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Lyrical Abstraction

Summary:

With nothing available to help protect herself all she could do was grip her pillow in hand as if she was about to go off to fight a pillow fight war. Which really was a useless thing to be holding on to for dear life as if the pillow would magically become some metal shield and protect her from whatever or whoever had just barged into her room. The room was too dark to make out the exact shape of the thing on her floor. Quickly stepping backwards she refused to take her eyes off the unmoving mass on the floor under her window. Even once the door knob of her bedroom door drove into her back she didn't take her eyes off of it as she listened to the mass groan softly and mumble something she could not make out from across her bedroom.

Injured and bleeding Midoriya makes the mistake of breaking into his neighbors bedroom in the middle of the night. Well that's one way to meet his neighbor Sugahara Aoi.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter Text

The sound of the window being slid open had been the only sound to brake the silence of the night, vehicles silently sat among their parked positions on the street. Windows were dark along every building, cause well who would be stirring at nearly four in the morning? Not very many people were awake at such an hour. And Aoi was no exception as she laid curled up in her fluffy blanket, one foot sticking out as if that would help keep her from getting too warm as she slept. Completely unaware of the unexpected visitor she had, that was till the sound of a loud body crumpling to the floor after dragging itself in through the open window. Had the loud thunk not given it away the soft groan probably would have but it went nearly unnoticed as the woman was shaken from her slumber. Half asleep she jumped to her feet at the sounds of an intruder with a scream.

With nothing available to help protect herself all she could do was grip her pillow in hand as if she was about to go to a pillow fight war. Which really was a useless thing to be holding on to for dear life as if the pillow would magically become some metal shield and protect her from whatever or whoever had just barged into her room. The room was too dark to make out the exact shape of the thing on her floor. Quickly stepping backwards she refused to take her eyes off the unmoving mass on the floor under her window. Even once the door knob of her bedroom door drove into her back she didn’t take her eyes off of it as she listened to the mass groan softly and mumble something she could not make out from across her bedroom.

Her left hand moved quickly, hitting the light switch to her bedroom light. At first the flash of sudden light was blinding. But after a couple of blinks her eyes quickly adjust. Now she could actually see what or who had tumbled into her bedroom and was unmoving so far. Now that she could see her intruder she was met with a rather large body as a crumpled mess on her floor. First thing she noticed was that he was male, a mop of messy green curls sat atop of his head. Freckles littered his cheeks. His eyes clamped closed as he groaned again. But she didn’t need to see them to know the mixture of green hair with the dark black outfit with dark green accents was a completely dead give away. She was looking at the current top pro hero in all of Japan.

“Deku!” She gasped surprised to be face to face with the young top hero. Though as she took a step towards him it was clear he was not in the best shape. Blood littered his face, his breathing was quick and shallow, and had his suit not been black it most likely would have been deeply stained with the man’s own blood as his gloved hands were pressed into a hole in his side.

Forcing her shocked body to move she scrambled over towards the man now noticing his beaten up form, blood and dirt clinging to him. The red coloring stains at her window, wall and now carpet beneath him. Dropping to her knees she moved his hand only to watch the blood gushing from the hole. Well fuck that didn’t look good. help! She needed to call for an ambulance. But she also needed to apply pressure. Pressing her smaller hands against the wound had a low groan leave the body before her.

“Alright, you're not dead. That’s good. Now my phone! Where is it! Gotta call for help!” She was rambling to herself before the gloved hand she had moved out of the way gripped at her wrist. This started her as she whipped her head up, her milk chocolate eyes locking with emerald green eyes.

“No ambulance,” he said simply and a little breathless as he watched her delicate eyebrows shoot up beneath her dark bangs.

“What do you mean no ambulance? Your fucking bleeding out on my carpet!” She nearly yelled at him as she leaned a little forwards and applied more pressure to his wound which had him hiss before his bright green eyes seemed to take this moment to take in the stranger before him and the room he was in. Well it was clear now this had not been his window he had crawled into like he thought it was.

“No ambulance. I’m fine,” he said simply trying to sit up. But the action did not go as he planned as her other hand pressed into his shoulder trying to keep him pinned down on the floor.

“Fine my ass! You're not going anywhere. Do not fucking move,” she ordered pushing him back to lay down on her floor before jumping to her feet and racing out of the bedroom. His side suddenly felt cold when she removed her small warm hand from his skin to disappear somewhere into her apartment. She was only gone about a minute, Midoriya had not moved. Whether it was because he wanted to listen to her or it was because he physically couldn’t move he wasn’t sure. But even the action of having tried to sit up had hurt like hell and made him dizzy. The room didn’t spin when he remained still trying to just control his breathing. So he stared at her ceiling till the sound of her footsteps rushing towards him had him turn his head as he watched her drop to her knees beside him once again.

With a couple of clean towels in hand she pressed one of the open hole, at least happy to see blood had seemed to slow a little bit. It was still running down his side soaking his costume and her carpet. The lack of colour in his boyish face though was concerning. It wasn’t a good sign nor was the sweat that had his hair sticking to his face.

“You really need a doctor,” she said, simply watching him softly shake his head at her.

“And why the hell not?” She growled at him as she pressed into the towel with one hand and ripped open the rather large first aid kit she had.

“You know you have quite the mouth on you,” Midoriya said, trying to change the subject.

“Oh well sorry. I don’t exactly enjoy being woken up in the middle of the night to a bleeding out pro hero and trying not to have a heart attack myself,” she growled simply as she pulled out some gauze and disinfectant. He was dirty and she could only assume the wound was too. She couldn’t just bandage him up. This was gonna hurt like hell. She pulled the towel away from the wound before just pouring some of the disinfectant into the wound as she watched his body jerk and hiss at the pain.

“Well maybe if you went to an actual doctor it wouldn’t hurt so much you moron,” she scolded as she watched him as he tried to steady his breathing after her little stunt.

“Can’t,” he said, simply still not answering her desired question.

“And why the hell not? You can’t tell me the number one hero in all of Japan can not afford his medical bills?” She continued to question him as she now eyed up the wound. He really needed stitches and to see a god damn doctor.

“No. An ambulance would draw in the media,” he said simply as the corners of his lips tugged up ever so slightly at her comment. It wasn’t often people took jabs at him or treated him like he was an idiot. Well Kacchan did but that was a different story. Civilians never treated him this way.

“Really? You’d risk bleeding out just to stay out of the news? You're on it nearly every day. Who the fuck cares?” She nearly yelled at him as she pulled the needle and some thread she kept in her first aid kit. Good thing her mother taught her to sew as a kid. Yet being yelled at by a beautiful stranger was oddly enticing as Midoriya found himself smiling softly as he watched her curse at him and scold him.

“Do you always yell curses at strangers?“ he asked, trying to lighten the mood a little bit that only caused her lips to press together harder and her eyebrows to pull together more.

“Do you always break into strangers' homes?“ she shot back which had him flinch realizing he had yet to apologize for that.

“Sorry about that by the way,” he said softly. He would have rubbed at the back of his neck had he been able to lift or move his arms at all. Instead he could only feel his ears growing warm as he blushed a little.

“Yeah well not as sorry as I’m about to be. This is gonna hurt like hell but you need to be sewn back together,” she said as she threaded the slightly curved needle before glancing down at him.

“Here bite this,” she said, handing him a rolled up hand towel. But he shook his head at her.

“I’ll be fine,” he said, simply refusing the clean towel.

“Fine but if you pass out again on my floor I’m calling the ambulance,” she threatened before she pushed the needle through his skin. She really should have gone into medicine or maybe even veterinarian practice. Her chocolate eyes darted up to watch his face contort in pain as she worked before she started mumbling to herself, “jeez I can hear the news now. Top hero Deku was found dead in a twenty six year old woman’s home.”

“Ha you didn’t want an ambulance drawing media attention well you dying sure as shit would draw even more,” she growled not even sure the man could hear her as her fingers worked as quickly as they could to sew the hole up before she tied the thread up. The bleeding slowed to a near stop now. So with gauze pressed over top she used some crappy rip off of surgical tape to keep the gauze in place since she wasn’t sure he could lean up to actually allow her to wrap bandages around his torso. It would also require removing the top of his hero costume instead of her working around and through the hole in his costume. Glancing up at him, her eyes met him once again as she took in the light in his eyes letting her know he was still alive even though she could feel his chest heave up and down with each breath.

“Can you move? You really should not stay on the floor,” she said, her voice a little softer now that she wasn’t scared the number one hero was going to bleed out on her floor.

“Yeah I should be fine,” he said as he slowly forced himself to sit up wincing at the pain that had his arms shaking under his own weight.

“Fine my ass. You're far from fine. But do you think we can get you to my bed?” she asked, watching him closely as she rested a small bloody hand against his back trying to help keep him sitting up even as it looked like he was swaying at the simple action of sitting up. She could only imagine how dizzy he must have been from the blood loss.

“Yeah I’ll get there,” he said before forcing himself to his feet only to watch the room spin uncontrollably around him. His body swayed threatening to just topple over before small arms wrapped around the middle of his back and a slender form pressed against his side trying to help keep him steady.

“Hang on big guy, not so fast,” she said quickly as she tried to help hold his body upright. He was probably a good 182 centimetres tall which brought her 161 centimetre frame to the bottom of his chin when he looked straight ahead. But he seemed nearly as wide as he was tall as her arm struggled to reach all the way around the middle of his back. And he was heavier than she expected but maybe that was due to his own legs threatening not to hold him up as he tried to take a step towards her bed. It was painfully slow but with one step after another they eventually reached the bed where she tried not to just drop him as he sat back on the bed.

Now that he was sitting upright and black dots were not swimming around his vision he could take in the sight of the woman he had so rudely barged into and forced to help him. She wore a baggy t-shirt, the ever so slightest glimpse of shorts under nearly were almost missed. Though telling if they were underwear or extremely short shorts he didn’t really know. And the fact that it could be underwear had the man blushing. His eyes were quick to dart away from her, not allowing her to notice his wandering eyes.

“Your face is a bit red. I hope it’s not a fever,” she said, raising her hand up to press it against his forehead worried that if he spiked a fever then infection could be setting in. Was it normal for an infection to act so fast? She didn’t think so. And with his blood loss his skin was still a much lighter shade then it should be normally. And yet he did not feel unusually warm by any means as her skin touched his.

“Oh Uhm no. It’s Uhm,” the number one hero had turned into a blushing babbling idiot at the sight of a half naked woman standing in front of him. As if to try and get his point across he looked at her then just as quickly looked away. Whipping his head away so fast had his head spinning but it got the point across as she finally realized it was the fact she was standing before him half naked, no bra on and her hair a mess atop of her head.

“What are you thirteen? I’m not naked calm down,” she said simply with a simple roll of her eyes as she straightened up and stuck her hands on her hips.

“Now stay put while I go get you something to drink and maybe some sort of food you will need your strength,” she said softly as she took the chance to turn and walk out of her bedroom leaving the door open as she left the number one hero sitting back on her bed in his still bloody hero costume.

From her kitchen she took this chance to try and steady her fast breathing as she noticed his blood still on her hands and quickly started to wash it down her kitchen sink. How the hell had her night turned into this? What even was this? Was she dreaming? Nope she was indeed awake. Sure patching up idiots who got themselves beat up was not exactly new for her. But patching up a hero? And a top tier one at that? Well this was a first. With her hands now clean she reached into her fridge to grab a water bottle out and then pulled out some bread and sandwich meat making a quick light sandwich before returning to her room to find the man still where she left him. His green eyes seemed a little more alive at least as he looked around the room taking in the clothes that overflowed her hamper, the lack of personal belongings. No photos of her, or friends, or family. Not even a family pet. The top of her night stand was clean and empty, not even a lamp. To be honest the room seemed rather impersonal. And that was just how she liked it.

“Here,” She said, walking towards him with the plate of food in hand

“Thanks again,” He said softly, sounding pretty exhausted. Then again he looked like he had taken a hell of a beating so of course he would have felt exhausted even without the hole in his side.

“Don’t mention it. Though I am curious. How in the world did you end up in my room?” She asked as she watched him pull his bloodied gloves off of his hands now revealing the rather scarred up skin that hid under the gloves. Of course the mention of his little adventure into her window had him blushing again. What a sweet little sugar cookie he was a she watched a grown man blush as he took a bit of his food before answering.

“Oh uhm well I thought it was the window to my place. I must have miscounted,” he said softly, unable to look at her as he eyed up his sandwich before quickly taking another bite. Now that surprised her as she arched an eyebrow at the man. Was he saying he lived not only in this neighborhood but also in a building like hers? No he had to be confused. There's no way the number one hero lived in such a poor and dingy neighborhood.

“I think you're on the wrong side of town hero,” She said simply as she watched him now look at her with a confused look.

“Huh no I’m not,” He said, taking her comment almost a little too seriously.

“Really? So what is the number one hero living among the slums?” She asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Well that's a little harsh. I know the neighborhood is not great. But yes. What better place that could use a hero than this area where crime is high, and people are struggling to make rent. I figured having a hero in the area would be good. It’s statistically shown that neighborhoods with heroes resigning in them have much lower crime rates than those without,” Okay there may have been a little bit of logic put into his thought process but still it seemed too good to think someone like the number one hero actually gave a shit about the little guy in life. She couldn’t help but think the man must have had some other motive. No one willingly lived in this area of town.

“Ha you're giving me the same face Kacchan did when I told him. You’re wondering why the hell I chose a poor area and you're skeptical. Well I am being serious. I’m one of your neighbors, I live in apartment 414. My name is Midoriya Izuku,” He said as he finished off the sandwich she had quickly made for him. Of course hearing him say he lived in the apartment beside her was surprising but she knew it had been vacant for a month before someone had moved into it recently. The place was always quiet so she never bothered to meet the next door neighbor. Getting personal with people was not typically a good idea to her.

“I’m Sugahara Aoi. I live in apartment 412. So now you know to better count the windows you're climbing up to. Though how the hell did you even climb up the side of the building? There is no fire escape,” She asked, arching an eyebrow after she had at least been able to be nice enough to give the man her name since he had been polite enough to tell her his civilian name. Still she never would have imagined that the number one hero in all of Japan was such a soft sugar cookie boy. Was it the odd innocence? The freckles? That boyish face or the awkward grins he would give during interviews that made him always look young? Even in person now, sure he was taller in person and it was clear with the skin tight suit he was muscular. But nothing about him was overly intimidating as he laid out across her bed making it look rather tiny.

“It’s nice to meet you and I am really sorry about breaking into your bedroom in the middle of the night,” Midoriya said, seemingly avoiding her question about how he made it up to the fourth floor of the apartment building with no fire escape to use. Instead he continued to apologize.

“It’s fine so stop apologizing. Get some rest I’ll check on you in a bit,” She said, placing the dirty plate on the nightstand not caring about it as she walked over to her dresser pulling out some clean clothes before leaving Midoriya to rest in her bed for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

With clean clothes in hand she quickly headed for her bathroom. A quick shower was much needed as she watched the pink water run down the drain for a few seconds before the water was running clear again. It was a lot to take in knowing that the number one hero was currently taking up her bed as she showered quickly before getting out and throwing on another loose shirt and some leggings this time not wanting to give the poor little sugar cookie a heart attack on top of his blood loss.

Once she was dry and freshly dressed she carried her blood stained clothes out and grabbed a garbage bag to toss them into before setting it down by her door. Her bed sheets were going to need to join her ruined clothes. Great another expense, what did a new set of sheets cost? She really did not want to think about how much she was going to have to budget in order to afford new sheets. With the thought of the hero entering her head she silently walked to her bedroom before poking her head into the still dark room. Soft breathing told her he was asleep. Leaving him, she closed the door and turned to head to her living room. Sleep was not an option any more at nearly five in the morning. Her cheap couch was far too uncomfortable to sleep on. She just had to hope that he would be able to hobble to his own home in a few hours and she could have her bed back for a quick nap before her afternoon shift. But for now she sat on the hard couch and turned her tv on quickly turning the volume down she looked for the local news station. She rarely watched the news, she didn't enjoy the reminder of how weak and useless she was in this world where she was a minority.

Really she was trying to find out what the hell the hero in her bedroom had been doing to end up in his current state. But currently there was nothing rather recent about his actions other than a recap of a purse snatcher he stopped and how he helped a school bus of kids that had driven off a bridge. Nothing that explained his current state during an ungodly hour of the night. Was it simply too early? She found it hard to believe paparazzi and the news never saw anything as it seemed like the man always had a shadow following him since he made the number one spot a couple years ago. It only had a stone start to sit in her gut making her feel uncomfortable. She could only hope whoever dealt that damage to Deku was in an even worse shape. Still it had her closing all the blinds to her home and double checking the lock on her door.

She was often paranoid enough on a good day but adding the fact she had an injured number one hero in her home, she could think of a few people who lived in the neighborhood who would happily do whatever they could to get to the man and kill him. What a moron to live in an area that housed a large criminal population. More people in the area were bound to try and kill him then help him especially if he's injured. Of course that made her question her own sanity, she was already an easy target in the neighborhood for being a quirkless woman, but if anyone learned she was helping the hero she could find herself in some hot water.

She had always been too nice for her own good, helping anyone who was hurt even if she knew they were a criminal or not. Though maybe that was what kept her ass safe was a few people who owed her at least a little bit. But still helping a hero? She didn't even like hero’s either. She could have just called 911 and let him be someone else's issue. Sure people would probably see him being pulled from her home but still she could be honest and say he broke into her home in a delusional state. Panicked and scared, the poor quirkless woman called 911 thinking someone was trying to kill her. It wouldn’t be that far of a lie he had nearly given her a heart attack thinking that was what had happened before she was able to turn on the light in her room.

Eventually she ended up channel surfing trying to find something to watch and help make staying awake easier as her home slowly started to fill with light as the sun eventually started to break over the horizon and even the curtains could not keep it all out. The growl of her stomach finally drove her some hours later to get up and stretch. Her back popped a few times before she yawned and slowly made her way into the kitchen. What did she have enough of to make enough for two? Rice she had a good deal of. But what to make with it? She was incredibly unprepared for a guest, hell she really didn’t have enough to feed herself anything but rice. She used the last of her bread for his sandwich last night which she had hoped to have for lunch today. She was hoping tips at the restaurant would get her enough to buy a few groceries.

Sigh softly she at least got the rice started in the rice cooker before trying to scrounge up something for him to go with it. She could live with just the rice herself and maybe get a cheap meal once she gets to work. Deciding to check on him she left the kitchen and proceeded to poke her head into the bedroom though this time she was greeted with a soft smile as the man sat up against the headboard of her bed. Seems he was awake, she hoped she did not wake him while she had been rummaging about her empty kitchen.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?” She asked as she turned on the light and walked towards him as her eyes glanced down at the gauze that sat over her handy work. It sported an angry red spot but at least looked like it had not bled through the bandage.

“Like I got hit by a bus,” He mumbled, still seemingly half asleep as she walked up towards him. His bloody gloves sat on her night stand beside the dirty plate she still had not retrieved.

“Well you look like you decided to fight with one. You're lucky you didn’t bleed to death last night,” She scolded him as she grabbed the plate off the nightstand now that she could walk far enough into the room to get it.

“Do you think you can move? I was about to start some breakfast. Once you eat we should see if we can get you back on your feet, cleaned and dressed in something not covered in blood and dirt," She said silently adding and get him to his own home and out of hers.

“I’m not too sure,” he said softly as he raised one arm to rub the back of his neck but that action had him hiss and give up mid attempt. And seeing the fact that he could barely lift his arm she was a little worried about how hard it may be to get him out of her bed.

“Well stay put for now. Let's get some food into you first then we will see how you're feeling after you eat some,” She said as she turned and headed out of her bedroom leaving him to try and get comfortable as she headed back to the kitchen to make him some food and herself a bowl of rice. It wasn't much but she was at least able to make him a bit of food as she grabbed him a large bowl of rice alone with a bit of salmon she had been saving.

Tapping her hip into the door it swung open as she strolled into the room seeing the man was still in the same position as he had been when she checked on him last. It seemed he must have been feeling at least a bit better as his face seemed to light up at the view and smell of the freshly cooked food.

“Here it’s not much I had planned to go get groceries tomorrow,” She mumbled as she walked towards the bed as he slightly shifted a little bit to better make himself more comfortable before she offered him the food. Spotting the glass on the nightstand empty she grabbed it once her hands were free. She may as well get him a fresh glass of water to go with his meal. Once the new glass of water was sitting on the nightstand she left him to eat in peace. With him fed she was able to eat her rice as she hid in the kitchen still unsure what she was going to do next with the hero. Stuffing her face quickly she went to retrieve his dishes so she could get everything washed up before she would try and get ready for work in a bit.

Walking into the room she found that he had not completely finished his meal and was still slowly working at his food. His movements were slow and sluggish, his body must have been aching a good bit if he still was working at his food.

“I hope the food is good,” She said softly as she walked towards the bed and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

“It’s good, thank you,” He said simply between slow mouthfuls.

“Do you think you could make it to the bathroom? You really should be cleaned up. A shower would be good for you, then I will redress your wound. Um you’re going to need clean clothes too,” She mumbled the last part more so to herself as she glanced over at him.

“A shower would be so wonderful right about now. Not sure though if I'll be able to get there on my own. But in the meantime if I give you my key can you run next door and grab me some fresh clothes?” Of course the little cinnamon roll was blushing at his request to send a stranger not only into his home but also she would have to go into his bedroom. A stranger was about to find out how big of an All Might fan he was since his room had not changed much even after moving out of his mothers or the dorms of UA.

“Sure it's no problem. Give me your keys and I'll go get anything you need,” She agreed as much as she would have rather just sent the man back to his own home she would probably have to drag him across the floor to get him there at this moment. And that was not physically possible at the moment. She wasn't stupid there was no way she could forcefully move the mountain of muscle that was sitting on her bed. The least she could do was grab him some clean clothes. With a nod of his head she watched him reach into a pocket of the utility belt he was still wearing and pulled out a small ring of keys. Only two keys sat on the little ring, one for the door and one for the mailbox it seemed. Was he serious? No multiple locks on his door? She almost envied him. Either he was stupid, didn't care about being robbed or felt confident that no one would rob him.

“Alright I’ll go and grab some clothes for you, so I’ll be right back. Try and finish eating by the time I get back,” She said as she took his keys and stood up off the bed. Stepping out of the bedroom she walked through her little apartment and headed for the door walking into the hallway. She glanced around making sure no one was around as she locked her door behind her. With a check no doors were open in the hall before she quickly walked to the next door beside hers. She had never met the previous tenant, hell she wasn't even too sure how long the pro hero had been living beside her. Quickly sliding the key into the doorknob she unlocked the door before quickly sliding into the apartment and locking the door behind her. Her paranoia was as strong as ever as she didn't trust leaving either of the doors unlocked with his keys and hers in her hand.

Looking around the apartment she almost could not believe that they lived in the same building. His apartment almost didn't look anything like hers. A large tv and nice couch sat in his living room, his kitchen looked a little bare but still had more appliances than hers did even though it didn't look like he used any of it. Heading for his bedroom first she tried not to pause or think about walking into a stranger's home. After all, he had asked her to do this. As soon as she flicked the light on she paused as she took in the childish looking room. Well she had never met anyone like this man. All Might stuff littered the room from posters on the wall to figurines on shelf's. It was a bit to take in as she felt like she had just walked into some teen boys room, actually maybe it would have been less weird if there were posters of half naked women rather than the previous symbol of peace. Or was this simply something hero’s had a tendency to do? She wasn't too sure nor did she want to think about it too hard as she walked over to his dresser grabbing the first shirt, boxers, and pants that she came across.

Fighting back a giggle she couldn't help but notice the All Might boxers in her hands that she folded between the grey sweat pants and red shirt she had grabbed. She didn't care if the shirt and pants did not match. Not like she expected anyone to see him in it but herself. Deciding he may want some of his toiletries she made her way to his bathroom to grab his shampoo and conditioner along with a razor, he may want to shave that stubble she had noticed was starting to appear on his chin. Jeez even his shampoo and conditioner looked expensive just like almost everything else in his home. Entering his home truly felt like she had walked into a different world. Photos of him with whom she could only assume was his mother and friends littered the walls. Even once her hands were full she was about to walk out when she paused at a photo by his door. It was clearly Deku standing beside a short middle aged woman, she sported the same green hair and eyes as him. It was easy to guess that had been his mother as the two held each other in a tight embrace both smiling widely at the camera. It was so cute it was almost sickening. Once again she poked her head out of the door and into the hallway she glanced up and down the hall before stepping out and locking the door. She nearly sprinted back to her apartment and unlocked the door, quickly slipping into the apartment she quickly locked the multiple locks on her door already being reminded of how she and him clearly lived in different worlds.

“I’m back Deku,” She called out before walking into the bathroom with the armful of belongings before heading to her bedroom to be greeted by his wide boyish grin. It almost felt more like he was a dog welcoming home its master as he smiled at her.

“You don't have to call me Deku. Midoriya is just fine,” He said blushing softly as she used his hero name to address him.

“Oh sorry it's just a habit,” She said simply as she walked towards him, now spotting the empty dishes on the nightstand.

“I left you some clean clothes in the bathroom. I also grabbed your shampoo and conditioner. I wasn't sure you would want to use mine,” She said simply as she offered him back his keys to his apartment.

“You should really invest in more locks. And I’d suggest you not let the neighbors see your place. You scream I have money and people will not hesitate to try and break in,” She said a little bluntly but he just chuckled at her mild concern.

“It’s fine even if someone did rob me it wouldn't be the end of the world,” He said simply which just had her blink her eyes at him. Damn rich guy. Resisting the urge to grind her teeth she simply huffed a breath as she tried not to pout.

“Well I’m sure you wouldn't enjoy someone stealing that All Might collection. You may at least want a lock on your bedroom door. Whatever. Lets get your large ass up and to the bathroom,” She mumbled, completely pouting at the thought of how he didn't worry about money. Meanwhile she worried about her next meal, no wonder everyone in the neighborhood hated heroes.

“Thank you again for everything. I really owe you one Sugahara,” He said, giving her a wide boyish looking grin. He seemed so carefree even though he had a hole in his gut and could barely stand up even with help.

“Just don’t kill over on me. I don't want to have to deal with the trouble that would cause me,” She said simply as she walked over and slung one of his large arms over her shoulder, “on the count of three lets get you up.”

“One, two, three,” she counted out loud before the two of them both pushed up forcing his feet to touch the ground beneath him as they both stood up. She felt his body sway before leaning into her a little before he found his balance.

“How are you doing cinnamon roll?” She asked him to which she got a chuckle from the man.

“What is up with the sweet theme nicknames. Last night you called me a sugar cookie and today a cinnamon roll,” He said with a deep chuckle as he slowly took a small step before waiting for her to follow after him as they slowly inched their way across her bedroom.

“Because you're an innocent moron. Even being a pro hero you don’t look like you would willingly hurt a fly. You’re just a sweet innocent boy. You remind me of a sugar cookie,” She answered rather honestly with a light giggle. She couldn’t help it even with this man being a mountain of strong muscles with a quirk that could take on the world he still just looked like some stupidly innocent kid to her.

After what felt like an hour they were able to get him into the bathroom where she sat him down on the toilet with the lid down. She was a little unsure but he was persistent he would be able to stand long enough to allow himself to shower. It was probably best this way to keep the hole in his gut clean and not sit in filthy water but still she was a little worried about him toppling over in the shower. As she turned the shower on she watched his hands struggle to reach for the zipper on the back of his costume. It probably wasn't normally an issue to reach but with his limited mobility and the hisses of pain when he pulled at his stitches or stretched in a wait that clearly hurt something.

“Don’t exhaust yourself there sugar cookie. Let me,” She said as she leaned over him to reach for the zipper before she tugged it a little bit down his neck and into the middle of his shoulder blades before she could no longer reach. She didn’t even notice she was leaning into him, pressing her chest against him as she shifted to reach around him before once again grabbing the zipper and finishing to tug it the rest of the way down.

It wasn't till she pulled away that she was able to take in the man's freckled face was beet red. Assuming it was the fact a woman had started to undress him it must have embarrassed him. But still she found it funny as she gave a light giggle at his flushed face.

“And that is why you're a sugar cookie. I’ll leave the rest to you. If you need anything, just call,” She said as she stepped away from him and out of her small bathroom leaving the flustered man to finish undressing himself as he tried to mumble out a thanks but nothing came. Once he was alone he slowly dragged himself up and into her shower. Luckily it was only a few small shuffled steps for him to step into her shower. The hot water was amazing in the moment as it felt like it was washing away at least a little bit of his stress.

Chapter Text

She couldn’t help but softly pace around in front of the door to her bathroom, listening in case the man took a tumble in her shower. After all, he was walking around like a newborn fawn at the moment and she did not trust he wouldn't end up hurting himself worse than he already was. She was also worried about what she was going to do about him. She doubted he would go to a hospital, but did he have someone who could help and care for him if she did somehow get him back to his apartment? It was clear when she got his stuff that he lived alone, no one else's clothes, shoes or belongings seemed present. Hmm did he have any friends in the area? Okay that was a stupid thought the number one hero more than likely did not have any friends that lived in this neighborhood. Still maybe one of them could come and get him and nurse him back to health. Did pro hero’s have any non pro hero friends? Since last she knew pro hero’s tended to work rather long hours compared to some and were always on call. Then there were missions to deal with. Could a pro hero actually take the time to care for him on top of their job? She just worked waiting tables at a nearby restaurant. It's not like she worked more than eight hours on any given day. Still she didn’t like the idea of being stuck with him. This was truly a discussion they were going to need to have before she went to work.

Finally the water for the shower stopped running and she couldn't help but press her ear against the door listening closely in case he was in some sort of trouble but refused to ask for help. She could hear slow shuffling before it sounded like he ended up sitting on her toilet since there probably wasn't even enough room for him to sit on the floor in her tiny bathroom. At least now she didn't have to worry about him falling as she once again started to pace till she heard him softly call out.

“Sugahara?” he called out her name which had her quickly lean towards the door.

“Yes?” She called back softly.

“Ugh could you come help me?” she was pretty sure she could already see the man blushing at the simple request of needing help even before she stepped into the room and saw his red face.

“Sure,” She calls out as she opens the door and steps in to find the man now dressed.

“Hold on while you're sitting down. I want to check and apply new bandages before you move again." She said before grabbing her first aid kit once again as she pulled out clean gauze and watched the man just lift up his shirt showing off most of his abs. Damn the man was drool worthy that was for sure. Yet for some reason she had a feeling he did not realize how attractive he is as he watched her walk towards him and carefully peel off the gauze from the night before. Her stitches were not great but they held. He isn't bleeding any more but the skin around looked more red than she would like as bruising also littered the skin around the wound.

“I never asked but what the hell happened to you last night?” She asked as she made sure the wound was clean and dry before she pressed gauze to him and this time wrapped some tension bandage around him to help keep the gauze in place.

“Oh you know fighting villains and what not,” He mumbled, not actually answering her question. She assumed it must have been something bad if he wouldn't tell her.

“Fine, don't tell me,” She was completely sticking her bottom lip out and pouting as she wrapped bandages around his torso.

“We also need to talk about what you're going to do. You can't get up on your own. Do you have any friends that you could get help from?” She asked as she leaned back from him and admired her less than perfect handy work before she looked over at him watching him blush and drop his shirt as his other hand ran through his hair.

“Well most of my friends are fellow pro hero’s. I’m not sure if any of them could help very much. Plus most would be even more persistent than you about going to a hospital,” He said, giving her a sheepish looking smile. So he didn't want a friend dragging his ass to the hospital was the biggest reason.

“Alright then stay put here while I'm at work. Let's get you back into bed then,” She said as she stepped to his side the best she could and once again she draped his strong arm over her shoulder before helping him up to his feet. At least this time he did not sway when he stood up. So that's an improvement right?

“Thanks again Sugahara,” he said with a duck of his head and a rather guilty look on his face.

“Stop thanking me and apologizing. Just be happy I’m not a bitch and won’t toss you out on your ass alone,” she said as she helped him back to her room where different bed sheets now covered her bed. She doubted she would get the blood out of the other set but at least she had an old backup. Glancing over at him she finally noticed the shirt he was wearing bore two big double r’s across the front.

“You are a really big fan of your fellow hero’s aren’t you?” She asked with a giggle at the thought of the All Might boxers she was very aware he was currently wearing. Of course the idiot's face turned red and he started to stutter something about liking to support his friends. His face was so red she almost couldn’t see his freckles any more.

“Oh calm down sugar cookie. I think it’s nice you buy your friends merchandise. But it does make you look like a nerd,” She couldn't help but tease him lightly as she slowly helped him to sit down on the edge of her bed.

“Kacchan says the same thing, though he doesn't say anything when I wear something from his line,” Midoriya says as he gives a small embarrassed chuckle but still that small lopsided boyish grin remains.

“You have mentioned that name a few times. Kacchan must be a pretty good friend of yours if you talk about them so much,” She said, unable to hold back her curiosity as she straightened up and stretched a little. Her body isn't used to all the heavy lifting she had been doing the last couple of hours and is starting to protest as it grows stiff on her.

“He is. We have known each other since we were little kids. We went through UA together. He’s a little rough around the edges but he's really a great guy and hero,” Midoriya said as the smile on his face only grew wider at the memories of his dear childhood friend. A great guy and hero? She was pretty sure she had heard an interview where Deku had said the same thing about someone once before? Who was it again?

“It almost sounds like you're talking about Dynamite every time someone questions how you just let him just yell at you the way he does,” of course being able to connect the dots had surprised Midoriya a little but still he smiled innocently at her as he nodded his head.

“Well that’s just how Kacchan is. I think a part of his loud personality is just linked to his quirk. He’s always a little loud and aggressive, it's just who he is but deep down he's a good guy,” She could feel her jaw drop at hearing the little sugar cookie defend someone like Dynamite but to hear that the two are childhood friends well she would never have guessed that, not with the way the angry blonde treats the green haired man on tv. Of course her blunt surprise just seems to make the man laugh which in turn had him hiss and grip at his side when his body deemed laughing too painful.

“Everyone always gives me looks like that when I say almost anything about Kacchan,” He said his shoulders still shaking softly with a silent laugh though it was short lived as even that hurt like hell.

“Well yeah! It’s kinda hard to believe you're talking about the same man. Great Explosion Murder God Dynamite, Like first off who the hell tries to make that their hero name, second have you seen the guy in any interview? The man is loud, rude, egotistical and obnoxious, like how the hell did he get into the top ten heroes. Scratch that I am sure it's simple because of those good looks saving his ass,” She was completely ranting and raving now about the blonde hero that she really personally did not like. She was so worked up she had even started to wave her hands around a little before throwing them up when she admitted the man's good looks had to be the only thing saving his top hero spot. Of course poor Deku could only watch the woman rant about his dear friend. Though she wasn't completely wrong and he had also learned long ago not everyone had the same opinion of Bakugo as he did. So he couldn't just argue with her since she wasn't completely wrong.

“Well you're not completely wrong. Kacchan is a bit rough. But he has gotten better since high school. He was really bad back then. It's just who he is to be loud and I think more so crude. But he speaks his mind honestly, to honestly really. But if you actually get to know him you would find he is not that bad,” Izuku said, trying to stand up for his friend but the look he got from the woman standing in front of him clearly told him she was not convinced. He wanted to offer to introduce her to him. But he feared the two may be a bit similar and feared fists may fly if it escalated past insults and screaming at each other. But the woman standing before him really did remind himself of his best friend.

“Yeah and pigs will start flying,” she nearly snorted, finding it hard to believe the angry blonde man was not as bad as she assumed.

“Whatever. I don’t have time for this. Lay back and relax. I gotta head to work soon. I’ll grab you some more water but I hope you will be okay on your own. Oh hand me your phone,” she said, giving him more of an order than asking him for his cell phone. She watched as he handed his cell phone over to her without arguing as she sent a text to her own phone and heard the phone still sitting on her night stand vibrating.

“There. Now you have my cell number. If anything happens I guess you can call or text me while I’m at work. But beware I may not answer right away if I’m working,” she said before she turned and walked over to her little dresser pulling out her uniform. Well really it was a short little tight black skirt. A tight strappy little matching black top. And of course she grabbed the most padded bra she owned. She was going to need all the help she could get to make good tips. She needed to get groceries but also she was worried about Midoriya’s injury. Infection is a real concern and he won’t go to the hospital for what ever stupid reason. She needed to see if she could get her hands on some antibiotics for him. Ugh what a pain this was turning out to be.

She had to struggle not to laugh as she watched the man’s face turn all sorts of different shades of red the second she pulled a bra out of her dresser. Poor guy acted like he ain’t never seen a bra before. Oh what an innocent idiot he was.

“I’d say don’t go peaking through my things while I am at work. But you can’t exactly walk. And something tells me you wouldn’t do that for risk of giving yourself a heart attack,” her tone was completely teasing as she tried not to laugh as she looked over her shoulder at the poor man who was still looking incredibly uncomfortable and embarrassed. He looked more like he had just walked into a woman’s changing room and been caught red handed in such an action.

“I would never do that,” he stuttered out as his gaze quickly looked away as if seeing her holding her change of clothing was the equivalent of seeing her naked. What a sweet and innocent little sugar cookie he was.

“Ah yes. Cause you’re a big strong hero right? Alright cinnamon roll calm down before your face explodes,” and yet she couldn’t keep the smirk from pulling at her lips as she swirled her bra around one finger as she started to leave her bedroom ready to go to the bathroom to be able to change saving the poor man from having an aneurysm if he actually was forced to watch her get changed. She spent a lot of effort saving the man she didn’t need to be the reason he died.

“You are not going to stop with the sweet themed nicknames are you?” He asked as she once again called him a cinnamon roll.

“Nope,” she said, popping the P as she said it before slipping out of the bedroom.

Once she walked out of the tiny bathroom she was now dressed for work, the skirt made it hard to bend down. If she wasn’t careful, bending over would show off her ass. Her shirt clung to her top half and the bra she wore was a bit tight, the padding pushed everything up and together nearly making it hard for the top to contain the girls. Her hair had been slightly curled, a good bit of makeup caked her face. As annoying as it all was, she knew this would make men tip better. Walking into her bedroom she grabbed her cell phone from the night stand where it had been charging. She also grabbed the small little black pouch she had that housed her float of change, a pad of paper and a few pens.

“Is there anything you need before I leave?“ she asked, pausing as she glanced over at the man who was leaning against the headboard of her bed with her two only pillows supporting him.

“Nah I’ll be fine till you return,” he said after a second.

“Okay good,” she said simply as she slipped her pouch around her waist and listened to it clip in place before she slipped her phone into her bra and turned to head out slipping on some old black flats that would make working at least a little more comfortable compared to the rest of her outfit.

She was leaving home a little bit earlier than normal. But she wanted to deal with one issue before work would start. She needs to get her hands on some antibiotics for the idiot hero taking up her bed. The risk of infection was very real, and even if he didn’t get an infection it would still slow his healing down. Some actual pain meds may be helpful but that she could just get at a drug store though she did worry Advil may not do that much good. But getting her hands on illegal drugs would get expensive. He would have to make due with Advil; she could at least afford that.

She walked down the sidewalk looking for a familiar face before she finally found him where he typically would be this time of day. Long greasy hair was pushed back into a low ponytail. The man was tall and lanky, honestly he reminded her of an insect in many ways. He was almost ten years older than herself in his mid thirties at least.

 

“Bando,” she mumbled as she approached the man watching as the his lips curled up into a rather creepy smile.

“Well well look who it is. Little Aoi,” he said grinning as he took in the view of the woman before him.

“Don’t be so informal. And you know I hate when you call me that,” she growled at him as her glossed up lips pressed together. She always hated dealing with the man. But he was always reliable when something was needed.

“Awe come now. I’m hurt that you want to act like we don’t know each other,” he said, faking a look of being upset.

“I’m a customer, nothing else,” she said simply and watched as he arched an eyebrow at her.

“Well then what is it the beautiful lady needs today?” He asked knowing she only came to him when desperate for something hard to get.

“Antibiotics. And make sure it’s good shit,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest trying to hide the view from the man before her as she watched those beady little eyes of his roam down to rest on her chest before slowly making their way up to her face once again.

“Oh are you playing doctor again? And you know that won’t be cheap,” he said as his eyes finally returned to her face.

“I’m well aware it won’t be cheap. I’ll swing back around after work. Have it ready for me by then or I’ll go elsewhere,” she said simply not removing her arms from her chest.

“Alright alright I’ll see you later than little Aoi,” the man said with a deep chuckle as he turned and disappeared down an alleyway as she quickly started walking down the street once again now heading straight to the train station and heading to work.

Pulling out her cell phone she looked at the message she had sent to herself from Midoriya’s cell phone. Adding him into the small list of contacts she had she put in his fun little nickname as she put him into her phone as Sugar Cookie. She knew better than to add him using his hero name. That could get her in trouble if anyone saw. Even if it was used as a joke she could still get herself into trouble, people in her neighborhood did not like hero’s. It was a good reminder that she needed to make sure no one knew she was currently harboring the number one hero and nursing him back to health. That could get her ass beat or worse could find her dead if the wrong person got their hands on her. She needed to be careful or she could find herself in a lot of trouble. How had she found herself in this situation? And why her?

Chapter Text

By the time she returned home she was exhausted, her feet hurt and her arms felt heavy as she carried a couple of bags of things. Most of them were groceries that she had used the rest of her tips on when she stopped at a discount grocery store a little out of her way but it was worth it for every yen saved she could. Her guest would need protein and meat. Things she rarely bought but she imagined he was used to eating more filling meals than she was usually living off of. Using her foot to close the door she carried her bags of groceries to the kitchen placing them down on the counter before she grabbed a small bag and headed for the bedroom.

She gave a soft knock before walking into the bedroom to find the man on his phone apparently watching tv since he could get his own internet service from his home. He had forgotten to ask about what her internet password was before he left. Though Izuku had not yet realized she did not have internet. It was all she could do to afford basic tv and her cell phone.

“I see you didn’t kill over. That's a good sign. Here I got these for you. I'd suggest you take one a day,” She said reaching into the bag to pull out an old worn looking prescription container and tossed it at him watching the confused look on his face as he read the label on the container telling him it was some sort of antibiotic.

“How did you get these?” he asked that hero tone he used on the tv started to slip through.

“You will not like the answer but since you're refusing to do this the easy and right way you have left me with no other options. I also grabbed you some basic painkillers. These may not help a lot but hopefully it will do something,” She said walking over towards the nightstand to place the unopened new box of painkillers for him to use.

Midoriya wanted to argue with her and refuse to use the clearly illegal drugs that the woman had bought. But it was hard to argue when she had been right. It was his fault she bought illegal drugs in order to help him because he didn't want to go to the hospital, and ended up with it on the news he was hurt and once again upset his poor mother. He was being incredibly selfish and in turn this woman who didn’t even know him was having to pay for his selfishness.

“Thanks. I won’t ask again how you got these. Are you sure they are safe though?” He couldn’t help but be a little skeptical. She smiled softly at him and gently shrugged her shoulders.

“My source is as reliable as street scum comes. But he wouldn’t give me something that could kill you. So you should be okay,” she admitted. After all, she couldn’t blame him for being a little unsure. There was always a risk of getting anything off the street. Grabbing his glass she left him in the bedroom before she refilled the glass and returned to the bedroom placing it beside the bottles of pills on the nightstand.

“I am sure you're hungry. I’ll get started on something to eat,” she said simply as she placed the glass down on the nightstand.

“You look exhausted. You’ve had a long day Sugahara. Why don’t we order something in? It will be my treat. It seems the least I could do,” he said, simply flashing her a wide innocent grin. That did all sound like such a great offer. Take out food. When was the last time she ate take out that wasn’t leftovers from the restaurant? It had been a long time. And it wasn’t going to be a cheap microwaveable meal from a convenient store. And if he was paying then she could order all the food she wanted right? It would also mean the food she bought would last longer. But still she was arguing with herself about taking him up on the offer as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

“Come on I know a great place that will deliver out here. They make a great katsudon. Not as good as my mothers but still it’s pretty good,” he said, smiling that innocent boyish grin at her. It was really hard to argue with him. And it did help his case that he was paying. Passing up a free meal would be stupid.

“I can’t remember the last time I had katsudon,” She mumbled as she gave in as her mouth started to water and she could hear her stomach growl as she thought about a nice hot meal.

“Great I’ll order us both some katsudon then,” He said as he reached his phone which he had placed down on the bed while she was getting him a fresh glass of water. It always cost a little extra to get his favourite meal delivered but he didn't mind knowing that it was a good distance from the restaurant to this apartment complex. And the fact they always delivered the food nice and hot so it was always worth the little larger price tag on the meal.

“Alright you order and I’m going to put away the groceries and get changed,” she said as she moved to walk across her room to fetch herself something much more comfortable to wear. Another loose t-shirt and this time some tight soft leggings was her choice of clothes to relax in. But first she needed to put away her groceries, unable to leave them on the counter but that only took a minute before she was making her way to the bathroom.

Dragging her feet slowly she headed to the bathroom. First things first the face paint had to go, it was annoying to wear and running a cloth over her face felt heavenly as she washed away the makeup and worked at cleaning her skin before she changed into her more relaxing clothes.

Walking out of the bathroom she felt at least a little bit of energy having returned. But she paused for a second, usually she would crash on the couch and watch a little bit of tv before bed. But she felt bad just ignoring the man. He had been home alone all day. So she headed to her bedroom and knocked softly before strolling in.

“How are you feeling?” She asked as she slowly stepped into the room and towards the bed.

“I’d be lying if I said I felt fine. It still feels like I got run over by a bus,” he said simply admitting his body hurt a good bit.

“For all I know you did get stabbed and ran over by a bus. Hopefully the antibiotics and painkillers can help a little but I feel without someone with a healing quirk you're going to be hurting like this for a while. What are you gonna do for work? I don’t need cops knocking on my door because they think you’re missing,” she realized she didn’t have a clue if his work was aware of his state or even where he was for that matter even though he hasn’t even been in her place for a full day yet.

“Actually I called them earlier. Our healer is busy if I am lucky then maybe tomorrow she will be available but otherwise it will be the next day before she gets here. I’m not dying so I didn’t want to force her away from other matters. I hope you do not mind,” he said simply. His large scared fingers were suddenly fidgeting with her bedsheets as she moved to sit down on the edge of the bed. It felt too weird to stay standing while he was forced to stay on the bed.

“No, that's fine. At least someone can come get you healed up eventually,” she said with a simple shrug of her shoulders. Though now she needed to figure out what she was going to do about her sleeping arrangement. Her couch was not comfortable. She didn’t have a futon. Looked like she was going to be sleeping on the floor of her living room for the next night or two. Oh well wouldn’t be the first time she slept on the ground. At least her apartment was dry and warm.

Before he had the chance to say anything else a knock at her door had her jump to her feet as she listened to Midoriya tell her it was already paid for. So that made it easy, all she had to do was grab the take out bag from the delivery man and head back to her bedroom. Once returning she found Izuku had squirmed his way to be able to kick his feet over the edge of the bed and looked like he was about to get up.

“Stay put idiot,” she said simply as she walked towards him with the bag of food in hand. She watched him blink his eyes as he looked over at her.

“Huh?” He softly tilted his head a little confused as she told him to stay put.

“We can eat it while sitting on the bed. You do not need to get up,” she said simply as she moved to sit beside him and started to pull food from the bag, handing him one container and some chopsticks while she took the other container.

Both mumbled their thanks for the food and started to eat. The silence felt a little awkward, or at least Aoi found it to be. She didn’t mind though as the food smelled delicious and it was all she could do not to make some embarrassing noise as she took her first bite of food. Still the silence did not bother her that much, she had not eaten a meal with someone in her home in a long time. She rarely had company, she didn’t have a lot of friends she liked having in her home. Izuku must have felt the same awkwardness since they only ate in silence for a moment before he broke it by asking her a question she never expected.

“So what do you do for work?” He suddenly asked in between bites of food.

“Mostly waitress,” she answered softly after she swallowed the mouthful of rice she was eating.

“Mostly?” He asked with an arched eyebrow.

“I’ve done odd jobs as well. Sometimes I’ve worked nights at a bar not too far from here. But the pay isn’t worth the danger,” she said simply thinking about that job. It paid better than cleaning tables. But walking to and from work in the dark was scary. And the amount of patrons who scared her and made her worried about even reaching her home after a shift had her quit fast. Still she worked the odd shift when she was desperate. Which she had a feeling she would be doing after he left. And of course she watched his eyebrows pull together softly and suddenly he started mumbling about how working night jobs had dangers, if the bar was close it was most likely not in a great neighborhood. The rambling continued even as she paused in her meal and arched an eyebrow as she struggled to both hear and keep up with his rambling.

“Do you always ramble on about things sugar cookie?” She asked with a light chuckle before she continued eating again.

“Oh sorry. I’ve always had a habit of doing that,” he said blushing and gently running one hand through his wild and slightly tangled hair. She would need to remember to go get his hair brush or comb the next time she goes to his place to get him anything else.

“You're quite the nerd aren’t you?” She asked rather bluntly and yet that had the man beside her start laughing till a hiss of pain quickly followed and ended the laughing rather quickly.

“Kacchan calls me a nerd all the time. Did as kids and still does. But you're both not wrong,” he admits flashing her a wide smile as he continues to eat.

She had slowed down on her eating already and although she wasn’t completely full she had half her meal left and yet she had slowly stopped eating. Feeling the need to keep the rest for later to help ensure she would have a meal tomorrow she found herself closing the lid on her take out container and hopefully that would get rid of the temptation to continue eating. Some habits she had developed long ago were hard to shake.

“Are you done eating already?” Midoriya asked as he noticed she had stopped eating while he still had just under half his own meal to finish. And he was not yet full.

“Yep. Not all of us are mountains of muscle and strong quirk's. I don’t require as much food as you do,” she said with a soft smile hoping that would be enough for him not to push the question more. But maybe she would have rather than the next question he asked.

“Oh so what’s your quirk then? If you don’t mind me asking,” he seemed so interested and excited over getting to talk with someone about their quirk. But that question had the last of her meal tasting sour on her tongue and her stomach tightening, threatening to remove what she had just eaten. Silently she pushed herself to stand up and turn her back to him not wanting to see the look on his face when she answered. But in doing so she also missed the look of concern that crossed his face.

“I’m quirkless,” she said simply as she walked away taking her food with her so she could use it as an excuse for why she ran from him. He never even got to apologize for the question. It was clearly a subject that bothered her and Izuku could understand that. Pangs of his past feelings about being quirkless quickly had him feeling guilty and bad for asking her about it. And clearly it was a sour spot for her as well. Now his own meal was forgotten as he contemplated if he should attempt to get up and go after her to apologize. But seeing how he barely got himself to the bathroom alone without her he couldn’t imagine he would get far even in her small apartment. And so he looked down at the carpet under his feet as guilt ate him and he waited for her to return.

Aoi quickly put her left overs into the fridge. No longer hungry she was more than happy to toss the container into the fridge. But now she needed to figure out what she was going to do. She just ran out on Izuku and it wasn’t his fault it was a harmless question to him. He did not know her enough to know she was quirkless, and surely in his line of work he only knew people who had quirks. She should not have been so rude to him but still she did not want to go back and face him. Even if she apologized, would he look at her the same way others did? Would he pity her? Or would he be repulsed? Those were the two most popular looks she got. And she hated both. But still she couldn’t hide from him all night. And it was rude of her to run.

Slowly she dragged her feet back to her bedroom and found the man sitting on the edge of her bed staring sadly at the floor before his feet no longer eating his dinner. Now she felt bad for how upset he looked. She may as well have just kicked the guy's puppy. Sighing she continued into the room and slowly walked towards him.

“Don’t look so sad there hero. Your food is going to be cold if you just keep staring at the floor,” she said trying not to let her voice sound upset as she walked over to sit beside the man.

“I’m really sorry,” he said softly before picking up his gaze to look at her as he seemed to be blinking back tears.

“Don’t apologize. It was a simple question,” she said, simply trying to remind herself that it was a harmless question more than him.

“I know what it’s like to be quirkless,” he said simply though the skeptical look she gave him had him quickly continue, “I was a late bloomer. I didn’t get my quirk till right before high school,”

Well that was interesting to learn, she would have never guessed that the number one hero went over a dozen years without a quirk. But he was lucky he still developed a quirk. And yet she recalled the image of Deku with who she assumed was his mother in his apartment. But she didn’t recall seeing any images with a male. So where was his father?

“How did your parents take that? Assuming you were quirkless?” She was curious to know if he could understand her pain with being quirkless.

“It devastated me at first. I had always dreamed of being a hero. And learning at five I was assumed to be quirkless; it crushed young me. My mother could have handled it a bit better, at times I felt she could have been more supportive that I still could have been a hero. Still though she loved me and still did what she could at the time to soothe me,” he answered talking about his mother. But there was no mention at all of his father. Maybe he simply was not around at the time.

“Lucky,” she mumbled, not actually meaning to say that out loud. But it seemed she did and that the man beside her had heard it.

“What about you?” He couldn’t help but ask after seeing how she had reacted to his question about having a quirk and the way she looked upset herself he was already quick to assume her experience had not been as good as his but he still did not expect the answer she gave.

“My parents were in denial for years. At first it wasn’t so bad at five and six. By eight they seemed to be coming to terms with the realization their first born was quirkless. So they started trying for another. A little before my tenth birthday they gave birth to a little boy. And I found myself kicked out and discarded. There was no need for a quirkless child in their house. Both my parents had strong quirks, and they had big plans for a future pro hero with a strong quirk. With the chance my brother could be that they kicked me out,” she said simply ending it there not wanting to tell a near stranger that she lived on and off the streets for over a dozen years since. Even though neither of her parents were hero’s they had both always wanted to be but never made it. Forcing their children to live their dream they were enraged when they could not do that any more.

She watched his reaction as she told him the sliver of what her life was like. And of course he seemed to go through a mixture of emotions as he took in what she told him. Though what caught her off guard was the anger that settled in on his face. Usually people settled on pity when they heard her story. But Izuku seemed mad about it.

“How could they do that? They were your parents, they should love you no matter what,” he was nearly growling as he clenched his hands into fists.

“I have no clue how they could be that way. But it’s fine. I haven’t seen them since. I am alive and well. It’s in the past,” she said simply with a shrug of her shoulders, a little unsure how to get him to settle down.

“Still it’s not right,” he growled.

“And yet it happens. You would be surprised at the amount of kids I met on the streets who were disowned due to their quirks or lack of,” she said simply and watched the surprise cross his face before he sighed and settled down.

“I don’t think I want to know. I have a friend who grew up in an abusive home due to his own fathers drive for strong kids and a protégé who could one day beat and surpass All Might. And he had a quirk. I can’t imagine what life for him may have been like had he been quirkless,” Midoriya said as he thought of Todoroki. He probably shouldn’t have been talking about such a personal matter that was not his story to tell. But still he couldn’t help but tell her wanting to show her he could understand her.

“Even with a quirk do you ever still feel helpless?” She asked softly, not wanting to comment on his friend's story. She had heard similar stories from kids and friends she had made growing up. She had a good idea of what the poor person's life must have been like. She almost wondered if maybe she had met this friend of Midoriya’s since most runaways came from abusive homes like that. But she didn’t ask.

“All of the time,” he said softly, which was both surprising but also somehow nice to hear. To know that even with a strong quirk and strength he still was human and felt helpless at times.

“Oh do you want your food warmed back up?” She quickly changed the subject as she wanted to get away from the personal conversation. A silent nod of his head was all she needed to grab his take out container and run it to the kitchen to warm up and bring it back for him to finish eating.

Chapter Text

As odd and awkward as it was, she still stayed with Midoriya as he finished his meal before she cleaned it up. Now that he had a full stomach she harassed him to take one of the antibiotics and painkillers before she would leave him alone. And of course at first he had been reluctant and it even got to the point she had threatened to pry his mouth open with her own hands and force the pill down his throat. It wasn’t till she was standing in front of him about to put a knee on the bed beside him that he seemed to realize she was not bluffing and she would climb onto his lap if she had to to be able to wrestle his mouth open. That seemed to be when he finally caved in and did as she wanted, taking a painkiller and an antibiotic.

“Alright. Now was that really that hard?” She asked as she stepped back from him and put her hands on her hips.

“Yes,” he grumbled, completely pouting like a child.

“Oh don’t be such a baby. You're a big strong hero. Maybe try acting like it. You're really hurting the Deku brand,” she said, unable to help but tease him as she struggles not to smile and laugh as she watches him.

“Do you think you feel up to moving? I’m sure my bedroom is plenty boring. I don’t have a lot for television options but I do have an old little tv in the living room if you want to try shuffling your tall ass to my living room,” she offered as she was sure it could not be that fun stuck in her plain bedroom. No tv, laptop, all he had was his cell phone which at least that would have been able to save him at least a little boredom.

“It would be good for me to try and get up and move a little,” he said with a soft nod of his head, liking the idea of being able to sate some of his curiosity on what her home was like. Sure he had seen a small bit went he went to and from the bathroom but it didn’t really show much else of her home.

“Alright then. Let’s get up,” she said once again walking over beside him ready to sling his arm over her shoulder. Instead he simply placed a large scarred hand on her shoulder using her as more of a grip as he slowly forced himself to his feet. His hand gripped her shoulders softly but he didn’t sway which was nice.

“Well look at you. Already getting up nearly on your own. Just be careful I don’t want you ripping any of the stitches,” she said as she stayed beside him. But watching him slowly walk it was clear to see that his body was still weak and hurting. It was still amazing though to know that with a hole in his side he was still able to walk or move at all.

“I just hope moving hurts less tomorrow,” he said lightly as he slowly walked beside her, still happy to have her to lean on a little.

“The fact that you can move at all is amazing. You have a hole in your gut and are covered in bruises. Consider yourself lucky you are alive and walking at all,” she said as she helped him to the living room before she helped him to sit on the small rock hard cheap couch she had. And of course she watched his eyes look around her little living room that was similar to his. But all it really shared was size and the paint on the walls. Otherwise their living rooms were vastly different. Where he had photos of friends and family hers was bare, not even a painting was visible. The walls of her apartment were bare. But after what he had learned of her past it was no longer surprising.

The small couch under him was incredibly uncomfortable, it was clear she had patched up corners where the fabric had ripped or the stitches broke. Remembering the fact she had also stitched him up made him wonder how she learned to sew? Or maybe it was something she had been forced to teach herself? The couch alone told him that she fixed things before throwing them out. So she most likely did not have a lot of money. Then again the fact she lived in this cheap apartment complex would suggest that she didn’t have a lot of money.

“Here flip through the channels and pick something I am going to make us some tea to drink,” she said handing him the tv remote before she walked into the kitchen to grab two miss matching mugs before she started making some simple green tea she kept on hand.

Once she returned with a hot mug in each hand she offered one to him before she sat down beside him. The couch was tiny forcing them to sit side by side as her arms brushed against his. She didn’t mind or even notice but poor Midoriya was silently panicking. He could feel her warm body beside him. Any time she moved he could tell, even if it was something as simple as lifting her mug up to her lips.

