Between Tatsumaki and King as romantic.
King’s heart raced as the formidable sound of his own heartbeat echoed through the silent streets of Z-City. His reputation preceded him, a soundtrack of fear that sent lesser monsters scurrying for cover. He was the strongest man alive, or so they said. Yet, the familiar weight of his deception pressed heavily upon him today, as it did every day. He never sought fame; it had been thrust upon him by a series of misunderstandings and coincidences. Nonetheless, he wore it like a suit of ill-fitting armor, deflecting attention and unintended respect.
Meanwhile, Tatsumaki hovered above the broken remnants of another defeated monster, her aura seething with unchecked power. The ground around her was cratered and singed, testament to the psychic tempest she had unleashed. As the Tornado of Terror, respect was not given to her; it was earned, torn from the world by force. Her diminutive form belied the immense strength that flowed through her, and she suffered no fools nor any challenge to her authority.
The chaos of their world was unending, a relentless surge of destruction and heroism. Today, another threat loomed on the horizon, a behemoth of a creature making its way toward the city center. The alarms blared and the call for heroes went out. King, happening to be in the vicinity, winced at the sound. With every drawn gaze, the weight of expectation settled on him, yet flight, not fight, kindled in his heart. As he turned a corner, planning his usual escape, fate, it seemed, had other plans.
Tatsumaki descended, her psychic energy dissipating as she touched down on the pavement. Green eyes, sharp as emeralds, locked onto King. A moment of silence hung between them, a pregnant pause that seemed confused, unsure of whether to burst into laughter or thunderous applause. She studied him, curiosity piqued — not by the man himself but by the reputation that surrounded him.
"King," her voice was as cutting as it was disinterested, "The Association sent a call. You plan on taking down that monster, or are you going to stand there gaping like a fish?"
King's eyes widened, his internal panic threatening to surge outward. They hardly ever interacted, save for brief moments at Association meetings or when he inadvertently found himself at the forefront of battles she finished. With her around, his usual tactics of evasion would not suffice. The intense scrutiny of the world’s most powerful esper was on him, and the lie of King, the indomitable hero, threatened to unravel.
"I was just…" King started, his voice betraying a tremor.
Tatsumaki frowned, the air around her beginning to crackle with impatience. Then, without warning, the ground shook violently, a roar splitting the air as the monster made its presence known. It was now or never, and Tatsumaki wasn’t the kind to wait.
The unlikely pair, bound by the call of duty and the threads of an unspoken challenge, moved together toward the source of destruction. The romantic undercurrents of their budding relationship, hidden beneath layers of pride and pretense, began its first, tentative dance, as unseen as the heartbeats that raced in anticipation of the unknown. Could the false hero and the true tempest find common ground, or would the echo of their power drive them apart before it could pull them together?