I'm sure I had some of y'all freaked out, BUT I'M HERE! Honestly I didn't think I was going to be able to get this out today just because I've been so busy with the holidays. Like, I literally just wrote most of this today. But anyways, enjoy!

The rebuilding took weeks, for both her flower shop and their relationship.

The explosion and the resulting fire had damaged a good portion of her shop. Insurance covered some of it, of course, but the prospect of starting over (not to mention the heartache of having lost so much) was incredibly daunting.

But they took it in stride, hand in hand, determined to deal with both the good and the bad just like they'd promised.

And when large checks from various hero agencies started flowing in, well…she wasn't an idiot. She was familiar enough with Izuku's graduating class to know that each donation could be traced back to his friends, no matter their half-hearted attempts to make them seem semi-anonymous.

Thankfully, Izuku didn't try to give any pretense of sneakily giving her money— in fact, he was so generous that Asa often found herself snapping her mouth shut in the middle of discussing a new design idea, only because she knew that her boyfriend would pay for whatever she wanted in a heartbeat, and she just wasn't comfortable with that. She was a self-made woman, and appreciative though she was, she still wanted to feel like she was the one in charge of her own business.

Hence, most days consisted of her walking around the flower shop with the construction and design crew, more often than not helping with what tasks she could. And only a week into the rebuilding process, she became personally acquainted with someone who (shockingly) had even more energy than her boyfriend.

"Oh, this is going to be so fun!" Mei Hatsume squealed. She had all sorts of contraptions laid out on a spare worktable, and honestly, Asa had lost track of what most of them did several minutes ago. All she cared about was the word "security."

"I really appreciate you helping me out," Asa said, only to be given a flippant wave of the hand.

"Please, I've been wanting to get my hands on this place for ages!" the other woman insisted. "You wouldn't believe how much work I get for protecting heroes' loved ones— it's seriously a niche market. And I know it sounds crazy, but stripping things down to the bare bones like this, not that it was intentional, of course, but still, it makes my job so much easier! All the wiring can be done from scratch instead of having to fiddle around with it!"

The florist let out an understanding laugh. If anything, what Hatsume was saying felt like a metaphor for her entire life lately. It had to be broken down before it could be built back up into something better.

As if to remind her of that, one of the designers tapped her shoulder. Asa turned to see a woman in a full suit, razor sharp eyes focusing in and out like a camera lens. Asagao had learned quickly that this meant two things— one, that the designer's quirk was activated, and two, that the designer needed her full attention.

"Nakano-san, I wanted to review the paint swatches with you," Hirose stated.

Nodding, Asa turned to tell Hatsume she'd be right back with her, only to find that the woman had trotted off toward the electricity panel on one of the walls. The florist returned her attention to Hirose. The designer had been recommended (see: supplied) by Momo, who had simply insisted that she was at the top of the industry, absolutely perfect for this job. So far, Asagao agreed.

"Now, as we've discussed, most of the former pink theme is staying— with a few minor tweaks," Hirose said as she rolled out several sheafs of paper. The sketches showing the familiar layout of her flower shop brought some relief to Asa. She really couldn't wait until it was open again. "I understand you also wanted to add in a complimentary color, as you said in your email, and I noted that many of the inspiration pictures you sent me have green in them."

The designer then pulled out a series of paint swatches from her bag, each showing off a variety of shades in the pink and green families. The largest swatch was the pink they'd already chosen to be the main color— it was a bit of a deeper rosy hue than her former bright pink pastel, but she liked it.

Seeing the pink and green together, Asagao tried and failed to hold down a smile. Of course she'd been so drawn to this color combination.

"That one," she said immediately, pointing to a muted olive color. "For the interior trim around the windows."

Hirose hummed, "I was leaning toward the same." She marked an 'x' on the swatch, then jotted down a few notes. "Other than that, everything is on schedule, Nakano-san."

"Hell yeah it is!" Hatsume yelled from across the room. "You're gonna have the prettiest, most bullet-proof flower shop in the world, Asa-chan!"

