Chapter Text
Saitama sat on a gray and empty beach, staring out at the incoming waves. They moved in as though to touch him only to shy away, managing nothing more than a quiet nudge against his toes.
It was peaceful out here. The beach was free of people, nothing but the sound of the water and distant birds. No birds were anywhere he could see, which seemed odd, but he didn't linger on it much, enjoying the tranquility of the shore.
Probably he should have been more concerned. After all, this definitely wasn't home, and whatever island this was, it didn't seem to be inhabited.
But it was just so nice. Quiet and alone, clouds blocking the sun and keeping him cool, the smell of salt on the wind serving to refresh his mind.
But yeah. Probably should find a way home soon.
Especially since that monster was still out there, unless Genos had taken care of it after Saitama was flung away. The thing had a hell of a throw, tossing him so far out into the ocean that Saitama hadn't been able to tell where he'd come from. Some super speed swimming in the wrong direction and voila, (presumably) deserted island.
The monster hadn't seemed that strong, some baseball-obsessed thing that looked like a uniform came to life, but still, hell of a throw. Could've been big leagues.
Anyway. Saitama would need to go home eventually. But it would be best to wait until the sky cleared up. Without knowing north from south, Saitama would just be swimming in random directions and end up even more lost.
For now, this was nice.
His suit, gloves and boots laid beside him to dry, laid out on the sand on top of his cape. Saitama sat in his undershirt and boxers, enjoying the breeze on his bare skin.
An animal or something like it bellowed in the forest behind him. Saitama's mind wandered to food.
He could be here a while. Maybe some hunting was in order.
Saitama pushed himself up and stepped barefoot up the beach towards the trees.
A sense of anxiety ran through Genos as he looked on at the endless ocean he flew over. It seemed to go on for miles with no land in sight. Where on earth could Saitama have gone? Was it possible that he sunk below the water?
Genos shook the thought out of his mind. Saitama wouldn’t get taken out that easily, he must have found a way out of this mess somehow.
He wished he could have concentrated on where, exactly, Saitama was thrown to, but the baseball-obsessed monster had to be dealt with. It was fairly easy to defeat as long as Genos avoided its arms. Honestly, it was a wonder how it even managed to get the slip on Saitama in the first place. Perhaps he just let his guard down momentarily, or maybe he got distracted.
...yeah, something probably distracted him.
Minutes flew by before Genos finally came across an island sitting far in the middle of the ocean. It was the only one close by, so it would probably be wise to start there. Turned out to be a good decision, too. His eyes lit up as he drew closer; Saitama’s unmistakable hero uniform was laid neatly across the beach. Genos let out a sigh of relief. Saitama was ok.
He landed on the beach shortly thereafter. As much as Genos wanted to call out for him, he figured it was best to approach cautiously. The island looked uninhabited, but there was no way of knowing for sure.
From where the clothes laid he noticed footsteps in the sand leading up to the trees, and immediately followed after them.
Saitama was starting to wish he'd grabbed his boots. Nothing really hurt him anymore, but walking over bare twigs and rocks was still uncomfortable.
So far he hadn't seen anything that looked particularly edible, but probably anything like berries or wild animals would be further inland. As he went he grabbed a few dry sticks here and there. If a wild animal showed up first, he'd need a fire.
Saitama wasn't a hunter in the traditional sense; most hunters didn't punch their prey; but free meat was free meat, so he'd learned a thing or two about living off the land. Being on this island was actually a nice change of pace. Maybe he'd stay for a bit.
Something cracked ahead of him and Saitama went still to listen. There was a rustle off ahead, then it stopped, whatever it was going quiet when it realized it was being watched.
Then a much larger crack came. A tree snapped in half and crashed into the clearing. Whatever had been hiding went off running the opposite way, and Saitama was left alone to look up at the face of a warped, monstrous boar, acidic drool dripping from its tusks.
Saitama sighed and readied his fist. "So much for a vacation."
