"I'll say it one more time, Tatsumaki: do NOT cause any problems. I have tried again and again to get them to join the Blizzard Bunch, but all they've done is push me away. Now, for the first time, I have actually been invited over, and I'm not going to have this chance ruined just because you can't-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, Fubuki; you've only told me five times now," Tatsumaki responded dismissively with a wave of her hand as they stood outside of Apartment number 104. "I've already told you that it's a hopeless effort, though. Saitama and Demon Cyborg are never going to join your little group; they're way above your level."
Fubuki huffed in response and turned away from her sister, who wore a smug smile, to face the door. She rapped her knuckles three times on the wooden surface with one hand and waited, holding a bottle of expensive wine in front of her. A few seconds later, the doorknob turned and the door opened, revealing Genos and releasing the wonderful scent of the cooking hot-pot into the hallway.
Fubuki smiled at the cyborg. "Hello, Genos!" she greeted lively, "May we come in?"
"We?" Genos asked confusedly, before looking down to see Tatsumaki standing next to her sister, arms crossed and an annoyed frown on her face.
"Oh, Miss Tatsumaki, my apologies, I did not see you standing there, nor was I expecting you. Did Master Saitama invite you?"
"No, he didn't, and yet here I am," she answered rudely as Genos stepped aside to let them in.
"Master, Miss Fubuki and Miss Tatsumaki have arrived," Genos called out to Saitama, who was in the middle of an intense video-game match with King.
At the mention of Tatsumaki's name, Saitama snapped out of his heated focus and turned to look towards the door. Spotting the short ESPer, he smiled, handed his controller to Satoru, got to his feet, and walked over to greet her as the sisters took their shoes off.
"Hey, Tatsumaki," Saitama greeted, pausing as he turned to Fubuki, whose eager smile hadn't faded. "Why are you here?" he asked her, slightly annoyed that she had once again seemingly barged into his house without permission.
"I invited her, Master. I hope that is not an issue," Genos intervened, noticing his master's obvious confusion.
"Oh, okay, cool. I thought you had just invited yourself again," Saitama responded as he shrugged at Fubuki, who took the calling-out in stride.
"Not this time. And I do appreciate the invitation," Fubuki thanked Genos, offering him a polite nod. "Also, I brought wine! Think of it as a late housewarming gift."
"Oh, cool, thanks," Saitama said as he took the wine and eyed the label: Windry Chardonnay 09. Saitama wasn't much of a drinker, but he figured they might enjoy that later.
Saitama set the wine down on the counter before turning his attention back to Tatsumaki as Genos and Fubuki walked past. "I guess Genos invited you too, huh?"
Still frowning, Tatsumaki responded sharply, "No, I invited myself along to make sure that none of your friends try to creep on my sister."
"Oh, well, I don't think you have to worry about that," he responded, motioning to the few people that were within the apartment. "You already know Genos and King, and that's Satoru, or Mumen Rider"
Tatsumaki appeared unimpressed with his explanation. "I don't care who they are, I'm still keeping an eye out for Fubuki. You don't have a problem with that, do you, Baldy?" she asked in an almost accusatory tone.
"No, that's fine," he replied simply, unsure as to where all of the hostility was coming from.
Both were quiet for a moment. Saitama could tell something was wrong with Tatsumaki; she wasn't acting like she was the other day at lunch, and she seemed frustrated, almost angry. Worried, Saitama's smile had faded, replaced with a look of disappointment turned concern. She seemed even more tense than when he first met her, just standing with her arms crossed, scowling at the ground.
"Well, I'm glad you're here; it's good to see you again," he said, offering her a small but bright smile.
Tatsumaki looked up, still scowling. "You don't have to lie to me. We won't be staying for long, anyway."
"Why do you always think I'm lying to you?" Saitama asked in an exasperated tone, "If I didn't want you here, I would just tell you to leave," he argued, confused as to why she thought she wasn't welcome.
"Can you just drop the formalities?" she scolded, "If you wanted me here in the first place, you would have invited me."
