Match Made

(Disclaimer: This story is not for profit, and I do not own any rights to One Punch Man. The series and its characters belong to ONE.)

"And that's a wrap!"

An explosion of applause erupted from the set, accompanied by an exchange of heartfelt shouts, hugs, and handshakes amassing from the crowd.

Nova pried herself free from her co-actor's embrace and brought her hands to her head, habitually shaking her hair out from the extensive hours and skill the stylist had put into it prior to their current situation.

"Always a pleasure, beautiful," her blue-haired co-actor expressed, watching as she she combed a hand through her lilac locks.

"Yes, good work as always." Her eyes failed to meet his.

As she tucked her hair neatly behind her ears, an assistant rushed over to them with two ice-cold beverages in hand. Nova smiled and thanked the lady, grabbing one and indulging in a sip she'd been longing for.

Overcome with instant gratification, Nova let out a sigh of relief and then watched as Amai Mask helped himself to a refreshment of his own. Taking advantage of his preoccupation, she abruptly said: "I'm just going to have a quick word with our director, so I'll catch you in a bit."

Pausing, he returned his undivided attention to her. "You'll be at the after party later, right?" he asked, expectantly.

Nova hesitated for a second, but gave a curt nod. "Yeah, I'll stop by."

The hero smiled. "Can't wait."

Once back within the safe confines of her personal trailer, Nova immediately stripped down and hopped into the shower to wash the long day away. The day was still far from over but, knowing she'd be getting a train back to City X early the following morning, 'only a few more hours to bear' was what she constantly reminded herself of in order to quell the anxiety. The truth was, she hadn't been particularly keen on doing another film with Amai Mask when the opportunity first presented itself, but the money and exposure was hard to beat so it was one of those offers she'd be a fool to turn down. Tension never improved any situation, so she made a conscious effort to grin and bear it, which unfortunately included social obligations. But having been in the business for years now, she'd gotten used to it just being a part of the job.

After her shower, she slipped into her usual public 'disguise' which consisted of a baseball cap, pair of shades, and oversized hoodie pulled over the cap so as to be as ambiguous as possible. Making sure all her belongings were stuffed into her bag, she gave the trailer a final once-over before leaving.

The first pit stop on her list during the walk back to her hotel was any establishment with food. She preferred not to eat much while working, so by the end of it she was absolutely famished.

Scanning the street ahead, she spotted a sign sticking out from the front of one stall advertising 'the best taiyaki in City Z!'. As if by magic, she suddenly realized that she had a craving for taiyaki, and soon found herself stopping in front of the counter.

After placing her order, she shuffled over to the vending machine just to the side of the stall and examined her options. Her pointy, manicured nailed tapped on the 'royal milk tea' selection, and a cute little tune accompanied the inner workings of a machine doing its job. Out tumbled a little carton in the bottom hatch, which she bent over to fish out.

"Miss! Your taiyaki is re – "

Just as Nova turned her head toward the shopkeeper, a loud 'bang!' shook her core, followed by a splash of debris pelleting against her back. A cloud of dust filled the air and she quickly covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve as she swivelled around to face the cause of disruption. The handful of citizens within radius began screaming and dispersing in every direction, and the shopkeeper instantly rolled down the stall's shutter, leaving her freshly made taiyaki sitting on the counter-top.

A gigantic hole mutilated the once-smooth ground, and Nova swore she saw a gleam of something shiny amidst the mixture of smoke and dust rising from its center.

An otherworldly screech averted her attention to the sky, where an indistinguishable silhouette approached at alarming speed, growing immensely in size. Suddenly, a fiery blast collided with the creature from out of the hole, but it wasn't enough to break its momentum. The creature drew nearer with fatal intent, and it was in that fight or flight moment that Nova had to react with refined instinct over logic.

A second shockwave blast through the air, sweeping away the dust and shattering nearby windows. Silence followed, and Nova found herself standing at the edge of the rubble, one knee pointing to the sky in the aftermath as her eyes followed the trail of blood leading to the limp creature strewn several metres down the street.

A few steadying breaths later, she lowered her leg and turned to take a closer look down at the hole. A robotic man lay half-buried under the rubble, one arm completely disjointed. Quickly, Nova rushed down to help him.

