Can't Stop Won't Stop

After serving Toga three portions of tonkatsu, Kenji eventually had to cut her off. The last thing he wanted was for her to throw up and lose even more weight. 

Checking the clock as he finished cleaning up, Kenji realized he still needed to shower and prepare Toga's bedding before he could sleep. 

After quickly turning the living room couch into a bed for his guest, Kenji eagerly retreated to the bathroom, stripping off his sweaty gym clothes and taking a much-needed shower.

A few minutes later, leaving the bathroom, Kenji poked his head into the living room, only to see that the light had turned off and that a still form was lying underneath the covers. 

Backing up quietly, Kenji suppressed a yawn as he retired to his room and blissfully drifted off to sleep. 

---

Opening his eyes as a beam of sunlight shone on his face, Kenji tried to move only to feel his body violently protest the movement. 

Gritting his teeth, Kenji forced himself out of bed, knowing he had to get started on the busy day ahead of him. 

Taking a moment to stretch and massage his tired body, Kenji eventually limbered up and could move without much difficulty. 

After getting changed for his run, Kenji checked in on Toga but found her still sound asleep. 

Kenji quickly wrote a note to Toga saying he had gone on a run and would be back at noon. 

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Kenji sighed as he stretched one last time, 'Maybe it won't be so bad this time.' 

---

Once more, Kenji stopped before his apartment, gasping for breath. His second day of running had been even worse; for the entire time, Kenji's legs had been burning, and his knees felt like they were grinding against each other. The worst part, however, was his stubborn calf, which kept cramping every other minute. 

'If this happens every day, I don't have a chance of completing my quest.' 

Limping into his apartment, Kenji dragged himself to the kitchen and poured himself a tall glass of water, which he emptied five times before finally quenching his thirst. 

Once his stomach was close to bloating, Kenji plopped down into a chair and looked up to see why he had such a hard time today. 

'Let's see...after an intense exercise, it is important to rehydrate with electrolytes to prevent cramping and stretch to break up any lactic acid build-up in the muscles. Yeah, that checks out.' 

As he moved to stand up, Kenji spotted a flicker of movement in the doorway, and he looked over at Toga standing in the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 

"Morning, have any problems sleeping? I know those mattresses can be uncomfortable." 

Toga yawned before she made eye contact with Kenji and smiled, "I slept fine...thank you for taking care of me yesterday." 

Kenji dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Don't worry about it. I think anyone would help out in that situation."

Toga's smile dimmed, "You haven't been here long, have you?"

"Y-yeah, I just moved in a few days ago. That's why everything is bare bones. Why did you ask?" 

Toga practically seemed to deflate, "He comes home drunk almost every day and hits me. I know they can hear me scream, but no one does anything to help." 

For a moment, Kenji was at a loss for words, "Do you want to call the police?" 

Toga hugged her arms to her chest, "It's pointless; if they arrest him, where am I supposed to go?" 

Kenji stared at Toga in disbelief, "You're not seriously thinking about going back and living with him?" 

"What choice do I have?!" Toga snapped back before her voice went soft, "I don't have anywhere else to go." 

"You can stay with me," Kenji exclaimed as he stood up and walked over to Toga, "Don't feel like you have to go back to him!" 

Toga started to hyperventilate as Kenji got closer, and she took a step back, "D-don't get close to me. I don't want to hurt you." 

Kenji paused mid-stride before quickly stepping forward and wrapping Toga up in a hug. 

In the next instant, Kenji felt Toga latch onto him like a monkey as she bit down on his neck with enough force to break the skin. 

Something warm and wet dripped onto my shirt, and Kenji looked down to see that Toga was crying even as she greedily licked at his bleeding neck. Instead of pushing her away Kenji gently patted her head and let Toga drink his blood.

'It actually doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would,' Kenji thought to himself. 

After a minute Toga stopped licking at Kenji's neck and she wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand, "I'm sorry…I can't help myself." 

Kenji smiled even though Toga couldn't see it, "Is it related to your quirk?" 

Toga stiffened against Kenji before she nodded, "Do you think I'm a monster?" 

"Because you were born with a condition you didn't ask for," Kenji asked with a slight chuckle, "No, I don't think you are." 

Toga buried her face even deeper into Kenji's chest, "When you put it that way it does sound kind of dumb."

Taking a step back Kenji held Toga out at arms length, "I mean I'm not the smartest person, but I do know one way to get my mind off the heavy weight of life." 

Toga looked up expectantly as a broad smiling spread across Kenji's face, "Mindless Consumerism!" 

"Huh?" Toga asked before Kenji grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards the door. 

"Come on we're going shopping!" 

"Wait what, b-but I don't have any money!" Toga exclaimed as she tried to dig her heels into the floor. 

Not slowly down a bit Kenji charged forward, "Don't worry you can pay me back later!"