"You're going to have to loose some weight" I grunt, keeping Martac upright. With each step, he leans on me more and more.
"We wouldn't be in this situation, if ya would 'ave picked better" he says with a strain in his voice. He's trying to tease me because he knows I feel awful about this. It is my responsibility to pick safe choices that can still pay our bills.
"Yeah yeah" I pause, setting him down on a bench so I can catch my breath. "You can hold this over my head forever and I'll get you a new pair of ice skates"
"Custom blades with memory foam and fur lining"
"I'm not going to feel as bad if you break my bank" I joke, gesturing to get him back up. My apartment is only a few blocks away now and besides the sweat pouring down my face and back, I feel like I can do this.
"Civilians! Do you require assistance!? I will call for help" a very familiar hero in mostly white rushes over, freezing when he realizes who we are "you"
"You have a back up helmet" I say. It's really not the time, but I can't help but notice "doesn't it get hot in there?"
"It has temperature control" he takes it off so we can see his face and he scans us, eyes snagging on my shoulder and Martac's leg. He gets out his phone and starts to dial, but stops "it's not working."
Martac is probably jamming it.
"Just help me get him to my place" I say, struggling under the weight of Martac again. I really should have cleaned my place while I had the chance.
"Ma'am, I will happily escort the two of you to the hospital."
"Help or get out of my way, Tenya" I glare at him, challenging him with my proposal.
Ida hesitates for a moment before slipping under Martac's other arm. He takes the brunt of the weight and I'm grateful, even if I don't say it. Martac is all muscle and Ida grunts once as we make our way slowly to my place.
The stairs are the worst. I'm sure Martac is putting barley any of his weight on me but it's still a struggle for all of us to take the steps in the narrow stairwell.
I touch my doorknob and hear it unlock. The door creaks open on hinges that I need to oil but haven't gotten around to it. My space looks twelve times worse than I remember. The clothes seem to have multiplied while I was gone today and there are even bras hanging over a a closet doorknob.
"Get him on the bed" I instruct. Ida takes one quick look around my space and smartly says nothing. "There's a first aid kit in the bathroom."
We get him centered on my bed and I point in the direction of the bathroom. I find a kind of clean towel on the floor to put under Martac's bleeding leg.
"Quit bleeding on my bed, you'll stain the mattress" I grumble at Martac who winces every time I move him to cut his pants off at his knee to expose the wound.
"Stitch me up and I wouldn't have to." He snaps back, but it doesn't have much of a bite to it.
Ida reappears with the kit and I can do just that. I give Martac some left over pain kills that I have on hand from the last time I got hurt. Ida doesn't comment, but examines my space. His helmet is discarded at the end of my bed and he goes to pick it up while I take the knife out of Martac's leg and sew it up. Luckily, it didn't hit anything vital and just requires me to stitch the skin closed so it can heal quickly.
The hero hovers behind my shoulder, helmets in both of his hands as he watches me work. It doesn't take long to fix up Martac since it's not the first time I've had to do it. The painkillers knocked him out and he's snoring with his mouth wide open, drool dripping down his cheek.
As soon as I get Martac's leg wrapped, Ida drops his helmets and pulls at my torn shirt, ripping the sleeve the rest of the way off to start patching me up.
The disinfectant stings and I try to wiggle out of his grip. He only clenches his hand more to keep me in place.
"Your shoulder will get infected if you do not let me clean it." He states, focusing only on the gash in my skin, but loosening his hold on me so I'm more comfortable. It's been a long time since someone took care of me so tenderly. I stare at him as he works, his brow furrowed like it's the most important job he has right now. "You do not have to stare at me"
"Sorry" I blush, looking toward Martac instead.
He finishes cleaning and wraps it tightly so it can't slip off as I move. "You should have it checked out."
"It's just a scratch" I insist, pulling my arm from his warm hand, regretfully.
"I like your place" he says after a pause and clearing his throat.
"It's a mess, I know" I reply, rolling my eyes with a small smirk before looking away from him and kicking a pair of underwear under my bed hoping he hasn't already seen them.
"I have seen worse" he shrugs "in high school, you would not believe how messy Mineta kept his room" he shutters as if remembering a nightmare.
"Oh right, you would have gone there after they set up the dorms. What was that like?"
"It was very nice to live with my classmates and now colleagues. It feels like we have an advantage to knowing each other and how we operate in the field rather than having to learn on the job how we respond to our assignments."
"I suppose that would make things easier." I muse, heading over to the small kitchen, suddenly very hungry and knowing Martac is going to want to eat when he wakes up.
There's not much in the fridge but I hold a water bottle out to Ida that he takes and chugs half of.
"Thank you. I did not realize how thirsty I was" he admits, wiping his mouth of some water that dribbled out.
"Are you hungry?" I ask, pulling out odds and ends that I can heat together for a decent dinner for three.
"I would love to stay, but I have to get back on patrol." He says almost regretfully that he can't have dinner here.
