Chapter Text
After a full day of Saitama sulking around the house, Genos still hadn't come back.
"Do you think I scared him off?" Saitama asked Udon who was curled up in his bed.
The dragon barely raised its head, yawned, and used its claws to scratch at its armored chest before laying back down.
"Geez, thanks for the help," he sighed and flopped onto his back. So what if he was in the middle of the floor.
"I guess I could call him but I'm not even sure he's at Kuseno's. He could have just run off. I mean if he didn't want me to know where he was he wouldn't have gone there. Right? Udon?"
He sat up and scanned the room only to find Udon had moved from his spot to in front of the mirror. His brown eyes piercing and very, very, annoyed.
"Okay. I get it," he grumbled pushing himself off the floor. "Get off my pinning ass, find Genos, and have a long talk about boundaries and feelings and..."
...why my heart skips a few dozen beats when he genuinely smiles at one of my jokes.
He was knocked out of his train of thought by Udon tapping his tail against the mirror.
"I coming. I'm coming," he groaned as he pulled himself off the floor.
He settled himself into his lounge chair, letting the familiarity calm his nerves, before reaching out towards the mirror.
Only to have Sonic's face suddenly appear.
Saitama started then relaxed into an annoyed posture. He and Sonic had gotten better about their so called "rivalry" (read: Mumen sat Sonic down and told him what-for) over the past few years but there was still tension when they were alone together.
"Yo baldy." Sonic managed to twist his face into a mixture of a smirk and a frown.
"What do you wa-"
"Genos is your soulmate and you are an ass."
Saitama's voice caught in his throat and he had to cough twice to catch his breath.
"What the hell? That isn't funny."
Sonic rolled his eyes and sat further back in his seat.
"It isn't a joke. You honestly have to be the most oblivious person on the planet not to realize this. Sparky literally has the exact same eyes."
"There is no way Genos and I are soulmates. He-he's way too good for me."
Sonic sighed dramatically and threw a hand over his face.
"You two pinning dumbasses are going to be the death of me."
He kept the hand over his face for a few moments before removing it and sitting up. "Describe Genos in five words."
"What?"
"Do it."
"Okay fine," Saitama snapped before reaching up to absentmindedly scratch at the side of his head.
"Hotheaded I guess. Loyal. Smart. Uhh...protective and kind, I guess."
"Don't those traits apply to Sparky?"
Saitama's eyebrows raised in surprise before furrowing to match his frown.
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Fine, now let me describe you."
"Sonic..."Saitama groaned throwing his head back a little.
"Lazy, food-loving, strong, blunt and humble."
"Wow, I didn't realize you liked me so much."
"Cut the sarcasm. Can't you see you and Udon match up? All of this, plus the fact that both Sparky's transformation and the destruction Genos' hometown happened at the same time, point to you two being soulmates."
"He doesn't like me!" Saitama snapped.
Sonic was silenced for a moment before he rolled his eyes.
"You are such a dumbass. The idiot is so heartbroken because he thinks you rejected him that he is currently crying like a baby in our livingroom."
"Oh..." was all Saitama could say as everything came crashing into place.
"Now that that bullshit is done, I'm going to go tell candlestick that it was all a big misunderstanding due to your crippling self-depreciation...which you should probably go see a therapist about."
"Wow, this is actually pretty nice of you."
"...and that he needs to get out of my house and go have a long heart-to-heart talk with you so you two can stop making googly eyes at each other on game nights."
"Aaaaaand you're back."
"Don't expect me to be nice to you two for awhile. Between Genos crying for what seems like ever and you both being oblivious dumbasses who screw up easy situations because you can't communicate, I am a little worn out."
"Understood. Just when you talk to Genos-"
The mirror flickered and suddenly Saitama was looking back at his own reflection.
"-ease him into it," Saitama sighed to an empty mirror."
After a moment of staring at his reflection, he got to his feet and gestured for Udon to follow him. He shrugged off his heavier robe he had dawned due to the chilling rain and made his way to his bedroom.
