Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything he did was for science, Asuka R♯ told himself as he wiped the sweat from his brow and set his ragged notebook on the sand of the beach to take a break. He wasn’t used to these types of environments, but alas.

Currently, R♯ was on Earth, researching for his progenitor as said man kept himself busy with his radio show on the Moon. On the one hand, R♯ vastly enjoyed the hands-on research after the inability to do so on the Moon. On the other, it was hot, the Sun beat down on his back, and R♯ should have reapplied sunscreen an hour ago.

Heat stroke was a serious threat, so R♯ made sure to remain properly hydrated and satiated. A shady outcrop lay nearby, but his spot sprawled in the sandy dirt was too nice to move. Or maybe he was running out of energy and on the verge of passing out. Either way, R♯ enjoyed feeling like a lizard sunbathing on a rack without a care in the world.

However, R♯ was not a lizard. He was a human, or a clone of a human, capable of thought and prone to overthinking. His wandering thoughts might not even be overthinking but simple pondering.

The first thing R♯ wondered was why he needed to research the impact of magic on microbes in a soda lake (not that he minded). The second thing was how any possible hypothesis he could prove would relate to Asuka’s radio show about bringing humanity a brighter future.

In addition, R♯ wondered why he was created to question his creator like that. Even if questioning his assignment was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, it meant R♯ was capable of questioning Asuka, and thus betraying him.

Being the clone of that man proved that line of reasoning futile, as R♯ wasn’t capable of betraying a man like Asuka. Though R♯ didn’t have a moral compass as a loyal follower might, he and Asuka did share the same goals, whatever goal researching microbes might fulfill. As such, there was no reason to betray him.

So R♯ could question Asuka. He could also question the nature of his existence, and maybe his creator’s existence, too. 

Unlike the little microbes R♯ adored, he was created with the capability of thought. With thought usually came beliefs, ideals, and some form of code of honor, to put it simply. Not for R♯. He was created without a moral compass, which gave him no way to properly understand the weight of Asuka’s past sins.

Were they R♯’s past sins? No, not at all. They were Asuka’s, but he was Asuka’s clone, was he not? That useless train of thought aside, this lack of a trait seen as important throughout humanity’s history was kindness in Asuka’s eyes. Asuka’s intent was for R♯ to live freely without being wracked with guilt over crimes from ages ago that he couldn’t possibly commit himself.

If this guilt was such a burden for Asuka, the self-loathing so intense (very, very intense, R♯ had witnessed it first hand many times while stationed at the Lunar Colony), why did Asuka bother to create a clone of himself? Was it to see who he could become if he lacked a moral compass? If he was more social, if he lacked the flaws of an awkward human who made mistake after mistake? If he could truly start anew without past sins weighing him down?

Despite being Asuka’s clone, R♯ did not have the answer to any of those questions. He didn’t think Asuka did, either, because no memory, idea, or prominent thought came from the mind R♯ was forged from. For the moment, before he convinced Asuka to see the world’s best therapist, R♯ decided that his role as a research assistant and temporary companion on the Moon was a good enough answer to those questions.

From there, R♯ had to think of his current circumstances because of his role as a research assistant. The job landed him in a rented bungalow stationed in the United States, close enough to Frederick and Jack-O should he need help or simple company but far enough to be isolated. It was the perfect location for R♯’s current objective on Earth, especially with its proximity to those wonderful soda lakes.

Said current objective saw R♯ researching microbes’ reaction to magic, specifically in extreme environments. On the list of potential areas to investigate, the easiest place to get to was soda lakes. Given their proximity to humanity, the pros outweighed any cons R♯ and Asuka could think of.

Why exactly Asuka wanted to research this particular topic, R♯ didn’t know. He wouldn’t lie and say he was disinterested, though. Perhaps it began as the start of an in-depth study of life thriving in the most extreme environments, only for magic to become involved, and it devolved from there.

The thought of extremophiles excited R♯, to put it simply. The smallest creatures, invisible to mankind’s eye, forged millennia after millennia to survive conditions deemed unfit by all other life forms. In these soda lakes, they thrived without sufficient oxygen in pH ranges far too alkaline for other marine life…! And soda lakes were only the first step! There were all sorts of life in extreme conditions for R♯ to study.

Although these conditions likely wouldn’t be as hospitable, they were reachable with much fanfare. Deep in ocean trenches within and around hydrothermal vents, highly pressured and intensely heated, in extremely cold environments harsher than any other location on Earth, or perhaps in the opposite of alkaline environments, such as highly acidic areas found in volcanic areas. Don’t forget dry environments devoid of water necessary for metabolic processes! 

Well, that last one didn’t sound amazing to research. R♯ was, unfortunately, bound by his need for hydration. Though he wasn’t necessarily in a xeric environment, the dry, hot climate in the depths of Nevada already proved itself far too much for R♯. To be in a truly xeric environment… Asuka could make a trip to Earth himself if he made a fuss about R♯’s unwillingness to research those.

R♯ blinked once, then again to get the dark spots out of his vision. He had distracted himself to the point he forgot to blink for who knows how long. In the harsh light of the Sun, that wasn’t preferable. Rather than make a painstakingly difficult effort to haul his sluggishly heavy body to the shade, R♯ sat up and took a long sip of his drink.

It was enough to draw him out of that heat-fueled daze, enough for him to stand and stretch. It wasn’t particularly his fault for getting distracted. It certainly wasn’t his fault life on Earth was so interesting! Life at humanity’s fingertips had to be understood before scientists could even hope to confirm the existence of life beyond the stars. That was if humans ever even made it as far as Mars.

The Crusades put a damper on any hope of journey beyond Earth’s orbit, needless to say. The Lunar Colony, as far as R♯ was aware, was one of the last major science projects designed with space travel in mind. Though it was certainly ambitious, it aimed only for the Moon in a last-ditch effort.

