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Saitama rubbed the back of his neck, staring into the organized refrigerator, trying to make room for the large cake box that didn’t want to fit easily beside the vegetables. Nervously, he glanced at the wall clock noting the time. Genos wouldn't be back for another hour. Saitama had made sure to pick up candles. They had been on sale during one of his shopping days. He hoped Genos wouldn’t mind the fact they were pink, it was a little childish.
Once the cake was tucked in it’s place Saitama shuffled into the living room to clear off the table. The room was much cleaner now than it had been last year. He frowned momentarily, trying to think back to when he first met Genos. He surely couldn’t remember the date, but he knew it was sometime in August. Sometime after he had saved him from that mosquito thing. He remembered the heat of those days, how the cyborg had managed to make the unbearably hot apartment seem even smaller and warmer with his brooding presence. A smile tickled Saitama’s lips as he also remembered how Genos had managed to keep the apartment warmer through the last winter.
Time had slipped through his fingers at some point. Satiama had relented to the insistent cyborg thinking that this roommate business would be over with after a few months. Instead, Genos had nested into Saitama’s rectangular home and decided to stay there. Now Saitama was buying him a birthday cake, waiting for Genos to come walking through the front door.
Saitama hadn’t had the money to get anything besides the cake. He hoped that it would be enough. Genos had money to buy anything he really wanted for himself anyway, being an S-Class had it’s perks paycheck-wise. Saitama really did wish that there was something he could get him…
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“Sensei! It’s perfect!” Genos smiled from ear to ear at the chocolate cake, as it sat proudly on the table candles flickering light into the darkened apartment.
“Remember to make a wish.” Saitama said offhandedly, using his tongue to lick icing off the side of his hand that had been acquired while placing the candles.
Genos’ face became serious for a moment before swiftly blowing out the candles.
“Sweet, let’s eat!” Saitama smiled. He had been waiting for a piece of the cake since he picked it up at the bakery that morning. He dug into it excitedly, noticing that Genos hadn’t even picked up his fork, and instead was staring out into the space in front of him.
“Oi, Genos.” Saitama waved a hand in front of his eyes.
“S-sorry Sensei, I was lost in thought.”
Saitama thought maybe if he was quiet Genos wouldn’t…..
“I was reminiscing about this time last year, the day that you saved me actually. I was so thankful to have met you then Sensei. Truly this past year, following you as your disciple, it’s more than I could have ever imagined and I am grateful to you Sensei. To think that all of this might never have happened had I not…” Genos caught the look it Saitama’s eyes and quieted.
Saitama hadn’t meant to look mean, he just wanted to enjoy his cake without being praised. It made his stomach upset.
Genos smiled and continued quietly. “You know Sensei, last year was my golden birthday.”
Saitama tried to cover up the choking sound he made as he swallowed the last bite of his cake.
“R-really Genos, uuhh cool I guess.”
The question hung in the air, but Saitama didn't want to ask it. Had he met his soulmate?
It was a well known truth that everyone who had a soulmate met theirs on their golden birthday. However, met was a pretty loose term. You could easily bump into your soulmate on the train going to work that day, or say hello to them through the drive-in window of your favorite fast food restaurant. There was no magical buzzing or other indication that the person who you were talking to was your soulmate, it was just that they were there. By that rule you would meet your soulmate twice, once on their golden birthday, and then again on your golden birthday. Saitama expected that Genos’ golden birthday had already past, most people encountered it earlier on in life. In fact there were a lot of people who completely ignored the entire thing, just because there was a soul mate out there for you didn’t mean that you would always end up with them. Only the truly romantic individuals would ever really hold out and spend all that time waiting.
“Sensei?” Genos averted his eyes and stared at his half eaten cake. “Do you believe in the soulmate myth?”
Saitama sighed, I guess we are going to have this conversation.
“Not really Genos, I mean for most people it sounds great but I never really saw myself as one of the people to hold out for it.”
