The Proximation of Hello and Goodbye

8

"Izu!" Akasuki calls from across the floor as she moves in his direction. She stops not far away, watching silently as he finishes working on the tea at his station. He hands it off to Ena and Akasuki smiles. "I hate to spring this on you last minute, sunshine, but pop is short a few bakers today. I was wondering if you'd be willing to head to the warehouse with Katsu to lend a helping hand?" She asks.

Izuku can't help but smile at the thought of getting to work as a baker today. There's something so much more relaxed about it than making drinks constantly. He nods, "I'd be happy to. When do we need to leave?"

Katsu walks up behind Akasuki, a smirk resting on his face as he jingles his keys on his hands. "Now seems as good a time as any, wouldn't you say?"

Akasuki whips around to look at him and frowns, "You move way too quietly for comfort, you know that?"

"Handy skill set for moving in and out of here undetected, wouldn't you say?" He grins.

Akasuki presses a finger to her cheek, "I don't know whether to let you believe that or not."

"You know when I'm coming and going?"

She smiles and rests a hand on his shoulder. "Katsu, I know everything. I know that your mileage on deliveries is actually more than you report and I know that you always take a cat nap in the break room between deliveries instead of doing the customer checkups."

Katsu tilts his head, "How'd you know about the mileage?"

"My secret," she winks. "Now get moving. You can't make deliveries unless there are pastries to deliver."

She shoos them both away and they make their way to the warehouse. It's not far from the cafe itself, only a ten-minute drive. They both make their way in quickly and put on aprons before making their way to a room to a workstation. Katsu immediately starts to look around the area, trying to see what there is to work with. He looks back at Izuku, "How much trouble do you think I'll get in if I make something we don't usually make?"

"I'm not sure. No one really supervises anything here unless Ena's dad is around. Even then, he seems to not really care or notice what goes on. Why?" Izuku asks, his hands resting behind his back.

Katsu starts to gather a few things, "What's your favorite cookie? I'll make us a batch."

Izuku's mind floods with a range of cookies. There are chocolate chip cookies, a classic which always reminds him of simpler times. Then there are macaroons, something fun and bright with endless possibilities. Of course, his mind also thinks about the cookies his mom would make from time to time as he was growing up, the icebox cookies with cranberries and pistachios. Granted, that was a recipe that could never be recreated with perfect accuracy. And lastly, there's the warm and familiar memory of a warm plate of gingersnaps on a cold winter's evening. He smiles, "I suppose I really like gingersnaps. Think you could make those?"

"Why don't I give it my best shot and you tell me if you think I can make them," he says, beginning to measure his ingredients.

Katsu moves through the list of ingredients, adding things to a large bowl, not once glancing at a recipe. Izuku watches with awe and anticipation. Izuku has always considered himself a decent baker, but even with the number of times he's helped here or baked at home, he's always needed a recipe to reference. He walks around so that he's standing beside Katsu and peeks at the baking sheet that the cookies are being placed upon before looking up at Katsu. "How long have you been baking?" He asks.

"A while, I guess," he shrugs. "Why?"

Izuku tilts his head slightly. "I don't know, I guess I'm just impressed. You seem to be really good at it."