Chapter Text
It was one of the usual fights, nothing out of the ordinary. Same threats thrown to the humans screaming their ears out and same irritating comments thrown at him for being a bald guy wearing a generic superhero costume. Honestly, Saitama still didn't have the heart to care. The cyborg by his side, in contrast, was fueled with anger and passion as he fired his blasters at the monster while dodging its counter attacks.
"Sensei!"
Oh right. He was part of the fight too.
Saitama took a step forward as the monster's tentacles went after him, punching the limb into pieces and watching as the force of his punch splits the monster in half and nearly disintegrates his body. Bits and pieces of octopus tentacles and flesh come raining down from the sky as Genos lands beside him; shirt half burnt and the remainder of his pants covered in squishy octopus slime. The blonde tilts his head as the older hero catches a wriggling tentacle in his hands.
"Dinner?"
The next day, he didn't expect Genos to come home tattered and missing a leg.
Actually, scratch that, Genos was missing two arms and a half a leg.
The blonde didn't seem all that bothered by his state, but what confused Saitama was the fact that Genos didn't go to the doctor stench guy right away. The bald man asked him this, to which Genos simply replied to with a gesture of his head towards his lone leg.
"I landed near the apartment sensei. I believe doctor Stench has told you on the proper procedure for basic wire connecting?"
"Uh."
Saitama then spent the rest of his afternoon cursing and swearing as he fumbled with screw drivers and color coded wires.
The next week worried Saitama.
Genos was in the same state when the deep sea king attacked; nearly dissolved and barely functioning. He didn't know what happened, but he just found Genos in the middle of a big crater in the center of town, being fawned over by grateful citizens.
He ignored the protests the people spout at him as he picked the blonde up, rushing towards the direction of the doctor's lab.
The doctor looked tired as he instructed Saitama to lay Genos down on the table, sighing to himself.
"It's the fourth time this month."
Saitama raised a brow.
"Fourth? Were there two other incidents you didn't tell me?"
"Yes. One time he crashed right in the middle of my lab."
The hero looked up, sure enough; a poorly cemented part of the ceiling loomed over them.
"Oh. That must've been pretty hard to fix."
The doctor chuckled humorlessly as he organized his tools for the repairs. "It was fine. Genos decided to fix it himself."
"Well, he is pretty helpful."
Silence followed as the doctor continued to prepare and as Saitama fiddled with his cape.
"…I just wish he'd stop trying to kill himself over and over again." The doctor mutters.
Saitama glanced at the old man.
"Well. When you're practically immortal, I guess you can't help but overestimate your limits."
"I know."
"Plus, he's pretty naïve."
Dr. Stench smiles faintly.
"I know."
"Sensei?" Genos inquires when Saitama doesn't reply for the third time. "Is there something wrong?"
"Yeah. I'm good." He gives Genos a curious look. "Are you?"
"Yes…?"
"Genos, you know that you can trust me, right?"
"Of course, sensei!"
"Then, are you keeping something from me?"
The blonde pauses, "Sensei, I wouldn't--"
Saitama studies the cyborg's expression, before looking away and focusing his attention back on his manga.
"I know you wouldn't." Saitama glanced back, blinking and then glancing back down. "Just checking."
Genos nodded slowly before returning to his note-taking, slightly hesitant to log the conversation they just had.
He found Genos broken on the ground. Even more broken than he ever was.
Saitama stared at the core shattered on the ground, eyes darkening as he took notice of the way it didn't glow anymore.
It wasn't--
Genos wasn't--
"…Goddamnit Genos."
He didn't scream, he didn't cry; he muttered a small curse, but that was it. No more words needed to be said as he looked down at Genos's ruined body and soul.
The pool of blood around the carcass of the monster didn't satisfy his anger, kneeling down beside Genos and lightly punching the cyborg's metal plating; right above the cyborg's chest.
"…Goddamnit Genos."