“Does this mean Sensei has had other relations in lieu of waiting for his soulmate?” Genos raised his eyebrows.
“Ugggh, h-hey that’s a little personal isn’t it?”
“Sorry Sensei.”
Saitama nervously scratched the back of his neck.
“Nah, it’s ok I guess it really doesn’t matter. Since I became a hero I haven’t really given much thought to it. I honestly don’t think I would want to meet my soulmate now anyway.”
They would be pretty disappointed to realized they were waiting for caped baldy...
“You’re right Sensei, being heroes should continue to be our first priority.” Genos looked like he wanted to add something else, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Saitama was hunched just a little bit more than usual. It had been a bad idea to bring it up.
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The week of September 26th quickly approached. Saitama got more nervous as the days crept towards it. He didn’t believe in the stupid myth anyway so why did he even care?! The hero association had decided to plan far more meetings this month as there seemed to be fewer monster sightings as fall approached. Genos was leaving the house again every time Saitama turned around and he had honestly started to miss the cyborg. Saitama tried to made sense of his feelings but his nerves got the better of him. He felt an inevitable change coming and it scared him. All that talk about being able to change himself, but when change came without his permission he was really annoyed.
“Oi Genos, where are you going?” Saitama happened to look up from his manga to catch the cyborg grabbing an overnight bag out of their cramped closet.
“I have to go to Kusneo’s for a few days Sensei, I will return with my new upgrades by Thursday at the latest.” Genos turned back towards the closet placing spare parts into the duffel-bag, along with a few changes of clothes.
Saitama felt his mouth go a little dry. He hadn’t bothered to tell Genos when his birthday was. Genos didn’t know… Well it didn’t matter that he didn’t know, it was supposed to be an unplanned meeting anyway you couldn’t make someone appear... Wait, did he want Genos to be his soulmate? No that wasn’t it, he just didn’t really want to be alone.
“W-well, have a good time then!” Saitama forced a fake smile as he tried to sound nonchalant as possible.
“I will return Sensei.” Genos made an awkward bow with his duffle bag on his back, turning to close the apartment door behind him quietly.
Saitama groaned and fell face first onto his futon.
Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit…..
Ok, well so what if he’s not your soulmate right? I mean it’s not a big deal. When did you even start caring about that stuff? Just because he brought it up that you were there on his birthday, doesn’t mean that he’s the one. It’s Genos, your disciple Genos, even if he’s not your soulmate he’s not going to leave right? I mean he probably won’t leave soon…. But eventually he’ll find the person he’s supposed to be with and then what? What are you too him really?
Thinking about the situation was making it worse. Saitama rolled back onto his stomach and stared up at the ceiling. He was happy when Genos was here and without him…. Without him it might be too hard to keep going on with this whole hero/life thing. Saitama rolled onto his side and really thought about it, wallowing just a bit in self-pity. At some point he dozed off.
Morning broke outside the sliding glass door of his apartment. Saitama hadn’t even changed into his pajamas before falling asleep so he woke up uncomfortably and alone, his body sweaty and drool caked on the bottom part of his chin. He laid in bed wondering that if he stayed here all day what that would mean? What would that prove for the myth, that Saitama himself was too boring to even warrant a soulmate, that there really was no such thing as soulmates? If the whole thing was untrue that would be a little easier for him to swallow. At least then he wouldn’t feel like he was so left out of society.
Eventually the urge to pee roused him from the futon. Since he was already up, he continued into the kitchen to make breakfast for himself, but halfway through grabbing the ingredients he lost his appetite. He had tea instead, sitting on the countertop of the darkened kitchen by himself, staring into the cup the steam rising slowly up around his face. It was comforting. It reminded him of Genos, how his body would steam when they got caught outside in the rain, or when Saitama would say something horribly embarrassing. Saitama let out a small chuckle that fell flat when it hit the empty air of the apartment. This was being alone.
