Tornadoes For Sighs
-Chapter 7-
Channel 37
TATSUMAKI FORGOT THAT DR. GRAY WAS A DUMB RECLUSE WHO LIVED UNSAFELY.
Tatsumaki wasn't surprised by the cracked terrain that was rough in some places. She dodged rubble and the buildings trying to fall to nothingness. Dr. Gray wasn't disturbed when passing gates screeched open like an alarm.
Maybe he came to this street under this bridge all the time. With the apocalypse running around them, they walked aimlessly without a destination in mind.
The thin veneer of hope was him taking Tatsumaki to his apartment. There, they would solidify a schedule, Tatsumaki would leave him and go kill some monsters.
However, she didn't know if he was honest, not just blunt. Either way, he was an asshole and they were moving.
Soon, they reached a building. It had many hanging rust-coloured balconies with cream painted walls. The parking lot had wide yellow lines separating the spots. The vegetation was sparse and sorry but still holding on.
This place must have had bright, colourful paint, ambient music playing as people drove by leisurely. Happily. This was a nice neighbourhood. City Z homed the rich. When they fled, they left good stuff. It wasn't safe to be here anymore.
Tatsumaki knew Dr. Gray was a dumbass who would brave any danger to save a buck. Would he mind sleeping in dirt? Were there others forced to live here out of sheer desperation? That made her frown. She remembered being homeless for a brief stint after recklessly running away from home. It sucked.
And this wasn't safe.
What was his address? Actually, would a mailman come here? She guessed she had to come here to drop off documents by herself. Ew.
Tatsumaki rebounded back. That… that looked like monster blood or vomit or monster blood vomit. Argh. No. She didn't know what diseases were inside the building and how he lived there.
"Hell no am I taking off my shoes when stepping in there," Tatsumaki stated.
He frowned. "You must've been taught manners sometime between now and birth. In my home, you gotta take off your shoes."
"Hah? I have no desire to get foot fungus by stepping into this building. How the hell are you living here?"
He shrugged. "Rent's cheap."
"You're really cheap! Humanity might be too old to roam the earth and too young to discover space but I am too old to be told when to take off my damn shoes! I'm not going to get a million needles from the government because YOU decided to live in this area!"
He shrugged. "Fine, high-maintenance girl. Don't come in. We don't need to work together, anyway." he huffed.
Her cheeks reddened. "Nope. We do. I chose you. You're a terrible choice. Let's go back around." she shook her head. "I change my mind. Let's meet at the cafe. I don't care about your house. I just wanted an address to ship paperwork."
"We've already walked this far. You're giving up now?" he said, tilting his head. "I thought you never gave up."
That was a challenge, huh. From him? Him.
She balled her fists, seeing red. "Bastard, I NEVER give up. Take me to your apartment. I'll never wear shoes. Hell, I'll walk barefoot! I can walk anywhere barefoot. The sun, easy? Coal, child's play. I don't give up," Tatsumaki spat.
Tatsumaki reached down to her heels.
"Zuzu, you don't have— what are you doing?"
Tatsumaki's feet were hot against the jagged pavement. "When I give in to anything, you know the big bang wasn't worth it. Let's go. I will walk barefoot—"
###
Twenty minutes later of arguments and a tentative float to his apartment, Tatsumaki didn't end up being barefoot. Dr. Gray threatened to carry her inside of his house and she wasn't having any of that.
Tatsumaki didn't want to be a damsel in distress and having him engulf her in his arms made her nervous. Tatsumaki glanced around the room with a petite sense of foreboding. It's was a petite apartment. Cramped.
It smelled vaguely of rice and paper, its scent pushing into her face. There was this shelf filled with manga and the rice cooker beside it answered a question or two.
The walls were a natural light colour, the sunlight reaching into the depths of his apartment. It bounced off the huge flatscreen TV with a small piggy bank on its stand. The light reflected off of the low gray table with some half-finished manga and wrappers from convenience store foods. Some wrappers were crumpled onto the charming coloured wooden planks.
The theme of brown carried onto the mat she sat on. She felt awkward. Dr. Gray was across from her. His huge computer tucked on a high table with a laptop, his rolled futon and the odd lack of space between furniture made her incredibly claustrophobic.
It reminded her of how Fubuki and Tatsumaki were locked up when they were small. Nonetheless, he treated her with slight hospitality as he put a cup of tea before her. Matcha.
"No one else lives here. I can assure you that," he intoned.
Tatsumaki laughed mockingly. "You live here. So there is bound to be someone else who mooches off of the free water and utilities."
Everyone watched Amai Mask's movies. If someone's doing something, someone else would follow suit. Low I.Q idiots baffled her.
He was unimpressed. "They're smart. Even electricity works. That's a steal."
Water and electricity still ran here. Was that due to someone paying the government to run it here for those who benefit in these streets or is it some city-wide flaw? Was someone afraid to shut them off or was the government not willing to?
"Who do you pay rent to, huh?" Tatsumaki asked.
Dr. Gray shrugged. "She's a tough lady but I could just do this business on my own. You could just have your tea and leave. It's not bad."
"What could you possibly do? Throwing me out isn't an option." Tatsumaki stuck out her tongue.
"Kind of," he said.
Tatsumaki gasped, a bit shocked at his blunt answer.
He said, "Not that I would. I got manners."
"Mhmm." she hummed, unconvinced. "Can you open the window? Actually, just do it."
