The stars are bright tonight, their small and insignificant light breaking through the fog of pollution and the veil of wispy and smoky clouds.
They dappled the sky in an endless array, reminding [Name] of powdered sugar and sprinkles. At the thought, her already empty stomach grumbles and with a now flushed face, she hurried away from where the (H/c) woman had been stargazing in the middle of the cluttered street. Turning the corner, she continues on her way to her bus stop after a movie, the street suddenly becoming empty. Ears burning, she tries to erase the thought that someone heard her unintentional cry for food.
The sidewalk is littered with puddles and wet splotches from the earlier rain, and her nose was already clogged with the oddly comforting smell of damp concrete.
Small weeds and Easter-egg green saplings peek out from the cracks and holes, and each time one is squished under her hurrying feet she mutters a sorry as if the now dead plants were listening.
The thought of the stars fills her mind once again, and she cannot resist gazing up to the wondrous sight, her mouth parting slightly as she stood in the dark watching the night sky twinkle and glimmer.
It had always awed her; the way stars seemed to pulse and the moon gleam once the sun had dove below the horizon. Planets twirled far off in the distance, galaxies expanded, and black holes acted as vacuums.
[Name] had taken astronomy clubs when she was in high school, though she was forced to quit once her time spent gazing at the black wonderland exceeded her study time.
That did not stop her from waking up at midnight, when her parents were asleep and only the clocks' ticking filling the house. She would take her prized telescope out from her bed and set it up at her open window, spending hours upon hours observing and watching.
Her mind would wander, free to think of anything. Sometimes she would just look until it was morning, clatter from downstairs sending her scrambling to climb back in bed.
Sometimes she would fall asleep like that, waking up to her parents scolding and harsh glares from where she sat on her chair facing the window. They would lecture her on how she wasted her time and she would regret it at school later that day, and [Name] would agree and nod and apologize.
But, she did it again the next night and the night after that, and so on. Now, she had no telescope to fulfill her dreams of looking at the moon's crater sand the rough surface. Though, a jar sat on her nightstand labeled with the word stars, filled with coins and crinkled up bills.
[Name] did not know how long she stood there, gaping like a fish as she admired the dark heavens. It was not until a familiar voice softly said her name that she turned her attention away.
Genos stood before her, his usually gruff face a little softer and less intimidating than usual. A handful of grocery bags rested in the crook of his elbow.
She rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment she had been caught, offering a small smile.
After she had apologized repeatedly and he replied each time with a long sentence of forgiveness and an apology of his own for disturbing her, the two continued walking down the dimly lit and cracked sidewalk in silence.
"If I may ask, what were you doing back there?" He asked, his voice interrupting the sweet serenity of sound that consisted of falling water droplets and the distant hum of vehicles.
[Name] squeaked at the sound of his voice, cursing herself for being so jumpy, and shrugged after calming herself.
"Just lookin' at the stars." She looked up and Genos followed her actions, the two of them stopping in harmony.
"They are so pretty…" She breathed, a wide smile forming. Genos's eyes trailed away from the sky and locked onto her smiling face.
"I take it you like astronomy, then."
[Name] looked back at him, nodding frantically. If it was possible, her smile grew wider.
"Yeah! I really do! I used to be in astronomy clubs at school and I had this super awesome telescope I got for Christmas once! I would get up every night, really quiet so I wouldn't wake mom and dad, and just stare at them for hours and hours. It's really peaceful, ya know? But it kinda scares me I guess, space is so big and endless with countless galaxies, and stars, and planets, and I'm just like an ant living in a small and insignificant anthill. Not even that big, like a speck of dust in the world's biggest mansion."
Genos looked at her in surprise as she rambled on. He had certainly not expected [Name] to think about something such as space. His expectations were limited to smutty fanfictions and Martha Stewart shows.
A cold breeze drifted by and [Name] stopped her ramble, eyes wide and mouth open like a fish. Her face was on aflame again, and she bit her bottom lip.
Genos noticed she did that a lot.
She hurriedly continued down the cracked sidewalk and Genos once again followed suite. It occurred to him he did not know much about [Name], after all she had just appeared talking with Saitama once day. Then suddenly she had invaded his life, asking to be his apprentice, stalking him, inviting him to cafes, showing up at Saitama's apartment, and so on.
He was not complaining, he was calmed by her presence as quirky and strange as she was. She was certainly peculiar, a patrol officer wanting to be a hero with the ability to heal themselves, and a habit of shooting them self in the arm to show off.
He stopped, digging his feet in the sidewalk and causing more cracks to appear from his heavy weight.
[Name] peered back at him, jumping a little when he slammed his fist against where his heart would be if he was human.
"[Name]! I would like to know more about you!"
[Name] covered her ears and waved an arm at him dismissively.
"Jeez Genos, no need to yell!" Giving him a wry smile, she marched forward. "Just admit you want my lace."
Grumbling at her comment, but he shifted the groceries on his arm and hurried after her, their shadow mingling together as he walked by her side.
[Name] noticed they were going to Saitama's apartment, glancing at Genos's groceries. He must have went to a supermarket that was on sale. Wierdo.
Her gaze did not lift from his form, instead settling on his hand that was so close yet so far.
He did not seem to notice her "observing", and with that she snatched his hand and enveloped it in her gloved ones, her face nearly melting from the wildfire on her cheeks and ears.
He tensed, but did not object, so they continued walking like that until the duo reached the broken down and small place he and Saitama resided in. She waved and gave her farewells, declining Saitama's offer to have dinner with them.
