Archive of Our Own

Iida is sitting in his favorite coffee shop, enjoying the smell of fresh air from the large bay windows mixing with the aroma of fresh ground coffee beans and vanilla. He’s always admired the exposed brick walls and art from local artists. He’s been waiting close to 15 minutes for Momo to arrive, but that’s his fault for being perpetually early to anything he has planned. The waiting gives him plenty of time to look over the menu closely and analyze the seasonal choices the coffee shop has added since his last visit.

As he glances up from his menu he notices his best friend strolling up the sidewalk. She’s dressed in a peach colored sundress, hair perfect as ever and beaming at him. He notices she’s carrying a gift bag and wonders what the occasion is. As she comes closer to the shop he stands to greet her with a hug.

“Iida! I’ve missed you terribly. How are you? You look fantastic!” Momo seems more excited than normal, Iida notes. 

“I’m doing well. Working as normal.” Iida releases her from their hug and pulls her chair out for her. He doesn’t miss the way she seems to be bouncing in her seat, he doesn’t recall ever seeing Momo act so giddy. It’s quite out of character for her to be this outwardly excited about something. “You seem excited today, is everything ok?”

Momo is smiling ear to ear and it seems like she’s going to burst. “I have something for you!” Suddenly she’s thrusting the gift bag he noticed earlier into his hands with a look of pure joy on her face. 

“What is this? it’s not my birthday.” 

“I know! Just open it, please!” 

He starts carefully pulling out tissue paper and folding it, sticking it under his plate so it doesn’t blow away. He pulls out the first gift, a periwinkle and creme satin tie, and directly under it a matching pair of cashmere periwinkle socks. He places them both carefully atop the tissue paper, so there is no way they will get dirty. The final thing he pulls out is a matching envelope. Inside is a card that reads “I found the woman of my dreams, but i still need my best friend. Will you be my man of honor?” He feels tears welling in his eyes as he looks up at a very pleased Momo.

“Of course I will!” He assures her and stands up to give her another hug. “I have been writing my speech for the reception ever since you called and told me Jirou proposed.” 

“I figured as much.” She laughs lightly. “I know you are the perfect person for the job.” 

Immediately, he’s leaning under the table to retrieve his iPad out of his bag. In a few quick motions he’s showing Momo a pinterest board, and then immediately switching tabs to a list of vendors in a google document. “Which vendors have you and Jirou contacted? You know some of the best people in town have long waitlists, and I have numbers you can call to make sure you can get the best people working on your wedding.” Before Momo even has time to stop him he’s bringing up a spreadsheet with vendor names, phone numbers, price ranges and availability.

“Iida, we won’t be married for close to a year from now! We’ve contacted a few people, my dress and Jirou’s tux are handled. We still need to contact a bakery, a linen company, entertainment for the reception, a caterer and a florist. Quite frankly, it’s all a little bit overwhelming.” She seems to deflate a little at the thought of everything they still have to accomplish, all while her and Jirou are both managing full time careers as well.

“Well, I can take on any one of those things for you, if you so trust me with it. I would love to  help in any way I can. I can take on whatever tasks you need me to.” He smiles at her and takes her hand in his. “I want your special day to be as perfect as you’ve ever imagined it.” 

“Honestly, that sounds lovely, Iida. Even if there was one less thing we had to worry about, I’m sure it would make the entire ordeal much less stressful!” 

“Well which thing do neither you nor Jirou really want to bother with? I can do whatever you need, except go to your dress fitting.” They both laugh lightly at this and Iida waits expectantly while she thinks about her options.

“I think you’re more excited about wedding planning than me and Jirou combined,” She says at him with a smile. “Let me talk to Jirou more about what things she was dead set on being involved in and I will call you as soon as possible with the things we’ll need your help with.”

“Of course,” He assured her. “I will be here for anything you need. Every step of the way.” And with that they both get up from the table, hug, say their goodbyes and head on their way home.

Later that evening as Iida is settling into bed he hears his phone chime with a text from Momo.

Momo: I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to call. Today has been quite busy. How do you feel about helping us with the florist?

Iida: Perfect. 

He makes a note in his planner to start looking at florist reviews online tomorrow when he is on break at work and with that, settles into bed for the evening.

~

With a large stretch and even bigger groan, Iida slaps his alarm clock to turn it off. Mornings are easily the least composed part of his day, and try as he might to be a morning person it just doesn’t come to him easily. He edges his foot out of the blanket and yanks it back in when it touches the cold air of his room. He tosses around the idea of setting another alarm and staying in bed for 10 more minutes before throwing the entire blanket off his bed with a huff. 

Sitting on the edge of his bed he reaches towards his night stand with a stretch to grab his glasses. They aren’t there. Why aren’t they ever there? He pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration and stands up to go on a hunt for them, grabbing his journal on his way towards the door. After about 5 minutes of searching his small apartment he finds them laying on his coffee table. He makes a mental note to try and take them to his bedside table tonight, but he’s pretty sure that won’t happen. 

He heads back to his room to get dressed for the day before stuffing his planner, laptop, wallet and house keys into a bag and heading out the door towards the cafe where he gets his morning tea. When he gets to the coffee shop he is barely in the door when the barista has his english breakfast tea with honey and lemon ready for him. Thanking the barista, he walks towards a table in the back and gets settled in to start looking at reviews of florists for Momo and Jirou. 

After enjoying most of his tea, he pulls his laptop out and gently places it on the table to start looking up different flower shops in the area and reading reviews. A few of the listings have okay reviews. Many of them mention fair prices, good customer service and an overall decent experience. One listing in particular catches his eye though.

 All the reviews sound similar, mentioning an ill tempered employee who uses too much vulgar language but who makes the most beautiful floral arrangements in town. Most of the reviewers seem to be in agreement that dealing with this difficult person was completely worth it in the end. Iida isn't sure he much wants to deal with a person like that; as he's browsing the website though, he notices something--these are the most intricate and unique flower arrangements he's ever seen and he's in absolute awe over the photos. He very well might have to put up with this guy to get Momo and Jirou the best.

After multiple failed attempts to call the store to set up an appointment, Iida decides he’s better off just walking to the shop. It should only be about a 15 minute walk so he tidies his table, takes his tea mug back to the coffee bar, leaves a tip for the baristas and leaves the cafe. The air is just cool enough to make the walk comfortable and he arrives at the flower shop almost as if on autopilot. The shop, Kablooms, looks simple from the outside. However you can see the incredible bouquets and arrangements people raved about online through the windows. 

He’s a little nervous as he walks in but that feeling is quickly stomped down by amazement as he looks around. It seems like the shop is alive with how many plants and flowers are all over the place, a mix of flowers he recognizes and things he has never seen before. The scent of the shop is incredible and he’s lost in it for a moment before someone is snapping at him.

“Can I help you? Or are you just going to stand there and look pretty all day?” The man rolls his eyes at him and stares at him from the counter he’s sitting on top of.

“Oh, um. I’m looking for a manager, I need to make an appointment to start going over ideas and plans for a friend's wedding that I'm helping plan,” Iida says, with as much confidence as he can manage.

“Well, congrats, you’re looking at him, boy scout. Unfortunately for you, I won’t make an appointment for anyone without a goddamn bride or groom's approval so unless you can get that right now you might as well turn around and leave.” The man jumps down off the counter and starts walking away without giving Iida a second glance. 

Without thinking Iida says, “Wait, you’re the manager?” He realizes his mistake when he sees the guy’s red eyes narrowed into slits. From his pierced eyebrow and nose to his ripped jeans and grungy shirt, this guy does not look like the person you put in charge of a flower shop. 