Curiosity had dwindled as the Crusades caused humanity’s focus to shift rather understandably. But now? Now, with humanity and gears at peace, research could continue anew! The possibilities were endless. The Moon became a haven for Asuka, so why couldn’t Mars be the next stop? It was farther, yes, but if-

Damn it, R♯’s mind wandered yet again. He had become so infatuated with his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the sudden activity in the untouched microbes. It was almost like they went haywire without an observable cause.

That was. Confusing, to say the least. The initial stages of investigation had just begun, starting with observation of the microbes in their natural habitat, so it wasn’t R♯ who disrupted them. No one was around and he hadn’t used any magic, so why-

R♯ blinked, his eyes crossing when a butterfly landed on his nose. Why would there be a butterfly out in the harsh landscape of Nevada? Well, at least in the area R♯ was researching. A blue, sparkling butterfly unlike any other, at that. Seemingly made of magic, if the slight distortion around the creature’s outline was anything to go by.

Wait a minute. After memories flooded in that weren’t entirely his own, R♯ recognized the butterfly he had seen before. Technically not him, but Asuka. The butterfly, which fluttered from Asuka’s nose to perch on his outstretched hand, belonged to a man who bothered Asuka relentlessly in the not-so-distant past, a man named Anji Mito.

From reviewing a single thought Asuka had about the man, R♯ knew he was in for it. Anji Mito was quite possibly the most annoying man Asuka met. Year after year, he had relentlessly pursued Asuka in search of knowledge, a pesky mosquito Asuka couldn’t manage to swat away from his face.

Asuka was followed until the very end, Anji and his comrades nosing their way into the affairs of the G4 Summit. Now, Asuka was at peace because there was no way Anji could get to the Moon without him being informed beforehand. Yes, Anji and his comrades were helpful, but that didn’t mean Asuka found Anji’s presence any more tolerable. 

A particular memory that stood out was Asuka talking to Raven after an encounter that only ended when Raven met Anji with force. Asuka had called Anji, and R♯ quoted, ‘a tick I hadn’t seen carrying the necessary strain to give me Lyme disease, and now haunts me with insurmountable hospital bills.’ 

R♯ understood the sentiment from the countless memories of the annoyingly persistent Anji Mito alone. All he wanted was ‘information,’ though Asuka didn’t believe that or anything else from the fox’s mouth.

As one could expect, the presence of the butterfly but not Anji made R♯ panic. Was it an ambush? R♯ whirled in anticipation of an ambush to see if Anji was in sight, whipping from left to right as fast as he could.

Then, he became dizzy with how fast he moved (which wasn’t that fast because he wasn’t athletic and the heat was getting to him), lost balance, and fell into the dirt. The heat had gotten to him far more than he thought. That only made him panic further because not only was he at threat of heat stroke if it went unchecked, but he didn’t know what Anji’s intent was.

Was Anji going to kill him? R♯ knew this was unlikely, but he also knew Anji likely didn’t realize he wasn’t Asuka, an infamous war criminal. Perhaps the heat was also getting to his brain, which was a very, very bad sign. It meant heat exhaustion crossed the boundary into a heatstroke. Not good.

Last he checked, the bounty on Asuka’s head had entered the hundreds of millions. 

Well, that was a sign R♯ was thinking straight. Did the difference between heat exhaustion and heatstroke matter if Anji had malicious intent? Was his brief life as a clone even worth it? He hadn’t even gotten to finish his first research assignment! Damn it…

His head was swimming and his vision blurred, but he recognized the head that popped into his vision from his spot on the ground. Yes, that was Anji Mito. R♯ couldn’t find the will to move or even attempt to summon magic to defend himself because his body was so exerted from a single rushed movement.

What would have happened if he had been doing something physically strenuous? R♯ shuddered to think. The signs pointed to heat exhaustion, especially once he felt the sweat drip down into his eyes from his face and his shirt slick against his skin. He had been so enthralled in his work that he hadn’t noticed how sweaty he became.

All Anji did was stare at him. R♯ couldn’t exactly think of what to say, nor did he want to. That was until Anji crouched beside him and easily threw him over his shoulder like R♯ was a doll. At R♯’s immediate squawking, Anji almost teasingly said, “Relax! I’m just helping you.”

When it became obvious that Anji was walking toward his bungalow, R♯ had an inkling of belief that he wasn’t lying. However, the fact that Anji was walking toward his bungalow concerned R♯ because he’d only know that if he already scouted the area. Which was not good. Not good at all.

Those words echoed in R♯’s otherwise empty mind until he returned to reality and realized he was sitting on his couch in the air-conditioned living room of his temporary housing, lying down with his legs elevated, and a cold, wet towel lay across his forehead.

Anji sat on the sparsely used armchair across from him with… what looked like a concerned expression. R♯ expected him to look coy at the very least, maybe surprised? Intrigued if the memories of him were anything to go by. Annoyed as well?

However, the only thing R♯ could say for certain was that Anji looked concerned. R♯ was proven correct when he moved the wet rag off his forehead, sufficiently cooled in the air-conditioned room, and swung his legs over the edge of the couch to face Anji.

“How are you feeling?” Anji asked.

R♯ blinked. Was that it? “I’m fine. Would you like a drink?” He asked as he stood from the couch and shuffled to the small kitchenette of his bungalow. This time, R♯ didn’t feel lightheaded as he moved, so he merely suffered heat exhaustion. Still, he was likely dehydrated and certainly felt it.

“No, no, thank you,” Anji’s voice was nearer than R♯ expected, enough to make him jump. When R♯ turned away from the fridge (a stupid act in hindsight; it left him open to an attack from behind), he realized Anji propped himself against the counter, his hands steepled and his curious gaze fixed on R♯.

Finally, Anji matched R♯’s memories. Curious and in pursuit of knowledge, a man who didn’t care for the sake of others if there wasn’t anything for him to gain. It was easy to put two and two together; Anji was here to ask something of R♯, and helping R♯ would improve his favor. Exactly what Anji wanted to know, R♯ couldn’t say.