As she walked back in the direction of the bus stop, she realized something.
Genos smelled like stars.
They dappled the sky in an endless array, reminding [Name] of powdered sugar and sprinkles. At the thought, her already empty stomach grumbles and with a now flushed face, she hurried away from where the (H/c) woman had been stargazing in the middle of the cluttered street. Turning the corner, she continues on her way to her bus stop after a movie, the street suddenly becoming empty. Ears burning, she tries to erase the thought that someone heard her unintentional cry for food.
The sidewalk is littered with puddles and wet splotches from the earlier rain, and her nose was already clogged with the oddly comforting smell of damp concrete.
Small weeds and Easter-egg green saplings peek out from the cracks and holes, and each time one is squished under her hurrying feet she mutters a sorry as if the now dead plants were listening.
The thought of the stars fills her mind once again, and she cannot resist gazing up to the wondrous sight, her mouth parting slightly as she stood in the dark watching the night sky twinkle and glimmer.
It had always awed her; the way stars seemed to pulse and the moon gleam once the sun had dove below the horizon. Planets twirled far off in the distance, galaxies expanded, and black holes acted as vacuums.
[Name] had taken astronomy clubs when she was in high school, though she was forced to quit once her time spent gazing at the black wonderland exceeded her study time.
That did not stop her from waking up at midnight, when her parents were asleep and only the clocks' ticking filling the house. She would take her prized telescope out from her bed and set it up at her open window, spending hours upon hours observing and watching.
Her mind would wander, free to think of anything. Sometimes she would just look until it was morning, clatter from downstairs sending her scrambling to climb back in bed.
Sometimes she would fall asleep like that, waking up to her parents scolding and harsh glares from where she sat on her chair facing the window. They would lecture her on how she wasted her time and she would regret it at school later that day, and [Name] would agree and nod and apologize.
But, she did it again the next night and the night after that, and so on. Now, she had no telescope to fulfill her dreams of looking at the moon's crater sand the rough surface. Though, a jar sat on her nightstand labeled with the word stars, filled with coins and crinkled up bills.
[Name] did not know how long she stood there, gaping like a fish as she admired the dark heavens. It was not until a familiar voice softly said her name that she turned her attention away.
Genos stood before her, his usually gruff face a little softer and less intimidating than usual. A handful of grocery bags rested in the crook of his elbow.
She rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment she had been caught, offering a small smile.
After she had apologized repeatedly and he replied each time with a long sentence of forgiveness and an apology of his own for disturbing her, the two continued walking down the dimly lit and cracked sidewalk in silence.
"If I may ask, what were you doing back there?" He asked, his voice interrupting the sweet serenity of sound that consisted of falling water droplets and the distant hum of vehicles.
[Name] squeaked at the sound of his voice, cursing herself for being so jumpy, and shrugged after calming herself.
"Just lookin' at the stars." She looked up and Genos followed her actions, the two of them stopping in harmony.
"They are so pretty…" She breathed, a wide smile forming. Genos's eyes trailed away from the sky and locked onto her smiling face.
"I take it you like astronomy, then."
[Name] looked back at him, nodding frantically. If it was possible, her smile grew wider.
"Yeah! I really do! I used to be in astronomy clubs at school and I had this super awesome telescope I got for Christmas once! I would get up every night, really quiet so I wouldn't wake mom and dad, and just stare at them for hours and hours. It's really peaceful, ya know? But it kinda scares me I guess, space is so big and endless with countless galaxies, and stars, and planets, and I'm just like an ant living in a small and insignificant anthill. Not even that big, like a speck of dust in the world's biggest mansion."
Genos looked at her in surprise as she rambled on. He had certainly not expected [Name] to think about something such as space. His expectations were limited to smutty fanfictions and Martha Stewart shows.
A cold breeze drifted by and [Name] stopped her ramble, eyes wide and mouth open like a fish. Her face was on aflame again, and she bit her bottom lip.
Genos noticed she did that a lot.
She hurriedly continued down the cracked sidewalk and Genos once again followed suite. It occurred to him he did not know much about [Name], after all she had just appeared talking with Saitama once day. Then suddenly she had invaded his life, asking to be his apprentice, stalking him, inviting him to cafes, showing up at Saitama's apartment, and so on.
He was not complaining, he was calmed by her presence as quirky and strange as she was. She was certainly peculiar, a patrol officer wanting to be a hero with the ability to heal themselves, and a habit of shooting them self in the arm to show off.
He stopped, digging his feet in the sidewalk and causing more cracks to appear from his heavy weight.
[Name] peered back at him, jumping a little when he slammed his fist against where his heart would be if he was human.
"[Name]! I would like to know more about you!"
[Name] covered her ears and waved an arm at him dismissively.
"Jeez Genos, no need to yell!" Giving him a wry smile, she marched forward. "Just admit you want my lace."
Grumbling at her comment, but he shifted the groceries on his arm and hurried after her, their shadow mingling together as he walked by her side.
[Name] noticed they were going to Saitama's apartment, glancing at Genos's groceries. He must have went to a supermarket that was on sale. Wierdo.
Her gaze did not lift from his form, instead settling on his hand that was so close yet so far.
He did not seem to notice her "observing", and with that she snatched his hand and enveloped it in her gloved ones, her face nearly melting from the wildfire on her cheeks and ears.
He tensed, but did not object, so they continued walking like that until the duo reached the broken down and small place he and Saitama resided in. She waved and gave her farewells, declining Saitama's offer to have dinner with them.
As she walked back in the direction of the bus stop, she realized something.
Genos smelled like stars.