Chapter Text
“Hello, I’m Bakugo-”
No, too informal.
“Good morning my name is Katsuki Bakugo but I prefer to go by Bakugo.”
That’s better.
“I’m twenty-three and I really need this job-”
Too desperate.
“I’m twenty-three and I’m really excited for this opportunity.”
Why are you so nervous? It’s just a stupid interview.
Bakugo stared at his reflection. He had been practicing for this interview for days and now it was finally here, the anticipation made him want to vomit, it had been two months since he got fired from his last job and he was growing desperate.
“Look if you can’t make this month’s rent, your stuff will be sitting on the street by the end of the day,” the landlord said, his tone gruff even over the phone.
It’s a fucking flower shop, how hard can it really be?
XXX
The shop was small, one of the few mom-and-pop places left in the city. From what Bakugo read, it had been here for generations and was family-owned, he was damn lucky that Uraraka got him this interview.
Bakugo stepped into the shop and was immediately hit with the intense perfume of flowers. The place was packed, from floor to ceiling there were shelves lined with hundreds of blooms. All arranged by type then color. As he walked towards the back of the shop, he looked at all of the cards that named what he was looking at.
“Bakugo is that you?”
He turned at the sound of his name and saw a young woman walking towards him. She was around Bakugo’s age and had brown hair that was styled into a bob, the front pieces tucked behind her ears. Her apron read the name of the shop on it and her name tag was pinned on top, it was decorated with some glitter star and heart stickers. The name read Uraraka.
“Yeah, it’s me…” He fumbled, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, this was the first time he’d ever actually met her, though he knew a lot about her from her letters.
“Ooo!” She squealed, bouncing from one foot to another. “I’m so glad that we’re finally meeting and we’re going to be coworkers no less!” She exclaimed, hugging him suddenly.
Bakugo seized up, uncomfortable with the gesture but quickly hugged her back, not wanting her to be uncomfortable. “Well, nothing set in stone yet.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” She scoffed, waving her hand. “I’ve done nothing but praise you, you’ll be fine.”
“You’ve been talking about me?” Bakugo said coyly.
“Not like that!” Uraraka laughed, swatting him playfully. “Dad’s a tough nut to crack sometimes so you needed all the help you could get.”
“That’s not very reassuring.”
“As I said, you’ll be fine, just be the person you were in your letters. Come on I’ll take you back so you can meet him.” Uraraka said then she started to weave through the displays.
Bakugo followed her, the closer they got the more nervous he became. Uraraka had no idea how badly he needed this.
XXX
“You need a job?” She asked. They had begun to call each other weekly to catch up, it was a lot easier than writing letters.
“Yeah I was told that ‘I wasn’t needed anymore’ and ‘you’re just not the right fit here.'”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s ok, I’m sure I can find something soon.”
“Why not work with me?”
“At the flower shop? You’ve got to be joking.”
“No, I’m serious! I’m sure daddy would hire you.”
“I don’t know, not a lot of places like to hire guys like me.”
“That’s because they don’t know the real you, why don’t I just talk to him and get back to you? I’m sure he’ll at least interview you.”
Bakugo paused. He really didn’t want to accept Uraraka’s help, she had already done so much for him and there was no way he could ever repay if he actually managed to get this job.
“I’m not going to take no for an answer,” She said sternly.
Bakugo laughed, “Well then it looks like I have no choice then.”
“I’ll talk to him tomorrow then! Hey, I have to go, I’ll call next week ok?”
“Ok, talk to you then.”
XXX
“So...you want to work with flowers?” Uraraka’s dad asked, looking Bakugo up and down.
The interview was painfully slow and Bakugo’s nerves couldn’t be calmed down. His leg was bouncing incessantly as he nodded his head yes. “Ever since I could remember I’ve always had a real passion… for flowers.”
Idiot. A baby could’ve come up with a better lie than yours.
“Right well we’re not exactly hiring right now, the only reason you’re here right now is that my daughter spoke so highly of you.” He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes, “What are your intentions with her?”
“What?” Bakugo asked, shocked into silence.
“I’m a father first businessman second so if you’re intending to hurt her I’ll-”
“No!” Bakugo cut in, appalled that he would ever think of Bakugo like that. “Uraraka has been the only friend I could count on in the past few years.”
Bakugo looked down, ashamed that he was about to confess everything to this stranger. “Look I’m going, to be honest, I know jack shit about flowers but I’m desperate for this job. I’m a quick learner, I can be here all day every day, and I'm willing to do the work nobody else wants to do, please.”
Uraraka’s dad looked him up and down. His face contorted as he thought about Bakugo’s plea. After what felt like an eternity, he smiled and stood up. “Welcome to the team then.”
“Wait, really?”
“You’ll start out with a little trial run, one week on reduced pay. We can figure it out from there.”
Bakugo shot up and took the man’s hand, shaking it incessantly. “Thank you so much, sir, you have no idea what this means to me!”
Uraraka’s dad laughed and pulled his hand away, rolling it out, “Of course, just prove that you can do it and we’ll be golden.”
Bakugo nodded, too elated to say anything else.
“You start tomorrow at seven a.m. sharp so don’t be late.”
“Yes, I’ll be here!” Bakugo said, then stepped out of the office. He rushed over to Uraraka and enveloped her into a hug, spinning her around.
“You got it?” She asked, laughing as though she already knew the answer.
“I did. I start tomorrow!” He exclaimed. Bakugo put Uraraka down and put his hands on her shoulders. “I will never be able to thank you enough for this.”
“You’re my friend, I’d do anything to help you.” She said sincerely. “Why don’t we go out to celebrate? I know you still haven’t seen much of the town.”
“I don’t know, I should probably go back to get some sleep.”
“Come on, this is a big deal for you. We should do something special.”
Bakugo sighed, knowing that there was no way he was going to win. “Ok but we’re not staying out all night.”
“Perfect, I’ll pick you up at seven?”
“Why don’t we just meet here?” Bakugo didn’t want anyone, especially Uraraka, to see the shithole he was living in.
“Fine, meet you back here at seven!”