Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sweat dripped down in rivulets down your brow and unto the hardwood floors.

Not a sound could be heard except for your deep breaths as you gave your all to the task at hand given to you by your master.

There were many times throughout the length of your training where you thought that you couldn’t take it anymore, but having to focus your reiki onto your pointer finger, which held your body situated above a small bed of sharp needles, is the worst by far.

If you wavered even once then it would leave you with one less finger and you were not willing to lose even a single one of them.

Despite the ample martial arts training you’ve received from Bang, nothing could prepare you for the hellish training regimen of your newest teacher who happened to be Silver Fang’s older sister.

Master Song was a fierce warrior like her brother, but where Bang primarily focused on martial arts itself, she instead used martial arts as a way to use her spiritual energy most efficiently.

Under Bang’s tutelage, you flourished in honing your once frail body into a weapon. You knew that strength wasn’t your forte which was why martial arts paved a way for you to go toe to toe with opponents far stronger than you by simply using their strength against them. You moved with the grace and adaptability of water, allowing your opponents moves to dictate how best to counterattack.

You could never thank him enough for allowing you to grow this much. 

Especially when he had introduced you to the one who would inevitably teach you about the powers you never even knew you had until almost experiencing certain death.

Which is why you couldn’t give up even if you felt like you were on the verge of passing out with how long you’d been holding your whole body weight up with just a single finger!

Even as your body screamed at you to stop for even just a moment…

YOU REFUSE TO GIVE UP

As you continued to struggle, a small figure with faded dark hair stood by the sliding doors and observed you. Her expression was stony, allowing none to know of their owner’s thoughts unless they were mind-readers.

Song wasn’t sure whether you were a stubborn idiot or just a plain dumbass at this point. 

The continuous use of your spiritual energy along with the focus needed to keep it to a single point…she begrudgingly respected your determination.

She still thought you had a death wish however for wanting to learn from her of all people.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” Your pained scream reverberated across the dojo.

BUT YOU STILL REFUSE TO GIVE UP

You had sacrificed too much time and effort to give up halfway into your journey to become stronger.

Saitama, Genos, Bang…you couldn’t bear with even just the thought of disappointing them when they believed in you so much. Especially Saitama who had let you go on this selfish journey alone just so you could become the hero everyone expected and YOU wanted to be.

This wasn’t just about proving yourself to the many people who counted on you anymore. This was about you proving to yourself that you CAN and WILL become strong regardless of all your previous fears and reservations.

The power you had…now you know what it is.

Now you know how to wield it as a weapon to protect. 

YOU REFUSE TO BE A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS ANYMORE

YOU REFUSE TO LET INNOCENT PEOPLE BE HURT JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO WEAK TO DO ANYTHING

YOU REFUSE

YOU REFUSE

YOU REFUSE

“ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ”

As you shouted your lungs out seemingly like a madman, your unwavering resolve strengthened further at the thought of everyone who had ever counted on you and continued to cheer you on. 

The light gray-haired woman allowed her wrinkled face to soften ever so slightly before nodding.

“You can get off now. Sheesh, kid. You’re going to make me deaf before my age ever catches up to me” 

Song didn’t bother to look back at you after speaking, knowing that you were safe after hearing a loud ‘thud’ as you practically crashed and crumpled to the hardwood floors without skewering your fingers.

“You’re a real piece of work, but thankfully you’re not a lost cause” 

Though harsh her words may seem, you couldn’t help but smile triumphantly as you tried to catch your breath. 

That was the closest thing you’ve gotten to a compliment from her.

Perhaps there was still some hope for you after all.

When the moon shone from its perch above the inky expanse of sky, you remain awake even though you were lying down on a soft futon.Your thoughts are far away from your where you currently were, a mountaintop that served as the home for Master Song that was leagues away from Bang’s own residence.

Your thoughts were still with your boys like they always were.

You wondered if Genos remembered to take care of himself every now and then. That boy really was too earnest and hardworking for his own good.

It would honestly do him some good to relax and take a load off. To act like the teenager that he was and enjoy his life, maybe even go on a few dates with a nice girl. Though you’ll of course have to meet her first.

Only the best for Genos after all.

But anyways, you hoped Saitama wasn’t skimping on any of the necessities just because he thought they were too expensive when money was never even an issue for you two.

