The dawn arrived quietly in the Hero Association Headquarters. A rare few heroes and residents milled about, solitary and wordless.
The silence was unnatural. The chirping birds and cicadas that were commonplace in the surrounding cities were nowhere to be seen or heard; the ruined landscape outside gave more than a hint as to why. Without natural sounds to liven the mood, a muted air lay thick about the place.
Despite the eerie stagnance, it was a time that many appreciated. The early hours were a sign — a reminder — that it was time to rest. Residents of the apartments, be they heroes or businessmen — they all had full plates, tedious days to muddle through. A time of eerie quiet was more than welcome.
Subject to the pale blue light of dawn, not a peep could be heard in the sprawling compound. Apartments were full. The day had yet to begin.
.
Blue light streamed gently through the window in Hero Apartment 01. The guest room was empty. So was the master bedroom. The main hall was quiet as well — the only sign of movement was a quiet bouncing message on the TV — the signal lost; console long since turned off.
The apartment's occupant had fallen asleep on the sofa, green hair curling against her face. Her chest rose and fell lightly — breaths dainty and shallow; a noticeable contrast to her usual demeanor.
She was a still sleeper, not inclined to adjust once she dozed off. In light of this, hugging pillows was sometimes a regretful task — many times she woke up with an arm or leg numb under the fabric. It was one of the reasons she had been holding back from buying extra pillows in her bedroom; she'd hoped to get used to an arms-free sleep.
However, it was clear that her limbs had not yet grown accustomed to it.
Because they were currently wrapped around a newly-woken Saitama's torso.
He looked down at Tatsumaki, sleeping soundly on top of him.
"Tats," he whispered. "Hey."
Her response was a sigh, a muffled 'mrgh,' and a raising of her leg to trap him even more.
Tatsumaki's breaths settled after a few moments.
Saitama looked to the ceiling, taking deep, deliberate breaths.
This… this was bad.
.
Throughout Tatsumaki's stay back in his apartment, Saitama made it a point not to stare at the esper. As a sign of respect, he always left her alone to re-apply her bandages or dry her clothes.
He didn't find it difficult. After all, when they met, she didn't exactly come off as mature. Even after learning of the three-year age difference between them, even through the torn bandages and fabric — she was a pompous, rude, unfiltered individual — and not paying her appearance attention was easy. Finding her cute or not — it was of little consequence. The esper stayed far from Saitama's view.
And then things got… complicated.
'I said thanks, you baldy! Geez!' shouted the girl in the hot spring.
She took his advice.
'Nevermind. I don't see it.' Her voice. Honey.
She showed him appreciation.
'What's wrong?' Her eyes were piercing. Pained, and openly so.
She noticed his troubles.
'Don't go sulking like you're alone in this.'
She offered to help.
Saitama didn't know when exactly it started, but not looking her way…
It became really hard.
.
Her doll-like face looked serene in the soft light. Wisps of green hair muted against the colors of the dawn, thin black fabric strewn about around his feet, a leg folded atop his own. Usually so energetic, it felt almost wrong for Saitama to see her like this.
She breathed in a little deeper than usual, and the bald man looked away.
"Tats," he said again, hoping it was a sign that she was awake.
Nothing.
Saitama closed his eyes, trying to compose himself.
It wasn't like he needed to get up at all. He was perfectly content to go back to sleep.
But the image of her waking up to see herself placed so… haphazardly atop him…
He knew it could only spell trouble.
Whenever he said or did something wrong in front of Tatsumaki, the esper would always make it known to him. Face flushed angrily, words deeply scathing. Whether it be an offhanded statement or action, he could never tell when she'd be set off. Even a simple compliment — 'You really know how to get my heart racing,' — she didn't take it kindly, not one bit. Falling on the floor, berating him for saying it — she made it quite clear that she had little patience for some of the things he did.
The trouble always was knowing why.
Why did she often look away from him? Why did she reel back when he whispered? It was all a jumble of different actions and reactions that the baldy had no way of sifting through logically. He could never be sure if what he said would be taken well by the esper or not. He could never be sure if what he did would receive backlash or quiet calmness.
One thing was sure, though.
Unpermitted contact, the compromising position of her limbs, the fact that he stayed overnight without asking or being told to? She would definitely not like this.