"Even if he sprints all the way, he won't be home for awhile. You ready for a nap after the emotional crap we just went through?"
Udon shot him a look that said, "Sparky and I have been in a completely happy relationship for months now. You humans are just too complicated."
"Yeah, you're right. I'm tired anyway. Wake me up when Genos gets here or I guess he will," Saitama said stifling a yawn.
Udon rolled his eyes and laid down as well.
Just a quick little nap.
-----
When Saitama next opened his eyes it was dawn.
This, of course, to his sleep-heavy mind meant nothing. It wasn't like he had slept late or anything. On the contrary, it was a bit unusual for him to be awake already.
As he started to blink the sleep out of his eyes, he realized he was warm. Really warm. Like, way too warm for a late fall evening. And that source of heat was someone holding him.
Not the weirdest thing he's ever woken up to.
As he tried to twist around to see the culprit, the arms encircling his waist pulled him tighter to the mystery person's chest.
Now Saitama was nervous.
After a brief moment of panic, Saitama glanced down at the hands grabbing him. Heavy tattoos greeted his vision and after a moment of confusion he realized...
...It was Genos.
If he wasn't warm enough earlier, now he was practically steaming with embarrassment. Genos was currently burying his face into Saitama's shoulder. And he apparently has fallen asleep like that.
Mildly alarmed by the odd turn of events, he scanned what he could in front of him and found Sparky and Udon curled up together on the robe he had discarded earlier.
"Hey," he hissed as quietly as he could, hoping that their unnaturally good hearing could pick it up.
Luck was on his side as Sparky's head snapped up and he locked onto Saitama's pleading eyes. Udon was a bit slower to rise, his almond shaped eyes a lot softer than Sparky's piercing glare.
The pair stared at Saitama for a moment, taking his predicament before turning to each other. If he strained hard enough, Saitama could just make out a soft hissing that was their choice of communication.
It was a long conversation before they stopped and turned back to Saitama.
And at that moment, Saitama swears Sparky grinned at him before laying his head back down and curling closer to Udon. The bulkier dragon simply shot him a sympathetic look before settling in as well.
Traitors.
Saitama lost track of time after the first few minutes and by the time Genos started to stir, he was already falling back asleep.
Saitama had rarely ever been awake before Genos before. The kid was always up and making breakfast or practicing spells or writing an ungodly amount of notes by the time Saitama was even daring to open his eyes.
And he never got to experience it this close-up.
It started with a low content sigh. Followed by an odd vibration that must have been him tensing and relaxing his muscles. Saitama could feel him release his grip on the older man's shirt to stretch out his fingers.
When it was clear that he was no longer moving, Saitama tried a bit of a bold tactic.
"Mornin'."
Now the phrase "screamed like a girl" comes to mind at this point but if we're being honest, who actually screams like a guy? A better phrase for this situation would be "screams like a guy who just realized he was cuddling his teacher in his sleep".
Saitama barely caught Genos' hand and pulled him close before the kid could fall off the bed and onto the floor. Now this would have been romantic had Genos not immediately started babbling.
"I am so sorry Sensei it was extremely shameful for me to have taken advantage of you like that. I understand if you never want to see me again. I will immediately pack my things and be gone by noon. I should have simply woken you up when I got home and put you in warmer clothing instead of selfishly using the opportunity to warm you up myself. I will give you privacy to decide an appropriate punishme-"
"Genos!"
The young man immediately snapped his mouth closed and shied back.
"You don't have to leave. You just surprised me," Saitama grumbled as he rubbed at the spot on his head where his pillow had been sticking.
"Oh, uh-"
"And you really should have told me. You know how dense and clueless I am sometimes. If Sonic hadn't told me I probably wouldn't have even seriously thought about it."
Genos' eyes lit up for a moment before he slouched slightly and turned his head away. "I understand Sensei. You obviously do not have to reciprocate my feelings and I will respect that."
For a second, saitama only sleepily nodded before realizing what Genos had said.
