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avisteliterature · 4 years

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[CM] Try and Try Again | Genos x Ruiying (OC)

Writing commission for @xisanamii, featuring her character, Ruiying, and Genos from One’s “One Punch Man”. Thank you again for commissioning me!

It's a relatively calm afternoon, and Saitama is lounging in the living room, allowing himself to take a moment for his own peace and comfort when Genos walks up to him. The cyborg has a look upon his face that Saitama is all too familiar with. He's going to ask him for help with something, he realizes. Saitama prepares himself for another one of their usual interactions with him rejecting Genos' request to have him teach the cyborg his secrets to all matters related to strength and power. At this point, it's become much of a running gag for them, and it's almost an automatic and instinctual reaction for Saitama to reject him outright, but what comes out Genos' mouth surprises him.

"Ruiying and I have been friends for a while now, but I would like to take our relationship further. I would like your help," Genos requests as humbly as he can, but there's a strong amount of determination laced in his voice.

Saitama's eyes widen. He certainly wasn't expecting those kinds of words to come from the cyborg's mouth. Well, even if he was caught by surprise, Saitama remains rather relax and uninterested on the whole thing, leaning back against the couch while waving his hand in a vague dismissive manner.

"I can't really help with that," he says, and it's the truth. It's something that Genos needs to figure out for himself. This kind of thing should be left only to the appropriate parties involved with no outside interference.

Genos is unrelenting, however, insisting for Saitama's aid in this rather strange quest of his. The man can see that Genos is rather serious and desperate about this, and judging by his expression, Genos has been thinking about this for quite some time already. Saitama inwardly sighs. He knows far too well that his companion won't be letting up on this request of his any time soon.

"Alright," he concedes, casually standing up from his seat. "Let me get something real quick."

Saitama leaves the room, and Genos waits patiently for his return. He has to admit, he feels a sense of excitement. After all, if Saitama is going to personally help him out, then surely everything will be a success and nothing will go wrong! His mentor comes back with a cardboard box in hand and drops it onto the floor. He haphazardly gestures towards it, and when Genos checks its contents, he finds a bunch of shoujo manga packed inside.

"Read through these and draw inspiration from them," Saitama offers before going back to do his own thing.

Genos stares at the various piles of manga stacked inside the box, picking them up and flipping through them one by one. He's aware of how Ruiying has read her fair share of the popular art form, so he comes to the conclusion that if he were to follow the same "formula", so to speak, as these shoujo tropes, then perhaps Ruiying will get the hint about his feelings. Perhaps she'd even appreciate it! This is perfect, he thinks to himself.

Genos offers a deep bow of gratitude towards Saitama. "Thank you very much!" The cyborg offers his sincere and wholehearted words of thanks. He lifts the box with his arms and leaves to follow through with Saitama's advice.

Saitama watches Genos' retreating figure, his thoughts drifting away for a moment. He's a bit skeptical and curious as to how this whole ordeal will work out, but he eventually gives a casual shrug of his shoulders. He figures it'll probably be fine in the end.

Attempt 1: Bumping into your love interest and having your hands brush against one another as you help them pick up their dropped items

It seems like a very simple and straightforward scene to try out and recreate. Genos waits for a good opportunity, but it's safe to say that he's a bit skeptical on how well this plan of his would work out, if he could even execute it in the first place. There are a lot of uncontrollable factors, all of which involve Ruiying and her own schedule and if she's carrying anything on her at the time. He supposes that it will all just depend on his timing and luck.

Thankfully, Genos happens to catch sight of Ruiying one day returning home with a stack of books borrowed from the library. There's no doubt that it's to help her study for school, and Genos realizes that this is the opportunity he was waiting for. He wastes no time at all and goes straight into action, his determination set.

He waits for her to approach, and the cyborg walks into Ruiying's path. Since the woman is unable to see anything past her tall tower of books, she ends up crashing straight into him. The pile of books all come crashing down, but thankfully Ruiying is able to maintain her footing despite the impact.

She stares down at the scattered books on the ground, her eyes narrowing. She's peeved, Genos realizes, and he's about to go and sincerely apologize for upsetting her (and not just for bumping into her), but Ruiying snaps her head towards him before he can do so. The moment her eyes lock with his, she pauses and holds her tongue from whatever lashing she was about to unleash. Her expression begins to shift from irritation to one of confusion instead.

"Sorry for bumping into you," Genos says, bowing his head slightly towards the young woman to dispel the silence between them.