“What were you able to find?” She asked looking at the tv to find he had settled on some older movie. It seemed like an action thing but she didn’t really know as she did not watch a lot of movies when she was younger nor did she now either.

“Oh Uhm you had one channel that just seemed to play a bunch of really old style movies. They seemed interesting,” he said simply before quickly apologizing if she didn’t like his choice.

“You really need to stop apologizing for stuff,” she mumbled at him as he apologized.

“I’ve never actually watched any of the movies they play so this is fine. I don’t usually get time to sit down and watch movies,” she admitted as she happily sipped her tea. It wasn’t till she started to watch him that he finally and nervously took a sip of his tea as he once again apologized after she told him he needed to stop apologizing. Which just drew a long sigh from her but she didn’t bother to say anything. She really needed to pick her fights better with him, and his apologizing was clearly not going to end any time soon.

The movie wasn't anything amazing by any type of standard, both of them could agree to that. But still getting to sit there and simply enjoy the company of someone else was nice. It took over half the first movie before Midoriya finally started to relax. He just could not force his body to relax as long as he felt the warm body beside him. It was like he was in high school all over again. He knew it was stupid to feel so nervous around a complete stranger but still he couldn't keep the sound of his heart beet from filling his own ears and the blood rushing to his face. Even as it seemed she was completely unfazed as she leaned back into the couch and seemed to actually be paying a decent amount of attention to the movie and even as it ended she asked him if he wanted to watch another. Of course he became a stuttering idiot and she laughed lightly and told him to relax. Which he was trying but then of course she decided to tease him and tell him she would not bite him, unless he was into that then all he had to do was ask. He knew she was teasing but still it only made his face grow even redder and his stuttering become even harder. She laughed and told him to calm down before he popped a blood vessel.

Which he tried he really did but it was hard to relax beside her. His green eyes darted over to take her in as she leaned against the armrest of the couch. At first he thought she was a bit rude and maybe even a bitch. But he had quickly learned his assumption of the woman was completely wrong. She was aggressive because she had to be, one did not survive in her life without being guarded and ready for anything. She was quirkless in a world where a person had just as much chance to win a lottery as they did to be quirkless. On top of that she had learned early no one was in her corner. Surviving every day was a struggle. Most of her clothes did not seem to fit, he also noticed she had a small washing machine but no drier. Her clothes strung out to air dry. Everything about her life was laid out for him to see, and it told him she did not live a comfortable life.

She lived in a world he could not even imagine, and she did it while being quirkless. He could very much remember how scary the world around him could be back before he received one for all, and he honestly was not sure how he would have survived without his quirks now. He saw a small glimpse into her life and now he wanted to know more about her.

“Midoriya?” It wasn't actually till her hand touched his bare arm that he jumped. He couldn't help but hiss softly at the pain that shot through his body at the action but he had not expected her small warm hand to touch his skin.

“Huh what were you saying?” He asked once again, blushing heavily as he rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, a little embarrassed that he had not been paying any attention to what was going on around him and he had completely missed that she was clearly talking to him.

“I called your name a few times. You were zoned out and muttering to yourself. Is everything okay?” She asked, looking at him with soft confused looking hazel brown eyes. Her long dark hair was pulled back allowing him a full view of her face. When had she put her hair up? It was down when she first sat down on the couch with him. But then again he also did not remember when she finished her tea and placed the empty cup down on the floor by the couch. Meanwhile he was still holding his empty cup in his hands.

“Oh, uhm yes everything’s fine. I just got a little stuck in my head thinking. I didn't even realize I was mumbling. I’m sorry,” He said, unable to help but squirm a little in his seat as he realized he was probably thinking out loud. Had he said something offensive about her when he didn't realize it?

“For a big strong hero you apologize a lot. You should grow a bit of a back bone. You're fine I was just worried you seemed to be thinking pretty hard about something but I couldn't make out what you were saying. And when you didn't reply to your name I was worried you suffered a head injury or something,” She said before she yawned softly, unable to stop herself. She had been up a long time thanks to him getting her up before four am. Her body was quickly growing tired and ready for some sleep.

“Oh my gosh you're tired. I’ve been keeping you up haven't I? You should get some sleep. You should go to bed. I’ll stay here and sleep on the couch,” He started to ramble off as he noticed her yawn and how tired she looked now that he took in how her eyelids appeared heavy and threatening to close on her.

“I decided to stay up on my own, you are not keeping me up. But you are right I should get some sleep. No you are not sleeping on this couch. The floor is more comfortable than this couch and anyways you would not fit no matter how you lay. I don't even fit and I am shorter than you. There is no way you will fit no matter what you try. You're injured so you will take the bed,” She said simply before she glared at him hard as he opened his mouth and instantly she knew it was to argue with her about the sleeping arrangements.

“But,” Was the only word he could get out before she was standing up with her hands on her hips and her eyes glaring at him. Though standing barely made her taller than him but still it got her the effect she wanted as she leaned over him a little.

“No but's. My house. So my rules and I say the guy with the extra hole in his body gets to sleep in the bed. Now no more arguing about it,” She said glaring down at him as she watched the corners of his lips tug up softly.

“Has anyone ever told you you're bossy and a little scary,” He said lightly as she leaned back a little from him and offered a hand to help him stand up.

“Yep. I’ve heard it a few times. But I just simply don’t like arguing with idiots,” She said simply, which had him lightly chuckle as he let her help him up to his feet after he had placed his empty mug down on the floor beside the couch before she once again started to help him head back towards her bedroom.

“Well I really am sorry you're stuck caring for this idiot,” He said apologizing yet again even as she shot him a dark glare.

“Well it could always be worse I guess. You’re not really that bad to put up with,” She mumbled the last part though with the way his face still lit up she had a feeling he had heard her. Which in turn made it her turn to blush for once as she helped him into her room and to her bed. Once he was at least seated on the edge of the bed she knew he could get himself comfortable on his own.

“Alright have a good night Midoriya,” She said simply as she prepared to turn and make her way back to the living room where she was going to attempt to get some sleep though it would not be very easy nor fun. It was only for one maybe two nights she could live with sleeping on the floor. A jacket rolled up would have to suffice for a makeshift pillow for the night still sounded better than using her arm.

“Hold on Sugahara,” His soft voice called out as she had turned to leave him be. Which had her pause to look over her shoulder at the man who was sitting on the edge of her bed fidgeting and blushing as he now seemed a little tongue tied as he sat there.

“Well?” She asked after a few seconds of him remaining silent. She didn't want to pressure him but she also really was growing tired.

“I feel really bad that I’m forcing you to sleep on the couch,” He mumbled though clearly was trying to think of how to get his words in order and past his tongue. Boy if he was this upset over thinking she was sleeping on the couch she didn’t want to know what he would do if he learned she refused to sleep on that couch again and was actually going to sleep on the floor. Last time she slept on that couch she couldn’t turn her head to the left for almost a week.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that we could just share your bed,” He mumbled the last part as his gaze was now looking everywhere but at her. Awe what a cute little idiot he was. He couldn’t even look at her while suggesting she sleep beside him. Boy with the look of how red his face was it seemed more like she was prepositioning her to fuck him not sleep beside him in the same bed.

“Do not worry about it. I can survive one night without my bed. Anyway, have you ever even shared a bed with a woman before?” She asked smirking as she couldn't help but tease him a little more as she watched his face.

“Well yeah of course I have,” He mumbled, glancing at her before quickly looking away. Boy this felt more like she was talking with some innocent teen kid not a pro hero adult man.

“Then you should know we women tend to hog blankets. You’ll be more comfortable on your own,” she said laughing as she watched his reaction before she started to make her way out of the bedroom.

“Good night Deku,” She called using his hero name, unable to help the laugh that escaped her as she left the blushing man sitting on her bed.

“G…good night,” was the stutter that followed her out of her bedroom as she now took the chance to hunt down a jacket or hoodie anything she could roll up to use as a pillow before she found herself curled up in the middle of her living room with her eyes drifting closed and letting herself fall asleep.

With the room dark Izuku slowly moved to crawl under the blanket that was still sitting on the bed as he tried to make himself more comfortable as he laid back before grabbing his cell phone to check what new messages he may have received while watching movies with Aoi. He swore he could still feel her small warm body pressed up against her side. She was so delicate and yet she clearly refused to be seen as such, protecting herself with that bossy attitude of hers. Yet she was clearly comfortable enough around him that she teased and joked with him, even if it was sometimes at his expense he didn't mind. She was truly different than most people he knew.

Chapter Text

The morning light coming in from the windows in the living room woke her before her alarm did. Though the fact she forgot to plug her phone in had left it with almost no battery life. But that was fine. She could plug it in later. Slowly sitting up she could feel the pressure in her back release in gratifying pops as her body shifted and she stretched out her sore back. The floor had definitely not been the most comfortable place to sleep, bust still it was better than her stupidly stiff couch. She had slept in better places but she had slept in worse at least she was not freezing or out in the weather. One more night and she would have her bed back.

The thought of a nice hot shower sounded really heavenly at that moment. But that would mean she would have to sneak into her bedroom and see if she could grab some clothes without waking up the injured idiot who currently occupied her bed. The other option would be to put her dirty clothes back on, or just not have a shower. But she really wanted to allow her body to relax. Sighing, she gathered up the cups that had been left around the living room and took the two mugs to the kitchen. May as well clean them while she tries to decide what to do.

Washing what few dishes she had sitting in the sink only took a few minutes before she was now slowly walking towards her bedroom. She decided to just stick her head into her bedroom. If he was sound asleep she would tip toe over to her dresser and at least grab herself some fresh panties. A fresh top and pants could wait till he was awake. Though she probably should have assumed he was accustomed to getting up earlier in the morning than she was since she knew he often worked during the day based on how often he made it into the news. But the thought he was already up completely escaped her mind till she cracked open her bedroom door and poked her head in only to be met with him looking up from his cell phone and smiling at her.

“Oh you're up. I hope I did not wake you,” she said softly as she returned a small smile and stepped into the room.

“Oh no not at all I’ve been up for a short bit,” he didn’t want to admit he has been awake for a couple of hours now. He did not want to admit that he had to use the washroom early in the morning and had come to find the woman sleeping on the floor of her living room. It had upset him enough that he couldn’t not get back to sleep. It bothered him that she would rather sleep on the floor than even share the bed with him. It was too early in the morning for him to be bothering Eri with how soon she could get to him. Even if Eri can get to him soon the chance it would be today would be hard. That girl already keeps herself pleasantly busy and she hasn't even finished school yet. And in turn he had texted Iida and Ochako seeing as he doubted Shoto would offer any advice. Iida had been little help for advice on what to do, and in turn Ochako had been dragged into the conversation early in the morning. Though that still did not prove to answer most of the questions had about the woman, Ochako had offered some helpful advice.

“How do you feel? Did you sleep alright?” He asked slowly, throwing his legs over the edge of her bed wanting to get up and move a little even if his body was aching all over.

“I should be asking you that question. How is your body feeling? No fervor so it doesn’t look like you’ve gotten an infection,” she said as she turned on the light and walked into the room. She placed the back of her hand against his forehead, happy to feel his temperature seemed normal. Even as she watched his face grow red at her closeness.

“I’ll check your stitches after you go for a shower and I’ll redress your wound as well,” she said simply as her eyes glanced down at where she knew the stitched up hole was. At least it didn’t look like he ever bled through the bandages which was also a good sign.

“You can go for a shower first. It’s your home you use the washroom right I will wait,” he said simply as he watched her glance over at her dresser and the door leading out of her bedroom.

“Are you sure?” Even though she knew the answer and that he would argue with her over it as well. So when he nodded his head she simply sighed figuring it was better not to argue with him.

“Alright I’ll go for a quick shower. You stay put till I get back,” she said before she headed to her dresser and grabbed herself some clean clothes. She would have to run back to his place and get him some more clean clothes. Oh well she could do that after her quick shower. First she really just wanted five minutes to herself and to be able to unwind.

She still kept the shower rather quick, only spending a moment or two standing under the hot water relaxing before she got to work washing herself and her hair. But still it felt nice to be clean and ready to go about the day. Even once out she started to prepare the bathroom for him to use it after her even before she was dry. She used the smaller towel she had left clean trying to leave the larger one for him to use. She dried herself quickly and then hung her towel up to dry leaving the larger unused towel for him by the sink. Now dressed in a slightly less baggy shirt and some shorts that could have used a bit more material to be appropriate to wear in front of a stranger she left the bathroom tossing her worn clothes into the washing machine but not yet turning it on. She wanted to make sure it was nice and full so she would gather up all her dirty clothes before turning it.

“I left a clean towel in the bathroom. If you want I can run back to your place and get you some more clean clothes while you shower,” she said as she strolled into the bedroom not paying him a lot of attention as she started to gather up her dirty clothes that had lingered in one corner of her room from before he suddenly appeared in her bedroom. Which reminded her now she needed to come up with some money for locks for the windows.

“If you wouldn’t mind some more clean clothes would be really nice,” the man said as he ran his fingers through his tangled and messed up bed head of hair.

“I’ve been in your place once already. Not like you have much left to hide from me. The fact that I know you are wearing All Might's face on your ass kinda makes any argument you could try to have mute at this point in time,” she couldn’t help herself as she struggled not to snicker as she was very well aware of the All Might boxers she had grabbed the last time she was at Midoriya’s grabbing him clothes.

“Yeah I guess you got a pretty good point,” Izuku said, unable to help the blush simply at the fact that she had brought up his boxers. Not even at the fact that they are All Might ones but simply the fact she brought up how she knew what he was wearing since she already saw them. Doesn’t get much more personal than that. So really he couldn’t say no even if he wanted to as he pulled his keys from his pocket with a light chuckle and handed them over to her.

“Alright let’s get you up and to the bathroom. Then I’ll go get you some fresh clothes. You can just leave your dirty clothes in the bathroom. I'll grab them after and throw them in the wash when I do mine,” she said, turning her attention from him to the pile of laundry she had already gathered up. Once again she slipped her smaller frame under his arm and helped him to his feet before starting their way to the bathroom. Though he was still slow moving he seemed much better balanced now. Colour had returned to his freckled cheeks in a healthy manner and he did not seem to have an infection. So all in all he looked to be getting better.

This time once into the bathroom he remained standing not having to sit down to undress himself. Making sure he was at least propped up against the wall before pulling herself away from him she gave him a few seconds to make sure he wouldn’t topple over before she left him to undress himself.

“I’ll just knock and leave your clothes outside once I’m back with them,” she called out as she slipped out of the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Once again she was careful as she poked her head out into the hallway making sure no one else was around. She hated running into some of the other neighbors on a good day. She had no desire to have to tell them why she was entering a neighbors apartment. And if any of them knew who the neighbor was that would only make things even worse. So when the hall was nice and empty she already had her keys in her pocket and had pulled out his keys as she locked her door behind her and took off the hall to his apartment and unlocked his less than amazing basic locks quickly before silently sliding in and locking the door behind her.

Stepping foot into his apartment still felt like she entered a different world. Sure they lived in almost identical apartments from the floors to the paint on the wall. But that was the only similarity. The photos on his wall, the expensive furniture, the expensive coffee maker in the kitchen. It all screamed that he did not live in the crappy apartment because he had no other choice. He lived here because he thought he could affect the crime in the area. It was a very quick reminder once again that they came from completely different worlds. She bet he had never worried about when his next meal would be or where he would sleep next. Sure she was making assumptions about him but it was hard not to when she was reminded that the man clearly had a lot of money and lived a comfortable life when he wasn’t being stabbed. Walking into his room this time she didn’t rush to grab his clothes and get out like last time. She grabbed a black pair of sweats with an explosion going up one side and of course the word Dynamite going up the other legs. She may hate the hero but at least it looked like the sweat pants would be more comfortable than jeans to wear while just being mostly bedridden.

So she grabbed the sweats as well as a dark tank top to go with it. She had a feeling this may have been something the man would wear to the gym to work out in. Once again she turned her attention to his boxers. Before she grabbed the first pair her hands touched. But this time she actually took a peak. She was kind of hoping to find a normal pair but very quickly came to realize they were all someone’s merch, with probably ninety percent being All Might related either in his face on the boxers, his colours or a saying like Plus Ultra being sketched across them.

Did this idiot own any real normal clothes? Or was most of it truly pro hero merchandise? Because so much of the clothes she had come across in his closet were not normal clothes. Was he really a fan boy for everyone? Or did he get bullied into buying this much merchandise? Aoi truly was not actually sure any more as she grabbed him the clean clothes. Grabbed his comb that she forgot last time and grabbed one of his pair slippers from by his front door before she once again repeated her sneaky attempt to leave his place as fast as possible and get back into hers where she had multiple locks to help try and keep people out of her home.

With her hands full she couldn’t help the soft sigh that escaped her as she found herself leaning back against her apartment door after having run in as if a banshee had given chase down the hall. She knew it was stupid to act so childish but it was hard to brake old habits. And fearing someone might grab her from a near by door and drag her out of the hall was one of those stupidly annoying fears even though she really did not even speak with any of her neighbors and had no reason to believe any of them even wanted to hurt her.

Once her breathing had calmed down she headed for the bathroom ready to leave the clothes outside the door for Izuku. As she approached the door she noticed the shower had already stopped. Seemed he had kept his shower short and sweet as well. Well at least she didn’t have to worry about her water bill being run up with a second person using the water.

“Midoriya, I have some clean clothes for you. I’ll leave them by the door. Once your,” she never even got to finish her planned out little sentence after she knocked on the door before it opened a little further than was needed for the man to grab his stuff from her. She knew he was naked and the little towel she had left for him was wrapped around his waist leaving very little to the imagination. His left hand held onto the towel as there was not enough to safely wrap it around without fear of it deciding to come undone with a simple movement. And although the door kept some of him hidden it did not hide him all. Although she had seen his upper half before it felt like an entirely new view with him in a towel.

Water droplets still dropped onto his shoulders from his wet hair, her eyes didn’t linger on his shoulders for long. It was hard to keep her eyes from following the trail of scars that littered both his left and right. Though his right bore a much larger scar that stretched from the top curve of his shoulder down almost to his elbow. She had noticed the scars earlier but had tried hard not to stare. But seeing how his chest that was not wrapped also bore a number of small faded scars it was easier to try and explain her staring at his scared arms than to try and explain why she was staring at his bare chest or worse if her eyes decided to travel south on him.

“Thanks,” the man squeaked as he reached and grabbed the new clothes she had brought.

“No problem. Once you have some pants on let me know. I’ll change your bandages before you put your shirt on,” she said finally able to continue her last sentence and how she had meant to say that before he opened the door and her brain had stopped functioning for a minute.

“Okay,” was the reply she got before the door closed and the view of a Greek statue was no more and she was left staring at the door. Well fuck that could have gone better. She has pretty much seen the man shirtless once before and yet seeing him in a nearly naked state had her brain malfunction. Running her hand down her face she resisted the urge to groan out loud. She was not some high school idiot, she was just embarrassing herself at this rate.

She was still not prepared as the door opened back up to still once again show off a shirtless man who was wearing sweatpants with the name of a hero she hated. But hot damn did those sweats look nice as they sat on the top of his hips a little lower than they should have.

“Alright Sugar Cookies let’s get your ass sitting down before you topple over. I’ll change out your bandages and then I’ll make us some breakfast. I hope you like miso soup,” she said as she followed him back into the bathroom and watched him sitting back on the toilet with the seat down so he wouldn’t risk falling in as she worked to remove his old bandages and apply new ones. Of course once she had removed the old bandage she inspected the stitches and wound. The skin around it had bruises up, but it wasn’t leaking any unhealthy fluids nor did it look infected so she considered that a good sign and redressed the wound.

“I know I keep saying it. But really thank you for everything. I’m a complete stranger yet you have not hesitated to help me out. It really means a lot,” she listened to him once again thank her.

“You're the number one hero. I couldn’t just let you bleed out on my bedroom floor, there would be a lot of very sad people if you died,” she said simply as if that was the only reason she continued to go so far as to help him. By now she could have dragged his ass back to his apparent and dumped him there. Leaving him on his own to care for himself. But she wasn’t that heartless. And she knew he would probably starve till he was healed up. She couldn’t force herself to do that to him. Even if he was a hero. She couldn’t just turn her back on him.

“There new bandages are in place. Do you want to go back to my bed or would you rather go to the living room? A little fresh air and sunlight may be good for you if you want me to open a window,” she said after a moment of pondering where she should carry his ass. Her bed was more comfortable than the couch. But getting him out of her stuffy bedroom may be good for him while she’s home and can also visit more easily with him. The living room also sported the only tv she had and that would give him something to do while she cooked breakfast.

“The living room sounds good,” he said as she helped him up to his feet after he had slipped his shirt on. Using her like a crutch she helped him out of the bathroom and headed into the living room where she dumped him on the couch.

“Alright, feel free to watch whatever you want. I'll get started on some food,” she said as she left him in the living room. Though the kitchen was attached to the living room so it wasn’t like she was more than a few feet away as she started cooking some rice in a rice cooker and some miso soup on the stove before frying up some tamagoyaki to go with it for him as well as some pickled vegetables she had bought the other day.

It wasn’t long before she was carrying him a bowl of miso soup and a plate with everything else on it. With a simple here you go mumbled as she passed them to him and was about to head back and hide behind the counter to eat her smaller share of the rice and miso soup. His voice had her pause for a second as he looked up and watched her about to retreat to the kitchen as if he knew she was about to hide from him.

“Aren’t you gonna come sit down and eat with me?” He asked as she had started back to the kitchen. In truth? No she had not planned to. But now that he was asking she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“I don’t usually eat much for breakfast but sure I’ll grab my plates and come join you,” she said after a second of hesitation before she agreed and found herself with a bowl of miso soup in one hand and just some rice in the other. She sipped slowly at her miso soup even as she could feel his eyes on her as she slowly ate her meal. This wasn’t exactly new. Usually she ate a lot of rice for every meal since it was the most affordable thing to purchase in bulk and did not run the risk of going bad as fast as bread, milk, meat or eggs did. She could feel he wanted to say something to her as they ate silently side by side. But he seemed smart enough to know it was better to bite his tongue than to risk saying something he shouldn’t.

Chapter Text

The sound of her cell phone interrupting her breakfast had never been as welcomed as it was at that moment. The silence between the two had felt heavy. She noticed Midoriya’s gaze shift over to her. But even his mumbling had stopped. No, it seemed more like now his mouth was refusing to work correctly. Whether it’s because he wasn’t sure what to say or wasn’t sure what to ask first. So when her cellphone offered her a saving grace she jumped at the chance to put a little distance between the two of them. Though the conversation that followed was not exactly what she wanted as she listened to a coworker begging her head off to swap shifts.

Well it’s not like it really made a difference if she gave up her shift today and instead picked one up a few days from now. But now she was going to be stuck all day with the green haired man who was sitting on her couch watching her pace the kitchen as she spoke and thought over how she could nicely turn down her coworkers request. She had no desire to be stuck with the man all day, but the shift she could be swapping would be a nicer shift to work if weighted out the shift she was giving up against the one she would be picking up. Also the sound of desperation coming through the phone from her fellow coworker was rather hard to dismiss. Aoi was too much of a people pleaser; there was no way she could turn her coworker down even though she really wanted to.

“Yeah sure. Fine I will trade shifts,” She said with a heavy sigh before she had to pull her phone away from her ear listening to the shrill shriek of happiness that came through the phone speaker. A quick glance over at the man who was still sitting on her couch it seemed even he had been able to hear that horrible noise as he silently quirked an eyebrow up at her with a soft tilt of his head. He almost looked like a dog watching its master after they made a funny noise.

“Alright just let whoever is managing know. And have my schedule changed so I do not forget,” She said once the sound from her phone had finally stopped and she could raise the device back up to her ear. With that the call ended and she walked towards Midoriya who was sitting silently on the couch watching as she tossed the device from her hand onto the couch beside him.

“Well it seems you’re going to be stuck with me today,” She said, forcing a small smile as she started to gather up their dishes from where they had been placed once no longer needed.

“I think you have it a little backwards. You’re the one who is stuck with me,” he said with a good hearted light laugh as he pointed out that with it being her day off now she was stuck with him. He did have a point and she did find the corner of her lips tugging up as she smiled while listening to him laugh and trying not to join him.

“I guess we are just stuck with each other for the entire day,” She said, unable to help the more genuine smile that pulled at her lips while she tried not to laugh before she grabbed their dishes and headed back to the kitchen to clean up the mess that breakfast had made.

“Feel free to watch whatever you want,” She called out from the kitchen before she finally heard the sound of the tv turning on as she started to fill her small little sink with hot water and got to work washing the dishes that they had used. She figured it was best to simply try and do what she would typically do on her days off. So first dishes, then she popped the window in the living room open a little letting some fresh air into the apartment. Then she gathered up her dirty clothes with his that he had been wearing yesterday and started sorting her colours and getting small loads of laundry started that she would work at throughout the day. Midoriya seemed to stay pretty quiet throughout the day and even though he tried to make it seem like it was the tv that had his attention. But in reality his green eyes would watch her from time to time or any time her back was turned to him. The shorts she had decided to wear that morning were smaller than they should be, truly they were not meant to be worn in front of someone she could still consider a stranger.

Watching her bend over to reach into her little washing machine was enough for the bottom of her ass to slightly become visible. That ever so sinful little view of where her thigh meets her ass cheeks. It wasn't the same as if she was fully naked and he could see her entire ass, yet still it seemed so wrong for him to be able to watch her stroll over towards the little thing she had crammed into a small closet space and watch her bend over. The material of her shorts shifting and being pulled tight against her ass. It felt wrong to sit on her couch and watch, unable to force his eyes away from her till he feared she was going to catch him and finally he ripped his eyes away from her to quickly turn his gaze back towards the television as she started to hang the clothes up to dry before tossing in another load.

Should he try to encourage her to put on something else? Eh but then she would know he was staring and could creep her out, also he didn't want to admit he had just checked her ass out when she bent over. No! saying anything would most likely either creep her out or make her upset and she would most likely slap him for any sort of comment about her ass or her shorts. So instead he bit his tongue trying desperately not to embarrass himself as she walked back towards him plopping herself down onto the couch beside him like she had the night before.

“What in the world are you thinking about over there?” Her soft voice filled the silence between them as a delicate finger reached out and poked him in the cheek. His face had already flushed even before he jumped and turned to look at her, his face filling with even more blood as he started to stutter.

“W…what?” He asked as he turned to look over at the woman who was trying to hold back her own laugh which only caused him to blush even more till his freckles were almost hidden among the dark red that spread from his ears, across his cheeks, over his nose and up to his other ear.

“I asked what you are thinking about? Must be pretty bad if your face is as red as it is,” She said as her lips started to pull up into a wide smirk. Well now he felt panic sinking in at still being found out because his body decided to give him away and betray him. So of course he panicked, raising his hands in front of his face.

“I..its nothing,” He whined softly now hiding behind his hands and closed his eyes. Now he felt like his former upperclassmen and now fellow pro hero Amajiki as he blushed and tried to hide the evidence of his blushing from her. And of course hearing her soft laughter only seemed to force the blushing more.

“You don’t spend a lot of time with the opposite gender do you hero? And I don't mean at all in a professional setting, I’m talking about outside of your work. Though I think you're just a sensitive little sugar cookie,” She couldn’t stop herself from laughing at him even though he childishly tried so hard to hide his embarrassed state and she still did not know what had actually caused the blush and embarrassment to begin with. She just noticed him staring off into space and blushing. At first she had feared it had been a fever starting but then when she noticed his lips moving silently she noticed he was talking to himself silently. So he was thinking pretty hard about something and whatever it was had him blushing a little too.

“I don’t spend a lot of time with civilians. All my friends are hero’s, the only person I spend any time with who isn’t a hero is my mother,” he answered honestly as he finally dropped his hands even though not all of the heat had left his face.

“Is that the woman with you in the photo by your front door?” She asked even though she was extremely sure that the woman was his mother since they looked so similar. And of course at the mention of the photo by his front door she watched his face light up as he smiled widely at her.

“Yes, that's my mother with me in that photo,” he said, sounding like an extremely happy child.

“Figured. You look a lot like her,” she said, smiling softly at him as she leaned into the couch.

“You think so,” He almost sounded surprised, which made keeping a straight face hard for her.

“We are both talking about the same woman right? A person would have to be blind to not notice. Though you are a lot taller than she looks,” Aoi said with a light giggle as she thought of the image where Midoriya had his arm sling over the woman’s shoulders and pulled her in close to him for the photo to be taken. Actually if Aoi thought about it she probably was just as tall as Midoriya’s mother. If she was to stand beside him like his mother had for the photo she would stand just the same height beside the man.

“I guess you're right,” He said with a light chuckle as he ran a large scared hand through his wild green locks.

“Your mother must be pretty happy to have her son as the top hero in Japan,” Aoi said softly as she smiled as she watched the man’s smile falter.

“Oh well yes she is very proud of her pro hero son. But my mother sometimes has a bit of a hard time with my choice in being a hero. It can be really hard on her,” He said softly as his smile fell a little.

“She cares for you so she worries. You're lucky that someone cares for you so much,” She said softly flashing him a small warm smile even though she felt her stomach tighten as a little lingering jealousy weighed her stomach down. He was lucky that he had a parent who loved him so much, she wished she had even half as nice of a relationship with one of her parents.

“Yes but then I worry about making her worry. And as you can see that just gets me into more trouble,” He said with a light forced chuckle. Since his need to hide his injuries from the media and as such from his mother it led to him breaking into the wrong apartment thanks to his injuries.

“You know if your mother loves you as much as you love her, I'm sure she will worry no matter what. And if she ever finds out you hide your injuries from her and let yourself suffer she will not take that well,” Aoi pointed out the flaw with the man's attempt to keep his mother from unneeded worry.

“You’re probably right. But still I want to try and not add onto the stress she already has,” When had their simple conversation changed into something so personal? Aoi rarely wanted to actually get to know someone. Getting personal means creating some sort of bond. Growing attached to people means that they can hurt you down the road. Jumping to her feet she was fully prepared to run away from this conversation not wanting to think about it any more.

“What do you want for lunch? Do you have any cravings?” She asked as she moved to fiddle with the window in her living room.

Izuku quickly noticed the way the woman ran from any really personal conversation, she first did it when her quirk or lack of one was brought up. She had run from him then, and at first Izuku assumed it was because she was upset at the conversation. But just now talking about his mother she once again had physically put distance between the two of them by getting up and going over to the window and even quickly changed the subject. The first conversation had been about her and he assumed it was simply a touchy subject and that's why she ran. But this time she ran from a conversation about him. The only thing the two conversations had in common was the fact that they were both personal. She clearly ran from conversations that got personal. But why? The man was curious to know why she seemed to avoid conversations that turned personal.

“Whatever you feel like making is fine with me,” He said simply as he watched her open the window and stick her head out to enjoy the fresh air. Well that was not the answer she had wanted. She planned to enjoy the rest of her left overs and then make something for just him. It would save another meal she could make for him. But no he had to go and say that, and saying she was just going to eat her left overs so what she felt like would not matter.

“Well I figured I would just eat my leftovers. So what I feel like eating doesn't really matter,” She bit the bullet and admitted she did not plan to cook anything for herself.

“Well we could just order something else in then. I don’t want to make you cook something just for me,” he said as he watched her pull her head back into the apartment and turned to lean against the window sill. And of course she arched an eyebrow at the man who suggested they eat delivered food yet again. Of course that quickly made her think of his unused looking kitchen next door.

“Do you always eat fast food?” She asked bluntly, watching him blush and nervously rub the back of his neck.

“It’s that obvious huh? My mother is an amazing cook. But I am sadly not. I’m not a bad cook but with my lack of time and practice I don’t often enjoy my own cookie,” he shyly admits.

“You should not eat such unhealthy foods. Your lucky being a hero is such a physically strenuous job. Or you would probably be as wide as you are tall,” she said with a light chuckle. Of course he couldn’t help but laugh with her.

“You’re right. My eating habits are far from healthy. If it wasn’t for my hero training and work I would probably be in trouble,” he agrees with her, well aware that after hitting his twenties he knew the body did not always metabolize as well as it did for a teen body. But his heavy workout schedule and all the hero work he did kept his body incredibly fit and muscular.

“Save the take out for when you don’t have someone to cook for you, if you're not fussy then I’ll see what I can make,” she says, pushing herself off of the window frame before she heads to the kitchen. Really she just was happy to have an excuse for why she could hide in the kitchen away from him.

“Don’t make it anything to over the top,” he called out after watching her stroll into the kitchen.

Of course she wouldn’t listen to him as she started to pull out the ingredients she planned to use and get the rice started before she was throwing frozen vegetables into a large pan. A stir fry would allow you to make a good deal of food and whatever he did not eat she could later. She did not usually have the luxury of adding meat to her meals. But she had spent a good bit of money on groceries to ensure she could properly feed him even if it meant she would be eating cup ramen for the rest of the month. She finely sliced up a bit of beef adding it to her stir fry mix as she quickly made the sauce. Really it wasn’t that hard or time consuming of a task. It was often something she liked to make when she had the vegetables to be able to make a simple stir fry. Pairing it with the rice helped make for a very simple and tasty meal. With his serving she tried to add most of the meat to go with his large bowl of rice.

With his meal in hand she left the kitchen to find him still on the couch as he should be. Well it was good to see he had not been an idiot. Sure she wasn’t far if he got up and ended up tripping and whipping out in her living room she would have heard it. Hell if she didn’t go out of her way to avoid looking over at him she could even watch. But luckily he remained seated and not moving. Though he seemed to be able to stand alone, Izuku did not want to risk trying to get up without help unless it was really important. Like going to the bathroom. So for the time being he was stuck sitting on the couch.

At some point he had tried to lay back and sprawl out over it the best his large form would allow over the little couch or more so loveseat. But with its small frame and extremely uncomfortable material it felt more like he was trying to lay out on a couch made of bricks. Okay maybe he could understand how the woman had ended up on the floor last night. He barely spent fifteen minutes trying to lay across it and he could not get comfortable. It was also a very small couch that barely fit him and her side by side on it. What if she had started out on the couch and had rolled off and just said fuck it, as he could now see that being a possibility. Even as he could hear her frying up something that was actually smelling pretty good. With a glance over his shoulder he looked at the woman who was focused on her job of cooking. Maybe his assumption was wrong this morning when he had found the woman sleeping on the floor with a rolled up jacket as a pillow.

Pulling out his cell phone he started texting the group chat that he had started with Iida and Ochako early that morning. It was a good thing both worked early morning hours and were awake when he started texting them well before six am. So of course he needed to share his new finding of how uncomfortable and tiny her couch was and once again that he was questioning his earlier assumption. Iida still didn’t offer much advice on the woman but he was still a nice rational voice and reminded Midoriya that not everyone had regular company and her couch was most likely not bought with the assumption of being slept on. It was the private text that he received from Ochako that surprised him when he noticed she did not reply in the group chat but rather in a private one.

If anyone had an idea of what it was like to live a less leisurely life it was his dear friend who had become a hero so her family would never go hungry again. He had to read the text message a few times as Ochako reminded him the woman most likely did not purchase the couch for any reason other than it was dirt cheap and better than sitting on the floor in her apartment. Midoriya never realized the couch was probably bought as a way to try and appear less broke than she was. That thought pulled his eyes to take in the edges of the seats that had been sewn back together. Realizing how much his neighbor was struggling was quickly coming into focus as his friend delicately pointed out things he had mentioned to her earlier. He had not even thought about it at all but he needed to remember not everyone chose like him to live in this apartment. Most of its tenets were most likely here because it was all they could afford. Which was a sobering thought as he got so stuck in his head he didn't even notice her walk towards him with his food in hand. It wasn't till she was tapping his thigh with a foot since her hands were full that he quickly looked up at her. Shoving his cell phone into his pocket he quickly sat up.

“Oh thank you,” he said quickly, taking the bowl of food from her hands before looking up at her and questioning her a little, “Will you be eating with me?”

“Yes but you get started I’ll go grab my lunch and be right back,” She said with a nod of her head before she turned and went to pull her left overs from the fridge and heating it up in her crappy tiny microwave that took nearly five minutes to just simply warm up her meal enough to enjoy eating it.

Aoi was completely unaware of the new way her neighbor was watching her as she carried her own meal over to the couch where she sat down and started to eat her own meal. She even told him if he wanted seconds there was lots of rice and stir fry left. Which was all the more reminder that she had cooked enough for him and him alone, if there was anything left over then would she get to enjoy her own cooking. Now he couldn't help but question everything she did, and now it itches in the back of his mind to question her about it. But Ochako had quickly reminded him to be careful about the subject as not many people want to be reminded that they are poor nor did he want to come across as pitying her even if he knew he was. The woman was nice, she went above and beyond to help him when she did not have to. Nonetheless his thoughts kept him quiet as he ate his meal while sitting beside the woman who consumed his thoughts.

Chapter Text

The afternoon seemed to go by both quickly and slow all at the same time. Laundry and just cleaning up around her home was tedious work. And it felt odd having an audience to watch her doing such mundane tasks. But yet his presence was not completely all that bad. Having someone to idly chat with as she folded her laundry that she refused to let him help with made the task go by faster than normal. Though she had to slap his hands away a few times from trying to snag a top or pants and fold them for her. It was rather entertaining to watch her small soft hand slap at the top of his large scared hands every time they tried to offer her some assistance. He even gave her puppy dog eyes. Which was not far, the man could look so sweet and innocent and make her feel guilty for something as simple as not letting him help her with laundry.

Instead she moved to sit cross legged on the floor of her living room in front of him with the clothes between them as she sat across from him. Made it easier to have a face to face chat as she worked. And it also helped her keep an eye on those scarred hands when they threatened to try and grab a piece of clothing. The chatting seemed to oddly just fall into place as the two sat in her living room chatting back and forth. It was simply things as Midoriya would mostly ask simple questions like what she liked for food, or colour. He was smart and tried hard to avoid subjects he thought may be touchy after he had asked her a question about her high school life which he had avoided answering and asked him a question about his work that sent him a small ramble about his own line of work. Which her younger self would have loved, before her mid teens she had seen hero’s like celebrities. Like when Hawks had started to climb the ladder when he debuted. But after a few years out on the streets and learning hero’s only helped those who were deemed important to society she could not deny she struggled to see heroes in that same light her younger self had seen them in. So she bit her tongue as she listened to him tell her what a typical day was like. How he loved to work with his friends such as Uravity and her husband Ingenium, and apparently Endeavour's son worked in the same agency as Deku, then Dynamite and his partner Red Riot didn't exactly work in Deku’s agency but they did a lot of joint work she learned. Apparently the man enjoyed working with his former classmates as much as he could. That made sense once she learned that UA had implemented their dorm system while he was a first year student. So spending over two years living with those people built some rather strong bonds and he seemed to hold them dear to him. It probably didn’t help she had a feeling the sugar cookie also didn’t have a lot of friends outside of his hero work so that made the friends he had important to him.

Still it sounded like it was nice to have so many friends and for them to all be so close to each other. She almost wondered what that was like? Sure she had a friend or two but she had learned early in her teens people were far faster to stab you in the back than help you. Trusting people was not something she did well. Now acquaintances she had a lot more of. People she knew by name and talked to on the very odd occasion but usually only when she needed something from them or when they more often than not needed something from her. Not wanting to give that or anything overly personal away she always would just ask him questions any time he tried to ask her something she did not want to answer. Though she didn’t always do that. Like when he asked her what her work was like she softly shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s kinda boring. During weekdays it's always the same, often business people getting lunch. Dinner time and weekends are more families or random people and groups. Into the evening we start to see those who want a few drinks with their meals but it’s not usually like a bar setting. Sure if you work closing you may be stuck with the odd drunk salesman who had one to many. But they are rarely an issue. At the end of the day it could always be worse, the jobs are not pleasant but it’s not horrible usually,” she said as she finished folding what laundry had been able to dry during the day. There was still stuff drying since most of this had also been things she had not put away from her last load of laundry from a time before she had her new roommate.

“Hmm it sounds like it's not too bad, though I know first hand being on your feet all day can be painful. It looked like you had some sort of uniform when you left yesterday,” Of course that train of thought seemed to have the man pause and blush as he recalled what he had seen the woman wearing before she had left him alone while she went to work. And of course she found it entertaining watching the way his brain almost seemed to short circuit as he recalled the memory. Her soft giggle brought him back to the realization she had noticed his flustered state.

“Take a breath before you pop a blood vein,” She couldn't help but smirk as she teased him before continuing with her reply to him, “It is more like a dress code. Black if professional looking. Female staff members are allowed to wear black dress style pants. But skirts get better attention, let's say if you know a table will contain a few drinking businessmen.”

She had little issues showing off her body in an attempt to get tips and make more money. It was better than if she was forced to sell her body. Letting guys google and look was easy. If they touched her on the other hand fingers would roll across the floor if someone was not careful. But all the regulars were well aware of that danger, it also helped that with it being a restaurant groping was rare though she was aware it happens sometimes but was not something she had yet to experience while working any of her shifts.

“I’d maybe wear heels if I could but I would probably end up wanting to cut my feet off before my shift ended, that is if I didn’t break an ankle before that,” She said lightly with a slight chuckle she had no issues admitting she could not walk in anything with more than two inches of heel to save her life. She never really wore them as a kid. She could barely afford a simple pair of sneakers there was never money to buy heels with. And now as an adult she saw them as a waste of money, she couldn't run in heels seeing how walking alone was hard enough. It also didn't seem worth it to try and learn how to walk in them since she didn't see a need to be able to wear them at all.

“I can not imagine wearing heels for any amount of time would be fun. I know a few heroes who have heels with their hero costume and I do not know how they can wear them while out on patrol and fighting villains,” Midoriya said thinking of Ochaku who had a rather impressive heel on her boots. But she had told him that the magnet's on the bottom of her soles made the heel look higher than it was for her to actually stand in. Though there was still a heel and he still didn't know how she could fight in it but she did.

“Some people are just freakishly good at wearing them,” She said lightly with a chuckle as she leaned back softly placing her hands on the carpet behind her as she pushed her chest up and listened to the satisfying cracks and pops from her stiff back that was still reminding her it did not enjoy sleeping on the floor since she had slept in a bed for the last couple years. Listening to the sound of her back popping as she bent it, Midoriya was very quickly reminded that the woman had slept in nearly the same spot where she was now sitting. How could he keep her from doing that again tonight? He really did not enjoy the thought of forcing the woman to sleep on the floor of her living room again. But what could he do? And even if he thought of something, how could he talk her into it. After all she had shot down his first attempt at inviting her to sleep in her own bed sure it was a bit small and would be a little tight getting them both in it while giving them both personal space. But still it was the most rational plan that came to mind. This was going to take a little bit of time for him to either come up with a hell of a good argument or a better plan. Which would happen first he wasn't yet sure.

“You're not wrong,” He said lightly with a little chuckle as he agreed with her comment. With the conversation dying out Aoi pushed herself to her feet as she started to gather up her folded clothes before she wordlessly started to carry them towards her bedroom to put them away. May as well put them away while he was not in her bedroom to watch her sort through her dresser as she put away the fresh cleaned closet.

She didn't really dilly dally as she put away her clothes and returned to the living room where she had left her house guest. The tv was still going, boy when was the last time it had been on all day long? Though it was the voices coming from the tv that drew her attention as she walked towards the couch. Her head turned to take in the view of the news station playing some villain attack that had happened earlier on in the day. Of course an unfamiliar pro hero was on screen though she could tell Deku was completely focused on what he had missed while spending his day recovering with her. His body had gone ridged and those green eyes of his were locked onto the screen as images from the battle between the hero and villain that was arrested flashed across the screen. It was pretty interesting watching as the man completely seemed unaware now of what was going on as he seemed completely immersed in the television and the information it was feeding him.

This was Deku she was seeing sitting on her couch, not Midoriya Izuku. A normal person may not notice the ever so soft shift in his personality.It was such small and minor things, but when you learn to watch people carefully and learn to read them it made for an interesting thing to watch as the man’s hero side of his brain kicked into gear and he was no longer just a normal man. Was it just his personality or a result of his training? Since his room clearly screamed he most likely was extremely fixated on heroes and hero like work. Still it was interesting to watch him as he sat there watching the tv. She did wonder what he felt having to sit there and watch someone else do what he would have done if he was not injured. If he had been on patrol it most likely would have been him who was being played on the news for being the one to deal with the villain.

It wasn't till she had sat herself down beside him and her arm brushed against his that Izuku realized that he was no longer alone. She wasn't a threat so he didn't even notice when she had returned to the living room. He never even noticed she had returned and had she not touched him he probably never would have until the news changed to a subject that did not interest him so much.

“Do you have any requests for dinner?” She asked once she noticed his gaze quickly shift from the television to her for a split second letting her know he was aware of her presence beside him and that he had been pulled out of his little zoned out state.

“Huh oh not really. I’m happy with anything you feel like making. After all, I am in no position to be trying and make any sort of demands. If anything you're the one who has the right to try and make demands of me,” He said, flashing her a small smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. He did have a point; it was her who was doing him a big favor by tending to him, feeding him and helping him since the man could barely walk across her small apartment. He really was not in any position to try and tell her what to do in any sense of the manner.

“You’re not making demands. I just simply want to try and make sure I don't make something you will not like is all,” She said simply with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Well I’m really not a picky eater so I’ll eat anything you cook,” He said simply.

“Okay well that makes it a bit easier then,” she mumbled softly. Well she didn't have to worry about him hating a meal by the sounds of it. But still it did not help her when she tried to think of what to actually cook. Hmm maybe something to go with some fried rice would be a good idea? Hmm okay that did sound good but now what to make for the protein? Maybe a teriyaki grilled chicken would be a good idea. That would be pretty easy to make though it needed to ideally marinate for a few hours. She would have had to do that earlier. Okay scratch that idea. Hmm maybe just breading it was the better way to go about it then. Yes, that sounded like a good idea. If he liked katsudon then maybe a chicken katsu would also be something he would like but instead of breaded pork she would bread chicken and serve it with some fried rice. Yes, that sounded like a good idea.

“Alright then. Well I am going to get started on dinner then. If you need anything while I’m working just yell out,” She said as she pushed herself to her feet and headed to her kitchen to get a start on what she planned to make for the two of them to eat.

The smells that proceeded to come from the kitchen was heavenly as Izuku sat in the living room unable to do anything but sit there and wait and suffer a little. He so badly wanted to get up and wander into the kitchen as he listened to food sizzle and smell heavenly as he watched the woman do what she did best as she moved around the kitchen seeming so at ease as she cooked. In the end he did force himself to his feet, and with the wall as his support the man was able to painstakingly slowly drag himself from the living room into the kitchen where he then sat at her small kitchen table. Now he could always see her but also could now see the stove top and what she was actually cooking aside from relying on just his nose and guessing.

“Must smell pretty good if it made you force your ass from the couch to the table,” She called out playfully as she glanced over at the green haired man who was now occupying one of the two chairs she had at her small little table.

“It does and I was also rather curious, I see something breaded. And some fried rice as well. It looks really good from over here,” Izuku said as he sat back in the chair and continued to watch the woman as she worked. Well she wouldn't exactly say she wasn't going a little beyond, this was not a meal she would typically make for herself since her meals often were cheap microwavable meals and maybe some rice. She only got to enjoy cooking for herself like this after a good payday and she could afford some cheap groceries. Which often were things that were near or about to expire so she could get them cheaper than fresh things and it saved her a few yen. Every little bit saved was a must.

“Well your timing is rather good, food is done,” She said, quickly loading his plate first with an extremely large helping of food before she walked over and placed his plate down in front of him. Then she went back and grabbed herself a smaller serving than his before she walked over to take her seat across the small table from him.

It was odd how such a simple thing as sitting across from the woman eating a meal could almost feel intimidating as they both said their thanks and started to dig into their food. The meal was rather delicious, and Izuku was quickly learning that the woman was a rather good cook even though it seemed her ingredients were a little limited. The breading on the chicken was homemade rather than store bought. It was simple but that made it good. It wasn't too heavy nor did it get in the way of the taste of the chicken. The rice was nice as well, not over done with too much other things that can sometimes take away from the rice. Overall the dish tasted great even though it was clear it was a simple thrown together meal. It made the man wonder what even better dishes the women could make if she actually had a full kitchen with unlimited ingredients. Giggling suddenly had the man pull his attention away from eyeing up the plate of food to look across at the woman who was apparently giggling at him.

“Must taste pretty good if it has you mumbling a mile a minute over there,” She teased lightly as she stuck a bit of chicken in her mouth and tried not to laugh harder as she watched the big strong hero across from her blush as she teased him.

“Sorry,” He mumbled as he felt his ears heating up.

“It’s fine, no need to apologize. I just find it entertaining how that mind of yours just suddenly goes into overdrive like that,” She said flashing a warm smile at the man before she turned her attention back to her food unaware that the man across from her was just sitting there staring blankly at the woman his mouth agape. He had never seen such a beautiful soft smile before.

Chapter Text

Dinner had come and gone quickly and once again Aoi was cleaning up the dishes, though this time her guest was still sitting at the table watching her as she did something as simple as washing dishes and putting everything back where it belonged among her almost empty cupboards. It once again hit home to Izuku the fact that on closer inspection the woman did not have a lot. She couldn’t be lazy even if she wanted to because just to cook for them both used up almost all the pots, pans and dishes she had. He had completely assumed she was just the kind of person to clean up after herself. But now it seemed she really had no choice if she wished to use any dishes for the next meal. He shouldn’t have been surprised it was already made clear to him that she worked a dead end job and even picked up other odd jobs in order to have more money.

Which now had Izuku thinking about how he could repay his nice neighbor for her kindness. The first thing to come to his mind was a gift. But of course he had to worry if the woman would accept a gift if he offered it. She reminded him a lot of Bakugou both stubborn and pigheaded. So of course his brain had to worry that she would deny any gift he tried to offer. Though that did not stop him from still looking through his phone as what is supposed to be top of the line cookware. Then again as he scrolled through the options online he just found himself comparing brands. What made one worth so much more than another? They all seemed to be made similarly.

His lack of kitchen skill had him second guessing if he should just buy the most expensive option and call it good. But then again he feared she would see something clearly expensive and turn it down. So going with the most expensive one didn’t seem like such a good idea any more. But still what made one set different from the other? Was it simply the brand name? The materials? If so, what one material made a better pot or pan than the other? Izuku was just confusing himself at this point as he decided to try and ask for a little help. Though he may have made the wrong decision on who to ask for help this time when he sent a test to Kacchan asking which two sets of dishware was the better one?

It took less than three seconds for the first reply to come in and of course it had nothing to do with his original question from the angry blonde and was instead ripping into the current number one hero who had been missing out on work the last two days. Seemed Bakugou did not approve of Izuku taking the time off. But it seemed once the blonde was allowed to get that off his chest with a few angry typed out texts he finally sent a random last one that told Izuku to get one particular brand of kitchenware that at least the blonde liked personally. Well at least he got his answer along with nearly a dozen other texts in the span of a few minutes.

“What did you do? piss off a fan?” the owner of the home asked, smirking playfully as she teased him while she was drying off her hands after finishing washing the dishes and eyed up the phone that had been vibrating almost consistently in his hand for the last minute.

“Huh? Oh uhm no it's a friend,” Izuku answered the woman even as he felt the phone vibrate in his large hand. Which in turn drew his eyes away from her as he glanced at the screen of his phone to read at least the start of the text that was visible in the notification. Now Kacchan was questioning why Izuku needed new supplies for his kitchen when Bakugou knew very well that Izuku did not do a lot of cooking himself.

“They must be pretty worried about you if they are blowing up your phone like that,” She said laughing as she could hear the ever so soft buzzing from his cell phone.

“Not really this is just how Kacchan texts. He usually blows up a phone when he does reply to someone’s text,” Izuku said as he placed his phone down not feeling the need to answer his friend at that exact moment as he turned his attention to the woman who had moved to sit in the other chair at the table.

“So he’s just always an asshole, great to know,” she said, simply not sounding all that impressed with Izuku’s friend. Of course the poor man could tell the woman sitting across from him really did not like the loud blonde hero that they were currently talking about.

“He’s really not that bad when you get to know him. Is it just Kacchan you dislike so much? Or is it hero’s as a whole?” He asked though he regretted asking it the second the words slipped out as he watched her frown and scrunch up her nose.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I don’t hate all heroes. But I can not say I like your profession as a whole. Far too many heroes, even small time ones, love to push their weight around. I’ve had a few different run-ins with some. It’s never been fun. Try not to take it personally but I am not a fan of heroes,” she answered honestly in a soft tone. Bakugou Katsuki was just one hero who was top of the leader board and was openly loud and obnoxious in her opinion. So she had no issues openly hating the man, but she also shared similar open thoughts about other heroes like good old Endeavor.

Izuku couldn’t help but rub the back of his neck and shift his weight around. He was not overly surprised to hear her opinion. It was very quickly becoming clear to him with her living in the neighborhood she did, mixed with the important knowledge that she had been kicked out of her home at a young age. It didn’t take a genius to assume she has not had an easy life. And if she was really unlucky she may have even run with the wrong crowd as a kid and could have seen her far share of heroes from the less than great side. After all it's not like anyone he has arrested would be his fan either. Though now he was curious if he was sitting with a criminal in her own home. But that was a question he knew better than to ask out loud.

“That’s fair. Not everyone likes hero’s. I see that a fair bit when I'm working. Though usually those people hate me because I’m arresting them. But I'm not saying that's why you may hate heroes,” Izuku’s ears started to burn and he suddenly found himself in a rambling apology as panic struck him after he had tried so hard to remind himself to not say anything that was offensive and he felt like he just shot himself in the foot with what was rambling form his mouth as he sat there embarrassed and struggling to stop the word vomit.

It wasn’t till she started to laugh lightly that the man was finally able to force his mouth to stop, though it was more like his body had frozen up unable to keep anything else stupid from escaping his mouth.

“You don't need to apologize or get so nervous. You’re perspective and smart. I have had my fair share of run-ins with hero’s and it's never been fun. People don’t like being arrested even if they have done something wrong. But we tend to dislike it even more when a hero arrests someone just because you piss them off. It is also no fun being man handled by a hero on a power trip.Like this one time Endeavor arrested me after I got in his face or tried to damn that man was tall or I was just really short. But anyways I let my dumb mouth rip into him. He did not enjoy being ripped into by some teenage girl and I found my ass in handcuffs. It didn’t last long since there was really nothing he could have done. But still it was not fun spending a day at a police station waiting to be released,” She said laughing lightly at the memory of her younger self giving Endeavor an absolute tongue lashing once in the middle of a busy street. She couldn't remember what had exactly set her off. Probably something about how he treated a fan since she always had hated the way he was so cold to people even those who supported his stupid ass and helped him to be the number two then number one for a short while. She remembers walking up to him and completely poking him in the chest even though she did not even make it to the man's shoulders at her highest point at the time. And in order to even look at his face as she was yelling at him she had to crank her neck back. As much as the endless hours she spent handcuffed it had been so worth it. And she would have done it again to watch the look on that man's face as it went from shock to anger as she embarrassed his ass. And now watching Izuku gawk at her she could hardly keep herself from laughing even more at the memory.

“Please tell me it’s a joke?” he asked as he watched a grin tug at the woman’s lips.

“Nope. I really did that. And to be honest I would probably do it again if I ever had a chance,” She said a little too proudly as she placed an elbow on the table and placed her chin in her palm before she sobered up at least a little.

“Honestly I never could understand how that man had made it to even the number two spot before All Might's retirement. It's just one big popularity contest isn't it?” she asked as she looked across the table who could actually answer her question since he himself was currently number one.

“Well it's not really that simple. Our track records for hero work also come into play. Hero’s. Those with more arrests, or big busts often end up with better ratings than those who do less or chase after more lower level crime,” Izuku said slowly even though in a large part she was not wrong. Being seen, being in the news, being well liked and popular did allow a hero to climb the ranks faster.

“So you're saying those with bigger agency’s, more employees, more news coverage are the ones who rank higher. That still sounds like a popularity test with a little bit of money tossed around to help,” She said bluntly as she watched him rub the back of his neck telling her she must be pretty accurate as he became uneasy with how to answer back.

“Well you're not completely wrong. But I think you're assuming it's a little more corrupt than it really is. You do not have to have the biggest agency to be a top rank. I know a number of top fifty hero’s who operate smaller agencies and are easily able to hold their ranking. But in a sense you're really not wrong there are some who pay out to help themselves get higher in the ranks. There were always rumors that Endeavor liked to pay for his problems to disappear. But I can not really think of any younger newer hero who does the same. Of course that doesn’t mean it doesn't happen but I don't think it's common,” once again the young man had started to ramble as he tried to explain how she wasn't wrong but she also was not completely right. Luckily for him she was growing too tired to feel like arguing with him, though she probably wouldn't even if she had the energy to as she watched him seem to struggle to not just ramble off about his profession. It also made her gut twist at the thought of assuming or trying to accuse this sugar cookie of a man; was some sort of a corrupt or greedy hero who held his number one title using money or his power when clearly that was not how this man held his high rank. He was genuinely nice and kind, no wonder people loved him. He had the power to save hundreds and the boyish charm to make people love him.

“Calm down, I'm not trying to accuse you or anyone but Endeavor,” She said as she softly waved her other hand at him before she found herself yawning softly. She was tired even though she had done nothing but basic house work. The less than great sleep she had was catching up with her already. Oh well this should be the last night she has to sleep on her floor. Watching the woman across from him yawn had him calm down and recall how he had found her during the early morning hours that morning.

“You didn’t get a lot of good sleep last night did you?” He asked frowning softly at her.

“It was not perfect but it could have been worse. It’s not like one or two bad nights of sleep will kill me,” she said with a soft shrug of her shoulders. She was more mellow when she was slightly tired. She did not have the energy any more to argue with people.

“Still it doesn’t sit well that I have stolen your bed from you,” he said shuffling slightly in his seat as if he had more to say but seemed unsure.

“It’s fine. If it wasn’t I’d have kicked you out a long time ago,” even though she said that Aoi really didn’t mean it. She may be a little rough around the edges but her heart was too big for its own good. She could never turn down a hurt person or animal.

“Still it makes me feel bad for taking up your bedroom,” Izuku mumbled softly. She had noticed his large scarred hands bend and flex slowly. Some did not seem to have the best mobility. Which made sense as she looked at his rough hands. A body could only take so much abuse and his hands clearly showed the signs of being abused at some point in his life. Then again she remembered the view of his bare chest that morning when he was in nothing more than a towel. She had tried not to stare but she had noticed the scars that littered his body as well as the large one along his one arm. It was a sobering reminder that this man would risk his own body and life to keep others safe.

“You can feel bad all you want. It's not going to change the fact I will not let you sleep on the couch in your shape. I’d probably need a few of your hero buddy’s to come and get you off my couch if you sleep on it now,” she said trying to crack a joke though her less than enthusiastic energy did not quite let the joke work as well as it may have if she was a little more energetic. Instead she was greeted with a frowning man as she finally pulled her eyes away from his hands and looked up at his face.

