Genos rolled from his futon, and found himself scanning for Saitama-sensei's vitals immediately. Saitama-sensei haven't left yet then. Genos hurried to where Saitama-sensei was. He had noted that Saitama-sensei would always leave the house very early every Monday. Sensei would wear his favorite Oppai hoodie and jeans, so that would mean it was not official hero activities.
Saitama-sensei would never ask Genos along, merely say that he had to leave. Genos was burning with curiosity. Was this one of sensei's secret training method that he never revealed to Genos? It was impossible that sensei only did strength exercises to improve greatly after all.
Genos had always been too shy to ask where Saitama-sensei was headed but he had decided that today was the day he would find out.
"Sensei, where are you headed? Can I follow you?" Genos asked, trying to sound casual, and not at all eager.
"Yeah, sure," Saitama-sensei said simply before heading off. Genos hurriedly discarded other plans to sneak after sensei if sensei were to refuse.
His core was humming with excitement, and Genos himself could not keep the smile off his face. Saitama walked alongside him leisurely. Genos' fingers twitched as he thought of grabbing sensei's hand and holding on.
"Genos," Saitama-sensei said as he looked at Genos, his face serious. "I don't know how you'll react to the place but no blasting with your beams or anything okay?"
"Yes sensei," Genos would keep in mind to limit any destruction. What was this place that sensei was going to?
Genos got his answer when they approached a moderate sized building. As they got closer to the large compound, Genos noted that destruction around the area was relatively little. It appeared as if someone had been trying to fix the building. There was the smell of new paint in the air, and the roofs were retiled.
"Saitama!" a few voices chorused and there was the sudden thunder of footsteps. Genos was about to raise his hand in case anyone was about to attack Saitama-sensei when sensei merely pushed his hand back down to his sides.
"Saitama!" the voices cried out again and Genos noted that there were several children clinging onto Saitama. Saitama was laughing as the kids tried to climb all over him.
"Who's this?" a boy asked then as he pointed at Genos, eyes narrowed. "Saitama is this your boyfriend?" A smaller girl asked and giggled.
Genos felt himself heat up in embarrassment, steam coming out of his airvents as his system tried cooling down. Saitama-sensei merely laughed. "Yes," Saitama said, and Genos ached to kiss him. Sensei was his boyfriend! "Brats, this is Genos."
"Hi Genos!" the twenty kids of various ages shouted out.
Saitama started pointing to each one and called out, "This is Brat 1, Brat 2, Very Bratty Kid 1.."
"No!" one of the child screamed, "I'm Superbrat!"
"This is the Yamanaka Orphanage," Sensei said, as he pointed at a very old and rotting signboard. "Ah I've been meaning to fix up a new one. Guess I'll do that soon." Sensei muttered to himself.
The kids were pulling on sensei's clothes, and some tried to drag him to the building.
"Calm down kids!" Saitama-sensei said. He walked slowly as the kids stood on his feet, hunkering to the building with kids all over him. Genos himself had curious stares directed at him as he walked behind his sensei.
Genos hadn't know that Saitama-sensei had been spending his time here all this while. Why did Saitama-sensei not bring him along? Genos would have helped if Saitama-sensei asked! He kept the doubts at bay, as he approached the building.
Inside the orphanage, Genos learnt each and every one of their names. They had lost their parents one way or another when the villains attacked the cities. They were just like him, Genos thought.
"Look it's wiggling again!" Sera screamed as Saitama-sensei twitched his ears for the kid's amusement. Saitama-sensei was really good with the children, and they clearly loved him as well. Genos was almost jealous as he wanted to be the one lying in sensei's lap like that as sensei stroked their hair.
He knew he could ask sensei to do so to him but he hadn't thought about it till today. Genos wanted sensei all to himself. Yet he couldn't help the feeling of joy that ran around his wires, the feeling of overwhelming fondness as he looked at Saitama-sensei entertaining the children.
Saitama-sensei only had smiles for them, and he treated them gently, his touch must be feather-light against their skin. Genos' thoughts were interrupted when someone else entered the place.
"Thank you for coming Saitama," a rather robust woman appeared. "They really love it when you're here!" She must be the owner of the orphanage. She was old, and Genos wondered how Saitama knew her.
"It's no problem ma'am," Saitama-sensei said, beaming. "Genos here will help cook today too!"
Genos startled. He got to his feet. He had come because he wanted to assist Saitama.
"That would definitely be a great help!" The woman said, and ushered Genos to follow her to the kitchen. Genos left the room, casting one last look at Saitama whom was still playing policeman and thief with the kids. Their screams of joy followed him as he exited the room.
"He's really good with the kids," the lady said, and Genos merely smiled. Saitama-sensei was good at everything! "Saitama-sensei is amazing," he agreed.
"So you're the one I've been hearing so much about," the woman grinned. "I'm sure Saitama didn't introduce me, I'm Hikari, his foster mother."
