Saitama-sensei gawks at you.

"Oi, oi," he says. "Don't joke around like that Genos." He huffs before getting up and going to the toilet.

But I'm not joking, you want to say.

"Sensei," you say again, getting up to where he is. "Sensei I - "

"Genos," Saitama-sensei says. Just one word and you quickly close your mouth. He looks at you oddly, and for the first time you see something like doubt in sensei's eyes. He doesn't seem to want you to continue, and you notice that his whole body is tense. His hand is gripping the sink so tight that it has a crack now.

There's a call then, and the phone rings. Sensei releases a breath that you hadn't realize he was holding in. You are disappointed. The call has broken a moment that could have been momentous.

"It's a dragon level threat sensei. They have called us both to resolve it," you say. Sensei smiles, and he seems relieved. You feel another stab of pain where your heart should be. It is psychological. You no longer have a heart, but the pain you feel comes in waves. Sensei doesn't want to hear anything you say. Sensei changes quickly while you watch. You notice that his face is redder than usual under your scrutiny. Was it anger that he's hiding? For the words that had come from your mouth? You feel another rush of sorrow flooding your system.

You follow sensei out the apartment without thought. You fight the battles methodically. Inside you're whirring with activity. What to say now, you think? What to do? Sensei clearly hates you now. You can't seem to focus, and you're making small mistakes that you would never have allowed yourself to do.

Saitama-sensei isn't looking at you. He's fighting the big boss, dodging fists with ease. You keep sneaking glances at sensei, trying to gauge his reaction. Due to that aliens keep landing blows on you. Silver Fang is staring at you.

"Are you alright," he asks, when you keep getting hit by aliens that are incinerated quickly after.

"Yes," you grumble. What can you say? That you have just admitted that you loved your teacher, and he thinks you're joking! Maybe Silver Fang would know what to do. You hurriedly incinerate all the aliens that are around you and Silver Fang, leaving nothing behind but scorch marks. Silver Fang looks put out for a moment. You could've easily destroyed all the aliens at once had you put your mind to it, and Silver Fang saw that.

You hesitate just as you reach Silver Fang. Perhaps you shouldn't tell him after all. Silver Fang strokes his moustache and smiles. "Young love," he says, with a hint of a laugh in his voice. He pats you on the shoulder. "Good luck," he says this time while glancing back at sensei. Sensei has defeated the big boss, as you knew he would. Nothing is too difficult for sensei. No one can keep up with him. Not even you.

Silver Fang leaves you alone with sensei. You wish there were more aliens to destroy. The silence between you and sensei is deafening.

"Let's go home Genos," sensei says. He says it with a smile but his eyes are avoiding yours.

"Yes sensei." You walk beside sensei. You run a quick vital check on sensei and you find that his heart rate is elevated above normal. Sensei must be feeling pressured by you. Wave after wave of pain interlacing with sorrow goes through you. Sensei is tense again, as if awaiting you to say something.

You decide not to say anything. You don't want to make things worst between the two of you. Isn't this enough? Just to by sensei's side all the time. Why did you have to go and say those words?

I'm sorry sensei, you want to say. I'm sorry for changing things between us.

I'm sorry for loving you.

You deserve better than me.

Saitama couldn't stop thinking of the day Genos had confessed to him. He tried not to, he tried distracting himself with the things he liked to do. Reading manga, jerking off to some porn when Genos wasn't there, watching the useless telly. Yet nothing filled the void of loneliness that had suddenly dug its way deeper into Saitama's heart.

It was difficult. He had never had anyone that had liked him for a long while now. He himself had never liked anyone deeply before. He had never been close to someone else like he had with Genos. No one else knew that Saitama loved eating hotpot, or that he loved waking up early on Sunday mornings just to watch the sun rise. The peace that came with watching the sky light up with the beautiful rays of dawn settling deep in Saitama's soul. The sort of peace that he had with Genos when they lived their simple life together.

Genos was probably confused. He was young, he hadn't even stepped into his twenties yet! Genos sole desire was to be strong so that he could exact his revenge after all. There was no way Genos was actually in love with Saitama. The possibility of that happening was close to nil. What was there to like? He was a hero, sure. But so was Genos. Saitama couldn't offer him anything. His previous relationship had burned into nothing when she had found out that he was jobless. Saitama couldn't pick himself back up after that.

Being a hero had seemed like a way out if he was honest with himself. He had always wanted to be a hero, he wanted to help others. And deep inside he realized that it was because he hoped that being a hero was something that he could do, rather than wandering about trying to get jobs and begging them yet they would always turn him down. Being a hero was something he could control. Something that no one else could hold against him. It was a choice he made.

