#unwithering

Speaking of the boy living in your mind rent-free, Katsuki hasn’t spared a single glance in your direction since his arrival this morning. The two of you have been setting up the Paradise Blooms booth in silence. You’re wearing matching Garden Glow 2020 t-shirts. Though your mother had to shove Katsuki’s on with muscles you didn’t even know she had.

“It’s company policy, Katsuki.”

“Like I give a shit-”

“Language, Katsuki.” She taps the swear jar that’s sure to be filled by the end of the day.

“Ah c’mon I’ve been saying ‘shit’ since I came outta the womb!”

“That’s ¥100, wanna go for 200?” She raises an eyebrow.

The swear jar is doubled today.

To avoid having to pick a side, you busy yourself by fiddling with the tablecloth, but standing within hearing distance to catch what’s happening.

Katsuki throws his hands up. “What the fu- Seriously, call my mom, she swears it was my first word!”

“Whether or not that’s true- which yes, as a matter of fact, I will call her because you’ve piqued my interest now, thank you very much-”

Katsuki looks away, scowling like a typical moody teenager, while your mother continues.

“I made it clear to you that I will not tolerate any cursing or violent behavior today. No exceptions.”

Katsuki mutters, “I haven’t blown anything up yet, have I?” He leans back against the tree.

Your mother sighs. “Just put the shirt on, Katsuki.”

Katsuki scoffs. “Looks like grape boy shit art.”

“I designed it.” Your mother grits her teeth before she turns to you with a thoughtful expression. “I’m sorry, but who's ‘grape boy’? Is that someone I should know?” You shrug in return.

Katsuki shakes his head. “Nevermind. Hire a pro next year. It’s hard to look at.”

Your mother sighs, like she knew this was coming. “If you’re not gonna put it on, guess I’ll have to do it for you.” She cracks her knuckles, forcing the shirt over Katsuki’s head.

“OI GET THE HELL OFF SHITTY WOMAN”

“Stop fighting!”

“STOP TOUCHING ME”

Katsuki’s arms flail, but to your surprise, your mother goes head-to-head against Katsuki without his quirk. Seriously, has your mom secretly been hitting the gym or what?

You don’t see as much as hear the crackles; so does your mother.

“Don’t you even think about blowing me up, Katuski, or so help me I will not hesitate to fire you on the spot.”

“ARGGHHHHH GET THE FUCK OFF ME YOU HAG”

Sparks flare dangerously close to your mother, and you close your eyes, unable to look, but it’s fairly anticlimactic when Katsuki pops up from the hole of the shirt. His scrunched face and frazzled hair resembles an angry pomeranian.

And that’s how your mother got Katsuki to wear matching shirts.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Garden Glow is the biggest event of the year for you and your mother. It’s how you’ve grown your clientele and how Paradise Blooms stays afloat.

Your mother claps her hands. “Team huddle, c’mon you two, let’s go!”

Katsuki scowls, but otherwise obeys. He’s at the mercy of your mother who has Mitsuki on speed dial. But that doesn’t stop him from taking his sweet time, trudging with his hands in his pockets like he doesn’t have the energy to care, reminding you that everything important in your life is like a speck of dust to Katsuki.

“Give me your hand, honey.”

Darting a glance at Katsuki, you shake your head, but she ignores your silent plea, grabbing your hand before going for Katsuki’s who whips his own hand away in time.

“Leave me alone. I already put your stupid shirt on.”

“Actually, I put the shirt on you.” She’s met with a glare, but she ignores that too. “C’mon, it’s tradition to do a team huddle! We do it every year, right honey?” You try not to outwardly cringe when she puts you on the spot.

“Mhm…” You weakly agree.

“See?” Your mother smiles which only fuels Katsuki’s outburst.

“FUCK OFF!”

Katsuki’s heaves, the veins in his forearms bulge from how tight he’s clenching his fist because he knows he screwed up.

“Fuck.” Katsuki lamely finishes.

Did you mention the swear jar is doubled today?

Your mother smiles, wiggling her fingers in a teasing manner toward Katsuki. “I’ll let it all slide if you hold hands?”

He glares at her hand before snatching it. “Not like I got a choice”

The only ones not holding hands are you and Katsuki. You don’t know if you should reach out or not. What if he refuses to hold yours because of last week? You would have to tell your mom, only because you don’t want to lie to her after what happened last time. But would he actually make a scene in front of her? And what would she say if-

Your hand is abruptly pulled in.

Fingers intertwine with yours, his grip is sweaty enough to make anyone pull away, but you only want to hold on tighter.

Your mother clears her throat for her famous Garden Glow pep talk. “Today’s the big day we’ve been working toward all year. I want to thank you both for making it possible.” She turns to acknowledge Katsuki. “Katsuki, you’ve grown so much in these past two weeks. When you started at Paradise Blooms, you couldn’t go five minutes without igniting your quirk or yelling profanities. Now, you’ve managed to accumulate a clientele that personally asks for you when they want to make a purchase.”

“Three clients and one of ‘em’s the Hag.” He shrugs, but you notice how the praise relaxes his grip.

Your mother shakes her head with a smile. “Even if one of them is Mitsuki, you worked hard for the other two. That’s an accomplishment to be celebrated, so thank you for taking the job seriously. And Y/N…” You look down.

All you’ve done lately is disappoint her.

“I understand it’s difficult, being thrusted into a leadership position, and I won’t deny you’ve made mistakes along the way…”

Here it goes. The lecture that throws all your failures back in your face. Your shoulders hunch, a mechanism to protect yourself from what’s to come.

