In celebration of the latest webcomic chapter (139) where the two actually hang out in that universe

Alarms blinking in his view, he expertly dodged the swiping attacks of the monster's claws and the lunges of its neck. The beast still held the cyborg arm in its toothy grin, mocking him. Rushing to a safer distance, he was preparing to fire the remaining incinerator canon when another entity was detected quickly approaching from somewhere behind him.

– WE ARE THE WYRM BROTHERS! Younger brother, how many times have I told you to sha-GAHHH! MY WINGS!

Too bad he didn't get to finish the first one with that blast but he wasn't going to risk having this thing also swoop in from above to claim more limbs. With both of them earthbound he still had a chance, even if the second serpentine creature was longer and faster.

A rumble made him stop the battle replay.

...

Just a collapsed building settling. Probably.

Genos stared at the charred corpse of one of the monsters as if it would stand up again at any moment.

He couldn't help but be apprehensive, especially now that his proximity sensors didn't seem to be working. The creatures had turned out to be able to burrow and their combined attacks had done quite a number on him. Additionally, the bigger one had attempted a suicide attack and was the reason he was now laying in this pile of rubble. He glanced down again at his cage of sharp teeth, not daring to move what was left of his body.

If he had his other arm or maybe just a leg he could have pried the jaws around him open. He wouldn't be reduced to sitting there in a pool of thickening blue blood, with yellowed teeth perforating his plating and just barely grazing his core. He'd already cut a wire that got snagged in the damn things when trying to move. It hadn't been anything too important, he hoped, but he swore he could feel sharp edges poking at the tubes connected to his core, even if such was physically impossible.

Another strange rumble. At least the most precarious buildings were far away enough.

Still, the sound was uncomfortably similar to that of the monsters burrowing. Hopefully Sensei or Doctor Kuseno's repair drone would get to him soon enough. Wait, could the drone even pry him out of this corpse? He hadn't really thought of that. Fuck. He really only kept screwing up in shitty ways lately didn't he?

This time the rumbling was accompanied by his proximity alarm berating him for being so close to an unidentified being and then promptly glitching out of his vision as he saw an elongated neck and a pair of wings come out of the ground for the second time that afternoon.

– I'M OF THE WYRM BROTHERS! WE... – the monster froze mid-sentence, jaws agape, taking in the bodies of its brethren. – ...brothers?

Genos found himself wishing the second monster had bled on him more so that maybe, hopefully, he had a chance of not being seen by this one.

What was he thinking, he was done for. This time he'd really fucked up. That thing would crush his skull. Or maybe blow up his core. Or rip his head off and then the aid drone would be too late. Or it would keep him alive to use as a chewing toy. Or…

He was so wrapped up in thinking up worse and worse possible outcomes that he didn't even register that the monster had begun to shout and cry hysterically, destroying the nearby area in a blind rage.

Nor did he register the footsteps approaching behind him.

Nor the clinking of armour.

The robotic voice, however, got to him.

– ...Genos-kun?

And for a brief moment it was years into the past and he was still lying in a pile of rubble and there were still limbs in the wrong places and there were still sharp things jabbed into his body and there was still sticky blood everywhere and there was still the revolting smell of burning flesh and there was still a dreadful robotic voice saying things at him and he couldn't, he couldn't, he didn't want to do this again, it was too much, and he'd done this so many times, and why couldn't he just selfishly die for good this time, and, – ...are you still alive? – and, wait.

Why did the mad cyborg sound so calm? Was that concern in the thing's voice?

What?

Wait, no, the robotic voice was familiar, but it wasn't from there.

He flinched when a face leaned into his view and immediately cursed himself for it. Well, he probably no longer needed whatever got broken now.

A red glare followed his gaze downwards.

– I see. I'll help you out of that when I'm done with the monster. – the other hero stood up and looked at the aforementioned creature, still raging about at the bottom of the hill. – What can you tell me about these things?

– I- They- Take out the wings first, they're very fast and can burrow and travel underground.

There was a moment of silence as the red light of the hero's eye darted from the scene below them to the dead creature ensnaring Genos.

The remaining monster, meanwhile, had finally spotted the heroes and was rushing at them, shrieking something about fallen brothers and revenge. Its wings spread wide and it took to the air.

– Tactical Transformation: Rook.

Genos realised this was the first time he'd actually see Drive Knight fight. He'd heard of what the hero could do but was nonetheless surprised at seeing parts fly out of his strange box to shapeshift him into a fighter jet with readying engines.

– This should be the last of them. – he said right before lift off.

It didn't sit quite right with Genos to hear the same words he'd said himself just a while ago.

Then again, Drive Knight was said to have never lost a fight before, right? He'd never even seen anything about the other hero getting damaged in battle.

He ought to put some trust in someone quite some ranks above him.

As the two engaged in a frantic dogfight above, Genos meticulously recorded the fight as best he could.

It didn't take all that long. The creature was blinded by rage, apparently really being "the last of them". Drive Knight kept the pressure up the entire time, never giving the monster time to switch to ground tactics, and inevitably he shot it dead, still airborne. The long body slowly glided through the air until it crushed the smoking corpse of its sibling.

Genos watched the other hero do a final pass around the area, as if expecting something else to show up, before landing nearby and reverting to his original form. He must have kept staring at that mysterious box because as soon as he squatted by him, he said this:

– Intrigued by it? One day I'll show you all the things I can do if you really want. – the tone of amusement left his voice. – Those teeth are endangering your power source and supply, correct?

– Yes. Just opening the jaw again should be fine, a drone is coming to pick me up. – and, speaking of it, he could already see the buzzing machine in the sky.

– Ok.

Drive Knight spared a look at the approaching drone before getting up and removing a bit of rubble right behind the piece Genos had been leaning on. When he finally got some room to kneel behind him and leant over to get a grip on the corpse's stiffening jaws and pry them open, Genos found himself paying little attention to whether the teeth were causing more damage or not, so absorbed he was by the feeling of hair tickling his face. It felt so alien to feel someone this close.

It also felt a bit too soon when Drive Knight moved back to inspect his work. But the reality of the situation was that the drone was already hovering above, camera inspecting them, probably trying to figure out how to do its job in this situation.

– Thank you. – Genos saw the other hero coax the drone down and grab its harness – Wait, you don't have to worry about that.

– Might as well. No point causing more damage by accident.

He was left with no other choice but to let Drive Knight get him into the drone's harness. It felt strange still, to be so close to him, and to be handled with so much respect by another hero. It was almost like he wasn't just a bunch of trashed metal right now.

Soon they exchanged some quick parting words and soon Genos was left alone with his thoughts.

When was the last time someone had been this close to him?

Actually, he could count some times. He'd already been picked up by his Sensei a couple times, or that one time by Bang. But those had all been during fights or right after them. Situations where the artificial adrenaline was still coursing through his brain.

Other than the Doctor, not once had anyone treated him so… gently?

Was he that touch starved?

Had it felt strange because the other person had also been a dangerous cyborg and he was vulnerable?

Maybe something broken caused him to feel hypersensitive?

Yes, that must be it. Better to ask Doctor Kuseno about it.

Either way, he looked forward to crossing paths with Drive Knight again, even if to just take him up on his offer.

Drive Knight, hearing Genos' advice and seeing the state he was in: "yeah, that seemed to work wonders for you"

This was my first finished fanfiction! I was expecting to properly debut with a much different type of fanfic but instead inspiration hit me hard today and I procrastinated on more important things to be able to finish this.