck with Midoriya Izuku for a very long time.
But he was more than okay with that.