Besides that, Saitama had nothing. Genos would see that soon enough. When the day came that Genos would inevitably be stronger than he was, seeing as how he was rising up the ranks rapidly, Genos would find Saitama useless, and leave.

Better to not encourage Genos and his feelings for Saitama. It would end badly for the both of them. It was scary, finding someone else that made Saitama happy. He had forgotten what it was like till Genos came into his life. Waking up and seeing Genos everyday had made him careless as well. He had begun to expect to see Genos every morning, to see him before he closed his eyes every night. He would think about Genos the whole day, and yet he hadn't realized. It was scary how easily Genos could leave, and take that away. So that Saitama would have nothing but gaping loneliness yet again from standing at the peak alone. He would not take advantage of Genos' chaotic feelings, and force himself on the young cyborg.

He knew he was being an asshole, but he couldn't help avoiding Genos some days. He would leave the apartment, instructing Genos not to follow. Saitama needed to be alone, he needed to take some time away to sort his feelings. Each time he left, the hurt expression on Genos' face would cut his heart as well. But it was something he had to do. Genos was quieter now, less likely to talk to Saitama about the various information he obtained from the Hero Association. Saitama knew the reason for it was because Saitama himself was more distant now.

"Genos, I'm heading out," Saitama said one day.

"Yes sensei," Genos replied, his voice monotonous. He had reverted to being more cyborg than human, keeping his emotions in check. His face was expressionless now. Saitama felt his heart sinking again, and yet he ignored it.

He had been busy running around the city, trying to find crooks or monsters to unleash his frustration when a huge monster decided to stomp around his city.

"I am the Underground King of Hell," the gigantic bat-like monster yelled to the sky, flying up to the sky, twirling to form a hurricane.

Saitama smirked. Finally! Something to fight.

"Sensei!" Genos shouted then. Oh, Genos was probably called to defeat the monster too. Saitama sighed. Well, there goes his chance of being recognized for defeating this monster. Already he could see flashes going off as the citizens took out their phones to take photos of Genos.

"Ah," He said, sighing already. They easily defeated the bat-like monster together, and Saitama felt as if he contributed very little. Genos would soon leave him for a better teacher. He was scratching his head, trying to think of dinner, something else other than Genos to ease the pain that had settled in him when he heard Sonic laugh.

He hadn't seen Sonic for some time, he turned and saw Genos already fighting against Sonic. Sonic was a little faster than usual, but Genos wasn't that slow himself, yet Saitama could see Genos struggling against the fight with Sonic. He frowned, that was unusual of Genos. Was Genos ill? Genos kept getting hit by Sonic's exploding shurikens.

The turning point came when Sonic unleashed his sword, and went after Genos. Saitama was going to step in when Genos froze, and Sonic managed to cut through Genos' chest, nearly breaking him in two. He went on swishing his sword around, destroying Genos' lower half into smithereens.

When Saitama watched Sonic sliced Genos in half, Saitama felt a quiet rage settling in. He couldn't control his actions, and with one quick leap he was face to face with Sonic.

Saitama had come so close to punching Sonic, but he left an inch between his fist and Sonic's face. A mockery of the time Saitama had spared with Genos. The buildings behind Sonic collapsed and the ground shattered beneath them. The anger was bubbling just beneath his skin, causing Saitama to feel breathless. It churned and bubbled in his gut, screaming at him to kill.

"Don't touch Genos ever again," Saitama hissed out. He ran to where Genos was, and gingerly lifted the cyborg's upper half up. The lower half of his body did not seem to be salvageable anymore.

"Genos," Saitama said softly as he carried the cyborg back. He had to find Dr Kuseno immediately.

"Sensei," Genos whispered, his eyes leaking brown oil that dripped down his face. "I'm sorry sensei."

"Wh-what? What are you talking about?" Saitama asked, distressed now. What did Genos have to apologize about? Saitama was the one who had failed to see Sonic's motives, and allowed Genos to come to harm. What kind of teacher allows their student to get hurt on their behalf? It was not the hero way of doing things.

"I'm sorry for being so useless," Genos said, and those oil that dripped down were tears. "I'm dirty and wrong," Genos continued. Genos was genuinely upset about it.

"Genos, stop that," Saitama said firmly. Genos' eyes shuttered close. "You're not- " before Saitama could finish his sentence and tell Genos that he wasn't dirty, or wrong, or useless, Genos had somehow fainted, or gone offline.

Fuck.

Saitama was really fucking screwed.

He held Genos a little tighter and rushed to where Dr Kuseno was.