Freeze Frame: One-Shots

Flower Shop AU

She wasn't dumb. In fact, she liked to think she was quite observant. Not that it was hard to miss someone staring through the only real window in your very small store. She recognized him only slightly. He was one of her father's students. He had an explosion quirk, and her dad complained endlessly about what a little jackass he was. Looking through the window and into her store, she didn't think he looked all that terrible! She'd considered telling her dad about him stopping daily, but with the USJ and his injuries... well, the last thing she wanted to do was stress him out!

That being said, she started to look forward to seeing him, just a little. It was nice to see someone else seem so interested in her little world. His eyes would climb across every flower and take it all in. He seemed just as intrigued with plants as she was! She almost wanted to go outside to say hello, but was a little too nervous to. Surely he'd come in and initiate contact if that's what he wanted. According to her father, he was bold and rather egotistical. He was probably just there to observe. Someone like him wouldn't want to be friends with someone like her.

Time passed on. As the Sports Festival approached, it was decided it would be best to integrate Lillian before that. She trained after school hours when it was dark out with her father and almost-step-dad. They hadn't gotten married or anything yet. Lillian wasn't even sure they'd confessed! But she wasn't blind; they were in love. It was only a matter of time before Hizashi moved in and made himself her second dad. Or mom, if he preferred, for the sake of making things less confusing.

One evening, Bakugo found himself almost tripping on his way to the flower shop. Because you see, there was a problem. The cute girl he'd sort-of-kind-of-not-really-but-definitely fallen in love with via observation was outside. She was working on a display, hanging different ferns and flowers on a rack happily. She seemed content and focused on her work. Katsuki could only standt here. Should he cross the street to avoid her? Or keep going? No-- he wasn't a pussy. Besides, better now than later? They didn't even have to talk. He was just going to walk by. 

So he did. He took his usual stance and began to slink forward, trying and failing not to stare at her. Almost as though Lillian sensed her coming, she turned those big, blue eyes on him. Bakugo felt his heart stop. He couldn't do this. She was staring at him and he felt like he was about to keel over. What would shitty hair say about him if he could see him now? Surely something about being unmanly. He just felt frozen under her curious gaze.

"H-Hello?" The girl stuttered hesitantly, drawing him from his daze. He probably looked like an idiot, standing there and gaping at her like she was some sort of shock. Which she sort of was, btu she didn't need to know he thought that! Fuck! He wanted to bang his head against a wall. How was it that he could almost singe Pinky's skin off and blast 3D Printer Bitch ten feet into the air, but couldn't even look this girl in the eye. "A-Are you okay?"

"Hah?" Bakugo drew back, and she jumped slightly. "Why the fuck wouldn't I be?"

The girl flushed with embarrassment, and Bakugo cursed himself. Fuck. Abort! Mission abort! This shit was by no means part of the plan. Hell, this was not how shit was supposed to go. What did he do? Apologize? Right, that's what you did when you upset someone. You said sorry, they said it was okay, and you moved on. Or that's what his mom had said all of one times when he was a child.

"Sorry." He grumbled awkwardly, averting her eyes. "I'm Katsuki Bakugo."

"I-I'm Lillian." Lillian wasn't sure if she should tack Aizawa on the end of that or if it would scare him away. "A-And it's okay."

They fell into an awkward silence. Lillian fiddled with her soil-smudged hands, and Katsuki stared at her the same way he stared at the flowers. She seemed nice. Shy, but in a cute way. God, what was wrong with him? How had it come to this? He was a mess. A fucking mess. She was going to see him perform at the Sports Festival on TV, but would only be able to remember him as that one asshole who stared at her a little too long after snapping at her.