Work Text:
Saitama looked up from the manga he was reading and glanced at Genos fully concentrated on whatever he writes in his journals. His interests peaked and he was starting to get bored of the story in what he was reading. (The protagonist was far too "perfect" for the story to the point they became tedious and dull. I mean, how is it possible that three people fall in love with them and they're all 'self-conscious'? It's ridiculous.)
"Oi, Genos. What are you doing?" Saitama asked the cyborg. He immediately looked up from his notes and stared at him with wide eyes like a puppy.
"Sensei! I was studying my notes, hoping to find some kind of breakthrough in how you got so strong!" Genos eagerly responded. He continued to babble about possible ideas and a multitude of hypotheses about his strength. Saitama grinned as he got up and stretched before heading to the kitchen. He lightly ruffled Genos' hair.
"That's cool. Keep studying Genos." Saitama monotonously encouraged Genos. The cyborg smiled widely back at him.
"I will, sensei!" Genos shouted as he continued to look through his notes.
Saitama rummaged through the fridge while he looked at Genos through the window that connects the kitchen with the living area.
"Do you want anything, Genos?" Saitama asked. Genos turned to him and softly gazed at him with those bright yellow eyes that made his knees weak.
"Anything you want sensei is fine by me," Genos responded. Saitama nodded before pulling out some leftovers. He might as well heat it up for them both. The B-Class hero turned and stole a quick glance at Genos. He soon felt his cheeks become warm and red. Fuck. He hoped that the cyborg wouldn't turn around and see him.
He had to agree to make Genos his disciple. He had to say yes. He had to agree to allow Genos to live with him. Of all things, he had to agree to accept him into his life. Not that Saitama was complaining, he already thought Genos was pretty cute.
The hero sighed and cursed his luck. He knew that at some point Genos would regret living with him and want to move out. So he was determined to keep any feeling buried. Buried deep. Deeper than Marina's Trench.
Saitama wasn't new to the whole dating scene. He had very few girlfriends in high school. Unfortunately, every relationship ended in a goddamn disaster.
He then gave up trying to date anyone and just accepted his life of loneliness. But now this cyborg had to come and bring his metal ass into his life. Not that he minded it. He's been in terrible relationships and he's not about to be in another one.
Honestly, would it even be worth it? Not like he had any good judgement to determine it himself. Yeah, he wasn't in love at all. That's his conclusion.
If there's a prize for rotten judgement
I guess I've already won that
No man is worth the aggravation
That's ancient history, been there, done that!
"Do you understand me, King?" Saitama asked, laying on his back on the floor. Genos had left for an S-Class meeting and that meant being alone. He wasn't sure what to really do, so he called up King and began to ramble about what he had been feeling the past week or two... months.
"Saitama?..." King asked.
"Yes?"
"You're in love with Genos, man." King blandly stated. Saitama spat out his drink. He sat straight up and gave a confused glance at the phone as if King could see his face. "Saitama, it's pretty obvious. The way you've been acting around him lately is a huge giveaway. You're lucky that he's really dense." King commented.
"Me? In love with my disciple? That's impossible." Saitama argued. He wasn't in love. Like he said, he wasn't into dudes.
"The last 20 minutes of this conversation say otherwise," King remarked, mashing several buttons as he was fighting his enemy in his game.
"I'm not into dudes." Saitama defended with his arms crossed around his chest. He received a groan in response.
"Saitama, you like the cyborg. End of the story." King retorted before sighing as he saw the game over screen. Saitama fell backwards onto the floor once more and endlessly stared at the ceiling. If he was in love with Genos... how could someone as popular and as attractive as him actually reciprocate his feelings. He's a fucking old and bald man... Yet, Genos still decided to stay in this small ass apartment with him. Honestly, he didn't understand Genos' priorities.
Who'd'ya think you're kiddin'
He's the earth and heaven to you
Try to keep it hidden
Honey, we can see right through you
"King, buddy. I think I would know if I did like some cyborg ass." Saitama joked. Afterwards, King abruptly told Saitama to meet him in the city. So trying to not be late as usual, he got up and began to put on some sweatpants and his usual Oppai sweater. He figured he'd be back home before Genos got home so he didn't leave a note. Locking the door, he stepped out and met up with King.
----
"Why's Fubuki here?" Saitama asked. He did find King, but with Fubuki with him. Saitama thought he'd only find King, but not her. Not like he had any major problems with her, it was just... unexpected.
