Archive of Our Own

Love had always been a weird concept for Shinsou.

When he learned about the “disease” that enveloped people who fall in love, he thought it would be something that just happens, and according to research, it is supposed to just happen. 

You become overwhelmed with the want to chew flowers like they’re your last meal. Shinsou never got that feeling. Not even with the ten-year relationship. He’d watched Bakugou chew on flower after flower, watched him destroy his mother’s garden and even Midoriya’s mother’s garden all because of Shinsou.

Shinsou didn’t know how to react at first when he realized Bakugou was losing his mind because of himself. He didn’t know how to reply when Bakugou finally asked him out. He wasn’t even sure he liked Bakugou more than a friend he could play kickball within the neighborhood sometimes. But it didn’t matter then, because Shinsou tried his best to lie to himself. Yet, he never got the urge to chew on a flower. Not for Bakugou, not for anyone.

Yet all his life, his adoptive parents told him that you only truly love someone if you eat flowers for them.

Shinsou had a fascination with flowers after learning about this disease. He enjoyed learning more about flowers than he cared to learn about anything else in school. Even with this enjoyment, he still wasn’t sure if he loved it. If he loved anything.

Shinsou had known Bakugou and Midoriya since they were 12, having lived in the same quaint neighborhood since Shinsou got adopted.

When Bakugou had first started eating flowers, everyone, including Shinsou, had assumed it was because of Midoriya. And then Shinsou heard the whispers at school. 

“Did you see the way Bakugou was looking at Shinsou?”

“Did you guys hear? Bakugou was being really soft with Shinsou.”

And then one day, after school, they were walking home when Bakugou stopped Shinsou and told Midoriya to go along. As Midoriya walked away, Shinsou watched curiously before looking back at Bakugou, with a tilt of his head. He watched Bakugou’s ears twitch, a tell that he was nervous about before he finally confessed that he was in love with Shinsou. It took Shinsou back a bit to watch him confess, but after a few weeks of whispering and continued flower-eating, Shinsou had already figured it out.

So with a smile, and a flick of his tail, he accepted Bakugou’s invitation to date. And from then on, they stayed together. Got their first apartment together, their first house. Bakugou was Shinsou’s first for everything. And he would never forget that.

As he set the ring Bakugou had given to him four years ago down on the coffee table, unable to bring himself to look at the dog that he’d spent his late teens and early twenties with. He finally spoke the words he should have said the moment Bakugou confessed, “I don’t love you. I don’t think I ever did. I don’t think I am capable of loving anyone. I’m sorry for lying. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

Bakugou was silent, even as Shinsou stood. Bakugou never spoke a word to Shinsou when he left.

Shinsou set off to a new city in search of something new to preoccupy his mind. He thought that maybe they could be friends again one day, but until then, Shinsou kept his distance.

It took a year of bouncing from job to job, searching for what hit right with Shinsou before he finally did what he always wanted; opened a flower shop.

He was incredibly proud of it. He enjoyed the area, enjoyed how welcoming people had been when he first opened and was thankful for the coffee shop that sat next to him. He was between the coffee shop and a tattoo parlor. Across the street were a bookstore and another coffee shop. Shinsou felt at peace, maybe even happy for the first time in his life. He was surrounded by things that brought him joy.

He’d been working for a few months alone, handling everything by himself. He would spend some days running only on the strong black coffees and small hats he had with the barista next door who was way too quick to introduce himself to Shinsou.

Sero reminded Shinsou a lot of Midoriya, but with a little suaver. He was decked out in tattoos and piercings, had a very punk-emo style about him, and always went on about how in love with his gorgeous girlfriend he was and how much he wanted to marry her. Like Midoriya, Sero was quick to call Shinsou a friend. He’d constantly give Shinsou free coffee, and would even offer a helping hand when Shinsou needed it in the flower shop.

It only took a few months for Sero to finally introduce Shinsou to his girlfriend, and boy was Sero right about how gorgeous she was. Drop dead, to be exact.

When Shinsou met Shouto, he realized two things.

First, he had felt like a teen boy discovering the magic of boobs for the first time again. Second, Shinsou needed help with his shop, and Shouto was just the person willing to help him out.

He learned that Shouto hated and refused to go by her last name, so she always introduced herself with her first name. She constantly made snide, silly jokes about how she would be introducing herself as Mrs. Sero one day. Shinsou loved how nervous and stupid Sero got with those comments.

When Shinsou asked Shouto for her help, she didn’t hesitate. She had an eye for designing, and that is what really helped Shinsou out with the presentation. The store was gorgeous the moment Shinsou handed over the reins to Shouto.

He'd settled well in this new town with his new friends. Everything seemed to fall into place for him. 

After almost two years of living in the town, he noticed that people enjoyed having a flower shop. He’d asked Shouto about it once before because surely there were more flower shops than his, and he definitely wasn’t a pro at any of this.

Shouto, without batting an eye or even looking at him while she did her work, simply said, “No one is as friendly or as knowledgable as you. No one stayed in business long because they were simply speaking out of their ass and were quite rude. You are incredibly smart when it comes to flowers and incredibly kind. I am very good at making this shop look presentable.” Shouto smiled to herself at the last comment and Shinsou could only laugh at it.

He was a bit surprised that there weren’t many knowledgeable about flowers. It’s not like he went to school for it. It was just a niche little hobby to study botany, that’s all. But according to Shouto, no one just “studies” a whole subject for a hobby like that, so he didn’t question anything further and simply went about his day.

Pulling himself from his thoughts and back down to Earth, Shinsou hoisted himself off of his chair and made his way to the back of his store where they kept freshly delivered flowers waiting to be cut and wrapped in a bouquet, a safe where the money gets stored, and a computer desk where Shinsou goes over finances, scheduling, and other very important business details he didn’t care much for. He should really hire someone for the business side of this job. Even Shouto wasn’t too sure about it.

Shinsou walked through the mess, stopping when he found the box of bleeding hearts. He opened the box, sighing softly at the fragrance that drifted into his nose. His nose twitched and his tail flicked as he picked up the box and made his way back up to the front counter, just as he heard the bell on the door jingle, signaling that a customer had come in.

Shouto greeted the customer, moving away from the counter to go help whoever came in as Shinsou set the box down and began pulling the flowers out. Besides Shouto’s soft voice and the customer’s….fairly deep but surprisingly gentle voice, the flower shop was quiet. 

Weekdays before and after lunch tended to be slower. It picked up when people start getting off work, or when everyone’s on lunch, but otherwise, the shop stays pretty quiet. 

The first time Shinsou had gone through a rush, he’d been so thankful for Shouto being here to help him. Sero had even joined in when he got off work, and it really made Shinsou wonder how in the world they had managed thus far.

Shinsou lifted his head when he heard his name being called, setting the bundle of flowers he had down on the parchment paper he’d pulled out earlier. He stepped away from the counter and moved between the displays of flowers, finding Shouto and the customer at their flower fridge.

The customer was tall, a ram standing at about 6 feet. He looked tired, with what Shinsou assumed was a 5 o’clock shadow on a jaw that looked as though it could cut anyone and everyone. Despite the look on his face, he was well dressed, hair pulled into a bun, and built like he was ready to haul the biggest boulder he could find.

Shinsou was starstruck, to say the least. The man was incredibly handsome. And when he spoke, it sent electricity right through Shinsou’s body.

“Pardon me for bothering you, but I’m looking to get a bouquet for my daughter,” he said, voice still somewhat low as if they were in a library.

Shinsou offered him a smile. “Sure, I can help. Sho, can you finish putting the bloody hearts together for our Valentine's display?”

Shouto nodded her head and went off back to the counter. Shinsou clasped his hands together. “What kind of flowers were you looking for?”

The man seemed to duck his head, a look of concern flashing in his eyes before he offered a sheepish glance back to Shinsou. “Her favorite flowers are lilacs, but I’m worried she’ll eat them.” He pointed to his horns.

Shinsou furrowed his eyebrows, unsure of what that meant, but pushed it aside with a wave of his hand. “Not to worry, lilacs are non-toxic. I can also offer honeysuckles as an alternative. They are edible and taste like honey.”

The customer's face lit up and Shinsou felt his own smile grow.

“Would it be possible to get a bouquet made with both? Do you have both?”

Shinsou hummed, thinking for a moment. “I don’t think I have a bouquet of both, but let me check the back and see if I have the supplies to make one for you today. Is that alright?”

The customer nodded his head quickly. “Yes, thank you so much.”

Shinsou lead the customer to the counter, then headed to the back, searching the boxes until he found the ones he needed. Lilacs in a big container, honeysuckles in a smaller container.

Lilacs seemed to be the most popular accent to bouquets that Shinsou sold, whereas Honeysuckles never really seemed to sell. Occasionally though, he’d get someone who wanted some, so he continued to order them in small quantities.

Shinsou stacked the small box onto the box of lilacs and picked both of them up, making his way back to the counter. “We don’t have a lot of Honeysuckles, but I can throw in a small bundle of chicory. Safe for sheep hybrids, and they’re actually pretty nutritious for them.”

He glanced at the man as he set the boxes down, who in turn, offered a meek smile, shaking his head. “No, that’s alright. She’ll be mostly focused on the lilacs, anyway.”

Shinsou nodded his head and pulled a parchment paper out from under the counter, laying it down to make room for himself as he worked. He then pulled out a pair of gardening scissors and got to work cutting the stems and setting them on the parchment. “Would you like to go look at our vases while I work or did you just want the bouquet wrapped up?”

Shinsou glanced up at the customer as he worked, clocking in the way he seemed to fidget nervously with a loose string on his pants. “Uh, no, a vase is a good idea.” He turned away from Shinsou quickly, glancing around the shop. Shinsou watched him for a moment, smiling just a bit at the confusion the customer carried.

“Vases are at the front of the shop,” Shinsou said, offering the customer a soft smile as he turned to look back at Shinsou. 

He gave a small nod and quickly turned to head to the front as Shinsou went back to cutting the stems.

With the customer at the front now, all Shinsou could hear was the music on the radio that played softly in the background, Shouto going through the boxes of flowers Shinsou had set out, and the cars passing by the shop. 

Once Shinsou had the number of flowers he wanted with the stems perfectly cut, he hoisted the boxes up and took them back to the back. After putting them away, he came back to the front and began working on getting the flowers wrapped up, arranging them into a perfect display before tucking them into the parchment and wrapping a string around the bouquet. 

Just as he was finishing the bouquet, the customer made his way back to the front, holding out one of their popular bubble vases. Shinsou offered the finished bouquet to the customer, watching his eyes widen with surprise. "Oh...thank you so much. She's going to love these."

Shinsou's chest swelled with something warm and sweet and the smile returned to his face, bigger than before. "You're welcome. You picked the perfect vase. That tends to be kids’ favorite one." Shinsou moved to the register and rang him up. Once the transaction was finished and the customer was gone, he turned to Shouto, who was setting up the last of the valentines flowers. 

