Chapter Text
There’s that odd hazy fugue state everyone deals with in the fight to wake up.
That one just before your body decides to actually wake up or fall back into the warm and lulling song of sleep which makes getting up out of bed a battle. That point just before you remember that you are actually a real person and gravity only feels like a suggestion, not a law of reality; at least, that’s what Zoey had always told her.
Rumi, for all her other troubles, always woke up with the sun and as soon as her eyes opened for the day, she was ready to go.
Zoey said she was just a freak of nature, but she was pretty confident the habit had more to do with growing up on a working farm than the actual 'being a freak of nature' part. Whatever the cause, she’d been awake for the past hour, going out on her first run of the morning to get her excess energy out. The steady pounding of her feet against pavement wasn't grounding her as much as it normally did. If it was possible, Rumi felt even more jittery than she normally did on a day when the sun was shining bright overhead in a cloudless sky, so she did the only logical thing—take the longer route which would fit a decent amount of extra blocks, especially if she circled each block before continuing.
Her first day of a new job; Rumi’s steady pace now had a small jump in it as energy shot up her spine and the thought, equal parts of anxiety and excitement at the thought of day one of her internship.
At the Daily Planet!
And she was sharing it with Zoey!
Her slight lapse in focus at how excited she was to get her start as a journalist with her best friend caused her to not notice her untied shoelace getting tangled under her shoe, the world lurching under Rumi as her foot slipped out from under her and sent her falling. The runner threw out a hand to catch and stabilize herself, wincing at hearing a screeching crunch under her grip.
With some hesitance—telling herself she was just making sure she had her feet firmly underneath her and absolutely not trying to put off checking the damage—Rumi lifted her head up and saw the sound had come from the decorative metal railings that lined some of the park paths. The decorative metal railings that she'd caught herself on. Which had bent in her grip as if it was a pipe cleaner and not steel.
Releasing her grip on the ironwork revealing it had crunched and folded in on itself under her hand… noticeably. She wasn't able to keep from wincing a second time. Rumi exhaled through clenched teeth, whipping her head around quickly and feeling a full body release of tension as she saw no sign of anyone nearby who may have seen her.
Okay.
Maybe it was time to just head back and suffer through excess energy instead of continuing to be a threat to the aesthetic of Centennial park.
But, even if she was cutting her first run shorter she couldn’t head back without picking up coffee for Zoey first.
Their favorite cafe was just around the corner when Rumi slowed her run to jog in place as she waited for the crosswalk light to change, taking the moment to look around at the people also out early enough that the sun had just begun cresting the tallest trees when Rumi had left the park.
A pair of night nurses looking dead on their feet after a long and draining shift stood on the other side of the crosswalk, they were holding each other tightly by the shoulders and could barely seem to suppress their smiles, their foreheads pressed together with grins so wide their noses wrinkled and eyes squinted.
An older gentleman looking impatiently at his watch while similarly waiting for the light to change, dress shoe tapping against the sidewalk in irritation until a small ding grabbed his attention and all focus went to his phone. A small watery eyed smile peeked out and he left out a soft laugh, barely an exhale before tucking the phone back away, his posture more relaxed.
A sanitation worker across the street who was going by and gathering up the litter that had collected overnight, pausing in their work to glance over a few posters for upcoming shows and group gatherings before they adjusted their mask and got back to tidying up, head bobbing along to something that seemed upbeat playing through their headphones.
Rumi smiled softly at these small moments of lives intersecting in a way that most people won’t ever notice, but she always tucked small and painfully ordinary moments like this away in her mind for later. Serving both to remind her that people are all simply that, people; and to refer back to when she's doing her best to blend in and just be a normal woman.
It also didn't hurt that it helped her practice scene recollection to compliment and enhance her writing more.
The light changed and Rumi held back for just a moment, letting the few people who’d been waiting beside her cross first. She hummed along with the ending notes of the song that played softly through her earbuds as she slowed to a walk; taking them out after the song finished and taking in the gentle baseline rumblings of early morning Metropolis. The smell of coffee, baking pastries, and warmth floated closer as someone slipped out of the cafe ahead of her, the cheerful ting of the bell overhead announcing the door had opened. Rumi reached out for the handle and jumped slightly when her hand collided into someone else’s hand who had also been aiming for the door, a small jolt running through her at the contact..
“Oh, gosh! I am so sorry, here let—“ Her voice trailed off as she looked up.