His ears would hurt, his ego would somehow be bruised, and his rest would be ruined. She'd probably remember this moment and hate him for it.
At least, for a little while.
It was strange, but despite his constant testing of her patience, the esper never really lost her temper with him for too long. It was a trait of hers that Saitama was thankful for, and his only reason for not panicking in this situation as much as he would have otherwise.
But he still wanted out of it. Obviously.
'Think… think!' Saitama furrowed his brow. There had to be a way to get out of this dilemma unharmed.
He inched his free foot up, trying to nudge her leg out of its hold.
Bad move. Her other leg, which had been positioned parallel to his, started to wrap around in support of its partner. She locked his limb in her grasp.
He tried to lean his body toward the sofa cushions, hoping that the esper would follow the path of least resistance and slip off of him.
Nope. Her arm simply held on tighter. A faint trace of psychic powers kept her still.
Saitama frowned. Did she used to do this with her sister to protect her? It seemed subconscious, her desire not to let him go.
Which was a tragedy, because her conscious self would definitely not be okay with this.
'C'mon,' the baldy begged. 'Just… get… off…'
.
Eventually Saitama gave up. Any continued effort would end up waking her anyway.
He was to be her pillow until she woke, whether he liked it or not.
The baldy glanced down at the esper, hoping that she might just open her eyes and get this over with. All that greeted him was the scent of vanilla.
Saitama narrowed his eyes.
Curse people with nice hair and good-smelling shampoos.
'Whatever.' He closed his eyes. 'I'm going back to sleep.'
Faced with such a situation, it was all the baldy could do to try and ignore it. Out of respect for the esper. And in the hopes that catching him asleep would lessen her unavoidable outburst.
Probably not though.
But he really couldn't do anything about it at this point.
The baldy shut his eyes and tried to calm down.
This action was very quickly met with a deeply unsettling obstacle.
Without the distraction of sight — Saitama was forced to pay notice to his other senses.
Hearing her gentle breaths, smelling her newly-washed hair, hell, even the odd aftertaste of the soda she offered him hours ago — they were completely manageable.
But the heat of her wrapped around him…
.
It was all Saitama could do to stop that same heat from rising to his face.
A half-hour later, Tatsumaki opened her eyes, blinking in the vivid morning light.
She yawned deeply, feeling oddly energized. The night before…
Her eyes widened. Video games. Her eyes growing heavy. And then. And then…
Tatsumaki glanced down. Her legs were wrapped around an unfamiliar limb. Her arm clutched a man's torso. And realized.
"S-S-Saita…."
She put a hand over her mouth. His eyes were closed; he was asleep.
A muffled breath slipped through her fingers as she stifled herself from waking him. Wide-eyed, Tatsumaki slowly pulled her leg out from under him.
Her head was spinning.
She bit her lip as she thought she felt Saitama twitch, but sighed in relief as he stayed asleep.
Eventually she wrested herself free and quickly floated upwards.
"Haah…!"
Her breath was hot. Her face was flushed. And her body was cold, having had hours to adjust itself to the baldy's temperature.
"Mmh…" she held her face in her hands as she floated above the sofa.
She glanced over at the baldy, still sleeping below.
What would've happened if he woke up before her?
The girl's stomach dropped.
What if he did… and fell back asleep…?
"No…" she muttered. "No, no, nonono…"
If that was the case… he'd — he wouldn't be able to move. Realize he was stuck under her, and…
There were quite a few times she annoyed Saitama. Be it on purpose or as a joke, it happened more often than she could count. And either way she was ready to face some retaliation — always with a reply armed and ready.
But this…?
Personal space was something the esper held in high regard. She was quite particular where she stood in a crowded room — and that was if she wasn't hovering above, indifferent to any attempts at conversation. When people got too close, they would get nudged back with her powers. If Tatsumaki wanted conversation, she would be the one to initiate, to control the space. And she made sure to make that known; a play to command respect among her peers.
If she'd woken up with anyone within a meter of her space, she would be sure to put them in their place. Even considering Fubuki, she preferred to sleep alone most of the time. A room all to herself.
