Bakugo's eyes traveled hungrily from the top of Izuku's soft, fluffy hair to the heels of his feet. Other than the bikini photo, he'd never seen Izuku outside his work uniform. Don't tell me this a normal outfit for him, he thought. It'd be too good to be true.

Izuku's frame looked so willowy and delicate he could've easily been mistaken for a girl. Underneath the T-shirt, he wore a dark green mesh shirt that did nothing to conceal comic-panel style tattoos on the insides of his forearms. Izuku's lolita-style black boots gave him a few extra inches but he still came up shorter than Bakugo. His fingerless gloves revealed pale hands adorned with rings and dark green nails.

And the fishnets…

Bakugo swallowed hard when his eyes locked on those legs. He'd never considered himself a legs guy until the very sight of them finished him off to the point of exhaustion just last night. Izuku had obliviously ruined lots of things for him. The smell of cinnamon. The color green. Freckles. Now he could add bikinis and legs to the list. All things that would make him hard in an instant.

For three years, he'd stolen glances at the boy next door. But he'd always seemed too pure. Naive. Bakugo's laundry list of things he wanted to do to him was unthinkable for someone as demure as Izuku. So Bakugo vowed to keep his distance.

But I was wrong, Bakugo thought. He's not naive. He knew exactly what he was doing. Just like he did now.

He wasn't just cute. He was Bakugo's wet dream. His ultimate fantasy.

I need to fuck him, he thought desperately. Now.

"Oh, hi!" Kaminari greeted. "Welcome to Hot Topic. Can we help you find anything?"

Izuku flushed, shooting an adorable smile. "Hello! Actually, I'm here to pick up a job application."

Kaminari walked forward and pulled out his phone. "We don't carry paper copies, the app is filled out online. But if you give me your email real quick, I can send you the link for - "

" - We're not taking applications," Bakugo cut him off. I can barely contain myself with him standing in the store. And he wants to work here? I wouldn't be able to think, let alone get anything done. Not to mention if he's my employee I can't bang him. Not as his superior.

Izuku raised an eyebrow quizically. "I was told that you are."

Bakugo glared at him, glancing around the store. "Are your eyes broken or something? Look how many employees I have standing around trying to look busy. Our staff is full."

Izuku scowled. "Then why did they tell me - "

" - Why did who tell you - "

" - Oh my god, it already started!" Keigo muttered in a rush as he bolted into the store and hopped up onto a T-shirt table, sitting cross-legged.

Dabi followed behind him with a bag of popcorn. "Did we miss anything?"

Tokoyami stared down into his book, this time The Picture of Dorian Gray. "Yes. Bakugo staring at Cinnaboy for eighty seconds straight."

Dabi sighed. "Oh good. Just the previews." He held out his bag of popcorn to Keigo. Without looking up, Keigo stuffed his fingers in the bag and grabbed a handful of popcorn, beginning to eat it out of his hand like an apple.

Bakugo tried to redirect his blood flow to anywhere except the cock that might as well have been screaming at him, but unfortunately, he learned that wasn't something he could do with his mind. "You already have a job. Why do you want an application from us?"

Izuku spoke firmly. "In a few weeks, Cinnabon will be undergoing renovation. I won't be able to go back until the construction is done."

Keigo gasped. "So he did know," he exclaimed with his mouth full.

Dabi smirked. "Smart cookie."

The aroused blonde averted his gaze. "That's not my problem."

Izuku crossed his arms. "I'm a fast learner. And I work hard."

I wonder how far he's gone, Bakugo thought. He said he's a fast learner...there's hundreds of things I'd love to train him how to do. But none of them involve merchandise. Unless removing clothes from his body counts. "What part of we're not hiring - "

" - I have three years of retail experience," Izuku cut him off, taking a step forward.

Dammit, he's a stubborn little nerd, isn't he? "You have any record of that?" he asked mechanically. But then he realized how stupid that question was. As if he hadn't stared at him every morning for the past three years. Watched him set up his store and smile as he gave sticky hot desserts to lucky patrons who got to see him up close.