"And this is why I hate City Z," Nova muttered to herself as she shifted rocks around. Sure, it was an excellent location to film in terms of budget, but only because the risk level was so damn high.

"Wh... Who are you?" The cyborg rasped, observing her through one squinted eye.

Before she could provide a response, the cyborg's eye shut and it became clear he'd lost consciousness.

"Genos!" Nova heard from behind, turning her head to find a caped bald man rushing towards them. Quickly, Nova rose to her feet and took a cautionary step back.

"Are you ok, buddy?" The man asked, kneeling down and patting the fallen cyborg on the cheek. "What happened?" He looked up. "Who are you?" His expression turned serious as he assessed the shrouded stranger.

"I... look, I was just trying to help him. I saw him fight that monster, and next thing I knew he passed out." Nova subconsciously adjusted the hood over her head to make sure her features remained hidden.

"Oh." The man's face softened instantaneously. "Gotcha." Focusing his attention back on the cyborg in question, he reached under his limp body and lifted him up with ease.

"Well, thanks, I guess."

With Genos passed out in his arms, the man looked to Nova and they shared an awkward moment of silence where neither of them moved or spoke. Aside from the soft flapping of his cape in the breeze, only the birds could be heard chirping in the background.

"See ya." Unceremoniously, the bald man turned his impassive face and carried the cyborg away.

Nova remained frozen for a short while longer until the flapping of the man's cape could no longer be seen or heard.

'What just happened...' she thought, forcing herself out of her stupor. Clearly the two had been heroes – or, at least, training to be. 'Such an odd combo,' she proceeded to think as she dragged herself back over to the closed taiyaki stall, wondering how the two came to be; one souped up cyborg and one bald guy who looked like nothing but a wannabe hero. At first glance, she'd assume the roles would've been reversed in such circumstances.

Brushing her musings aside, Nova picked up her taiyaki in its crumpled paper bag and took a big bite out of the fish-shaped head.

"It's cold," she uttered disappointingly to no-one.

"What?! That dude saved you from the monster?!"

"Ah, sensei... I do believe the person in question was in fact a female, but indeed. I witnessed it with my very eyes – that kick... it is impossible to imagine, but it was not unlike your punches, sensei." Genos stared down at the cold tea cupped in his hands, evidently troubled.

Saitama rubbed at his chin, brows furrowed. "But why would he – uh, she... lie about defeating the monster?"

"I do think... well, you have reacted similarly in the past, right sensei? With King, for example. I am sure she must have a good reason."

Saitama let out a long 'hmm'. "But she's not a hero?"

"Doubtful. Only an S-class would have been capable of pulling off such a stunt – ah, yourself excluded of course, sensei – and her form did not match with any current S-class members."

Resting his cheek in his hand, Saitama frowned deeply. "I couldn't tell. She was wearing so many damn clothes."

"Sensei." Genos' tone had suddenly gone serious, and he finally broke his fixation with the tea, looking his master dead in the eye. "I feel it is my duty to locate this girl... and offer my gratitude."

Saitama straightened up then. "Alright, well... can't think of anything better to do, so guess I'll tag along. Any idea where to start?"

"No," Genos said flatly. "But I do believe, if we return to the scene of events, perhaps we might locate some sort of clue."

"Cool," Saitama said as he rose from the table, brushing cookie crumbs off his lap.

"So... what are we looking for, exactly?" Saitama asked while squatting down and inspecting a funny-looking insect.

"I will scan the surrounding area for any remnants of DNA material," Genos said, internally switching on his cyborg vision and carefully studying every square inch of the ground. As his gaze rolled over the giant hole he had created, his sensors picked up on something very fine laying atop one of the rocks. He made his way towards it and crouched down, pinching the object with his fingers.

"Sensei, I have located a hair."

A loud slurping noise was heard from a straw struggling to suck up every last drop of liquid from the innards of a juice box, and when Genos looked back he saw his sensei staring back at him with the standard blank expression on his face.

"Oh. Nice, dude. All I found was this vending machine." He pitched the empty juice box into a nearby bin and hobbled over to join Genos in his discovery.

"I see. So it's purple," Saitama said as he inspected the long hair dangling from Genos' fingers.

