Noriko's eyes snapped open and she found herself staring up into a pair of gold and black eyes. Her face heated with a faint blush and she quickly looked away. "Hn. Genos-san. Where are we?" The catgirl felt consciousness fully taking effect and realized just how strange her situation really was. She seemed to be in an apartment, from what she could see to her right. There was a table, television, shelf full of books, and beyond that was a sliding glass door leading out to a small balcony.
Her injuries still pained her. When she tried to push herself to sit upright, her arms shook and her back landed once more on the cyborg's lap. She looked down at her body and saw that her wounds had been bandaged and cleaned, but her clothes had been swapped out for a sleeveless shirt and green cargo pants that she immediately recognized as his. I remember fighting that creepy ninja. Speed o' Sound Sonic. I managed to wound him and I was trying to get back to my building. I saw Genos in the street and…?
"I brought you here to take care of your wounds, but I was unable to treat the bruises beyond trying to ice them to keep the swelling down. Your clothes were covered in blood so I washed them, but they will still take some time to dry. Master Saitama did not want me to put his clothes on you so I used my own clothes and cut a hole in the pants for your tail. I did not realize how strange your tail looked where it extends from above your bottom and-"
"Hn…please just stop." She tried again to push herself up, but fell a second time. Locks of her long violet hair fell across her face as she sighed in frustration. "Thank you. For taking care of my wounds. Is…Saitama-san here?"
"Master Saitama needed to find a monster or bad guy to fight by the end of the week so he went to search for one in the city." Genos continued to stare down at her, taking note of the blush on her cheeks. "Noriko-san, do you feel feverish?"
"Huh? W-wait a second-!" Before she could stop him, he leaned in close and pressed a hand to her forehead. She sank a fang into her bottom lip, trying desperately to keep her gaze away from his. Why does he have this effect on me? Is it really just that we're so close in age or is it something else?
"Your temperature seems to be normal. Do you feel alright?"
"Hn. Everything still sort of hurts," she admitted. To her surprise, he suddenly moved and replaced his lap with a comfortable cushion as he stood. "Genos-san?"
"I will get you some painkillers, but you will need to eat first. Taking painkillers without food is bad for your stomach lining. I made breakfast earlier this morning for you and Master Saitama, but you were asleep. Do you still want your breakfast or do you want me to make you something else?"
It was now, as he stood over her, that Noriko saw the pink apron that he was wearing. Stifling a laugh, she shook her head. "No…that's okay. Breakfast sounds good. Thank you." She watched him go into what she assumed was the kitchen and sighed in relief. I need to get out of here. I need to get back to my hideout. Why is he wearing that apron? It looks so out of place! Noriko covered her mouth with a hand, trying not to laugh at the image now forever burned into her mind.
When he returned, he found tears trickling from the corners of her eyes and seemed confused, but decided to not ask about it. "Do you need me to feed you, Noriko-san?"
"Hn. No…I can do it. Er…can you help me sit up?" She was a little embarrassed that she needed help, but the pain was making movement difficult. He set aside the plate and eased her up into a sitting position, moving her to sit against the wall. Now that she was upright, Noriko could see the bandages more clearly and was reminded of just how intense the fight with Sonic had been.
Genos saw her looking down at her body in puzzlement and lifted the plate again. "When I found you last night, you were in a condition that would have left most humans unable to move. You had lacerations to parts of your body that left your limbs hanging loosely and there are contusions on your chest that indicate some internal bleeding. If a normal human being sustained the injuries that you did, they would have been rendered immobile at the least, but the chances of death would be high."
"…thank you for helping me…" She turned her head to the side, trying not to look at him and just hoping that he would set the plate down so she could eat in peace. What is it about this…? I don't get it. For some reason, having him take care of me like this…makes me think that he's cute. Why? And he keeps looking at me like that. Like he's…worried? It's cute, but then he goes into such long explanations about stuff.
He set the plate on her lap and gently gripped her chin to turn her face toward him. His free hand gathered a bit of the rice omelet onto it a fork and he lifted it to her lips. "Open."
Noriko's face turned bright red and she struggled to lift her arm, but a sharp pain ran through her limb. "Hn. I-I can feed myself. I just need time." Her stomach immediately growled when she finished speaking and she frowned.
"It will take some time for you to fully heal, even with your advanced healing capabilities. Your right arm was almost severed at the shoulder. It was a miracle that you were still able to move when I found you, Noriko-san. Please allow me to take care of you until you are fully healed. Now open."