Her experience in Saitama's apartment was… odd. She felt uncomfortable, but only because of the stiffness of the floor. From her first day there, her impression of Saitama and Genos led her to, very reluctantly, get used to the cramped space inside. Not once had she felt that they would try anything — Saitama was too nonchalant, Genos, too focused on his master.
Often, however, she would wake up to see Saitama looking around the cramped room, troubled as he considered where he could get up and stretch. Whenever she bugged him in the kitchen, he made it clear that he wanted to have some space to move. He didn't like when she poked at him, either.
So it was safe to assume, that just like her, he didn't like his personal space invaded.
Not that she cared.
Before, at least.
He was the one who offered to let her stay, after all. And she couldn't help getting up in his business whenever he said something stupid.
Tatsumaki snapped out of her thoughts and looked back at Saitama's sleeping figure.
This… This was different.
Finally winning three races in a row, Saitama stretched and yawned. The moon had disappeared from view, and the air had gotten comfortably cold.
"Listen," Saitama said lethargically. "Maybe… maybe I should get going."
Tatsumaki stifled her own yawn to reply.
"We have to finish this next one…" she said, eyes drooping. "To unlock more stages…"
The baldy scratched his head.
"Fine, fine… Just one more…"
Saitama had fallen asleep before they could even make it halfway through the first lap. Noticing their racer stop turning, Tatsumaki glanced over at the baldy, eyes widening just a bit as she realized he'd succumbed to the call of sleep. In fact, he'd even slid sideways onto the cushions. The man looked exhausted.
The baldy made quite a convincing argument to end their race early.
Tatsumaki turned the console off with her powers and began to walk to her own bedroom.
Halfway through, she realized she was still holding her own half of the remote. The girl groaned softly as she trudged back onto the sofa to return her remote.
Realizing she had to look for the other half, she flopped back onto the sofa to try and find it, half-awake.
It turned out Saitama was still holding onto it.
The girl leaned lethargically over the sleeping baldy, trying to grab it from him.
That was the last thing she remembered before falling asleep herself.
Tatsumaki bit her lip.
She'd offered for him to stay here. If he woke up and assumed she just took advantage of him falling asleep…
He'd be mad. And understandably so. No reply from her, no quip or insult would excuse her from the fact that she'd disrespected her guest and his personal space.
She had half a heart to keep it a secret.
He was still asleep, after all. What were the chances that he would wake up before her…?
She knew the answer to that.
The chances were low. Very low. Saitama had always woken up before her — be it in his apartment or in the hot spring, it was plain as day whose sleep schedule was better-tuned. He was usually up and at it before she could even register it was morning.
So he'd probably woken up early. Took in the situation. Then fell asleep again.
If he didn't wake her up, did it mean he didn't care?
No. She had to assume the worst. Respectful as the baldy may be, he would definitely have something to say about this.
She had to explain herself to Saitama. Hopefully get it across that she didn't plan any this — and face the consequences head-on.
After all they did yesterday, she couldn't leave things to chance.
She just… had to think things through a bit.
.
Washing last night's bowls in the kitchen, Tatsumaki's heart dropped as she heard Saitama sit up. He stretched his right arm and leg for an uncomfortable amount of time, and went to pick up the remote he dropped as he slept. After returning it to its port, the bald man glanced at Tatsumaki.
Their eyes met.
But only for a second. Saitama subtly averted his eyes, while Tatsumaki whipped her head completely away.
The air had grown stagnant in the apartment. Warm air filtered into the cold room, which left the space feeling lukewarm. For a few moments, the two went about their own business, trying to relax themselves in the heavy air.
The last bowl washed and placed in the dish rack, Tatsumaki found herself staring at the empty sink.
The words were stuck in her throat.
.
Saitama heard the trickling water shut off. The esper was facing away from him; he couldn't sneak a peek at her expression.
Why did she not do anything?
The moment he felt her wake up and float away from him, he expected her to shout. To hurl insults. But she hadn't. Instead, he was left with silence. It was… odd. He didn't know whether he should be relieved or just absolutely on-edge.
The bald man wanted to stay silent and let things be, let the esper get angry — or not — and move on.
And he would've done just that — if it weren't for yesterday.
Muddling through as usual didn't seem right. Not with Tatsumaki.
She talked things through with him yesterday, so it was only fair that he returned the gesture.