"He was hot," Shinsou blurted out, slapping a hand over his mouth immediately after. "Oh my god? I didn't mean to say that. I don't know where that came from." 

Shouto stared at him, her eyebrow quirked in either judgment or confusion, Shinsou could never tell. "Hitoshi, I've never heard you express any sort of attraction to any person in all the time that I've known you."

Shinsou frowned, glancing back towards the door. "That's because I've never had an attraction to anyone before. I've found people pretty, I guess? But never...hot? Whatever, it doesn't matter, I'm sure he won't come back in any way."

Shouto raised an eyebrow, giving him the one look she's mastered so well. "Sure, Hitoshi."

Shinsou huffed out an annoyed breath, watching the shut door to the shop for a second longer before turning to Shouto. “How did you and Sero meet? I don’t think I ever got that story.”

Shouto stopped moving her hands, glancing up momentarily, before diving back into her work. “He was a waiter for some restaurant my father owned. I would like to think it was love at first sight. He poured wine into my glass, our hands brushed together, we made eye contact, and then we both spent the rest of the night eating flower petals.”

Shinsou smiled softly. “That's really romantic.”

“Well, we fucked in one of the venue closets after the dinner party, but yes, it was very romantic. I’ve been with him since.”

Shinsou pinched the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t need to hear that.”

Shouto smiled this time, glancing back up and keeping her focus on Shinsou. “What about you? You said you were engaged right? What happened? Was it because of you not being able to love?”

Shinsou sighed, tilting his head down to glance at the floor. “Yeah,” he muttered. “Something like that. He was an amazing partner. I just...I never got that spark everyone talks about. I cared for him, but I don’t think it was love in the romantic sense. I don’t think I’m capable of that.”

He dared to look back up, ready for Shouto to chastise him about it, but she simply gave an understanding nod, and offered Shinsou a soft smile, before she went back to her work.

For the first time, Shinsou felt incredibly supported.

It had only been a few days before Shinsou saw that ram back in his shop again. He shoved the excitement down, annoyed with himself for being excited to see a customer who might just be a new regular. 

He lifted himself from the office chair with a grown, stretching the moment he was up, before heading out to the front, whistling. 

The ram's ears perked up and he glanced at Shinsou, his face softening when he sees the cat. He offers Shinsou an awkward, soft smile and Shinsou feels...weird. He couldn’t tell if it was his anxiety nerves, or maybe he was feeling sick. His stomach seemed to flutter and his heart seemed to race and for a moment he /really/ contemplated actually talking to the ram just in case he passes out. He’d never wanna put that on a customer.

His feet moved before he even had a choice and he stepped toward the ram. He swished his tail and offered the ram his own smile. "You're back!"

The man bristled, seemingly startled Shinsou even remembered him. He's gotten that reaction from several people before, so he was fairly used to it. 

"What can I help you with today, Mr..." Shinsou bit his lip, realizing he never got the ram's name. He watched the man's head perk up just a bit. 

"Call me Shouta," he said quickly, clearing his throat a second after. Shinsou snorted softly. "Okay, Shouta. What can I help you with today?"

Shouta's eyes wandered around the shop for a moment, like he was deciding what he wanted at that moment. "Well, you were setting up a Valentine's display the other day, and it reminded me that Valentine's was coming up. I always get red and pink flowers for my daughter, usually, they are fake though." 

Shinsou watched the ram ramble about his tradition before Shouta finally ducked his head, cleared his throat again, and sheepishly asked Shinsou to make him another bouquet for his daughter. 

Shinsou had to stop himself from laughing, leaning against the counter. "Sure can do. Any specific qualms, or just anything red and pink?" 

Shouta fiddled with his fingers, a hint of a soft blush on his cheeks. "Uh, not this time. Just make it pretty enough that she won't want to eat them?" 

Shinsou snorted, turning away from Shouta. "I think I can do that!" He headed to the back and began collecting flowers he wanted to use, before reappearing five minutes later.

"So, these are the flowers I have purple orchids, bleeding hearts, red begonias, cherry blossoms, and some white carnations. I did pick some rich purple and some white to help contrast the pink and red. Just so she's got a splash of color." Shinsou laid the flowers out over their new Valentine's parchment paper, smiling to himself at the perfect pick of colors. "I've also got some really nice pink and white ribbon to wrap it all up!" Shinsou reached down to grab the ribbon selection from under the counter, promptly setting them up on the counter for Shouta to look at. 

Shinsou caught Shouta's eyes trailing the ribbon, hesitant, and clearly overwhelmed. Shinsou waited a few minutes, letting him soak in the options before speaking. "If you don't like these, I have more, just let me know the color combo you want." 

Shouta lifted his eyes to meet Shinsou's, clearly unused to this. "Uhm, I'm really- You can pick? I don't know..." He started fiddling with his fingers again, cueing Shinsou to quickly collect the ribbon and return it to under the counter. "How about this," Shinsou asked, pulling out one of their thick ribbons. It was a rich purple to match the flowers, with red and white mixed in. Shouta's eyes lit up and Shinsou's smile widened. 

"That's perfect," Shouta muttered, glancing up at Shinsou again. 

Shinsou got to work on the bouquet, humming softly to himself. Once he was done, he held the bouquet out to Shouta. "I hope she likes it!" 

Shinsou caught the movement of something behind Shouta, and without making too much of a scene, he simply glanced at the movement before glancing back at Shouta. 

Shouta's tail was wagging and for whatever reason, Shinsou’s heart warmed at that, his body feeling fuzzy. He felt at home. 

Shouta took the flowers, paid, and left and Shinsou heaved a sigh, realizing that he was bummed he wouldn't get to see the ram again for a while. 

Or at least, he thought he wouldn't until Shouta was back in the store the next day. 

Shouto was gone to get coffee for the two of them, leaving Shinsou alone in the store. It was mid-afternoon and Shinsou felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of people in the store. It wasn't usual to be as busy as a restaurant, but Shinsou felt himself being pushed and pulled every way around the store. 

His name would be called while he was assisting someone, or he'd greet someone and get stuck speaking for over five minutes while others were waiting. 

It's not the first time he's handled things on his own, but it was very much a wake-up call that Shouto and he would need to find another worker, and sometime soon.

The moment he saw Shouta, relief fell over him and he could feel himself physically relax at seeing a familiar face. He continued to walk around the shop and help out everyone, before stealing himself away to greet Shouta, smiling brightly at the ram. "Mr. Shouta, I did not expect to see you back so soon! What can I help you with today?"

Shouta glanced up from a vase he was looking at, offering Shinsou a soft smile. "Hello, Shinsou. You're very busy today."

Shinsou nodded woefully, heaving a sigh, turning to glance around his own store. "Yeah, it would seem so." 

"Where's your friend that usually helps out?"

Shinsou turned back around to face Shouta, rocking on his heels a bit. "Shouto? She's on a break next door. She's getting us coffee. We're getting closer to Valentine's Day and for some reason, that means people have to shop for everything immediately. Valentine's Day is going to be worse." 

Shouta slicked his tongue, offering Shinsou a sympathetic look. "That sounds like hell. I'm sure you'll manage though, right?"

Shinsou rolled his eyes a bit, grinning. He was enjoying this maybe a bit too much, but truthfully, having Shouta around when he only had a few friends, even if he's only met the ram three times, felt nice. He couldn't explain why, but it felt as though they'd known each other for his entire life. 

Shinsou shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking on his heels again. "You can call me Hitoshi, by the way. I'm sure you're gonna keep coming in here, and while I don't mind, I think it'd be handy if you called me by my first name. Don't wanna confuse the patrons, they might think you're just here for flowers."

Shouta laughed, a real, deep, yet bubbly laugh, and Shinsou felt that warmth in his chest again, his grin growing and his tail flicking with happiness.

What a gorgeous laugh. 

"Right, but I /did/ come in here for flowers. For me. I saw these here yesterday and wanted to get them for my classroom. They're gorgeous. You made them didn't you?"

Shinsou glanced down at the bouquet, shaking his head. It was an arrangement of pink ruscus, light pink miscanthus, a mix of red, mauve, and pink bunny tails, light pink pampas, dried light mauve helecho, mauve phalaris . It was both Shouto's and Shinsou’s favorite arrangement that Shouto had made and was one of the best-selling valentines arrangements they’ve sold since setting up the display. 

"Nope, Shouto put those together. They are gorgeous, though, I agree. She's got a real eye for colors." 

Shouta looked back at the flowers, huffing a bit. "Oh, right, well...Did /you/ make anything similar?" 

Shinsou bit his lip in thought, glancing around at the flowers in the case. "Uh, no, not in this one, Shouto did all of these. I thought you wanted that one?" Shinsou jutted his thumb out to the vase he was originally looking at, raising an eyebrow at the ram. 

Shouta's face became red and he quickly nodded his head. "Uhm, I do. I'd like this one, thanks." He picked the vase up and quickly maneuvered through the tiny crowd of people all the way to the back of the store, readying himself to be checked out.

Shinsou watched him nearly disappear behind the people, only his horns able to be seen. 

Shinsou rubbed the back of his neck, realizing that that...might have been a really weird encounter. Before he could think too much of it, however, the door to the shop rang again and Shinsou was so thankful to see Shouto with Sero behind her, carrying their coffee. 

"Oh thank the gods, I need your help."

Shouto smiled, her tail wagging behind her. "I'll say. Hanta, be a dear and take those to the back." 

Sero nodded his head dumbly, quickly going off to the back while Shinsou followed Shouto to the counter to check some customers out.

They were able to get through to rush, stuck taking care of people until closing time. Although by the time they were down to the last bunch of people, all of the arrangements they had made for their Valentine’s display were gone.

Once they got the last of the customers out and closed the shop, Shinsou finally let himself sit down, groaning loudly. “Jesus, that was a lot of people.”

Shouto snorted, tapping her nails against the counter. “Too many. We’re going to have to set more arrangements up before tomorrow.”

Before Shinsou could respond, there was a soft tap at the door. Shinsou glanced at Shouto, who gave him a shrug. “Did Sero forget something?” Shinsou asked, pulling himself off of his chair.

“No, I don’t think so. He would have called one of us if he did.”

Shinsou furrowed his eyebrows and made his way to the front door, peeking out through the blinds. “Huh.”

He unlocked the door and pulled it open, the bell ringing as if someone stepping inside. “Hey, sorry Shouta, we just closed.”

The ram gave Shinsou a quick apology, nervously kicking his foot against the ground. “Sorry, this won’t take long. I just wanted to ask if you…happened to have plans for Valentine’s Day?”

Shinsou thought for a moment. “Uh, after work? I don’t think so. I was just going to get some takeout and watch a movie. “How come?”