The moment he saw the fury in Izuku's eyes, he knew he'd made a mistake.

"Yeah. You," Izuku snapped.

Bakugo flushed. I pissed him off.

Izuku pointed behind him at Cinnabon. "I work directly across from you. For three years we've opened our stores at the exact same time. Every day. Don't tell me you've never noticed me before. That would either make you blind or just plain stupid."

Bakugo glared at him back. Of course, I noticed you. I more than notice you. I watch you. Dream about you. Fantasize about the sounds you'd make if only I could get you underneath me. "This isn't a kitchen, nerd," he said softer.

Izuku marched up to the cash wrap and slammed his hands down on the counter. Their faces were only inches apart now. "My register operates the same POS system that yours does. I know how to open and close it, converse with customers and work cooperatively on a team. The only difference is what we're selling."

Keigo let out a low whistle. "Very smart cookie."

Yumi strutted into the store and leaned against a jewelry display. She drank from a cherry slushy but hadn't changed out of her Hooters uniform yet. "I got your message. What's up, Keigo? I've only got a fifteen left."

"It's getting good," Keigo replied, eating another handful of popcorn.

Yumi shifted her gaze to Bakugo and the green-haired boy standing in front of him. She openly gasped and squealed, jumping up and down. "They've never been this close to each other before!"

"I know, right?" Dabi asked, the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "About time. Jesus."

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Bakugo exclaimed.

"I'm on break," Yumi answered. "Biotch."

Bakugo snarled. "If none of you are here to buy anything - "

" - I paid good money to be here," Keigo cut him off. "Besides, I've waited longer for this moment than the weebs have been waiting for the second season of Ouran."

Izuku flushed bright red. "Ouran ended fifteen years ago. I've only worked here for three - "

"Weeeeeeeb," Dabi declared, eating more popcorn.

"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" Bakugo exclaimed. "And you!" he yelled at Izuku. "Get outta my store!"

"I need a job and you need a cashier," Izuku snapped back at him. "So I'm not moving."

"Your area is customer service, not retail."

"They go hand in hand," Izuku pointed out.

Bakugo sighed with exasperation. You can't work here. You don't know what you do to me. Just being near you is driving me insane. "We have a rewards system," Bakugo protested half-heartedly. "Coupons. Returns. People don't exactly make a habit of returning cinnamon rolls."

Izuku pursed his soft, pouty lips and flung the backpack he'd been wearing onto the counter. Then he unloaded it, placing a chemistry textbook, trig textbook, philosophy, French, and English composition textbook next to it for Bakugo to see. "I'm taking five courses that amount to eighteen credit hours and working full time. I have a 4.0 GPA, never been late to work, and make time to attend after-school activities including fundraisers."

Bakugo blinked, dumbfounded. I didn't know that. But he couldn't let on to the fact Izuku took him by surprise. "Your point?"

Izuku's tone emanated bitterness. "I can handle a fucking coupon," he growled under his breath.

Yumi laughed. "Is it hot in here or is that just your argument going up in flames?"

Keigo snickered. "You're gonna need some ice for that burn, Bakugo."

Dabi slow clapped with a wide grin on his face. "Congratulations, Cinnabomb. You just got yourself a job."

The way he's glaring at me...it's so hot. Izuku's got a mouth on him, too. I'd love to make better use of it. God, I want to take this damn nerd right here right now on this fucking counter. "No, he didn't," Bakugo snapped.

Izuku placed his hands on his hips, drawing Bakugo's attention to his waist.

His cock throbbed. Fucking hell.

"I've got credentials," Izuku pointed out, completely oblivious to Bakugo's suffering. "The experience. A strong work ethic. So why won't you hire me?"

Bakugo struggled but finally managed to pull his gaze away from the goth-glam-clad bombshell in front of him. He picked up and examined each textbook, one by one. "You need special permission to take that many credit hours. You have to prove you can handle the max, which is usually sixteen. That means you've taken at least two years of school. But if you're enrolled in a trig course, that makes you a junior, right?"