"More precisely, sensei, it is hex code C8A2C8. If I just log that into the citizen registry..." Genos pulled out his phone and typed something in at super speed.

The next thing they knew, the phone had slipped right out of Genos' hand and collided with the ground.

"It cannot be," Genos whispered, eyes staring wide into nothing.

"What? What's the big deal?" Saitama asked, casually reaching over to pick up Genos' phone and brush off the specks of dirt. "Oh." Saitama stopped and brought the phone closer to his face to investigate the image still loaded on the screen. He stared for a little while longer before looking at Genos and pointing his finger at the screen. "Who's that?"

"Who?!" Genos took back his phone and double-checked that his sight hadn't deceived him. "No. There must be some mistake."

"I don't get it," Saitama said, growing bored.

"According to the data, if this strand of hair does in fact belong to the hooded girl that saved my life, that girl is none other than... Nova Star."

Silence.

"Like I said... who?"

"You really do not know, sensei?!" Genos looked at his sensei's deadpan expression in shock. "She is a famous actress. The female equivalent of Amai Mask, many would say. Her films are... amazing." There was a distant sparkle in Genos' eyes.

"Hmm... well, if she's like Amai Mask then I guess it makes sense," Saitama said, finally putting the pieces together in his head.

"Except, sensei, she is not a hero like Amai Mask... so I do not understand how it was possible for her to save me the way she did."

"Well, just because she isn't in the association doesn't mean she isn't a hero. Look at me, I wasn't a part of the association until I met you... but I still considered myself a hero."

Genos nodded after taking a moment to think about it. "You are right, sensei."

"Plus, she hid the fact that she saved you from the monster, so perhaps she just doesn't want to be a hero." Saitama shrugged.

"I do not understand how someone with such power could not wish to become a hero." Genos appeared as though something in his core was malfunctioning. "There is so much I must learn..."

Returning his attention to his phone, Genos began typing rapidly again, and then stopped.

"Ah," Genos uttered, shoving the screen in Saitama's face.

Squinting from the closeness, Saitama stared at what appeared to be an Instagram post from the same purple-haired girl.

"Yep, looks like the same girl," Saitama said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, I know. Read the description, sensei."

Saitama's eyes dropped down to the body of text that read 'Just wrapped the movie! What an incredible experience working with (a)amaimask again. Thanks to the team and everyone involved! See you all tonight at the VIP after party (a)skybarz!' followed by an assortment of cute smiley faces, hearts, and hashtags.

"Seems like a nice girl," Saitama said as he rubbed his smooth head, not really understanding what Genos was trying to show him.

"The Sky Bar, sensei. She will be there tonight," Genos said, making an effort to contain his excitement.

"Uh... I dunno, Genos. Seems pretty exclusive, I don't think they'd let us in."

"Ah, once again, you are correct sensei. I did not think of that," Genos said, bringing a hand to his chin. After pondering over other options for a moment, he rapidly began typing again. "I shall ask Amai Mask to let us in."

Saitama blinked. "I don't think –"

"He said yes."

Genos pocketed his phone and gazed ahead with instant resolve.

"What the hell does one even wear to a VIP party?" Saitama stressed as he stared hopelessly into his bereft closet. If he had any hair, he'd be pulling it out right about now.

"Perhaps your old work attire, sensei?" Genos suggested, walking over and peering into the same desolate space in the wall.

"Hm... is that really ok?" Saitama questioned scrupulously, taking the clothes off the rack and inspecting them. "What're you wearing, anyway?" He looked to Genos.

"I see you have a spare tie," Genos observed, eyeing the two ties hanging pitifully together. Reaching for one and fastening it around the collar of his standard white tank, he said: "With your permission, sensei, I would like to borrow it for the evening." He straightened up, looking pleased with himself.

"Oh... so that's your idea of dressing up," Saitama mumbled apprehensively. Snatching up the remaining tie for himself, he first slipped into his old white shirt and straight black pants. Draping the tie over his shoulders, he grabbed onto each end and paused for a moment in stark realization.

"Damn, I forgot how to tie a tie."

"Here, sensei," Genos said, reaching forward and shaping the long material into a perfect knot in no time.

