The blankets were soft to the touch, a haven of warmth around Tatsumaki's waist and legs. One leg in particular was warmer than the other, entombed in bandages and fabric that felt glued to her skin. She grumbled as she tried to move it to a more comfortable position, pain radiating all down her limb.

Her bedroom was well-lit by the afternoon sun, and Tatsumaki stared off at the bathroom, wishing she could be laying in a pool of warm water. She had been laying around all day, for the past few days, and doing so made her feel grimy, sweating under the blankets even when she was just in a t-shirt and panties. Even worse, her heart hurt for Secter out in the kitchen, who was dealing with his own shit even as he made food for her.

Secter pushed the door open, a shining silver tray in his hands. Atop it were two ceramic bowls of soup, releasing hot steam into the air from their delicious contents.

"Secter," said Tatsumaki, turning over and smiling at him. The sight of Tatsumaki's eyes and tiny but endearing smile made Secter's heart soar. "You know I could've helped with that."

"The doctor said for you not to try floating around with your leg," said Secter. "You're supposed to keep it supported and still, remember?"

"He also said that you shouldn't be running around so much," said Tatsumaki. "Didn't Koros tell you that too?"

"In between his lucid dreams yeah," said Secter. "Here, I should set the soups down before I start spazzing out again."

"You sure you're ok?" asked Tatsumaki.

Secter chuckled. He set the tray down atop the bedside table, right next to a small glass case with a prized item inside. Swiveling his body into bed next to Tatsumaki, he relaxed himself out. Tatsumaki watched him stretch, her eyes settling on the ab muscles that pressed against his shirt. It was close fitting, almost like her old dress. Tatsumaki reached over and stroked his chest and stomach, ruffling the fabric on his shirt as she moved her hand up and down.

"I'm alright," said Secter. "Sore, as per usual. Not vomiting right now, so that's a plus."

"Koros said it'd go away?"

"He said it'd take at least a month, but the last I talked to him he was pretty out of it so I'd take it with a grain of salt."

Reaching over to the side, Secter grabbed the tray and lugged it over his chest. Setting down on top of him, he pushed one of the bowls over to the side of the tray to where Tatsumaki could reach it. She pulled her hand off of his chest and grabbed the bowl, spoon dipped inside.

"We've been through way too much," said Secter. "Can't imagine just how bad our bodies are beat up."

"It's bad," said Tatsumaki. "But it's over now. It's over."

"It is," said Secter. "Let's just…not worry about anything for a while, can't we?"

"Yes," said Tatsumaki, stirring the soup with her powers. The spoon hummed as she pulled it through the frothy red liquid. "When you and I feel better, we're going to the beach or something. Somewhere nice."

"I've been planning it," said Secter. "Talking to Fubuki and Sycamore, they've been looking up resorts, we'll all be nearby…"

Tatsumaki sighed, content. She sank into her sheets, taking a spoonful of soup and lifting it into her mouth. The flavor exploded over her tongue, tart and full of spice.

"Mmm," she said, swirling the contents in her mouth.

"Ah that's the patented Secter touch," he said, smirking down at his bowl.

Tatsumaki swallowed her food down. "Is that right," she said.

"Mmmhmm."

"I'll admit, you're good with spices," said Tatsumaki. "But just you wait, when I'm back on my feet, I'll show you how a real cook cooks like."

"Oh really?" asked Secter. He laughed while giving her an incredulous look. "Is that a challenge, Tatsu?"

"Just you wait," she said. She glanced up at her food back at the bathroom and sighed. "After this, I want to take a bath."

"With your cast?" asked Secter.

"You can do the thing you do with the shower, with the wrap."

"I guess, so long as it doesn't soak through."

"It'll be fine, you worry too much."

"Oh, you're telling me this?"

Tatsumaki smirked and waved him off, going back to finishing her meal. After a while the two were done, and Secter collected both bowls onto the tray. As he slid over the bed to return to the kitchen, his arms began to shake, as if suddenly hit with a wave of winter air.

"Fuck…" he muttered. "Really wish this would stop, goddamnit."

"What's wrong?" asked Tatsumaki. She spotted the tray trembling in Secter's grip, Secter sitting rigid on the side of the bed. "Just relax Secter, it'll be alright…" She tried to keep her tone soothing but it was dotted with specks of worry.

"I know, I know," said Secter. "Doesn't seem too bad this time, maybe it'll just pass…"

"You don't need to get up. Just wait for a second."

"Good thing it happened now as opposed to five minutes ago eh? Would've been soup everywhere…"

"That's why I told you I should make the food…"

"It's alright. I told you, it's been getting better, at least somewhat."

"It scared the shit out of me when it first happened, and you hit your head…"

"Gonna take more than that to put me down."

Tatsumaki shifted in her spot. Her chest crackled with concern for Secter, a monument of stillness right beside her. She reached out and stroked his back, smiling as she felt him relax his muscles to her touch.

The tray shook in Secter's grasp for a few moments more, Secter cursing under his breath for it to stop. It was a pain, an inconvenience, just more shit he didn't want to deal with. But, thankfully it was only temporary, and Secter let himself ease up as Tatsumaki rubbed his back.

His arms started to normalize, Secter regaining control. He gave a little nod and started to get up, convinced he'd be able to make it back in one piece. The moment he finally stood onto the floor, carpet frizzy against his bare feet, he toppled over against the wall, his legs melting into jelly.

"Secter!" said Tatsumaki, lurching out towards him. Her leg exploded with pain, forcing her to reel back.