Then again, knowing your darling he’d of course still try to choose the cheapest options of the lot. You have to give him another stern talk once you get home if you do find out that he’d been too cheap on himself when you explicitly told him to treat himself frequently too.

With the thought of your precious boys in your head, you slowly drifted off to sleep.

You’ll see them again soon. That’s a promise.

Chapter Text

It was deafeningly silent.

Not a soul lingered throughout C-City that it almost felt like home back in Z-City with its minimal human population due to the growing monster population within the area.

That must have been why you walked around the deserted streets without fear, having grown all too used to the lonely alleyways and empty blocks of your home city. It’s been 6 months since you’ve set off on your own journey, half a year since you’ve stepped foot in the warm and loving abode you’ve nurtured with your dearest husband and adopted son in all but name.

You sometimes do wonder how those two were doing during your absence. Were they still eating correctly? Had Saitama not done anything too idiotic while you were gone? Did Genos find some time for himself to relax every now and then?

These were the worries that plagued you night after night and yet, no matter how much you wanted to go back home you knew you couldn’t. Not now when you promised not just them, but also yourself that you’ll become strong to the best of your abilities. They always protected you so now that you knew you had your own way to protect them, it was high time you learned how to wield them. 

For what is power but the strength to protect one’s own?

You never asked for these powers. You never wanted to become powerful. You never wanted to do something so arbitrary as to prove yourself to the world that you were strong.

But you can’t choose who you are.

You can’t choose not to have these powers for they pumped through your very veins.

You can’t choose to just stand by when you know you’re able to make a difference.

You can’t choose to run or hide away, not when what you possessed was inherently made to help others.

Saitama would probably say that it wasn’t your job to save everyone and he was right. It wasn’t your job.

But you wanted to try anyway.

And for that to happen, you had to become strong in your own way. That’s why what you needed wasn’t Saitama’s straightforward training regimen, what you needed was skill and discipline in order to hone the powers that you possessed. Though you can’t demolish mountains and monsters alike with just a clap of your hands, at the very least you can subdue larger and stronger opponents with the right amount of skill and technique.

That first month learning the basics with Bang and the subsequent 5 months of learning everything else with Master Song had beaten most of the softness out of your body. It would be impossible to earn Master Song’s approval if you didn’t do so otherwise. 

Let your movements flow as smooth as water, but as relentless and steady as well.

You shuddered as you remembered your mentor’s spartan training and how you almost lost a limb or two during most of the training with her. You respected the little old woman, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t find her even a little bit intimidating despite having learned under her for so long. It was still amazing that you’ve graduated from her without losing a single finger at the very least, but perhaps Master Song had grown fond of you enough that she allowed you to keep all your appendages.

Before finally departing her dojo situated at a mountain peak even farther and higher than where Bang was located, the old crone had thrown you a little parting gift or perhaps it could be seen as a bribe to get out of her hair already.

“The tournament’s today. Go on and watch it, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.”

“Thank you for everything, Master Song. I’ll be sure to visit again some time and I’ll even bring my husband and Genos too!”

“...Just leave already or else you ain’t gonna catch anything at this rate”

That’s how you found yourself heading straight to C-City first. You were already running late at this point, the tournament having started for quite some time now that you couldn’t help but wonder if you were still going to catch anything.

“I hope I could at least see some good moves. I could incorporate any moves that looked like it could fit with my fighting style to my own moveset!” You brightened at the thought. “And I could even get Genos to spar with me in hand-to-hand combat when I try out some new moves!”

The great thing about learning how to fight is that you now have another thing you shared in common with your boys! You can spar with Genos which can serve as good practice for the both of you whereas with Saitama it can make your bedroom affairs all the more exciting—

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“...It’s only been half a year and you’re already thirsting like a teenager….Then again he IS my husband so I have the right to do so—”

Even so, you couldn’t stop the heat from accumulating in your cheeks as your thoughts went straight into the gutter thanks to your marital needs finally rearing its head after half a year of staying celibate. It didn’t help when you and your husband enjoyed a VERY active marital life behind closed doors.

