He huffed, grumbling to himself as he pushed the button on the elevator to one of the top floors. "I could have paid for it."
"And I can carry the bags, but neither of us is giving up so just deal with it." She answered, adjusting the purse strap on her shoulder while she glared at the buttons. She muttered under her breath and he caught pieces of it. "Big... Strong man... Carry all the... Hmph!"
He rolled his eyes and watched as the floor numbers flashed on the screen above the buttons. "It's not a big deal, I carry more weight than this all the time."
"And I can pay for my taxi's! So let it go Gum." His eyes flashed to hers and she glared back up at him.
"If you call me Gum I'm going to call you Echo." He said. Her eyes flashed and she smirked at him.
"I don't care if you call me that. It is my stage name after all." His eyes turned questioning.
"Stage name? Why don't you just use your real name?" She rolled her eyes and looked back at the buttons.
"Because of creepy people. It's better for me to use a stage name so no one can figure out my real one. Just in case I get someone obsessed with me." She shuddered next to him and scratched at her head. "I won't go through that nightmare again."
His eyes grew darker at her words. Again? She's had to deal with a stalker before?
The elevator stopped on his floor before he could ask. He pulled out his wallet and held out a keycard to the screen. The elevator made a noise and the doors opened to him.
She followed him out, staring in confusion at the elevator. "You have to badge into your own apartment?"
He nodded, leading her to a door and flashing the badge again. It opened and he moved back to let her go in first. "Floor 30 and up is for Heroes and other government workers. We all have to badge in and out so security is kept tight. Sorry about that."
She walked in and blinked quickly as he turned on the lights and she looked around. "It's fine. I just didn't realize heroes had to be so strict on security."
He walked down a hallway to their right and she followed after him. "Yeah, all heroes, especially the high-ranking pro heroes, have to be very careful. This way is the guest room."
She looked around the apartment as they walked through. They passed a few doors before he stopped and opened the one at the end of the hall. "Here, put your stuff down and I'll take you on a quick tour."
He turned on the light and she walked in, looking around the room. It was a decently sized room. There was what appeared to be a queen bed in the middle, made with gray and black bed clothes. She placed her purse down on the bed and turned to look at him. "Here, I'll take the kittens."
He handed her the carrier and she placed it on the bed, opening the door. They cautiously moved out of it and she moved the carrier to the door while the kittens began to sniff around and explore.
He placed her other bags down next to the bed and turned to leave the room. "Come on, We'll get you a drink too."
She left the door to the guest room open slightly while she followed him. He motioned to the doors they passed. "This first one is the guest bathroom, feel free to put all your bathroom stuff in it. I have my own bathroom attached to my room so I never use this one. This door leads to the linen closet, it has extra towels, blankets, sheets and pillows if you need them. Feel free to grab them if you need, I have more than enough for the week and if anything I'll just wash them. Next to the linen closet is the laundry room, feel free to use it if you need to. I can show you how to use the machines later if you want."
She nodded along and he led her back to the front door and to the other hall in front of it. "This way is the living spaces."
The hall opened up into a living room and she looked around in amazement. "Whoa, your living room is bigger than my whole apartment!"
He flushed in embarrassment as he watched her walk around and look at everything. "Heh, yeah. I'm kind of a big guy so I need lots of room."
She nodded, walking over to the oversized couch he had and pushing at the cushions. "Makes sense now why the ceiling is so high. This looks so comfortable!"
He laughed and waved for her to follow him again. "If you want we can turn the tv on after I'm done and watch a movie. It is really comfortable and I've taken plenty of naps there on my days off. This is the dining room, though I rarely use it, and this is my favorite room, the kitchen!"
He opened his arms wide as they walked through and her eyes widened in surprise. The kitchen was huge! Definitely as big as the living room, with the newest equipment. Marble countertops shined and it was clearly a well loved space. "Wow! This is amazing!"
He blushed and rubbed at his neck. "I have to keep my weight up at all times, so this was something that definitely sold me on the space."
She looked over at him while walking around the island to take in more of the surroundings. "You cook your own food? I read an article that said you always ate out while on patrol."
He nodded and watched her, enjoying the sight of her in his own home more than he thought he would. "Yeah, but that's when I need or want snacks while I'm out with my team. Otherwise I cook at home."
"Are you any good?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her as she trailed her fingertips along the cold countertop.
He smirked and walked forward to rest his hand on the island and lean across towards her. "Why? You want me to cook for you?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "I can cook too, or I can order for something to be delivered. I was just curious."
He shook his head and snorted at her. "You're in my home, unless we're away from the house you won't be ordering anything, and it's rude for a guest to cook their own food in your home."
She glared at him and he smirked back at her. "I can take care of myself, Gum."
His eyes darkened slightly and she swore she saw his eyes flick down to her lips before she blinked and the look was gone. "Yeah, I figured you could. But you're here as my guest and still injured because of something that happened while I was too buzzed to stop it. So no, no cooking for you."
She rolled her eyes and her gentle smile returned. "Fine, whatever you say Gum. Let's finish the tour so I can finally wash my hair and we can both take naps."
He smiled softly as her face split into a yawn and waved her through a door on the other side of the kitchen. "This way is to my private section of the apartment."
He opened the first door down the hall and she looked in and made a noise of surprise. "A gym?"
He nodded and looked around the space. "Yep. I have to keep up with the new heroes right?"
She walked over to where his weights were and gaped at the amount. "Can you lift this?"
"I can lift more." His voice was closer and she turned around in surprise. He was standing only a couple feet away and she looked up at him. "That's why carrying your bags or even you isn't a big deal to me."
She blushed under his stare as he watched her closely. "Still, I have legs that work, and arms that are tough too. I can carry my own things and walk without someone picking me up."
He crouched down slightly so their faces were the same height. "Why would you do that when I can take care of it?"
She huffed and glared at him. "Because I don't need someone to take care of things for me! I can take care of everything and myself, by myself! I appreciate you caring for me and trying to help, but I'm not a damsel in distress for you to keep saving."
She pushed past him and walked out of the gym, turning and heading back through his kitchen. He hit his head against the wall in his gym before turning to follow her. "Hang on, please wait up."
"I'm fine, Gum." She turned and glared at him. Her eyes glowed a brighter green and he stopped in surprise. She blinked and took a deep breath. She turned to look at the ground and her eyes were no longer glowing. "Please, I just want to take a shower and rest."
Her voice had a soothing tone to it, and she said his hero name as though she was singing a melody. He found himself moving away from her and heading back towards his area of the apartment. "Yeah, of course. I'll be in my room if you need me."
Her eyes followed him as he left her. He closed the door to the kitchen behind him and his eyes blinked rapidly as a slight fog cleared from his mind. "Wait, what was I doing?"
"Leave her alone, she needs rest." A gentle voice said in his mind. He nodded to himself and walked towards his room. His mind tried to grasp at something important, but he pushed it away as he focused on getting to the shower and cleaning himself after the long night.
He hummed to himself as he started the shower and found a gentle melody being whispered to him. He hummed along to it as he took off his clothes and borrowed scrub top.
The melody faded away and the push along his brain left. He blinked down at his hands and shook himself. What just happened to me?