Izuku flushed. "Yeah."

Bakugo shoved the textbook into Izuku's arms. "Why would I waste my time training a book pusher when you'll be gone in a year anyway?"

Izuku froze, finally speechless.

I have to pretend he's just a normal applicant, he thought. It doesn't matter how hot he is. I have to put my job first. "This place might be just a paycheck for you, but not for us. I don't give a flying fuck about some yuppie kid looking to earn some spending money while they're partying on mommy and daddy's trust fund."

"Ouch," Yumi muttered.

"Cold-blooded," Dabi declared.

There. He'll never want to work here now, Bakugo thought. But maybe I went too far with that. Fuck what will I do if he starts crying?

Izuku smirked. "Oh. I see. So you are just plain stupid."

Bakugo gritted his teeth. I didn't go far enough. "There's nothing for you here. But hey…" Bakugo pulled out his phone and flashed the magazine page (which he had pulled up from this morning when he'd been jerking off to it) of Izuku's bikini photo. "You've got a pretty face. Hooters is always looking for mindless bimbos like you. I'd try your luck there."

"Oh snap," Keigo said.

Despite his best efforts to piss him off, Izuku's smirk hadn't disappeared. "You got that picture out pretty fast," he muttered huskily. "I guess you did notice."

Bakugo blushed. "Notice what?"

Izuku leaned in close and flickered his gaze between Bakugo's eyes and his mouth before whispering. "That my face isn't the only part of me that's pretty."

With Izuku's face that close, he could feel the gentle tickle of his breathing. He'd thought his eyes were blue but now that he was seeing them up close, he realized they were a rich emerald green. Izuku bit his bottom lip and shuddered.

Oh my god, Bakugo thought. He wants it too. This was bad. The solidity of his self-control relied entirely on the assumption that Izuku wouldn't want a ruffian like him taking advantage of him and stealing his innocence. But if it turned out Izuku's chastity wanted to park itself in Bakugo's lap and call him daddy then his resolve would evaporate faster than Coor lite at a kegger. I want you, he thought. I want you so much. He'd been imagining what Izuku would taste like on his tongue when a stifled sob broke his concentration.

His eyes moved to the source of the sound. Kaminari stood there with tightened fists and misty eyes. In a panic, he brushed past the cash wrap and bolted for the back room.

Tokoyami looked up from his book, the first occurrence of this nature since the start of his shift eight hours ago. He shot Bakugo a cold glare. "I'll be taking my break now." He marched with dignity to the backroom to clock out.

Keigo got up slowly, nonchalantly sprinkling popcorn all over the floor as he went. "You're a prick of the highest order, Bakugo. Congrats."

Bakugo flinched when he saw a very angry, very blue-haired woman standing in the doorway as Keigo passed her. She stood poised in the store's entrance, tapping her high-heeled foot indignantly. "Mindless bimbo...huh? Fuck you." She strutted out, spilling her slushie along the floor with a flourish and throwing down her cup.

Only one person remained in Hot Topic with Bakugo besides Izuku.

"Kid," Dabi said. "Pack your books. You start on Monday."

Izuku flushed. "Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

Bakugo's heart raced with panic. "You don't even work here, you can't - "

" - I've been working in this mall for far longer than you and I'll be working here long after. I'm pulling rank. Cinnaboy starts on Monday."

Izuku suddenly didn't look as confident. "What about my other job? I was gonna give them my two weeks - "

" - I'll have that cleared up after a few calls," Dabi answered. "Just show up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at seven. You'll shadow Kaminari."

Izuku gathered his books and nodded towards Bakugo. "See you Monday."

Bakugo watched Izuku's sauntering walk as he left, once again suffocating on his desire. Which quickly extinguished when he laid eyes on the dark-haired tattooed manager of Spencers.

He had nowhere to run. He couldn't just abandon the store. There were no customers to witness anything. They were closing in an hour. Spencers was slow on Sundays, just like the rest of the mall. Any customers who did walk by and consider coming in were deterred by the mess of cherry slushy and popcorn streaked across the floor in front of the entrance.

