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[theunluckygirl]

[it's an automated voice recording.]

Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system. [A hesitant British voice picks up here] Jennifer? is not available. At the tone please record your message. When you have finished recording you may hang up or press 1 for more options.

Comments

[youdamnnerd]

[ God, fuck, why is he doing this?

No, he knows why. Because whatever life Jennifer came from? Was fucking rough. And now she’s here, where no one can catch a break. Katsuki knows what bullying does to people, he was one for a very, very long time. But what he saw? What Jennifer had gone through? That was so far beyond pushing someone around.

He can still hear that fucking rat screeching. He can still feel his head hitting the ground when Jennifer had been pushed down and screamed at. Finding her nearly naked and humiliated purposefully in front of everyone was frosting on the cake. Jennifer has been through some shit, and while Katsuki doesn’t ever once feel pity for anyone, he can’t bring himself to cut her off.

You don’t stop being a hero once the person you save is perceived as safe. This seemed like the right thing to do. ]

Can’t say I’d want any company after what happened last week.
Or I don’t know
Maybe I would

[ What the fuck is he saying? ]

Anyway, don’t get it twisted. I wasn’t worried about you.

[ And, a few seconds later: ]

That kind of feeling is reserved for people who can’t fucking carry themselves at all.
I’m fine.

[theunluckygirl]

I understand. I want to be with people, but at the same time I do not. I don't want to be a bother, and it doesn't seem right to ask people to take time out of their day just to sit with me or something. But this is simple, and nice, this texting.

[It doesn't take much time or effort and the other person can simply choose to not respond, so it doesn't seem like too much of a bother.]

Are you saying you aren't worried because you know I'll be fine? [That's sweet, and a bit unexpected] Normally, I think, people think the exact opposite of me. [Most people seem to regard her as some kind of broken bird at best, and at worst weak and cowardly. She can see both sides, and she wouldn't argue against most of the reasonings, to be honest.

She was weak and cowardly and yes, probably broken. But she could endure and keep moving. She couldn't elt herself do anything less.]

[youdamnnerd]

[ He’s so, so very bad af compliments. But as judgmental, crass, and obnoxious that Katsuki might be, he knows strength when he sees it. What he hasn’t ever seen before is strength that doesn’t rely on brute force or power. He can’t say that he’d be as put together as she is, after everything she’s been through. Meek as she is, she’s functioning.

It’s... Weird. A bit overwhelming, too. But then again, Jennifer’s the first actual person he’s had to save. She wasn’t an actor in a simulated exercise at UA High. She was someone in actual need of help. Up until now, he’s been as sheltered as Class A can be, because even their multiple run-ins with the League of Villains at least kept normal citizens out of it.

And he was alone. Confidence was never an issue, but there’s something striking about all that. ]

What the hell else would that have meant? No shit I know you’ll be fine!
There are plenty of brainless idiots out there who think they know you just by looking at you.

[ Shit’s always tense with Deku. But he thinks about him here. Katsuki made the mistake of judging his strength, or supposed lack thereof, for years. A lot’s changed. ]

Do you need

[ Damn it! He didn’t mean to hit send! ]

I don’t know. Company? Or something?

[theunluckygirl]

[oh.

Huh.

She definitely wasn't expecting that.

Her first instinct, of course, is to deny it. No, of course not, she's not going to be a bother like that. She's not going to be a burden. But given that she'd just expressed concern about being a bother and he asked anyhow... That meant it was alright, right? She could answer more honestly?

People here were so nice to her. Even the prickly ones like Katsuki were still nicer than most of the people Jennifer had known as a child and even growing up. She's not sure how to handle these people at all.]

I don't need anything. However, I wouldn't mind the company either. I can't promise much in the way of entertainment, but I've been finding the TV interesting. It's much different from how it was back home. Everything's in color, first of all.

[Not that color television and color movies didn't exist by Jennifer's time, but they weren't terribly common]

And I'm not sure how good of a hostess I could be right now. But if you have the free time to stop by, I wouldn't mind if you came to say hello.

[youdamnnerd]

[ Ughhhh, him and his damn conscience.

It's not even just that though. Ever since the whole debacle at Patara, Katsuki hasn't been able to get a lot of what happened there out of his head. The memories, finding her nearly naked in the snow... Jennifer doesn't seem to be able to catch much of a break here either, or at all.

He's learning a lot more about what it's like to be on the bottom these days, and it's sort of humbled him.

So, despite the groan to everything she just said, he's getting up and throwing his hoodie on. Lord Hellfire is at his heels as usual, so he scoops the small runt up and tucks him into the front pocket where he happily nestles down.

Damn it, he's become so soft. ]

Just unlock your stupid door. I'll be there in five.

[theunluckygirl]

Thank you. The door's open for you.

[She'll unlock the door and get to work making tea for them both, secretly a little relieved, and not-so-secretly very grateful. It was easy to get stuck inside your own head after events like this--something Jennifer new all too well, honestly.

Seeing and talking to someone face-to-face might be just what the doctor ordered, honestly.]