A Flower's Affection (KiriBaku Flower Shop AU)

Tamaki Amajiki

That moment where your phone fritzes and loses your cover page and you start pacing furiously because you can't fix it till you get home and you hope no one notices.

        Again? How could Tamaki Amajiki miss him again? And by just a few measly minutes this time. Oh, how his gay heart desperately wanted to watch his boss turn into a helpless puddle at the hands of Katsuki Bakugo, but for now, he'd force himself to be content with the puddle and the details that the pink one was prying for. He'd seen her around the school, but her open, bubbly personality honestly terrified him. Apparently, before this week, she'd been the only other accepting person that had know about Eijiro Kirishima's orientation. Tamaki wondered if she also knew about his hero persona.

        After finding a few days before that the young student attended UA, Kirishima had worked up the courage to ask him about his quirk. Tamaki didn't mind the question, so he answered it in as much detail as he could without exposing Suneater.

        It was these thoughts, accompanied by counting forward days on his finger and the slight hope that a certain angry customer would appear, that spurred him on to work Wednesday afternoon after an early morning chemistry class. Wow, I know, a full two days where nothing happened. Monday and Tuesday had been full of tests and a minor villain attack. By minor, he meant the poor guy had been run down by Ingenium two minutes into the heist. The ensuing lecture on morality had taken half an hour.

        He pushed open the door cautiously, half-expecting to find his boss spread-eagle on the floor again, but Kirishima was helping a pair of elderly female customers. Tamaki waved as he went for his apron, Kiri offering a short smile in return while continuing his conversation with one of the customers. The other seemed to just be browsing aimlessly, stopping and looking as she moved around.

        Tamaki ducked into the back storeroom, diving into the little minifridge that his boss kept leftover breakfast in, and grabbed two of the octopus breakfast buns before making his way back into the shop. He didn't need the microwave; they tasted just fine cold. He disposed of the wrappings in the can next to the counter, storing his messenger bag in the backroom before he started work. Typically he'd put it under the counter, but thought that was kind of rude while Kirishima was working with a customer, so he stored it in the second spot.

        The browsing customer was poking around their potted orchids, admiring the flowers, but with a disgruntled frown. Of course, the customers never went to the catalog when they couldn't find something, so Tamaki discreetly opened the book to similar flowers while pretending to prune a potted hibiscus. He'd learned that some customers didn't like help, and if he made his movements too obvious she may get offended, and if she got offended, she may yell at him, and he'd like to avoid that at all costs.

        He moved strategically across the front of the shop to the left window, rearranging the small potted bushes and vines on the display bench. His shoe caught on the weird, sticky stain that had randomly appeared Sunday. Whatever it was had corroded part of the floor, and Kirishima had told Tamaki to not even try lifting it up. The raven-haired boy suspected it had something to do with the pink one's early visit Sunday morning, but Kiri clammed up about it pretty quickly, so he hadn't bothered asking.

        "Excuse me?"

        Tamaki turned, seeing the browsing customer behind him, clutching the catalog. He forced a smile, cutting his eyes over to Kirishima's chat with the woman at the counter. Oh god, he had to speak. The familiar panicked feeling bubbled up from his stomach, making him regret breakfast, and his quirk wanted him to sprout octopus fingers. His pointed ears started twitching violently, and he tried to keep them still, laid back again his head. "Yes?" The response was much quieter than it should have been, but any louder would have caused him to squeak.