The Proximation of Hello and Goodbye

26

His eyes flicker across the room to the phone resting on the bed. There's still no sign of Eijiro trying to reach out. With a scoff, he turns his back to the bed and starts to walk back to his desk to do some more research on the origins of the organization with the files that Haru helped him get his hands on with the use of a few contacts. Granted, he did have to use a little force to get to the end of the trail, but a few broken bones and arrests along the way feel well worth it now that he has some inside information. If he can manage to keep a lid on Haru's whereabouts, he might prove to be useful moving forward. He even mentioned something about his sister's journals. If he wants to figure something about that out, he'll have to go to the commission to get somebody to escort Haru and protect him in order to access those journals.

That's going to be a pain .

Those journals could prove to be useful, but in order to do that, he'd have to hand Haru over to the Commission who would put him into jail-- perhaps Tartarus for the time being. That would be a liability he couldn't risk either. There's no telling who could be sitting around in there that Shinobu has access to. He groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Guess I'll have to talk through the logistics of this with Haru and the team. Not exactly a decision I can make all on my own, now is it?" he mumbles to himself.

As if on cue, his phone starts ringing and he rushes across the room to answer the phone. "It's about time you called Shitty Hair. What gives?" he rushes upon answering the phone.

The voice over the phone giggles softly and somehow the tension from Katsuki's shoulders seems to alleviate at the sound. It's not who he's been expecting, but he is happy to hear Izuku's voice. "Shitty hair, what is that a new nickname? I thought my hair looked nice," he teases. "A little unruly? Sure. But it's still nice."

Katsuki sighs and smiles softly, despite Izuku not being able to see him. "It's not your nickname. I was expecting Enmei. Your hair isn't shitty at all, though it is a bit more than a little unruly."

"Rude," Izuku answers. "I was calling to see when you'd be back. Mom wants to see you again before she leaves town to go back to Musutafu next week."

The blond frowns, "I'm not sure. I can't really make any promises, right now. But, if I don't make it back before she leaves we can make a trip over to see her, together. Does that sound good?"

"You'd take me to Musutafu just so we could visit my mom?"

"Of course, I would. That shouldn't even be a question. I'd do anything for you, you damned nerd," Katsuki smirks. "Look, we'll figure it out, but for now I need to get off the phone. I can't afford to miss Enmei when he calls."

"Got it. I'll talk to you later," Izuku answers. "Can't wait for you to come home. I'm looking forward to that date."

"Yeah, me too," Katsuki smiles, hearing a chime that notifies him that another call is coming in. He sighs, hating the idea of letting Izuku go. "Alright, I really have to go now. Enmei is currently calling. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon," Izuku answers before hanging up, giving Katsuki the chance to answer Eijiro's call.

Katsuki sighs and tosses himself onto the bed. "What the hell took you so long to call. You said the meeting would only last an hour. You were supposed to call four hours ago."

Eijiro sighs loudly. "I know. I'm sorry, man. I just had some other things that needed to be taken care of first."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly call you from my other place of work. Not when I'm absolutely positive that I'm being watched now. Look, I'm going to try and put your mind at ease while also making this quick. I'm fine, and I don't think he necessarily suspects me of anything specific, though I do think he'll be paying closer attention to me from here on out. As things stand, either Haru's tip worked way better than it was supposed to or he used one of the false samples we gave him. Either way, I was able to act as though I was under his quirk's effects, though I didn't feel it at all. At least, I didn't feel anything similar to what others have described it being like. That's both good and bad, but I'll spare you the details on that for now."

Katsuki growls, "Why not just tell me now?"

"Use your head, Kats. Listen, you're just going to have to wait a bit for a full report. I've spoken to the head of the commission and they're working on having you sent back to town by the end of the week. But, in order for that to happen, you have to give them something to prove that you've done some work during your time in Osaka. Have that ready, and we'll talk details when you get back. Granted, we'll have to take some precautions-- more than the usual-- we'll make it happen. Do you think you can manage that?" Eijiro asks.

He looks back toward his desk and frowns thoughtfully. "Yeah, I think I can make that work. If I'm right, I'll be seeing you next week."

Katsuki swears he can practically hear Eijiro's smile over the phone, "That's great. I've missed having you around. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah. See you soon," Katsuki replies, getting ready to hang up.

"Hey!" Eijiro shouts. "One more thing before you go. Watch your back, yeah? They know who you are... or, at least, they're not pleased with what you've been up to. If you didn't have a target on your back after Ena, you definitely do now. For whatever reason, your interference with Haru capturing Izuku and his mother seems to have been the final straw."

"Got it," he answers, his mouth going completely dry at the implications. He hangs up in somewhat of a daze. He can hear Eijiro trying to say goodbye, but all he can seem to focus on is the strange sense of despair digging a pit in his stomach.