The sound of a crashing tree could be heard in the distance. Genos quickly whipped his head around, only to be met with the sight of a creature running up to him. He hardly had time to register what it was before it zipped past him, knocking him off his feet in the process.
He sent a blast towards it, out of reaction, but the attack didn’t reach in time before it ran through the thicket of trees. From what Genos saw, it looked like some sort of animal, but something was off…
Well, he didn’t have time to think on it. He had to focus on finding Saitama. Genos jumped to his feet and ran towards the source of the noise, trying to keep an eye out for any other creatures while he was moving. From what his scanners picked up, there were signs of life all around the dense forest. Apparently, this island wasn’t as uninhabited as it initially seemed.
It didn't take long before he found the source of the noise. The familiar silhouette of a man with a magnificently shiny head stood in the clearing, and ahead of him stood a menacing looking boar monster.
"Sensei," Genos breathed out. He was hoping their reunion wouldn't be so stressful, but it seemed as though the area they landed in would not give them time to rest.
The boar huffed through its nostrils. Saitama grimaced at the hot breath hitting his face.
"No mints out here, huh?" he said blandly, stepping towards the creature.
It opened its mouth and roared. Acidic spittle flew out at Saitama. The droplets sizzled on his skin and burned small holes in his undershirt.
"Hey!" Saitama scoffed in disbelief as his shirt burned. He scowled and raised his fist, running forward and up onto the disembodied treetop.
"No... messing up..." He leapt into the air and swung his fist back. "...my clothes...!"
The boar swung up with its tusks, but the wide-eyed look it gave as Saitama swung for him made it clear it had realized what was coming.
A heavy impact and an explosion of acid and meat was the boar creature's unfortunate end, leaving Saitama gagging and shaking gore off himself in the midst of its remains.
"Ugh, didn't think that through," Saitama muttered, trying in vain to wipe the acid off his shirt. It was still in one piece--barely--but let in more than a draft.
He turned to head back to the ocean, hoping to wash off what he could, and blinked in surprise at the glint of metal hidden between the trees behind him.
"Oh! Genos," he said with a small smile, "You get tossed here too?"
“No, sensei, I lost track of you after I defeated the monster,” Genos explained, trying to avoid staring at his torn, acid soaked clothes. Saitama seemed as nonchalant as ever, despite current circumstances... “Luckily, I managed to find you here. We’re miles from civilization.”
From behind them, a twig snapped. Genos readied himself for an attack, and turned on his biometric scanner to see if he could locate what made the noise. He was surprised to see heat signatures from creatures of various sizes surrounding them. They were hiding behind the plants, some even hidden amongst the leaves in the trees. They were just...watching them, as if studying their movements.
Genos slowly got out of battle position. If they could avoid engaging them, that would probably be for the best. If they were anything like what Saitama faced, this could mean trouble.
“We’re being watched,” he said, “we should leave. If we head back now, we might be able to reach the city before dark.”
“Already?” Saitama’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. “But isn’t this kinda cool? Not every day you get to camp out on an island all alone.” He poked a bit of boar meat with his toe. “Besides the wildlife.”
Genos quirked his brows at Saitama. Was he really considering camping out in a place like this? Surrounded by dangerous monsters?
...actually, maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised.
“Did you want to stay here, sensei?”
“Kinda?” Saitama shrugged. “Unless you’ve got somewhere to be. It’s just nice to be somewhere different, y’know.”
Pursing his lips, Genos considered the circumstances. If they could take care of all their basic necessities, then there was no reason to worry. And even if this island was dangerous, this was Saitama, after all. They should be fine...
“If that’s what you want, then I’ll stay here too,” Genos told him. He eyed the boar that lay dead by Saitama’s feet. It was a huge, nasty looking thing, but at least it could be used for something. “Did you want to carry that back?”
“Yeah! The drool was gross but I think the meat’s good.” Saitama leaned down and grabbed a chunk of boar larger than he was. “Been a while since I had pork.”
