Work Text:
Gene should be happy. He was in Love~Love Paradise, one of the most famous themed water resort parks, with a potential job on the line, surrounded by his beloved baby brother and his brother's friends, one of which being Gene's high school crush, and they'd made up.
So why did he feel... discontent whenever he was left to sit in the moment?
...
Several weeks earlier.
"Do you HAVE to go?" Zenix whined, much to Gene's annoyance.
"Yes, Zenix," Gene responded, teeth gritted as he closed his suitcase. "Unlike you, I'm actually trying to be a funtioning member of society."
"HEY!"
"Zenix, leave him be." A female voice called out quietly from behind Gene, and he looked up to see Sasha entering the room.
"But Sasha, he didn't even try to take us with him," Zenix said as he continued to whine with overdramatic emphasis on every note he held.
"So?"
"It'd cost more, and you know that. Like, an INSANE amount! I mean, it's Love~Love Paradise we're talking about!"
"Yeah... but-"
Gene finally finished latching up his suitcase as he looked up at his fellow Shadow Knights. He was preparing to scold Zenix further, with Sasha's support only being minimal... but the daggers in his eyes faded when he met theirs. Despite the fact that both of his closest friends were bothering him, Zenix bothering Gene excessively and Sasha being willfully ignorant to Gene's plights, they both had genuine sadness in their eyes, Sasha's pondering quietly over the suitcase in his hands, and Zenix's giving Gene a pleading look like a needy puppy dog. Gene couldn't help but soften upon understanding why they were giving him so much trouble.
"Guys, c'mon. I promise I won't be gone forever! It's just gonna be for the summer as I get US money!"
"Yeah, but... do you have to go...?" Gene was startled, as this time, it was Sasha who actively asking him to stay... It took him a moment to find the right words to say as he took a deep sigh.
"Yeah... And I'm sorry about that." He wanted to say more... to get them to not be so worried...
"It... it's alright," Zenix spoke up, new resolution in his eyes. He exchanged a look with Sasha, who slowly nodded in reply and allowed herself further into Gene's room. At once, they grabbed Gene's suitcase and any other belongings the man had clearly indicated he was going to take, and then looked at him, waiting for some form of command as to where to take the stuff. Gene's eyes widened with surprise.
"G-guys..."
"Let's get you to the airport," Zenix said, small smile on his lips.
"Unless you're chickening out, oh great and mighty Shadow Knight leader?" Sasha smirked playfully as she spoke.
The car drive over to the plane that would take Gene to Love~Love Paradise was deafeningly quiet. Hell, not a single Shadow Knight spoke until Gene's flight was called.
"Well... I guess it's time to go-" Gene was stopped as a pair of arms suddenly pulled him into a tight hug.
"We'll miss you," Sasha said quietly.
"Even if it won't be that long," said Zenix.
Gene felt something wet against his shirt as the trio continued to hug, and he couldn't help but feel his own eyes struggling to hold back tears as he saw the ones welling in his friends' eyes.
"Now go get to paradise!"
"And don't let it keep you too long..."
"B-bye, guys! I'll make sure to enjoy it for you guys as much as possible!" Gene called out as he ran off to board his flight, his voice wavering as his eyes continued to water.
...
Present time.
"Gene?"
"Huh!?" Gene snapped out of his reminiscing as he heard the chime-like voice of Aph ring in his ear, short and sweet. And yet... somehow... it didn't...
"Hey! Guy told me to get you. I think it has something to do with your job interview...?" Aph looked unsure as she looked off to the side, probably where Guy had talked to her from.
"Oh. Thanks!" Gene got up, giving a grateful, yet nervous glance to Aph as she sent him back a reassuring smile and a pair of thumbs-ups, as if to tell him "You got this!" Gene could remember his friends saying that...
He walked over to where Aph had glanced, and sure enough, there Guy stood. As soon as they met eyes, Guy's smile grew and he waved to him as he allowed Gene to approach him. Once Gene finally came satisfyingly close enough, Guy lowered his hand for a hand shake, and from there, he led him to his temporary office.
"I'm grateful for your time, Gene. Please, take a seat." Guy motioned to a chair before the desk he sat himself behind. Gene sat down quietly, nerves stirring in his stomach.
"So, we've reviewed your application, and... Mr. Gene we'd like to take you on to the team!"
Gene's heart leaped with joy, until...
"... Is what I would say... but there's ONE LITTLE issue..."