Asagao covered her mouth to laugh, while the designer next to her rolled her eyes. "Form and function," Asa had continuously reminded the mismatched pair. "Form and function."

And so the project moved on. With a society filled with quirks, progress went quicker than expected (then again, that was probably due to Uraraka pulling some strings— something about the family business).

As for Izuku and Asagao, progress also went a little quicker than expected. After having a long conversation that didn't involve just kissing, the pair eased their way back into a relaxed routine. When Izuku wasn't working, he was at the shop with her overseeing reconstruction. And when that was done, they were at either of their apartments spending some well deserved alone time.

That was what they were doing right now, on Christmas Eve. The couple was cuddled together on the couch, arms and legs twisted and bunched in an effort to try to get as close to the other person as possible. Now empty cups of what had been hot chocolate were on his living room table, and some cheesy Christmas film played in the background.

Torn up wrapping paper laid in heaps on the floor around them. She'd gotten him seemingly the one hero encyclopedia he didn't own, complete with the corresponding documentary series, along with more notebooks to enable his ever-growing collection of quirk knowledge. He'd gifted her with a keychain (designed by Hatsume, of course, outfitted with a tracking system should Asa ever get caught in a troublesome situation again), along with some new winter gloves and tickets to go see another musical in January.

Asagao nuzzled her cheek into his sweater. The actress on the tv mentioned something about her sister, and that sparked a memory in Asa's sleepy mind. "Oh yeah, my family's been bugging me about meeting you."

Izuku's thumb rubbed a circle on her thigh. "My mom's been wanting to see you again, too."

"Maybe after the holidays," Asa replied before she let out a big yawn.

"Same would work for me with your family."

The florist shifted, positioning herself so she could give him a raised eyebrow. "You sound weirdly calm about it."

An awkward grin came onto her boyfriend's lips. "Oh I'm not. I'm just trying to act like I am."

Asa snorted snd snuggled back into him. A minute passed by, during which the couple on the tv had a predictable argument over the true meaning of Christmas, before she said, "It's no rush. If you're not ready to meet them, they'll understand, and I will, too."

She felt his chest heave a sigh. "I know, but I don't like running from things just because they make me anxious." Asa nodded. He'd explained avoidance techniques for anxiety about a week ago and how they only make you feel better temporarily. Apparently it was a common thing to do with anxiety— and something he didn't want to do anymore.

The florist searched for one of his hands, and once she found it, made a point of lacing their fingers together and squeezing tightly. He squeezed back, and she leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek.

"I'll be right there with you," she promised. "I'll talk to them about it tomorrow. Would a dinner in the next few weeks be okay? Nothing too long if it gets overwhelming."

The smile he gave her was soaked in appreciation. "That sounds great. I think…" Izuku hesitated, and she planted a lazy kiss on his jaw, prompting him to smile again. "I don't think I would be as nervous if it wasn't for that tabloid last week."

Asagao hummed understandingly. "They know it's all fake, trust me. My mom even texted me because she thought it was funny."

Her hero let out something that was a mix between a relieved sigh and a laugh. Comfortable quiet settled over them. Somehow, the couple in the movie was now miraculously getting engaged. They kissed, music swelling and snow falling, and Asa frowned.

"I still haven't talked about what happened with Shinsou," she murmured. "I…I probably should do that sometime soon. I haven't even seen him since we busted in here."

Izuku nuzzled his nose into her hair. "I think it'd be a good idea to clear the air, but only when you're ready. I'm— well, I still feel ashamed of my own behavior," he admitted.

Asagao rolled her eyes. He'd already told her as much— multiple times, in fact. She was about to tell him for the millionth time that everything was forgiven, that they needed to let the past stay in the past, but a different idea popped in her head.

The florist shimmed her way out of his hold, plopping herself down in the center of his lap and giving him a silly grin. "And you think I wouldn't be just as mad if I walked in on you kissing some other girl?" she teased.

"You almost did," he pointed out.