“You know my offer from last night still stands,” He said as his entire face started to go beet red and now he could no longer meet her eyes as she looked up at him. He coughed when she did not right away say anything as her brain was processing the fact that he was once again saying they could just share her bed.

“I mean it is your bed. And I feel really bad taking it from you. And it's not like I would do anything,” He was rambling again as the words very quickly started to escape him faster than her slow brain could comprehend the words. But she did have to ponder why did she not like the idea of sharing a bed? He was already so embarrassed over simply bringing up the subject. The thought that this rambling shy boy would even dare to touch her was almost enough to make her laugh. So he was not actually the problem. So then what was stopping her from being able to sleep in her own bed? It had simply been her own stubbornness that had sent her to sleep on the floor last night, which her back was also arguing about. Jeez she wasn't even thirty already and her body was unhappy with its unpleasant sleeping arrangement from the night before. She slept like that many times as a teenager and she did not remember her body arguing so much back then.

“Okay okay just stop your rambling. I can not understand you any more,” She said, trying not to laugh as she watched the man instantly shut his mouth after a quick apology to her. Yep an innocent and stupid sugar cookie. She wondered if he had ever even slept with a woman? He seemed so shy and innocent she had a feeling the answer to her question was no. Maybe that was the reason she didn't actually fear or have any concerns with the idea of sleeping beside him. Midoriya didn't look like he would touch her in her sleep even if she wanted him too.

“Fine you win, hero. I’ll take you up on your offer. But if I hog all the blankets and you freeze your ass off tonight you can not blame me,” She said playfully even though she really was not sure if she was a blanket hog. It wasn’t that her past partners were dine and dashes themselves, it was more so she herself never stuck around. Maybe that was where her uneasiness came from, she never stuck around with her own lovers yet was now going to share a bed with a man who would not be naked nor would she be. It still had her oddly unease for some reason she couldn't exactly explain at the moment.

“Oh uhm great, or I mean okay,” He stumbled around his words as it seemed his entire face was so red she almost couldn't see his freckles any more and the redness was even spreading down his neck.

“Down boy,” She said, unable to help but tease him lightly even as she watched him become even more flustered if that was possible as he quickly started apologizing. Which now had her laughing as he apologized for doing nothing wrong.

“Well then you may not be tired but I am,” She said as she let out another yawn before slowly punching herself to her feet before offering him a hand to help him up.

“I hope you don't mind heading to bed so early,” She said as she helped him up to his feet then offered him a shoulder to lean on as the two of them now started to slowly shuffle their way towards her bedroom.

“Well my hero work does tend to get in the way of my sleep. But I don’t mind, I am sure I’ll fall asleep,” He said, simply giving her a small smile as the two of them slowly made their way through the small apartment and finally into her room. With her help he was able to get himself to the end of the bed where she helped him to sit down. Once he was sitting she stepped back and moved to start sorting through her clothes looking for something clean to wear to bed. Grabbing some shorts and a t-shirt Aoi paused and pouted for a second while her back was turned to the man. She was tired and had little desire to go and walk to her bathroom just to change. But she imagined just stripping down in front of the man may give him a heart attack and she had no desire to kill the idiot after she did so much to see him live.

“I’ll be right back. Don’t fall off the bed,” She called out over her shoulder as she walked out of her bedroom with a light laughter as she heard him call out that he wasn't that incompetent.

It only took a few minutes before she had returned to the bedroom, dumping her dirty clothes into her now empty hamper before she turned her attention to the man who was still sitting on her bed. Of course the look of how red his face was she almost laughed. Was it the tiny shorts she was wearing or was it the fact she had ditched her bra that made the man look so embarrassed. Either way watching him blush and look away from her quickly as she first walked into the bedroom was still entertaining. At least giving him some reprieve she flicked the light off to her bedroom using the screen of her cell phone to light up her path to her bed before she sat down on the other side. She could feel the bed shifting as she listened to Izuku slowly dragging himself into the bed as she plugged her phone in and then proceeded to also do the same.

“Good night Midoriya,” She said as she laid down along the edge of her bed as she kept her back to the man. Suddenly her exhaustion seemed to disappear and now she seemed almost hyper aware of the warm body beside her even as he bid her a good night as well. She could feel the warmth from his body under the blanket with her, his breathing seemed a little fast but then again her own breathing was refusing to calm down as well. This was going to be a long night for the, both

Chapter Text

To say sleep came easily for either of them would be a lie. Aoi had quickly found her mind unable to shut off even as her body protested and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. But it was hard as she seemed to become almost hyper aware that there was indeed another body in her bed with her. Even if both of them had tried as hard as possible to leave some space between them, the bed was still only so big. And she had not purchased it with the plan to ever actually share the bed with another person. Sure the queen size bed could easily fit another with her but she was used to being able to spread out in the middle and take up as much room as she wanted to. But now she was nearly hanging off the edge of the bed as she laid on her side trying not to simply panic. This was not as good of an idea as she had anticipated it to be.

Once again it was not like she expected the man beside her to do anything to her. He seemed far too shy and nervous to actually touch her. Even now he was doing the same thing as her. Laying on his side with his back to her and trying to keep as much room as possible between them. It wasn’t like it was any sort of rational fear that was keeping her up. Hell she was almost curious to look over her shoulder and see if the man was also panicking like she was. But she never had to look over her back as she noticed a sudden glow of a cell home as it seemed the man had pulled his device out of his pocket.

“I hope you don’t mind if I check my phone for a bit,” came his soft voice from behind her, he almost sounded guilty as he noticed how much his phone lit up the dark room even as he quickly turned the brightness down as low as it could go.

“It’s fine,” she replied as she yawned and shuffled softly trying to get comfortable. She didn’t usually sleep on her side. She more often slept on her back. Maybe that was the issue now? But she did not dare eliminate what little space was between them as she closed her eyes and tried to focus on taking slow and even breaths. Still getting her mind to shut off felt impossible.

Izuku was in no better position than the woman beside her as he was no were close to falling asleep. It was much earlier than he would typically be in bed. He often worked all day and well into the evening before he would get home in time to crash and then be up early again and back at his agency. That was when he wasn’t crashing on the couch in his agency to sleep. That’s at least how his life felt the last few months. It’s probably why when he asked for a few days off there was no arguing from his agency or friends. They had probably expected the man to eventually crash under the pressure he was putting on himself lately.

He’d be lying if he didn’t admit he had not gotten so much sleep in a while. And it was nice not running off of only a few hours a night. But still not working out was now making him restless as he laid beside the woman listening to the slightly fast pace of her breath. Or the way she seemed to shift ever so often as if to try and get comfortable but she couldn’t. Her body was extremely rigid so no wonder she couldn’t get comfortable. Dang it Izuku needed a distraction before he found himself zoned in even more on the woman than he was already as he listened to her and would at times try and glance over his shoulder even though in the dark he could not really see her.

In the end he gave up and asked if she was okay with him using his phone. She said it wasn’t an issue but he still turned down the brightness the best he could and tried to shift the blanket around the device to try and keep the light from completely lighting up the entire room. Now that he was free he returned to his texts with Kacchan to once again look over the text for what his friend considered the best brand for anything kitchen cookware. Though it was not the only thing he had been starting to search for. Izuku remembered that he had gotten her other set of bedsheets all bloody. So of course he was looking through some sets. The other ones she had before had been a soft grey. Assuming it was best to replace them it seemed the right thing to do. As well as a few new towels in the memories of her small hands having held a towel to his side before she had stitched him up. She had also been feeding him which seemed only far away; he was now flipping through a local grocery store he knew would deliver straight to her front door.

He was filling shopping carts on a few different sites but he was a little hesitant on just completely buying it all right off the bat. He wanted to but of course he worried about how the woman would react to his attempt at repaying her kindness. If he instead offered her money to let her replace what he had ruined would she accept it or turn him down? Maybe he should wait and see once morning comes? Yes, that sounded like the best idea at the moment. But that did not stop him from still window shopping on his phone as he tried to wait till he felt tired once the body beside him had finally relaxed and soft, even breathing had filled the bedroom. Knowing she had been comfortable enough to fall asleep with him only a foot away made the man happy.

Finally he put his phone down running out of things to do as he checked his social media, replied back to Kacchan happy to know the blonde would be asleep by this hour and he would not start replying till he got up. So to keep from a rude four am wake up Izuku turned his phone to silent mode before slipping it away as he finally found himself rolling over onto his back with a soft sigh as he closed his eyes more than happy to welcome the blissful sleep.

The sound of the doorbell ringing was the first thing that woke Aoi up. It was early, her sleep fogged brain had not yet registered what had woke her, only that she did not yet wish to get up as her nose nuzzled into the warmth she was currently clinging to. Rather literally, her arm was wrapped around the warm pillow while a leg had also been tossed over it as she tried to get even closer to the warmth. It also smelt nice as her face nuzzled into the warmth.

It was not till her doorbell rang once again that she became a little more awake and a little more aware that what her limbs were wrapped around was not a nice smelling warm pillow. Nope she wished it was but instead it was a warm, nice smelling body she had nearly wrapped herself around. Her leg was tossed over the top of his thighs. Her arm had laid over his stomach and she had even grabbed a handful of his shirt. Her face was nuzzled into his side under his arm. It wasn’t till the body suddenly moved that she panicked. In an instant she had untangled herself from Midoriya and had thrown herself back and away from him.

Of course as she did she watched tired eyes blink up at her as she felt her face going red. The third ring of her doorbell finally had her kicking off the bed nearly falling off of it as she struggled to get her body to move. Although taking the blanket with her only added another hurdle in trying to get off the bed. She nearly fell off the bed as she tossed herself away from the man with her limbs flailing to try and untangle herself from the blanket that had previously been covering her and him.

“Coming,” She yelled out as she picked herself up off the floor and ran for the front door unable to look back at Izuku who was now fully awake and had watched the entire event as the dark haired woman had pretty much fallen off the bed after she had jumped back away from him. Though he frowned softly as he slowly sat up. Where she had been laying against him now felt extremely cold with her warmth no longer there. It had been nice for the bare second it had lasted. He wished he could have enjoyed it.

Running up to her door Aoi looked through the peephole carefully. What she saw surprised her. It appeared to be a young girl. Long silver hair laid along her shoulders and down her back. A simple dark jacket covered her top half but a dark green skirt stuck out underneath with black socks that stopped just below her skirt. Large round red eyes seemed to nervously look around before Aoi finally started to unlock her front door. Though she was still a little hesitant to open the door as she cracked it open and glanced at the young girl who looked in her late teens at best.

“May I help you?” She asked, eyeing up the young woman who was blinking, seeming a little surprised to see the dark haired woman standing in her own doorway. A small horn was poking through the young girl's silver locks as she looked at the stranger before her.

“Uhm I am looking for Midoriya Izuku,” the teen asked with a soft voice as she held a school bag over one shoulder.

Aoi blinked once as she took in that the teen who looked incredibly out of place was looking for the hero who was currently laying in her bed, and who she had moments ago been asleep cuddled up next to. That thought had her blushing softly to herself as she felt her ears grow warm.

“Oh okay. The moron is in the bedroom,” She said, stepping back to open the door more allowing the kid into her home before quickly closing and fully locking up her front door again. At least the kid had manners as she thanked Aoi for being allowed in as she stepped in and toe’d her shoes off before waiting for the dark haired woman to turn and start walking back towards the bedroom she had just moments ago come from.

It was quite the sight seeing the aftermath of the slightly rude awakening Aoi had suffered. Her blanket had been ripped off the bed and was a mess on the floor as it had been dragged across the floor after her. Izuku was sitting up against the headboard of her bed, his green locks a mess even more than normal on the top of his head from sleep. And of course as the two women walked into the room his face lit up.

“Eri you made it. You didn't have to get here before your classes, you could have come after,” The man said, smiling widely at the teen who was now walking towards him, smiling back at the man.

“Well I have made you wait a while already, it seemed unfair to make you wait any longer. It was also easier for me to come before my classes today. So let's not linger any longer. Where did you put the newest hole in yourself?” the kid asked. It was a little surprising how mature the kid seemed. There had to be at least eight years difference between herself and the kid who Izuku had called Eri. For her young age she sounded mature, almost more mature than the green haired idiot who was supposed to be a pro hero and an adult himself.

It was as he was pulling his shirt up and over his head that the young girl once again seemed to register that she and the hero were not alone. Those bright large red eyes quickly glanced over at the dark haired woman who was simply standing back with her arms gently crossed over her chest once again taking in the sight of the scars that littered his body. But this time Aoi was taking in the sight of the bruises that still littered the man's body. Her frown deepened as she took in the sight of the black and blue bruises that littered the man's chest. Sure the stab wound had its own ugly bruise that encased the jagged skin but the fact he bore other bruises still made her unhappy. Just what kind of beating had this idiot taken? She was so busy taking in the slowly healing bruises that she never even noticed the girl glance over at her before looking back at Izuku.

“Uhm so who is your new friend Izuku?” Eri asked as she looked away from the woman who had let her into the apartment. That question had the greenette blush softly.

“Oh that’s my neighbor. Eri’s meet Sugahara Aoi. Sugahara this is Aizawa Eri, she's still a student at UA but she’s in her third year. She’s training to be both a hero but also a healer. I’m lucky to have her working for my agency along with a few others. But that tends to have her jumping around while she also works with Recovery Girl at UA itself,” Oh wow note to self because what she tells the hero who seemed far to open for his own good. Aoi almost sighed to herself as the man rambled on about the young girl he was introducing to her.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Sugahara,” The girl said with a quick bow before now turning her attention to Izuku as she took in the injury.

“Same to you Aizawa,” Aoi said as she stood back and watched the teen get to work inspecting the stab wound that Aoi had stitched up the best she could.

One glance told Eri who ever had stitched up Izuku had not had any true medical training but still the stitching was done by someone with a steady hand and a good deal of practice even if the stitch was wrong to be used for closing a wound like that. Now whether the steady hand came from stitching people up or clothes she couldn't say but none the else it was far from the worse tending to a wound she had seen before. There did not seem to be anything wrong aside from the oblivious hole in Izuku’s body, no sign of infection, the stitches had held well considering they were not designed for and yet she somehow used an actual medical brand thread. It didn't seem high grade by the looks but still it was not just anything like cloth thread. That had Eri glance again at the stranger who lived in the apartment beside the man she looked up to since he saved her. But this woman seemingly had experience stitching people up if her steady hand and use of medical brand materials was anything to go off of.

“Well there's no sign of infection, the wound looks like it's been kept clean and you surprisingly did not rip a single stitch. Give me three seconds and I will have you back to normal,” The girl said as the little horn on her head seemed to start to glow and Aoi was greeted with the sight of watching the girl heal the man before her eyes. It was amazing watching the hole in Deku’s side quickly disappear and in a few seconds the skin was back to normal. This time though not even a scar remained. The bruises along his torso even seemed to disappear. It was a rather amazing sight to watch as the girl leaned back and took her hands off of Izuku as she gave his side a once over a final time before she nodded her head softly to herself happy with her work.

“Well look at that. Not even a scar,” Aoi said out loud as she blinked her eyes still taking in the sight of the hero before her now back to his normal peak shape. No more bruises or hole in his body, and watching him shift and stretch his body she could tell the pain was also gone. Aoi would be lying if she did not admit she was rather jealous of such a great power.

“Amazing isn't it?” Izuku said, smiling widely at the dark haired woman who was still trying to process what she had seen, “Eri’s rewind quirk is pretty amazing. She is able to revert a body back to a previous state. It makes healing for her very fast and easy.”

Aoi arched an eyebrow as she found her eyes trailing up to the large scar on Izuku’s right arm. She wanted to ask about the large scars all over him and it seemed he noticed too as he blushed softly and rubbed the back of his neck with a light chuckle.

“But there's a downside. She can’t heal my old injuries from my days of training without taking my body back to a state of what it was like before I trained for my quirk,” Izuku answered her unasked question.

“Well that makes sense. If she doesn't actually heal in the traditional sense but she rewinds time then your body would probably have to go back to a child-like state too huh? So then is rewinding all you can do? Can you fast forward time too?” Now Aoi’s interest had turned to the kid with the incredibly interesting quirk. Her own little geeky side was slipping through. At first she had always hated others with quirks but she had outgrown that childish thought some time ago. Now instead she found it incredibly interesting to learn about quirks. Eri did not seem all that surprised by the sudden question. Then again seeing how obsessed the hero on her bed was with All Might and his fellow hero’s she had a feeling Izuku had also asked the same questions.

“I can only rewind the body. I can not take a body forwards in time, only backwards,” She answered simply.

“Hmm that’s still an incredible power,” Aoi said softly and nodded her head to herself still thinking over the powers she had just witnessed. But she kept her further questions to herself.

“Well I need to get heading to school before I am late,” The kid said as she shifted her weight a little from one foot to the other.

“Oh okay we don't want to make you late,” Izuku said as he moved to stand up and slipped his shirt back on now hiding the view of his muscular chest.

“You should walk her out of the neighborhood. This is not a place that a young girl should be walking alone through,” Aoi said quickly, not liking the idea that the girl had walked to the apartment alone, there was no way she would let the kid leave alone.

“It’s fine I can take care of myself,” The kid said which was a quick reminder that she was indeed a hero in training and in her final year at that too. Still it did not sit well with Aoi.

“Are you sure?” She asked, her lips pressing together and her eyebrows pulling tight together as looked over at the young woman she still saw as a kid even though the two of them were nearly the same height.

“You don’t need to worry about Eri. She’s a very skilled young hero. She has her license and is more than able to protect herself,” Izuku added though he was fully ready to walk with her though he had a feeling she wouldn’t let him try to walk her to school.

It seemed they both were going to be stubborn on this topic and would not budge when Aoi looked between the two of them frowning as neither budged. Well then was it really worth arguing over if she was outnumbered? It probably was not worth the argument as she sighed softly to herself.

“Okay if you are both sure,” She said softly as she turned to head out of her bedroom and back to the front door to start unlocking the number of locks on the door. She could hear both hero’s walking through her home behind her as she led the way to the door and unlocked it as the girl gave them both a simple goodbye before stepping out and Aoi quickly relocked her door. Though Aoi was quickly reminded that she still had someone who did not live in her home standing beside her. It would be impolite to just kick him out now but still it felt odd having him standing beside her no longer needing her assistance to make sure he stayed standing upright.

“Well I do not know about you but I am hungry. Would you like to stay for breakfast?” She asked, glancing over at the man who was standing tall beside her. He felt so much taller now that he was not hunched over or leaning against her.

“Oh! Yes please your cooking is extremely good,” Izuku said quickly following as the woman walked into her kitchen.

“You’re not bed ridden any more, there's no need for you to try and flatter me,” She said simply, more use to her company leaving as soon as they could rather than stick around.

“Huh oh no it wasn't exactly flattery I was aiming for, I was just telling the truth. I'd rather eat your cooking than my own,” Izuku said quickly blushing as he wanted to say it was a compliment but had a feeling she still would not see it that way.

Aoi sighed softly, her mood a little foul, was it the rude wake up? Or the thought that she expected the man to now just up and leave? She enjoyed his company so she shouldn’t get upset he was staying for breakfast.

“Well then do you have any requests?” She asked, trying to rein in her irritation.

“Not at all,” The man said, giving her a wide grin as he moved to take a seat at her table were he could watch her work.

Chapter Text

Of course the big idiot did not have any requests. But at least that would make deciding what to cook easier. She started pulling ingredients from her fridge as she started to contemplate what to cook. Maybe an omelet would be the best, easy enough and with a little fried rice it would offer a decent meal. Seemed easy enough, required little ingredients and offered a good meal.

Thinking about a good meal, when was the last time she had eaten three full meals a day? It was not often she ate breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yet with the company of the hero she was actually forced to cook and eat regular meals at regular hours. None of the typical skipping meals like she usually did. Breakfast had always been the hardest meal for her to remember to eat. It was easier to just skip the meal and meant it was one less meal she had to try and find the money to afford. Days she worked she could get something cheap from the restaurant so she only had to feed herself one meal, those days. And yet eating once a day felt so normal now. Waking up hungry and ignoring it had grown to become so natural.

Even as she cooked she did not feel overly hungry till the kitchen started to fill with the delicious smell of her food. Deku had tried to keep the room from being completely silent with a little talking but more often he ended up in some sort of ramble about something, often about his hero work or hero work in general. Once he got on about All Might she had just let him go wild with stories of his younger days training under the formal number one and last symbol of peace.

Sure she really did not care about what it was like training under the man. But watching the idiot smile wildly and seem so happy she couldn’t bring herself to make a snide comment about the former hero or hero’s in general. So she bit her tongue and simply kept quiet as she watched the man as she cooked.

A question started to float around her mind when she glanced over at the young man sitting at her table. His hands moved around him energetically as he seemed so happy and ecstatic about whatever story he was in the middle of telling her. It was clear his body was not hurting like it had been, moving now was easy for him. His shoulders no longer tense worried a movement would send jolts of pain through his body, so then why was he sitting at her table talking to her if he was healed? He no longer had to stick to her for help. He was free to leave, to disappear as if the last three days had been nothing but a dream. So why was he still sitting at her kitchen table talking to her?

She was still trying to comprehend what was going on as he eyes glanced up from the inlet she was in the middle of trying not to fuck up. She should have been more worried about her cooking. But her mind refused to focus, the stress and uncertainty getting to her. Why was he still in her home? Why was he still being so nice? He was healed there was no reason he had to force himself to stick around. She was well aware at times she was not an easy person to get along with, and hero’s were a touchy subject. Yet this man did not seem to care about her dislike for his personal profession. And sure hearing him talk about some story about how he took down some villain was interesting, mostly the fact that he looked so happy and seemed so animated in his storytelling. She had to force herself not to think about the fact that she could have known the villain arrested. Though she tried to keep her ties to those kind of people rare she would be stupid to try and deny that she knew a few people who had or were willing to attach heroes and even innocent people. Though the second kind of people were even people she tried to avoid. Someone who did not care about the innocent and their fellow lower class especially were scary and dangerous especially for someone like her.

She was so up in her own head that she struggled to not destroy her omurice omelet, and of course when she did damage the first attempt she couldn't help the slew of soft cures words that escaped her. Well she would have to eat that one then. The sound of a deep chuckle nearly against her ear had her jump and nearly drop the plate of rice and eggs. He head snapped over to glare at the figure standing beside her. She had grown accustomed to him being stationary that now that he was free to move he had completely surprised her when he was suddenly standing beside her.

“Fuck don’t just pop up like that,” She huffed slipping the plate onto the counter as she quickly started to try again to make a successful omurice omelet. The boyish grin only seemed to grow wider even as she swore and scolded him.

“Not my fault you were not paying attention. I called your name a few times and you never glanced over at me,” He pointed out as he moved to lean against the counter and reached out to grab the plate of rice and broken omelet. She wanted to stop him but if he really did not care she messed up she was not about to point it out. Moreover she now had the sudden itch to attach a bell to the idiot so she may perhaps hear him coming the next time. But then she quickly reminded herself there would be no next time. Which once again filled her mouth with a sour taste and started her mind on that grim thought once again. And yet why did she care? He was a hero, be it a rather nice looking one, but still a hero. He may make it seem like they are similar even having compared her reaction to that of his own friends when he had talked about why he lived on this side of town. But they were two very different people even if they shared one or two similarities. She would never truly understand him and she could not imagine he would understand her either. They came from different worlds.

“Cooking requires a little bit of attention unless you enjoy burnt food,” She pointed out though she knew cooking was not what had her so stuck in her head forgetting her guest was no longer stuck in one stop without her help.

“I’m sure even if you burnt it, it would still taste really good,” Izuku said smiling warmly at him as he made a point to stick a mouthful of egg and rice into his mouth as she glanced over at him.

“Yeah no my cooking is not that good,” She mumbled with a soft shake of her head, being well aware she barely had enough ingredients to make her take on anything simple. She also knew her cooking was far from anything good.

Of course hearing the woman hold her own skill in such low regard had him frown softly around his mouthful of food that he thought tasted pretty good. And seeing how she was using just simple ingredients from some cheap grocery store he was even more curious how good her cooking may be if she actually had some three star ingredients to work with. Still her cooking skills seemed better than his. Don’t get him wrong, Izuku could cook when he wanted to but he was far from any amazing chef. Bakugou loved to remind him of that fact any time he would try and offer to cook back when they lived in the dorms of UA. Then again Kacchan had loved to rip apart almost everyone's cooking back when they all lived together in the dorms.

“Well I’ll have to cook for you some time. It’s only far after all you’ve been cooking for me for the last couple of days,” He said flashing her a wide innocent smile that showed off those pearly white teeth of his. Aoi quickly glanced away hoping the flush on her cheeks would not be noticeable. He wanted to cook for her? It was a flattering thought but she was well aware that becoming friendly with the hero could find herself in trouble. She was not stupid, the man standing beside her had enemies, as did any hero. But still she was defenseless if she got dragged into his work she could find herself in trouble. And anyways the tabloids would have a hay day if they saw the two together outside of the apartment. If he did not want his face on the news for going to the hospital in an ambulance she could only assume he would not enjoy his face posted up with hers for people to question why he would pick a quirkless reject. No it was best for them both if they went their separate ways after this.

“You do not have to worry about paying me back. I helped because I wanted to,” She said simply as she finished up her own omelet which had indeed come out in one piece this attempt.

“Huh? No, I need to pay you back. I ate your food and stole your bed. The least my agency could do is pay you for your time and food,” Izuku said quickly, very much so wanting to pay the woman for her time and aid.

“You own your agency don’t you? You do, I know you do. So that means it would be you paying me. I do not want your money Midoriya,” She said simply as she grabbed her chopsticks and headed for the table with a wide eyed man quickly on her heels to sit across from her. His food now momentarily forgotten as he was about to argue with the woman.

“But it's not my money. And anyways it does not hurt me or my agency to pay you what you deserve for being my own personal nurse,” He said quickly even as she glared up at him from over her plate of food.

She wanted to say something like how it wouldn’t hurt him but it would hurt her. She did not want a hand out from him. Nor did she want to feel like a tool that he had used. No she would not and he could not force her to take any money.

“I will not take your money. It does not matter what you do or say,” she said, though silently added that she refused to feel cheap and used. And taking his money would make her feel cheap. And of course watching the woman glare at him and down right refuse him, had the large man pouting like a kid as he realized that the woman was stubborn. With a sigh he gave in this time as he realized she would not back down. So he bit his tongue and continued to eat his food. But that did not stop his bottom lip from sticking out as he ate his food.

Aoi was not stupid, or at least she liked to think she wasn’t, she knew in this world nothing was ever truly free. People rarely ever helped one another out simply because they wanted to. Strings were attached to everything. And she felt it in her gut that any money she accepted from this hero or his agency would surely come with their own strings and issues. So she knew she would not accept his offer even if he seemed a bit upset that she wouldn’t. Usually she would have been more than happy to have an IOU especially from someone with as much stature and power as a hero. But Midoriya was a league she did not dare try to approach. He could bring her a lot more issues than he was worth. And she knew people in this area would be out for her just for keeping him alive. No it was safer for her to part ways with him and pretend the two never met or that she has the number one hero living next door.

Izuku could tell with the dirty glare that the woman shot at him that apparently discussing paying her was no longer something she wanted to discuss. So he bit his tongue instead, turning his attention to his food, happy to enjoy the nice home cooked meal. Still it meant he was going to have to try and be a little more creative when it came to paying back the woman who had pretty much saved his life. Had Izuku gotten home like he had planned he was now all too aware that he could have bled out on the floor of his own bedroom had he crawled through his window and not hers. He owed the woman a lot more than she was clearly aware of. Yet why was she so against accepting his gift? Izuku really struggled to understand the woman who sat across from him eating her own meal.
It seemed all too soon and both plates were empty, Aoi stood and reached over to grab at Izuku’s empty plate only to barely miss it as the man grabbed his own plate and had jumped to his feet.

“Here let me do the dishes. You cooked so it's only fair that I clean up. And you also cooked and cleaned up after me the last few days,” Izuku said, quickly scooping up the plate from her and walking over to her sink where he quickly got to work filling her sink with hot soapy water.

Aoi paused standing just two steps away, surprised that the man had beaten her to washing the dishes. He did not have to. He could have left the task to her and just walked out and headed home. So why did he stay? Was he just being a nice person? Of course she was suspicious, it was incredibly hard to believe that people just did such simple tasks. It was also oddly satisfying watching such a big strong man standing at the sink doing dishes. Such a mundane task, and yet why was it so sexy to watch? His large scared hands seemed so delicate as he worked carefully to scrub the food off of whatever dish was in his hand. Those same hands could just as easily kill her if he wanted to. Yet those hands had only ever saved lives.

It was mesmerizing as she took in the sight of his scars. They littered his knuckles, a sign he punched a lot of things and had more than likely on multiple occasions broken bones in both hands. Small faint scars even covered his wrists and softly ran up his arms. Some scars were so faint it was not till she stepped closed that she could slightly see them. It quickly reminded her of the one incredibly large scar that ran up almost his entire arm. What the hell had happened to him to get such a big and bad scar? Surely the man had nearly lost his arm to whatever injury had caused such damage.

“Pretty disgusting aren’t they?” He asked softly which had the woman jump. She had not even noticed she had walked up to stand beside him leaning in and inspecting the scars that she could see on his arms and hands.

“Not at all, we all have scars, some just more noticeable than others,” she answered softly before her face grew red realizing what she had just said before she stepped back and turned away from him.

“Uhm would you like some tea? Cause I’m gonna make myself some tea,” she rambled softly, instantly changing the conversation the best she could as she turned her back to the man and started to pull two coffee mugs from her cupboard.

“Oh sure,” he said as he paused with a plate in his hand to stare wide eyed at the woman. That answer she just gave him spoke volumes. It tugged at his heart in a few ways. He was well aware the scars that littered his hands and arms were far from nice to look at. Of course he never regretted them but he could not deny he found himself wearing a lot of long sleeves out in public. Usually civilians did not understand the scars, what they meant or what they stood for. The lives he had saved in exchange. And yet this woman clearly understood his scars were not just some disgusting marks. She may not have fully understood what he had all sacrificed or for who but she did not find his scars disgusting like others sometimes did. But the other realization he had was that she had made the comment that not all scars are noticeable. Did that mean she had her own? Were her scars just hidden under her clothes or were hers hidden under her skin? Now he was curious what was it that she had hidden? The dark haired woman was only growing more and more interesting the more time he spent with her.

Aoi tried to busy herself with making the two of them tea all of the sudden. As if that would somehow save her from her own embarrassment. She should have just shoved her foot into her mouth to keep herself from saying something like that. She should have just said no and left it at that. But now she could feel his eyes glancing over at her as she kept her back to him trying to calm her racing heart and the heat in her cheeks as her hands worked to prepare the two cups of tea as slowly as she could before she slowly grabbed each cup in a hand and slowly turned around to find the man standing still at her sink but this time his back was turned to the sink as he leaned against the counter. The space between them seemed far too small for her liking as she struggled to take a calming breath before she turned quickly and headed to the table to sit down so she could enjoy her tea.

“You work this afternoon right?” Izuku asked as he tailed her to the table more than happy to take a seat in what he was already starting to think of as his spot even though it was only his because there was no other chair.

“Yes. Typically I work week evenings and weekends during the day. My days off vary. I got yesterday off but now I lose my Saturday I have originally been given off. But that is fine,” She said softly as she took a careful sip of her tea trying to not burn her tongue on the hot cup of tea. It was a cheap tea, and really was not much more than hot leaf water but still it was soothing to hold the warm cup in her hands and the tea gave her something to look at instead of the man sitting across from her.

“I can walk you to and from work if you want. My agency does not yet know I’m healed up. But I am sure I can get the time to walk with you. Maybe I should add this area onto my patrol route then I could walk you ever time our schedules lined up,” It seemed genuinely kind and the smile he flashed her told her that the offer was genuine and not at all meant to do her any harm and yet that did not stop her from her incredibly blunt answer.

“No. Do not worry about it,” She said sternly before taking a long sip of her tea. She watched his smile falter and she tried not to sigh. She knew he was just being nice and worried about her, but he also was stupid in the sense he did not know or understand that being seen with him would be incredibly dangerous for her. She was currently a fellow shadow among the street, currently. But he would draw attention, eyes that would otherwise not see her as a target would then see her as a very easy target with a big payout if it drew the attention of the pro hero.

“But you said it yourself to Eri that the streets are dangerous in this area,” Izuku tried to use her own words against her and typically it would work but in this instance she refused to back down.

“It’s dangerous for the likes of you. Someone with money, statues, and especially a hero will draw attention and not in a good way. You’re a walking beacon that will draw attention from all the wrong people. Alone I am another shadow among the streets sidewalk. No one would bother to pick on me,” She said simply as she glanced up over her cup at the man as she watched his shoulders sag with a heavy exhale. He knew she was right but still he did not like hearing it nor did he like the idea that it got in the way of being able to have such a simple time with her. Still, why did seeing him look so down make her feel bad?

“But if we run into each other from time to time in the middle of the night after a closing shift I am sure it would just look like some hero was walking a poor quirkless woman home,” She said simply as her eyes quickly darted away as she struggled to control her blushing cheeks. She did not need to turn her head to know that the man was smiling widely like an idiot at her.

Chapter Text

They sipped their tea silently after that, Aoi did not wish to open her mouth and say something embarrassing nor did she wish to risk Izuku bringing up anything to do with paying her for her time and energy. At the same time she was pretty sure she could see the gears moving in the man's head as he sat across from her. He was thinking of something pretty hard, at times he even started to mumble softly to himself. She couldn’t make it out but there was one thing she had noticed about the man after spending a few days with him. And that was that he mumbled a lot to himself when he was thinking about something. As well as the harder he was thinking the faster his mumbles were. So instead she kept her attention on her tea and not on the mumbling idiot who was stuck in his own head.

It was not till she stood up to put her empty cup into the sink to wash later that Izuku was pulled out of his own mind realizing he had finished his own tea as well. Quickly jumping to his feet he followed after her to slip her cup into the sink beside hers as she barely had time to step back away from him as he approached the sink.

“Sugahara are you sure,” Izuku had started before the woman he was talking to shot him a rather intimidating glare. Who knew such honey coloured eyes could look so hard.

“If you're going to try and persuade me to take your money, then do not waste your breath,” she said simply as she crossed her arms even as she watched the look of confusion cross the man's face. He really could not understand why she refused his offer. Even if she did deserve to be compensated, still Aoi could not bring herself to accept money from the hero. Money always came with strings attached even if it was rightfully owed. And she still did not understand the idiot standing in front of her. Why did he want to pay her so badly? People rarely push so hard for something good. Anyone else would have shrugged her off and been happy to not pay her and not see her again after they parted ways. Yet the hero standing in front of her was something else. Was this some hero complex? Did he pity her? Was she just some charity case? The more she pondered it the more irritated she found herself as she glared up at the man.

Izuku was forced to sigh as it became clear the woman standing before him with her arms crossed was not going to listen to him nor was she going to just roll over and let him pay her for her help. Well then he did not have much other choice. He could at least start with replacing the groceries he knew he ate. But doing so right this moment was not possible, later he will order some groceries to be delivered. Maybe she won't shoot the messenger that way and would be more inclined to accept his attempt to repay her. But for the time being Izuku was quickly reminded he was a guest in her home, be it he had not been invited originally but she also had not kicked him out yet either. So instead he slowly raised his hands as if to show her he gave up.

“Alright, Alright I will not bring it up again,” He said, giving her a soft lopsided smile which seemed to do the job as he watched her stiff shoulders soften a little as she uncrossed her arms.

“Good. Now I’m gonna go for a shower. Be good and don’t destroy anything especially yourself,” She barked at him before walking out of her kitchen, though she did not even reach her bathroom before she realized she had just talked to the man like she had been the last few days. She should have helped him gather his things and sent him packing back to his own home. But instead she just left him in her kitchen to do as he pleased. Would it be weird now if she turned back and tossed his ass out? Yes, that would probably be weird and especially rude. So instead she grabbed some clean clothes to wear for the day and quickly slipped into the bathroom even as she could hear the man in her home walking into her living room.

Her shower was quick and simple, just washing her hair and body before jumping out. She did not want to leave the poor idiot alone in her living room alone. So with her hair still dripping wet onto her t-shirt she gave it one last ruffle with the towel before grabbing her hair brushing and making her way out of the tiny bathroom to find the man sitting on her tiny couch watching tv just as he had been doing the day before. He still seemed rather comfortable and at home sitting among her small uncomfortable couch. And of course as soon as he caught movement from the corner of his eye the idiot looked over at her flashing her that wide innocent boyish grin that he always seemed to flash at people. No wonder people loved the young hero so much.

“Wow you’ve been able to go all morning without putting another hole in your body. How long can I expect this to last?” She asked, her tone completely teasing as she started to run her brush through her wet hair as she walked over to join him on her couch.

“Eh just wait till the end of my next patrol and try asking that again. Though I will have you know I have gotten much better at not always braking myself or getting hurt so badly. I used to be really bad back in highschool. The school nurse used to see me every time we had an exercise or anything really that was hands-on training,” The man said, rubbing the back of his neck as he recalled all the times he used to see Recovery Girl. Or the fact that most of the injuries to his fingers and hands were from those training days more than villain attacks.

“You know that really does not surprise me any more. You strike me as a troublemaker,” She said, happy to be able to tease the man after how she had snapped at him earlier. It seemed he did not take her rudeness to heart or he could have slipped out while she was showering. Of course at her words the man started to laugh which had her smiling even more for some odd reason.

“You're not wrong. My old teacher used to call me one of his problem children. If I was not hurting myself I was finding myself in trouble somehow,” Izuku said between soft laughs at the memories of his highschool days and how much he and his friends must have annoyed Aizawa the most. Even Aoi found herself giggling softly at the idea of the idiot sitting beside her being some troublesome delinquent in a hero course.

“Well try to keep yourself in one solid piece if you can. I don't need you scaring me in the middle of the night again. It’s not good for my heart to worry that much,” She said with a light smile as she recalled the complete panic she had felt when he had first started her awake in the dark. Then of course the secondary panic had been when she thought he was going to die on the floor of her bedroom.

Of course Izuku apologized yet again for scaring her like he had so many times already. And of course she had once again brushed off his apology not seeing why he needed to keep apologizing every time she teased him about the event. But it was easy to change the subject ever so slightly when she asked him about his old school days. She happily teased him about being a troublemaker and of course he was more than happy to go into details about how he would get himself in trouble, how he snuck out of the dorms one night to duke it out with his best friend and the angry blonde she hated a lot. He was in a lot of trouble for that, and it seemed that was not the only time he had done such things. It was rather funny learning the big pro hero had been such a troublesome kid.

Chatting with the man was so easy to do, and before she knew it Aoi needed to be heading to work as she realized the time. She did not want to get dressed for work or have to part ways yet with the man. But she needed this job and the paycheque that came with working. She would be in trouble if she lost it. So quickly she got changed and more slowly started to drag her heels once it came to having to actually leave.

“Why don’t I walk you to work?” Izuku asked as he followed her as she realized she could no longer put off having to leave. Aoi wanted to decline, she did not need an escort but at the same time it would buy her more time to chat with the man.

“Sure if you want to I will not stop you if you tag along,” She said simply as she grabbed her float and prepared to slip her shoes on.

“Perfect, just give me two minutes to run to my place and grab some shoes,” Izuku said as he realized he only had slippers and his combat boots at her place. So he quickly slipped his feet into his boots before slipping out of her front door after she gave him a simple okay reply.

Slipping on her own shoes she stood by her door with her ear pressed against it waiting to see if she could hear Izuku’s door open. She contemplated stepping out and into the hallway but her paranoia said nope. Standing around the front door of her apartment could be dangerous or cause unwanted attention. That thought alone had her pulse racing. So instead she stood with her ear against the door waiting to head the door to her right to open and close. Once she heard the door close she quickly opened the door and poked her head out to spot the familiar frame of her neighbor.

Though now the man wore a simple dark blue jacket, a ball cap over his green curls, a surgical mask over his face and now he wore jeans. Huh he had gotten changed a lot faster than she expected, she just thought he was grabbing some shoes. The hat and mask were a good idea, though now she wondered if that was a regular way for him to go out in public? It would make sense, his face was everywhere, in magazines, on billboards, hell even on buses. Even she knew who the man was the second she saw him on her floor, she paid little attention to hero’s. She could only imagine how easy it was for his fans to recognize him. Fans surely were pains in the asses wanting attention, autographs, photos and whatever else made people happy. So hiding his easily noticeable hair and freckles probably made it at least a little more difficult for people to recognize him.

“All ready to go?” He asked her, flashing her a smile even if she could not actually see the smile from under the mask he was wearing. Yet she still knew that he was smiling at her even if she could not see it.

“Yep. So then come along puppy,” She teased as she quickly locked her door and started down the hall of their apartment with her new found puppy hot on her heels. Of course the look he gave her only made her laugh lightly.

“So first you're giving me sweet themed nicknames and now I’m some puppy?” He asked, laughing lightly himself. Her use of nicknames did not actually bother the man. After all, since he started training the only one who used nicknames with him was his mother and Bakugou. And after he graduated from highschool people did not often give him nicknames once he became a grown man, and one that was rather build after the years of training and saving people. He was no longer the awkward teen boy he once was. So it was oddly nice having the woman giving him nicknames, even if she was often teasing him. But still it was nice being treated like another human being and not the invisible symbol of peace he had become.

“I’m just calling it like I see it, cinnamon roll,” She said as if to drive her point home that she was teasing him with the nickname. Which had the smile on her lips growing wider. It was a beautiful sight to see her looking so happy and carefree as they started to walk down the street side by side and step for step in sync.

Still once they reached the side walk even if her happy smile did not fade her shoulders did grow a little tense. It would have been easy for someone to miss but of course Izuku noticed the ever so slight shift in the woman’s body language. It made sense why the woman would grow tense, whether she was aware of it or not. Her earlier warning to Eri reminded him that she herself was aware of how dangerous these streets were. And that she was at an even higher risk of being hurt or worse killed if she was to make even the slightest misstep in her every day walk to work. That thought did not sit well with the hero, but now was not the time to be worrying about such things. Instead Izuku turned to try to ask her simple questions to ease the tension as they walked. He asked her favorite colour, what her favorite food at the restaurant was, which in turn he learned she loved mochi as a snack.

The two had been talking about favorite deserts before the woman came to a stop. A simple glare over her shoulder at someone he had not even noticed caught him off guard. Her eye for noticing something happening was amazing. Izuku for a split second had not even noticed something was going on, and had Aoi not noticed he may not have noticed till it was too late. Then again the fact she was looking over her own shoulder at her own shadow was probably why he had not noticed it as fast as he should have.

“Nishikawa if you touch his wallet your friends are going to be helping you remove my shoe from your ass,” Aoi growled looking down at her own shadow waiting for the black figure on the ground to shift and change before a lanky kid seemed to step out of the black shadow. There was no way the kid was more than sixteen, hair was short and greasy. His clothes baggy and holes in his jeans showed the age and wear. The kid was either homeless and dang near close to it. The sight instantly tugged at Izuku’s heart even as the woman beside him had crossed her arms over her chest and was glaring at the kid. Though it was not exactly for the reason the man beside her was assuming it was for. She was angry at the kid, but not for trying to pickpocket Izuku. No, she was irritated with him because he should have known better than to try to pickpocket someone who looked like Izuku. Someone strong enough that even if they are not a hero they could still kick his ass was not a good idea. Never pick a fight you have no chance of winning is what she had always warned him. And someone like Izuku could beat the snot out of a lanky kid like Nishikawa.

“I see your eyes are as sharp as always, old lady and so what if I did try to take his wallet. Your friend here clearly looked like he could afford to lose a few yen,” The kid said, apparently pouting as he tried to stare down the older woman. Clearly the two seemed familiar with one another, which had a whole new array of questions enter his mind but Izuku bit his tongue deciding to instead stand back and watch.

“Don’t call me old you brat. And I have warned you if you’re going to pick people's pockets from the shadows you need to make sure the people you pick on can not kick your ass. Do you really think you can pick a fight with someone like that idiot? I know you have more brains than that you moron,” She said, scolding the kid as they started to bicker back and forth leaving Izuku to just stand there slightly unsure of exactly what was going on. Though as he listened more information became apparent. He had not noticed his wallet had almost not been his any more, but the woman standing beside him had apparently noticed the kid. He assumed it was due to the fact she seemed to actually know him on some sort of personal level. She knew his name and had apparently warned him before about being careful. It sounded like she had given the kid advice before. She even seemed to worry about him as she was scolding him because she was aware if he was not careful he would find himself in trouble. Which made him curious how this woman knew a kid roughly ten years younger than herself so well? Maybe she knew his family? Once again questions were circling his mind as he bit his tongue.

“Ugh I do not have time for this. You need to be more careful and try not to pick the pockets of one of your neighbors even if he is an idiot. Now go and try not to get your ass in trouble,” She said, shooing the kid off once she felt she was done scolding him before she turned back and was about to start walking again before she noticed one of Izuku’s eyebrows was raised in a silent question.

“Go on spit it out idiot,” She said, with a soft sigh well aware she could not ignore the man walking beside her.

“So you know that kid?” Of course that would be the first reasonable question he would ask.

“Yeah he’s one of the troublemakers who lives in the area. He does not have a family, he's often jumping from one place to another. He often picks pockets, though he usually hits more of your suit wearers than the neighbors. I warned him picking the wrong person's pocket would get him in trouble. I’m waiting for him to show up on my front door with the shit kicked out of him. But he's smart, the kids got a brain just wish he used it better some days,” She said simply as she walked beside the hero, completely admitting the kid did illegal activities. But something told her Izuku was not going to do anything about it in that exact moment as she watched his eyebrows pull together some and was sure a deep frown was in place under his mask.

“That’s sad,” of course that was also the reply she had fully expected from him as well. It was a normal reply she got when talking about such subjects.

“It is nothing new when living in this area. Though talking about living in this area you should really get different shoes. Those nice sneakers you're wearing are a flashing sign that screams you have money. They make you an easy target in this neighborhood,” She said after a quick glance over at him. The jacket was nice but it was not the end of the world, she could tell his jeans were some name brand which she should also warn about but not everyone looks that close to jeans especially male jeans. But his incredibly nice shoes were a different story. Someone’s shoes often said a lot about them, new barely worn expensive shoes often said someone had some money on them. Shoes that were extremely well worn no matter the price tag often often meant someone could not easily afford replacing them. Her own well worn shoes were a testament to that. She only ever replaced her shoes when her toes became visible or if the soles on the bottom were falling off.

“Huh my shoes?” Izuku mumbled glancing down at the nice bright white pair of sneakers that he had grabbed and slipped on. It never even crossed his mind the nice pair of shoes he was wearing would make him a sudden target for those looking to steal from him.

“Yeah. Your shoes are a decent brand that probably cost a good deal to the average person. They do not even have a scuff, to be honest I’m curious if you have even worn them before now. Having such nice shoes in such a great shape also suggests you most likely own a number of different shoes. Which is another suggestion that you have money. Pair that with your nice clothes and you’re a walking sign that says please rob me,” She said as she used her right hand to indicate to all of him. In a neighborhood like theirs he was a walking beacon, and she could imagine that the kid was not the only one to notice the man walking down the street. The only thing keeping people from down right mugging him was the fact the man was tall, broad and fit. Someone would have to be an idiot to try and hold a knife to the hero and demand his money.

“I would suggest that you get yourself some less flashy clothes,” she said as the two fell into step once again while Izuku was still looking down at his shoes a little surprised that the woman beside him was able to notice such things from his clothes to the fact someone had tried to pick his pocket. That had been more of a surprise to him, someone quirkless had been able to pick up when someone was using their quirk. Either her instincts were insane or the woman may have had some kind of quirk after all and that made Izuku all the more curious.

Chapter Text

Izuku had dropped the woman off at the little restaurant a number of blocks from their apartment. It was a little bit of a walk for her and he was surprised that she made this commute daily for something as simple as a bare minimum wage job. And the fact that she made this walk all alone in such a poor neighborhood really did not sit well with the man. The thought of her walking alone especially at night was unsettling and there were not a lot of options for him to fix that. The one he could assume would not get him yelled at too much was the idea that he would start walking her to and from work. Though he could easily remember that she had not liked the idea of him walking her to and from work regularly, she had already told him no when he brought it up earlier when he had been sipping tea with her in her kitchen.

Well that was going to make it harder to keep her safe. He could start adding the area into his patrol route and ask the agencies in the area to pick up extra routes or ask some of his friends. But he had a feeling Kacchan would not exactly want to go out of his way to come so far just to walk the streets because Izuku asked him to. Either way both options were not perfect. So as he started to walk towards his own agency to check in he could not help but rack his brain on attempting to figure out what to do in order to make himself happy and know that the woman would be safer while working and while walking around after work. So Izuku decided to spend the rest of the day at his agency even if he was not actually scheduled to work that day. Though that was nothing new to his coworkers as he always was at work, the fact he took days off was more surprising than seeing him walk into work.

Aoi simply got to work once she wished Izuku a good bye and slipped into the building not bothering to watch to see where the man was walking off to once he started down the street not turning around to head home. Maybe he had errands to run, after all he had been stuck bed ridden for a couple of days. A normal busy person probably had things to do after their life had been forced on pause. She slipped through the rows of tables to a back office in order to let the boss know she was there and start her way out into the maze of tables taking in stock of which tables had customers and which did not. Taking in who had food already and who did not was easy as she got started with her shift falling into the routine that had become her job.

So should she have been surprised or irritated when her shift ended and she did not even get all the way down the block before she stopped and glanced around before looking up. People typically never look up, she learned a long time ago that if you want to ambush someone and have a hope of winning you attack from above. It also offers a good position to look out over an area making it easier to spot a target. And apparently villains were not the only ones to use heights to their advantage. She never even heard him as he dropped down when it became apparent she was not going to keep walking. Clearly he had been caught red handed as she watched him adjusting the hat he was wearing as her neighbor stepped out from the shadows of the alley.

And so she always kept an eye on the rooftops when she was walking around. And since most people left rooftops alone it usually was not too hard to notice when someone was peeking over the side to look down at a street. It also did not help that Izuku was a hard person to miss with that wide stature. Though she did not realize it was him until she spotted him as he easily made his way down the side of the building as if he was part monkey. That may also explain why he had little issues climbing up the side of their building.

“Are you stalking me? That’s not a very heroic thing to do?” She asked softly, arching an eyebrow as she watched the man walking towards her. Of course his face grew red around his mask. His hand flew up as if he was being arrested as he quickly shook his head.

“No. Uhm it’s not like that. I knew you were getting off work soon and I was heading home myself after stopping at the agency. I figured maybe you wouldn't mind some company?” He stuttered as his hand rubbed the back of his neck as his face continued to fill with colour, almost hiding the freckles that scattered across his cheeks. She very much so wanted to continue teasing him that his reply still sounded like a stalker to him. But she assumed the man simply had been bored with nothing better to be, or maybe it was that stupid hero logical brain of his that made him feel the need to help the poor helpless quirkless woman. Of course that thought irked her, she completely hated it when she was seen by others as some helpless idiot who always needed protection. She had survived on her own for a long time and she would continue to survive on her own with no issues. Exhaling a breath through her nose she started to continue walking back towards their apartment building so she could head home. The last few days had been exhausting and now she looked forward to relaxing at home.

Izuku had noticed the woman's exhale of breath, was she mad at him? She was, dang it he knew he would have pissed her off if she found out he planned to keep an eye on her as she walked home from work. And of course he could not blame her, it was creepy and he knew it. But she would not let him just walk her to and from work. It made him feel bad that he had upset her to some degree even though she did not actually say anything to him and had just started walking away which he was quick to run after her as his steps fell in time with hers.

“I’m sorry. I know it seems creepy. But well I figured it would be nice to walk home with someone. How about we go for dinner somewhere? It will be my treat. We can go anywhere you want and I will pay,” He said quickly as he fell into step beside the woman after catching up to her. Of course she shot him a skeptical looking light glare. But at the same time she could not help but roll the idea around in her head. It was free food, free food being used as a bribe but still.

So was she willing to accept his bribe in order to accept his apology? She wanted to say no. Nothing was ever actually free even if she knew the man did not have any out right strings attached to his offer.

“It’s okay I would not want to trouble you,” she said softly as she continued to walk. But she watched him out of the corner of her eye and she was pretty sure the man looked like someone had just kicked his puppy. It almost made her feel bad for declining his offer.

“It would not be any trouble at all. It's only fair after all the hassle I have put you through,” He said, still trying to persuade her. Why did she have a feeling that even if she tried to deny him yet again he was not going to just drop it. This was like him wanting his agency to pay her. How annoying.

“If I say yes will you just let it go? And not follow me to and from work again?” she asked, throwing yet another glare at him. Though he seemed to be rather unfazed about her less than happy tone.

“Yes. I know a great little place not too far away. A real little hole in the wall place. The food is really great,” He said, seeming to come alive extremely happy to hear her questions even though she had not completely agreed to his offer of going with him for some dinner. But it seemed he knew she was caving as she sighed softly.

“Fine, lead the way,” She said, allowing him to lead the way down the street as they started to head in a slightly different direction than their apartment complex. Why did Aoi have a feeling that this man was going to be a thorn in her side, he was too friendly, too happy to try and help. Being a hero he felt the need to help even if he was not needed. And getting that point across that his help was not needed was going to be the hard part it seemed.

She followed the hero as they walked side by side silently down the street. She had quickly noticed although it seemed he was looking straight forward his eyes were actually darting around a little. A typical hero was well alert and watching for enemies. She knew the look well, it was one she had learned to do as well. One did not roam dangerous streets without learning very quickly to watch out for danger and to do it without being noticed. She imagined a hero was accustomed to similar threats when out on patrols. Still even if he was keeping his attention on what was going on around them she did not let her own nerves dull. If anything, walking beside her made her feel more on edge. He was a walking beacon, whether he was in his hero costume or in civilian clothes he still looked out of place among these streets. He was well dressed, large and clearly muscular. She wouldn't be surprised if drunks tried to pick fights with him just cause they could and wanted to see if they were stronger. It was a common thing to see in the late nights once bars kicked people out. There were always some idiots picking fights in the back alley’s often to see who was stronger, or someone just looked at someone else the wrong way. Drunks were always looking for fights in this area. And Izuku would catch anyone's eyes, though she wondered if it may be his wide muscular build along that drew attention. He looked like a gym rat who lived in the gym all day. But she expected a hero would need to be in peak physical shape, especially one that fought so much close range combat.

The thought of his combat skills had her eyes drift over to glance at the man beside her. She knew his legs were extremely strong, he used them as much as his fists. She had never really paid a lot of attention to his fighting before, hero’s had never been an interest of hers. But now she was wondering she had always assumed his quirk had been a physical enhancement one, but with how built he was maybe he simply worked very hard to be as physically strong as he was. She may not have any actual idea of what his quirk is now that she was thinking about it.

She had almost walked past the little hidden restaurant until she noticed the man had stopped. Pausing, she turned just in time to watch him open the door for her. She could tell he was smiling widely at him as wrinkles creased around the edges of his eyes. She thanked him as she walked past him and walked into the little restaurant. She had noticed it but had never actually eaten inside of it. She did not usually eat out often, it was not something she could afford to do. It did make taking up his offer almost worth it. Key word there was almost. She had a feeling that giving in to this man’s whims was only going to make him more persistent than he already was.

It seemed he must have eaten at the small family run restaurant a few times as the little old lady who greeted them was all smiles and waves as she quickly asked the young man how he had been. To which he answered with a simple oh you know the usual. He even pulled the face mask off that he had been wearing and once they sat down his hat also came off. He must feel very comfortable removing his little camouflage. The restaurant was not very big, it was a small little ramen place, but boy it smelled wonderful inside. Her stomach growled as she was sitting there. That seemed to draw the man’s attention as he smiled at her now that she could actually see his face. Of course the sound of her stomach growl had him chuckle softly.

“Did you not eat anything while you were at work?” He asked her softly recalling how she had eaten breakfast but that was it and it was already well into the evening now. She had gone most of the day without eating.

“No it was too busy today,” She said softly, not wanting to admit she had no money to buy anything and then also she had not brought anything either to eat from home. He had been with her keeping her from packing herself a snack or lunch to eat.

“Well order anything you want and eat all you want. I did say it was my treat after all,” He said smiling widely at her. Even though she was still looking at him unhappy about his offer and having been talking into accepting. He was a nice guy, he was good company, even if he was a little annoying at times. She sighed softly; it was his nice personality that made it hard for her to just cut ties. She could have kicked him out the second he was healed and gone back to living like she had no idea who lived in the apartment beside hers. He seemed so genuine it was hard to hate him or even try to still be mad at him.

“If I clean out your wallet then do not complain,” She said simply as she started to eye up the different options the little restaurant had. A nice ramen actually sounded so good and the smell in the building was making her mouth water. And there was no reason to not stuff her face aside from the fact it would not be attractive if she ate multiple bowls of ramen. Then again should she really be worried about that? She wanted to say no. And yet it still did not sit well with her that it may look attractive if she was to stuff her face in front of him. It was odd, it's not like she had ever cared about eating in front of others before. So why was it now sitting on the edge of her mind?

Izuku chuckled softly at her comment, unaware of her own little tornado of thoughts that were flying around in her mind. It was almost making her dizzy with herself as she tried to figure out why the sudden thought of eating a lot in front of him was nerve racking. At least she was lucky that the man sitting across from her had been unaware of the stress she was feeling as he continued to smile at her softly.

“I am not too worried, number one hero remember? I can afford to buy you anything you could want to eat, and I am always happy when my money is supporting a little local business,” He said smiling at her as he did not even touch his menu, already well aware of what he was going to order.

“Do you eat here a lot? They seem to know you here,” Aoi quickly welcomed the chance to change the subject from how much she was allowed to and may eat.

“Oh yes. I found this place a few years ago when I was fighting with a villain a few blocks away and he took off trying to run for it. He ended up on this street before I apprehended him. But a car had gotten tossed around by the villain and it almost crashed in through their front door but I was able to stop it before it could damage their restaurant. As I was waiting for the cops to come and pick up the criminal they had come out and thanked me. And I came here for a meal once and I fell in love with their food. Now that I live closer I plan to eat here a lot more often,” He said completely rambling on about how he found the little restaurant. I was how he found a lot of great places to eat. He would have continued his rambling and gone on to talk about other places he had found had he not looked up and been surprised that she was actually paying attention and was listening to his little ramble. Izuku was very much aware that he rambled, a lot, and people usually just did not pay it a lot of attention. But she was actually listening to him. It had been a while since someone had actually listened and paid attention to his rambling.

“Oh so mister hero saved the day and you found somewhere to eat good food. Sounds pretty lucky,” She said simply as she glanced down at her menu.

“Well then is there anything you would suggest?” She asked, still a little unsure what to get.

“Oh do if you like spicy food, they have a really good spicy ramen options. Kacchan even likes it and he is very picky. But if you don’t then they have a mild option that I really like myself,” Izuku said happily, starting to give options that he liked and knew others had liked. Of course at the sound of spicy food and the number two current hero Aoi scrunched up her nose.