“But I wouldn’t have put you in that position if I didn’t think you were ready.” Looking up, you’re surprised to find her eyes lined with pride. “The way you’ve learned from your mistakes proves I can trust you to run Paradise Blooms. I am certain the business I’ve spent half my life building will be in good hands one day.”

The first smile of the day blooms across your face.

“Thanks, mom.”

You squeeze her hand, tenderness crinkles her eyes as she squeezes your hand back.

“Alright, team, we have an event to run!” Your mother claps her hands. As soon as she does, Katsuki rips his hand from your hold. “Garden Glow on three!” She says, putting her hand in the middle of the circle. You really don’t want to, but you can’t leave your mom hanging after she said all those nice things. You reluctantly place your hand on top of hers.

“C’mon, Katsuki, Garden Glow on three!” She says.

“Bite me.”

“Don’t tempt me,” she retorts.

Without his extensive vocabulary of curse words, his comebacks pretty much suck. (Though you’d never in a million years admit this to his face).

“Fine, I won’t push it,” your mother concedes, “but that’s only because we have a minute left ‘till showtime.” She locks eyes with you. “On three, okay sweetie?”

You hide behind your hair to avoid Katsuki’s reaction, but you realize he probably doesn’t care enough to tease you for the nickname. You don’t know which is worse.

Counting to three, you both chant “Garden Glow” while raising your hands. You and your mother share a look when Katsuki grumbles a quick “Garden Glow” under his breath.

“Oh, before I forget!” She exclaims. “I signed you two up to represent Paradise Blooms in the Flower Crown Show-Down. Okay, bye!” She runs off before either of you can react.

“What!?”

“Hah!?”

You’re both left standing in shock.

Katsuki notices you staring. “Tch. The fuck you lookin’ at, extra?”

He brushes past you without another word.

Guess he’s not over what happened last week.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

“How’s everyone doing today!?”

The crowd is filing into their seats so there’s not much of a response at first.

“What was that? I’m havin’ a hard time hearing the people in the back. Let’s try this one more time- how’s everyone doin’ today!?”

This time the crowd’s fired up, practically shaking the amphitheater and getting the cars to honk from the street. The host laughs, giving an appreciative whistle.

“Whew you almost busted my eardrums with that one- but makes my job much easier, so keep doin’ what you’re doin’. Let’s get another round of applause because why the heck not?”

More cheers pierce the air, along with claps, whistles, and handmade Garden Glow signs waving around.

“If you don’t know me, my name is Myoga Haruto. It is truly an honor to host this year’s Garden Glow.”

Your mother was persistent enough to score a late night host for this year’s Garden Glow. His show broke record ratings when he covered the sludge villain incident last year, something you’ve wanted to ask Katsuki about, but doubt he’d talk to you about it.

“We have flower shops from all over the city here with us today. Their booths line all around the perimeter for you to check out- and if you have any questions, feel free to ask anyone with a Garden Glow volunteer shirt. Like him, in the purple shirt.”

Myoga points to Katsuki who scowls when everyone turns to look at him. Sparks ignite from his palms when someone cat-calls from the audience.

“Now, let’s give a warm round of applause for all the workers and volunteers that made this event possible today.”

The audience claps, smiling at the workers and the volunteers.

“There are events planned throughout the day, but you definitely are going to wanna save a seat for the much anticipated…” A drum roll plays to hype up Myoga’s next words…

“FLOWER CROWN SHOW-DOOOWWWWWNNNNN”

People jump out of their seats, giving it their all for the biggest cheer yet.

The Flower Crown Show-Down is what brings in the most traffic every year. Flower shops from all over the city participate, battling to be crowned the next Flower Crown Master. The press the winning flower shop receives means a consistent flow of business for the rest of the year, secured with a loyal clientele base for years to come.

Which is why it makes absolutely no sense for your mother to sign you up with Katsuki.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Everything’s in full swing after the opening announcement. You nor Katsuki have had a second to breathe with the constant line of customers. Your mother’s seasonal collection was sold within the hour and backorders have already been placed.

Your favorite customer, Tanaka-san, walks up to the booth when you wave him over with a smile. He’s pushing a woman in a wheelchair wearing a vintage flower pin in her hair.

“Tanaka-san, you made it!” You lean across the booth to give him a hug. He laughs in surprise at your amicable greeting, but returns your hug nonetheless.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, dearest.”

His words are sincere. He’s supported you and your mother at every Garden Glow since he became a Paradise Blooms regular.

He gestures to the woman sitting beside him. “I believe you two have yet to meet. Y/N, this is my wife, Akina.”

You’ve seen plenty of pictures of Akina-san, but it’s nothing like seeing her in person. Her hair has grayed, but it falls gracefully around her shoulders, and the lines engraved around her mouth show she’s smiled a lot in her lifetime.

You bow in the same respect you would for Tanaka-san. “It’s an honor to finally meet you, Akina-san, I’ve heard so much about you!”

She chuckles softly. “All good things I hope.”

“Only the best,” you reassure her.

Tanaka-san claps Katsuki on the back. “Katsuki! How are ya, my boy?”

“Ugh! I’m not your boy!” He shoves the hand off his back and returns to packaging flowers in an offensive manner.

“How’s the hero training coming along?”

“Fine.” Katsuki grunts.

“You know you’re going to have to re-tape-”

“I know.” Katsuki snaps at you.

“The U.A. sports festival is a week away if I’m not mistaken?”

“Yeah.”

Tanaka-san’s lip quirks. “Are you ready?”

“HAH!?”