Now, Rumi was highly intelligent, she’d dual majored in two unrelated fields of study: Journalism and Ecology; she’d been in charge of running her college newspaper for her last two years; she was the person classmates had looked for to get help understanding a topic or to get some guidance on essays. She’d always been quick and clever, especially with words.
Right now, however, the first word being offered by her brain was, ‘Tall’ and the second was simply a flat dial tone as it ceased to functioning.
The woman was tall, Rumi herself was around 5’9”, and the other woman had almost half a head on her. Long pink hair, slightly sweat damp, was half twisted up in a bun, some strands curling and clinging to her face. Sharp eyes stood out behind gold-rimmed glasses, the kind of gaze that made you feel like you were being dissected the moment you locked eyes with them. Rumi could feel her face flushing as she looked down without thinking, to avoid those sharp eyes, and saw she was wearing a still drying cropped shirt that showed off the practically sculpted muscles of her core; her hands had some kind of wraps still on one hand and a phone in the other, and… and Rumi had been standing there, staring like an idiot and not saying anything for way too long.
“Sorry! I, uh, just, here,” Rumi scrambled to pull the door open, looking down at her feet with what she was sure was blotchy reddened cheeks, “let me get the door for you.”
If Rumi had looked up she would’ve seen a similar flush on the tall woman’s face that couldn’t be explained away by her intense morning routine and that she’d been giving Rumi a slow once-over with a bit less shame before slipping past her with a small grin, letting her hand slowly brush the runner’s shoulder as she entered.
“Thanks, Tiger.”
Rumi stood still, blinking slowly as her brain suddenly resembled Zoey’s old laptop after she’d managed to drop it while spilling soda on it simultaneously; it managed to survive, but half the time it would restart without warning or half the screen would shut off. Her shoulder buzzed slightly where the woman had touched in, mind replaying the low rasp of her voice as if to memorize it. Her hand twitched suddenly, hearing a snap as she looked down and saw, that for the second time this morning, the poor metal of Metropolis was victim to Rumi’s panicky brain. She stared at the handle, now half snapped off the door plate, as if just staring at it hard enough would get it to defy all known laws of chemistry and physics, and fuse back to its proper form. When the door handle had the audacity to remain twisted and broken, Rumi couldn’t stop a small groan, she’d just helped with changing out the locks the other week and door repairs were the worst.
Fleeing the scene of the crime—kind of—Rumi ducked into the cafe. If Zoey wasn’t a genuine threat to her life in the morning if not placated with caffeine and baked goods, she may have considered actually fleeing the crime scene and returning after her shift to change out the broken handle. However, the last time Zoey ran out of energy drinks for her morning classes… a shiver of fear ran up Rumi’s spine at the mere thought.
Order placed and pastries retrieved, Rumi shuffled over to lean on the counter while she waited for her order to be ready. Letting her gaze wander around the familiar setting of the cafe, where harried college students looked like they’d pulled an all-nighter and dragged themselves through the park to reach coffee and free Wi-Fi at the short tables next to a wall plastered with posters and signs; a couple people who’d outright dozed off at their tables, limbs lax and drinks cooling; and a tall pink-haired woman leaning with her elbows on the counter while she scrolled through something on her phone. Rumi’s face flushed again immediately, both from embarrassment and just existing in the same space as the graceful woman, whipping her head forward so she was staring out one of the cafe’s front windows.
A few moments and then…
'Curse my pathetic bi willpower.'
She risked a quick glance back at the woman, who was looking right at Rumi with a small grin.
If her obvious glance away after being caught hadn't given away that Rumi had been looking at her, the immediate rush of heat reddening her cheeks and the fact she inhaled and immediately started choking on her own spit in panic definitely did. She felt someone rubbing her back as she hunched away from the counter, pulling the collar of her shirt up to cover her mouth as she tried to breathe and forget this entire morning, maybe she should move back home and write articles under a pseudonym to avoid ever running into the pink-haired woman again. Her Ìyá might be hard to convince, but Ma would love having her home again.
Before she could finish deciding exactly just how upset Zoey would be at her for faking her own death and hiding out at her family farm for the rest of her life, a low voice cut through her thoughts, "You alright there, tiger?"
After Rumi's lungs finally felt like functioning instead of melting at the sight of a pretty woman, she looked up to the woman leaning over her slightly, face flushing again at how close she was. Jerking back, one hand pressed her glasses back in place and the other awkwardly hovered she tried to apologize. Her first attempt at speech, however, managed a squeak, which did not help with her embarrassment over the situation in the slightest, especially when she heard a quiet laugh from the other woman. Thankfully her body decided to finally grant her a kindness and work; her second attempt was more successful as words rushed from her mouth, "I am so sorry, I swear I wasn't trying to stare or make you uncomfortable!"