“Fucking. Obviously.” The angry blonde's words are punctuated with annoyance, but he stops and looks back at Iida. “Are you going to call the bride or groom or just stare at me from all the way up there?” 

Not at all sure how to respond to that he quickly gets Momo on the phone so she can tell the shop manager the details of their wedding and express her permission for Iida to handle all aspects of the floral arrangements. 

“I suppose you might as well find somewhere to sit while I get paperwork around.” The shop attendant walks through a door, which Iida assumes must be to an office, leaving Iida to wander aimlessly around the shop admiring the plants until he finds a small table and chairs sitting in the back near a large display of peonies.

Iida sat by himself for about 10 more minutes, responding to texts on his phone, mostly from Momo and Jirou while he waited. When the attendant comes back he drops a binder on the table with the least amount of grace or care Iida has probably seen from anyone who could be mildly considered a professional. Still having no idea how to handle this guy, he uncomfortably shifts in his seat and pushes his glasses up. It gets even more uncomfortable when the guys very obviously drags his eyes slowly over Iidas entire body. 

“Here’s how it’s gonna go, Princess.” He shifts in his seat to gain direct eye contact. “I’m going to be doing my job, that you and I both know I’m very, very good at. I will ask you for a yes or no. Probably text you pictures, the less I have to actually have people in the shop the better. That’s a formality. Nothing i’ve ever done has been less than perfect and it won’t start to be now.” 

Iida gulps. “That’s um, that’s fine sir, but if we’re going to be working together can I get your name? I’d like to put it in my phone in case I need to contact you for any reason throughout this process.” He has his phone out and ready to input the number when the attendant snatches it from him.

“It’s Bakugo.” He quickly puts his number in the phone and hands it back to Iida. “You know, I don’t really understand how you ended up getting so beefy.”

“Excuse me, what?”

“Well you’re so busy with that stick up you ass it just doesn’t seem like you’d have time to hit a gym,” Bakugo says with a smirk.

“I take my training regime very seriously, like most things I do!” Iida stammers, losing all hope of sounding confident in front of this guy.

“Calm down, princess, it was a joke. Text me sometime tomorrow to set up our next appointment so I can show you the types of flowers I have in mind. I’m closing early to go eat.” Iida swears the guy winks at him when he gets up and treads toward the door to let him out.

“Uh, um, yes, ok, I will be contacting you tomorrow,” he says, leaving the shop quite confused.

On his walk back to his apartment, Iida grabs his phone to send a couple texts to Momo.

Iida: Flower shop is beautiful, the arrangements they have displayed are even more gorgeous than they look in photos.

Momo: That’s great! I’m so excited. We so appreciate you taking this on for us!

Iida: Anytime. I’m glad to do it.

Iida: The reviews didn’t lie though, the manager has quite the personality.

Momo: What do you mean?

Iida: He kept calling me princess, and commenting on my body, and he was, for lack of better words, kind of a dick.

Momo: Oh.

He doesn’t know what to do with that ‘Oh,’ so he just doesn’t reply. He’s happy to finally be home and heads to the kitchen to prepare himself lunch before settling in his living room to watch TV and relax for the rest of the day.  

~

A week passes and at the end of his work day, Iida receives a rather aggressive text;

Bakugo: Hey, shithead, are you going to make a fucking appointment for these flowers or not?

Iida: I’m sorry I’ve been very busy with work and it must have slipped my mind. Do you have any time this weekend?

He hopes this reply will suffice, and then a thought occurs to him:

Iida: how did you even get my phone number? I only had yours.

Bakugo: I asked the brides for it. 

Iida: why?

Bakugo: what the hell do you mean why? My time is valuable and i want to get this stupid appointment over with.

Ah yes, of course he wants to hurry along, he must have a lot of clients and Iida feels rude and stupid for taking up more of this man’s professional time than is necessary. He starts to wonder what day works best for himself. He must have been thinking too long because his phone is quickly chiming again.

Bakugo: FatGums diner, 6pm. Saturday.

Is Bakugo talking to someone else? Why would they need to meet at a diner? They should be meeting at the flower shop, right? That’s where they will be doing their work?

Iida: Was that text meant for someone else?

Bakugo: excuse me?

Iida: I’m sorry I think I’m just confused. Why would we be going to get food?

Bakugo: BECAUSE MY TIME IS VALUABLE

Bakugo: I need to EAT. YOU didn’t text me in time to make another weekend appointment. This is the only time I have and I’m not going to starve for you.

He supposes that makes enough sense. It will be nice to not have to worry about cooking anything that evening. 

Iida: Sounds great. I will see you then. Will I need to bring anything with me? I can bring photos of the brides’ dress and suit or the wedding party attire for color references.

Bakugo: sounds good. It’s a date.

Iida chokes a little at that last text. He obviously knows he doesn’t mean that kind of date. Why is he sweating? He makes an effort to push any thoughts of blondes and smirks and red eyes from his mind so he can focus on the remaining work he has before he can leave his office and head home for the day. 

On his way home from the office, he pulls out his phone to text his group chat with Momo and Jirou to send an update on planning.

Iida: Meeting with the manager of Kablooms on Saturday at 6pm. If either of you feels you can make it it’s going to be at FatGums.

Jirou: oh sweetie

Momo: Iida, i think you have to go alone.

Iida: Well you’re the brides…

Momo: but it sounds like it could maybe be a date

Iida: no

Jirou: lol ok Iida

He sighs and stuffs his phone back in his pocket. These girls have been trying to get him to date for so long they’ll attach on to basically anything at this point. While he’s certainly not blinded by professionalism to the idea that Bakugo is startlingly beautiful, he would never even consider the idea. Not only is Bakugo the sassiest person he’s met, who speaks completely without fear (and if Iida maybe likes that a little bit, that’s not something he’d ever admit to himself or anyone else), but he would also never want to do anything that might interfere with his best friend’s wedding planning. 

He’s not even sure he would be very good at dating. He’s not unaware of the fact that he’s very uptight, a little awkward and, occasionally, a total buzzkill. It’s hard for him to imagine someone dealing with that, and kind of terrifying to imagine someone breaking that. Dating would force him to break out of his protective shell and routine and he’s not totally sure that’s something he’s willing, or ready, to do right now. He wouldn’t want to ruin someone elses’ dating experience with his insecurities and stuffy mood.

He tries to push those thoughts down so he can enjoy his walk and think about more important things like flower colors and types. He has many suggestions, though he wonders if they are going to be shot down immediately. Bakugo did say it was his way or no way at all, and Iida wonders if there is any truth to that or if he just puts on a tough act. Truthfully, he’s nervous and also a little excited to find out. 

He really wants to pick up take out, but since he’ll be eating out tomorrow he decides spending money on food like that two days in a row would be too much and decides to cook when he gets home. He’s not a particularly great cook, and he hates cooking for just one person, but he figures he can save the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. 

Just as he’s contemplating his food choices, he arrives at home. After preparing and eating his dinner he settles in to watch some TV. True Crime is his favorite, even if it does make him a little bit nervous to sleep alone. After a couple episodes his thoughts wander to all the different things he does alone. Cooking, eating, watching TV, sleeping...he pushes them away quickly and gets up to start getting ready for bed. He wants to get a good night's sleep to be prepared for whatever day he has before and during his meeting with Bakugo tomorrow.