This gets Katsuki to stop what he’s doing. He slams the tape so hard that it bounces off the table and you have to pick it up off the floor. He stares Tanaka-san down, despite him being an elder, but this doesn’t bother Tanaka-san in the slightest, in fact, his smile grows at Katsuki’s agitated snarl.

“‘COURSE I’M READY DUMBASS! I’M MOTHERFU- shit - I’M KING EXPLOSION MURDER FUTURE NUMBER ONE HERO!”

Um…

King Explodo what now?

Tanaka-san howls, wiping tears from his eyes and patting Katuski’s back again like he’s his long-lost son. “Oh Katsuki, you bust my chops, but save that for the ring next week and I guarantee you’ll walk away with first place. We’re all rooting for you, my boy.”

“ARGH FOR THE LAST FREAKIN’ TIME, OLD MAN, I’M NOT YOUR BOY!”

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Your mother sent you and Katsuki on a much-needed break. For the past ten minutes, you’ve been figuring out break the silence eating at you, though Katsuki looks like he could care less with the way he’s been scrolling through his phone.

Any conversation dies before it can even begin when a little boy in the play area declares-

“Have no fear, I am here!”

An All might cape flutters behind him and a much too big yellow bucket covers his head.

The other boys follow his lead, quoting their favorite heroes, including the only girl in the group wearing a flower crown. It looks custom made, with an array of glittering Dahlias and what looks to be Peruvian Lily, but you can’t be too sure from this distance.

All eyes go to her when she stands on a chair, towering over the boys. She twists side to side nervously before mumbling, “My hero name is Fairy Princess and I’m here to save you all with my fairy dust!” She gains much needed confidence after saying this, giggling and throwing imaginary fairy dust on the boys.

The boys pause to look at each other before dropping to the ground and rolling around in uncontrollable laughter.

“That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard!”

“And what a lame quirk!”

“You’ll never be a hero!”

The girl hunches in, looking a lot smaller even though she’s still standing over the group.

You look around, wondering if anyone is going to intervene. Katsuki stays quiet to your surprise, choosing to purposefully look away for some reason. You thought he’d be the first to step in since he’s literally training to be a hero.

“Look guys, she's crying! Gimme that.” The All Might wannabee climbs up to rip the crown from her head; he dangles it over her, as she jumps to try to get it back, but it’s out of her reach, only causing the boys to laugh harder.

“Give it back! My mo-mommy m-made it for me!” She stutters, and you can tell all too well from past experience that she’s trying her best to stay strong and hold back her tears.

The boy croons. “Aww… guys her mommy made it for her, how cute. Too bad.”

You almost hear the screams of the flowers as they’re brutally ripped to shreds, the petals stomped on by each of the boys and splattered on the ground like pieces of a broken heart. The girl drops to her knees to salvage what she can, but it’s no use.

You look at Katsuki, thinking he’s finally going to step in and teach those boys a lesson, but he stays still, choosing to disengage from the scene altogether.

No one else steps in so you do.

“Hey, that’s enough!”

The All Might kid pushes the other boys and they escape the scolding you were about to lay on them.

Bending down so you’re eye level with the girl, you wipe the tears she finally allows to stream down her cheeks. “Are you alright?” you softly ask. Her knees are scuffed, but she looks otherwise fine.

The girl sniffles, nodding. You’re about to help her up when a woman rushes over to kneel next to you. “Lily, are you okay, sweetie? What happened?”

“Mommy!” Lily throws herself, crying into her mother’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, mommy, the c-crown y-you made is r-ruined…”

“Oh don’t you worry ‘bout that, hun, I’ll make you another one.” She caresses her cheek before softly smiling. “Thank you for standing up for my little girl.”

“Of course.” You smile back before turning to Lily. “Us girls need to stick together, right?”

Lily laughs, nodding through her tears.

Out of nowhere, the sun comes out. That’s weird, you think, but shrug it off. Squinting, you can barely make out Lily turning back with a sad smile. Despite the sweat gathering on your forehead, you give her an encouraging smile, waving goodbye.

It’s only when they’ve disappeared into the crowd that you realize you could’ve used your quirk to make her a crown. You sigh.

Why do you always think of the right thing to do after the moment’s passed?

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Unbeknownst to you, Katsuki watches from afar.

The girl’s tears have stopped, and though the glassiness in her eyes remains, it has taken a new form, one of admiration. She looks up at you with a smile Katsuki knows all too well, one that stretches from cheek-to-cheek, wide enough to show the gap of her missing tooth.

And he knows you’re the reason.

You wave and wave, standing in the middle of the relentless heat until you can no longer see the little girl. Rays of sunlight pierce the clouds, bright, like the start of a new day. With your back turned, the light halos you, and where shadows should lie, pure, unadulterated sunshine glows in their midst, as if the sun itself chose to spotlight you. Like out of the billions of people in this world, you were deemed worthy enough to be acknowledged in this moment.

Turning your head, you look back at Katsuki, with that same smile he knew you wore all along.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

You’ve peed five times within the hour. Your throat clicks every time you swallow. And your palms are sweaty, if not sweatier, than Katsuki’s after training.

You’re waiting backstage with the rest of the showdown teams. He’s calm, you’ve never seen him so calm. You wish he wasn’t because this Katsuki looks like he couldn’t care less whether or not you lose.

Your mom is in the front row, smiling and chatting with Tanaka-san and Akina-san. She catches your eye, giving you a thumbs up.

Oh god, you’re gonna be sick.

You want to prove what she said is true- that you're capable of running Paradise Blooms one day. But you’ve blown every chance she’s given you.

The band fades when Myoga runs on stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…” He pauses, a drum roll enhances the anticipation, edging the crowd.