Shouta’s cheeks heated up in a deep blush. “I was just wondering if I could…take you to dinner?”

Shinsou tilted his head. “What, like with your daughter?”

Shouta’s eyes widened. “O-oh, uh, no I meant just us?”

Shinsou smiled. “That’s a really nice gesture, Shouta, but you don’t have to take me to dinner for making your flowers, you know.”

Shouta opened his mouth to say something, and Shinsou realized the ram looked mortified. Shouto interjected, coming up behind Shinsou to save the ram from even more embarrassment. “Hitoshi, that’s perfect, Hanta and I were needing a fourth for our reservation. You both should come.”

Shinsou glanced behind him, raising an eyebrow. “What? Hanta said that was just-”

“Nope, he accidentally made it a four-person reservation. We’ll get a discount anyways. Shouta, was it? You should come. We’d love to have you. You seem like you could use more friends in your life, anyway.”

Shinsou gasped, turning towards Shouto. The door slammed shut behind him. “Shouto!” He cried out, quickly turning to yank the door back open. “I am /so/ sorry for her, you don’t have to come along if you don’t want to. She doesn’t know how to think before she speaks.” Shinsou glared back at the fox before turning back to Shouta, who gave a small laugh.

“No, it’s alright, that’s really funny. Uhm, she’s truthfully not wrong. My job doesn’t allow a lot of free time for friends. This has been nice. Could you send me the address of the restaurant, Shouto?”

Shouto smiled proudly, hip-bumping Shinsou out of her way as she pulled her phone out. “Absolutely, what’s your number?”

Shinsou watched them chat for a while after in disbelief. That was until he saw how Shouta smiled, and then he just simply watched with his own smile, not retaining any of the conversation and simply enjoying his new friend getting along well with Shouto.

When Shouta finally left and Shinsou had walked away to start on the arrangements before the two had to be there all night, Shouto announced just after the door shut that Shouta was trying to ask Shinsou out on a date.

Shinsou stared at her for a solid minute before letting out a nervous laugh. “No,” he replied quickly. “That would be absolutely insane because I’ve only known him for-”

“Exactly five days, six hours, thirty minutes, and 12 seconds. 13 seconds. 14 sec-”

“Shouto, I get it.” Shinsu rolled his eyes. “You’re just proving my point.”

“He was asking you out to a Valentine's Day dinner. Either he wants to date you or he wants to take you home and-”

“Shouto!”

“My apologies. Either way, I’ve got to inform Hanta we need two more reservations.”

Shinsou’s hands paused. “Shouto, you lied about the reservations?”

“You wouldn’t have accepted his offer if I didn’t step in. You’re welcome for giving you plans that don’t include stuffing your face with ice cream and crying over stupid rom-com movies in the dark.”

Shinsou stared at Shouto in absolute shock, mouth agape. She just stared back at him like she didn’t just say the rudest thing she could think of. “What?” She finally asked.

Shinsou shut his mouth before the laughter bubbled up. “You are something else, Shouto, you know that? No one but you could ever get away with saying something like that.” Shinsou sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

“Alright, get over here and help me. I don’t want to be here all night.” 

The restaurant was too fancy for Shinsou. 

In fact, the table Shouto got was covered in rose petals and Shinsou realized too late that it was almost like a double date. “You set me up,” Shinsou muttered to Shouto, who simply tossed her hair over her shoulder and gave Shinsou a sly smile. “I don’t know what you mean. I simply wanted my friends to have a good Valentine’s Day.”

The entire dinner, Shinsou spent gripping whatever he could to focus on anything but the stupid “double date.”

It didn’t take long, though, for Shouto to pry into Shouta’s life. She wanted to get to know him, get a feel for the kind of man that was going to be around her precious little Shinsou.

“What do you do for work? You said you rarely have time for friends.” Shouto sipped her wine after asking the question like she was in a James Bond movie.

Shinsou rolled his eyes but turned to Shouta as he spoke.

“I’m a college professor I teach business and literature.” He seemed hesitant to reply, clearly just as nervous as Shinsou.

“Whaaaaat? Two subjects? That’s cool as hell,” Sero responded, leaning back in his chair. He grinned. “Damn, you /must/ be busy, then.”

Shouto nodded in agreement. “That’s a good job. Do you like it?”

Shouta nodded, a faint smile crossing his lips. “Yeah, I love it.”

He glanced at Sero. “Thank you for inviting us, I’m sorry to intrude on your night like this.”

Hanta waved his hand. ‘Nah, it’s no problem, dude. Any friend of Shouto’s is a friend of mine.”

The rest of the dinner seemed to go well, for Shinsou. In fact, he felt more relaxed the longer it went on, more loose and speaking more freely. Once they got to the dessert, Sero quickly told them all he ordered dessert ahead of time.

“Why on earth would you do that?” Shouto asked, her ears twitching with suspicion.

Sero just gave her his golden goofy grin and kissed her cheek. “Valentine’s Day, baby. I wanted it to be special. Can’t have you using that pretty little head of yours all the time, right?”

Shinsou kept himself from groaning, taking the last bite of his food. Their plates were cleared, the dessert was brought out, and Shouto seemed delighted at the choice; chocolate-covered strawberries on top of mini chocolate cakes.

Shinsou didn’t really think anything of it, happily eating his dessert and chatting with Shouta until Sero got down on one knee as soon as Shouto made a face. Her lips pursed and she reached her hand up to pull out a gorgeous ring.

Shinsou realized a bit too quickly that Sero had planned on proposing to her this entire time. Her eyes were wide, Shinsou’s face hurt from the smile, and Sero went on this long-winded monologue about how much he loved Shouto.

Shinsou was actually mad at himself for not realizing it sooner, and all three of them knew it was coming eventually with the way they already acted like a married couple.

But to see it in person, to watch Shouto’s face light up, to see them both kiss with tears in their eyes and smiles so big they could give the universe a run for its money, Shinsou was thankful to be there. He was glad that he got to see his friends so happy.

He also knew his friends were not above doing anything anywhere and knew exactly where the two lovebirds were when they both excused themselves to the restroom not even ten minutes after Sero proposed.

They left Shouta and Shinsou alone, and for a bit, they were just silent, finishing off their dessert, before Shouta finally asked, “They went to have sex, didn’t they?”

Shinsou didn’t even have to look away from his food to reply with a very quick, “Yes.”

Shouta snorted and Shinsou smiled. “They do that all the time. They’ll be back eventually.”

Shouta snorted again. “They never actually had a four-person reservation, did they?”

Shinsou finally looked up. “No. Shouto just wanted to include you.”

The ram smiled. “That was really sweet of her. Tonight was nice.”

Shinsou couldn’t agree more.

Shinsou was thankful the next day wasn’t busy, letting Shouto work off the hangover she got from the win she had and giving Shinsou the chance to relax for the day and get some much-needed housework at the shop done.

“You know, Shouto, we should really think about hiring some part-timers. Maybe for the summer at least?”

The bell on the door rang as it clambered open before Shouto could reply. Shinsou finished off the last bit of the watering as Shouto greeted whoever walked in with a sweet and dainty voice she usually saved for customers.

“Is…Hitoshi…Hitoshi Shinsou here?”

Shinsou nearly dropped the watering can at the sound of the voice, his heart hammering hard in his chest.

‘Katsuki?’

“Oh, he’s around here somewhere watering flowers. Is there something I can help you with or do you need to speak to him directly?”

There was a pause before Bakugou replied that he needed to speak to Shinsou.

Shinsou took a deep breath, then another, before finally emerging from the shelves of flowers he was hiding behind.

Bakugou stared at him, his face paling as if he’d seen a ghost. And Shinsou imagined he didn’t look much better. His eyes landed on the tall Komodo dragon leering behind Bakugou, eyes so focused on Shinsou that Shinsou wouldn’t be able to bolt even if he tried. His expression was hard, something so immensely protective about him that Shinsou lost all ability to speak.

“Hitoshi…” Bakugou said, his voice that same softness that it always was with Shinsou. But this was a different kind of soft. It was the sort of soft when you don’t believe something is happening right before your eyes. The type of exasperated, confused, and hollowed soft that was left with more questions than answers.

Bakugou ran a hand through his hair, turning away from Shinsou. Shinsou watched the retriever's hand tramble and his tail tucked between his legs. He heard the soft, broken muttered ‘fuck’ before turning back and fixing Shinsou with that same cold stare his…friend was giving him.

Shinsou wanted to back up. He felt like prey. He felt…scared.

“K-Katsuki- Uhm, what are you…how did…” Shinsou furrowed his eyebrows, unable to find the right questions to ask. Or should he ask any at all? Should he even speak?

Bakguou held out a crumbled envelope to Shinsou. Shinsou stared at it, not trusting that lizard enough to try and reach out and take it.

Bakugou glared at the envelope, glared at Shinsou, and then turned and glared at his friend. “Ejirou, cut it out, you’re freaking him out.”

The lizard finally turned his face away from Shinsou, gluing his eyes to Bakugou as a protective hand wrapped around Bakugou’s waist.

Ah, boyfriends.

Shinsou hesitantly took the envelope, his other hand gripping the watering can tightly. “Uhm…what is…this?” Shinsou finally asked, thankful to be able to get a full sentence out.

“A fucking wedding invitation. Open the damn thing and read it,” Bakugou snapped.

His voice was harsh now and Shinsou couldn’t blame him. He set the watering can down next to his feet and slowly opened the envelope.

Inside was a gorgeous creme-colored paper that felt like fabric to the touch. It had a black border with black lettering on it. The invitation was made out directly to Shinsou, with Bakugou and who he assumed was the komodo dragon, Ejirou Kirishima, as the grooms. There was information, as well as options for Shinsou to pick for food. 

Shinsou finally tore his eyes away from the invitation to stare at the blond in disbelief. “Why?” Shinsou asked, his voice weak. His heart was ready to explode in his chest and for whatever reason, Shinsou was ten seconds from hyperventilating.

Bakugou shrugged his shoulders, looking down. “Just…cause. You get a plus one so bring a friend, or whatever.”

“I cannot go.”

The silence was tense between them, thick and heavy, not even a sharp knife could cut through it.

“Why not?” Bakugou demanded. Shinsou shrank back, kicking the watering can over on accident. He couldn’t even bring himself to look down at the mess. “I- Kat- Bakugou, I haven’t seen you in two years-”

“Yeah, I know, the last time we saw each other you fucking dumped me. But,” he growled low, a tell that he was frustrated with himself. “God, we were still fucking friends, Hitoshi. I want my fucking friends to be at my damn wedding.”

Shinsou opened his mouth, then closed it, the words not seeming to come to him. How does he respond to that? What is he supposed to say that won't hurt them even more?

“Can…can I think about it? Please?”

Bakugou’s jaw tightened and he gave Shinsou a once-over before giving a tight nod. “Yeah, but make it fucking fast, I need the fucking food picks for you. C’mon, Ei, let's go.”