He did and stomped all the way back to his spot across from her. Now she could feel the fresh air pulsing, pressing against her spine. It made the room feel less stuffy.
Dr. Gray... Why couldn't you just tear down this wall or choose a high-level penthouse? If you're gonna live in City Z's ghost town, why not just live like a king before you fade? Tatsumaki thought, studying his face.
"You live here instead of a penthouse. Are you humble or stupid or something?" Tatsumaki asked, her voice bouncing off the walls in this awkwardly rectangular apartment.
"Zuzu, I'm as humble as a man before the sea." He shrugged. "I also have a lot of coupons."
He's fucking weird. How could a man be humble in front of the sea? If she sees the sea, she wants it all to herself. If someone fishes, they have to drain the whole ocean by the time they're through. She liked that type of thinking.
He continued eyeing her, though. "You should just go home with shoes. I have stuff to do. Don't interfere with my day because you wanna make yours more interesting."
"My day gets interesting when I do my job." Tatsumaki glanced at him. "Just because I look this way don't forget I'm still your senior. Do what I say. Let's cut the small talk—"
"Was that a pun?" He laughed.
"No, fool. S-Stop laughing." she snapped, voice harsh. He laughed anyway.
She seethed. "You won't lose any hair over this. Shouldn't you want to help people? I'm not wrong. You already agreed to work with me."
He just sighed. "I'm not big on files and papers," he answered, then bunkered down as if she weren't in the room. "I'll read it but the people will be safe in my hands anyway."
He started to read.
Tatsumaki nodded. She's worn him down. He was perfectly content with forgetting that she and Dr. Gray were meant to discuss. He didn't seem very big on words or rather, big on Tatsumaki as a person.
He sipped his matcha tea while hers was untouched. Despite her complaints and growls, he didn't stop humming.
He didn't stop humming because he wasn't afraid of her. She could bend his sanity, crumble his very anatomical structure with a thought but he was lounging, leaning on his rolled-up futon with the ease of someone who didn't know her real identity or strength.
Why wasn't he terrified of her? She didn't touch her matcha tea, so he drank hers. He liked sharing.
No one had the balls to look her in the eye and deny her. He wasn't penitent and her general existence didn't excite him. The only thing that bothered him was his bald head and his groceries being ruined.
Could she get a yelp or a combination of whimpered apologies? Maybe not. She could try to test if he felt anything, even pain. She moved his cactus onto the table.
Earlier, Dr. Gray went on a rare speech tirade about how great his cactus was. He introduced her to it like a member of his family. Gross but she felt that way about her apple tree. It was one thing she could kind of relate to… about him—
Anyway, Dr. Gray wasn't hyper-aware of anything.
His hooded eyes, numb stare and mindless reading was an indication of his thoughtless state. She slid the cactus into his grip, where he was about to grab his (her) cup.
The effects were delayed. He didn't react at all, looking at his cactus with a mute fascination. "How'd you get there?"
He… just had the dullest reaction to pain. The cactus's needles fell to the floor. If she grabbed his cactus like that, her hand would have bled or been torn to shreds while bleeding.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she yelled, jolting to reach the cactus across the table.
Using her powers, she flung the item backwards, which went out of the window, past the balcony and away. Just away.
Tatsumaki accidentally used her telekinetic powers too aggressively as they watched it fall out of the sky. Shit. She was too emotional. The whole paragon was met with awkwardness and despair. And it was so far away…
Oh. Well, that was shitty. To lose his cactus, the one that he liked. It was probably an aloe vera face mask scrub.
Before she could apologize, she was tossed by a strong, intense gust of air. It forced dramatic tears out of her eyes. Barriers were put up as she shielded herself from the odd anomaly of a wind. She protected the flying items by keeping them in place, so they wouldn't break or jump around.
Were they under attack? How could they choose this particular location? Tatsumaki didn't sense anything! What the hell?
Looking over was useless. Dr. Gray was gone out of the messy apartment. Was that a monster with wind attacks? Since when was this a new power given to monsters?
Tatsumaki ran to the balcony, getting away from the tangled drapes. Looking up, Tatsumaki froze.
Dr. Gray dashed across the Ghost Town, mid-air, holding his cactus. Tatsumaki gasped as if she needed an oxygen mask.
Did he fly? Did he teleport? Did he use— what did he do?
Dr. Gray landed on a building that crushed under his weight. After years and heights, Tatsumaki was too shocked when seeing someone else doing something she was capable of. It was rare.
He made a dust cloud. How could he crush a building, dropping like that? How did he jump across multiple blocks? He wasn't even fazed! Was this normal to him?!
So no monster. It was just him, emerging out of the gray clouds like some hero.
Flying over, she coughed, waving away the gray clouds while accessing him. He was so not normal. It was harder to look at him.
Maybe it was guilt. Dark, shifting guilt. She followed him back to his apartment, the walk locked in this troubled silence.
He had a film of fine powder on his shoulder. His hands were broad futon beaters as he dusted himself off.
"I caught it," he said, looking at his plant. "Why'd you chuck my cactus out the window?"
It wasn't her intention.
She hid her face as she coughed. "Well. I thought you were hurting yourself."
Turns out she was right. He didn't feel much. He hadn't felt the pain.
"Weren't you the one who shifted it into my hand?" he accused.