Ruiying raises a brow. She doesn't know what to make of this situation. "Aren't you a cyborg?" She questions, her tone accusing, though she means no ill will behind it. "Aren't you supposed to, oh, I don't know, sense me or something? You're not really the kind of person to go bumping into things or other people for that matter."

The woman bends down to clean up the mess and pick up the dropped books as she waits for his explanation. It really doesn't make sense as to how he bumped into her. Genos doesn't respond to her question, however. He doesn't quite enjoy the idea of lying to her or withholding information from her, but somehow, he can't bring himself to be honest about this. If he could, then he wouldn't have staged this kind of scene to play out in the first place.

"Sorry," Genos repeats, and he follows behind her to help retrieve her books.

His hands move around the ground, but it seems like his eyes are far more focused on Ruiying's hands than the books themselves. He watches and waits for his chance, and he deliberately brushes his hand against Ruiying's own just as she goes to pick up the last book on the ground. He thought that he was being subtle, but the action was completely unnatural, and she notices it straight away.

Unfortunately for Genos, her heart doesn't thump with fluttery butterflies like he was hoping for, and instead, Ruiying is left feeling far more confused than she was initially. She opens her mouth to speak and call Genos out on his strange behaviour, but in the end, she opts against questioning it. It looks like attempt number one is a bust.

Attempt 2: Making a homemade bento for your love interest

Since attempt number one didn't turn out as planned, Genos decides to put his next plan into action. He decides to make a meal for Ruiying. Food is an important part of a human being's life. Making food for someone else is a sign to show that one cares for them, and Genos wants to be able to get his feelings across this time. If not with words and actions, then maybe with food.

Genos browses through the Internet at immense speed, searching for ideas and recipes he can possibly use. He knows that Ruiying is busy with her schoolwork and studying, so he wants to make her something that will help keep her energized. He wants to make her something that will show that he's paying attention to her and cares for her. He hopes that it'll help her out somehow, no matter how small.

It's the early morning, and before Ruiying can head out for school, Genos decides to give her his homemade bento. "I made this for you," he tells her, offering the packed lunch out to her, and she happily accepts it with no questions. It is free food after all. She has no reason to refuse.

"Thanks!" Ruiying repays his kindness with a vibrant smile, and Genos finds himself heating up a bit at the sight. The woman doesn't catch his reaction though, and she leaves to go about her day as usual.

Later at noon, Ruiying takes out the bento that was offered to her while her notes lie in front of her. She begins to eat the food without much thought of it, her mind too busy trying to understand and memorize all of the notes she needs to get down before proceeding any further with her studying.

It's only when she's halfway through her meal does she finally look down at what she's eating. A questioning sound leaves her lips when she's met with the sight of how the food is laid out. At first glance, it almost looks like there's a sort of "heart theme" going on with the bento—no, wait... there is a heart theme after all.

Ruiying leans back in her seat, staring awfully hard at the food she was previously eating without a care. "What the...?" she mutters underneath her breath.

For a while, Ruiying wonders if maybe she's just seeing things she secretly wants to see, but there's no doubt about it. This bento practically screams romantic undertones no matter how you look at it. Ruiying bites down at her lower lip. She considers for one brief moment that maybe... just maybe... Genos might reciprocate her feelings and see her in a romantic nature rather than a purely platonic one?

"..."

Ruiying shakes her head, quickly waving the idea out of her mind with a wry smile. It's ridiculous, she argues with herself. She holds a certain sense of self-doubt and is unable to come to terms with the idea that Genos might actually feel the same way she does about him. That he might actually her the same way she loves him, more than just a friend. She comes to the conclusion that he was probably just trying out something new. She convinces herself of that reasoning, but despite it all, she holds a sliver of doubt—and hope—within her heart that perhaps there might be more to all this.

Attempt 3: Love Triangle

Ah yes, there's always the typical love triangle trope. There's something about the idea of bringing another party into the mix that seems to add excitement to avid readers of shoujo manga. Genos considers giving this particular trope a shot, but for that, he'll need somebody to help him out with this plan if he were to go through with it.

He'll need someone who can stay true to the script and somebody he knows won't accidentally fall for Ruiying as well (and thus gain a proper love rival of his own). He goes through a list of all the possible candidates, and unfortunately, the only person that comes to mind is Saitama. He's the only one he can trust with this very important mission.

Genos decides to approach Saitama one afternoon. "Sensei—"

"No," comes the man's quick and curt response, not bothering to look up once from the book he's reading. The moment Genos walked into the room, Saitama already had a vague understanding of what it was that the cyborg wanted to ask of him.

Looks like attempt three was a quick failure, but Genos refuses to give up just yet.

