The Proximation of Hello and Goodbye

15

"Alright. Whatever you do, just keep me updated, and if you need anything, let me know," she replies. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me for doing something I'm happy to do. I'll talk to you later," he answers, hanging up the phone. He gets out of his car and makes his way up to Ena's apartment, taking out her spare key and unlocking her door. I'm going to have to get her a better way of hiding that spare, he thinks to himself pocketing the spare for now. If someone else needs to get in here, they can knock. If they want in they better have a key of their own or be ready to go through me. He closes the door softly behind him and turns to see the apartment completely dark. "Izuku?" he calls out. There's no answer. He frowns, making his way further into the apartment. He stops outside Ena's bedroom door, the sound of uneven breathing overwhelming his sense of sound.

He opens the door and peeks inside to see Izuku curled in on himself in the middle of Ena's bed. His breathing is short and ragged, his hand wrapped up in a blanket and clutched to his chest. How long has he been like this? What the hell happened? Katsuki's heart shatters at the sight before him. He never thought he'd see Izuku look so broken . It hurts him. "Izuku," he says plainly as if to simply let him know he's here.

He gasps for air, somehow caving in more on himself. "No," he cries. "You shouldn't be here."

Katsuki frowns, making his way across the room. He kneels beside Ena's bed, brushing Izuku's hair out of his face like he did the other night. He's shocked to see Izuku flinch away from his touch. He sighs, "That's where you're wrong, nerd. Friends always have each other's backs, don't they?"

His lips quiver, a fresh wave of tears trailing down his cheeks. "I just need to be alone," Izuku cries. "Please, leave me alone."

"You know I can't do that," he reasons.

His hand reaches out to try and wipe some of Izuku's tears away, but he flinches away again. "Don't touch me," he demands. "I don't want to be touched right now."

Alright. One option is down for the count. "Got it. You look pretty comfortable. Is that Ena's blanket?" he asks. There's no answer, only more stifled sobs. He feels so helpless. What do I do? He pulls his phone from his pocket and quickly sends a text to Ena. // He doesn't want to be touched and I think he already has your blanket. He's still far from okay. Any way I can talk him into going to your living room, backup plans?// He places his phone beside him, patiently waiting for her to text him back. "You're okay, Izuku. Nothing's going to hurt you. You're safe here. You're safe with me," he whispers.

Izuku remains speechless, though the severity of his sobbing seems to be diffusing somewhat. He feels his phone buzz beside him and he looks down to see that Ena has texted him back. //Just ask if he wants to or encourage him to do it, whatever feels like it might be more successful. Any idea why he doesn't want to be touched? That's usually the first thing he wants.//

//I wish I knew. I'll try to get to the bottom of it before the night is over.//

He sets his phone down again. "You wanna go to the living room? I've been wanting to watch a show with you for a while now. I think it might help you calm down a little."

He breathes deeply. It's steady and solid, the first good deep breath he's taken since Katsuki arrived. "I don't know," he says uneasily.

"Come on, it's really good. It's sweet and funny, and it has a few good twists and turns. I really think you'd like it," he replies in an attempt to encourage Izuku to watch it.

He loosens his grip on the blanket and looks up, meeting Katsuki's eyes. His eyes are swollen, red, and puffy. He hates that look on Izuku, the way he looks so defeated. "Can we make cookies first?" he asks.