Chapter Text
Genos looked out upon the darkened plain. Beyond the ring of charred dirt he had left was long stretches of fallow ground. He frowned and got up. He had barely scorched the ground when he landed, a clear sign that the old man’s heart wouldn’t last much longer.
Plip! Plop!
He hissed in pain and looked up, realising that the dimming light was not because it was nearly nighttime, but rather the shadows of the large mass of clouds overhead. He was already too weak from his travels and from his failing heart. He wouldn’t last through a downpour, much less another attack. He needed to find shelter and fast .
Saitama yawned. The books here were dull, the pages too thin and had barely any pictures. The weather wasn’t helping his fatigue. He wondered how long he would be trapped in this world with no manga or television, just the flickering fireplace to entertain him.
His thoughts were interrupted by a pounding at the door.
He put down his book and looked out the window. Way off in the distance, a small shower was pulling in. Good, he wouldn’t have to water the fields for a while.
Again, the knocking came, this time accompanied by shouting, “Human! Open up! I know you’re in there!” There was a glow coming from underneath the door. He checked his wards were still in place, then he opened the door enough to peek out.
As expected, there was a fire demon standing on his doorstep. His eyes blazed, his fist still raised to knock. He was sheathed in fire, the flames licking harmlessly at his body, at his golden hair. He would have looked more impressive, if he didn’t wince every time a raindrop fell on him.
“What’s the big idea knocking and shouting,” Saitama growled. “What do you want?”
“It’s not my fault you’ve got those accursed wards around your house.”
“What do you want?” Saitama repeated.
“Let me in!” The demon demanded, the flames at his feet flared up indignantly. “Can’t you see it’s raining?” The rain was getting heavier by the second.
“Not my business,” Saitama said and pulled back to close the door.
“Wait! I’m, I have no more energy. I would not beg if I didn’t have a reason.” The demon gritted his teeth. “I have a purpose I must fulfill!”
A demon with a purpose? Saitama thought. “What’s that, killing people?” This was new. Usually demons were heartless creatures who led selfish lives. He looked the fire demon up and down, he had the selfish part down for sure.
“No!” He flared up. “I must destroy an evil creature who many years ago-” him flames that had been growing steadily weaker in the rain flickered dangerously, his eyes went dim and he fell forward onto the door jamb.
Saitama reached out in alarm, “Hey! Are you okay?” He cursed, quickly dissolving the wards and dragging the demon into his house. Laid out on the couch, Saitama could see that the demon looked pale, his edges becoming blurrier as his fire began to die. Saitama cast about for fuel.
“Lessee...” he picked out the book he’d been reading about the history of the nearby town. He’d gotten it cheap, and for good reason.
But before he could toss it onto the demon without really knowing if it would help, the demon stirred. He sounded stunned but groggy, “You, you actually let me in.”
“Well, yeah,” Saitama said. “I figured you’re pretty weak right now, and if you do get any ideas, well I’m pretty strong.”
Before he could reply, the ceiling came crashing in and several large demons jumped into the house, crowing about how the wards had finally been broken. “Strong enough to defeat them?” The demon asked dryly as he struggled to sit up, he clutched his chest, and it started to glow momentarily brighter. “Stand back, human, they’re after me. I’ll-”
“Pay for my ceiling!” Saitama yelled, and destroyed them in one punch. Then Saitama nodded to himself and turned to the dumbstruck demon, “You’re gonna fix that.”
Genos was still halfway to getting up, one hand stretched out in front of him. He felt like a loon but he was no idiot. He had intended to steal the human’s heart but he couldn’t possibly fight this man. He wouldn’t go down easily, not like the old doctor. He thought quickly, “Please tell me your name!”
Saitama, still picking up the debris, said, “It’s Saitama.”
Did he just give me his real name? Genos shook his head to clear his thoughts, that wasn’t important! “Form a contract with me!”
“Sure.” Saitama started to turn away, then he stopped. “Wait what? A contract? What kind of contract?”
