Tatsumaki knew she would absolutely despise her soulmate from the moment she became literate enough to read her own soulmark. Indeed, anyone who would label her a child on sight was someone she was sure she would never be able to get along with.

What's with this sassy lost child?

Saitama grew up uncaring of the soulmark that threw abusive words at him, not particularly concerned with finding the person who would say them to him. After all, when your soulmate's first words to you were to tell you how much they hated you, then there wasn't really much point in hoping for anything.

You disgust me. Leave.

Indeed, neither of these two were particularly looking forward to meeting the person that 'destiny' had deemed to be their soulmates. That's why, when they first met, they didn't exactly start out on the right foot.

"You disgust me. Leave." Tatsumaki declared to the B-Class baldie who had somehow managed to sneak his way into a meeting of S-Class heroes. She had no interest in associating with those weaker than her, especially if they were simply trying to cozy up to the bigshots like she was sure he was.

"What's with this sassy lost child?" Was Saitama's immediate instinctive response towards the rude little girl who had just accosted him. He hadn't even realized the implications of what she had said until moments after he had already responded to her.

"It's you?!" Tatsumaki screeched, instinctively lifting herself off the ground with her telekinesis to glare at the bald hero.

"Huh," Mused Saitama, "I never would've thought that my soulmate would be a little kid. Is that even legal?"

"Kid?! I'm 28!" She protested loudly.

Saitama raised his eyebrow in a disbelieving manner.

"Sure, whatever you say shorty."

"Shorty? Shorty?! Don't you know who I am baldy? I'm the great Senritsu no Tatsumaki! Class-S Rank 2! You should be overjoyed that someone like me is your soulmate!"

"Baldy?" Saitama ground out, the veins on his head popping out in frustration, "Now listen here you brat-"

"Erm, excuse me?" A Hero Association employee tried to interject, key word: tried.

"Shut up!" Came the simultaneous reply.

"You! How dare you call me a brat?!" Tatsumaki seethed, "I'm the most powerful esper in the world! I could kill you with a single thought!"

"I'd like to see you try midget!"

"That's it! Bring it on baldie!"

"Apologies for interrupting your lover's quarrel." Bang interrupted.

"We're not lovers!" Came the reply in unison.

"However," Bang carried on without pausing a beat, "we were called here for an important meeting. Perhaps you two should save this for afterwards."

"Huh? Ah, oh yeah. Sorry old man." Saitama apologized.

"Hmmph!" Tatsumaki huffed, "Fine. But don't think this is over baldy. Whatever they called us here for better be good."

And thus ended the two soulmate's very first meeting.

"Nee-san would you mind explaining this?" Fubuki questioned, pushing a newspaper into her face. Said newspaper was one of those gossip rags that Fubuki seemed to love reading for some reason. On the cover there happened to be a picture of her and that baldy arguing before the alien invasion.

"What's there to explain?" Tatsumaki wondered.

"'What's there to explain?'?!" Fubuki parroted in disbelief before pointing at the title, "'Hero Tornado of Terror Has Found Her Soulmate?'"

Tatsumaki shrugged.

"Like I said, what's there to explain?"

"Everything!" Fubuki exploded, "What's he like? Have you two gone out yet? When are you going to introduce me?"

Tatsumaki rolled her eyes at her younger sibling's antics. Fubuki had always been a romantic, hoping to meet 'the one' as she so put it. Tatsumaki, however, was pragmatic, and she had no interest in pursuing a romance with some weakling that would only drag her down.

"Fubuki there's nothing, nor will there ever be anything, between me and that baldie."

Fubuki stared at her strangely for a few seconds before her eyes lit up in understanding and she started laughing.

"Good one Nee-san, I didn't know you could make jokes!"

Fubuki continued laughing, however it soon petered out as she realized that Tatsumaki wasn't laughing with her. She wasn't even smiling. A sudden horrific realization hit Fubuki.

"Please tell me you're not serious." Fubuki pleaded with her, however Tatsumaki remained deadly silent.

"Nee-san you can't just not date your soulmate!"

"Why not?"

"Why not? Why not?!" Fubuki exclaimed in outrage, "He's your soulmate!"

"So?"

"So?! I can't. I just- I can't believe I'm even having this conversation with you right now."

"Look Fubuki, I'm not like you. I'm not waiting for a 'Prince on a white steed' to come and sweep me off my feet. I've never needed anyone before and I sure as hell won't start now!"

"I am not waiting for a prince to sweep me off my feet!" Fubuki argued, "Though I wouldn't necessarily mind that. That's not what soulmates are though! Soulmates are your other half! The person who will complete you! The one who will stay by your side through everything!"

Tatsumaki snorted in derision, clearly disbelieving, causing Fubuki to sigh forlornly.

"Just- Just think about it okay?"

Tatsumaki's second meeting was both simultaneously better and worse than their first meeting. Better because the baldy, 'Saitama' she corrects herself consciously, was a hell of a lot tougher than she first thought.

Worse because he was just so damn annoying! Seriously he just wouldn't leave her alone! Who the hell did he think he was, acting all concerned for her like that! She was Senritsu no Tatsumaki! S-Class Rank 2! The strongest esper in the world! A little wound like that wouldn't be close to enough to stop her!

And if that wasn't bad enough he kept prodding at her to the point where she almost revealed what happened to her in that damn facility! She was going to have to be more careful, it wouldn't do for her to let her guard down around him any more than she had already had.

Damnit, damnit, damnit! She'd gone and done it. She'd let her guard down and somehow that stupid, annoying, loveable baldy had somehow wormed his way into her heart! She hated it, but she hated the idea of being without him even more.

"Hey Tats," Saitama called out from the kitchen, "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"None of your business Baldy." Tatsumaki scoffed, unable to put much heat into her retort.

Saitama shrugged and went back to cooking dinner for the two of them. It hadn't been particularly long since they moved in together, however they had already established a comfortable routine.

"I was thinking about when we first met." Tatsumaki eventually admitted.

"Ahhh." Saitama verbalized in understanding, "You mean when I called you a brat?"

"Yeah." Tatsumaki confirmed, "Honestly I always thought the whole soulmates thing was stupid."

Saitama hummed in understanding.

"Me too." He admitted, "I figured I'd be alone for the rest of my life, but honestly? I'm kinda glad I was wrong."

"I… I'm sorry for being so mean to you." Tatsumaki suddenly apologized, her gaze fixed upon the floor, "Thanks for putting up with me… Saitama."

"No prob Tats." Saitama tells her, beaming, "Now c'mon, dinner's ready."