“I am not a fan of spicy foods. I much more like sweet foods,” She said as she decided to go with a more mild pork broth and not something spicy. Izuku smiled softly at her trying not to chuckle as he watched her face scrunch up when he spoke about a spicy option for the ramen. He would have to remember that she was not a fan of spicy food.

They quickly ordered and Aoi would not admit it but the man had a good taste in restaurants, it tasted wonderful once the food arrived. Oh how she wished that she could eat here more often. It was a flavourful broth and she almost had to bite her tongue not to moan softly at the taste. This was much better than going home and just eating some fried rice. She smiled happily as she ate her meal unaware of the soft green eyes that were watching her as she ate her large bowl of ramen. It was so easy to make her happy and seeing her happy made him oddly happy.

Chapter Text

The next day was off to a good start. The morning went without a hitch, no sight or sound from her next door neighbor. Though she expected her life could now get back to normal. She would go on living life as she had before. That was her plan as she enjoyed her simple morning trying to relax before she would shower and get ready for a dinner shift at the restaurant. She was rereading one of the few books she had been able to afford second hand. She had read it many a times in the past but she always loved it so rereading it was nice. When a knock at her door had her pause placing her bookmark in it before she got up and slowly approached her door. She was not expecting company, and so her anxiety spiked unsure who would be knocking on her door during the middle of a work day.

Trying to be as silent as she could, she leaned against the door looking through the peak hole to take in the sudden sight of some young kid standing there holding some bags in his hand. Unlocking the door but not the chain on the top of it she let the door open an inch.

“You have the wrong address, I did not order anything,” she hissed as she took in the young man’s wide smile.

“No, I am sure I have the right address. These were ordered online and paid for this morning with the directions to deliver to this exact address. By a mister Midoriya,” the kid said as he started to put the bags down she assumed his arms were getting sore holding them up. At the mention of her next door neighbor she groaned.

“Leave then there I will get them,” she said before slamming the door closed with a little more force than was needed before unlocking the chain and opening the door. The kid simply bowed, asked for a signature and then wished her a good day before leaving her to drag the armful of bags into her apartment, the bags did not reach her kitchen as she sat them on the floor just inside her place before she was checking the hall and storming out to walk down it.

She did not care if her knocking was a little louder than needed. She was a little irritated with the unwanted gift. She did not want his charity but clearly the man did not understand that. But as she stood there not hearing a sound on the other side of the door she had knocked on she quickly wondered if the man was even home. If he was smart he would not be home then she could not try to force the number of bags of food into his home.

She did not like standing in front of his door longer than she had to, and when it became apparent he was either A) not home or B) home and ignoring her she quickly turned tail to slip back into her apartment, locking up her door once again.

Leaving the bags of food by her front door she stormed into her home and headed for her small living room where she scooped up her cell phone and hit the call button when she came across the contact she had been looking for. It only took two rings before the familiar voice picked up. She wondered if he was waiting and expecting her call.

“Sugahara! Hello,” the greeting sounded so chipper as if it made the man’s day to hear from her.

“Deku. What is with the bags of food that were suddenly ditched at my front door?” She asked as she made her way to stand over said bags as she glared down at them not even all sure what they exactly contained.

“Oh Uhm well I felt bad for eating a bunch of your food so I figured the least I could do was replace what I ate,” he said simply and she was pretty sure he was rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke.

“This is far more than the few things you ate,” she pointed out as she looked at all the bags. It was by far much more food than what she had bought on her last trip to the grocery store. With much fresher and better items sitting among the bags as she picked one up to peek into the bag and take in the sight of fresh chicken and salmon along with a few other meats.

“Well I was not sure how much I owed exactly. I figured I’d rather over repay you than under,” he pointed out which had her sigh as she started to dig some of the food out of the bags at least getting the refrigerated and freezer foods put away first. It’s not like she could just leave them out.

“Well you ordered way too much. There’s no way I’ll get some of those eaten before it goes bad,” she grumbled as she quickly learned he had ordered a lot of fresh stuff that not all would be freezable.

“Hmm well you may have to invite someone for a meal then and get some help if you're worried it will go bad too fast,” he pointed out sounding like he was just genially throwing an idea out trying to be helpful. Thankfully he was not there to see the scrunched up face she made at the idea he offered. Who the hell was she supposed to invite for dinner? It was not exactly like she had much for friends. She had acquaintances at best, or people she knew lived in the area who she had encountered or dealt with but friends were not something she had a lot of. A lack of trust and having been bullied horribly as a kid left her lacking in social skills to make friends now as an adult. Then again how did adults make friends nowadays? There were few she had ever called friends, but they were all gone now and she had never dared to make new friends. She had learned that even if you call someone a friend they will eventually abandon her.

Her thoughts were quickly spiraling downwards the more she thought about her lack of friends. She had to quickly change the subject before she found herself feeling incredibly depressed.

“I know you’re not home right now Midoriya does that mean you’re at work? Am I keeping you from something important?” She asked, trying to quickly change the conversation.

“Oh I am. I’m just out patrolling with a friend and fellow hero. Todoroki is an old friend from my UA day’s. He picked up the slack for me while I was injured. I think you would really like him,” The man had quickly started to ramble off about his dear friend who was currently looking over at him with a softly arched eyebrow and head tilt.

“Todoroki Shoto correct? Yeah I have heard of him. Kinda hard not to know the son of Endeavor who is currently sitting in the number three spot right now,” She said, trying to force the man to end his rambling a little about the man. She knew about the duel quirk user, she had once upon a time looked him up online when they were still in high school. But since then she had never really cared to learn about the man. There was once a time she would have loved to meet the man, but now she no longer felt that way about him.

“Oh yeah that's him. Are you a fan?” The man’s question sounded friendly enough.

“Not really. I’ve just heard the name before. Hard not to know who a top ranked hero is. I’m pretty sure I could pass a bus stop with his face on it on the way to work. It is similar to you. It's hard to not know a name of someone who is all over the place,” She said softly with a simple shrug of her shoulder even though the man on the other side of the phone could not actually see the gesture.

“Well I do not want to be in the way of your patrol. I am sure there's some purse snatcher somewhere for you to foil or a little old lady for you to help across a street,” She said, her tone a little more sour sounding than she had intended to. But it seemed the idiot on the other end of the line did not care as she heard him laughing softly.

“There is no need to worry. Patrol has been nice and simple so far today. Your call has been the best thing yet. Uh I mean I really do not mind the call. It’s not like there's actively any crime going on at this exact moment. I know you were calling to just get mad at me for ordering the groceries but it is still nice. If you work this afternoon, do you want an escort? I am sure Todoroki would not mind the little venture off of our normal route,” The man was saying quickly and she could only imagine that freckled face of his was a blazing red.

“Do not worry Deku, I do not need an escort. I have survived the walk to and from work for many years. I will be just fine,” She said with a sigh as the man still tried to push to walk with her too and from work.

“You say that but you really do not live in a very good neighborhood. It would not be very hard for you to get caught up in something even accidentally,” She could hear the man mumble softly. Why was it that she could imagine the man looking like someone had just kicked his puppy?

“You worry too much, mister hero. After all, you're out and about right now making sure the streets will be safe for me once I’m heading to work. So I do not have a worry in the world with you keeping the streets safe,” she said, hoping that maybe a little stroking of the man's ego would be good enough to keep him happy and get him to drop the annoying subject. But it seemed the man did not have a lot of ego, not enough to make her attempt successful.

“Well yeah I will always be keeping the streets safe. But that does not mean that every street at every moment is safe,” The man said simply and Aoi had to strongly fight back the urge to slam her forehead into the top of her kitchen counter. She could not even hold back the audible groan that she made.

“Okay Deku I am going to hang up the phone now. And I will get dressed for work and I expect you to continue your normal patrol. If you do then I will make dinner for you tomorrow,” She said quickly, attempting a little bribe now in her last ditch effort to get the man to not feel like he was stalking her even though he was just being a worried hero. Though she did not understand why he worried about her. Just days ago he did not even know she existed. Why did he suddenly care about some quirkless, useless, woman who was easily replaceable. No one cared about her, so why did he?

“Oh what will you make?” Was the question she got from the man. Oh maybe she could bride him with food after all.

“Whatever you want as long as I can make it with the ingredients that you sent me,” She hummed softly, not actually sure what she planned to make even for her next meal.

“Katsudon?” Was the almost too fast answer that she got from him. She struggled not to laugh at the man's eagerness as she recalled that was what he had ordered the first night he had bought them both food while he had been injured.

“Sure I should have all the ingredients I need here. Just no more repaying me, that means no more groceries, no more walking me to work, and if I see you on a roof top again on my block at work you’ll be asking Todoroki to help you remove my shoe from your ass,” She said growled the end as she listened to the line go silent before she realized he had gone oddly silent. Now she needed to know why, “Deku what did you do?”

“Uhm well there may be more things arriving over the next day,” She heard the boy squeak after she asked him what he did.

“What?” The question had come out as a growl as she suddenly glared at the device that she was holding. She was now rubbing her temples in irritation as she held the phone back up to her ear and listened to the oddly silent line.

“What else did you buy?” She asked after a second of deep breathing trying to calm herself down as she was unhappy he was not listening to her. She did not want him to buy her stuff, she did not want his money, she did not expect anything from the man.

“Uhm well a new bed set since I know I got blood on your other one. As well as some new towels I know you used some to clean my wound before you stitched me up. You will probably never get the blood out of them so I feel bad you most likely had to throw them out so I bought you some replacements. I assume if they did not arrive today then they should be delivered tomorrow,” Izuku said softly and she was pretty sure he was rubbing the back of his neck. She groaned softly at hearing that he had bought her some new bedsheets and towels.

“Is that all?” She asked, unable to help but sound skeptical as she worried that he had bought more than just that simple small list of things.

“Yeah,” Was the sheepish reply she got from the man.

“Okay well no more stuff. And if you want any home cooked food tomorrow it will be ready by 5,” she said simply sounding slightly exhausted after having to deal with the man.

“Sounds great, I will see you tomorrow Sugahara,” were the chipper words she got before she said a simple good bye and hung up the phone. Sighing heavily as she stood in her kitchen it was hard to stay mad at the man, he seemed so genuine in his desire to repay her. Even if it did irk the hell out of her she still struggled to stay mad at the man.

Izuku could not help the wide grin on his lips as he slid his cell phone back into a pocket of his utility belt that sat around his waist as he continued walking down the street just waiting for Danger sense to go off and tell him if something dangerous was about to go down.

“Who was that?” The monotone voice beside him asked. Turning the green haired man smiled at his dear friend who was walking beside him and who had been listening to the phone call even if he could only truly hear one side.

“My neighbor Sugahara. That's the lady who helped me out the other day,” Izuku said, smiling widely at the duel quirk user.
“Oh that’s the lady whose home you broke into while you were injured,” Shoto said bluntly with a slight tilt of his head which gave away it was actually a question even though his tone did not make it sound so.

“Oh uhm yes that was the same lady,” Izuku mumbled blushing slightly rubbing the back of his neck. “Can we try and forget that part? I still hate that that was how my neighbor met me.”

“Huh? Yes, that is possible. But I do not understand why you seem so bothered by it. What has happened has happened and you can not change that now. So why try to forget it?” Shoto asked simply softly arching an eyebrow at his friend.

“I know I can not change what has happened. But I still do not like it. I feel bad for putting her through that. I can not imagine how scared she was when I just broke into her bedroom in the middle of the night. And she has been refusing to accept anything I tried to do to repay her. I offered her some money from the agency, but she refused. I tried to ask her if I could walk her to and from work but she was incredibly unhappy with me yesterday when I did that yesterday. And when I ordered her some groceries to be delivered today to make up for the food that I ate of hers, she just called to yell at me for it. Though this time she at least seemed to get over it after she got mad at me,” Izuku said, sighing softly as he rambled off about his mild issues with the woman who lived next door to him. And who he very much wished to keep safe and also repay for her kindness.

“That sounds complicated,” the man beside him hummed softly, apparently thinking over what Izuku had told him.

“But you said on the phone you will be seeing her tomorrow, correct?” Shoto asked, recalling what part of the conversation that he had been able to hear.

“Yeah she said if I stop trying to repay her then she will make dinner for me,” The man said, his freckled cheeks quickly filling with colour.

“Well that sounds like a good thing. She must not be that upset with you if she is inviting you to dinner,” The man beside him said simply as they walked side by side, eyes scanning the street for any signs of criminal activity.

“Yeah I guess you're right. I’ll take it as a good sign,” Izuku said as he turned his attention back to glancing at the people along the street waving to his fans that would call out to him as he continued on his patrol.

Chapter Text

Heading to and from work that night Aoi did not catch sight of the man as he promised. It was a relief to see that he can keep his promise.

And so since he kept his promise she had to keep hers. And so she stood in front of the stove listening to the sound of food frying, rice cooking in the rice cooker. Smell of the breaded pork filled her small apartment. A sudden knock at the door had her jump, before she scurried over to check who it was knocking at her door. Sticking her face against the door she peered through the peak hole taking in the tub over dark green hair telling her exactly who it was.

“Midoriya,” she greeted as she quickly started to work at undoing the multitude of locks to allow the man to enter her apartment.

“Good evening. I hope I am not too early?” Man asked, a blush littering across his freckles. What a little sugar cookie.

“Not at all I’m just finishing up, come on in,” she said as she locked the door and turned to head back into the kitchen quickly walking back up to the stove and the food she had forgotten about for a second. She had left the man to get comfortable himself, he had pretty much lived with her for a few days. He had stolen her bed and used her shower. The fact that she now knew he owned All Might boxers kind of made it feel like the two had known each other for more than a few days. Although they had only known each other a few days it had felt like they knew each other for much longer. It was odd and yet she was not going to argue with herself over it either. It was so easy to just feel comfortable around one another.

And she was not the only one who seemed to feel comfortable with the other person and being in her home together. As she was finishing up cooking Izuku had already started to pull out bowls and cups. Placing the bowls on the counter beside her for when she needed them, which earned him a thanks after she shot him a surprised look. From there the man started to set the table as she loaded the plates. He had easily remembered where she kept most of the basics like the cups and plates, as well as her utensils.

“You don’t have to set the table,” she called out as she started loading a bunch of rice into his bowl.

“Huh oh I don’t mind. Anyways it would feel a little odd to just sit back and watch you run around getting everything. I really don’t mind, seems like the least I could do since you cooked the meal,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck as his cheeks flushed with colour. What a sugar cookie.

“If you say so,” she said simply with a shrug of her shoulders as she turned with her hands full and started to the table placing his nearly over filled bowl down in the chair that was apparently his now before she returned to grab her own much less filled bowl. But still her bowl was well filled with food.

Sitting down across from the man she watched his face just light up at the sight of the home cooked katsudon. It wasn’t as fancy looking as some top notch restaurants. But it smelled good. And with a quick thanks she popped a mouthful of the breaded pork into her mouth humming happily to herself with her choice of a nice light breading. It paired well with the egg and rice. It was good enough for her. But a quick glance across the table made her feel a little nervous. Would her guest find it good as well? After all being a number one hero he probably ate top notch food all the time. Her cooking would surely never compare.

She had no reason to fear as she looked up to see the green haired man smiling widely like an idiot as he chewed his own mouthful. He looked truly happy. Then again she wasn’t sure the idiot could lie and fake anything emotional to save his life. The man wore his heart on his sleeve. She was sure.

“Hope it’s not too bad,” she still couldn’t help but say as a little nervousness seemed to eat away at her as she couldn’t just push away the self doubt she had about her own ability to cook.

“Oh no not at all. In fact it’s delicious. There’s always something about a home cooked meal that always makes food taste so much better, and this reminds me of home,” he said smiling widely before starting to blush as he said a little more than he had planned to. But that had her own lips curl up a little. Cooking had never been the easiest for her, it was a skill she only recently learned when she actually had the money to buy consistent groceries and learned eating instant ramen and whatever she could get her hands on did not really make true meals.

“I’m glad you liked it. Otherwise I feared you’d have to learn to scarf down bad food. Going through everything you bought is way too much for one person to eat. I’ll need your help eating, I'll be damned if it rots before getting eaten,” She said, tossing him a slight glare once again for having bought her so much stuff before letting out a huff of air and pouting slightly. He bought her more groceries than she typically bought in two weeks, maybe almost a month. And anything fresh and green especially would not last long enough.

“We don’t all eat like mountain men,” she teased lightly when she noticed the man looked a little ashamed and looked like he was about to open his mouth and apologize once again. And she did not want to hear it.

That teasing seemed to help pull the man out of his attempt to apologize yet again. She had to try and not laugh as she watched him blush at her comment.

“Oh well. I did not know what to all get, I wasn't completely sure what all I ate of yours. Then I was not sure if you had allergies or a preference to anything in particular. It made more sense at the time to buy too much than not enough,” she watched as the man blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck. She could not really argue it was a smart idea to be better safe than sorry. But still her cupboards had never been so full before, neither had her fridge.

“No allergies and I am not a fussy eater. I'll eat almost anything,” she said, being completely honest as she answered the unasked question. As long as the food was not growing mold it was free to eat in her books. Even then she had eaten some questionable meals in the past. But she was not about to share any of that information with the man as they ate their meal enjoying the simple company of each other.

And of course since she opened up a little to the man he was quick to ask more questions like wanting to know what food she did like. Which ended up being harder than she thought it would be to answer. Picking one utmost favorite was hard, having a preference was not usually something she could indulge herself in. But she still tried to answer. She said takoyaki was something she loved that she did not get to enjoy much and she would indulge every chance she got. That then sent the man on a ramble about a number of really good places that sell takoyaki from food stalls in some areas of town to restaurants in other parts. She should not have been surprised to learn the man was well accustomed to the layout of nearly the entire city. Which she found amazing, she still got lost if she had to walk to an area of the city she was unfamiliar with. She liked her familiarity and the safety it brought that she knew the streets and the shadows that hide the evil. But unfamiliar streets hid their own evil and she always grew incredibly anxious in unfamiliar areas.

Once she was done eating Izuku was quick to scoop up their dirty dishes, he not only set the table but also started cleaning dishes. Why could more men not do something so simple? She would have to praise his mother if she ever met the woman on her raising of a fine young man. Still Aoi could not just sit back and watch the man clean up her mess. She put away the leftovers after having offered them to the man for his lunch the next day but he declined.

“You better be eating a good lunch when you're working. Skipping lunch is not healthy,” She was quick to scold when he denied her offer of the leftovers. That had him blush softly yet again and give her a light chuckle.

“Lunch is usually a rush job if I take the time for a break. I usually grab snaps and food while out on patrol. When I have paperwork to do I’ll grab some take out and eat it while dealing with the desk work,” He admitted as he watched the woman scowl at him and cross her arms over her chest at him.

How much take out did this man eat? That was not healthy eating fast food or takeout every day for lunch, that is if he even ate lunch apparently.

“That’s not healthy. There are healthier options for eating on the go than that,” she scolded, well aware the man could afford the best. Surely meal planning could not be that hard for him. Hell she wondered if he could just pay someone to do it for him even. Wasn’t like the current number one of Japan couldn’t afford such things.

“Haha my mother says the same things, she loves to scold me when she learns I skipped lunch,” She listened to him chuckle softly at the thought of his mother.

“Smart woman it sounds like. Someone has to keep you from being more self destructive than you already are,” She said as she slipped her left over into the fridge before moving to sit back at her table since the kitchen was really not big enough for them both to be standing in it.

“Hey. I have gotten really good at not being self destructive any more,” Izuku said, trying to mock looking offended which in turn just had them both laugh lightly.

“Oh yeah, totally not self destructive. You totally did not nearly bleed out in my bedroom only nights ago,” She could not help the heavy sarcasm and the roll of her eyes at the man. And he could not even try to argue with her about that either.

“Okay. You have me there,” he said as he dried his hands before moving over to sit back at the table as well once he was done with the dishes. She laughed lightly at him as he did not even try to argue about that. Was kind of hard because it was completely true.

“So mister hero. Did you break anyone's bones today while on the job? Your own or someone else's?” She couldn't help but still tease him about the broken bones. She had done some homework and had looked up the hero. Hard not to recall his early high school days when he used to break bones like no tomorrow.

“Don’t worry I did not break any bones today. At least none of mine. I don’t think I broke any criminals. It was a relaxed day and with Shoto being my partner for this week's shifts makes catching criminals easier,” Izuku said, simply actually answering her teasing with an honest answer.

“He uses both ice and fire, correct?” she asked, making sure she had the right quirk to the right hero.

“Yes that’s correct,” Izuku said with a nod of his head.

“I imagine his ice is a good tool for catching criminals, I’ve seen him on the news before. He has a habit of loving to freeze people to the ground,” she had to bite back the urge to point out that the two toned haired man had a very bad habit of being predictable in his fighting habits. He really loved to use his ice to freeze up the ground a lot. But she imagined the man sitting across from her was also well aware of his friends' habits.

“Yes makes it nice when dealing with a group especially. Criminals can not run off when they are encased in ice. Then we just have to wait for the offices to pick up the criminals. I can restrain criminals as well but Shoto makes it nice and simple,” Izuku was happy to praise his friend's powers. It did make his job easier than using black whip to restrain criminals while waiting on cops to show up and arrest people.

It felt mildly weird to talk about the youngest Todoroki. She really did not know much about him. But she had learned a fair share about his father Endeavor. After all, before a dear old friend of hers left her he had complained a lot about the once number one hero. The man they were talking to she assumed did not even know she existed and yet she knew more than she should about his family.

“I’m assuming you do not get a lot of slow days. Or is it more so the matter that you strike me as a man who looks for something to keep him busy?” She asked with a tilt of her head and a quick new question and slight subject change wanting to get away from the conversation of the Todoroki man.

“Is it that easy to tell?” He asked, looking a little sheepish, when she was able to call him out for the fact that he often spends his free time still looking for villains. If he was not in bed or as of late with her then he was out on the streets. He often picked up every patrol shift he could or was more than happy to just walk around the streets and see if he could run into any active crimes while on his off time.

“Well first off you strike me as a workaholic. Second, I could not find what you did to end up with a hole in your gut the night you showed up in my room. So you were doing either a job the media was not allowed to know about or you were just out and about when you encountered something or someone doing something criminal. People also love to talk and gossip you tend to be out and about at all hours of day or night it sounds like,” She said well aware that a few overheard conversation in the restaurant and a few right people to ask herself, as well as some simple old news searches it's easy to tell the man was always catching criminals and helping people.

She watched Izuku arch an eyebrow at her as she pointed out how she noticed he seemed like a workaholic. Their conversation earlier about his skipping of lunch probably gave away he was a workaholic on its own. But he was more surprised to learn she had tried to figure out what he had done to end up bleeding on her carpet that night. But he did not want to address that at this exact thought.

“Oh what do people say?” He asked her with a slight tilt of his own head and an actual curiosity in his eyes.

“Depends on who you talk to. Some people just repeat what the news or magazines have to say. Talk to any single woman young and the conversation easily will turn to one about who's the most attractive top hero. Which by the way a lot of people are unaware Dynamite and Red Riot are an actual item. Maybe it's denial who knows. Talk to a criminal and they will complain that there are always heroes around lately. I assume since you moved into the neighborhood you spend some time walking around the streets in your spare time. It puts those in the shadows on edge noticing the presence of a hero. And your presence has started to be noticed,” She said simply as she rested an elbow on her table and then placed her chin in her hand. Izuku on the other hand had to try and not let his jaw drop as he listened to her list off simple things she had heard.

“You should really work in an agency or police department with detective skills like that,” Izuku said once he was able to pick his jaw off the floor.

“Nah, not my thing. People also would not talk to a cop. Really people love to talk and they often treat waitresses like they don't have working ears. You would be surprised what I can hear about on any given day,” She said simply with a shrug of her shoulders. It also did not hurt that she knew a few people to talk to about the more shadowing part of the streets.

“Still that's amazing,” Izuku said with heavy praise. She didn't see it as such. More so it was her way of doing a background check on the hero before her. Hated heavily by villains for all the good he does and loved heavily by the people he is supposed to protect. After all, she wanted to make sure the man she was inviting into her home was not a danger to her. Well he was in a few ways, the fact he was a hero alone could upset some people but she did not want to think about that. And then add on he had an incredibly strong quirk while she was quirkless. Would not be hard for him to over power her if he had felt the need to. Izuku just couldn't see that her paranoia had gotten the best of her and she had looked for a little more information on the number one hero.

The rest of the evening followed suit as the two sat and talked. Getting to know each other more and more. And somehow the two would fall into an odd little routine. They spend one meal a day together. She would cook either a lunch or dinner for them if they both had the time off. Some days did not work out, both working the day away. But they quickly settled into an odd routine. Eating and then moving to her couch in which Izuku had given her access to some of his streaming subscriptions since he was always over at her home and watching movies on her tv. And well he had noticed early on her lack of more than a handful of cheek tv channels. But it was nice enjoying the man's company on an almost daily occurrence.

Chapter Text

Was it odd that the woman had found herself trying to trade her shifts. Before she had worked evenings and nights. But now she had started to try and find a way to get her schedule in line with his. She enjoyed having a valid excuse to cook him dinner or take over his kitchen when she watched him try to cook. Sure he wasn’t a set his kitchen on fire type bad cook but maybe it was some odd thing but just small things he did as he cooked irked her just enough she would. It always started the same way. He would do something just enough that she would suggest a better way to do it, whether it was how he copped his vegetables, or how he pan fried something. Then the next thing she knows her help turns into her doing the cooking. She would always apologize but the green haired man did not seem to mind.

He would always tell her she was welcome to cook in his kitchen any time. And that she was free to kick him out of it any time she wanted. After a few times it started to feel like he did things on purpose so she would end up doing the cooking. Usually being used like that would piss her off. But he made up for it with his kitchen being much nicer than hers. Better kitchenware than she could ever have imagined she would use.

Walking out of the restaurant she was already trying to think of what meal she should try next. It had become a bit of a thing to try and show off. Cooking was one of the few things she could do well. And she liked the praise, even if she may never openly admit that. Still trying to always one up her last meal had become a bit of an obsession. So as she stepped out of the restaurant once her shift was over she never even noticed the way the street was oddly empty. A not so nice area of town with the streets bare often meant one of two things. People were aware of a conflict likely to break out in the streets. Or hero’s were in the neighborhood and all the roaches were hiding. Apparently this was the latter.

“Sugahara!” The sound of someone calling out her name had her pause on her way home as she turned to look towards where the all too familiar voice came from. But the sight had her freeze. It was Deku who had called out her name. Decked out in full dark green costume, those odd red shoes and white gloves he always wore. It was not her neighbour who called out to her. No this was the number one hero she was greeted with. Hand waving with that brilliant wide smile on his lips.

She knew eventually this would happen. He had walked her to and from work a few times but never had he done so while in costume. And she liked it that way. At least with either his hair covered, a mask on his face and sometimes even sunglasses as well, he was a bit harder to recognize. It gave a false sense of security that no one would know that she was friends with the top hero. But she knew eventually he would either be recognized or the man would do this. Now there was no hiding it. Eyes in the shadows would see this. He called her by name, he was waving. He knew her and she could not hide it anymore. But him showing up in costume was not the only thing that had ice running through her veins. No, it was the man walking beside Deku.

It was impossible to not know the other man. Red and white hair split perfectly down the middle. His family drama has been the highlight of gossip about ten years ago after it came out his oldest brother was a villian, his father an abusive asshole, and him the young aspiring hero who was just trying to survive it all. Everyone knew who Todoroki Shoto was. And she was no exception to that either.

Although she had seen him a few times in the news, in magazines, on the side of buses and well really just about anywhere. It was still a lot to take in seeing the man in person. Lips a firm line as he seemed to border on some sort of resting bitch face and lacking interest kind of look. The scar over his left eye was impossible to miss, everything about him was impossible to miss. But what had panic coursing through her was the sight of that bright blue eye. It was so familiar, at first almost nostalgic. She knew that eye. But the simple glance over at his grey eye was a quick reminder that those eyes were not the same ones she remembered. Not the same ones from dreams about past times. That blue eye was not the same even if it looked like it.

“Looks like our timing is perfect. We are still on patrol duty. But we can walk you home and then keep on our patrol,” Midoriya said, smiling happily unaware of the woman trying, no, struggling to keep herself from the mental break down her brain was having. All she could see were those cyan blue eyes from her past. All she could do was try to keep her breathing normal and desperately keep her panic hidden until she got home. Just keep breathing, was the mantra she was saying to herself as she walked hanging desperately to Izuku’s words to help keep herself from just breaking down right then and there.

“It’s okay do not worry about it Midoriya,” she said quickly, turning away trying desperately to not just run from both men. Both men shared a glance as they quickened their pace on walking on either side of her before she started walking away. She huffed softly but slowed down and let the two hero’s fall into step with her.

“We do not mind Sugahara,” Midoriya said as he looked at the woman then back at Todoroki who had silently nodded his head when he watched the woman glance over at him before quickly looking back at Midoriya with a sigh.

“If you are sure. I would not want to be pulling two important hero’s away from more important matters,” she said simply as she looked back at Midoriya even though he was not the one who answered her.

“It’s along the way,” was the simple words the man to her right said. Which once again earned him only a seconds of a glance before she was looking straight ahead. Trying not to let her panic or anger take over she exhaled a slow breath.

“Ugh I hope you two have not made this area a regular patrol route,” she grumbled softly to herself.

“Why? Would it not be best to have hero’s patrolling suck a high risk area?” Todoroki asked having both sets of eyes turn to look at him. Aoi looked at the man, she should not have been surprised that someone like him would not understand. He was Endeavor's son, she had heard some times common sense went over his head, but it did not help that she doubted the man had any idea what it was like going even a single day unsure of how he could get his next meal after going days without. How desperate people will do extreme things. Or that not all villains are even because they choose to be.

“Todoroki Shoto. Who do you think would benefit from the presence of a hero in an area where they had been lacking, this is not the same as dealing with some other district. There are rules here; that few brake, that do not apply outside of the district. People do not typically run around killing each other,” she paused sure muggings happened a fair bit, sexual assaults were the highest risk for a woman especially one like her. But even then one learned who to avoid bad areas as much as possible. But still a hero’s presence she imagines would not stop such things. “Desperate people will still do illegal things. Your presence will not stop such actions.”

The man walking beside actually seemed to be thinking over what she had to say. Which was a little surprising, she was used to just being ignored or told she did not know what she was talking about. But he actually seemed to take her seriously and think over her words.

“I see. You are correct, the presence of a hero does not completely stop people from doing bad things. But we do work well as deterrents for more petty crime,” the duel haired man said as he looked down at the woman. She sighed softly. It was not worth picking a fight with two hero’s who would never see things from her point of view.

“Where are my manners? I know who you are but I never introduced myself. I am Sugahara Aoi,” she said quickly, introducing herself even though she was pretty sure the man knew who she was as she paused to bow to the man who returned the simple gesture.

“It is very nice to meet you,” he said, his tone so monotone. It was almost a little hard to believe this calm man was the son of the loud and cranky Endeavor.

“So if you are still on patrol does this mean you will miss supper tonight?“ the woman suddenly asked, looking over at the green haired hero walking on her other side. She watched him flash her an apologetic smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Yeah I don’t think I’ll be home in time,” he said softly.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll have left overs if you want them for lunch just swing by once you’re home,” she said, simply giving him a soft smile as she offered him the option for leftovers.

“Oh I’m going to be pretty late tonight so do not worry about it,” Izuku said, smiling softly at her.

“Okay just make sure when you're sneaking into your home you go through the correct window,” she said, smirking playfully at the man. He only groaned at her tease with a soft smile.

“You’re never going to let that go are you?” The man asked with a soft pink tinge to his cheeks.

“Not until something more fun to tease you about comes along,” she answered with a wide innocent smile.

A soft chuckle drew both set of eyes over to the man who had been silently watching the two interact with one another. The other man had been silently watching the interaction. It had interested him to see how his friend talked with someone else, someone not a hero like all their other friends. Both Todoroki and Midoriya had a small circle of friends, and really they all consisted of their fellow hero’s and old classmates. But this woman treated Izuku like any normal person even as he was walking beside her fully decked out in his hero costume. And watching the woman get mouthy with the large green haired man was entertaining. The woman seemed fearless, or just did not seem to see them as anything else. All too often it seemed people struggled to see hero’s as people even when they were out of costume. But this woman did not seem to have that issue.

“What is so funny?” The woman asked with a tilt of her head and a soft arch of an eyebrow at Todoroki.

“It is entertaining watching you two. It is simply refreshing. Usually people are not so relaxed around us,” Shoto answered rather bluntly. Ah well that made sense.

“Ah, people do like to treat you hero’s like gods, you're still just people. I’m not about to treat you any differently than anyone else,” she said simply with a shrug of her shoulders as she continued to walk, her eyes still carefully watching every shadow around them as they walked.

“It’s nice. It’s refreshing being treated like a normal person,” Izuku said softly as a light blush littered his cheeks.

“Good I don’t plan to change that,” Aoi said with a hum. She tried to keep her posture relaxed as she walked but it was hard as she swore she felt someone watching them. But she could not see anything off, nor did either hero. It was surely her anxiety fueled mind playing tricks on her. It did not help that she could not meet Todoroki in the eye, unable to bring herself to look into that bright blue eye of his. Everything about her current situation was stretching her sanity. Her body wanted to panic, but she could not allow it to. Not till she was safe and at home alone.

Was it a good thing or a bad thing that the walk to her apartment was uneventful? No one had dared cross their path. No mugging, no assault, no one did anything other than glance at them. But that felt almost worse, she almost wanted to hide behind the two hero’s and stay out of sight. That was supposed to be the perk of being quirkless, she was supposed to go unnoticed, not important enough for people to care about. But with two hero’s walking side by side with her they drew attention to her. And that only had the stone in her stomach growing heavier. So once her home came into view she almost cried. She wanted nothing more than to run to her apartment and just lock herself away from the world and hide where she felt safe.

“Well thanks for the walk home Midoriya. It was very nice to meet you Todoroki. Be careful on the rest of your patrol,” she said bowing to the two men before she straightened and watched as Izuku blushed softly and stuttered about how it was his job. Shoto just blinked his eyes and nodded his head at her thanks.

With simple waves the three parted ways as Aoi nearly ran for her apartment and Izuku and Shoto continued down the sidewalk getting back into their patrol route. The duo had fallen into a simple silence, it was not uncommon for that to happen on slow patrols.

“She seems nice,” Shoto said, finally breaking the silence as he glanced over at his friend.

“Yeah she usually is,” Izuku said with a soft smile on his face.

“Are you two dating?” The blunt question caught the poor man off guard as he started to choke on his sudden intake of air. Izuku actually had to stop and bent over putting a hand on his knee as he coughed so hard he almost struggled to breath. Shoto had paused, unsure of what had happened as he gently patted the man on the back unsure what else to do.

“N…no not at all. What gave you the idea we were?” Izuku asked once he had been able to stop coughing and breathing again. His face red but Shoto could not tell if it was due to the coughing or embarrassment.

“You two seem incredibly close. You eat dinner at her place a lot, and she’s the reason you cut back on all those night patrols you had been taking on top of you day time patrol, I assumed it was all due to her. If you are not dating then why buy her stuff and spend time with her?” Shoto asked completely innocently.

“Well I… guess I do it because…. Ugh b..because I like to spend time with her,” Izuku was a blushing, pausing, stuttering mess as if he was non a grown ass man.

“Then why not tell her and just ask her out?” Shoto asked blinking his eyes at his friend.

“It’s not that easy,” Izuku mumbled, his fingers now fiddling with his gloves.

“Huh how hard is it to ask a woman out?” Shoto asked, having not actually done so. He had never understood the appeal of the whole dating thing.

“What if she says no?” He asked softly, sounding so uncertain. It was almost hard to believe this was the number one hero talking about something.

“Then you know where you sit with her. But how will you ever know if you don’t ask? And maybe she will say yes. All you have to do is ask her out,” Shoto said simply with a soft shrug of his shoulders still unsure why confronting the woman was so hard. Though Shoto did not understand it was more so the fear of facing his own feelings and being rejected that had his best friend so concerned.

“I guess,” the green haired man mumbled softly, still sounding and looking so unsure. But Shoto did not know what else to say so he left the conversation drop.

Izuku was not the only one dealing with internal turmoil at that moment. Aoi leaned against the closed door to her apartment as soon as she was able to rush into the room. Her breathing had picked up and become uncontrollable. To the point she was not even sure if she was able to force herself to breath. Her throat felt like it had closed off. She felt like she was drowning as she struggled to gasp for air as she slid down the door not even trusting her legs to hold her up. Blue eyes, his voice, the cold touch of metal against her skin, the heat that had radiated off of him. Her hands gripped at her hair as memories flashed in her head.

She had not even noticed her vision had blurrier because of the tears running down her cheeks and not from her erratic breathing. Memories flashed in her mind. The blue flames, the wide toothy grin he had given her any time she saw him.

“Dabi,” she could not help the broken sob that slipped from her lips as the dark haired man filled her mind. The thought of the man who saved her all those years ago nearly broke her. She still felt so betrayed by him, by him leaving her to join the league and by him going and dying. How could he leave her alone? She had still been a kid. He had been like a big brother. She would never have survived without him. Sure she had always known he was dangerous, selfish, and she assumed he would have ended up in prison at some point. And so much regret hung over her, she felt she should have done something. She could have prevented so much.

How long she had sat on her floor crying she did not know. But when she did finally have the energy to get up food no longer occupied her mind as she dragged her feet to her bathroom hoping a shower as hot as she could get would maybe help before she dragged her ass to bed not even caring if it may have been a little early for her to try and get some sleep. Although sleep would refuse to come to her that night.

Chapter 17

Notes:

Beware this chapter has some darker elements of suicide, depression, mental illness, mention of addiction and other similar dark themes.

Chapter Text

As she expected, sleep refused to come to her. Her body seemed to only shake, breathing seemed so hard. And yet it did not stop the soft sobs that she filled her pillow. By the time sunlight had started to fill her bedroom she had not slept at all. Her body seemed to ache, her head was pounding. She felt sick. Maybe it was a good thing she had skipped dinner the night before as she feared nothing would stay in her stomach now. It was all she could do to just reach for her phone to say she was sick and would not make it into her shift. Her bed is where she stayed for the day. Her grief had taken over for the entire day and next night as well.

By the next morning she was at least able to force herself from her bed to do more than make it to the bathroom. And even though hunger gripped at her stomach in pain it was easy to ignore. Dark circles sat under her eyes as she at least tried to make herself drink some water. Dehydration was only going to make her feel worse. She was pretty sure Midoriya had texted her the other day. But she honestly was not sure that her cell even made it to be plugged in as she dragged herself from her bed to her bathroom. Her mouth felt disgusting from not brushing her teeth the day before. But even that simple task felt so hard. Her body felt heavy but she knew going over twenty four hours of ignoring her basic hygiene health was not good mentally or physically. So first her teeth. Then she nearly crawled into her shower letting barely room temperature water wash over her as she nearly sat on the floor of her shower. She ran shampoo through her hair and forced herself to wash her body. At least the cold water acted as a slight encouragement. But still she spent more time than she would normally just to do the simplest of tasks.

Once dry and dressed she started to work her brush through her knotted hair. Once again another task that was incredibly slow going. The pressure in her head also did not appreciate the ripping at her scalp as she attempted to force her brush through the knots of her normally beautiful long dark hair. She could not be bothered with makeup, even though the circles under her eyes gave away her last two sleepless nights. But she could not find the energy any more to care. With her hair mat free she returned to her bedroom to grab what she hoped was clean clothes as she slowly got dressed for work before slipping her shoes on and stepping out of her home.

She had barely gotten a block away before dread and panic was gripping at her. She was weak. She was defenseless. He was no longer alive to keep her save. Those were the thoughts on repeat in her head as she struggled to keep herself breathing as she nearly ran to work.

Breathing unevenly she finally reached the restaurant. Though it did not offer as much of a safe feeling as she wished. But it was still able to help keep her panic from continuing to grow. She forced what she could only image was an incredibly sad looking smile as she stepped into the building and was greeted with a number of different looks from her boss and coworkers.

“You look like shit,” was a soft whisper from a short woman who slid up beside her. Her own uniform in place as she tucked her notepad into the apron around her waist.

“I feel like it too,” she admitted as she walked over to check what section of tables she would be waiting on. But before she could even make it behind the counter she felt a large heavy hand rest on her shoulder. She froze as she looked up at her tall manager. The look of almost pity in his eyes had her flinching back. He had seen her at some pretty low points. Like her being homeless when he gave her the job. If there was anyone who she could say may know her it would be him.

“Go home,” he said simply, taking in the sight of her dark bags under her eyes, and the way her cheeks had looked almost swollen from crying so much. If anyone would see through her poor attempt at hiding her pain it would be him. She still opened her mouth wanting to argue with him but he did not let her get a complaint in.

“I’ll find someone to cover you. Come in tomorrow,” he said, giving her another day off. She sighed reluctantly but did not argue.

“Go home. Drink some water, eat something hearty. Try and feel better and we will see you tomorrow,” he said calmly before his hand dropped from her shoulder.

“Okay. I will see everyone tomorrow,” she said softly as she started to drag her feet back towards the door. She would be lying if she did not admit she was rather happy at the thought of returning to her home. She wanted to curl back up in her bed. And that was exactly what she originally planned to do.

Stepping out into the street though once again had her anxiety spike. She quickly looked around the street but no one or no thing looked out of place. No familiar faces, just the odd normal looking person going about their day walking down the street just like she was. She tried to remind herself her anxiety was just being unreasonable. But still there was no way to stop the sweat that started to cover her forehead as she struggled to keep herself from not just running straight down the street.

Still her pace of walking was fast, her eyes kept darting around. Looking over her shoulders, watching every shadow, glancing up at the roof tops. Yet the entire walk home she never saw anything. No one was following her. No one was in the shadow of every alley she walked past. She tried to tell herself she was being silly. Her mental health was not good and this was simply a sign of the shape she was in. Her normal paranoia was reaching an almost nutty level. But she could not stop herself from the sheer panic that was washing over her as she also could not shake the feeling that she was also so weak and useless.

Her hands shook as she pulled her keys out trying to unlock the front door of her apartment. It took a few tries before her shaking hands were able to push the small key into the all too small lock. The next lock was just as hard and had her cursing at her shaking hands.

The second both locks were undone she nearly threw herself into the apartment and locked the door behind her even faster than she had unlocked it. Still once again her panic did not stop. Double checking the locks of the door she quickly moved to check every window of the apartment. Thanks to Midoriya crawling in through her bedroom window she now did not trust that others could somehow do the same. The locks on the windows looked good and in place. Nothing in the apartment was out of place. Still the panic attack struck hard. She tried to make her way to her bedroom but she never even made it across the tiny apartment. Her throat felt like it was trying to kill her and construct on her. She could not get enough air into her lunges. Her body was shaking and the world was spinning. A hand reached out for the wall as she tried to ease herself to the floor and not just fall over. Her back pressed to the cool wall as she slowly slid down the wall. Her knees pulled into her chest as she struggled to inhale.

She knew she should try to ground herself. But she could no longer get her mind to work. It felt like her body and mind were trying to kill her. But she knew she would not be that lucky. Her head tucked in towards her knees. Whether it was only minutes or hours later she did not know. But eventually she was able to gulp down enough air to start pushing the black dots out of her vision. But still she did not move even once she was able to breathe again.

Her body was shaking uncontrollably, tears had started to roll down her cheeks once again. She would have been surprised that she could still produce tears after all the tears she had already shed. She was so weak. A quirkless, useless woman. This only went to show all the bullies when she was a child were right. The dark thoughts that filled her head only made her sobbing grow harder as she struggled to keep it quiet enough so none of her neighbours could hear it.

Another day had gone by faster than she expected. And once again she had neglected herself. Food held no interest even as the pain of starvation ripped at her stomach. Her body was surely dehydrated with the lack of water she had been drinking as well as the fact that she had probably been crying out what fluid her body had left. Finally she looked around her dark apartment. When did the sun set? Then again where had the day gone? Had she passed out or simply been crying the entire time after her panic attack? She did not know and probably would never know.

She searched for her cell phone. Meaning to use the device for a flashlight to keep her from bumping into something. But as she held her device in hand she just sat there in the dark looking down at where her hands should be. But the device never lit up. Oh yeah, the batter had been dead that morning. And she had never plugged it in. Leaning on the wall to follow along it, she searched for the light switch before the room finally lit up and allowed her to see again. Though the light was blinding as she closed her eyes and lifted one hand up to the and shield her eyes as she tried to blink her eyes open.

She was so stupid. She could not even remember to plug her cell phone in. Once again those dark thoughts about herself started to fill her mind as she slowly walked into her kitchen. Maybe a warm cup of tea may help her a little. Really she wanted a stiff drink, that would help her more if she could drink till she could not remember her issues. But that was the reason she never kept booze in her home. She knew all too well how easy it would be for her to fall into that black hole of self destruction if she allowed herself to fall into any sort of addiction. And that scared her. So instead she turned her kettle on. Pulling a cup from her cupboard. A simple green tea was all she had. But that would work. It had to.

Her body moved on autopilot as she heard the kettle whistle at her. She was stuck in her mind. Unable to help the thoughts that were filling her mind. She knew in a sense that they were not true. But it was also hard to stop them. Why her? Why was she alive and he was not? Why did he leave her? She felt her bottom lip quiver at that thought as she wrapped her hands around the warm cup full of hot water as she sat at her kitchen table.

She never could understand that. He had been like a big brother, he had saved her life. Had kept someone from killing her. She had seen him like some white knight. She knew it was stupid. She knew all along Dabi had been a bad person. She had watched him kill. Hell the first time she met him he had killed the men that had been threatening to rape her and she image they would have killed her too. And honestly she was surprised Dabi had not killed her too. But apparently he had recognized her as one of the homeless kids on the street. She was not even twelve. And for some reason he had left her alive for some reason.

After he had saved her she had followed him like a stray dog. And at first it had pissed the man off. But at some point she had wormed her way on his good side. Though Dabi did not have much of a good side. But he never hurt her so she saw that as his good side. And yet once he started to associate with the League of Villains he distanced himself from her. And it only grew worse. She should have seen it coming. Why did she not see the sign? He was so self destructive. She should have known he would do something so stupid and dangerous as fighting with his father and brother. But honestly she feared he would have used any hero. It was a sucide by hero. That’s all it was. Dabi just wanted to try to take them with him. But he had never planned to survive. She saw that now.

She felt so stupid that she never saw the issues, she never saw how he suffered. She never saw the signs. She never tried to help him like he had helped her. She did not care that she was not even fifteen at the time. She should have done something. She could have saved him like he had saved her. Then she would not be alone again.

She had just been staring at the cup of tea as she struggled to keep her body from shaking as those thoughts just ate away at her. Her tea was going cold and she did not even care.

Suddenly a knock at her door nearly had her scream. It had ripped her out of her mind and had started her. Her panic had spiked again. But she tried to tell herself it was most likely Midoriya. She had been ignoring him, not completely on purpose but after running into him and Todoroki she could not bring herself to answer his texts. Maybe that was why she was avoiding charging her cell phone.

A second knock had her climbing to her feet. She wanted to avoid her neighbour but she feared if he poked his head out of one of his windows he would be able to see the lights on in her apartment. She could not avoid him forever.

“Hold on Midoriya,” she called out as she pushed her chair back and was wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She never even made it across her small apartment before the door to her appointment was suddenly flying into her apartment. The sound was loud as her door hit the floor. Splinters of wood scattered across her floor.

She did not even stop the scream that escaped her as a large boulder of a man stepped into the room. He barely fit through the door, both too tall and too wide.

“Damn it, I told you not to do that. Now we gotta grab her and get the fuck out of here,” came a hiss from a second voice that was standing behind the large man who almost looked like a rhino in a suit.

The second body was smaller than the first though still he was taller than her. She quickly started to back away from the two men the second their eyes had landed on her.

RUN! That’s what she needed to do. But where? The two men were blocking her main escape. No fire escape meant that she would never make it along the side of the building. Still that did not stop her from looking toward the closest window. She was four stories up. Would she survive hiding the sidewalk? If she did it would not be pretty. That was a suicided attempt she may as well just jump head first to make sure the fall killed her on impact.

Being unable to run she could do nothing but back up till she hit the wall. Watching the two men slowly as the smaller one slipped past his large friend and started to walk towards her.

“Sorry about the door. That idiot is impatient,” the smaller man was still taller than her boy nowhere as tall as the other man.

“Who are you?” She asked, her voice shaking even as she watched the man smiling at her.

“No one important miss. Now if you do not mind. I do not like the idea of hurting a lady. But we need you to come with us,” his smile was creepy. His eyes were closed and the grin on his lips never really looked genuine. As she spoke with him it felt like a snake was curling it’s way up and around her. She was in the grip of a venomous creature, something incredibly dangerous. She had originally been more scared of the large man. But this one was the really dangerous one of the two.

“And if I say no?“ she asked. She knew the answer. He would drag her out with force. And the fact that no one was coming to her rescue already means that Deku must not have been home. There was no way no one had heard her door being broken down. Or the blood curdling yell she had let out.

“Then what happens next is on you,” He said as she watched his creepy grin growing even wider.

Chapter Text

Everything hurt. That was the first thing that crossed her mind as Aoi blinked open her eyes only to be looking down into her own lap. It took a moment for her brain to process that she was looking down at her lap because she was sitting up in a chair. Apparently she was also tied up to said chair when she tried to lift a hand up but the appendage would not move. But that was fine, she was not even sure she had the strength to lift the hand even if it had not been tied down. Her head was throbbing. Her chest ached with each breathe. She could taste the heavy copper of blood in her mouth. Running her dry tongue along her bottom lip had her hiss. She apparently had split her lip open.

She was pretty sure her entire body was covered in cuts and bruises or at least it damn well felt like every inch of her was hurt. Or maybe it felt that way simply because every breath shot pain through her body. She probably broke a rib. Great. Still better than breaking her back at least. She had not even been able to pick her head up and try to look around when she heard a door open. Someone walked into the dimly light room and approached her.

“Oh good you're alive. Almost thought we might have killed you. After all it’s hard to hold back against someone so weak,” the voice that spoke up seemed familiar. Where had she heard it before? Then again how had she ended up here? And so hurt?

Slowly she was able to get her head to move enough to be able to look up at the man who spoke. Light hair hung around his face, his eyes closed or nearly closed it was hard to tell. And an odd creepy grin pulled at his lips. Oh that’s right. He had broken into her home.

“Where?” Her voice croaked. It was so hard to get her body to work enough to produce sound. It hurt to talk, her mouth felt like it was stuffed full of cotton.

“Where are you? Nowhere important that you need to worry about,” he answered the question she had but had not been able to force her mouth to work well enough to answer him.

“Why?” She asked once again struggling to get her voice to work.

“Well as bait. We noticed you seem to be close with the hero Deku. The boss figured that he would come to save you. I saw you two walking together last week. I wasn’t sure I had the right person. But that mop of green hair is kinda hard to miss when added with the big build of a pro hero. And when I saw him and Endeavors kid walking with you. That solidified that there is apparently some sort of connection between you and two top hero’s,” the man was pretty much rambling on with his villain monologue but Aoi really did not care.

“Shoto,” she said, interrupting him.

“What?” He asked looking down at her as her head hung down before she picked it up to look up at him.

“Todoroki Shoto is his name,” she growled softly. Mostly it was the fact that she did not like hearing Endeavour's name. But she did not think that Todoroki liked being seen as nothing more than a shadow of his father.

“Who gives a shit. He’s still that damn hero’s son. You seem pretty upset about that. What are you sleeping with him and Deku? What you stooped so low as to fuck hero’s? Or are they paying for it? Must pay pretty good being a slut for hero’s,” he hissed at her and the insult stings but not as much as the assumption she was sleeping with hero’s.

“I ain’t no slut,” she hissed as she glared up at the man, “and I am not sleeping with them. Nor am I important to them.”

She was rather irritated and pissed with the assumption she was sleeping around with hero’s. She had prided herself on noting being forced to sell out her body in order to survive, and she would not have done so for hero’s either. She was pissed with his assumption that she was a slut or hoe.

“Oh are you sure about that? Because our sources have said that your disappearance has caused a rather big uproar,” she watched that creepy grin of his grow only wider as she looked at him with heavy skepticism. She did not believe him at all. Why would Deku care? Maybe he would simply miss the home cooked meals she had been making for him lately. Especially since he had apparently been living off a lot of fast food and questionable food choices.

“You’re lying,” she hissed at him.

“Not at all. The police radio has been going off I hear. Apparently no one even called in after all the noise we made grabbing you. But Deku found it himself. Apparently he must have been planning to visit. He showed up to find your door on the floor in the middle of your house. That did not go over well with him I imagine,” the stranger said as he strolled over to be able to physically lean over her.

“I wonder how upset he is? It would have been interesting to be around and see his reaction. Not much upsets the number one hero. But touching those who are important to him is one way to get to him. And you my dear are a nice target. You were easy to spot, a little hard to grab off the streets. But finding your home is not hard. After that we just had to make sure you were home when we showed up. You put up a good fight for a quirkless woman,” he probably would have continued to talk had she not spat at him.

“Oh shut up. I don’t need your stupid details about how easy to kidnap I was,” she growled up at him which had him laughing at her.

“Little spit fire aren’t you? That’s fine. You can run that mouth of yours all you want to. Just stay out and be a good little bit of bait,” he said grinning at her as she tried to glare up at him.

“Your plan will not work,” she growled at him.

“Oh but it will. He will come for you. And he will fall into our well planned trap. Now be a good little hostage. Make a little noise,” he growled as the back of his hand collided with her sore and swollen face. She bit her tongue trying to hold back any noises as her face was snapped to the side.

“Oh stubborn aren’t you,” she heard among the ringing in her ears. Her headache, everything hurt, but damn her head hurt. The taste of blood was disgusting as it coated her tongue. She gathered up the spit in her mouth and did not hesitate in spitting it at him as she watched the glob of more blood than spit landed on his shoes.

“Go to hell,” she hissed.

“Oh that is big talk for someone in your shoes. Did you get too fearless? Just because you had connections with some powerful villains does not matter. Anyways your little shields are gone. The League has long since been gone. There is no one who will kill anyone who touches you now. And you’re oh so brave hero’s are useless. They will not be able to protect you,” he was sneering at her. And yet his last two sentences strike hard. She was all too aware that she had never found hero’s to be any sort of safety net. She was well aware of how the law could tie their hands. Where villains were villains because they did not allow that red tape to keep them from doing what they wanted. And the villains knew all too well how useless hero’s could be. This was a quick reminder that villains would kill and hero’s would stand back and do nothing.

Her head hung as she looked down at the floor beneath her. Cement. She had not even noticed it before but she did not care now.

“So then why not just kill me already?” She asked barely above a whisper.

“Well you are no good as bait if you are dead. So for now you get to be my little plaything,” he said before pulling a knife out of what she assumed was his back pocket.

She was well aware of what was going to happen. But that still did not prepare her for the red hot pain that shot through her as the sharp blade easily cut through the skin on her forearm. She could not stop the scream that escaped her as the blade cut through her flesh.

She tried to bite down on her tongue to keep from crying out any more than she already did. But it was hard. It hurt. But it did not take a genius to know that the sadistic asshole was truly getting off on watching her cry or hearing her yells.

She almost wished the pain was enough to knock her out but she was not lucky enough for that. How long he decided to torment her she was not sure. It felt like days but really it was probably only a little over an hour. The final blow was a fist to her gut which knocked the wind out of her lungs. Leaving her coughing and gasping for an attempt to refill her lungs. Her ears were ringing. She could not even hear what he was saying to her as he left her alone in the room.

How long had she been passed out before she had woken up and he tormented her? She had been to out of it when she first came around, but now with being awake and having taken a beating to clear her mind a little she was now trying to figure out how long had she been gone for? She was tired, hungry, thirsty and just every fiber of her being hurt. This is what she gets for not just dragging Deku out of her home that first night. She should never have patched him up. She should have called for an ambulance and just let him be taken off of her hands. Then this would never have happened.

But then again she would never have had a full kitchen like she does now. She would never have had company to eat dinner with after a long shift. She would never have gotten to know the man that is Midoriya Izuku. The man who is Deku. She would not have noticed how someone so strong and big could be so sweet and innocent. Who blushed like an idiot at the sight of her in a t-shirt and shorts in the middle of the night. The man who wears All Might boxers. The man who owns more hero merchandise than normal street clothes. The man who could mumble and ramble on about the slightest thing he found interesting.

Even now in pain and suffering she truly could not bring herself to blame him after she realized that she had truly enjoyed his company. She liked the man, not the hero. Midoriya had been a great neighbour, always worried about her even if she hated it. And now she could only hope he would not do anything stupid. She wanted to wish he would forget about her. But she knew that was a stupid wish. He would never just abandon her even if he should.

She could only hope and pray that no one would get hurt or killed while trying to free her. That was all she could hope for as she sat there trying to let sleep drift over her so she would not have to put up with the pain.

She drifted in and out of consciousness a number of times. How long in between she was not sure. At some points she woke up to choking on water being just poured into her mouth. She did not enjoy the rude wake ups. But she did enjoy the desperately needed drink. She did not enjoy the feeling of waking up to being nearly waterboarded. Was it days or hours that went by? She may never know.

But at one point some loud noises had her stir from her much wanted sleep. It made the pain more bearable sleeping through it. Especially after the one man she was feeling far too familiar with would visit. Sick sadistic bastard lover to pay her a few visits, some more physically painful. But on visits she was more lucid; it seemed he liked to play mental games. At first telling her about how Deku would die if he came for her. But at some point it had turned to him trying to tell her no one was coming for her. And a part of her had hoped he was right. She was worried about Midoriya getting hurt.

But this time the noise was odd. It didn’t sound like the odd arguments she had heard from the odd lacky. Though she never saw them. She could hear the odd conversation or more often arguments. She assumed after someone lost some sort of bet or maybe card game she could not tell. It was too hard to tell usually.

No this was louder, sounded more chaotic. The sound had her heart racing. Was that the sound of fighting? She could not tell. It sounded like she had her head underwater. It was all she could do just to be able to pick her head up when the door to the room she was in blew off the wall. The air that wafted into the room was cold. But she did not even have the strength to shiver at the sudden chill that washed over her already cold form.

She could hear someone but could not make out what they were saying. She actually was not sure it was not multiple voices. She could feel the ropes around her body suddenly disappear. No longer being held back to the chair her body slumped and she nearly thought she was going to go face first into the hard cement floor. Warm arms wrapped around her. So warm.

“Aoi. Open your eyes,” she could hear the nearly frantic begging. Aoi. That was her name. So they were talking to her. Why did she need to open her eyes? They were heavy and the world would spin if she was not careful. But they sounded so worried.