"King told me all about your problem. And let me tell you, you can deny all you want. But it's not going to change anything at all. Who's the "lucky" woman who's tugged your heart?" Fubuki asked with air quotes around 'lucky'. King quickly bent down and whispered something into her ear. Saitama didn't bother to listen. Hell, he didn't even know where this conversation was going.
"Oh... Who would've thought it'd be the Demon Cyborg!" Fubuki cheered with a childish tone. Saitama stared at them both in confusion. What was going on that he wasn't apart of?
"Wait, what about Genos?" Saitama asked. Both King and Fubuki sighed and shook their heads.
"You already forgot about the conversation on the phone?" King asked. A sudden light bulb lit up in his head as he remembered what King was referencing.
"I already told you. I'm not into dudes." Saitama defended. Fubuki eyed the hero and groaned.
"Just admit it, you're in love. It's pretty obvious." She commented. Saitama pouted and looked away, focusing his attention on the different advertisements placed on the store windows.
Girl, ya can't conceal it
We know how ya feel and
Who you're thinking of
"No. I'm not," Saitama stated as he started to walk away from the group. King and Fubuki quickly caught up with the bald man. "I'm not in love and even if I was, it's not like Genos would even accept such feelings." Saitama reasoned. He was expected one of them to contentiously tell him that he was. But was greeted by silence. He turned around and saw the duo snickering. Saitama turned ahead of him and saw something running at an extremely fast speed. It was getting closer and closer till he realized it was coming towards him.
"Sensei!"
Yep, he knew who it was. In a second, Genos was running towards him. He stopped at a halt in front of Saitama.
"Sensei, I didn't know that you were going to be in the city?! Were you going to go get anything? You should've told-" Genos rambled till Saitama stopped him.
"No, Genos. It's okay. I was just meeting up with everyone else." Saitama explained as he pointed back at King and Fubuki.
"Are you going to stay out for long? Because-" Genos said before he was interrupted once more.
"Actually Genos, you could stay out with us if you wanted to." King propositioned to the cyborg. Fubuki turned to him and gave him a confused look. In turn, King smirked before she understood what they were going to do.
"Yeah Genos, it'd be really cool if you came and joined us!" She egged him on. The cyborg only stood there for a few seconds before coming to his conclusion.
"Alright, is that okay, Saitama-sensei?" Genos asked. Saitama shrugged his shoulders and placed his hands into his sweater's pocket. He looked away, unable to stare at those bright eyes.
"Yeah sure, why not." Saitama agreed haphazardly. Genos gave Saitama a small smile that sent some strange feeling to his stomach. Ew. That sounded so cliche.
"Yay! The gang's all united. I know the perfect restaurant we can go to." Fubuki smiled as she began to push them ahead. Saitama turned around and glared at her. She simply smiled widely at them.
"I'm not in love with him." Saitama mouthed to her. Fubuki simply smiled wider.
"Stop denying and live." She mouthed back. Saitama was not about to be thrown into a dramatic soap opera without consent. He couldn't help but pout as a light blush appeared on his cheeks. Shit. Not again.
No chance, no way
I won't say it, no, no
You swoon, you sigh
Why deny it, uh-oh
It's too cliche
I won't say I'm in love
They group went to a restaurant and Fubuki ordered a table outside. The sun blocking umbrella was a nice shade of pink. A waiter came around to give them their menus and left as he left so they could make up their minds. The waiter came back to take everyone's order. Aside from Fubuki taking a long time to give her order, (apparently calculating calories is a lot of work) everything else was fine. King and Fubuki sat on one side of the table while Saitama and Genos sat on the other side.
They began to make idle chatter about random events going on in their lives. King kept talking about this new game that came out and how it has three different versions of the entire game. Saitama kept commented on how that's just a money grabbing move, but King kept defending himself saying how they're all supposed to be different. Fubuki quickly interrupted King's spiel as she turned and whispered in his ear. Saitama shrugged and turned to the cyborg as he asked him what happened at the meeting. Apparently just some standard shit like maintaining the peace and the increasing rate of monster attacks.
The waiter came by and gave them their meals and placed them down on the table.
"I'll be back with your drinks!" The waiter notified before walking off. Saitama was about to open his mouth to correct the young man that they didn't order anything until King interrupted him by talking about the marriage system in the game. The waiter came back with three large milkshakes and some straws and walked off to another customer.
"There's only three drinks." Genos noticed. King and Fubuki quickly dipped their straws into two separate drinks and began to slurp loudly into them.
"Oh no... I guess you two are going to have to share a drink..." Fubuki sarcastically replied. Saitama rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. He silently hoped Genos would catch to her sarcasm. Unfortunately, despite being the embodiment of a super computer, he didn't catch on. A small smiled appeared on Genos' face. He quickly unwrapped the straws and put them inside the glass.
