Summary: Coincidences don't exist according to Senku, but he met you when your mere existence is a mystery. A mystery he wants to discover, unfold and learn about.
warnings: mermaid!au, fluff, Y/n is used once, Senku's bad with feelings.
"I want to know more about your world," Senku said, and you took him to the most remote place in the world so that he could learn about it.
Everything happens for a reason.
Senku has always heard that and he couldn't agree more because of Newton's third law of action and reaction, the domino effect and because every physical or natural phenomenon has a verifiable cause and obeys natural laws, not absolute chance or a divine purpose.
So he couldn't believe in fairy tales or magical things, he couldn't consider divine events or luck in his daily occurrences, he simply couldn't.
Until he met you.
Could it be fate?
Destiny?
Luck?
No.
He didn't know, but he wanted to find out.
Your worlds weren't supposed to coexist together, it was impossible and complicated. Like greeks goddess loving mortals, like a sheep loving a fox, like a human believing in a devil's promise, like water embracing oil.
It was impossible.
And stupid.
Everything started that messy rainy day when Senku was investigating the weather and its thunders. He was at the shore, completely soaked and trembling in cold, his lips were almost purple, but he refused the idea of leaving the perfect opportunity behind because of it.
The rain left no doubt as to its intensity and that it would continue for hours and hours as more clouds gathered together and create the product Senku was looking for: Thunder, thunderbolts and lightning.
He quickly took a messy notebook from his jacket as he hold the pen ready to annotate when they appeared, powerful, loud and dangerous. The first one was a fraction of second present before him, the next one didn't last a millisecond, and the third hit some rocks on the coast.
He felt his hands cold, so cold they hurt as he wrote, but Senku wouldn't back down because of that too. He needed this information for his next experiment. But, as if the universe knew that his luck was within certain legal limits, the weather changed a little.ย That change was enough to make only a couple of lightning bolts appear before they vanished, leaving the rain as a mockery to the scientist.
"Damn it," he cursed at the missed opportunity as steam escaped from his mouth. But his stubbornness, and perhaps the universe, gave him something in return for his pathetic sacrifice for his physical health.
He saw you.
Senku blinked once, then twice as if his sight was playing a joke on him now that his results were denied from him, like if he completely lost his mind, as if he was going crazy. But he knew better than that. He was fully sane and in his five senses as he ran to theย edge of the ocean and watched you closely from head to tail.
"This can't be true" he muttered in disbelieve to himself as he observed your features. "This has to be a joke!", but it wasn't a joke, you were real. You were completely still, maybe passed out in that beach as the cold water embraced your body and theย sea โโwaves revealed your real being to the shocked scientist.
Senku, still in denial, knelt beside you and checked your pulse praying for all of this to be some product of his tired mind, maybe an hallucination from his sleep deprived brain and coffee overdose.
But you were very much real.
Not an hallucination.
Not some joke.
Real.
Your pulse was in the tips of his fingers and your breathing was as low and calm as the singing of birds at dawn, in contrast to the chaotic scene before his eyes: the storm and thunder that threatened you both.
The young prodigy scientist took a breath as he thought of what to do with you. Maybe he could call someone, maybe another scientist or publish pictures of you on internet to spread the relevant discovery that would change the course of world as everyone knew it. But he stopped those thoughts as quickly as they come; he knew what some people would do with the information and with someone like you. People would rush to the sea and capture all of your species and it would be a whole disaster: Some people would sacrifice many of you to understand your insides for scientific reasons, others would sell you all to the black market and commercialize with your organs, others would used you for fun like a fish in an aquarium for money and some perverts would use you as some spectacle and other unmentionable things.
He instantly knew and disliked that important knowledge was used with other purposes rather to understand and comprehend the planet you all lived in.
He looked at your passed out body and took the most irrational thought he ever had, probably the first and not likely the last; he grabbed your body and carried it to the rented space where he was working while researching lightning, which had become the last thing on his list of priorities.
The rain gave no fucks about his weak form as he dragged you from the shore completely soaked from head to toes as you were still with your eyes close. "Shit" he cursed his lame body condition as he finally open the door and moved through the compartment to his bathroom. "This is the worst idea I've ever had in my life" Senku said as he leave your body at the entrance of the bathroom and filled the bath tub with water to finally let you rest in it.
He sat down on the floor and observed your sleeping body as he thought of everything that had happened in just a few minutes.
Senku grabbed his head and gravity-defiant hair as he couldn't believe his previous actions.
He should have leave you on the shore.
He should have called someone else.
He shouldn't have done all of this.
You shouldn't be in his tub.
He was supposed to investigate lightning for his experiment, just that. He was supposed to report his discovery in a few weeks. He was supposed to behave like a scientist would.
He had to behave.
He had to regain his composure.
He looked at your tail and he finally settled his mind to understand that all this situation was completely real. He sighed tired from all the exercise and the cold.
So he gave up on today's lightning observations as he was satisfied with an sleeping mermaid in his bathroom and went to change his soaked clothes for something dry and comfy.
***
The next morning was to quiet for his own liking. He was expecting chaos, loud noises and probably screams coming from hisย personal toilet and cleaning room from you.
But nothing.
It was quiet with only the exception of running water and some splashes.
He opened the door slowly, without making any noise to alert you and saw you awake. You were playing with some bubbles and splashing water all over your head and body while laughing, like you had no worries on the world.
You were smiling.
You were pre-
No.
He opened the door completely to announce his presence and you stopped your movements instantly. For a moment he thought that you would try to escape or to shout to him in fear, but the only thing you did was observed him and analyze him like he was the weirdest creature on the world.
For a couple a minutes that was the conversation; quiet glances while admiring the other being.
While you were analyzing his limbs, his legs, Senku stared at your curious eyes; they were a little big different from the human's ones, they were slightly bigger.ย Maybe to be able to observe in the darkness of the ocean,ย he thought. And he observed your neck, you hadย gills just like the fishes.
"What's your name?" you suddenly asked without raising your voice or sounding scared. You were looking for information just like him. But, instead of physical features, you wanted to know him.
"Ishigami Senku" he said with simplicity, he didn't need long and tedious introductions. He wanted to end all the questions in his head as soon as possible, but he knew he couldn't rush things like that. "Your name is?"
"Y/n" you said it just like him; straight to the point.
Senku smiled just a little, but quickly dropped the smile. "Are you hungry?" he asked and you seemed to think a little at the question.ย Maybe you doubted in what he could give you, maybe you suspected it could be poisoned or something,ย he thought. But, to his surprise, you nodded.
"Just a little" you finally said, "I can eat whatever, so you don't need to worry that much"
"Oh, okay" he went to the door knob, "I'll be back with something." As the young scientist went downstairs, his thought process began doing mental notes of the whole interaction.
First of all, you weren't scared.
Second, you asked for his name like it was asking for the weather or the time.
And third, you accepted his food offer.
Why?
Why...?
Why aren't you scared of him?
Senku prepared something simple for you once he reached the kitchen so he could go back as soon as possible to make questions. In his way back to the bathroom, he grabbed his messy notebook and a pencil to register everything.
He opened the door and you were still playing with the bubbles.
"Hey, here" Senku said as he gave you the food and sat down in the floor to stare at you.
You received the food with a soft smile and start eating without problems, technically, devour the food. You were more starved than you initially thought.ย
He observed you and finally let the most urgent question out of his mind as you ate, "Why aren't you scared of me?" his voice was clear, but there was some unresolved thoughts in between.
You kept munching and, with your mouth full, you said "I've seen other humans through my life" you explained and he listened carefully, "And you're not like them"
The scientist frowned, "How do you know that?"
"Because you didn't kill me"
You said it in a monotone voice, as if what you had just said had no weight. But the prodigy scientist took your words and understood that, probably, others sirens were found and killed the moment they got in contact with humans. Senku didn't stuck on feelings, so he moved on with the interrogatory as he search for a notebook and a pencil. "What is your usual diet?" he asked because he needed to know to fed you later.
"Meat and algae, but, as I say before, I can eat whatever"
The scientist wrote that down, "How old is your species?"
"Very" you seemed thoughtful as you played with your wet hair, "We have stories from thousands of years ago"
"Give me an approximated number" he needed straight answer, not vague words.
"Maybe four thousand years, give or take"
"Did you always avoid humans?"
He looked up from his notebook as he was met with silence. You kept playing with your hair as your eyes watched your tail.
"No" you said while remembering your fathers stories, "We once were adored by humans, they would look for us for guidance in the ocean and others used to talk to us to understand us better"
Maybe the pirates and greeks,ย Senku thought as he analyzed your words.