"True, and I responded by throwing her against a wall," she laughed, and that drew a chuckle from him. "It's okay to have a flaw, Izuku. If you didn't have one, you wouldn't be human. And nothing—" she said, cutting in when he started to open his mouth to retort, "—about how heroes are supposed to be better than that, because that's not true and you know it."

There was a struggle on his face, and she could tell he still wanted to argue about that, but he quickly gave up the fight. Her hero cupped her face in his hands, tilting her head up gently and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you."

She felt her heart melt into a puddle of goo. "I love you, too."

Izuku gave her a shy smile, and that seemed to be the end of the conversation. But just as she was about to settle back down into him again (and try to fall asleep "on accident" — come on, he's just too warm and cuddly), her boyfriend shifted.

"Another round of chess?" he suggested.

"Ugh," she whined immediately, "You're just going to beat me again!"

The hero chuckled. "I'll go easy on you this time."

"Stupid strategist," she mumbled, even though she was climbing up off of his lap.

He laughed brightly behind her. Strong arms caught her before she could get too far, and Asa found herself being turned around to be met with an adoring kiss. She relaxed into him and let herself be carried away into a land of bliss. Yeah, it felt nice to have things back to normal after all that mess.

The morning of January first was cold, but buzzing with excitement. The pair of scissors handed to her were too massive to not be hilarious, but she would laugh at the pictures later. For now, she relished in the cheers and the confetti, her heart swelling with pride.

The reopening celebration of her shop had become a predictably bigger deal than she'd expected. Being Deku's girlfriend and all, well…yeah, there was just no avoiding it. The crowd on the sidewalk before her was filled with a mix of her friends, his friends, the construction team, the designers, and a healthy dose of news reporters. Cameras were flashing constantly— especially when Izuku couldn't contain his excitement anymore after she cut the ribbon and kissed her— and yup, she was very glad she'd advised her family to not come. The last thing she wanted was them getting caught up in all this craziness.

At some point, a lined formed in front of her, and she chatted with everyone for a bit after they congratulated her. So far, she'd been through a slew of Izuku's friends, and the last person was Shouto, who dipped his head cordially and offered a bottle of wine she knew was probably far too expensive.

"I wish you all the best, Nakano-chan," he said. "And I hope that your luck will be better than your boyfriend's."

Izuku threw a light punch at his best friend's shoulder, and the trio laughed. "Thanks, Todoroki-kun, I appreciate it," she giggled.

The stoic hero nodded, but didn't move away. There was a look on his face— almost like he had something more to say, but wasn't sure how to say it.

After a moment, his eyes glanced off to the side. "There's…someone else here who would like to give his congratulations, but…"

The couple followed his gaze. Asa's heart skipped a beat uncomfortably in her chest when her eyes landed on wild purple hair.

"Kaminari-kun convinced him he should come, but I didn't know if it would be strange for you, so I thought I'd give you a heads up."

Asagao swallowed. "I— thank you." When the hero nodded and stepped away, violet eyes met green. Izuku gave her an encouraging smile. Some of her worry faded (though definitely not all of it). Handing off the bottle to him, Asa turned and began to make her way through the crowd.

Purple eyes like hers found her immediately. He looked away, one hand going up to rest behind his neck. She charged on.

By the time she'd gotten to him, she still hadn't figured out what to say. So instead, she just said, "Hi."

His eyes flicked up only briefly. "Hello."

She clasped her hands together in front of her. This was so weird. "I, um, have you been well? Lately? Holidays been good and stuff?"

A self-deprecating grin slowly came onto his face. "You don't have to act like that, Nakano-san."

The florist let out the breath she'd been holding. Of course he wouldn't be one for small talk— not after all of that. "Okay, well then, how do we act? Or really— actually, why are you here? Not that I don't want you here," she corrected herself quickly. "It's just…I haven't seen you since…you know, everything."

The underground hero before her bit his lip. "I…I figured we needed some sort of closure."

Her anxiety spiked, but she nodded. "Yeah, I think so, too."

A stiff silence.

"I'm—"

"This—"

They stopped and let out strained laughs.