She kept her lips closed tightly and narrowed her sharp green eyes into a glare. Shaking her head, she bit into her cheek to keep her mouth closed. I'm not going to let him feed me like I'm some kind of weakling! I need to be stronger than this! I need to be strong enough to save the others and if I'm so weak that I have to have someone feed me, what does that say? To her alarm, his fingertips forcefully slid between her lips at the corners of her mouth and pried her teeth apart. Before she could protest, the fork and food entered her mouth.
The catgirl growled at his rough treatment of her, but chewed the food and seemed to enjoy the flavor of it. Genos gathered another forkful and was glad that she was no longer fighting him. As he fed her, he looked down at her right arm. She was bleeding through her bandage and her limb was now resting limply at her side. "When you are done eating, I will give you the painkillers and we can discuss your recovery period."
Her feline ears flattened in irritation and she could feel her tail twitching at the tip. "…it shouldn't take that long…I can probably leave this evening…"
"I want to be certain that you are fully healed before I allow you to go off on your own again."
Chewing another mouthful of food, she could not deny that the meal was delicious. Even if it had been sitting out for a little while, the flavors were good and the rice was steamed and seasoned to perfection. When she swallowed the bite of rice omelet, she shifted her eyes away from his and fidgeted with the hem of her borrowed shirt with her left hand. "Hn. Genos-san, why are you doing this? I can take care of myself. I might be injured, but cats heal fast. If I lick my wounds-"
"If you lick your wounds, you will run the risk of infection. I did research on the best ways to recover from injuries like yours and they require rest and food. I am prepared to stay at your side until you are fully healed."
"O-okay, but why? You hardly know me. And I know Saitama-san probably doesn't want me here."
"It is true that Master Saitama is not fond of the idea of you staying here while you recover, but I assured him that you have rent money. My reason for wanting to help you heal is that I believe I might have developed feelings for you," he bluntly answered. The blonde stared down at her face, glad to see her sharp green gaze return to his black and gold one. His fingertips wandered from her chin, the metal caressing the side of her face and threading into her violet hair. Despite his metal body, he was able to feel the heat and softness of her skin beneath his touch. "Noriko-san, I would like to help you in your quest to take down Grey Corporation."
"Wh-what?! You don't even know why I want to take them down! Don't just make rash decisions like that! And besides…it's not like I have to let you help!" she argued.
"No, but I know that you will need help and I will be more than capable of helping you defeat any enemies that you might need to destroy."
"Genos-san…no." She turned her head away, the plate now empty on her lap. The catgirl tried not to think about the blonde cyborg kneeling beside her on the floor or the way that his metal fingertips so gently caressed her scalp and cheekbone. His other hand went to the opposite side of her face and drew her eyes back to him, forcing her to focus entirely on Genos. He stared back at her with determination clear in his features.
"I am training to become stronger like Master Saitama. He has told me that the one of the first things that I need to do is focus on something on important. He suggested raising my rank in Class S. I am attempting to do so, but I think that this goal may be just as important so I am now committed to helping you. I will not take 'no' for an answer, Noriko-san. Allow me to help you."
"Hn. F-fine, but can you please-?" Before she could finish the sentence, she found his face drawing closer until his lips collided with hers. She would be lying if she said that she had not considered what his kiss might feel like. Since he was a cyborg, she expected that it might be stiff and hard. The material of his lips was soft like real skin and the kiss was warm. Gentle. As if he was afraid of hurting her. The kiss made her heart pound faster and she had the urge to put her arms around his neck, but her limbs hurt too much.
When he pulled away, he looked to her pale face to try to discern her feelings. Her cheeks were a heated pink and he caught the movement of her left hand fidgeting with the shirt he had put on her. "Was that unpleasant?"
"No…I just…wasn't expecting it." Her head bowed, nipping at her bottom lip with a fang. I can't let him know that I might like him. I don't want him to ask me to stay. I can try to keep him from helping me take down Grey Corporation, but if I'm stuck here…I know I won't accomplish anything. And I need to save the others on my own; I feel responsible for them being trapped there. When she finally looked up at him again, she frowned. "I'm sorry…but I can't do things like that. Not right now."
Genos stared back at her for a long moment and finally went to return the plate to the kitchen. He returned with a cup of water and a bottle of painkillers. "I apologize. I thought that you might return my feelings, but I was wrong."