Seeing as to how the esper seemed quiet and relaxed, he figured it would be good practice.
"Tats—"
"Saitama, liste—"
Both of them turned to face one another.
"About las—" both of them spoke in unison once more, cutting each other off.
Saitama slowly realized that her demeanor… wasn't exactly as reserved as he expected. The girl's eyes shifted around the room. Clearly she was deep in thought. And unhappy.
"Uhh," Saitama said, unsure how to proceed. "You go ahead."
Tatsumaki took a deep breath and walked to him.
"This…" she began, stopping a few feet away. "You… sleeping… here…"
Her green eyes stared steadily at him. The baldy felt a bead of sweat form on his temple.
"You woke up before me, didn't you?" she said quietly.
"Ah…"
Saitama scratched his head.
He thought this would be more… straightforward. An angry comment. A snappy remark. Just to end it and move on.
The air felt complicated. Was it supposed to be complicated?
He felt like he did something wrong. That their conversation the day before had thrown a wrench into something that had been working completely fine before.
But that couldn't be it. The change that happened yesterday — it wasn't anything bad. If anything, it was a resolution.
In fact, did he really do anything wrong this time? She wasn't the one being slept on, after all.
So why did he feel off?
Complication wasn't Saitama's strong suit. There were clearly feelings that Tatsumaki was feeling that he couldn't describe. Hell, there were feelings he was feeling that he didn't know what to make of.
That was when Saitama realized he was in the deep end.
He decided to go about it as truthfully as he could.
"I woke up half an hour ago," he said.
Tatsumaki let out an aggravated breath.
Saitama felt something in his chest as the esper looked at him. She glanced away, but only for a second. Once they met again, Saitama could see that she was just as conflicted about this as he was.
.
"Please don't be mad…" she said softly.
.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
So much for talking.
Tatsumaki kept eye contact, waiting for his reply.
"You…" he finally managed to speak. "Don't worry about it."
"We were both sleepy," she explained hurriedly. "I wanted to return the remo— huh? What did you say?"
"I'm not mad," he said, raising an eyebrow. "But… shouldn't you be…?"
"Me?" Tatsumaki frowned. "Why?"
The baldy let out a breath.
"Dunno," Saitama shrugged. "Seemed like something that would piss you off."
"I…"
"Did I do something wrong?"
"You? What? No!" Tatsumaki was completely confused. "No, I'm the one who…" The girl shook her head. "What?"
"Hmm," Saitama felt a wave of relief as he realized that she wouldn't go off on him. "I guess it's fine, then."
"Fine?!" The girl almost looked offended. Maybe he'd spoken a little too soon. "Wh— you're not annoyed at all that I fell asleep on you?!"
"No?"
"But— your personal space. I was holding you…" Tatsumaki paused. Her face heated up. "It didn't at all seem… weird to you? That you just woke up like… that…?"
"Uhh. You looked really sleepy last night," Saitama said. "And besides, you're pretty light. I slept like a log."
"Me being light isn't the point," she said. "I'd be mad."
The baldy's ear twitched. That didn't sound good.
"What do you mean?" Saitama narrowed his eyes.
"If you did this to me," Tatsumaki explained. "In your apartment."
"Why would I…? I mean— Wait. How does that even matter here?"
"Because you should be mad! I mean I don't want you to be, but— Grh! Whatever!"
"Listen," Saitama said, trying to talk calmly. "If you're not mad, and I'm not mad. Then it's fine, right? We're cool? You're not gonna turn around or fall over and then shout at me or anything?"
"I…" she began, trying to process the baldy's mediating tactics. In her addled state, however, all she could do to channel her conflicted feelings was to vent it out as she usually did.
"You suck."
Through insults.
"What?!" Saitama raised an eyebrow.
"At speaking. Responding like a normal human being," Tatsumaki said, crossing her arms. "You suck."
Saitama's eye twitched.
"You're one to talk!" he replied. "You get angry at me for no reason every time we meet! How should I know that you wouldn't be bothered by us sleeping together by accident?!"
"Sai— shut up!" Tatsumaki whipped her head towards the door. "Someone might hear!"
"You said it was soundproof last night!"