"It's not like I wanted something bad to happen. My hypothesis was right. I didn't think you'd be like this... so resilient," Tatsumaki looked at him seriously. "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm fine, thanks for asking."
That wasn't what she was asking. She didn't care if he had injuries. Just what did he do?
He thought about it for a moment. "I forgive you, by the way," he added. "I don't hold grudges."
"It's not like I want your forgiveness." Tatsumaki snapped, face rosy as it warmed too much.
It was just the sun. Sun, sun, sun.
Dr. Gray wasn't doing this to embarrass her. He was genuine. However, with that forgiveness, a breath of relief was there.
"You brought me to my second cactus," Dr. Gray justified. "It's deserved."
"I thought you'd have a bald baby-ass tantrum."
He got amused. "Nah. You've had enough for the both of us," he assured her.
"SHUT UP! I don't throw tantrums! I communicate like a damn adult, it's you who has problems with speaking! Your apartment is a mess. You didn't think your moves through," she scoffed.
Tatsumaki had no idea if her bag was thrown out. What about her candy? Was that ruined, all those files? Damn it.
"Yeah." he sighed, shaking his head. "That's okay. I got my cactus."
"You're so damn weird and your face is broken," she said quietly.
He felt his face, the shiny head and lowly panicked. "Broken?" he looked at her, eyes dead and face stuck in that same dead-ass fish stare.
He was stuck in this perfectly inert, jaded existence. No dreams, no goals that showed on his face. He stared glumly out of the tourmaline eyes of his, with nothing inside of him. When destruction was imminent all the time, he didn't look scared or interested or alive. His face was a blank sheet of nothingness.
Broken. Tatsumaki just wanted to fix it, which left her feeling seasick.
"Nevermind. You'll just clean up the damn catastrophe." she shrugged. "Then I'll leave again."
"Ah. Good," he nodded, putting his thumbs up.
The bastard looked near grinning!
"The sky looks weird again," he said in passing as if this were a normal occurrence.
When they both looked up, the sky was split. Clouds parted like making way for a God. That... how?
"Was that you?" Tatsumaki aspired to confirm it.
He looked up, shrugging. "That always happens. Kinda embarrassing," he confessed, squirming away from her purposeful eye-contact.
"How the fuck is that embarrassing? You're an anomaly."
He squinted at the sky. "I disturbed the sky. Doesn't that make you feel weird?"
"That's what gods do," she suggested offhandedly. "Disturbing the sky."
"Exactly." he sighed.
Tatsumaki grimaced. "You're a strange one."
Looking at him like this, Tatsumaki's heart pulsated with wary caution.
Maybe Lady Shibabawa wasn't senile and being a fortune teller wasn't a complete scam.
Or maybe Tatsumaki had too many martinis lately and time was weird. Or maybe Dr. Gray was all Tatsumaki thought he was.
###
The apartment was mildly wrecked. Papers covered the floor, his shelf was tipped over. The whole windswept area was completely dishevelled. Manga, posters, the futon was in its own tornado.
He picked up a manga, checking its validity; whether or not it was still good. He treated every manga preciously as if it were a gem. She'd be afraid of his messy crying if one was ripped. Even his casual ordinary things were important, dear to him.
Tatsumaki picked and prodded through the stuff, deciding to at least help with some small things. She only touched her belongings. All of her meticulous paperwork was all sifted through and separated and messed with.
And at least the TV didn't fall over and his things weren't too broken. He didn't make headway either, the silence like a physical weight between them.
"You afraid of me or something?" he asked.
Tatsumaki looked at him piercingly. "Why do you say that? I'm not afraid of anything, egghead."
Dr. Gray peered at her consideringly. "Oh. You just hadn't said anything."
Tatsumaki tilted her head. "I was thinking. You try that every once in a while?" she asked.
"Oooh, there she is," he commented.
What does she say, anyway? She couldn't help but look between the hole he made and his dead-ass expression. She heard the crinkling of a wrapper. She knew what it was!
"What? Don't munch on my treats!" she shrilled.
"Thought you wouldn't mind," He continued stuffing his face.
"Well, I do." she glared at him. "Jerk. Next time you try that, I'll nail your corpse to the wall."
Admittedly, it wouldn't be different from the overall decor. He relinquished his hold on her bag when she stomped towards him.
For a guy who liked being alone, he didn't mind being handsy. Instead of cleaning his apartment, he gathered her papers and candy after assuring his manga's safety. He skewed his priorities.
Even so, the quiet went on.
Spending time around Dr. Gray made Tatsumaki feel anticipation burning low in her stomach. It was like gearing up for a long trip or hike without a real map or destination. He kept on looking at her and she ignored it, trying to find order in her papers. It was almost sorted.
"What are you thinking about?" he brought up.
Tatsumaki gave him the most forlorn look. Why does he care?
"You think I'll do anything to ya? I won't," he asked.
"You say that to an S-Class! Are you dense now? You think I have fear? Dr. Gray, don't flatter yourself. What do I have to be afraid of?"
He shrugged. "People usually get freaked out by now." he motioned to himself.
"By you? People are scared of a scrub like you?" she deadpanned then laughed. "You? You?"
He got offended. "Hey, at least try to believe it."
Tatsumaki laughed. "Go back to training, idiot, get a Halloween mask or something."
He watched her face. "So, you're not afraid?"
Tatsumaki stomped her foot. This again.