"Come on, Sensei! The shake is actually really good!" Genos badgered towards the hero with a small bit of whip cream from the shake on the tip of his nose. Saitama's chest began to beat faster and faster. Shit. Shit. Shit. He's cute. To avoid any suspicion, Saitama drank from the shake. Holy shit it was actually good.
"Whoops, I have to go take a call from one of my crew members." Fubuki excused herself before running off to the bathroom. King immediately got up also.
"Yeah I also got a phone call." King poorly gave an excuse before running off also, leaving only Genos and Saitama there. Saitama twirled the straw around his finger, watching the whip cream move around.
"Say, sensei... today's a really nice day." Genos smiled at him. Saitama looked up at the cyborg. He couldn't help but admire the way his golden locks shined in the sun. The clear blue sky contrasted against the tight, black shirt he was wearing. Despite his mechanical eyes, they were still beautiful to him.
Wait. Back it up. Back it up. Back the fuck up. He sincerely can't think about his own roommate like this. It's such a nice feeling, though. A nice warm feeling was constantly in his chest at the sight of him. It was nice to have this fuzzy feeling inside his chest rather than intense boredom. He watched as Genos' lips moved up and down. How much he'd love to press his own lips against his own.
He had to stop. Saitama looked away from the cyborg and distracted himself with the milkshake. Although he did it at the same time Genos did so. Their foreheads collided as they bumped into each other. Saitama softly chuckled as Genos did the same. It's been a while since he's seen the cyborg smile. He felt his heart flutter. Genos began to ramble about something that he was researching in his past time. All Saitama wanted to was to hug and kiss him, but he wasn't even sure if the cyborg reciprocated his feelings. He felt some kind of pain in his throat. It wasn't until he realized that his vision was getting blurry that he realized that they were tears. He quickly blinked them away but not quickly enough for Genos to not notice.
"Sensei? What's wrong?" Genos questioned with concern in his voice. Saitama had to bullshit an excuse for the cyborg.
"Uh, nothing! I just had something in my eye." Saitama lied as he proceeded to rub his eyes. Genos gazed at him with a solemn look before looking back at the milkshake. This boy had to enter his life...
I thought my heart had learned its lesson
It feels so good when you start out
My head is screaming get a grip, girl
Unless you're dying to cry your heart out
"King, they aren't doing anything!" Fubuki complained as they both hid behind a pole of an umbrella. Not the best of hiding places, but it works for them.
"You said that by leaving them alone they would maybe say something and confess their feelings," King complained. Fubuki groaned and simply stood there for a couple more seconds.
"I don't think they're going to do anything. We should go back now." Fubuki stated. King nodded as they both walked back to their table. When they arrived, things seemed the same. Aside from the obvious blush on Saitama's cheek and Genos' concerned gaze, everything was basically the same.
After their lunch, the group paid and walked out the restaurant. King and Fubuki slowly backed away from Saitama and Genos, leaving them to walk ahead.
"Nothing's working, King. What do we do?" Fubuki whispered. King wracked his brain, trying to think of scenarios from all the dating simulator games that could work. Well, he's got no idea. "King! You distract Genos somehow and I'll talk to Saitama." Fubuki ordered. King followed through immediately and quickly walked up to Genos.
"Hey, Genos, you know a lot about mechanics, right?" King asked the cyborg. He turned around and nodded to the other S-Class hero.
"Of course-"
"Thanks 'cause I need advice on how to fix one of my game consoles..." King excused as he whisked the cyborg away. Fubuki pulled on the hood of Saitama's sweater as he was about to follow Genos on instinct. The bald man looked at the woman with raised eyebrows.
"Why don't tell the cyborg?!" Fubuki screamed as he shook the man. She always thought that not a lot of things agitated her, well she just might have found the exception. Saitama continued to stare at her with his usual blank expression.
"He probably doesn't even feel the same way. Besides, why would someone like a guy like me? I'm just a boring, old man. Genos is so young and deserves someone who is worthwhile... Besides, if we did get into some kind of relationship, he'll instantly regret it." Saitama began to vent to the psychic. Fubuki simply stared at Saitama with an uncharacteristic blank expression. Her hand was on her cheek with her elbow resting on the palm of her other hand. Her mouth was slightly agape with the corners twitching to rise up. Saitama was only... slightly disturbed by her silence.
"Heh..." She chuckled out. Saitama took a step back.