Secter bumped into the wall, grunting. It was a soft impact, but loud enough to escape the bedroom into the hall. Secter heard something skitter away from the bedroom as he tried to get up, streaks of control flowing back through his leg muscles but never proving enough to allow him to stand.

"I'm alright," grumbled Secter. He clenched the tray in his hands, both bowls clattering against the metal as it shivered in his grasp. "Just a bump, nothing but a nuisance to me."

"I know it doesn't hurt you," said Tatsumaki. "But…I still don't like it. I want you to be ok, healthy."

"In time…" said Secter. "It'll wear off. And you, you'll heal too, I promise. Then we'll do all kinds of fun stuff, go to the beach, take that vacation, get your wedding dress…"

Images of white dresses, all lined up on mannequins for her to try. Tatsumaki's heart turned giddy as she imagined herself staring into a mirror, wearing a dress with an ornate pattern against her collarbone. Fubuki would be there, and she'd be so happy, and Tatsumaki would be trying not to cry tears of joy…

She giggled. Placing a hand to her chest, she felt her thumping heart within her ribcage.

Secter smiled over at her as he finally got up from where he was crouched. His muscles had returned to normal, though sure enough there'd be more spasms before the day was over.

"You like the idea huh," said Secter.

"I can't wait," said Tatsumaki. "And you…you'd look so handsome in a tuxedo."

"Mmm," said Secter. "Sycamore and Koros are gonna go with me when I finally go shopping for it."

"Oh Sycamore would be able to help for sure, he knows his suits." Tatsumaki frowned as Secter stretched his back out, arching himself towards the door. "You alright?"

"Yeah," said Secter. "I'll be right back, then I'll help you with the bath."

"Take it with me."

Secter chuckled. "Alright."

He left the bedroom and returned the tray to the sink, returning only moments later to find Tatsumaki levitating herself above the bed, keeping her enclosed leg supported midair through her power alone. Secter crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You know you're not supposed to do that," he said.

"So long as I keep it supported it's fine," said Tatsumaki.

"Well," said Secter. "How do you want to do this?"

Tatsumaki grabbed the corners of her shirt and started to pull it off. It slid off easily, treating Secter to the sight of his soon-to-be wife flying half-naked in the air.

"Well I guess that works," said Secter. "The wraps are in the uh…"

"Drawer beneath the sink," said Tatsumaki. "Same place they've always been."

"Alright," said Secter, watching as Tatsumaki dropped her shirt onto the bed. He eyed her chest for a moment, taking in a lithe Tatsumaki bathed in the sunlight. She turned, catching his gaze. Giving him a little shake of the head, she smirked and started to lower herself towards the blankets, still hovering in the air.

"Need help with the underwear?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's a pain."

Secter walked over to the other side of the bed and reached forwards, leaning over Tatsumaki's legs. She let out a little sigh as he grabbed the sides of her underwear and began to pull down.

"Just…reminds me…" said Tatsumaki as she stared off at the ceiling with dreamy eyes. "Of our first time."

"Oh yeah, it kind of does, doesn't it?" asked Secter. "Honestly…I'd be down for a repeat of past events if it weren't for your leg."

"I want to," said Tatsumaki. "But yeah, it'd be a bad idea."

"We'll get back to it, you horndog."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," said Secter, winking as he stretched one hole of Tatsumaki's panties out to slide it over her cast.

"Hey, I wasn't the one eying me up while I was flying naked," said Tatsumaki. "Nor am I the one staring at someone's crotch right now! I can see you Secter!"

"What?" asked Secter. "I'm just helping you."

"You're not looking at my underwear, I can tell. That's the last thing on your mind right now."

"Ah so what," said Secter. "I love my wife and I want her more than anything in the world. Is that so bad?"

"Not at all," said Tatsumaki. She let Secter drop her panties off of her feet before curling upwards, flying to where her stomach was horizontal with the bed. Tatsumaki drew in close to Secter, doing her best to try and keep her leg as straight as possible. "I like how much my husband wants me. And you know how much I want you. Just don't go trying to pretend like you're not some big pervert, because you're just as perverted as I am."

"Absolutely nothing wrong with what we like," said Secter. "But you're right, we're totally perverted for each other."

"Wouldn't want it any other way," said Tatsumaki. She leaned in for a kiss, her lips finding his cheek. "Probably the least sexy way possibly to say that, but…"

"Eh it's fitting for us," said Secter. "We're dorks."

Tatsumaki's heart turned fire-hot. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she liked what Secter was saying. Something about how they just accepted each other and spoke as if they were already a lifelong couple. That was how it felt like most days. It was what she wanted.

"Yes we are," said Tatsumaki. "Now, bathtime."

"Agreed. You reek."

"Sweating in bed for almost a week will do that to you."

Secter chuckled and kissed Tatsumaki on the forehead. His lips were cool against her skin, and Tatsumaki reveled in it. Every touch with him still felt as special as their first time.

He leaned back and turned around, heading towards the bathroom. Tatsumaki followed through the air, her leg bent down in an awkward position as she flew.

Secter turned the bath water on, letting it run for a few seconds before it finally came to a temperature warm enough to relax in. He got up from the side of the tub and opened a drawer beneath the sink, reaching in to find a sack full of clear plastic wraps. They looked like clingwrap large enough to fit multiple baseball bats into, and Secter fished one out of the drawer before closing it again. He levitated it over Tatsumaki bandaged leg with his powers, an unraveling sheet of translucent plastic ready to wrap over Tatsumaki's already ensconced leg. She kept her limb still as Secter glued it over her cast.

"There," he said. "Should work just fine."

"Mmm," said Tatsumaki. "Alright, you go in first, then comes me."

