Chapter Text
Genos looked down at the paper in his hands with a void expression. A hastily-written note was sprawled on the top, no effort or attempt made to make the words neat or organized. The ink was a familial shade of purple, and it takes him no longer than 0.125 seconds to figure out that it matched to the purple kangaroo pen won from a cereal box.
The note is simple yet bold in its meaning, and Genos reads over it carefully.
" Hey Genos
Im going out for awhile
I probably won't be back until tomorrow (if things go good) so dont cook for me
Seeya then
- Saitama "
Of course, Sensei's handwriting was undeniable and the complete lack of proper sentence structure only confirmed that the note was genuine, not that that he would have doubted it anyways.
Genos narrowed his eyes slightly, analyzing the note in the more detail than he should.
'Sensei will not return until tomorrow, that is understood. However, his wording suggests that he is planning to perform at some task to his fullest extent. He suggests that this is an activity that is not easy, given his nervous tone. If the activity is difficult for Saitama-sensei than it must be nearly impossible for anyone else.
Alternatively, it could be an objective phrase, taking on a new meaning. Perhaps he is planning on engaging in a social activity, as he has often expressed his distaste for. That would be unorthodox for him, but it is more logical compared to the alternative.
Things that my Sensei could have trouble with may be and are not excluded to: trivia games, pop culture events, expensive escapades, dating activities-
Dating activities?'
Genos paused and set the note back onto the counter, it's contents already documented in photographic evidence and memory.
'
Yes. Dating activities is the most conclusive to the note. While I have no knowledge of his activities beyond our time together, I haven't heard a thing from Sensei on this subject.'
His finger twitched.
'But he does not need to share all activities with me. Sensei surely has other more important things to do which do not include me. His outings have not fluctuated beyond its normal margin, perhaps this is a first date?
Sensei did not wear clothing aside from his usual attire and I did not see him put any effort into making appearances . There is a large possibility my conclusion is wrong from the lack of evidence. Only one way to determine.'
He pulled out his cell phone and pressed '3', the speed dial working instantly. Mumen Riders face appeared on the screen.
It was a picture they had taken together, Mumen leaning up to wrap his arm around Genos while giving a satisfied smile. All of his smiles looked earnest, it was one of his unforgettable characteristics.
He held the flip phone up to his ear and waited patiently for the ringer. Mumen had been one of the most resourceful people to know when it came to asking questions or a favor. He and Saitama-sensei were both good friends from childhood, so they were somewhat close. Mumen usually answered any question Genos asked about his mentor, but there were the occasional scolds he'd receive from trying to ask too much.
The line picked up and on the other end a happy C-Class hero's voice.
"Hey Genos! Howya doing?"
"Hello Mumen, I am doing okay. I have a question-"
"Just okay?"
"........yes?"
"You don't sound too sure, Genos. Don't lie."
"......."
The conversation quickly turned to an uncomfortable angle, as Mumen often tried to do. Genos needed to salvage things and fast.
"Mumen, I just need you to answer my question. It is important."
Mumen gave it thought and decided that the level of sincerity Genos used was high enough to continue.
"Alright, I'm listening."
The blonde mentally sighed at the relief of dodging a heart-to-heart and was glad to get to where he needed. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't getting more curious by the second.
"I want to know if Saitama-sensei is on a date or has been seeing anybody in a romantic way as of late."
The other side of the line goes quiet, and Genos waits with an uncomfortable heaviness.
"Yeah he's on a date with a nice girl, I passed by them about an hour ago. Had to say hi of course. Why do you ask?"
'So I was right, he is on a date. He went out with a woman and are in the area that Mumen patrols on Sundays. He did not tell me anything about this.'
"Genos? Why do you ask?" Mumen repeats louder this time for Genos, causing him to blink back from his thoughts. The cyborg immediately notices the room has gotten much darker and time has passed. He reeled back to the conversation with a clean voice, no change in tone.
"Sensei left me a note and I was confused by its contents. Thank you for clearing it up for me."
The previous cautiousness dissipates after he says that and Mumen can practically be heard smiling. "Its no problem Genos, glad to help!" He no longer thinks something is out of the oridnary. "Talk to you another time, and remember to watch both ways when you cross the street!" He hangs up the phone before Genos has a chance to tell him that his body is made of tons of metal and steel components and a car crashing into him would do nothing but scuff his armor.