Training far away in the mountains and away from civilization had prevented any such thoughts from entering your mind for all this time, but now that you’ve completed your training in the meantime…

You flinch as a shiver rolls down your spine, head snapping towards the sight of the massive C-City Super Stadium not too far from where you were now. A dark miasma seems to be surrounding the structure, congregating mostly inside. It reminded you of the malice that rolled off in waves during the Deep-Sea King’s attack back then, but only more intense. 

Though it could be attributed to the fact that you were now aware and trained on how to wield your powers, what matters is that something bad was happening within the stadium. 

And you are going to find out what.

Chapter Text

“Whatever mysterious being got you all sure did quite a number on you, didn’t it?” You gave what you hoped to be a comforting smile at the rather seriously wounded young man, glowing pink hands hovering over the various bruises and lacerations that decorated his muscled body.

“Normally I’d say that the pain was worth meeting and being healed by a pretty gal like you, but even I’m not THAT suicidal— Ow, ow, ow!”

“Joking about something like that is a bit too much considering the current situation, Suiryu-san” 

“Ahahaha….Sorry about that, ojou-chan. Kaa-san always did say that my mouth was too smart for its own good/”

“Apology accepted. Now hush so I can finish healing you and get the others patched up enough so the hospital won’t have too much trouble as soon as they pick you up.”

Quieting down again, you focused your full attention on your current task. Suiryu was only one of the many participants from the tournament you’ve missed who had a run-in with mysterious beings that hijacked the event just as it was about to close. You were prepared to engage the hostile beings when you rushed head first into the stadium, but all that awaited you were unconscious and heavily bruised fighters with Suiryu being the only one awake even though he was the most wounded out of all of them.

Although you missed the actual fight, you at least arrived in time to lend your meager skills to the heroes and ordinary martial artists that risked their lives to defend innocent civilians. 

“ This is what my powers are for. This is what I trained so long for. ”

How long did you sit at the sidelines merely hoping that all will be well? That the countless people, heroes or ordinary citizens alike, who became casualties in the ongoing war against all those who sought to sow chaos and discord in the world would turn out alright in the end? How many times would Saitama or Genos rescue you just in time whenever you stupidly risked your own life for someone else’s?

How long would you allow yourself to be a mere spectator to the injustices that occur everyday in the world when you know that you had the power to make a difference?

Not a peep was heard from Suiryu as the dark-haired martial artist observed the way you jumped from person to person, the soft pink glow you emitted from your body covering them and leaving barely a trace of their previous wounds once it receded.

Though he wasn’t in the profession of heroism, he still knew enough of the up and coming heroes along with the elites themselves, but for the life of him he can’t remember if there was ever a hero with your exact description making headlines before.

Although offensive heroes were the most noticeable, surely a support hero like you with the power to heal with a touch would have reached the leaderboards by now, right? 

A pure white kimono top accented with red, the long and loose sleeves swaying hypnotizingly with each movement of your arms, a pair of hakama with the inverted colors of your top (red with white accents), and a golden obi cinched at your waist with a single white chrysanthemum ornament tied to it by a red knotted string.

You reminded him of a priestess from those old shrines scattered across the different cities. However, even with your distinctive looks and powers, not a single name came to mind.

Suiryu could only wonder.

“Please come with us, Ma’am. A report needs to be filed with the Hero Association and seeing as you’re the only able-bodied hero at the moment and the one who’d saved them…”

You sighed and rubbed your temples, but nonetheless nodded at the sound logic presented to you. There goes your plans to go home as soon as the tournament ended…

“Don’t worry, it won’t take too long to sort out the papers. Additionally, the association themselves has been informed about your contributions and will be with us shortly to pick you up”

“...I see. Thank you for the heads up.” 

With that, you were whisked off to the hospital all the while filling up a digital incident report on the tablet handed over to you by the employees. Your mind was stuck on the husband and foster son you’ve left in the homey apartment you called home in Z City. What you wouldn’t give to be with them right at this very second.

“...felt that there was something amiss so I entered the eerily silent stadium and found almost everyone injured and passed out. Sadly, I wasn’t able to witness the incident itself. All I managed to see were the decapitated monster bodies in the vicinity. Most likely another hero had gotten there before I did and took them out.”