“Why are you here?” R♯ made his point without adding excess to the conversation. Though he was engineered to be more socially active than Asuka, that didn’t mean he had to enjoy small talk.

“I was in the area,” Anji lied with a shrug of his shoulders. If R♯ hadn’t (technically) encountered Anji before, he would have believed his every word due to his overly nice demeanor. Anji was a friendly man, but he used his charm to hide his true intentions.

“I doubt that,” R♯ scoffed. 

“Ah, you got me,” Anji acted coy, a deceivingly sheepish smile hiding his sharp wit. “Rumors in the area caught my attention. Something about a white-haired scientist busting a meth lab?”

R♯ was the person talked about in whatever rumor Anji had heard, not that he’d admit to it. It was why he was so comfortable alone in the desert, enough to keep his doors unlocked while he was away. There had been a meth lab in the area when R♯ first settled, but he promptly dealt with it with enough force to scare away any other potential dealers. 

Anji might have provided a reason, but that didn’t mean R♯ had to believe a word he said. Sure, he could have heard of R♯’s presence because of rumors, but it was unlikely he was just ‘in the area.’ “What business do you have with me?” R♯ asked anyway, even if he didn’t follow Anji’s reasoning. 

“You look like Asuka,” Anji began with a smile. He waved a hand toward R♯’s face, specifically at his winged eye. “Not only are your wings pink, but you have the most gorgeous blue eyes,” Anji winked.

“So?” R♯ coughed into his hand, ignoring the heat that flooded his cheeks. “I have the power to change the color of my eyes.”

“Not only do you look different, you are friendlier than Asuka.”

“...You didn’t answer my question,” R♯ ignored Anji’s further reasoning, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his statement. It seemed R♯’s ignorance confirmed whatever Anji believed, his smile growing sharper and his eyes sparkling as if he had gained the upper hand in a round of chess.

“Answer mine first. I did save you, shouldn’t you owe me something in return?” Anji flirted so shamelessly, once again winking with a seductive smirk across his face. His stupid, suggestive wording made R♯’s face go from a light blush to a flaming red as he choked on his water. His shoulders tensed because was… was Anji propositioning him?!

It certainly lined up with Asuka’s memories for him to be so- so crude due to his flirtatious nature, especially toward Asuka. But R♯. No. Just. No.

(He was handsome, the lack of a shirt left nothing to sneeze at.)

(That was beside the point.)

“No,” R♯ shook his head once he cleared his throat.

“What?” Anji innocently widened his eyes like he didn’t know what his words implied. R♯ didn’t need to glance further at that sly fox’s face to know he was lying, instead turning his gaze toward an interesting painting on the wall. “I just wanted to ask you a few things.”

Despite his hesitance, R♯ begrudgingly backed down with a heavy sigh, still frowning at Anji’s idiocy. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on the person, R♯ didn’t necessarily deem Anji’s pursuit of knowledge something to fight over. Asuka had considered him a hindrance, which R♯ understood from their repeated meetings.

Asuka was attempting to correct his wrongs in a grand, convoluted plan. All Anji did was serve to get in his way. Now, though R♯ knew his research was important, Anji’s presence wasn’t anything to get into a fight over. He was annoying, very annoying, but not an obstacle in R♯’s path that needed to be removed.

Anyway, R♯ couldn’t bring himself to be mad when company was company. The fish he kept didn’t make great conversational partners, at least not until R♯ finished his side project to create a way to telepathically communicate with them. “What do you want to know?” He sighed, giving in to Anji’s wishes.

At that, Anji’s smile became much nicer as he clapped his hands excitedly. “I have three questions, mind answering them?”

“What do you want to know?” R♯ repeated while gritting his teeth. Very, very annoying.

“One, why are you here?” Anji tapped a finger as he moved on to his next question, “Two, who exactly are you if you aren’t Asuka? And three, how did you come to exist?”

“I’m here researching,” R♯ answered Anji’s first question in the briefest way he could think. He opened his mouth to continue, but Anji interrupted.

“On Earth?”

“Yes?” R♯ scowled as he crossed his arms. He didn’t think Anji would want a lengthy answer to the least important of his questions.

“What are you researching?” Anji further asked.

…Technically, it was a fourth question, but the nature of it caught R♯ off guard. It made sense why Anji would want to know what R♯ was doing, but he didn’t think that knowledge took precedence over how R♯ related to Asuka. There was no reason not to tell Anji what he was researching either; he hadn’t discovered anything new yet and the subject was centuries old.

“Extremophiles,” R♯ answered as simply as he could. Anji could look into the subject on his own time.

“What are extremophiles?”

R♯ felt just as confused as Anji looked at that moment. Why did Anji want to waste time when there were more important questions to be answered? More importantly, why did R♯ feel compelled to answer Anji’s fifth question when he only agreed to answer three?

“They are creatures that live in extreme environments,” R♯ slowly spoke, expecting Anji to interrupt halfway through with a question pertaining about his identity. “Microbes that fill niches in intense environments.”

“What types of environments?” Anji further asked. R♯ fumbled for any words despite his knowledge of the subject while he scanned Anji’s face for a hint of deception. Was this an attempt to stall so Anji’s ilk could arrive? 

Any reasoning made not a lick of sense, not when Anji smiled genuinely with pure curiosity shining in his… rather beautiful eyes. R♯ couldn’t detect a hint of Anji putting up a facade to trick him, so he continued.

The conversation continued much the same; R♯ explained the subject further, Anji asked another question (R♯ had completely forgotten about the initial three questions), and R♯ delved deeper in return. In fact, Anji managed to distract R♯ so well that he began to get comfortable conversing on something he was passionate about.

Anji made a fantastic conversation partner, enabling R♯ to continue rambling, enough to the point R♯ let himself get excited. A few times, R♯ caught himself making wild hand movements as he talked animatedly, letting his curiosity and passion freely show. He was so engrossed in the conversation that he didn’t try to mask his excitement as he would in any other setting.

