A Super Mix of Super Heroes

"That's everything I can think of," Paul said, admiring how easily she summed everything up. It was so easy for her! Or at least she made it look easy. "If I think of anything, I'll- Oh! Wait, yes, I need your cell number, if you have one. Just in case. I promise not to text or call you a bunch."
 
“Yes.” Asha stood up and went to the note pad. Quickly, she wrote her information. Her handwriting was sharp, clear, and took up two lines. “Here is my email as well if the need comes up. Write your information as well and we can place this in a public area.” Asha observed the large note pad. It was relatively thick and nice.

“In fact, this shall be our way to communicate messages to each other. Such as when I will be using the bathroom more often for my menstrual cycle or when you will be bringing women over for nightly pleasures.” Asha handed the note pad down to Paul, her gaze unwavering.
 
Paul had started to write, but the pen skidded off the pad at her last sentence. "I... what?" he asked, his face turning bright red. "The uh... cycle? Um... pleasures?" He tried to concentrate and managed to dash out his phone number and email on three lines of the pad as his writing was big enough to take up a line and a half of height. "I don't bring ladies, and I really don't think it's necessary for me to know menstrual times," he babbled, shoving the pad at Asha, still bright red. "It's not... no, not needed. No ladies here!" He stood and started backing away awkwardly.
 
Asha turned her head at Paul’s nervous behavior. The reddish tint to his cheeks was not from her heat, but she did feel a warmth from him as he backed away. She did not expect a body’s needs or functions to make a man as physically fit as himself, so uncomfortable. Unless...

“So then is it men you prefer? I assure you I shall show no judgement, but please understand that I might act off putting since I was raised to believe against such things. But I will do my best not to disturb you or your, partner, if I am informed.”
 
Paul didn't think it was possible to turn even redder, but he did. He almost tripped over the edge of the rug and caught himself on the end of the couch. "No!" he yelped. "I mean, yes! I mean, I like men fine, and women are great! I like... uh... I don't... I need to go... No need to worry! I won't be bringing anyone home ever. Nope, no worries there!" He let out an awkward laugh that trailed off like a dying worm.

He pointed out the door. "I'm going to go to my room and, uh... do stuff. Yep." He practically ran from the room. He dodged inside and closed the door, leaning against it with a sigh of relief.

Oh, wait, she might have wanted to continue to talk to him about living together. He cracked open the door, then his treacherous imagination lumped the phrase "living together" with the conversation they'd just had about "nights of pleasure." He closed the door again and crossed the room to sit on the edge of his cot-like bed next to Mr. Kuzco's cage. Nope. He was not going back out there.
 
Asha felt her eyes widen as Paul stumbled out of the room his face growing redder. The heat coming off of him was adorable. It seemed to Asha that he was having a hard time trying to keep his dignity. So, she pursed her lips to keep her amusement bottled up. Though the moment he ran away she let out a giggle.

“Well, at least I know that other visitors will not be a problem.” She said as she put the note pad down. She put the chair back into its original place and glanced around the living room. The couch needed to be put in order and their cups away. Quickly she did those things and went back to examine her work. The night darkened the walls in the room and the growing shadows made her realize her own weariness.

“Just a few more things to do then I can rest.” She reminded herself. With one more glance over the living room to make sure everything was in its right place, she looked at the hallway where her new roommate ran off to.

Asha Cordova hated people, but Paul Wronski might be an exception.
 
Paul spent some time playing with Mr. Kuzco, careful to keep his voice down, and gave the furry little creature plenty of treats to make up for his rather hasty deposit in his cage earlier. The gerbil seemed to forgive him, and they settled down in their respective beds to sleep.

Monday, 3:28 am

Paul woke with a groan as his alarm went off. Just because he had woken early every single morning for the last eight years did not mean he liked it. He still hated getting up so early the birds weren't even stirring. Still, he turned off his alarm and rolled out of bed. A couple of stretches later, he dug into his morning exercise routine for exactly twenty-five minutes. Ah, the burn felt good! Then three minutes of stretching, and finally into the bathroom to freshen up. He didn't even raise a sweat during his morning routines, meaning showers were optional. He chose to just wipe down with a washcloth this morning then went into the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later, the house smelled of breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and hashbrowns! He plated everything up then turned the oven on warm just to keep the extra from going cold. He took what he wanted then left the rest in the oven. After a moment of thought, he wrote up a note and stuck it onto the fridge with a magnet shaped like a mason jar baring the typical conversions from teaspoons to cups and so forth.

