A Flower's Affection (KiriBaku Flower Shop AU)

Mother's Day Special

Haha, y'all remember when I said 'no specials till June'?
...
I lied.
        I forgot about Mother's Day, and the opportunity is too good to pass up.

        "--and your total is thirty-four ninety-eight. Will that be all for you today, sir?" Eijiro Kirishima forced a smile at the scarred customer, who shook his head and fumbled for his wallet through an aging black leather trench coat. Kiri handed him his arrangement of carnations, a Mother's Day favorite, and the man took them with an almost sad smile, mumbling a barely audible 'thank you'.

        He felt Ochaco Uraraka bait her breath beside him as the guy left and sensed Tamaki Amajiki watching from the back room.

        The door chimed as it shut, and Kiri checked his watch.

        "And, that's fifteen minutes to closing time!" He breathed with relief. "Run while you still can, I'll close up. I'm expecting a pick up anyway."

        Ochaco let out her breath and Tamaki grinned, pulling himself back into the storeroom. Probably going for his bag. Other employees had stopped in throughout the day, but only these two had stuck it out with him all day.

        "You don't have to tell us twice," the brunette giggled, pulling her apron over her head. "We've been working since seven."

        "Twelve-hour shifts are common on holidays," the redhead admitted, clearing loose petals off his workspace. He logged the final order in the book next to the register and stretched out his arms, feeling the bones pop in his shoulders and fingers. "The night before Valentine's Day, I didn't get to close until after ten."

        "Why didn't you ask me to come help, boss?" Tamaki came out of the backroom and hung his apron on a peg. "I know you usually give me Thursdays off, but I think holidays would be the exception."

        Kiri shrugged. "You hadn't been introduced into the story yet," he explained simply.

        "Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."

        Kirishima pulled off his bandana, combing through the frizzled spikes that were falling out. His finger caught on a bit of gel, causing him to wince as he tugged at it. "I'm going to change," he muttered to no one in particular, headed for the stairs. "Bakugo should be coming by soon with the homework I missed today--and then hopefully he's smart enough to get me dinner so he won't have to complain about me complaining about my day."

        Uraraka giggled, tugging her backpack out from under the counter. She had expected to go to classes this afternoon, but a huge wave of customers had come in right before she had to leave, so she stayed to help. She said it would be better to be absent than to be late. "I still can't believe you managed to snag Bakugo, of all people. I applaud you for taming that angry fluffball."

        "I still wouldn't consider Bakugo tame," Tamaki argued gently. "Last week he nearly killed a guy for daring to flirt with Kiri."

        "I like my angry fluffball," Kirishima protested, pausing halfway up the stairs to glare jokingly at the pair. Satisfied that he had told them off enough (not really), he turned back around.

        And then the door chimed, causing him to freeze at the top of the stairs.

        He heard Tamaki let out a high-pitched anxiety-filled noise and guessed that it wasn't Bakugo coming into the shop. He checked his watch again. Two minutes to closing. He couldn't kick them out. He could run into his apartment and lock the door, but he wouldn't let the two suffer like that.