"But suddenly some of us disappeared without a trace" you added, "And then we understood that the humans that adored us, start to kill us for their enjoyment, so we hide and forgot about the surface for a long time"
"Then why were you at the shore that night?" he asked the question that hunted him since that storm.
"I was looking for a friend of mine" you said with a sad face, "She was nowhere to be found, so I looked really close to some ships and then, while escaping from their eyes, I ended up in that storm"
"So it doesn't matter if you have a tail, you are trapped anyway in the ocean"
"Yeah" you didn't liked his conclusion for your outcome, but it was the undeniable truth. You kept playing with you hair as he wrote.
"How many languages can you speak?"
"All of them"
"When and how did you learn them?"
"We are everywhere" you said as you made some bubbled with his soap. "So we learn all the dialects, even the sea one"
"The sea?" Senku frown, "How?"
"Everything is connected, if you listened closely" you smiled at him and he become more curious.
***
Days passed after that morning, you were back to the sea and you were still answering his questions without a complaint as he sat at the shore.
He was fascinated and intrigued about sirens more than ever. Senku, never, in all his life, thought that he would be investigating about it because, as everyone else in the world, he thought that your species was a mere legend, a myth, a fairytale. But now he was drowned in your voice and explanations as he filled more notebooks with his writing.
"Can I ask something?"
You are doing it already, he wanted to say, but since you were easy going and gave him no trouble since the beginning, he hold himself, "Sure" he said instead.
"Why did you saved me?"
He let the pencil to his side as he thought about it too.
There was no logical explanation for it. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that you would have survive, maybe, to that storm; you were made to support all the intensity and the depths of the ocean, so a little storm wouldn't have been much of a problem. But his mind went to the possibility of someone else finding you and taking your life with your body out of the shore.
He couldn't tell you any of that even if you knew about the human cruelty.
"Because it was the logical thing to do," he said instead while shrugging and avoiding your curious eyes.
Senku heard a little laugh from you. He thought that you would insist on that topic or say what he was thinking about, but nothing came out of you.
You played with the sand by grabbing it and let it fallย grain by grain, sometimes slowly, sometimes faster. You were like that for a few minutes while he observed you in silence.
The young scientist appreciated moments like this with you.
Two species completely different enjoying a shared space in calm while doing the most common things together.
"You've got a lonely soul" You suddenly said as you moved your tail till submerged it in sand and Senku thought of it as when humans do that to their legs.
He scoffed at your words, "Why do you say that?"
"I don't see or heard anybody around, and you are always with that thing in your hands" you said and he looked at his hands; you were talking about the papers with his annotations, he noticed. "What's that?"
"Annotations"
"Of what?"
"About you"
About you.
The words felt heavy, but you didn't understood why, but for the moment doesn't feel important, so you let it slide. But you observed him attentively as the seagulls sang and the wind played with the sand.
He was curious.
He was careful.
He was smart.
Dad was wrong saying that all humans were the same after all,ย you thought to yourself.
"There's no one around because I'm here alone," he explained as he gazed at the endless ocean before you. "I'm researching the weather for future projects, but then you showed up and, well, I gave you priority."
"Why?"
He snickered, "You don't meet a mermaid every day."
Was it the only reason?,ย you wondered, "But why are you by yourself?"
"Relationships are a pain in the ass" he said and thought about the expression, "In your case, a pain in the grills." You laughed a little and he continued with his explanation, "Feelings are complicated, illogical and most people leave their rationality for them, so they don't think correctly about anything"
You heard him and, even if there was truth in his words, there was something hiding in between, some odd feeling you couldn't name. You lacked knowledge for your vocabulary, so you could only do comparisons, "Then you are like a coconut," you said while looking at him.
"What?" he was confused with the analogy.ย Why was he a fruit?
"Because you are tough at the outside, but soft in the inside," you were trying to explain yourself the best you could, "The very first time I saw you, you looked distant, a little complicated to talk to, but when you worried for me, I understood that you weren't like that," He listened carefully at you even though he wanted to fight to your explanations, "You cared"
He scoffed, "Like I said before, you don't meet a mermaid every day." He was running away from the emotions again. "It's evident I would be careful with you"
You smiled knowingly, "Won't you ever open up to me? Even just once?"
He looked at you as he put the pencil in his pocket, "Wait, don't tell me you're falling in love with me?"
"I ain't looking to fall in love" you said with that simplicity of yours that he couldn't argue with. "I'm just tying to give you some warm to hold"
He narrowed his eyes, "I don't need that" Senku got up as he grabbed his notebook, "See you tomorrow"
You saw him walk back to his lonely compartment as his trace was printed in the sand and the wind flew through his gravity-defiant hair.
"Maybe you do"
***
"Are you sure?"
"I want to know more about your world," Senku said, and you nodded. You took his hand and lead him to the most remote place in the world so that he could learn about it. He accepted your hand and you showed him the path you usually used to the surface and what you usually saw in your daily life like manta rays, sea โโturtles and puffer fishes. You showed him the home of a lot of fishes and protected him from the sharks that threatened to turn him into food.
You kept an eye on him the whole time in case he needed to go back as Senku followed you blindly through it all to the deepest part of the ocean as he breath from those tanks of his, as he called them.
The young scientist was amazed with all the places youย display for him. He did a mental note of everything, from certain species that were report extinct to the nature and its condition that human usually ignored because of its unknown location.
Suddenly, you adjusted your grasp on his hand and swam between some rocks that lead to a secret spot.
Your secret spot.
Senku was shocked of the quantity of human artifacts that were in your possession. You had many from the lost ships that once crossed the oceans in the most complicated storms and never reached the port. Other elements belonged to infamous pirates that had impressive battles with other captains. Another bunch of artifacts were from theย the most prestigious aristocracy who traveled and who, unfortunately, encountered thieves.
All of them protected by the depths of the ocean and time.
The scientist was impressed. He did a mental note of everything his eyes could registered and gave you the signal to go back to the shore. You nodded and lead him to the surface by the same path as before.
As you two held hands in the vastness of the sea, you thought about him and everything in the last months you shared with the scientist.
For an unknown reason for you, you wanted him to stay.
You saw his eyes discovering the world beneath his foots and you liked it. He would be even more amazed for the mysteries beyond hisย tanks. After all, he was limited by his body and his technology.
You wanted to show him the depths of the ocean, even the places you father tell you not to go. Youย wanted to show him everything the human eyes couldn't reach.
But, maybe it would be hard for him to adapt at first, but he was clever, he could do it and you knew it. But you know how hard it's to leave a place you've known your whole life; all your group had to abandon your childhood place because of humans. So it was a tough decision.
All your thoughts stopped when you reached the cold wind and the sand and you saw some seagulls tormenting a poor crab as the little one tried to escape from them.
"Oh, I need to write everything! Now!" You heard the young man by your side as he looked for his notebook from the little bag he left in the starting spot of your adventure. "But first, I need to make a bonfire, I don't want to get sick" and he ran to get some wood.
You watched him as heย made fire and let him enjoy his moment as the cloud announced the next storm and the crab ran away from being food. You observed his smart red eyes filled with passion as your secret spot become his most valuable investigation and your collection of artifacts his new biggest passion.
You wanted to show him everything.
You wanted to show him more and more.
And, if he allowed you, you wanted to be by his side as he discovers the secrets of the sea.
"I was thinking of something and I want to share with you" you carefully said to him as he keep annotating things.
He didn't even bother lifting his gaze up from the paper. "What?"
"Don't you want to live in the ocean forever?"
You saw in stop motion as he stop writing and his expression was completely unreadable. Silence remained between you two while the sparks of the fire and the waves of the sea kept you company.
You looked at him carefully. He was having an internal battle against his own decisions. "Why would I do that?" he finally asked after so long.
You shrugged, "You seemed glad discovering the seas mysteries, so I thought that it would make you happy to live here"
Happy.
Happy.
Happy.
Senku indeed felt blissful, but it means sacrificing everything he did over the years in the surface. It wasn't an easy decision to make, especially now with his inventions, experiments and the promises he made to a lot of other scientist all over the world.
Was it worth leaving his whole life behind for the happiness of a life in the ocean with you?
He was conflicted.
Part of him said yes. Other part of him said no.
He wanted to, he couldn't denied it, but he couldn't spoke his words as he wanted to. He needed time to think of this clearly, he needed time to fulfill his previous promises, he needed time.
"I..." his words were caught in his throat, "I need time to think"
"Sure" You didn't seemed worry for the doubt in his voice or the lack of a straight answer. It was like you knew something he didn't and refused to tell him. "I'll see you around then" you said before submerging in the ocean without waiting for an answer.
