#parlez-vous

Saitama sighed, his hands digging into the grass beside him. The sun was pressing down on him with an intense sort of vigor, as if it was trying to warm his eternally chilled skin. It was in moments like this that he was thankful that the heat didn’t really bother him. He felt it like any other would but there was a kind of detachment to it, as if he felt and understood it but he chose not to react to it. He could probably stick his hand into a fire and leave it there for centuries without a care in the world. He had been half tempted to do it once but Mumen had convinced him not to under the pretenses that he needed a better reason than “I’m bored”. 

Regardless, Saitama stretched his legs out in front of him and lowered himself to the ground. He squeezed his eyes closed and rested his hands behind his head. He could still see the sun behind his eyelids, its brightness obstructing the darkness he was normally accustomed to. He turned his head away in response so that he wasn’t being continually blinded even with his eyes closed. 

He heard the grass rustle behind him and his heart instantly skipped a beat. He kept his eyes closed even as the noise shifted until it was beside him. He felt a pleasant warmth touch his right side and he nearly smiled. 

Saitama finally opened his eyes to meet Genos’ intense gaze. He had to squint to look up at him but it was impossible to mistake who it was. Genos had sat himself down next to him, one of his knees drawn up to his chest while his other leg stretched out beside Saitamas’. 

Saitama knew he was being a lovestruck fool but it felt as if Genos became more and more beautiful every time he saw him. There was a radiance to him that even the sun couldn’t compare to. Saitama even used to think that Flashy Flash was the brightest person on the planet but he barely came second to Genos. 

“Uh, hey,” Saitama said after realizing he had simply been staring at his companion for a little too long. 

“Hello,” Genos replied, a ghost of a smile crossing his face before he turned towards the horizon.

Silence fell over them and Saitama dug in his brain until he found something to talk about. “How’s Mount Olympus? Everything’s still functioning? They haven’t all killed each other yet?” 

“No, not yet.”

“That sucks.” 

An odd laugh came from Genos, as if he had tried to stop himself from doing it in the first place. 

Saitama grinned despite himself as he said, “I guess I just have to wait a little longer. I don’t know. Call me morbid–Well, I guess you don’t need to because I’m the god of Death–but I have this weird feeling that they’ll all just take care of each other one day. Like in another civil war.”

“I can see that,” Genos said, fiddling with something in his lap that Saitama couldn’t see. “Not everyone likes the way Sweet Mask governs.”

Saitama snorted. “Does anyone like anything he does?”

It was a while before Genos responded, his head hanging low. “I don’t.”

“Neither do I.Dude’s so overrated.” 

Given his position, Saitama couldn’t tell if it was a trick of the light or if Genos’ radiance had actually dimmed. It was too bright to distinguish easily but Genos’ luminance was a paler sort of yellow, a softer brilliance than the harshness of the sun. Saitama had thought he had been going crazy the first time he noticed it, as if he had been experiencing double vision. Regardless, something had changed, of that he was certain. 

He sat up in confusion. He could finally see what Genos was playing with, a black beaded bracelet on his left wrist. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, squinting at a spot right above Genos’ shoulder. 

The blond turned to look at him, his brows furrowed, his eyes wide. “Why do you ask that?”

“It’s because you, uh, you’re…uh, this is…” Saitama waved his hand in the air above Genos and the blond followed it with his eyes in confusion. “Never mind.”

Saitama dropped his hand back down and Genos simply stared at him for a quiet moment. However, he laughed suddenly, his shoulders trembling as he shook his head. His radiance flickered back to life, growing in brightness until it was hard not to tell it and the sun apart. His laugh was like a beautiful melody gracing Saitama’s ears. The death god couldn’t help but smile as he watched Genos bend forward and bring his hand to his chest. 

“I’m sorry,” Genos said, the last dregs of his laughter pouring out with his words. “But that was funny.” 

Saitama chuckled as he dropped his hands to the ground, resting his full weight on them so that he could lean his head against his shoulder. He felt the grass decay beneath his palm but he ignored it in favor of watching Genos wipe his eyes. The blond turned to look at him but his gaze flickered downward before he could fully turn around. Saitama looked down too to see his hand in the middle of the dying grass. A sickly green marked the ground Saitama was touching and he couldn’t stop himself from frowning. 

Genos lifted his own hand and placed it over top of Saitama’s, his warmth bringing life to Saitama’s skin. A quiet moment passed before color returned to the grass, each blade moving with a renewed purpose. Life even returned to the ground beneath Saitama’s body, any trace of death disappearing. 

Smiling, Saitama looked up at Genos. In this moment, he was gorgeous. Every trace of his being was beautiful, his eyes, his lips, his laugh, his face. It made Saitama’s heart race, his breath quicken. The warmth at his hand was infectious.   

“Genos, I…” He trailed off. He didn’t even know what he wanted to say. 

The blond looked at him curiously, his head tilted slightly. 

“I…uh…”

“Genos!” 

Genos closed his eyes, a long sigh leaving his lips. The person calling him sounded far behind them, probably somewhere over the hills to their south.

“Genos!” 

The blond shivered as his hand tightened over Saitama’s. “I have to go.”

“Yeah.”

“Genos!”

Genos stood up abruptly, rigidly, and he let out a deep breath. He waved his hand towards the ground beside Saitama and a pale pink flower akin to a rose grew in mere seconds. 

“It’s a camellia,” He said. He took a step towards the voice but he hesitated briefly, stopping his movements to look at Saitama again. He opened his mouth to say something but he ultimately shook his head and walked away.