It was clear that Anji was absorbed in the conversation, too. He didn’t cut R♯ off at any point, he didn’t ask any questions that would change the topic of the conversation, he nodded in understanding, and he kept that smile the whole time. R♯ would dare say that Anji’s smile had, at some point, turned warm. As if he was enjoying himself.

Odd.

What was more odd was the passing of time. 

He had been talking for so long, or maybe Anji had been such a good listener that R♯ only paused when the sun dipped low on the horizon, shining directly through the window opposing the kitchen, right into R♯’s eyes. R♯ paused long enough to shield his eyes from the sun, long enough for the gears to turn in his head, long enough to realize how long he talked.

What a waste of time! Not to R♯, no, he enjoyed talking about his interests, but to Anji! No matter how much Anji could claim to seek knowledge around every corner, no one enjoyed listening to a dull conversation for so long.

“I- I’m sorry,” R♯ averted his gaze from Anji’s as he bowed. He hadn’t realized how long he had kept eye contact. “I shouldn’t have kept you for so long. I should-”

“Don’t apologize. Are you dabbling in hypnotic spells?” Anji questioned as he stretched his arms above his head. “Because it’s hypnotizing to see you so enthused,” he finished with a wink. R♯ felt like a bullet had been shot through his heart. How was he supposed to respond? Why did his heartbeat become so rapid at those words?

Thankfully, Anji spoke before the silence could become awkward. “I should get going.”

R♯’s tongue was heavy like lead, his mind so frantic that he could only nod in… disappointment. Surprised disappointment. He couldn’t even say goodbye, only rounding the counter to see him out like a good host might when Anji sauntered to the door.

“But!” Anji whirled around on his foot to face R♯ once they both stood within arm’s length of the door, a grin on his face. “I’ll be back. You need to answer my other questions.”

“A-Ah, yes, I ap-” R♯ stumbled over his words, only for Anji to stop him with a wave of his hand. Like a charmed fool, R♯ shut his mouth as Anji grabbed the parasol leaning against the wall next to the door. R♯ had been so out of it, then so enthralled in the conversation, that he hadn’t noticed Anji placed it there.

“The only thing you should apologize for is being so careless about your health,” Anji’s voice was tinged with concern. He seemed so… so caring that R♯ couldn’t help but now see the truth in his words. If he thought about it later, R♯ knew he would come to the same conclusion.

“Keep this,” Anji held the parasol out, his eyes full of warmth R♯ wouldn’t expect. “Bring it with you for some shade.”

R♯ should have been wary of the gift. It could have been a ploy to spy on R♯, after all. Regardless, R♯ accepted the gift without worrying about what it could track from him if anything. He doubted it was a tool to spy on him, but surprisingly found he didn’t mind its true purpose, whatever it may be.

The parasol was dainty and lightweight yet durable and robust, with a faint hint of a flowery scent, jasmine or lavender if R♯’s knowledge of flowers was correct. The cedar shaft had a nice heft, firm in his hand but not heavy. The wood was a creamy tan, nicely paired with the light blue silk and navy butterflies patterned around the edges.

It was a lovely gift. What seemed to be a handmade one, at that. R♯’s face flushed as he rolled it in his hands and nodded mostly to himself to shake his frazzled nerves. “I’ll make lunch next time.”

“It’s a date,” Anji winked, blew a kiss to R♯, and wandered away from the bungalow.

R♯’s heart pounded like crazy. His initial reading of Anji was mostly correct. However, after all… that, R♯ determined he was wrong about one part. Anji acted for his own interests, yes, but if that was true, why would he have gifted R♯ his parasol? Why would he have entertained such a pointless conversation? In light of those observations, R♯’s hypothesis needed corrections.

Anji mostly acted for his own interests (that being knowledge, of course), but he wouldn’t hesitate to help those in need. In fact, it was quite the opposite; Anji would go out of his way, especially for those he cared about, even at the cost of losing the answers he sought.

The hypothesis could possibly expand to include anyone in any circumstance, regardless of Anji’s care toward them. R♯ couldn’t be certain of that, though.

Anyone in need included R♯, as Anji helped him back to his bungalow in his dazed state. Despite this, R♯ hesitated to put himself in that category solely because Anji willingly handed over his parasol and entertained R♯’s rambles. Because of this, R♯ speculated that perhaps Asuka (and R♯ himself, to that extent?) fell into the status of someone Anji cared about.

…Why did that make R♯’s heart race faster and faster, to the point he worried he was having a heart attack? Why did the parasol, held in his sweaty hands and adorned with blue butterflies characteristic of Anji’s aesthetic, make the butterflies in R♯’s stomach come alive?

All R♯ could do was wait for Anji to return to test his hypothesis and provide answers to why he felt so odd about the gift. Odd wasn’t the right word. Flustered was more accurate, if not befuddled or even besotted? Was besotted too strong of a word? If R♯ could recall correctly, the definition of besotted was to be intensely infatuated or deeply in…

Love.

Chapter Text

R♯ didn’t expect Anji to come back so soon. He had been researching at the soda lake, where he almost passed out. He properly hydrated this time around, obtained better sunscreen, and packed some light snacks in a lunch sack to maintain blood sugar levels. Most importantly, R♯ was aided by Anji’s parasol propped in the sand, doing wonders for his homeostasis.

Unfortunately, he still wasn’t far in his research. The other tools he needed hadn’t yet been delivered by Frederick, so all R♯ could do was some very initial testing on the microbes. On top of that, Anji had taken up a corner of R♯’s mind, a very distracting corner that made R♯’s mind wander enough times for him to redo a test once or twice.

…Maybe once or twice was an understatement with how many petri dishes lay around him, stained black by fire after R♯’s mind wandered during tests on the microbes with a flame lit from his palm.

Anyway, none of that mattered when Anji himself showed up to further distract R♯.