"What? No, that's not what I meant," he sighed grabbing Genos' arm before he could bolt.
An oddly hopeful gleam crossed Genos' eyes before he allowed himself to be pulled back all the way onto the bed.
"Look, I was trying to avoid the miscommunication trope by talking to you yesterday about the whole 'defeating monsters for you' thing. I apparently was still missing some stuff and should have elaborated a bit more. So let me say this."
Saitama backed up and adjusted himself to where he was sitting cross-legged and fully facing Genos.
"I...have no idea how to say this," he started but trailed off.
Genos tilted his head like he was trying to get a better look at Saitama. They watched each other for a moment before he took Saitama's hand between his.
"Let us eat breakfast first. I know you think better on a full stomach."
Saitama froze for a second before nodding and sliding off the bed.
Before he could try and retrieve his robe from the two napping dragons, a pair of warm arms wrapped around his chest and brought him into a hug.
"Just know that I do not need to think about my feelings towards you," he practically purred into Saitama's ear. "I love every part of you."
If Genos hadn't been holding him up at that moment, Saitama probably would have fallen over in surprise. He scrambled out of Genos' arm to turn around and shoot him a glare.
"Too much?" Genos asked innocently.
"Yeah, a little," Saitama snapped back as he shivered from the memory of their contact.
"My apologies, I will endeavor to educate myself on your physical and personal boundaries so that I will not overwhelm you again."
"You don't have to do that," Saitama grumbled, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. "Just warn a guy, would you?"
"Of course," Genos said with a smile before taking Saitama's hand in his and kissing it. "But it seems like more fun to surprise you."
The noise that came out of Saitama's mouth could be attributed to a squawking offended dragon. Genos only responded with a light smile and touch before turning and walking towards the kitchen.
"Brat," Saitama called after him.
He stood there for a long moment, trying to collect his thoughts before suddenly a familiar weight settled onto his shoulder and dug his claws in.
"Yeah. It's not like this could have been over with sooner if you had-ya know-actually done your job."
Sparky, of course, said nothing and simply jumped down to lay back on the robe Saitama was trying to pick up.
"Brat," Saitama snapped again. Before scooping up both dragons and dumping them on his bed. Once both their squawking died down, he fixed them both with a look.
"Thanks for your non-existant help with all of this. I know you-" he pointed at Udon, "-probably didn't really care and you-" he pointed at Sparky, "-were trying to let us go at our own pace but seriously. Next time, just a little push would be appreciated."
Both dragons seemed to take this into consideration before Sparky jumped off the bed and onto his dresser.
"Just don't do anything stupid," Saitama grumbled before flopping face first onto the bed next to Udon. The little dragon took this opportunity to lay against his head and start rumbling happily.
Another few minutes passed before the pair picked up the sound of Genos running through the house.
"Saitama!"
It seemed the sound of squawking dragons was never going to end as Saitama bolted straight up, knocking Udon onto the floor.
"Wha-"
"I appreciate the offer but I believe it is too early to make this kind of decision! We have barely begun to explore our relationship and I do not wish to devalue it by rushing into things!"
Saitama rubbed at his eye and shook his head. "I have no idea what you are talking about.
Genos deflated a bit and tilted his head to the side.
"The ring?"
"What ring?"
"The ring that you gave..." he turned slowly to watch Sparky trot in, holding a golden ring (that was an old trophy after Saitama had removed the curse from it) in his mouth.
It was a long and silent moment before Saitama's eyes narrowed and he growled out, "You little shit."
Sparky simply trilled and tilted his head as if to say, "This is not what you meant?"
Genos must have noticed the murder forming in Saitama's eyes because he calmly stepped forward and took the ring from Sparky's mouth and shooed the dragon out, Udon following soon after.
He stood there, staring at the ring for a while before looking up at Saitama, tears forming in the corner of his eyes.
"Are you crying? I-I didn't mean- I was just- Gah!" Saitama frantically brushed his hands along Genos' arms in an effort to calm him down. A trick he had learned from his experience with the blond's night terrors.