When two o’clock rolled around Saitama decided he should probably shower. Only 10 more hours before he could officially say he had no soulmate. He turned on the shower as hot as it would go, letting the bathroom fog up entirely. He scrubbed every inch of his body vigorously trying to take the last year off of his skin, purposefully using Genos’ soap just so he could smell it. Genos wouldn’t care and he would never know. Once he was done washing he decided he didn’t want to leave the shower. He sat down in the tub letting the water run over his back, his head between his knees. Honestly, he was a little sad. There was one time in his youth when he had really thought that he would find his soulmate. It would have been nice to have someone, just anyone, to be there to wash his back for him, to smile in the morning. He wanted it.
Happy Birthday to me...
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The rest of the day Saitama spent on his futon, in his boxers, staring at the television or reading his manga. He had forgotten to eat, forgotten to move. Honestly, he had started to feel a little dizzy like he was going to be sick. When he looked up at the clock and noticed it was almost nine he made his way to the fridge. It was mostly empty. A few eggs, Genos’ cake mockingly glaring at him. He really didn’t have the energy to cook anything… Well, maybe he could go grab some udon. There was that one noodle place not too far away. He would treat himself to birthday udon. He smiled for the first time all day as he grabbed his sweatshirt and pulled it on over his head.
The walk didn’t take too long, Saitama had reached the shop easily by 8:30. As he approached it in the darkness of the street he noticed there was someone already sitting at the bar. Saitama hesitated. He knew it was unlikely, but what if it was…. No, he was too hungry to care and he didn’t believe in that stuff. He made his way towards the stand determined, not even bothering to look over at the other individual until he had already taken his seat.
“Saitama? Is that you?” Mumen spoke with surprise, swallowing a mouthful of noodles.
Saitama turned and smiled.
“Hey Mumen, what are you doing out here this late?”
“I just finished my patrol, this is the last stop of the night. What are you doing here? I figured you Genos would be cooking for you.”
Saitama’s smile fell off his face at the mention of the cyborg.
“Nah, he’s off at Kuseno’s for a few days so I’m on my own..”
Mumen noticed the sadness that crept into Saitama’s voice but didn’t comment on it. Saitama ordered the cheapest thing on the menu.
Mumen looked at the hollowed cheeks and the dark circles under Saitama’s eyes.
“Hey, let me get this for you.” Mumen said.
“You don’t have to do that..” Saitama glanced over at Mumen embarrassed. Mumen was smiling goofily, it was a sincere honest smile. Behind the glasses his eyes were warm.
“I insist on it, tonight’s a night to celebrate!” Mumen cheerily paid for their dinners.
“Celebrate what exactly?”
“Meeting my quota, not getting injured this week, I just encountered a mugger this evening but look,” Mumen lifted up his arms to show off his armor suit, which had several deep slices into the plastic. “He didn’t get me.”
Satiama paused for a moment, thinking about how unlike Genos and himself, Mumen could easily be hurt. How many stitches and broken bones had he had to endure over his years of becoming a hero?
“That’s great man.” Saitama smiled.
Mumen smiled back and then turned back to grab another mouthful of noodles. The lights from the shop bounced off his glasses, his hair was still damp with sweat from wearing his helmet and he looked like a hot mess, but he was full of life. It was what Saitama had needed. Someone to drag him up from the pit that he kept falling into.
“You know I never thought that this is what I would be doing when I was younger.” Mumen continued, mostly to himself. “I’ve always wanted to help people, but I figured at 25 I would be married, have a steady job, all those things… It’s funny how life works out, I guess it isn’t what we expect it to be.”
Saitama nodded at the wisdom of Mumen’s words.
“Yeah, me too. Well, I never really expected to be married but yeah pretty much all that other stuff.”
“You know it’s not too late to find someone if you wanted too.” Mumen blushed a bit, trying to cover it up by turning to grab another drink.