Judging by the sheer brutality of the carnage that laid before your eyes, you were pretty sure you knew just who decided to show those monsters a bad time. It was a downright shame that you didn’t manage to meet him there had you only been earlier…

Well, they do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder after all and it wasn’t like you weren’t going to see him again any time soon. Thinking about that adorably dopey smile never failed to coax one out of you as well, making your whole being light up and glow as your happiness seemingly seeped out of you in waves. 

One of the things you discovered during your months of seclusion in the mountains was that your powers also reacted to your current moods and in this case, bliss and longing exuded from you. A soft glow barely noticeable to the naked eye surrounding your very being and enhancing your beauty that made heads turn as you idly waited for the representative of the Heroes Association to pick you up as mentioned earlier.

You were definitely giving Saitama a kiss the moment you see each other again. Genos too since you missed your sweet boy just as much—

“Ma’am? We’re going to need you to come with us to HQ”

Faced with two suited men who displayed their official Heroes Association IDs, a foreboding feeling settled in your stomach.

Chapter Text

“It’s been quite some time since we’d last seen each other, sensei. My, you do grow more beautiful every time I see you. It’s simply a tragedy that we don’t get to see each other as much as we want to…”

“Yes...a real tragedy…” ( NOT!)

“Why, I believe the last time I saw you was during that alien invasion several months back. If only duty hadn’t immediately called my attention then I would have ran to your side. Instead you had to deal with the rather gruff heroes from S-Class when a lady like you should be treated with utmost care.”

“...They were all very nice people. Metal Bat was an especially kind young man, repeatedly checking to see if I was doing alright after I got out when the ship fell.” ( Not that you’d notice since you were too busy hogging all the fame and glory…)

Despite his overwhelming popularity among the masses, Amai Mask was not the seemingly perfect prince he tried to pass himself off as. Beneath that million-dollar smile was a cruelty that seemed more like it belonged to a villain rather than a top hero looked up to by countless people. 

Instead of immediately lending his aid as soon as the aliens launched their attack, he disappeared to who-knows-where and reappeared just as the fighting was nearing its end. If that wasn’t enough of a sign, the way he ruthlessly massacred the captured aliens who posed no threat was quite an alarming indication of his frightful thought process.

Even before you witnessed his brutality, you already felt disturbed around him and how his eyes almost always seemed to follow your every action. It sent chills up your spine and made the fine hairs on your arms stand up, as if anticipating him to make a hostile move at any moment. It was like prey standing before a predator, knowing that the slightest provocation could send the ball rolling.

“No need to pretend with me, sensei. A woman of your delicate bearing deserves better than a bunch of brutes who don’t know how to treat a lady,” Amai Mask gives you his trademark smile, so bright that you could practically see the CGI sparkles as he posed for a toothpaste commercial.  “With your skills...I believe you’re better off partnering with me. Not only can I easily protect you, you can serve as my support and we’d be able to extinguish the monster threat more easily.”

Alone in a dimly lit conference room with the blue-haired male, you could practically hear a pin drop thanks to the deafening silence. The employees from the association had brought you to HQ minutes ago, leading you through the winding hallways before depositing you into a meeting room.

Rather than a meeting, it felt more like a swindler trying to rope an unsuspecting victim into a false sense of security before trapping them in a contract where their failure was ensured and there was no possible way to retreat.

“That’s...all well and good Amai Mask-san, but such an…’honor’ should be bestowed to another stronger hero, don’t you think so? I’ve barely been a hero since I was certified and had only just come back from hiatus so I believe I’ll only become a liability and drag you down…” (Oh hell no! I only just got back from being isolated in a mountaintop for months on end without seeing my family since I left and now you’re trynna make me stay with you? Drop dead, you bastard!)

You were usually a soft spoken woman, especially before becoming a hero but one must never underestimate a woman’s love whenever something or someone tries to get in the middle of that. It also didn’t help that your own teacher, Master Song, was a strong woman who spoke her mind and spat out words without any frivolities or niceties so you ended up adapting some of her behaviors. Namely, you no longer felt bad about furiously trash talking people like Amai Mask in your mind when he was being so annoying.

You didn’t like Amai Mask, that much was obvious, but he didn’t seem to take the hint...or maybe he did know but simply refused to accept the facts laid before him. However...you could begrudgingly give him props for being so relentless in his irritating pursuit despite the countless times you’d politely deflected his advances. 