~ 

Iida pops out of bed with an enthusiasm he doesn’t feel very often in the mornings. He keeps himself busy cleaning his apartment and organizing things before he has to start getting ready for his meeting. Hauling a basket of laundry into his room, he has every intention of putting it away. Instead, he's left just staring at the items hanging there. Button ups and slacks neatly folded on shelves or hanging on the rod. His ties hanging neatly from an organizer. Is even his wardrobe too uptight? Does he hide behind it?

Shaking his head, he hangs up the clothes from the basket and then with a look at his watch he notices it’s 3pm. He should get showered and dressed because the walk to the diner is about 30 minutes long and he needs to leave a little early in case something were to happen to make his walk longer. He doesn’t want to be late to his...meeting. Punctuality is important and he doesn’t want to come off as unprofessional. 

He enjoys the quick, cool shower and, while standing in front of the sink working on this skin care routine, he wonders what to do with this hair. He could push it back, or to the side, like normal. He’s contemplating leaving it down, however, it doesn’t hang in his face much, but it’s a much easier look than what he normally does. He doesn’t feel comfortable pushing himself out of his comfort zone often but this is a small change he can maybe live with for one day. So, he leaves his hair down. it hangs around his eyebrows, just above his glasses and makes him look a little younger and a little less serious. He likes it, but can feel the anxiety that is a normal part of any kind of change trying to creep up on him, but he feels he does a great job of pushing it away.

Standing in front of his closet once again, he realizes he’s not sure how he should dress for this. It is, indeed, a meeting but it’s at a very casual diner. He needs to dress professionally but he also shouldn’t look out of place. He settles on a pair of dark grey pants, dark blue button up, blue socks and a grey striped tie. He stares at the tie sitting in his hand for a moment and puts it back. Too formal for the setting. 

He puts all of the clothes on and goes to stand in front of the mirror. He finishes the outfit off with a brown belt, brown shoes and his favorite watch. Rolling his sleeves to his elbows and leaving the top couple buttons open are his finishing touch. He looks so much different than normal, but he’s comfortable and supposes that’s what matters.

Taking a picture with his phone, he sends it to Momo and Jirou on impulse.

Iida: is this ok? Trying something new today.

Momo: you look great! I didn’t think you’d put so much thought into your outfit for a meeting.

Iida: well since it’s in a diner i didn’t want to go too formal

Jirou: that’s a great date outfit

Iida: not a date, jirou.

Jirou: ;)

Iida: it’s a meeting!

Momo: have a nice ‘meeting’, Iida.

He rolls his eyes and shoves his phone into his pocket. With a glance at the clock, he notices it’s 5:15 and he needs to start walking. He grabs his house key and wallet off the shelf next to his door and heads out. Locking the door behind him, he starts heading towards the restaurant. The closer he comes to his destination the faster his heart seems to be beating. He attributes that to the physical activity that is walking, refusing to believe it could be for any other reason. 

He arrives 10 minutes early, which is honestly pretty normal for him. Not sure what to do, he grabs his phone to text Bakugo.

Iida: I’m early. Should I grab a table?

Bakugo: Don’t care. 

Bakugo: If you do order me a black coffee.

Iida: You could say please.

Bakugo: no

Iida rolls his eyes and heads into the diner, picking out a booth in the corner, away from as many people as possible. The one thing he knows for sure about Bakugo is that he can get loud and he figures he has to endure it, but other customers don’t. 

He can’t pinpoint why he’s feeling anxious as he fights the urge to pick at his nails. The waitress comes and he orders himself a peppermint tea and a black coffee for Bakugo, despite the rude request (or demand?) He’s staring at his hands trying to get his heart to calm down when he hears a bell chime. His head snaps up faster than he cares to admit and he sees an already annoyed looking Bakugo walking toward him. 

Bakugou stops, eyes getting huge and staring for a split second before narrowing again. Then he's stomping towards the table. He plops into the booth seat directly next to Iida with zero grace. Iida makes a mental note that he could have sat in the seat across from him and he’s not sure why that thought makes him feel so unsettled.

“Hey,” Bakugo grunts out while he's digging a binder out of his messenger bag. 

Iida gets the sense that something is bothering him so instead of a greeting, he asks, “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“Just stupid fucking people coming into my work place. I’m sick of dealing with entitled assholes.” 

“Oh, well I sure hope your experience dealing with me is much more pleasant.” Iida offers him a smile and tries to scoot away some. When Bakugo scoots right along with him he stares at him for a second, not sure what he’s expecting to happen. Nothing happening isn’t exactly what he expects, but it’s what he gets. 

Bakugo launches right into a long explanation of how he operates, what kind of ideas he already has for the wedding and what the prices for everything will be. They bounce a couple of ideas off each other, but mostly Bakugo has the vision Momo explained to Iida completely on point. There are almost no changes he thinks he needs to make, except he mentions that while Momo is very extra, Jirou is not, so they get rid of some of the bling from the centerpieces and bouquets. 

Sometime in their exploration of Bakugo’s binder, the waitress comes and takes their order. Iida gets chicken tenders and fries, which earns an eye roll from Bakugo, who orders a Jalapeno burger and onion rings. 

“How old are you? 7? Chicken tenders? Really?” Bakugo scoffs.

“Well I’m not always sure what I’ll like and that seems like a pretty safe bet.”

“I always know exactly what I want,” Bakugo says with a weird smirk that makes a blush blossom on Iidas face.

“Uhhh, well uh, that’s a very good trait to have.” Iida gulps and pushes his glasses up his face slightly. 

A few minutes of uncomfortable silence passes between them before Bakugo is speaking again. “So what’s with the wardrobe change today?”

“Oh, I just thought my normal attire would be too formal for this setting?” Iida says, matter of factly.

“Mmm,” Bakugo hums while he’s chewing. “Hair too formal too?” He reaches up and pushes at Iidas bangs. Iida just stares at him, unsure of how he’s supposed to react. 

“Um, yeah. I’ve been meaning to try different things with my hair. It’s usually pushed back, but this felt more comfortable.”

“It looks pretty good. Less like an overgrown boy scout.”

“Oh, thank you very much. I’m glad to hear it suits me.” He’s sure he’s blushing more than he ever has in his life at this point.

Bakugo scoffs. “You REALLY don’t see yourself, do you?”

“What?” 

“Nevermind.” Another eye roll. Iida thinks maybe he’s flirting, but he’s not sure and feels kind of silly. He appreciates the compliments but has no idea how to respond. 

With no idea how to handle the brash person he’s dealing with, he just offers a simple. Thank You and picks his tea up to finish it off. 

They make some small talk about the wedding date. Bakugo is very obviously cocky about his flower arrangement plans and Iida can’t say he doesn’t deserve to feel that way. The time passes quickly and they talk long after they finish their food. Iida is surprised at how easy conversation flows between them, even between slightly rude remarks from Bakugo.

When the waitress comes back to the table to ask how they’d like to split the bill, Bakugo grabs it from her and says, “No split, I’ll just pay it.”

“That’s not necessary, Bakugo! I can pay my half,” Iida says back to him.

“It’s fine.” He hands his card to the waitress and she walks off with it. “It’s not often someone can manage a whole conversation with me without being outwardly offended or telling me to fuck off.” Bakugo looks almost sheepish. Iida noticed a blush, but he would never say anything. 

“Well I’m glad we can be friends,” is the only thing Iida can manage to say. His brain is going a million miles an hour and he doesn’t really know what to think about it. He’s so glad to be a positive impact in someone's life. “Maybe after the wedding we can hang out without all the work,” he says without even thinking about it. 