"I am not sad, Sensei. I think all of my emotions are catching up with me and I am overwhelmed. I can not believe this is real," Genos said in between shaky breaths.
Saitama stopped rubbing and instead brought his hands to Genos' wrists so that he could pull his hands away from his face. He leaned in closer and brought those hands to his chest before meeting Genos eyes and giving him a gentle smile.
"I'm not really great with words and you know this but I hope you also know I've had a crush on you since before I even realized I liked guys. It only got stronger after you helped me so much not only with my duties as a sorcerer but with my own emotions."
Genos took another shaky breath before smiling gently. "So, does that mean you now fall under the category of 'townspeople who swoon over me' that you are so adamant about me looking into?"
Jerking back at the teasing words, Saitama turned beet red and to hide his surprise.
"O-Oi, brat. Soulmate or not I'm still your teacher. Keep talking like that and I'll make you clean every beaker and cauldron I own.
At this, Genos only smiled wider and bowed his head slightly before moving in closer.
"A sacrifice I am willing to make as long as I am allowed to see you blush like this more often.
Saitama's frown deepened along with his flush and he tried to squirm back.
"You were on the verge of a panic attack earlier because you fell asleep next to me and now you're doing this!?"
"You have been urging me to try and express more emotions besides forms of anger."
Saitama's response was caught in his throat as he saw Genos' honest to God, 100% pure, grade A, shit-eating grin.
Before he could regroup his thoughts, Genos gestured to the door.
"I should probably start on breakfast now. I'm sure we still have a long discussion to get to."
"Yeah," Saitama mumbled rubbing the back of his neck, his blush still not fully gone.
When Genos actually started out the door a thought came to Saitama's mind that made him blush so hard it caught Genos' attention.
"Saitama? Are you al-"
"You already knew we were soulmates. Right?"
"Yes? I figured it out within the first month," Genos said as he tilted his head slightly.
"So when we went after that river spirit last month and we were taking that ferry ride and venting to each other about soulmates and you leaned in...were you trying to kiss me?"
Genos didn't turn red, instead, his tattoos began to faintly glow as did his eyes.
"Oh shit, you were! I pushed you into the river!" Saitama's hand flew up to smack himself over the eyes. "I'm the worst soulmate ever!"
Genos rushed over and brought Saitama's hands away from his eyes before pushing their foreheads together. This startled Saitama out of his lament long enough to look Genos deep in his eyes.
"The incident was almost entirely due to my bad timing. You most likely save my life. You are in no way a bad soulmate."
"Yeah but there's gotta be someone better out there for you. You're so nice and brave and a billion other things that are too cheesy to say out loud. You really should have someone like you."
Genos stared at him for a moment before pulling back and letting out a bark of laughter.
"You really think I would like someone like me? Me? An overemotional hot head with a knack for almost dying on a weekly basis? Saitama, I would so much rather spend time with a level-headed but strong-willed person like you."
"Yeah but-"
Genos pulled their faces together one last time, unable to miss the way Saitama's heartbeat fluttered under his fingertips.
"To me, you are perfect, flaws and all."
He squeezed his eyes shut and took a trembling breath.
"Promise me you will allow me to stay by your side. No matter what. I do still wish to defeat the mad sorcerer and avenge my family but it will be a hollow victory without you to come home to."
Saitama pulled back slightly and stared for a second before giving Genos a tired smile.
"Don't want to end up depressed and alone like me?"
"You are no longer alone. I will stay with you always," Genos murmured warmly.
"Always?"
"Isn't that what I just said?"
Saitama groaned and pushed Genos away.
"Okay brat. Let's just go make food before it's already lunch time."
Genos perked up and nodded solidly.
"Yes Sensei!" He barked as he started to leave the room.
"Oh and Genos?"
Genos stopped and turned only to have his soulmate grab him by the collar and bring their faces together.
"We're soulmates. Just call me Saitama."