"Uh, thanks," Saitama said. Looking at himself up and down in the mirror, he sighed. "Guess this'll have to do. Ready to go?"

"Care for another drink, love?"

He caught her just as she was downing the remainder of her last drink, giving her no chance at an excuse for refusal.

Placing her empty glass on the bar, she politely accepted the replenished flute of golden bubbles.

"Thanks. I suppose I have time for one more," she told him.

"Only one?" Amai Mask smiled. "Come on, this is our celebration night. You deserve to enjoy it."

Nova smiled back, however falsely conveying what she truly felt inside. "I have enjoyed it. But I also have an early departure tomorrow and would really rather not be dragging my feet around."

"I don't believe I've ever witnessed you drag your feet around," he mused. "You do remember the conversation we had last time we met, don't you?"

Oh, despite the state she'd been in she unfortunately remembered it far too well. He'd approached her in a manner similar to tonight, when the effects of alcohol had contrarily been a result of one too many. They'd been talking under the stars on the outdoor patio when he suddenly took her hand in his and confessed everything he felt towards her. Her floating brain didn't even have enough time to register it all before he brushed her hair aside and leaned in for a kiss. The last thing she remembered was pulling back and excusing herself. She fled the scene then without another word to anyone, but not without someone catching the moment on camera, naturally.

"Yes, of course I remember. The media wouldn't leave me alone for weeks after that. I had to hire someone to act as my fake boyfriend just to shake them off."

"Ah, right." Amai Mask smoothed his hair back. "I do offer my sincerest apologies, I wasn't acting like myself that night. That's why I hoped to speak with you now... and be clear that I truly did mean every word I said. I may not have handled it as well as I'd have liked – no, regrettably not – but my intentions were honest. As I told you that night, I've been with many women, but none as striking as yourself, and I assure you those feelings haven't changed in the slightest." He paused, searching her face for any sort of reaction. "If you'll allow me, it would be my greatest pleasure to make it up to you with a nice dinner."

Nova felt the anxiety rising again. "Uh... listen, Amai Mask, I – "

"Amai Mask!"

Both of them turned to face the source of interruption where one of the bouncers paced towards them with a hand lifted to the comm piece attached to his ear.

"There are two gentlemen waiting at the front door. They are not on the guest list but claim to be acquaintances of yours," the bouncer informed.

Amai Mask nodded. "Ah yes, that ought to be Genos and Saitama, I believe. I'll come see them in." He turned to Nova. "Hold that thought. I'll be right back," he told her, a smile complimenting the soft glint in his eyes.

Nova watched as he followed the bouncer down the staircase, and once they were out of sight she set her unfinished glass down and found her way to the coat check room.

"Thanks, Gerald. Yes, these two are guests of mine," Amai Mask confirmed as he observed the pair of heroes standing idly in the doorway.

"Very well. Enjoy your evening," the bouncer said, unhooking the stanchion and pulling the rope with him as he stepped aside.

"I'm impressed. You clean up well, Saitama," Amai Mask mentioned while proceeding to guide them up the stairs.

Saitama glared at him from behind. "Thanks. You too," he mumbled, struggling to conceal his bitterness towards the superstar hero.

"I'm curious, though. Why the sudden interest in attending this party?"

They reached the top of the staircase and a wave of disappointment flashed across Amai Mask's face as he stopped and looked to the bar.

"To be honest, Amai Mask... we heard Miss Nova Star would be present at this party, and I would very much like to meet her," Genos said.

"Oh?" Amai Mask turned his attention to the cyborg. "And what business would someone like you have with Miss Star?"

"She..." Genos blinked. "I am a big fan."

Amai Mask let out an amused chuckle. "I see. Well, I'm afraid you're out of luck, I have no idea where she is. If you happen to find her though, do let me know." Parting with a curt wave, Amai Mask left the pair to fend for themselves.

Without moving from his spot, Genos activated his hyper-sensory vision and surveyed the room. "I wonder..." he murmured to himself. "Hey, sensei, do you think – Oh. Sensei?" Looking around him, Genos realized Saitama had disappeared.

"Genos! Over here! I found the buffet table!"

Genos looked over and saw Saitama waving at him as he piled an assortment of decorative canapés onto a plate.