“Yeah yeah, sure.” The simplest reply Iida has heard from him yet.

As they head out the door Bakugo says, “Are you actually going to text me for the next appointment this time, or am I going to have to take charge of that again?” He looks kind of pissed off but also eager as he asks this question. 

“I will make sure I don’t forget you again,” Iida says without thinking. He offers his hand for Bakugo to shake but the other man just scoffs and shoves out the door. 

Iida watches him stalk off with his hand shoved in his pocket and then starts on his way home a well. He doesn’t understand the way his chest feels tight and he can’t help the slight smile he has plastered on his face as he walks. He grabs his phone out and is contemplating sending a text to Bakugo to thank him again for paying, but isn’t quite sure if that would be appropriate. With a sigh, he decides to text Momo and Jirou, his go to girls for confusing emotions and situations, instead.

Iida: I need help

Jirou: 👀

Iida: Jirou, don’t start.

Momo: What’s up, Iida?

Jirou: I think we all know

Iida: Jirou, please.

Momo: Sweetie, please.

Jirou: 👀👀👀

Iida: Oh lord. 

Iida: Well anyway, I don’t know what a crush feels like?

Jirous: I think you do 😉

Iida: Jirou, please.

Momo: Well...she’s probably right. Tight chest? Fluttering heart? Smiles you can’t explain.

Iida: crap

Jirou: It’s gonna be fine 

Momo: We’re here for you

He sticks his phone back in his pocket and sighs. He’s never felt giddy after spending time with someone like this. Sure, his friends make him really happy, he feels great after being around them, but nothing like the elated feeling he has in his chest right now. This is just one more new thing for him to explore, and maybe it would be good for him, he won’t be sure unless he tries it right? 

Iida: Thank you for paying. It was a very nice gesture. I didn’t mean to sound unappreciative.

Waiting for a reply, he realizes he’s just standing in the middle of the sidewalk. He starts walking again, phone in hand. When he arrives at his front door he still hasn’t received a reply which makes a little pout appear on his face. He goes to his bathroom to start brushing his teeth and get ready for bed, trying hard to push the feeling of disappointment from his mind. 

Just as he’s settling into his bed with a book, pulling his covers up over himself to get cozy and read before bed, his phone vibrates. He’s immediately grateful no one can see him, because the speed with which he snatches his phone from his bedside table is a little embarrassing.

Bakugo: Whatever

It’s not a great reply, but Iida is grateful for any reply at all. He goes to set his phone back down without typing a reply when another text comes through.

Bakugo: You’re welcome I guess.

Iida: Wow. You have manners.

Iida presses send before he even realizes how rude he sounded. 

Bakugo: wow you’re not always boring

Iida: You would rather someone be rude than boring?

The back and forth feels easy. Like he could continue this text  conversation forever. This kind of thing doesn’t happen easily for him and he’s enjoying it, despite his anxiety. 

Bakugo: yup

Iida: Well that’s certainly interesting. 

Bakugo: When is our next meeting, nerd?

Iida: You’re the manager, when do you have time?

Bakugo: I don’t know. I can make time.

Does he mean for Iida, specifically? Or just make time for the wedding? Does he WANT to make time for Iida? Too many thoughts are coming too fast, and he has to put his phone away because he doesn’t know how to handle this kind of feeling. He drifts off to sleep with a warm feeling in his chest, and the strange sense that he won’t have such a hard time waking up tomorrow.

~

Waking up to a buzzing sound is weird for him. It takes him a minute to open his eyes and realize the buzzing is a phone call coming in. He rolls over and looks at the time, 6:30AM, on his day off. With a groan he picks the phone up and that’s when his heart drops a little bit. It’s Bakugo. Why on earth would he be calling so early? Hesitantly he answers the phone. “It’s early.” Is all he manages to get out before he’s interrupted by an obnoxiously large yawn.

“It’s not that early. I already worked out. Get up and come to my shop. I have some flowers come in that I want you to look at.”

“I uh, It’s so early.”

“Yeah, we fucking established that already. Get a coffee and get some pants on and get over here. I wanna get you in before my day gets too busy.”

And that shouldn’t make Iida wake up a little more quickly, or make him as happy as it does. But here he is tossing his blankets off and jumping out of bed quicker than he has in a very, very long time. “Okay, okay. I drink tea though.”

Bakugo snorts. “Of fucking course you do.” And with that he hangs up on Iida with no warning. 

With a big stretch, he drags himself to the bathroom to start getting ready. After his shower, he stands in front of the mirror to do his hair. He decides to leave it down again and if that has anything to do with Bakugos reaction to it being down, he wouldn’t tell a soul. He throws on one of his only pairs of joggers and an old college t-shirt because he’s barely functioning and buttoning up a shirt sounds awful right about now. 

~ 

On his way to Kablooms, Iida stops in the cafe and picks up a tea for himself and a black coffee for Bakugo. He treks to the flower shop, both drinks in hand, eyes barely open. Upon arrival, he grabs the handle and opens the door, surprised that it’s unlocked when business hours aren’t technically until nine. He shuts the door behind him and doesn’t see Bakugo anywhere in the main room of the shop. Rather than explore, and very possibly get yelled at for being somewhere he shouldn’t be, he calls out, “Hello!?” 

“Fuck. One second!” Bakugo yells back. Iida hears some underbreath cursing and notices a grimace on Bakugo’s face when he emerges from behind a curtain that leads to a back room. “I thought I had all the goddamn thorns off the roses I was using.”

Iida honestly can’t help but smile because despite the angry attitude Bakugo has going on, he looks nothing short of adorable. Hair pushed back with a black headband, light orange apron tied around his body and what, Iida assumes, is supposed to be a grimace but looks more like a pout. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. You should be more careful,” Iida says, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“Yeah, no shit.” It’s then that Bakugo starts staring at him. He doesn’t at all hide the way he’s looking Iida up and down. “You look comfy.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?”

“I guess you can decide for yourself.” Bakugo smirks. “Follow me. We’ve got work to do.”

Iida follows him through a narrow hallway into a room with a long table and buckets upon buckets of different flowers and greenery. He joins Bakugos at the table he’s standing at where he has roses in different shades of pink, cream and white. When he steps over, he picks one of the roses up. The bloom is opened wide and looks so gorgeous. “How do you make them open so wide like this?” he asks without thinking.

“You have to flip the petals in on themselves. You see this little rounded part at the base of the petals? You just jam this thing in, but gently. You don’t want to rip the damn thing and ruin the flower.” Iida watches in amazement as Bakugo gingerly flips all the petals over and the rose slowly gets bigger. It’s bizarre to him that someone so rough around the edges can do something so tender and graceful. He watches quietly as Bakugo opens 4 more roses by hand and carefully puts them in a bucket. “Always put them in a bucket, upright, so the petals don’t get smashed.” 

“Wow, that’s kind of beautiful.” 

“Of course it’s fucking beautiful. I did it.” 

Iida rolls his eyes. “So what do you need me for today?”

“I have these roses picked out, a couple dahlias and, very possibly, peonies. What I can’t decide on is the greenery that’s going to accompany them to make the framework of the bridal bouquet.” He shoves his headband up and continues, “I have a few different things out for you to choose from. I’m trusting you to pick one, but I still have all the rights to tell you no.” 

Iida walks over to the table and runs his hands over some of the greens. “I didn’t expect them to be so soft.” He’s talking about the greenery, of course. “It’s a pleasant surprise.” He looks up in time to catch Bakugo blushing slightly. “What are these called?” He picks up a branch with small, roundish leaves on it. The leaves almost look shiny when they move.