“The Flower Crown SHOWDOOOOOOWN!”

The whoops and cheers don’t pump you up like it does everyone else. You need to find the nearest restroom. Fast.

Myoga laughs. “Alright, alright, settle down so I can explain the rules and get this show on the road.” Myoga waits before carrying on like a true professional. “Flower shops from all over the city sign up for this event, but only the top five are selected to participate on this stage today. The team that makes the best flower crown based on the judge’s score within five minutes, yes folks, you heard that right, only five minutes, will be crowned this year’s Flower Crown Master.”

There’s no way you and Katsuki can win. All the other duos are showdown veterans that you’ve competed against in the past with your mom- your mom who grew up in a literal field. Katsuki has worked at Paradise Blooms for two weeks. What was she thinking making such a last minute decision? Is this her mid-life crisis kicking in early? She knows that she’s putting Paradise Blooms on the line, losing out on much-needed publicity and clientele.

You breathe in so you don’t hurl all over your poorly designed shirt. (Yes, you admit it, your mother will never be the next Coco Chanel despite her protests that she is a competent fashion designer.)

Turning to Katsuki, you make a last-ditch effort to make amends. “Look, I know we aren’t on good terms, but… this means the world to my mom. So can we please put aside our differences for now and work as a team?” You add another ‘please’ because you’re pretty much desperate at this point with your stomach making nauseating waves like a freaking tsunami hit it.

Katsuki stares at you for a good thirty seconds. “No. I hate people telling me what to do.” He walks away.

You wilt under Katsuki’s words, tears welling up, but you swallow them down before anyone can see. All you can do is follow him on stage.

And just your stupid luck, you’re placed next to your ultimate rivals… the evil twins from flower crown showdown hell, Jin and Jinny. You swear they were put here on this planet just to torture you.

Jin side-eyes you, as if he can’t be bothered to turn his head, else god forbid, he’d ruin his stupid hair. “Well… if it isn’t, Y/N. I see your mommy’s not here to bail you out this year. What a shame… I was really looking forward to a challenge.” You scrunch your nose at the uncomfortable way he licks his lips.

“Nice to see you again, Jin, always a treat.”

Jinny pops up from behind, her ponytails bounce in time with her shrill voice. “Typical Y/N, too scared to talk back.” They do some weirdo handshake that should be made illegal in the state of Japan. Like right now.

The crowd “ooooo’s” at the insult, and some random person even yells “burn”! You fail to recognize the “burn” in Jinny’s lame comeback.

Myoga steps in to narrate the scene. “We’re less than a minute in, folks, and we already got some trash talk between Paradise Blooms and Flowerworks.”

Katsuki snorts. “You call that trash talk? Please, my dead fish, Killer Chain, can do better than that.”

The audience gasps.

Jinny goes tomato red. “Excuse me, you did not just compare me to your preposterous-named dead fish!”

“You really do need to work on your nicknames,” you whisper.

“Shut up,” Katsuki snaps.

Jin pulls her behind him. “Hey! No one talks to my sister like that.”

“Get a better sister.” Katsuki shrugs matter of fact.

Jin marches up to center stage. “Who is this asshole? I’ve never seen him before in my life.”

Katsuki shrugs. “I don’t waste my time with extras.”

“Be careful, Katsuki, my mom can hear.”

You make the wrong move by placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Get off me!”

“Oh... I get it!” There’s a glint in Jinny’s eyes. “He’s your booooooooyfriend!”

You and Katsuki both let out a “hah!?” The audience laughs, drinking in the drama as if it were a play at the theatre and not your life hanging by a thread.

You flush, flailing your arms back and forth. “No, no, no, no, we-we’re not-”

“Call me that again, dipshit, been lookin’ for a reason to tear shit up.”

“You’re cute,” Jin looks Katsuki up and down, licking his lips again. “But I don’t play with guys who think with their fists.”

“I talk with ‘em too, wanna see?” Katsuki smiles a little too wide for comfort, explosions popping in his hands.

“Now, now, wait a minute here,” Myoga intervenes, “Quirks are allowed during the competition, but damaging an opponent or their work is grounds for immediate disqualification.”

“Hold up, I know you.” Jin steps into Katsuki’s space, until they’re almost nose-to-nose. “You’re the kid who was attacked last year in the sludge villain incident. You must not be that strong if you needed All Might and that green-haired kid to save you.”

Murmurs swell, trying to confirm if Jin’s right.

You don’t have to look to feel the anger emanating from Katsuki, not the wildfire anger he resorts to when Tanaka-san or your mom get under his skin. No, this anger simmers from a much deeper wound.

You don’t ever want to be on the receiving side of this anger.

Sparks of deadly promise rise from his palms, as he raises his fist to strike Jin.

“Don’t, Katsuki.”

His hand stills, shaking, struggling not to strike you.

“Move.” He’s not even looking at you.

“My mom will fire you on the spot.”

“Y/N.” You inhale the dark look now trained on you. “Fuck off if you know what’s good for you.”

You don’t “fuck off” like he tells you to. Not this time. You stand your ground, even if it means getting caught in the crossfire, because you can’t afford to lose before the race is even started.

“You’re angry, believe me, I am too.”

“You don’t know jackshit, extra.”

“Let’s use that anger to win this thing.” Taking a deep breath and knowing the risk you’re about to take with your next words, you say them anyway.

“Make them regret ever calling us weak.”

“Fuck you!” Katsuki shouts. He sidesteps you, heading straight toward Jin, but you stop him.

“No, Katsuki, fuck them.”

