Halfway to the Moon

Swimming Through Rain Clouds (Pt. 2)

Kacchan and his goons, who'd walked in behind the blonde, made their way through the isles without so much as a glance his way. Apparently, they hadn't noticed Izuku yet, something that the green haired boy was immensely grateful for. Maybe he could find a fake mustache real quick and don a disguise before they checked out, or hide behind the desk and pretend he was a midget, or-

"Oi, how much do these co-" Kacchan's voice rung out before cutting off abruptly.

Izuku froze. He stayed there for a minute, staring at the counter like it held the secrets of the universe. Then, breathing in deeply, slowly, he raised his head stiffly and made eye contact with wide red orbs.

Kacchan was standing just as motionless as Izuku had been, a bag of spicy chips in hand. His goons had joined the blonde's side as soon as they'd heard him cut off, curious as to what could possibly elicit that kind of reaction from the volatile boy. They stared at Izuku as well, all their faces a mix of confusion, surprise, and incredulity.

For a tense second that felt like it lasted an eon, everything was silent and everything was still.

And then Kacchan's goons burst into laughter.

"O-Oh my god, the useless idiot works at a convenience store?!"

"How pathetic can you get?!"

Izuku hung his head in shame at the comments, his cheeks already heating up with the feelings of insecurity. He grasped his biceps, sinking in on himself in an attempt to hide from the critical eyes and find some kind of comfort.

Kacchan was silent as his goons laughed. His arm dropped and he ducked his head so his expression couldn't be read- the action inspiring uneasiness in Izuku.

The uneasiness turned quickly into alarm and then into resignation as Kacchan began stomping his way over to the counter.

"Not again," he groaned tiredly, softly, not thinking the other would hear.

"Hah?! Not again?"

Maybe he could just change his name and move to another country.

Kacchan slammed his hand down on the counter in front of Izuku, but to the other's surprise, Izuku didn't yelp or startle at all. He was too tired; not that Kacchan knew that.

"How the hell did a useless nerd like you get a fucking job, hah?" Kacchan asked, vermillion irises ablaze with wrath and for the life of him, Izuku could not understand why. What did he do to make the blonde so vengeful? How did he offend him this time?

"Why did you even get one? Is this why you're so fucking tired all the damn time? You think making a few extra bucks is more important than your education?!" With every question, Kacchan grew louder and louder. His goons had long since stopped laughing, and were glancing at each other in bewilderment. It looked like Izuku wasn't the only one wondering why the blonde was so angry.

Izuku, severely sleep deprived and with poor self-preservation instincts, didn't think to reply as he let his mind wander. He zoned out, staring straight at the blonde as he contemplated the other's temper.

Kacchan, evidently, did not appreciate being ignored. He growled and shot an arm out, grasping Izuku's forearm and shouting at him to get his attention.