Secter reached over his back and pulled his shirt off, tossing it onto the floor. Tatsumaki grumbled at him as he did so, her mind flashing back to the pile of shirts that already sat near his end of the bed. He took his pants off as well, before reaching down to his boxer briefs. Tatsumaki watched him undress, just as intently as Secter had watched her before.

"Look at my man," said Tatsumaki. "The most handsome husband in the world."

Secter grinned a little, his face flushing. He kept focusing down on his underwear, pulling it over his knees and finally his feet. The bathtub continued to roar behind him, filling up with steamy water.

Naked, Secter eyed his own stomach and chest up and down, inspecting his individual muscles and the old, faded scars that lay upon them. He pushed his lips inwards.

"Can't tell if these scars make me look badass," said Secter. "Or just beaten up."

"They make you look grizzled," said Tatsumaki. "Trust me, I really don't mind them, Secter. I like them, actually, though I don't want any more for you."

"Same for you, really."

She floated over into Secter, pushing her head against his stomach. She laid her lips on the most prominent scar he had, one that stretched from one end of his side, across his midsection, and ended near his other side below his ribs.

"I like to kiss them," said Tatsumaki. "And you do the same for me…"

"We even have matching scars, my God," said Secter. "We need a break."

"We do," said Tatsumaki. "But it's ok Secter, I really don't mind your scars, it'd be hypocritical of me anyways."

"Just a reminder of all the crap we've been through. And I know, yours don't bother me either. They're…a symbol of our healing, I guess, and you're crazy sexy to me either way."

Tatsumaki kept kissing his stomach, making Secter's heart tingle. He wrapped his arms around the back of her head.

"Bath's almost done," he said. "Ready?"

"Mmmhmm."

Secter slid himself in first, shivering as he dipped into the warm water. He sighed, relaxing back against the tiled wall behind him, the porcelain cool to the touch. Tatsumaki floated in after him, laying her back against his chest as she sunk down on top. Her spine poked into his stomach. Secter wrapped his hands over her stomach, massaging her bare skin as she shuddered into the water.

"Ahhh," said Tatsumaki. "That…that feels nice."

Secter kissed her behind the ear, then the cheek. He kept his lips on her for a few seconds, letting his breath flow over her face. Tatsumaki sighed, pleased.

At the sound of something pittering through the carpet, Secter pulled his head away from Tatsumaki and looked over at the door. There, standing halfway into the bathroom and half in the bedroom stood a cat, staring at him with large green eyes. It was striped grey and black with a splotch of white crawling up its chest, and it was small enough to fit inside a box one might expect a game console to sit in.

"Well there he is," said Secter. "The baaaaaaby!"

"Hi Ori," said Tatsumaki, smiling over at the cat. "He's probably hungry."

"He's always hungry."

Ori mewled at Secter before padding into the bathroom on tiny paws. Secter straightened up, excited to see whether Ori would be brave enough to come near a pool of water for once.

"Awfully close to the bath eh?" said Secter. "Might be the closest he's ever gotten without running away."

"Don't try and pet him," said Tatsumaki. "You'll scare him off because you're all wet."

"Aww," said Secter. "But I love him…"

"I love him too but you're gonna-"

It didn't matter. Ori took a step too close to the bathtub and noticed a drizzle of water leaking out from over the top. He turned tail and bolted, a lightning streak of fur right out the door.

"Welp," said Secter. "He's out."

"Won't run from anything but water," said Tatsumaki. "Little scaredy-cat."

"Ah but you love him."

"Of course I do. Can't believe you talked me into getting one while we were both still so fucked up, but here he is. And he's adorable, you were right."

"Told you you'd love him."

"I like when he cuddles."

"Or stares off into nothing like a weirdo," said Secter. He sighed and leaned further back against the tub. "Hope Himiko is doing alright."

"Last I heard she was seeing a therapist, or at least plans to," said Tatsumaki. "Fubuki said she's taking it hard, absolutely understandable. I'm just going to give her some space until she's feeling a bit better."

"Wish I could help…"

"I do too, but we have to remember, we can't fix everything. Have to take things one at a time…"

"Agreed. Let her heal too, support her when she needs it."

The two of them laid together in the bath, Secter rubbing Tatsumaki's stomach and chest as she pressed the side of her face against his collarbone. Occasionally she'd turn back enough to kiss his chest, and Secter would respond by stroking Tatsumaki's leg, drawing his fingers close to where it ended at her thigh.

"Shit, almost forgot," said Secter. He teleported the trash can over by the side of his bed right next to the bathtub, grimacing as he was struck by an odd sense of déjà vu.

"Uh oh, you not feeling well?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Nah I'm fine for now, it's gotten better as of late. But…just in case."

"You were puking up blood for those first few days…" said Tatsumaki. "Was worried sick."

"It's just normal vomit now," said Secter. "Mostly."

"Great, I guess."

"It'll be alright, don't worry. Everything will be alright, finally."

"I hope so," said Tatsumaki. She laid still for a moment, contemplating the past week. "Still can't believe I actually killed a Soulless."

"That was badass," said Secter. "And yeah, I totally forgot about those grenades. They uh…were kind of frowned upon for a while, hard to find."

"Well hopefully we won't have to use them again."

"I think we'll be alright now. With me, Koros, and Sycamore all getting better, no Supremacy loose ends to speak of, and Blue…" Secter trailed off for a moment. "Well, we still need to figure out something for him. But aside from that, I think we can finally rest easy."

"He still hiding out in that hut or whatever it was?"

"Not really hiding out, he goes out from time to time to get food. Gets mobs of people yelling at him or glaring, but he doesn't seem to care, least from what I heard."

