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.