Attempt 4: Sakura viewing with your love interest

Despite Genos being quite determined and focused on trying to recreate very typical and cliché scenes found in shoujo manga, it isn't like he's completely disregarded Ruiying's own feelings and state of being. It hasn't escaped his notice that the young woman has been feeling rather stressed and tired from all of her studying and schoolwork. Out of consideration for her physical and mental well-being, he decides to invite her out to view the sakura which are currently in full bloom, hoping that it will help her relax, even if only just a little.

At this point in time of the school year, Ruiying has pretty much given up on anything and everything school-related for the time being. She's more than happy and eager to accept the offered invitation without much fuss to give her some time to herself. She asks if she can bring Mantou along as well since it's been a while they were able to spend some time together due to her hectic schedule. Genos doesn't mind it, so long as it'll make Ruiying happy, and the two of them set up a time and date for their planned sakura viewing.

Since the previous bento attempt turned out pretty well with Ruiying having finished the whole thing and having her wholeheartedly thanking Genos for the thoughtful meal, the cyborg figures it wouldn't hurt to make another one for their date. (Well, he's calling it a date, but he isn't sure if Ruiying sees it the same way.) Not only that, but he finds himself feeling quite giddy at the idea of Ruiying enjoying what he made for her. It fills him with a certain sense of pride and accomplishment. Once again, he looks up various sites through the Internet in search of recipes that Ruiying might like and appreciate on their little outing.

The decided upon date for their sakura viewing comes rather quickly, and both Genos and Ruiying head out with Mantou in tow, yipping excitedly by their feet. They arrive at one of the nearby parks where one can comfortably view the sakura in all its glory, and they easily find a good spot to settle down in. They begin making their preparations, setting out a picnic blanket on the ground for them to sit on while Genos takes out the bento he made for them to enjoy.

A comfortable silence stretches out over them, the pair eating the food with little to no words exchanged in between. Both Genos and Ruiying sit side-by-side, their shoulders brushing against one another every now and then as they appreciate the gorgeous view of the flowers before them while also relishing in the warm presence that their company provides. This is rather nice, they think to themselves. It's been a while since they've been able to relax so freely like this beside one another.

The pair of them go through the bento at a leisurely pace, each taking turns of petting Mantou who can't seem to sit still and moves back and forth between the two. As Ruiying runs her hands over the dog's synthetic fur, Ruiying can't help but recall the day Genos had gifted him to her.

Just because Ruiying is allergic didn't stop her at all from petting whatever dogs she came across (with the owner's permission, of course), and Genos had grown concerned for her well-being. It's not like he could stop her from doing what she wanted, but at the same time, he didn't like the idea of her basically putting her life at stake just for a few fleeting moments of happiness to pet a cute animal.

That's why he decided to give her Mantou out of the goodness of his heart so that she can enjoy having a dog of her own without having to put her health at risk. Needless to say, Ruiying can still remember how touched she felt on that day. Something seemed to change in their relationship, and it hasn't exactly been the same since then. Even her thoughts and feelings of him had started to shift to something more deep and profound, even if she herself never properly voiced them out loud. It isn't necessarily a bad change per se, but change is still change, and Ruiying has noticed it. Her mind can't help but wonder just where exactly her relationship with Genos is heading, slow-paced and awkward as it is.

She glances down at the food in her hands, and once again, she silently notes the romantic theme behind it. There's lots of reds and pinks as well as heart-shaped food packed into the bento. Ruiying has read enough of the romance genre to kind of form some thoughts and conclusions as to what Genos is possibly scheming with all of this, but once again, she's too scared to consider the possibility of it being true. Even though she wants it to be true, a sense of anxiety grips at her heart that she'll just get her hopes up for nothing and have it all come crashing down at some point when or if she finds out that her conclusions are wrong.

She likes where her relationship with Genos is right now. It's true that perhaps she's hoping for something more to come out of it, but she doesn't want to risk what the two of them already have. She doesn't want to put any kind of awkwardness or strain or distance to this relationship that she so deeply cherishes, both internally and externally.

Ruiying decides to put those heavy thoughts on hold for the time being. She brings a hand up to her mouth to cover a yawn that she had been trying to suppress. She's visibly sleepy, and Genos, to her complete and utter shock, offers to have her use his lap as a pillow.

The young woman stares at him, eyes wide with disbelief and feeling very much dumbfounded. She can't help but ask, a bit on guard, "Are you... joking?" She really can't tell if he's being serious or not.

"No," he answers simply, shifting his position around so that he's on his knees and gestures towards his lap for her to lie down on.

