Work Text:
You’re the one that makes me feel right…
It was around lunchtime when it started. You were enjoying a normal day at work, sitting behind your desk at the Lurkers’ Hero Agency, inputting the finishing touches on an incident and capture report for Edgeshot, when your friend Denki strolled in from his morning patrol.
“Hey, Chargebolt.” You eyed him warily when you saw something hidden behind his back. He was always just…up to something. “What are you doing?”
Denki grinned, pulling a large flower arrangement filled with sunflowers from behind his back with a flourish. “Look what I found at the reception desk! It’s addressed to you.” His Cheshire cat grin was unsettling, but you were intrigued.
“What? Who sent me flowers?”
“I dunno. Someone has a secret admirer.” He sang, wiggling his eyebrows and placing the vase down on your desk. He raised his arms, folding his hands behind his head. “Wonder who it’s from.” The lighthearted teasing in his tone was apparent, and he was acting like he knew more than he was letting on, but you humored him.
“They better not be from you, Denks. I love you, but more in a ‘you’re a pain in my ass but you’re still funny’ kind of way.” You turned your attention to the flowers, searching between the stems for a card.
“I don’t know if I should be offended or not,” Denki frowned, leaning his hip against your desk.
“Don’t be offended, Pikachu.” You turned the vase, smiling in victory when you found the white envelope hiding in the middle. You felt the need to tease him a little before you opened it. “I don’t think Shinsou would take too kindly to you sending me flowers in a romantic way, anyway.”
You couldn’t help but giggle, watching him flush when you mentioned his longtime crush and almost-boyfriend. “Shut up and read the damn thing.”
Sliding the card out of the envelope, you furrowed your brows when you saw the unfamiliar handwriting.
“Sunflowers are the flower of admiration and gratitude. I wanted to send these to you to let you know that I admire how hard you’ve always worked, whether it be at the agency or in your personal life, and how grateful I am to know you. You always seem to know how to put a smile on my face, even on bad days, and you’re genuinely kind and thoughtful to everyone you meet.”
“Wow, that’s really sweet,” The electric hero mused, scratching his chin. “Who do you think sent them?”
You were just as puzzled. “I’m not sure. It could be literally anyone. The note wasn’t very forthcoming with information.” Sitting back in your chair, you bit your lip. “I can’t think of anyone who might send me flowers like this.”
“Why not? You’re a catch!” He shot you a wink and his trademark finger guns, turning to walk toward his office. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Let me know when you do because now I’m invested.” He called over his shoulder, meandering down the hallway.
You barely noticed him walk away, lost in your own thoughts. “Yeah, okay.” With a sigh, you let your eyes wander back to the sunflowers, your fingers tracing along the petals. You set them to the side, deciding to head to lunch and hoping that you would get another clue as to who could be the one behind the thoughtful gift.
–
After lunch, you arrived at your desk to a surprise; a very disgruntled looking Ground Zero in his full hero costume, minus the gauntlets, glowering at you with his arms folded across his broad chest. Red irises were trained on you as you walked towards him, irritation rolling off of him in waves.
“Oi, where have you been?!” His combat boot was tapping incessantly on the carpet. “I don’t have all fucking day.”
Luckily, you were used to his behavior. “Nice to see you, Bakugou. I wasn’t expecting you to visit otherwise I would have been here to greet you.” Smiling, you moved around him to sit in your chair, pausing when you saw another vase of flowers next to your keyboard. “Orange carnations?”
“Tch.” He turned, dropping his arms to his side and sliding his hands into his pockets, his shoulders slouching in his usual stance.
Brow furrowed, you gazed up at him. “Are…these from you?”
“Hah! I don’t even buy shitty hair flowers, why would I buy them for you?” He clicked his tongue in annoyance. “I’m just delivering them. Owed someone a favor, and you know I hate owing people shit.”
Your heartbeat sped up, eyes widening. “You know who sent them then?”
“No, and if I did, I wouldn’t tell you anyway.” He growled, turning on his heel and walking towards the exit. Deciding not to bother, knowing he probably wouldn’t budge, you searched for the card, pulling out the same white envelope.