"Look, I—" Asagao swallowed. "I just want to say that I'm so sorry you got tangled up in all this mess, and…" Her face burned. "And I know you had…feelings for me, and I…I'd like to still be friends because you've been a great teacher, but I also understand if you don't want that."

"Have."

Asa blinked. "Huh?"

"Have," he repeated. "I still have feelings for you."

The florist shuffled her feet. "Oh."

A moment passed before there was a resigned sigh. "It's okay. It's like they say— the heart wants what it wants. Can't help it," he said.

When she looked up, she saw a forced smile, along with the sadness in his eyes that seemingly went on endlessly. She tried to hold back tears. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I hope you can find your person one day, it just—"

"It won't be you," Shinsou finished for her. She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand. "It's fine, really, Nakano-san. You don't have to explain it to me. Midoriya is lucky to have you. I just hope he knows it."

A tentative grin came onto her face. "He does," she replied. Shinsou nodded, and she rocked on her feet. This was still so uncomfortable. "So…Eri-chan and Hiro? What's that like these days? He won't answer my questions."

The hero shrugged. "Hanging out more than usual from what I can tell."

Asa tilted her head. "Are they still super awkward around each other?"

"Yeah," Shinsou snorted, "But she's relentless when she sets her mind to something, so…" He left it hanging, and Asa swore she could feel the tension squeezing her lungs.

She cleared her throat. "Well, ah, no matter what happens, I think they'd be good for each other— friends or whatever else. Hiro could use someone like her to help him get out of his shell."

Shinsou nodded, "Agreed."

Well…that was that. She didn't have anything more to say, and from the look of it, he didn't either. If anything, he seemed like he was ready to leave, if the way he kept glancing toward the sidewalk was any indication.

"Are you going to keep teaching me?" she blurted out suddenly.

The hero winced. "No, Aizawa is going to take that over."

Asa's heart sunk, even though she could easily list off at least a dozen reasons as to why that was a good idea. Honestly, she had no clue how she would be able to be around him without feeling this awkward all the time.

"I'm so sorry, again," she repeated. "I— yeah, I don't really know what to say other than that," she laughed forcefully.

The corner of Shinsou's lips twitched up. "It's okay. I'm…I think I'm gonna head out now. Have a new case to work on."

"Of course," she nodded. "Good luck with that, and everything else, okay?"

A full, but tiny smile— the first one that seemed real so far in this conversation— broke through. "You too, Nakano-san."

The florist stood there for a while as she watched him wander off. Her heart ached for him. She knew what unrequited love felt like better than almost anyone. It had been a miracle that the horrible feeling had finally been cured for her, and she wished more than anything that she could perform a similar miracle for him.

"I think that went well."

Asa rolled her eyes and spun around. "Spying, hm?"

Izuku snickered. "Nah, just watching from afar."

"Sounds like spying to me," she teased. "Worried he'd make a move or something? Because he doesn't seem like the type to do that at all."

Her boyfriend took her by the waist, nuzzling his nose into her hair. She was only vaguely aware of the camera flashes in the background.

"Nope, wasn't worried a bit," he murmured. "Just needed to make sure you were done in time for your speech. You have ten minutes."

Asagao groaned. She'd almost forgotten about that. Almost.

A light tap on her shoulder showed her that Todoroki was at her other side, and with two of the top pro heroes next to her, they made their way through the crowd and into the flower shop. Todoroki guarded the door, while Izuku and Asagao slipped into the brand new backroom space.

"Okay," she huffed out. "Speech."

Strong hands were on her shoulders in an instant. "You've got this," Izuku insisted. "You've already practiced loads of times—"

"Uhuh."

"—and you basically have it memorized—"

"Yup."

"—and everyone you've shown it to thinks it's good— hm?"

Asa looked up at her boyfriend with an adoringly frustrated expression, one hand over his mouth. "Can you please just kiss me?"

