The Proximation of Hello and Goodbye

17

He shakes his head and leans back. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to keep up with the joke. I didn't realize that--"

She shakes her head, "Don't worry about it, Izu. I just don't like the idea of what happened to me happening to you. I got off lucky because Katsu was there. I don't like the idea of it happening again, at all, but especially not with the idea of you being involved... I think I'd have to kill someone." She sighs and throws her head back, staring up at the ceiling. "Did you ever get around to calling Katsu?"

"I meant to do that before we opened but never got around to it. I guess I could do it now," he answers pulling his phone from his pocket. He slides it open and starts to look through his contacts for Katsu's number but realizes halfway through the K's that he doesn't have it. "I never got his number," Izuku murmurs to himself.

"What?"

He looks up from his phone and at his best friend. "I don't think I ever got Katsu's number," he answers. He frowns and sets his phone down on the couch beside him, "I guess I'll talk to him when he gets back."

"Nope. That won't do," Ena snips, reaching for his phone and entering the passcode. She opens her own phone and finds Katsu's number so that she can input it into Izuku's phone. Saving the number, she hands the phone back to Izuku and presses the "call" button. "Go along now," she shoos at him.

Izuku scrambles to get a grip on the phone and hurries out of the break room and back into the lobby. He listens as the phone rings on the other end of the line. A knot settles itself in his stomach waiting for the call to be answered. He ends up being sent to voicemail. He sighs and decides to send a text instead. // Hey Kacchan. This is Izuku. I heard you were out of town and just wanted to see if you were okay. Call me when you get the chance.// He hits send and sighs, making his way back to the breakroom where Akasuki and Ena sit looking over the cafe's reports for the day.

They're both pretty elated with today's turnout, having made more today than any other week in the store's history. Despite the ups and downs of the day, this was a very pleasant way to bring the day to a close. They finish shutting everything down for the night and load into Ena's car so that they can go grab a well-deserved meal before going home for the night. They stop by their favorite take-out place as Suki runs in to pick up their food. It's after she returns with food in tow and settles back into her seat that Ena turns around and makes eye contact with Izuku. "So, how was the talk with Katsu?" she asks.

"Oh, there wasn't much of a talk. He didn't answer the phone, so I just texted him."

"Has he not texted you back?" she Akasuki interjects.

He shakes his head, "No, but I'm not too worried about it. Ena did say it was a family emergency, didn't she?" They both affirm his assumptions. "Yeah, it might not be the best time for him to answer. I'll be fine."

Ena looks at him with a certain level of skepticism before frowning and turning back to the front. She murmurs something under her breath and pulls out her phone. Izuku can see her screen from where he sits in the back seat as she pulls up Katsu's phone number and calls it. The car is silent as they all wait for Katsu to pick up, but just as before, he never does. "That prick," Ena mutters. "Can't even pick up a phone."

"But--"

She groans, "I know, I know. Whatever. Let's just get you home."

He ends up going to Su's apartment and eating dinner with his friends before finally being taken home. He watches as Ena speeds off to the end of the street after he makes it to his door. They all have an early morning tomorrow as well. It's highly likely that they all need a good night's rest after the day they had today and will likely be faced with tomorrow as well. He sighs as the taillights disappear and he turns to open his door. His keys stop turning in the door at the sound of footsteps approaching behind him. He looks to the side of the house, making sure that Masashi's car is gone only to see a long shadow cast over the pavement. His hands begin to shake ahead of him. Why can't I make myself move?

He looks over his shoulder to see someone standing at the end of his driveway and he freezes.

"Can I help you?" he calls after them. The stranger stands in silence, unwavering. Izuku gulps, "What's your name?"

There's no answer, the stranger simply turning on their heel and walking away. Izuku watches hesitantly until the stranger reaches the end of the road before turning around and unlocking his door with haste. He quickly pulls the key from the lock and slams the door shut behind him, locking it within a matter of seconds before sinking to the floor beneath him. He draws in a few shaky breaths and looks down at his phone, seeing a text from Katsu.

// Can't talk. Be safe.//

Izuku frowns and tosses the phone onto the ground beside him. I'll do my best , he thinks to himself before standing and making sure to check every room in the house.