"You said you wanted to talk to him."

"At some point. You seem to know him a bit better."

"Not much. Though…I'm guessing he just wants to wait until everyone's healthy, then he'll leave someplace."

"Sounds like a good person at heart."

"I think he is. Reminds me of Vastal a bit."

"Yeah…" said Secter. He rubbed his chin. "Speaking of him, that's something else I wanted to bring up to Rikuto and Mei…now that the protestors are all but gone."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, but that's for the future. Will have to be the near future though, would like to talk to them before the memorial is erected."

"Hmm…"

"All that for later," said Secter. "Too much shit on both of our minds. For now… just relax."

"Yes, that sounds nice."

Secter felt Tatsumaki press herself further into him, Tatsumaki letting out a little sigh as she sat down between his legs. Secter's blood went hot for a moment, though he tried to control himself.

"Though…" said Secter. "If you don't mind, there was one thing I wanted to ask. Something I had always been a bit curious about, really."

"Go on," said Tatsumaki, her eyes closed.

"Do you…do you ever wonder where your parents are? Real or adopted?"

Tatsumaki opened her eyes, confused. She glanced back at Secter, giving him an odd look.

"Uh," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…when I was high on those stimulants, I hallucinated my siblings and parents. Had…had a nice talk with them actually, they spoke about how they were proud of me, and told me they were never angry and so on…"

Tatsumaki's eyes widened. She looked almost concerned.

"Not that any of it was real anyways," said Secter. "But…it did feel like nice closure I guess. To feel like they never really blamed me for what happened. Guess I had always kind of felt that way for a while, ever since I started accepting myself after I met you. Prior to that…not so much."

"That's…that's good," said Tatsumaki. "That you think that. I guarantee that your siblings at least wouldn't blame you, and if your parents did, then they aren't worth thinking about. Their son is a million times better than they could ever hope to be."

"Heh," said Secter. "Thanks Tatsu. I'd say the same about you too."

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "And regarding your question…no, I don't think about it much. It's been a very long time, and my real parents are probably dead. The adoptive ones…I don't care where they ended up, I never saw them again after the lab. All I know is that once I left the lab and word got around of my powers, they dumped poor Fubuki back at the orphanage and vanished. Never found any trace of them, nor did I ever find out if the organization that took me survived the lab being destroyed. It's possible that the group that took me had links to other organizations or whatever, but I was too caught up in raising my sis and surviving anyways. Did a bit of searching, but never found much."

"Your adoptive parents were such fucking assholes," said Secter. "And I'm not suggesting some kind of journey of revenge or anything, was just…curious. How you felt about the whole thing."

"I've accepted they were jerks and didn't deserve either me or Fubuki," said Tatsumaki. "I've since cut them out. They don't deserve to be a part of my life anymore."

"One hundred percent agreed," said Secter, hugging Tatsumaki into his chest. "I…I'm so glad you have such a happy life now Tatsu, this is what I always wanted for you."

"For you too," said Tatsumaki. "I think…I think the road ahead looks real bright, I can't wait to travel it with you."

Secter kissed Tatsumaki on the cheek, Tatsumaki melting with love at his touch.

"After this," said Secter. "Why don't we do a little more venue searching, eh?"

"Yes!" said Tatsumaki. Her eyes shined, joy radiating from her expression. "Oh Secter, I'm so excited for this!"

"I am too," said Secter. "I am too."

They relaxed into each other in the bathtub, alone and comfortable, and finally happy with how things looked to be turning out.

. . .

Sycamore's chest looked almost twice as broad with the mass of bandages underneath his shirt. He lay flat against the couch, watching the television with drooping eyelids as Fubuki slid a leather strap of her purse over her shoulder back in the kitchen.

"About to head out," said Fubuki. "You all set?"

"I guess," said Sycamore. "Would rather be up…"

Fubuki sighed and strode past the kitchen island, its spotty granite surface covered in crusty stains from the meals Fubuki had been making the past few days. The fruits of her labor were all stacked in plastic containers almost a foot high on the island, each one having filled the air with a delicious aroma of spices and vegetables, steamed meats and tomato sauce.

"You need to keep resting," said Fubuki. "Remember what Secter and Koros said? No getting up and moving around a bunch until that…that hole in your chest is totally healed. And remember when you didn't listen to that?"

"Yes yes I know," said Sycamore. He flung one of his hands in the air, waving it around for a second as if signaling a tiny airplane for a landing. "Nearly put me on the ground."

"So therefore you rest," said Fubuki. "No objections, sweetheart."

Sycamore's chest warmed at hearing his nickname again. It always made him smile on the inside.

"The food you made smells great," said Sycamore. "You did a really good job this time."

"Mmmhmm," said Fubuki, narrowing her eyes. "You know, when I was making the soup a second time around, I could've sworn that the stove wasn't as hot as the setting indicated. Felt like…it took longer to cook the meat?"

"Strange…" said Sycamore. He suppressed a grin as the television droned on about the weather. "You sure you had it on the same setting you did the first time you tried to make the soup?"

"Absolutely," said Fubuki. She reached over the island and grabbed the stack of plastic bowls, pressing them into her chest like a leaning tower of Pisa made from stew. "Something tells me you might have been involved Sycamore…felt like tampering with the stove with your powers, did you?"

"Ah what can I say, I felt heartbroken when the first batch didn't go so well," said Sycamore. "You have enough on your plate, so I…made things a bit easier for you."

"I thought so." Fubuki balanced the meals into her stomach, the stew seeping heat through the plastic and into her skin. Shivering, Fubuki turned from the kitchen and walked over to the front, blocking Sycamore's view of the screen. He looked up at her, smiling weakly at Fubuki having to use her chin to balance the food at the top.