"I, uh..." Ruiying starts, uncertain of what exactly to do in this kind of situation. Should she accept? Would it be weird if she accepted? Do friends usually do this kind of thing? Now she's starting to hold some doubts, and Genos continues to stare at her with expectant eyes, waiting for her to lie her head down on her lap. As thankful as she is for the kind offer, it's far too embarrassing for her.

In the end, Ruiying shakes her head. "Uh, no, it's fine. I'm good," she finally answers, her tone hesitant and wary, her mind still racing to sort out this situation.

Genos looks a bit disappointed, but Ruiying waves it off, thinking that perhaps she's just imagining things. Why would he offer a lap pillow for her? It just doesn't make sense, no matter how hard she thinks about it. He doesn't push the topic any further to her relief, and they continue on as per usual. The rest of the sakura viewing goes off without a hitch, and they begin to clean up so that they can head back home.

As they're packing up, Genos becomes lost in his thoughts once again. Ruiying would probably never have guessed that the thing on his mind right now is a bunch of shoujo tropes and scenes usually aimed towards young female adults to make their heart race. He goes over his mental library of notes that he's taken from all the manga he binged through, and he comes across one that he saw quite often, even if it didn't particularly make sense to him.

It involves one character catching the other mid-fall. He wonders if he can try to recreate a scene like that right now, but similar to his first attempt of bumping into Ruiying, this plan of his is based more on luck and timing rather than anything else. Genos briefly considers the idea of tripping the woman to instigate the scene, so to speak, but after a quick second thought, he decides against it. No matter what, even if it's for his own personal gain and reasons, he's highly against the idea of bringing Ruiying any kind of harm, no matter how small. He had promised to himself that he would protect her, not hurt her. He has certain lines he refuses to cross.

That leaves him empty-handed now, however, and it's back to square one for him. As they're heading back home, engaging in some simple and casual conversation, Genos feels something drop at the top of his head. He tilts his head back and looks up, noticing that rain clouds have blown in, and it quickly starts to rain.

Genos, straightforward and simpleminded in his thoughts as always, realizes that he can use this as his chance for yet another attempt in wooing Ruiying and getting her to fall for him. If he recalls correctly, one of the characters would usually offer to share an umbrella or jacket and walk underneath it together, forcing them to stay close to one another. Unfortunately for him, he remembers that he doesn't have either of the two items to use, so he decides to use the next best thing: his shirt.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Ruiying asks with embarrassed horror in her voice, trying hard not to scream as Genos removes the shirt he's currently wearing and leave him with no top on. Since she's holding Mantou in her arms at the time, she ends up squeezing the dog a bit tighter against her chest as reflex since she really doesn't know how else to react.

Genos doesn't answer and instead drapes the article of clothing over Ruiying's head. It does little to provide her shelter from the rain, but it's better than nothing at all. Despite the confusion and embarrassment she feels, Ruiying's heart skips a beat at the stiff and awkward gesture, feeling oddly touched.

She really doesn't understand what Genos is thinking or why he's behaving like this, but at this point, due to how strange he's been acting as of late, she's learned to just accept these things as is. Though she will admit, she supposes that a small part of her is appreciative of these kind acts and the like. She might not know what's going on with him (even if her heart might already have an idea), but she can't deny that these past few days have been kind of... fun and maybe even a little heart pounding. She would be lying if she said she wasn't feeling a bit happier than usual ever since Genos started acting like this. The two of them walk back home with nothing but the sound of rain and Mantou's small barks to fill the clumsy and awkward air in between them.

Attempt 5: Kabedon

Genos is betting everything he has on this last trope and attempt. He's gone through every single overused scene and trope he can think of and weighed in on tropes he can try to recreate and which ones he can't. At this time, he's tried out almost every trope in the book except for this one—the kabedon. It's the most wildly used and acknowledged trope that even the characters in the manga themselves acknowledge it, so surely nothing can go wrong this time, right?

Preparing himself for the task at hand, Genos finds Ruiying when she's all alone. He calls out to her to get her attention. She pauses in her tracks, curious, and turns to face him. She's in a good position, standing relatively close to the wall. The cyborg walks up to the woman, lifting up his arms and tries to slam his palms against the wall behind her. It should have been executed rather well, but he ends up underestimating his strength. Somehow, he ends up breaking the wall, his hands going inside the hard surface and leaves him stuck there.

Ruiying is caged in between Genos' arms as planned, but the situation is a bit... well, there isn't really a good enough word to properly describe it. It's definitely an amusing sight to any passerby, but for the two of them, it's difficult to explain. A moment of awkward and tense silence passes between the two with Ruiying peering up at Genos with a very confused look and him peering down at her with an unreadable expression.

