Need You (ShinDeku)

Ch. 32 - peony

A/N: I'm not sure why, but I think that if Inko was a flower, she would be a peony. Does anyone else see it or am I the only one? Also, sorry again for how short it is, the chapters will be getting longer soon.

Trigger warning: lots of talk about a funeral, mostly in the second half of the chapter. I won't be putting a warning in the section that it starts  because it technically spans the whole chapter.
Have fun reading!

Izuku POV

     After school on Friday, Mic and Aizawa took me to a store to buy a suit and other fancy clothes for today because I didn't have any. The materials were really nice and everything was super expensive but Aizawa wouldn't let me look at the price tags after he caught me looking for the cheapest one.

     I felt bad for spending all their money but Mic looked really happy and even tried to get me a second suit. I assured him multiple times that I didn't need it before he let it go. He pouted a bit after that but Aizawa caught Shinso discreetly admiring a pair of cuff links near the other side of the store. He quietly pointed it out to Mic, who's face lit up as he walked over to Shinso.

     I watched him blush and look away when Mic suggested he would buy him a pair. Shinso tried to decline a few times but Mic was persistent, so he finally caved, pointing to a pair he liked, cheeks tinted pink. I found myself smiling as he thanked Present Mic quietly, still embarrassed about being caught looking.

     I had taken my eyes away from the pair when I noticed Aizawa watching me, one eyebrow quirked up. He smirked slightly but said nothing, directing his gaze to some ties laid out on a table. He totally knows I'm into Shinso I remember thinking.

     Right now though, it was Saturday and we were getting ready for my mom's funeral. Present Mic came up to Shinso's dorm at 9am to tell us to start getting ready and to ask if we needed help with anything. He also brought breakfast with him so we ate and I decided to take a quick shower. Recovery girl told me I still wasn't allowed to do any so-called strenuous leg activities outside of her sessions so I had to sit down in the shower and I would definetely consider it a strange experience.

     I put on the new clothes we bought yesterday that Mic had unnecessarily ironed while I was in the shower, but they felt very warm when I put them on so I wasn't complaining. Shinso also took a shower and got ready, and Mic came back a few minutes after, dressed in his (very expensive looking) suit with his hair tied back.

     "You look great Izuku. And you too, Shinso, that suit looks very nice on you." He gave me a small smile.

     "Thank you... Hizashi." I said, hesitantly standing up and giving him a hug, which he immediately returned. Shinso quietly thanked him as well. After a few seconds he pulled away, holding me at arms length and smiling sympathetically.

     "Remember what I said, heroes are allowed to cry too." Mic- no, Hizashi reassured, before focusing on my hair. He moved a few strands around and presumably tamed it a bit before letting me sit back down into the wheelchair.

     We left the dorms at around 11 and drove towards the funeral service in Shota's car.

     "Um, Ai- I mean, Shota?" He glanced up at me in surprise through the rear view mirror.

     "Do... do we have time to make a quick stop before it starts?" I ask, picking at my fingernail nervously.

     His face was set in sympathy.

     "We probably have fifteen extra minutes or so." He said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

     "I want to get her a flower, if that's okay?" I ask.

     "Of course. We know just the place." Hazashi says, and Shota nods.

     A minute or two later we pull up outside of a small flower shop that looks like it's crammed to the max with different plants. There are several small tables set up outside of the shop that are also filled to the brim with flowers and leaves. Shinso gets out and grabs the wheelchair from the trunk of the car as I stare at the beautiful little shop. They have all sorts of exotic and fancy looking flowers, but there's also the more common ones like roses and tulips and lilies.

     Shinso watches me nervously as I get into the wheelchair, though he seems to understand I don't need help so he lets me do it myself. I decide to stick to the flowers outside because I'm not sure the wheelchair would even fit through the small walkway inside the shop.

     After a bit of looking I spot a bunch of remarkably large flowers and I see the label next to them says peony. they're very pretty and they remind me of her. I think she would have liked them a lot. I reach out and carefully pull out one in full bloom with pale pink petals, glancing over at Hizashi and Shota. I hold it out to them and Hazashi takes it.

     "Do you want a bouquet or just this one?" He asks.

     "Just that one, please." He smiles and takes it into the shop to pay.

     He comes out a few moments later with the flower, and this time it has a small plastic vial filled with water on the end. I've never seen that before, mom always just bought flowers from the market and put them in a vase at home. I think Hizashi sees me looking at it.

     "It's meant to keep the flower fresh longer. You don't have to leave it on though, just until it reaches its destination." He supplies quietly, and I nod.

     "Thank you." Both Hizashi and Shota just give me that same reassuring smile that I'm sure I'll be seeing all day. I'm handed the peony and we all get back into the car.

The rest of the drive is silent and I stare at the flower in my hands the whole time. When we get there, Shinso goes around to the trunk again to grab my wheelchair.

     Just as I've exited the car and got situated in the wheelchair, I nearly jump out of my seat and cling to Shinso in surprise.

     "IZUKU!"

1,003 words.