Miss Crodova,
Breakfast is in the oven. If you don't like it, that's okay. I wasn't sure what you'd want. The storage containers are in the cupboard to the left of the fridge. Please put things away when you are done?
Best wishes for the day,
Paul

He read the note through twice before leaving it up. That shouldn't sound too bossy, right? And everything in the kitchen was spotless and well organized. The rest of his place might occasionally become "comfortably cluttered," but that never applied to the kitchen. Satisfied, he sat down to eat, drank two glasses of orange juice, washed the dishes, scrubbed his teeth, fed Mr. Kuzco, then grabbed his bag and headed out for the zoo.
 
Asha’s eyes blinked open as she stretched. She looked at her phone; it was 4:30. Perfect timing as usual. She shut her alarm for 4:31 off. She looked around her room. The white walls reflected the brightening sky outside. It was a comforting color on her eyes as she stretched. She went out of her bed and stretched more before she set into a meditative position a candle before her. The candle was a light purple and smelled of oranges. Lalita liked making candles be more than what they appeared to be.

“Let us begin.” Asha breathed in slowly, letting the air fall as a blue and white flame sparked on the candle’s wick. The spark grew as Asha’s finger’s trailed from her core off her chin. It lost size when she breathed in deeply. The process was repeated a few more times before her fingers were still and she was using the rhythm of her fire to guide her. When her fire hummed and settled into a small candle flame Asha opened her eyes.

4:40, the clock on her phone read. Asha let out a small frown. Usually, her fire took a little bit more time to settle, she had to focus harder to control it and guide it to a settling point. “Maybe I am just mastering it.” A wince came as she finished her statement. She could not think of herself better than her flames. She did not master them, they worked with her. Asha shook her head and focused.

“This will give me extra time to see how far my walk will be.” Asha left and went to the bathroom. Since it was after 4, the bathroom and the apartment itself were free to her. She went to take a shower, quickly washing up. Then, wrapped in a towel she went back to her room and changed in a black sweater jacket, plain white V-neck t-shirt, and jeans. Her hair went into a tight ponytail, ensuring that locks did not fly into her face.

“There.” Asha nodded at her reflection and pulled her jacket. She went into the kitchen and saw the note on the fridge.

Miss Crodova,

Breakfast is in the oven. If you don't like it, that's okay. I wasn't sure what you'd want. The storage containers are in the cupboard to the left of the fridge. Please put things away when you are done?

Best wishes for the day,

Paul

Asha frowned at the misspelling of her last name but decided to forgo it for the food. Asha opened the oven and her mouth watered. The amount of protein and how fresh it was, delighted Asha to no end. She wiggled and smiled as she ate. It seemed to her that the food was gone in a blink of an eye. She was thoroughly satisfied, but she mourned the loss of taste.

“Do not let yourself crave anything. Craving is a sign of a loss of control.” The words of her father rebuked her, Asha winced and looked around. He was not there. Asha sighed and took her dishes to the sink. She washed them and put them in the drainer before turning the oven off. With a glance over, the kitchen looked just as clean as it was when she came in. The note on the fridge was still there though and she wanted him to know that she read it. She put on the table next to the note pad and wrote her own note.

Mister Wronski,

Thank you for breakfast, it was most satisfying. The dishes are in the drainer and there was no food left over.

Signed,

Asha Cordova

Asha underlined her last name, just to show him how it was spelled. With that, she grabbed her purse and walked to work.
 
The zoo was its usual messy self. Paul hummed and whistled as he swept, washed, and scrubbed his assigned exhibits. The non-dangerous animals like the penguins and exotic birds watched him suspiciously, keeping well out of his way. The zebras came over for pets, enjoying his little treats he snuck them, and lions watched from the other side of their metal gate, clearly bored. He took the time to say hello and talk to each animal, making certain they were being well taken care of. All of them were fine... although the lions really wanted to chase and possibly eat him. That was okay, as long as they didn't actually try that on any of the other keepers.