"Yes! You admitted it!" Fubuki cried out with her arms thrown into the air. Saitama only just then realized what had actually come out of his mouth. His entire face began flushed with a dark red that also tinted his ears. If anything, he felt hotter than the goddamn sun. Hell, he could probably replace it now and cause severe damage to the Earth due to the global warming he'd cause. Saitama wasn't the only one who had noticed Fubuki's comment. Genos had heard from a nearby hardware type store and snapped his head to the direction of the sound.
"Sensei!" Genos cried out and ran to the flustered man. Genos quickly pulled Saitama close and placed both of his hands on both sides of Saitama's face. "What happened?! Why are you so red?!" Genos asked with his voice slightly trembling with concern. Saitama shot a glare at Fubuki as he prayed that she wouldn't dare speak a word. She simply had her arms crossed and with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face. Genos scanned Saitama but wasn't able to exactly determine what was the cause of his redness.
"He's- I mean- It's hot." Saitama lied.
-----
Multiple failed attempts to get Genos and Saitama together had occurred. Many attempts included, but weren't limited to:
- Stealing Saitama's phone and texting Genos his feelings. Result: A broken phone and a distraught Genos.
- Locking the two in a room. Result: An incinerated building and Genos substituting as Saitama's bodyguard. (In Genos' own words, "Someone is out to get us! I must protect you, sensei!")
- Literally telling Genos what Saitama said. Result: Almost punched.
- Giving Genos some free movie tickets and hinting at him to take Saitama. Result: Genos losing them because he forgot his jean's pockets were fake. (Fubuki thought that was only a problem she had to go through. Fake pockets were the bane of her existence.)
Once it was dark, King and Fubuki had given up and bid them goodbye. Saitama sighed loudly as fell backwards against his futon with his warm pajamas on. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, his eyes were dying. Can't he have a simple normal day? He sat back up when he heard Genos calling his name. The cyborg was staring at him, his golden eyes glowing brightly in contrast to the black that had surrounded them. This was the goddamn person who had taken his heart and filled with the passion and warmth he had desired. He always wanted to feel anything, and for the first time in his life. Here he was. Genos was standing in front of him and it's thanks to him that he's still alive.
"Sensei!" Genos screamed, snapping Saitama out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, Genos?" Saitama asked, scratching the back of his ear.
"That's what I'm talking about." Genos continued.
"Huh?" Saitama looked at the cyborg. What the hell is he talking about?
Genos got closer and placed two cups of tea onto the table. Feigning ignorance, Saitama turned away and focused on the cup that settled on the small table. When he looked up, he noticed that Genos had started playing a random comedy-action movie on the TV. Saitama held the small cup in the palms of his hands, embracing the warmth. Before Genos, he had to desperately search for reasons to stay alive. Even the simplest excuse, like his cactus, was what he used to keep moving forward.
He turned his head the blond and saw how he wasn't sitting in his usual seiza position, odd.
Now, he had a stable reason to stay alive. It was in his apartment, sitting there with a small smile on his face.
...... Shit.... He got it bad.
You keep on denying
Who you are and how you're feeling
Baby, we're not buying
Hon, we saw ya hit the ceiling
Face it like a grown-up
When ya gonna own up
That ya got, got, got it bad
"Sensei?" Genos asked. Saitama gazed at him, looking up from his cup of tea. A solemn expression still stuck on his face. He took a sip from his cup and waited for the teen to say something. "Are you okay?" Saitama immediately took his lips away from the cup.
"Yeah, why?"
"You've been... off today..." Genos commented before drinking from his own cup. He settled the cup down and stared at the B-Class hero. "Is there something wrong? Sensei, you can tell me anything." Genos comforted. A sharp pain shot through Saitama's chest. He only just started to wonder how Genos felt throughout the day. The sound of explosions coming from the TV was the only thing keeping the room from being silent.
"I'm... okay." Saitama reassured with a hand on Genos' shoulder.
"Sensei, I didn't mean to intrude, but I was doing some light research on your current symptoms. The main result I found was that you're infatuated with someone or something. Is that true? I just need to make sure you're alright!" Genos rambled. Saitama stared at him with the same expression he always carried on. But for the first time, it was difficult to keep it on. What would he do or even say? Hell, what was he to do now? Saitama felt his heart pound in his chest. Would he lie and say that he wasn't in love like he's been doing? Or would he tell the truth?
Saitama opened his mouth to respond.
