The Proximation of Hello and Goodbye

2

She groans, "Oh, hell no. Su, watch the front. I'm gonna get to the bottom of this." She removes her apron, tossing it on the counter before looking back at Katsuki. "Thanks for filling me in, blondie. Come see us another time?" She smirks, leaving before he gets the chance to answer.

Shortly after, Akasuki takes Ena's place at the register. "Sorry about them," she smiles.

Katsuki nods toward the back, "They always like that?"

Akasuki jostles her head back and forth playfully, "Depends on what's going on. Izuku is blinded by what he thinks is love and Ena is the best friend with bull-shit detecting goggles. She just wants the best for him, but they don't really see eye to eye where his boyfriend is concerned. That's what I'm here for. I'm sure all this will diffuse in no time."

"Interesting dynamic you've got going around here," Katsuki observes.

She laughs, "Interesting is putting it lightly. Can I get you another tea?"

"Oh, yeah, tea is fine," Katsuki answers. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she answers, turning to go make the tea. It isn't long before she returns with a steaming cup of tea in hand. "See you around," she waves.

"Sure thing," Katsuki answers, waving before making his way to the door. He walks back to his car and settles into the driver's seat. That didn't go according to plan. Even if it had, would it have been worth it? He hardly looked at me as little more than a stranger that he saw off the street. I guess it makes sense. Why would I expect anything more? I only drove him home last night. He grumbles, starting his car to drive around town. Considering he only moved here a day or so ago, he's barely taken the time to start on his actual work.

The town is mostly quiet, with most neighborhoods being peaceful. There's nothing too extravagant as far as homes, so nothing really stands out. After looking at his target's file, he'd be willing to assume his home wouldn't exactly be quaint. His teeth grind down on each other as he turns onto a new street. I hate having to collect my own intel. This is so boring. He sits back in his seat and looks up, catching sight of a fairly weathered sign. The name on the sign has almost completely faded away, he can hardly make out the word "ramen" in the middle. He hums to himself, I wonder if their spicy ramen is any good. He parks the car on the side of the street and hurries inside to avoid the freezing cold.

Upon the door closing behind him, he's immediately met with warmth and a symphony of smells that makes his stomach growl. He looks at the time, realizing it's only thirty minutes before he usually stops for a lunch break. Despite the worn-down exterior of the restaurant, the inside is very welcoming, radiating an ambiance that makes him feel at ease. It's only a matter of time before he's seated and placing an order.

He sinks into his seat and allows himself to just be for a moment. All he's been able to think about for months has been this mission, and now that it seems to be moving at a slower pace than he thought it would, shoving the thought away for a little bit won't hurt. His eyes close for what he swears is only a few seconds before opening them to the sound of his ramen being set down at his table. He thanks the server before starting to eat his food.

After the initial tasting of his ramen, he feels every bit of tension from the past few months dissipating completely. He smiles down at his bowl. This has got to be one of the best bowls of ramen I've ever had, he thinks to himself taking another bite. The dish is perfectly balanced, providing enough heat to satisfy his need for something spicy. The sweet nuttiness of the soy milk and sesame oil plays well with the savory flavor of the pork. He knows he'll be back for more. He frowns upon the sight of his empty bowl several minutes later, only disappointed that there was only a finite amount of the dish. He's not sure why, but his mind creeps onto the thought of Izuku. I wonder if he'd like some ramen. I could get him something simple. It could make for a nice ice breaker... An image of his discontent frown flashes in his mind making him cringe. Or maybe an apology. I wonder if I did something wrong. Is he even mad or was he just not having a good day? Why does it even matter?