He whipped his head around to see a guy- Kuro, his nametag helpfully supplied- with dark gray hair and matching irises standing in the spot the other girl had been before. He had a piercing in one ear and a wide, menacing grin that showed off his abnormally sharp canines.
Izuku felt his stomach sink as recognition and delight flashed in the boy's eyes. He'd come to the counter to exchange his tickets for a present his mother would like, but it seemed as though that wouldn't be happening. At least not with the way the guy was leaning towards him, looking entirely too amused at the way Izuku instinctively shrunk away.
"You are, " he purred, his rancid breath hitting Izuku in the face. The timid boy had to use every ounce of willpower he had not to bring a hand up and clamp it around his nose as the stink curled around him.
"What the fuck are you doing here, huh? Trying to pretend like you're normal?" Kuro laughed, "You don't belong here, freak."
Even though his words were harsh, he didn't look annoyed or angry. He simply looked entertained. Izuku's mood crashed.
"I-I just want to get a prize," he started, willing himself to look into the other boy's eyes. "I'll go away then."
The gray haired boy raised a thin eyebrow.
"Really?" He said, "And why should I listen to someone like you ?"
Despite the fear and uneasiness festering inside him, Izuku refused to back down. He wanted a gift for his mother.
"Please. The prize isn't for me," he tried, his pride swelling slightly at the lack of stuttering.
The guy rolled his eyes and leaned over on the counter, getting comfortable.
"I don't give a shit who it goes to in the end. I ain't giving shit to you." He told him, his amusement beginning to wane.
"Come on! I haven't done anything to you!" Izuku pleaded, his frustration temporarily overpowering his sense of self-preservation.
Kuro scowled deeply at the raise in Izuku's voice; the mirth in his eyes replaced quickly by disdain. He moved out from behind the counter, walking briskly towards an increasingly fearful Izuku.
"You talkin' back to me you useless fuck?" He spat, reaching out to grasp Izuku's shoulder. The green haired boy squeaked in alarm and clenched his eyes shut as he was shoved, fully expecting to land hard on his ass, but was instead met with the feeling of a hard chest slamming against his back. He slowly opened his eyes, confused, and was met with the sight of Kuro looking over his head with a stunned look on his face. Before he could turn around and figure out for himself what the hell was going on, strong hands were gripping his biceps and righting him.
"You fucking nerd, can't do shit by yourself, can you?"
The familiar voice had Izuku whirling around at warp speeds, his heart in his throat. Sure enough, upon turning, he was met with an intense red glare and iconic blonde spikes.
"K-Kacchan what are you-"
"Bakugou? The fuck? Why're you defending this quirkless failure?" Kuro cut him off. He was essentially asking the same thing Izuku was going to, though, so he didn't pay the interruption much mind.
Kacchan scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking everywhere but at Izuku. "What the hell did you want, Deku." The statement was phrased like a question, but it sounded more like a demand.
"I- I, um, Kacchan why-"
"Shut the fuck up! Just point at what you want," he snapped. Izuku was absolutely bewildered but did what he was asked regardless, lifting a shaky hand to point at a cute stuffed animal he thought his mother might like.
Kacchan snatched Izuku's tickets and slammed them down on the counter, making Kuro jump.
"Get the nerd the fucking stuffed animal already," he ordered. There was a warning in his voice that had Kuro backing up, heeding his request with no questions asked lest he get an explosion to the face.
It was silent as the gray haired boy retrieved the toy, the air thick with tension.
Once the fluffy, stuffed animal was clutched safely between Izuku's freckled hands, Kacchan turned to leave, still refusing to meet the shorter boy's eyes.
"And I'm not defending anybody, you stupid fuck. I just don't like you," he said, turning briefly to glare holes into Kuro's skull.
Izuku watched him leave silently, still trying to process what just happened. Kacchan... helped him? Why? Was this just a one-time thing? Maybe he really did just have something against Kuro? Or... maybe this was the beginning of a trend?
No, he chastised himself, best not to question a good thing.
Whatever the reason, Kacchan had helped him get a gift for his mother, and he spent the entire rest of the way home skipping and smiling down at it.
○•
Inko cooed at the stuffed animal the second she saw it, hand still poised over the stove from where she was cooking dinner.
"Is that for me?" She asked, and at Izuku's nod, moved away from the stove to wrap her son up in her arms. Once she let him go, she took the cute stuffed animal and set it on the counter, safely tucked against the wall and next to the bread box. "Thank you, 'Zuku, you're so sweet!"
She finished the exclamation with a kiss to his forehead and went back to the stove, leaving Izuku to follow so he could help. It felt so good to be home at a reasonable time, for once. It was so nice to be able to talk with his mother, help her cook dinner, and eat homemade food.
He worked diligently, helping his mother whenever she needed it and setting the table when they were just about done. The excitement he felt at the arcade had all but faded now, replaced by the warm feeling of contentment. His stomach twisted uncomfortably when he tried to think about what tomorrow would be like, though, so he didn't. He'd deal with tomorrow tomorrow. For now, he just wanted, more than anything, to enjoy this time with his mother.
They sat and ate in comfortable silence, nothing but the sound of chopsticks scraping the bottom of ceramic plates filling the room. The food was delicious . There was just something about the taste of good homemade food that you couldn't replicate anywhere else, and it had been far too long since he'd had any, in Izuku's opinion.
About halfway through dinner, the green haired woman broke the silence.
"So, Izuku... this is the first time in a while we've both been home at the same time. We haven't really gotten the chance to talk about your job," she said.
Izuku glanced up from his plate, chopsticks halfway to his open mouth.
"Ah, yeah... what about it?" He asked, slightly nervous. He knew how protective his mother was of him. Unless it was something he just really wanted to do, she wasn't likely to let him keep the job.
"You gave almost all your money to me. I don't want you to feel obligated to do something like this, honey. I'm doing just fine on my own!" She offered him a warm smile, but the bags under her eyes and the various hidden envelopes contradicted her words.
Izuku just smiled back at her, soft and sincere.
"I know, Mom. I just really wanted the experience, and I don't really have a lot of need for money so I figured I might as well help you out!" He insisted.
"... So you're doing this for yourself?" Inko asked, her eyes scouring Izuku's face for any hint that he was lying.
"Y-Yes!" He lied. He was terrible at lying, but so was his mother, and because of that she almost never caught him. Her eyes studied him a little longer, eyebrows pinching in concentration, but finally she relaxed, letting out a long sigh.
"Alright, as long as you're doing this with yourself in mind and you aren't in over your head," she relented, "But please, if it becomes too much for you, quit. I know how it feels to work tirelessly. I don't want that for my son."
Izuku smiled at her, affection warming his heart. He had such an amazing mother, he didn't deserve her.
"Of course, Mom," he told her. The job was really already too much for him, but he wasn't about to admit that to his mother- he wouldn't even really admit that to himself.
The rest of their night together was filled with the many questions of his doting mother. Izuku answered every one, immensely grateful just to be able to spend the last few hours of his day next to her. He was breaking; a piece of glass that had been stepped on one too many times. He was covered in cracks, some of his pieces gone for good, but he wouldn't let it cripple him. He would keep pushing forward. If for no one else, if not for the legacy he was meant to uphold, then for the woman beside him. She deserved the world, and one day, he would give it to her.
Even with darkness lurking in the corners, Izuku slept easy that night, his dreams free, for once, of scalding explosions and dark curls.
The storm could wait for another day.