“Well,” Genos floundered, usually humans wanted more power, but this man... “You give me your heart, and I, I give you-”
“Oh, is that all,” Saitama said. “I don’t mind. You can just take it.”
Genos stared as Saitama continued to clean up. “It doesn’t work like that,” he protested. “I have to give you something in return. It’s the rules.”
Saitama frowned uncertainly, “I don’t need more power.” He had enough of it, so much so that fighting had become boring.
“WIthout your heart, you will not age, you will live forever,” Genos said earnestly. Surely all humans wished for eternal life, he knew he himself had, before he had attained it. “And I will, will give you my unending servitude.” Genos had no real desire to become a servant but perhaps when the time came, this man might be of use.
“Ehh, can you give me back my hair?”
“Your...hair?”
“Yeah. Oh, and take this,” Saitama chucked a piece of wood towards Genos who caught it deftly. He turned it around in his hands wondering what he should do with it.
“If you’re young again, your hair will grow back,” Genos said, shoving the wood to one side.
Saitama thought for a moment, then he nodded decisively, “Okay, let’s do this.”
“That’s-” surprisingly easy, Genos thought. Was this man insane? Or a fool?
“What’s wrong?”
“You show no hesitation,” Genos blabbed. Shut up, he told himself. Shut up! But he went on, “Does being bald trouble you that much? Surely it’s no compensation for a heart.” He was right within your grasp , Genos cursed himself. His own foolishness had caused him to question Saitama’s casual acceptance. Now he would change his mind. You had him tricked! It must be the remnants of that old man’s kindness working against you!
Saitama shrugged. “I don’t really care. I’ve never really needed this heart anyway. Aren’t you going to use that?” He pointed to the piece of wood that Genos had discarded.
Genos snapped his mouth shut, “What would I need a piece of wood for?”
“Aren’t you a fire demon? Eat it and get better.”
The man must just be an idiot after all, Genos decided.
They made the contract by the light of the hearth. The rain pouring in from the hole in the roof made Genos nervous but Saitama set out a tin tub to catch the water.
The tub was full by the time they finished the contract.
Genos flexed his hands, power flared from his fingertips. Saitama was truly a strong man and so was his heart, Genos could feel it in the waves of magic coursing through him. It would only increase as the days passed, along with his humanity (an unfortunate side effect of having a heart). But he had one now, along with a master.
He gathered up his pride and bowed, “If it pleases you, master, I can reside in the hearth.”
“What?” Saitama choked, hands dropping from his head where he was happily celebrating the return of his hair. “No, no, you can’t fit, you’ll wreck it! I have a spare room upstairs. Just don’t burn it down. Also, don’t bow, that’s weird.”
Genos was stunned, he had formed a contract with a very strange master.
“Alright, well,” Saitama said, yawning. “You can start by patching the roof, and emptying the tub uh, what was your name again?”
“...Genos.” A strange, idiot master.
Genos aided Saitama in his daily tasks. He tended to the crops and other household chores and was in charge of supplying the house with magic to power its amenities. He was not allowed to leave the property unless he was accompanying Saitama out on hunting trips.
His new master was an enigma. At home he dressed strangely, wearing what he called “a hoodie” which was too thick to be a tunic and too short to be a coat. It was what he was wearing when he was transported from the other land he came from, or ‘world’ as Saitama corrected. They had strange practises there, like taking off their shoes at the door and giving thanks before a meal. They also had complicated machinery run on ‘electricity’ instead of magic.
Occasionally he would get a missive from the town hall and set out with nothing but the clothes on his back and return with the carcass of a monster or ten. They could range from the size of rabbits to towering dragons.
After a season had passed, Genos asked him, “Why don’t you have any visitors?”
Saitama waded through the mud on the riverbank, staring jealously as Genos floated above it. “Dunno.” He scratched his head and complained, “Ahh, having hair actually is kind of a pain isn’t it? It’s so hot in the summer!” The forest was definitely muggier and warmer than the spring when they had met. Luckily it rained less, although that didn’t stop the rivers from flowing.
“Do you regret having hair?
