moving up

Chapter 6

Once a week, regardless of their shift that day, all of the managers in the store, as well as the front end supervisor and the stockroom lead, attend a meeting to discuss whatever important issues anyone may have. Tenya's always liked things like that, as he likes order, and likes having the chance for everyone's voice to be heard, but lately, these meetings have been absolute hell.

That is, ever since he and Katsuki began their little... arrangement outside of work, it's been torturous to be in the same room as him, as well as all of the people who could ruin their careers if they were to find out. It's gotten a little bit easier with each week, as Tenya has had no choice but to get used to it, but it's still not easy , with Katsuki right there and their boss right there.

Katsuki has always been so good at playing it cool, and Tenya is envious of his ability to remain completely detached from something like this.

"Alright," Aizawa mutters, halfway slumped over his desk, "if anyone has anything they want to talk about, go right ahead." He barely ever contributes anything at these meetings, but everyone is used to that. They all know that, somehow, he's the one holding the store together, as things always fall a little bit apart if he's gone for more than a couple days, but as for what he actually does, no one is sure.

"Personally, I think we've had a very productive week," Tenya starts, because he is almost always the one to start things. "Our truck team had no carry over, and even managed to complete the truck before Kyoka's shift ended."

"Yeah, things have been going a lot smoother back there," the stockroom lead agrees. "We just needed a few more hands to get things on track."

"Well, please let us know if you think you need anything else," he replies. "We're still in the process of training Izuku in every department, and figuring out where he's most needed."

"Ochako says he's a great cashier, so I might snap him up for myself!" Eijiro interjects. "I mean, he's gonna be wasted in the fitting room, and between Momo and Tsuyu, I feel like the sales floor is already covered. It really is just down to our two departments, huh, Kyoka?"

"If you want him, take him," she says. "Like I said, things have been going well back there."

"Then I'm gonna start trying to win him over," Eijiro says. "Nobody needs him on the sales floor, right?"

"The sales floor is pretty much covered," replies Shoto, "but you do know we have more associates than just Momo and Tsuyu out there, right?"

"But you've got to admit they cover things pretty well on their own."

"What do you think?" asks Tenya, turning his attention to their boss. "Should we focus Izuku's shifts on the register?"

"If that's what you guys wanna do."

"Is there anything else?" asks Kyoka. "I need to get back to the stockroom eventually, you know."

"Go on ahead, then," Katsuki mutters. "I don't want this meeting to drag on forever either."

"You're both heading out already?" asks Eijiro. "Katsuki, before you go, I think we should all thank you, right?"

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know! You're the one who got Izuku to apply, right?" He grins at the manager and leans forward. "You guys are like, best friends or something!"

"Or something," he replies with a scowl. "I barely even see Deku anymore. Besides at work now."

"You have to be pretty close to have a nickname for him."

"Shut the hell up, Eijiro, it's not even important."

"I don't know, you're getting pretty defensive," Kyoka chimes in, pausing on her way out. Between her and Eijiro, it isn't long before they have Katsuki flustered with how irritated he is. His quick temper makes him easy to tease, especially when he's sensitive about something, and it seems that his relationship with Izuku is just that.

Tenya feels vaguely nauseous, and speaks up, "If it's alright, may I please be excused? I close tonight, and have errands I need to run before my shift."

"Man, must be pretty important. You're never the first to leave," Eijiro comments, and Tenya does his best to not look for a reaction from Katsuki.

"Go right ahead," Aizawa says. "We can just wrap things up anyway, I think that covers everything."

Tenya thanks everyone before taking his leave, feeling awful all the way. He never tries to cut meetings short or skip out early, not even since his affair with Katsuki began. Always, he's been professional, and wanted to make sure that he brought up every necessary point, and heard everyone out, and that he gave everyone a chance to speak. It's the first time he's ever left early, or even before anyone else, and it's all because he was jealous.

And that's all it is, and he knows it. Even though whatever there is between him and Katsuki is not serious, and even though there shouldn't be anything between them in the first place, he is still so jealous that it nearly makes him sick, hearing the way Katsuki reacts to being teased about Izuku. Tenya is usually rather dense about these things, but he can't help but think that there is something going on there, and even if that is just due to his personal involvement with Katsuki, he can't bring himself to be rational, and he can't stop his jealousy.

~X~

That night, when he comes back in to work his closing shift, Izuku is working, and he partners him with Ochako, keeping what Eijiro said in mind. If he's going to be a cashier, then he needs to spend as much time up front as he can, even if it's a pretty slow night, and Ochako doesn't need any help up front.

The two of them have a lot of downtime, and whenever Tenya passes them, they are making conversation, getting along fairly well. He's usually fairly dense where things like this are concerned, but whenever he sees the two of them talking, they always seem to get along very well, and Izuku is frequently blushing, and for all he knows, he is just projecting due to his own jealousy, but now he starts to think that there is something going on between the two of them.

If Izuku likes Ochako, something that Tenya is certainly no expert on, then perhaps there isn't anything between him and Katsuki. Or perhaps whatever it is, it's not entirely known or requited. Perhaps Katsuki doesn't know about Izuku's thing for Ochako, if such a thing even exists. He knows that he's overthinking things, and that these aren't things he'd ever even register , much less condone , if it weren't for his own situation, but still, Tenya imagines a relationship developing between Izuku and Ochako.

What's more, despite their status as coworkers, he finds himself hoping that things work out between them, and that he's wrong about Katsuki having any sort of feelings for Izuku in the first place.

But when he realizes how far his thoughts have gone, all he can do is wonder what's wrong with him.