Yo I say this every single fic and I will always say again on how BAD I am at summaries. Some people are just masters at it but me? NAH FAMS I just suck at it and I am so sorry OTL Either way, this is an old fic of mine that I wrote for a gift exchange ! The person really wanted a Flower Shop AU and even though I never wrote one in my life before, I was still like HECKA ILL DO IT, so this is the result of it! I hope it's alright ! Like I said, it's a bit old and I'm mostly posting it to bring some activity on to my page but I still hope you all like it!
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Flowers hung delicately across the ceiling ridges as their petals were swayed by the brisk breeze coming from the ventilators. A whirlwind of color bloomed within the walls of the store as each type of flower splashed it's presence to create a sea of rainbows with the flora. Smells perfumed the store and it felt like a valley of nature that purified the air.
Off to the back was the last employee of the night, Izuku Midoriya. Normally he worked in the morning, his positive attitude shining along with the rays of the sunshine but tonight he was called in on an emergency shift that the store owner begged and he happily obliged knowing the impact he would make. Plus, the store was usually quiet at night with only the whispers of the radio to keep him company so Izuku figured he wouldn't mind spending time with the plants for the price of a little extra spending money.
With a watering can fitted right between his nimble fingers, Izuku tilted the can downwards a bit so the water could bead out from the holes onto the moist soil. Saturating the plants with purified water gave a sense of peace into Izuku's soul and he felt himself connected with the plant life as their sprouting leaves thanked him for moisturizing them. Life began to sprout around the room and it felt like a blissful paradise submerged in nature.
Amongst the plant life, light music played through the speakers, spreading its notes through the lightly air conditioned wind. Leaves began to sway to the beat of the music, dancing along to the lyrics of fun and companionship.
Suddenly, a familiar tune began to play overhead and Izuku's ears perked up, recognizing the lyrics as they strung along with the blissful beat.
"Let's toast the one's who got away
Three cheers for what we didn't say
Well, if it matters
Here's some flowers
'Cause we're livin' on love"
With each word, Izuku's foot tapped along with it, following the energetic tempo of the chorus as the singer's voice carried a vibrating tempo that tickled the drums within his ears..
"Let's drink to everything we got, let's dance for everything we're not." Izuku began to sing along, his voice whispering as he harmonized with the upbeat lyrics. Soon, his body began to sway along with the drums, causing his sturdy hips to move side to side as he relaxed his entire, almost causing the can of water to drip off away from the side. With each passing word, the entire room began to light up like a dance floor, the plant vines swinging and wobbling as they danced along with his movements. Soon enough, it became a solo dance choreography that only one would see within the midst of being alone in a room.
In the middle of Izuku's solo, a little chime whistled as the door opened, greeting the guest as he came in with a fashionable coat and slicked back dual colored hair. Resting on top of the heavy fabric was a tag with a formalized picture of the man as well as the words "Shouto Todoroki" sprawled right next to it in heavy text font that made it pop out against the white background. His heterochromatic brown and blue eyes shifted back and forth across the arranged aisles, sharpness lining his irises as he intently stared at his surroundings. A slight curved down expression laid restfully on top of his face, matching perfectly with his contoured jaw.
Looking around in silence, he noticed Izuku in the back with the standard uniform that was known in this shop. Not really understanding that Izuku was occupied in a trance from the music, he began to step forward to the dancing man, his feet acting like feathers as he flew through the tile of the quaint little shop.
Even though the shadow of the stranger crept on close to his figure, Izuku fell deeper and deeper into his daze that anything within proximity didn't phase his thought process. His mind kept throbbing along with the tune and the dancing only intensified as he found himself flowing along with the wind of love. Karaoke of the song still emitted from his lips, creating a unified tone that matched almost in synchronization with the vocalist's singing.
"Excuse me, sir…." Shouto began, his voice speaking softly with a tinge of professionalism mixing in. Seeing that Izuku wasn't responding to his words, he repeated them once more, this time a bit louder as he stepped slightly closer to the watering gardener, trying not to rudely interrupt the business that was happening right in front of him.
"We'll be found in Frankie's town, and tell the world we're gonna shake-" Izuku sang out as he began to turn his body around, moving along with the soft bridge as he bend his arms upright in a special type of dancing position. However, within mid turn, he let out a deafening gasp that completely froze his body midway as his eyes widened. Heat began to crash onto his cheeks and embarrassment filled them with a dark red that completely filled the entirety of his face. The can that rested in between his fingers soon crashed to the ground, spilling the remaining water all over the floor and onto their shoes. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh." Izuku muttered over and over as the situation daunted him even more and he felt his entire life crashing down within the palms of his hand. "I'm so sorry about that sir, I truly am!" He finally cried out, his back bending down towards Shouto that accompanied the many sorrows he felt towards the man standing in front of him. Occasionally, Izuku found himself in certain situations that created much humiliation but this moment completely topped the other times and created brand new categories in his mind that he hoped he would never have to relive again.