"Sensei," Genos said, walking over to his freeloading accomplice, "I think I will go try to find Miss Nova Star."

"Cool, I'll catch up with ya later. I'm gonna stay here for a little while." Saitama told him, perfectly content with the situation.

Genos nodded in agreement and then wandered off to continue his search.

'How about the crispy ball... or the red and white cracker – no, definitely this weird squid thing!' Saitama contemplated, experiencing a critical inner battle over which canapé to try first. Confident in his final decision, he picked the grilled squid off the plate and craned his head back to drop it into his mouth. Just as it teased the surface of his lips, something knocked into his side and the dead cephalopod went flying along with the rest of his bounty.

Saitama's eyes fell to the mess on the floor that used to be dinner, and he frowned. "Hey..." Steering his attention to the culprit, he heard a muffled 'sorry' uttered from underneath a hooded cloak while the person didn't make any effort to stop. Baffled, he continued watching as the mysterious figure retreated down the staircase, and at the very last second caught a glimpse of purple poking out from under the hood.

"Oh. Was that – "

Not wanting to wait around to never find out, Saitama rushed down the staircase in pursuit of the person who may or may not be their very reason for being there.

"Hey, hold up!" Saitama called out once the fresh air hit his skin and he spotted the back of a cloak receding briskly down the length of the sidewalk, heels click-clacking against the pavement.

As he ran after her, she refused to slow down. "I said I'm sorry," she reiterated from over the shoulder.

"Is your name Nova?"

At last, she came to a complete stop.

Turning around, she said: "What's it to you – "

But that question answered itself once she came face to face with the man chasing after her. Her cheeks paled and she lost the ability to speak for a second.

"Oh. You. You're that... wait, hold on a second." She caught herself just in time. "Why are you here? And what do you want from me?"

"Well... my friend thinks it was you who saved him earlier today. He wanted to come here to thank you, if that's true." Involuntarily, his eyes sized her up. "You look a lot different from the person I saw, so I can't tell."

Once the initial disorientation passed, Nova clutched the cloak tighter around herself and glared at the bald hero.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she admitted. "I have to go."

"Oh. My bad, I guess." Saitama watched her turn around and continue on her way. "Hey, you know..." And there he was running after her again. "It's getting pretty dark, and this area's like a hot spot for monsters... do you need me to walk you home?"

"My hotel's just around the corner." She kept up her pace. "So, no thanks, I'll be fine."

Saitama slowed to a halt, allowing her to continue on alone as she wished.

"Ok. See ya..."

He observed her for a little while longer before finally deciding to turn around and head back. But just as he laid eyes on the party venue up ahead in the distance, a loud 'bang!' rattled the ground, nearly knocking Saitama off his feet. Sensing the disturbance from behind, he quickly spun around to face the last spot he saw Nova; only now there was a gigantic beast there too, hovering directly over her.

Without even questioning it, Saitama's feet propelled him forward, already feeling the adrenaline pumping through his veins and pooling into his fist.

He would've made it just in time, he knew, but about an eighth of a second before he did he witnessed Nova jump up and strike the monster headfirst into the next world. Keeping her eyes locked on the monster as it went flying, she landed gracefully back down onto the concrete with a light tap from her heels. Raising her hands, she adjusted her cloak and was about to continue on her way as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, but her entire body froze and went cold as she heard a familiar voice coming from no further than a foot in rear.

"Woah. You're strong."

A/N: During lockdown, I finally got around to watching the whole series of OPM to date. Up until now, I always thought the concept sounded a bit ridiculous, but after watching it it became one of my instant top favorites. It inspired me to start writing this fic, and although I don't normally write OC-based fics, there were no strong canon female characters that I particularly fancied (Tornado is a bit too childish for my liking). Thus, Nova was born. My hesitation towards writing OCs is that I always fear I will make them too mary-sue and nobody will like them. But considering Saitama himself is pretty much the definition of OP, I figured I could get away with it in this case. So I basically just fused Saitama and Amai Mask together and created a female double. Not sure if anyone will actually read or enjoy this, I'm mainly just doing it for fun and practice. My writing style is quite slack in this as a result. But, hey, if anyone has made it this far and is actually interested, do let me know! It would boost my motivation for sure.