Genos' eyes opened wide as he stared at her. "Saitama-sensei's foster mother?" Hikari laughed and gave me a smack on the back.
"I knew that brat didn't mention it. He has always been that way. Only speaking when necessary," she said, and Genos wants to know everything that is to know about Saitama-sensei.
"I didn't know," he whispered. She handed him potatoes to peel and Genos did them on automatic, his mind buzzing with the thoughts of his sensei.
"He lost his family at a young age, just a random car accident that took his parents life. He's been staying with me ever since," Hikari said softly. "Then he left to be a hero." She shook her head.
"He's the type to keep to himself, never relying on others so when he started talking about you, I was so glad!" Genos jerked and if he had skin he would've peeled that along with the potatoes. Instead it only grazed his metal fingers.
"I will take care of Saitama-sensei with my life ma'am!" He proclaimed. Genos would always stay by sensei's side.
"You're such a good boy aren't you?"
Genos lit up, and if he could blush he would've turned bright red by now.
"Oi Hikari-san, please don't make the kid embarrassed," Saitama called out as he slipped into the kitchen. "He tends to burn up."
"Aren't you supposed to watch over the brats?" Hikari snorted as she continues fixing the meals with sly smile on her face as if she knows exactly Saitama's intention.
"Ah they're watching Power Rangers now, and I wanted to see how Genos is doing under your scrutiny Hikari-san," Saitama murmured as he smiled at Genos and approached him.
"And why haven't you brought him here earlier?" demanded Hikari and Saitama pouted. Genos wanted to know as well, the doubts circling his mind. Why was it that Saitama-sensei kept him in the dark about this.
"He's mine alone," Saitama said and Genos really might go supernova one day. A shudder runs through him, happiness lighting up all of his nerves. "The kids will snatch him away from me if they find out about Genos!" Saitama wailed out dramatically.
"Greedy brat," Hikari has a fond smile on her face, cuffing Saitama by the neck. Saitama merely smirked before placing a soft kiss on Genos' cheek.
Relief flooded Genos' inside, and warmth spreads all over his body. Sparks shoot between his circuits, and Genos trembled. Sensei wanted Genos for his own, and the thought burns him.
"Saitama where did you go?" a kid yelled out and Saitama turned to leave. "Yes yes I'm here you kiddos! I'm coming!"
Genos tried to let out the steam accumulated slowly, without bringing Hikari's attention to it but he failed. She laughed at him as his chest plates brightened up even further.
"Looks like you're pretty smitten by that egg-head," she chuckled. "I'm really happy he's found someone to care so deeply about other than his darn cactus."
Genos thought about how Saitama-sensei placed the many cactuses that Genos bought for him alongside his first one. He thought about how Saitama-sensei had smiled at him, the sun casting rainbows in the rain behind Saitama-sensei. Saitama-sensei was beautiful when his face brightened up like that.
Genos must have had a dopey smile on his face because Hikari suddenly hits him on the back again causing Genos to lurch forward. "Pay attention boy! There are no more potatoes to skin!" Genos looked at his hand and realized that he was merely holding the peeler, staring into space.
"Sorry," he said out loud.
"Take good care of each other," Hikari said as she waved a knife at Genos. She tried to sound threatening but her eyes were full of mirth. Genos wondered if there was a sign pointing at him that told the world how much he cared for Saitama-sensei.
"Yes ma'am!" Genos' lips kept twitching from the effort of trying not too smile too widely in front of Hikari.
"You can stop trying so hard not to smile," Hikari whispered, her smile fox-sly and Genos found himself heating up in embarrassment again.
"Did you like it there?" Saitama-sensei asked then, when they reached back to their apartment.
"It was nice," Genos said honestly, before adding, "I did not know you stayed there before."
"Ah, Hikari-san took care of me the best she could, guess after me she found her calling and brought in all the brats." Saitama-sensei smiled, his face melancholic.
He sighed deeply then. "Now that they've seen you they'll want you to be there more often," grumbled Saitama-sensei. He wrapped his arms around Genos as they both laid in the futon together. He was genuinely upset that he had to share Genos, he realized.
Genos grinned, before giving in to the temptation to kiss sensei. It was feather-light, just a hint of pressure, a blow of breath across sensei's lips.
"I'm yours sensei," he whispered, running his hands down sensei's back.
"Damn right you are," Sensei grinned before pushing Genos down and kissing all the air out of him.
"Mine," Saitama-sensei said and he kissed Genos' forehead.
"Mine," he said and he kissed Genos' eyelids, left, then right.
"Mine," he said and he kissed the tip of Genos' nose.
"Mine," he said, and kissed Genos lightly on the lips.
"Mine," he said, and kissed his chest plate where his core was.
"Mine," Saitama-sensei said.
And all Genos could say was always.