Split up

"What now...., well... hmm." She cupped her cheek with a hand as she thought, "I could go for a shower about now. Can't start the day without it. Pretty sure that's a closet" she points at the folding door before nodding over to a door near the bed, "That must be the Bathroom then."

She started to walk over, hoping it had one of those big roomy bathtub/shower combos, she could use the room. An ear twitched as she heard the guy get up and start following. A bit of a grin was on her face as she realized what his plan was. It was probably more out of stupidity and shock rather than intent though but...., why not have some just a little fun?

Spinning on her heels, she turned and marched up to Cole before lightly jabbing a finger at his chest. She had to look up a bit to give him a good glare, mix of annoyance and gleam of mischievous to it. He wondered if she actually didn't have ANY other kind of look besides cocky impish.

"Hey hey hey. Just what do you think you're doing? Care to explain?" she snapped, the grin at odds with the harshness in her voice.

“I was following you?”

“Into the shower?” She asked, her eyebrows waggling. She enjoyed seeing the realization dawn on his face.

“…. Oh… OH right… sorry.” He muttered as he ran a palm down his face, “Just kinda frazzled is all. I usually don’t get a good night’s rest and this morning has been…”

“A surprise to be sure huh. Don’t worry, I won’t judge yah for it.” She gave him a light elbow in his arm as her voice lowered its edge. “Probably just going off shell shock reflexes. Or something like that. Haven’t processed it all yet. It’ll eventually sink in buddy.”

“So uh, kinda like how you haven’t realized your uh… lack of clothing.” He was trying not to look at her. He wasn't some bashful virgin but at the same time; he didn't want to give her a reason to hate him more for looking at her near nude form.

“Hmm?”

She looked down at her body, realizing she was still in her sleep clothes, before giving him a roll of her eyes and turning back towards the bathroom. She waved an arm out weakly as she moved, blowing out a sigh of air as she did so. She really hoped he wasn't some kind of super prude or something.

“Look my costume probably covers only a bit more. Think leotard and you got it. You ain’t getting the show you think you are.” She turned to face him, leaning against the door frame as she did so and swept an arm down her front, “Honestly, you're just getting just more skin out of this look.”

“So… about the shower…” he started to ask, wondering just what sort of woman he was dealing with.

“Nuh uh.” Came the immediate response, “Just cause I’m not in a hurry to get dressed doesn’t mean I’m in a hurry to strip down in front of you.” She said, her eyes narrowing and that grin turning at the edges of her lips.

“See, pretty proud of my figure, but unlike a few… others, I don’t make a show of flaunting it. I just have it and you can stare all you want but any more well; I charge by shots. The ones with glasses and ice, not the cameras.” She finished, a glint in her eye and that mischievous smile on her face widening.

“Got it.” He didn’t even want to think of what a bar tab for her would look like, or what suggesting carrot juice would get him into.

“So yeah, don't get any ideas about seeing me fully all natural just yet. Lemme wash up, check some things and you can take one yourself. Maybe get some coffee if there's a kitchen around here in the meantime.” She said, ducking into the bath room.

“You sure it’s safe?” He called out after her.

“Leave the doors open, I’ll hear you if you get into trouble. Besides” the sound of water starting to spray was heard, “If these Cupid people wanted me dead, they’d do it by now. Probably just watching us for kicks or a weakness.”

“But you mentioned Villains? Like capes, and **** beams, and…” he started to say.

“LISTEN.” She snapped as her head leaned back into view, “I really need a shower for…. My own reasons here. Could you just give me some alone time? I’m actually a bit… bothered by that ‘optimization’ mentioned. I have a personal hang up about that.” she huffed before taking a bigger breath, her voice softening as she spoke.

“Look I know we haven’t gotten off on the best foot, but I swear, nothing is going to happen to you. Not without going through me first. I hear anything, I’ll jump in front of you so fast I’ll catch the floor on fire.” Her eyes sparkled and her cocky smile came back, "After all, that's my job as a Hero."

“Okay, that makes me… feel a bit better. Look I can throw and take a punch but; stuff you deal with sounds like outside of my weight class.”