Bakugou turned from Shinsou, making his way back to the front door, his fiance following behind. He pushed the door open, then stopped, glancing back to Shinsou. “Please go.”

Shinsou watched the two leave almost as quickly as they came, and once the door shut, Shinsou sank to his knees and let out a soft sob that’d been building up since he heard Bakugou’s voice.

He didn’t register Shouto helping him up before he became hyper-aware that he wasn’t even in the flower shop anymore, but instead, sitting at the bar of Sero’s coffee shop.

“Oh, there’s the bubbly kitty. Hey, buddy, you want some coffee?” Sero asked, smiling softly and sympathetically at Shinsou.

Shinsou’s head pounded. “Does that come with the strongest vodka you have?”

Sero laughed. “Let me see what I’ve got stashed away.”  

Shinsou stared at the invite. He couldn’t seem to bring himself to tear his eyes away from it. It burned a hole in the back of his mind, and yet, his skin felt like fire when he tried to touch it.

For old-time sake, he should go. Right? He should…show up and support Bakugou. They were best friends before they dated, it was only right. And Bakugou /said/ he wanted him there. 

Shinsou just couldn’t shake this unsettling feeling. If he doesn’t go, Bakugou will track him down again and yell at him, maybe even cuss him out. But…if he does go, Shinsou feels the same thing would happen, anyway. It’s a lose-lose situation. 

He wants to go, wants to try and mend things between them so they /can/ be friends again. Maybe Bakugou wants that too if he’s so adamant about Shinsou being there.

Shinsou reached for the invitation again, pulling his hand back as the tips of his fingers grazed the paper.

He couldn’t do this.

He wasn’t ready. Maybe Bakugou wasn’t ready either. He couldn’t do this to himself, to Bakugou, to Bakugou’s fiance.

Shinsou groaned and buried his face in his hands. This was so stupid. 

‘He invited you to his wedding, just /go/,’ Shinsou thought to himself. He was annoyed with himself for being so nervous about it in the first place. But who wouldn’t be? He hadn’t seen Bakugou in /so long/.

“You know,” Shinsou heard Shouto’s soft voice from behind him, startling him as he turned around. She smiled, reaching over to pat his cheek softly. “You could take someone with you. I could go or even Hanta. You could even take Shouta-”

Shinsou scowled at her. “Out of the question.” He rubbed his face and groaned. “I don’t think I should go at all, Shouto. This is stupid, I haven’t seen him in /years/ and suddenly he pops up with a new fiance expecting me to go-”

“Not expecting,” Shouto corrected, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. “Seems like he just misses you. His fiance was very scary, however.”

Shinsou looked at her, exasperated. “He was so /angry/! I’ve never met the man in my life and he seemed so angry!”

Shouto smiled softly. “Protective. Hanta was like that too. Is like that.”

Shinsou huffed, crossing his arms. “Not with me!”

“Honey, he knew you were gay the moment he met you.”

Shinsou narrowed his eyes at Shouto, exhaling slowly. “He did /not/.”

Shouto nodded her head then shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not hard to tell,” she said. “You get kinda doey eye for any pretty man that steps into the store. I don’t mean like, ‘i want you to rail me’ doey eye, though. Like you know men are gorgeous. You don’t look at women like that.”

“I hate when you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Perceive me.”

Shouto laughed, pulling her hands from her pockets to hold them out to Shinsou. ‘Let me see that invitation, Hitoshi.”

Shinsou sighed, unfolding his arms. He eyed Shouto’s hands before picking up the paper that nearly felt like searing pain in his hands and delicately placed it into Shouto’s hands.

She inspected it, her perfectly manicured fingers gently caressing the texture of the paper as she read the information. “Hitoshi, this is in two weeks.”

“What?!” 

Shinsou’s heart raced as he paced back and forth; waiting.

He made the decision, based on the lack of time, and in the panicked moment of fog, to invite Aizawa to Bakguou’s wedding as Shinsou’s plus one. /Not/ a date. Not a /date/. He really hoped Aizawa didn’t think it was a date.

Shinsou felt stupid, inviting him when they barely became friends, but Shouto refused on the guise of not wanting to accidentally copy their wedding and Hanta didn’t sugar coat the fact that he wasn’t going to be nice to Bakugou’s fiance for death-glaring Shinsou.

Aizawa, while new, was Shinsou’s only option. Truthfully, Shinsou was surprised that Aizawa had agreed, and so quickly, as well. It was a relief, however, to know Shinsou wouldn’t be alone.

He dreaded going to this wedding. He’d have to see old friends that probably hated him, and even worse, his parents.

Shinsou was close with both Mitsuki and Masaru. They’d been so welcoming to him before and after Shinsou and Bakugou started dating. They were better parents without even being his parents. Everyone in the neighborhood truly just knew Shinsou and Bakugou would get together, and the Bakugou’s were no exception.

Shinsou knew the moment he broke up with Bakugou he was breaking apart the one family willing to treat him like a human.

He didn’t want to see them. He knew he had to, but he didn’t want to.

He couldn’t even bring himself to wear a damn suit. He just put on the nicest but not too formal clothing he had because the only suit he owned was the one he’d picked out for his and Bakugou's wedding.

Which Bakugou’s seen. He was /not/ going to Bakugou's wedding wearing that.

Shinsou was so stressed, so lost in his own head, that he barely heard the door to his flower shop open and close, the bell ringing.

Shinsou glanced up, gearing up to tell whoever decided to step inside despite the closed sign brightly lit on the outside of the door that Shinsou’s store was, in fact, actually closed, before the words caught in his mouth and he nearly choked at the sight in front of him.

Aizawa was tugging at his sleeves, sleeves to a tight-fitting suit that did absolutely everything it needed to accentuate what a very nice frame Aizawa had.

Shinsou gulped, his tail sticking straight up and his ears pressing back. His chest tightened and for a moment, he felt like he would throw up from the way his stomach fluttered. He inhaled slowly, then gave Aizawa a short, shy wave, finally glancing up to meet the ram's eyes and being even more knocked away but how incredibly…stunning Aizawa looked.

His hair was pulled back and he’d shaved and Aizawa just looked like the epitome of put together.

Shinsou’s tail swished back and forth, heart pounding. Shouto was right, Shinsou was absolutely and positively blown away by how beautiful men could be and Aizawa was the perfect example.

Shinsou inhaled slowly, letting his brain and his body process the stupid emotions he felt before offering Aizawa a smile. “Thank you for doing this with me.”

Aizawa returned the smile with his own, a soft, sweet smile that made Shinsou’s stomach leap and his heart patter hard in his chest. 

Shinsou wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, but he was sure it had to do with his anxiety and not the 6 foot 4 ram that stood directly in front of him dressed as if they were about to go on the most romantic date in the world.

Because they weren’t.

This wasn’t a date.

They were going to Shinsou’s ex-fiance’s wedding. Not a date. 

Shinsou had insisted on driving, too nervous to just sit in the passenger seat and think about everything, but Aizawa was firm on being the one to drive, rebutting with the fact that Shinsou was /too nervous/ to be in control of a large vehicle. 

Shinsou relinquished his keys to Aizawa with his tail tucked between his legs in defeat. It was completely true that he was too nervous to drive. Doing anything too intensive at all truly would be a horrible idea. 

The venue was two hours away, near Shinsou’s hometown where he and Bakugou grew up. It was outside of the town, a long, gravel driveway leading to it, the wheels of the car crunching as Aizawa slowly pulled into it. Shinsou recognized the “venue” immediately before Aizawa even found the beaten-off path. It was Bakugou’s family farm. And the decorations outside were incredibly breathtaking. Shinsou couldn’t pull his eyes from the perfectly mixed colors of red, orange, and black with just the tiniest, sweetest hint of cream mixed in.

Shinsou was in awe of it, taking just a second to wonder if his and Bakugou's would have looked this amazing. 

Aizawa found a parking spot with all of the other cars. When they got out, Shinsou could see people running back and forth with Bakugou's mom barking orders at them. Shinsou wasn't surprised to see she was in charge of her son’s wedding instead of an actual event manager, because that's simply who she was as a person. 

Her eyes landed on him when he shut his door and Shinsou felt the urge to run and hide. Her gleaming eyes were seering into him like lava, choking him from the inside as it hardened. Shinsou truly wasn't sure where to go, there were no instructions on where guests were supposed to go on the invite.

So, Shinsou bit the bullet and lead Aizawa straight to the lioness. 

"Hitoshi," Mitsuki sneered, her lip twitching as she did so. "You made it."

Shinsou clasped his hands together, heart pounding hard. "Yes...ma'am..." He tried his hardest not to let his voice crack. Nerves bubbled into unrelenting anxiety, bordering on unmanageable. 

Mitsuki clicked her tongue and looked down at a clipboard. "Service will be behind the house, party is in the farmhouse. You know your way." Without another word, without giving Shinsou even a chance at asking for anything, Mitsuki turned and stormed off. Shinsou watched her disappear, his chest clenched tightly with the threat of a panic attack. 

Even if he tried to ground himself here, everything would just be a continuous reminder of what Shinsou had done. Focusing on the pile of cars in the grass were reminders of the guests that would've attended Shinsou and Bakugou's wedding. The elegant silk banners on the farmhouse with Kirishima's and Bakugou's names written in glittered golden letterings made Shinsou only think harder about the plans they had made to do that. The exact colors of the black banner, the exact colors of the lettering. Everything was...their wedding, with different colors. And Shinsou had no one but himself to blame. 

He shouldn't have come. He shouldn't be here. He didn't deserve to be here, not now, not ever. He didn't deserve to see Bakugou happy, he didn't deserve it. None of it. Nothing could ever rectify how cold-hearted Shinsou had been towards the one person that loved him more than anything in the world.

A hand fell on Shinsou's shoulder with a firm, tight squeeze. Shinsou nearly screamed, startled by the sudden jolt back to reality. "Deep breathes," Aizawa muttered into his ear. For a split second, the hot breath that lingered against Shinsou's skin made his heart flutter. His body tingled, his arms broke out in goosebumps, and he had to such in a quick breath. 

The hand was gone almost as soon as it was there, but it's what Shinsou needed. 

"I'm sorry, Hitoshi, I didn't mean to frighten you. You just weren't answering me and I could tell you were in your head," Aizawa said, rubbing his own arm with embarrassment. 

Shinsou took a few, deep, slow breaths, letting the humid air fill his lungs before he thought about his response to Aizawa. 

When he could feel his own skin again and wasn't about to become a ball of impending fireballs, he turned to Aizawa and offered a small smile. "It's alright, Shouta. Thank you, I needed that."

Shinsou rocked on his heels for a moment, taking another breath. "Alright. Shall we head to the service?"