Senku kept sat down in the sand as he saw you leave.
And the ocean felt bigger with your absence.
***
Senku went to the beach the next day. But you were nowhere to be found.
The scientist tried the next day, the same result.
It didn't matter how many times he called your name, you wouldn't appeared.
Where were you?
Were you hurt?
Were you captured?
What happened to you?
Did someone else find you while you were waiting for him?
Weeks passed and the poor young scientist found no answer of your destiny.
It was as if the ocean had swallowed you whole.
You simply disappeared.
And the worst thing of all of this is that he couldn't call anybody to look for you. How can he explain that the lost person was in fact a mermaid he met and never reported?
How the media would react to that? Maybe they would call him crazy and take his scientific membership because of madness. Maybe someone would believe him, but that person could also make his nightmare true and haunt every siren on sight.
"You seemed glad discovering the seas mysteries."
Your words were haunting him.
"So I thought that it would make you happy to live here."
He wanted to know where were you to tell you that he, in fact, wanted to live in the sea. In the calm of it, in the mysterious that it holds, in the darkness if it meant to be with you.
He regretted not accepting the moment you brought it up.
"Fuck!" he hated the feeling in his chest as he grabbed his things and left theย rented space where he met you.
***
"Why did I decided to came back here?" Senku asked himself as he placed his stuff on the couch and memories came back to him after years of trying to leave everything behind.
The memory of you was still printed in his mind since that day.
He tried to ran away from these thoughts and feelings painting them as hallucinations, like his mind was to sleep deprived to fully understand the reality, like you never existed, like the adventures and his annotations are some kids game.
He scoffed as he remembered your conversations.
"Then you are like a coconut."
Yeah, I'm a coconut.
"You are tough at the outside, but soft in the inside"
Yeah, always hiding the vulnerable parts of myself.
"You cared"
Of course I cared.
The wind messed up his already messy hair as he opened the door and walked to the shore. The afternoon was mercilessly cold; the crabs on the shore ran for shelter and the seagulls went to their nests while the ocean crashed mercilessly against the sand and some rocks.
The scientist left his footprint imprinted in the sand as steam escaped from his breath.
Senku wouldn't mind being swallowed by the sea in that moment.
"Oh, you came back!"
Your voice.
The scientist turned around and saw you.
There you were, just like the first time he met you; you were lying on the sand, a fewย seaweed by your side and your hair completely soaked.ย It has to be a damn dream,ย he thought to himself as he tried not to run to you. But with every step he took, he realized more and more that you were real.
He couldn't denied it any longer. He missed you.
"Where were you?" he askedย bluntly once he was by your side. He didn't care if the sand was wet, he sat down nowadays. "Where were you all those years?"
"In the sea" you said with that characteristic calm of yours he couldn't hate. "I was waiting for you"
"What?" Senku was dumbfounded, "You were waiting for me?"
"Yeah, you said you needed time to think" you smiled at him, "So I gave you time."
"But you disappeared, you weren't here the following days."
"Because you needed time" he looked puzzled at your incoherent explanation. "I didn't want you to feel pushed towards it, so I took care of my home in the meantime"
He ran both hands over his face. "You didn't need to do that, or at least you could have warned me"
It surprised you how blunt he was after years without seeing him. "Were you worried?" you asked while touching his shoulder.
He sighed with his hands still covering his face, "Yeah... I thought someone else found you and, well, kill you"
You were speechless after his confession and it moved your heart to listened to his worries and fears. You caressed his shoulder and gave him a sweet smile.
"Well, I'm here now"
Senku looked at you and finally breathe.
"Yeah, you are"
***
"Hey, here you go" Senku said the next morning as he walked to your side and handed you something, "For your collection"
You stared at the artifact. It had numbers on it and something moving on its inside, but you couldn't guess what it was. Either way, it was fascinating and beautiful under your eyes.
"Thank you, Senku!" you said while observing the object, "But I didn't get you anything."
Senku smiled softly at you, "You gave me everything." And when you looked up to match his gaze, you smiled back while holding your feelings.
The scientist sat down by your side at the shore as the birds and the waves were the only sound surrounding you two. He enjoyed the soft breeze messing with his hair and the salty smell of the water before him.
He missed this.
He missed you.
And he didn't want to miss any of that ever again.
"I want to live in the ocean with you" he suddenly said and you observed him in shock. "I mean it"
"What about your plans?"
"I already did all of them" he watched the sky as he spoke, "The last years I've been fulfilling my experiments and projects so every promise is complete and nothing left undone," he diverted his eyes on you, "So my next step is to investigate the sea at its fullest, with you"
You felt relieved; all this years waiting for him were worth it. Some days you were scared he wouldn't return, but since the adventure you had on your secret spot, you knew, since the moment you saw his eyes, he needed to come back to keep investigating.
He was thirsty for knowledge.
Eventually, he would return to you.
"I'm happy to heard that" you admit to him. "When do you want to start moving?"
"I need to do something first" Senku said, but his curiosity won before he could get up and walk to the rented space. "But how do I become one of you?"
You smiled maliciously, "There some things you don't know about, Senku-kun." He lift one eyebrow and you took a tree branch and start drawing on the sand. "This could be a legend, a myth or a real event," you started, "It is said that, when humans evolved, one chose to remain in the sea to escape greed. We come from that being, from the evolution of that creature."
"What does that person has to do with becoming a mermaid or triton?"
"Everything!" you exclaimed and kept drawing, "Some creatures took pity on this being's loneliness and granted him the ability to bring more like him to the bottom of the sea." You draw the trident that was under your father's power. "This can make you one of us."
Senku analyzed your words and the story itself. "So, we need to talk with your father?"
"I've already told him" you laughed a little nervous, "At first he was reluctant to the idea, but I convinced him"
"How?"
"It doesn't matter how" you dismissed his curiosity and let the ocean erase the story from the sand as the man in front of you erased your worries.
***
"You ready?" you asked as you offered your hand to him.
That day the clouds weren't present. It was a beautiful day, completely clear and sunny. The sand felt hot as the scientist took off his clothes, because they were useless in his new home, and grabbed your hand.
"Yeah" he nodded, "Let's go."
And the scientist disappeared from the shore as he submerged into the ocean.
The last persons that saw him called him crazy to go back to that cabin that was to far away from civilization. Others kept calling to his phone, even when the recording said "Ishigami, don't bother calling, I've decided to go home very far away from cellphones connections". And other insistent colleagues went to the rented place to find a note written by the scientist.
"It's incredible that you've come all the way here looking for me.
But, I'm already gone again, but this time, don't try to find me;
I'm in the most unexpected place possible.
But don't worry, I'm perfectly fine now.
I finally found my home, the place I belong.
I've found something to stay for and finally open the coconut I am.
Ishigami Senku."
A/n: I edited this at work so sorry for any mistakes
What is love?
Is it snow coming back every winter, a sign of dedication?
Is it earth orbiting the sun, just far enough out of reach?
Or is it longing? The need for rain after a drought.
Maybe it's next to you, in the genius scientist.
"Hey. Senku." You eventually spoke. Your gaze never left Senku's hands as the tediously worked on his homemade rocket.
He hummed, not looking up from his work. The sun peaked through the window, a warm hue casting across the room. You sat a few feet in front of him in his bedroom, mainly just watching as he fiddled with his science experiments like always.
"What is love?"
This made him pause. He glanced up, one brow raised. "Illogical."
You scoffed, but your lips twitched upwards. "You know that's not what I meant."
He smirked. "Yeah, but you know I don't have time to think about that. It's inefficient. Waste precious brain power."
A sigh leaves your lips. You figured he'd answer that way. It was silent as he continued adding new parts, the soft clinking of metal being one of the few sounds.
It was a few minutes later, your chin rested on your knees, when he stopped. He sat down the screw driver in his grasp and tilted his head just enough to look at you. His red eyes studied you for a moment before he spoke.
"What do you think love is then?"
Your eyes widened at his words. You thought for a moment before you answered. "I think love can be a lot of things." You started, glancing out the window. "It can be the way snow falls and hugs earth."
"Ten billion percent sure that snow falls because of deposition." Senku picked his ear, face blank.
You ran a hand down your face in exasperation. "Yes, technically." You sigh, turning back toward him. "But people, a lot of people say love is something extremely special. Saved for friends, family, and pets."
Senku furrowed his brows slightly, but didn't interrupt.
"I think they're wrong. I think love is in almost everything. I don't think it's all that special." A smile set on your lips. "It's in the way tulips dig their roots into earth. In the way the sun sets, and you get that warm feeling deep in your chest. It's the way we walk to class everyday, ready to learn all of the worlds findings. It's in the way people put tons of sugar in their coffee, or none at all. It can be the smallest things, or the largest."