--
The sun had begun to set by the time they got their campsite set up. Well, it actually wasn’t much of a set up. Just a small campfire made with some pieces of wood, leaves and twigs. They were lucky that Genos brought his special fire starter with him: his hands. They were also lucky they weren’t close to anything flammable (besides Saitama’s hero uniform, which was quickly put out before it got too damaged) since Genos overestimated the power output he needed to start a small campfire.
So, everything was fine.
And Saitama was right. It was kind of nice, being alone on an island like this. It’s been a while since Genos enjoyed down time like this. It really felt like there were no worries when you took in the scenery.
He skewered some pieces of meat on sticks he collected and handed one to Saitama, then held his over the fire to let it cook.
Yes, this was nice. Relaxing...Besides the looming feeling Genos had that they were constantly being watched. Even though he scanned the area to make sure nothing was close by, the feeling refused to leave.
“I encountered something while I was trying to locate you, too, sensei. It was too fast for me to get a good look at it,” Genos said. “I wonder what else is living out here.”
“Pr’b’bly a b’nch of m’nst’rs,” said Saitama through a mouthful of boar meat. He swallowed and smacked his fist against his chest to help it down, sighing in relief when his throat cleared. “They’re all over the place outside the main continent. Maybe some of ‘em will be pretty strong.”
He had put on his hero suit again once it got colder (and once he was sure it was no longer on fire), though it was still a bit damp. Saitama picked at the fabric clinging to his thigh.
“You ever go camping as a kid?” he asked on a whim.
Genos blinked in surprise at the sudden question. It wasn’t often that Saitama asked him about when he was younger, but since he wanted to know…
“I’ve gone a few times with my dad. We would have a yearly trip in fall. He loved nature, and he taught me some survival skills I haven’t really had to use since then. But still, it was nice to spend time with him.” A small smile crept to his face as he remembered the moments they spent together. He wasn’t a fan of camping initially, but he grew to enjoy it over time. His dad always managed to make it fun for him.
His eyes were unfocused as he looked down towards the fire. It was only when he stopped talking that he realized his skewer was beginning to overcook. He quickly took it out, frowning as he examined the charred meat. This is why he shouldn’t reminisce, he gets so focused on the past that he loses track of what’s going on around him. He still ate it, though. It wasn’t that bad, just...dry and bland.
“What about you, sensei?” Genos asked, “I wasn’t aware that you ever liked camping. I was surprised when you said you wanted to stay out here.”
Genos made a mental note to write this new piece of information down when he got home.
Saitama nodded. "That's cool. Sounds like he was a good guy."
He took a bite out of his meat and shrugged, leaning back on the palm of his hand. "My grandpa took me a few times, but I didn't like it." He swallowed. "I like it better now. More to get away from, I guess?"
He hummed and tilted his head back. The clouds had cleared away from the sky. Above them the inky sheet of night was embroidered with stars, far greater in number than at home, where streetlamps fought for attention.
"Being out here... you remember how people are s'posed to live."
“I see...I suppose I grew too used to the bustle of the city, I forgot how calming it was to be out in nature.” Genos looked out into the ocean. Aside from the stars glistening in the water’s reflection, nothing else could be seen in the distance. It really felt like they were separated from the rest of the world.
“I never imagined I would be reunited with it like this ...” He side-eyed Saitama, who was the reason they were out here in the first place. He gave him a small smile before looking back to the ocean. “I’m glad you suggested staying, though. When I look out at the scenery everything feels...peaceful.”
“Mm.” Saitama nodded. He grinned and held up his stick. “Though I mainly started camping again for free meat.”
“I would expect nothing less from you, sensei.” Genos gave him a fond smile in return.
He leaned back, wanting to rest against the sand, but before he got the chance his proximity sensors went off. Multiple heat signatures from the woods drew closer in.
With a sigh, he stood up. This was still monster infested land, after all. Occurrences like this were to be expected.
“I’m detecting enemies approaching us,” he said, readying himself.
“Oh.” Saitama hurried to gnaw off what he could of his remaining meat and got up, stumbling a bit for balance on the uneven sand.