It was shortly after 11 when he arrived at the appartment. He yawned, ready for a brief powernap, and fumbled around with the keys until he got the door unlocked. No matter now long he lived here, he still had troubles with the keys. Annoying. He finally got inside, closed and locked the door, then headed straight for the bathroom. Shower time! After a shower, then he'd nap. He detoured briefly to the kitchen, read Asha's note, and realized his mistake. He groaned in disappointment and set it aside. Oh well, at least she'd liked the food. He wandered off to take a shower.
 
Work as a wielder was physically uncomfortable, dangerous, messy, and Asha loved it. It was everything her family’s jewelry work was not. She did not have to dress as if she was always greeting a five-star client. This company gave her a thick jumpsuit, gloves, a mask, and a hard hat. Her identity practically concealed even from her employers. She was not working to fix priceless vapid wear or family heirlooms. The long pipes she put together were those of a plumbing system for future houses. There was a direct purpose to her work. It helped that her flame was also being used. The constant hum of both flames (the torch and hers) set her in routine.

“Cordova!” Asha stopped at the call. She turned to see her manager of the day jerk his fingers to the clock. It was time for a lunch break. Asha went to the locker room, took off her safety items, and found a closet to meditate in. Lunch, was not her thing. Yes, there were other people to eat with, but they were rowdy and always tried to ask questions she could not or did not want to answer. So, she took the time to either plan or meditate. She decided to meditate today, checking on her fire.

The moment she put her hand out, a spark flickered up. It danced awake slowly.

“You are being awfully gentle today,” Asha whispered to the blue-white flame. The flame grew whiter and the air around it heated. “I do not mean to upset you,” Asha chuckled. “I am just curious.” She only lost control in the warmth and projection of her heat today, a few workers complaining that the air in the pipe was stifling here and there. The areas Asha had been in.

The flame in her palm waved slowly. “Well as long as you are fine.” The flames wave grew faster. “Good,” Asha smiled. Her alarm rang, signaling lunch ending. “Back to work,” Asha sighed as the flame blinked away.
 
Paul woke after a brief nap and got up to get dinner started. A lovely peanut sesame noodle! It was almost a take-out like food but without the horridness of actual take out. Yes, he spent a lot on his food, but no more than what other people spent on daily Starbucks runs and movie theatres. To each his own as far as "frivolous" spending went, and food was his choice. It did not take long to cook, but he liked taking his time when he could, getting everything chopped and arranged neatly so he did not feel rushed. Then he worked out in the living room for two hours, showered, and played with Mr. Cuzco. He should probably go out tonight and see what trouble he could stir up, but was that wise with a new housemate that just moved in? He wasn't sure. Either that, or he was just stalling. Did it really matter either way?

Leaving Mr. Cuzko to roll around in his ball for a while, he watched tv until it was time to make dinner. A nice, laid back, relaxing day! Ah, he had too few of those. He put Mr. Cuzco away then set about making dinner. Asha should be home soon-ish. He wondered if she'd be annoyed at him for the misspelling of her name? Or what if she hated noodles? Oh well, there was only one way to find out.
 
BRING!!!

Asha stopped as the loud buzzer ring signaled the end of the workday. She looked down the pipe as she stretched. They had gotten a good 20 feet of pipe sealed today. She was on target. Asha went to the locker and put her uniform and safety items away. No one waved at her or said goodbye as she left. They all just shuffled on their own path, leaving her to her own.

The sky was already dark for a mid-spring day. Her fire rose internally to keep her warm. There was a gentle peace in the night. She could patrol tonight. Her fire jumped and Asha glanced down to see her fingers sparkling. Asha curled her fists, smothering the sparks. It was odd, her body felt tired and dirty, but her fire was still alive, still constantly burning. Usually, it took all her effort to get home, take a shower, and make dinner. Yet, it was barely 6:15 and while she was sore, she felt like she could burn a tree to ash in a matter of minutes.