She tried to blink her eyes open. And the first attempt was useless. Her eyes seemed to refuse to focus. Everything was blurry and out of focus. Her body felt heavy and she could not even stop her head from rolling back as she felt warmth around her body. Floating. That’s what it felt like as she once again tried to get her eyes to open as she looked up at just a dark grey. Was it the wall or ceiling? Hell it could have been the floor. She did not know. Her tired brain refused to focus on what was around her.

She could hear voices around her. People were talking, and they were so loud. Her head hurt. Her body hurt, yet it was still floating and so warm.

But the warmth did not last. It seemed too soon that the warmth was pulling away. No. Come back. She desperately wanted to feel warm again. She tried desperately to lift her right arm. She wanted the warmth back. She wanted to go after it. But her arm would not work. She could not force it to move. A panic set in. Her breathing picked up. Her eyes opened as she looked around. But her eyes still did not seem to focus as she struggled as she panicked.

Even more unfamiliar voices filled her ears. As she felt herself start to struggle and panic. The two faces that filled her vision were blurry. But by what she could see she did not recognize them. Though in her current state she probably would not recognize anyone as panic set in. What the voices were saying she could not make out. But still she tried so desperately to move. That is till her hand felt warm again. It was only her hand but feeling the warmth again had her panic settle a little.

And within seconds of settling her eyelids grew heavy again. She struggled to keep them open as she found herself drifting off. Turning her head hurt so much, but still she forced her head to turn and her eyes to open dark colours filled her view but she was pretty sure she also saw the colour green. Midoriya? It had to be him. He had come for her after all.

That was the last thought that filled her mind before she was once again drifting off into darkness as she listened to the voices frantically calling out to her. She wanted to open her eyes and see him more clearly but she could not fight the darkness any more again.

Chapter Text

A noise. She could hear a noise. And it was annoying her. Her head hurt and the noise was annoying. What was it? Oh beeping. Something was beeping. Was it her cell phone alarm? Had she slept through her alarm? No, that was not it. Her alarm was a different sound. This was a rhythmic tempo. A simple single beep that just went on and on, someone needs to turn the damn thing off. Make it stop. Her head hurt, everything smelled like strong chemicals that burnt her nose. Where was she?

Her eyes felt heavy and refused to open. Blinking them felt nearly impossible. Though her left eye would not open due to the swelling of her black eye from one of the few hits to her face. But the other eye was reluctant to open as well.

Once she was able to peel her good eye open and barely crack the other one as well she was met with stark white ceilings. She could not even find the strength to turn her head. The room was too bright, the light made her head throb even more. She did not even stop the audible groan she let out. At that noise escaping her she could hear a sudden loud noise as a chair was being slid across the floor. The noise was like nails on a chalkboard, grating on her last nerve.

“Aoi!” A voice called out far too loudly. Which had her grown again. Not in any attempt to actually answer the voice. More so it was her attempt at not telling them to shut up. They were too loud, she hurt too much, and she just wanted to go back to sleep.

Every slight noise was too loud. The footsteps, the distant yelling. Even if it was not by her any more nor could she even make the words out. But it did not matter, it was still too loud. The scurrying of the body returning to the side of her bed had her frown. As she heard her name called again. Once again the voice was too loud.

“Shut up,” she croaked, barely able to get the words out of her lips. Her throat hurt, her mouth was dry. Mumbling was what she was met with. She could not make out the words. She rarely could do that on a good day. And today was not a good day. It sounded off. His mumbling was different. She wanted to see why. And so she forced her eyes open once again. Blinking her good eye a few times and ending up giving up on her left eye that was swollen shut.

“You look like shit,” she whispered out as she looked up at him. His hair was wild and tangled, bags sat under his eyes. His shirt was wrinkled and even had a spot on it. His hair was also greasy. But hearing her forced words had his lips curling up. Tears were filling his eyes. She always knew he was a cry baby. But it was still hard to imagine seeing the mountain of man crying.

“What happened?” She asked softly, her voice still rough even as nurses started to fill the room taking a look at her chart and monitors.

“What do you remember?” He asked after a far to long pause. It seemed he was worried about upsetting her. But it was a good question: what did she remember? Pain she remembers pain. Things hurt all over. Silver, she remembered the silver of his hair. She never did learn his name. She had never bothered to ask. It was also kind of hard to remember when she was too busy screaming or crying.

“I remember being at home. Not feeling well and work sent me back,” she said slowly as she concentrated. Not on remembering but on what she could say without giving away things she did not want him to know.

“It was getting late. The sun had set. I made some tea. I think it was,” she actually had to pause and think about it. She remembered walking to the kitchen to do something. It was not to eat so it must have been something to drink. Had to have been a tea trying to calm herself down. Still she found herself glancing at him almost for some sort of reassurance.

“What else?” He asked softly.

“I was in the kitchen. And suddenly there was a knock. I thought it was you. My cell phone had died. I assumed it was you knocking on my door. I called out and was going to open the door but the door ended up on the floor. It had been knocked off the hinges. And two men had walked into the apartment. The one I remember his face. He was my tormentor for the time I was tied up. The other I only saw the one time. A big fellow. With a mutation quirk that made him look like a rhino. I tried to fight back,” she felt her voice waver as the memories filled her mind.

She remembered the silver haired man telling her that she could come with him or else what happened next was not his fault. Dabi had told her to never show fear. So what did she do? She was a complete moron and spit in the guys face. She could have thought that out better. She knew that was stupid the second she noticed the glob of her spit on the man’s cheeks. The pain that erupted in her stomach had knocked the wind from her lungs.

She had crumpled to the ground holding her stomach as she gasped for air. She never even got to try and catch her breathe before pain had hit the bottom of her jaw snapping her head back. That had hurt like a son of a bitch. Her teeth had clinked together. She was pretty sure she had also bit her tongue hard as well. But the assault had not ended there. Her long dark hair had been grabbed and her body nearly lifted up with the force. It had set her scalp on fire.

She felt her breath hitch as she struggled to get her chest to move enough to inhale a breath of air. She wanted to blame the pain in her ribs but she knew that was not the reason for why it was so hard to breathe.

“It was not much of a fight. I got my ass kicked, the big fellow ended up throwing me over his shoulder and they just walked away with me. At some point I passed out or fell asleep I'm really not sure,” she said recalling the few fists to the head she had taken before the rhino looking fellow had thrown her over his shoulder. She could remember waking in that room. Tied to that damn chair she had never moved from. She could not bring herself to look over at him. But she had to know. How long had she been in that hell for.

“I do not remember too much aside from being tied up in that room to a chair. How long have I been missing for?” She asked careful with her wording. She did want to just ask how long she had been in that hell. He had already looked enough like shit. The guilt was all over his face. Izuku blamed himself, she could see it. And she could understand why. He was their target not her. She would never have been kidnapped if they did not know each other.

“102 hours,” he said simply though that had her arch a brow and actually look over at him before he quickly corrected himself. “Ugh just barely over four days.”

“I see,” is all she replied back before falling silent. She could tell he wanted to ask more questions. She could see his hands clenching and unclenching, his teeth clearly chewing at the inside of his lips as his eyes now glanced around the room a little. It had felt so much longer than just four days. She could have almost sworn it was weeks not days that she had been living in that hell.

“Was anyone hurt?” She asked softly once again, unable to meet his gaze.

“Aside from you. No one was hurt,” he said, not including the villains in that group. But he assumed she was asking about his friends who had helped him. At that she simply nodded her head softly. But the action hurt her entire body it felt like and made her head spin.

She was in a hospital with lots of injuries. And at least a broken bone or two. Was it too much to ask for some strong painkillers? Ugh she was in a hospital. How much was this going to cost her? She was missing for four days and the two days before that she had called out sick for. And then recover? Was she going to be out another week recovering? Was she even going to have her job still? She could hear the beeping of the damn machine beside her picking up as she struggled against the panic attack that was starting.

“Sugahara?” She could hear the panicked tone in his voice as he called out to her unsure of what was going on. She did not mean to scare him. And if she could talk she would have told him not to worry. Her arms were wrapping around her chest feeling as she struggled to breath and the pain in her chest was not helping. She could not even attempt to wave his fear off. She was too busy trying to breath through her pain to realize that the poor man beside her bed was full blown panicking as he was calling for help as he ran to the door of her small hospital room before returning to the side of her bed with a handful of nurses who swarmed her. Which only seemed to make things worse. Too close. She could not breathe. Too many people. Too many sounds. Panic.

It did not last long as her body quickly grew heavy. The pain was easing. She struggled to get her eyes to focus on the ceiling. She could hear talking as her eyes felt heavy. She welcomed her eyes to close not wanting to struggle to try and keep them open. Her head felt like she had stuffed it under water. She could not make out what the voices were saying. All she knew was that one voice was Izuku’s.

The next time she blinked her eyes open she was once again greeted with the sight of those god awful white walls and ceiling. The smell of cleaning chemicals nearly burnt her nose. Slowly blinking her eyes she carefully turned her head to glance over at Izuku who was asleep in the chair. His arms were crossed over his wide chest. His head had rolled forwards. He still looked like shit. And she was pretty sure he was still in the same clothes as last time. But then again maybe she was only asleep for an hour or two but she was doubtful.

She ran her eyes over him. Sure she took in that disheveled look of his. He clearly had not been home lately. Idiot. There was no reason for him to stick around. She was alive. He could go home now. If she could she would have sat up, reached over and whacked him over the back of the head. But luckily for him she was not exactly able to move much of her body as she laid in the uncomfortable hospital bed.

Seeing him look so rough she felt a tight gripping at her stomach. It was her fault he looked so bad. He was clearly not sleeping much. The bags under his eyes and the fact that he fell asleep sitting up in some more than likely incredibly uncomfortable chair told her he must have been not sleeping. His green curls looked like he could almost slick them back if he ran his fingers through the greasy locks. She wondered when he ate last. If he was not sleeping or showering then he more than likely was not eating either, he barely ate well on a good day. And these last few days have been far from good for either of them.

It was her fault he was not caring for himself. Even though it’s not like she had asked for what had happened she felt it was still her own fault. She could have fought harder, had she charged her cell phone when she should have, she may have been able to call for help. Or maybe if she would have just died he could get back to his life like she had never existed. Her fingers gripped the rough blankets that laid over her till pain shot through her hand and up her arms. Her eyes stung as she struggled to blink back tears.

She dug her teeth into her tongue as she struggled to swallow back her sobs. She did not dare make a noise. Scared she would wake the sleeping man beside her. And she had no desire for him to see her in such a state. So weak. So useless. So troublesome. Still she could not stop her body from shaking as she struggled to contain her silent sobs.

Her eyes were clamped shut as if that may help hold in the tears. Even though the tears were already trying to stain her cheeks. Her lungs burned for more air. But she made the mistake as she tried to take a deep breath but it was a loud gulp followed by a hiccup she could not stop.

Thanks to the idiot in the chair being a hero the noise that broke the silence in the almost dark room had him slowly waking up. His eyes were heavy and he wanted to just sleep for a few more minutes. The sound of another hiccup drew his tired gaze up to look at the woman laying in the bed before him. The body shivering almost uncontrollably, hiccups nearly had her cursing, but the sound of her strangle gasp of air gave away something was wrong.

Panic had the sleep swept away in an instant as he sat up straighter and leaned towards the bed more.

“What’s wrong?” He asked unaware that she was crying till her tear filled eyes looked up with some panic. Being caught was all she needed in order to let go of what little control she had as even more tears filled her eyes and she no longer could force the sobs back. She could not even make audible sense on the first try as she cried.

“What? Are you hurt?” Poor Izuku was panicking and that only made it worse as she cried more. The best she could do was shake her head.

“Are you sure? Do you need a nurse?” He asked, jumping to his feet. But he never got a chance to run to the hall and call for help. Her hands had shot out faster than she thought ever possible but especially with the pain that weighed down her body and the drugs as well.

“Don’t go,” she struggled to get the two words out between sobs. And the look on the man’s face looked broken when it seemed he may have an idea of what was going on. He could only assume the stress had caught up to her. She had survived a very scary experience. Or maybe she had a nightmare. There could be any number of reasons she was crying. But she clearly feared him leaving her. And so he slowly sat down in his chair again and held one hand delicately that had reached for him. He treated her hand more like it was a delicate paper crane he was holding than a person's hand.

“Don’t worry. I am not going anywhere. And I have not gone anywhere,” he said as his thumb brushed softly and slowly across the exposed skin of her hand.

“I can tell,” she said, struggling to breathe and talk. But having something to focus on was helping to make the sob’s more controlled at least. “You look like shit.”

Izuku would have laughed at her comment had her words not been broken with a sob between each one. Still he forced a small smile and tried to give a forced laugh.

“I know,” he said simply as he let her cry till she finally seemed to calm down more. Soon the hiccups had stopped. Her tears stopped streaming down her cheeks. The shaking of her body was not nearly as violent as it had been. But still she could not force it to stop completely. But she wasn’t sure if it was shock, pain or the crying that was now making her shake still. Her body was on fire. Her head hurt so bad. Her chest ached. Breathing hurts. And the hiccups and sobs had only made it feel worse.

Still she let her eyes drift shut as she tried to keep her chest expanding so she could inhale air even if it hurt. But calming down was helping a little with all the pain in her body. Instead of allowing her thoughts to spiral again, she had turned her attention to the warmth of his hand. It was so much larger than hers. And as she expected much rougher. Did the man know what hand lotion was? Probably not. Then again she doubted that it would make much of a difference with how much he abused his poor hands as she recalled the scars that litter them.

“Do you think I could get some more painkillers?” She asked barely above a whisper as she winced at the pain in her body as she slowly opened her eyes and turned to look at the man who quickly nodded his head and reached his free hand for a button to call for a nurse instead of standing and going to find one.

“I am sure they can adjust your meds now that you're awake,” he said softly with open optimism in his answer.

She watched as a nurse walked in and flicked on a light blinding them both for a second as she asked them what was needed. Izuku was quick to tell the nurse that she had asked for more pain meds. The nurse nodded her head and was scurrying around the room as she got a syringe and filled it with some more morphine before adding it to the IV that was attached to her right hand.

The drugs were quick to kick in. The pain was fading quickly. No longer iron hot stabbing in her ribs. A slight almost warm pain was all that remained. But now her head spun softly. She felt almost high. Was she floating? She could not tell. But the warmth in her hand was what kept her grounded as if she may float away if she let go. She tightened her grip on the warmth as she felt her head roll to the side as she blinked blurry eyes and tried to focus on the view before her. Fuzzy. Everything was fuzzy. Her vision, her body, her head. Green was the last thing she remembers as she found her mouth mumbling something before she closed her eyes not wanting to look at the fuzzy world any more.

She was completely unaware of what her mouth had said without her brain's permission before she fell into an odd dreamless sleep. Had she stayed awake and been able to focus her eyes enough to see his reaction she would have seen the way his entire face lit up. It had been slurred but the simple three words of I love you had left the poor man in a complete shock as he processed the words that had been said as her eyes were already closed.

Chapter Text

Morphine is a hell of a drug to be on. Aoi had slept the rest of the night for the most part peacefully. She had odd random dreams at times filled with random colours and objects. But it was far better than the pain of being awake. Though she could always tell when the drug was wearing off between doses as the pain in her body would force her back to the waking world. As much as she hated it. But luckily it never lasted long. Izuku was always at her side and happy to call for a nurse a little after she would wake up, that was how the first real day she could recall went. Could have been worse. At least she was not in constant pain. Though she may not have welcomed the miracle medicine if she knew about how loose her lips become before she would be taken away to the world of her dreams.

She was completely unaware that she had not only told Izuku she loved him, but had also admitted she found him cute and funny on multiple occurrence's. Whether it was the pain or the drugs that kept her mind so blissfully foggy and unaware she may never know. She also was unaware that it was the third day after she had first woken up when she heard another voice accompanying Izuku’s as she awoke.

She could hear Izuku, she could never not notice him. Kind of hard to forget his voice after all. But the stranger's voice was one she did not know. It was softer and more quietly spoken. Male too. It was almost a little odd hearing a guy talk so quietly and even stutter at times. Clearly the stranger seemed shy. Even her sleep rattled mind could make that out as she slowly blinked her eyes to take in the sight of the quickly growing familiar hospital room. Slowly she looked over to see Izuku standing in the open door, the body of the stranger was standing out in the hall apparently out of her view.

Her muscles still ached but it was quickly apparent that she could now breathe without being stabbed in the chest, and both eyes opened when she blinked. Her sore muscles though screamed for her to move a little. She had been laying in the same spot for far too long it seemed. And her body was now upset with her. She carefully placed her arms on the bed beside her as she very carefully started to push herself up wanting to sit up. Still pain shot through multiple spots of her body. Her chest still hurt, but at least it wasn’t a burning fire. The muscles in her arms shook, not wanting to strain so much to support her own basic weight. She did not even try to hold in her groan in the mild pain.

It seemed the noise she made was enough to draw the attention of the two men who had been talking. Izuku was quick to ditch his conversation as he turned and quickly started to walk towards her.

“Hold on. Don’t move too much,” was the soft words that filled her ears as she felt his large palm against her back. His hand was warm as she sighed softly and welcomed the large scarred hands to help her sit up and allow her to be able to sit up now in the bed and the pillows behind her where even fluffed as she never even heard the other man enter the room from the hall.

“Thanks Midoriya,” she nearly wheezed out. Her throat felt dry and raw. She did not even notice the discomfort till she spoke. Her head had felt so fuzzy every other time she had been awake, she barely even remembered those times now as she sat up. A pale smallish hand held up a cup of water to her.

“Thanks,” She said softly, happily taking the cup of water from the hand. Looking up she was greeted with a shy purple haired man who had looked away from her. He refused to meet her gaze as he looked away, a blush covered his cheeks, nose and even seemed to be traveling up his elvish looking ears. He was fairly tall and lanky. Almost as tall as Midoriya but barely half as wide. Although he was on the more lanky side it was easy to tell with a simple glance at his calloused hand and strong forearm he was most likely a hero as well.

“How are you feeling?” Midoriya asked, pulling her gaze away from the man who stood before her to look over at the large green haired man as she took a sip of water.

“Better. I am still stiff and sore. But I can breathe now and do not hurt nearly as bad,” She admitted before taking another sip of water. She was trying desperately not to just chug the entire little cup. But she did not want to upset her empty stomach by doing that.

“That's good to hear. I had to have Amajiki here bring Eri out to heal you up. But had to wait for the hospital to decide you were stable enough for her to try and rewind your injuries. You had a lot of broken bones. You broke two ribs, you had a fracture to your L1 vertebrae, three broken fingers, and well a number of other injuries as well. But the doctors wanted to make sure you were stable and that your back injury had not done any really bad damage,” Okay Izuku may have regretted listing off just some of the injuries he had been told she had. The second he had mentioned her back and had to bite his tongue to not say the doctors wanted to make sure she was not paralyzed. That had been a rough time. But luckily even when she was asleep apparently her feet were ticklish and the slight touch had her toes move and her foot jolting. She may have nearly kicked a doctor in the face during a reaction test, but Izuku was not about to tell her that. No he was just watching the panic and fear wash over her as he cures himself for opening his mouth.

“But it's okay. Your injuries were not as bad as we all feared and Eri was given the clear to heal you. She actually just finished a little while ago. I did not think you would wake up so fast. Oh by the way, this is Amajiki Tamaki. He was one of my upper classmates back at UA. He and his boyfriend Mario run an agency together. They had Eri working with them when I made the call for her help. He offered to bring her down to the hospital from Osaka,” Surely the man would have continued his ramble about the other man who was now introduced to her and who remained silent as Izuku rambled on using the other man as an excuse to change the conversation.

“Midoriya you're rambling again. Pause, breathe and shut up for a minute,” She said with no actual bite to her words as she looked over at the man who was flashing her an innocent smile and rubbing the back of his head with a simple oops escaping his lips. Now she turned her attention to the man who had been standing silently the entire time, his finger fiddling with the edge of his shirt. Aww poor baby looked like he did not want to be here right now. And even though Izuku had said he was older it did not stop her from oddly wanting to reach out and randomly hug the poor guy.

“It is nice to meet you Amajiki. My name is Sugahara Aoi,” She said, watching the poor man only blush more, nodding his head to her before finally speaking up.

“Well I am sure Eri is waiting in the lobby for me. I best get back to the agency,” Was the farewell they were given before the poor man nearly ran from the hospital room as both Izuku and Aoi called out a simple thanks and bye.

“He does not like people or attention huh?” Aoi asked out loud as she finished the water that was in the glass before looking down into the empty glass, kind of sad before it was scooped out of her hands. Izuku chuckled as he just exchanged the glass of water she had been holding for a water bottle he had originally grabbed for himself.

“Is it really that easy to tell? Amajiki has always been pretty shy. He always has struggled with his shyness. Even when he was part of the big three at UA and was one of the strongest students he was still always antisocial and shy,” Izuku had said as he helped her take the cap off of the bottle of water before she started to quickly take small sips at it.

“Of course. I almost thought he was going to have enough willpower to get the floor to open up and swallow him whole with how hard he was looking at the floor,” Aoi said with a light giggle though that caused pain to shoot threw her which had her wince and whine softly. That made the relaxed look on Izuku’s face fall.

“Careful. Eri was able to heal the worst of your injuries but there was a lot of damage. She was not able to heal everything perfectly in one session,” he said, stepping as close to her and the bed as he could, looking incredibly worried. A large hand had moved to rest between her shoulder blades. The touch was gentle, which was almost funny considering how the hand itself was large, calloused and scarred. The hands of someone who fought with his fists a good bit. And yet his touch could be so light and his hands so warm.

“It’s okay. The pain is not that bad,” she said softly. Which was true. Compared to when she had been tied to that damn chair and tortured. This mild pain was easily bearable. Though still annoying that she had to be careful. And it seemed Izuku had the same thought as her as his face fell even further. He had gone from someone kicked his puppy to someone having killed it now. He looked on the boarder of tears.

“I’m so sorry,” he said softly. Aoi hesitated for a split second unsure if she should try to force a smile but decided against it.

“It’s okay. It was my own stupidity that got me noticed,” she said softly fully prepared to blame herself. She knew Izuku would draw attention. She knew all along this had been a risk of getting to know him. Of being out in public with him.

“What? No it’s my fault. They were clearly after me and the hero’s who came to rescue you,” she had to look away from him as she watched tears starting to run down his face. She sighed softly.

“Why don’t we both agree we made mistakes. Nothing can be done about it now. More so what will happen next? Did you arrest everyone?” She asked not wanting to linger on the memories nor watch Izuku cry as he also blamed himself.

“But,” he never even got to finish his complaint and desire to only blame himself as he watched her hard brown eyes glared over at him. The look on her face told him she was not going to listen to any more talk about him wanting to take the blame. It was like when he tried to pay her for her help all over again.

“Well most of the criminals that were present at the raid were arrested. But Arakawa Shinta escaped. He was not present when the raid went down,” Midoriya was talking though the name was not one she recognized. And it seemed the confused look on the man’s face told him she did not know who he was talking about.

“Uhm he was the man believed to be behind the kidnapping and everything that happened. He’s a man in his early thirties. He had light hair, about 180 centimeters tall. It’s hard to say what colour his eyes are, he keeps them almost closed most of the time,” Izuku was going off describing a man she knew far too well for her liking.

“They're light brown. Also he’s not the boss. He works for someone else. But he is important. He was one of the men that broke into my house and kidnapped me,” she interrupted Izuku’s description no longer needing to hear anything else about the man that had tortured her.

“So you do know him. What else can you tell us about him?” Izuku asked, his face growing serious. This was Deku she was now speaking with.

“He spoke to me a few times. Not a lot. But when I first woke up in that room he was there. Simply doing a stupid monologue. He told me his boss had noticed that you and Todoroki had walked me home that one night. They assumed we were all close. They wanted you to try and come for me. Tried to claim they had some ambush planned. Though it seemed you did not just rush in alone like an idiot, they must not have expected you would stay on track and plan out a raid and get help,” she could not help the small smirk as she enjoyed the thought of how much the villain's must be pissed their stupid plan did not work.

“Was there anything else he said?” Deku asked. It was a rather interesting sight. To see that side of him even though Izuku was clearly exhausted he still did not hesitate to slip into his hero persona and work. She wondered if he was even aware he almost had two different sides to him.

“Not really. Most of it was useless nonsense. I never even learned his name till just now,” she said not wanting to discuss the mental torture that Arakawa had put her through. She did not wish to think about how she was painfully aware Izuku could only do so much to protect her. The underworld did not fear hero’s like they did their own members. Fearing being arrested was not the same fear as dying. Dabi had truly been her protector even if he had not meant to be. The fear of being burned alive for crossing him had been enough to keep her safe. But that was no longer a fear of those who wished to hurt her.

She could tell Deku was giving her an odd look. He did not believe her that what else was said was useless. But maybe he was smart enough to realize that what was said may be more sensitive than what he had otherwise said to her.

“Okay,” he said softly, pulling his hand away from her back slowly.

“This is still good information. We were under the assumption he was the leader, but we were wrong. This will change things a little,” Deku said, already pulling his cell phone from his pocket as he swiftly ran his fingers across the screen in what she can only assume was a message to most likely a group chat if he was smart.

“You look rough. You should head home. Get some good sleep. And shower,” she said softly, scrunching her nose, well one or most likely both of them smelled.

“I am fine,” he said ignoring the fact she had made a face when she commented he needed a shower. She was right. He really did need to go home. Eat, sleep and shower. But he did not want to leave her.

“If what you said is correct then there is a lot more risk to you than we first anticipated. I can’t leave you alone,” Deku said, still in hero mode. Though she had a feeling this would be an argument no matter what.

“Then have someone come baby sit me for a few hours,” she growled through gritted teeth. She really just wanted to yell at him to leave. Why was he so worried about her when he was killing himself with exhaustion.

“Are you sure you're okay with someone coming and watching you for a few hours?” Izuku asked softly, well aware the poor woman did not like hero’s and he was going to force her to spend a few hours with one. But Izuku really did need to make a run home even if he did not get any sleep. New clothes for both of them would be really nice.

“Don’t treat me like a baby. I can deal for a few hours without you idiot,” She grumbled with her arms gently crossed over her chest.

“S..sorry I did not mean to imply that you're being childish or anything,” Izuku said, waving his hands in front of his growing red face. And just like that Deku was gone and Izuku was back.

“It is fine. I am alive and clearly will survive. Now it's time you spend a little bit of time dealing with yourself. You won't be any help if you're sleep deprived and starving,” She pointed out having no issues giving a bit of a low blow to his pride as a hero.

“Okay. Let me see who I can find to come guard you while I go home,” Izuku said, pulling his cell phone from his pants pocket. With that Izuku headed out of the room and she assumed he was now calling a friend or two in an attempt to get someone to come watch her so he could leave the hospital.

Aoi sighed softly once the room became quiet and it was only her left. She did not know why he cared so much. She was in a public hospital. She should surely be safe in such a place. Then again she thought the same thing of her own home. And look how that turned out. Maybe Deku was right. She was not safe. And that had her heart racing as she struggled to push back the feel of panic that was clawing at her body. Stupid panic attacks. It was not till a cold drink was thrust into her face that she raised her shaky hands to grab the bottle of water that Izuku had apparently returned with.

“Thanks,” She said barely audibly as she almost struggled to get the cap off the bottle. She did have to admit though her mouth and throat were feeling incredibly dry as she wasted no time downing nearly half the bottle of water. The cup of water she had earlier had not been enough. With that the two fell into a simple silence, it was not too awkward at least. Leaving the bottle of water beside her on the bed she found herself slowly and carefully laying back into the bed thanks to Izuku’s help. Even though she had slept most of the last few days away her tired body still cried out for more sleep. And Izuku did not try to keep her awake with conversation as she found her eyes drifting closed into a light sleep. Though it did not last long enough.

At some point even still in a sleepy state she could hear the soft knock at the door gently that woke her. But she did not yet want to get up. She wished to just go back to sleep. But the sound of hushed voices was making it hard. Even though she could not make out what they were saying she was still drawn to the voices. Both familiar to her. But she oddly in her half asleep state could not figure out who the other voice was other than Izuku. Trying to force her eyes open she realized the two bodies were out in the hall and the open door of the room was the only reason she could hear them at all. Oh well she did not have the energy to think about it too hard as she tried to roll over wanting to get into a new position and go back to sleep even as she heard the barely audible footsteps in the room head to the chair that sat by her bed.

“I know you're awake,” Came a voice that had her entire body stiffen up. She knew that voice. And it was a voice she wished she never heard again. It was Todoroki Shoto.

“What do you want?” She could not help the growl in her voice as she pried her eyes open to glance over at the man who sat in the seat Izuku had earlier been occupying. Those dual coloured eyes seemed to be studying her before he spoke up again.

“Nothing,” He said after a rather long pause. She looked at him skeptically before slowly closing her eyes and trying to once again drift to sleep. She did not want to be awake with this man being her guard. But now her heart was beating adrenaline through her body and sleep would not come easily as she decided to carefully roll over and have her back facing the man as she instead attempted to ignore his presence as she tried to go back to sleep.

Chapter Text

Sleep apparently refused to be Aoi’s friend while the duel quirk user was sitting in the seat beside her bed. And maybe even worse was the fact that Shoto clearly knew that she was awake and just apparently ignoring him. It simply came down to who would first break the silence?

“Do you hate me?” It was Todoroki who broke the silence after easily an hour with the two in the tense room.

“No,” She answered simply. It was true. She wished she could hate the hero. But he was not his father, nor was he his brother. Did she hate him? No. She hated his family, but she did not directly hate him on his own. Silence fell over the room once again after her reply. But still once again the silence did not last.

“Then why do you seem so uncomfortable?” He had asked. Damn hero and his watchful eyes and overbearing feelings to help people.

“Did Midoriya ever mention that I had a run in with your father once?” She asked hoping that would be more than enough of an explanation. Surely he could understand how people who did not like his father may very well not like him.

“He did. But nothing in the story informed me that you were unhappy with me,” She was not sure if he was being stupid or a smart ass. But one look at that clueless face of his told her that he honestly did not understand. Well it seemed the rumors that the man was a little stunted in social interactions was more accurate than she could have ever thought.

“That's because it is not you that I do not like. It's your father and brother who I hate,” She tried to whisper the brother part as she turned her gaze away from him. But in the silence of the hospital room apparently she could have been yelling it since there was no way he missed it.

“You know Natsuo?” That had the woman look back at the man with an arched brow. Oh, was that the name of the other Todoroki son?

“Not that brother,” she said once again looking ahead of her at the wall she was facing as she kept her back to the man. She did not want to see his face. She did not want to see how he was reacting. She could feel her eyes stinging at the mere thought of the man. For a solid minute maybe two the silence in the room was heavy before Todoroki spoke up.

“You knew Touya?” Todoroki finally asked, breaking the heavy silence as she laid there struggling to keep herself from bursting into tears.

“Touya? No. But I knew Dabi,” She answered simply, unable to keep her voice from wavering. And once again a heavy silence fell over the room as it felt like the temperature was quickly dropping. Was that Shoto’s doing? She was not sure nor was she about to ask.

“Did he hurt you?” She wanted to say yes. Yes, Dabi hurt her. He left her, he abandoned her. He was supposed to protect her and instead he had left her all alone in this crappy world. She no longer had his protection. He had to know that it would be dangerous for her with him gone. But not even just that, he had never told her. He never clued her into his own suffering. He never asked for her help. But then again she knew he would never accept it even if she offered. After all, what good was a quirkless loser? But she could not bring herself to voice such thoughts as she struggled to contain the soft sob that escaped her lips in the silent room.

“What did he do?” A low and dark tone came from behind her as she felt the temperature in the room quickly growing colder and colder. And yet she welcomed it. She wanted to feel numb as she struggled to take a breath.

“It is not what you think. I owe him my life,” She said softly, struggling to not let a sob break up her words. Her eyes now clenched tightly closed as if that could somehow magically keep the tears from escaping down her face. That answer seemed to mellow out the temperature in the room. She wished Shoto would just leave. She wanted nothing more than to just cry her eyes out once again, as she had all those days ago now. She had never told anyone about this after the war. After all, having connections to such villains like Dabi could have found her arrested even if she never once touched foot on any of those battle fields. But she had more than once put Dabi up in her home to keep him safe. She had aided and hid a very dangerous villain at the time. It did not matter if she was still a kid at the time.

But at least Todoroki stopped asking questions, allowing the woman to struggle on her own to calm and contain her emotions. She needed to wait till she was alone so she could have her meltdown. She refused to look any more weak and useless than she already was in front of this man. This hero.

At least Todoroki took the hint that she had no desire to talk about this subject any more. No more questions came even though she was sure that the man had more. But maybe realizing he made her cry had been enough to put off the need to ask more questions now. Aoi did not care as she laid there, her back turned to the man as a part of her wished that those villains would have just killed her. End this suffering. Maybe in her next life fate would be a little more kind. Maybe she would be born with a quirk?

She knew these thoughts were dangerous. The heavy cloud of depression had returned, though it's not like it had ever disappeared in the last two weeks. She kind of wished her body was still broken. Being high on pain med's had been a wonderful way to numb not just her physical pain but the mental pain as well. But she knew turning to drugs of any kind was a death wish in its own way. She has seen what drug abuse does to those living on the streets. And she would suffer the same fate if she was not careful. And yet on days like today she wondered what she had to lose. So what if she died. No one cared.

No. That was no longer true. Midoriya made it very clear that he had worried for her. If she had been killed by those villian's what would he have done? He clearly would have been upset. But would it have been because of guilt? Would he have felt responsible? Would he have blamed himself? Would he have missed her? Would he have seen her as just some sorry victim? Or did he see her as a friend in danger? A part of her wanted to say she was just a simple victim and Deku was doing his job and nothing more. He he not been a hero surely he would never have come for her. He would have done the same thing no matter who she was to him. But still what was she to the man?

So many questions and yet she was not sure she wanted the answers to any of them. Ignorance is bliss after all. It was easier for her to stand back and simply enjoy the man’s friendship than risk anything else. She still tried to tell herself if had been nothing more than a stupid crush. The man was walking eye candy after all. He turned heads whether he was dressed as Deku or in some of those ridiculous hero merch clothes. He could have anyone. A fellow hero who would have the strength to stand beside him, a model with the beauty to rival anyone. Or even someone with a quirk that could complement his own had that ever been something to cross the man’s mind. But between having a friend like Todoroki and Midoriya's own personal attitude she doubted that would ever be a reason the man dated or married a woman. But still what could she offer him? Aside from warming his bed and being a little light entertainment if he wished? Though once again the man clearly did not seem to be that way. But that still left her with the curiosity of why would he ever bother to look her way.

She clearly had issues, the depression and mental illness's aside. She was rude to him. She had trust issues and was just overall not someone everyone got along with. How exactly did Midoriya put up with her? Even though she had tried from day one to put a wall up between herself and that man she still could not forget how she told him some stories from her childhood. Like the fact her parents had disowned her. Dabi knew that story but no one else did before Midoriya.

At some point she had been graced with being able to fall asleep once again. Was this likely going to completely fuck up her sleep schedule? Yes. Did she care at the moment? No. After all Aoi was doubtful she still had a job any more. All she cared about at that time was sleeping. Todoroki never spoke to her again even before she drifted off to sleep. He never woke her either, allowing her to sleep in peace. Or maybe the man was suffering his own inner turmoil? Aoi would never know. But she was thankful for not being disturbed, though she would probably never actually thank him.

Soft voices and warm smells filled her senses as she found herself slowly blinking her eyes. White walls met her gaze. And yet it was not just the smell of heavy cleaning chemicals that filled her nose. Slowly and still rather carefully she rolled over only for the hushed noises to fall silent as two sets of eyes whipped over to look at her.

“Oh I hope we were not too loud and woke you,?” Midoriya asked, looking guilty all of a sudden more like he had started running around and yelling his head off instead of sitting there talking quietly with his friend and fellow coworker.

“Not at all,” She said softly before slowly pushing herself up to sit in the bed.

“What smells so good?” She asked just in time for her stomach to let out a growl of complaints for her lack of solid foods in the last almost two weeks.

That question or maybe the sound of her stomach alone had a wide smile pull at the green haired man’s face. Which now looked a tiny bit better than the last time she saw him. The bag’s under his eyes not nearly as bad, his hair was now freshly washed and looked almost fluffed up atop of that head of his. Now also sporting clean clothes as well he over all looked much better than she could ever recall him looking over the last few days.

“I stopped and grabbed us all some food. I hope you like it. I was not completely sure what to get you,” He almost looked nervous as he offered her a to-go container that had remained untouched. And although it was not nearly as warm as the container had once been it was still far from being completely cold. Peeling the lid off of the top she looked into the container to notice it was some kitsune udon. The aroma was heaven and once again her stomach let out a growl which just had her glaring down at her own traitorous gut. It was not like this was the first time she had gone far too long without a solid good meal.

“Thanks it smells delicious,” She called her thanks before happily digging into the meal. Yep a little on the cool side for a soup. But it still tasted delicious. And she had eaten far worse meals than a lukewarm soup. Keeping her head down she tried to pay the two men no attention, only looking into her own little bowl of food. She had hoped they would go back to talking, but whether it was a subject they did not want her to hear or the conversation had already been forgotten. She assumed the first was the most likely option.

Aoi was about half way through her meal before she finally shot Midoriya a glare as she had noticed him squirming out of the corner of her eye. Either he had ants in his pants or something was clearly on his mind.

“What’s gotten under your skin?” She asked bluntly between mouthfuls of delicious noodles and broth. She did not even care as she made a rather loud slurping noise. Manners did not matter as much as stuffing her face did.

“Uhm well the nurse said that you should be clear to leave tomorrow. But Uhm well,” he was stalling, pausing, apparently trying to figure out what to say next.

“Spit it out Midoriya,” she jabbed quickly, better another mouthful as she watched the man squirm in his seat.

“Well with what has all happened, and the fact that your place is not safe we both agreed that finding you somewhere safe is a top priority. As well as being closely watched. It was suggested you go into protective services. But I did not think you would like that very much,” at the mention of protective services she had tensed up. That sounded far too much like being dragged to a foster parent or group home. Those were never good times in her experience. And apparently the hero took in this suspected reaction. He would also never admit it but Izuku had not liked that idea either so he was quick to continue, “but it was discussed to maybe not be the best idea. So instead it was decided for you to stay somewhere safe and well guarded under hero protection. Not officers. So uhm it was arranged for a private apartment to be used. One where there was top notch security and multiple hero’s. You will move in with me.”

Well that was not what she expected as a reply from the man. She could feel her jaw go lax, the noodles she had been about to slurp up falling from her lips and back into the container causing the liquid to softly splash her hands that were wrapped around the styrofoam container. Had she heard that right? No surely she had been hearing things. But as she sat there for a moment staring wide eyed and slack jawed, there were no ‘just joking’ words from his mouth. No he was being serious. Well fuck.

“What?” Was the only word she could force out of her mouth as it felt like her mind had stopped working. She simply watched poor Midoriya squirm even more under her gaze now.

“We have a two bedroom apartment on the top floor. I know a few hero’s live in the building as well. It has a secret floor which will be the one we will live on. Around the clock security, It will be nice and big so that you can have as much space as possible. The agency will also help you find a new apartment after, or you can go back to your old one though I would not suggest it. If you were attacked there once it could encourage more break ins in the future,” Izuku was now rambling but Aoi just let him as she at least attempted to hear what he was saying but at the same time she was barely comprehending what he was saying.

“Midoriya I think you have lost her,” Shoto said softly after a moment of noticing the woman was just staring wide eyed at the green haired man. Hearing his friend's soft voice Midoriya paused in his rambling to look over at the duel quirk user and then back at her seeing that Aoi had not even started eating again. She was just sitting there still holding her take out container and staring at him. She was barely blinking her eyes even.

“Oh uhm Sugahara?” Midoriya called out softly as if he was talking to a scared kitten that may take off at any sudden noise. And to be honest the assumption was not far off. There was a part of her mind that was screaming to run. That she was about to lose her freedom. He may have said this was not witness protection but it was. In a sense it was the same thing. She would be under house arrest unable to do as she pleased.

“What about my job?” She asked softly even though she was pretty sure she had already lost it but still she wanted to know for sure if she was about to lose all and any freedom she thought she had up till now.

“Uhm well I am not sure. But the agency will support you until you can find a new job once things have settled down and everyone has been arrested with the case,” Midoriya said, sounding happy with that idea. But Aoi did not like it. No, that would mean his agency owned her. She would owe them for the money, the housing, and well everything. She may as well attach a collar to her neck with a tag that says government owned. Once again panic was quickly sinking in. This could not be happening.

“Uh, it's okay Midoriya. I am happy for the offer but I can not do that. I will be fine. Don’t worry,” Aoi said simply trying not to let her panic show. She would rather be on the streets than locked up and stuck with a hero glued to her side even if said hero would be Deku. But it still seemed the man was able to pick up on her uneasiness.

“It’s okay. It's part of a hero's job. And as long as Arakawa Shinta and his boss are at large you are in a lot of danger. We can not possibly leave you unprotected,” Was a polite way of saying she did not have a choice it seemed. It seemed she would most likely be dragged with the man even if she did not want to. Suddenly her food no longer tasted so good on her tongue as she found herself putting the take-out container down beside her bed. Otherwise she feared it could get thrown across the room or at the hero’s if her anger flared any more.

Chapter Text

The apartment may as well have been something from a magazine as Aoi looked around with wide eyes as she stepped through the threshold of the front door. This place was to be her new home, or more so her new prison. The single apartment was nearly the size of the entire floor of her old apartment. She did not even want to know how expensive a place like this would cost. Surely one month in this place surely cost about a year's worth of rent at her old place. Had she not been nearly dragged there against her will she may have been over the moon and fascinated with a place like this.

But instead she was very quick to squish down the feelings of fascination and wonder. This was not some holiday, no this was her new hell. She wanted nothing more than to go back to her apartment. Her home and the safety it offered now that she was free from the hell that was the hospital. Izuku was already rambling off about something as he closed and locked the door behind them as she toed her shoes off and slipped on some brand new slippers.

She frowned down at the plain white slippers. She missed her old pair. Sure they were well worn and nearly falling apart but they had been so comfortable. These ones did not feel the same. It was not till the large body of her new roommate slipped past her did she look up at the man.

“Your room will be on the right side and mine will be across from yours on the left side,” it was only part of some of his rambling but she really could not bring herself to pay attention. She was still incredibly pissed that she had been unable to get out of this situation.

“Okay,” was the only answer she gave before she started to head towards her new bedroom. She could see the hurt flash across Izuku’s face. She has been trying to fight him tooth and nail but in the end she could not get away from him. It still made her feel a little bad. She knew eventually she would apologize to him for her behaviour. But for right now she was too busy stewing in her own anger. She could not see this apartment as anything other than a prison or cage.

“I’ll be in my room,” she said simply as she started to walk away from him as he tried to start talking again. All she got in reply was a stuttered okay from the poor man who had to deal with her sour mood. She stormed into the room that she had recalled him saying was hers. It was the only part of what he had been rambling that she had paid attention to.

Her new bedroom was nearly as large as her entire last apartment. The room was rather bare aside from the queen sized bed in the middle, night stands on either side of it, and a computer desk with no computer on it. A handful of boxes also stacked in one corner by what looked like closet doors had her looking away from the corner. She did not want a reminder that her entire life could be stuffed into only half a dozen boxes. Sure it was not everything, apparently new bed sheets covered the bed, no need for her old mismatched and ragged set. So she was not sure if that new silky set Izuku had bought her or any of her old towels had been grabbed in the hassle of getting her old home boxed up and moved.

Walking towards the bed she ran her hands along the soft bed sheets. At least they did not feel cheap. But still they were not her bed sheets. This was not her room, nor was this her bed. Turning to the small stack of boxes in the one corner she glared at them before making her way towards them. At least they were labeled. She looked for one that had clothing written on it. The writing was incredibly neat and tidy. She hoped that at least that meant that a woman was the one who had been the one to look through and pack up her small amount of clothing.

Digging around in the box she looked for one of her beloved soft t-shirt’s, she did not care if small holes sat along the bottom of the shirt along the hem at her sides were she had a bad habit of fiddling with the material till she put holes into them and then even more as the material would fray. It’s not a shirt she would wear in front of people but it was too comfortable to just throw it away. Having no plans to leave the bedroom she did not bother at that moment with pants or anything else. She was more than content to just wear some panties and the shirt as she headed over the bed.

Even though she had been cleared by the hospital and had pretty much recovered, her mind and body were still exhausted. She was not sure if it was from the stress of being kidnapped and tortured, being stuck in a horrible hospital for days, being stuck with hero’s twenty-four hours a day, or the stress of now being a heroes new house bound pet. Maybe it was all of it sitting heavy on her shoulders. But she had no energy as she crawled into the bed and was more than happy to just close her eyes.

It was not till soft knocks at her bedroom door did she peel her eyes open. Light was still trying to slip around the curtains and into the room. But it was clearly no longer morning with the slight changes in the shadows from what little light could slip into the room. Groggy with sleep she did not realize what had woken her till another soft knock came some time later. This time the second knock was accompanied with a soft call of her name. Forcing her still half asleep body up she walked towards the door without a thought. There was no hesitation as she swung the door open unhappy with being woken from her slumber.

“What?” she asked, unable to help the more grumpy tone she had used. But before the man before her could open his mouth to apologize she watched as the poor man nearly instantly started to turn ten shades of red. His head was quick to whip away from her as if she had just slapped him in the face. The noise that came from his mouth was also more like a squeak. She was just simply watching him look away with an arched brow unsure of what the hell was going on.

“Uh, I just wanted to let you know I ordered some dinner since you never came out for lunch. I’m sorry,” He had started with an explanation for his knocking but it very quickly turned into an apology, one he very quickly started to repeat while all the while refusing to look at her.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” She asked, ignoring the repeated apologies since she did not know why he was doing it. His eyes had glanced over at her only to look away just as fast and his face turned another round of red.

“You’re not wearing any pants,” He suddenly just blurted out. Which had her looking down at her bare legs and pantie clad lower half. Oh yeah. Oh well.

“Get used to it. If I’m on house arrest for the foreseeable future I am not wearing pants all day,” She said bluntly, which she almost thought was going to have the tall hero fainting over. But it was true, if she was going to be unable to leave the apartment then she was not going to wear pants all day long just because she had to share the house. She also wanted a little bit of a chance to see the man react so innocently. Most men would have been ogling her long legs. Then again as she looked down she took in the sight of her legs that had not been shaved in over a week. Yeah that was not sexy. That had her ears burning a little.

“Alright give me a second,” She said, not closing the door as she turned and walked back into the room towards the box she had pulled the shirt out of before grabbing some leggings. Though once she could get her legs shaved she was not going to feel as subconscious about walking around half naked. If she had to be stuck taking in the sight of the Greek god-like hero sharing her living space then she was going to torment him the same way. She did not care if an eye for an eye left the entire world blind. She was going to be petty and happily torment him if she was going to be stuck with him all the time.

Even now she did not care if she left the door open giving him a perfect opportunity to watch her walk away, bend over to pick out the pants and then slip one leg after the other into the leggings and pull the material up and over her ass now hiding her panties and bare flesh from his view. But every time she glanced at him she could not see him looking. She was not sure if he was simply that chivalrous, innocent or stupid. Maybe it was actually a mixture of all three? But either way she doubted he actually watched her at all as she got dressed before walking back towards him. “So what was this talk about dinner?” She asked him as she watched him spare her a glance once again before actually turning his body back towards her and looking down at her as he spoke trying not to stutter.

“You missed lunch so I ordered some take out. I hope you don't mind. I ordered some stir fries from a place not far,” She watched his eyes slowly drift down as he spoke. Poor sugar cookie was probably just now realizing she was also not wearing a bra. And surely the thought of teasing the hero before her before she put on pants had her nipples perking a little. Surely he could see them easily enough by now. But they did not linger as he blushed and quickly looked up at her eyes again. She pretended not to notice as she took an inhale and took in the smell of food wafting from the kitchen. Her stomach gave an audible growl and she found herself sighing softly. She was hungry. And at least it was free food. Usually it would be impossible for her to pass up free food. But right now everything was pretty much free. She may as well try and take advantage of it while it lasts.

“Smell’s good,” actually replying to him now unlike the cold shoulder she had given him all morning at the hospital and on the way over she watched a wide smile pull at the man’s lips as he stepped back to let her walk out of her bedroom and head to the kitchen first.

“I have not tried this place yet but I have heard it's good. I also was not sure what to get you so I ordered three dishes, figured whatever we don't eat can be leftovers to snack on after,” He said smiling happily as he tailed behind her as Aoi followed her nose and headed towards what she thought was the kitchen. It was indeed the kitchen that he had left the food in. More like Izuku would most likely eat two normal person sized meals himself. But she saw it as a way of giving her options to eat even if they were not a lot. Still, damn rich people and easily buying more than may be edible.

She had given him a simple hum as a response as she stood and looked around the kitchen a little realizing she did not know where anything was in this kitchen, it was not her kitchen. Izuku was chatting about something again but this time she was not paying attention as the man slipped past her as if reading her mind he walked over to a cupboard and pulled out two plates before pulling out a drawer to grab them some chopsticks and turn towards her. That normally warming smile is still on his lips. But today it did not make her feel warmer as it normally did. He handed her her share of the dishes in his hand so they could both turn and walk over to the table were three large containers. That when opened, revealed one heavy vegetable and some meat stir fry, a pork yakisoba in another, another one was a mix of vegetables and noodles. Two large bowls of rice as well as a plate with some harumaki sat on the table. It honestly did smell wonderful. Sitting down at the table Aoi was happy to say her thanks before she started to layer her plate with some of all three options wanting to taste them all before making a pick for just one. Izuku seemed to be doing the same across from her.

Leaning over a little she was happy to snatch up one of the harumaki, happy to dip it in some of the sauce that was provided in the small take out container before raising it to her mouth to take a bite of. The crunch was delectable as she enjoyed the pork and rice noodle filled wrapped mouthful. When was the last time she got to enjoy something as simply nice as a spring roll? It had been a while. Usually she skipped on getting anything to ever go with her bare basic meals. But Izuku seemed to have no issues spending his money on lots of food. Lucky.

The food was too good to brew over. She was just happy it was not at her dollar. That meant she could truly eat to her heart's content. There was no reason to hold back. Hmm maybe there was at least one perk to this situation. She tried to remind herself to look at the positives. Free housing and food. She did not have to be worried about being evicted any time soon even if she wished for it. Wow this was a first where she actually wished to be kicked to the street.

And yet Aoi was pretty sure she would have been better off out in the street. That was a way of life she was familiar with how to live. She knew the safe places to sleep to avoid both the hero's patrolling and creeps. She knew who to kiss ass to in order to be at least left alone. What places were completely dangerous and not worth it.

But this situation was something out of the norm for her. This was some twenty-four hours babysitting shit. She was locked down on house arrest. Told she is to stay inside unless she has a hero escort, keep windows closed, don’t talk to neighbours in the building, and not tell anyone where she is. Though that last rule was easy to abide by thanks to her having no real friends to tell. No one cared enough to reach out to her even after she went missing for a week. Though maybe no one visited her thanks to the constant hero’s coming and going from her room to chat with Deku? She wished she could say that they were the reason why what few acquaintances she had did not try to come visit her.

Still there was not much she could do about it. Glancing up at the man who sat across from her she was reminded very well that she most likely would have a constant guard. Still a hopeful side of her hoped that the man would have to return to work. Japan needed their number one hero. He could not stay hidden away with her forever. But would he just have some sidekick come stay with her? Then again she recalled him saying the building had heroes that lived within it as well. So even if he left her alone someone would not be far. Did that mean if she tried to leave when he was gone that someone would stop her?

Her eyes quickly glanced around the room as she ate, curious if the apartment itself had cameras in it. That seemed like a violation of privacy. No more than likely the hall way and all exits had cameras but not the apartment itself. That still made it hard, if she tried to leave surely someone would notice and stop her. She was also well aware of the armed men down in the lobby that they had walked past to get to the elevator. They would most likely be the ones to stop her if she tried to just walk out alone. A glance at the curtain covered window quickly reminded her that she was at the top of a very tall building. There was no way she would be able to scale the side of the building or jump and live. So she truly could not escape this hell.

That realization was making her food taste sour as her mood continued to grow sour as well. If she had any hope in hell of being able to even breathe some fresh air alone she would need to get creative. But the knowledge that the green haired man who was silently eating his own food with a small smile was no moron she knew trying to trick him would surely be impossible. No she needed to wait, surely people would grow to placate if things went good for long enough. She just had to be patient. Surely she could wait a little while.

With a truly full stomach she did feel a little bit better. That had been a million times better than hospital crap they tried to call food. And since it was not her money she did force herself to eat even after her thoughts had turned the food sour on her tongue. It was free food and she was not going to stop eating just because of her sour mood. Taking her plate to the sink she instinctively started to wash them, a habit from her old life.

“You don't have to wash those,” Izuku had said, following after her with his own now empty plate.

“It’s just a habit. I don't mind,” She answered. And honestly it was true. It was a habit and oddly doing it had actually kind of calmed her a little. Something from her old life that had not changed. Something she could still do. And she needed any and all slight bits of her old life. It looked like Izuku wanted to argue with her but one quick glare and the man was shutting his mouth and simply offering his dish to be washed next.

Once the dishes were washed she started to look around the apartment. She avoided Izuku’s room but the rest of the place seemed to be free game to look through. After all this was now her home as well. It was not rude to be getting herself familiar with her new home. Really she just wanted to find the closet with the towels and the bathroom. She desperately needed to shower and shave. Once a towel was acquired she went to her room to grab fresh clothes to wear and a bag of her toiletries. It had to be a woman who packed up her stuff. No man would think to put her shampoo and other liquids from her bathroom in a bag to prevent the risk of leaking over her other things. She was grateful as she would never have trusted the crappy cheap plastic container holding her shampoo to not break or just leak because of a bad seal. It had not but still very well could have. So now with towel and bathroom necessities in hand Aoi left her room on the hunt for the bathroom.

The bathroom was nothing like what she expected. Easily the size of her old room it was split in half, a toilet and large counter space adored one half. While the other half housed a walk in shower and large tub. It was much larger than a normal tub, two people could surely fit in it in ease. Of course the first thought to cross her mind was Izuku being the one to join her. That thought had her face blazing hot as she quickly looked away from the tub and had her quickly stripping down wanting to just shower now that her brain had ruined what could have been a nice relaxing soak in the tub. She really could have used a long soak in a hot bath but now she could not bring herself to look at the damn tub as she turned her attention to trying to enjoy her shower without letting similar thoughts fill her mind as she took in the large size of the shower that would have made her old one look like some sprinkler sticking out of a wall.

Chapter Text

Aoi learned a few things with her time spent actually leaving her room. First off Izuku had filled the bathroom with a very large array of smelly soaps, shampoo’s, salts, body washes and things she honestly was not even sure what they were for. Everything smelled good, and scents ranged from all sorts of things. Some more floral, others like vanilla, she was pretty sure she even smelt something citrusy. The scents for the most part seemed to feminine for Izuku to use, or more so she was pretty sure she would notice if the man smelled like he walked through a flower shop. She did notice the citrusy smelling body wash was one she thought she smelled on the man. It did not take much to assume that all the sweet smelling things were meant for her to use. Still it seemed so over the top as she spent almost more time sniffing the smelling bath stuff than actually washing herself. It almost felt like the man had bought out an entire bed, bath and body shop. Made her cheap shampoo and body wash smell like nothing good. And she did not hesitate to use some of it either since it was most likely meant for her anyways. Made her wonder why they even packed her old cheap stuff. Still she would not argue in the moment.

Next the closet by the bathroom had been filled with an array of towels of a few different colours but all were large, soft and fuzzy. She also had seen a few different bedsheets and blankets that had also been folded up in the same closet. Clearly she did not need her old crappy sheets, or her crappy bath stuff. She was pretty sure if Izuku had the choice he probably would have just bought everything for her completely anew. The only thing she truly needed was her old clothes. But she was sure he would have happily bought her an entire new wardrobe as well.

Once she was done with soaking in the bath trying to relax both her mind and body but it had not done as much good as she would have liked. But still that did not stop her from spending well over an hour in the bathroom. It probably did not help that she had only retreated straight to her bedroom once she did finally leave the bathroom. She did not wish to talk with the hero who was also living in the house. She knew she should be thankful. He had saved her, had made sure she was healed, and now had a free roof over her head and warm food in her stomach. In the past she would have done almost anything to have a warm, safe place to sleep and a full stomach. But right now she could not enjoy the opportunity. All she could feel was like a caged bird. This warm home and free food was not free, she paid for it with her freedom, her life, everything she had.

Aoi was thankful that Izuku gave her some distance, well what distance he could offer while they were both stuck in the same large apartment. If she had her bedroom door closed he left her alone, only knocking and interrupting her sulking when he deemed she needed to eat, so at least twice a day he would bother her. But she could not complain as she was hungry. Though on the second day she was surprised to learn that the man could actually cook. He had ordered fast food the night before. But in the morning he actually cooked some breakfast which was better than she expected. Had she not been sulking and grumpy she would have complimented him and asked why he always had her cooking their dinner when the man could cook himself. But she did not wish to talk with the man she felt like was her warden at the moment.

Aoi had spent a few days hiding in her bedroom, but it was quickly driving her crazy. She was never one to hide away. She was used to being busy, always trying to work, or looking for work, struggling to eat or just walking the streets looking for food or shelter. She could not remember the last time she had spent so much time hiding away doing nothing. And so she felt the need to pace in more space than just her bedroom as she finally left her bedroom on her own accord aside for food and the bathroom. At least this time she had put on pants, well shorts, since she did not wish to make things more uncomfortable than they already would be since she was well aware that poor Izuku nearly had a heart attack every time he saw her walking around without pants. Even after she had told him she was going to wear what she wanted and did not really care about his thoughts on the matter. Though that may change when she walked from the small hallway of bedrooms and into the living room to find said man that she could make so uncomfortable with ease shirtless doing pushups in the middle of the room as the television was on with some show going on but the hero was clearly not paying it any attention as he was simply working out. He had also apparently not noticed her, or if he did then he did not make any move to show that he was aware of her presence as she stood there rather frozen as she watched the man.

She had seen his top half naked before, she had bandaged him up and sewn up a hole in his side. This was not a new view. And yet she found her eyes shamefully roaming over the mass of muscles that ran over his back and shoulders. The way the muscles moved underneath his skin was oddly memorizing. But she would be damned if she was caught staring as she strolled behind him and made her way towards the couch wanting to at least look like she was calm and not internally panicking over the desire to want to watch the man as he continued to do something as simple as some push up in the middle of the living room. He had not even broken a sweat.

At the sight of her sitting down on the couch she watched as the man seemed to light up. He was clearly happy to see her leave her bedroom of her own will finally. She watched him as he effortlessly pushed himself to sit up and cross his legs as he turned to smile widely at her. He looked like some damn happy puppy smiling up widely at her.

“Oh Sugahara. How are you feeling?” His greeting was warm and clearly meant nothing bad but still she did not return his smile.