The apartment is unusually silent now, and almost completely dark. The light coming in from the balcony door was a faint red color, mixed with various shades of orange and pink. It presented the room with with a soft glow that was picturesque, but unfortunately Genos was not the painting type, nor in the mood for recreational activities.
He thought about how simple it would be to just not turn on the light, and how he didn't really need it anyways. He thought about how the sunset glow would look against his synthetic skin, or maybe his Sensei's. All of it was dramatic but then again what isnt?
Genos thought over the idea of his sensei returning home unexpectedly and dipped into the closet to retrieve his pajamas.
The pants slid off too easy for how tight they were and the shirt wasn't much harder. It slid off with some restraint but luckily did not snag on any edges as it tended to do. He set them down into the laundry hamper designated to dirty clothing and proceeded to roll out one futon.
It spread on the floor with ease, and Genos looked at the space beside his futon, briefly hesitating at the emptiness. Something about it didn't look right. Maybe it was the ominous glow, maybe it was the lack of presence, it could have been a lot of things.
He closed his hand to a fist and went to retrieve Saitama's futon against his better judgement. He knew it would be unlikely that his mentor would return home, but he would prepare it just in case.
'I also just don't like the excess space.' He fluttered his eyelashes in a quick blur of blinking while trying his best to become any kind of tired. It was not working.
After a few minutes of restless staring he concluded that maybe if he got into bed it would help him transition into sleep. A quiet shuffling of metal feet announced what Genos was doing and no longer than a minute after he climbed in did his sleep program take over for him.
"Sleep Mode is a setting that allows your body to enter into a slight catatonic state. It won't be exactly like sleeping as you know it, but more of a trance stage. In this time your mind can relax and dream or it can continue to function as normal, which would be something close to daydreaming."
The doctor clipped on the last magnetic strip, a small blue light on a device nearby syncing up with Genos. He nodded and listened to Kuseno's explanation of sleep with a rigid expression, and the man simply sighed.
The memory played out as it always did, Doctor Kuseno going over smaller details about the program as usual. It was the same as it was every few months for the past few years.
Genos pushed down the plating on his forearm to reveal a panel. Underneath were set commands that helped him to regulate his body. This was only prototype 2, the first having been a failure during his very first procedure. He looked at it with the same expression he's had since he's been awake: Vengeful.
The doctor pats his metal arm and says nothing, despite his want to. It was obviously difficult for him to comfort Genos, so he did the next best thing for him: give him machine gun attatchments.
As Genos tested his new eyes (pair 7, the first 6 were not to code) by scanning the horizon line. His current mission was his only mission: Destroy the Mad Cyborg.
It was around midnight when he stood at the top of the hill, Cities X and Z illuminated in the far distance. The lights sparkled against the moonlit countryside in an unforgettable sight, but it was one that Genos was blind to for the longest time.
"Nice night, isn't it Genos?"
The boys eyes widened as he looked to his right. Saitama stood beside him, gazing up at the stars with a slight fondness.
"S.....Sensei. What are you doing here?" Genos asked out loud, suddenly confused and very much disoriented. This should not have been happening. Saitama had never shown up in this memory before.
"Oh you know, just walking around. Hey, are we gonna go home soon? I'm starving." He patted his stomach with a sympathetic look to add emphasis.
He stared at his mentor in disbelief, continuing the conversation for the sake of wanting to know more. "I thought... you were on a date, Sensei."
Saitama turned to him, looking through like Genos was transparent glass. "Nah, I cancelled remember?"
No. "I must have forgotten." His eyebrows scrunched together, "Why did you cancel?"
Saitama gave him an "ehh? You really don't remember?" Before shifting his stance. His eyes went off into the distance towards City Z's lights, the air suddenly much colder than before.
The world's sound disappeared as he said his words , the only thing Genos was able to hear was his Sensei.
"I cancelled because you didn't want me to go. Of course I did, I didn't want you to be unhappy."
The golden yellow eyes widened at this, and his peripheral vision was starting to become less distinct. Saitama gave him a half-smile that was fully sincere.
"I did it because I-"
Genos opened his eyes to the still dark room, a calm unsettling resting in his mind from the dream.
"......hmm."