She reached the apartment and quickly opened the door with her key. The delicious smell of oil made her flames curl and there was crackling coming from one of her hands. Asha swallowed and pulled her flame back as she entered the apartment. “Good evening Mr. Wronski. I’ll be taking a shower and join you for dinner in a few minutes.” She didn’t give him time to respond as she hurried in to go take a shower. She wanted to be on time for dinner. She wanted whatever plate of deliciousness he prepared today.

With food on her mind, it was easy for her to forget certain things. Such as her towel and a change of clothes. She didn’t realize this till she had stripped and rid herself of all her sweaty garments. She peeked out. The trek to her room was short. Asha sighed and went to get her things.
 
Paul heard the call and grinned. She was home! He was actually excited that she was home! He started getting everything plated up. Hearing the bathroom door open again, he went to the hallway and called down, "What would you like to dr- OH MY!"

He gaped. He didn't mean to. he really didn't! But what else were you supposed to do when presented with a naked body? Then his brain inserted: an incredibly fit, beautiful naked body. Wait, what on earth was he doing??? He all but threw himself backward into the kitchen.

"I am so sorry!" he squawked. "I didn't realize you were... I am sorry!"
 
"What would you like to dr- OH MY!"

There had only been two times Asha ever felt cold. The first, she was ten and her father took her to the ocean. Needless to saw she does not like to swim. The second, she was on a hill watching her flames consume every physical thing she knew, as if her flames had escaped her. Now two became three.

It was something so simple, a pair of eyes meeting in a hallway, but she was naked. She was naked! And his eyes were trailing downward! She wondered why his eyes were trailing downward. She glanced down, to see a nice view of something that no one but her mother ever saw.

He ran out of the hall. "I am so sorry!" Paul squawked. "I didn't realize you were... I am sorry!"

Asha blinked, as feeling came back to her body, and realization. She ran to her room and slammed the door. As soon as she did, her flames jumped out and covered her body. The fire coming out of her throat burned her scream.

CRACK!!!

Her flames were brought in immediately as heat began to sizzle down around her. The floor she was staring at was blackened. She glanced behind her to see that the pressure of the heat cracked her mirror and window.

“Oh, idiot.” She groaned to herself as she quickly grabbed her clothes and towel. When she touched the knob, it was scorching. Asha absorbed the heat before it could melt or reshape itself. She paused and yelled out.

“I am going to the shower now, please do not disturb me.” She took a deep breath before opening the door and running to the bathroom. She slammed the door shut behind her. Her heart thrummed as fast as her flames danced and her fingers sparked with energy as her mouth filled with heat. She knew physical pleasure was normal and her father and grandfather encouraged her brother to enjoy it as such a need. For her though, her fire was too pure, too hot. She could burn. As sparks escaped her mouth, she believed it. She took a cold shower but the bathroom quickly filled with steam.

When she felt more composed, it was 7:00. She snarled at how such a simple encounter threw her, and by extension Paul, off. She ran her hands threw her hair and pulled at her loose pajama shirt, making sure it covered the top of her pajama bottoms. It was only a simple encounter, nothing lost but time, she told herself. She strutted out the bathroom with her things, placed them in her damaged room, and closed the door.

“It was, an unfortunate occurrence that will never happen again.” Asha rehearsed as she put her hair behind her ears and pulled her shirt down once more. “I will take precautions to ensure that. Yes, yes, that will do.” Asha nodded and went into the dining room. Then her eyes met Paul’s. Her heart thrummed and the heat in her mouth took her words.

“I,” Her breath felt heavy and it swirled out of her mouth like her flames did on an active night. She bowed, losing his eyes. It helped cool her. “I apologize for letting you see something so vulgar and unpleasant. I will ensure it does not happen again in the future.”
 
Paul shakily finished setting up the dinner table, focusing hard on not thinking about what he'd seen. Nope, nope, nope! That was improper! That was not to be thought about! He accidentally got things mixed up in the kitchen, set the table backward, and had to spend several extra minutes fixing it. He was almost relieved she was late to the table. He sat fiddling with his cup and fork while he waited, his eyes on his empty plate. Don't think about it... don't think about it!