“Fine,” She answered and watched that stupid golden retriever look he gave her as his head tilted slightly to look at her almost skeptical, or maybe it was doubtful or even confused. She could not completely tell as she watched him just look at her with his head tilted. She snapped first and looked away.

“I am bored. Being locked up is making me feel stir crazy,” She admitted as she looked away from him and around the living room. She tried to get her attention to linger on the tv but it really did not hold any interest to her. What the hell did people do who never left their homes? This was making her skin crawl wanting to leave the apartment before she started to crawl up the walls.

That answer got her an apologetic smile from the man who was sitting in front of her on the floor.

“Yeah I know the feeling. I know this is not ideal. There is a gym in the building if you want to go down and use it,” Izuku offered but all that got him was an unimpressed look. He may be happy to go work out in a gym all day but she did not enjoy that thought. Sure working out would be good for her but it did not sound fun.

“I’ll pass,” She said simply as she watched his smile falter for a second before he forced it back.

“Uhm okay. Well are there any hobbies you do? Anything you would like? I can have someone get stuff for you. If there is anything you want or need just let me know,” he said smiling widely at her again.

A hobby? She did not have one. She worked to survive. She could not afford such luxuries to waste money on. She had her cell phone and that was it. The few free games and apps she had on it had been the reach of her fun stuff she had. What did normal people do? She wasn’t very artistic so drawing seemed useless. She had never been one to play video games, she barely touched her apps on her phone. She had no desire to grow plants or anything that required having a green thumb. What the hell did normal people do that could be done inside and alone? This was harder than she thought.

“What do you do in your spare time?” She was unable to help but ask him curious what the hero does in his free time.

“Hmm well if I’m not at the agency or out on patrol I am usually hanging out with some of my friends. Or I’m at the gym,” the man answered simply. So he was a gym rat, or a workaholic, she was leaning to the latter. She also was well aware the man was an All Might fan and probably spent some time and a lot of money working on that collection of his.

“So we are both workaholics. Great,” she had grumbled the last word to herself with a huff through her nose. Well she at least hoped the man was as bored and stir crazy as she was feeling.

“Any chance we can go for a walk or something? I could really use some fresh air,” she asked, watching him as he seemed to think the idea over.

“I am not sure. It has not even been two weeks since we freed you,” Izuku said, a little unsure as he rubbed the back of his head. She could tell he was trying to find a nice way of saying no. How annoying. She huffed out softly with a pout.

“Come on Midoriya. I’ll have you with me. Someone would have to be a real moron to attack a girl while she’s walking with the number one hero beside her,” Aoi pointed out as she watched him rolling the idea around. She could only hope either his own need to get out or his need to please her would be enough to help push him to agree. She even proceeded to give him large puppy dog eyes which seemed to have the large man squirming under.

“Okay. We can go for a little walk. But we won’t stray too far from the apartment,” he said, caving actually quicker than she expected him to as she nearly jumped off of the couch and to her feet.

“Awesome I’ll go get dressed,” she said, quickly walking away to leave the man still sitting on the floor as she walked into her room now on the hunt for a bra to put on and some socks. Who knew the simple thought of being allowed outside could help lift her sour mood.

With socks on her feet and a bra now on under her shirt she nearly bounded out of her bedroom. Funny how the thought of being allowed to go for a walk could make her so excited. She may as well be a puppy running to the front door after being asked if she wanted to go for a walk. Of course she did not like that idea, it did have her slow her steps a little and the bounce in her step disappeared. It was a sour thought that had killed her happy mood a little. Damn it.

Midoriya was waiting for her, a ball cap and medical mask on his face already ready to leave as she slipped her shoes on and let the man walk out into the hall of the apartment before her as she followed after him. Even if she felt like a damn dog being taken for a walk she could not deny that the second they stepped out of the building she took a deep inhale. The fresh air smelled heavenly after being either in a hospital or that damn bedroom. With a few deep breaths she could feel her shoulders relax a little. It was not much but she really did need to get out a little. Though she did not miss how stiff the hero beside her grew. He was on high alert. Though she did not share his same fears. She knew she should, her body was still aching from the abuse she had suffered, and she would never admit that nightmares filled her dreams from those days. She almost wished she could just be allowed to deal with this alone, she knew how to hide in the shadows, this was not the first time someone wanted her dead. But the red tape of her protector being a hero really had her uneasy with how he could protect her.

Even if the league was gone she knew she still had friends, still had connections with some who would be able to keep her safer, people who would kill for her or at the very least kill for a price. And that sounded much safer to her mind that the hero was walking beside her as they started down the sidewalk. She imagined they were simply going to walk around the block and come back to the apartment. Still the simple walk was welcoming. The fresh air was good for her and helped clear her mind a little, or at least it felt like it was.

“When do you go back to work?” She asked, trying to start a little small talk. But really she wanted to know when she would have the privacy of the apartment to herself and then maybe she would plan a way to get out of her new prison.

“Huh?” She watched the confusion quickly cross the man's face before she quickly continued her question.

“I know you are taking time off of work to stay with me. Don’t think I am an idiot. I am not a baby. You do not need to stay and watch me. Japan need’s their number one. You need to return to work. When are you going to go back to being a savior for other people?” She asked with a slight tilt of her head as she watched him. She knew he had missed almost a week with her already between her time in the hospital and now at the apartment.

“Well I know the agency would like me back at work as soon as possible. But my friends have been adamant that they can hold the fort for as long as we need,” Izuku answered as he scratched the back of his neck. If he had his way he would spend the next month with the woman not at all wanting to return to work while he could clearly tell she was struggling. Dark circles lingered under her eyes. Her shoulders had been tense till they walked out of the apartment building. And she had avoided him like the plague the last few days. He could not understand why she was avoiding him so much. He had assumed it was her way of coping. She was hiding away trying to deal with everything on her own was his assumption. Which was why he could not say no when she finally started to talk to him again and had made a request of something simple as going for a walk. He did not like the idea of letting her out of the apartment, but seeing how happy it made her made it worth it.

“You should go back to work. I am fine. And you say the apartment is safe. There are a few armed men walking around the place, and you say hero’s live in the building as well. Sounds like it would be a suicide attempt to break into that place,” She said watching him look at her with an off look on his face when she pointed out the armed guards she had noticed both on their way in an now on the way out days later.

“Don’t look at me like that. I know what a man packing heat looks like. They carry themselves like secret agents or some shit like that. They don't walk like you heroes, they're too rigid. They look like ex-military or something else,” She said simply with a shrug of her shoulders.

“You have really sharp eyes,” Izuku points out, attempting to change the subject.

“So I have been told. But you still have not answered my question. When will you go back?” She asked again, a little irritated he would not just tell her. She did not even try to stop herself from glaring at him as they made their way around a corner. She watched the man just sigh under his breath as he watched her glare at him as they walked. He had no desire to piss her off more and drive her back into hiding from him.

“Well I do not want to rush back to work too fast,” he mumbled softly at her as she watched his large scarred hand rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck.

“I am fine. You do not need to stick around just for me,” She says simply as she glanced around the street taking in the slightly unfamiliar area. This was a nice neighborhood. Fair better than the crappy one she had lived in before. This was the kind of neighborhood she would expect a hero like Deku to live in. But this was not a neighborhood she was used to living in.

“Are you really?” The question was almost so quiet she could have missed it had she not been paying attention to what he was saying even as her eyes were looking around taking in all the buildings and what was were. She may need to memorize these streets to help herself get away.

“I am not some broken little toy Deku. This is not the first time I have taken a beating, nor has it been the first time someone has wanted me dead. And I am sure it will not be the last. Although I would like to deal with it my way I will let you do as you want. But do not treat me like some fragile little flower,” She could not help the growl her voice took on as her tone dropped and her eyes grew rather cold as she glared over at him quickly before she looked around again. The way she used his hero name nearly made the poor man shutter. Her tone was dark when she told him not to treat her like something broken. He wanted to argue with her. He wanted to say he did not see her as someone broken. But at the same time he could not help but see her as a struggling woman. Even if she did not want to admit it she was still a defenseless, quirkless, young woman. And recalling the way her body had been limp in his hands when he had carried her out of the warehouse after they had stormed the building looking for her. It was hard not to remember how beat up and bloody she had been. Her face had been so swollen and she had almost been unrecognizable. That was something Izuku never wanted to see again and the memory haunted his own dreams. His brain alone loved to remind him that had he been any later she may not be alive now. He could have very easily carried a limp, cold and lifeless body out of that building. And that realization terrified him.

“I know. I just can’t help myself but worry. I can not get that day out of my mind. And I can not ignore the fact that I could have just as easily found you lifeless rather than alive. I know you are not broke. But that was still a very traumatizing event. I just want to make sure you are okay,” His voice had gone so soft. She watched as tears filled the man's eyes. And she felt her own heart tighten with guilt. She could no longer look at the man as their steps slowed and she came to a stop. She had been dealing with the event in her own way. But she forgot she was not the only one who was clearly suffering, Izuku was clearly still beating himself up for what had happened to her and how he had found her.

“I am sorry. I know you're just trying to help. But I will be okay. You do not need to worry so much,” She said softly, quickly starting to walk again not wanting to see how torn up she was at seeing how upset the man had gotten.

With that the two fell silent as they continued their little walk around the apartment building before they returned. Silently she followed him back into the apartment before heading to her bedroom. But this time she left her door open allowing the man to be able to at least look into the room and can see how she is doing rather than her hiding behind the closed door of the room.

Chapter Text

It seemed going for a walk and getting a little fresh air had not done as much good as she would have liked. Instead she returned to the apartment feeling more torn up than when she left. She wanted nothing more than to be allowed to just deal with the issues she had on her own, in her own way. It was what she knew. But yet it was clear the man who walked into the apartment with her wished to help. And he was doing that in the way he knew how. It was just so hard as both wanted to deal with the issue. But how they would deal with the issue was vastly different.

Deku was bound by the law, but he did not see it that way. He saw it as the correct way to deal with problems like this. But she saw it as nothing but restriction after restriction. The reminder of what Arakawa had said to her, his taunting's, held some truth and she knew that. Deku could not kill anyone. But criminals did not have that issue, if they wanted someone gone they could and usually would make it happen. Just tossing a criminal in jail did not mean someone was safe. Aoi knew all too well criminal’s worked together to some degree. Even those who usually worked alone still had circles. People who would help them out or do something for them for the right price even. There was nothing truly stopping a criminal from making a hit on someone. But a dead man can’t talk. Problems usually die with the person causing them.

And even if Aoi herself was not a criminal she knew who to talk to. She knew people who could point her in the right direction, introduce her to those who were professional problem solvers. And she would not care what it cost her, to know that her problem was solved would be all that mattered.

That night Aoi found herself cooking for them. It was simply a habit and in that moment her mind and body were begging for the need to get back into some sort of normalcy. She clung to what few things she could that made her feel normal. And cooking dinner again was really the only thing she could do that made her feel slightly normal. But still her mind was reeling. How could she get away from the hero? He was like a watchdog. Then there was the fact that the building was full of hero’s, and had someone standing guard over the front door. And she could only imagine that the guard at the front was aware of who she was and that she was not to leave without a hero.

So how would she be able to get away? Getting out to the street would make her feel better. She felt like a sitting duck in this apartment. It would not be that hard for someone to realize where she is. She was a mouse in a cage. She would be easy pickings for anyone who wanted to hurt her. That scared her, no it terrified her. She wanted to be allowed to run and hide. To do what she knew was safe, she knew how to survive on her own. She knew how to hide and how to live. But this was not surviving in her world, this was just waiting to be picked off.

Even as her mind was in a terrible turmoil, she found her body moving on autopilot. She was making a simple curry. Rice was in the rice cooker, curry was on the stove. She was stirring it subconsciously. Luckily it was such an easy meal to cook, it did not require her to focus on the food. It was a good thing her body knew how to work on autopilot. It was probably the only thing that kept the food from being burnt.

With her body moving on autopilot she loaded the two plates and had even placed them down on the table before she blinked her eyes slowly and looked around when she noticed she made two plates but no one was at the table. Looking around it was not hard to spot the large green haired man sitting at the couch watching the news. She hoped he felt as itchy as she did to get back to a normal life.

“Midoriya. Food is done,” she called out softly which seemed to quickly have the man perk up and turn his attention to the woman who spoke up. Of course a wide smile broke out across his face as he climbed to his feet.

“Smells great,” he said as he took his seat in front of the larger piled plate. While Aoi had moved to take her own seat in front of her own small plate. She did not reply to his complement as she sat down and just simply started to eat in silence. She knew it may come across as rude still, but she could not deny she was still a bit upset with the man. She did not like that she had never had a say in anything that he had done since her first day in that hospital. He had never asked her if she wanted to be in this protective witness shit. She was never asked if she wanted to just be uprooted from her life. She was never asked if she wanted her freedoms stripped away from her. She was never asked if she wanted to be protected.

She knew he was just trying to help. But she had not asked for his help. She was never asked if she even wanted his help. And for some reason that irritated her. She was still mad at him. She knew she should not be so mad. But she somehow felt betrayed at the same time. It was just a tornado of thoughts and feelings inside her brain as she ate.

She retired to her room as soon as she was done eating and had placed her dishes in the sink. There was no reason for her to stay out in the living room with him while she was sulking and moody once again. Damn it she had really hoped the little walk around the block would have lightened her mood. But their conversation only upset her. And so she hid away in her room not wanting to be bothered as she attempted to unwind the tangled emotions and thoughts in her head.

The fact she was able to fall asleep at all that night was almost amazing. But it was a restless sleep. She was tossing and turning. The bed sheets entangled her legs. And a sweat had started to coat her body. Her dreams had quickly turned to nightmares.

She had been reliving dinner, she had been standing at the stove cooking again. It had only been her, she was cooking Izuku’s favourite though instead of curry. But this was where her memories started to torment her. A knock at her door had her stop cooking. Company was not a scary thing yet. She was walking towards the door, just like she had that fateful day. She had called out she was coming. But she never made it to the door.

Once again she watched as the door to her home blew open. The sound of the door hitting the floor had been loud. She had reflexively raised her arms to cover her face.

“Did you really think he could protect you?” The voice was the same. It was a voice she would never be able to forget. A voice that still taunted her. He had not only physically beet her before but had mentally fucked her over as well.

“No! No this isn’t right. This place is safe,” she said, quickly backing away from the man who had tormented her. She quickly looked around whether it was for help or a weapon her panicked mind had not been sure.

“Oh, did you really think you were safe? That a couple of simple hero’s could keep you protected? You should have known better than that,” his voice taunted. A wide grin on his lips, his eyes barely slitted open as he watched her. His footsteps were silent as he started towards her.

She could not get away fast enough. But he had stood between her and the door to her freedom. Getting past him would be no easy feat. Her body was already shaking, her legs threatening to no longer hold her up. Panic was taking over. Where was Deku? He had promised he would protect her. Yet she needed him and he was not present. That feeling alone was enough to bring her to her knees. He was right, she should have known better. She did know better.

She watched the man start to pull a knife from nowhere. One second it was just him and the next he held a knife in his hand. And he was getting too close. She couldn’t get away, her body refused to move. Even as the pain erupted from her skin as the blade sliced into her. All she could do was scream.

She threw herself forwards, darkness was all she could see. Panic was setting in. She could not get away, the blanket entangled her legs and prevented her from being able to jump out of the bed. The door to her bedroom opened flooding the room with light from the hall. But that didn’t stop the panic. The pain, the burning, she could still feel it.

Suddenly she felt a hand touch her back. She could not hold back the scream she let out as she tried to move away from the touch. The hand was quick to pull away as a soothing voice filled the air.

“Aoi,” it was simply her name that she heard, though she was sure more was said to her. But all she could hear was her name. It was Izuku. That was all she needed to know to have her turn and throw herself at him. Her hands grabbed at him. Her face was buried into his shirt. She could not control her breathing nor the cries that shook her body.

Breathing! She could not breathe. Her body refused to listen to her. Her chest would not expand. Tears blurred her vision, or maybe it was the lack of oxygen? She was not sure. Her racing heartbeat had filled her ears blocking out all other noise. Yet large warm hands against her were slightly grounding. One hand was softly rubbing her back. He was saying something but she could not make it out. It’s not like she could have answered him in any way even if she could make out what he was saying.

She was gripping at his shirt as if he was her life line. If she lets go she may die. She could not get any noise out as she struggled to try and breathe. Getting air into her body was a painful struggle. Everything hurt, her body was aching, she was pretty sure she could still feel the burning of where the blade in her dream had sliced through her skin. She may not have been able to make out what Izuku was saying but just hearing his voice as well as feeling his arms wrap around her as one hand rubbed her back was slowly bringing her back to herself.

Slowly she regained the ability to breathe, but sobs still shook her body. She could hear Izuku softly trying to sooth her. Telling her it was a nightmare and that she was okay, she was safe, he was there. The words themselves did not bring her any comfort. But his voice did. How long she sat there clinging to him and crying into his shirt she was not sure. But eventually the sob’s turned to hiccups.

“Are you okay?” Finally he asked her how she was now that it seemed she was in a place where she would most likely answer him.

“No,” She answered honestly as her body was still shaking and she could not bring herself to release his shirt from her cramping hands.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked but she did not answer him as she felt a new wave of sob’s start all over again. No. No, she did not want to talk about it. Thinking over the nightmare only had new panic taking over.

“I need to go. I need to get out of here. It’s not safe,” she was mumbling quickly as she suddenly threw herself away from Izuku. The action must have surprised him as he did not originally stop her when he could have easily held onto her. She was throwing herself off of the bed. But her legs still entangled in her blanket meant she could do nothing more than throw herself face first over the edge. And she could do nothing but watch as the floor was suddenly coming towards her as she screamed out.

But the pain never came, she never made it to collide with the floor. Something wrapped around her stomach, it was not warm like a body limb nor as solid feeling. A glance down revealed an almost smoke looking black line. Effortlessly the black smoke pulled her back onto the bed slowly. Till large warm hands were able to wrap around her again. Wide eyes looked up at Izuku, it had been his quirk, he had used it to keep her from throwing herself off the bed. She had never actually seen him use his quirk before in person. Once again she was pulled in nice and close to Izuku.

A thanks sat on her tongue but she couldn’t bring herself to actually say anything. Instead she once again quickly clung to the man. Her body was still shaking as she clung to him. But before she could say anything else she felt a hand petting her wildly tangled hair.

“It’s okay. You are safe. I won’t let anything happen. It was just a bad dream,” was the soft coo that had filled her ears. Had she not been so shaken she would have started to laugh. Just a bad dream? That was not even close. It was a terror. It had racked her to her soul. It was all she could do to keep from bursting out into tears once again. She was scared. She could not remember the last time she had been so scared or that she had felt so helpless. And she hated it.

How long he sat there with her once again she was not sure. Hell she didn't even know what time it was when she had first woken up. Nor did she really care. All that mattered now was that she felt slightly safe in his hands. And that was able to keep her from panicking again as she tried to get herself to calm down.

She knew that a part of herself was screaming that he really couldn’t keep her safe. Not as safe as he thought he could keep her. And yet she actually found herself crawling into his lap, wanting to be closer to him. She had heard the soft squeak of surprise that had left him at the grown woman crawling into his lap so she could completely curl up against his large chest.

“Thanks,” she finally got her mind and body on the same wavelength so that she could make her mouth work now that her brain was also able to process and think again.

“You do not need to thank me. I heard you scream. I worried something had happened,” He said softly as he continued to pet her head. Had there been more light in the dark bedroom she probably would have noticed the red that painted his cheeks.

“Did I wake you up?” She asked softly, feeling a little bad for waking the man up in the middle of the night.

“No,” It was a lie and they both knew it. And yet she did not argue or say anything.

Instead she simply remained quiet as she curled into him as if she was a kitten curled up in his lap. She did not even care that she could feel his thighs against hers meaning both of them were in just their underwear with shirts on. She did not care, it's not like her brain could think about that right now even if she wanted to. And she would have welcomed the distraction, just any distraction from her dream would be welcomed. But her brain refused to allow that.

“Will you stay?” She asked softly, picking her head up a little to look up at him.

“Yes,” He said softly without any hesitation as he slowly started to slide across her bed till his back could rest against the headboard. Not completely comfortable but it was better than sitting on the edge of the bed while trying to hold her to his chest.

“Thanks,” She said so softly she was not sure if the man had actually been able to hear her or not. She did not care if he heard her thanks. All she cared about was that she felt a little more calmed as time went on and she stayed curled up against his chest.

Eventually she listened to his breathing grow slow and even. It seemed Izuku had fallen asleep while she remained awake and curled up in his lap. She did not care if he fell asleep. Sleep would not be possible for her tonight, she knew that, even with the comfort of being embraced by Izuku. She watched as light had started to fill the bedroom a little from around the curtains that sat over the windows.

Although she was exhausted and would have loved to welcome sleep her eyes refused to close for more than a second. The memories of pain flared every time she tried to close her eyes. Her heart would instantly start to race and she was forced to open her eyes and take in the room around her. She buried her nose into Izuku’s shirt and welcomed the musky scent of the man. It was an oddly soothing scent and it helped loll her into at least a relaxed state as she remained snuggled into Izuku while the man slept.

Chapter Text

Eventually sunlight started to fill the room from around the edges of her curtains making the room brighter and brighter . With heavy half lidded eyes, Aoi blinked. Her body ached, whether it was from the uncomfortable position she had been in curled up in Izuku’s lap, or maybe it was from all the thrashing around while she had her nightmare? It didn’t matter the reason as it wouldn’t make her body hurt any less.

Izuku must have been accustomed to getting up with the sun as it didn’t feel like it took long after the sun rose that he started to stir. The warm body beneath hers shifted slightly. She could feel the muscles of his chest ripple under her hand as she felt him shift even more. Picking her head up she blinked tired eyes up at his freckled face.

“Good morning. I hope I didn’t wake you,” Izuku said softly with a little smile and dusting of pink over his cheeks.

“No I was already awake,” that answer seemed to have his smile drop. His eyes roamed her face and took in the sight of the bags under her eyes.

“Did you get any sleep after the nightmare?” He asked, having a feeling he already knew the answer. Her only reply was a shake of her head. Izuku felt bad, he didn’t like that he could not do more for her.

“Are you hungry?” He asked, deciding to change the subject seeing how she had stopped answering him.

“Yeah,” she said softly. She was not really hungry, but she could tell he was trying to make her feel better. And she could not find the energy to say no to him. It also gave her a nice excuse to buy a little physical distance between them if they got up to eat.

“Okay. I can make something for us to eat,” he said as he looked down at her and she simply nodded her head at him before she slowly crawled off of his lap.

His body felt instantly cold the second she pulled away from him. His hands had itched to reach out and grab at her. He wanted to pull her back into his lap and hold onto her for just a little longer. But he had felt how tense she had been while in his lap. And he could not force her to do something she was uncomfortable with. Crawling to his own feet Izuku stretched and felt his stiff body protest. Sleeping sitting up against a headboard had not been a wise way to sleep. And yet he would do it again in a heartbeat.

“Have any requests for breakfast?” He asked and watched her as she simply shook her head at him. Well that wasn’t much help with trying to decide what to make.

One glance down at himself though had his face heating up. He had completely forgotten that during the rush of the mid-night scare Izuku had barely had time to toss on a shirt but nothing more. And now he was standing in the middle of her bedroom in only a shirt and some All Might boxers. Embarrassment had his entire face heating up.

“I…I’ll just go put on some pants first,” he said, watching as the woman was already heading out of her bedroom. Herself in a similar state of dress as he was. She paused to look back at him. Her eyes glanced down at his boxers before quickly looking back up at him.

“Why bother? It’s not like it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. I already know you have a collection of All Might underwear,” she couldn’t help the soft curl of her lips into a playful smirk. To be honest it was a rather nice sight. Izuku’s boxers hugged his thick thighs. It was not his boxers she cared about. It was his legs themselves she was enjoying the view of. Who knew a man’s legs could be sexy. She almost missed how even his ears were starting to burn red.

The only reply Izuku could give her was a loud squeak as it felt like his entire face may try and explode. Was she making fun of his boxers? No he didn’t think that was exactly it. Then what was it she was looking at? Nope had to be his boxers. Why did he suddenly feel the need to try and cover himself with his hands? He felt like a high school virgin all over again.

“Come on I’m hungry,” she said simply before just walking out of her bedroom and heading for the kitchen. Though she let herself flop into a chair at the table in the kitchen. The chair she picked allowed her to see into the kitchen as she sat and waited for Izuku to join her and start on breakfast.

Izuku was a little hesitant, he very much so wanted to run to his bedroom and put on some pants. She may be more brave in the aspect of not caring who saw her body. But Izuku still found it embarrassing to be walking around in his boxers. Even if he still had a shirt on, it still felt like he was walking around naked. How she could do it, he may never know.

He had taken far too long to make up his mind. In the time it took him to just stand there like an idiot trying to make up his mind he could have run to his room already and put pants on but he didn’t. He was cursing himself as he heard Aoi call out from the kitchen.

“Midoriya?” She had called out after she had realized the man had not followed after her right away. Honestly she had thought he would have ran to his room first to get dressed. But she had not heard him walk to his room. Then again she had learned lately that the large man moved almost silently. Must be a hero thing, because she had never met such a large man who was so silent on his feet.

Even now she almost didn’t hear him when he started towards the kitchen. She could barely hear him shuffling his feet as he slowly stepped into the kitchen. He was still in just his top and boxers. Pink was dusting his cheeks and he seemed to struggle to look over at her. She didn’t mind, it was kind of cute. Resting her chin in one palm. She watched him with tired, half open eyes as he walked around. The sight was more sexual than it was meant to be. But she couldn’t help herself. Something about watching this big man dance around the kitchen was a real sight to behold. She had assumed when they met that he couldn’t cook. He always seemed to eat out. End’s up it was more of a personal choice or just more convenient after a long day of saving people. Which she could understand. If she had the money she would order food after a long day of work too.

So it had come as a surprise the first full day they had spent in the apartment with him and she was pouting in her room like a child. He had cooked their meals. Her jaw had nearly hit the floor when she had come out of her room and had started to eat a great meal. Only to ask where he had ordered from and he told her he had not ordered it but made it. Which in turn had her stunned. Once she had eventually recovered she had asked him why he never cooked before. To which he blushed and told her he often didn’t have the time or energy. His busy work schedule of always saving people made finding the time to buy groceries, meal prep and cook a bit hard. So he just fell into the bad habit of ordering food or skipping meals even.

Even now she was still completely astonished to watch the large man move around a kitchen as if he belonged there. It was still a little hard to believe a man who could destroy an entire block with a flick of his fingers, could break eggs into a bowl with incredible gentleness. Almost made her wonder what else those large scarred hands could do gently? But as soon as that thought crossed her mind she shook it away. Now was not the time to be thinking dirty thoughts of her roommate.

“You never did tell me Midoriya. When did you learn to cook?” She asked as she continued to watch the man with tired eyes. Watching him glance over his shoulder at her and then blush almost made her laugh.

“Well I liked to bake with my mother when I was younger. We also did a bit of cooking together as well. Once I learned we were going to live in dorms at UA I asked my mother to teach me more. We tried to take turns with who cooked on evenings or days the cafeteria was not open. I also learned a few recipes from Shoto’s sister Fuyumi. She is an amazing cook and in our third year me and Shoto used to cook with her sometimes. Though Shoto never could cook well no matter how hard his sister tried to teach him,” Izuku was rambling a little. But she did not mind. It was kind of nice to learn more about him and his friends. Though her feelings towards hero’s were still sour. It was funny to think number three hero Todoroki Shoto could not cook. It humanized him more in her mind. Made it a little easier to see the hero as a man too.

“Hmm wonder if all the Todoroki fan girls know their idol can’t cook,” Aoi could not help but joke as she watched the large man in the kitchen laugh at her joke.

“I don’t know. I don’t think he exactly advertises that fact about himself,” Izuku said with a light chuckle.

“Probably not. After all, I didn't even know you could cook before a few days ago,” she said with a soft smile pulling at her lips as she watched him pour some scrambled egg mix into a makiyakinabe as he started to make some tamagoyaki. Simple, but it was already starting to smell good as she watched the large man standing over the stove.

Yet still she struggled to keep her eyes open as her eyes drifted shut on her as she leaned her head into her hand. She couldn’t completely fall asleep. But she was too tired to find the energy to force her eyes open. So she stayed in that offstage of sleep where she felt like she was floating between being awake and being asleep. That is till something touched her arm.

The sudden feeling had her violently jump. She had thrown herself back hard enough that hitting the back of the chair had hurt, and she could hear the chair grate against the floor. If there had been no back she would have fallen off of the chair and just hit the floor.

“Sorry. But food is done,” it was Izuku’s soft apologetic voice that helped keep her from panic when she felt trapped before realizing she was okay.

“No, I am the one who’s sorry. Seems I’m still jumpy,” she said softly with a deep frown. Damn it she hated being so jumpy. She has not felt so nervous and scared since she used to live on the streets. That was a time when she could never trust anyone, and every corner held a new danger. But this was different. Yet why could she not just control her body's reactions better? She was pissed off with herself for the way she was acting. But she could not help the itch of her instincts that told her she wasn’t safe. It was hard to ignore the feeling. She had long ago learned to trust her instincts as they helped keep her alive. But right now they were simply being annoying.

“Thanks for the food,” she said with a clap of her hands together before she reached for a bowl of miso soup that sat before her.

She ate silently, she couldn’t even bring herself to look up from her food as she slowly ate. Finishing her food a bit later than Izuku. But she never even noticed that he had finished his food and continued to sit at the table with her. Watching as she slowly worked at eating her food till she felt full enough that she was not currently hungry any more. She did not eat as much as she normally would eat. But she did not care.

“Thanks the food was good,” she said even though she could barely remember what the food had tasted like. She gathered up her plate and his as she headed to the sink to start washing their dishes.

“You don’t have to worry about the dishes. I can wash them,” Izuku said as he jumped to his feet and followed after her.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind. And anyways you cooked. It’s only fair I clean,” she said simply as she started to fill the sink with hot water and soap. She hoped being on her feet and moving may help wake her up. Though it did not do as good of a job as she had liked. Her body just started to move on an autopilot like mode. She barely even paid any attention to what dish she was running the sponge over.

She did not even notice that Midoriya had moved to stand beside her and he was drying the dishes as she washed them. Or maybe he was double checking that she actually was washing them well while in her rather checked out mental state. She would never know.

It was not till she went to put one of the last dishes into the drying rack that Izuku’s fingers grazed hers that she jumped and looked over at the large man who blushed softly at her as he took the dish from his hand.

“Sorry. Figured I’d dry while you wash,” he said, giving her a small smile.

“No. I’m sorry. I didn’t even notice you were standing there,” she said it was her turn to blush and glance away.

“It’s okay. You're tired and had a rough night. Are you still thinking about the nightmare?” He asked as he dried the dish in his hand.

“Yeah,” she said softly as she pulled the plug in the sink and watched as the dirty water started to circle down the drain.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He had asked in almost a whisper.

“Not really. It was just a reminder of that time,” she said, simply unable to look at him. Was she most likely suffering some form of PTSD? Most likely. But she really did not want to think about it. She had no desire to deal with her trauma, she did not want to talk about what she endured. She wanted nothing more than to push it all away into the back of her mind and pretend that that week had never happened. But she also knew rationally that was not possible.

“You should really talk to someone about it,” Izuku said, trying not to sound like he was arguing with her.

“I know. And I will. Eventually. But not now,” she said slowly. She knew he was right. Did she need a psychologist? Probably. And honestly the hero probably knew the best. She imagines hero’s saw a lot and had access to some of the best mental help. But she could never afford such things. This would be just like every other issue or problem she ever faced. She would deal with it on her own.

“Okay,” the single word reply she got still tugged at her heart with how torn and sad the man sounded. Seemed he knew she was lying.

“You know you don’t have to go through this alone,” he said softly.

“And you do not have to try and save everyone,” she said, unable to help the sour comment before she sighed softly, “Sorry. I know you're just trying to help. And I am not making it easy.”

“Well you haven’t punched me in the face or anything so it’s not that bad,” was he trying to make a joke? It was a rather poor attempt. And yet it still did some of its job as it drew her attention to look over at him as if he had grown another head. It had ever so slightly lifted the heaviness from the air between them.

“You still shouldn’t have to put up with me,” she said before she softly shook her head.

“Really is throwing punches how men talk or something?” She could not help but ask.

“For some of us it is,” he said lightly with an innocent smile and rub at the back of his neck.

“I know for Kacchan it is. He only really opens up when he’s punching something, maybe that would help you?” He offered, which just had her nose scrunch up. Sounded more like two cavemen just trying to beat each other over the head in an attempt to communicate. How would that help her?

“Eh, women are a bit different, Deku. We don’t tend to use physical violence as forms of communication. And it sounds like Dynamite is the one who needs counseling,” she said with a slight scrunch of her nose.

“Kacchan has gotten better. He’s not as bad as he used to be. And he actually has gotten help with his issues on communicating. He’s still not great but he’s better,” Izuku said, thinking over if it would be worth nearly losing his head if he asked Kacchan who he saw for counseling. If they could help Kacchan, surely they could help anyone.

“Oh boy. If someone was able to help that asshole then they deserve an award,” Aoi said with a light snort. She could not imagine the patients that person must have if they are able to deal with the blonde asshole.

Maybe if she was not so tired the thought of going to the gym would be a good idea. She could run some of her nerves off on a treadmill, or at least try. Maybe she should do that later. Try and exhaust herself, and maybe that will keep the nightmares away. Maybe if her body is too tired, it won’t have the energy to dream. She will have to ask Izuku to show her the private gym in the building.

“Want to watch a movie?” She asked, wanting now to change the subject. And it seemed to do the job. Izuku smiled and seemed happy she had invited him to do something with her. Even if it was something simple like watching a movie.

“Sure. Go put something on. I’m gonna go get dressed,” Izuku said blushing as he remembered he was still in just a shirt and boxers.

“If you wanna wear clothes go ahead. I’ll go find something to watch,” Aoi said with a soft wave of her hand as she started towards the little living room and started to hunt for the tv remote as she waited for Izuku to rejoin her so she could start the first of several movies of the day.

Chapter Text

Once dressed in some comfortable clothes Izuku had returned to the living room to join her on the couch. Aoi could not deny her sour mood was very much still sitting heavy on her own shoulders. Or maybe it was the sleepless night and the exhaustion that had her still feeling rather grumpy. She did not even force a fake smile when Izuku had joined her on the couch. With some movie already going on the tv. She honestly had not even paid a lot of attention to what she had tossed on the tv. The only thing that had mattered was that she was not just sitting there in the silence. But even with the tv filling the room with a little noise she still found her eyes drifting over to look in the direction of the front door.

What was it that kept drawing her attention towards the front door even when she could not visibly see it? It is as if she expects the door to suddenly fly off the hinges once again. And for the man of her nightmares to suddenly stroll into the apartment. She was a complete nervous wreck even while doing something as simple as sitting in the living room attempting to relax and just watch a movie. But her body and mind seemed to refuse to relax. Her mind just kept replaying what could happen and what did happen. She was so engulfed in her own head that she had not even noticed when Izuku had joined her.

It was not till she felt the couch dip and shift that she jumped and whipped her head over to the large green haired man who gave her an ever so soft sorry smile. He pitied her, she could see it in the sorry little smile he gave her. Could she blame him? Not really. She would give someone she scared who was a mental wreck the same look. And yet it still irritated her to be given such a look of pity. She did not want his pity. But then again what did she want from him? She did not want his pity. And his help gave her mixed feelings. She did not want most of his help. And yet when was the last time someone went out of their way to help her? That last person left her. Even he had ended up being selfish and choosing himself over her and left her alone in this cruel world after he had helped her so much. What is stopping Izuku from doing the same? Just because he was some hero did not mean he would continue to go out of his way to help her. Nor did it mean that he would ever put her above anyone else. If anything, being a hero meant he would put the world before her.

Ugh her head was starting to pound. Was it from the lack of sleep? Or was it from all the stress and overthinking? Probably both reasons and more were contributing to her headache. Turning her eyes over to the tv she at least attempted to make it look like she was watching whatever drama show she had on the tv. Izuku did not complain about the show she had picked, although it had simply been the first thing she had come to when turning on the tv. Still he did not ask to change the show as the two of them sat side by side simply sitting in silence with just the tv filling the room with any noise. Aoi assumed he was simply being nice and assumed that he had thought she wanted to watch whatever was on the tv. While in reality she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Her body softly leaned against the warm body beside her. For such a large and muscular body, Izuku was oddly comfortable to lean against. Maybe it was the feeling of safety he gave off? Or the fact that he was nice and warm to the touch. As much as she let her anger be directed at him, she could not deny the feelings of how he could almost sooth her racing mind with nothing more than his presence. Unlike this morning when she had curled up on his lap, she was able to allow sleep to wash over her. Her heavy eyelids drooping down and closing as she could not force them to stay open any longer as she curled up against Izuku’s side. Unaware of the way his bright green eyes had been watching her as she drifted off to sleep while her knees were tucked up against her chest and she leaned into his side.

How long she slept for she was not sure. But the sudden knock at the door had her jumping, and quite literally falling off the couch to land on her ass as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. Of course the first thing to greet her was the completely surprised look of Izuku as he leaned over asking her if she was okay.

“Yeah I am fine,” she said, happy to take the outstretched hand Izuku offered before standing up as a second knock at the door alarmed her once again. Once again she jumped. Damn it she was more spooky than a damn alley cat.

“Coming,” Izuku called as he looked down at her as she had turned to glare towards the direction of the offending noise. Stupid knocking.

“Sorry you were asleep. Some friends of mine are stopping by quickly to drop some things off,” Izuku said, smiling softly. Before moving to the front door to go open it and let their company in. Aoi had followed behind slowly, happy to hide behind the large man as she glared at the front door as if it was going to open up and reveal a monster instead. Even though it would be incredibly hard for someone who was not a well known hero to just walk past an armed front doorman and security.

As the door opened, Izuku greeted two people. Peeking out from behind him Aoi took in the view of the two people. A man and woman. The man was tall, easily as tall as Izuku with a deep blue hair in a neat part over his left eye. His eye brows a dark blue as well though they reminded her of check marks. His blue eyes were behind some simple black rimmed glasses. He was karate-chopping the air with his left hand as he spoke. Aoi did not recognize the man, but Izuku seemed to clearly know both people as he had greeted them by name.

The woman standing beside the man though, was a semi recognizable face. Aoi most likely had seen the woman on the news or maybe they had ran across one another on the street even? Aoi could not name where she may have seen the woman but at least she did seem a little familiar. Still Aoi did not know either person, and she had not been paying Izuku any attention when he had greeted them. The woman was not the tallest. Though she was still taller than Aoi’s short little 161 cm stature. But then again they may have been pretty close with the brunette only a few centimeters taller than her. Her brunette hair reached her shoulders in an almost outgrown looking style bob. The front was longer than the back. Her cheeks looked to be almost consistent light pink, or maybe she loved a little too much blush in her makeup choice? Aoi didn’t know. Her body, even while clothed in civilian clothes, was clearly one that could make any woman jealous. She had curves in all the right places, a decent sized chest, and clearly strong arms and legs while not looking like she was some muscular gym rat. It almost made Aoi feel a little bad about her own stringy feeling body.

It seemed at that moment the woman had spotted Aoi glancing from behind Izuku as big brown eyes seemed to lock with her own chocolate brown ones.

“Oh Izuku, is this her?” The woman had suddenly said, completely interrupting the conversation the two men had been having. This in turn had both men stopping what they had been talking about to turn and look at the woman who was quickly uncomfortable with the attention of everyone on her.

“Oh yeah. This is my neighbor Sugahara Aoi. Aoi, these are two of my friends and coworkers. Ida Tenya and his wife Ochako. You may know them better by their hero names. He’s Ignium and she is Uravity,” Izuku had introduced the two newcomers to her. As so they were both heroes. That’s not really surprising, after all she had long ago suspected that the man did not have any non hero friends.

“We are kinda roommates now,” She had softly corrected when he had introduced her as his neighbor. Yeah they were no longer neighbors, but that was not an argument worth having at the moment. Forcing an ever so slight smile she bowed to both hero’s standing before her.

“It is very nice to meet you,” she said as she bowed to greet the two.

“It’s so nice to finally get to meet you. Deku and Shoto have spoken a lot about you,” the brunette woman was quick to step into the apartment and reach out to cup Aoi’s hands in hers in front of them. Okay Izuku talking about her was expected. But Shoto saying anything was a bit surprising, and honestly made her a little skeptical.

“I hope it’s all good things they Have said?” She asked softly though it was more of a rhetorical question. Yet the woman standing in front of her was quick to nod her head.

“Oh of course. Though Shoto said you were cute. He really did not give you enough credit. You are just so adorable,” the brunette was almost squealing as she stepped into Aoi’s personal space. Her face slightly heated up. Had she heard that right? Had Shoto actually said she was cute? Or maybe it was more so she was a little upset that it was not Izuku who had said she was cute that upset her. And what was that about Todoroki who was the one calling her cute?

“I believe it was Shoto who was actually teasing Izuku when he had called her cute after listening to Izuku describe her and said he had forgotten that part of the description. Shoto was simply teasing Izuku,” Ida had corrected his wife. Though that had not exactly helped soothe Aoi’s feelings over hearing that Shoto had still been the one to call her cute.

“So? Shoto wasn’t wrong. She is so adorable,” The brunette had said, glancing over at her husband. Poor Aoi was not sure how to handle the energetic and friendly woman who still had not yet let go of her hands. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Aoi turned to look at Izuku for some support . But what she saw was a blushing man who couldn’t meet her eye. God damn it now was not the time for him to be shy in her books. Well he was clearly going to be no help.

“Uhm can I have my hands back now?” She asked softly looking at the brunette standing before her. Ochako blushed softly and flashed her a quick smile as she let go of Aoi’s hands and allowed her to step back and away from the female hero.

“Sorry about that,” Ochako had said as she let go of the shorter woman and watched her as she stepped back. Aoi didn’t even try to hide the fact that she was now hiding behind Izuku. Standing in the doorway of the apartment was making her skin crawl. Even if it was company, and company that were hero’s at that, it did not stop her from feeling uneasy.

“You may as well invite them in,” she said to him before she took that as her excuse to retreat further into the apartment. She was more than happy to retreat into the kitchen. Throwing on a kettle of water so she didn’t look like she was being rude as she hid away from the newcomers that Izuku was now inviting into their home.

The voices seemed to slowly follow her as she retreated into the apartment. She had not even noticed that outside with his friends there had been grocery bags sitting on the ground. So she had to hide her displeasure when the three bodies followed her into the kitchen. Each one’s hands now burdened with bags of food and necessities. But at least that did answer her unasked question of why they were there. So instead of chatting with the hero’s she chose to busy herself with making tea and putting away groceries. And even though Izuku tried to help her she happily shooed him away telling him to talk with his friends.

Luckily he did not argue as he led the way to the living room where moments ago they had been nearly cuddled up together while she was sleeping. But now the three hero’s were seated there chatting about what Izuku had missed during his days off. It did not sound like he had been missing out on much. Tenya had said patrols had been normal. What exactly normal meant she did not know but it seemed Izuku did understand. Probably meant they only saw the odd petty theft. That would be normal in Aoi’s book, typical pick pockets, purse snatchers and drug deals were the norm in her books when dealing with people on the street doing illegal things.

But she did not know if that was also the normal standards for hero’s to come across on the everyday routines they had of walking the streets doing their patrols. Either way it’s not like it mattered to her about what they were talking about. She did not care about petty things that went down on the streets. If it did not involve her life she did not care. One thing she had learned a long time ago was that if the issue did not involve her directly then it was safest to turn a blind eye. She may not like it, but poking her nose into issues that did not relate to her could get her killed. After all, what could a quirkless woman do to stop someone with a quirk? Nothing. That had been made more than clear, especially lately. So she let the noise in the living room become simple background noise as she moved around the kitchen taking her sweet time putting away food and waiting for the water to boil before she made the cups of tea. Once she finally had nothing left to do she finally could avoid their guests no longer. With the cups of tea in hand she started towards the living room. Offering the couple the first two cups before she retreated for the other two cups and offered a cup to Izuku before she took her own seat to slowly sip at her hot tea. At least it gave her something to do with her hands rather than sit there and fidget.

“So Izuku, when do you think you’ll be back?” The other woman had asked, drawing everyone’s attention to look over at Izuku. Aoi had been wondering the same thing but Izuku would never answer her with an actual date. Maybe this time he would?

Then again as she watched him nervously rub the back of his neck it seemed that Aoi was too hopeful. Izuku was an open book as he sat there looking so unsure as he seemed to hesitate on his answer.

“I am not exactly sure. I hope you guys don’t mind having to pick up my slack,” Izuku said as he rubbed the back of his neck and quickly apologized to his friends for making them take over his work as well as their own.

“You can go back to work Izuku. I don’t need a babysitter,” she said simply trying incredibly hard to not snap at him. She wanted him to leave her alone. Sure he brought some comfort to her worried mind. But at the same time if she wanted to have any hope at finding a way out of the apartment then she needed him not to be watching her every move.

She watched the man open his mouth, apparently he was about to argue with her. But that earned him a glare from the woman. A heavy reminder for him to be careful about what he said next.

“I know. I’m not staying home to just baby sit you. I’m enjoying the days off I have earned is all,” yeah that was a bit of a lie, and they all knew it too. But with people around she did not want to fight with him on the subject.

“Well, don't take too long. You're making your friends work extra hard,” she said with a soft huff as she turned her attention back to her cup of tea. As if the tea leaves that sat at the bottom were somehow very interesting.

Two sets of eyes had been watching the pair go back and forth. Both finding the interaction entertaining. Usually people fawned over Deku, the number one hero. But not this woman. She did not seem to have any issues speaking her mind, and if anything she clearly wanted to say more but did not want to do that in front of strangers. Which only seemed to entertain the duo more.

“So Sugahara. Deku says you’re a really good cook. I’ve seen the lunches you have packed for him before and they looked really good,” Ochako said, trying to change the subject and lighten the mood. Looking up from her cup Aoi simply shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m okay. Though that idiot can actually cook pretty good himself. Why he took leftovers that I made for lunch I will never understand,” she said, slightly jabbing a thumb over at the man she spoke about. That earned her a chuckle from the other woman.

“Yeah Deku can cook pretty well but he rarely seems to actually use those skills any more. He used to cook a lot when we were in high school,” the brunette said which oddly sparked a little bit of curiosity from the woman upon hearing about her roommates' younger days in high school.

“What was it like? Going through school with the current number one?” Aoi asked with an arch of her brow and a soft tilt of her head.

“Oh you would not believe it. The first time I met Deku we were both on our way to the entrance exam to get into UA. And I saw this young boy walking. He was not paying attention and he tripped over his own feet. He was about to fall flat on his face, I used my quirk to keep him from falling. We then took the entrance exam together. Actually we all did. Deku, Tenya and I all took the same exam together. We all passed and ended up in the same class together,” with that Aoi listened as the brunette happily talked about the three years she spent with both her husband and the other hero’s. She had left out some of the gruesome details about the war they also were a part of. But she had been more than happy to share stories about their days training together. And living together after the dorm system had been set up after all the issues the school had with criminals during their first year. Aoi happily sat there sipping her tea as she listened to the stories being shared.

Chapter Text

Ochako and Tenya had stayed for a little while to visit before deciding it was starting to get late and the two should head home. Aoi almost wanted to try and ask them to stay a little longer. Ochako was surprisingly very friendly and easy to talk with, while also being polite enough to not talk about their hero work. Which was nice of her, since she assumed Izuku had told his friends she had not liked hero’s or talking about them either. And having a female presence around for once was nice.

And yet even with three hero’s sitting around her in the apartment Aoi had always found her eyes drawing towards the front door even if she could not see it from where she sat. And of course the hero’s all seemed to notice every time her attention drifted. And Ochako was always quick to ask her a question or find some way to draw her back into the conversation.

That was till they left and once again it was only Izuku and her in the apartment. But she couldn’t really say it was awkward or anything. His presence still brought her some comfort. Even if she was still unhappy with her current situation, she knew the man in the apartment with her would never hurt her. So it was easy to still relax even as the place now fell silent with the company gone.

“Do you want to try finishing the movie from earlier?” Izuku asked as he broke the silence of the room.

“No. I’m tired and probably just going to head to bed,” she said with a soft shake of her head. He almost looked a little sad at her turning him down. But she really was still tired. The lack of a good sleep from the night before had her tired. Her little nap earlier had it been enough to completely recharge her. The company they had also had drained her a little, but more in a mental way. And honestly she just wanted to curl up alone and try to sleep.

“Oh okay. Good night Aoi. If you need anything let me know,” he said once she started to stand up from her spot on the couch.

“Thanks. Good night Izuku,” she said softly before she started to head to her bedroom. Changing into a large baggy shirt and some pj shorts she was crawling into the bed.

It still didn’t feel like it was her bed. It was too comfortable, and so soft. It put her old bed to shame. She should have loved it. But now as she was laying there struggling to find a comfortable position she was hating it. It was not her bed. And that only reminded her that this was not her home. She tossed and turned even as she eventually heard the tv in the living room turn off and Izuku had nearly silently walked to his own room. The soft click of the door next to hers told her he too was finally heading to bed.

Still, even hours later she could not get comfortable. She tossed and turned in her dark room. She had not heard a noise from Izuku after his bedroom door had closed. Her head was starting to ache, whether it was from lack of sleep or stress she was not sure. Eventually she caved in. She climbed off her bed, grabbed the blanket and pillow before she found herself sitting on the floor. Her back pressed to the walls of the corner that was the furthest from the door. Even if she could not see it, she still felt like she knew where it was, and the dangers that could burst through it at any moment.

This was a position she knew well. She had slept like this more times then she could count as a kid. Hiding in a small corner to try and nab a few hours had been normal at one time for her. And doing it now. With the pillow clutched to her chest was oddly comforting to her stress rattled mind. She had her knees pulled in towards her chest. Her arms wrapped around her legs as her chin rested on her knees. Sure it didn’t take long before her body started to grow mildly sore. But she did not care. It was a comforting position for her brain.

She closed her eyes even as she felt her ears seem to strain and try to listen for any noises in the apartment. But all was silent and that slowly soothed her more. Eventually she was able to drift off into a light slumber. It didn’t last long, it never did when she slept like that. But that was fine. The slightest noise woke her. The sound of a different door opening on their floor, the sounds of the simplest creak of the building. She was almost happy they were too high up for noises of the street to be heard.

At least in this light sleep she was unable to dream. So the nightmare from the night before did not wake her. But by the time the sun had started to filter in from around the curtains trying to keep it out she was mostly awake. Too tired to want to move, and body too stiff she was almost worried she may be stuck like that as she slowly started to unwind herself. The need to pee was growing too hard to ignore.

Still her arms and shoulders screamed when she first removed her arms. Next the knees. She tried to just stretch them out straight. And pain shot through her in multiple spots. Her thighs, her calves, hell even her butt seemed to hurt and ache at the sight movement. Then of course she couldn’t seem to get her legs to straighten out all the way. She was not even thirty and she almost feared she was going to be crawling to the bathroom as she slowly worked at trying to stretch and loosen her screaming and protesting muscles.

Eventually she forced herself to her feet. For at least thirty seconds she remained bent nearly at ninety degrees before she found the strength to try and force her back more straight. She was pinching something in or above one hip. And she was sure she could even turn her head. A hot bath, she really needed to try and soak out the pain from her body. Was it maybe a bit early to risk running a bath and waking Izuku? A little. But as she limped to the bathroom like a little old lady she did not care as she started to fill the bath up.

That was another thing. When the hell had she agreed to using their first names? She recalled him using her first name first. Or at least she was pretty sure it was him who used her first name first. She never used first names, she was almost never that comfortable with someone. So she would never have been the first to use someone’s first name. And she had only used his first name when in front of his friends.

She watched the water in the tub start to fill up as she slowly started to strip her clothes off after using the washroom. Every movement hurts. But in some way it was nice, the pain. It reminded her she was still alive. That was a reminder that she had not died during that week of hell she had endured. Looking down she took in the sight of the pale scar that now sat above her right knee. It was a good inch long. Apparently she had been stabbed in the leg at some point during those four days of hell. She really couldn’t remember it. There had just been so much pain. She didn’t know what pain came from what injury, nor when said injury was inflicted during those four days. She had just come to accept that there was probably pain or events during that time that her mind was suppressing. And she was not about to go digging in her fucked up mind to remeber them. What she did remember was already haunting her, no need to add fuel to that fire.

Turning the tap and shutting the water off first she then slowly slipped into the warm water. It was a little too warm. But that was fine, she would rather it be too warm than too cold as she slowly lowered her body into the hot water and let out a soft sigh. This was what she needed, the hot water was already starting to help loosen up her incredibly tight muscles. She really did not remember sleeping in that manner to be so painful when she was a teen. Or maybe at that point in her life she was only running on survival mode. Especially before she had met Dabi. Those were days she never knew when she would eat next, she spent all day looking for food and somewhere safe to sleep. Dodging heroes and creeps alike. How she did not starve to death she still is not sure, or how someone did not just kill her was the bigger question. She had been defenseless and would have been easy prey for any creep looking for a good target. But then again maybe that was why she had clung to Dabi so much? Her eyes drifted shut as the memories flooded her mind.

The first time she could remember meeting Dabi had been the start of its own nightmare. She had just been doing what she did every day. Looking for food and safety. But she had wandered into a slightly different area of the city than her normal spots. She wasn't even twelve yet, or at least she didn't think she was. It was hard to tell the day without a phone or calendar to look at regularly. She had known better than to wander into that area of town. And yet her desperation had fired her too. She was looking behind a restaurant for thrown out food. Hands had come out of nowhere. She had never heard her attacker coming. Skinny hands had grabbed her arms. She had instantly started struggling, but it did no good. Her weak little body was no match against the grown man.

He had been growling about how this was his territory. And he did not like sharing. But it had quickly taken a darker turn. She could remember how she had frozen at one point as he had started to talk about how she was a pretty little thing. Both her hands had easily fit into one of his and he was able to pin her to a wall. She had remembered the fear and panic when she watched the man’s free hand start to work at removing his pants off his hips.

By then she had started to scream. He had slapped her for that. But she didn’t stop screaming. Maybe it was the screaming that had saved her? As odd as it was, it wasn’t the man who had actually told her to shut up. It had been a different voice. And this had drawn both attentions over to the young man who was walking towards them. He wore faded and hole filled jeans, as well as a basic white t-shirt. His hands had been shoved into his pants pockets.

The man holding her had snapped at Dabi to get lost, as the kid was his. That seemed to be all it took to piss Dabi off. The man holding her had burst into flames before her so fast she found her eyes closing as if the sight would blind her as she slid down the wall once the hands on her wrists disappeared. She could still remember the man’s screams, and the disgusting smell of burning flesh.

The sound of boots stepping towards her had her slowly blink open her tear filled eyes. But she didn’t cry as she looked up into those cyan coloured eyes. For a split second she had worried that he would kill her next. But all he did was look down at her for a second before he turned and had simply started walking away. Why exactly she thought chasing after him had been a good idea she may never know. But she was incredibly thankful that she did. Meeting Dabi had changed her life.

She still wasn’t sure how he didn’t find her annoying and just kill her. But he let her silently follow him around till eventually she seemed to work her way into that twisted heart of his. He had taught her how to survive, he kept a roof over her head till she could get a job. He had kept others from ever touching her again. Especially when he had joined with Shigaraki Tomura. And Dabi’s name was known by all in the shadows. Even after his death at his own father and brother's hand, his name still had people avoiding her.

But now Dabi’s reputation was no longer enough. Or maybe she had just gotten herself into too much trouble? She wasn’t sure. But either way she was not liking this situation she had found herself in.

A knock at the door had her physically jump. Water sloshed around the tub at the actions. Her eyes had flown open. The water she was sitting in was now cold. Had she actually fallen asleep in the tub thinking of days long past?

“Aoi?” Another soft knock followed by her name had her looking over at the bathroom door. Oh it was Izuku who was knocking at the door. She was shifting around a little as she slowly blinked her eyes open and started to get out of the cold bath.

“Is everything okay?” Once again his voice called out but this time he didn’t knock.

“Yeah. Everything’s fine. I’ll be right out,” she called out as she pulled the plug on the tub and slowly forced her stiff body to stand up slowly. She grabbed a towel sitting not far from the tub before she wrapped it around herself. She never even got to wash her hair. Oh well.

Glancing around she realized in her sleepy state earlier she had not actually grabbed any clean clothes to change into. And she did not feel like putting on her dirty clothes just to walk to her bedroom. Scooping up her clothes, she made sure her towel was covering everything before she opened the bathroom door to find Midoriya still standing in front of the door. His eyes were quick to roam over her. But it wasn’t because she was naked. He looked concerned. He had been worried for her. He didn’t even blush this time when he looked back up at her.

“You were in there for a long time,” he said softly as his shoulders seemed to relax after taking in the sight of her perfectly okay and unharmed.

“Sorry. Think I fell asleep,” she said simply as she watched him simply look worried once again. His eyes seemed to be roaming over her face. It seemed he finally took notice of the circles under her eyes from two nights in a row of almost no sleep. Or the lack of energy she had. She didn’t even bother to tease him about how she was in a towel and he would typically be all shy like the little sugar cookie she felt he was. She just didn’t have the strength for any of that at the moment.

“Did you get any sleep last night?” He asked her. A frown pulled at his lips even before she softly nodded her head.

“I got a little sleep,” she said simply.

“Is a little more than five hours?” He asked as his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her slowly blink her eyes at him.

“No. But I got enough sleep. It’s fine don’t worry about it Deku,” she said simply now looking past him. She did not want to have this talk with him right now. She was too tired to deal with the hero persona the man had.

“If you had a nightmare. You could have come to me,” he was saying softly. His face softened and his arms dropped to his sides. Yep she was done with this discussion.

“It wasn’t. And even if it was. I do not need to run to you for something as stupid as a bad dream. I’m not a child,” she had snapped before she shouldered her way past him and started to head towards her bedroom with a quick walk.

“That’s not it. Hold on Aoi,” Izuku was quick to try and follow after her. As she stepped over the threshold of her bedroom she threw her dirty clothes onto the floor and spun on him.

“I’m getting dressed,” she said, throwing a glare at him before she slammed her bedroom door shut in his face.

She sighed softly as she stood there trying to take a few deep breaths to help calm herself down. She knew she shouldn’t get so upset with him. He was trying to help her, in his own annoying way. But she didn’t want his help. Why could he not understand that she did not want his help? She could, no she would find a way to deal with the problem. But what could she do while on house arrest? She doubted he would just let her walk out of the apartment and slip back to the streets she was all too familiar with. She knew a few people who could make this issue go away. Paying them would be hard. But she would figure something out. She always figured a way to make things work.

Then again would the hero really stop her if she tried to leave? Would he restrain her if she tried to leave? Or would he simply follow after her? Then again if she did try to leave would he continue to skip working? How long could the number one skip work? Maybe she could try to guilt him into going to work. She really needed him out of the apartment before she tried to leave.