Her hero burst out laughing— then gladly obliged. Warm, upturned lips met hers, and she allowed herself to fall deep into the sensations surrounding her. Ignore the clock. Ignore the press. Ignore the fact that this was going to be televised. Just focus on Izuku, how he was nibbling on her bottom lip, shifting lower, and—

"Ugh, Izuku!" she groaned, only half-annoyed. "Not now!"

He quickly pulled back from her neck. A stupidly cheeky grin was plastered on his face. "Sorry, I'll save it for later," he chuckled.

Asa tried to not think of the implications. "Okay. How do I look?"

"Like I wanna kiss you more?" he tried. A slap to the arm was his answer. "Okay, okay! Here, let me—" Izuku began smoothing down her hair, his tongue stuck out in concentration as he made sure each flyaway was back in place.

When he was done, she looked up at him. "Good?"

"Good," he nodded. Then, he took in a deep breath. She followed his lead. For the next minute, there was nothing but the sounds of their breathing in tandem, in and out, in and out, over and over again. Her eyes had closed at some point, and when they opened, she found a glittering green gaze staring down at her.

"You're going to do so wonderful," Izuku whispered. "I just know it."

Asagao played those words on repeat over and over again when they headed back out to the street. The cameras were almost blinding as she made her way over to a podium (the one she'd been avoiding looking at this entire time because god, this was just terrifying).

Her heart pounded relentlessly in her chest. She stepped up onto the platform. Her prepared statement laid in front of her, just below the microphone. And just like Izuku had suggested, she simply clasped her hands and held her chin up in silence, waiting for everyone's attention.

A hush fell over the crowd quicker than expected. Asa took in one final calming breath. Izuku gave her a thumbs up from his position off to the side.

She put on a smile. "Thank you, everyone, for coming out to the re-opening of my store. Don't worry, this is the last thing on the schedule, so you can all get out of the cold soon."

Chuckles could be heard, and Asa fought the urge to let out a relieved sigh. Violet eyes glanced back down at the speech.

"I want to say a couple thank you's. First, the construction and design team were an absolute joy to work with. They helped a tragedy turn into something beautiful, and I can't thank them enough for that. I also want to thank all of my donors, who, no, were not as subtle as they thought they were," she laughed, looking directly at the group of heroes gathered around Izuku. They at least had the decency to look a little embarrassed.

"I also want to thank my clients for sticking with me through this time. I know that having appointments in my apartment wasn't ideal, but your patience and kindness was so appreciated." Asagao paused just long enough to take in a breath. "It is also because of my customers that I will be awarded 'Best Local Flower Shop of the Year.' I am the youngest person to ever receive such an honor, and that is only due to the customers who decided to give me a shot. It is because you and my family believed in me that I am where I am today."

There was a tension in the air, and Asa could sense it. Her smile grew brighter. "Finally, I'd like to thank Izuku Midoriya, for reasons that are kind of obvious," she said, and the crowd laughed. "But I'm sure many of you don't know that he was here as much as he could helping with the reconstruction, and I don't think his sleep schedule has still fully recovered. So thank you, Izuku, for being a hero for all of Japan, and also just for me."

Asa glanced over and wasn't surprised to see her boyfriend wiping at his face. She'd kept that last part secret, never saying it all the millions of times they'd rehearsed this speech. She'd have to apologize for making him cry in public later.

Grinning with both satisfaction and relief, she clapped her hands. "Alright, so, that's it! I'll be opening the shop up now if any of you want to buy something, but other than that, the celebrations are over. Again, thank you so much for coming, and—"

"What are you and Deku's future plans?!"

The florist blinked, as did almost everyone. The man who had shouted the question looked on impatiently, squinting his eyes and holding out his microphone as far as he could as he waited for his answer.

Startled, Asagao looked to her boyfriend. His face was scrunched up in annoyance, but the moment he realized she was looking at him, he gave her an encouraging smile. And well, he just looked so cute all of the sudden, she couldn't help but giggle.

A light in her eyes, Asa turned back and gave the man a grin. "I'll tell you when I know! But hopefully things will be a little more calm than the beginning of our relationship has been," she joked.

The future is upon us! Please leave a review, and see you guys again next week!