A Flower's Affection (KiriBaku Flower Shop AU)

Tamaki Amajiki-Touring Terror

        "Tamaki, where are we going?"

        "Out of the murder pit you call a business," Tamaki Amajiki replied, leading his redheaded boss around a corner.

        "Okay," Kirishima chuckled. "So, where are we going?"

        The raven-haired boy paused, letting his boss catch up. He had desperately wanted to get out of the shop and away from the crowds, so he'd convinced Kirishima to close early and come with him, waiting only long enough for the redhead to grab an old Crimson Riot hoodie. He hung a makeshift sign on the door that said 'Closed Due to Inconveniences' and grabbed Kiri by the arm, avoiding the stares and questions of the curious passerby gathered outside. "The first-year students of UA are mostly in their dorms by now, so I thought you might like to see the place," he confessed. "Y'know, meet your new teachers and stuff."

        Kiri pouted. "Did it maybe not occur to you that I was avoiding the place until I have to move in?"

       "It did."

        Noticing that the question failed to phase the other boy, the redhead continued. "Maybe I need to find another employee that isn't in my class? Uraraka great and all, but we have class at the same time. I need--"

        "And you have to do that today?" Tamaki huffed. "We just went through an old lady catfight and called the police, and you want to go back to work?"

        "You want to go back to school."

        "I like school."

        Kirishima stopped for a second, an amused smirk plastered on his face. "Said no one ever."

        "You haven't been to this school, yet," the boy returned hopefully, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the redhead was still following. "You haven't met the teachers, either, and don't even get me started on the principal."

        "Now I'm curious."

        "I thought you might be."

        They rounded another corner, the rising towers of UA University coming into view. The vast courtyards sprawled across several acres of land, and sometimes bored students would find a large tree and spend their afternoon picnicking. The dorm neighborhood, Heights Alliance, was closest to the gate, a dozen identical five-story buildings separated by large green yards that provided accommodations for the students.

        Tamaki scanned his badge twice at the gate, to let the security team know that he was bringing in a guest, and pointed out 1A's dorm building through the trees. He watched the redhead's hand go instinctively to the phone in his pocket, probably to call Mina Ashido, only to clench his fingers and force his fist back to his side. Calling Ashido would probably tempt her out to greet them, which would bring the rest of 1A in tow. The third-year could tell that Kiri wasn't ready to meet them just yet.

        Chuckling at Kirishima's awe of the place, Tamaki calmly lead the way up the main path, walking with less intensity than he usually did. He belonged here, ironically in a place where there were so many expectations on his shoulders. As one of the top three students in the school, he carried so much pressure. He had to be strong, determined, quick-witted, and confident--but the best part was that the people here couldn't judge him when he couldn't be those things. They couldn't judge, because they were just as insecure.

        A few of the other third-years spotted him and waved, elbowing each other with glee when they noticed Kiri following him like a lost puppy. By the end of their second year, most students knew how to spot a prospect from five hundred yards. They learned to compare images of new heroes on the media to first-year students and could piece together alter egos weeks before the official reveal. The skill became crucial during emergencies in hero work when determining which civilians were actually heroes in casual and could be trusted to help.