At the sound of footsteps, R♯ set his tattered notebook in the sand and spun his head toward the origin of the noise. Much to his chagrin, Anji was making his way towards R♯ with a smile on his face. R♯ wasn’t sure if his chagrin arose from how annoying Anji could be, or from how peculiar the feelings Anji stirred in him were.

R♯ was betting on the latter, seeing as after everything Anji did, R♯ couldn’t find him that annoying. Not when he seemed to… care about R♯’s wellbeing. Not to mention his questions weren’t all that infuriating, and he was more than willing to listen to R♯ blabber about something insignificant, for lack of better terminology.

“When did you start your research today?” Anji jumped into conversation right away, putting his hands on his hips with a slightly stern look on his face. R♯ thought for a moment, his face flushing at Anji’s intense stare, until he was forced into admitting the truth.

“Around seven this morning,” R♯ mumbled. He had started early to beat the sun, though he underestimated how early it rose in Nevada. Still, the sun was low enough earlier to not bother him much, but now… thank goodness for Anji’s parasol. Thank goodness for his presence, too.

“It’s noon! Have you really been out that long?” Anji’s gasp arose from concern; he didn’t seem sarcastic in the slightest. From what R♯ could see from his spot beneath the shade of the parasol, Anji was gobsmacked. He wasn’t teasing.

“I took a break at ten,” R♯ defended himself, just a little peeved. He knew his limits.

(He didn’t.)

“Six hours is way too long,” Anji scolded with a shake of his head. His disappointed frown (why was he disappointed, R♯ wondered) was replaced by a lovely smile when he declared, “You owe me lunch, don’t you? I’m not interrupting, am I?”

They both knew Anji was interrupting R♯’s research, not that he minded all that much.

On the walk back to R♯’s bungalow, Anji was lively as he chatted away, asking about anything and everything, from the parasol to his research to what he had planned for lunch.

Like last time, Anji made himself at home in R♯’s bungalow as lunch was prepared for him. After briefly looking over the contents of his fridge (he’d need to go grocery shopping soon), R♯ decided he’d make a pasta salad. He didn’t have the proper noodles for anything more interesting, so pasta salad would have to suffice.

As he gathered the ingredients, R♯ could feel Anji’s eyes burning into his back. After a minute or two without the feeling vanishing, R♯ turned to face Anji as the water filled the pot, asking, “What do you want?”

“What’s for lunch?” Anji asked in return. He fluttered his eyelashes, resting his head on his entwined hands and his elbows on the counter, acting like he didn’t know what R♯ meant.

“Pasta salad. That’s not what you were going to ask, no?” R♯ answered shortly, clarifying his question that he didn’t need to clarify in the first place.

“Hmm, you caught me,” Anji laughed, holding his hands up in mock defeat before boldly declaring, “I know you only have two questions left to answer out of the three I asked, but I’m starting to think that’s an unfair deal!”

R♯ blinked in confusion at Anji; for some reason, he didn’t point out the fact that he had answered far more than three of Anji’s questions. In fact, he probably answered at least tens of questions during their lengthy conversation.

“How so?” R♯ prompted Anji to explain himself, turned to grab the pot full of water, and started boiling the noodles on his electric stove. Frederick said it was safer, better for the environment, and Asuka must have passed on his horrid cooking skills to R♯.

Surprisingly, R♯ was good at cooking. From his memories, there were numerous times Asuka had almost burned down the kitchen where he was preparing food. To prove himself different or to learn a useful skill, R♯ taught himself how to cook. Jack-O’ was a great chef who taught him well.

Anyway, he didn’t know what Anji was implying. Was he being a flirt and propositioning R♯ again, or did he want a monetary payout? R♯ truly didn’t know.

“I think I deserve another answer from you. How can you tell such tiny organisms are there without a microscope?”

R♯ knew it was bait to get him talking, and he knew he fell for it. He couldn’t help but enjoy explaining his research to an active listener! When Frederick and Jack-O’ came around, he didn’t care for conversation, and she, however sweet Jack-O’ was, preferred conversational topics she could keep up with. R♯ didn’t blame either of them; his technical wording would scare even the brightest scholars away.

But… Anji was the one who asked. He actively listened, asked questions to guide the conversation further, and seemed genuinely interested in such a niche topic. Anji was the one who asked, so R♯ couldn’t help but fall for his bait, answering far more than three questions.

Their conversation continued as R♯ made lunch. The recipe was simple, and the company was a nice change of pace, so R♯ went on autopilot while making Anji lunch. There were no complicated steps that made it dangerous, either. R♯ may have almost cut himself a few times looking up at Anji, enthusiastically talking about microbiology when not paying attention, but he never actually did.

While on autopilot, R♯ had no issue boiling the noodles, very minor issues with cutting, and absolutely no problem chilling and plating it immediately for Anji’s enjoyment. While on autopilot, R♯ hadn’t realized he had made only a single portion because he was focused on their conversation. It was the usual amount he made, but he had a guest over. That made two people with only one dish.

Honestly, R♯ didn’t mind; he was too busy talking Anji’s ear off to properly eat, anyway. R♯’s body, on the other hand, didn’t agree. Between bites of food, Anji asked all sorts of questions, but even over his voice, R♯’s stomach grumbling could be heard.

Embarrassing.

Whether Anji noticed the single portioned meal before or not didn’t matter, not when he pushed the plate halfway between them. All R♯’s attempts to profusely apologize for rude behavior fell on deaf ears as Anji held out his fork and insisted, “Please, eat. There’s plenty for both of us.”

Hesitantly, R♯ threw caution to the wind and accepted Anji’s request. Germs were a concern R♯ was well aware of, so he didn’t share food like this often. But this time, he was hungry and Anji was being awfully nice…

Not only did Anji make R♯’s concern for germs disappear, but apparently, his manners were gone, too. Despite how rude it was to eat while talking, Anji insisted on continuing their conversation. When R♯ hesitated, he would ask a further in-depth question. Needless to say, R♯ fell for his schemes every time.