"I said," Tatsumaki lifted a pillow from behind the bald man and hurled it at the back of his head. "Shut up!"
'THUMP!'
Feathers cascaded down the living room like confetti.
"I — pffthht! See?! This is exactly what I was saying!" Saitama said, but Tatsumaki was already flinging another pillow at him. "Tats!"
Another cushion exploded into the man's face.
"I'm not talking to an airhead like you!"
Saitama caught the next pillow she threw. In an instant, he was behind her, and he wrapped her up in the fabric.
"Well then I'm not talking to you, either!"
Tatsumaki struggled in his grip, then went to bite at his hand.
"Why you—!" Saitama instinctively avoided it, letting her escape. Before he could catch her again, she snapped her fingers, and the pillow in his grasp exploded like a party popper, right in his face.
"Midget!"
Tatsumaki's nostrils flared. The room shook as she was surrounded by bright green light.
"WHAT did you just call me, skinhead?!"
Saitama glared at her.
It was on.
.
.
The two sat down on the floor, arms crossed, beside the upturned sofa. Its legs were snapped, the fluffy seats had been unfluffed, and the small table in front of it was currently flying at cruising altitude. Thankfully, the one who'd thrown it had the presence of mind to open the window with her powers beforehand. The wind outside blew hollowly around the two.
"Well," Saitama said. His clothes, which had already been damaged from the day before, looked like they had been attacked by a deranged chicken.
"Well," Tatsumaki replied, trying to catch her breath. Trying to lift him multiple times truly wasn't the best idea.
"Listen," the bald man said. "This talking business… I'm not that good at it."
"You got that right," Tatsumaki scoffed.
"But you're not good at it, either."
"… Tch."
"So how 'bout," the bald man stood up. "Instead of talking it out like normal people…"
He walked over to her and held out a hand.
"We never speak of this again. Deal?"
Tatsumaki stared at Saitama's outstretched palm. Then stared at him.
She took it.
"Deal."
A few utensils clattered down from the walls and ceiling.
.
.
The two ate breakfast in relative silence. Everything they had to say to each other had been said in all the commotion, and not one of them wanted to bring it up.
The living room had been cleaned to the best of their ability, and any lost forks wedged into the walls were promptly placed into the sink.
The TV was, surprisingly, unharmed during their little scuffle. It was playing the morning news, which had eased the settled quiet of the room.
"Recent showings for heroes are at an all-time high!" a reporter said. "A park in Z-City was recently found with several dozen monster remains. A troubling sign, but one handed quickly and efficiently by the Hero Association. With the rising rate of monster attacks, this is a heartening sign of success for our beloved heroes!"
Saitama turned to Tatsumaki, just a little excited.
"That was us!" he said, eyes shining. "We're 'beloved heroes!'"
Despite the esper's growing weariness with news articles, she couldn't help but smirk at the baldy's expression.
"Heh. Yeah. We're awesome."
"The Association has yet to reveal the heroes that brought all these monsters down, but reasonable evidence points to the Tank-Topper Army, the Blizzard Bunch, and the C-Class hero Mumen Rider. We suspect they all worked together to put the danger down."
Tatsumaki frowned. The Tank-Toppers? And C-Class? They hadn't even been there when she and the baldy competed.
"That isn't right," she said, turning to Saitama. "They stol—"
But he wasn't paying attention.
The feed cut to an image of the heroes in the park, thoroughly battered and bloodied.
"I know that guy," Saitama said, pointing to a man with a broken helmet. "Mumen Rider…"
The reporter took on a melancholy tone.
"However, it seems that the heroes did not escape unharmed," they said. "An unidentified monster seems to have appeared, and defeated the heroes with blunt force. The damage they sustained was quite gruesome, but they were brought to a nearby hospital where they are currently recovering. We have been informed that the heroes are not available for interviews and mail at the moment, so all we can do is hope for their swift return to action. Keep fighting, heroes!"
The camera shifted, and the topic was concluded. A cute compilation of cats misjudging jumps appeared, and the pair brought their attention away from the TV.
Tatsumaki clicked her tongue.
"They stole your credit," she said. "I didn't even sense them there."
"They're hurt, Tats," Saitama said. "We shouldn't be worrying about what the news is guessing about them."