You glance at Jin and Jinny, then at the audience. His eyes find yours, and with a shared glance, you know exactly what he’s about to do before he does it.

He reigns in his quirk, marching center stage and making sure to brush past Jin as hard as he can. He snatches the microphone and shouts into it like a blow horn.

“PARADISE BLOOMS WILL BE CROWNED THE 2020 MASTER! FLOWERWORKS CAN EAT SHIT!”

There’s a good thirty seconds of shocked silence before someone says-

“FUCK YEAH! GO PARADISE BLOOMS!”

Your jaw drops.

“Mom?”

The crowd goes wild, following your mother’s sentiment to jump out of their seats with newfound vigor.

Myoga laughs. “Now that’s what I call a real declaration of war in the spirit of competition! We shall see who will be crowned the next Flower Crown Master. Let’s get a round of applause from the people who think Flowerworks will win!”

There’s a good amount of cheering which sets Katsuki’s quirk off. Jin and Jinny smirk only at you, too afraid to raddle the beast next to you.

“Now let’s hear it from the people who think Paradise Blooms will win!”

Standing on benches and whooping their hands around, cars even honk from the streets- the noise overbears the pathetic applause Flowerworks received.

“Seems like Paradise Blooms is the favorite to win,” Myoga comments.

“Fuck yeah! Suck on that, Flowerbitches!” Katsuki whoops.

You’re about to apologize for Katsuki’s foul language, but his words only serve to fire up the crowd. He promised a juicy fight with that declaration, and you’re worried he over-promised with all the trash talk- Paradise Blooms might become the butt of the joke for the rest of the year if you don’t deliver. There’s only one option.

Win.

“This year’s theme is A Night Under The Stars. You have five minutes to create a flower crown that best embodies this theme. Get ready, teams! In five-”

The crowd joins in the countdown.

“Four, three, two...”

The horn blares.

“ONE”

Chaos ensues.

Everyone on stage shoves each other to get to the materials table first. Some use their quirks, including Jin, who mudslides his way to the front of the line.

“Hell if I’m letting that fucker get all the good stuff.” Katsuki snarls, igniting his quirk, about to force his way in.

“Wait, Katsuki! You don’t even know… what we... need.” You slump when you realize talking is useless.

“MOVE BITCHES COMIN’ THRU ”

“Hey! You can’t threaten us with your quirk!”

“That’s not fair!”

Katsuki returns, dumping a huge pile of materials on the table. You gape at the sheer amount of stuff.

“I didn’t know what we needed so I took one of everything.”

Even Myoga looks at the judges, unsure if this is legal, but when he receives no response, he shrugs as well. “There’s nothing in the rules that limits what you can take. Go wild!”

The crowd laughs, cheering Katsuki on. He’s quickly become the crowd favorite.

In shock, a laugh bubbles from your throat. “Alright. Since we’ve got enough materials to make five crowns, I’m going to focus on making the centerpiece. You can start twisting the vines like this.” You show Katsuki and he catches on quick; his destructive hands become nimble enough to twist the vines. You let him know how many vines to twist, which is not many as the crown’s circumference will be small, made for a specific wearer in mind.

You close your eyes to focus on creating the centerpiece. A green bud sprouts in the center of your cupped palms. A vision becomes clear in your mind as the flower grows. You make the petals larger than nature would normally allow, and more saturated in color, the bright fuchsia wash is deepest at the center, fading a brilliant white at the edges. Freckles bloom across each curved petal.

“OI! WAKE THE FUCK UP!”

You open your eyes. “Huh?”

“Shitty fuckin’ treehugger,” Katsuki growls. Grabbing your shoulders, he physically turns you towards the ticking clock. “LOOK AT THE TIME!”

You gasp. Shoot, did you really take that long? To be fair it was a large flower, one you had to pull from memory and create with intricate detailing.

That doesn’t change the fact that you wasted two minutes on a single flower.

As if Jinny can read your mind she puts her annoying two cents in with a nasally snort. “Ha! Good luck tryna make a flower crown with one flower! As if!” Jin and Jinny both laugh, flaunting their almost finished flower crown.

“Shut the fuck up,” Katsuki snaps, “Worry ‘bout your own shitty crown.”

“Oh no, Paradise Blooms is off to a rough start. Can they pull through with only three minutes remaining?” Most of the crowd says yes, with a few occasional “boos” thrown in there.

Jin and Jinny probably paid those hecklers, you think bitterly.

“Shit shit shit shit SHIT SHIT SHIT!” Katsuki curses.

“Calm down,” you whisper.

You’ve never seen him look so out of his depth. His eyes dart back and forth- from the clock to the pieces of your unfinished crown, to Jin and Jinny’s crown, before they land back on you.

You activate your quirk once more, but Katsuki holds your hands tight.

“No. More. Quirk.”

The touch takes you aback, but you can’t afford to think about it right now. Later... when you’re alone.

You twist out of his hold. “Don’t worry, the flowers I’m gonna make won’t take long. Look-”

Palms up, you create an assembly line of significantly smaller flowers. “We’ll alternate between different types of lilies, and make it messy- like a starry night- it’s a risk, we might lose points, but we don’t have much of a choice now.” You point to the flower that took two minutes to create, sitting pretty in full bloom. “And this will be the crown’s centerpiece.”

“Two minutes left on the clock, folks!” Myoga says. “Looks like Flowerworks is the first to complete their crown. Paradise Blooms is struggling to make a comeback. Will they have a complete crown by the end?”

Katsuki pricks himself. “Shit,” he curses, wiping the blood on his jeans.

“Rookie mistake,” Jin chimes in.