She turned away from him and began to walk further into the apartment, calling over her shoulder, "Like I said, it's fine; Fubuki and I will be taking our leave once the hot-pot's empty."
In all honesty, she really wasn't there to keep an eye on Fubuki, or to prevent anyone from hitting on her. Demon Cyborg inviting her was curious, but she wasn't really worried about Fubuki getting friendly with him; she knew King wouldn't make a move, and she wasn't worried about some C-Class nobody getting in with her sister. The only person she had reservations about was actually Saitama, but his reaction to seeing Fubuki at his apartment confirmed what he had told her weeks ago: that they were just acquaintances.
No, she wasn't there for Fubuki…She was there to see that damn baldy.
After their lunch together, Tatsumaki had had a lot on her mind. She had actually enjoyed a lunch out with someone, and even more strangely, he seemed to have enjoyed the lunch with her. For the first time in a very long time, she connected with someone. He hadn't gotten pissed at her teasing or poking fun; instead, he threw it right back at her. He had been curious as to how she had gotten so powerful, not as a means to exploit her or out of jealousy, but out of genuine curiosity and interest. What she found most meaningful, though, is that he had talked to her like a normal person…like a friend…and for once, she got a glimpse of how people were supposed to interact, of what a relationship with someone might look like…of the things she always thought Blast would teach her.
As much as she hated to admit it, feeling weak and dependent in doing so, she wanted more of that camaraderie. She wanted more of having someone she could make casual conversation with, laugh with, be comfortable and be herself around. She had never felt so lonely as in the days since their lunch. She wanted desperately to talk to him, to be in his company, to even just be around him…So, when she found out that her little sister, who did nothing but bother Saitama and Demon Cyborg about her little club, was personally invited to a get-together while she was left alone and ignored…it hurt.
After that connection she had felt between herself and Saitama, and after all of the unraveling of uncomfortable thoughts that had kept her up the last few nights, it turned out that that feeling was only from one side. It seemed that to Saitama, lunch was nothing special; it was just a way to get her to shut up and leave him alone.
But if she believed that, then why had she come to see him? Was it out of hope that she was wrong or that he may have changed his mind? Was it out of anger, a desire to let him know that he had done something wrong, that he had hurt her? Or was she really so desperate for companionship that she would seek out someone who didn't actually give a shit about her?
Whatever the reason, it all boiled down to the fact that she was hurt and pissed. Even though it was actually Genos, and not Saitama, who had invited Fubuki, it didn't reason away him not inviting HER, and it definitely didn't make her feel any better. The bottom line was that if he really felt a connection, then he would have invited her, but he didn't, so he didn't-
"I was going to invite you,"
Tatsumaki was torn from her thoughts and stopped in her tracks before turning around to face Saitama.
"I just didn't think you cared for any sort of get-togethers. If I knew you wanted to come, I would've invited you," Saitama said matter-of-factly.
The short woman looked up at the bald man. Her scowl was altered, now mixed with confusion and relief, and her shoulders seemed to relax slightly. The new information threw off all of the notions and feelings she had been harboring, and now, Tatsumaki was unsure of how she should feel.
"...You-...um…w-why?" was all she could manage as she scrambled to make sense of the situation.
Saitama threw Tatsumaki a questioning glance as she shook her head lightly, helping guide her back to a more clear headspace.
She continued, "I-I mean, why would you think I wouldn't like these sorts of things?" she questioned, more accusatory than curious.
Saitama answered, "Well, I don't know. I mean, you seemed pretty annoyed at being at the hero meeting a while back, and you didn't seem thrilled about me taking you to lunch at first, either."
Tatsumaki resumed her arm-crossing as she found an escape route, that being him having fed into her accusation. She wasn't proud of it, nor did she feel great doing it, but it was the only defense mechanism she knew how to use, and at this point, she was basically on auto-pilot in that regard.
"Well, you didn't bother to ask, did you?" she accused, a palpable bite in her voice.