“Carnations mean pride and beauty, so I thought it was only fitting to have Bakugou bring these to you for me. (Not to say that I think he’s beautiful, but Kirishima always says he is, and he’s not usually one to lie.) I think you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. You’re so wonderful and bright, sometimes when I look at you I feel like I’m staring at the sun.”
You felt your cheeks heat up, slumping back in your chair as you stared at the paper in your hand. You didn’t feel like you deserved such compliments from this mystery person. All you knew so far is that they were someone who not only knew you but knew Bakugou and Kirishima as well.
Who could it possibly be?
–
Speaking of Kirishima, the sturdy hero wandered in from the street about a half-hour later, smiling his big shark tooth smile and wearing his regular clothes, holding a vase with red peonies.
“Y/N! I come bearing gifts!”
You looked around, your desk becoming full of bouquets, and sighed, smiling. “They’re so pretty, Kiri, but I don’t even know where I’m going to keep them! I’m running out of room here.”
Your red-headed friend chuckled, placing the flowers next to you on the desk. “Someone must really like you.”
“I know you know who it is, they mentioned you in their last card.” Shooting him your best puppy dog eyes, you stuck out your bottom lip. “Please tell me, I might die before I figure this out.”
“Don’t give me that look! It makes me weak!” Whining, he threw his head back. “I’m not telling!”
“You used to be my favorite.” Scrunching your nose, you dug out the card from between the stems.
“What do you mean ‘used to be’?!” Kirishima was the one pouting now, and you couldn’t help but giggle.
“I thought I was your favorite.”
Looking up at the new voice, you felt your cheeks heat when Sero appeared on Kirishima’s left. You’d been harboring feelings for the taping hero for a while now, and you were secretly hoping he was the one sending you these gifts. When you saw he was holding another vase similar to the others you’d received already, your heart sank.
Shaking it off, you put on a bright smile. “Hanta! Are those for me, too?” You held out your arms to take the pale yellow roses from him. “These are my favorite so far! Look at the color!” Suddenly, you realized something. “Oh! All the flowers have matched your hero costumes! Whoever keeps sending these is pretty smart.”
Sero handed them to you, adjusting his helmet under his other arm, and then peered around your desk, his eyes widening when he saw the other three arrangements you’d received. “Wow, that’s a lot of flowers.”
Kirishima groaned. “God, this is so manly! I wish I would have thought about this for Bakubro.”
“It’s so weird that you still call him that,” Sero snorted. “You guys have been together forever.”
“He’s still my bro!” Kiri argued, his cheeks turning as red as his hair.
“Anyway,” Sero rolled his eyes fondly, turning his attention back to you. “Any idea who keeps sending these to you?”
Shaking your head, you collapsed back in your seat. “No. I wish I knew.”
“Why? Wanna give ‘em a big kiss?” Kirishima wagged his eyebrows, causing you to stand up and push his arm.
“Don’t you have to go to work or something?” Huffing, you sat back down and crossed your arms. “And for your information, I want to know because I want to thank them. They’ve said some really nice things about me so far.”
“I do have to go to work, but I want you to read the card from the one I brought you first.”
Rolling your eyes, you removed it from the envelope.
“Red peonies are for devotion. I don’t think I really have much to say here except that you’re the only one I have eyes for. Everything about you is special to me, and I would spend every moment for the rest of my life proving that to you.”
“Wow.” Kirishima exhaled, and you nodded in agreement.
“My sentiments exactly.”
Sero cleared his throat. “What about mine?”
“Yellow roses are for happiness, affection, and joy. I smile the most when I’m with you. You always know how to light up a room, and your laughter is infectious. I love it when I’m the one who makes you laugh, though. Even when it’s at my expense, it’s still my favorite sound.”
“You do have the best laugh. They’re not wrong.” The soft smile on Sero’s face made your heart skip a beat.
“Thanks, Hanta.” Tucking a piece of hair behind your ear, you bit your lip and willed the heat to calm on your cheeks.