"Pfft. As Tatsumaki, Tornado of Terror S-Class rank 2, I do not get freaked out. It's a vast curiosity. So… you don't look too heavy or strong. But you jumped about one hundred feet and left a hole in the floor." Curiosity ate her up. "So, what are you?"
"What d'you mean?" he asked, looking at the hole in the floor.
He even left burn marks. The friction of jumping outside of the window left burn marks. He used that spot as some springboard. So much darkness dragged Tatsumaki into his messed up little world. Now her thoughts were abnormal.
Was he a real hero? Why hasn't she heard about him? Why was everything complicated to the point where nothing makes sense? Keeping a cool head around him was hard. What the heck is with him?
He's human but not everything was as it seemed.
He lifted the vending machine. He almost broke her wrist by holding on. He broke a building. His skin was unusually tough. She didn't know if she could lift him.
He wasn't an Esper. He didn't specialize in weapons or armour like Zombieman or Metal Bat. He also didn't have any strange features or anything visibly interesting. What was he hiding?
"You got any special power?" Tatsumaki asked.
"Nah."
"Did you kill those monsters?" Tatsumaki demanded. He nodded once. "No powers? At all?"
"I'm just a hero for fun. Things go down easily," he admitted.
Pfft. That doesn't sound fun. "Aren't you happy they're down easily?" Tatsumaki remarked.
"Nope," he said simply, fiddling with the manga cover. "The path to greatness is pretty pedestrian."
"Huh? Being strong is awesome. Being S-Class rank two means I get to have fights in abundance. It's awesome," Tatsumaki gushed. "Everyone respects you and they bow down. It's like having a footstool. People stay low like they should in front of me."
He blinked at her a couple of times. "Wow. You say those things without feeling bad? At all."
"Why would I feel bad?"
He just seemed exasperated. "Zuzu… I wonder, do you have fun during your fights? Don't you get anxious to compete? Do you get a thrill?" he asked.
Tatsumaki turned away. No. No. No. She's bored. Fights were easy. Life was easy.
Tatsumaki was immune to danger. Tatsumaki had the skills of some modern God. When does fighting get fun again, she asked a lot. Being donated to a slaughterhouse herself would be more interested than the last hundred monsters she's slaughtered.
And she got down on her luck because the flawed city, the monsters she killed tied to society added no value to her days.
"S-Class aren't meant to have fun while being a hero. They're meant to work," Tatsumaki shrugged, voice low, "but no one has fun at work."
"I thought jobs were supposed to be fun," he said numbly. "My job search was bad. Good jobs were most likely linked to rotting away in some office. I didn't know hero work was the same…"
"I don't think you would do great in an office job. They aren't entertaining. They're easy and you have to sit still."
He thought for a moment. "Being a hero… It was interesting and now it got worse."
"Worse? We save people, help them because they need it. It's not about ourselves anymore."
"Shouldn't being strong mean winning?" he asked.
Tatsumaki clicked her tongue. "When you're strong, any obstacle is inadequate. Life on the battlefield is perfect." she grimaced. "Just perfect."
"Perfect?"
Dr. Gray gazed at her with an expression she's never seen before. He was listening to all of her words with unbridled curiosity.
"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?" he asked.
Being the strongest person in the room meant monsters were terrified and they always surrendered. It meant Tatsumaki couldn't challenge herself and monsters were boring.
Outside of being a hero, life for her meant that Fubuki avoided her, she couldn't date people because they were afraid of her success and her family life suffered due to the fact she always worked.
Tatsumaki didn't need others, she knew that but there was always nothing to do... Days off weren't even satisfying. She's killed over five hundred monsters without thinking or having fun. She couldn't celebrate because it wasn't something good.
As Tornado of Terror and the Princess of the Hero Association, people think she succeeded. Others see her existence as a win, her standing on top of a mountain of riches, public recognition and respect.
They'd never know she was caught beneath a landslide of problems. Dr. Gray's the first person that's ever had dissatisfaction with strength. That made him tolerable.
Tatsumaki sighed. "Being perfect gets boring since nothing is developed or difficult. We aren't winning or being strong... So, I spice up my life outside of work." Tatsumaki looked over at his pensive expression. "You know, I think you need an apple in your coffee."
Getting out of this intimate air of reassurance and confiding in one another, he frowned. "What the hell? That's not something people should do."
"You definitely need the king of fruits brightening up your coffee. And I shall help you fix yourself." she grinned. "Praise me for building your self-esteem."
He held up a hand. "Nah. That's odd. Don't."
"Life is odd and coffee is bitter. I will give you anything that makes you better." Tatsumaki winked. Seeing how displeased he was made Tatsumaki grin. "I'll wear you down, Dr. Gray. I always do win with apples."
"That doesn't change the taste of the coffee. Don't cut up an apple for this," he called out. "Hey, it's rude to go to people's kitchen."
"I am a guest. I will do what I please."
"That makes it worse. I'm reading what you want. Don't make any drinks."
"Don't tell me what to do. It'll make you feel better. Just how sick people need onions since they keep the viruses away." she shrugged.
"Zuzu, are you putting onions in my coffee?" he asked. "I'm not sick."
"No! Don't be DUMB."
Tatsumaki looked out through the window-like cut out from the wall was disheartening. There was a wall phone hung up, too.