"Another time then" I offer.
"Absolutely" a smile breaks through his normally stoic face and it's gone just as quickly as his phone rings. Martac's quirk must be inactive since he's deep asleep. He answers it, gives a quick explanation that he was diffusing a situation and is on his way back to his patrol before hanging up.
"Going to lie on your report about this incident too?" I tease, pushing his shoulder. He blushes.
"No. But since I still do not know your name, it will be kept out of my report"
"Seems a little fishy."
"It honestly happens frequently when a hero is too careless or heartless to get the names of civilians they help or even just happen to come across" he explains.
"You're calling a hero heartless?" My eyebrows raised, amused that he would speak that was about his colleagues.
"Some heroes do not understand what it is like to need help and then the person that comes to help does not even ask for your name. It is dehumanizing and feels cold when all you want is warmth."
"It sounds like you speak from experience" I soften my tone.
"I do" he swallows hard and walks over to his helmets, picking one of them up and putting it on. He grabs the second and then sets it down on the bed next to Martac. "I do not have a use for two helmets right now. Would it be acceptable to leave it here for a little longer?"
"Yes, you can."
"Thank you" he turns back to me and I can't see his face anymore because of the head gear. It's a shame. He has a really nice face.
"Tonight" I say suddenly. "A late dinner tonight. I'll cook, you can get your helmet and I'll make sure Martac is at his home resting."
"It's a date" I can hear the smile in his voice. At least I think I can.
I walk him to the door and watch as he walks down the hall. Before he takes the stairs, he turns to me and waves. I raise a hand and watch him disappear down the stairs. His boots clinking against the metal steps, echoing in the stairwell until I hear the main doors at the bottom open and close behind him.
Back in my apartment, I use my phone to lock the door and move Ida's helmet to the counter. I sit in the only chair, watching Martac sleep.
"Yer going to end up in trouble if yer not careful with that one, lass" Martac mutters. He must have been faking sleep.
"Yeah probably." I sigh, stretching out on the chair to prop my feet up on the edge of the bed.
"Just be happy, lass. Mitch would want ya to be"
"Don't... don't bring him into this" I stand, defeatedly, getting on my phone to order groceries for dinner to be delivered. "I'll call a car for you"
"Send me to Chris' place"
"That still going on?" I raise an eyebrow at him. Chris has been his on again off again... person for awhile. To say boyfriend would be a stretch since Martac has assured me all they do is 'stress relief'. I didn't want to know any more than that.
"For now" he sits up with a grunt, testing his weight on his leg, but sitting back down. I have a spare crutch in my closet and retrieve it for him. He takes it and gets to his feet, heading to the door to wait for the car I ordered on an app. It'll be here in five minutes. "Be careful"
"You said that already" I joke and he pats my head as he steps past me to the door.
"Maybe ya will listen if I say it twice"
"Probably not"
He sighs "Figures. Lock the door behind me"
I roll my eyes at him but do as he asks. I know he wouldn't let me help him get down the stairs so I don't even offer. With my phone, I lock the door when I hear him get to the top of the stairs and I immediately start cleaning my place from top to bottom. It takes longer than normal since I want it to look spotless.
I don't usually clean when I have guests over, but for some reason, I want to for Ida. After I spend entirely too long making sure that every crevice of visible space is scrubbed, I grab the groceries that were delivered to my door and start putting together dinner.
There's not a specific time I told Ida, but thinking about his personality, seven would be a safe bet. This would be less of a guessing game if I could just call him.
While dinner simmers, I get my low folding table out and move some things around to set it up in the middle of the room. There's enough space that I can sit on the side and lean against my bed and I can put a pillow down for Ida so he doesn't have to sit directly on the hard floor.
By the time I get everything ready and change into not torn, blood free clothes, there's a knock at my door.
I rush to answer it, throwing my apron into the closet and smoothing out my clothes, fussing with my hair one more time.
"Welcome!" I fling open the door, only to be face to face with a bouquet of my favorite flowers. Ida is holding them out to me and I take them from him "thank you. How did you know I like these?"
"You have a picture of them framed" he gestures to the art in question. Honestly, I forgot I had that. Mitch gave that picture to me for my seventh birthday and it was the first thing I hung up. It doesn't even register that I have it anymore, I glance past it so often.
"Oh. Right" I gesture for him to come in and he locks the door behind him so I don't have to get my phone out.
I feel suddenly nervous as I put the flowers in a vase and put it on my bedside table. The only other spot for them would be the counters in the kitchen, but those are full of food right now. This might be the first time I've ever wished I had a bigger place.
Ida is dressed in dark pants and a button up shirt. I half expected him to wear a tie, but he keeps the top button open for a slightly casual look. I feel underdressed but we're in my apartment so I try to shake off that feeling.
"You hungry?" I ask, grabbing a couple plates so we can serve ourselves at the kitchen counter.
"Starving" when I turn back to him, his gaze trailed up from my feet and he takes the plate with a smile.