"We should," she said, frowning. "Weak heroes should be smarter about the risks they take. This mass beatdown was their own fault. So they should take responsibility for their misjudgement."
The bald man pouted.
"An S-Class hero was fighting there," Saitama said. "Plus a bunch of other heroes. I don't think that just any monster attacked them."
His eyes looked sharp. The gleamed, but not exactly in excitement. There was a hint of heat in his stare.
He was serious — Tatsumaki could tell.
"Besides," the baldy began.
He brought out a rolled piece of paper from his pocket.
"Thanks to you," he said. "We got credit where it matters."
Tatsumaki was trying hard not to smile. She turned away and huffed.
"So what. Are you planning on beating the monster yourself?" she asked.
"I dunno," Saitama said. "But… hmm."
He stood up.
"Maybe I should ask about it up-front," he said. "And buy some stuff on the way there."
"You seem awfully interested in this," Tatsumaki said. "Weak or not, I think you're making a big deal out of this."
"Mumen Rider is strong," Saitama said simply. "Me beating it easily is besides the point — fact is that it's dangerous."
Tatsumaki blinked.
"You have that much faith in a C-Class," the esper muttered.
She put her hands on her hips. "He better be worth your praise."
Saitama nodded.
"I think I'm gonna go visit him, actually," he said, walking to the door. "See how he is. Find out about the monster who beat him."
"Huh? They said the heroes weren't taking interviews," Tatsumaki said slowly. Her eyes glanced towards the handle. "Are you sure you wanna go right now?"
"We aren't gonna interview them," he said. "Just pay them a visit."
It was a weak argument, but…
"'We?'" Tatsumaki's ears perked.
"Yeah," Saitama said. "If worse comes to worst… you can just get us in, right?"
"You…" Tatsumaki said, raising an eyebrow.
Despite her excitement at the baldy's offer, the esper felt a small pit in her stomach.
'Go there, huh…'
The esper let out a deep breath.
It was just a visit. Nothing would happen.
"Tats?" Saitama asked. "You up for it?"
"Yeah yeah," she replied, waving her hand dismissively. "Who do you think I am?"
Tatsumaki stood up and opened the door with her powers.
"Of course I am."
.
"I should get a change of clothes…" Saitama muttered as he sprinted across the cratered plains. Bits and pieces of cloth were beginning to fly off of him.
Tatsumaki flew beside him, forcing herself to look away as more and more of his shirt tore away. Her head was filled with thoughts.
"You should," she said.
"Mmm, I guess I gotta go back hom— aw, crap! I forgot to tell Genos I'd be away!"
"That hunk of junk? Why?"
"He… uh, gets a little restless if I'm off-schedule," Saitama said. "Being asked questions for a few hours isn't fun."
"You just let him do that to you?"
"No, but… It's just a hassle," the baldy sighed. "But it kinda feels like my fault whenever it happens."
"It is," Tatsumaki shook her head. "So are you gonna go home or not?"
Saitama scratched his head. "I think we have no choice."
"Tch," she said. "He better make it quick."
"You don't need to come with, you know?" Saitama said. "I know you two don't really mesh well."
"No. We don't," Tatsumaki replied. But she still flew ahead of him.
.
The door to Saitama's apartment opened slowly. The blond cyborg met them, his expression neutral.
"Welcome home, master," he said. "Please, come in."
Tatsumaki glanced at him as she entered. Genos closed the door quietly.
The esper couldn't sense the usual reserved animosity from the cyborg — hell, he didn't even pay her notice.
Instead, his eyes were locked on Saitama.
It was a look she had grown accustomed to as she spent her week in the baldy's place. Sometimes after the baldy said something insightful. Often after he beat monsters. His eyes scanned the baldy's posture — the little quirks in his demeanor. And completely ignored the esper in the process.
The esper had previously paid it no mind, but…
Noticing things about the baldy was something she'd recently spent more time doing.
Genos had been obsessed with Saitama long before they even met. If he knew when to inspect the baldy, it couldn't hurt to do it, too—
Nope. Tatsumaki practically threw her head away from the baldy's general direction.
He was changing.
"Sensei," Genos said. "How are you feeling?"
"Hmm?" The baldy glanced at the cyborg. "I feel fine, I guess?"