"You sure you don't want me to help?" he asked. "To come with?"

"Absolutely," said Fubuki. "You need more rest, you still look exhausted."

"Been almost a week, hate just laying around…"

"You have a good excuse. And besides, sis, Koros, Saitama, Bang, and probably even Secter are all still doing the same thing."

"Feel bad for them…" said Sycamore. "But…still just so glad they're ok."

"For the most part," said Fubuki. She felt a twinge of pain when she saw Sycamore start to look downcast again. "It's not your fault, ok? You went off to help me, no one blames you. And Bang, Saitama…they're heroes, getting hurt is part of the business."

"I know, but Bang…he might not ever be the same again. Might not even walk."

"That's not your fault Sycamore. He was shot by Verdus anyways, wasn't Verdus in a ship by the time you made it to the sewer? What would you expect to do anyways?"

"True…" said Sycamore. "Ugh, maybe all this melancholy is just coming from me stewing in my own thoughts."

"I don't like how you're hurting yourself like this…" said Fubuki. "Sycamore, I want you to be happy, you know? Even if you're alone here at home, with me gone, and you're just thinking to yourself…it should end up being a happy thing, shouldn't it? Everyone you love turned out alright, yes it was a scare, but it's over now. We've been through worse."

"I know," said Sycamore. "Just…a hard habit to break, I guess."

Fubuki leaned over and set her bowls down on the ottoman. She craned her body over a limp Sycamore and kissed him on the cheek, her lips cool to the touch. Sycamore let out a soft sigh, relaxing as she kissed him closer and closer to his mouth.

She made it to his lips, and Sycamore made sure to kiss her back with as much strength as he could. They made out for a moment, Fubuki wrapping her hands behind Sycamore's head to push him in closer. As she finally pulled back, Sycamore's heart thumped to her heavy breathing.

"Can't wait for you to be all better," said Fubuki. "We'll have some fun."

Sycamore released a tiny giggle, which made Fubuki smirk at him.

"Maybe we can go on vacation too," said Sycamore. "I know Tatsumaki has been mentioning some stuff…"

"Oh I've been planning," said Fubuki. "But first, we all heal. Get some rest Sycamore, sweetheart. I'll be back soon."

"Ok. Tell everyone I said hi."

"I will."

Fubuki pulled away from Sycamore and retrieved her food, hauling it back towards the front door. As she reached the exit, she turned back to see Sycamore staring at the tv, looking bored as ever.

"Love you," she called.

"I love you too!" said Sycamore, jolting out from his boredom and into sheer excitement.

Fubuki chuckled. She loved that sudden enthusiasm from him.

Opening the door, Fubuki stepped outside, and headed straight for her first destination – her sister's house.

It didn't take long for her to get there, and the warm air of the day felt luxurious against her back. The early tinges of summer were filling the atmosphere, humidity and insects coming out to play. Despite this, Fubuki also knew what else the season meant – vacation time.

She came up to Tatsumaki's house and pushed her bowls against her side, wondering why she didn't just levitate them the entire way. Perhaps a small part of her feared her powers suddenly going out, to turn around just to see a Soulless approaching her. On the other hand, maybe she was just thinking about it too much. Shaking her head, Fubuki levitated her bowls off to her side and reached out to knock at the door. She waited for a moment, listening to the shuffling that grew closer and closer to her. Then the door opened, treating Fubuki to the sight of a bedraggled Secter, his hair messy and damp. He wore his normal clothes, loose jeans and a white t-shirt.

"Oh!" said Secter, straightening up from a hunched position. "Hey Fubuki!"

"Hello Secter," said Fubuki, beaming. "I brought you and sis something!"

Secter glanced over at the floating bowls, impressed.

"Is that uh," said Secter. "All for us?"

Something grey darted towards Secter's feet, rushing out for the warm air out beyond. Secter lurched downwards and caught the bastard just in time, heaving the cat up into his arms.

"No you don't!" said Secter, clutching Ori into his chest. "He likes the sun, so he keeps trying to get out."

"Hello Ori," said Fubuki. She chuckled as his massive green eyes met hers. "He's adorable."

"Yeah he's a cute and sweet little cat," said Secter. "Little bit of a troublemaker too, like his dad."

"You?"

"Yep."

Fubuki smiled from ear to ear. She reached up to her chin, looking thoughtful.

"And sis is his mom…" said Fubuki.

"Hey, I know what you're thinking," said Secter. "Don't get too hasty now."

"Well, with your marriage plans and all…"

"Things like that…" said Secter, leaning down to kiss Ori on the head. He spat out some fur in the aftermath. "Would be later in the future…"

"Well alright," said Fubuki. "Though you know, sis is almost thirty…"

"Oh my God stop making me feel so old," said Secter. "But come in, come in!"

Fubuki followed Secter and his little troublemaker inside, with Fubuki using her powers to shut the door behind them. Her bowls floated through the air right at her back, and she levitated two of them onto the kitchen table, next to a bouquet of purple lilies.

"Pretty flowers," said Fubuki. "For my sis?"

"Yeah," said Secter. "She said they're her favorite."

"I can't wait for you two to get married."

Secter's face began to flush red. He smiled.

"Me too," he said.

Tatsumaki's voice exploded from down the hall.

"Sis?!" she asked. "Secter, is Fubuki here?"

"She's here," said Secter. "She brought us some food!"

"Hang on, be right out!" said Tatsumaki.

"Tatsu, you're not supposed to-" said Secter, though he knew there was no stopping her.