“Okay, I’m out. Text me later and tell me what happens, Y/N!” Kirishima beamed at you, slapping Sero on the shoulder as he turned and left.
“I should go, too. I’m technically late for my afternoon patrol.” Sero pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “Plus I skipped lunch so I think I’m going to find some food.”
“Wait!” You opened your filing cabinet, pulling out your bag, searching for something inside it. “I brought this to eat but I wound up getting takoyaki for lunch and now I’m full.” You handed him an orange. “I know they’re your favorite.”
He took it from you, a look of reverence on his face. “Thanks, Y/N. That’s really nice of you.”
“Of course! Anything for you.” You blushed even harder at your words, but he just chuckled.
“See? I knew I was your favorite. I’ll see you later.” He winked, shoving his helmet over his dark hair and heading out, tossing the orange up and catching it as he went.
You watched him leave, leaning your elbow on your desk and cradling your cheek in your hand, sighing in defeat.
–
Mina came later with pink Forget-Me-Nots, and she had no information to give you either.
“I’m sure you’ll find out soon!” Her excited demeanor and bright smile were encouraging, but you were impatient.
“I’m trying not to sound like a complainer, but how long do I have to wait?”
Your bubbly friend shrugged, perching her butt on the edge of your desk. “I’m sure you’ll know by the end of the day! Now, read the card!”
Lamenting, you pulled the card out of the envelope again, and you were greeted with the same handwriting.
“Forget-Me-Not’s are for true love. I know that’s kind of a tall order, especially since you probably haven’t figured out who these are even from. I’m not expecting you to return my feelings either, but I just couldn’t keep them to myself anymore. Maybe that’s selfish of me, but I really hope you feel the same.”
“That is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard! Ugh, Y/N, you are so lucky!” Swooning, your friend leaned back dramatically.
“These notes are so sweet but I’m no closer to finding out who they’re from.” You let your head hit the desk, groaning on impact.
Mina patted the back of your head sympathetically. “Just hang on for a few more hours, it’s going to be fine!”
You trusted Mina and knew she wouldn’t steer you wrong. You had figured out that all of your friends were in on whatever this was, and you knew they wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you. Lifting your head, you smiled at her. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s kind of exciting though, isn’t it?”
“That’s the spirit!” She stood up. “Gotta get back to work! They don’t like it when I run off for too long!” Rolling her eyes and grinning, she waved and took off, boots slapping against the carpet as she ran.
“Bye, Mina. Text me later!”
–
You’d somehow managed to get behind on your work, which really wasn’t that surprising considering you’d been interrupted numerous times due to the impromptu visits from your friends. You let your eyes wander to the flowers surrounding your work area, and the stack of white envelopes containing the sweet words of your secret admirer. You sighed, knowing you would be working late to catch up, the pile of invoices for repairs needed due to Mt. Lady’s destructive quirk confirming that fact.
A low whistle broke you from your thoughts. “Denki wasn’t kidding when he said you’d gotten a lot of flowers today.” Shinsou Hitoshi stood in front of your desk, a tired smile on his lips. He held up another vase filled with pansies the color of his hair, raising an eyebrow. “You have room for one more?”
“Shinsou, you too?” Looking around at the flowers again, you groaned. “How am I going to get all of these on the train with me?”
With a breathless chuckle, he placed the vase down in front of you. “I wish I knew. I do have some good news though.”
You plucked the envelope out of the mass of purple in front of you, sitting back in your chair as you waited for him to continue.
“This is the last one.”
As much as you complained, you didn’t want the flowers to stop coming. Not only were you able to see some of your friends that you didn’t see often, but you’d also been looking forward to the deliveries and the notes that accompanied them. Realizing what that meant, you quirked an eyebrow. “They’re from you?”
Shinsou shook his head. “No, I’m just bringing the last bouquet.”
“Ah…” Curious as to what lay inside the envelope in your hand, you tore it open and slid out the card.