“Silver dollar eucalyptus. They tend to be a bride favorite and compliment most pastel colored flowers well.” Bakugo is standing back and watching Iida intently scrutinize the plants in front of him. “The bouquet greenery is important because it keeps the bouquet stable. No point in having a bunch of beautiful flowers without stability.” His eyes narrow, like he’s thinking hard about something and then he shoves off the wall and walks up to the table. “Hurry up and pick some shit. I wanna show you how to frame out the bouquet and put it together.”

“Wow, what’s the rush. I thought these were the most important part of the whole thing?” Iida asks, eyebrow quirked.

“Don’t fucking sass me, princess.” 

Why of all things, does THAT make Iida blush a fierce red. Bakugo knows too because just as suddenly as the blush came on, he’s smirking, again.

“No sass. I just don’t want to ruin your hard work.” 

“Whatever. I’m making you do the work. That’s why you’re here, right?”

“Uhhhh, I just thought I was here to tell you if Momo would like what you have going on already.”

“Nope. You’re building it. I’ll show you how.” 

They’re standing side by side and Iida feels warm and a little fuzzy. He’s staring at Bakugo, waiting for instruction, and can’t help but notice that Bakugo looks softer. A slight frown is still present, but his face looks more at peace.

“Okay, pick up the pieces you want to make the frame work out of.” Iida picks up a few different pieces of greens, different shaped leaves, different heights. Looking at Bakugo for some sign of agreement that what he chose was right. “Okay, do you want the arrangement to be wide and open or more close and tight?” 

“I guess we can try open and flowy? Is that an option? I think something that drapes down some would suit Momo well.” 

“Okay, well, this one isn’t going to Momo this time. It’s just a trial run. What kind of flowers do YOU want, you’re the one making the stupid fucking things this time.” 

“Oh, well, I still think being more open would be pretty I guess.” He hesitantly picks up a few branches of greenery. “I really like these.”

“Fine. We can work with that. Arrange them so they are on different planes, um, so they are sticking out at slightly different heights.” Iida arranges them so they look kind of fanned out. “Okay, now move them so they are kind of curved. You want to be able to nestle the flowers into them.” Iida follows this instruction to the best of his ability, but they still look kind of straight and boring. Bakugo reaches over to help him, their hands are touching when Bakugo shows him how to bend the stems slightly to make them curve. They both tense momentarily, and Bakugo pulls away with a blush.

“Okay, we’re going to tie the stems together with a couple rubber bands. There’s no fucking way you’re going to be able to hold them together correctly while we’re adding flowers.” There’s a bit more finessing of the arrangement as they have it so far. 

“So, we’re ready to add flowers. You can only pick from this bucket because these flowers are already prepped and dethorned.”

“Oh, you could have shown me how to do that if you wanted me to learn.”

“No. I didn’t want your ass getting hurt.”

“Oh.” Iida’s pretty sure his blush is a permanent fixture on his face at this point. “Well thank you for being considerate.”

Bakugo turns toward him with a grimace. “Come the fuck on. How can you be dressed like that, act all flirty and STILL sound so uptight. Let loose. I’m not going to fucking bite you.”

“I’m NOT flirty!” He grabs the bucket of flowers from Bakugo and sets them down on the table in front of himself. Pulling out a blush rose he smells it. “I want to use just a whole bunch of these.” 

“You can’t have all of one flower. For fucks sake, pick a couple different ones you like. Dahlias are my favorite, they compliment the roses really well.” He grabs a couple of large flowers out of the bucket and shoves them at Iida. “You’re gonna use a couple of these.” 

“I thought I was the one picking.” Iida quirks an eyebrow at him. 

Bakugo narrows his eyes. “Well I was going to let you but you want only roses and that’s just stupid. Variety is best.”

After spending a few minutes handing flowers to Iida, he starts helping him fill in the base of greens they assembled earlier. Iida is mostly just holding the bouquet, and trying to follow along with the words Bakugo is spewing at him. Mostly, he’s admiring how passionate the other man looks as he works. Maybe admitting he might have a tiny crush isn’t such a bad thing. 

While they’re working Iida gets a text from Momo. He pulls his phone out with the one free hand he has.

Momo: please remember to let me know if you plan to bring a plus one to the wedding in the next couple of weeks. We’re booking catering in 3 weeks and will need an accurate head count for that. 

Iida audibly groans and stuffs his phone back in his pocket.

“What?” Bakugo asks. “Boy troubles?” If he looks a little anxious, Iida doesn’t mention it. 

“Oh, just Momo. She’s been hounding me about giving her my RSVP but I still have no idea if I’m taking a date or not.” He sighs. This isn’t something he likes to think about. “The only people I would even consider taking are just close friends who are already invited to the wedding.” 

“Ahh,” is all Bakugo says and returns to the work he’s doing on the flowers.

“Thanks for teaching me about the flowers, Bakugo. I think it’ll make Momo happy that I had a hand in them.”

“Whatever. It’s not a big deal.” He pauses. “You can call me Katsuki, by the way.”

Not knowing what to do, Iida just holds the flowers a little tighter and continues to admire the work Bakugo is doing.

When the bouquet is finished and they’re used rubber bands to secure all of the stems together, Bakugo starts wrapping a deep blue ribbon around the stems. Iida isn’t sure why he chose such a dark blue, seeing as it doesn’t match Momo's color scheme at all, but he goes with it because if he’s learned anything, it’s to not question Bakugo about the choices he makes in this flower shop. 

“It looks so beautiful, Momo will be thrilled,” Iida says with a huge smile.

“Yeah, well, you picked most of it. What do you think about it?”

“I think they’re absolutely incredible. They smell great too,” he says as he buries his nose in the bouquet.

“Yeah, they’re pretty gorgeous.” Bakugo looks Iida straight in the eyes and holds eye contact for a moment before taking the flowers from him. “I’m gonna find them a vase. Be right back.” Flowers in one hand, other hand shoved in his pocket, he heads into another room. 

Iida takes this chance to go back out to the main room of the flower shop and admire the plants there. A few moments later Bakugo walks out with the vase full of flowers and hands the vase to Iida. 

“You can take them with you,” Bakugo says, refusing to meet Iida’s eyes. 

“I can’t just take them, let me pay you.” Iida moves to get his wallet.

“Shit, just take them. They’re a gift.” He’s blushing furiously now, way past being able to hide it. 

“Um, yeah, okay.” Iida smiles wide and sticks his nose in the flowers again. “they do smell amazing. Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Bakugo manages a small smile back. “Our next appointment will be finalizing Momo's stuff. I’ll text you.” 

Iida smiles again, gives a little wave and heads out the door of the shop.

It isn’t until he gets home, throws his keys and wallet down on the kitchen counter and sets the vase of flowers down that he notices a tiny white envelope nestled in between the beautiful blooms. He plucks it out, pulls the envelope open and slides the tiny card out. It reads:

Maybe a real date? 

-K.

He just stands there frozen for a minute before a giant smile spreads across his face. Hugging the letter to his chest he lets out what can only be described as a squeal. The feeling in his chest is so foreign to him, but he likes it. A lot. He immediately snatches his phone off the kitchen counter and snaps a photo of the card and sends it to Momo and Jirou.

Iida: [photo]

Iida: Your flower appointment went well.

Jirous: HA I FREAKING TOLD YOU

Momo: Normally I would tell her to calm down, but she’s right this time. She did indeed tell you.