No chance, no way
I won't say it, no, no
Give up, give in
Check the grin you're in love
This scene won't play
I won't say I'm in love
You're doin' flips read our lips
You're in love
"Y-Yeah..." Saitama mumbled, barely audible to human ears. Genos sat up straighter with his eyebrows raised. Genos reached a hand out before pulling it back. Saitama quickly wrapped himself with the heart patterned futon and covered his face to avoid Genos seeing any blush appear on his face.
"With who?" Genos asked. Saitama took this as an opportunity and bit back a smile.
"Guess." Genos' brain wracked with multiple ideas, trying to find who his sensei would be attracted to. He went through his mental database and began to search for someone who has a really close relationship with. He then realized it'd be better off asking Saitama for some clues.
"Do I know them?" Genos asked. Saitama nodded and hummed in response.
"Definitely. You know them for sure." Saitama commented. Genos questioned, but still didn't come to any conclusions.
"Have I spoken to them?"
"Yes, you have."
Still got nothing.
"What are some of their physical attributes?"
"They're slightly taller than me..." Saitama began to list. What is this? 20 questions?
"Anything else?" Genos asked.
"They're um... Blond." Saitama mumbled in a low voice. The lack of noise made Saitama's blood run cold. His mind began to race with fear. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He doesn't feel the same. Shit. Shit. Shit. Me and my dumb ass had to say that. God.
"You're infatuated with Flashy Flash?!" Genos shouted at the top of his lungs, louder than the woman on TV who was being held hostage.
Saitama ripped the futon away from his body and stared at Genos with wide eyes. He placed a hand on his cheek in shock. He can't be serious.
"I never thought he'd be your type..." Genos commented. Yes, he is. Saitama sighed loudly and began to laugh. He roared with laughter so loudly, louder than he's ever laughed before. He fell backwards onto the floor, holding his stomach as it began to hurt. Tears streamed down the hero's face as he twitched around as he continued to laugh.
Genos say there as he stared at the bald man. He cocked his head to the side as he observed him.
"Did I say something amusing, Sensei?" Genos asked, only partially unnerved by the way Saitama acted. It was... Odd, to say the least.
Saitama began to hiccup as he tried to compose himself after his outburst.
"Y-hic- Yeah!" Saitama gasped out. "You-hic- can't be serious?!" Genos moved closer to Saitama as he leaned over and looked at the man sprawled on the floor.
The adrenaline rushed through Saitama's entire body as he pulled the cyborg towards him. He tugged Genos onto his chest.
"Sensei?!" Genos cried out as he was suddenly on Saitama's chest. Steam poured out of his vents when he gazed at his sensei's flushed face. Saitama looked face to face with Genos. He cupped a hand on the side of Genos' jaw. "Sensei, are you okay? What's wrong?" Saitama chuckled at the flustered cyborg.
"It's you, Genos." Saitama stated loud and clear, looking directly at him. Genos tried to say something, but he wasn't sure why nothing came out. Any attempt to say anything had been in vain. He prayed to god that this wasn't a cruel joke.
Without any notice, he felt something on his own lips. Looking clearly, he noticed that it was Saitama. They were slightly chapped but tasted of sweet tea. Steam gushed out in huge amounts out of his vents. His mind raced many miles an hour. Before he knew it, they were gone and all that was replaced in his vision was his sensei smiling.
"Oi, Genos, are you alright?" Saitama asked. The seconds that had passed felt like hours to Saitama. All the adrenaline he felt was immediately replaced with fear and despair as the cyborg made no motion or noise. Saitama quickly prepared an apology monologue to him. He shut his eyes and braced himself for Genos slamming the door on his way out. But it never came.
Genos soon realized why the man was acting such a way. He smiled as the hero's face kept turning redder and redder. Quickly making up his mind, he tackled Saitama to the ground before kissing him back. Saitama gasped at the sudden movement. The second he felt another pair of lips against his own, any tension he felt faded away as he wrapped his arms around the cyborg's neck.
Neither of them knew how much time had passed, but when they did separate, they only longed for each other more. Genos caressed the side of Saitama's cheek.
"Did I ever tell you how beautiful your eyes are, sensei?" Genos softly commented.
"Oi, save the cheesy romantic shit for tomorrow. I still need time to process this..." Saitama interjected as he turned his head away, avoiding eye contact with him with a dark red blush becoming even more noticeable.
"I love you, sensei..."
"I... love you too... Genos..."
"Did you ask King and Fubuki to help ask me out or something?"
"No, they did that on their accord."
You're way off base
I won't say it
Get off my case
I won't say it
Girl, don't be proud
It's O.K. you're in love
Oh, at least out loud
I won't say I'm in love