The Proximation of Hello and Goodbye

2

Katsuki walks into his own home, discarding his jacket and tossing it on the couch. He sets his tea from earlier on the table at the end of the couch and sighs as he looks around the living room. He knows that this setup is temporary, but he can't stand how bare this house is. As much as he would hate to admit it, he kind of wishes he had more to remind him of home. His phone buzzes in his pocket for what has to be the hundredth time tonight. He grumbles as he pulls the phone from his pocket and brings it to his ear. "What do you want, Shitty Hair?" He asks. "I've been busy."

His best friend sighs, "You haven't checked in with anyone all day. Just wanted to check up on you."

"Well, I was sent here on my own to move into a new place and learn the area so I could start working on what I'm supposed to. I've had my hands full," Katsuki murmurs, falling onto his couch.

Eijiro laughs, "Hard to believe you've had your hands full, what's really going on?"

"Nothing," Katsuki rushes. "Don't worry about me. Have they talked anymore about sending a support team out here?"

"They want you to get more intel before they make a call," Eijiro explains. "It is one person after all."

Katsuki closes his eyes. "Hmph. Fine. Keep me updated, but don't blow up my phone either. You have no clue what I could be doing," Katsuki explains.

"Right. Talk soon," Eijiro answers before hanging up. Katsuki tosses his phone on the floor beside the couch and rests his arms over his eyes. The past couple of days has been strange, between moving in and getting to know the area better. With such a small town, he finds it hard to believe that there's anyone worth this much effort in the area. The people he's met so far have been mostly kind and mild-mannered. Crime in the area is also very minimal. And, it certainly doesn't help that all he had to go off of is some extremely basic information on his target, like a name, an outdated photo, and a list of suspected activity.

This is stupid.

He looks at the end of the couch and sees the cup from the cafe sitting on the table. Well, maybe not entirely stupid. His mind wanders to the man from the cafe, the one with soft, dark curls and bright, emerald eyes, Izuku. He seems nice, Katsuki wouldn't mind seeing him a little more. He could try and make a point to go by that cafe every day, so long as it didn't become a distraction or a problem. He wonders if everything was really okay when he got into his home. Katsuki wonders about the possibilities, hoping it's something as simple as the lights being left on. What if the bastard who asked him to walk home came home after all? "Bastard," he grumbles, sitting up and walking to his bedroom.

He hates the idea of someone asking anyone to walk home in that shit storm, but when he thinks of Izuku it seems to light a fire under his ass. I'd never— No. Stop. He's just a stranger. That's all he will be. He strips out of his clothes and walks to the bathroom to shower, quickly cleaning himself and stepping out to put on some boxers and crawl into bed.

They're just strangers, and strangers keep their distance... At least for a little while.

***

The sun shines brightly making last night's storm feel as though it never happened. He spent the first part of his morning reviewing the files he'd been sent, and now he's picking up where he left off on trying to learn the area better. First, though, he wants to make a stop for coffee. He approaches the doors to the cafe and walks in. His eyes slowly scan over the room on their way to the counter. One of the girls from last night is running the register, and he catches a small glimpse of the dark-haired man from last night rushing to the back. His shoulders relax at his side despite the tight clenching of his fists on his pockets as he approaches the counter. The girl at the register sets her gaze on him almost immediately. She's got piercings on the bridge of her nose and her lips, her long dark hair framing her face despite the edges being shaved down. Her eyes are focused, calculating as Katsuki steps up to take his order.