Iida: I’m very happy.

Momo: You deserve it, Iida. 

Jirous: Go get yo man ;)

Iida: Is it appropriate to call him right away? I’m quite excited. Am I supposed to wait a certain amount of time? 

Jirous: JUST CALL HIM RIGHT NOW IIDA

Momo: simmer, sweetie.

Iida: Okay, I’m going to call him. Wish me luck.

Jirou: So proud of our disaster gay :’)

He rolls his eyes and picks the card back up off the counter. He reads it over again so many times, as if it can’t possibly be real. He nestles it back in his flowers. The flowers he now realizes were a romantic gift from Bakugo. Wait, no, Katsuki. His heart swells and he takes a few deep breaths to calm the fluttering in his chest before he picks his phone up to make what feels like the most important phone call of his life.

With a vague sense that he might throw up he waits and waits while the phone rings and rings. He almost hangs up when finally the line clicks and he hears Katsuki’s voice.

“Hey.”

“Uh, hi.” Iida clears his throat, not at all sure what he’s supposed to be saying right now.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“You fucking know what,” Katsuki snaps at him, with absolutely no venom in his voice at all. Iida would even go so far as to say he sounds nervous.

“Well I got your note. Where do you acquire such tiny envelopes?”

“From a stationary website. What do you say?”  

Iida pauses for a minute. “Say to what?”

“Jesus you’re really going to make me say it out loud?” Katsuki says and Iida can practically hear his eyes roll.

“That’s what a gentleman would do,” Iida quips back.

“Have I given you any impression at all that I’m a gentleman?” Katsuki questions, amusement heavy in his voice.

“Well I suppose not. I assume you’ll want to at least try to be on our date though.” 

“So that’s a yes?”

“That’s a yes.” 

“Rock on. Text me the nights you’re not available. This is going to be the best first date ever.” Iida is extremely smitten with how excited Katsuki sounds.

“Is this implying this morning at your shop was not a date? It kind of felt like a date.” 

“As if I would ever do something so shitty and boring for a first date. ” He hears Katsuki scoff.

“Well, I suppose if you want to knock my socks off that’s fine. But also I think that would have been a very lovely first date.” 

“If you ever say knock your socks off again I’m not taking you anywhere.” 

Iida laughs at that and sighs. “Well, okay then. I’ll be texting you. Have a good day Katuski.”

He hears the other man's breath hitch, hears him clear his throat and say, “Yeah, yeah. You too. Don’t wait a fucking week to text me this time.” 

“I wouldn’t dare,” Iida says and hangs up the phone. 

Iida walks to his room to grab his work schedule out of his planner and send a photo to Katsuki.  It doesn’t take long for him to receive a text back.

Bakugo: Lunch date on Saturday. I’ll pick you up at 12. Don’t dress like a lawyer.

Iida realizes then that he needs to change Bakugo’s name in his phone and takes a second to do that before replying.

Iida: Rude. I don’t dress like a lawyer.

Katsuki: Jesus. Wear something comfy. 

Katsuki: Please.

Iida: Very nice manners, Katsuki.

Katsuki: Fuck off.

Iida chuckles at that and shoots back a final reply before moving on to relax and read a book for the rest of the day.

Iida: I’ll be ready in my comfiest clothes. 

Iida: Can’t wait.

~

The first thing Iida notices when he wakes up is his heartbeat speeding up. Today is the day. He has only a few hours to get ready and is immediately so pleased that he chose to shower last night to give himself more time to prepare for his lunch date. He gives himself another 20 minutes to lay in bed, contemplating what he could possibly be doing today.

He grabs his phone from the bedside table and notices he has a text from Jirou.

Jirou: We’re sleeping in today. We knew you would be panicking about this so

Jirou: WEAR JEANS TODAY

Chuckling at this, he tosses his blankets aside and shimmies out of bed. He’s grateful for the text, but he panicked about this already and ended up picking out and laying his clothes out the night before. 

Stepping into the kitchen, he makes himself a cup of Oolong. He sits at the dining table for a while, scrolling through social media to give himself a few moments of peace--pretty soon he will have to really think hard about getting ready for his date.

It’s not like he hasn’t been on dates before, but they are few and far between. He went on a nice date with Izuku once, but that ended in them finally realizing they love each other like brothers and that’s all. A couple of dates with men from work that didn’t go anywhere. Nothing past a second or third date. Certainly nothing with someone who is anything like Katsuki. No one has made him feel this confident in himself. 

That train of thought really derailed his attempt at staying calm so he gets up and puts his mug in the sink. He should probably eat something for breakfast but his stomach feels tight and he doesn’t know if he can stomach it, so he just walks to his bathroom to start getting ready.

After going through his skin care routine and shaving, he decides to leave his hair down again, Katsuki seemed to like it that way and he’s nothing if not a people pleaser. He puts just enough gel in it to keep it swept slightly out of his eyes. He decides to put a tiny bit of mascara on because he likes the way it makes his eyes slightly bigger under his glasses and after a final glance in the mirror, deciding he likes what he sees, he walks to his room to get dressed.

He pulls on one of his only two pairs of jeans. They hug his legs in a tight but comfortable way. They definitely show off the work he puts into keeping his body in shape. His soft grey v- neck t-shirt and blue and grey flannel are next. He buttons the flannel up and tucks it into his jeans to show off the leather belt he’s going to add to the look. Walking to the dresser, he grabs his glasses along with a pair of black socks and his favorite watch.

He snaps a quick photo and shoots it off to Momo and Jirou, sure he’ll get a bunch of nonsense from them at some point. With two more hours until Katsuki is supposed to pick him up he decides to settle onto the couch with a book to read for a while.

About a half hour into his book he gets a notification on his phone, with a text that says:

Katsuki: Are you afraid of any animals?

Iida: What?

Katsuki: Why do you make me repeat everything?

IIda: Sorry. Just a little nervous around snakes.

Katsuki: cool

Katsuki: I also need your address. My dumbass didn’t think to ask for it earlier.

Katsuki: sorry

Iida: You’re not dumb.

Iida: [location pin]

That’s only a little weird, IIda thinks. He continues his book, despite having an increasingly hard time focusing as the time for Katsuki to pick him grows nearer. The closer he gets to the date the more he can’t believe this is actually happening. Katsuki is so brash, aggressive and blunt. The least likely person Iida would have ever seen himself being interested in. Even more than that he can’t believe this beautiful, passionate, firecracker of a man is into him! He’s very self aware and knows he can come off as uptight and boring. However, These aren’t his only qualities, this is something he knows personally. It’s important to him that Katsuki also knows he’s determined to make sure Katsuki sees him as passionate, caring and adventurous.

He’s stuck in this line of thought for a while, until he hears a knock on the door. Suddenly he feels like his heart is in this throat and his entire body is made of lead as he drags himself off the couch to answer the door. When he opens the door he’s nothing short of stunned. Katsuki is standing there in ripped, tight black jeans and a plain black, form fitting t-shirt. Iida’s mouth is dry as he tries to think of something to say. When nothing comes out of his mouth, Katsuki talks for him.

“I know I’m pretty but damn, I didn’t realize I was THAT speechless.” He grins and hands some simple white daisies to Iida. The flowers are tied with the same blue ribbon as the previous bouquet they made together.

“Uh, yeah. Very pretty,” Iida manages to squeeze out. “You really like this blue ribbon.”

“Looks like your eyes,” Katsuki says with a shrug.

“That’s very sweet.” 