“Purple Pansies are meant to convey that you occupy my thoughts. I think about you all the time. I wonder how you would react to things that I see when I’m working. I constantly find places that I want to take you to and things that I want to share with you. I picture your smile and hear your laugh almost constantly. I think about what it would be like to call you mine, and I hope someday soon I’ll get the chance to do that.
Shinsou has probably informed you that this is the last delivery. That means I’m going to reveal myself to you soon. I’m probably a ball of nerves right now, afraid of how you’ll react when you finally see me. Will you be disappointed? I hope not. Just know that even if you don’t feel the same way I do, I won’t allow it to ruin our friendship. You’re too important to me to lose.
See you soon.”
You stared at the card for longer than necessary, only brought back to the present by the sound of Denki making his way down the hallway wearing his regular clothes, his bag slung over his shoulder. You were pretty sure he didn’t know how to be quiet, even if his life depended on it.
“Shinsou!” The electric blonde nearly shouted as he came closer. “What are you doing here?”
Catching the blush that spread across the purple-haired man’s cheeks, you couldn’t help but smile. These two were hopeless.
“I had a gift for Y/N,” Mumbling, he rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. “And I was wondering if you wanted to get ramen or something. If you’re hungry, I mean.”
Denki’s ears were pink as he grinned back at him. “Yeah, that sounds great!”
You watched the two of them stare at each other for a moment before you cleared your throat. “Thanks for bringing these by, Shinsou.”
Both boys snapped their heads to the side, looking like they’d forgotten you were there at all. Shinsou blinked a few times, dazed. “Sure, of course.”
“You need us to walk you to the train station?” Denki asked, adjusting his grip on his bag.
You waved your hand, glancing back down at the remaining reports you had to input. “Nah, I’m going to be working a little late today. You two go on.”
The electric hero grimaced. “Okay, try to find someone to go with you when you’re ready. I don’t want you wandering around the city at night by yourself.”
“Okay, dad.” Rolling your eyes good-naturedly, you couldn’t help but smile. “I will, Denk, I promise. Have fun you two. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t!”
They both blushed, Shinsou shaking his head as they both turned away. “Goodnight, Y/N.”
You bid them goodnight and sighed, moving your last flower arrangement aside so you could finish your work. You hadn’t said so, but you wanted to stick around late to see if your secret admirer would finally reveal themselves. You were afraid if you left you would miss them.
Trying to push the thoughts aside, you went back to work, only pausing to say goodbye when the other co-workers and heroes in the agency passed by on their way out for the day. Kamui Woods was the last to wander by, stopping to look over the abundance of flowers surrounding your desk.
When you declined his offer to wait and walk you to the station, he just nodded. “Cellophane is still in his office, let him walk you, please.”
“Yes, sir. Have a good night.”
Fifteen minutes later, you were finally done. You tucked everything away, closing all the tabs on your browser, feeling accomplished but also disappointed. You had been waiting for this person to come and sweep you off your feet, but it didn’t seem like they were coming at all.
Sighing, you leaned over to grab your bag, shoving the envelopes inside, and trying to debate which vase you would bring home, knowing you couldn’t carry them all with you. You were staring between the yellow roses and the purple pansies when someone’s voice startled you from your thoughts.
“You had an exciting day today, huh?”
Turning, your breath caught in your throat when you saw Sero standing there, looking nervous, the tips of his ears red. He had changed from his hero outfit, the black button-up and black trousers he wore were dressier than you’d ever seen him outside of a fancy work function. He was holding a small bouquet of flowers, a quarter of the size of the large arrangements you’d received all day. “Hanta?”
He stepped forward, holding out the flowers to you. “Primrose. They mean ‘I can’t live without you.’”
Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, your brain trying to catch up with all that had happened today. The notes, the flowers, their meanings, the way that Sero had looked at you when you’d given him your orange.
You stood up, taking the flowers, your eyes never leaving his face. “It was you?”
Cheeks dusted pink, he reached up to rub the back of his neck nervously. “It was me.” Huffing out a breath, he bit his lip. “I’m sorry that I put you through this. I wanted to make this grand gesture, I wasn’t even sure if it would work or if you’d even like it, but…well…you know our friends…”
He didn’t even need to finish. You could just imagine Mina, Denki, and Kirishima helping him plan it all out, how excited they must have been to be able to be a part of it, roping Bakugou and Shinsou into their scheming.