“Kinda figured that from your figure and that punch you threw. Athlete?” She asked with an eyebrow raised, killing time for the water to warm up.

“Boxer, actually.” he held up a clenched fist to empathize that.

“Well, if they really optimized us to match, maybe you’re a bit better now. You know the whole, faster stronger stuff.”

“Maybe? I could only block one of your four kicks though, so maybe still behind the curve.” he grumbled with his arms folding over his chest. He sounded a mix of annoyed and disappointed. She smiled at his little pout.

“Oh really? Most people wouldn't have been able to block one. You seem better than you think." she reached out and patted his shoulder with a hand, never coming out from behind the doorway, "Have a bit of faith in your fists if something goes wrong already. Just hold out like 10 seconds and I'll take care of the rest, K.”

“I suppose. Hey I’m gonna go brew coffee if they have something like a kitchen. “

“Four creams, there sugars” she called as she ducked back inside the bathroom.

“White bunny hates Black coffee, kinda fitting.” he thought as he checked the drawers for his clothes.

Cole quickly found his wardrobe had been dragged into this place with him. Along with a few things he stored at his folk’s place for the time being. A tad worrying; did something happen to them? Would they be told what occurred or did he just vanish off the face of the earth never to be heard from again? There had to be a pamphlet or something right?

“Think the voice said something about a manual right?”

He found it on a nearby desk he hadn’t notice before, a small reading or study desk in a corner. Along with two boxes; one back one white with neatly covered bows. No shout the gifts left to them. Along with two big boxes of condoms, one strawberry one carrot. He wasn’t sure if someone was fucking with him or not as he grabbed the paperwork and his gift.

"Better give her the space she wants." he thought before heading out the door, calling out he was leaving the bedroom.

Leaving the bedroom put him in a short hallway that led out into a short hallway with a door on one wall. Peaking inside showed a small storage and laundry room. The hallway itself terminated into a large living room area, with a big comfy couch against one wall and entertainment center in front. One corner had a staircase leading down, while on the other side of the room from that was a small dining area. The kitchen was parallel with the hallway he just walked through. It had everything one could need for a modern kitchen.

https://imgur.com/a/PgZpSUN - Looks a bit like this.

Coffee machine warmed up; Cole started to flip through the paper work provided. Apparently, the pair of them owned an apartment over a gym along with owning the gym space itself. They could probably open it up as a facility to the locals as a way of earning money. In fact, the business papers were provided for them as well. He had a bit of experience in helping with a gym but running it? That might be a bit beyond him but maybe the woman would know something. Rumi was her name if he recalled right.

His head was starting to hurt before he even got to trying to 'break the marriage' part of the papers. He needed a drink but the coffee wasn't ready yet. He needed something to drink or focus on besides this word jargon nightmare. This led him to looking at the box that was his 'gift'. What could they have given him as a wedding gift considering he basically got a new house and 'job' to start with. He cracked it open and pulled out what was inside.

Some more paper work and a couple bottles of an 'energy drinks' or some sort of protein drink. Something like that; the info said something about unleashing the beast inside you. Reminded him of that "Giving you Wings" advertisement some drink tried to peddle or actual Monster Energy. It looked weird inside the bottle with cloth latches, and smelled strange when he popped the lid off from one. But he was really thirty now that he was looking at it, so he gave a shrug and took a quick sip. If it was poison, this seemed a quite complex way of killing him or whatever reason someone wanted to do that.

https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/covers/images/032/165/072/large/taylor-radcliffe-taylor-radcliffe-highpoly.jpg?1605648925 - Bottles look like this.

A jolt ran down his back as the liquid went down his throat. It wasn't an **** pain but more a... someone harshly shaking you or slapping your back. A hard stinging pain of "GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR" you'd get from a trainer or gym buddy. This woke him up quicker than any coffee and he carefully took another sip after giving it a sniff. Seemed safe enough, and the second one wasn't as harsh. Maybe the first sip was the 'dump your ass in cold water' that people needed to wake up.