“Yeah, I know, and for the love of god untuck your shirt please, you look like my dad.” Katsuki says with a slight grimace.

Iida laughs at this. “What’s wrong with looking like a dad? You said to dress comfy and I did.”

“I don’t have a daddy kink. Sorry.” 

The blush that spreads on Iidas face is obviously very apparent because Katsuki is doing nothing short of cackling now. “Fine, fine.” He pulls his shirt tails out of his pants. “Happy now?”

“Ready to go?” 

“Yeah, let me just stick these in some water.” He motions to the flowers and hurries into the kitchen to find a vase and put them in the sun.

When he comes back to the door Katsuki sticks his hand out expectantly. Iida’s brain frantically runs through so many thoughts and emotions in 3 seconds that it almost gives him whiplash. He feels anxious, proud and affectionate. The way that Katsuki knows what he wants and isn't afraid to go for it is incredibly admirable. He gently places his hand in Katsuki’s and then they’re on their way out of the apartment complex to Katsuki’s car. 

When they step up to the car Katsuki walks Iida to the passenger side and opens the door for him. As he’s sliding into the seat he says, “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Well, you said you wanted a fucking gentleman, didn’t you?” Katsuki looks a little anxious so Iida makes sure to reassure him.

“Oh, I did. It just caught me by surprise. Being a gentleman is a good look on you.” 

“Yeah, whatever. Being a princess is a good look on YOU,” Katsuki says as he slides into the driver's seat.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, I suppose.” Iida retorts. About fifteen minutes in the car before they pull up to what appears to just be a normal house.  “Are you kidnapping me?” He asks, only half joking.

“Yes. Obviously.” 

“Ahh, I guess I wouldn’t mind too much.” Iida laughs. “So, where are we?”

“This guy who buys flowers for his wife every Friday lives here. He rescues birds and even has an entire aviary set up in with bard with, like, just under twenty birds in his house. Behind the garage he has a huge outdoor aviary, but no birds will be out there because it’s not warm enough for them right now.” He looks at Iida for some kind of reaction.

“That’s amazing! What kinds of birds?!” Iida’s excitement is genuine. This is by far the most interesting place he’s been brought to for a date and he feels like there will be so much for him to learn. 

“Honestly it’d be easier to figure out what kinds of birds he doesn’t have.” Katsuki looks as excited as Iida. “Are you ready?”

“Yes! I’m so excited,” Iida reassures him again, which makes Katsuki visibly relax.

“Okay. We’re gonna have to find Tokoyami and let him know we’re here before we start looking at all the birds.”

Bakugo is at his door now, opening it and offering his hand. Iida grabs it with less hesitation and lets himself be helped out of the car, enjoying the attention from Katsuki. He lets himself be led into the house and upon entry his ears are immediately filled with chirps, singing and screeches of various types of parrots. There must be every color of the rainbow in the first two rooms of the house. He just has a moment as they walk past all the cages to glance at the different birds, but is amazed by them all the same.

They walk up to a short, dark-haired man dressed completely in black, his arms completely covered in grey scale tattoos of birds. Katsuki tells him they’re going to be walking around and they’re on their way out the back door toward the barn.

“Obviously you shouldn’t stick your hands near or in any cages. Some of these assholes could bite through your finger like a carrot.” He must notice how Iida tenses and looks a little scared because he adds, “I’ll let you know which ones.”

He lets go of Iida’s hand to open the big barn door, and immediately Iida misses the warmth of his hand. It was so worth it though, because these birds look and sound absolutely beautiful, and Katsuki looks absolutely thrilled.

There are cages of varying sizes lining every wall, and in the center is a giant, tree-like sculpture with birds of different sizes playing with toys, eating, sleeping. There’s so many Iida isn’t quite sure where to look first. While he’s looking around, Katsuki is talking to one of the bird handlers, saying who knows what, Iida would have absolutely no idea because he can’t tear his attention away from the birds flying and hopping all over the room. 

Katsuki is back at his side now. “I just wanna show you the birds i get along with best, if that sounds okay to you.”

“Aww, your bird friends.”

“God, don’t make it weird.” With that, they’re off towards a large white cage, sitting near the back of the barn. The cage must be six feet tall and just as wide. Inside there’s a huge, green bird. He’s missing almost all of the feathers on his chest, which brings Iida a lot of concern.

“Is he okay?” he asks, frown gracing his face.

“He is now. He wasn’t for a long time. He was with an owner who never let him out of his cage, didn’t give him toys, left his cage covered to keep him quiet, fed him a crap diet. A real fucking asshole. Dude plucked all his own feathers from stress and anxiety.” Bakugo is unlatching the cage. “He’s a little nervous around new people, but he loves me. Mina said he’s been in a pretty good mood today.”

Iida watches the bird start bobbing his head up and down and ruffling his feathers as Katsuki opens up his cage. The bird hops onto Katsukis arm with so much joy, you wouldn’t even believe this bird was hurt by someone. Katsuki is rubbing the top of his head, which Iida notices now is a vibrant red, and the bird is leaning into it.

“What kind of bird is he?” Iida asks. Watching Katsuki love on this bird is making his heart swell so much he’s afraid it might burst out of his chest.

“He’s a Military Macaw. They can live about 60 years, some even push 70. He had about 10 rough years in the beginning, but he’s got all the love in the world now. With the trauma he experienced, combined with the bad diet he could potentially only make it to 45 or 50. Gonna be a fucking rad old man,” He coos this last part as the bird and literally nuzzles his face agains the bird’s cheek.

“He’s so adorable,” Iida says. “Maybe not quite as adorable as you cooing at him though.”

This earns him a scowl. “I’m NOT adorable.” 

“Uh-huh, okay.” Iida is smiling fondly at him. He’s keeping a pretty good distance between himself and the bird. “What’s his name?”

“Artichoke.” 

“He seems to really love you, I think I have competition.” 

“Don’t think this bird's legs would look THAT good in jeans.” 

Iida’s blushing again. “Well, I don’t know. He’s pretty cool.” He takes a step closer to Katsuki. Noticing the bird inching away from him and up Katsuki's arm, Iida steps back again.

“He’s just nervous. Maybe after a couple times of bringing you back he’ll warm up though.” He’s letting the bird step onto a big play gym sitting on top of his cage now, walking to a table a few feet away; he grabs a banana, presumably to feed Artichoke.

“Already planning the third date.”

“You mean second?”

“No, I’m gonna consider the flower thing a first date still.”

“No you’re fucking not. This is way better.” Katsuki is frowning at him.

“Okay, okay, fine. Calm down, sassy pants.” Iida says, laughing at him.

“Sassy pants? You’re sure one to talk, Princess.” 

Katsuki grabs his hand and they’re walking again, passing birds of every size and color as they cross the barn to a few smaller cages. He pulls Iida to a stop in front of a silver cage and starts unlocking the door to this one.

“This guy will let you hold him, pet him, whatever. He’s a fucking attention whore.”  He sticks his hand in the cage and pulls out a much smaller bird than the first one he introduced Iida to. The little guy is less than a foot tall. His feathers are a mix of bright blue, dark grey and an almost silver tone. He’s happily chirping on Katsukis finger. 

When Katsuki holds the bird out toward Iida, he instinctively steps back a little bit. He’s extremely unsure of how he feels around the little creatures still. “Uh, his beak looks very sharp.” Iida’s not shy to admit that thing terrifies him a little bit.

“This guy wouldn’t hurt a soul. He loves people so much. The people who worked here raised him and a couple of his siblings as hatchlings. Their mama died shortly after they hatched so they were raised totally by humans.” Katsuki is scratching the birds head and staring right at Iida while he talks.