A snort came from beside her that was quickly silenced, Rumi's shame growing by the second as she tried to figure out how she'd break the news to Zoey that she couldn't risk showing her face in this cafe again after today.
Her order being called grabbed her attention and she practically sprinted to grab it, thrusting a few bills into the tip jar like she did every morning, and then was scrambling to get out of the place that had turned from comforting warmth to embarrassing heat. Rumi was focusing so hard on getting away from that failed social interaction without embarrassing herself more, that she nearly missed the woman trying to grab her attention as she fled out the door.
A warm hand gently catching her wrist had the embarrassed woman pausing and turning—moments like these were where she wished she was normal and didn't have to be hyper-aware of her body, able to pull away without fear of breaking a wrist or fingers and continue fleeing from ever being seen in the city again, but being too caught up in her head could have led to whoever had—Oh god it was the pink-haired woman again, her thoughts of self-loathing promptly jumping out a window in favor of embarrassment.
"I wasn't making fun of you."
Rumi blinked at the bluntness of the statement as her wrist was let go.
"Oh, I uh, didn't think you were?"
A single scrutinizing brow raised as a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of the other woman's mouth, "Are you asking me that or telling me?"
Rumi rubbed the back of her neck with the hand not holding the bag of pastries and Zoey's lifeblood, giving a weak grin with her response, "Uh, yes?"
The woman in front of her covered her mouth with a hand, hiding a smile and muffling the low laugh she gave in response to Rumi's general Rumi-ness. Embarrassment semi-forgotten as she was struck with a desire to know what this woman's smile looked like when it wasn't being covered.
"You're adorable," Was barely audible and Rumi wasn't even sure if she had been meant to hear it as she spoke again, a bit louder, "I'm Mira." The pink-haired woman said after schooling her features and dropping her hand back down from covering her mouth.
Rumi ran the name over in her head a few times, until Mira tilted her head patiently, "Oh! Rumi, is me, that's uh, my name…Rumi"
Rumi stared at the ground hoping it would suddenly swallow her as she continued to embarrass herself in front of this goddess of a woman. 'Someone please hit me with a bus now and put me out of my misery'
"I know." Mira tossed casually and Rumi's head snapped up in confusion as to how she knew her name.
Which must have been clear on her face when Mira pointed to the coffee cup she was currently holding, Zoey's favorite: a godless amount of caffeine, that had her name written on it in big block letters, "They, uh, they shouted it?" There was the faintest blush spreading on her cheeks as she pointed it out.
"Right, right, they do that," Rumi could practically hear Zoey in her head teasing her about "fumbling a bad bitch" or however she'd put it and cleared her throat, "So, boxing?"
Mira blinked, seemingly surprised at the question until she glanced at her hands which were still covered in wraps, "Right, no, jujitsu actually, boxing's for rest days."
It was once again Rumi's turn to be impressed, her eyebrows lifting in surprise and a bit of respect, she knew from growing up with her Ìyá that it could be a demanding martial art to practice. She wanted to keep getting to know Mira, and just as she shifted to turn more fully towards Mira, her Pa had always taught her that it was proper to give a young lady all of her focus—Ma had sighed at that shaking her head fondly, but the habit stuck. Curious and about to ask about her about the jujitsu, Rumi caught the time on the clock in the corner of her eye and what she saw had her jolting, she needed to get moving, "Oh crap, I've got to get going! It was nice meeting you, uh, please forget the amount of foot-in-mouthiness, okaythankyougoodbyeforever!"
One embarrassment-fueled sprint and a saved cat later, Rumi had finally made it back to their apartment building to pick up Zoey for her second run.
Pausing outside the door, she shook out her limbs a bit, wiping off the small twigs and grass clippings she’d picked up on her run and wiping her shoes on the welcome mat Zoey had gotten back in their sophomore year of college that always got them strange looks. Grimacing slightly at some mud splattered on her leggings as she went about unlocking the door, that’d be a bit hard to play off from tripping over her own feet on her coffee run to the very cement-locked cafe across the street. With a sigh, Rumi turned the doorknob, gently, and opened it with a deliberate and precisely practiced slowness, there were only so many excuses for a broken doorknob and Rumi had run out… probably years ago, she felt a rush of shame over her lack of control while entering the short hallway leading into the rest of hers and Zoey’s small but cozy apartment. She was lucky to be quick and clever with cover stories.