Chapter Text

Aoi took her time to get dressed slowly. Once dressed in some joggers and a loose fitting t-shirt she forced herself to walk out of her bedroom. After all, she could not avoid the man forever. She sighed softly before walking out of the room. She knew she couldn’t avoid Izuku. But her guilt for snapping at him the way she had was making her feel bad.

Slowly stepping out of the bedroom she found Izuku looking like a kicked puppy. And that only made her feel worse. She had to remind herself he was only worried, and trying to help her.

“Are you hungry? I’m gonna make breakfast,” she called out trying to force her tone to be lighter. Though she still sounded tired and exhausted. She watched those vibrant green eyes look up at her blinking back tears as she spoke.

“Oh uhm sure,” he said, sounding rather hesitant. That only made her feel even worse as she turned and started towards the kitchen.

“I am sorry. I know I have not been easy to deal with lately. It’s not fair I am taking my anger out on you,” she said quickly as she started to run from him towards the kitchen. She wasn’t surprised though as she heard him jump to his feet and quickly follow after her.

She stopped at the fridge as she opened it to poke her head in to grab some tofu out as well as a few other things. She was trying to keep herself distracted from the man that had followed her into the kitchen.

“No you don’t have to apologize,” he had started but that was all he got out before her head had whipped around to glare at him. That seemed to have him clamp his mouth shut.

“I do have to apologize. I should not have gotten so upset with you. You’re just trying to help and I am only making this more difficult for us both,” she said as she now reached into the freezer to look for some fish to pull out and fry up. Now she was looking for the rice to start in the rice cooker.

Izuku was not exactly sure what to say to the woman as he watched her starting to prepare breakfast for the two of them. His fingers start picking at the skin of his cuticles. He was worried about saying the wrong thing. It was clear that the woman was struggling in a number of ways. Everything had gone off the rails when she had been kidnapped. He still felt incredibly guilty for what had happened. He had not been able to save her fast enough. Or had he just been at home when they attacked her, then he could have kept them from getting her. And this guilt was eating up the hero. Even when he reminded himself of All Might’s warnings that he would never be able to save everyone. But she was close to him. She should have been within his reach.

The sound of a hiccup had Aoi stop what she was doing as she was seasoning the fish. She had whipped her head around to take in the heart wrenching sight of the man standing in the kitchen. Oh fuck. She didn’t mean to make him actually cry. And she was even trying to apologize for how she got upset. This was what she had been trying to avoid as she watched big fat tears roll down the man’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed out softly as he rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand.

“I should be apologizing. I didn’t mean to get mad at you and make you cry,” she said as she stepped closer to him. Aoi didn’t know what to do. She had never been good at consulting people. And she didn’t even know the true reason for why the large man had started to cry.

But hearing her apologize had the large man chuckle softly as he quickly calmed his emotions down a little. She thought it was from her getting mad at him earlier that had him crying. But that wasn’t the case.

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I should have been there. I should have done something. What if I had been too late?” His words quickly turned into a garbled incohesive mumble after that as new tears seemed to fill his eyes as he tried to explain his thoughts that had upset him so much.

Aoi was shocked at the words. She had been so busy thinking of herself she had not once paused to think about how Izuku was feeling, or what he had gone through while she was gone. She never asked him about what he had done and how he was coping. Well now she feels even worse again. She was not the only one who was suffering, but he had simply been trying to keep it to himself till it overflowed like this. But she did not have a clue what to say. She never knew how to comfort or consult someone. What should she say to him? What could she say now?

A little hesitant she stepped towards the man who was still wiping furiously at his eyes. She did not know what to say to him. So instead she decided to just try and comfort him with a gentle action. She wrapped her arms around his lower back. She could barely get her arms all the way around him but she did not mind as she pressed her body against him. Her own eyes started to sting as she tried to blink back her own tears.

“It is not your fault. If it was not for you I would have surely died in that room,” She said softly as she pressed her cheek into his chest. She could feel the large body against her shaking, or maybe it was her shaking?

“But it is,” Was the weak argument he gave back and he would have continued had a hiccup not broken his sentence and given Aoi a chance to argue back.

“No. Arakawa knew too much. He knew things not just anyone would know about me. He may have been using me as a means to get to you. But he knew me. It was too personal to not be an attack on me. He had been looking for a reason to attack me. Even if I did not know you I could have still ended up like that. But because I know you, you saved me. I owe you my life Izuku,” she said quickly before she buried her face into him as she felt his arms carefully reaching down to wrap around her. He was always so gentle with her, as if she may break and shatter under his touch. But at this moment he may have been right.

She could feel his face bury into the top of her head as she listened to the soft shuttered breath he took as Izuku tried to calm himself. And for a moment time stood still. But the moment couldn’t last. She slowly forced her fingers to let go of his shirt that she had been white knuckling.

“Izuku I have a pan on the stove. I need to at least turn off the stove,” she said softly. She did not want to pull away but she worried about having the oven turned on.

“Oh sorry,” came the quick sniffled reply before his hands had suddenly shot up straight into the air as if she had suddenly pulled a gun on him. Which had earned him a warm soft smile from her before she turned to make sure the frying pan was not over burning. Luckily she had left the heat on low. At least the pan was nice and hot as she added the two pieces of salmon to the pan.

Even though she had returned to the task she had been doing before the emotional breakdown the two shared, she could still feel Izuku’s eyes on her while she worked. And of course the man could never stay completely silent for long.

“You said Arakawa knew a lot about you? What exactly did he all say?” Izuku asked softly. At least he knew to tread carefully over the subject. And well, Aoi had brought it up. Kind of made the question fair game for him to ask now.

“Just a lot of things from my past. He knew of my connections to Dabi. I am assuming he must have dealt with Dabi based on the anger he had. Though I’m not sure. Dabi didn’t usually leave people alive who bothered him,” she said, pausing as she just looked into the frying pan in front of her as the fish sizzled.

“That man loved to remind me that there was no one to protect me any more. That his life was not in danger because of what he was doing. He knew I didn’t like hero’s and loved to taunt me that you may have left me there with him to die. Or that even if he got arrested it did not mean he could not still get to me. He reminded me that the league rule had long ago vanished,” she said as she turned her attention to making some miso soup as well as cooking the fish.

Learning all of that seemed to have the hero go quiet. But a simple glance over her shoulder at him showed that he seemed to be deep in thought. She had not told Izuku about what had all been said during her four days with the man who was her torturer and honestly she thought he would be her executioner too. But she had been extremely lucky that Izuku had come to her rescue. After all, no one else would have. People go missing off the street all the time and no one bats an eye. She imagined no one would have even reported her missing had Izuku not known her.

“You don’t remember seeing him around when you were younger? Uhm how involved were you exactly with the league of Villains and everything they did?” Izuku asked the question he has been dying to ask since he learned about the woman's connection to the villain Dabi.

Aoi sighed softly. She knew this question would come up eventually. Actually she was surprised he had never asked her about that earlier. She could not keep it hidden forever. She just hoped what she was about to share would not get her arrested.

“At first Dabi kept me close to him. I met a few of the league members. I don’t think Shigaraki liked me very much, but Dabi was a very do it his way or no way kind of guy. And I don’t think he cared. It also helped that at first the league was not doing a lot of illegal things. They were mostly hanging around that old bar. They would talk about their plans. When Dabi would go I would go with. Met Toga and Twice that way. I really liked them. Then again I think me and Toga were close to a similar age so it was easy for us to get along. She may have been a year older than me actually,” Aoi paused to think about how old she recalled Toga being at the time of their meeting before nodding her head to herself and continuing.

“There was also another kid at first. Ugh I can’t remember his name. He didn’t talk to me much. Then again I think Dabi had scared him. I think he got arrested though at some point early on. I remember hearing about the league kidnapping some kid from UA. I was not around for that. Dabi kept me away any time that they actually did something dangerous and illegal. After all, I couldn't fight or take care of myself. I’d be a liability in a fight. He had left me home that day. We were living in a dinky single room apartment. Barely fit one bed in that place with almost no kitchen counter. And there was no stove. Also the bathroom didn’t even have a shower. Had to use the communal bath. But it was home at the time. Dabi didn’t stay there often. But he crashed there from time to time with me. I remember hearing about the fighting. How could someone not hear about All Might's very last fight? It was on every tv, radio and in news paper. After that he disappeared for a bit. Then came back. But things changed. I think he realized how dangerous what he was doing was now. I didn’t notice. It didn’t feel any different at the time. Dabi didn’t always include me. He would disappear a lot. I also did not see the league after that. Not till they were all over the news after the war had started. I never even knew when the league had joined with the liberation army or turned into it, whichever ever it had been,” she paused as she felt her throat threatening to close up on her and her eyes start to sting before she continued, “I never got to say goodbye to any of them.”

She could not bring herself to look at Izuku. She was too scared of how he may be looking at her now. Did he find her disgusting? She had seen cold blooded criminals as friends and even like family. And she did not regret it.

She turned away from Izuku as she started to pull plates and bowls out of the cupboards before she started to fill the dishes with their food. The entire time Izuku remained silent. And eventually her own curiosity got the best of her. Why wasn’t he saying something? Was he going to arrest her for knowing Dabi and the league? After all she admitted she knew about plans and things they had done. She knew Dabi was a killer, and she had never turned him into the law. She wasn’t a fucking snitch, she also knew all to well what happened to snitches.

Finally she looked over at the green haired man who looked deep in thought after what he had learned. With a bowl of rice in each hand she turned and watched the man who was just standing there.

“Are you going to arrest me?” She asked with a slight tilt of her head unsure if she was trying to make a joke or not. Izuku seemed pulled from his thoughts at her question as he quickly shook his head.

“Huh oh no. Why would I do that?” He asked as he took a step over letting her walk past him to carry food to the table for them.

“Well I just admitted to knowing a lot of criminals and having helped house one,” she said simply with a shrug of her shoulders.

“That was a long time ago. And anyways you were just a kid at the time,” Izuku said softly as he seemed to come back to life and moved to grab the plates with the fish before filling after her towards the table while she also moved to grab the bowls of miso soup.

“Sure, I was a kid. But I was more than old enough to know that Dabi was wanted by the law in some way. And even after I did not step forwards,” she said as she placed his bowl of soup in front of him before placing hers down in front of her seat.

“Still would not change anything now. Those who survived will never leave Tartarus. Arresting you would do no good,” he said simply, which had Aoi smile softly. It felt nice telling someone about her connection with Dabi.

“Well that’s good to hear,” she said softly with a light smile before she looked down at her food as she clapped her hands together in thanks before digging into her food. She kind of missed her cooking. The act was usually calming on its own, but she also enjoyed eating the food she could cook. She was far from a good chef, but she always thought she was at least a decent cook. And now that she could have healthy eating habits she really should try to force herself to eat healthier.

Watching her start to eat had Izuku quickly following suit as he said his thanks before shoveling as much rice as he could into his mouth. That sight nearly had Aoi laugh. The man ate like he had not had a meal in days. But then again she wondered if his quirk encouraged his large appetite, or maybe since he usually worked out a lot that could also help him require a lot of food. Though with being locked up lately she wondered if all he could do was basic workouts while she had hid in her room.

That thought reminded her of her earlier idea that she should try to work out a little and try to exhaust her body enough she wouldn’t be able to dream. It was worth a try. She wasn’t sleeping, so what could it hurt?

“Hey Izuku you said there’s a gym somewhere here in the building right?” She asked, finally breaking the silence that had happened as they ate.

She watched as Izuku paused mid chew for a second before he nodded his head and quickly forced down the food in his mouth. At least he didn’t choke doing that before he spoke up.

“Yes down on the main floor. It’s one of the benefits of being an apartment building aimed at housing hero’s. It’s not that big of a gym but it’s better than having to always travel to our agency’s to just get in a little work out on our days off,” Izuku said as he nodded his head and rambled on a little about the gym.

“Will you show me later?” She asked and watched his face light up as he nodded his head at her.

“Oh of course. We can go any time you want. It’s open twenty four hours a day,” oh he looked just so happy hearing she wanted to go to the gym with him. Of course she knew she could never hope to keep up with him on a workout routine. But he still seemed so happy and excited. Or maybe he was happy to see her leaving her room more.

She wanted to go before bed, but the thought that that time could be a little busy didn’t sit well with her. She was not usually self conscious. But the thought of working out in a room full of men and women that look like Izuku made her start to sweat. She never really thought of herself as too out of shape or anything. But that thought just unnerved her some. She also didn’t like the idea of being stuck with hero’s all around her. Seemed midday it would be then.

“Let’s go a little after lunch?” She asked and watched him smile and nod at her seemingly having no issue with her suggestion on the time for their work out.

Chapter Text

Lunch had come and gone quickly and before she knew it Aoi had been forced to look for some sort of clothes she could attempt to work out in. Which proved to be ever so slightly difficult. She had not had to own work out clothes since she was in grade school. So her normal bra would have to work at containing her girls, and a simple loose t-shirt would have to work paired with a simple pair of leggings. At least it was comfortable enough for now.

But the bigger issue that was sitting heavy in her gut was the realization that she would be working out with Izuku. A man who looked like he could live in the gym. And he probably did before being shackled to protecting her every second of the day. They were clearly two very different people. She got her exercise in with just walking for her job and not having a vehicle. That was all she needed in order to maintain her body weight. But Izuku worked out pretty much for a living. Being a hero was a hard job and it completely relied on him being physically strong.

Izuku belonged in a gym, while Aoi was quickly becoming aware she did not know how to use any of the equipment. So not only was her flabby out of shape body going to be working out beside him, but she would also then have to look like a complete moron as she would not know how to use any of the equipment. What was once a smart idea was quickly spiraling into a nightmare and she had not even left her bedroom yet after getting changed.

“Aoi?” She could hear the unspoken question as Izuku just called out her name. He was wondering if everything was okay. No! No it was not. But she was not about to tell him that.

“Yeah yeah I’m coming,” she called out before taking at least three deep breaths and then forcing herself to step out of her bedroom to find Izuku standing there waiting for her.

Well damn maybe the working out together plan wasn’t so hellish after all of this was the sight she would be blessed with during the work out. Izuku had been standing outside her room waiting for her. He was wearing one of those, oh what you call it? Muscle tees? Where the design was the cutaway half the shirt from under the arms leaving the sides of his rips easily visible. And honestly it left little to the imagination with how much skin on his sides it showed. Damn, should be illegal for someone to look that good. And of course with the light grey top was a matching coloured light grey shorts that looked like they could barely contain those strong thighs and that juicy ass of his.

Fuck he was dangerous looking that good while those around him were suppose to be handling heavy equipment and machinery. Damn that man needed a look at your own risk sign hung around his neck cause Aoi could have used the warning before she was blind sided like that.

With her face quickly heating up she looked away from the innocent sugar cookie who had no idea he was trying to kill her with his looks as she headed towards the front door to slip on her old ragged pair of runners. She just hoped the soles wouldn’t rip off while she did any running. Oh well too late to worry about that now.

With her shoes on she let Izuku take the lead out of their apartment. It felt almost odd to be able to breathe some almost fresh air. She missed seeing more than the simple walls of the apartment. At least the hall walls had a slightly different coloured paint on them.

Following the green haired man they entered an elevator before riding down to the ground level floor. Oh this may be a good thing for later. But for now she stuck right beside Izuku as they walked out of the elevator and started down another hall.

“You should enjoy this little gym. It’s not that big, but you can have access to it any time of day or night,” she could hear Izuku rambling off about the gym. But it was a bit hard to focus on him as she quickly found herself growing nervous all over again. Was she going to make a fool of herself? What if she hurt herself? That would also be embarrassing. What if someone else would also be in the gym? Aoi was not normally one to be so self conscious. But something about being seen with Izuku while he looked even more like a Greek God than normal. While she was plain and flabby. People would judge her, she was sure. And that had her palms sweating.

She watched as Izuku led the way into a room that was almost twice the size of their apartment, which is saying something as their apartment was incredibly large. This room was enormous. And it sported an assortment of work out equipment. Even a few things had multiples, like the treadmills. Sure other things appeared to only have one. But the more bare bones basic equipment had a few of them so she and Izuku could potentially work out side by side.

“It’s a bit small but there should be more than enough equipment here for you to use,” Izuku had been talking but all she heard was an almost apologetic sounding sentence. Which had the woman looking at Izuku like he had grown a second head.

“This is small to you? This is the biggest private gym I’ve ever been in,” it had also been the only one, but she was not going to tell him that. Which had the man softly blushing as he rubbed the back of his neck and smiled at her.

“I guess I forget civilians don’t typically have access to the same training ground or gyms as most hero’s do,” he said, sounding a little bit embarrassed. She wanted to tell him no shit. But she bit her tongue not wanting to sound more rude.

“I’m guessing your agency must have a pretty large gym then if you find this small?” She was unable to help her curiosity at the mention of his agency. Aoi has been in police stations, but an actual hero agency, now those she avoided like the plague. Hero’s in general she had tried to avoid before she met Deku.

“Yeah. My agency has a few gyms and large training rooms designed for hero’s to workout without running the risk of breaking any equipment since some people may be more likely to break things accidentally,” she watched his ears turning red at that last little bit. Sounds like the big sugar cookie may have broken workout equipment on more than one occasion if he felt the need to add that unneeded little extra tidbit of information.

“Well that makes sense. I am sure hero’s need a little extra space for working out,” then again she felt having one of the largest agencies in the north side of Japan and having a lot of money meant one could splurge on such luxuries.

“Well then mister hero. What shall we do first?” She asked, looking around the room. She had been so relieved when there had been no one in the room at all when they had stepped in through the door.

“Well I usually start with doing some stretches before deciding what I want to do,” he said thinking to himself before looking over at his work out companion. It has been a long time since he worked out with someone who was not also a hero. He needed to remind himself that Aoi would not need or be able to do the same workouts as he could. Where to start? Probably something simple? Maybe avoid lifting weights of any kind. Then again a treadmill could be a good starting point for them both. It would be a good warm up for him.

“Izuku you're mumbling,” Aoi said, unable to help as the corner of her lips curled up as she had been standing there listening to the green bean just mumbling away the thoughts that entered his head. It made it easy to forget for a moment that this was Japan’s number one hero standing before her.

“Sorry,” she watched his entire face turn red as he squeaked out an apology not at all planning for his internal thoughts to end up voiced.

“It’s fine. And yes let’s start with some stretches,” Aoi agreed before she shifted over to a nice open area of the gym and started with some basics even she could remember, like bending down to try and touch her toes. Which she could no longer touch. Her back also screamed at the unwanted movement after her sleepless night curled up in a corner on the floor.

She tried very hard not to let her eyes wander over to the man who stood beside her and then proceeded to do the same stretches as her. Though he could actually touch his toes. Dang it she was going to need to work on that. Her teenage self used to have no issues touching her toes. And Izuku made it look easy. Then again the man was probably going to make everything they did in this room look easy.

“Why did Todoroki join your agency and not his dad’s?” Maybe the silence was driving her mad? Or she was already crazy before now but she felt the need to break the silence. And so her mouth opened and said the first thing that came to her mind. She hadn’t meant to ask that particular question. She had just been thinking about hero agencies, Deku’s in particular. Which reminded her that the youngest Todoroki worked with him, or for him she didn’t know how the hero's hierarchy worked in agencies. Seems poor Izuku did not expect the question as he looked over at her a little surprised.

“I’m not too sure honestly. We worked for him as interns back during our UA days. But once we graduated Shoto did go back to work for his father for a bit. But when I started my agency he asked to join. I couldn’t say no to him. He’s a great friend, we work well together, he is popular and always places well on the Hero Billboard. So when he asked to join me I was really happy,” Izuku was rambling again but Aoi didn’t mind. She may not know how she feels about the young Todoroki male who in small ways reminded her of his brother. But it was clear that Izuku thought the world of his friend, coworker and former classmate.

Aoi was surprised to hear that the son of Endeavor had actually worked with the man who abused him as a child. But she already knew that was a touchy subject to talk about. And so she did not bring it up as she thought about the dual quirk user as she tried to slowly stretch her sore muscles out.

“What is Todoroki like?” She asked softly, unable to once again help her curiosity. Was he in any way like his older brother? Sure she imagines there would be a lot of differences. Dabi was after all not the nicest person all the time, nor was he a good person either. He did a lot of horrible things in his last year of life. But before he met Shigaraki he seemed rather okay. He still was a rough person but he kept her safe. So he wasn’t all bad. Not in her eyes at least.

She watched one of Izuku’s eye brows arch at her and his head tilt ever so slightly. It was probably odd she was suddenly asking questions about another man. Though Izuku did not seem to be a get mad and jealous kind of person, yet still Aoi could not help as her mouth suddenly started to spew out more words without her brain's full consent.

“It’s just in some ways he reminds me a bit of his brother. And I was just wondering if they were anything alike,” she was saying before Izuku even had a chance to answer her. Izuku looked ahead at her explanation for her question.

“I don’t know what Dabi is like. I probably only ever said a word or two to the villain. So I don’t know if the two are anything alike,” Izuku said slowly and seemed to be picking his words carefully. Or trying to at least as he spoke, “but Shoto is a kind person. He is quick to help a friend. He’s a little socially awkward. And he may take things a little too literally. But he’s a really good friend.”

Hearing Izuku talk about his friend had her chuckle softly to herself. So the two brothers had little in common. Good to know.

“Sounds like the only thing they had in common was social awkwardness. Though Dabi was happy to burn anyone in his company he did not like or want around. But he had times, he could be a little awkward. He could hide it very well, though that was usually with using anger as a mask to hide it. But then again he could be nice. He saved me, even put up with my ass following him around like a stupid puppy. He gave me a place to sleep without fear. Taught me how to steal things and not get caught. That kept me from starving to death a few times,” now it was Aoi’s turn to ramble on about someone she admired in her own twisted way.

Izuku may not have understood how the woman could think so positive about a man who was a mass murderer, tried to kill his father and brother, and just seemed over all insane to him. But watching her talk about how he saved her it became clear that Izuku may never completely understand. But, he could understand how easy it was for someone to idealize another person who saved them. He did it to other hero’s as a kid and saw it first hand among his fans. And in her eyes Dabi was her hero. It would not matter to her what the man did, in her eyes she saw a savor.

Izuku wanted to tell her the man she seemed to idolize was a horrible person and that she was simply lucky he never hurt her. Why did he want to do that? A stone settled in his stomach as Izuku couldn’t help the odd feeling. Why did she idolize a man that killed people? Oh it was jealousy he was feeling. Why was he jealous? He had saved her life as well. So she most likely thought and looked at him in a similar manner, right? Then again remembering how mad she was at him those first few days out of the hospital he questioned if she looked or thought of him in the same manner. That had his jealousy flare up.

“I think we have stretched enough. How about we start at the treadmills?” Izuku quickly decided he wanted to try and change the subject. He watched Aoi side eye the treadmills along one wall before she smiled at him and gave a simple okay. She followed him as they headed over to the treadmills. Aoi eyed the machine like it may eat her. Then again who knows maybe it would.

She was eyeing up Izuku as he started to press buttons and turn the machine on. She quickly followed suit as she turned on the dang contraption. At least she didn’t jump when it started to move. At least the machine was easy to use as the two set themselves at a nice walking pace to start with. This time they fell into a silence and neither of them seemed brave enough to break it until Izuku spoke up.

“Feel free to set your own pace. Don’t push yourself too hard,” he was saying as he was already kicking his machine into a slightly faster gear as he started to jog slowly.

“Don’t worry I don’t plan to try and keep up with you. Thankfully we are not on a track. We can each go our own speed but still be side by side,” she said, flashing him a soft smile. She wasn’t stupid. She knew there was no way she would be able to run at the same speed nor for as long as he could. And so she kept herself at a simple walk even as Izuku started his jog already.

Izuku had in turn flashed her one of those trademark boyish grins he was so well known for. It was an almost heart warming smile. The man may be a walking mountain of muscle and a strong quirk. But really under it all was a little golden retriever puppy. Or that was quickly becoming Aoi’s view of the man who could probably spend all day bench pressing her. Then again she wondered what else the man could spend all day doing to her.

Fucking hell, this work out was suppose to help tire out her body and brain. Instead the sight of her roommate jogging beside her was setting her body a fire and her mind a hormonal mess of dirty thoughts. If she tripped and fell while thinking such filthy thoughts she would never be able to live that down.

Deciding instead to try and force her mind to focus she turned up the speed on her treadmill a little as she started a nice slow jog. Maybe this would help her focus as she kept her eyes down on the buttons of her treadmill and the numbers as it kept track of her speed, distance and incline it seemed. Interesting.

She could hear Izuku slowly growing faster in his pace beside her as his slow jog slowly worked its way up to a rather decent run. Glancing over she watched as the man was barely starting to work up a slight sweat along the edge of his hairline. Yet Aoi was trying not to start panting like some old mutt for a breath after only a few minutes of her slow jog. Yet Izuku was running his heart out and barely seemed winded. Damn how much stamina did heroes have?

Aoi was completely amazed as she proceeded to watch Izuku run for the next half an hour while she had to slow down and take breaks at a simple walk and he was still running hard. Man was almost moving like a freight train on that damn treadmill. He was just breaking a sweat when he finally started to slow down till he was walking beside her. His breaths slightly panting but he still didn’t seem as out of breath as someone should for how long he had been running for.

“Do you want to try any of the other equipment?” He had asked once his breathing had evened out for the most part.

“No it’s okay I’m just gonna stay on this treadmill and jog a little more. But you don’t have to stay here with me if you want to go do some other workouts,” she said as she looked over at him as she noticed him eyeing up a few of the other equipment. But he seemed reluctant to leave her alone. She hasn’t hurt herself yet, she would be fine. And anyways he would still be in the same room just a little further away and doing his own thing. It wasn’t that bad being more than five feet away from her. He still looked at her a little skeptical even as she spoke.

“I am fine Izuku. Go ahead and do some more of your normal workouts. Don’t worry about me,” she said, even going as far as to give him a shooing motion with one hand. He still looked reluctant but he did eventually sigh.

“Okay. If you need anything don’t be scared to yell out,” he said as he stopped his treadmill, hesitated for a second then stepped off and started walking away. She didn’t turn to watch him or see what equipment he had made his way over towards first.

Once again she started a slow jog, after all her plan was to try and run till her legs turned to jelly, in an attempt to tire out her annoying mind and body. She quickly started to pant again as she started jogging. But at least with Izuku no longer beside her she didn’t feel self conscious about how loud her pants became. Would a therapist have a hay day that she was rather literally trying to run from her problems as she continued to work her poor out of shape body. She was not happy till she started to feel her legs really scream at her, the muscles sore. A lovely burn started in the back of her calves. Yet she didn’t slow.

But she did take a moment to look around for where Izuku had gotten to. She never did see where he had gone to. She found him at some pull up bar in the middle of the room. His shirt he had been wearing earlier was gone now. And the man was lifting himself up easily and effortlessly as he pulled himself up and down on the bar. The sight was completely sinful. A light sweat had started to coat his body. Muscles were flexing underneath tight pulled skin as the man made it look effortless to be lifting what had to be easily over 240 pounds of pure muscle up and down.

Aoi should never have looked around for the man. That was her first mistake, the second was allowing her body to almost go into a panic at the sight. Her steps had sped up a little more than the treadmill, this caused her own two feet to suddenly entangle with one another. Before she could even try to grab for the machine to keep herself upright she had already started to go ass over teakettle as she crashed into the moving track of the treadmill face first. But the treadmill was still moving as she had earlier removed the little safety clip as it had annoyed her while she was running.

Note to self. Never do that again. The treadmill still moving then proceeded to roll her down its length and spit her out as a crumpled mess on the floor. Which in turn had a panicked looking Izuku standing over her only a second later.

“Aoi! Are you okay? Did you break anything? Did you hit your head? Do you need to go to the hospital?” He was rattling off questions as Aoi softly groaned and proceeded to very carefully try and entangle all her limbs from the knot her body had been rolled into.

“I’m fine Izuku,” she whispered softly as she felt her entire face turning a deep red. She may have destroyed her pride, but she didn’t think she broke anything else.

Chapter Text

To say she was embarrassed was an understatement. She never expected to get distracted and end up falling on the treadmill. Poor Izuku had looked so panicked when she had ended up a tangled mess of her own limbs on the floor of the gym. The poor guy had looked so worried for her. And it did not matter that she told him she was okay and had even started to untangle herself to be able to carefully sit up. Her body had screamed at the action. It hurt, but she would live. Her pride took a much harder hit than her body had. And now she found herself with her arms thrown around Izuku’s neck as the man proceeded to pick her up off the floor.

“Izuku you don’t have to carry me. I am perfectly fine, you can put me down,” she complained but apparently the man was not going to take no for an answer.

“It’s okay. It’s no problem,” the man said simply as he started out of the gym and started his way through the apartment and towards the elevator.

It was surprising that the man seemed to have no issues with carrying her. Sure she was a small girl but still it felt weird for him to be able to carry her and not even seem tired once he reached the elevator. Instead he was more worried about her well being than himself and the effort it had to take to hold her.

“Did you hit your head when you fell? What about your ankles or legs? Did you hit anything when you fell?” He was asking her an array of questions as they stood in the elevator. His eyes roaming over her body as he held her bridal style as her arms were lightly wrapped around his neck as if she was worried he may accidentally drop her. But the fact he seemed to have no issues holding her told her that he would not drop her.

“No. I don’t think I hit anything too hard. My pride took a harder hit than anything,” she mumbled the last part to herself but she was pretty sure he heard her anyway with how close she was to him as he flashed her a small smile. He still looked a little unsure and like he wanted to ask her a second time if she was sure.

“Though ask me how I feel tomorrow. I may have a different answer when all the pain really sits in,” she groaned softly. She really didn’t want to think about how sore she was going to feel in the morning. She watched the small smile on the man’s face drop as she said that though and once again concern littered his face.

“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?” He asked once again. Which earned him a roll of her eyes.

“I am sure. If you would put me down I would show you I am fully capable of walking,” although she was trying to tell him to put her down it was oddly nice being carried like a princess. The strong arms under her body reminded her that he would not drop her and that she would not be hurt again. At least not at this moment. In a way it made her tighten her grip a little subconsciously on him.

He still looked so concerned and skeptical about the thought of putting her down. It was easy to see he didn’t want to put her down. And she assumed it was due to his concern about her being hurt, or maybe he feared she would simply hurt herself as they walked down the hall after stepping out of the elevator and making their way towards their apartment door. Sure she was clumsy but she wasn’t that clumsy.

“If you’re sure,” he mumbled very slowly as they approached the door and he had come to a stop and was about to have to go looking for the key to their door.

“Yes I promise I won’t break if you put me down,” she said softly trying to give him the best reassuring smile before he sighed in defeat and allowed her down to stand on her own two feet.

The muscles in her legs were screaming at her the second they were forced to hold her up. She was thankful that they did and that her legs did not buckle under her weight as Izuku kept his arms stretched out around her ready to catch her if her legs had decided not to hold her up. She flashed him a rather triumphant smile as if to silently say ‘I told you so’. He still looked unsure and hesitated before he finally pulled his hands away from her before digging into the pocket of his shorts for their house key before silently opening the door while keeping an eye on her.

She would never admit it but she wasn’t exactly sure how she was still standing. Her entire body was aching as she stood there. And she was a little concerned the second she tried to move her legs would give out under her. But oh well. Not like it could get any worse than it already was. Once the door was opened Izuku let her go first. Though she was pretty sure it was so he could more easily catch her if she started to fall. And she was silently thankful for that, cause there was a good chance he may have to catch her.

The first step was slow, but her body held up and so with that she carefully forced herself to walk into the apartment with the worried hero hot on her heels. She was thankful some god seemed to take pity on her and allowed her the chance to not make another fool of herself.

“Do you mind if I go shower first?” She asked. She usually wouldn’t care if she had to wait to wash the sweat off of her body. But she feared if she sat down now, she may never get up without help.

“Oh no go ahead,” the man stuttered for a second before saying it was fine.

“Thank you,” she said softly before dragging her heavy feed over towards the bathroom. Honestly a hot bath sounded the best for her sore body. But as she entered the bathroom and started to strip she was reminded of the fact that if she sat down in the bath, she could very easily find herself in trouble. And having to beg Izuku to enter the bathroom while she was naked to help her out of the tub was not something she wanted to do. Nope that could not happen. So a shower it is then.

Turning the water on nice and hot she started to strip as she waited for the water to warm. Her shoulders protested as she lifted her shirt up over her head. Her right hip was already sporting a nice large red spot she was sure would be black and blue by morning. But at least she did not seem to have broken any bones. Good, cause explaining how she would have broken the bone would have just been even more embarrassing. Not like she could just say she was ogling her hot pro hero roommate and was not paying attention and she was to stupid to have the safety clip attached to her like she should have. Yeah the fact she did that was already bad enough. He had probably watched her look over at him before she ate shit on that damn treadmill. Oh she was never going to live that embarrassing fall down.

Once naked she stepped under the hot water. The heat was welcoming as it did seem to at least help ease her tight and sore muscles a little bit. She let out a deep breath slowly. She wasn’t sure how long exactly she stood under the water just trying to let the hot water wash away her stress and worry. She wished the shower water was magical and actually able to wash away her stress. But she was quickly reminded that Izuku was waiting for his turn to shower.

Grabbing for her body wash she started washing the sweat and grime off of her body. Reaching next for the bottle of shampoo she paused and eyed up the bottle in her hand. It was feeling incredibly light in her hand compared to her half full body wash bottle. And their sizes were identical. She frowned at that. She was going to need more shampoo soon. But for now she could stretch what she had left as she unscrewed the top and proceeded to stick the bottle under the spray of water for a second or two before screwing the top back on and giving the bottle a good shake.

Mid shake she paused. Why was she watering down her shampoo? Because it was a habit of trying to make her shampoo last as long as she could till it was almost more water than shampoo. But why do that now? If she runs out Izuku would surely buy her more. Though she hated asking him for things, this was kind of a basic human need. If he was not going to allow her to work, then the least he could do was buy her the bare basics. And she imagined he would be so happy to buy it for her too. Still it just felt so weird. Oh well she’s got a few more showers before she really has to worry about this issue as she poured some of the diluted shampoo into her hands before lathering up her long dark hair.

Once every inch of her body was clean and she no longer had a reason to remain under the warm water she sighed softly before turning the water off and forcing herself to step out of the shower. Steam filled the room as she grabbed a towel and started working at removing the cooling water from her skin. Her body still screamed at almost every movement. It wasn’t the first time her body had hurt so much. Especially lately. It seemed Aoi was finding herself having her fair share of trouble. It reminded her of her younger days. Back when she was living on the streets. Before she had met Dabi. She has been beaten up by others a few times in her life, and she was sure Arakawa would not be the last person to beat the shit out of her.

Working at drying her hair she reached to grab for her clean clothes only for her hand to touch the counter. Looking down she was treated with the sight of a bare counter space where she normally would put her change of clothes. Uhm where were her clothes? Oh shit did she even grab any? She hadn’t! She had just walked away from Izuku and in her tired and sore state her mind did not even think to head to her bedroom first and retrieve her clean clothes.

“Shit,” she hissed as the realization hit her. She could either put back on her dirty clothes or leave the bathroom in just a towel.

She had no real desire to put back on filthy and smelly clothes. That would just be gross. Her bedroom would not be far. And there could be a chance Izuku was in his own bedroom or the living room. Either way she should be able to slip out past him without being seen. Hopefully. Still she was hesitant to just walk out of the bathroom like she owned the place and her nudity. Even if she was still wrapped up in a large towel.

With a deep breath to try and calm herself she reached for the bathroom handle with one hand while her other hand tried to both hold her dirty clothes as well as keep the towel around her body in place. Opening the door she hesitantly poked her head out into the apartment. Both bedroom doors were closed. She couldn’t hear the tv in the living room on, so she could only assume that meant Izuku was in his bedroom. Well it’s now or never, before she loses the nerve.

The urge to just run for it was strong, but she feared doing that would make a lot of noise. And she had no desire to draw Izuku’s attention if he was in his bedroom. Which she had to get past before she could reach the safety of her own room.

She held her breath as she started out of the bathroom. She tried hard not to make a noise as she walked. But maybe she would have been far better off just running for it, being quiet be damned. Cause she should have known there was no way to sneak past the hero Deku.

She completely froze like a deer in headlights as the door she was just about to pass swung open. She had been caught and her panicked mind chose to stand stark still as if the man was a Tyrannosaurus and if she didn’t move he would be unable to see her. But that was not how the world worked.

“Oh Aoi you’re,” Izuku said mid-sentence when he noticed the woman’s current state of undress. The sentence he was going to say had died on his tongue. His eyes grew wide and she watched a deep blush start from the bottom of his neck and make its way up his entire face till even his freckles looked engulfed by the flame. Suddenly his eyes couldn’t look at her as she watched him whip his head away from her to look at the door frame of his bedroom door.

Well there went the idea of reaching her bedroom without running into him. She could feel her grip tighten on the clothes in her arms as if they may somehow save her. Her own blush started to warm her own cheeks as she tried to relax her stiff body a little. Why was she acting like a blushing virgin? She was long past that. Maybe it was seeing the man’s own innocence that triggered her own.

“What were you saying Izuku?” She asked, trying to pretend she had not just been caught trying to run for her bedroom in only a towel.

“Never mind,” the man all but squeaked. He could not look at her. Oh what a sweet and innocent little sugar cookie.

“Well I am out of the shower so the bathroom is all yours,” she said before finally getting her legs to work once again. Though it felt like someone had encased her feet in cinder blocks as they felt incredibly heavy to move as she started once again to her bedroom. She couldn’t bring herself to look back at the man. She doubted he was watching her. Poor guy looked like he was about to have a heart attack just standing in his doorway.

Still, why did she feel so embarrassed? Wasn’t like he was a stranger any more. They were stuck living together. She had already bothered him the one time answering the door to her bedroom in nothing but a top and panties. Men had seen her naked body before. But why did his gaze make her feel so uncomfortable? Was it the fact she felt self-conscious about her body around him? The man looked like he was carved in a Greek God's image. While she was nothing. Flabby and stringy at the same time. He had female hero friends, they all would look better than her. Then the fact his number one hero status meant he could have any model or star of his choosing.

He had no reason to look at her in any way that could be romantic or even more primal like lustful. Once in her room she closed the door and let the towel drop to the floor. She didn’t even care to pick it up as she at the very least dropped her dirty clothes into her hamper. Her body ached and a little depressing demon on her shoulder was screaming she wasn’t good enough. Grabbing fresh panties and another large white top she owned she headed simply for her bed as she dressed. She felt exhausted, both physically and mentally. But she knew sleep would not be so kind to her.

Instead she laid on her left side with her back to the door staring blankly at the wall as she let her mind run wild in self doubt and depression as she listened to the little demon in her mind. Why did Izuku do what he was doing for her? Why not just throw her out in the street to fend for herself? Any other hero would have. He didn’t seem to expect any payment in return for his kindness. Yet he never tried anything either.

She tried to remind herself that that was a good thing. Any other man would have been happy to use and abuse her while in such a vulnerable state. Jobless and rather homeless if not for his generosity, he could have held that over her so easily. Instead he put up with her sour moods, her unwillingness and just over all whatever tongue lashings she would give him.

Remembering their conversation from that morning she was reminded that the man had felt scared for her. He cared for her. Why? She did not know. In what capacity? Once again she did not know.

When was the last time anyone had been nice to her? Oh yes, Dabi had been nice to her. And he had never expected anything in return from her. Though had he asked even her childish teen mind would have complied in a heartbeat. But he never did. He never asked anything of her other than to pay attention to what he had deemed as life lessons. And those had only consisted of learning how to pick pockets, steal things without being caught, and how not to die on the street.

Yet this felt different to Dabi? How exactly she wasn’t sure. Maybe it was the way Izuku tried to help her? He was trying so much harder to care for her than Dabi had at the time. But still why?

And that was the endless loop her mind was on as she would question the man, his help, his intentions, his desire to help, and her lack of self worth, as she listened to the water of the shower start up once again. But this time for the man to enjoy his own shower.

Chapter Text

Self doubt and depression could be crippling and completely destructive. Even as the shower stopped running and Aoi could hear Izuku moving about the apartment she couldn’t bring herself to really pay him any attention. Even the pain in her body felt numb in the moment. So much self doubt and thoughts were swimming in her head. She could hear Izuku doing something, eventually the smell of something cooking told her the noise she heard was the man in the kitchen probably making supper.

It wasn’t till a knock at her door that she was reminded that she had been hiding herself away. She could hear Izuku call out to her. Seemed dinner was done. But she just wanted to be left alone to wallow in everything, her pain, her self doubt, her embarrassment, and just wish to curl up and hide till she perished. But she knew doing so would probably worry him. She did not wish to do that. So instead she ever so slowly rolled over. Wincing instantly as her body protested the simple action.

If she thought rolling over was bad, pushing her body up to sit up was even more excruciating and nearly had her whimper. Why did she hurt so badly? It had probably only been two hours since her tumble. Maybe. She actually had no idea what time it was or how long she had been laying in bed. But she didn’t think it was that long. Yet her body felt incredibly stiff and sore already. Ugh and tomorrow was only going to feel worse, she knew it.

Forcing herself to her feet was physically harder than she expected, her legs screamed while holding her own weight up. The muscles are tight and tense all over her entire body. Even just grabbing some shorts to put on and then dragging her feet over to open her bedroom door was painful and slow. Of course Izuku must have heard her hissed and soft whines of pain as he had not left his spot from in front of her door. He even seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at seeing her as her door opened. Seeing that she was clearly still alive.

“How are you feeling?” He asked with genuine concern in his voice. Yet all she could do was give him a blank look. How did he think she felt? She felt like shit on a stick, physically and mentally. It seemed with her lack of an answer and the look she was giving him was more than enough of an answer as she watched him rub the back of his neck with a scarred hand.

“That bad huh? Well come eat and I’ll get you some painkillers from the bathroom cupboard,” he said as he flashed her a soft smile and stepped back from the doorway to let her slowly inch her way out of her bedroom. Her body ached so bad. Ugh it felt like she fell down a flight of stairs not just off of a treadmill. Her right ankle hurt, as did her left hip where she could feel an angry bruise already having formed. That made each and every step agonizing as she slowly waddled like a broken little old lady into the kitchen and sat down. She could hear Izuku scrounging around the bathroom in what she was assuming was the hunt for painkillers for her.

The table was already set with two plates. One was a nice normal helping size, the other was enough to feed probably three other people. It was easy to tell which plate was her’s and which was his. Sitting down in front of the smaller serving she looked down at the wonderful smelling curry. A slight spicy scent came from it, it smelled and looked amazing.

She was saying her thanks as Izuku walked into the kitchen and grabbed a cup of water for her before putting down the cup and bottle of painkillers he had on hand. She said a soft thanks before plopping a spoonful of curry into her mouth along with some of the white rice. It was slightly spicy, but not so much that she did not like it. The rice was perfectly cooked, the potatoes nice and soft but not mushy. It was still rather surprising that Izuku could cook so well. Honestly he was probably a better cook than her based on this meal.

She did not originally feel hungry yet, but she knew that she shouldn’t take painkillers on an empty stomach. And she also doubted Izuku would just let her walk away without eating. It would only make him worry more. The curry tasted amazing which helped in forcing herself to eat.

“This curry is really good,” she compliments before sticking a second spoonful of food into her mouth. Izuku was seated across from her and flashed her a soft smile.

“Thanks though I shouldn’t take any credit. This is one of Kacchan’s recipes. I had him walk me through it to make sure I made it perfectly,” Izuku said, giving her a slightly sheepish smile. Learning that had her pause mid bite for a second, her nose scrunched up. She did not exactly like the idea that this recipe came from or that Izuku had called that man to be walked through how to make it.

“It’s not too spicy is it? Kacchan adds a lot more spices to his. I tried to dial it down a lot. But I still worried if I made it too spicy,” Izuku sounded like he was about to start rambling. Forcing the mouthful she had down quickly she smiled at him.

“It’s a little spicy but it tastes good. The spice is not too much. You made it perfectly,” she said as she smiled at him trying to reassure him. That seemed to make the man happy. He was smiling widely and completely giving off happy golden retriever puppy energy.

Though he seemed happy as they are, that did not stop Izuku from flashing her worried looks, asking her how she felt. Encouraging her to take some painkillers even though she had hesitated a little. She had seen what drug addictions, even ones as innocent looking as painkillers did to people on the streets. But she reminded herself that plain over the counter painkillers should not be an issue. They would be safe.

After getting half her plate downed she popped two pills into her mouth and with a swig of water she swallowed both pills at once. She did hope they could help some. The muscles in the back of her calves were starting to cramp. Her right ankle had a soft throb to it. She probably twisted it when she tripped over her own feet. Her neck and shoulders were stiff still from sleeping curled up into a ball on the floor of her bedroom. Why must the world hate her so?

She wanted nothing more than to crawl back to her bedroom and just wait till the pain would ease some. But the worried glances Izuku kept tossing at her had her thinking that she may not be able to do that.

“Are you really done eating?” He asked, looking concerned as he was still scarfing down the last half of his own meal.

“Yeah just wasn’t all that hungry,” she said softly as she poked at her leftover meal before she glanced up and paused. His eyebrows pulled together, and concern was written all over his face. It seemed that may not have been the best thing to say.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” The man questioned looking more like she was dying than just a little hurt. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was her mental pain that was killing her appetite and not her physical pain.

“You worry too much. I’ll just put away the leftovers and will eat them later when I get hungry some more later,” she said as she went to stand up. Only to hiss at the pain in her right ankle. That was more than enough to have Izuku jumping to his feet and rushing to her side.

“What hurts? Sit back down. I’ll clean this up for you,” he was fast as he scooped her plate out of her hands before she could even try to tell him it was okay. Not like she could have forced him to not take the plate from her. With a huff she simply sat back down slowly into the chair.

“You could have waited till you were done eating first. There was no need to rush. Your food is just getting cold,” she shouldn’t have wasted her breath. Wasn’t like Izuku was going to listen to her. Her little sugar cookie was going to worry about her first before himself. Typical hero. She sipped at her water as Izuku wrapped her plate and tucked it into the fridge before returning to his seat.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Izuku pointed out as he sat back down and started to eat. She paused and had to think for a second which question she had not answered.

“I may have sprained my right ankle. But it’s not that bad. I think the muscle cramps in the back of my calves hurt more than the ankle,” she mumbled softly before grabbing at her glass of water again and taking a sip so she could attempt to look away from him as she spoke.

As such she missed how the man sitting across from her was looking at her. Still so worried about her and her own wellbeing. He quickly shoveled a few more spoonful's of curry and rice into his mouth before finishing his plate. Once empty he got up and put his plate into the sink before walking over to Aoi.

She had not noticed Izuku was done eating till he stepped right up beside her. She was just picking her head up to look over at him before strong hands were grabbing at her body and she found herself being picked up out of the chair. The noise of surprise she made was rather undignified and embarrassing as she felt her cheeks flush.

“Izuku,” she tried not to shriek his name as her hands instantly reached up grabbing his shirt as she was picked up bridal style. She had not at all expected for the man to just walk over and suddenly pick her up.

“Just relax on the couch and put your feet up,” He said simply flashing her such an innocent and toothy grin the man could probably blind the sun itself with. Made it really hard to tell the man no or to get mad at him for surprising her so much. Instead she gave him a soft huff of air, threw her nose as a reply and let him carry her beaten and sore body to the couch. He handled her as if she was a delicate flower. Which she wanted to roll her eyes at. Once again she refrained from doing so.

At least this couch was much better than her own couch was. This one could actually fit three average adults, unlike her little crowded loveseat. And it was actually soft, well soft for a couch. It didn’t feel like someone had just shoved cinder blocks into the middle of the couch. She could actually feel her body relax as much as the tight and tense muscles would allow. The t.v was running but she never bothered to look up at it as she let herself sink into the couch.

Upon his return Izuku held something in his hand. Oh it looked like something wrapped in a towel.

“Here this should help with the pain in your ankle. If you sprained it then you should stay off it for a bit. Keep it elevated and put some ice on it to keep it from swelling or getting worse,” Oh it was a bag of ice that he had wrapped in a towel.

“Thanks,” She said, starting to sit up so she could reach for the bag of ice in his hands. But he never offered it to her. Instead he moved to the edge of the couch where her feet had been placed. He gently grabbed her ankles to lift her feet up. At first she assumed he was going to place a pillow under them since he had told her she should keep them elevated. Had she actually looked around she would have noticed the couch had no throw pillows, nor had he grabbed one either. Instead he carefully held her legs up as he moved to sit on the couch. He gently placed her feet into his lap.

She was not expecting that, her face lit up. She was having an internal crisis, did she wash her feet well enough? What if it was uncomfortable for him? Why was he even doing this? She almost didn’t even notice as Izuku held the ice filled towel against her sore ankle. One hand was holding the ice in place. While his other hand found its way for his fingers to slightly reach around her leg so the rough, calloused pads of his fingers were able to gently start pressing into the tight muscles of the back of her calves. He was massaging at the back of her left leg.

“Izuku,” she squeaked and found herself flushed as she realized what he was all doing. Without pausing for a second he glanced up at her.

“Oh is the ice too cold?” He asked as if that may be what she was so caught off guard about.

“No that’s not it. It’s just that you don’t need to do this,” she said as her cheeks blazed with colour. She was perfectly capable of elevating her own leg and placing some ice on it. She didn’t need to use his lap as a pillow, have him help hold the ice in place, nor did he need to be massaging her tense and sore legs.

“Oh but I want to,” he said before his own cheeks flushed and he flashed her an innocent smile.

What was she supposed to say to that? Sure she could try to kick him away. But that seemed even rude to her. And also his fingers were feeling like heaven on the tense muscles of her legs.

“Well you don’t have to,” was the weak little mumble she gave back as she turned her head away from him trying to hide her embarrassment. She tried to look over and make it look like she was watching the tv.

With that they fell into a nice silence. The noise of the tv kept the room from falling into complete silence. But it wasn’t a heavy or awkward silence. It was just nice as she laid back and relaxed. While Izuku was massaging her legs with oddly gentle fingers. It was hard to believe that a man who could flatten an entire apartment complex with a single punch could massage her legs so gently.

That thought had Aoi glancing down at his hands. Said fingers were scarred and crooked. Lines crossed over every single finger. There didn’t look to be an inch of skin from his wrist to his fingertips that was not marked in some way. Either lines, or misshapen skin littered the large hands. She could feel by the way each individual finger applied pressure which ones seemed to have more damage than others . The middle finger on his left hand didn’t seem to work as well as the others. His right hand had a finger that couldn’t seem to make a proper circle when he was rubbing circles over one calve.

She had not completely noticed such things before. Sure she was aware, his hands were scarred. But she never truly realized how damaged his hands were. All it took was following the scars that extended up his wrist and she could see the damage visible on his arms. His right arm was sporting a compression sleeve over his elbow. She had seen him wearing it a lot. It sat over a bad scar that ran up the length of the entire arm. Smaller scars also littered his skin but nothing like that one.

At that moment she couldn’t help but wonder. What the hell had all happened to this kid to make his body look so rough and mangled. His hero suit covered up all the marks. So she didn’t know if he had those scars when he was a young hero or did he get them lately? No, that wouldn’t make sense. She saw how his healer worked. Her powers rewound time. She could return his body to a time before the wound was inflicted. And as such the wound would not scar. That meant that those scars must have been caused when he was younger and at a time he can not go back to for concern of losing his strength that he needed for being a hero. Or did he somehow get them while he was a kid? That was a dark thought. And for a second she could see it happening. His family may have been nice. But she knew that others often were not so nice. Quirkless people were picked on, ostracized, beat up and harassed for simply being who they were. And kids could be as ruthless as adults at times.

She knew that from her own experience. And if Izuku spent the first twelve or so years of his life quirkless then he could have experienced some extreme bullying. She wasn’t sure if she liked that answer or the one that he acquired them during training. She didn’t like either option.

She must have been staring at his scarred fingers too much. They suddenly stopped massaging her legs. Picking her head up to look at him she noticed the small smile on his lips. His eyes locked with hers before his fingers started again.

“Ugly aren’t they?” He asked before looking down at his own hands.

“You said that once before. I don’t think your scars are ugly. But I am curious how you got so many and some are pretty bad,” she said softly as she looked over at the middle finger on his left hand that nearly didn’t work well at all and was clearly bent and crooked. She missed the way the man blushed as she was too busy watching his fingers work at massaging her legs.

“Oh uhm my fingers were primarily damaged while I was training. I used to break my fingers almost daily for months. Oh but it’s because when my quirk manifested I couldn’t really control it too well,” She must have made a face of some kind. Because he was quickly explaining in more depth about how he couldn’t control his quirk. Which made sense. It wasn’t uncommon for kids with strong quirks to some times hurt themselves or others when they first got them. Izuku would have been competing with people who had almost ten years longer than him to learn their control. Izuku probably rushed it, which in turn led to his injuries.

“What about your arms?” She asked as her eyes traveled to look between his two scarred arms and the marks she knew they each sported or the fact that Izuku very often wore a compression wrap around the one elbow while just relaxing in the apartment.

“My arms are the result of fighting with villains while I was a first year at UA. A few too many punches with my quirk and my arms were shattered in a few fights,” he answered her as he still continued to rub her sore legs. But at least it felt like the massaging had helped loosen the tight muscles.

Well both those answers were not great. But maybe it was better that he got injured while training and fighting. And that he had not been hurt as a young kid before his quirk. She had heard and seen what could happen to quirkless kids. But she was relieved his extremely bad injuries came from being a hero.

“You got the injuries from being a hero. You should never find them ugly or disgusting,” she said as she let out a sigh and let her head roll back a little. Stretching a little she let out a soft groan at the complaint the rest of her body gave at the simple movement. She was simply trying to make him feel better after all she had noticed he seemed a little self conscious of the scars.

With her head rolled back and eyes closed as she groaned at the pain of even the simplest movement. She never noticed the way Izuku’s large green eyes filled with tears when hearing her warm words. Izuku had never been told anything nice about his scars. To hero’s they were just normal. Almost every hero had at least one if they worked out in the field. But Izuku had a lot, and sure his friends had their own fair share, especially Bakugo. But his friends had never commented on them, never saying anything bad, but also never anything good. And it oddly had him feeling incredibly touched.

Aoi let out a sigh as her body continued to relax as the two sat on the couch. She never even planned to fall asleep as Izuku was nice enough to massage her legs and check on the ice pack on her sore ankle. Why was his presence so soothing? Her worries, concerns and nightmares seemed to vanish when he was around. It brought her a peace she was not used to having.

Chapter Text

Slowly blinking her eyes open she was greeted with the sight of the white ceiling of her bedroom. Light was streaming in from around the curtain of the window and was lighting up the otherwise dark room. It was morning. But when had she made it to her bed? She could remember laying on the couch. Izuku messaging her legs while keeping an ice pack to her sore ankle. She let out a long exhale. She had never planned to fall asleep on him. He must have carried her to her bed some time after she fell asleep. And she must have been deep asleep if being picked up and moved never woke her up. Nor had she had any dreams during the night.

She let out a heavy sigh, it was a little embarrassing knowing the man had carried her to bed and tucked her in. Yet she was thankful for the full night's sleep, she wished it had lasted longer. But her sore body was starting to hurt enough it forced her awake. Trying to push herself to sit up she let out a low whine. It hurt all over. Her back, her arms, a stress headache had her temples throb, her entire body hurt it felt like. She wished she could have just laid back down in her bed. But the urge to pee was too strong. She had to get up and get to the bathroom, even if she needed to crawl there.

She couldn’t help but whimper softly to herself as she was ever so careful as she pushed herself to sit up and ever so slowly move to sit at the edge of the bed. Her body wanted to shake under the simplest of her own weight. And all her limbs felt like they had an extra ten pound weight added to them. Even as she made it to sit on the edge of the bed she was having to pause and take a few deep breaths.

Now for the next hurdle, standing up. The floor felt cold against her bare feet but she could not bring herself to go looking for her slippers. Barefoot it would have to be. Looking down at her right ankle it was swollen and a little purple in areas. But it did not throb like it had the night before. She only hoped that meant it would be able to bare her weight. With a hesitant count to three in her head she gave herself a little push with her hands off of the bed.

That had not been the best idea. It sent a jolt of pain through her arms, into her shoulders and struck her in two spots in her back. The pain had her upper body lock up for fear that moving could cause the pain again. But it didn’t matter. New pain was shooting up through her feet. Her right ankle shot the first jolt of pain up her leg. Her left hip is the next though not as bad as the right. But the twisted ankle refused to hold her weight.

With the momentum she had from pushing herself up she continued to go forwards and there was no way she could step forwards to hold herself up. But she still tried as her body fumbled in an odd way to try and step forwards with the aching right ankle only for it to refuse the abuse and give way to her tumbling down to meet the floor along the side of her bed. There was no stopping her body as she crashed to the floor.

She let out a groan and was carefully starting to push herself up a little before the door to her bedroom nearly blew open. Poor Izuku looked around with hard eyes, a slight crackle almost seemed to be running along his skin. But as his eyes landed on the woman who was a crumpled mess on the floor his hard expression softened quickly. Had it been any other time Aoi would have found it interesting how the hero Deku was a completely opposite side to Izuku Midoriya.

“Aoi is everything okay?” The question was not surprising as Izuku rushed to her side and large hands easily lifted her up and were about to move her back to the bed before she stopped him.

“I am a little sore. My twisted ankle did not approve of my trying to get to the bathroom,” she said, grabbing onto his shirt as he placed her on the bed and tried to step away. Her face felt like it was on fire as she looked away embarrassed before asking her question, “could you help me?”

Izuku blinked at her a few times, registering her plea for help. She truly must have been unable to walk if she was being forced to ask him for help. If there was one thing Izuku had learned while getting to know the woman. It was that she did not enjoy asking for help. So the fact that she was asking now must have meant she was really hurt. She had never even asked for his help while she had been laid up in the hospital after being kidnapped.

“Of course,” Izuku beamed at her as his hands were so careful as he tucked one arm under her knees and the other finding a spot on her back that did not earn him a hiss from the woman when he touched her. Effortlessly he picked her up as if she weighed nothing and strolled out of her bedroom and carried her to the bathroom before he was ever so careful as he placed her down on her feet. Her hands clung to his biceps as she found her footing the best she could before letting go of him. Though his hands still hovered at her sides ready to grab her if she started to fall again. But this time she seemed able to keep her slightly better left side to bare her weight.

“Thanks,” she mumbled with a still flaming bright red face.

“No problem. I’ll wait outside once your done I’ll help you out,” he said before doing as he said and walking out of the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

It was a little weird knowing he was purposefully standing at the door, most likely listening in on her, though she knew it was that he was listening to hear if she was to fall again. But it was still embarrassing that he was going to be listening to her pee. Oh well nothing she could do about it now. Nor did she have time to think about it. Her bladder was screaming at her and pissing herself would only be more embarrassing.

