"There is no charm equal to tenderness of the heart." —Jane Austen
Waking up from his deep sleep, Izuku smiled contentedly as he felt Rumi's warm skin pressed against him. They were still in Rumi's bed, under a thick blanket with clothes strewn around from the previous night. Hearing his muffled phone alarm, the green-haired man glanced over at the bedside table and chuckled as he saw a pillow laying on top of the beeping phone.
It was clear that Rumi had woken up before him but had decided to go back to sleep after dealing with the repetitive alarm.
Blushing slightly at the memories of the previous night, Izuku rolled onto his side so he could look at Rumi's angelic face.
The sunlight shining through the windows made Rumi's white hair glow, and her caramel skin seemed to radiate a healthy aura. Reaching out, Izuku gently stroked Rumi's cheek as he marveled at how lucky he was. The many years of pain and hardship seemed to finally have been replaced by happy days, and Izuku was determined to keep it that way. He might not be a hero like his girlfriend, but he would fight to stay by her side regardless of what may come.
Mumbling in her sleep, Rumi instinctively rubbed her cheek against Izuku's calloused hand as a small grin formed on her face. It was a small act of love, but Izuku could not stop happy tears from forming in the corner of his eyes.
To him, she was perfect.
Gently pulling his naked lover against his chest, Izuku kissed the top of her head as he whispered into her ear.
"I love you so much Rumi."
Again there was another happy mumble from the still sleeping woman, but this time Izuku could actually hear a few words.
"...love you...zuku.." Rumi said in her sleep as she nuzzled her face against Izuku's bare chest.
Blinking away the happy tears, Izuku held Rumi close as he thought of the only other person who had ever loved him.
"I wish you were still here mom…" Izuku thought to himself. "I miss you so much, but I finally found someone who loves me for who I am. You would have liked Rumi."
Making a quick silent prayer to his mom, Izuku let his head rest against his pillow as he stroked Rumi's long hair. Closing his eyes, Izuku simply enjoyed the feeling of companionship and love as he let his girlfriend sleep in.
A few minutes later, Izuku's phone began to ring.
Seriously considering letting the call go to voicemail, Izuku let out an annoyed sigh before rolling over and dutifully retrieving his phone from under the thrown pillow.
"Midoriya here." He said sleepily.
Immediately Izuku was answered by a panicked sounding Miyu Tanaka.
"Midoriya I fucked up!" Bravo Two whispered frantically. "I don't know what to do and I need your advice right now!"
As his brain began to conjure nightmare scenarios that put his subordinate in danger, Izuku quickly got out of bed and began throwing on his clothes as he talked.
"Give me a sitrep Tanaka." He said as he searched for his belt. "Is anyone hurt? Do you need a strike team?"
There was a short pause before Miyu answered.
"Umm...no...not really.." She said surprisingly meekly.
Frowning in confusion, Izuku stopped juggling his phone while putting on his pants. "So there is no danger?"
Again there was an awkward pause before Miyu responded.
"No...I umm...nobody is in danger." She admitted. "I just need some advice and you are the only person I can talk to about this."
Now thoroughly confused, Izuku sat down on the end of Rumi's bed.
"Okay…" He said slowly. "Tell me what is wrong."
For a few seconds there was nothing but silence, and when the shark-toothed woman began to talk it sounded like she was about to die from embarrassment.
"I slept with Cassandra last night." She said guiltily.
It took a few seconds for Izuku to process what the normally stoic and headstrong woman said, but after it finally sank in he could not help but laugh quietly.
"Midoriya, it's not funny!" Miyu said in exasperation. "C'mon I am really freaking out here! For fuck's sake, you were the one who said not to get involved with people you work with!"
Managing to get his laughter under control, Izuku could not help but glance over at his still sleeping girlfriend.
"Sorry, I am just relieved nobody is in danger." He said honestly. "But why call me? This sounds like a discussion you need to have with Cassandra."
Miyu grumbled unhappily and Izuku could swear he could hear the normally stoic woman blushing over the phone.
"Because you probably have a lot more...experience...with this kind of stuff." She said quietly.
Blinking in surprise, Izuku shrugged. "Well...you are not completely wrong. Explain your problem to me, because I am still a little confused as to what you need advice for."
There was the sound of rustling on the other end of the phone, and Izuku could only assume Miyu was moving to a more private location.
"I need your help deciding how I should tell Cassandra we can't get involved with each other." Miyu said unhappily. "I umm...I actually really like her...but I don't want to sound like I was just sleeping with her for fun. I mean these past few days with her have been really nice."
As Miyu continued to talk the words began pouring out of her, and Izuku was surprised how smitten his subordinate was with Cassandra.
"I mean she is really cute and nice." Miyu continued. "And we get along really well too. Whenever I talk to her my heart feels all funny and I keep daydreaming about going on dates with her and stuff. Plus she is really amazing as a singer, and her life story is really inspiring. It sounds like the plot of a movie for heaven's sake! She teases me a lot, but I actually kinda like it. We went to see a movie together and she held my hand the entire time while I tried not to show how nervous I was. I just...I don't know what to do…"
Looking out the bedroom window at the city around him, Izuku could not help but sympathize with the awkward woman.