An ever lingering floral scent mixing with something she'd never been able to describe as anything but Zoey's. Brightly colored pillows and soft blankets were laying about, a few mostly empty mugs from yesterday still sat on the counter to be washed later. Rays of light cut in through the windows, spreading along the floor and the plants Rumi had collected over the years; a few would need pruning over the weekend.
The peaceful stillness let her know that Zoey had absolutely fallen back asleep on the couch, and… yep, leaning over the back of the couch with coffee in hand she couldn’t help the fond smile forming from the sight of her Zoey.
Legs kicked up over the armrests with only one shoe on and one sock, but not on the same foot, arms crossed over her head awkwardly, it looked like she’d managed to get halfway into her hoodie before losing a fight with gravity, sleep, and logic—face squished against the seam of the couch as she let out tiny huffing snores into the worn fabric. Rumi rolled her eyes fondly at her dozing roommate, bending over the side of the couch to gently bump Zoey’s shoulder with her forehead since both hands were occupied with coffee or pastries at the moment. A sleep slurred mumbling and Zoey attempting to burrow herself further into the couch was the only response she got.
With an affectionate sigh, Rumi gave a dramatic gasp and yelled, “Holy cow! Is that Bigfoot trying to sneak out the fire escape?”
In a comical series of event, Zoey lurched up, eyes barely opening as she tried to bring her hands up with an imaginary camera, the motion pulling on the half-on hoodie and pulling against her neck as she blindly kicked out her legs to do…something, honestly Rumi wasn’t entirely sure what Zoey was trying to do with the kicking. The result ended up the same however, with a crash as Zoey was sandwiched between the couch and coffee table, slowly returning to the land of the living with her imaginary camera protected from the fall.
Rumi snorted at the sight, setting the coffees down on the, for once, aptly named table and stood at Zoey’s feet with her hands on her hips. The shorter girl peeked up between hazardously hoodied limbs and throw pillows that had been collateral from her fall, a grin on her face that was so familiar to Rumi that it made her feel the same as when she’d swing home for a visit.
“Uh, did I miss Bigfoot?”
A couple of beats, Zoey blinking her eyes furiously as she woke up further and remembered her surroundings, then, “Bigfoot isn’t in cities Rumi! How could you mistake some random person for the Sasquatch! Obviously you need to practice your spotting skills for our Squatching trip if you think that the average Metropolitan looks like Bigfoot!” The wiggling of her body increasing in intensity as she ranted, Rumi blinking as she watched Zoey twist in ways that seemed to her like no normal human should be able to as she fixed her hoodie and pulled herself out from being wedged between a couch and a hard place. The triumphant grin returned when Zoey noticed the coffee cups, throwing her arms around Rumi’s waist and squeezing her tight for a moment.
“Oh thank god you brought caffeine, between turtles and the Loch Ness monster I fell down an aquatic rabbit hole last night… eel hole? What’s the ocean’s rabbit?” She hummed the last bit more to herself as Rumi laughed softly, not risking more than simply loosely draping her arms around Zoey’s shoulders.
“I thought I heard you arguing online before I passed out.” Rumi hummed thoughtfully, dropping her arms back to her side in a slightly stilted manner, she always wanted more, to hold Zoey and her own family tightly, so they felt as safe as she did in their arms. But for her, more was a risk, wanting more might get people hurt and Rumi would rather throw herself into the Sun than be the reason for anyone to be hurt. No matter whatever…whoever she was Rumi had never wanted to let the powers she had keep her separated and othered from people. Keeping herself an arms' length away and strict in her self-control was the best way to make sure no one got hurt and she could just keep being a normal woman—'one who just also happened to be able to fly and lift train cars with ease', her brain unhelpfully added.
Rumi snapped back to reality at the slightly obnoxious sound of Zoey slurping her coffee down while working to right the truly confusing wrong that was her shoe situation. The living ball of energy that was Zoey slammed her cup onto the counter as she hopped about the kitchen, working at getting her socks on both feet before trying to put her shoes on. It didn't take superpowers to recognize what was about to happen as Zoey went from hopping on rug to hard floor and slid, pinwheeling her arms. Rumi didn't really ever try to use her powers, it was just a part of who she was, which did make her rush over to catch Zoey before she wound up on their floor for the second time that morning much easier to pass off as perfectly ordinary…ignoring the few loose papers on the desks that she'd kicked up with her speed and the notebooks that had flipped open, but otherwise perfectly ordinary.