You turn toward him and smile. "It's in the way I still show up here everyday, even after all these years."
Senku's mouth parted open slightly, eyes wide. You could see the tips of his ears burning a bright pink. It was clear he didn't expect this, a miscalculation on his part maybe.
You tilt your head and laugh. "What do you think love is, Senku?"
His adams apple bobbed once before he smirked, running a hand through his hair. "I think you're an idiot. Tulips dig into the ground for support, and to survive. That's not love, that's gravitropism."
You bite back a smile. Senku is Senku, you figured his response would be something close to that.
"And how much sugar someone has in their coffee isn't love either." He let out a breath, glancing away to look back toward his homemade rocket. "But maybe me inviting you over everyday is." The last part came out soft, but you still heard it.
Your mouth parted slightly, eyes widened. Senku didn't look up again, but anyone could tell he was embarrassed. His hands worked quickly on his rocket, fingers trembling slightly.
Your eyes softened at his nervous gesture. "Well, I believe love is in a lot of things." You scooted a bit closer, Senku didn't react till your hand softly grabbed his. "And I love you."
Senku stiffened, hands hovering above his expiriment. His eyes flicked up. Your heart thumped loudly in your chest, fingers trembling right along with his.
He swallowed thickly and chuckled, but tightened his grip on your hand. "Ten billion percent illogical.โ
You giggled and leaned a bit forward, just so he could hear your next softly spoken words. โYeah? Is that so bad though?โ
"And this is how you pronounce 'military' in japanese" Senku wrote in the sand some lines till it become words. "Guntai" ่ป้ was in front of you two. "That's what you were". You practiced the pronunciation until Senku gave you an approval nod. "Next, gun". He covered with the sand the previous letter and wrote ้. "Ju, that's your tool". He erased it and wrote another word, ้. "And this is squad, its said buntai".
You wrote everything in your notebook, made by Senku, quickly. "Okay, noted"
He looked at you carefully while you were writing. "You are left handed". You only nodded. "Did you know that approximately between the ten to twelve percent of the the world's population is left-handed?"
"Well, I think those numbers need to be checked" You commented and lift your eyes to his. "It was a problem for my brother when he taught me to use the gun, he always complaint" He didn't commented anything in return, he let you continue, "Stanley made me practice every day since I was fourteen, and he taught me to use both of my hands so I didn't failed, so I always hit the target"
He nodded.
The world went quiet while you two watched the sunset in the beach. The water erasing the japanese words at your feet and so your walls.
"You once asked me if I had ever killed anyone before." You watched the birds reach the clouds at the horizon. "I did, and I almost killed you too"
You opened your eyes and the bright light make you squint.
The sound of leaves and the hammers at the distance embraced you as well the smell of chemicals. You were dreaming with the memory of Senku's classes with you. What a bittersweet memory.
The reality was sadder.
Since that night, you weren't Senku's personal guard anymore.
Seconds.
Minutes.
Hours.
Days.
Weeks.
Months.
Time passed and you stayed away from him.
You were checking on Dr. Xeno instead, following him everywhere, all day long, like a lost puppy. You never abandoned his side, which bothered the professional scientist a lot. He knew you were avoiding his student, the younger scientist, but just like your brother, you would never say a word to anybody; you kept your mouth shut about your emotions, just like you were taught in the armed forces.
You two really look alike,ย Dr. Xeno thought to himself. But the difference between you and your brother was the discretion.
Chrome and Franรงois caught you staring at the scientist when you two were in the same room more than once. Sometimes Dr. Xeno himself saw you giving eyes to another direction and, when he followed your gaze, it was Ishigami on sight. You always tried to make it seemed like you didn't when you knew they trapped you, but it was pointless.
Everyone wanted you two to talk about your issue and stop competing with each other's eyes.
So, Senku will come back,ย you thought.
One day all of you were discussing an idea Chrome had alongside Suika. Thanks to your months learning japanese, you understood they were complaining about the one-way-trip. And finally, there was a vote to made; to do the one-way-trip or an-all-round-trip.
Surprisingly, everybody voted for the second option. Even Senku.
But that didn't changed your distance from him like the young scientist expected.
You needed to protect yourself, protect your feelings, your heart.
Nothing is granted after all.
Maybe he has in mind coming back, but there's always a margin of error in delicate things like space travel. So you kept your daily checks on Dr. Xeno and watching closely the creation of the rocket and helping with every detail he ordered to you.
Senku couldn't forget about your presence when you were protecting him; one night he overworked and you walked to him with a cup of tea, he didn't even asked for it, you just did it. And, when he fell asleep hours later, in his little remaining conscious state, he saw you leaving a blanket over his shoulders and sleeping in the same room to keep an eye on him.
Unbeknown to you, Senku kept his eyes on you all the time from afar.
Begrudgingly, he got used to your presence; for you to be there, for you to help him when he needed, for you to keep an eye on him when he overworked and protect him every night.
He never meant to push you away with his mockery and revealing your secret feelings, but now you were back to Xeno's side. And every time he was close to you, you avoided his eyes, but not his words because of our military training. It betray you on his favor. But, even if you talked to him, it was only the necessary things; when the conversation grew more personal you quickly excused yourself in the military way and leave as soon as you could and went back to Xeno's side.
***
"Yeah, well... Your shot didn't killed me after all" Senku commented smugly.
You snickered, "Just because you had this crazy plan to petrified the whole world again", you stared at him. "If you didn't, maybe you would be dead"
"It's a waste of time thinking about 'what ifs', " He said serious while his eyes were on yours, "It didn't happen, I'm here" You couldn't understand certain things about him, but maybe that was the reason of your developed feelings towards him. "And now you need to be my bodyguard"
You sighed. "Yeah, completely ironic", you watched the last sun rays giving the night its proper introduction. "Protect the man you were about to kill", you mumbled.
Senku looked at you and, without you noticing, played with strands of your hair.
I know you didn't mean to kill me,ย he thought to himself.ย If you had wanted to, you would have shot me in the head, not on the opposite side of my heart.
And he continued playing with your hair while you admired the sea and the stars reflected in it.
***
The last days went crazy with the invention of the internet, the electronic paper and the construction of the new rocket.
And... the astronaut topic at hands.
Dr. Xeno entered the room with papers on his hands and, without missing a second, started, "The space mission will be completely different from everything we already know given the circumstances of the unknown Why-Man, so, we need to prepare the new crew" he looked at the crowd, "We need a pilot", the stares and mumbles divided between Ryusui and you because of the flight show you two did in United States and the fights all over South America. "We need a fighter and a scientist...", everybody looked at Senku and doubted of his physical strength.
"Well, with proper training he can do it" You mumbled and felt the stares of everyone in the room on you. "What?"
"Do you have faith in him?" Gen asked astonished.
You shrugged. "It can't be that bad"
It can be that bad.
Senku's condition was pretty lame. He almost drowned, and you, because your military training betrayed you once again, had to supervise and save him,ย "Come on, Ishigami!" You yelled while Nikki helped you with the little boat, "Just a few meters". The rest followed your instructions in the training camp and, with Xeno's help, also in astronaut training with specific machines that served to test balance and others to evaluate resistance.
"We need protection, soldier" Dr. Xeno approached you, "Do your duty once again" and we walked you to aย shooting range while handing you a gun.
You grabbed the gun.
Breathe.
Aim.
Shot.
You obeyed the instructions your commander gave you years ago and the bullet hit the target as expected. "Well done, soldier," Xeno said handing you the rest of the bullets. "There's a good chance you'll be selected. After all, like your brother, you know a lot about piloting, strategy and defense."
Then my brother should go instead of me,ย you thought but didn't mentioned. You only nodded, "Understood, doctor"
***
"The three brave astronauts for the mission against the Why-Man are...," everybody reunited for the announcement after seeing the most capable warriors showing their strength for the spot, "Senku, Kohaku and..." Dr. Xeno looked at you.
Something inside you stirred when you heard the news.
This ain't fair.
And you hated the bittersweet feeling in your chest.
***
The cool night hugged your worries as you approached him.
"Senku" He turned to look at you attentively while you sighed and prepared yourself for your next words, "There's someone better than me for the mission, and you know it"
Please, brother, don't get mad at me,ย you thought.
Senku seemed thoughtful, he knew who you were talking about. "Yeah, it's true, are you sure about that choice?"
"Of course," you crossed your arms on your chest, "If I weren't I would't have mentioned it, I'm thinking as a military for the mission and its success"
Senku knew very well,ย really well, about your military behavior and that you weren't involving your emotions on the mission. You were doing what was the best for it.