Saitama felt a slight pang of guilt at the accosting. If the woman was trying to hide her feelings, she was failing, to such an extent that even Saitama could identify the issue: she had wanted to come, and he had chosen not to invite her based on an assumption…a sound assumption, perhaps, but an assumption nonetheless. The hurt she felt was apparent; her eyes looked more sad now than angry, and she was practically slumped over, a pronounced juxtaposition to her usual genteel posture.
Saitama dropped his shoulders and let his smile fall. "No, I didn't," he responded, his voice gentle and contrite, "I'm sorry, Tats. I should have asked you in the first place." It was a simple apology, but one that was quite sincere, and he waited quietly for her response.
Once again, Tatsumaki felt her indignation, her safety net, slip, and despite trying to hold onto it, she couldn't hold it to him. "It's fine." she responded simply, now staring at the ground, the mixture of relief, guilt, and forced discontent leaving her more confused than before.
Saitama walked over to the dispirited woman and placed a hand tenderly on her shoulder as he looked down, drawing her eyes to his.
"But like I said, I'm really glad you're here, and we can still have a good time. You wanna come over and play games with us?" he asked, motioning back towards King and Satoru.
Tatsumaki felt a wide smile spread across her lips as her eyes lit up. Her heartbeat began to quicken as she ever-so-slightly raised herself on her toes, pushing herself more firmly into his hand. All feelings of gloom, jealousy, and rejection fled away, and were replaced by excitement and a strange, new tingling feeling down in the pit of her stomach.
It felt…nice. Almost uncomfortable, but in an eager, energetic sort of way, as weird as that sounded. Any and all thoughts of him forgetting or neglecting to invite her were now gone. He wanted her here now, and she was; that was all that mattered.
The short ESPer's smile turned into a cocky smirk as she accepted his offer, "And watch King kick your ass in that game? I would like nothing more."
Pleased with Tatsumaki's change in demeanor, Saitama felt more at ease, and found himself relieved at the biting comment. He felt his guilt fade at her accepting his apology, and found himself almost enthralled by her bright smile. It brought to him a sense of warmth, comfort, and perhaps even a small sense of pride…
While Saitama hadn't spent much time with her, he hadn't ever seen the girl beam like that, with anyone else or in general, so the fact that he got to see it…it felt sort of …special. Maybe he was wrong; maybe she did beam like that around other people or when she was alone; that didn't matter. She let HIM see it, and that was something he felt he shouldn't take for granted.
Saitama rolled his eyes at the girl's sass. "Ha-ha," he mocked, "No, I'm the one who's gonna be kicking his ass this time! I've been practicing all week, and I'm already warmed up."
"We'll see, Baldy," Tatsumaki responded as Saitama removed his hand from her shoulder, using it to beckon her as he walked toward the couch, where King and Satoru were finishing up a match. She followed his lead past Genos and Fubuki, who had been watching the entire interaction unfold, a fact that seemingly went unnoticed by either Tatsumaki or Saitama.
Fubuki's gaze lingered on the duo, her mouth agape, while Genos shifted his to Fubuki herself. She caught his stare after a moment and tried to wipe the shock from her face, but Genos already knew that she had seen it too; he had known she would.
The cyborg lowered his voice as Saitama introduced Tatsumaki to Mumen Rider and said to Fubuki, "You have noticed as well, the odd behavior of Master Saitama and Miss Tatsumaki."
Fubuki eyed Genos with a mixture of curiosity and surprise, but offered no words in response.
At her silence, Genos continued, "I assume you are wondering why I invited you to this event."
She nodded.
"The reason for your invitation is simple: I would like to discuss this aforementioned behavior with you." Genos looked her in the eye. "I wish to keep this discussion between the two of us; I believe you are worthy of my trust, if nothing else. Am I correct in this assumption, Miss Fubuki?" he asked sternly.
Fubuki paused for a moment, slightly crestfallen that her invitation was only a means to an end. "I knew it was too good to be true…despite that, I'm honored you trust me enough to even include me in this." She met his eye as she replied firmly, "Yes, you can trust me."
"Good. Now, I believe that you, having an eye for detail, have probably taken note of some strange behaviors in Miss Tatsumaki?" Genos questioned, swapping his gaze over to Tatsumaki, who was currently hovering above Saitama's head as he started a new match against King.
