"So call out my name

Call out my name when I kiss you so gently

I want you to stay

I want you to stay even though you don't want me."

Call Out My Name – The Weekend

* This work is inspired by the story, "A Certain Hope" by Lena Worth*

Prologue

"Your hot tea and your mail is here, sir", a young, sleep deprived and overworked intern mumbled as he placed the hot cup on the large, wooden desk. Before leaving, he gently placed the stack of mail in the middle of the desk; each piece of mail is categorized by importance.

Genos quietly pulls back the face pieces of his short, blonde hair before opening his mail, a morning ritual that he cannot go without. He takes a small sip of his slightly sweetened hot tea, and then proceeds to open the first piece of mail on the stacked pile. Before he could slide the letter out of the envelope, his intercom made an obnoxious buzzing sound. Genos furrowed his eyebrows, throwing the open envelope on the desk and rolling his eyes before answering the call. "Yes, Samantha?" he scoffed, looking at the blinking lights on his company telephone.

"Mr. Vice President, there is an urgent call for you on line 10", Samantha called from the intercom, smacking on her pink bubblegum. "It's concerning a Dr. Kuseno?" she added, convincing enough to make the young cyborg to answer call. "Samantha, please redirect all calls to my voicemail until this one is over", Genos replied, mumbling lowly into the intercom.

As his secretary transferred the call to his phone, Genos quickly picked up the phone call, his heart racing as the memories of Dr. Kuseno flashed through his mind. "Please let him be okay", the young cyborg whispered to himself before answering with a calm greeting, "Hello, this is CEO Genos speaking, how may I help you?"

"Yes, Mr. Genos? This is one of the nurses, Nayeon Hoseok from the main hospital located in City A. We have been trying to contact you for quite some time now", the nurse murmured, Genos could sense a slight tremble in her voice before she continued, as if she wanted to cry. "Seeing as Dr. Kuseno did not have any blood-related family members listed as a primary contact, he regarded you as someone who is like family, Mr. Genos. With that being said, I am regretting to inform you that Dr. Kuseno has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. His condition is serious, as he is engaging in self-injurious behavior, which could result in death."

The usual glow around the young cyborg's golden eyes dimmed as the nurse continued to talk about further treatment and the current status of the cyborg's close friend. His heart sank into his stomach, but he continued to listen through the news. The nurse disclosed more information about Dr. Kuseno's whereabouts, current state, and the hospital's visiting hours. In six months, the once vibrant and eccentric doctor that helped Genos fulfill his purpose , will not even remember who he is. A few agonizing minutes later, the young blonde hung up the phone with a deep, bellowing sigh. Holding back tears, he began to re-schedule all of his planned meetings and email his staff to alert them that he would be out of the office for the rest of the day, after he finishes reading his mail.

It's been seven years since the cyborg left Japan for New York, fulfilling his late uncle's footsteps as Vice President of a pharmaceutical company located in downtown Manhattan. Though drastically different from being a hero, the blonde did enjoy the perks of having a high maintenance career. With being a hero, especially a hero for the Association, he had to worry about hero quotas, the media, repairs and upgrades from constant damage from fights, etc. His new career allowed him a more relaxed deal, though he did not enjoy the 3-hour-long meetings, wearing suits that covered his ventilation system (making him sweat), and his gossiping secretary.

Genos sipped more of his tea, which was now at room temperature, attempting to relax. He quickly turned off his intercom and re-opened the top envelope on his mail stack. As he opened the letter, he immediately noticed that it was a letter from someone begging him to selling the company to them. Without hesitation, Genos threw the letter away with complete disgust on his face. He moved on to the next piece, struggling to read through the letter as more tears began to build up and stream down his face. "How could I have been so selfish?", he thought to himself as he tossed the barely read letter to the side.

"I want you to come to America with me", Genos stated as he sat with his legs crossed on the floor. His hands rested in his lap after sliding two tickets and passports across the short table, along with an official copy of his late uncle's will, which he received in the mail a few weeks ago. The will, which was signed by various people and covered with notary embosses, stated that Genos would be the new owner of his uncle's pharmaceutical company. The silence that proceeded after his words made the young cyborg nervous, making his ventilation system overheat to the point of near combustion.

"Genos..." murmured the deep voice that made him shudder every single time he heard it, "there is absolutely no reason for me to go to America, so my answer is no.", the young bald hero stated so matter-of-factly.

The blonde's heart sunk into his stomach as he began to give a clear explanation, with his heart rate rapidly rising. His voice cracked as he tried to make a convincing argument. "But, Saitama", he replied, almost in a begging tone, "It will be a good opportunity for both of us, not just me. Think about it, we can live a much more relaxed life, retire from the Association and possibly take our relationship into the next lev-". Saitama slams his book down, breaking the table in half without using much force, shaking his head furiously. "No, it will be a great opportunity for YOU, Genos. You are trying to fit me into your "little adventure" and it will not become a reality", Saitama scoffed as he attempted to fix the table. "Do you really think I could adapt back to having a blue collar job at this point in my life? Did your uncle include THAT in his will?"

"Saitama," the young cyborg replied, almost in a whisper, "my intentions weren't to make you do something you are clearly uncomfortable with. I just thought that this would be better for the both of us..." He looked up, staring into his sensei's soft, brown eyes for a brief moment before Saitama stood up from the mess, picking up his book and walking away, without uttering a single word.