The cyborg walked closer, away from Tatsumaki's view.
"Mm." Genos muttered. The esper heard his steps move around the small space behind her.
"What?" Saitama asked. "There something on my face?"
Genos did not reply. Tatsumaki heard the ruffling of pages and the quick scribbling of a pencil.
"Master, what did yo—"
"We're just passing by," Tatsumaki said, tapping her feet impatiently. "Leave your little interview for later."
"Ah. Yeah," Saitama replied. "Genos, we're gonna go check on some heroes at a hospital."
"The victims of the attack," Genos said. "In the park yesterday."
"You know about it?" Saitama tilted his head.
"Yes. It was not reported in the news, but I saw a non-hero in the battered crowd."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Tatsumaki asked.
"He was a disciple of Silverfang," Genos said. "Who came to visit here yesterday morning. He was seeking the Human Monster, Garou — another of Silverfang's students who was expelled from his dojo."
"So you're saying…" Tatsumaki began.
Genos nodded.
"I suspect he was the one behind the attack."
Saitama looked thoughtful.
"Silverfang's ex-disciple, huh…" the bald man rubbed his chin. "Sounds dangerous."
"You said you were going to gather information about him, sensei?" the cyborg asked. "I would like to come as well."
"Hold on, hold on—" Tatsumaki raised her hands. "This was supposed to be just the two of us."
Genos finally turned to look at the esper.
"Why?" he asked. "So you can try to attack sensei again?"
Tatsumaki's face turned dark.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked quietly.
"Sensei came back with a tattered clothes," Genos said, returning her tone. "Am I to assume that it happened for no reason?"
Tatsumaki opened her mouth to reply, but Saitama put a hand on the cyborg's shoulder.
"We fought monsters yesterday," he said. "That's all."
Genos looked unconvinced.
"If that is all you two did, you would not have stayed overnight," he said. "The only plausible reason for your long stay and tattered clothes… is seduction."
Tatsumaki gasped, appalled. Saitama raised his eyebrows.
The cyborg looked at Saitama.
"It is okay to admit it, sensei. I am old enough to discuss these matters," he said. "Dr. Kuseno warned me of women who tried to disrobe me by force. If she attempted to attack you…"
He held up a palm, glowing red-hot with heat.
"I will deal with it."
"Wh—! Why you little…!" Tatsumaki snarled.
Before the tension could come to a head, Saitama held out a piece of paper in front of Genos' face.
The cyborg took it and began to read it slowly.
"Sensei…" Genos looked up above the paper. "This means you… you can move up to A-Class!"
Saitama nodded.
"You got it," he said. The baldy tilted his head to the esper. "All thanks to Tats. We hunted monsters 'till the sun set. And she reported them all."
The esper huffed and turned away. Her hands stopped glowing.
"Tornado," Genos said, eyes wide. He bowed deeply. "My sincerest apologies for assuming you uncouth!"
"You better apologize, chrome dome," Tatsumaki said. "Get it into your head that I'm a hero. A. Hero."
Saitama smiled, watching Genos nod vehemently.
"You two really have to talk things out more," he said. And entered the bathroom. All that stress so early in the morning was not good for the bladder. "Uh. Please don't start fighting while I'm peeing."
As the door clicked shut, Genos walked over to Tatsumaki.
"Tornado," he said. "This act… is well-appreciated."
"You…" The esper tilted her head upward. "You're being weird."
Genos shook his head.
"Sensei had been acting… strange as of late," the cyborg said. "Whether it be because of recent events or not — no small part of this is undoubtedly due to his stagnation as a pro hero. That his deeds and strength do not correlate to his position within the Association."
"That so…?" she said, glancing to the bathroom door. "I… didn't think about that."
"You could not have known," Genos said. "He endured many trials within the Association before you two met. Shamed by people he saved. Looked down on by his peers."
"What…?" Tatsumaki frowned. "I…"
"It might not have meant much to you at the moment," Genos said, holding the paper up. "But this was an act of kindness close to sensei's heart."
"Thank you." He bowed once more.
"Er, no prob," she said, stepping back at the cyborg's uncharacteristic show of appreciation.
