Life is Simple, Love is Not (Izuku x Miruko)

Chapter 25: The Abyss

Rumi could not believe what she was hearing from her partner.

"Wait, so you are homeless?" She asked in disbelief.

A bedraggled Izuku rolled his eyes as he sighed loudly. "No, I am not homeless. My apartment is simply not in any state to live in. Thanks to some plumbers that took shortcuts I have a waterfall in my bedroom and mold in the walls. Landlord said it would take around two or three weeks for everything to get fixed. So for now I am sleeping in my office."

It had started off as a normal morning for Rumi. Izuku had shown up at his normal time and had organized the schedule as she did her morning workout. She had noticed that the normally well-groomed man was sporting a thin layer of stubble on his jaw and bags under his eyes. After a little bit of light-hearted teasing, Rumi had asked her partner why he looked so worn out. Now that she had her answer, Rumi's brain was practically screaming at her to capitalize on the situation.

The question was, how could she convince her straight-laced partner to (temporarily) move in with her?

Doing her best to talk in a casual voice, Rumi stopped pounding on the punching bag in front of her and glanced at her partner who was sagging against a wall.

"So...your best option is to sleep in your office?" She asked. "Is that against the rules or somethin?"

Izuku shrugged as he yawned. "Technically it is not against the rules. However, my boss was not exactly pleased with my decision. He said it did not look good if the department's best field agent was living out of his office like some kind of bum. At this rate I will just have to bite the bullet and stay in a hotel."

Taking a steadying breath, Rumi tried her best to casually wander over towards Izuku.

"Well...I think I might have a solution for ya." She said hesitantly. "Why don't you sleep here?"

Freezing like a deer caught in the headlights, Izuku seemed to take a few seconds to process what Rumi had just said.

"Sleep...here?" He said slowly, as if he did not hear Rumi right the first time.

Taking the fact that Izuku had not immediately shot the idea down as a good sign, Rumi forged ahead and nodded emphatically.

"Yeah, why not?" She said with a small spark of hope flaring in her chest. "You won't have to pay for a hotel room, and you can also stop camping out in your office. I mean you already come here on a daily basis, you might as well just kill two birds with one stone and crash here for a few weeks."

"Well...you make a good point..." Izuku said as he furrowed his brow in thought. "Where would I sleep?"

Her heart beating faster, Rumi did her best to hide the happy smile threatening to appear on her face. "Oh you can just crash in the living room. I mean it's not like I ever have guests coming through. I am also pretty sure I have a futon tucked away somewhere that you can use."

"Or you could just sleep in my bed...with me..." Rumi mentally added.

Nodding in understanding, Izuku said a series of words that almost made Rumi jump for joy.

"I wouldn't be a bother?" He asked carefully.

Waving away Izuku's concern, Rumi grinned as she spoke. "Oh you would be fine Izuku. Just think of it as a way of me paying you back for putting up with my stubborn ass."

Pausing for a few seconds, Izuku finally let out a defeated sigh. "Well...I guess I am in no position to turn down a good offer like that."

Giving Rumi a smile that made her heart skip a beat, Izuku straightened up and adjusted his tie.