A Flower's Affection (KiriBaku Flower Shop AU)

Eijiro Kirishima- A Date?

        Kirishima was relieved to wake up fully energized at five in the morning, ready to spend the early morning hours with an angry blonde that threatened to explode his heart every time their eyes met. It had been so long since he'd made a friend that he had almost forgotten what it was like to hang out with one. That was what this was, right? Friendship? He used to go out for coffee with Mina all the time, so this wasn't too out of the normal.

        Even so, Kiri found himself getting dressed in clothes that were far less casual than he was used to. He found nice jeans, a pair of nice, lace-up red boots, and a button-up shirt of the same color. After a short internal debate about his hair, he teased his long red locks up into their usual spiky mess. He took care of the shop before he left, even leaving a note for Tamaki on the counter in case the anxious boy worried about him. Kiri breathed in the clean early morning air--the sun had yet to wake up, and there were few cars on the road. While he usually ran the route to Morning Miso's, today he fell into more of a brisk walk, enjoying the extra time he had with quiet streets and singing birds. He had no clue when he'd bought these boots, but they'd never been broken in, and he wasn't about to rub blusters into his feet by running.

        The route looked different without the sunlight, still lit by the neon city lights and the pale moon. Kiri wasn't scared of the darkness--if anything, his evening runs through the city made him more familiar with the twisting streets, alleys, and boulevards at nights than during the day. Just as he went to cross a street, a blur of pale color shot by him, rocketing towards downtown. "I apologize, random citizen!" They shouted back at him, their voice obscured by the helmet they wore. Ingenium, a hero made for speed, getting an early start on this morning.

        Kirishima waved, continuing calmly on his way. Heroes like Ingenium seemed to be everywhere these days--not quite rookies, per se, but definitely not as experienced as older heroes like Eraserhead or Endeavor. They had a certain appeal to them, something new, fresh, and young, and the media loved them (and all the drama that seemed to follow their every move).

        Miso was quiet when he got there, just opening up. They never really had early morning customers, so they were wholly unprepared for Kirishima's early arrival (because who's ready for work and out the door earlier than six AM?). He chuckled, waving them off, and found a booth seat by the window to watch the sunrise while they continued to set up for the morning.

        "Kiri?" The redhead looked up at his name, red eyes meeting surprised black pupils. Tetsutetsu looked so adorably confused, a light jacket hooked around his fingers and flung limply over his shoulder. He'd just come from the employee locker room, and he wore his work apron over his morning uniform and cap, the messy silver hair of his fitted underneath the rim. "What are you doing here so early?" His eyes scanned over his morning regular, taking in the fancier-than-normal-and-definitely-not-work-out outfit. "And what are you wearing?"

        Kirishima broke out into a grin. "I'm meeting a friend here for coffee this morning!" He chirped happily. "I don't have many of those, you know, so I felt like dressing up."

       Tetsu looked him over again, setting his jacket on the hook by the door. The hooks were simply for aesthetics, as most of the customers never used them. "You look good," he replied honestly, without the faintest trace of a blush, like the one that bloomed across the redhead's cheeks. He chuckled at the reaction, ducking behind the counter to set up his register. "I just ask because you look like you're ready for a date, and I've never seen you do that in the four-something years I've known you."

        Kiri's smile froze on his face. A date? He looked at himself nervously, his fingers beginning to drum against the table. He did look like he was ready for a date. Had he done that subconsciously? Did... did Bakugo think this was a date? It was true that Kirishima had never dated, and he would openly admit that his only knowledge of the subject came from obscure subreddits and Mina's constant romance chatter. Between his busy job and insecurities about his sexuality, he'd never really had the opportunities to 'go out' with other people and had fallen content with watching and wondering from afar. Above that, he couldn't deny that the blonde was incredibly attractive, and that flirtatious dance they'd been poking around had held hope for Kiri.