“No way! Having hair is great!” Saitama said. “Come to think of it, maybe that’s why the villagers avoided me. No that can’t be it, I have hair now. Besides, the blacksmith’s bald...maybe only blacksmiths can be bald.” He was lost in thought, shaking out the mud that had splattered onto his hand, and didn’t notice the sudden shift of magic in the air until the monster was almost upon him.
“Master, look out!” Genos could not reach Saitama in time and could only watch as the large bear-like creature with horns leapt towards him.
“Huh?” Saitama shook out his hand and it hit the monster right on the snout, launching it backwards where it fell down dead. “Oh, hey, look Genos, it’s the monster we were hunting.”
Once again, Genos was bowled over by his master’s raw destructive power. “You save the villagers all the time, from all kinds of beasts and magical creatures and yet they don’t respect you?”
“I guess they- Woah! Hey! Wait! You’re going to start a forest fire!”
Genos had a temper he wasn’t proud of. He would get carried away by his emotions and would flare up, accidentally wrecking objects in his vicinity like furniture and sometimes, part of the farm. Saitama, though annoyed by his habit, was kind about it. He would tell Genos to replace or fix whatever he burned or scorched but he would never tell him to leave.
Genos told him about how he used to be human before a fire demon destroyed his village and how Genos performed the ritual to become one demon himself. He told Saitama that the fire demon would eventually find him, wherever he might be, as he was connected to the child he failed to destroy by ancient magic. He would return one day to finish the deed. But Genos swore he would destroy the demon first. In return, Saitama spoke about his old life in the other world. How he had trained to become strong and lost all his hair in the process.
As the days passed, however, their conversations grew shorter, Saitama’s replies became more curt. A tale that would have once amused him barely drew a smile out of him. It seemed that the more Genos warmed up to him, the colder Saitama grew. It must have been the effects of losing his heart but Genos didn’t form the connection between the two until it was too late.
“Master, why don’t you find yourself a wife,” Genos asked. They were harvesting the pumpkins to store before the winter’s chill settled in. The leaves were already beginning to turn brown, the first brush of death over the land.
It had reached Saitama’s eyes too. Where they once sparkled like morning dew, now were dull as stones. They only grew duller each time Genos tried to discuss the future with him. “People weren’t interested in my old world, and they’re not interested here,” Saitama replied with a shrug. He scuffed the dirt with his shoe and clipped off the stem of a pumpkin, hoisting it into the wheelbarrow. “Hmm, I wish I could plant cabbages here, Genos what do you think?”
Genos was about to argue otherwise, was about to say he would definitely be interested in someone like Saitama but he stopped himself. It was only harvest season and Genos realised he was in over his head.
“Besides,” Saitama went on. “I don’t really need that anymore.” His gaze lingered like a breeze, and stole the words from Genos’ mouth.
No, Genos thought, snapping out of his daze. You should find love. I want you to be happy. He felt strangely at peace with this desire. The days he passed with Saitama were peaceful and fun. Beyond his monstrous strength and his kindness, Genos realised he was someone he had come to care about and he wanted his master to be able to love.
--
Autumn was almost over, the crops had been harvested and stockpiled, there was not much left to do so Genos decided it was time. He had finished powering the hearth and stood back as Saitama walked into the sitting room, back from doing the dishes.
“I want to give you your heart back,” he said.
“Oh,” Saitama didn’t sound surprised. He dried his hands on his apron and folded it up. “So, you don’t want it either.” And it was his choice of words that caused Genos’, no, Saitama’s , heart to throb. But before he could ask Saitama to clarify, he went on, “Does that mean you’re leaving?”
Genos had no answer.
“I don’t mind.” Saitama shrugged. “I get my heart back, don’t I? You didn’t wrinkle it or anything did you? Punch a few holes in it?”
“No, I-” Genos cleared his throat. “I took very good care of it.”
But Saitama wasn’t listening. “Plus I’ll have more space and, and! It’ll be less hot all the time. Yeah, I can’t wait for you to go.”