He nodded.
And, even when everybody complaint for the following days because of all the things Snyder did in EE.UU and in South America and the high probability of him attacking everyone, he insisted on the matter.
Senku understood you.
You were protecting him, just like your initial mission, that's the reason you mentioned the only person you knew could do a better job.
Your brother.
***
You aimed.
Shot.
Perfect hit.
"You have something to do with this" You heard the voice of your commander, your brother, behind you.
You reloaded the gun's camera and turned to look at him. After years, you finally saw him again. You missed his voice, but you wouldn't tell him that. "Maybe"
"Any reason in particular?" Always direct, professional, like the soldier he was.
"Because you are better than me for the success of the mission,"ย And because I missed you,ย but you would never say that to him too. You shrugged, "Don't think for a second I did it because of pity"
Stanley snickered with lighting up his cigarette. "I won't, we are soldiers after all"
"Yeah, that's all we are"
But you wished you could be more than that, more than just a simple soldier. You wanted a life, a life to hold on to, not this constant back and forth, obeying orders your whole life.
You learned to shoot, but that doesn't mean you enjoy it.
***
Even after leaving your slot for your brother, you kept training every day just in case, it gave you purpose while the rest of the people did all the preparations for the launching.
You were worried.
And you hated feeling that way.
"Hey," Your commander approached you while you were shooting, "I heard from Xeno that you failed a mission"
Ah, shit.
You missed the shot.
"And now you missed it" He looked at your broken target that now looked like the Apple logo. "Tell me about it"
You sighed, you weren't expecting Xeno to snitch on you. You sat on the grass and looked at him, "I had to protect the scientist in charge of the mission, Ishigami", Stanley nodded, "and I... well... like him" you mumbled the last part.
Stanley heard you and sighed, "I see" he inhale the smoke of his cigarette and looked at the distance. "At least he's clever", he exhaled the fume.
You blinked once, then twice. "What? You are not mad about it?"
"Why would I?"
You were confused at his disinterest on the topic. "Because I failed a mission", you stated as obvious. You expected him to scold you or maybe even yell a little, but this reaction was far from what you expected.
Stanley sighed and straightened up a little. "As your commander, I expect you not to do that again" he looked at you with ease, "As your older brother, I'm pleased you found someone worthy of you and not an idiot", and he went back to theย lab to keep the spacesuit measurements without letting you answer him.
You remained on your spot on the grass assimilating the situation.
Unbelievable,ย you thought and smiled.
For some reason, you felt that the situation felt like a small talk among siblings.
And you liked it.
***
The launch day arrived and you were accompanying Xeno with the preventive suit to prepared the astronauts.
"Hey, Snyder" Senku called you and you immediately stop on your tracks.
You looked at the professional scientist by your side in case he had something to say. "You're being called, soldier, attend the call". Doctor Xeno walked with a smug smile to your brother's side to give him the fake cigarettes.
Shit.
You walked to Ishigami. "You and I have something to discuss" He said to you once you were in front of him. The suit looked big on him, but he looked good either way in your opinion.
The professional scientist and your commander were watching from afar and you felt their eyes on you.
Now you didn't had to pretend. You smiled softly at Senku, "Come back from the moon and we can talk in peace, astronaut Ishigami"
He snickered, "Seems logical, soldier Snyder"
***
"Between Luna or Kohaku, who do you choose, Senku?" Chelsea asked the scientist.
"I'm not picking any of them like they are an object" He deadpan while eating in Chrome's wedding. "Also, I'm already taken"
Everyone looked at him in astonishment.
"Hold on, what?!" Gen screamed from his seat. "Since when?"
"Since he came back from the moon" You got into the conversation while getting up from your seat.
"But that was years ago" Chelsea mentioned.
You shrugged, "Yeah"
"So, you two kept it quiet, huh?" Gen understood the situation. He thought you both talked about the situation and remained as friends, but you two are the calm kind of couple that wouldn't mentioned it unless it was necessary.
Because friends don't look at each other as you two did.
Gen remembered when, every time one of you was in a room and the other one appeared, it was a stare game all the time; you were chasing each other with your eyes because you couldn't talk at the time. And every worry was present in actions and precise moments, like the protection you gave to him every night, or the way you mentioned your brother to go to space. And when things were complicated, you always heard each other. And your little moments when you two thought nobody's was watching.
"Aww, well... Lucky you two" You heard the comment from a pink haired girl.
"What did your brother thought about it?" Kohaku's question called your attention.
"He was okay with it"
Gen snickered a little, "I knew you would say something like that, after all, you two are very similar"
"I'm still processing the whole idea of Senku dating someone" Yuzuriha mentioned.
"Yeah..." Gen was in the same place. "After all, Senku was shot by the Snyder siblings."
Senku looked at you like pleading for you to not mentioned it, but you wanted a little chaos once for a while.
You looked at Gen with a smug smile, "Actually, now it's Ishigami"ย
If they were still processing your being Senku's partner, now they were speechless.
"Wait, you two are married?!"
"Since when?!"
You smiled satisfied while Senku pressed his temples.
Summary: Astronauts in love attempt an interesting experiment on board without the crew knowing.
warnings: astronaut!reader, au!no petrification, established relationship, smut, scientific sex, p in v, zero gravity, protected sex, slight public sex, slight fingering, bites, fluff.
"Wait, just wait" From all the years that you knew Senku, it never occurred to you that he would think about this, specially in the current circumstances. "You want to do it in the space?"
Your relationship was kept secret for two reasons: first, because neither of you liked the obvious and annoying questions about it, such as 'When's the wedding?' or 'When are you going to have a baby?', which you both found very tedious. Second, because you two worked in the same space program: NASA.
The organization couldn't know anything about the two of you.
But...
The adored and acclimated scientist couldn't stop his mind for the most intriguing questions to ever exist.
What's it like to have sex in zero gravity?
And you, as his secret girlfriend, soon to be wife, were the only one who could help him discover that answer.
"Yeah" Senku was clueless of your confusion and surprise. "Think about it, because of Newton's third law, bodies would float and split with each movement, making it a difficult and complex experience that is more technical than enjoyable"
"A complex experience...", you repeated his words in astonishment.
"Also, any momentum may tear us apart because there is no friction or support. To stay in place, we must cling to walls, employ elastic bands, or use restraint bags." You looked at him while we wrote things in the whiteboard on your shared apartment, he was fascinated thinking of the problems and the solutions of the sexual activity. "And, do not forget about the body fluids such as sweat and lubrication, those would float in the air, requiring rigorous hygiene measures to prevent them from getting into the eyes or electronic equipment."
Each word was more outlandish than the last.
"And perhaps blood circulation changes, which could make arousal and erection more difficult. Also, sweat doesn't run off, so it could accumulate on the skin..., it might be uncomfortable." Senku mumbled the last part, but you heard them anyway.
For him, all of it was still a hypothesis based on studies on Earth, but that was what he wanted to discover.
To experienced it firsthand and get his appreciated answers.
He was so mesmerized by his theories that didn't noticed your complicity smile at him. "It's gonna be challenging indeed, are you ready for all of that activity?"
Senku's eyes were on yours immediately. "Of course, it's exciting!"
***
After a few weeks later, the spaceship reached the stars and the darkness of the space.
For the moment, everything seemed normal; everyone was doing their tasks and breakfasts, lunches and dinners passed calmly and humorously with jokes and stories that were regularly told.
Sometimes, the rest of the crew would ask questions about personal matters. Once, when questions about couples came up, Senku and you said you were in a relationship, but you never specified with whom. "Oh, what a shame, you two could work well together, you know?" the pilot commented while eating his pasta.
"If that were the case, they wouldn't be on the same mission," the commander commented.
You only snickered a little and kept eating your food in peace without attending Senku's gaze on you, because, deeply you knew he was waiting for the perfect moment to do your experiment.
If only you knew that Senku memorized everybody's schedule while waiting.
"Hey, what are you doing now?" He asked while you were in the free time you had scheduled at night. You did a lot of the measurements on the ship, so you often had your free time while everybody slept. A little habit of yours that Senku appreciated a lot right now.
You didn't lifted your gaze from the computer in front of you, "Mailings"
"How long will that take you?" You saw as he floated above you to his station and look through his belongings.
You shrugged, "I don't know, I'm also handling your email." You glanced up at him for a moment and then back at the screen. "A lot of people ask you all sorts of things, some about chemistry, some about calculations, and a huge number of your fans ask if you have a partner."
He sighed, "People is so noisy"
"Yeah," you snickered while typing, "Maybe you should start a podcast to help with their parasocial relationship with you"
"Are you crazy?" he approached your spot and deadpan, "Why would I do that?"