"And the taste ain't bad either." he noted, sensing some sort of berry flavor behind it, with an odd hint of something else. Was it mushroom; if so, maybe it was one of those healthy natural drinks. Either way this was a pretty good gift, more so if he had to keep up with the literal gym bunny in the bedroom. At least for now that is.

The coffee pot singled it was done, shaking him from his thoughts as he moved over. He was still going to take a cup of it, if only for the long term help that caffeine was going to give him. Maybe put a little more of that monster drink into his cup though.

________________________________________

She sighed as her hands traced over her stomach. Nothing serious had changed but the fact she still was here, different from before, was off putting. Rumi's body had gained just a little more mass, perhaps a bit more boob and butt than muscle than her liking. But the more worrying part was her limbs, and the fact she had them.

Her first round against the Nomu had cost her an arm and a leg, along with a bit of her ear. Against Tomura Shigaraki at the end; she lost her other limbs in the process. Well, she lost her other arm to a bite from the strange flesh mass he had sent out at one point. She couldn't quite remember when or how her left leg was down to the knee. Either damage during the fight she didn't process, adrenaline is a hell of a ****, or it had to be removed afterward due to health concerns.

New prosthetics were slated to be made for her, but with how much she burnt well, everything, in that last fight there was a real and high chance of her not being a hero again. Even with the replaced limbs, her nerves and organs had been through so much during the last fight. She'd live, possibly even have very sound and stable life; but unless she went like full armored suit, her hero days short of being a mentor were more than likely over.

And yet, here they were. Back and working just like they should, if not better. She half expected them to sprout scales or something, perhaps a different color than before. Like the dull dead colors of the Nomu. ****, she could stand. Being Cripple, sure, annoying but she'd live. Being turned into one of those things; fill her with a bit of dread she never had before.

So, the thought of her body being turned into something else by unseen forces and told this was a 'good thing' scared her.... pissed her off too but deep inside she was a little scared.

The other reason she had wanted to duck in was a... different bodily reason. A more.... heated reason.

"Fuck.... it's starting to crop up." Rumi muttered as the washcloth she used started to go down towards her legs.

She was starting to go into a Heat Cycle.

Part of taking powers from a wild animal, meant it came with some of the more primal needs that animal usually had. This hadn't been a problem when she was still in the hospital as they had taken steps to mitigate it. Along with the nerve damage she suffered, it wasn't likely she'd have this issue while going through rehab. Now though, fully back in 'working order' and with a clearly picked out guy offered towards her?

"OH, it's gonna be a long day." She muttered, stretching a leg up against the wall to loosen up.

She wasn't a virgin by any means but the last thing she wanted to do was throw herself at the first male her instincts accepted as a possible candidate. More so when the two of them were in some sort of strange predicament. **** marriage huh? Was this some twisted trick to try and do a breeding program? She knew of some families or even groups that tried to 'breed' certain Quirks together.

"No... that doesn't make sense. Well, it would if he seemed from my world but he doesn't know me. Or even anyone like me." She thought as she lathered up her leg.

If that was the case, he probably wasn't from Her world, or even a version of her world. At least one that had powers like hers did. And if he was powerless, why attempt to make a breeding program if only one parent was passing things down. It all made no sense to her.

Her mind went back to that 'interview' she had to do with a strange company. It had been a bit of a PR move by some of the heroes, a way of showing the community and world that they were normal people after all. But afterward the crew and host had just... vanished. No one knew where they went and the company turned out to just be a front. First thing she did whenever she got back was try to track them down.... and strangle the host for some info.

One thing at a time though. First finish washing up, then get some grub and grill the guy for some info. Whoever their kidnappers were, they were at least kind enough to give them a place to live before the trap was sprung. Might as well take advantage of it while she could before the fighting started.

She lowered her leg and raised the other one up, starting to move the wash cloth along the skin. She leaned a little closer to her limb, trying to look hard at it. A brief inspection hadn't turned up anything but from this angle she'd have a better look. Rumi wasn't entirely sure yet if there was something different about her limbs.