"There's no need to apologize." The guest spoke out, trying to reassure Izuku with his soothing voice as his hands lifted up to signify no harm in his entrance. "I'm merely looking to buy some flowers. I don't mean to disturb." He continued on, though his tone carried a significant amount of guilt, as if he intruded in a special moment that was to only be shared between Izuku and the surrounding flora. Remorse filled his eyes and they occasionally flickered down to see the water that crashed down all over the floor, wishing behind his frown that he could find a way to help clean the area since this was caused by his doing.
"Oh gosh, no! You're not disturbing at all! I just carried away is all! Please don't worry! I apologize heavily for my unprofessionalism!" Izuku stammered out, grabbing the mop close by him to quickly soak up the mess he created from his frightened state. Once every drop filled itself into the tiny fibers of the cloth, Izuku cleared up the area and returned back to Shouto, trying to pretend that nothing happened even though everything happened at once. Clapping his hands in front of him, he let out a huge sigh and did his best to recompose himself. "Either way, come follow me." Izuku breathed out before beckoning sac Shouto to come follow him at the counter. As Izuku slid into the cashier's side, he pulled out a book out available flowers that resided within the sanctuary greenhouse they stood in. "We have a variety of different types of flowers in our shop, each meaning something else if you want to speak words through your selection. What's the occasion for? I can definitely help arrange a bouquet for you if you'd like," he offered, giving a small smile towards his guest as his fingers drummed onto the table, clearly showing his anxiety to stay professional in front of his guest.
"That would be good, thank you." Shouto deflected for a moment, avoiding Izuku's question as he adjusted the buttons on his coat with his structured fingers. Then giving a huge sigh, his focus returned back to the man in front him and he loosened up the stare hold he had with Izuku as invisible walls began to build up. "I'm visiting my mother tomorrow morning and I thought it would be good to bring her flowers," he spoke out, though his eyes quickly shifted away in apprehension, indicating this was a difficult topic for him.
If there was a skill Izuku could say in confidence he had, it was the ability to read emotions on others' faces clearly, despite any fake walls they had planted for themselves. Being bullied as a kid, he began to notice little things about people that no one else could see beyond their glassy eyes. It was something he felt grateful having in his social life as he managed to make himself available for those around him but it was a curse within his profession. It was times like this where he wanted to allow strangers to open the key into his soul and ease their pain through his loving nature but he had to keep it locked for the sake of professionalism. A distant working relationship needed to be created and as much as Izuku wanted to dig deeper into the stranger's problem, he also knew an invisible line separated them and he had to be careful not to cross it. "That sounds like a lovely idea. I'm sure your mom will appreciate it," he struggled out, knowing and seeing that his words could have been completely opposite. "Is there a specific vibe or message you want to send through the flowers? It helps if there's a meaning behind each type of flower," Izuku spoke out, though he internally kicked himself at the realization he may have spoken too much in front of Shouto.
For a while, Shouto remained silent, filling the room with a sense of awkwardness that crumbled into the air and began to suffocate them with toxic air. It felt uncomfortable to say the least and both parties teetered on their toes as the formation of correct words scrambled in their minds. "It's...it's a bit complicated to say," Shouto finally spoke out though his voice sounded strained as it seemed he cracked through a memory container that filled itself with hardship. His hetero colored eyes began to roam around the room as he tried to place his thoughts onto his tongue for Izuku to hear. "As much as I love my mother, I believe that she might have stopped loving me a long time ago," he continued on with his hand reflexively moving towards the burnt scar surrounding his blue eye. "I haven't seen since I was a kid after her...accident but I've missed her dearly since. Growing up with my father wasn't easy and I just...miss the lovely times we had together before she had to be taken away from me. I want her to know that….I'm not angry at her but rather, I wish she was here with me." Shouto then suddenly turned quiet, not sure how much more he needed to explain to Izuku. His movements suddenly became introverted and he awkwardly twisted his body slightly to keep some action within them.
