The Proximation of Hello and Goodbye

15

Katsuki hasn't taken a moment to rest since the night before when someone tried to take Ena out from right under his nose. His mind has been reeling with thoughts and questions ever since. He can't help but wonder what they wanted with Ena and what the hell Shinobu did to Shoto. Those questions alone have been enough to keep his mind occupied for hours upon hours, and he likely won't have answers until tomorrow. He's just walking into his own house as his phone rings. He briefly considers ignoring the call, but with everything going on at the moment, it likely wouldn't be wise. He grumbles, kicking the door shut behind him as he pulls the phone from his pocket. "This better be good, Metal Face," he grumbles. "I have some leftovers in the fridge that are waiting to be reheated, and nothing will get in my way."

"Cut the shit, Katsu," Ena says. "No time for games or antics, right now. It's Izuku."

He freezes in place, "What about him?"

"He called me about five minutes ago to let me know he was on his way to my place. I don't know all the details, but he and that prick got into a fight. Do you think you could go check on him?" she asks. "I called Suki to see if she could go, but she's working on stuff for the cafe and can't get out right now. I don't want him to be alone. Please? I will do literally any--"

He cuts her off, "Calm down, I'm leaving now."

She sighs with relief, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it," he replies, hastily locking his door and rushing to his car.

"Okay, okay, so I have a spare key behind that sign by my door," she starts.

"The one that says 'If you didn't call don't bother knocking'?" he clarifies.

She groans, "What other signs do I have beside my door?"

"Right, sorry. No antics," he reminds himself. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, I don't know how bad it is, but I think he might be having a panic attack. If that's the case, there are a few things you can do that usually help him calm down. Just stick to these, and you should be fine, nothing out of the ordinary," she starts.

He shifts his car into gear, pulling out of his driveway without so much as a second thought. "Alright, what are they?" he inquires.

Her voice cracks. Katsuki remembers that sound well, he heard it the time she confronted him about his supposed fiancee. She's crying. "Usually, it helps if I turn on a light-hearted movie and let it play in the background. He also likes my favorite blanket and a lot of times he just wants to be held. He'll talk if he wants to, so don't push it. And--"

"E, take a breath. I've got him. He'll be okay," he says softly. "I won't let anything happen to him."

"I know, I'm just so mad. He trusts him and loves him and that asshat can't even come close to deserving any of it. He hurt my best friend and I'm not even there to try and make it better. I've been there since we met," she rambles. "That fucker is so lucky I'm not home right now. I swear, if I could get my hands on him right now he'd be little more than a speck of blood on the sidewalk. There'd be nothing left of him, the world would doubt he ever existed."

Katsuki can't help but share the same sentiment. If he could he'd make sure that bastard never got the chance to hurt Izuku again. However, that isn't what matters right now, and Ena needs some talking down too. He turns onto Ena's street. "He'll be fine. I'm no seasoned pro like you, but I promise that I'll do everything I can to make sure he's okay. Don't worry about it, I'll take care of him."

She sniffles, "Okay. If anything happens to him, I'm coming for your ass as soon as I'm done with that vile excuse for a human being, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," he replies evenly. "I just got here, I'll text you if and when he settles down. I'll even call if he wants to talk about anything. I've got him. I've got all of you."