"Life is too short to worry about some things." He said quietly. "If you really like Cassandra and are committed to continuing your relationship with her...I would not fault you for doing so."
For a full minute Miyu was silent, and Izuku began to wonder if the call had been dropped.
"What?!" Miyu exclaimed. "Why the sudden change in heart?! You were always really strict when it came to following the rules, the hell happened to change your mind?!"
Izuku chose not to answer, and it seemed that Miyu had started to figure out why Izuku had a sudden change of heart.
"Wait...does that mean...you and Miruko…" Miyu said slowly as she slowly put the pieces together. "Oh my god! You piece of shit!" She said in astonishment. "What the fuck happened to not getting involved with people you work with!? And with Miruko of all people!?"
Trying not to laugh at his subordinate's shock, Izuku decided to be discreet.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." He said teasingly. "I would never fall in love with one of the top-rated heroes in the country. Just like you would never get romantically involved with a VIP you are the bodyguard for."
Izuku was certain that Miyu would understand what he was implying. Essentially he was saying that as long as Miyu did not expose him and Miruko, he would not expose her and Cassandra. Yes it was toeing the line of becoming blackmail, but Izuku trusted that his subordinate would not go behind his back.
Miyu was silent for a few seconds before she began to chuckle quietly.
"You are an asshole Midoriya." She said lightheartedly. "But thanks for your advice. It seems like today might not be so bad after all."
Izuku could not stop a small grin from forming on his face. "Enjoy yourself Tanaka. It took me too long to find what makes me happy, so I hope everything works out for you."
Ending the call, Izuku discarded his work clothes and put on some sweatpants and an old t-shirt. Letting Rumi sleep, the green-haired agent tiptoed his way out to the kitchen and began making breakfast.
Deciding to go with the classic pancakes and bacon meal, Izuku retrieved the needed ingredients from the refrigerator and set about making breakfast. As he began grilling the bacon, Izuku turned on the radio and listened to the news as he cooked. Overall it was just the usual morning talk shows and commute music, but Izuku did not mind a little background noise to keep him entertained.
Hearing a sleepy yawn from behind him, Izuku turned around with a smile on his face.
"Good morning sleepyhead." He said to Rumi cheerily. "You are a little early, breakfast is not ready yet. You can go back to sleep if you want and I will get you when the food is ready."
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Rumi eyed the cooking food like a hungry wolf and whined unhappily. "Dammit, I guess I will just eat some carrots while I wait."
Walking over to the refrigerator and retrieving the half-empty bag of baby carrots, Rumi popped one of the small vegetables in her mouth as she leaned against the countertop.
"Izuku since I am being forced to take a week off from hero work I want to get my fill of lovey-dovey couple stuff." She said bluntly with a grin on her face. "And after breakfast you are going to take a shower with me. It's my turn to pamper you and I will not be satisfied with anything less than perfect results."
Spluttering in embarrassment, Izuku felt his face flush bright red as Rumi giggled.
"Uhh..okay." He said as he put the cooked bacon on a plate. "Something tells me you have been...um...holding yourself back for awhile."
Putting down the bag of carrots, Rumi smiled lustfully and slid her bionic hand under Izuku's shirt.
"You have no idea." She said huskily. "It was really hard to resist the temptation of just having my way with you, but now I plan on squeezing every bit of enjoyment out of it."
Smiling bashfully and resisting the desire to take Rumi back to the bedroom, Izuku filled two plates full of food and gave one to his loving girlfriend.
"Well we have a whole week to ourselves, we can take our time." He said happily. "Besides going at it like rabbits, what else do you want to do?"
Taking her metal hand out from under Izuku's shirt, Rumi took her plate and grabbed a fork before chowing down.
"Like I said, lovey-dovey couple shit." She said with a mouthful of pancakes. "Going on dates and stuff like that. I have never really done any of that stuff before, and I want you to be my first and only."
Feeling his heart swell with joy and happiness, Izuku could not help but plant a quick kiss on Rumi's cheek before digging into his own food. "Sounds like a plan, after breakfast and a shower we can…" He trailed off as he finally realized something. "Umm...how are we going to go on dates when you are practically a celebrity? As much as I would love to walk around town with you on my arm it would make our jobs a living hell."
Groaning in annoyance, Rumi finished the last of her bacon and glared angrily at the city outside like it was personally insulting her. "Goddammit I knew I was forgetting something. Of course it could never be that easy."
Taking his time eating the rest of his syrup-covered pancakes, Izuku suddenly had an idea.
"I have an idea." He announced. "I don't know if it will work, but if it does we should be able to go around without anybody recognizing you."
Obviously intrigued, Rumi put her empty plate in the kitchen sink and looked at Izuku with curious eyes. "Well what is this amazing plan of yours?"
Putting his own plate in the sink, Izuku effortlessly lifted his girlfriend up and playfully slung her over his shoulder, causing the caramel-skinned woman to squeal happily and giggle.
"I will tell you after the shower." Izuku said as he carried Rumi back towards the bedroom. "Lets just say it involves talking to a friend."
- A/N -
- And so we begin the fluffy times.
- As much as I enjoy writing angst-filled action sequences, this story as has been pretty light on the fluff so far. I will be challenging myself to write some more lighthearted chapters.
- I hope you all are doing well, thanks for reading!