Weaving stories was something Mayu had always done and the very trait that had bonded the five girls in the first weeks in J-City's University. From a detail a whole set of scenarios could be grown, diverging in the progress, ending and sometimes even the setting. Actions and dialogs. Answers. Witty and snappy retorts that could not actually be said out loud. Wistful thinking. New characters. New sequences and plots. Unfortunately creating ideas about what was happening in the now also meant that some of the outcomes were... bad. Worse. Downright to ridiculously catastrophic. Cartoonish to dramatic.
Saitama opened the door, the slightly singed giraffe keychain wobbling as it twisted, letting go of her hand for a moment. He had kept the hold for all their way back, pulling her along at first until their steps matched. But she was fairly certain the giraffe's state was not her fault. It looked sooth-like, meaning fire not lightning.
Mayu glanced at her own door as the metal tumblers organized, considering. Her key was in the bag... Another set of scenes played out, ideas flowing, backtracking, coming to a standstill. Then she shook her head, sighing, squaring her shoulder.
Face the fear and the embarrassment. It was best just to talk with them, trying to see if there really was a damage to repair. She hoped not.
"Sensei." Genos greeted as soon as the door opened. "The power is back on and I installed a few safeguards to keep any future surges from... " He stopped talking as Mayu took off her shoes, closing the door. His voice abandoned the quick pace of information relaying, shutting down, just staring, standing between the entry and the kitchen oddly, fidgeting torn between approaching or staying respectfully away. Or awkwardly. It was also a word choice.
Saitama said nothing as he headed into the kitchenette, washing hands, gathering supplies and implements, looking around to decide what to make. It was best to let them sort that out first.
"Are you hurt?" Genos managed to speak up, his voice very low, scanning the scratches, deeming them light and harmless, head lowering, eyes down. Still looked like he wanted to come closer but didn't quite dare. Unsure. Mayu scanned him as well. Most of the scorch marks were gone yet the metal still showed some traces. "I spoke with the Dr. and he agrees that the storage cells need to be made stronger to be safe to use even if you have to suddenly enter combat or experience a sharper spike…" While true to the fact that that had been a concern it was not exactly what he wanted to talk about. Still shattered synthetic crystal near the throat and eyes were bad ideas. Genos paused, taking a deep breath, standing upright and ramrod straight. "Mayu. I'm sorry. I was impulsive." He started stiffly. "I was very young when the rampaging cyborg destroyed my town, my family, my life. I have said that I do not like to think too much about the past. It is best to focus on finding and destroying it, growing stronger. I was... meek but there was a girl." Genos looked down, away. "A few crushes. They are gone too. Like everyone else. I had my first kiss too." A fleeting smile ghosted over his lips as he continued. "It is hard to think back. And it is hard to think beyond getting, destroying this cyborg, making him pay and exact justice for everyone, for myself, to pay my debt to Doctor Kuseno. Sensei was right to say I needed to focus in growing stronger before confronting him. Recent battles have shown that I still let my guard down too easily and am overeager to enter a combat situation. You..." He stopped again, looking at her, golden eyes in black wavering, smiling. "Make it easier and harder to focus. To emulate Sensei, to train you, to respond to your request for aid, makes me say, teach, the things I should be doing. Training and thinking before rushing into battle. Consider the situation and abilities in your possession. And you offered to help me grow stronger as well. Every bit, every battle, every offer helps in building myself for the final confrontation." He stopped again.
Mayu was listening with a very surprised and absent look of complete bewilderment, wondering for a moment if he actually needed to breathe or was just organizing the next section of the speech.
"I had not considered if, as a cyborg, as someone driven to hunt down a monster, I would still be able to form attachments. Any attachment... It implies vulnerability. The possibility of going through the devastation of my hometown once more in literal and metaphorical senses. A relationship of any kind start with common ground, shared ideas, building trust. It usually develops into understanding, care, cooperation, reliance and comfort especially if the experiences are shared often, such as talking, eating, watching TV or just being around each other. In our case training as well." And now he was fidgeting in the small interruption. "In this I can say that what we share is not so different from what has been built with Sensei. It can be defined as friendship, companionship. But in following this... attraction it became different."
"You either stop him or he will never shut up." Saitama mentioned, preparing the dumplings for steaming. "Unless he runs out of battery or something."
"Genos." Mayu called, smiling at the offhanded comment, approaching, taking the cyborg's hand, letting go of any restraint, the spark making her contact felt. He stopped whatever he was going to say, waiting, tensing, fingers closing around hers carefully. "You and Saitama have been here for me ever since I asked. And I know you were reluctant at first." She turned slightly to glance at the cooking hero. Saitama looked up, smiling absently, preparing the basket. "I was afraid when the sea monsters came. But I wanted to be someone that I was in my head. The one that talked back, fought back, that was not afraid, that could defend herself and others. So I acted. And it was called heroic. But the fear was still there. I could have been killed whether by this lightning accident or by the beings that were after me. I was scared the Association would just label me a monster and lock me in a glass cage to be used as a battery. Like… poked and studied."
"A glass case, even if it is nonconductive, would shatter under the sonic blast and extreme heat you produce." Genos murmured. "And there is no way you could be a monster."
Mayu chortled, playing with his fingers.
"You know that that is not the actual point." She whispered, blushing, pushing her hair out of the way. "I was afraid of killing someone with a power I did not understand and could barely control. I moved away and hid here. You were here. Both of you."
"Dinner is ready." Saitama interrupted, walking away from the countertop, patting Mayu's head. It was a simple thing, reassuring and warm. And done without gloves or fear on either part. Trust and confidence. It showed Mayu that power was controllable.
Genos noticed the affection in the exchange. Sensei smiled more truly with her. It was a warm expression Mayu returned easily. He lowered his head, looking at their linked hands. Wisps danced between skin and metal, giving a familiar prickling to his palm, trembling slightly. He held her a bit harder. She responded the same way, turning a smile to him.
"It has been nine hours." Genos calculated, suddenly concerned. "You have to eat. Your metabolism burns through calories twice faster than a regular human and four times faster when you start to spark and with the narcolepsy may be dangerous." He pulled her to the table, dashing from it to the kitchen, grabbing missing plates and utensils, placing a heap of dumpling in front of her while calculating what she should consume.
"I don't think I explained what I needed." Mayu sighed, settling, watching him with a gentle expression, amused at the mothering, biting into a dumpling. "It's good." She murmured.
"Thank you." Saitama turned on the TV. No big reports were making it to the news. "And I don't think we have to yet."After all that talk maybe it was best just let things flow. "Genos stop fretting."
Mayu fell asleep halfway through the motions of standing to make some tea, leaving the computer she had retrieved from her apartment open. Genos rolled out to futon, stopping his note clean up, picking her up easily, letting her rest. Sensei was reading manga, placing the volume on his knees. The news were a low hum, the closing jingle playing, cutting to commercials.
Whatever had changed was not something that needed to be rushed.