By the time their conversation concluded, the sun was nearing the horizon, and the plate between them had been cleared long ago. When Anji checked his watch while R♯ fetched him a cup of water, he dramatically gasped and stood from the stool.

“There are some things I need to attend to,” Anji almost seemed… regretful that he had to leave? R♯ set the now useless cup of water on the counter and turned to face him, his thoughts proven correct by Anji’s frown.

“I see,” Asuka blinked, almost regretful himself. 

“I guess I didn’t get my answers, huh?” Anji winked as he rested his head on his hands. He… technically, he wasn’t wrong. R♯ never answered the two original questions he first asked. However, he gained many, many other answers that should have balanced out R♯’s debt to him. 

Despite this, R♯ couldn’t bring himself to care all that much. In fact, he was happy Anji was drawing as many questions out of him as possible in an endless pursuit of obscure knowledge. Rather dumbly, R♯ jerkily nodded his head instead of responding as he rounded the counter to escort Anji to the door.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to think of a verbal response, not when Anji magically procured a silk fan with a flick of his wrist. “For you,” Anji fluttered his eyelashes, his voice an octave deeper as he bowed and held the fan out for R♯ to take, almost like he was reaching his hand out to ask him to dance.

That was silly.

The silk fan looked expensive, lightweight, and far too delicate for the harsh environment R♯ found himself in. He had already accepted one tasteful gift from Anji, could he really accept another? Would it be rude to insist Anji keep such a nice trinket for himself?

“I- I don’t know what to say,” R♯ stumbled over his words, frozen in place as Anji expectantly held out the fan. When R♯ didn’t move, Anji sighed, shook his head, and straightened himself as he pressed the fan to R♯’s chest with a sly grin.

With a single movement, Anji was close, close enough that R♯ had to crane his head up every so slightly to look at him. The warmth of his knuckles against R♯’s chest, holding the fan to his chest, made R♯’s heart beat so fast that he thought he could possibly be having a heart attack.

“Think of a response for next time,” Anji purred, splaying his hand against the closed fan and R♯’s chest, then turning with an innocent smile and a wave goodbye. R♯ scrambled his hands to catch the fan as he watched Anji exit the door with an adieu. Before he shut the door, Anji turned on his heel and waggled his finger, “Oh, and don’t forget my answers!”

Anji shut the door, leaving R♯ frozen in place, his heart bursting from his chest, and a delicate, thoughtful gift in his hands.

Just like the ones Anji conjured, butterflies erupted in R♯’s stomach. He wasn’t almost regretful; he was disappointed Anji had to leave. Why?

He first gifted R♯ a lovely parasol, and then a silk fan. Both were useful in combating the harsh sunlight and hot temperatures. Being given such thoughtful gifts twice had to be a coincidence, right? Maybe Anji needed to get rid of them.

…Although Anji did say the fan was for R♯. Was he simply announcing his gift, or did he bring it with R♯ in mind? For some reason, R♯ was betting on the latter, seeing as after everything Anji did, R♯ couldn’t find him that annoying. Not when he seemed to… care about R♯’s wellbeing.

Not to mention his questions weren’t all that infuriating, and he was more than willing to listen to R♯ blabber about the most insignificant things, for lack of better terminology. His research was important, but not to Anji.

But Anji was the one who asked all the questions. He actively listened, guided the conversation forward, and seemed genuinely interested in the niche topic R♯ adored.

Anji was the one who asked, so R♯ couldn’t help but fall for his bait every time, answering far more than three questions.

Would R♯ do the same for anyone else?

—

The third time Anji came to visit, R♯ was outside of his bungalow, attempting to set up the teleporter Frederick had brought over. He only dropped it off; he had deliveries to attend to, it was awkward between them without Jack-O’, and Frederick wasn’t one for conversation. Frederick had supplied him with the necessary materials, and now R♯ had to build it.

The teleporter was quite large and bulky, so it had to go outside. Some of the equipment R♯ needed was only attainable from Asuka, who was on the Moon. Thankfully, they had already established a system of teleportation and shipping, so all R♯ had to do was set it up himself.

He wasn’t as handy as Frederick or as optimistic and full of life as Jack-O’; he was built with lab settings in mind. Needless to say, the fan Anji gifted him was doing wonders when there wasn’t a hint of a breeze in the hot climate of Nevada under the harsh afternoon sun.

…R♯ was really thinking about shifting his sleep schedule so he was awake at night like the nocturnal creatures of the desert seeking relief from the heat. However, the health effects were too much, he wasn’t built to see well at night, and he wanted to be around in case of visitors like Anji.

Anyway, R♯ had started out strong in the early morning as the sun rose. As time went on, his periods of work became briefer and his breaks in between became much longer. He was not built for the heat; if R♯ wasn’t in the shade of his bungalow, he definitely would have given up lest he shrivel up like a dead plant.

Even still, R♯ was considering putting his research on hold until Frederick could find a time to build it for him. He’d pay, of course. But no, R♯ wasn’t going to give up. The answers would be worth it! And the fan was nice, the artificial breeze heavenly on R♯’s face.

Despite his lackluster motivation, R♯ toiled on until he heard footsteps. Judging by the sun’s position in the sky, it was nearing noon, the time of day R♯ dreaded the most. Noon was when the sun hit its peak, boiling everything that dared step outside for even a moment.

The sand was so hot during the day that R♯ had resorted to wearing boots to spare his feet from horrible blisters and first-degree burns. The downside was that the boots, meant for a winter environment, made his feet feel like a Thanksgiving turkey that had been left in the oven after a power outage. Charred to a crisp.

Even though he wore light clothes, a tank top and loose shorts, R♯ wasn’t built for the heat. By the time noon came around, he had already taken two showers to cool off, sat in the air conditioning for an additional ten minutes, and then attempted to make a hint of progress.

He failed.

Anji, on the other hand, didn’t fail.