The service wasn't as long as Shinsou had been expecting, but it was gorgeous. They had skipped the normal, cliche walk down the aisle, which had eliminated half of the time that would have gone into the wedding. 

When it was over and the guests had been moved to the after party in the barn, Aizawa excused himself to go find the restroom, leaving Shinsou alone to find where he was supposed to be sitting. He was thankful when he found the table a ways away from Bakugou and Kirishima's table. It gave him a bit of hope that maybe he wouldn't have to talk to either of them.

Hope that he wouldn't have to look at the seering, protective, anger in that redhead's eyes like he did the day they came to Shinsou's shop.

Shinsou glanced around nervously, clasping and unclasping his hands, fiddling with the hem of his sleeves, and even glancing around at the same spots over and over again. 

It was weird to be here. Weird to see everything that /could/ have been his if he had stayed. But another part of him was happy. Katsuki was finally getting the wedding and the life with the person he loved. Shinsou just wished he could've been by his side to encourage him and support him more. 

Although the invite itself was surprising, Shinsou did hope for the opening of new doors and old friendships. They hadn't spoken since Shinsou left two years ago. They hadn't contacted each other or done anything remotely enough to indicate a reconnection. 

And when Katsuki stepped into Shinsou's flower shop with the same scowl he had since he was a child, hand in hand with his new partner, Shinsou felt a rush of buried emotions from what he did. 

It wasn't fair to Katsuki. He never got the closure he deserved, he never got a word in, never…

Shinsou inhaled slowly, exhaled slowly, then counted down from ten. His heart was beating too fast and the room began to grow louder. Shinsou repeated. 

The decorations were gorgeous, a mix of cream, orange, and red. The ceremony itself was just as beautiful and Shinsou was /happy/ for Katsuki. He really was. But his nerves…god, his nerves were way too shot. 

He was thankful, then, that he had a plus one. He was thankful Aizawa agreed to come. He had a friend to help him through and stay by his side. This day wasn't about Shinsou and he wasn't going to let his raging fluctuating emotions change that. 

With Aizawa off to the bathroom, that left Shinsou stuck at their table, stressed, anxious, and too aware of every single conversation going around him. 

That was until he felt a tap on his shoulder. Shinsou turned his head, his eyes landing on the groom himself, stoic and alone. 

"Hey," he grunted out.

Shinsou turned completely to face him, hesitant. "Hey.."

"Why are you alone?" 

Shinsou glanced around again to see if he could find Aizawa. "My friend went to the restroom." 

"Is he your date?"

Shinsou's breath hitched. He inhaled slowly again. "No, just a friend. I don't…uh, you know how I am with big crowds."

Katsuki's nose twitched. He was just as uncomfortable as Shinsou.

"Right. You sure? He's been making googly eyes at you all day."

Shinsou furrowed his eyebrows. "Shouldn't you be focused on your wedding with Kirishima? Why are you worried about what he's doing?"

The stoic expression quickly became a scowl and then a glare. "I'm not worried about your stupid fucking boyfriend, asshole." 

His voice raised and Shinsou glanced around nervously, catching a few stares. "Okay, please lower your voice," Shinsou murmured. "He's not my boyfriend, and he won't be. I told you, I don't…I'm not-"

"Yeah, right. "I don't get feelings for people." You know that's complete bullshit?" 

Shinsou shook his leg, glancing around again. More people were watching. Shinsou could feel his heart racing again. "Katsuki, please, go enjoy your wedding. If you would like, we can discuss this at a later time, but you should go enjoy your day." 

Katsuki's nose twitched again. "Why'd you even fucking / come /," he barked, his eyes heating up. 

Shinsou shrank back, feeling his stomach flip. "You…you invited me? I thought you wanted me to-"

Katsuki scoffed, cutting Shinsou off immediately. "That was a stupid courtesy. Deku wanted you here, I was just doing him a stupid favor." 

"Oh." 

Shinsou set there dumbfounded for a moment before he stood. "Okay. I'm..I'm sorry, I thought you wanted me here- I'll go. I'm happy for you, please enjoy your wedding. I hope you make good memories, I'm sorry."

Shinsou swallowed down a lump, his body shaking with nerves. He couldn't meet Katsuki's eyes again, fearful that he could see the tears welling up. 

A hand reached out to Shinsou, stopping him. He flinched, sucking in a sharp breath. 

"Kacchan, you're being rude!" 

Shinsou squeezed his eyes shut, counting down from 10. He tried to collect himself before his emotions burst. 

"Rude?! I didn't want him here! You did! He's a piece of shit!" Katsuki was screaming now and Shinsou was sure everyone was watching, only thankful for the band still playing. 

"That is not true!" Izuku yelled back. "Hitoshi," his voice softened and Shinsou finally stole a glance, his hands gripping together tightly to keep from shaking. 

Izuku was just as handsome as he'd always been, his face dusted with more freckles than Shinsou had seen last. His eyes were that same gorgeous emerald green and his smile was just as bright and soft as ever. 

Shinsou felt his heart tighten. His friend got older in the years he's been gone and he missed every step of the way. He missed how close all three of them had been. 

It felt like a smack to the face seeing them both again. One glaring, cursing his very existence, the other just…so calm for no reason. 

"It's so good to see you again. Really. Don't listen to Katsuki. I know he sounds angry, but I promise you he was just as excited to see you as I was."

Izuku turned back to Katsuki, scowling. "Why are you yelling at him and causing a scene? You were the one that wanted to invite him so we could all be together again!"

Shinsou chanced a glance at Katsuki, watching the anger slowly melt off his face into something almost akin to defeat but not quite readable.

Shinsou hesitated, his voice wavering when he finally did speak, "It's okay if you don't…want me here anymore, I don't…I really don't want to cause trouble."

Katsuki scowled again, but his eyes dipped to the floor. Shinsou knew this look. It was when he was unsure of how to express what he was really feeling. He always had such a hard time with emotions because of his mom. Shinsou had learned how to garner small facial movements to figure out what Katsuki was feeling.

Shinsou could tell he was confused and upset. His eyebrows would furrow when he was confused, his nose would twitch three times. 

But, to Shinsou's relief, Katsuki unclenched his jaw, his lips twitching up slightly. His eyes moved to the floor as if he was embarrassed about something. But Shinsou had seen this many times before. 

Katsuki was also happy. 

Shinsou, despite trying to hold back, felt tears slide down his face. 

"I'm sorry," Katsuki muttered, his voice soft. "I'm sorry for yelling at you in front of everyone. I'm..I'm thankful you came…I just…wasn't expecting to feel all of this still.." 

Shinsou was unsure of what to say at first, his thoughts jumbled together in a ball of incoherent words. 

"It's okay," he finally said, puffing out a small breath of air. "I don't need an apology. You never got to air out your emotions to me, I understand. I left before you could say anything so this…this is karma”.

Katsuki frowned, looking up at Shinsou, his eyes clearly scanning Shinsou's face. "But it could've been done in private. Don't…don't excuse that behavior-"

Shinsou put his hands up, offering Katsuki a smile. "Listen, it's fine, really, it's alright. Built-up emotions don't tend to wait for the right moment before exploding." 

Katsuki's shoulders sagged, a defeated stance. "You're right…" He was quiet now, his voice trembling just a bit. 

"Well, I'm glad that worked out!" Shinsou heard Kirishima call, before catching the man's red head bobbing as he jogged up to Katsuki's side. "Thanks for coming, Shinsou!" His smile was wide and almost blinding as he took Katsuki's hand. 

Shinsou blinked, surprised, but also relieved. The first time he'd met Kirishima, the lizard was defensive over the love of his life. He was protective and willing to go toe-to-toe with anyone—including Shinsou—who crossed Katsuki. Now, at the moment, he seemed excited to be here and to be in Shinsou's prescence. It's a different energy and it was relieving to know Kirishima probably didn't hate Shinsou, that he was just being protective of Katsuki and Shinsou was thankful for that. Thankful Katsuki had someone like that.

Shinsou offered a meek, nervous smile, clasping his hands together again. "Thank you for having me, it's beautiful here, truly."

Kirishima beamed like sunlight, his teeth sharp as his smile grew. There was so much, pure, unadulterated joy coming from him. A lot of that could definitely be a mixture of the wedding, but Shinsou had a feeling that Kirishima was truly just this full of light on a daily basis. 

He could see why Katsuki gravitated toward him. The energy was contagious and Shinsou felt his nerves dissipate as his smile soften. 

Izuku rocked on his heels, beaming just as brightly as Kirishima. "Thank goodness! I missed you a lot, Toshi!"

Shinsou felt his heart swell from the nickname. It's an easy, simple pick, even Shouto and Hanta use it on him, but Midoriya was his first friend and the first person to use the nickname. "I missed you too," Shinsou muttered, feeling his face heat up. 

He could tell they were all still the center of attention, but he was thankful it wasn't from yelling anymore. 

"Are you all done now?" He heard a scratchy, familiar shrill voice call out to them. The four turn their heads to a clearly unimpressed Mitsuki who had that clipboard still in her hands. "You two have your first dance coming up. Are you done yelling at that girl yet?"

The smile on Shinsou's face fell, and his entire body tensed again. He inhaled sharply, his hands balling into fists at his side. 

"Ma, shut the /fuck/ up," Bakugou barked. Shinsou felt dizzy and heartbroken, truly. 

"This is exactly why I didn't fucking want her here, Eijirou."

Shinsou glanced around, realizing, once again, he'd been put under a microscope. 

Mitsuki rolled her eyes, glancing at the clipboard. "We're on a schedule and you're wasting your day screaming at her for something that happened two years a-"

"Shinsou is NOT a her and you will respect him right the fuck now, or you can leave." 

The comment startled Shinsou, not because of what was said, but because Kirishima was the one who said it. Shinsou looked over at him and that same glare, that same cold, hard stare from when they met was settled back on his face, aimed directly at his own mother-in-law. Except, he looked even angrier than he did at the flower shop. 

"Uhm," Shinsou tried, chest heaving with every painful breath he took. "It's alright-" 

"No it's fucking not," Bakugou snapped, fixing his own glare at his mother as he spoke to Shinsou. "I knew she was going to do this. She's done this to him since day one."

Mitsuki scoffed. "Please, you're really sticking up for her after what she did? Who was there for you when she just upped and disappeared? Huh? Me-"

"He, Mitsuki. Hitoshi has gone by he since we've known him. You're at your son's wedding, you'll respect the people he has invited."

Shinsou's eyes widened as Masaru stepped up, trying to reign in his wife. "And you weren't there for him, I was. You were parading around the house saying 'I told you so' every chance you could. Don't paint yourself in a light you don't deserve. It's becoming exhausting." 

Shinsou felt tears well up, heart sinking when he saw the man that treated Shinsou like his own. 

And then Masaru smiled at Shinsou and it was as if he wasn't in his own body anymore, simply watching from above like a movie. Like his life was replaying before his eyes and after the credits he'd be going somewhere he shouldn't be yet. 