A single explosion pops, and what was once beautiful petals are now a crestfallen pile of unusable bits and pieces.

“Katsuki!”

“Dammit!” Katsuki kicks the table.

“Whoa, looks like Paradise Blooms blew their chance, quite literally!”

Katsuki narrows his eyes at Myoga who quickly moves on to another team.

“Hold on, do that again.” The vision of the flower crown changing before your eyes- one that is much better than what you originally planned.

“Hah!?”

You make a couple more lilies and drop them into his hands.

“Trust me alright?” Making a few more lilies, you drop them into his hands.

He cocks an eyebrow. “You better not fuck this up.”

You don’t comment, but that’s rich coming from the guy who just blew up your flowers. He sighs before blowing them up again, the bits and pieces glittering in his palms like fallen stars.

Perfect.

“Now let’s glue these bits onto the crown.”

Shaking his head, he argues, “That’s gonna take too damn long.”

You smirk. “Not if we do it like this.”

“That’s a cute trick, but that won’t be enough to beat us.”

You bite back a groan at Jin effectively ruining your badass moment. You feel a clawing urge to strangle both of them with some vines.

“You’re cute for thinking we’re finished,” you bite back.

Katsuki looks at you with pleasant surprise as the audience rewards you with some cheers.

You turn to Katsuki. “Give me your hands.”

“Hah!?”

“Your hands, give them-”

“No.”

You glance at the clock. Twenty seconds left. “Please?”

“Why?”

You don’t really know how to say it without seeming weird.

“I need your sweat,” you say, hoping he doesn’t get the wrong idea, but of course he does with the way he wrinkles his nose.

“I knew you treehuggers were weird, but that’s a whole ‘nother level of nasty.”

Your face burns from the suggestion.

“I-It’s not like that!”

“Ten seconds left!” Myoga and the crowd countdown.

Your heart beats in double time.

“Do you wanna beat those idiots or not?”

Katsuki narrows his eyes. “Yes.”

“Then give me your hands.” Biting your lip, you glance at the clock.

Eight seconds.

Throwing his hands up he says, “Fuck! Fine. Here.”

Katsuki reluctantly lays his palms up and you place your hands face down on top. They're warmer than this morning and in this position you realize how much bigger his hands are compared to yours.

You focus on the task, hoping he doesn’t catch sight of your burning cheeks. “I need you to secrete a little bit of sweat at the same time I create a vine. Th-the sme- um...” You clear your throat, refusing to look up at Katsuki. “The smell might earn us a few extra points.” You mutter in one go. Suddenly, you regret wearing the Garden Glow t-shirt, because it’s not just your cheeks that are burning anymore, and you can feel Katsuki’s eyes on you, watching every expression flitter on your face, making you regret even suggesting it in the first place.

He shrugs like he couldn’t care less. “Whatever. Just take it.”

You chance a glance to see his cheeks burning bright red too, but as soon as he catches you he scowls a “nerd” at the end for good measure. You look down at your hands touching, but that only makes it worse.

“R-right,” you stutter.

At the same time, you create vines while Katsuki secretes sweat. Your nose twitches from the sweet scent. Once the vines have been thoroughly soaked, you glue them expertly to the crown, and finish just as the clock beeps.

“Time’s up!”

Jin looks yours up and down, spewing out, “Lilies are so last season.” He places his crown in front of yours, Penta flowers line the vines, and you hate to admit it, but you wish you would’ve thought to include Pentas, with their star-shaped petals.

No, you shake your head, you picked Lilies for a reason. Your flower crown shimmers in the sunlight, reminiscent of stars shining in the night sky.

The judges walk up the stage, stopping at each table to thoroughly assess each flower crown. Katsuki crosses his arms, glaring at how slow the judges are. You can relate, with your stomach swirling with nerves, though you don’t openly broadcast your annoyance.

Apparently Katsuki’s had enough because he huffs. “Can you fuckin’ hurry up and come judge ours?”

“TELL ‘EM, KATSUKI, TELL ‘EM!”

Everyone turns around, including the judges. You gape at who the heckler is.

“Mom!”

“Whoops, my bad.” With a weak smile, she sheepishly bows. “Got carried away there- ahem- carry on!”

“Alright then, moving on to Flowerworks,” Myoga transitions, stepping next to Jin and Jinny. “The judges agreed that the use of Pentas to represent stars was an excellent idea. Plus, the specific alignment of the flowers provides an overall aesthetic appeal. For that, Flowerworks receives an 8.5 out of 10.”

The whoops and cheers force you to wring your hands together, a knot forms in your stomach at the formidable score you have to beat.

Jin flips his obnoxious bangs with a flourish of the hand. “And that’s how it’s done.”

Jinny nods like a bobblehead. “Mmhm, mmhm!”

A low growl sounds in Katsuki’s throat making you slide your flower crown away from his sizzling hands.

“Those dumbass flowers are nothing more than a shit bucket. We’re taking the win this year.” Katsuki states matter of fact, like the only possibility in this scenario is to win. His raw confidence detangles the knot in your stomach.

Katsuki tenses up when noticing your stare. “What?”

“Who knew flowers could get you so fired up?” You bump your shoulder against his playfully, he scoffs in response.

“It’s not about the flowers. It’s about the win.”

He’s right. You have to win.

“And last, but definitely not least,” Myoga stands next to you and Katsuki. “The judges were surprised at Paradise Blooms’ crown this year. They expected a much more… skillfully crafted crown.”