“Hi, stranger,” Anji winked as he leaned on the shaded wall next to R♯. “What are you up to today?”

That simple question (or, more likely, Anji’s innocuous flirting) made R♯’s face redden for reasons unrelated to the heat. “Frederick, ah, Sol, as you know him, didn’t have the equipment I needed.”

“Then what’s this you’re building?” Anji asked, gesturing his head toward R♯’s unbuilt teleporter. R♯ didn’t blame him for being curious; that was his nature and R♯ truly had gotten no progress done. It looked pitiful, shining bright in the hot summer sun, likely scalding to the touch. Such was the misery of living in a hot place that hated the briefest thought of water.

“A teleporter. Asuka has what I need,” R♯ explained without needing to add the part of Asuka being on the Moon. He was certain the whole world knew about that because of the spectacle surrounding the G4 Summit. That, and Asuka’s radio show was getting more and more popular by the day.

“Makes sense,” Anji nodded, crossing his arms as he further inquired, “How is it going? It’s awfully hot out, even for me! Are you keeping watch of your temperature?”

Yeah, it was hot out for Anji. Like usual, he didn’t wear anything resembling a shirt, his abs glistening with sweat from the sun.

Anyway.

“Yes. I promise I’ve been taking breaks,” R♯ assured, mumbling, “Far too many.”

“You started early, didn’t you?” Anji frowned. Once again, he was being far too concerned about R♯’s well-being. Why? R♯ didn’t feel suited to ask that question yet. This was the third time Anji had come around; it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask, especially not if he wanted Anji to return.

R♯’s sigh told Anji enough for him to assume (and see for himself, if R♯ was being honest; that thing barely looked like a teleporter, instead a pile of scrap metal waiting to be thrown out), “You haven’t gotten very far…”

“The heat is killing me,” R♯ glumly sighed again. He copied Anji’s posture, crossing his arms and hanging his head as he grumbled, “I can barely get any work done without needing to cool off.”

“Why don’t I help you?” Anji offered, pushing himself off the wall and stretching his strengthened muscles. He held a hand out toward R♯, likely for the screwdriver he was using that now dug into his palms.

Accepting would be the logical choice. Anji was much, much better built than R♯. He could lift the heavy parts much easier. He could deal with the heat unlike R♯.

However, R♯ wouldn’t ask that of him. It would be rude, considering everything Anji had done for him without reciprocating once. In fact, in his hand opposite the one with the screwdriver, R♯ held Anji’s fan. The parasol had long since been propped up against the wall Asuka stood against.

He would have been using the parasol as he built had it not been a hassle to keep it resting on his shoulder while he tried to assemble the damned machine.

R♯ tried to deny the offer, “I can’t ask you-”

“No, no!” Anji interrupted him, waving his hands in the air as he claimed, “It’s no big deal.”

It was a big deal, but…

R♯ caved into Anji’s offer and accepted.

With R♯’s guidance, Anji completed the teleporter in no time. The whole time, R♯ found himself distracted watching Anji do his work. The few instructions R♯ managed to give came out stuttered. 

He wouldn’t admit to anyone that he admired the sweat glistening on Anji’s abs as he lifted each heavy part of the machine, the fine handiwork as he screwed together the sheets of metal, and the flex of Anji’s muscles whenever he moved, graciously on display, bared for the world to see.

Each grunt Anji made when hefting a particularly heavy piece made R♯’s face flush brighter and brighter. To make it worse, Anji shamelessly flirted as he removed his shirtless sleeves.

“Enjoying the show?” He winked as he caught R♯ in the act of watching him closely. All R♯ could do was stammer out lies about how, no, he was making sure the machine was being built correctly, and no, he wasn’t a flustered mess, his heart not beating out of his chest.

After enduring torturous flirtations and the scene before him for far too long, R♯ felt himself becoming overheated. It wasn’t anything dangerous, but Anji, like the observant man he was, noticed immediately.

Be it from ignorance or to rile R♯’s feathers even further, once Anji was nearly complete with the teleporter, he paused and turned to face R♯, placing his hands on his hips as he asked, “Is the sun getting to you?”

“It’s no big deal,” R♯ repeated Anji’s words back to him, entirely honest this time. He knew when he was dangerously close to heat stroke, and this wasn’t one of those times. This time, he just happened to be unable to stop his eyes and mind from wandering.

“Nonsense,” Anji insisted, marching closer to R♯. Within close proximity, Anji’s warm hands grabbed R♯’s shoulder and wrist, manhandling him toward the door and inside.

No, R♯’s heartbeat didn’t increase because of the proximity of Anji’s chest to his shoulder. By the time R♯ was forced into sitting on his couch as Anji fetched him a glass of water, he could tell without needing to look that he was as red as a tomato.

Unfortunately, Anji noticed that as he handed over the glass of water for R♯ to drink. Anji frowned and scolded, “You almost died of heat stroke before! You need to be more cautious.”

“I-I am!” R♯ insisted, gulping down his water to distract himself as Anji leaned closer. He couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering from Anji’s brown eyes to his chest.

Unfortunately, Anji also noticed R♯’s wandering eyes. In an instant, Anji’s frown was replaced by a sly grin as recognition passed his face. R♯ had been caught… staring at Anji, not that he meant to. He couldn’t help it; Anji looked good without a shirt.

“Is that so?” Anji teased, winking as he placed an arm against the back of the couch beside R♯, caging him against the cool leather. “Should I turn up your air conditioning? You look awfully hot.”

They both knew Anji meant that literally and in a flirty way. It made R♯ flush further, his palms sweaty as he swallowed his spit and kept his eyes glued to Anji’s eyes. This close, he could see small flecks of amber in them, incredibly dim yet beautiful in the light of the sun.

Anji’s breath fanned across his face as he waited for an answer from R♯, though his brain was malfunctioning to the point he was afraid he couldn’t form a logical thought, let alone a complete sentence. When R♯ opened his mouth, all he could stammer was, “N-No. I’m fine.”

