"True love is not the number of kisses, or how often you get them, true love is the feeling that still lingers long after the kiss is over." - Anonymous
Rumi looked around nervously, every instinct in her body telling her to run away and find someplace safe. This place was not where she should be, and she never imagined that she might end up in a place that unnerved her like nothing else.
"Rumi stop dragging your feet and get in here!" Cassandra commanded teasingly. "It is just a lingerie store."
After visiting the grave of Izuku's mother, Rumi had gotten a call from Cassandra asking if she would be willing to help her do some clothes shopping with Miyu.
What Rumi did not know was that the request was a cleverly disguised trap.
Once again wearing her kitsune-style disguise, Rumi had met Cassandra and Miyu at one of the upscale shopping malls in the wealthy part of the city. By the time the rabbit hero realized that Cassandra intended to subject her to the torture that was clothes shopping, it was too late.
Cassandra had a sharp eye for fashion, obviously having plenty of experience due to her superstar status. The talented singer had (correctly) guessed that the only normal clothes Rumi had in her wardrobe were either masculine or of the casual unisex variety. It seemed that Miyu was in the same boat, as she spent most of the first hour constantly apologizing to Rumi for getting her involved in Cassandra's scheme.
It had started off innocently enough, Cassandra pushing her two anxious companions into a designer clothing store and having them try on outfits that were all of the feminine variety. While Rumi did not initially see the point of buying new clothes, all Cassandra had to mention was how Izuku would love to see his girlfriend in something other than a hoodie.
"Don't worry Rumi." Cassandra said confidently with a gleam in her eye. "By the time we are done I promise you that we will have found a few outfits that are going to make Izuku's jaw drop."
Assured by Cassandra's confidence, Rumi had let the music star work her fashion magic. While the process of actually trying on the various pieces of clothing was not that fun, Rumi did find a sort of perverse joy in watching Miyu blush and stammer as she tried on cute clothes. In a way, it was comforting to know that there was one other person who was completely out of their element as well. When Cassandra had asked Miyu what clothes she wore on her days off, Miyu's best answer was simply "tactical".
At first, Cassandra had eased Rumi and Miyu into the process of trying on new clothes. It started off with unisex clothing in feminine colors, but as time went on Cassandra eventually had Rumi and Miyu trying on dresses, swimsuits, and even heels. Rumi had been doubtful that any store would have heels that would fit her rabbit-like feet, but Cassandra had quickly destroyed that theory by visiting a specialty shoe store. In the age of quirks, anyone could look like anything. Obviously for the more exotic types of feet certain types of shoes would need to be custom made, but if anything, expert shoe makers relished the challenge of designing footwear for unique individuals.
As a store assistant had been in the process of measuring Rumi's feet, Cassandra had eagerly explained how fashion worked in the age of quirks.
"Take someone like Hawks for instance." Cassandra said like a teacher elaborating on their favorite subject. "Normal suits and tuxedos dont have holes for wings like his, so he has those kind of outfits designed specifically for him. Part of being a pro-hero is not just doing your job well, but looking good while doing it. You don't see someone like Edgeshot or Gang Orca running around in a hoodie or sweatpants do you? Trust me Rumi, the fashion industry used to be so boring when everyone looked the same. Nowadays if you have a design in mind there are good odds that there are at least a few people who would look amazing in it."
Feeling a little more confident thanks to Cassandra's enthusiasm, Rumi eventually started to enjoy the shopping experience.
That was, until Cassandra had stopped in front of a high-end lingerie store.
Upon realizing where Cassandra had taken them, Miyu looked like she was about to pass out from sheer embarrassment. Rumi had not done much better, her cheeks flushing bright red as she had frantically backpedaled while blurting out any excuse she could think of. However, it seemed Cassandra had expected this reaction, as she had grabbed Rumi's arm with a grip of steel and slowly pulled her over the threshold of the store with Miyu in tow.
"Cassandra you have got to be kidding me!" Rumi whispered in mortified embarrassment. "I dont need...I mean I never…"
Rolling her eyes, Cassandra huffed in annoyance. "Rumi I get that part of your whole identity is acting like a tomboy, but you have a boyfriend now. No offense, but wearing sports bras all the time is going to get old eventually."
"B-but I dont need fancy stuff like this!" Rumi said in embarrassed exasperation. "Why the hell would I wear stuff like this while I work?"