“Well all that soulmate stuff is sort of lost on me, it’s a pretty long wait when you’re born at the end of the month.”
“Yeah I know, that’s why I’m not giving up yet,” Mumen smiled. “I’ve still got two more years before my golden birthday.”
Saitama stilled as the idea crept up into the back of his head that maybe Genos wasn’t the one. Maybe Genos didn’t have to be...The cook sat the huge bowl of udon down in front of him, distracting him from the mixed feelings of hope and sadness that wound themselves around his chest.
He had always wanted it to be Genos, he felt pulled towards him like they were attached somehow invisibly, but maybe that was just infatuation? Maybe Saitama had been as dumb about this soulmate business as he was with everything else. Maybe there was still time for Saitama to find someone… even if it wasn’t the person who he had kept in his heart over the past year.
Saitama smiled nervously as he ate, keeping up a quiet but enjoyable conversation with Mumen and the minutes ticked by, turning into hours, until the shop was going to close and they were asked to leave. They both stood outside the shop awkwardly for a moment, realizing how late it actually was and how alone the streets were at night. Saitama was once again reminded of Mumen’s frailty, as the cyclist fastened the sweaty helmet back on to his head.
“Thanks for dinner Mumen, I appreciate it.” Saitama smiled.
“It’s no problem, especially since you did save my life that one time. It’s really the least I could do.” Mumen graciously bowed and then threw his leg over his bike.
“See you later!” He waved as he rode off into the night.
Saitama was tempted to follow him down the road, just to make sure he got home ok, but he thought better of it. The moment Mumen was gone from his presence the lack of company killed all his ambition and hope of having a soulmate. Mumen was just a good friend. Saitama was meant to be alone.
Saitama walked slowly back towards his apartment, his sandals getting caught on every crack in the pavement as he drug his feet. Inevitably the strap of his left sandal broke with a snapping sound. Saitama sighed and picked up the ruined shoe, attempting to shove the strap back through the poorly constructed foamy plastic bottom.
His fingers started to shake, it was hard to see in the dark. He looked at his watch again noting that it was nearing 11:00. In less than an hour he would really know, just how alone he was in this world.
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He didn’t know why he was running so fast. Why his heart was racing. Why the wind itself seemed to be pushing him forward.
It was just Mumen. He was just going to meet him. But, there was something in his voice. Something…
Something that made his heart beat faster, louder, made his breath short.
Something that made him think of Saitama.
“Hey, Genos, there’s something important I need your help with.”
A gust picked up, pushing him forward once more. Pushing him further into the darkness of the unknown in the night.
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Buildings flew by- unfamiliar at first, and then more and more familiar. Genos slowed down, checking the coordinates Mumen had given him again. This was close to Saitama’s apartment, their apartment. What did Mumen need so close to their apartment?
Was Saitama in trouble?
Unlikely, but what else could it be?
He launched himself forward into the night once more, arriving at the coordinates mere seconds later.
A…. park?
Genos looked around at the dilapidated equipment. It was rather close to their apartment, maybe a block or two away, but Genos was fairly sure he had never seen it before. Not that he had had a reason to notice it before now, but it still felt odd to Genos to not know of something that had been in such close vicinity for such a long time.
A creaking sound came from across the playground, it’s source hidden by a giant plaster play area in the center of the playground which at one point probably resembled some sort of cartoon animal. Now the paint was faded, a pole protruding from a would-be eye sending cracks throughout the ruined thing. The eerie atmosphere sent a shiver down his spine.
Why had Mumen wanted to meet here?
Genos walked cautiously toward the creaking noise, taking note of its steady rhythm to distract from the thoughts of foul play running through his mind. He had talked to Mumen on the phone. His voice had sounded steady, if not a little sad. There was no way someone could be using him to lure Genos into a trap, right?
Genos felt his battle systems start to kick in. Just in case.