“You are,” Anji purred.

R♯’s heart pounded to the tune of a frantic waltz. Anji was so close, so handsome, so warm. His warmth wasn’t unwanted, not like the harsh heat of the sun. No, his warmth was nice, comforting, and lovely. It was a comfort R♯ missed, the heat of another person rather than the dreaded summer temperature.

Before he could think his words through, R♯ admitted the obvious truth as he blurted out, “I’m not warm! I’m- flustered.”

“Ohoho, so he admits it!” Anji’s voice sounded suspiciously like a cheer as he happily brought his other hand to rest on R♯’s shoulder. Still, he kept enough distance that if R♯ should want to, he could escape.

Needless to say, R♯ didn’t want to escape.

“You know,” Anji started as he fluttered his eyelashes, a coy smile gracing his face. “I thought of the payment I’d like for helping you.”

R♯ could see where this was going, but he still shyly nodded and swallowed in abashment. With his lips almost brushing R♯’s, Anji murmured, “I think a kiss would be fair payment, don’t you agree?”

Not bothering to wait a second longer, R♯ closed the distance between them and gave Anji a chaste kiss. It wasn’t anything passionate, but it still had R♯ blushing like a schoolgirl with a silly crush. It made him feel like a virgin, more than he already did around Anji.

When R♯ opened his eyes that he hadn’t realized fluttered shut, he could see Anji with a lovely pink gracing his face, his eyes widened with surprise. After admitting the truth to him about R♯’s blushing, Anji must have felt like returning the favor.

“I wasn’t just in the area,” he admitted, bowing his head in shame as he moved backward and rubbed his neck. “I heard rumors about you. I came to check them on behalf of my boss, and also out of curiosity.”

Despite how ashamed Anji looked, there was no reason for R♯ to get offended by the truth. He knew Anji wasn’t telling the truth in the first place, and his reasoning made sense. Of course, he came looking around for Asuka for his own gain.

Then, there was Chipp… Asuka would never take the jump and call Chipp a buffoon because it was his fault the wannabe ninja turned out idiotic. Had he not destroyed Japan and the records of its history in the process, Chipp wouldn’t be a complete idiot who didn’t know a lick of truth about Japanese culture.

However, R♯ wasn’t made with a moral compass, and he wasn’t Asuka. So, he’d take the leap and call Chipp an idiot of a man.

What made R♯ laugh despite how flustered he felt was that Anji would feel ashamed about lying, and, more specifically, lying about Chipp of all people.

“I knew that,” R♯ answered as he chuckled, slightly shaking his head in disbelief. Anji’s head shot up instantly, almost like he was an excited puppy eager to not be in trouble.

There was the thought of Chipp, and then the thought of Asuka. Was Anji disappointed that he found R♯ instead? Surely, that answer was no, but why was Anji doing this? There was the search for knowledge, and then there was kissing someone. Those two didn’t go together.

As he quieted his laughter, R♯ asked, “Why are you doing this with me?”

From an adorable puppy to seriousness, Anji went in a moment. He sat down on the couch next to R♯, grabbed both of his hands, and placed them in his as he earnestly professed while looking into his eyes, “I meant it when I said you were hypnotic.”

“...Elaborate?” R♯ cautiously requested. Not because he was afraid he wouldn’t like the answer, but because he was afraid his poor, overworked heart couldn’t take any more of Anji’s praise. The thumb rubbing across his knuckles was already enough to make R♯’s heart and mind enter overdrive in an attempt to cool down his internal systems.

“You may be Asuka’s clone, but you are your own person,” Anji enthusiastically and gladly explained. His eyes shone as he continued, “There is a spark inside you that he lost long ago, and you’re fanning it into your own, unique flame.”

Oh. Oh, goodness. That was… certainly a sweet way to put it.

Anji wasn’t visiting R♯ in hopes of reaching Asuka, or knowledge, or any other silly thing he could list. No, Anji was visiting because he wanted to see R♯. What a revelation that was! A revelation that made his heart beat faster and faster until it seemed like it would give in.

Despite how sweet the sentiment was, R♯’s embarrassment somehow rose even higher than it already had. He still had to know if Anji truly believed they were different people, so R♯ asked, “If that… flame were still alive in Asuka, would you… pursue him?”

R♯ wasn’t sure what he felt, but it was akin to relief when Anji vigorously shook his head. “He’s handsome, but prickly. I doubt he’d willingly let me within five feet of him!”

Anji wasn’t wrong about that. It made R♯ laugh, both the thought of Asuka scowling at the mere thought of Anji and the relief knowing that Anji truly wanted him for him, not any remnants of Asuka remaining in him.

The smile Anji shot R♯ was brighter and much more preferable than the sun. As he threw an arm around R♯’s shoulder, pulling him closer so their knees were brushing, Anji added, “You’re R♯. Kreutz. Rosenkreutz, my delicate rose!”

He was teasing, but so affectionate that R♯ couldn’t help but cover his face with his hands to hide the even deeper flush that surely was trailing down his neck and coloring his shoulders. With an amused tone, Anji affectionately finished, “If Asuka were a happier man, he’d still be different from you. Your fire is,” Anji paused for drama, “unique, alluring ! I find myself drawn to you more than any other I’ve seen before.”

Anji was being theatrical and overdramatic, but R♯ still found himself in a stunned silence. Most importantly, Anji was theatrical, overdramatic, and completely earnest. It made all of R♯’s thoughts go blank with happiness.

At the silence between them, Anji sheepishly smiled. “All that’s to say I thought it was cute when you were excited.”

If Anji wore a tie, R♯ certainly would have tugged on it to pull him into a kiss. Instead, he flung himself into Anji’s lap, desperately kissing him to show he felt exactly the same.

Just as Anji sought out R♯ for him, R♯ knew that no, he wouldn’t endlessly answer the questions of any other, not if they weren’t Anji.