Beneath his words, she heard a man begging Tatsumaki for salvation. She ignored him and fluttered to the empty kitchen. It was small, cramped, with an unusual amount of cutesy items.
There were pots, pans, cups and bottles scattered all over. The theme was steel. Tatsumaki checked in the steel sink. Huh. It's clean. She didn't expect that.
She went to his fridge to find it empty. Nothing was in his fridge except for the base items. Eggs were there, she laughed. He liked to keep his siblings close.
"What are you doing?" he asked. "Oi!"
"Saving humanity. It's destiny." she hummed.
"Ah. Destiny." he deadpanned.
"There was always destiny in me," Tatsumaki shrugged. "I'm feeling the destiny in me."
"Okay," He eyed her for a moment. "What are you gonna do?"
Sweeten up life.
Tatsumaki reached into a cupboard. Lifting herself, levitating, she found a cardboard box. Seriously? Out of everything that survived the wind, puzzle pieces in a damn box.
Your items' priorities are quite airhead-like or blown out of proportion. Tatsumaki internally cackled. Great pun!
Looking around, it was different from her apartment with luxury items, sets of silverware since Fubuki was always hosting parties.
Tatsumaki just liked having many cups. Back at Atlas' home, there were always sounds, people washing cups and plates being used. It was odd to see he barely had anything.
And he didn't have coffee? Just tea? Huh? Dr. Gray didn't have coffee or bananas? How did he wake up in the morning?
"Hey, you have a puzzle but not food?" Tatsumaki sighed, unimpressed.
"Yeah," he said. "I could do that puzzle in under ten minutes."
"Good for you, I guess," Tatsumaki clapped. "So, you gonna show me how you suck at putting puzzles together?"
"Huh? Right now?"
"How about next year?" Tatsumaki deadpanned.
"That can be arranged." he nodded. "Nice timing. Go away."
"Idiot! I mean now."
Dr. Gray gave her a questioning look then gestured to his dishevelled living space. "What about my apartment?"
Ah. That would be a problem. Tatsumaki sucked on her lower lip. "Well, time to turn back time in this apartment," Tatsumaki announced.
Tatsumaki concentrated, getting a mental image of what the apartment looked like before. She cleared her mind, pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth and carefully supported each atom in the room.
Tatsumaki felt the force of her abilities swirling around her like sunlight pouring through a valley. She gave attention and energy to everything she could sense. It was warm, precise and articulate.
Tatsumaki liked being aware, conscientious of what she could pick up, move and alter. It gave her control but also the peace that she wasn't completely worthless.
She opened her eyes.
Dr. Gray looked at her like she had moved a star down from earth. Which she could do.
Jumping up, happy and lively, Dr. Gray started to clap. The whole room illuminated with his laughing and relaxing amongst her presence. His emotions flowed into her and caterpillars turned into butterflies and they flew around his face.
This was an odd time when he liked what she did. Time stood still, clear cut and her body felt heavy.
"Wow! Everything's back to its place. Man, Zuzu, you did a great job." he said.
Tatsumaki opened her eyes wider. Tatsumaki thought he would hate the job… she did. He didn't even get up and perfectly place his items. He thought it was enough. She realizes she mixed up two of the locations and the TV was sort of crooked and—
"You ever thought of starting a cleaning business? You'd do great. You even got rid of the dust." he clapped with more vigour. "Nice job, Zuzu."
Was that why he was impressed? Tatsumaki stiffened. "Telekinetic powers are more than just a tool for that!"
"If I were you, I'd start one, y'know, a business." he nodded.
Tatsumaki narrowed her eyes. "There are hoarders in City Z but I wouldn't profit off of that."
"I'd make bank. On top of that, you're not too bad with designing. It's exactly where I left things." He started clapping again. "You're great."
Tatsumaki huffed, turning away. "It's not like people ask me to clean their houses. I won't ever do that. I'm only doing this because you're getting distracted by the items you own instead of cleaning." she hissed, ignoring how flushed she was.
"Isn't that what everyone does? I mean, I have a lot of cool stuff," he said. Sitting down, he sighed a bit at his stuff. "Too cool."
"No, you actually don't have cool things. You barely have anything." Tatsumaki looked around.
"Well, they have a shitty magical ability to fascinate me."
"Ah. I have that too, don't I?" Tatsumaki smiled, winking.
She got the puzzle box and made her way towards his newly placed table.
He made a conflicted face. "I like hanging onto my solitude," he said. "You don't let people be alone, for some reason."
Tatsumaki nodded. "Of course. Why would I? I take them under my wing, they're mine forever. It's kind of nice, seeing someone grow."
Dr. Gray looked at her, perplexed yet he said, "I see."
"I decided to look after you and one of the things involved is to dominate in everything we can do together!" Tatsumaki smiled. "Making it to the top is a national obsession but I will be the best at this!"
Tatsumaki spread out the pieces on the table and sat. There were more than she initially assumed. Huh.
"Aye. Just don't break the puzzle pieces." Dr. Gray looked at her hand. "I think it wouldn't be much of a problem with your small hands."
"Shut up." Tatsumaki hissed. "I could still beat you up. It's gonna be super easy, barely an inconvenience."
"I'm surprised at how unperceptive you are with such a scary face," Dr. Gray commented.
"Well, you look like you think about nothing. You're actually terrible at that!"
"You're occasionally yelling but you don't notice much to get so angry."