And for a few minutes, he simply moved through like that. He watched himself move towards the healthiest father figure he'd ever had in his life and hug him tightly. He watched his friends gather around Shinsou, protecting him from Mitsuki. He watched from afar, waiting. 

Only when he saw Aizawa filter through the crowd of onlookers who had been there to enjoy a wedding and not whatever messed up drama Katsuki and Shinsou had going on, only then, did Shinsou find himself back in his body, watching Aizawa approach him with worry and all Shinsou could do was smile. 

He held his hand out to Aizawa as he heard the music start to play again and people filter onto the dance floor, ready to put the scene behind them, smiling so big, tears on his face as he asked Aizawa to dance. 

Aizawa took the hand, confused and still worried and Shinsou truly couldn't be bothered to answer any questions after that, simply for the fact that he was tired and wanted to enjoy the rest of the night there. And he could do that with Aizawa. Because Aizawa was the breath of fresh air and protection he needed from whatever emotions were battling in Shinsou's heart. He was an amazing friend and Shinsou was thankful to have him.

The wedding party ended late and by the time they’d gotten 15 minutes out of the venue, Shinsou fell asleep. He woke up just as Aizawa was parking in front of the flower shop. Shinsou yawned softly and groggily dragged himself out of the car, urging himself to wake up just a bit to maybe put some work in for the store. He stopped the key halfway in the lock, then turned to Aizawa. “Shouta, would you like a glass of wine?” 

The ram, who was halfway into his own car, stopped, glancing at Shinsou in surprise. Slowly, he exited his car, nodding his head a bit. “Yeah, sure, I could go for some wine.”

Shinsou let Aizawa into the store, locking the door behind him once they were both in before making his way to the front counter to turn the lights on. "You know, the inconvenience of having the lights at the back sucks when I usually only come in at the front."

Shinsou heard Aizawa chuckle and smiled to himself, feeling his tail whip around with excitement. "Wine's in our cooler in the back, let me go grab it," Shinsou called out after flicking the lights on. Aizawa hummed in response. Shinsou made his way through the mini-warehouse all the way to his and Shouto's office, searching around in their cooler until he found the perfect wine bottle. 

He made his way back to the front, pulling the cork out of the bottle. He glanced at the counter, searching until he found his and Shouto's wine glasses. He dropped the cork onto the counter, using his now free hand to grab the two glasses.

He set them down on the counter, glancing up. "Alright, it's not the fancy shit, but I hope you like red wine."

Aizawa smiled softly, nodding his head, his small tail wagging almost as quickly as an excited puppy. "I love red wine. Don't be shy, give me a big pour." 

Shinsou laughed, tilting the bottle into one wine glass. "You got it, captain. One full glass of red wine coming right up."

"You're so sweet to me, Hitoshi."

The sentence paused Shinsou’s brain for a moment, nearly spilling the wine all over the counter from overfilling the cup. He felt tightness in his chest and his stomach flip as if he was on a rollercoaster. 

He heard Aizawa laugh, a loud, warm, belly laugh and he could feel an urge build up. A want he has never felt in his life. It was different and he couldn't tell what the want was, but he knew he immediately adored that laugh and all he could do was smile in turn. 

"I didn't mean that much, Toshi."

Shinsou's face lit up and he pushed the glass towards the ram, eyes pinned to the empty glass. "Sorry," he muttered softly. "I think I'm more tired than I thought I was." 

Aizawa hummed, tucking his hair behind his ear as he leaned down to sip the wine before picking the glass up. Shinsou blinked, taking in a deep breath. "Woah," he muttered to himself. 

Aizawa glanced up, dark eyes focusing in on Shinsou as he slowly lifted his head. "Hm? Something wrong?"

Shinsou shook his head, smiling. "Nope, everything's great. Is it good?" 

Aizawa nodded his head. "Yeah, it's delicious." 

Shinsou bit his lip, pouring his own glass before finally taking a drink. "Huh, a lot sweeter than I thought it would be." He took another sip and sighed. "You really saved me today, Shouta. I'm really glad you came."

Aizawa offered his own smile. "I was honored you even asked me. It was a lovely event and your friend looked very happy."

Shinsou swirled the liquid in his glass, thinking back to the look on Bakugou's face when Bakugou and Kirishima had finally gotten their first. The pure bliss and happiness on his face was enough to set Shinsou for life. It's all he wanted for his friend, it's what he deserved, and to have seen in happen in real time was more than enough for him. 

He smiled to himself. "He did, yeah. I'm glad he got his happy ever after finally."

The next day Shinsou was sore and crabby and everything seemed to annoy him. He'd had three cups of coffee by the time he'd gotten to the flower shop---two hours behind schedule---and he was thankful that'd he'd be alone today so he didn't have to hear about it from Shouto. 

Just as he was opening the windows and getting the store ready, angry as the sunlight filtered into the store, he saw a familiar face walking on the sidewalk towards the shop and ever bit of annoyance in his bones melted away. 

Aizawa offered Shinsou a smile from outside the door, holing up a drink carrier with two cups of what Shinsou could assume was more coffee as well as a bag that Shinsou /hoped/ was breakfast. Shinsou unlocked the door to let Aizawa in, locking it back up once Aizawa was far enough in. "Well, this is a surprise. I don't normally let customers in before hours, you know."

Aizawa cocked an eyebrow, his eyes glancing at the door for only a second before looking back at Shinsou, signally the hours on the door and the fact that it is very much past the time the store was supposed to be open. 

"Okay, I had more wine after you left. Sue me, I'm hungover."

Aizawa laughed and made his way to the front counter, placing the drinks and the food on it. "Yeah, I figured. That’s why I decided to bring you some caffeine and food. Fuel, y'know?"

Shinsou did one last walk-through through the store, ending it at the counter with a sigh. "You're such a gentleman. Thank you, kindly. Which one is mine?”

“Either one you like, taste them both.”

Shinsou raised an eyebrow, but pulled one out of the carrier anyway, taking a sip of it before trying the second one. He smacked his lips a bit, before making his decision, sliding the first one he picked up to Aizawa. "thanks for the pick-me-up! If you'd like to get the food, I dunno, prepared? I gotta go pull some flowers from the back to replace on the floor and it's already two hours past opening, sooooo..."

Aizawa smiled, laughing to himself as he took the rejected coffee. "Yeah, absolutely, I can do that for you." 

Shinsou traveled to the back room, retrieving the box of flowers he'd noticed were low on the floor or needed to be replaced in bouquets. 

He made his way back to the front, only glancing at the counter for a second to note that the food was still in the bag. He shifted the box in his hands to under his arms, crouching down a bit to sift through the mess under the counter before he finally found parchment paper. "Huh, I'll need to order more of that soon. I should write a note for Shouto- Probably for my...self..."

Shinsou finally glanced up after setting the bottle down to see the ram shoving a handful of petals torn off of one of the bouquets Shinsou had made a few days prior into his mouth.

Shinsou starred in absolute horror as Aizawa chomped on these petals, his hand reaching back out to the bouquet with all the intention in the world of tearing off more to eat. 

Shinsou cleared his throat and watched the ram's face turn into a cherry tomato red, embarrassment and shame taking over the previous dissociation. 

"You know you have to pay for those….right…?" Shinsou asked, laughing just a bit at the pure audacity of the situation. 

Aizawa spit the petals out onto the floor, staring at Shinsou with wide eyes. Shinsou glanced down at the petals, then back up at Aizawa. "You're cleaning that up." 

"I am so sorry," Aizawa muttered. Shinsou snorted, scrunching his nose at the apology.

"You know flowers are for decoration, right? Not for eating?" 

Aizawa covered his face with his hands, groaning softly. 

Shinsou snickered softly, leaning against the counter. "So you're eating flower petals, huh? When did that start?" 

Aizawa sighed softly, crouching down to begin picking up the petals he spit out. "A few months ago? Although, rams are notorious for chewing on things, so it's not really a surprise."

Shinsou watched him curiously, tilting his head at the statement. "I thought that was a goat thing? You're the first ram I've ever seen eat random things, let alone someone else's stuff." 

He offered Aizawa a teasing smile as the ram stood back up, eyes fixated on Shinsou. "I- Really?" 

Shinsou shrugged his shoulders, picking up the trash can behind the counter before he moved to Aizawa, holding it out for him to toss the petals. 

"Sounds more like a case of Tabehana rather than a chewing habit due to your instincts, man." 

Aizawa sputtered at that, pulling his hand back as if the trash can burned him the moment he dumped the petals. "I-It is /n-not/ Tabehana!" 

Shinsou quirked an eyebrow at Aizawa, clearly unconvinced from the flustered way he held himself the moment before Shinsou blurted out the question.

"Alright, sure. It's not Tabehana, and I'm the fluffiest dog in all of Japan." Shinsou turned and walked back to the counter, leaving Aizawa standing there with confusion on his face. 

"I don't understand, you're not a dog?"

Shinsou snorted, setting the trash can down. "Yeah, that's the point. Your petal consumption isn't instinct. You've been coming here forever now and I've never seen you shove a fist full of petals into your mouth. And rams don't have a chewing-on-random-shit habit, that's goats, and it's basic biology. So, who caught your attention?"

Aizawa was silent, eyes drawing all over Shinsou's face. "Rams don't chew random….stuff…?"

Shinsou hummed, moving back to pulling flowers out of the box. "Who told you that? If you've got a chewing habit, it's an oral fixation, not instinct." 

Aizawa stared at Shinsou in complete disbelief. 

Shinsou glanced back up at him, his tail flicking with interest. "What? Did you not pass your biology class?"

Aizawa scowled at him. "Watch it, Hitoshi."

Shinsou grinned, discarding the empty box. "So? Who is it?"

Aizawa fell silent again as Shinsou worked on cutting the flower stems. He glanced back up at the continued silence, taken aback by the change on Aizawa's face.

He's seen that look before. Adoration, admiration, love, and something so soft and sweet that made Shinsou's heart drop.

It was the same look Bakugou had given him when he had confessed to Shinsou.

A week. A week of unread texts and missed calls. A week of avoiding every single chance he got when he saw the horns, the ears, the tail. 

He couldn't look the ram in the eyes. He couldn't bring himself to /want/ to. Every time he'd see Aizawa's head bob through the front door, he felt his heart become a ticking time bomb. He'd dart to the back with excuses about stock checks or business things he'd need to do, even if he didn't need to. Shouto didn't seem to complain, and a week turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months, and before Shinsou knew it, Aizawa stopped visiting and Shinsou wiped his hands clean of the ram. 

It wasn't an ideal way to end the friendship, Shinsou knows too well that running away doesn't fix anything, but when the texts finally stopped and the calls dissapated, Shinsou couldn't help feeling relieved.