Then she came in, dressed and a bit rumpled, but dressed. That was important. She glanced at him, but it seemed neither of them could hold the gaze as she looked away and he looked back down at his plate. This was so awkward.

"I apologize for letting you see something so vulgar and unpleasant. I will ensure it does not happen again in the future.”

"Oh! It was not unpleasant!" Paul stammered instinctively. Then he blushed. "I mean... I was just... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... look. I should have realized, but... Uh..." Why couldn't the floor just open up and eat him already?? He wanted to compliment her so she wouldn't think he found her ugly, but that was wrong. He couldn't say it was horrible because that would make her feel bad that way. There was no way out!!

He rallied a bit and managed, "It was an accident. We'll just both be more careful. That's all."
 
"Oh! It was not unpleasant!" Asha snapped her head to Paul. She stood up slowly as the heat around him grew and his face reddened. "I mean... I was just... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... look. I should have realized, but... Uh... It was an accident. We'll just both be more careful. That's all." Silence befell them once more as Asha blinked at Paul. Asha knew she was a fairly decent looking woman and men have wished to or attempted to engage her in nightly pleasures. But she never pursued them, and most attempts left her annoyed enough to heat burn the offender’s hand.

Yet, Paul’s bumbling antics were sweet. They were not sure and they did not push for control or sought pleasure. They simply were a part of him. It made her fire dance a bit and his unease settled her.

“That will be for the best.” Asha smiled at him as she went to sit down. With the situation pushed to the back of her mind, she went to sit down and focused on her plate. On the plate were noodles covered in an odd orange thick sauce. “What is this?” Asha turned her head at the plate. The smell was familiar, but she could not recall the dish.
 
She seemed to be taking it well. She wasn't yelling at him or accusing him of purposefully trying to steal a peak so that was good. He sat down across from Asha and started playing with his food, the unease in his belly making his stall a bit. When she asked what the dish was, he almost jumped. Oh! Conversation! Casual conversation, at that.

"It's a peanut sesame noodle," he told her eagerly. "It reminds me of take-out food in that it's warm, it's a touch greasy, and it's easy, but it doesn't have all the nasty stuff of real take-out. It makes me feel comforted, so I guess it's, uh, comfort food." He gave her a lopsided grin while internally scolding himself for his dorkiness.
 
Sesame! Asha nodded eagerly as memories of her younger days as she watched her mother learn how to make Tal Sankri (sesame brittle) as her father laughed. She missed most of Paul’s words. Memories, almost long forgotten, taking over. Asha blinked them away and focused on the last two words, comfort food.

“I,” Asha swallowed the swelling emotions, letting her inner flames consume them as she let out a shaky hot breath. “I understand. When I was little, sesame was used for Tal Sankri, a sort of,” Asha tapped her chin to look for the word. “I suppose candy, at the end of the winter season. It was a favorite of mine.” Asha let out a smile as memories flashed in her mind. Then her stomach rumbled.

“And please take the first bite. After what happened,” Asha’s words trailed off. She did not want to bring up that, awkward, situation any more than she had to.
 
Tal Sankri? He didn't recognize the name, but Paul filed the information away for later. Maybe he could learn how to make it and have it on standby for a rainy day. That might make her feel better! He smiled fondly as he watched her remembering good things in the past.

"And please take the first bite. After what happened.”

He jumped a little at her words. "What? Oh! Yes, certainly." He took a heaping helping of noodles and gulped it down. "Mmm, I love this stuff. Not to toot my own horn. Hehehe."
 
Asha took a bite after Paul. The flavor of the sauce swam through her mouth. The noodles were cooked perfectly. While it was oily, it was certainly no probably for her or her flames that quickly consumed the film of oil in her mouth. She made sure to wipe her closed mouth, extra covering. With a sip of water, she cooled her flames. Once she was sure that her mouth would not leak flames she spoke.

“It is indeed, a well-made dish.” She nodded to him. “I still prefer sesame in a sweeter setting, but the flavor is very nice.” She took another bite before talking again. “I saw your note from this morning. There were no leftovers to put away but was everything else to your satisfaction?”
 
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