You shrugged while sending one of the many mails on your inbox and give him a quick look, "So they don't feel lonely and stalk you twenty four slash seven"
"I would prefer that they didn't fall in love with me, that's easier."
You snickered at his words, "Yeah, but we don't chose who to love or have a crush on, even if it's an online crush that leads to parasocial bonds", you stared at him, "As you say, feelings are illogical and messy"
He didn't replied, instead, he watched you as you kept typing on your computer in the silence of the spaceship.
Senku remembered the moment he met you for the first time. He thought you were clever, enthusiastic and the kind of person that did what needed to be done; his favorite type of people. You worked together because of the training and the constant investigations, and eventually, he appreciated your presence and the shared time, the shared coffees at 3 a.m in the lab, the constant shared looks, the complicity in your conversations and the trust, you had his vulnerability and so did he with yours.
Love.
He wasn't used to the word and to its meaning.
But it fit perfectly with what I felt in your presence.
It felt right.
We don't chose who to love...
That's what you said.
But we choose who to stay with.
And that wasn't illogical or messy for Senku when it comes to you.
You chose to stay with him and his ideas, his appreciation for science and his projects, especially when he wanted to do his experiments. You chose him above a more conventional partner, above a more romantic guy, above a lovey-dovey man that would gave you roses instead of chemicals or weird heavy metals.
You chose him.
And he chose you.
He looked at you and snickered atย your attentive gaze on the screen and your fast fingers typing each answer to the question on your screen and sending it to its proper owner.
He approached behind you and you felt his hands roaming on your shoulders and his breathing in your neck and ear. "Senku" you warned him while typing and keeping your eyes on the screen, "We are close to the hallway, if the crew caught us in the middle of it, it's going to be a huge problem"
"I know", he caressed your skin through the clothes and you sighed, "So, keep it low, will you?"
As soon as he said that, he kissed the back of your nape and you let a little squeak. "I can, but remember to not leave marks"
He sighed. "Boring"
"Is not boring, is being careful, if the team finds out about our relationship, we would get scolded and you know that" you smiled while typing the last answer so you could give him your whole attention, "So no bites". Senku, in the meantime, took your pants off to make things quickly. "And since when do you want to leave marks so badly? You're usually the one to keep things quiet and in secret"
Senku bite his lip, "Nothing special"
"I'm not buying it" you looked at him over your shoulder as he played with the edge on your panties, "Spill it out"
He deadpan at you. "Later, let's focus on the experiment", he pulled your panties over your legs and they floated away with your pants, "Like you said, we don't have much time until one of them comes near"
You nodded and shut down the laptop on its station. "Yeah, let's hurry", you turned to him and helped him with his clothes; the task was a little complicated since gravity wasn't present, you had to pulled the clothes and they would remain in the place
"Good thing you said we needed to hurry" Senku smiled smugly at you while you pulled his pants off.
"Don't start, you know this isn't like Earth at all", you caressed his calves as you used them to impulse yourself to get to his face, "Is more complicated than I expected"
You laughed while helping him with his t-shirt that didn't want to come off and then he struggled to help you with yours. The room was filled with laughter until you two were completely naked.
"Well, noted" Senku sighed as he took your bra off and it flew away as the rest of the clothes, "Undressing is a pain in the ass without gravity"
"Yeah, you almost flew away with the shirt", you smiled at him and pulled his hand to get close to him, you used his forearms to approach and, once you were face to face with him, you hold his shoulders tightly and kiss him after weeks without the taste of his lips.
He hold your waist close to his as he felt the zero gravity separating you from him. He caressed your lower back and he tangled his legs with yours finally giving in your mouth. Senku really missed your lips, your kisses, your touches, everything. Being so close and yet so far from you stressed him a little.
So, after so long, he enjoyed the moment.
The clothes floated in the shared compartment as the heated sounds of your kisses filled the place while your hands traveled to every inch of his chest, neck and shoulders and his hands roamed your back, legs and quietly your entrance.
"I like the way you kiss me" you suddenly said when you parted the kiss and the saliva floated away from you two.
Senku, still in bliss, looked confused at your words. "Don't you usually do that?"
You smirked, "Yeah, it's just... I can tell you miss me" you hugged him by the neck and watched him close. "You are more eager than usual"
He huffed and held you close. "I'm not"
"Yes, you are" and you snickered and played with his even crazier strands of hair, "It's okay if you missed caresses and kisses, you know?"
Senku looked away from you for a second, "Don't be such a tease" he said and pressed your clit.
You hissed at the sudden touch. "You did that on purpose" and glared at him and saw his satisfied smile at your reaction.
"Why would I do that?", and he made circles with careful pressure in your entrance, "It's just to improve your arousal and make the experiment with ease"
"Yeah, sure", you sighed at the feeling and hold onto him for stability. When you looked up, your faces were so close one to another, you could feel his breathing on your face while his eyes studied you closely. You looked at his lips and licked yours. "Well, this will help with your arousal too", you bite his lips to tease him a little as your hands roamed through his body to his lower body area. "And this is to help you with your erection" you looked at him as you caresses and stroke his cock. Senku hold back a groan as the pressure on your clit increased a little, "Just to make the experiment with ease."
He smirked and keep his administrations on you by adding a finger inside you.
Moans filled the space.
Only the darkness and the stars witnessed the nature of human beings and their experiment inside that ship.
Two bodies prepared each other for the next step as clothes floated uncontrollably and a few drops of sweat and saliva flew slowly in the zero-gravity environment.
"Hey" Senku was breathless by your caresses on his member. He noted that, in fact it took a little longer to have his common erection while you stroked him than on Earth, but it wasn't that complicated as he once thought. "We need to keep going with the experiment"
"Yeah, right", you stopped your strokes and watch him closely, "So, how do we positioned ourselves? Right now we were lucky not to hit the walls around us"
"Simple" he started, "I'll hit it from the back and you'll get attached to the railing over there" he exhaled while grabbing your waist tightly but affectionate, "That way we'll have stability for the penetration."
"Got it"ย So romantic,ย you thought and bite your lip not to laugh at his bluntness. You looked around you and watched the railing he mentioned. You looked at him and, in quiet understanding, you pushed yourself with Senku's help and then he followed you next by impulsing himself.
The light bodies collided in the ship and the longing touches begged again for more.
Senku missed you, and he wanted to show you how much he did as words were inefficient to express it.
He caressed your forearms until he reached your face and grabbed your cheeks, kissing you once more, devouring your whole being and giving himself to you. He desired you as much as you did and he wanted you to know how grateful he was.
"Let me bite you" His eyes were vulnerable as his plea. "Just once, a place nobody knows"
You were speechless while nodding. Senku have had his vulnerable moments with you since you met him, but it always surprise you when he did. "Sure, do it"
When your words reached him, he proceed to find his spot at your collarbone and his lips placed there kissing, bitting and sucking meanwhile his hands grabbed your sides as support. You bite your lipsย hiding the sounds that wanted to emerge from you.
Senku really wanted to hear from you, but he knew you would try to hold back as much as possible so the crew wouldn't investigate the strange sounds. He kept applying his bites and marks on your clavicle as he felt your hands holding him in place so he wouldn't flew away as the gouts of your sweat.
Senku watched the mark he leaved on your collarbone satisfied with his job, "I'm done". He looked up and you were already watching him. Your eyes enchanting him for him to ask for that moment to last forever. "I... let's keep the.. experiment"
You nodded and you saw him looking for a floating object and he pushed himself toย reaching it and then came back to your side.ย His movements were somewhat imprecise due to the lack of gravity while opening the little package, a condom.
"When did you packed that?". You were surprised at his preparations for the experiment.
"Since you said you wanted to do it"
You wanted to laugh so bad by his straightforward answer, "And they didn't find it?"
He opened it and a few drops of lubricant floated out of the package. "I hid it really well," he said using all his attention on it, letting the package disappear into the room, and starting to put it on. You hold him close and watched his hands working on himself. "You ready?", he sounded breathless.
You stared at him, "Yeah, I am"
He looked at youย with attention and, with slow movements, grabbed your waist and turn you to the railing. You let a little sighed as you grab it and feeling his body on your back. "Does it turn you on when I turn you around?" He snickered as you whimpered when you felt his hands snuggling your lower back and your ass while his tip caressed the insides of your thighs, "Well, that's a new discovery"
You only could moan as you felt the anticipation "Just do it already!"
"So impatient" he snickered and his tip played in your entrance. Senku held you tightly as he positioned himself and entered slowly and careful, luckily for both of you, the condom had enough lubrication so it went in pretty easily.