The last thing he truly needed was another lovesick hybrid fawning after him when he couldn't do the same. He didn't want to watch as he broke another man’s heart. He knew too well, too, that vanishing definitely broke Aizawa. He didn't want to, but it had to be done. He couldn't let someone follow him around again like Bakugou. 

He made a difficult choice and by December, that choice had been set in stone. 

He let the choice simmer with himself, never explaining to Shouto or Hanta. And for a while, he thought it worked. He thought they got the hint when they stopped mentioning Aizawa. Until the Christmas Party.

It'd been snowing fairly heavily, and it'd been nighttime by the time Shouto, Shinsou, and Hanta could even start decorating. They used Hanta's coffee shop, decked the entire place out more than it had been and Shinsou took the time to invite not only the newlyweds he'd been working on a proper relationship with, but Midoriya too. 

Just like old times. 

The meeting between Hanta and Bakugou was tense. It was like he was preparing himself for a battle that didn't need to happen. 

Hanta had been preparing everyone’s drinks, taking time to make sure Shouto and Shinsou's drinks were good.

Before introducing himself, he eyed Bakugou with a cold stare, asking what the both of them had wanted. 

Bakugou requested hard apple cider, a pinnacle drink he got for the holidays since he was able to drink. Kirishima had just requested a normal hot chocolate, so while Hanta made Bakugou's drink---after demanding so---Shinsou worked on his drink-making skills and made Kirishima a hot chocolate. 

Shinsou was fairly excited about shaving the chocolate and even more so to watch Kirishima take a drink.

Kirishima offered Shinsou a big smile after taking a big gulp, whip cream on his nose and lip. 

Shinsou laughed while Bakugou reached over to wipe it away. "Messy ass lizard," he muttered with the softest smile on his face. 

"So," Shinsou heard Sero call, watching him carry the finished cider to Bakugou. Shinsou knew that look and knew well that Hanta made the drink stronger than he normally would. A test.

Sero set down a glass of apple cider on the counter, making sure to enunciate his presence with the soft "thunk" of glass on cloth. 

"You must be Bakugou." He spoke sharply, eyes like daggers as he took Bakugou in. 

Shinsou cleared his throat. "That isn't necessary," he muttered. Sero straightened, taking his hand off of the glass and offering Bakugou a tight smile. "I guess it's a good thing I wasn't the one at the wedding, huh?" He reached his hands up to fix the collar of his shirt. "Welcome to the neighborhood." He finally turned and returned to the back, leaving Shinsou, Kirishima, and Bakugou in a tense silence save for the soft Christmas music playing in the background.

Shinsou hung his head, heaving a sigh. "I'm sorry," he said softly. 

"Don't be," Bakugou responded, picking up the cup like nothing happened. "You've got a good friend, he's protective. I get it." 

Shinsou watched Bakugou down the cider, barely making a face before he nearly slammed the glass down. He stopped right before it hit the counter, clearly remembering he wasn't at a bar. 

Shinsou shifted awkwardly in his seat. "Uhm, so is...is Izuku coming?" He tugged on his fingers, soothing his nerves as he spoke.

Bakugou shrugged. "The rat bastard didn't answer my damn text. I've got no idea." 

Kirishima huffed, nudging Bakugou's shoulder. "Stop talking about your friends like that, it's rude." 

The door rang just after Kirishima chastised Bakugou. Shinsou glanced up to see Midoriya covered not only in snow, but the thickest winter clothes Shinsou had ever seen him in. 

Shinsou took a second to stand up when he finally realized Midoriya had his arms full. "Izuku!" 

He offered Midoriya a soft smile, taking a few of the packages in his hands. "Good grief, did you walk here?" he asked. 

Midoriya met Shinsou with his own bright smile, shaking his head and knocking the stubborn snow off his hat and clothes. "No! Well, kind of. Not all the way, parking was just difficult to find. It's good to see you again, Toshi!"  

Shinsou hummed in response, turning to lead Midoriya to the bar. "It's nice to see you, as well, Izuku. What is all of this?"

Midoriya rocked on his feet, his smile growing as he set the rest of what was in his arms down. "Presents! I tried to guess what your friends might like, since I haven't met them yet."

The moment Midoriya had said that, Sero and Shouto returned from the back, both holding trays of hot chocolate. Shinsou scooted the presents over, allowing the two to set the trays down, smiling softly once more. "Thank you, Izuku, that was really generous. And thank you two for making hot chocolate." He glanced at his friends, who both gave him their own smiles. 

Before they could even pass the mugs out, the door rang again. Shinsou turned back, his heart nearly stopping and his eyes widening with panic as they landed on Aizawa, who was just as covered in snow as Midoriya had been holding a little girl's hand in his.  

"Hitoshi..." 

Shinsou sucked in a breath, fighting off the urge to curl his hands into fists. He glanced down at the little girl who was looking around at the decorations Sero had put up earlier in the day, her eyes red and wide with innocent wonder. She had a Santa hat on, crooked, and underneath were grey braided pigtails that sat neatly on her shoulders, red bows tying off the ends to hold the braid. 

Shinsou looked back at Aizawa, trying to gauge who the girl was. She looked nothing like him, but Shinsou wondered if she was possibly the daughter he spoke so much about. 

The coffee shop would be dead silent if it weren't for the radio playing Christmas music, but the tension was still thick, like stone unable to break. 

"Uhm...Shouta, I didn't..." Shinsou's voice cracked from nerves and he quickly clasped his hands together. "I didn't know you were coming," he finally said, his voice trembling just a bit. 

Aizawa nodded with confirmation, glancing down at the girl who was still enthralled with the lights and decorations. "I wasn't going to, but Shouto invited me. I apologize for her being here, I didn’t have anyone available to watch her this late at night."

Shinsou glanced at Shouto, panic most likely on his face at hearing that she invited Aizawa. She tilted her head, staring at Shinsou with that same deadpan look she always had when she wasn’t quite catching the social cues. "What? You didn't send him an invite, I thought that was weird and you must have forgotten, so I sent him one. It's Christmas." 

Shinsou rubbed his face while Sero cleared his throat. "Honey, I don't think that was the problem." 

"I don't understand."

Shinsou waved his hand. "It's alright! The more the merrier, I'll go make you both some hot chocolate." Shinsou rounded the counter, heading towards the back. 

"Hitoshi," Sero called out, "I can-"

"Nope! I got it!" Shinsou interrupted, quickly moving to the kitchen to start the boil for the water. His heart was pounding, his ears were twitching, and for once in his life, he felt like molting out of his skin like he's seen Sero do. 

He didn't want to go back out to the front. It felt as though his life was falling apart just like it did when he confessed the truth to Bakugou.

He couldn't /love/. He wasn't /capable/ of it. And yet, people around him could do it with ease. Once again, he's left in the dust wondering /what/ was wrong with him. Why couldn't he just be like his friends? Then he wouldn't have to make another person feel like shit for putting feelings into him and not getting anything back. 

"Your water is boiling."

The familiar gravely voice made Shinsou jump, his mind clearing the thoughts that were swarming him, bringing him back to reality. The kettle whistled loudly and angrily, and Shinsou moved to pull it off the burner, glancing at the entryway to the kitchen to see Bakugou leaning against it, his piercing red eyes watching Shinsou move.

Once again, Shinsou felt even more ostracized. 

He simply tucked his head and focused on getting the two hot chocolates made, mumbling a "Thanks" to Bakugou. 

"What's wrong?"

Shinsou was startled by the question, looking back up at Bakugou with confusion. "Uhm...nothing?"

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "Bullshit. You were fumbling out there and now you're back here making hot chocolate when your friend would have probably done it better than you." Bakugou studied Shinsou for a moment, putting him under an imaginary magnifying glass until he found the imaginary words written on Shinsou's forehead: He ate flowers for me!!!

Bakugou heaved a sigh. "He loves you."

Shinsou's chest tightened again and he forced his gaze back down at the counter. "Does it matter?" His voice was quiet and even he could hear how heartbroken he sounded. Completely pathetic.

"'Fuckin course it matters, dumbass." 

"You know, I'd really rather not talk about it," Shinsou said, adding whip cream to the mugs. "I just want to enjoy tonight and not worry about it."

"You running away from it again, Hitoshi?" Bakugou murmured, his voice holding that same heartbreak it did at his wedding.

Shinsou fell silent, tears welling up in his eyes. A crushing weight fell on him like a compression blanket, squeezing every inch of him tightly. "No," he whispered. "No, I'm not /running/ from anything. I didn't /do/ anything wrong."

Bakugou snorted. "You're running away from it like you did with me-"

"No I'm not!" Shinsou turned to Bakugou abruptly, raising his voice as he spoke. "I'm not /running/ away! Do you know how exhausting and shitty it feels to hurt the people you care about, Katsuki? It fucking sucks! I feel awful that I can't be like everyone else, that I'm not capable of being like everyone else! And then I have to hurt the people I care about most because I can't reciprocate those fucking feelings! If I'm not honest upfront, I end up hurting people. If I'm honest upfront, I still end up hurting people. It's not a win-win, okay? It's never gonna be a win-win!" 

Shinsou started pacing, feeling Bakugou's eyes following him. 

"You think I like being this way? You think I like not being able to understand love or how it feels or what the fuck it's even supposed to be? I spent /so long/ with you, convincing myself that one day I could love you because I cared so much about you and that day never /came/! And I had to watch as you fell deeper and deeper in love and I could /do/ anything! I 'ran' away from you because I was /scared/. I felt awful having to tear your fucking life apart. That look on your face was enough to set me back for life. You think I wanna do that to someone else all over again? Fuck!" 

Shinsou kicked at a stray bucket, the tears finally falling down his cheeks. "I fucking /hate/ this, Katsuki! I'm not normal and I fucking hate it! I don't want to /hurt/ anyone else, but I can't seem to stop because no one understands this feeling and it's fucking /stupid/!"

Shinsou was breathing hard, trying to hold back the small sobs that he could feel, leaving them in otherwise tense silence. He could even look at Bakugou, and it wasn't his fault. He felt angry, but mostly at himself for being this way and for feeling trapped the way he is. 

"I want to love and be loved too, like everyone here, but I fucking don't know how. I don't know /how/," he said, his voice cracking on the 'how,' and causing him to finally break down. He buried his face into his hands, letting himself cry, finally pouring the emotions he'd been holding on to since Bakugou and him dated, some of that pressing weight lifting off of him and letting him breathe.

He took in a few shuddering breaths, muttering curse words to himself. He attempted to collect himself, wiping the tears from his eyes before he glanced at Bakugou and felt the world crumble once more.

Bakugou was crying and Shinsou once again felt like a raging piece of shit. 

Shinsou had an avoidant problem. He knew he did. 

He wasn't really sure where the avoidance always came from, but the idea of confronting anyone about anything always made the anxiety in his stomach bubble up into a ball of unlit and undeeded fire. 