As the conversation between Rumi and Cassandra played out, Miyu had simply stayed silent. The shark-toothed woman looking around the store like she was a dirty peasant intruding on some kind of womanly holy site.
With a devious smirk on her face, Cassandra pulled Rumi over to the side of the store and gestured to a mannequin sporting a set made of a lacy white bra and matching panties. "Rumi, this is not stuff you wear under your clothes. Think of it like formal wear, but for the bedroom. Like if you and Izuku are celebrating something, or you want to really show how much you love him. Lingerie is not something you wear every day, you pull it out when you want the night to mean something. Don't you want to make Izuku's jaw drop at the mere sight of you?"
Finally understanding, Rumi blushed even more and shyly nodded.
"Good." Cassandra said with a victorious smile. "Now let's get you measured and find something that suits you."
Suddenly, Miyu spoke up with her cheeks blushing bright red. "Wait, what is the point of me getting lingerie if you are the one who picked it out?" She asked Cassandra.
"I will pick a few out, and then you choose the one you like while I look away." Cassandra said teasingly as she brushed a lock of Miyu's black hair out of her face. "That way you can surprise me."
With the help of a store assistant, Rumi had her measurements taken and then began the process of picking a set of lingerie (with Cassandra's assistance of course). Eventually, Rumi and Cassandra agreed on a set of pure white lingerie that would compliment her white hair. Once she was finished helping Rumi, Cassandra gave three different sets of lingerie to Miyu to choose from then left so she would not see the winner.
Standing in front of a tall mirror with Rumi by her side, Miyu slowly held up one of the lingerie options which was a sky blue ensemble.
"Mir...Rumi, I don't know if I will look good in any of these." The uncharacteristically demure field agent sighed sadly. "I don't have a nice body like you do. I'm just tall with too much muscle."
Determined to help her new friend, Rumi put on her best smile and held up one of the other lingerie ensembles that was a ruby red. "Miyu you need to have a little more confidence in yourself. Cassandra seems to like you just the way you are, so why worry?"
Miyu stared at the floor as she shrugged. "I know it is bad to think this way, but I feel like I am just some kinda toy for Cassandra to play around with. She is amazing, and I can't figure out why she would settle for someone as dull as me. I am just scared that she is going to get bored and eventually leave me...or something like that."
Rumi frowned as she tried to figure out the right thing to say. She did not have much experience with these kinds of problems, and it honestly was a little difficult to ascertain what Cassandra's true intentions were.
After all, she was the sister of a murderous psychopath.
"Well…" Rumi said slowly. "I think that if you feel that way you need to have an honest conversation with Cassandra about it. I am not that good with this whole relationship advice stuff, but that is what I would do if I was in your shoes."
Rumi then reached out and patted Miyu's shoulder reassuringly. "And if it does turn out that Cassandra is just playing with you, I am going to punch her in the mouth for hurting my friend."
Rumi was glad to hear a soft chuckle from Miyu as she straightened up.
"Thanks Rumi." The shark-toothed woman said honestly. "I umm...I really appreciate it. I don't have many friends outside of work, so I am glad that you are willing to talk to me about this."
Seeming to come to a decision, Miyu held up a lacey black lingerie set and nodded to herself. "I think I like this one. Black is always a good choice, right?"
Nodding in agreement, Rumi smiled brightly. "I agree, it looks good on you. You ready to leave? This place makes me nervous."
As the two friends laughed together, they went up to the register and paid for their lingerie. Rumi was slightly shocked at the high price of the clothing, but if it worked as well as Cassandra said it did, it would be worth it to see the look on Izuku's face.
Izuku stood in front of the stainless steel stove that was part of Rumi's kitchen. In front of him was a pan full of ingredients that was in the process of becoming a delicious home-cooked meal. He wore a gray polo shirt and black slacks that gave him a more sophisticated look, and his short green hair was freshly washed. Since Rumi had spent the day out with Cassandra, Izuku had decided that it was the perfect opportunity to make a romantic dinner for when she came back.
Out near the massive penthouse windows, Izuku had set up a table along with two chairs. The table had a nice white tablecloth, two cherry red wax candles, a bottle of red wine, as well as two complete sets of silverware and plates.
There was only one more day until Rumi was scheduled to resume her hero work, and Izuku wanted to make a few more happy memories before they returned to the dreary work life.
Just as he finished putting the final touches on the meal, Izuku heard the front door open and Rumi shuffle in.