"But that does not explain what you two did overnight," Genos said quickly. "Did you truly not seduce sensei? It's still a possibility… or, hmm. Maybe it was mutual? Dr. Kuseno did say that two people could spend a night together in order to—"
"No!" she said. "We just played video games!"
Genos looked thoughtful.
"Just as King does, then. Interesting…" he muttered. "King once stated that his focus when playing was so deep that he could pass a whole night without ever feeling drowsy. Did you two do the same?"
"No," the esper said. She was beginning to understand what Saitama meant when he talked about Genos interviewing him. "We got sleepy playing all night."
"How curious," the blond cyborg said. "A discrepancy between gaming habits of the strong…"
Genos made his way over to the small table. Bringing out a notebook, he began immediately filling pages.
The bathroom door clicked open and Saitama stepped out. Not immediately seeing his disciple, he glanced around until he saw the blond hero scrawl relentlessly on the paper.
"Guess he doesn't just take notes of me," Saitama said. "How 'bout that."
Tatsumaki narrowed her eyes.
"How do you deal with this guy all the time…?"
"Dunno," Saitama said. "But mostly… he deals with himself."
"We should sneak out. Now," Tatsumaki said, edging slowly towards the door.
"Nah. We can just walk out," Saitama said. "He won't notice."
And so the two did just that.
.
.
Genos' words floated aimlessly in the esper's head as she flew beside the baldy.
The idea of Saitama being shunned made her unreasonably angry. Glancing at the baldy, it seemed like he'd never really get affected by it, though. Was it really the reason he came to her all depressed? Had she asked the wrong question? He—
"We're here," Saitama said.
"What?!" The esper looked around quickly. But there was no sign of a hospital anywhere.
"Bananas," the baldy said simply. He pointed to a small fruit-vending stall. "Sale."
"Uh," Tatsumaki said, trying to get her bearings.
She felt herself relax. And she hated it.
White walls. The scent of overly-cleaned walls and hand sanitizer. Long coats and masks. Doors locking and unlocking. Operating lights. Needles. The deep thrum of generators.
The sound of screams.
Even just thinking about it made her skin crawl.
"Just a visit," she muttered to herself, taking slow breaths. "Meet the C-Class. In and out. Nobody to check on—"
"Tats?"
"Haah?!"
"I asked if you wanted one," he said, holding a bunch up for her to see. "Although I'm not sure which ones are good."
The esper shook her head.
"Just… pick one without me," she said. "I'll… go and make sure we can actually talk to the heroes that were attacked…"
The girl floated off.
Saitama shrugged. Maybe she wasn't hungry.
.
.
Tatsumaki shook her head as she flew down to the hospital's entrance.
Oddly, she was greeted by a nurse.
"Miss Tornado. It's a pleasure," they said. "Are you here to visit the heroes as well?"
"Um," Tatsumaki frowned, shifting a little. "Yes."
"Great! Then, please," the nurse bowed. "Follow me."
"Mm…"
The esper trailed slowly behind the woman as she walked toward the entrance. Tatsumaki took a shaky breath as the sliding glass doors opened for her guide.
"Here she is," the nurse called to someone inside. "As you expected!"
A dozen thoughts ran through Tatsumaki's head. Someone… was expecting her. The doors behind her closed much too roughly. The air was cold.
She shouldn't have gone in without Saitama.
Across the room, a raven-haired girl closed her notebook slowly and looked up. "Ah, Lily, I almost forgot. Can you get some extr— S-Sister?!"
"Fubuki…" Tatsumaki said. She let out a deep breath, realizing that nothing was wrong.
The green-haired girl made her way toward her sister.
And nearly fainted in relief.
.
.
So that's why Tats didn't want to go to a hospital at the start of the story! I figured that it made sense, considering her past, but I also wanted not to make it too big of a deal so she could actually go in and talk to the heroes. She might've psyched herself out though, haha!
Anyway, I tried my hand at a bit of a different dynamic from the characters all around. It was confusing, a little aggravating, but also really necessary for all that's happened in the previous chapters to really pay off.
P.S. I have a habit of writing author's notes without realizing how many chapters it'll actually take to write what I've teased. So for that reason, and also because I've got absolutely nothing planned on paper, I'll leave it at that for now!
Thanks for reading!
-bb