"You really don't have to get up, I can come over," said Fubuki.

Tatsumaki came floating down the hall wearing her old black dress, something she could easily slide over her head while still being comfortable. She kept her leg sticking out, but her face contorted with pain as she made it down the hall.

"Sis…" said Fubuki. "You really need to keep that leg steady, right?"

"Hang on, I'm just making it to the couch," said Tatsumaki. "I haven't seen you in a little while, I want to be out here."

"Alright alright," said Secter. "Just be careful."

Tatsumaki floated down onto the nearby couch with Secter's close supervision. Fubuki followed her movements, watching her settle down onto the cushions with tiny tentative jerks.

"Ahh…see?" said Tatsumaki as she finally laid down onto the couch. She used the bare armrest at the end to keep her leg up, grinning in victory at her sister and her soon-to-be husband. "Made it."

Still always so stubborn, thought Secter. Love you, Tatsu.

"Well…" said Fubuki. "I brought you both some soup, I hope you like it. Going to visit Koros, Saitama, and Bang next."

"Thanks sis," said Tatsumaki. "You're…you're really great, you know that?"

Fubuki couldn't help but turn red a little.

"Thanks," said Fubuki. "But really it was nothing. I've just been at home with Sycamore, helping him recover, looking at dresses…"

Tatsumaki clasped her hands together, looking like she was about to squeal with joy.

"I can't wait," said Tatsumaki. "I…I never thought I'd see the day, but I can't wait to go. Just you and me, looking at dresses for each other."

"Oh it's going to be so fun," said Fubuki. "I'm going to try not to cry when we finally find the one, but I can't promise anything, I think I'll bawl my eyes out."

"It's ok," said Tatsumaki. "I think I will too."

"Guess I should start making plans with Sycamore and Koros too," said Secter. "Once they get better, looks like we'll go suit-shopping."

"Ooh," said Fubuki. "Sycamore would love that."

"Would be nice to treat everyone," said Secter. "Oh! Let me put the soup in the fridge real quick actually." He let the cat go, who purred at him as he finally touched down to the ground. Ori followed Secter into the kitchen as he started to put the bowls up.

Fubuki watched the little cat trot after Secter, giving it a sad little smile. His name, though a memorialization of two good people, hit her with a prickle of sorrow every time.

"So how have you been sis?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Fine, fine," said Fubuki. "Just glad everyone turned out ok. Of course, been worried about Sycamore, but he's healing nicely, was worried about you and Secter, especially with his side effects, but you said he's doing better too?"

"Already not puking every morning I wake up," said Secter from the kitchen. "Progress."

"That's good at least," said Fubuki. "Koros got it the worst, but even he seems to be doing better. Bang…well, he's still bedridden, but Garou and the others do a good job taking care of him."

"I have to visit him again," said Secter, his voice heavy. "Last I visited, he was barely awake. Had a muscle spasm partway through the visit and nearly knocked over his teaset, was…not a fun time."

"You poor thing," said Fubuki. "I'll let you know how he's doing when I visit today."

"Please do," said Secter. "And Koros and Saitama too, been a couple days since I've last seen either."

"I will," said Fubuki. "Oh, and sis, you should've seen Sycamore's eyes when he heard that you killed Verdus. They were all shining and big, he was so damned proud of you."

"Heh," said Tatsumaki. "Just glad I wasn't totally playing the medic role for once."

"Are you…you know, still thinking of absorption?" asked Fubuki.

"Not really," said Tatsumaki. "Bit occupied with other things. Marriage, taking care of our ridiculous cat, taking care of myself and Secter, making sure everyone else is ok first…"

"That's good," said Fubuki. "And we're lucky Rikuto and Mei are still helping out with the new memorial stuff Secter suggested, they're such kind people."

"They really are," said Secter. "It's been a bit of a mess out there lately, people still mob me when I go out onto the streets to ask more questions about what all went down, but for the most part, seems like the true story is basically out there."

"More people saw all this than what went down with Sycamore and Silan," said Fubuki. "And it seems…seems like more people are focused on Blue than making conspiracy theories about my sweetheart, so that's good."

"Yes," said Tatsumaki. "Good fucking riddance of those people."

"Blue cleared his name," said Secter. "But also…murdered a man on live tv. I'll be honest, it unnerves me a bit that he's still here, but he's kept pretty quiet."

"I need to talk to him," said Tatsumaki. "I'm not…I'm not totally sure why he's stuck around, he talked about leaving before he decided to help us."

"He just…lives alone in a hut out there," said Fubuki. "Kind of like poor Koros and his hotel room."

"Yeah but at least Koros can call us," said Secter. "And he gets free room service. So he's not totally alone."

"Part of me feels bad for Blue," said Fubuki. "But the other part…feels like he's getting what he deserves."

"He was a big part of the problem," said Tatsumaki. "But if not for him, Sycamore would be dead. You might be dead too, and same with Koros. So…he deserves a second chance."

"Agreed," said Secter. "I wonder, maybe he's sticking around until everyone's healed? In case he's worried more Soulless show up or something?"

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about that," said Tatsumaki. "But in regards to his reasoning, maybe. He doesn't seem like he has a real goal in life now."

"I'll need to talk to him at some point," said Secter.

"I would, but…" said Fubuki. "Sycamore would have a heart attack if I went alone, and he doesn't need any more stress on him."

"It can wait," said Secter. "We've got time."

"Yeah…" said Fubuki. She glanced back towards what was left of her tower of soup, suddenly realizing something. "Well, I guess I should be off, sorry for the visit being so short but I've got some deliveries to make."

