Budding Romance

I finished this early - was meant to post it Friday but it seemed silly to just let it sit around doing nothing. Enjoy!

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It was a stupid plan.

Katsuki wasn't sure why the hell he'd come up with it in the first place, let alone why he was standing outside the locked door of a little flower shop two streets over from U.A., waiting for them to open for the morning. The website told him they opened at eight, which would give him just enough time to buy a bouquet and hurry back to the school before class began. As long as they opened ON TIME which, by 7:59, he was starting to think they might not.

It was a stupid plan, but still he waited, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he peered through the windows, waiting for the damn light to switch on and the sign to turn from "sorry, we're closed!" to "come in, we're open!"

Finally, at 8:01 the door opened, and the young woman inside seemed surprised to see him. She quickly slapped a smile on her face, though, waving him in. Her greeting was far too bright for so early in the morning – and Katsuki was a morning person.

"I screwed things up with a friend," he explained in a grumble, eyes cast down to his dark shoes. "I thought maybe flowers would help with an apology, you know? Just, like, I don't know, roses or some shit I guess? Something pretty."

Within minutes he held a big bouquet of cliche red roses, carting them out the door as he glanced at the time. If he walked quickly, he'd still have time to present them before class – maybe even enough time for the dumb nerd to clean up his tears. He sent a text as he walked, instructing him to wait outside homeroom, and soon they were meeting in the quiet hallway, Izuku's eyes wide and shining as he stared.

Katsuki held the bundle out, his cheeks still burning, and with trembling hands Izuku accepted.

"I screwed up. A lot." Katsuki began, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Like, since we were kids and everything, and I just... I wanted to... Shit, I'm so bad at this. I'm sorry, okay? I'm... I'm trying to be better. I want to make things right. I, um... I want to be friends."

Izuku's eyes watered, but he managed to hold himself together, sniffling as he hugged the flowers close. He took a deep breath to appreciate the sweet scent, then shot Katsuki a wobbly smile.

"They're beautiful, Kacchan! Of course we're friends!"

For one weird moment, Katsuki's brain chanted "not enough". He'd expected an outburst of overwhelming emotions, tearful stutters as Katsuki snorted at him and offered him a tissue. He hadn't expected the wide smile and dry cheeks that he got.

And so, a week later, Katsuki found himself waiting outside the little store again. The lady inside clearly recognised him, from the sympathetic smile he got from her as he stepped inside at 8:00 on the dot and folded his arms, looking away stubbornly.

"He thanked me and said they were pretty," he grumbled, as the employee waited patiently. "But he wasn't... I dunno, it wasn't what I expected. I need something bigger, less cheesy, I should have put more thought into it the first time around."

That was how he ended up leaving with an armful of sunflowers, their heads as big as his hand. They reminded him of the nerd, somehow. Sunny and bright, he supposed. They seemed happy and joyful, like he wanted Izuku to be – not that he'd ever admit that. Once again he sent a text, asking his childhood friend to wait for him, and once more Izuku obeyed, leaning against the wall outside their door in wait. He actually GIGGLED when he saw Katsuki coming, his face half hidden by massive flowers.

"For me?" he asked needlessly, when Katsuki held them out. "They're beautiful Kacchan, thank you!"

He held them close and took a deep breath, humming his content when the soft smell reached him, his nose almost buried in the center to take it all in. Still no tears, no hugs, no overwhelming excitement; just a sweet smile spread across freckled cheeks, eyes squinting a little to make room for it.

Katsuki wanted to shake him, wanted to ask what the hell he was supposed to do to get more of a reaction from him.

That was how he ended up at the flower shop for a third time. He was becoming a damn regular, there at 8:00 every Monday waiting for them to open. Pretty orange tulips were next – Katsuki's colour. He'd felt good about those ones, but no luck.

Classy white orchids? No dice. Fluffy looking peonies? Nada. Tall strands of gladioli? Nope.

"Have you considered asking him what his favourite is?" the lady asked one day, as he pored over the displays.

Of course he had, this nonsense was driving him insane.

It seemed pathetic to ask, though. They'd been friends since they were TODDLERS, he shouldn't have to ask what Izuku's favourite was. The nerd probably knew HIS favourite without even stopping to think about it.

Katsuki paused for a minute, smiling slightly to himself, and turned to the shelf of familiar brightly coloured flowers. He'd been a child when he first saw them, had only just gotten his quirk, hadn't even started school yet – was just out walking in the streets with his mother. He'd immediately dropped her hand when he spotted the bright orange blooms, running over to see them up close.