That’s true. From the quickly woven vines to the scattered petals, your crown lacks the proper technique and experience only your mom possesses. But you didn’t have her. This was all you and Katsuki. And what you created together, albeit explosive and messy, was enveloped in a sweet aroma and a unique design that’s not normally seen in flower arrangements.

You wait for the inevitable loss, but you don’t feel as disappointed as you should, instead a small smile slips from your lips- proud of your beautiful mess.

“But what you lacked in technique, you more than made up for with creative integrity. The risks you took far outweighed your skill, and for that, Paradise Blooms receives a score of 9.5 out of 10.”

You look up to see the audience in much the same shock as you.

“Paradise Blooms is this year’s Flower Crown Master!”

Everyone is quiet, eerily quiet, in shock with the outcome… that is until Katsuki releases a triumphant roar.

“FUCK YEAH! FUCK YOU BITCHES! SUCK ON THESE NUTS! TAKE YOUR DUMBASS FLOWER SHOP NAME AND YOUR DUMBASS CROWN TO HELL!”

Everything happens at once - the twins squealing, the crowd jumping out of their seats to cheer you on, bright cameras flashing one after another in domino effect, and your mother crying tears of joy in the front row.

“Oh my god! We did it! We won!”

Shooting you a cocking grin, he replies. “Course we did, I always win.”

You realize it before it’s too late. You must’ve hugged him on instinct, all the adrenaline fuzzing up the part of your brain that homes doubt. With the way his body’s pressed against yours, you can smell that same aroma you asked for moments ago, it tickles your nose and stirs up childhood reminiscence colored in bright yellow.

Katsuki must be in a similar position because he pushes you away, hastily getting as much distance from you without calling attention to everyone. You don’t miss the cherry that paints his cheeks.

“T-they ch-cheated!” Jin points at both of you.

“Yeah! They combined their quirks!” Jinny echoes.

“There’s nothing in the rules that states participants aren’t allowed to use their quirks together,” says Myoga.

“I’m more than happy to show you my quirk on its own.” Katsuki smirks like he’s been waiting all day for this opportunity. Jin and Jinny squeak a quick “no thank you!” before finally shutting their mouths.

“That’s what I thought. You fuck with Paradise Blooms, and I’ll kick your ass.” The twins nod in understanding.

Stepping aside, Myoga makes way for you and Katsuki. “Now, let’s have a word from the winners.” He hands you the mic as the audience chants “Speech! Speech! Speech!”

Flushing at the sudden onslaught of attention, you grip the mic with two hands, afraid it might slip from your sweaty palms. Taking a deep breath that echoes throughout the park, you finally gather the nerve to start.

“H-hi… um…”

The eyes are discomforting, but an encouraging nod from your mom is exactly what you need to push through.

“My mom would probably disown me if I forgot to say this, but our booth is over there with the purple sign.” You point to the booth with the Paradise Blooms banner. “Or you can come up to me or Katsuki for any business inquiries.”

Myoga grabs for the mic when you remember-

“Oh! And one more thing, uhhh... Lily? Lily, are you still here?” You spot the same little girl from earlier bouncing on her seat. “C’mon up here!” You say, waving her up. Lily looks to her mom who takes her hand and leads her to the stage.

Bending down so you’re at eye level with her, you say, “These are a type of lily called stargazers.”

She gazes in awe at the wreath of pink flowers. “Pretty,” she breathes. Smiling, you place the crown on her head, like one would during a coronation.

“I deem thee... Fairy Princess of the sky!”

The look of pure adoration on her face, her glassy eyes looking up at you like you were her… you were…

you were her hero.

“Th-thank you, Y/N! Thank you so much! I’ll be sure to be the best fairy princess the sky has ever seen! I won’t let you down!” She bows multiple times, despite being a princess now.

Amidst the sea of eyes, Katsuki’s burn into you. Turning around, you offer a small smile, and to your surprise, he shares one of his own. The faintest quirk of the lips, but a smile nonetheless.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

As soon as you’re off the stage, you’re tackled in a hug by your mom.

“Oh honey I’m so proud of you! Come here, you!”

“T-thanks, mom, oh okay-”

Without recognizing her strength, she squeezes tighter.

“Alright, settle down. Mom? Look, I love you, but you’re hurting me- OW”

Smacking her back has no effect as she continues to waddle you side-to-side in the biggest bear hug of your life.

Struggling for air, you wheeze out what feels like your last two words. “Can’t….Breathe…”

“Oh! S-sorry, hun!” After watching you gulping for air like your life depends on it (which it kinda does) she gives you a sheepish smile. “Wow, I really do need to tone it down, don’t I?”

Wheezing a bit more, you hit her with a- “You think?”

“Oh I can’t help it, with all the adrenaline flowing, and you know how competitive I get! Ah! My baby won the Flower Crown Show-Down!” After ruffling your hair, she whips her phone out. “Now I get to brag to all the other moms in yoga class. Oh, your kid got valedictorian? That’s cute. My daughter just won Flower Crown Master, suck on that, Sasha!”

You’re too busy rolling around in the million and one questions you have for your mom. Noticing your perplexed look, she puts her phone away. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

You shake your head. “Nothing, just…” You bite your lip, figuring out your next words as you say them. “I know we won... but that was a huge risk you took. I mean, you even said it yourself, you spent half your life building Paradise Blooms, the most important thing in the world to you!”

You look down at your shoes, some of the left-over nerves still tingling your fingertips, before asking with a voice softer than Akina-san’s.

“Do you really believe in me that much?”

Waiting for her answer feels like waiting for a seed to grow into a Cryptomeria tree. What you don’t expect is the resolve in her voice, like what she’s about to say is an indisputable fact, no matter the road ahead.