"Ah that's alright," said Secter. "Thanks for the soup, Fubuki!"

"Yes, thank you," said Tatsumaki. "Keep in touch, alright? As soon as I can walk again, you and I are going dress shopping. Oh, and keep an eye out, I'll be sending a link to that place I was talking about for the vacation."

"I will, I will," said Fubuki, chuckling. "And no problem guys. I'll see you all around."

She turned and collected the rest of her meals, waving goodbye to Secter and Tatsumaki, who returned the gesture. Fubuki then left the house for her next destination.

. . .

Fubuki reached out and knocked on the door, keeping her bowls floating off to the side. She was answered by Genos, who twitched his lips at her in an unfriendly expression.

"Everything alright?" asked Fubuki. "Sorry for just dropping by without notice, but I figured I could drop off a few bowls of soup I made…"

"Saitama is recovering," said Genos. "Thank you for inquiring."

"Can I…come in?" asked Fubuki, slightly bewildered by Genos's grim tone. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, for a moment," said Genos. "Saitama doesn't want to be disturbed much, he needs his rest."

"Oh for sure!" said Fubuki. "If he's resting, I can just hand the bowls over to you…"

"He's awake for now. You can come in, I'm sure he wouldn't mind seeing you."

"Ok then," said Fubuki. She started to follow Genos into the darkened recess that was Saitama's living room. Genos sidestepped from her, Fubuki striding past him as he went to close the door. His movements were odd, calculated as if he were setting up his position for a complex play in a football game.

Fubuki eyed him, letting her bowls come to a jerky stop to her right.

"You didn't answer my question from before though," she said. "You alright? You seem a bit…off."

Genos hung one dark, mechanical arm against the door. He stared at the ground.

"I'm in a strange position," he said. "Saitama too."

"Strange…position?"

"I don't know what to do. Taking care of Saitama and all that…that's normal. But beyond this…I can finally start to understand mas- Saitama's boredom. I still look for any evidence of the Mad Cyborg, but I worry that Silan destroyed him, or that there's no trace of him left."

"Oh…listlessness."

"You are preoccupied with your relationship," said Genos. "And taking care of your sister, and vice versa. Secter and Tatsumaki all have similar obligations. But what do I do?"

"That's…that's a question you'll have to figure out for yourself, Genos. I can't decide that for you, neither can Saitama. He's always had an issue of finding out something to fulfill himself."

"He seems content now," said Genos. "Oddly. He was as listless as I was after Silan, then was in a good mood after he beat King once, and then back to listlessness. And now, after Verdus, least when he's lucid, he's been telling me he's figured it out."

"Figured what out?"

"What he wants to do, and what he doesn't want to do. I don't know if he had an epiphany, or…"

Fubuki pursed her lips together, deep in thought. It was always hard to tell with Saitama, and she commended Genos for trying. But, with Saitama, oftentimes he'd just do things that were hard for her or others to understand, but they'd usually turn out alright.

"Could be…" said Fubuki. "Maybe we should ask, but if I had to guess, after Silan he realized that he might not ever get the fight he wanted, as everything he faces is either too weak or way too strong. And with no monsters, there's even less of an incentive for him to keep training or fighting. So maybe…maybe a job?"

Genos stared at Fubuki dead in the eyes. For a moment, Fubuki thought he was going to burst out laughing at him, but he kept his cold gaze and icy expression.

"That's all?" asked Genos.

"It very well could be," said Fubuki.

"That does sound about as anticlimactic as usual," said Genos. "I suppose we can just ask."

"I think that would be best. Uh, where should I set the soup? Brought a couple, one for you and one for him."

"I will set mine in the fridge. Saitama will probably want his now, he's constantly hungry."

"Got it."

Fubuki let Genos take one of the floating bowls, which he set in the refrigerator. He then led her to Saitama's bedroom, which reeked of ramen and spiced meats.

Pinching her nose, Fubuki followed Genos inside, only to spot Saitama laying down on his rumpled bed, grinding his teeth casually as he flipped through channels to watch on the television.

"Fubuki is here," said Genos. "She brought soup."

"Soup?" asked Saitama. He turned his body towards Fubuki, his bare chest coated in glowing bandages. She grimaced at him, hoping that he wouldn't have to wear the gauze for too much longer.

"Yes," she said. "A nice stew, with vegetables and meats…you want it now?"

"Hell yes I'll take it now," said Saitama. He reached out towards Fubuki. "Been starving all week."

"How have you been feeling?" asked Fubuki as she levitated a single bowl into his hands. Saitama ripped the container open and started looking around in a panic for a spoon.

"Rough," said Saitama. "I think that first day I was shot was the closest I've ever been to dying. Was a surreal experience really…never thought I'd ever get that close again. I mean, Silan did knock me around, but he never shot me in the chest, inches away from my heart."

"Yeesh," said Fubuki, pulling a face of horror. "Sycamore's heart took some damage from his shot, and I hear Bang…Bang got it rough."

"Poor guy," said Saitama. "Really hope he pulls through ok."

"He's tough," said Fubuki. "Old, but tough. He'll be alright."

Saitama finally found something shining and metal down on the floor, and in a rush, he leaned down to grab it. His chest tore open with pain, and Saitama gritted his teeth as he grasped the spoon and pulled himself back into a laying position as quick as he could.

"Did you…get that from the floor?" asked Fubuki. "Because that's gross."

"Hey," said Saitama. "Five minute rule."

"It's five second rule."

"Not if it's on carpet?"

"Especially if it's on carpet."

"Ah whatever."

Fubuki shook her head while Saitama dug into his soup, lifting a chunk of dripping beef into his mouth.