Fubuki nodded, following Genos' eyes to her sister, and took a moment to think before responding, deciding on just how in depth she should go with the cyborg.
"Yes, I have. However, I would feel more comfortable revealing personal information about my sister if you would offer evidence on Saitama first."
Fubuki didn't really feel the need to make the request; she knew Genos was straight as an arrow and was heavily invested in Saitama, so she doubted he had any ulterior motives, but doing so allowed her to guide the conversation and better control the flow of information. Plus, she really did want to make sure he had enough evidence to make the investigation worth it; a change in Tatsumaki's mood and attitude was one thing, but even she knew that a change in Saitama's was a whole other matter.
"Very well," Genos agreed, still speaking hushedly to ensure they were not overheard, not that it was a worry, what with the lot of them focused on the match and commentary about it.
"Ever since I began studying under Master Saitama, I have noticed his distinct lack of enthusiasm for heroing and general apathy. As Master tells me, some time ago, he was full of passion for fighting monsters; he took challenges head on with an unmatched vigor and fought with all he had; these admirable qualities are now all but gone. From my observations, and Master's own admission, he no longer seems to find joy in life."
Fubuki frowned. Everything Genos was saying reinforced her own observations of Saitama, but she hadn't realized how far it really went. In a way, she felt bad for him, as crazy as it sounded to feel pity for someone with such strength.
Genos continued, "Recently, however, I have felt a shift in his demeanor; he appears to be more invested in the ongoings of the association, specifically in events regarding Miss Tatsumaki, including her commercial and recent victories over monsters."
"So you're saying he's been keeping an eye on Tatsumaki?" Fubuki asked, her hand on her chin as she considered the implications.
"Indeed. The most influential observation I have made, however, occurred following the lunch that Master Saitama and Miss Tatsumaki shared this past Sunday."
Fubuki did a double-take before demanding he elaborate, having no idea her sister and Saitama had gone out together. "They went-" she quieted herself, "they went to lunch together? Like, on a date? When?!"
"I would not consider it a date, but yes. I was out on a mission, and when I arrived back, Master Saitama informed me that he and Miss Tatsiumaki had both gone to fight the same monster. With his incredible speed, Master arrived first and quickly dispatched the creature, which made Miss Tatsumaki rather upset, and she demanded he repay her for "stealing her kill". Of course, the notion of calling and stealing kills is ridiculous, but Master decided that to quell Miss Tatsumaki's complaining, and to avoid any further upset, he would take her to lunch. Master Saitama himself informed me that your sister seems to be controlling herself better than before, but more surprisingly, he told me that he enjoyed the outing."
"...I don't think I've ever seen that man smile," Fubuki pondered as she considered Genos' story.
"It is a rare occurrence," Genos agreed, "Additionally, when I suggested inviting Miss Tatsumaki to this hot-pot, Master Saitama seemed eager at the idea, but dismissed it, believing she would not enjoy such an event."
"And she usually wouldn't," Fubuki confirmed, "but she invited herself anyway."
"It seems she took a page out of your book."
Fubuki ignored the comment. "She claimed she only came to "keep everyone off of me", but now I'm thinking she may have been lying."
"So, you agree that there is something going on between the two of them?"
"I don't think there's any denying that, especially not after what just happened. I've never seen my sister act like that."
"Nor I Master."
Genos and Fubuki were quiet for a moment, both silently observing Saitama and Tatsumaki, considering all that had been said, before pulling their focus back to one another.
"I have some plans that we may carry out as experiments, of sorts,' Genos began, "but for the time being I believe it would be wise for us to simply observe."
"Right," Fubuki agreed, "Let's both keep an eye out for any more strange behavior or interactions, and then we can convene and discuss our findings later."
As they finished their planning, they said in unison, "You should-" before stopping, nodding, and moving to join the group.
Both Genos and Fubuki knew the other could be rather obvious at times, but they were more than competent. Cognizant they shared this knowledge, neither felt the need to finish offering the cautionary advice; their nods of understanding said it all.
