A buzz came through Aimi's new phone: Heyy! I hope you're settling in well! Todo passed on your number – it's me Mina! X
And then, not long after: Hi, it's Momo. Hope you're settling in and are doing alright!
A few others trickled in after that, even from people she had barely spoken to while she was there, and it was nice to finally feel as if she had a group of friends.
Todoroki's came last, simply: I passed your number around so you wouldn't get lonely. Hope that's alright. See you soon.
Aimi wondered when, but replied with, Thank you, Blue Knees. I hope I'll see you soon. Thank you for babysitting me so much.
It's ok.
Aimi tried to make the space her own; she had herself a one bedroom house and almost nothing to put inside of it. The furniture was bland, white barely wooden (almost a plastic hybrid material) chairs and tables, with a tattered wine-coloured couch. The mattress they had ready for her was soft, at least, and she sunk into it with sheer glee; having been used to hay or concrete, or even the dorm couches, the suggestion of a nap on a real bed was almost seductive.
Her phone buzzed: BLUE KNEES FANCLUB! Screamed across her screen, and she realised she'd been placed in a group chat. At that, she was awake, trying to figure out what was happening and how to get involved.
Mina said: I made this group 'cause it's fun and i wanna keep up with you aimi and i want you to keep up w everyone too! This is a safe space. We all love blue knees around here
A few others typed; a few jokes and little pictures made her phone chirp every few seconds, and eventually Aimi found her words: thank you everyone! This is so sweet, all of you are so kind! This place is so empty and sad looking so this is really lovely. Thank you!
All the girls were in the group, and they all seemed to have the same idea at once, a few different messages came in saying: We can give you some stuff to make the place your own! And maybe even when things are safer we can all go out shopping together!
Thank you, Aimi wrote, a stinging climbing up the back of her throat, this is really so sweet. I'll see when I'm allowed to hang out again!
The night, admittedly, was rough; it was eerily silent. The occasional car was her only brief company and the rustling wind set her nerves on edge. The quilt that the safehouse came with was thin, so Aimi bundled herself up in it as much as she could, the blanket resting lightly over her ears while her eyes were scrunched up. It was just after 10PM, and she was already tempted to abandon the idea of sleeping and try again tomorrow.
Eventually, she gave up, snatching up her phone she text Todoroki: Sleeping is tough. Are you awake?
Yes. Are you ok?
Just nervous. Sleeping alone, yknow. Feel a bit vulnerable. Is that normal?
I think so. For what happened to you then, yes, I'd say so. I'm sorry you're feeling that way.
That's alright! It's not your fault. Can I see you soon?
Like tonight?
Oh, no, no, that's okay, I'm sure you're comfortable at home, don't worry. I just meant soon!
The girls gave me a lot of stuff to bring you. I can come tomorrow afternoon, if you'd like. Probably 4:30 or so.
Aimi sat back, wondering if she was being too much of a burden. I'd like that but I'm worried I'm taking up so much of your time already.
I don't mind.
You sure?
Yes.
Alright then yeah that sounds lovely, thank you so much Todoroki!
She fell asleep a few hours later, almost entirely by accident, her consciousness just slipped and fell out of her hands and she woke up the next day at 1PM, feeling, for once, that she had actually slept enough. She tried her best to create some sort of routine, a shower, brushing her hair and teeth, some kind of meal thrown together with the groceries – she had realised, unfortunately, that cooking was not her forte despite the infinite amount of recipes she scoured for on her phone.
The wait for Todoroki was long, Aimi found herself stretched on the couch staring at the ceiling. She felt some pieces of her sanity chipping away when time stretched on and on like this; she wanted nothing more than to be up on her own two feet, out of everyone's way. She felt like 1A's pet more than anyone's friend, and she was hoping one day she could at least be something akin to their equal instead.
When he arrived, he knocked, despite the key.
"Hey," he breathed, six bags dropped at his feet. "This is all from the girls."
"Wow!" Aimi said, a laugh tagging along with it. "That is so sweet of them. Here, come in."
They brought in all the stuff; linen was especially popular – towels, sheets, duvet sets, flannels, blankets. Some of the girls sent clothes, bags, even candles, fiction books, and a handful of different snacks.
"This is so much, especially for people who barely know me. I might cry," Aimi admitted, voice crackling under the pressure in her throat, while she tried to find a nice spot for a thick vanilla scented candle.
"I'm sorry, I know they didn't mean to upset you, I –"
"No, no, it's alright, I'm just so grateful. I'll have to do something for everyone when I'm in a better position to. And you, as well, Todoroki." She smiled.
"Oh… that's alright, really." His feet shuffled beneath him. "Do you know how long you have to be here?" He asked tentatively.
"They said at least six months. There was a letter here as well yesterday, I get a few bags of groceries every Wednesday and schoolwork for the week is dropped off for me on Mondays. It's weird, I feel like a rat in a cage, but it's nice that people are looking after me." She finally found a place for the candle, turning to face him with a light smile on her face.
"Well, if you need anything in between that, let me know. I can use my dad's cards to get a hold of anything you might need."
"Your dad let's you have his cards?"
"Oh, he doesn't know I have it right now. We pass it around."
"Pass it a– you mean the class?" Aimi was incredulous; although she knew nothing about Todoroki or his life she could barely believe he would steal from anyone.
"Oh, no, me and my siblings, I mean."
Aimi laughed awkwardly; a little uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going. She still had no idea if she had a bank account or not, and no ID to prove herself to any teller if she could get to a bank anyway, so money was becoming more and more of a touchy subject. Being forced to rely on others was building a mountain of guilt up inside of her, she caught herself even tallying up an estimate for the things the girls had given her with a frown on her face.
"Hey, Blue Knees?"
"Hm?" he responded, finishing folding away a blanket. "Yeah?"
"Will you pass on my thanks to the girls? I'll text them too but I'd like them to really know I appreciate this."
"Sure, no problem. I can go now, if you prefer?"
Aimi hesitated, almost nervous to spend another night alone with the light wind and passing cars. Her gut was pulsing inside of her, pushing an uncertainty all around her body. "I don't… I want you to feel welcome here but… after everything already I feel awful about keeping you."
"Why?" He asked, a genuine concern painted over his face. He came towards her, folding the last bag away and setting it down. "If it helps, I do feel some responsibility for you, seeing as I was the one who found you on the steps. I think a good hero would do as much as they can for someone they save, but I don't want you to think that I'm being weird. It's not like… an obligation. I – uh, I really do want to help you."
It was sweet of him, she had brains enough to be able to tell that. But the swelling in her chest was a heavy guilt, not a butterflied lovesickness. She sighed gently, and told him, "I feel like I should let you go. I'm sure you have better things to be doing."
"Not really. Just homework. I can do that here, if you want me to stay."
She did want that. She wanted him to stay, and if she was being completely honest, she wanted him to offer to show her how to cook something, anything, and she wanted him to stay overnight to make her feel safe, but it was unreasonable to expect that.
"If you want to, I'd really like that, Blue Knees."
He smiled at her, it was only small, though. "They aren't blue. Why are you stuck on that?"
It made the edges of her eyes crinkle with a swallowed laugh. "I just like it. And it was true! Plus Todoroki feels so formal, and I don't know your first name."
"Shoto," he said, realising he'd come awful close. "It's Shoto."
"Alright, Shoto. Thank you."