Chuckling, you nodded. “Yeah, I know. Don’t apologize, Hanta. It was really nice. They’re all so beautiful.” Glancing back over at the colorful arrangements on your desk, you smiled. “Unexpected, too. I never imagined you felt this way about me.”
You turned back when you felt him take your free hand in his, holding it between his warm ones. “I think you’re incredible, Y/N. I meant every word I said in those cards. I hate how long it’s taken me to confess this to you, but I decided I couldn’t hold it all in anymore.” You could see how nervous he was still, swallowing thickly as he pushed on. “I meant what I said, if you don’t feel the same way, it’s okay.” You opened your mouth to interrupt him, but he kept going. “I’ve been in love with you for ages. I know we’ve always been such good friends but I just needed to tell you, and I guess I wanted to prove to you I was serious, which is why I kind of went overboard with the flowers but-”
“Hanta, you’re babbling.” Teasing him, you bit your lip and stepped closer. “I was hoping it was you…”
“You were?” The pitch of his voice was an octave higher than normal, showing how nervous he really was.
Nodding, you continued. “I’ve been crazy about you for so long, but I never thought you liked me as more than a friend, so I didn’t push it. I was afraid of rejection, and of losing you.” You blushed, dropping your gaze. “When you brought me those roses earlier I was a little disappointed, because I thought that meant it was someone else.”
“I did that to throw you off.” Grinning, he ducked his head a bit, his finger moving to lift your chin so he could meet your eyes. “Guess it worked.”
“Mm.” Words seemed to escape you as you lost yourself in his dark eyes, your tongue moving to swipe across your bottom lip.
“So, will you go out to dinner with me then?” Sero asked, one hand still gripping yours, the other moving to sweep a piece of your hair behind your ear.
Finally finding your voice, you smiled shyly. “I’d like that, Hanta.”
“Good.” His fingers pressed against your neck softly, his thumb brushing along your jaw. “I’m going to kiss you first, though.”
Whispering, you shuffled closer, letting your eyes flutter shut. “Okay.” The kiss was shy and chaste, his soft lips pressing against yours tentatively. It was sweet and genuine and so Hanta and you loved every second of it.
But you wanted more.
Feeling brave, you pressed yourself closer, letting go of his hand in favor of slinging your arms around his neck to pull him toward you, the bouquet of primrose still clutched tightly in your fist. He made a noise in the back of his throat, something somewhere between a growl and a moan, his obvious surprise short-lived as his hands gripped your waist, the kiss turning from gentle to hungry. Lips parted, his tongue slipped inside your mouth, his fingers flexing against your sides.
After what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, you pulled away, chest heaving as you filled your lungs with air. Sero’s face was pink, his million-watt smile beaming down at you. “You don’t even know how long-”
“Probably just as long as you, Hanta.” You stepped back a little, pulling your arms down from over his shoulders. You glanced at the bouquet, frowning at the odd angle of the stems, your grip around them as you’d kissed him had been stronger than you’d thought. “I think I killed them.”
Sero laughed, eyes crinkling in the corners as he reached out to help you straighten them. “Well, the good news is you have plenty of other flowers to make up for it.”
Turning to look back over at your desk. “You’re right.”
“Come on, let’s go. I’m starving.” Sero offered you his arm, and you took it, picking up your bag and heading towards the exit.
“Wait,” you tugged on his arm to stop him, looking back at your desk. “What about the flowers?”
“You want to take one home?” He walked back over and picked up the roses, hugging it to his body as he made his way back to you. “These are my favorite.”
Rolling your eyes, you couldn’t help but grin at him. “It’s cause you brought them.”
“No, it’s cause they match my costume.” He stuck his tongue out at you, wrapping his free arm around your waist and guiding you towards the door.
Snorting, you leaned against him. “You’re a dork.”
“Yeah, maybe. But you love it.”
He was right. You did.