“Are you sure he won’t bite my finger off?” Iida says in a nervous tone.

Katsuki is shamelessly laughing at Iida. “No, these little guys can’t bite your fucking fingers off. Especially not your thick ass fingers. These birds hurt when they bite, but in the three years I’ve been coming here and playing with him I’ve never seen him bite someone.” 

Iida starts to hold his hand out toward the bird but when the bird leans his head toward Iidas hand he yanks it back to himself. “Katsuki!! He tried to BITE ME!” 

“Jesus. Don’t be a big baby.” Katsuki is almost at a full cackle now which earns him a side eye and a frown from Iida. “Okay, listen, birds need to know they are stepping onto stable ground. They don’t have hands, obviously, so they test to make sure you are stable by licking you. I PROMISE YOU he will not bite your damn fingers.” 

Iida is still staring at Katsuki with an unsure expression. “How do I get him to step on me?” He figures if this bird can trust him, he’s gotta trust the bird as well.

“Okay, hold out a couple fingers and push them against his body, lightly, just above his feet. That’ll help him know where to step. Don’t forget, he’s going to put his beak near your hand, to test for stability, but he will NOT bite you.” Iida does as he’s told and his face lights up like a little kid when the little bird steps onto his hand. 

“Hey, little guy.” The bird tilts his head while he stares at iida. “What’s his name?” He asks.

“Mojo.” 

“You’re so cute, Mojo. Will he let me pet him?”

“Oh yeah, he won’t protest any fucking attention at all.”

Iida slowly moves his other hand toward the bird head and when he’s allowed to lightly scratch the top of his head, his entire body relaxes and brings his arm closer to himself, the bird with it. He spends a few minutes petting him and cooing at him, all the while he notices Katsuki watching him with a smile, not saying anything, just seems to be enjoying the view.

“Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Okay, whenever you feel like leaving I want to go pick up some take out and head to a park I like.” He looks unsure for a second and adds, “If that’s okay with you.”

“Sounds perfect.” He holds his hand out to be grabbed this time, earning a pleased look from Katsuki and they head out to the yard.

“Need to run in and say goodbye to Tokoyami and thank him for letting me bring you.”

“I’d like to thank him as well. This is incredible.”

“I’m really glad you like it. The birds can be little dicks, but they’re mostly just misunderstood.”

“Hmmm, so you relate to them?”

“You can buy your own fucking lunch.” They’re both laughing now, and the mood is so easy and light. Iida feels so relaxed and comfortable with Katsuki, like they’ve known each other forever. It almost doesn’t feel real to him.

They’re back to the car a couple minutes later, and just like earlier, Katsuki opens the door for him before walking around the car and sliding into the drivers side. He starts the car then immediately offers his hand back to Iida. It’s like he can’t stand not being in contact with him, and Iidas heart sings. 

The ride to a ramen shop to grab take out is mostly quiet, Katsuki gave Iida the bluetooth rights so they’re listening to Weezer. Whether or not Katsuki is enjoying the music choice is a mystery, but if he’s not, he doesn’t complain. They grab their ramen and then walk a couple of blocks to a park and find a picnic table to sit at while they eat.

As they’re finishing up their food, Iida asks, “So what’s your deal? Where’d the, uh, aggressive attitude come from? I’ve never met someone who can be so brash and so soft.”

“Ehh, I was a smart kid, got a complex, had to do a lot of work on myself to make myself tolerable.”

“You’re way more than tolerable, Katsuki,” Iida says with a smile and a nod.

“Yeah, says you. You barely know me.” 

“Well, I really hope to get to know you a lot more, you know.” He doesn’t miss the way Katsuki blushes and turns towards him, looking a little sheepish. 

“Are you sure? I tried to be a gentleman, but my personality doesn’t really support that all the time.” Iida can’t stand how pained the other man looks, so he grabs both his hands and holds them in his.

“I don’t know much about you, but what I do know is that you are by far the most interesting human being I’ve met in a very long time. You’re passionate, caring, smart and gorgeous.” He’s usually not this forward, but he would do anything to make Katsukis smile come back. “You were a perfect gentleman, and this has been an absolutely incredible second date.” 

“The morning in my shop being a date is really a hill you wanna die on, isn’t it?” 

“It really is. Especially if it gets that cute sassy look on your face every time I mention it.” They’re both laughing now and Iidas glasses slip down a little. Katsuki reaches up and pushes them back up for him, and pushes the bangs that fell in his face to the side.

“I’m glad your boy scout adventures brought you into my shop then, I guess.” Katstuki stands up and grabs Iida’s hand to help him up also. They gather up their plastic to-go container and find the nearest recycling bin to deposit them into. 

They take their time walking back to the car, small talk flowing easily, people watching and stopping occasionally to laugh at each other. When they finally get back to the car, it hits Iida that the date has to end, and despite his best effort to not, he’s caught pouting.

“Aye, what’s the pout for, princess?”

“Just don’t want the day to end is all.” 

“Fucking fair. Me either.” Before Iida really knows what’s happening, he’s pulling Katsuki from the side and into a hug. Katsuki seems surprised for a minute before leaning into it. This is the first time Iida is painfully aware of how much taller he is than Katsuki, as the (surprisingly) soft spikes of his hair tickle Iida’s nose. On an impulse he pushes a small kiss to the other man's temple and leans to press their foreheads together. He hears Katsuki hum a sigh of contentment and they just stand there for a minute, enjoying each other's touch.

Katsuki pulls away, reluctantly, and they continue walking, hand in hand to Katsuki’s car. The walk is quiet, but perfect. The car ride is the same, fingers tangled together over the center console, soft music playing and content breathing the only things present in the car. Iida takes this time to assess how he’s feeling and he only comes up with two things, content and appreciated. 

It’s hard for him to find people who look beyond his uptight personality and tendency to take things way too seriously. He is so happy that this guy isn’t tiptoeing around him. He’s acting himself and letting Iida do the same in return, while also pushing him to try new things, even if they are as little as holding a bird. He truly can’t wait for their next date, and he doesn’t even know when that will be at this point.

This line of thought comes to a halt when they pull up in front of Iida’s apartment. The look of disappointment on his face must be pretty obvious because Katsuki says, “Don’t look so sad, jesus. You look like a huge, sad puppy when you pout. Let me walk you in before you start whining.” 

“I’m not pouting.”

“Yeah, whatever you say.”

Katsuki opens the car door for Iida for a final time and they walk hand in hand back to Iida’s apartment. Standing in front of the door, Iida pulls Katsuki into another hug, this one a little tighter. He’s trying to convey all of his appreciation and affection into this hug and hopes it’s working. “Thanks so much for today, I had an incredible time,” he says as he pulls away a little.

He gets no reply because Katsuki leans up on his toes to plant a soft kiss on Iida’s lips. He’s startled momentarily before leaning into the kiss for a moment. His stomach feels like it’s swirling and his brain is all over the place, but his heart is content. After a moment they pull away, but stay in their quiet embrace.

Iida breaks the silence by asking, “Are you interested in a second date, Katsuki?” He knows in his heart the answer is yes, but the theme of the day is being a gentleman after all.

“Oh, shit, I suppose,” Katsuki says with a smile, planting another tiny kiss on Iida’s cheek. “What do you have in mind?”

“Oh, I just think I found who I want to be my plus one to Momo’s wedding,” He says and presses another kiss to Katsuki’s mouth.

[end]