When he was standing straight, he smacked his fist against his palm. “Evening workout, I guess.”
A deep snarl rumbled from the trees. Saitama perked up and looked out to the shadows, catching sight of a glinting yellow eye and a thick tail.
“Ha, guess they smelled our food.” He jerked his thumb in their direction. “Maybe we can make friends.”
As though insulted by his suggestion, there was another, louder snarl, and the first shadow stepped forward from the trees. It was too far from the fire to see clearly. Whatever it was, it was close to a wolf in shape but much larger, as big as a moose.
“It doesn’t seem like they want to be our friend,” Genos said as the wolf creature approached. As it left the shading of the trees it became easier to make out its features. It was tall, clearly tall enough to tower over them. Drool dripped from its mouth as it bared its large fangs. With its protruding spine, dark scraggly fur and sharp claws, it was an ugly sight to behold.
Multiple pairs of yellow eyes lit up in the dark of the forest. More wolves, smaller this time. They stalked closer as the bigger one moved, seemingly waiting to see what it was going to do.
Genos’ core lit up as he prepared an attack, and the monster sprinted towards them.
Saitama ran for it as it sprinted their way. He was in a good mood, and felt like getting a little creative.
When it opened its jaws to strike Saitama grabbed it by the teeth and swung it around, using its momentum against it to smack its large body against the smaller wolf monsters. Most were just knocked back, but Saitama laughed when one went flying back into the forest like a home run.
He let go of the fangs and let the largest wolf go flying back. It staggered to catch itself, as surprised as a wolf could look.
“Bet they’ve never seen that one before,” said Saitama, flicking drool off his hand.
The largest wolf was still bewildered, but snarled and ran for them again. This time it aimed itself straight for Saitama.
As expected, Saitama had the larger one handled. The pack probably wasn’t expecting to get played around with like this when they went out for a hunt. At least Saitama seemed to be enjoying himself.
Genos turned his attention to the smaller wolves who were now back up on their feet and pissed. The one that got knocked into the woods didn’t come back; who knows what kind of damage it suffered from getting sent flying like that.
Three of the wolves started chasing after him, while two separated from the pack and chased after Saitama. Genos focused on the three first, since they were quickly drawing close to him. Two of them aimed at his feet, while the other lunged at him.
He managed to kick them back in time, receiving a pitiful sounding yelp in return as they got knocked back. Persistent, they stood up, looking as though they were ready to lunge at him again. Genos didn’t give them the chance before he sent out a blast of fire in their direction. Not trying to hit them, just seeing if it would effectively be able to scare them off.
...and it worked. Letting out a fearful cry as they jumped back from where the blast hit the sand, they retreated. One of them paused to look back, and Genos sent another blast after it, causing it to run with the others back into the woods.
Well, that was easy. Despite being monstrous versions, they still seemed to behave like animals. With that, Genos turned his attention to where Saitama was.
The largest of the pack took no notice of its fleeing comrades as it snapped and snarled at Saitama. Saitama stepped out of the way of each bite, practically dancing in the sand.
When he got bored of the game he waited for the wolf to turn on him again and pulled back his fist. Another lunge from the wolf brought a swing of his arm, and the wolf exploded out over the beach, putting out their fire with its blood.
Saitama winced as their campsite became littered with wolf, parts of it flying well out into the sea.
“...oops.” He looked sheepishly to Genos. “Move camp?”
“...good idea.” Genos flicked off a chunk that landed on his shoulder. His clothes were splattered with blood and monster pieces, and he suddenly found himself wishing he got a little further away from Saitama before he landed the finishing blow. At least they were surrounded by water.
“Maybe we can make a bigger fire this time,” said Saitama, brushing off his own suit. “Keep those things away so we can get some sleep.”
He grabbed what little stuff they had and moved down the beach, to someplace where the sand was clean of gore. Behind him, unnoticed, a large tentacle rose from the waters and wrapped around the wolf, dragging it down for a meal.