He held you tightly and began to thrust with some difficulty.
You felt that it was different from Earth right away, but you let him take his time to get use to the lack of gravity.
At first, his rhythm was messy; Senku tried to find his rhythm by defying the laws of gravity. Meanwhile, he caressed your shoulder and use it for stability as the other grabbed your waist. "Can we make a scene?" He whispered in your ear while thrusting deadly slow for your liking. He sounded sincere, no mocking, no teasing, nothing, and after so much time by his side, you knew this was his vulnerable self speaking.
You turned over your shoulder to see him astonished. "Why would you want that? They will find out about us"
"I just..." He bite his lip like before. He didn't say a word. "Can you make it loud?"
He wanted to hear you, to make you his over and over. Thanked you for your company all over the years and the crazy things you two did together.
You nodded understanding and let the feeling guide you through all of it.
No more hiding.
No more restrictions.
You were each other's lover in this ship.
You were each other's partner in crime in this experiment.
Every movement, every thrust, every breath, every touch, every stare, everything was in slow motion in the space, in that ship, in that compartment.
You whined by the slow pace "Senku..., faster"
He panted, "It's a little complicated given our circumstances"
Heavy breaths, moans, whimpers and accumulated sweat on your bodies filled the little shared space between you two. This was the messier you have done this with him in your whole life and you had your mental notes of it.
"How you feel?" You asked a little out of breath.
He keep his complicated pace, "A little dizzy to be honest" he exhaled, "It's really challenging..., more than usual"
You nodded and hold your grasp in the railing and the wall to provide him more support.ย With your heart racing, you felt the ecstasy of the situation cloud your senses and you were close to touching the stars.
You two were already in space, but your senses made you feel unconstrained by nature and beyond the limitations of something as simple as oxygen.
You two against everything.
Senku pressed your shoulder tighter as before and you knew he was close as he also knew by the way you were squishing him over and over again when he pounded deeper.
"Be careful spilling anything" you teased while some whimpers escape from your throat that you couldn't hold back by the pleasure.
"I know" he saidย clenching his jaw while thrusting harder.
Your moans and whimpers became louder as the sensations overtake over you as you came and felt all the strength leaving your body. Senku followed close after you and caressed your forearms. "Well done" and he whispered in your ear, "I'm so proud of you". Senku kissed the back of your neck before pulling out of you and taking the condom off. He tied it so there's no gouts floating around to reveal what did you two just did.
Sweat clung uncomfortably to your skin as you felt heavy breathing in your chest while trying to recover from your heart's rapid beating. You grabbed his hand resting on your waist, "Stay", it sounded more breathless than you intended.
He hold you, "Of course", and he remained behind you as you two floated in the space.
Two bodies floating in the vastness of nothingness.
***
"Hey," the captain of the crew called your attention while floating to your station, "I heard some noise last night, do you know anything about that?"
Youย choked over your coffee and some gouts flew away from your mouth. You flushed a little still coughing, "I... I was, well, watching a movie with explicit scenes"
"Oh"
"Yeah, it had many scenes like that," you scratched the back of your head a little by reflex. In the hallway you saw Senku arriving to your spot until he saw the captain and he quickly stopped his tracks, "Emm... sorry if it was too loud"
He dismissed your comment with his hands, "Nah, don't worry about it"
Senku only smirked floating behind the cap, "Hey, Cap! Everything alright?"
"Yeah, sure" And he flew away. "Just be careful with sharing your stares in public, they call some attention to the rest of the crew"
Summary: Space is neither cruel nor tender, it is impartial and any mistake leads to death. Or, a transmission is the only thing you can leave for your partner in the face of an imminent end.
"Shit, shit, shit" you mumbled as you typed useless codes in the computer of the ship that, long time ago, lost its course.
Every system was failing.
Each light indicating a fault.
Every measure was chaotic.
All alarms indicating the end.
Every member of the crew was dead.
And you were the only one remaining in the ship.
It all happened because of a meteorite that deviated from its trajectory and was going too fast for all of you to dodge it. The engineer mentioned an solution for your dilemma, but the conditions were harsh and space didn't help at all.
He died due to a malfunction in his suit as space claimed his body.
The captain told you and the pilot to recover the course and tried to fix the problems on board as he tried to do what the engineer mentioned before. And, after some minutes that felt like hours, the captain's communications failed and you two knew he was gone.
And space claimed another body.
Despair and fear invaded your senses as you were unable to solve the problem, while everything around you screamed at you both that your death was imminent.
You felt powerless.
The pilot placed his hand on your shoulder for comfort before he tried one last time. Because, as he said, "You don't know until you try everything." But the space didn't believe in attempts, only in facts.ย The space was not pious, it was cold and rigid.ย The space held no understanding of hope or willpower.
And space claimed his body with gentleness as the pilot gave him his last breathe.
Now, you were the last one standing. The last thing you could do was a transmission that would probably take hours to reach Earth and for CAPCOM to hear it. But, there was nothing that they could do to save you.
You could only tell them so your words could help in the future, so your words could inspire someone and the next mission went well.
You didn't know how people on Earth would take your words, but it was all you have.
You saw how the ship's glass cracked after another meteorite impact.
"Danger:ย glass cracked, oxygen dropping low." the ship's voice warned, "18% oxygen left. Please, repair the tear or approach the nearest suits"
This was the end.
And all you could do was accept it as it came to you as the tears in your eyes floated away in front of the broken glass. "I'm sorry, Senku"
And the coldness of the space hugged you and all noise became silent.
Space claimed the last body in its infinite vastness as the ship flew without course.
***
"We received an transmission!" An employee warned to the whole room.
Senku's attention were on edge after not receiving any data from the ship you were on.ย You all were supposed to report in periodically, but hours have passed since the last communication and someone from CAPCOM mentioned a meteor shower that had not been factored into the route calculations.
The director of the NASA facility appeared and told the employee to play the broadcast on the room's enormous screen.
You appeared with a really bad look and Senku knew something was wrong. "For anyone seeing this call, I'm sorry for the informalities, but... Today we faced a meteor shower and it far surpassed us... The crew is dead and I'm the last one, but... I'm not gonna make it", Senku's heartย squeezed inside his chest as he heard your broken voice, "I assume that, the moment this call reach you all, I'm going to be dead because of the ship implosion"
Everybody in the room held their breath as the devastating news hit them. The director, trying to keep his cool, informed the media retinue to prepared an audience to inform this to the people.
"I can only add that we were doing as much as we could to fix the problems, but we couldn't beat the unpredictability of space",ย your voice broke, "And, as a last message to my partner..." the alarms could be heard from the background of the broken ship, "I know you will see this, Senku"
Everybody in the room looked at him. They suspect something was going on in between you too, but they never asked if it was true or not.
"I'm sorry for not being able to come back" your tears floated in front of the glitching screen, "But I want you to know that I've enjoyed every moment by your side and that this..." you looked at your surroundings, "It some trial and error". You returned your eyes to the screen, to him. "But we weren't any of that, and, before you say it's cheesy, I don't regret any minute"
Senku tried to hold his tears from escaping.
"The only thing I regret it's not being able to hear your scientific explanations as old people" you let a soft laugh that contrasted to the chaotic scene behind you as the space destroyed the ship. "Goodbye, Senku."
SenkuxReader
SYNOPSIS: For years, the scientist, Senku Ishigami, carried the weight of humanity's future on his shoulders. Yet a betrayal from Why-Man made him long to hear his father's voice again, singing the song that annoyed him so much.
A/N: Inspired by the song Remember Me from the movie Coco.
๐งชContains 4D Science Manga SPOILERS.
๐งชSenku is currently 25 years old in this fic (based on the manga)
๐งชSenku and Reader have been friends since they were 7.ย
๐งชEnglish is not my first language, and I apologize for any mistakes.
The news reached you through Ryusui, each word feeling like a heavy stone sinking deep within you. Why-man had lied and masqueraded as Byakuya Ishigami, wrapping Senku in a constructed betrayal.ย
When you heard the news, you felt your heart drop to the pit of your stomach. A lump stuck in your throat as a look of disbelief and betrayal appeared on your face.ย
Of course, the scientist had to keep his front and refused to make the rest of the Kingdom of Science think he was deceived, by laughing it off and acting as he knew. He had always prided himself as logical and confident, but this was different.ย
โSenku retired early for the night. I think you should talk to him.โ Ryusui suggested, though it sounded more like โHe needs help, he'll only accept it from you.โย
And so you went to look for Senku. Your familiarity with the place guided your footsteps as you ventured. The voices of the villagers and the familiar sounds of everyday life blurred into something inaudible as you thought of what to say to him.ย
You have known him for longer than you remember, having met him before Taiju and Yuzuriha entered the picture, and you had even shared moments with Byakuya himself.