"You're the worst person I've ever met. You know I hate you more than yesterday and less than tomorrow." Tatsumaki yelled. "Damn! I'm trying to help you despite who you are!"
I am a goddamn beacon of hope, as lovely as a raindrop and my hands cleaned up your soul. You know, an apartment is just as clean as the person's mind, Tasumaki internally hissed to him.
"Read that while I finish this puzzle. Don't sleep. Tell me what you think and we'll make a plan about it. Do it or else I won't suppress my homicidal rage." she warned.
Dr. Gray looked at the TV and felt around for the remote.
"Why are you turning it on?" Tatsumaki tilted her head.
"I feel unwell when the TV is off." he shrugged.
That's weird but Tatsumaki didn't comment. She was busy trying to complete the puzzle everything without flipping the table. But she probably will!
He didn't actually read the papers, he literally watched TV or just binged read the manga underneath the table. Tch. Slacker.
She wanted to say something (cough, cough punish him severely) after she finished her puzzle.
At first, she was confident that she'd finish the puzzle. Then nothing was okay. She didn't know what the outcome was supposed to be. She wouldn't ask him anything. He sifted through the paperwork, looking about a minute away from slumber when she glared at the pieces.
"Damn it!" Tatsumaki shouted. "What was this supposed to be?"
Suddenly disrupting the air of vacillating tranquil made him look at her questioningly. "It's supposed to be a rainy night."
All of the pieces were some shade of melancholic gray or intense black with unassuming speckles of white. She couldn't even figure that out. She didn't have a picture reference, either. This puzzle was stupid.
Seeing a fourth of the puzzle completed, he raised his eyebrows. "Why didn't you ask for help?" he asked, putting the papers down.
Because I am totally capable of this. Just let me do this, Tatsumaki thought.
Five more minutes of hopelessness. Why were the pieces so small?
Tatsumaki held up a puzzle piece. "Where does this one go? I'm not asking for help. You are obviously just giving me one direction out of the goodwill of your heart. I am not and will not ask for help from you."
"Right." He pointed to its place. "There."
Tatsumaki picked up another. "And this one?"
He pointed again and it was true. They did this, again and again, Tatsumaki avoiding his brown eyes. Aargh. This was taking too long.
She wordlessly shoved the pile to his side.
"Show me it all," she ordered. "I allow you to."
Then he finished the puzzle. His hands danced around, fitting the pieces in their places. To watch his expeditious actions, the layout of the puzzle was a weird process. This whole day was weird.
It was like a picture was coming from nothing and he was painting it, with odd shapes and odd colours. His development was quite surprising. But also daunting. She couldn't do the puzzle and he could finish it without a single hesitation or hitch. Fuck that.
He threw a confused look her way. He played around with the last pieces of the puzzle.
"How do you spice up your fighting career?" he asked casually.
Tatsumaki blew air out of her mouth. Lady Shibabawa said Dr. Gray was the strongest man in the world… This conversation must be a characteristic of that.
Was he bored? Asking her for advice. Did she ever really know what to say to help others? Can she ever know?
Well, she had some words to say anyway.
"I find the next monster to kill and hope and pray it could kill me," Tatsumaki mentioned after a long pause. "That's how you get salt and pepper. Spice."
"Zuzu…" Dr. Gray seemed surprised or less bored than he was before. "You don't think I want to die and my question wasn't about darkness or death?"
"I think you're stupid but not completely forfeiting your life. No. I get mad at what can't kill me. They're weak. That isn't darkness. It's logic, you got any?" Tatsumaki said, hating this small talk.
Couldn't he just shut up now?
Dr. Gray swallowed, avoiding her gaze. "So how do you deal with not finding an interesting opponent?" he asked cautiously.
Tatsumaki kept neutral. She didn't deal with it. Not really.
"As great as I am, I don't have the answers," she replied.
"Oh." he deflated.
"Idiot, don't sigh. There will always be weak shrimp who I defeat because I'm me. They have a tough time with me because I'm good at what I do. I beat them into submission as I'm meant to." Tatsumaki laughed. "It's the way life goes."
"I know."
"Tough times don't last but tough people do." she pointed at him. "Once all the weak shrimp are gone, the ones who aren't weak, small and submissive roll in. The boring fights and the waiting never ends but you hope for better opponents. That's what spices up your life while you eat your prey for dinner." She moved a puzzle piece while he just openly gaped at her. "What?"
"Did you just try to cheer me up?" he asked.
She glared at him. "I did not cheer you up. I was just saying facts. You're the one who's moping and—" she stopped speaking suddenly.
This was a casual conversation and she's sitting here, like some petty girlfriend trying to get her despairing spouse out of a rut. This was weirdly domestic, god.
Oh god. Was Lady Shibabawa right?
This seems pretty stupid, but she was sort of conflicted. Lady Shibabawa was wrong. She should be. She takes too many cough drops.
Relationships were about keeping the proper distance. That was the foundation of peace. Giving calculated answers with much thought was also apart of it. Meeting was the beginning of parting, so being like this helped.
She's been much too close with him, anyway. She contained the urge to run away long enough, so she decided she would go scouting for the rest of the day.
"Did you finish reading the pages?" she asked, her voice suddenly cold.
He nodded. "Pretty good plan. Thought it was a bit long," he said.
"Don't lie."
"The puzzle's finished. Looks good, doesn't it?" he said shakily.