A little old lady had been in the garden, surprised to see him but smiling all the same as his mother hurried after him and apologised for the intrusion.

"Mom, they look like my quirk!" he'd declared brightly, shooting up little bursts of explosive in his hand – at a safe distance from the flowers, of course. He was young, not stupid. "See? Look! They go boom like I do! See?!"

"They're called chrysanthemums," the old lady had told him, and Katsuki had paused to puzzle over the word.

"Chrysanthemum," he said back, testing it out for himself. "I like chrysanthemums."

"Me too, dear. Here, why don't you take a few home? I have plenty to spare."

She cut off a few stems and pressed them into Katsuki's tiny hands, watching his face light up with joy. His mother thanked the lady repeatedly, but when she reached for Katsuki's hand to finish their walk home, he didn't accept it right away.

To her surprise, Katsuki turned to the lady with a little smile, bowing the way he'd been taught in kindergarten, the way his parents always did.

"Thank you, Miss!" he said brightly, tucking the flowers into one arm. "I love them a lot!"

By his mother's account, he'd blabbered about the boom flowers the whole way home. The part he remembered, though, was carrying them carefully into kindergarten the next day to show to his friends – to show to Izuku.

"They look like your booms!!" Izuku had gushed. "I love them!"

And so, with all his eggs thrown into one last basket, Katsuki returned to school with a bouquet of red and orange chrysanthemums cradled in his arm, just like the ones he'd been gifted that day. If they didn't work, Katsuki was officially out of ideas.

"Kacchan!" Izuku said with a smile, when he saw his friend arrive. "Good morning!"

Katsuki had forgotten to text him, but Izuku was smart enough to notice the pattern. He wasn't surprised anymore, he'd have to be an idiot to be surprised, but still he smiled sweetly.

"Boom flowers," Katsuki mumbled, his face flushed, as he thrust them into Izuku's arms.

"Boom flowers!" Izuku laughed, taking a long sniff of the pretty blooms. "They're beautiful, Kacchan!"

Katsuki's smile wavered – and Izuku still wasn't an idiot.

"What is it, Kacchan?"

"What do you want from me? God damn. I thought..."

"You thought what, Kacchan?"

"I thought I'd get TEARS or a HUG or SOMETHING."

"...You wanted a hug? Why didn't you just ask?!"

"Like FUCK am I gonna ASK, shithead! Isn't that just what dumb nerds do when they're happy?! I'm just trying to fuckin' make you HAPPY, okay?! Just... Just tell me what to do!"

Izuku burst into tears, and for a brief moment Katsuki hated himself, until the strong arms grabbed at him and squeezed him half to death. He could hardly breathe with the way Izuku clung to him, sobbing gross tears into his shoulder despite Katsuki's half-hearted complaints.

"Kacchan, I'm SO happy!" he bleated. "I'm happy you even CARE but you cared SO MUCH that you got me FLOWERS and they're all so PRETTY and I'm just SO happy Kacchan!! Of course I am!!"

Katsuki finally hugged him back, tentative arms closing around his waist. Izuku continued to cry all over him, keeping his flowers in his hands, safely behind Katsuki's back, while his strong arms squeezed ever harder. Katsuki could hardly breathe, but finally he felt some kind of satisfaction. He really should have just asked from the beginning.

One awkward hand rose to Izuku's head, stroking his hair lightly, waiting for the tears to slow and hoping it would happen before the damn bell rang and they had to rush into class lest Aizawa murder them both. Thankfully, Izuku seemed to be getting himself under control.

"I wanted to make up with you," Katsuki said quietly. "Because I want you to believe me and listen to me when I tell you that I like you."

"I like you too, Kacchan! I've always liked you!"

"I mean... I like-like you. Idiot."

"I know Kacchan," Izuku giggled. "I like-like you too."

Katsuki felt his heart become a thousand times lighter, but all he could seem to do was hold Izuku a little tighter, squeezing him back just as hard as the dumb nerd had been holding him the entire time. Katsuki wasn't sure his lungs worked right anymore, but... it was worth it.

"Hey," he said softly, when the bell chimed above them. "What ARE your favourite flowers, anyway?"

"Huh?" Izuku pulled back a little, meeting his gaze with wide eyes. "My favourite?"

"Yeah, nerd. These are mine, what are yours?"

Izuku smiled, and Katsuki's heart beat a little faster as he watched Izuku wipe his tears on the sleeve of his blazer.

"The kind Kacchan gets me, silly!"