"Do you, uh... Do you need help?" Ruiying asks slowly, finally breaking the silence between them.

"Yes." Genos' face is deadpan in accepting her offer.

Ruiying breathes out a small sigh, almost sounding exasperated as she ducks her head and moves underneath the cyborg's arms so that she's no longer caged by him. She wraps her fingers around him, and after a couple of firm tugs, she's able to help him get out of his predicament. Genos offers her a bow and word of thanks, but Ruiying is too distracted to properly accept it.

Instead, the woman crosses her arms across her chest. She can't figure out the reason for Genos' strange behaviour as of late, and to be perfectly honest, it's starting to creep her out a bit. Not necessarily in a bad way, but in a more concerned kind of sense. She decides to bite the bullet and ask him directly.

"You've been acting weird lately," she points out, and Genos can't deny it. He knows that he's been acting rather out of character around her lately. She tilts her head to the side. "Any particular reason why?"

Her gaze is strong and unyielding, and it doesn't look like Ruiying will be letting him get away from her without some form of explanation. With no other cards left to play, Genos has no choice. Just as Ruiying herself decided to directly ask him, he concludes that it's only reasonable that he be direct as well.

He straightens up his back, his eyes suddenly serious. The air around him changes, becoming almost heavy, and Ruiying unconsciously gulps, afraid of what his reason might be. It seems... really serious. They stand there for a while, staring at one another without saying anything. Is Genos mentally preparing himself for something or what? Ruiying shakes her head. If he doesn't want to tell her, then she won't force him. She opens her mouth to tell him that it's okay, but—

"I love you."

It's simple and straight to the point. There's no fluttery words or praise or compliments added into it. It is just as it is, quick and direct and with no room for misunderstandings or anything like that.

Ruiying stares at Genos in disbelief, and he stares down at her, waiting for her response, whether it be acceptance, rejection, or reciprocation. It takes a while, since she's still trying to process those three very simple but meaningful words that can change everything they know about their relationship, and the moment she does, she becomes a flustered mess.

Her cheeks and tips of her ears become visibly red from embarrassment, and she's left stumbling and fumbling with her words. Her lips part, and sounds come out, but she can't form any kind of cohesive sentence. Genos finds himself being so entranced by her cute reaction that he can't help but wonder why didn't just do this in the first place. It would have saved him so much time and effort, he realizes.

Seconds tick on by, and Ruiying is still trying to gather up her words to answer to his confession. Hoping that it'll help her out, Genos asks, "Do you feel the same towards me?" Maybe if he asks a straightforward question like this, it will help her out of her embarrassed state.

She stops floundering around for a while, going dead silent. She bows her head, and Genos can't see her expression anymore, but she gives a subtle nod of her head that's almost easy to miss at first glance.

"...Yes," she finally answers with a soft and whispered voice, but it is full of sincerity and honesty.

Genos feels something akin to warmth bloom in his chest. She loves him. He loves her. Finally, they're able to get their feelings across to each other. Finally, they're able to understand one another to a far better extent and be on the same page for once instead of trying to figure each other out.

Genos delicately cups Ruiying's chin between his fingers, and he gently tilts her head back up, wanting to see her face. Her entire face is glowing with a pinkish hue, but despite the blush she's wearing and troubled crease between her brows, there's joy dancing behind her eyes, and Genos' eyes mirror it.

Seeing as the straightforward approach was the most effective way of doing things and led to the best result, Genos continues with that direct way of handling things and asks another question. "Can I kiss you?"

Ruiying would have never imagined such a request to come from Genos himself, but she heard them loud and clear. Her eyes glance off to the side for a brief second before finding the courage to bring her attention back to him.

"Yes," she accepts, breathing out her response.

Genos smiles softly at her, the sight making her heart thump wildly against her chest. He leans in close, slow but purposeful. He presses his lips against hers, giving her a careful and short-lived kiss before pulling back once more.

Ruiying's blush intensifies even further, and she's no longer able to look Genos in the eyes. Her heart is racing faster than it's ever done before, but she's so full of love and joy at this moment that nothing else matters. Genos thinks back on the past few days ever since he decided to confront his feelings towards Ruiying. Although it might have taken a while to reach this point, and although there were a few snags along the way, in the end, it was all worth it for this moment and for the future that lies ahead for them and their relationship.

#One Punch Man #OPM #Genos #Genos (OPM)#Genos (One Punch Man)#Genos x OC #Canon x OC #other's ocs #commission #writing commission #fanfiction #avisteliterature

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