"Hand me the soap, idiot! No peeking!"
"Hey, don't tell me what to do while you're using my tub, shorty."
Letting out a sigh, Saitama quickly turned around to hand her the bar and went back to reading his manga book. Honestly, such a pain.
"You know, I was just kidding about the whole bath thing. You didn't have to actually go ahead and do it."
"W-Well, I...have to look good before our date, r-right?"
...
Whipping around, Saitama stared at Tatsumaki's rapidly retreating form.
"...Huh? Sorry, I wasn't listening, there was this one part where Roach Man was..."
The water was glowing with a slightly green hue and...heating up? Shrugging, he chalked it up to faulty pipes and went back to his book.
"W-Well, I didn't say anything! Nothing at all!"
"Mmmmhmm...hey, I just thought of something. Just a question."
Tatsumaki, sneaking a glance at his direction, noticed that the back of Saitama's head perfectly reflected the bathroom's light. Stifling a snicker, she kicked her feet up and smirked. No way in hell was he going to catch her off guard again. She was the Tornado of Terror, after all, and after an embarrassing string of defeats she could definitely regain face as-
"Your hair, I'm gonna wash it. Is that ok?"
Nope, nevermind, what?
"Y-You...what sort of question is that, pervert?! I already have soap, I can do it myself! Do I need to remind you that I'm twenty-eight years old?!"
"Calm down. First of all, that bar is for your body. It's kinda weird if you washed your butt with it and then you're putting it in your hair. Second of all, your psychic power is exhausted. I'm pretty sure you can't multitask with that right now."
"...I-I'm still refusing!"
"I promise I'll be gentle."
"THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE HERE!"
Blushing madly, Tatsumaki stared at Saitama with a mixture of anger and disbelief. Was he really this dense?
"...Oh. You're worried about your body. Well you already washed that, why should I be looking down there?"
"...Whatever, ok?"
Saitama left the room after giving her an odd look, leaving Tatsumaki to let out a quiet groan. Finally, now she could coherently think about the situation at hand.
It was getting harder and harder to deny his strength, to delude herself into believing that she could easily wipe the floor with this pathetic A-class if she just put in the effort. Just a step in the road, right? Wrong.
She, the Tornado of Terror, was the Association's trump card. There was no monster that she couldn't tear to ribbons, no hero that didn't bend to her will. With BLAST currently in parts unknown, she was hailed to be the strongest hero in the world, and everyone respected her for it.
And then that caped baldy came into the picture and ruined everything. It might've been the sting of defeat, sure, and it may have been his uncaring attitude, fine. But he certainly wasn't just some small fry, oh no.
No small fry has ever invaded her thoughts this way. No matter how hard she tried to hate and ignore him, he just wouldn't leave her alone.
He won.
Bitter tears streamed down her face. Who did Saitama think he was, casually sauntering in and ruining her career, hell, her life? Being able to hide her feelings for this long, it wasn't this hard before. So why now is it-
"Hey, I'm back. Doesn't the mood in here feel really heavy all of a..."
Reeling back in shock, Tatsumaki quickly turned herself around so that her back was to Saitama. No way was he going to see her vulnerable right now. Not now, not ever.
"Hey."
"..."
"Turn around."
"...No."
"Were you crying?"
A sniffle escaped. Tatsumaki inwardly cursed herself for looking like such a baby right now.
"N-No."
Feeling a sharp grasp on her shoulder, Tatsumaki yelped and turned around, covering herself. Her insult died in her throat as she felt Saitama's intense gaze. Gone was the sleepy, disinterested look in his eyes, and Tatsumaki might even admit that in this moment he looked genuinely menacing. Feeling the very air shake as Saitama took a step forward, Tatsumaki backed up only to hit a wall.
"W-What are you-"
"Don't lie to me."
He raised a hand, and it all came flashing back.
The scientists taking her and her sister away. Being locked up in a dingy, cramped cell when she wasn't being put to the test like some show dog. The physical and verbal abuse she endured for so many painful years while she clawed at the door, wailing for Fubuki's safety. The one time where her powers just weren't enough.
And it was happening all over again.
A soft paf left the trembling esper to weakly gaze up at Saitama, who in return softened his expression. Feeling Saitama slowly run his hand through her hair, Tatsumaki's face scrunched up from the comforting act.
"Your eyes are overflowing with sadness right now. I won't make fun of you, I promise, just stop looking like that."
"..."
"Tell me."
...*hic*
"N-Not...not now."
Saitama stared at her for a few more seconds before taking his hand off her head and nodding.
"If you say so, I won't push it. Let's have udon, alright? A good meal always makes me feel better."
Lifting her out of the small tub with one hand and grabbing a towel with the other, Saitama wrapped Tatsumaki up quickly and efficiently, shocking the esper as he didn't even look at her to do it. Letting out an amused sigh, Saitama carried her out of the bathroom before plopping her down on the futon.
"Ah, now I have to dress you, huh? Man, such a pain...lucky I'm around, huh?"
Slightly annoyed, Tatsumaki huffed and turned away, but Saitama caught the small smile on her face.
"Shut up, pervert...you're not touching me a second time, ok?"
"Ok."
Hearing a door creak, Saitama and Tatsumaki turned towards the door to see Genos, King, and License-less Rider peeking in. King and Rider, gawking at the sight of Tatsumaki, immediately withdrew their heads to the confusion of Genos.
"Master, we've been waiting for quite an...uh...oh."
...
"I am so terribly sorry Master, Tatsumaki. If you wanted a 'two-person party', if you understand what I am insinuating, you could have simply told me. I have heard of this term online, it is called a 'ship'. I ship you tw-"
Genos, for the second time in his life, had been turned into modern art at that moment.
A/N: Nevermind, it's probably going to go on for three chapters. Sorry not sorry (?)
I'm definitely getting into the groove of shipping these two, though, so the possibility of future one-shots is definitely in the cards. Hell, maybe one story just full of those. You guys tell me how I'm doin'; how the brief emotional spot went, what hilarity you'll be expecting for the next chapter (trust me I don't plan on pouring a bowl of honey nut feelios next round), etc.