Genos reined in the flames that threatened to flare up. He knew that even if Saitama didn’t mean it, he wouldn’t be happy if he scorched the ceiling. His words tore him apart but Saitama would be able to feel again, he’d be able to enjoy life again and his eyes would alight with emotion once again.
Undoing the contract was more tricky and took a longer time. Saitama felt his heart pour back into him. It was warmer than he remembered and it filled in the empty spaces within him.
As Saitama’s heart returned to him, he saw that the edges of Genos had begun to fade, his flames slowly dying down. “Genos! What’s happening to you?”
“I require a heart to live. When we first met, I had another heart, I stole it from someone, an old man. It did not last long. But yours would, did.”
“Then why are you giving it back?”
“I don’t want it anymore,” Genos said. “I want you to have it.”
It sounded like “I don’t need you anymore” to Saitama and the parts of his heart that had returned ached. “But you’re dying! Take it back! Take it back, I don’t need it! What about your purpose?”
Genos shook his head, “I don’t need that anymore!”
Saitama planted his hands on Genos’ shoulder and began to push, the chain of magic that stretched between their chests wavered. “W-What are you doing?”
“Just, shut up! Stupid demon!” Saitama was powerful, but even physical strength shouldn’t be enough to break magic. Nevertheless that seemed to be what was happening as Saitama pushed and pushed, until finally the chain between them snapped. They were both thrown back by the force, sent sprawling across the stone floor Saitama always complained was too cold until Genos heated it.
Genos sat up, disoriented, his chest felt lighter but it was definitely still occupied. He still had one half of a heart and Saitama-
He saw him near the sooty fireplace, just beginning to stir. He rushed over, then hesitated, “Master, your hair-!”
Saitama reached up to feel that his head was indeed smooth once again, “Hah, great. At least we’re both alive.” He looked up at Genos, “So now what?” The demon was no longer a pale sickly pink, now he burned a brilliant crimson, but he wavered uncertainly. Saitama’s grin faded, “Right, you’re not contractually obliged to stay here anymore. Contractually,” he snorted, grimacing at the term. “I guess I can’t give it away again, huh?”
Saitama got up and brushed himself off. He stuck his hands in the pocket of his hoodie and walked over to the door. “A heart, really is too much trouble to handle,” he muttered.
When he turned back, Genos was still standing by the hearth, looking as pathetic as the time he burned a hole in the fence on the far side of the field. “Well?” Saitama snapped, feeling the edges of hysteria at the corners of his consciousness. “Aren’t you going to go?”
Please, please say no, Saitama’s heart begged traitorously.
But Genos only let his chin drop to his chest, giving Saitama a short, quick nod.
He left, and Saitama was alone once again.
The shadows of the house stretched over the walls and floor, engulfing the room now that the fire demon was not there to chase them away. The house felt larger for sure, maybe too large. Feeling very cold all of a sudden, Saitama walked over to the fireplace to wait out the night.
He had barely sat down when he heard an incessant knocking at the door. A sheepish looking fire demon was standing on his doorstep.
“Genos? Weren’t you going to go?”
Genos shuffled nervously. “...it’s raining.” Sure enough, the last autumn rain was falling from the sky in a quick pitter-patter.
“You don’t like the rain,” Saitama said slowly.
“No, I don’t,” Genos confirmed. “But I like you.”
Saitama’s head was spinning. “Then why did you give my heart back?” Saitama demanded.
Genos’ words seared the air, “So you could love like I love you.”
Saitama wasn’t going to cry. He didn’t even feel the sting of tears. But months worth of emotions were rolling into him, radiating from his chest, flooding his body. His face twisted up, brows pinched tight together. He opened his mouth to call Genos an idiot, and instead choked on a sob.
Genos touched Saitama’s cheek, as soft as candle but it didn't burn, only warmed. “Can I come in?” he asked softly.
“I have to warn you, it’s not much better inside, it’s just as wet as outside.”
“How can it not be better inside?” Genos asked, stepping over the threshold. “You’re here.”