"Izuku you should have warned me about shopping with Cassandra." The rabbit hero groaned loudly as she walked into the living room with her hands full of various shopping bags. "I probably bought enough stuff to last the rest of the year."
It seemed that Rumi had finally noticed the dining table along with the mouthwatering smell emanating from the kitchen, as she gasped slightly and looked at Izuku in confusion.
"Whats this?" She asked incredulously.
Putting the creamy lemon & asparagus pasta on two plates, Izuku turned off the stove and gave his girlfriend a proud smile. "I figured since you were out I was going to surprise you. My mom used to say that candlelit dinners are really romantic, so I followed her advice. I wanted to do something special before we go back to work."
Walking out of the kitchen and putting the food on the table, Izuku chuckled as Rumi ran over and gave him a tight hug.
"Izuku this is amazing." Rumi whispered as she nuzzled her face into the green-haired agent's neck. "Give me a second to change, if this night is going to be special I might as well pull out all the stops."
Snatching up her bags full of clothing, Rumi ran off to her room. A minute later, she emerged with all of her disguise makeup taken off, and in a beautiful sky blue dress.
Staring at his gorgeous girlfriend in amazement, Izuku wished he could take a picture to preserve the moment forever.
Smiling shyly, Rumi walked closer. "Do I look okay? I have never really worn anything like this before so I don't know if it suits me or not." She said somewhat shyly.
Finally getting his mouth to work, Izuku nodded as his cheeks blushed bright red. "You look beautiful Rumi. More than beautiful even. I just can't put into words how amazing you look right now."
Now it was Rumi's turn to blush as she moved her long white hair out of her face. "Thanks Izuku."
The two simply continued to stare at each other lovingly, but eventually Izuku remembered there was a meal to be eaten.
Pulling Rumi's chair out for her, Izuku smiled warmly at his girlfriend. "We should eat before the food gets cold. I hope you like it."
Sitting in her chair, Rumi waited for her boyfriend to sit down before giving him a blinding smile.
"If it is made by you, I know I will love it." She said sweetly.
Pouring the red wine for both Rumi and himself, Izuku extended his glass in a toast.
"To life and true love, no matter how complicated either of them gets."
With a warm smile on her face, Rumi gently tapped her glass against Izuku's.
"I can drink to that." She said happily.
As much as Rumi seemed to want to appear sophisticated, Izuku could only chuckle in amusement as she quickly devoured her food.
"Goddamn this is so tasty!" Rumi moaned as she took a sip of her wine. "Izuku it is totally unfair how amazing you are. If you were not a government agent you could be a chef like Lorenzo."
Waving away Rumi's compliment, Izuku finished the last of his food. "I just know how to follow the recipe. I could never come up with my own dish."
Finished with their dinner, the unlikely duo took their wine over to the couch and cuddled as they looked at the twinkling city lights.
"I wish this moment could last forever." Rumi sighed wistfully as she held her boyfriend's hand. "Funny how things can change. I still remember the first time I met you, and when you told me to get my head out of my ass."
Putting his empty wine glass down on the nearby coffee table, Izuku pulled Rumi into his lap and wrapped his arms around her as he kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, who would have thought things would end up like this? Not that I am complaining, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me."
The two sat in silence, simply enjoying each other's company as the wine warmed their bodies.
Eventually, Rumi stood up and gave Izuku a lustful look. "I know a good way to end the night. The question is, do you think you can handle it?"
Standing up as well, Izuku pulled the white-haired heroine close and grinned. "That sounds like a challenge. If I remember correctly, you were the one who passed out first last time."
Blushing slightly, Rumi leaned up and teasingly nipped her boyfriend's lip. "Well consider it a rematch then."
Picking Rumi up in a bridal carry, Izuku gave his girlfriend a loving kiss before carrying her off to the bedroom.
On the dirty roof of a tall skyscraper, a shadowy figure stood on a ledge overlooking a certain penthouse below. His suit jacket flapping in the breeze, Oscar pulled out a dirty flip-phone from his pocket and called a certain number.
"Mission timeline proceeding as expected." Oscar said in a chilling monotone voice. "Target is unaware of the mission goal."
Pausing, Oscar listened intently before nodding. "Understood. Beginning next stage. Going dark."
Ending the call, Oscar ripped the innards of the cellphone out and tossed the ruined device over the edge of the rooftop.
"Time to get to work." The cold-blooded killer mumbled to himself before turning around and stepping away from the edge.