"Mmmph," mumbled Saitama. "Good! Thanks Fubuki!"

"No problem," said Fubuki. "Been doing some soup delivery today."

"How is everyone else?" asked Saitama.

"They're good…good," said Fubuki. She glanced over at Genos, who turned from watching Saitama's sloppy eating to give her a knowing look.

"So…" said Fubuki. "Genos has been telling me he's felt a bit listless as of late, and was wondering why you weren't feeling the same…"

"Oh!" said Saitama, dunking his spoon back into his bowl. "Well, I mean, I don't like laying around all day, but I've been doing some thinking ever since the monsters were gone, and Silan was dead. Then, I had that near-death experience. Which, for as painful as it was, it reminded me that I am still human, if you get what I'm saying. I've still got a life to live."

"Well of course you're still human," said Fubuki. "You're crazy strong, but also lazy and kind, and sloppy and blunt and pretty good at giving advice! Human."

"Yeah yeah," said Saitama. "Guess what I mean is, getting my ass kicked helped me realize that I can't just be sitting around all the time, because who knows what the hell's going to happen. I have to get up and do things, you know? And for the longest time, I wasn't sure what that was going to be, but now I think I have an idea."

"Wait," said Genos, his eyes wide. "I think I know what it is."

"Oh?" asked Saitama.

"You're going to train even harder," said Genos. "For absorption! Like Garou said, like I mentioned! Perhaps I should follow the same path!"

"Uh," said Saitama. "Actually, lot of Soulless seem pretty miserable to me, Genos. Like…their powers didn't really improve their situation on their own. Lot of em…just needed to find something to fulfill them, like us, except a lot of them made bad choices in doing so."

"You…don't think absorption would be useful?" asked Genos.

"I mean it totally could be," said Saitama. "I just…don't have a lot of interest in pursuing that. Spent a good chunk of my life doting over the problems of being too powerful, now I just want to do something unrelated to getting more power that makes me happy."

"And what will that be?" asked Fubuki. Her eyes began to shine, genuine curiosity flowing from the bottom of her soul. She had been waiting to hear this.

"I think…" said Saitama. "Well first, I'm going to get a job, because I need money."

"What kind of a job?" asked Genos.

"Uhhhh, construction maybe?" asked Saitama. "I don't know, something I can do easy I guess, just need money for the time being and I have no career goals. But once that's settled…"

"Then what?" asked Genos. He was getting impatient.

"Uh," said Saitama. "Was thinking about getting really deep into fighting games. Like uh, training with King and going to competitions and stuff."

"Good for you Saitama!" said Fubuki. "That's…that's certainly something!"

"Of course," said Genos. "I'm not sure why I didn't guess that already."

"Hey man you don't have to follow everything I do," said Saitama. "You're my friend, and I really appreciate you helping me out, but you don't have to copy every move I make. You can find something for yourself too, the world's gonna be a lot quieter now that Verdus and the rest of the monsters are gone."

"And what might that be?" asked Genos, his tone scarred with anger.

"Uh, I dunno," said Saitama. "It's hard to find, and it's totally up to you. Took me a while, you know? But if you try new stuff, maybe you'll find something. Something unrelated to fighting monsters or revenge I guess. Living a real life you know? Not just fighting all the time. You do that, and you face the same problems the Soulless have, the same thing Secter worried about having. Poor guy gets so beaten up, I really hope he doesn't have to worry about Soulless anymore."

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," said Genos. "What to do. I wanted to train for absorption, but I was told by Koros I wasn't a good fit, that I was too mechanical…"

"Oh well," said Saitama. "Not like we can do absorption now anyways."

"Blue…" said Genos.

"Oh shit," said Saitama, surprise passing through his body. "I forgot he was still here."

"That's right…" said Fubuki, putting a hand to her chin. "And if Garou is still interested, and Blue is ok with it…"

"Who knows with that guy," said Saitama. "Even still, Garou's gotta be too busy."

"He's on my list to visit today," said Fubuki. "I'll…check with him."

"Someone's gotta talk to that Blue guy," said Saitama. "I don't trust him."

"Yeah…" said Fubuki, pondering. She sighed, starting to turn towards the door. "Well, it was nice to see you two again, glad you have a plan now Saitama. And Genos?" She reached over and laid a hand on Genos's shoulder, who twitched in shock at her touch. "You'll find something if you look. I promise."

"I…suppose I'll have to start," said Genos.

"Hey man you like cleaning," said Saitama. "Why not become a janitor?"

"I'm going from S-class hero to janitor," said Genos. "Are you serious?"

"Hey if you like doing it, then go for it," said Saitama. "Maybe you'll get hired to clean a big ole skyscraper, by a fancy cleaning company!"

Genos made a face like he couldn't quite believe what Saitama was saying, but that he wasn't ruling it out as a possibility either.

"I'll…do some searching," said Genos. "Will be hard to transition."

"Yeah but I mean," said Saitama. "It's for the best. People don't have to live in fear of monsters coming to destroy their homes or lives, no Soulless anymore, least I hope…"

"Yes," said Genos. "The future does look brighter for everyone else."

"It'll be good for you too," said Fubuki. She dragged her hand off of his shoulder. "You'll see, one day."

Genos didn't answer, instead opting to lean against the wall behind him.

"Well," said Fubuki. "I'll see you two later, got two more deliveries to make."

"Keep us up to date on Secter's wedding!" said Saitama. "Not much of a party guy myself, but you know we can't miss that."

Fubuki chuckled. "I will."

She headed out, wracking her brain for the address of that big damned hotel Koros was holed up in.