In short, he was screwed.

Dabi stalked forward with a rare display of emotion in the form of a murderous gaze. From the other side of the counter, he grabbed Bakugo by the shirt collar and pulled him so he leaned over it uncomfortably. "Kaminari's starting summer classes in a few weeks. He's been scared shitless to tell you because he loves it here and he's afraid you'll be mad at him."

Bakugo's rage melted into a brick of guilt that sunk straight to his stomach.

Dabi spoke darkly under his breath. "I swear to god, Katsuki, if that kid is still crying by the time I clock out tonight...Hot Topic will need a new manager."

Dabi finally let go, throwing Bakugo back down onto his feet with a hard thud. He stormed off to leave, but not before yelling, "For once in your fucking life...stop putting your dick above everything else!"

~.~

When Bakugo walked into the back room, Kaminari sat curled in a ball under the floor behind a clothing rack. His whole body shook with sobs.

Why would I waste my time training a book pusher when you'll be gone in a year anyway?

This place might be just a paycheck for you, but not for us.

Bakugo winced as his own words echoed in his head. Then Dabi's.

Kaminari's starting summer classes in a few weeks. He's been scared shitless to tell you because he loves it here and he's afraid you'll be mad at him.

He loves it here.

He loves it here.

Scared shitless.

Bakugo approached quietly, grabbing a box of tissues off a table next to the clock-in machine. Then he crouched on the balls of his feet in front of Kaminari, holding out the box of tissues as a peace offering. "Denki."

Kaminari peeked his head out from his arms. All Bakugo could see were his eyes and nose, which were both red. With a shaking hand, Kaminari grabbed a tissue from the box and blew his nose.

Bakugo spoke quietly. "I wasn't talking about you...when I said all that."

"B-but it's true," Kaminari whined as a new round of tears began. "You shouldn't w-waste your t-time on me. S-since I'm...I'm...leaving…" his voice broke on the last word as he gasped out a sob.

Bakugo placed a hand on top of Kaminari's head, rubbing back and forth. "Are you leaving for good or will you just have to cut back on hours?"

Kaminari spoke in a rush. "Jiro's gonna help me but University is already so different from community college. Between all the studying I'll have to do and the additional night labs each class comes with I'll barely be able to work more than eight hours a week."

"You thought that would make me mad?" Bakugo asked.

Kaminari shrugged. "It's been hard to even think about," he admitted. "I love my job. I love you guys. I don't wanna leave. I thought maybe if you knew I couldn't work as much, you'd…"

I'm so sorry, he thought. He pulled Kaminari forward into his chest. "You know even if you didn't work here, we'd still be friends, right?"

Kaminari gasped. "I...oh."

Bakugo smirked. "You idiot. Did you really think I'm that shallow? That I'd just drop you like a hot rock if you had to quit? Like hell."

Finally, Kaminari was starting to calm down. He relaxed against Bakugo and wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

"I'll schedule you off for Monday. Then we can fill out a new availability sheet. Okay?"

Kaminari nodded. "Kay."

Bakugo flushed awkwardly. "I haven't held someone like this for a really long time."

Kaminari looked up. "When was the last time?"

A small ten-year-old girl with black hair and amber eyes flashed from his memories.

You lost, or something?

I don't know where...mommy and daddy are…

"Six years ago," Bakugo admitted. "Do you still need me here or can we stop? This is kind of the gayest thing I've ever done and I've had sex with a guy."

Kaminari threw his head back and laughed. "Yeah, I...I think I'm okay now." He wiped his face with his sleeve.

Bakugo pulled him up to his feet. Kaminari shot him a fist bump as Bakugo opened the door for them both.

"But seriously, you thought I was gonna fire you?"

Kaminari smiled sheepishly. "I dunno, maybe."

"Even if I wanted to, Jiro would've murdered me."

Kaminari laughed again. "You're afraid of Kyoka?"

Bakugo glared. "Of course I am, I'm not stupid. But if you ever tell her that, I will fire you."