As he inched his way along the outside of the plaster play area, he turned his scanners on. Heat signatures showed a lone figure swinging back and forth in the air. They didn’t seem to be alerted to his presence yet, but they also didn’t seem to be Mumen. The shape was wrong, the weight was wrong, everything about them seemed more like…
...more like Saitama?
Genos stepped around the grotesque play area to find his teacher, swinging alone on a rusted old swing set.
“Oi... Genos?”
Saitama’s eyes looked glazed over, like he was lost in a dream.
Genos felt every artificial muscle in his body tense. What was going on here?
Saitama’s swinging motion slowed.
“Ha, I must really be going crazy. There’s no way you’re here right now.”
The look on his teacher’s face was so sad, so hollow, Genos wished he had a heart so it could break.
He wanted to run to him, to comfort him, to hold him until all the bad things in his life were washed away.
But they were just friends, right? Just disciple and master. Roommates. Those titles… they didn’t carry with them the privilege of holding someone so great.
Instead, he took a shaking step forward.
“Mumen called me… told me to meet him here… Said it was important.”
Saitama laughed, but it wasn’t filled with joy. It was more like a sigh.
“Of course he did… I’m sorry he dragged you out here, Genos. But as you can see, he’s not here.”
Saitama had stopped swinging by now and motioned to the empty playground.
“Yes, my sensors indicate that to be correct. However, I’m beginning to think his reason for calling was less for himself.”
Genos studied the face of his master, looking for any signs of what could be causing his distress. It had just seemed to get worse at the mention of Mumen.
“Well, that’s stupid. He shouldn’t have called you.”
“Obviously he felt he had a reason, and judging by your state, I’m inclined to agree.”
Genos felt his feet walking closer to Saitama and could do nothing to stop him.
“Well then you’re both stupid. I’m fine.”
“That doesn’t appear to be the case, sensei. Your tone is unusually distressed, I detect an elevated heart rate, as well as several hormones at unusual levels for your normal body chemistry-”
Genos couldn’t remember how the distance between them had gotten so small. His sensors barely detected his master’s movements they were so swift, so precise.
All of his focus was on the pair of lips on his. The lips he had dreamed of night after night. The lips that had spoken so many words of wisdom to him.
The lips that belonged to Saitama.
He didn’t want to, but he pushed them away.
“Sensei, what is going on with you?! I don’t detect any signs of intoxication in your blood stream but-”
His thoughts were interrupted once more by those sweet lips, more forceful this time as strong hands held him in place.
This time, Saitama was the one to end the kiss.
“I didn’t think I would see you today… I didn’t think…”
Genos furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he looked over the other man’s face, the clouds clearing from those chocolate brown eyes he loved to look into so much.
“But Sensei, I don’t understand. Why today? I’ve been gone before many times.”
Saitama chuckled. This time there was a hint of joy to it.
“Today is my birthday, Genos. My Golden Birthday.”
If Genos had a heart, it would have stopped.
Instead, he tried his best to stop Saitama’s.
He grabbed those strong cheek bones in mechanical hands not worthy to touch such perfect. He forced the man he admired’s lips against his own, putting all of his feelings into one passionate kiss.
“Why didn’t you tell me Sensei?”
He kissed him again, not giving him a chance to answer. Saitama returned the kiss in kind, wrapping the arms of a God around Genos’ own mechanical frame. He felt small in those arms, but like he was home.
“Don’t ever keep something so important from me again.”
He pulled him into another kiss, forgetting the world around them. All that mattered was Saitama. All that mattered was kissing that sad look away, forever.
“Just call me, Sensei. I’ll come running. I’ve always come running; and I always will.”
It was Saitama’s turn to pull him into a kiss. He held him so tightly, kissed him so hard, he was sure his frame would burst from the pressure. Just when he was to the point where he could stand no more, Saitama loosened his grip, just enough, whispering words onto his lips.
“I know, Genos. I know.”
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They clung together smiling in the dark, together, with the stars above them. Soulmates.