She stood, watching him finish the puzzle. It was supposed to be a sunset interrupted by rain. It was a beautiful but melancholic scene. Why did he keep it? Was it because of the shifting shades? The— doesn't matter. He still was better than her! But no.
"You're not better than me." Tatsumaki hissed.
"Just one last piece," he said, grabbing for it.
Tatsumaki snatched it. "You're not done it. It's not finished and you're not better than me—"
Her phone rang. She answered it without looking at the number. When she heard that caramel laugh, she sighed. "Zombieman?" Tatsumaki asked. "What do you want?"
He gulped, mildly discouraged. "Hey, Green Eyes…—"
"Answer my question, bub."
He coughed. "Alright. Alright. So, there hasn't been a big disaster, want to look for some? Then we'll go to that new coffee shop."
Tatsumaki made an unimpressed sound. "You want to go for coffee after killing monsters? I see you're still strange."
"Made a whole career out of it." Zombieman probably winked. "So, I'll pay."
"No. I won't go." Tatsumaki shook her head. "Nope."
"Why not? I'm in City A."
"I'm busy," she said. "Or in busy town. I won't send you a postcard. You suck. Loser. Loser straw."
"You are busy? Are you with him? Whenever you're with him, bad things happen and you got Pig God burgers and you can't have coffee with me?" Zombieman asked.
How did he know that? Tatsumaki bristled. "Do I have to explain myself to you?"
He relented. "No, but we should talk. I've been getting paired with Metal Bat since he saw me use a metal bat."
Tatsumaki allowed a small smile. "Why did you do that?"
"I wanted to know why he used one. Some fan got a picture. Public information spreads and they think we're in an alliance. You know how the media is. I didn't expect him to follow me. He kept on saying I was unworthy, I lack fightin' spirit. The kid skipped school to bother me. Little shit."
Metal Bat's a well-known problem child. Him being gone from school isn't very looked down upon. He is a hero and human lives are more important than schooling.
Still, Tatsumaki got amused. "You were stealing his shine. Don't tell me you stole his pompadour while I was gone? You cross over yet?"
"Why don't you come out and see me? The tree sees you all the time, I'm jealous."
"Continue being jealous," she snapped. "You know damn well why we're not together right now. Sit there in your heartache, loser."
"Can we stop with the name-calling?"
"Nope. Loser."
He sighed. "The association wants to give me to the Tank-Top Army. For this fitness workout bullshit. A commercial. The idiots keep on leaving protein shakes for me in the lobby."
"Did you drink any of them?" Tatsumaki asked, spurring on his playful voice.
"They get high-end stuff. It's like 150 yen. Tank-Top Master hits hard. He's been training me."
Huh? Why did Tank-Top Master have to train Zombieman? Ah. He's a boring piece of muscle but a kind, mellow guy, unlike his followers. Tank-Top Master had a band of gym enthusiasts. And Zombieman made plans. The rest of Tank-Top Master's group just went with the flow like a certified dumbass. For some reason, that works for him.
Tch. His army thinks that their Tank-Tops are gods. Gross!
"Why are you pairing up anyway? You're usually fine on your own." Tatsumaki pointed out.
"See, Green Eyes, I'm usually with you and that's fine but I don't shine if you don't shine. You are the best of me."
Tatsumaki smiled a bit, warmth flooding her chest. "You were one with pretty words. You want me to slow dance to your voicemails?" she asked sarcastically.
"I'll sing your favourite song, next," he promised.
"I'm hanging up, bye-bye." she deadpanned. "Don't call, loser."
"Wait!" he let out a ragged breath. "I want to apologize in person. Putting me on the back burner wouldn't do much? These changes aren't changing me… I still want to be a friend."
"Friend?" Tatsumaki winced.
"Co-worker," he corrected.
Better.
There were more moments where silence steered the conversation until Tatsumaki gave in. "Where are you?" Tatsumaki shifted.
"City A… HQ," he revealed. "You weren't listening to me before—"
Tatsumaki hung up, looking at her phone for a couple of moments later. Hm. Zombieman hadn't been that bold and now he was acting better. It dawned on her that Zombieman was trying and maybe she should try back.
"Zuzu, who was that?" Dr. Gray asked.
Tatsumaki jumped, having forgotten that he was there. She was still there, in the cramped apartment with the puzzle he finished better than her. And he was munching on something. She saw her candy wrappers.
"Are you eating my candy again?" Tatsumaki squawked.
"No." Chew, chew interrupted by more chewing. "Not really. They're just really good."
Stop eating them, idiot! She glared at him, bringing her candy bag to her side while answering his question.
"That was my stalker," she rolled her eyes, voice sort of soft.
"Oh. Why do you speak to him?"
She hesitated. "It's Zombieman. That's reason enough. You've probably seen us work together on TV."
"I haven't," he admitted.
"I forgot you were clueless. Anyway, his eyes leak a lot. He's a brain dead idiot and day time television confuses the jerk. However, when we talk, it's like apple fields."
"Huh? Apple fields?"
"You know, he'd totally drink someone's bathwater for me, that's how much he damn adores me."
"He would drink your bathwater? That's gross."
"He's weird but that isn't what I said. Listen. The guy wears leather pants, like snakes eating his legs. He said he'd eat my legs. Such a freak. He doesn't even like me. Why would he want to eat my legs?"
Dr. Gray got a considering expression on his face. "He's a guy, right?"