It was slow and painful just to get her shorts down and get herself seated on the toilet. Next hurdle was dragging herself to the sink where she clung to the counter to hold herself up as she washed her hands after using the toilet and flushing. She could hear Izuku soft shuffles from the other side of the door as she held herself up with the counter.

“Alright I’m done,” she called out as she was drying her hands. The door cracked open as if he was unsure if he was allowed back in just yet. Even though she had just told him he could enter and get her. It was a little cute how hesitant he was.

Izuku gave her one of his typical wide bright smiles as he walked over and once again scooped her up like a doll before strolling out of the bathroom. She had expected to be taken back to her bedroom. So she was a bit surprised when they just walked right past her room.

“You passed my bedroom,” she said simply as she looked from her bedroom to the man carrying her.

“I know. But I figured you may like being in the living room. You can watch tv and I’ll get some breakfast started,” he said as he took a few steps through the home to reach the living room and to the nice soft couch. Where he ever so carefully placed her down.

“Do you need another ice pack for your ankle?” He asked her as he looked down at her right ankle still concerned.

“No it’s okay it only hurts if I try to walk on it,” she said honestly. Which was mostly true, it barely hurt when she was not standing. Though maybe the pain was just easier to ignore when the rest of her body was in agony. Izuku of course still looked concerned as he hesitated. Which just made her feel a little guilty, “but a painkiller would be nice.”

Of course that seemed to make Izuku feel a little better as he nodded his head and proceeded to tell her he would get her the painkillers and a drink. And that’s what he did as he dashed from the living room and back to the bathroom to grab a couple of pills before he hit the kitchen for a glass of water. Walking towards her he offered the pills in one hand and the water in another. Like a worried mother hen he watched her swallow down the pills and some water before she was carefully relaxing back on the couch.

“I’ll go make some breakfast. You shouldn’t take painkillers on an empty stomach,” he had said before heading to the kitchen where Aoi proceeded to listen to Izuku pull out pots and pans and start cooking.

She paid no attention to the sounds that came from the kitchen. Even though she barely ate the night before she still did not feel overly hungry. But she knew telling Izuku that would probably just make him worry more. And she didn’t want that. Instead she couldn’t help but wish he didn’t care so much. That he would just leave her alone to hide from him and wallow in her misery till all these feelings would pass. But Izuku would never allow that.

The smell of fresh cooked food drew her out of her mind as she blinked her eyes and looked at the coffee table before her. A plate of fresh fried fish, a bowl of rice and a bowl of miso sat before her. It was light and simple, barely a complete breakfast but maybe Izuku knew cooking more would be a waste or maybe he wasn’t sure how to cook the other normalities. Either way she was not going to complain. She grabbed the bowl of miso soup first. A slow sip alone seemed to help her feel more relaxed.

She still did not feel hungry but the warm soup was soothing on her nerves as she forced at least most of it down. She turned her attention to the fish next as she picked at it slowly. She could feel Izuku’s eyes on her from his position on the couch beside her as he was scarfing down his own army sized portion of food while she struggled with a tiny bowl of soup, a small bit of fish and some rice.

“Are you feeling okay?” There was the question she was expecting as she pushed her fish around more than ate it.

“Yeah I’m fine. Just not overly hungry. Maybe the painkillers just keep me from feeling hungry,” she knew it was a stupid and weak attempt at an excuse. And one glance over at him told her that he did not believe her. She feared he would push more but he never did. And she was thankful for that.

“Well if you get hungry later let me know,” he said, flashing her a soft smile. He was genuinely concerned for her. And it only served to make her stomach clench up even more. He was a hero, a truly nice guy. And yet her mind still struggled to just accept it. Accept that there were no strings attached, that he did not expect anything in return nor would he hold this over her head. There was not a mean or malice bone in that man’s body. And yet self doubt, and fear chewed away at her.

Aoi had long ago assumed she had issues with trust and abandonment some of the most. Also some issues with authority. And even though she would like to think she was aware of these issues and could manage them. But in reality it was not that easy. She let negative thoughts consume and fester in her mind like a disease. She knew the thoughts and concerns she had were stupid and highly unlikely to ever come true, and yet it was not that easy to force them away.

Forcing down a few mouthfuls of fish and rice she found herself pushing her bowl over towards Izuku to finish off for her. Which he did with ease. She would probably never get used to seeing the amount of food that man could pack away. Then again he was far bulkier than any person she had ever met before. Dabi had always been lean that she could remember. Though she wasn’t sure if that was simply due to years on the street as a teen with little food, or the fact his quirk destroyed his body. Or maybe his leaner build came from his mother? She wasn’t completely sure as Aoi had only ever seen the woman through the tv or in the pages of news blogs online.

Shifting slightly Aoi tried to pull her legs up off the floor and pull her knees into her chest. But the tight muscles of her body refused to allow such simple actions and with a soft groan she gave up and put her feet down before just letting her body slump into Izuku’s side. He was warm, he was comfortable, he was an odd sort of safety. She could feel his body tense up before his head had whipped over to look down at her and see she was fine. Though his body relaxed a little bit seeing her okay, it had not completely relaxed. She assumed he was uncomfortable with her leaning into him. And yet he never said anything. She knew she should have pulled away, but leaning into him was comfortable.

“Can we watch a movie?” She asked softly as she looked up at the man who seemed a bit nervous all of the sudden.

“Uh y..yeah,” he actually stuttered and the tip of his ears were red. Poor sugar cookie seemed so shy with her leaning against his side. She couldn’t help it, he was warm and comforting even if her mind also chose him to be a source of her annoying anxiety.

Izuku was careful as he leaned over to grab the tv remote and turn it on before he was flipping through the tv to pull up a streaming service he had. Some of the newer movies were foreign to her. Then again she could never afford streaming services and didn’t have friends to steal theirs from. Hell half the time she couldn’t even afford internet.

“What do you want to watch?” He asked turning those wide bright green eyes of his to her.

“Doesn’t matter to me. Whatever you want,” she said softly as she snuggled into Izuku’s side. She felt tired again. As if she could go back to sleep already. And the odd comfort he could bring her only helped in letting the exhaustion take hold on her.

She didn’t even pay any attention to what show Izuku turned on. She couldn’t bring herself to actually pay attention. Keeping her eyes open felt like it was taking all of her strength. Should she be concerned that she was tired while it was still morning? Probably but she could not bring herself to actually worry. Maybe she should have tried to do something that would keep her mind functioning and awake since she could not get up and walk.

Instead she let her brain wonder. How was it that Izuku could be both a comfort while also a source of anxiety and stress for her mind? Okay that was not fair. It was not Izuku himself who was doing anything to cause the issues. It was her mind that decided to choose him to be the most recent stresser for her own issues.

Quickly keeping her eyes open became hard and even though Izuku was frozen like a statue he was still a nice pillow to lean into as she found her eyes drifting close. Izuku never tried to keep her awake either, whether he was trying to be nice or just did not know how to react to her using him as a human body pillow she did not know. She should have thanked him for allowing her to drift back to sleep again as the morning continued on. She would have to try and remember to do that later.

Chapter 33

Summary:

You may need some tissues for this chapter

Chapter Text

The world started to come back to her slowly. The sound of the tv filled her ears but her brain was not comprehending what was actually being said. Slowly blinking her eyes open she is greeted with the tv going, the living room full of light thanks to the window curtains being open. The world was vertical and it took her sleep rattled mind a moment to come to the realization she fell asleep on the couch while she had been sitting with Izuku. And now she was laying out on the couch. Her head propped up on a pillow, or she had thought it was a pillow till the pillow moved. Something pressed slightly into the back of her head and curled around her. Turning her head slightly up she was greeted with bright green eyes and an innocent wide smile.

“Good morning. Again,” Izuku greeted her with a wide smile as he looked down at her. For a second all she could do was slowly blink her eyes as she looked up at him and forced her mind to process that her head was in Izuku’s lap. And that was where she had apparently been asleep for an unknown amount of time.

She flushed a little before she slowly and rather carefully pushed her sore and complaining body to sit up and get off of the man’s lap. She wished to try and ignore the fact that she had just used Izuku’s lap as her own personal pillow while she had been sleeping.

“What time is it?” She asked, giving a soft yawn. Her body still felt tired. Was it the pain, depression or the lack of decent sleep lately that caused the constant exhaustion? Honestly she felt it was probably everything. The nightmares lately, the struggle of sleeping in that bed, and her body no longer able to sleep on the floor like she had as a teen. Mixed with the emotional exhaustion and her body's physical pain, she felt like she just wished to shut down and sleep till it all went away.

“Oh uhm a little after fourteen hundred hours,” Izuku said simply as he watched the woman yawn and softly rub at the sleep still in her eyes. But by the blank look she gave him it seemed she didn’t understand the time he had given.

“Uhm just after two in the afternoon,” he corrected himself when he realized she did not comprehend the first time he had given. Seemed she was still more asleep than awake in that given moment as she slowly nodded her head then frowned.

“I slept all morning away,” she grumbled to herself apparently a little unhappy with learning she had lost half the day. Izuku felt a little guilty for not having woken her up sooner. But it seemed that she really needed that sleep. He had noticed the start of bags under her eyes and had heard her on more than one night being awake at ungodly hours.

“Sorry. It just seemed like you really needed that nap,” Izuku said softly as he fidgeted with his fingers as if she was scolding him.

“You shouldn’t apologize for everything. Honestly I probably would have bit a finger off of you if you tried to wake me up. I don’t wake up well from naps,” she said, waving one hand as if to brush away his apology.

“If anything I should be the one to apologize. You let me use your lap as a pillow. You had to miss lunch due to not being able to move,” she said as she shifted to melt into the couch more and a little bit away from Izuku.

“Oh you don’t need to apologize. I could have just gotten up if I really needed to. And I’m used to skipping lunch or eating it later from my patrol hours. So it’s okay,” Izuku was quick to start shaking his head at her as she apologized. What a sugar cookie.

Izuku had no issues being stuck sitting on the couch for hours. He watched an old All Might documentary while she had been sleeping. And had used black whip to get himself a drink any time he was thirsty. Though he did need to use the washroom now. Which did make him happy she was finally awake.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” Izuku said, suddenly jumping to his feet as he realized that if he had missed that last meal so had she. And she had been asleep. She may be thirsty.

“You worry too much, mister hero. I am fine,” she said once again waving off his concern.

“Alright. Well I will be right back,” Izuku said, still not looking convinced as he moved to the kitchen and turned the kettle on. Maybe she would still like a cup of warm tea? He knew he would. And while waiting for the water to warm he rushed off to the washroom to relieve himself before returning to the kitchen and making two cups of tea.

By the time Izuku had returned to the living room Aoi had scooped up the tv remote and was flipping through the shows looking for something to watch. Those milk chocolate eyes glanced at him before looking back to the tv before landing on some action movie to watch.

“Hope you don’t mind. I switched the channel. Documentaries on heroes are not exactly a favorite of mine,” she said, trying to keep her face from scrunching up at the word hero. The more time Izuku spent with her the more clear it was how much she really did seem to hate hero’s. And yet she still did not treat him with any of that disdain. And yet still he was curious what caused such a deep rooted hatred for hero’s?

Did this tie back to her connection to Dabi? Though he could not remember ever hearing anything about her. She had not been part of the war, had not been mentioned as an accomplice. Yet he knew very well that she knew the villain Dabi. But how did she know him?

“Izuku you’re mumbling,” she said simply as she took one of the cups of warm tea from his hands as he stood there in his own head and thinking to himself.

“Oh sorry,” he said blushing heavily as he realized he may have just asked all these questions out loud.

“If you have questions just ask them,” she said simply trying not to let there be a bite to her words. But it still came out harder than she planned as she watched the man look like she just kicked his puppy.

“No it’s okay. It’s not fair for me to pry,” he said before he started to shuffle back to his spot on the couch.

“You’re wondering why I hate hero’s so much? And if Dabi had a part in that,” she said, showing that Izuku had indeed voiced his questions outloud and that she had indeed heard them too.

“Yeah. But like I said I don’t wanna pry,” he said watching her as she winced but still forced her knees up to her chest even though it seemed to hurt her. Her arms wrapped around her legs and held the warm cup of tea as her eyes looked at the cup but clearly were not actually seeing the cup.

“How many people do you see on the street who could use help? But because it’s not something inherently evil or a villain is actively doing something bad you just walk past?” She asked. And had she actually been able to look at the man beside her she would have seen him wince. Izuku had learned from the war that most villains were not born evil but were made that way.

“Too many,” he answered honestly. But she appreciates that answer.

“I lived in the streets alone for over three years. I can’t even count how many times hero’s walked past me. And never once did someone try to offer help. Or look at me with anything other than disgust. That was the start of the hatred,” she said, actually trying to think if she had the exact time right. It had been hard to keep track of days without any way of getting a hold of a calendar or a cell phone. Days, weeks and months had all blended together both at the time and in her memories.

“The day I met the man you know as Todoroki Touya. I had been looking for food like any day, but in an area I shouldn’t have been. There are unspoken rules like that for the street scum. I remember a man undoing his belt before the screams had started and I will never forget the smell of burnt flesh. Dabi killed the man who was most likely going to rape and kill me. Finally, for once in my life someone helped me. I could not see him as a villain. Even if he did kill someone in front of me. But more so he did it for me. To this day I don’t know why he did it,” she said, feeling a hiccup wrench its way up her throat as she struggled with the emotions that flooded her.

“He threatened to kill me too. But I am pretty sure back then I would have welcomed it without a second thought. But he didn’t. Even after I instantly clung to him. No matter how much he yelled at me I still followed him like a lost puppy. Maybe he took pity on me? One street urchin to another. After an hour he just ignored me. He slept on the streets too at the time, or wherever he could find. But with his strong fire quirk no one messed with him. It had been amazing being able to sleep peacefully with him around,” she said as she felt her hands shaking as she nearly had a white knuckle hold of the poor cup in her hands.

Izuku could do nothing but remain speechless as he sat there listening as Aoi poured her past out for him. It answered so many questions he had yet it was wrenching out his own heart listening to her speak.

“That was before he met Shigaraki or the League of Villains. We lived together with me following him around for a while, I think it was a year or so before he met the League and changed. During that year he taught me how to steal so I didn’t starve to death. He pushed me to get a part time job. I didn’t mind. I got one. With his help we rented a dingy one room apartment that barely fit two futons and did not even have a shower room or kitchen. Just a little counter and sink in the corner that I used as a kitchen. But it was my first home in years. At first Dabi would spend most nights there with me. I’m sure it broke all sorts of rules, a twenty something year old man living with a girl who was fourteen if I was even that old at the time. But we didn’t care. It was a roof over our heads and was warm in the winter,” she sniffles softly at the memory of the old apartment that was probably no bigger than the bathroom in this current apartment. But it had been her first home that she paid for herself. It didn’t matter if they had to use a communal toilet for their floor to share and had to use a public bathhouse to wash.

“At first things seemed so perfect. A home I could finally return to every day. Dabi often checking in and crashing himself. It had felt so nice. But it did not last. He met the league of villains shortly after. But I did not know this at first. He stopped coming home every night. I would see him only once or twice a week. Which at first was okay. I did not question it. Nor his anger flaring up more often. He never hurt me so I never feared him. But I did find it annoying. Dabi never liked to talk much. Never told me anything he was doing. I learned about the league simply because I had followed him once,” that drew a broken laugh from her.

“Oh he had been mad about that when I walked into that run down bar. I thought Shigaraki was going to kill me. He made it clear he had no need for a quirkless kid. But a lot of the other league members were nice. I met Toga a few times. She was around the same age as me so maybe that’s why we both wanted to be friends? She was weird and a little creepy. But still nice enough. I saw her a lot more than Dabi some times. She had a tendency of just showing up at my home whenever she wanted. I never complained though. She even brought Twice a few times. Dabi hated it. Now I know it was because he did not want me involved with the league. He was still trying to protect me,” deciding to let go of the cup before she broke it. She placed it on the coffee table in front of her before returning to curl up into herself even as her body screamed in pain at the action. But the pain was helpful in keeping her grounded as she told someone for the first time about this part of her past.

“Maybe it was because I was weak and quirkless, or maybe it was because he always planned from the start to kill himself while trying to kill his father and brother? I don’t know and probably never will. Then suddenly the entire league one day just disappeared. I now know it was due to the events that followed the Kamino ward incident and what led to the war that followed less than a year later. I saw Dabi once or twice after but then he just seemed to drop off the face of the world. At the time I saw the news. I had heard how the league attacked UA and even kidnapped a kid. I figured they all went into hiding. It would have been the smart thing to do. I just assumed Dabi would eventually come home. I wish I would have known how wrong I had been,” this time she couldn’t hold back the broken sob she let out as she buried her face into her knees to attempt to hide the tears running down her cheeks. Picking her head up after taking a shaky breath she turned to look at Izuku through blurry vision.

“I never got to say goodbye,” she broke saying the words out loud for the first time. The sobs seemed uncontrollable as she sat there unable to make out Izuku’s expression with her blurry vision as she felt herself shatter. She could feel the warm arms wrap around her. She could hear Izuku trying to sooth her. Even as she grabbed at him and buried her face into his shirt as she couldn’t help the wail she let out.

Had she meant to spill everything like that? Not exactly. Nor had she meant to become so emotional. The crying was embarrassing but once she started she could not stop. She clung to Izuku sobbing as she struggled with the words she had just spoken out loud. She had not planned to make Izuku uncomfortable. She could feel a hand on her back rubbing circles in an attempt to try and sooth her. He spoke softly but with the pounding in her head from her own heartbeat she could not hear him clearly.

Izuku could do nothing but whisper soft soothing words of comfort to her as he let her cry her heart out on his shoulder. This bit of insight to her life answered a lot of questions he had. She had been failed by hero’s to be saved. Instead a villain had done the job and been her hero. That would have been the first issue. Then imagining that she would later learn that Dabi died fighting with hero’s. It would only make hero’s look like villains to her. Her personal hero was killed by someone who she saw as the bad guy. It did not matter if Dabi was evil and killed people. He was her hero and that would probably never change. In her eyes, hero’s killed the most important person to her. It was honestly surprising that she did not kill him that night he had stumbled into her bedroom hurt and bleeding out. She knew who he was.

And she had to know he played a large part in the war as did his fellow classmates. Izuku would be lying if he didn’t admit that the realization of how easily she could have killed him or left him for dead was gut wrenching. He was incredibly lucky she had decided to save him that night. It was a very sobering thought. Cause that night even if danger sense warned him of her he would never have been able to survive her attack. Even being quirkless, she could have grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him if she wanted to. Or smothered him in his sleep that first night. It did make him wonder why she saved him if she truly hated hero’s so much? But he was not going to ask that question today. No he would try his best to comfort her at this moment and be a shoulder to cry on.

And cry she did. Her eyes ached, her head pounded with a new veracity, her throat felt raw, she was pretty sure she was all out of tears by the time she had finally calmed down enough to stop wailing like a child. She wanted to groan at herself. How embarrassing. That had not been a simple little cry. No, that had been a long, painful ugly cry. She had not wailed like that since she had seen the newscast showing Dabi kill himself while he had been fighting with Endeavor and Shoto.

Her body shook softly but she was finally able to start breathing again. But she kept her face buried in Izuku’s wet shirt. She was pretty sure the material was soaked in her tears, spit and snot. It was kind of gross to have her face smashed up against the mixture of fluids. But she was still too embarrassed to pull away. Her hands had grabbed fistfuls of his shirt that she was white knuckling as if he too may disappear if she were to let go. But the muscles in her hands and arms were cramping up under the stress. Yet her hands felt locked up. She could not get them to even loosen their grip a little.

The room fell silent as Izuku just continued to wait. Even after the crying had seemed to subside. He still did not try to rush her, talk to her or even do anything but softly rub her back. He waited till she made the first move. And that first move was her grip on his shirt finally coming loose. She did not completely let go of his shirt but she finally got enough control of herself to loosen the grip and allow blood to return to her hands. She was now just softly sniffling as the house fell otherwise silent.

“Thank you,” was the barely audible whisper she mumbled into his wet t-shirt as she still clung to him, not sure if she wanted to let him go.

“Please do not thank me,” was the almost broken sounding words that ended up mumbled into her hair as the two held each other till Aoi finally pulled away and forced herself to her feet even as Izuku tried to help her but she asked to be left alone as she limped her way to the bathroom so she could blow her nose, and attempt to wash the evidence off of her face of the crying she had done.

Chapter 34

Notes:

Sorry to my other 2 stories that should have gotten updates before this one.

Chapter Text

After washing her face and attempting to wash away the embarrassment that sat on her shoulders, Aoi had excused herself for the night and hid in her room. She had not planned to turn into such an emotional mess. She had not cried in front of someone since she was a kid. The streets had taught her quickly that uncontrolled emotions were a weakness, and weakness got you killed. She was also pretty sure she had made the man feel uncomfortable. She knew if someone had just randomly broken down and sobbed on her shoulder she would have no idea what to do.

That night was like far too many. Her brain would not calm down, her body wanted to cry again but she would not allow it this time other than the odd silent tear. But she would make sure to not make a sound to draw any attention to her room.

Still the questions in her mind did not help her sleep. Why did Izuku put up with her? Why deal with the burden of her mental break down? Why worry about her safety? Why help her at all? He was not getting anything out of it. If anything he was having to put in a lot of effort and got no reward. People never did things to be nice, not in her life anyways. But she could not understand the man she was sharing a home with.

By the time she did drift off to sleep the sun had already started to break the horizon. The slightest slivers of sun slipped past the side of the curtains. She expected only an hour or two of sleep. But maybe Izuku knew that she would not have slept well. For he never knocked on her door that morning or even afternoon. It was starting to push evening by the time a still half asleep Aoi dragged her sore body from her bed and headed to the bathroom. She really needed to pee, or else she would have chosen to stay in bed asleep.

Once able to relieve herself, she had planned to retreat back to her room to hide some more. But the banging in the kitchen gave away that Izuku was apparently cooking something. And like the almost inhuman being the hero was all it took was her making the slightest noise and that mop of green hair was poking around the corner to smile at her.

“Oh you’re up, perfect. I am just about to start some dinner,” Izuku said as he smiled at her. Aoi knew he was not in the kitchen as she had headed for the bathroom and was pretty sure this was an attempt to lure her from her room. Like she was some starving scared stray that he could lure out with food.

“Thanks Izuku but I’ll pass,” she said even though the pain in her stomach screamed to eat something. And maybe the hero’s quirk is telepathic too cause it almost seemed he could tell she was lying and that he could hear her body screaming its own protests. His smile had instantly fallen when she denied his offer.

“You didn’t eat lunch or dinner yesterday. You have not left your room all day. You need to eat something,” he sounded almost more like a worried mother than roommate.

“Don’t worry about it Izuku,” she said, turning her attention to her bedroom door as she proceeded towards it knowing that only a few more steps and she could be free from him. But she never made it as a hand gently grabbed at her forearm causing her to pause and then make the mistake of looking over at the deeply concerned face he was making.

“But I will worry. You’re not eating, you're not sleeping well. It’s not good for you,” he said softly as a concerned frowned pulled deeply at his lips.

“I don’t recall asking you to worry,” she snapped at him. She knew deep down that she should not get mad at him for trying to help. But her tired mind and empty stomach made her cranky.

And it seemed he did not expect that reaction as Izuku froze and seemed a little lost for words for a minute. But once that minute passed it seemed he snapped out of his frozen moment as he seemed a little unsure of himself, almost nervous. Had she not been upset she may have found it funny that she could make the number one hero in Japan nervous. But it seemed he was not nervous enough to let go of her arm either. She watched his mouth open about to say something to her before a banging at the door to their apartment had them both jump. It startled Izuku but the loud pounding instantly had memories flooding her mind. Suddenly the large apartment was no more.

She was back in her tiny old shack of a home. The door being banged on filled her ears along with a ringing. Her body locked up. She could not move, her knees locked preventing her from running. Her chest also felt locked up, her rib cage would not expand. Air would not fill her lungs. She could not breathe, she was suffocating under the fear. All she could hear was the pounding on the door, the ringing in her ears.

She was completely unaware of the panic she was in and the worry that washed over Izuku as he realized Aoi was having an incredibly bad panic attack. All the while someone was banging loudly at the door. Which quickly seemed to be an issue for her as each bang of a fist against the door only made her panic worse. And Deku knew who it was even before the voice yelled at him to open the damn door. And of course the yelling did not help either. But Izuku was horribly torn. He could not bring himself to turn away from Aoi. Her face was stark white, her body shaking violently. He expected her legs to give out any moment as she started to sway.

Izuku was almost scared she was going to start turning purple as she struggled to breathe. He was trying to talk to her but it became clear fast that she was not able to hear him or comprehend what he was saying. Her eyes had grown wide and her hands had grabbed at her own arms as she hugged herself. Her nails dug in hard enough to draw blood. In a split second he decided to use black whip to open the front door to stop the banging.

“Aoi look at me you're okay,” he was trying to draw her attention but it was no good. Finally her legs gave out and Izuku’s hold on her was the only thing that stopped her from toppling to the ground. He was gentle as he lowered her to the flood even as he could hear the heavy stomps of their guest walking into their home only to come across Izuku trying and failing to help the woman on the floor who was in a full blown panic curling up into a ball as she tried desperately to breathe. Blood was starting to run down her arms from the holes she was ripping into her own skin with her blunt nails.

She could not make out anything she heard any more. Her head had been stuffed with sand, voices were muffled. Her vision was blurred with tears filling her eyes, and even when she tried to focus on anything it only made the room spin. She knew it was Izuku who was kneeling in front of her and trying to talk to her but she could not force her body and mind to work together as she struggled to breathe and try to calm down the panic even as the pounding at the door had stopped.

Suddenly Izuku was pulled back and away from her, there was muffled mumbling but she could not tell what was going on, nor who Izuku was talking to. She did not even know there was a third person in the apartment now. Suddenly blonde and red filled her blurry vision, it was different and she tried so hard to focus on the vibrant red that filled her vision when she looked up. Talking, she could hear talking again this time it was slow and gentle but her swimming head could still not understand it.

Breathing, she still couldn’t breathe. Her hands detached themselves to move to start trying to claw at her throat. She was suffocating, someone had to be choking her. Her nails clawed desperately at her neck and the invisible grip that was keeping her from inhaling much needed air. Large hands gently gripped at her wrists in an attempt to keep her from clawing out her own throat. Talking again tried to reach her.

She once again tried to focus on the face in front of her, on the red she could see. Her body was still shaking violently. She found her eyes drifting down to look at full plump lips. They were moving. Suddenly they stopped talking instead she watched as the lips parted, closed, paused for a moment then opened again. Oh breathing, the lips were showing her how to breathe again. She carefully tried to mimic them. Her dry lips parted, she struggled to get any air into her lungs, let her lips close and hold the breath before she let out a shaky exhale.

“Good,” was the single word she could finally make out as she continued to inhale slowly along with the person who was sitting down in front of her.

Painfully slowly air started to fill her body once again, she was no longer suffocating. The world was no longer swimming when she finally could take in the full view of the face before her. Ash blonde hair, bright red eyes, a face even models would kill for. Even without the sight of him covered in ash, dirt, and blood it was easy to recognize the man.

“Dynamite?” She croaked out with a dry mixture of surprise and hesitation. But she welcomed it. He was a distraction and so were the questions that started to swim in her mind. His sudden appearance allowed her to focus on something other than the panic that still had her body shaking. She was more than happy to cling to anything that could be a distraction and help keep her from once again slipping into panic.

“Keep breathing idiot,” was the reply she got from the angry blonde. If she could actually breathe she would have laughed at him. He was as angry in person as he was on the news. At least he didn’t fake who he was. She would have liked to tell him to fuck off, but she knew her breathing had fallen into synchronization with his and that following him was the only thing keeping her from hyperventilating again.

Slowly her senses came back to her body, pain started to radiate all over. Her head was pounding and her lungs felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to her ribs. Her mouth was bone dry and she was surprised when she found a glass of water being offered to her. Finally looking away from Dynamite she looked at the glass. Slowly her eyes took in the sight of the scarred fingers wrapped around the glass, up the arm and finally she settled on Izuku’s worried face that tried to offer her a forced smile.

“Drink it slowly,” Dynamite barked at her. Which just earned him an eye roll from her. But she still did as he said as she held the glass carefully with both hands as she was not sure she could feel her fingers or even tell if she was actually holding the glass. She took a small sip just letting the little bit of water coat her tongue and mouth. She tried to keep the second sip just as small but it did not feel like it was enough as each swallow felt like she had been trying to swallow a golf ball.

Once the glass was half empty she handed it back to Izuku as she feared she was going to drop it as her hands shook violently. She tried to force a small smile as she thanked him.

“What happened?” She asked softly as she flexed her fingers and realized she could not actually remember very much after the panic had started.

“You had a hell of a panic attack. What the hell set it off?” It was Bakugo who answered her. Which had her frown softly, she did not remember him being present before the panic attack. How long had it lasted? Seemed both her and the blonde were curious and both turned their attention to Izuku in order for him to fill in the blanks and answer their questions.

“Uhm we were talking. Then suddenly Kacchan knocked on the door. You started to panic after that. What are you doing here any ways Kacchan?” Izuku asked his own question as Bakugo stood up and turned his attention to Izuku.

“I came to tell you to get your ass back to work.I refuse to take the number one spot this quarter just because you have been playing house with some woman,” Bakugo was grumbling.

Ugh Aoi’s head hurt too much to listen to the loud blonde as he and Izuku started arguing slightly back and forth. She slowly raised her right hand up to rub at her forehead but paused as she took in the sight of blood that coated the tips of her fingers and under her short nails. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at her hands before quickly looking up at the two men trying to tell which one she had attacked. But neither man had a single scratch on them that she could see. Still guilt was clawing at her before she finally looked at her own arms and took in the sight of the small claw marks that had a bit of dry blood sticking to her skin. Well that was a bit of a relief, knowing she had only hurt herself and no one else.

Deciding her head hurt too much to listen to the bickering she slowly and carefully pushed herself to her feet. Her sore body from her tumble off the treadmill still ached and complained but at least her legs held her up. She turned to try and continue to her bedroom hoping to escape unnoticed. But of course she could not be so lucky.

“Oi where the hell do you think you're going?” Came the barked question as soon as she took one step towards her bedroom.

“Back to my room. My head is pounding, and you’re as loud as fucking hell,” she tried to bite back but her lack of energy did not make her words sound as harsh as she had wanted them to be. But she really didn’t have the energy to deal with Izuku and now she also had an angry blonde idiot to deal with.

“But Aoi you have not eaten all day,” Izuku said softly and she had to struggle to not groan. This felt like déjà vu, till she remembered that this had been what she and Izuku had been talking about right before her panic attack. But this time she was out numbered as she glanced between Izuku and Dynamite. Hmmm was there any chance she could make a run for it and reach the short distance to her room before one of them could stop her? Probably not based on the still throbbing pain in one ankle and her other hip.

It did not take a genius to know that she could not win this battle. She frowned and wanted to grumble under her breath. How annoying, damn her bladder for forcing her out of her bedroom.

“Fine,” she grumbled as she turned and started to limp her way towards the kitchen. She would sit at the table, eat something so Izuku would leave her alone and then she would run back to her bedroom to continue to hide and wallow in her own misery. The sooner she let him get this over with the better.

She could feel both sets of eyes on her as she slowly dragged her beaten and exhausted body into the kitchen and over to the table. Nearly throwing herself into the chair she had designated as hers since moving in with Izuku.

“You look like shit,” the blonde was as brash and blunt as ever it seemed.

“No shit. I feel like it too,” she snapped back as she glanced at the blonde who was standing in the kitchen with his arms crossed over his chest. Poor Izuku looked a little worried as he looked between the two and watched as Bakugo opened his mouth to say something back.

“Oh Kacchan, this is Sugahara Aoi. Aoi this is my childhood friend,” he never got to finish the introduction as Aoi interrupted him.

“I know who he is. King Explosion Murder Dynamite, kinda hard not to know such an arrogant ass,” Aoi said far too bluntly. She knew that was incredibly rude of her. But honestly of the hero’s in Deku’s generation, the blonde standing in their kitchen was the one she hated the most. He reminded her of Endeavour and all the other asshole hero’s she had ever encountered.

“The hell did you just say!” Was the outburst she completely expected from the blonde.

“You heard me right, hero. Or are the rumors right? Are you losing your hearing after all?” She was taunting him now. She should have felt bad for how panicked she was making poor Izuku who was standing between them. And he may have been the only thing standing between Aoi getting a face full of explosions.

She could hear the small cracks and pops before she watched the blonde close his eyes, take a deep breath, then slowly release it as he attempted to calm himself. To her surprise he was quickly growing calmer than she was.

“The hell is your problem?” The blonde asked once his temper was under enough control that he could ask his question.

“A few things. I don’t like unwanted guests, I don’t enjoy being triggered into a panic attack because some arrogant asshole can not just knock on the door like a normal person. I also just completely hate hero’s and it’s annoying enough being stuck with that one. The last thing I want is the biggest ass on the charts in here yelling up a storm,” she growled at him, her own temper still flaring.

For a split second she almost thought she saw guilt cross the man’s face as she informed him that his aggressive knock was what triggered her bad panic attack. It probably wouldn’t have happened had the blonde been able to knock at the door like a normal person. After all, she had not panicked like that when Iida and his wife visited. But the look did not last long as he then looked confused for the next second as she had said bluntly that she did not like heros. Hell he almost looked like she had just told him that ramen was the worst food in the world.

Bakugo looked between her and Izuku who looked a little lost for words himself as he stood there just listening to her. Not exactly to sure what to say or do after that. Seemed both men were a little speechless.

“Ugh can we just eat already? My head is killing me and I just wanna go back to my room,” she complained as she rubbed just above her right eyebrow as if she could somehow work away the pain of her headache.

“Oh yeah. Here drink the rest of this. I’ll grab some bandages for your arms first then I’ll get started on cooking,” Izuku jumped forwards to place her half finished drink down before turning to head to the bathroom to get the first aid kit and clean up the small cuts on her arms.

“Don’t worry about it,” Bakugo finally spoke up after listening to her rude outburst. Izuku only paused long enough to give his long time friend a confused look which required him to elaborate more, “about the food. I’ll cook, I don’t wanna leave here just to listen to you trip the fire alarm ten minutes later.”

“I only did that once and it was at the dorms,” Izuku whined softly but he still smiled happily as he let Bakugo start roaming around his kitchen with freedom to do as he pleased as Izuku rushed off to the bathroom. With a soft sigh Aoi carefully placed her arms on the table before leaning over to rest her face into her arms. She let the sound of clanking pots and pans be the only sound in the room.with her eyes closed at least she could pretend the annoying and loud blonde was not just a few steps away cooking something in Izuku’s kitchen.

She was really going to need to apologize to Izuku for how rude she had been to him and Bakugo. But it was going to have to wait for another day when she just did not feel so exhausted and done.

Chapter Text

It felt incredibly awkward as Izuku worked at cleaning and putting some bandaids on her arms from where her own finger nails had broken through the skin. They stung slightly but it was an easy enough pain to ignore compared to her ankle that was angry and screaming at her. Maybe she stepped on it funny during her panic attack? She didn’t know but it was back to gently throbbing even as she sat at the table and didn’t move.

But maybe the biggest surprise to her was the fact that the blonde standing in their kitchen had yet to utter a word since Izuku had gone to fetch his incredibly oversized first aid kit. Then again he was a hero, one well known for getting himself hurt and apparently one who liked to refuse medical help too. Knowing him like she did now it made sense the man had a nearly duffel bag sized med kit.

But back to the blonde. Aoi glanced over at the man who was silently cooking in front of the stove and making Izuku’s large kitchen look tiny with the two hero’s mulling around it. Then again most people were not typically over six feet tall and nearly three hundred pounds of pure muscle like these men.

“Thanks Izuku. Can you also grab me a painkiller? Between my head and ankle I’m not sure what’s hurting more,” she spoke softly as she watched the man seem to light up as he was more than happy to offer her some Advil and topped off her glass of water so she could toss the pills into her mouth and wash them down.

“Do you need any ice for your ankle?” He asked as he looked at her with wide worried eyes and ready to do anything she asked.

“No it’s okay. I’ll just try and stay off of it so I don’t irritate it any more,” she said as she moved to place one elbow on the table then plop her chin into her hand so she could hold her head up.

“What the hell happened?” His tone was still gruff. But his volume was at a much lower level now. Almost as low as it had been when he talked to her during her panic attack.

“None of your business,” she snapped back but it seemed a useless retort as Izuku answered his best friend.

“Aoi had a tumble on the treadmill the other day and twisted her ankle,” Izuku answered, which earned him a shocked look of betrayal from the woman. To which Izuku flashed her a soft smile that just begged for her to forgive him.

Bakugo just simply clicked his tongue off of the back of his teeth but did not actually say anything at that. Was that a good thing? It probably was. And yet why did she wish he said something rude about it. Probably so she could get rude right back with him. Why did she itch to get into a screaming match with the blonde? Probably because he reminded her of Endeavour and Aoi always took every chance she had to pick fights with the old hero when she was growing up. And the same urge to get up in Bakugo’s face itched at her skin. But she had a feeling with Izuku around he would do everything he could to be a buffer between her and the blonde ticking time bomb that she wanted to annoy till he blew up.

Maybe it was a good thing she could not get in the hero’s face. At the end of the day Aoi really needed to come to terms that she was living with a hero. He had hero friends. She was going to be stuck seeing a lot more hero’s now than she probably ever has. And since they were his friends or at the least they were a part of his life she needed to learn to not just fly off the handle at any hero who talked to her.

The smell of some heavenly cooked food drew her out of her own head as she looked down to see Bakugo plopping a bowl down in front of her. Inside it was a bowl of Oyakodon. So that’s what the blonde had been making them for supper. It looked pretty good, and it smelled even better. Her stomach was cramping up in pain at the reminder of the lack of food she had been giving it lately.

“Thanks,” she mumbled as if she had a sock stuffed into her mouth as she tried to get the single word out as she didn’t look at the blonde. Based on the grunt he gave he heard her. Whether he accepted the thanks she didn’t know. At least she had tried to be nice. Grabbing her chopsticks she mumbled her thanks to the food before she started plopping the first mouthful of rice, chicken and egg into her mouth. It was a simple meal but honestly it was delicious and soothed her stomach and body.

She would never admit to either man though that the meal was delicious and soothing for her as she tried to remind herself not to just inhale the meal all in one go. A silence fell over the table as the three ate their meals and it was making Aoi feel antsy. Was it the blonde stranger? Or the fact that even Izuku was silent that was making it feel so awkward? No matter, Aoi was going to break the silence before she found herself any more antsy.

“You should head back to work Izuku,” Aoi said bluntly as she broke the silence between bites of food. She had been thinking about why the blonde claimed to be in their apartment. He had come to yell at Izuku to get back to work. And Bakugo had not been the first person to tell him that, his other hero friends had and so did she. Still it seemed no one expected that to be the way the heavy silence was broken. She could hear Izuku let out an audible squeak of surprise. Glancing up she watched as Izuku was taking a drink of water and trying not to choke on his mouthful of food. Bakugo on the other hand looked like he was trying hard not to just burst out in laughter from his position across the table from Aoi.

“Ha even your girlfriend thinks you need to get back to work,” Bakugo nearly seemed to cackle as he watched Izuku take a drink from his water to wash down the food he nearly choked on.

“Not his girlfriend,” Aoi grumbled even though she could feel her ears growing warm. But it seemed the blonde either did not hear her or if he did, he did not care.

Poor Izuku looked between his two friends, feeling a little out numbered at the moment.

“I’ll return to work in a bit. I had lots of vacation time so it’s not a problem,” Izuku said as if his flimsy words held any importance to the topic.

“There’s no reason for you to be sticking around all day. I’m not that helpless,” Aoi grumbled though based on the looks both men gave her she had a feeling neither believed her. She frowned at them both. Which drew her to growl out, “it’s a twisted ankle from a stupid fall.”

As if the real issue was not the obvious PTSD she was suffering. The panic attack over an aggressive knock at the door. Her poor sleeping and eating habits. She was clearly a ball of nerves and issues and yet she was choosing to ignore it and pretend that everything was fine.

“Still it hasn’t been that long and Arakawa and his boss are still on the loose,” Izuku said, looking at her all concerned as if she may disappear again if he left her alone.

“Izuku this apartment building has security, the chance that someone is going to knock down the door and kidnap me again is unlikely,” Aoi points out, but not just to Izuku but also it was a way to remind herself that she was safe here.

“She’s right. And I live in this building too. If you think I would let some shitty ass villain in this building then you’re an idiot,” It was Bakugo who spoke up and to her surprise kind of agreed with her. Also she had no idea that the blonde hero also lived in the building. That completely had her attention now?

“Are there any other hero’s that live in this complex?” She asked, actually looking at and having a civil conversation with said loud blonde hero.

“Well me and shitty hair are on the floor below you and Izuku and I am pretty sure there are a few other extras in the building but hell if I know who they are,” Well the blonde was clearly no help at all after all. Which just earned him an unimpressed look from the woman. And who the hell was shitty hair?

“He means Kirishima. You may know him as Red Riot though,” Izuku said, filling in the information that Bakugo had not properly explained when he noticed her confused face. At least one of the two idiots was smart enough to actually explain things to her, “There are a good handful of hero’s in this complex. Most of the people who live here like or need the extra security.”

Ah so this complex was home to probably a lot of important people and those with enemies. So hero’s and probably politicians or the like. Maybe those who work in high positions of companies and who knows. But the fact that three top twenty hero’s live within the complex was a rather nerve-settling bit of information. And although she had never met the red headed hero that apparently lived with Bakugo, she had seen him on the news. He seemed like a very nice person and honestly seemed to be the one keeping the loud blonde at their kitchen table from being too stupid. He was the golden retriever boyfriend in that relationship, clearly. Asking him for help would be easy enough if anything happened and she expected she would recognize him even out of costume. It was kind of hard not to recognize a mountain man with flaming red hair and a bright smile on his face.

She would never admit it but Red Riot was the closest she would come to calling someone her favorite hero. She liked his genuine warm smiles, the fact that he kept Bakugo in check as well as he could, and she had even seen him apologize for his boyfriend's actions. It made it hard to hate the man. Sure a part of her wanted to think it was all an act. Like most hero’s, the persona the media saw was not the real person behind the hero. Hawks was a hard reminder of that. She used to like him and had been an eager teen fan when he made the number two spot. But after seeing him kill twice she had felt so betrayed. Since that day she never trusted a hero based on their persona.

“See, there is no safer place I could be. You can go back to work. I’ll still be here at the end of the day,” she said, simply still not dropping the fact that there was no real reason for him to stay home, “anyways not like there’s anywhere for me to go either.”

She had no issues pointing out that she had nowhere else to go. Though it was not the first time, and she honestly expected it would not be the last time she ended up on the street. But at the end of the day she was safe here, it was warm, and there was food. Izuku did not beat her. There was no reason for her to run away. Sure her old apartment no longer existed, but could live without it. It would be hard. She would need to find another job, save up money, and get a new place. She had done it before, she could do it again. If she had to.

But she knew she did not have to. She may not like living with Izuku and being reliant on him. But he seemed happy to help her, he was nice to her. And he had yet to ask anything of her for it either. She was waiting for the day he would. In her world everyone wanted something for their efforts. But until Izuku started asking for repayment, if he ever did, she would stay. Well she would probably stay.

She couldn’t help that paranoid side of her brain that tried to tell her that he would betray her eventually. All hero’s did. Even with all the good things Deku did she could not completely crush that paranoid side of her. Maybe she was just crazy? She honestly was not too sure any more.

She had been thinking so much she had not even been paying attention to what the two men were talking about. Turning her attention back to the conversation at hand she noticed the two men were still bickering about how safe the apartment building was. Izuku made his doubts clear. Though it was easy to tell he was trying to pull excuses out of his ass. And Bakugo was crushing each poor excuse.

Watching the two bicker like kids was interesting. For a second it was easy to forget the two men were hero’s. Nor in their mid twenties as she watched the two argue like children.

“You shouldn’t worry so much about me,” She said, stopping their bickering mid fight as both men paused and looked over at her as she finished her bowl of food. She almost wanted to lick the bowl clean. It was not fair, the blonde was such a good cook.

The room going silent had her pick her head up to look over at Izuku. He was staring at her with wide eyes and pink cheeks. He looked a bit surprised and embarrassed or maybe flustered by her comment. The blonde was just smirking smugly at his friend.

“Well I can’t help it. It’s a habit to worry about my friends,” Izuku said, trying to defend himself.

Turning her head she looked at the blonde, the only other person in the room currently who Izuku would call his friend, even if said blonde would not say the same back.

“Is he like that with all his friends?” She asked.

“Yeah. Damn nerd is always worried about people,” the blonde said bluntly with his scowl on his lips. That made her own lips press together into a firm line as she looked unimpressed between the two men.

“Still this is one of the safest places I can be. Only a moron would try and get in. And even if they do, you and Dynamite would never let anything happen,” she pointed out. She tried to ignored the loud blonde who started yelling.

“Hey! Don’t lump me in on saving your damn ass,” he yelled at her and pointed an accusing finger at her.

“Oh? So you would let a villain break in, run a muck, and then kidnap a helpless civilian. And you wouldn’t step in and stop them?” She asked as she taunted him slightly with her question. And she knew he hated it as she watched his anger only grow. It was entertaining watching the blonde get angry now that she wasn’t actually scared of him.

“Of course not. I’d never let a fucking villain step foot into this place. So none of the rest would happen,” the blonde barked. Oh how badly she wanted to see just how angry she could make the blonde. But with her current headache she couldn’t take the loud yelling. So instead she just rolled her eyes at him. Though she was pretty sure that action had steam starting to rise from the blonde.

“Okay okay. See Izuku. The great Lord Murder God Dynamite will not let anything happen in this complex. So there's no reason for you not to go back to work. Japan needs their number one hero. I am sure your absence has been noticed by everyone already,” She pointed out. She knew all too well how villains would be taking advantage of his absence. Crime has increased lately. That meant other hero’s were stuck picking up the slack. And the look she shot the green haired man said that he was well aware of the same thing as she was. He really could not be missing from the streets any longer. He had already been missing for too long. Clearly there was more he wanted to say, he opened his mouth once and then closed it seeming to be thinking over what he wanted to say then it seemed to dawn on her.

“If you're worried about me leaving and being jumped I won’t leave the building without you or some other hero,” She said simply. She could see the little gears in his mind turning. That seemed like it may have been one of the things on his mind. Though he was still clearly uneasy as he mulled over his thoughts.

“For fuck sakes Deku what the hell else is the issue? The place is safe, your girlfriend will be safe and she even agreed not to leave the place alone. You’re going back to work. I will even come here and drag your fucking ass out of this apartment tomorrow morning with me if I have to,” The loud blonde said as he made his threat clear to Izuku.

“Not his girlfriend,” Aoi grumbled softly once again but she just watched the blonde roll his eyes at her. So he had heard her earlier but did not care. Ugh he was annoying.

“Whatever. I'm getting the hell out of here. You two losers can enjoy your evening together,” The blonde said as he stood up. Carried his dirty dishes to the sink and plopped them in before heading for the door. Izuku happily called a farewell to his friend while Aoi just glared at the man's back as he slipped his shoes back on and strolled out of the apartment like he owned the damn place. She really hated that cocky bastard.

Chapter Text

Keeping true to his word Bakugo Katsuki stood at their door the next morning. He was going to see to it personally that Izuku went to work. Even though the guy never agreed the night before. It took threats from both the blonde and a tired Aoi who had not been pleased too the six am wake up of a softer, more normal knock coming from their door at the ass crack of dawn. Bakugo threatened to blow Izuku’s ass up if he didn’t leave. And Aoi threatened to leave if it meant the man would follow her out. She would walk to his agency if she had to in order to drop him off like some preschool child that clings to their mothers leg refusing to let go.

And that was how she found herself all alone in the large empty apartment. It was weird having the apartment all to herself. The place felt oddly silent. She turned the tv on instantly just so the place was not so quiet any more. It helped a little with the anxiety she felt. She had not even been alone for half an hour and she was feeling antsy. Whatever was playing held no interest to her, but it did help a little to hear voices fill the home. With a light limp she found herself in the kitchen. Her stomach was gnawing at her to eat something. The last few days she had been neglecting herself and she knew it. Skipped meals, sleepless nights. Annoying thoughts that just made her anxiety and depression worse.

And yet she was happy to be alone. Finally she could breathe without a worried hero standing over her shoulder ready to panic and aid her at the first opportunity. It was still something she was struggling with. Izuku was so eager to be there, to help her and do almost anything she asked of him. Still he had yet to ask anything in return. That was what she struggled to understand. She was looking into the pot of the miso soup she was boiling as if it may magically give her the answers to the enigma that she felt the hero was. People did not do things out of the kindness of their hearts.

Most days she even wondered if the average person even had a heart any more. Humans are selfish and greedy creatures. She had seen it time and time again since she was young. Managers abusing staff, heros fawning their power and abusing it, cops who will turn a blind eye as long as their pockets were heavy with coin. And everyone will walk past a dirty, rough looking child saying that someone else will come along. A hero will come and help. They all say it but it never happened. Heros only help those who are worth helping within society standards.

Turning off the stove she poured her soup into a bowl, grabbed her rice and some pickled vegetables from the fridge before sitting down at the table to slowly eat her breakfast. She barely paid her meal any attention. She knew all too well that she was not someone that society deemed worth saving. She never had been. She was not saved as a kid, she struggled as a teen. And now as an adult it was all she could do to keep her head afloat. And yet Izuku somehow deemed her worthy all of the sudden.

She wanted to believe it was his kind heart. The man was too soft for his own good. And yet her brain screamed that there had to be strings attached. He must want something from her. But what? Izuku knew she had nothing to offer as repayment for his kindness. No job or money any more. She had also not been nice to him lately.

Sighing, she looked down at her empty plates before gathering them up and walking to the sink to wash them and all the dishes she had made dirty while cooking her meal. The least she could do was clean the apartment while she waited for the hero to return. So first the dishes, then she wiped down the counter, then swept and mopped the floor. Though by that point she needed a break as her sore ankle was a little unhappy with all the standing. What should she do next? The bathroom would be a good idea. Then again she should start some laundry if she wanted it all done and dry before Izuku got back.

Sitting on the couch she looked down the hall towards the bedrooms. Should she enter Izuku’s room and clean it? She wanted to, and it wasn’t like there was anything he had worth hiding from her. She had already seen his hero merchandise boxers. But then she wasn’t sure if the poor bundle of shy nerves would still be happy with that idea. She should ask him first. Slowly climbing to her feet she slowly made her way to her bedroom to gather up her dirty clothes to throw in the wash while she cleaned the bathroom.

By the time she heard the front door unlock she was in the kitchen already working to try and finish cooking dinner. Though she had not been sure when he would exactly return. She expected him to be gone for a while and it seemed him returning after six pm was what she expected. She was pretty sure she could hear the hero sniffing like some dog before the messy head of curls poked into the kitchen.

“That smells good,” Izuku said as she was standing at the front of the stove. The sizzling of the stir fry in front of her almost blocked out the arrival of her roommate.

“Thanks,” she mumbled as she focused on the food in front of her and not letting it burn.

“I’ve missed your cooking Aoi,” Izuku said as he stood behind her. His tall stature made it easy for him to look over her head and at the stir fry she was mixing.

“Good, I noticed you didn’t take a lunch with you this morning. There’s a bento in the fridge for tomorrow. I expect you to take it with you,” she tossed a glare over her shoulder at the hero who she knew had most likely skipped both breakfast and lunch in lieu of trying to get as much hero work done as he could. Of course the hero just smiled innocently at her.

“Go shower and dinner will be done by the time you're out,” she said after a soft sigh. It wasn’t like she had any room to scold the hero on his bad eating habits. She herself was just as bad. She may have cooked breakfast but she skipped lunch as well. And she had no excuse for it like the hero did.

She had plates filled and had just placed them down on the table before she heard the door to the bathroom open. She was grabbing them glasses of water before she turned to see Izuku sitting at his spot at the table. A wide smile pulled at his lips as he looked up from the food to the woman as she placed down a cup of water in front of him.

With a quick thanks to the food both started to dig in. Though the silence felt heavy and awkward. It was easy to break. A simple question was all it took and the hero was rambling on and on.

“How was it being back at work?”

That question had Izuku instantly jump into a ramble of how his day had gone. From the purse snatching he stopped on his way to work, to how happy he was to see his fellow hero’s again. And how he spent his day helping people. It was clear with the energy and smile on his face that being a hero made him happy. He was not doing the job for the money or fame like most hero’s. He helped people because he wanted to. She felt a little bad for doubting him lately.

She simply sat there enjoying her meal, smiling and nodding as she let Izuku’s rambling fill the silence. It was slightly soothing and she tried to focus on what he was saying and not let her thoughts encompass her entirely. Still she couldn’t help but wonder why he did so much for her. And how could she repay him?

That was the question she was now thinking over as she watched the hero across from her rambling on about his day back after his little holiday off. She had no way to repay him. No money to her name and he clearly did not yet want her to leave the apartment alone so she doubted he would let her get a new job tomorrow. And even if she did it would take time to find a job that would hire a highschool dropout. She would have to try and find a convenient store nearby or something similar that would hire her. Even then it would take a while for her to earn what she could assume would be enough to cover her medical expenses, her share of rent on such a nice place, her share of the food and other basic things.

She had little to no options. What else could she do? Sure she could cook and clean but she would do that for herself anyways. Making a little extra food to feed the hero was easy when she was cooking for herself. Looking up at him he was still just rambling away about his work. She glanced away and looked down the halls towards their bedrooms. Oh yes she could ask him about cleaning his bedroom. She had not entered his room for fear it could upset him. She would have to ask him about it as soon as the man finished his little ramble.

She watched and waited till Izuku finally seemed to be drawing his rambling to an end. Took him a while, but she let him go on as long as he wanted to. It did not seem worth interrupting him while they ate. It wasn’t till she was gathering up dirty dishes from the table that it seemed Izuku was finished.

“How was your day?” Izuku asked as he finished his food and jumped to his feet to help her clean up. She softly shrugged her shoulders before she turned and carried her dishes towards the sink.

“It was okay. Mostly spent it cleaning. Which reminds me. Is it okay if I clean your bedroom? Or even just go into your room so I can change your bedsheets? I would like to add them to the laundry I will do tomorrow,” she said as she started filling the sink with hot water so she could wash the dishes.

“Huh? Oh you don’t need to worry about doing my laundry or anything like that,” Izuku was quick to try and tell her she did not need to clean up after him in his room.

“It’s fine. There isn’t much to do here other than clean up. And anyways if I’m doing my own laundry it’s not that much work to add yours,” she said simply as Izuku slipped up beside her within the de entry large kitchen. Yet his presence made the kitchen feel tiny.

“Oh! Do you want anything brought in? I could get you a game system? Is there a particular streaming channel you want?” He asked before going on a soft ramble about what else he could purchase for her to help keep her from growing bored. Which was not overly helpful to her. Aoi did not watch a lot of tv. She was also not used to being home all day. Working herself to the bone was what she knew the best. She wondered how long she could last being home all day alone without crawling up the walls. Still she didn’t like the idea of Izuku spending even more money on her. But she did realize she did really want one particular item.

“Don’t worry about it. Your tv has more than enough to watch on it. But uhm a new cell phone would be nice so I could know when you’ll be home for dinner,” she said softly trying not to sound like she really wanted one.

“Oh yeah I forgot your old one got lost in everything. If I’m going to be out working and you ever needed help you would need to be able to call for help. I’ll make sure to get you a new phone,” Izuku said, realizing he had forgotten that she no longer had a cell phone. And he did not enjoy the sudden realization that if anything ever happened she would not be able to call him for help. He would make sure to get her a new cell phone tomorrow before he came home after work.

“Thanks,” she said softly. She really hated having to ask for anything, and the fact she could not repay him either. She started washing the dishes only for Izuku to shoo her away. Telling her that she had cleaned enough today. And since she cooked he would clean. She didn’t mind cleaning. If anything it felt like the only thing she could do to try and repay him. Also she had no idea what to do with herself. The urge to retreat to her bedroom to simply simmer in her own brain was strong. But she was trying not to do that again. She wanted to try and make things return to as close as they had been, before life decided to screw her only the last time.

“You also never answered my question. Do I have permission to enter your room?” She asked over her shoulder before she started towards the living room.

Izuku was happy she had retreated to the couch and could not see how red his face was at her question. He has never had a woman cleaning his bedroom for him before, well not since he was a kid and his mom did it at least. The thought still made him a little embarrassed even though she had already seen his All Might themed room and everything inside of it before. Still did not stop the embarrassment that made his ears warm.

“Hum I guess it’s fine,” he called out. But at his unsure tone she arched a brow at him.

“Is it really? You know Izuku, you're allowed to say no. Grow a little spine. You won’t hurt my feelings if you say no to me,” she said as she tried to lean back and look into the kitchen at him.

“It’s okay. Just feels weird thinking you will be doing my laundry,” he admits from his spot at the sink.

Ah poor little sugar cookie was embarrassed about having a woman in his room. She couldn’t help but wonder. Is the hero a virgin? He always seemed so shy and easily got embarrassed over what she saw as little things. If she was braless he would try so hard not to look at her directly, then again she was pretty sure it was the same way when she wore shorts that were almost more like panties than short.

It was a bit hard to believe the man who could probably have any model he could wanted was so shy. Surely women threw themselves at him. And yet here he was getting embarrassed over the thought of her doing his laundry. Almost made it hard to believe that hero was the same age as her. And now him living with another woman was going to just make it all the harder for the poor guy to bring someone home.

The thought crossed her mind and she couldn’t deny it stuck. At first the thought repulsed her. She had worked so hard to never stoop to such a low as to sell her body. But it feels like for Izuku it would be different. First off, Izuku would surely treat her well. Yet still she had her pride. But was it using her body if she rather liked the idea of sleeping with him? If she was interested then was it really selling herself?

She was torn on what the answer was. If she wanted to be with him then she was not really trading her body for payment. But still she knew she would be. There was no other way she could repay his kindness. Even if it was slightly annoying, still he kept a roof over her head, food in her stomach and she did not fear what the next day would bring. Fighting off boredom was her only real concern. Well that and how she was going to repay him for this kindness. The next question would be if she did decide to do that, would Izuku even want her? A plain nobody? When he could have a model at his will. She doubted it.

With a heavy sigh she sat deeper into the couch as she listened to Izuku pull the plug on the sink to let the water drain out once he was done washing dishes. Once finished Izuku made his way into the living room happy to join Aoi as she sat on the couch attempting to watch some movie on the tv. He was unaware of the inner turmoil that was bothering her this time. Then again a lot of things had been bothering her as of late. And this was just one of a few things that swam around in her head.

Notes:

The need to now add a Midoriya fanfic to my growing line up of BNHA fanfic's has been rotting my brain. I won't work on this one as much as my others at the moment not till I get one of my other 3 active stories finished. But I'll try to get some updates done semi regularly.