In response, Izuku gave a small smile towards Shouto, as if to say that he understood completely what he tried to convey and that he didn't need to speak more on the subject than already having to. "I think I know the right combination for that," Izuku said softly as he exited the cashier side and went back into the budding flora, looking around at the colors popping out around him. After a minute of deep thought, he began to remove some stems from the potted plants and soon created a bouquet that had splashes of color and beauty filtering around them. Once he placed the small final touches on his collection, Izuku returned back to the counter and placed them lovingly on the glass while he prepared a vase with medicated water to keep their life lasting for longer. Placing them within the filled glass, he began to arrange them and then shared the final product with Shouto, a peaceful smile residing on his face as he shared his sympathies through his emerald eyes. "The big one I placed here is the iris which signifies hope and friendship in prayer that you and your mom can reconcile that bond you used to have. I then placed a couple roses within the bouquet to show the everlasting love you have for your mother. Complimentative of that are a couple of violets that show the faith you have towards her and that you'll always be watching after her no matter what. As a final touch, I added some hyacinths since they work the best within apology messages as well and there are a few white heathers to bring in a sense of protection to the overall package," Izuku explained to Shouto, making sure each flower was represented in the figure he created. Fluffing each flower within the batch, he then add the last piece of love within his system and handed off the vase towards towards its new owner. A small yet afraid smile appeared on his face and he kept his fingers crossed that Shouto would enjoy the arrangement made for him.
After Izuku gave his explanation, Shouto stood there for a bit, completely stricken by Izuku's words. Suddenly, he began to unstick himself from his starstruck position and fished through his pocket to pull out an elongated wallet. "Thank you for the beautiful arrangement. I'm certain my mother will love it. How much do I owe you?" Shouto asked, unzipping the wallet and pulling out a couple of bills to show his commitment to uphold his end of the bargain.
While the situation wasn't for laughter, Izuku couldn't help but give a small giggle, though more at himself than at Shouto. "Please don't worry about it! It's on the house," Izuku responded as he pulled out his own employee card and placed the amount on it, taking it under his responsibility.
Shouto gave back a wide eyed expression, completely baffled at what Izuku was performing. "Are you sure about it? I really don't mind paying. It won't be that big of a deal for me," he insisted, still keeping his wallet out to see if Izuku changed his mind.
Izuku raised his hand and waved it front of Shouto, dismissing his offer. "Really don't worry about it. It's on me. Plus you had to watch me dance and sing earlier. I'm sure that wasn't a pleasant sight so take it as an apology for my poor behavior," he giggled out, pushing the flower vase towards the guest as he gave an embarrassed smile with crinkled eyes.
Staring at his reflection within the glass, Shouto found himself speechless once again, not really aware on how to respond to the kindness Izuku kept on presenting towards him on the evening. "Thank you. You've been showing me immense kindness tonight and I'm very grateful for that. Thank you again." Shouto spoke to Izuku, gratitude lining his words as he spoke in formalities, showing the type of tone he was raised with as a child. His fingers began to circle around the vase to grip it tighter under his grasp, making sure it wouldn't leave his sight for even a second. Squeezing even more under the pressure of his finger pads, he looked back up at Izuku and gave a slight nod towards him while lifting the vase up and close to his chest. "Well, it's best I get going then. Goodnight." And with his final words, he began to walk towards the exit of the shop with heavy steps and a somber expression.
Seeing him walk away gave a punch in the stomach towards Izuku, his gut instinct telling him to speak up and voice the thought that kept ransacking in his brain. It hit the walls of his cranium and urged him to say the words that were only a voice box away from being mingled into the air. As Shouto grabbed the handle, Izuku ran out of from the merchant and ran towards a sizable distance from Shouto, looking at him dead on with his jade eyes that pierced through the wall his guest kept up. "Hey! Umm I'm not sure I'm the best at saying these kinds of things, especially since I don't know what you've been through but I just want to say that no matter what, you're never alone. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here. The door is wide open. I may not understand but I'm always a shoulder to lean on if you ever need it."
With his hand tightening around the handle, Shouto completely stood still, frozen in his position as he figured out a response to give towards Izuku. Words completely shook out of his core and nothing slipped onto the buds of his tongue to give in a response. However, within a couple of seconds, he turned his torso towards the man behind him and a look overcame him that completely shed a new light on his figure. Crinkling his eyes in the process, a small smile appeared on his face as little dimples appeared right next to his defining lips. The smile seemed foreign to him, as if he hadn't smiled in years but it brightened up his soul, creating a beautiful, glittering aura around him. Nodding towards Izuku's declaration, Shouto widened his smile a bit more, showing his appreciation towards him before he left the store, the chime signaling his official exit into the night.
Bags appeared below Izuku's eyes as he watched Shouto leave with fatigue suddenly overcoming his body. The night had taken far more of a toll on his body than expected and he felt his muscles aching in tiredness. Scenes of the night began to reel back through his mind and a small smile appeared on his face with an analysis of the impact he potentially caused on his new found. Hope began to beat into his heart with each wish that Shouto would return to the shop soon so they could pick up the conversation once more and share that same intimate that they had earlier. Remembering everything brought a blush towards Izuku face and heat filled his cheeks as the scene of his dance solo being caught replayed once more in his mind. Praying that Shouto would potentially forget about that moment when he returned, Izuku went back to his previous job, feeling a new found bliss and hope beating into his heart.