She nodded. "What does that have to do with it?! He's still missing brains. He drinks water from his bathroom sink. He says, "Green Eyes, it's all good. It's better than tap water." No, it's not. People shouldn't drink from their bathrooms! I've never heard anything so gross. So, he's a zombie, of course, he'd eat my legs. No. He said he'd eat my thigh."
"Thigh?" He blinked at her. "You… never mind."
He looked a bit shocked. She didn't know why.
He looked at the puzzle. "It's finished."
She looked at her hand. Empty. Since when? Why?! She darted her gaze at him. "Why'd you take the piece?"
"I wanted to finish it," he said it like she should've already known the answer. "I wasn't gonna let you be petty, so I finished it. Puzzles are better when completed, right?"
"Not if someone finishes it before me." Tatsumaki sighed petulantly. "Shouldn't I be the one using the umbrella?"
"Why? I mean, I finished the puzzle. And the umbrella doesn't belong to me, or you. It belongs to the puzzle piece." He gestured to his work.
He threw his arms over the puzzle and she narrowed her eyes. "Do you have an umbrella?" Tatsumaki asked.
"Near the shoe rack. I didn't know it'd rain," he said thoughtfully. "You could keep it and stay away. Sayonara."
Tatsumaki smiled when she got the umbrella. It was red, totally huge and hid her evil smile.
"This is a trade, Dr. Gray. If you get that umbrella, then I'll get the other one," she said nonchalantly. "Halfsies and a compromise."
"You can't just take my stuff, man. What's wrong with you?"
She walked away with the umbrella. "Read all that paperwork and read it, I saw you reading your manga under the desk. You aren't slick. Finish your I'll bring your umbrella back." she smiled. "Sweet reading."
She was about to blow a sarcastic kiss but that felt wrong.
He slammed his hands onto the table softly. "I didn't wanna be rude but now I gotta know, why do you keep on forcing yourself into my life?" he stood up, absolutely curious.
Tatsumaki paused. "From a work perspective, it's like you know something I don't about protecting City Z," Tatsumaki shrugged. "You don't look like you know anything else but everything about these strange-ass monsters."
"Is that a compliment?" he sat down.
"Hell no."
Oh please, I don't do compliments, Tatsumaki rolled her eyes. Then she remembered. She stopped and turned around.
Tatsumaki darted her eyes to his TV. "If you go on Channel 37 tonight or sometime in the near future, I'll ruin your house."
"I don't doubt it," he said grimly.
"That's what I like to hear, boy."
"Eh, what's so wrong about Channel 37?" he asked.
"They gossip about you and I. We're still technically "engaged"," Tatsumaki rolled her eyes. "Lots of goons and goonies are talking about how they're happy when we're having children, how strong you might be or how I spice up your life." she rambled.
Dr. Gray was confused. "Huh? Kids? Spice? You don't spice up my life."
"They meant your sex life." Tatsumaki looked at her hand then pointed to him. "They say you like handjobs and how my hand makes your dick look big—"
He stuffed his face into a nearby pillow. "Shit! Don't you have a filter?" he squawked.
Blushing idiot. "What did I say wrong? The media talks about everything! I just needed to give you a heads up! Because they think I give you head. Ha! As if you noticed something—"
He still muttered into his pillow. "You have the personality of kid and you say things like that without shame."
"Ah. Are you embarrassed, egghead? I didn't think you were cool enough to get some bubble tea but dang. You can't even talk about this! You're a coward and you don't deserve bubble tea. Can you even drink it?"
"What does that drink have to do with anything?!" he asked, lifting his face. So he wasn't a blushing idiot.
Tatsumaki closed her eyes. "Just read the damn files and order bubble tea and how do you say it, get some balls."
He still looked completely put out. "Just leave. And opening an umbrella indoors is bad luck."
"I'm bad luck." she laughed, twirling under the umbrella.
"I know that."
"Shut up."
Now he seemed completely annoyed and flustered. Now he'll stay away. Tatsumaki internally praised her cleverness. Now he'll never know Lady Shibabawa said Tatsumaki was with the strongest man in the world.
Just to bring it home, she needed to put the nail in the coffin. "Channel 37 talks about us and our exploits in detail. But if you are inexperienced, Channel 37 saves those who are one-trick ponies."
"Now I hate it. Stop talking and leave," he said.
Mission accomplished. Tatsumaki laughed out of the apartment.
Why do you keep on forcing yourself into my life?
He did drop the bomb she waited for. It's when she sees something interesting, she wants to mess with it until it's all hers. Not that she wanted Baldy to be all hers. He wasn't easy to piss off. Sadly. She disturbed him but he wasn't terrified of her.
He was… strange.
Many people around her, they were loud, shone like stars and had the personality of can openers. They acted like melodies, attempting to be louder than everyone. Him, he was like a beat in the background and he tried to escape her. He also had the scanty personality of a can opener.
People want her and he didn't. She didn't have to be a hero or be kind because of that. She tried to save the people of City Z and he was the only one helping when she wasn't there. Besides, he's a strange recluse himself.
And Lady Shibabawa said he was the strongest man in the world. She's fucking confused and scared and wondering if it's true.
Well, whatever.
They didn't have to interact too much. She made sure of that in the coming weeks. And did a spectacularly bad job. For the first time, she failed herself. That was new. Very new.
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-End Chapter-