He just needed peace for a week. That’s all he needed to get his head right and try and combat whatever the hell it was he /needed/ to take on. 

But every time he tried to take a week off, every time he'd try to hide away for even a /day/, Shouto, or Hanta, or even Bakugou would come searching for him. Midoriya would also poke his head in every once in a while, but never as bad as the three stouges he was constantly surrounded by. 

When he heard the bell on the door ring despite the closed sign plastered on it, Shinsou almost felt the tension snap. He half expected whoever walked through the door to be one of the three knuckleheads he'd been fighting for two weeks. 

"We're closed!" Shinsou called, uninterested in lifting himself off the chair he was comfortably lounging in. 

That was until he heard footsteps coming towards him instead of retreating. Finally, and annoyed, he turned. "Hey, I said we're-"

He stopped in his tracks, eyes widening as he watched Aizawa cautiously come towards him, a cheaply made bouquet and a box of what Shinsou assumed were assorted chocolates. 

"Aizawa," he said, breathy and quiet. 

Aizawa smiled softly at Shinsou's voice, finally stopping. "Uhm, hey, Hitoshi. No first name anymore?"

Shinsou blushed, his fingers tingled, and for a moment, he forgot to breathe. An urge settled deep inside his bones. An urge he couldn't seem to name, like an itch that wasn't /quite/ there, but was just annoying enough to be noticed. 

"Listen," Aizawa said, holding the items out to Shinsou. "I don't really know the proper way to apologize for everything I've put you through. I made you face a difficult thing, and I am genuinely sorry, Hitoshi. I shouldn't have put you in that position, but I guess, when an urge hits you, you can't really stop it."

Shinsou frowned, trying to find his thoughts and his voice. Slowly, he reached out and took the items. "Uhm, I don't...I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

Aizawa furrowed his eyebrows for a second, thinking. His nose scrunched up a bit and Shinsou realized just how cute his thinking face was. 

"Oh," Aizawa's eyes widened slightly. "Uhm." He looked down, sheepishly kicking at the ground. "I overheard your conversation with Bakugou, Hitoshi. I, uhm, I think everyone did." 

Shinsou dropped the items on the counter, defeat washing through him. "Ah," was all he could muster, unsure of what he should or even could say in that moment. 

"Hitoshi, it's alright. There's nothing wrong with you. You're probably aromantic and that's completely normal. My best friend is aromantic."

Shinsou sniffed, still unable to bring the words to his throat. 

Aizaiwa shifted in his spot, rubbing his arm. "Look, you don't owe me anything. I'm not upset about it. I'm not angry with you. I understand. You can't force anything on yourself. If you're...If you're still willing to allow me to be your friend, I'd love the chance."

Shinsou felt tears welling up before he could even stop the reaction. "You're not upset with me? But I- Shouta, I don't-"

"I know." It was the softest and sweetest sound Shinsou had ever heard someone say and all at once the damn he spent time building up after the party fell apart once again. 

No trickery, no fooling him, no forcing a relationship on him despite the fact that no one had /ever/ forced Shinsou to do anything. But it felt different now. 

Shinsou wiped at his face, trying to turn away with the realization that he must look like the ugliest mess in the world right now. 

Aizawa didn't seem to mind, though. And Shinsou once again felt a twinge of something deep within himself, another urge for /something./

Shinsou rubbed his face, turned back to Aizawa, and finally settled down into a calm conversation. 

"You said your friend is aromantic. What is that?"

Aiziaw smiled again and Shinsou swore his heart was doing backflips right in his chest. "Let me blow your mind."

Shinsou finally settled back into a comfortable life. He and Aizawa had gotten closer. His relationship with Bakugou became exactly what it was before they ever started dating. He'd gotten everything back to normal. No more hiccups, no more lying or running. Just Shinsou in his life with all of his friends. 

Until, of course, something /did/ happen. 

Shinsou wasn't even sure he was mentally there when it first happened, only "coming to" right after, with a mouthful of flower petals and a thirst he didn't even know he had quenched until said petals were chewed up and that little twinge of need came back right after.

When he realized what he’d done, he brushed it off as nothing more than some silly little impulse from working around flowers for so long. Nothing more, nothing less. Because the alternate to the mess he’d made on the floor of his own store was not something he truly /wanted/ to think more about. 

The second time it happened, Shouto caught him and was more than willing to /squeal/ about it for the both of them. But Shinsou knew himself, knew who he was, and once again brushed it off as nothing more than a stupid little craving prolonged from working with flowers for the last three years. 

Of course, Hanta caught him doing it and was everything but short of a smack directed right to Shinsou's head. "You're fucking stupid and you're fucking in love." 

But Shinsou just couldn't take his word for it. He'd spent his entire life running and fighting the urge to love. And god forbid it be someone he's known not as long as the one he /was/ supposed to spend his life with. The one he could never find the urge for. He couldn't live with himself if that was the case. So, "It's just because I've been working with flowers for so long, now." 

Hanta could only shake his head, but he never tried to push it any harder than he would anyone else. Which was saying a lot considering Hanta loved to push everyone’s buttons.

Shinsou was content with learning about aromanticism, having even sat down with Aizawa’s best friend himself to talk about it. Hizashi was really sweet about it and explained in depth exactly just how Shinsou felt about everything. 

He /wasn't/ in love. It just wasn't possible. 

On a quiet, slow afternoon, Shinsou decided to let Shouto off early after she'd been telling him all about her plans with Hanta to get away for a weekend, take some time off before they dived deep into wedding planning. Shinsou was content with managing the ship alone, the morning had been slow, so he told her to go enjoy her time off and to actually let herself relax. 

He'd been alone for over three hours in the store, mindlessly going through the motions to take care of the shop. He watered the flowers, took inventory, and checked to make sure the flowers weren't dying or needed to be replaced. 

He'd been so focused on taking care of the flowers that he didn't notice until another hour passed that there were half-eaten, spit-drenched petals sitting on the counter. 

Shinsou couldn't even process it properly before he was reaching over to a display next to him and pulling the petals from the bouquet, all while staring at the pile. He glanced down at the floor, eyes catching glistening, wet petals also half-eaten, sitting neatly as if someone /hadn't/ been chewing on them mere seconds ago. Shinsou tried desperately to understand why the hell he just wanted to eat through his entire store.

It was gross and Shinsou was mildly worried this meant he might not be able to work with plants again if he was going to keep eating through the stock. He picked up the flowers he just ruined, tossing them on the counter next to the pile. He made a mental note of each flower as well as a note to do another walk-through of the store to make sure he didn't take anything else in his little flower-fever haze.

Shinsou shoved the flower petals into his mouth before he could even register what he was doing. He chewed on them casually, as if he was just snacking on chips, or enjoying some sunflower seeds. In fact, he was completely detached from the fact that the taste was flimsy and bitter until he heard a soft gasp and a throat clear. He glanced up mid-chew, staring straight at Bakugou right in front of him. 

Slowly, just as Aizawa did the first time Shinsou caught him eating the petals, he let them drop from his mouth, spitting a few stragglers out, blinking slowly as if he'd been caught stealing money. "Uhm, I can explain-"

Bakugou's tail began moving so fast that Shinsou almost couldn't see it. Bakugou's ears perked up and his face lit up. For once, Bakugou looked exactly like the breed he was born as, an excited golden retriever puppy. 

"Hitoshi! You're eating petals!" Bakugou nearly tackled Shinsou, pulling him into the tightest hug Shinsou thinks he's ever given. "You love him!"

Shinsou scowled, prying himself away from the dog. "I do not, we've been-"

"Toshi, you're eating petals. You're doing it! You love him!"

Shinsou wanted to match the energy, because truly, there was no denying that something /was/ happening, but he felt his heart sink instead, the dread and sadness washing over him like a slow wave. 

Shinsou was eating petals for the first time in his life for someone he only knew for a little over a year and yet not once in his entire relationship with Katsuki could he manage to find the urge to eat a single petal. Not even one. 

Shinsou tucked his tail between his legs, lowered his ears, and stepped back away from Bakugou. 

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's not fair," Shinsou muttered. "It isn't fair to you and I'm so- God, I'm so sorry, Katsuki. I'm so-" Shinsou choked back a sob, grabbing at his own shirt as the tears welled up. 

"Hey, hey, stop that. Toshi, it's okay. We... We weren't meant to be together like that, okay? I'm so fucking happy for you right now. You know, like, 8 months ago? I would have been fuming. But I'm married to someone that has already given me so much in such a short amount of time. You did your best, you truly did, and I am so over the moon for you finally finding that somebody to love." Bakugou held his hand out and Shinsou simply sniffed pathetically, rubbing his nose. 

"I'm so happy I get to watch my best friend fall in love after battling it for so long. And you already know how he feels about you, so go after him. Have a million fucking babies I can call brats."

Shinsou laughed wetly, sniffing again, finally looking back up at Bakugou. "You're so stupid," he muttered, a small smile crossing his lips. Bakugou held the biggest grin Shinsou's ever seen on his face. "Yeah, and you're fucking spitting petals out like it's my ma's Sunday dinner." 

Shinsou grimaced. "I did /not/ need that reminder."

Bakugou laughed this time, dropping his hand. A comfortable silence fell between them for a moment, before Bakugou finally spoke up. "What are you gonna do?"

Shinsou inhaled slowly, rubbing his face to get the last of the stray tears."I'm not sure? I mean, I should tell him, right?"

"Are you fucking kidding, Hitoshi? You should absolutely tell him. Why are you even still here? Go get your phone and call the bastard to profess your undying love!"

"I'm regretting being your friend."

Bakugou rolled his eyes, grin still prominent and bright just like his husband’s. "Go, Hitoshi. I'll tell the fox and rabbit where you went." 

Shinsou bit his lip, glancing behind him at the counter. His phone sat untouched next to a pile of chewed-on petals. Shinsou grimaced again. "Uh, gross."

"Yeah, no shit. I got this, you go find Aizawa," Bakugou said, shoving Shinsou towards his phone. Shinsou finally gave in, collecting his phone and making his way out of the flower shop, leaving the hollering of one excited dog behind him.

Hesitantly, Shinsou unlocked his phone and searched for Aizawa's contact. He could feel the nerves bubbling up and his hands shook from it all. What if it was too late? What if Shinsou missed out because he was too in his head about everything?

He took a deep breath and called Aizawa, putting the phone to his ear.

It rang and rang, and rang, and for a moment, Shinsou anticipated that dreadful beep to signal Aizawa wasn't available. He'd have to admit defeat, back down from whatever the fuck was going on with himself, and admit that he waited too long to figure out that he truly was fawning and waiting patiently for Aizawa. 

The line clicked and a second later Shinsou heard that familiar, gruff voice that constantly had his heart swooning. 

"Hello, Hitoshi. Is everything alright?"

Shinsou smiled, relieved. "Yeah. It is now."