If only your agency hadn’t placed that small clause in your contract that forbade you from publically announcing your civil status. Apparently fans were more inclined to follow their idols if they were single, giving them the impossible fantasy of being able to be the one to make them fall in love and in turn making those poor saps susceptible to buying even more of your products. Capitalism at its finest, right?

The fact that the top A-Class Hero was also a top celebrity made it impossible for you to actually rebuff him lest you get a call from your agency. You’re a hero now (at least you were trying to be), but the being an author will always be your calling and the last thing you wanted was to give the kind people you’d worked with at your agency any trouble all because you couldn’t entertain a global icon like Amai Mask.

“I beg to disagree, sensei. If you’ve noticed, monster attacks have become alarmingly frequent lately and more heroes are getting hurt than there are fit to fight in the front lines. While I’m sure you’ll be a substantial help to those currently recuperating, whose to say that no monster will launch an attack at a hospital? You are our only full support hero, the association’s only healer and to lose you could possibly mean the end for humanity as we speak. The safest place you can be at this crucial time would be at my side.” 

You gulped down the non-existent lump in your throat as you stared at the blue-haired male’s severe expression.

It might take a longer time before you could see your boys again after all.

Chapter Text

You find him unexpectedly not too long after you manage to give Amai Mask the slip after days of staying in the Hero Association HQ. The idol had been called away on urgent business, giving you a chance to sneak away unnoticed.

You ran like a bat out of hell the moment you could, unwilling to deal with creepy looks and his incessant need to drag you into a conversation or, God forbid, joining a shooting for his cringy ads and commercials. Like your husband, you never really did like being in the limelight that much, preferring to stay in the background.

And speaking of your husband...

With his bright piss-yellow jumpsuit, obnoxious ketchup-red gloves and boots, and his ever-shining bald head, the man speed-walking in front of you is undoubtedly Saitama.

And hilariously enough, he also looked like a bat out of hell as he seemingly tried to get away from something or someone as fast as he could without making it look like he was actually running away.

Knowing him, he probably forgot his wallet and made a passing friend or acquaintance unwittingly take care of his bill.

What an idiot.

But, he's the idiot you married and wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

Cupping your hands around your mouth, you inhaled and called out his name as loudly as you could.

"SAITAMA!!!"

He stops.

He turns.

And when your eyes meet, your lips stretch ear to ear before they are swiftly smothered by his own.

Neither of you pay any attention to the passerbys who try not to stare at the two of you smooching in the middle of sidewalk of all places.

OMAKE

Saitama: So...what's with the priestess cosplay?

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Do you want me to dress up like a demon or something? I think I can order a costume of DoggyYasha online-

Y/N: (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

Genos: Sensei...that's her hero costume.

Saitama: ...Oh.

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Damn it-

Chapter Text

“We’re baaaaack!”

“It is him!”

“He came back like normal? And who’s ‘we’?”

“Perhaps he was successful—”

Genos felt his breath lodge in his throat when Saitama arrived…with a very familiar person in tow. 

You still looked the same way you did when you left all those months ago for training for the most part, but even he could tell there was a subtle change to the way you carried yourself. There is no longer any uncertainty in your movements and your bearing, each action seemingly filled with confidence that only appeared in someone who knew perfectly well what they were capable of.

You grew so much in the time you’d been gone…as compared to him, who barely had any noticeable growth despite how diligently he followed his master’s teachings. You’d be so disappointed in him as soon as he tells you—

But then he feels arms wrapping around his shoulders and a hand placing itself atop his head, warmth permeating from those same arms and seeping into his biomechanical body.

“Has Sai been taking care of you while I was gone, Genos? Sorry, it took me so long to get back home. I promise I won’t ever leave you two for so long ever again,” your voice is practically oozing with warmth as you coddled him like a child, and yet he couldn’t find it within himself to protest. “You look like you got roughed up a bit there. Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll fix you right up?”

Not when he’d long forgotten what it felt like to have a mother and was so consumed with righteous fury that he tended to forget what it was he was fighting for in the first place.

As mechanical arms snake around your smaller body, the normally serious teen allows you to fuss over him with no complaint.

“Welcome back.”