Zoey was grinning as she tilted her head back to look Rumi in the eye, "Man, good catch Ru, I didn't even realize you were right behind me."
There was something questioning, patient, and earnest in her eyes as she made no motion to move from Rumi's arms, letting a few moments pass as it hung in the air before her grin softened and Rumi felt a different kind of nervousness flood her system, face warming.
In moments like these, when things were quiet and where fondness, and something a bit deeper that remained unspoken between the two, filled their space with warmth—a part of her just wanted to blurt out the truth, that she was a freak, some kind of something. Hiding behind a mask so she could play at being normal, finding comfort in letting herself pretend there was nothing weird about her. That she was just a normal woman. The part that hurt most, was part of her knew Zoey wouldn't leave, wouldn't throw her aside even though she could break bones with a handshake if she wasn't in total control of herself, honestly Zoey would probably be elated, she lived for all things weird and extraterrestrial. But the larger part of her that had stuck with her since she was a scared little kid, whose first try at answering who she was, had almost gotten her Ma killed.
Nudging Zoey back to standing, Rumi gave a small cough to clear her throat and to try and move past the moment, "Wow! Would you look at the time! We gotta head out soon if we want to get a run in before our first day!"
Luck was on Rumi's side as her firecracker friend perked up and took the bait, "I still can't believe we got the job! Both of us!" She practically shrieked, wiggling and bouncing in place at the reminder of how exciting today was promising to be, a fraction of the sheer joy and energy she that had bleed from every pore on the day they'd gotten the news. "Oh right right," Zoey shook her head to reset, get back on track and gear up, rushing to the bathroom and calling over as she moved, "Was it cold out or did the weatherman lie to me again?"
"Meteorology is extremely complicated and hard to predict effectively, Zo," Rumi called out in reminder as she bite into one of the pastries she'd picked up with a delighted hum, "But no, the weatherman didn't lie, it's pretty nippy out." A snort that she could only imagine was at her expense was the only response she got as she waited, finishing her bear claw with a satisfied hum before reaching for another.
The bathroom door slammed open right as Rumi finished her third bear claw, Zoey properly caffeinated as she dashed back into the kitchen and stood on her toes to throw her arms around the taller woman's shoulders in a tight hug, "Alright! Ready to go!" Dropping back down she grabbed Rumi's bicep and began tugging her towards their front door, "Gaja, gaja, gaja!"
Rumi snorted at Zoey's usual morning pattern as she was pulled out the door for her second run of the morning, this one at a much slower pace so Zoey wouldn't get worn out.
The difference in the city was marked as more people were starting to bustle about, Zoey waving to the older couple who ran a convenience store they always popped into as they jogged past. It was a bit hard for Rumi, moving her body slower than it wanted to, matching Zoey's pace with little issue and stealing looks at her, trying to also match the way she was breathing. As much of a struggle as it might have been, it was always worth spending this extra time with Zoey before the responsibilities of the day had their focus. She let herself slow a little, Zoey getting a bit further ahead, so Rumi could watch her with a fond smile; the energy and bounce in her jog, the way her hair shone in early morning light, and how it caught her eyes and turned them into a soft honey that Rumi always pictured when she thought of home.
There were a lot of things Rumi spent time wishing she could do if she were normal.
Rumi's second morning run always went by faster than she noticed, and it felt like barely any time before Zoey was leaping onto her back in a sweaty hug as they were walking to cool down, reaching back to support Zoey's legs; laughing at some dumb joke Zoey said and letting the embarrassing memories at the cafe fade away as she walked the two of them back to their apartment to change and get ready for their first day as Daily Planet interns!
After a commute of pointedly ignoring the freshly crunched metal fence, dodging weirdly aggressively driven garbage trucks, and keeping Zoey from trying to ask her about what had happened to her nth alarm clock this morning—the pair stood at the main entrance to 'The Daily Planet', looking up at the building with nerves (Rumi), and excitement (Zoey). Rumi felt a hand slip into hers and squeeze lightly, turning her head to Zoey smiling cheekily back up at her, lifting their joined hands up. "You ready to crush this internship and blow Chief Perry's damn mind with our skill?"
Rumi rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she laughed softly, lightly squeezing Zoey's hand back, nerves flaring slightly as she reciprocated Zoey's gesture as gently as a person could possibly manage. Looking back to the entrance, Rumi squared her shoulders.
"I'm ready to do my best."
[Radio announcer voice]: Tune in next time to get to see hijinks and Rumi growing increasingly more concerned that both the women she's attracted to have the bare minimum sense of self-preservation!!