“Honey, the shop isn’t the most important thing in the world to me.”

She tilts your chin up.

“You are.”

You want to believe her, but you’ve let her down before. And maybe you just got lucky today because Katsuki was there. Would you have been able to win on your own? What if you didn’t win at all? Would your mom still be saying this?

You have to ask now, even if your throat is tightening at the thought; your muscles vibrate, and every fibre of your being is screaming at you to run.

“But what if- what if I…”

Choking up, tears pressure your eyes, begging to fall freely, but you keep them locked. Just like you always do.

Breathing in deep to gain control of your emotions, you pull from the depths a resolve of your own that you never believed you had, so you could finish what you set out to ask.

“What if I failed?”

Your mother smiles, with the same tenderness as when she tells you, “I love you.”

“Then you would’ve tried again next year.”

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

You’re really not looking forward to the clean up.

Boxes pile high in the Paradise Blooms storeroom. A hard thud signals that Katsuki brought in the last box. After maneuvering through the boxes like a maze, you manage to make your way to the storefront where your mother enters. Any flyaways or smudged eyeliner are re-touched, her Garden Glow shirt replaced by a stunning ruby dress.

Remember the elusive “favor” your mom hired Katsuki for? Apparently, Mitsuki set her up with a co-worker who’s just your mom’s “type.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright closing up? I could stay and-”

“Nope. Like heck I’m letting you miss out on your first real date in years. Go on, shoo-” You begin pushing her out the door, because if you don’t get her out now she’s just going to make some excuse about needing to stay and help.

Laughing at your antics, she concedes. “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

“Good.” You nod in approval. “Now, go make awkward small talk until one of you finally decides to make a move.”

You hear Katsuki snort from the back.

She kisses the top of your head in typical mom fashion. “There’s leftovers in the fridge if you get hungry.” She raises her voice. “And thanks again for your help today, Katsuki. I’m very proud of you too.”

Katsuki smiles but grunts, which is his way of saying ‘you’re welcome.’ “Have fun I guess, or don’t, I don’t care.”

Rolling her eyes, she gives a wave before leaving you with the keys. An hour passes before the store looks manageable, enough to leave the rest for tomorrow’s shift.

The hydrangea by the window catches your eye. Despite the improvement, the petals have begun to wilt, the stem slumping more everyday. Picking it up, you place it off to the side so the sunlight doesn’t hit it as much.

Locking the door, you’re suddenly alone, face to face with Katsuki. He doesn’t say anything, and neither do you.

All you get is a nod before he walks away.

You really don’t want the night to end, because tomorrow morning will end the exact same way, and the next day, and the next. You miss your study sessions, where you got to see a side of him that wasn’t always shouting, or cursing, or blowing things up. When he thought of you as someone worthy enough to open up to.

Your thoughts are pathetic, you feel pathetic, but you can’t help it because… because…

“Then you would’ve tried again next year.”

Your mother’s words ring in your ears, pulling the resolve you now know you have, deep from within you, and making you brave enough to ground yourself in your truth. No matter how many times you get uprooted.

“I think I’m still in love with you!”

Crap, he’s turning around, yep he definitely heard you. Why wouldn’t he hear you? You were loud enough to wake the whole freakin’ block!

But you’ve doubled down at this point, so you keep going, word after word pouring out of you, words you’ve been dying to tell him, but you’ve been too afraid to admit, even to yourself.

“You asked me why I covered for you, and the answer’s simple really, I did it because I care about you, Katsuki, because I didn’t want to see you go, not when I had a second chance-”

Shaking your head, you clumsily move on. “The day I… you know... and you…” Your throat catches, unable to bring up your confession last year. “I- I tried to move on, I really did, but- and it helped, you know? Not seeing you in class everyday, I really thought I could be happy without you in my life, but then you showed up again and completely screwed up my plan.”

This is the second time Katsuki’s given you his full attention, the sensation is still new enough to stop you in your path. Everything about him screams intimidation, from his dark crimson eyes to the scowl that protrudes his already angled jawline. Not to mention the street lamps casting a pearlescent shadow, further darkening his face.

You clear your throat as you try to navigate your way to an end to this impromptu confession. “Ahem- so yeah, I think I’m still- wait, no, what am I saying?”

You stop yourself once more, because you’d regret being anything less than honest with him. With that, you take in a much needed deep breath, preparing to face him head on with your next words.

“I don’t think I’m in love with you. I know I am.”

A solid thirty seconds pass when Katsuki raises an eyebrow.

“Done?”

“Yep.” You confirm, voice wavering.

He looks at you with an expression you’ve only seen when he actually cares about something, like when he’s tackling a problem during a study session.

“My answer hasn’t changed.”

“I didn’t expect it to,” you shrug, “being your friend is enough, and friends don’t lie to each other.”

“Who says I need friends?” The amused twitch of his eyebrow lets you know he’s joking. You huff out a laugh.

Standing in silence with Katsuki is not as uncomfortable as before. In fact, you could stand here all night without saying a word until the sun comes up.

“I saw you stand up for that girl.”

For the first time, Katsuki’s the one looking down at his shoes while you stare straight at him. His hands are moving in his pockets, and the crease between his eyebrows looks like he’s glaring at the ground, like it’s the reason for his trouble.

“You weren’t strong enough to get into U.A., but-”

His eyes meet yours with newfound respect.

“Today you were a hero.”

Your breath catches, and without giving you the chance to respond, he turns around.

“See you tomorrow, flowerchild.”

Walking away, his silhouette grows smaller with each step, until all that’s left is a shadow of once was.