And just like that, Gene's heart sank. "W-what is it...?"
Guy let out a sad sigh. "You applied for a summer job, and unfortunately... we have no summer positions open right now. However, we do have positions for fall open, so-"
The world seemed to slow. Gene found himself not listening as Guy continued to explain. It was what he wanted... money... a job... but he'd promised the Shadow Knights he would come back once the summer was up...
"So, Mr. Gene, what do you say?"
Within a heartbeat, he knew his answer.
"As much as I appriciate it Guy, I'll have to turn you down..." He couldn't bring himself to look Guy in the eyes, somewhat ashamed he was letting his heart guide such a major decision. "I've got people waiting for me at home, and... I promised them I'd be back by the fall. I... I can't-"
"They're special to you, aren't they?" Gene slightly jumped at the interruption as he met Guy's warm and understanding gaze.
"Ye-yeah..."
Guy let out another sigh, but this time, he was smiling.
"Well then. I'll make sure to keep you in our contacts for next summer!" Guy smiled at him as he brushed his papers out of the way and cheerfully held out his hand. Gene took it, somehow feeling more relieved than when he entered. "Have a great rest of your summer. Don't keep those special someone's waiting! Especially before it becomes too late."
...
The weight of this summer didn't seem to fall off Gene's shoulders until he heard a pair of voices: one soft, bored, and yet musical, and the other sharp, spiky, and exciteable.
"Do you see him?"
"No, Zenix, just like the other HUNDRED times you asked me!"
Gene let himself smile as he finally saw them in the crowd: HIS Shadow Knights.
"Guys! I'm over here!" He ran at them waving as he called out to them. Once he reached them, he pulled them both into a tight hug.
"Gene...!"
"Listen, guys, I've got some really important stuff to talk to you guys about, but I think I should save it for home..."
"A-alright?"
"Gene, are you okay? What's gotten into you?"
And yet, he didn't wait for them as he raced them to the car and waited somewhat patiently for them all to finally get to his apartment so he could talk to them.
"Okay, seriously Gene. What's up?" Slight concern brushed Sasha's usually careless face as she stared at him.
"Yeah..." Zenix concurred.
Gene gave himself a moment to take a breath. This one sentence... it could either make his entire world... or break it...
"Zenix... Sasha... I guess I should start with the... less pressing matter? I... ended up turning down the job at Love~Love Paradise."
They both stared at him, eventually opening their mouths to question him when he beat them to the punch.
"They... didn't have any summer jobs available. The earliest they could offer me was in the fall."
"So why didn't you take it!?" Sasha cried out. There was anger in her eyes, but more than anything, genuine confusion.
"I promised you guys I'd come back..."
"But WE... YOU need the money!" Zenix cried out. To some extent, he looked betrayed, but just as bewildered as Sasha.
"We... we could've gone a few more months without you-" Gene cut off Sasha.
"But I couldn't! Not... not without you guys..."
Both of his underlings were left stunned speechless. Gene swallowed the anxiety building in his throat.
"Sasha... Zenix... I love you guys... And... not platonically, but romantically. Love~Love Paradise was nice, sure... I got to see my baby brother for the first time in a while, and even got to reconcile with Aph and her friends... but all of it felt empty without you two to share it."
"Gene-"
"I WANT to be able to kiss you... cuddle you... say I love you... call you mine, and be SURE that you know I MEAN it. Because you two aren't just my Shadow Knights... you're MY Shadow Knights... And so... with that... would you two... want to become my boyfriend and girlfriend?"
A heavy silence hung in the air. No one said anything. Gene was fearful, but he'd come this far already. He wasn't going to back down now, even if it hurt. Suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him as both Sasha and Zenix hugged onto him, and Gene was brought back to the reality he hadn't realized he'd zoned out of.
"You stupid..." Sasha muttered, blush and tears covering her face, but they were happy.
"Yes!" Zenix yelled out. At once, they went to either side of his face and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making his own face turn a deep red.
Zenix let out a loud fit of laughter at the sight, and even Sasha chuckled before clearing her throat and regaining her composure.
"Okay, but before anything, YOU STILL need to get a job. I don't know about you two, I'd prefer to be living with my partners with a stable income instead of having to waste gas to get to a crappy apartment to hang."
"Yeah, yeah..." Gene replied sheepishly, scratching his head as the warmth lightened in his cheeks. "Don't worry. I'll do whatever I can to make as much money as possible, and then, we'll all buy and live in the grandest house of our dreams!"