After Midnight [BNHA] [GirlXGirl]

Chapter Zero

A/N: I was going to call this chapter one,but didn't want the first chapter to consist entirely of flashbacks so....chapter zero it is hahahaha

Flashback (about 3 years before Deku and folk start at UA) so Midnight would probably be about 27.)

~Midnight's POV~

"Good Morning." A soft sweet voice, like a precious little songbird or the tinkling of the shop bells overhead, called to me as I stepped inside the small florist boutique. I had stopped on a whim, I saw the sign for Saito Floral Boutique and thought to myself I'd like to get some flowers for my desk.

Glancing in the direction of the counter, I spotted a girl who appeared to be about eighteen, she was petite and almost frail looking with pale skin, mesmerizing amethyst eyes and shoulder length sky blue hair. She was wearing a cute outfit a little black skirt with suspenders over a ruffled white button up blouse and had a cute little pink ribbon tied under the collar to match the pink ribbon she wore on the left side of her hair. Her eyes, though a beautiful color of dazzling amethyst, were dull and lifeless as she hid behind a polite customer service mask and bid the elderly woman at the counter a polite farewell sending her on her way with her purchase.

I approached the counter feeling somewhat nervous, though I had no idea why. "Good Morning, I was looking for some flowers to brighten up my desk at work."

Her amethyst eyes flicked upward, looking through me as she kept her customer service mask in place and a beautiful yet heartbreaking smile lit up her face, "I'd be happy to help you. What sort of flowers would you like?" She stepped around the counter, smoothing down her already perfectly ironed skirt.

My gaze was drawn to her wrist to a dark nasty bruise poking out of her sleeve. Catching my gaze, she uneasily shifted and made an unconscious effort to tug her sleeve over the bruise, like it was second nature to hide herself away. She stared at me for a moment and I realized she'd asked me a question I hadn't answered, "Sorry, I don't really know much about flowers..." I looked her over carefully and felt my stomach churn unpleasantly as I noticed more dark bruising peeking up over her high-necked collar. "Are you okay?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

She shrank at my question for the briefest of moments and I saw a spark of terror flash in her bright amethyst eyes before they turned blank and lifeless once more, "Would you like a potted plant or just a simple vase with a bouquet?" Her sweet voice was unwavering as she avoided my question and continued with her customer service routine.

I wanted to question her further to make sure she was okay but had a feeling she wasn't going to open up to me. If I got a potted plant, I wouldn't have any reason to return to the shop unless I came up with some other excuse for flowers but I had no one to buy flowers for. "A vase with a bouquet."

She nodded, "They're lower maintenance and you won't have to worry about finding appropriate lighting, it's a good choice. Do you have any preference on smell?"

"What do you like?" I asked her curiously.

"I like blue irises, they don't have your standard floral smell that a lot of people find overpowering, they give off a kind of fruity aroma." Her customer service smile didn't waver but her amethyst eyes were filled with so much pain I almost wrapped my arms around her.

"Sold." I smiled. This girl was in trouble, I had to do something, somehow.

She disappeared in the back for a moment before returning with some supplies. She placed them on the counter before expertly picking the blue blooms and arranging them in the vase with a few pieces of accompanying greenery and other subtler flowers. I watched her work noting a subtle tension in her shoulders and chanced a glance around the small shop. There was a man standing between the door to the small storage room and the shop where she'd previously disappeared. He looked to be in his forties and had dark cobalt hair and pale gold eyes that were transfixed on the petite girl watching her as she worked. From the tension in her shoulders and the bruising she was trying to hide, I had a feeling this might be her abuser, but I couldn't act on a hunch. Once she was finished, she held up the vase for my approval. She'd expertly arranged the blooms and tied a lace ribbon around the vase.