He felt like a second father; he welcomed you into their home easily after Senku introduced you as his new โassistantโ, rather than a friend. You witnessed the way he supported Senku's drive for science.ย
You spotted Senku sitting in a chair, his face half-buried in his arms that are crossed against the table. He was staring and listening to the recording that Byakuya had left, which was inches away from him.
โSen?โ You softly called out, making him aware of your presence.ย
He hummed in response and paused the recorder. His tired eyes shifted to meet yours.ย
Then, he gave you his signature smirk, โI'm gonna make an educational guess that Chrome or Ryusui filled you in.โ
You couldnโt help but scoff gently, and he immediately knew that you saw right through the front he tried to put up.ย
โHah? You should seriously stop trying to act unbothered in front of me. I know you long enough to know when you're faking it.โย
He chuckled silently, watching as you made your way across the room to sit next to him while his defenses crumbled.
โYeah? How long exactly?โย
โ18 yearsโโย
โWrong, itโs been roughly 3738 years.โ He stuck his tongue out playfully at you, a smug look on his face.ย
โOkay, you menaceโ!โ You reached out for his hair, tugging on it furiously.
He yelped, laughter and apologies spurted out from his lips, one after the other.ย
After a minute of that, you came to remember the purpose of seeking Senku out. You exhaled softly, less chaotic, less playful.ย
โSenku, seriouslyโฆYou should really stop dismissing your emotions. You're allowed to feel, to grieve.โย
You watched as he silently listened, his eyes focused on the recorderโthe item that gave him a clue regarding his father, yet the same item that crushed his hopes of seeing him again.ย
โYou might've led us into saving humanity, you might've carried the future of humanity on your shoulders,โ you said gently, โBut you're still just Senku to me. I still see you as the kid who blasted a rocket in my mom's garden.โย
He chuckled at the last part, his shoulders shaking lightly as he recalled the memory. โIn my defense, I miscalculated its landing.โย
โYeah, but what I'm trying to sayโโย
Before you could finish, he rested his head on your shoulder, a habit he developed over the years when it was just the two of you.ย
โThat I'm still just a human? Yeah, I got the message.โย ย
He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. His voice sounded honest, raw, and vulnerable. โI wish I had talked to him before his launch.โย
The words hit you like a tidal wave. Your eyes softened, arms immediately reaching out to hug him. โOh, Senโฆโย
You felt one of his hands gripping the hem of the shirt you were wearing.
โI was ten billion percent sure Iโd see him again.โ He mumbled into your shoulder.ย
Your hand patted his back silently, letting him grieve over what could've been.ย
โHeh, do you remember when he started singing that song when putting me to sleep back then, even when I was already asleep?โ You felt a grin forming on his face as he began to reminisce.
โWhile you were pretending to be asleep.โ You corrected him, one hand threading through his hair gently, as if he would fall apart if you weren't gentle.
โI thought he would have stopped if I was already asleep. He was desperate to make sure that I wouldn't forget about him while he was training to become an astronaut.โย
You hummed, โAnd you acted as if you hated it.โย
โI did hate it.โ You felt his grip tighten, almost desperate. โI wish he had sung it before he left, even when his voice was terrible.โย
He clenched his jaw, โI have no idea why you liked the song so much too that you asked the old man to teach you the chords while I was busy blasting another rocket into space.โย
โHey, it was a good song, and it made me emotional, okay? And I wanted to sing it to you back then to annoy you whenever you got on my nerves!ย
He let out a chuckle, the sound vibrating on your shoulder. โWell, now's your chance then.โ
You paused, processing the weight of his words. A smile appeared on your face. Of course, this was his way of asking if you could sing it to him.ย
โYou don't have to be so indirect, Sen.โ You teased him.
โNever mind then.โ He muttered out without hesitating.ย
โI was joking!โ
The night faded into the sound of your voice, singing it exactly how Senku remembered. Your voice carried the same softness his father once did.ย
Halfway through it, your voice nearly faltered when a memory of Byakuya teaching you the guitar chords replayed in your head. You could picture it vividly: Byakuya patiently teaching you while an annoyed Senku pretended to ignore the two of you.ย
It ached. It ached to remember, yet you forced your voice to remain steady. Because you knew Senku needed you at that moment.ย
And somewhere between your voice and the cold breeze of the night, for some reasonโperhaps it was his brain imagining itโhe heard his father's voice harmonizing with yours.ย
It was warm, off-key, yet it was everything he wanted to hear.
You didn't say anything when you felt a wet patch on your shoulder. Instead, you held him closer. As if you could somehow keep together the shattered pieces, he desperately tried to keep from the rest of the world.ย
A/N:
I saw an edit of Senku and Byakuya with the song Remember Me, started sobbing, and locked in to make this. I even rewatched season 1 and realized how far Senku had made it, and sobbed again when I remembered Byakuya. Their relationship makes me cry every time I see edits, I swear.
I hope you guys enjoyed reading this, feel free to leave your thoughts about it.
The Kingdom of Science is the family Senku needed after losing his dad. I love this anime so much.
P.S reqs are open :) I also posted this on tiktok if you happen to find it, mwhehe.
Do you think you could do Senku just being wicked good at reading his partner? Because thereโs no way he doesnโt know whatโs wrong before we tell him
savour this with everything i have inside of me
it starts off with the smaller things, as they always do. you almost donโt notice.
to you, senkuโs always been like this.
ready with a witty comment that just so happens to compliment you when you feel a little insecure.
(kohakuโs strength and prowess in battle is as impressive as her drop-dead beauty. makes you wonder sometimes why youโre you.)
the lioness is brilliantly useful and all, but only you can run in my mind all day without getting tired.
senku? are you flirting with me?
yes. get excited.
snacks just so happen to appear in your satchel, and they just so happen to be your stone world favourites as well. nothing seems to ever escape his mind when it comes to you.
heโs there with a subtle hand on your thigh, fingers tapping rhythmically against the bare flesh. the gesture keeps you grounded when you feel nervous, on edge.
senku has almost a sixth sense for when you do something without using your glorious glorious brain cells. heโs there close behind you correcting the immediate hazards, quietly with no snark in sight. his hands are always warm over yours.
hey, donโt do that next time. that way is totally ineffective and dangerous. do it like this.
he reads you as if it is the most natural thing in the world, like itโs a science.
but youโre not. youโre not an experiment, no second or third iteration of some bastardisation of love. senku adores you, thatโs why heโs so fastidious in regards to your wellbeing. always wanting, needing and trying to make you happy, thrive even.
itโs in the way not a single word needs to breathed between you two. he knows. from the way your eyes look at him and the world, to your fleeting or lingering touches and to every other little detail, he logs it and pieces the snippets together. he learns eagerly and knows.
you try to confront him about it one day (you can barely describe it as a confrontation). curled up in bed, legs impossibly tangled, you start talking about what youโve seen, logged, noticed, about him.
how he likes to wake up early in the mornings (you prepare a light breakfast for him the night before). how heโs calmer when your hand is snuggled into his hair during times when he thinks out loud, about roadmaps to some new/old science item. you see how sometimes he pretends to be fine and non-sentimental (if you can even call it that) when it comes to byakuya, his dad. but, you see through the act, and try to comfort him the best way you can. just like how he does for you.
youโre his constant just as much as heโs yours.
senku tries to smirk, to bask in the solidity of your love, but fails. he smiles into your hair instead with the sun between his teeth. he loves you.
hope this was kind of what you were expecting!! thank you sm for the ask anon!!!! the fluff that was born from this made my heart hurt a little ๐ซถ๐ซถ
note: I'm currently watching The Mentalist and there was a scene where a guy was hypnotised to follow his instincts and he kissed his crush. And I lowkey wanted to write a self-indulgent fic about it so here we are <3
โNahhh! Hypnosis doesnโt exist.โ Senku detested with an almost bored tone, his little finger scratching his ear.
โNo, I promise you Senku-chan, Iโve done it multiple timesโ the mentalist beamed. โAnd even if you donโt believe me, Iโm sure there were actual studies done about this topic. Iโm surprised you havenโt heard about them.ย
โI was never really interested in psychology to be honest. Is this even considered psychology? Or is thisโฆ magic?โ the boy gestured magical hand movements with the mere purpose of annoying Gen. You had to hide your smile behind your hands.
After a long harsh winter, it was a relief to see spring finally arrive. Days were longer now and the temperature finally rose. And with it, so did peopleโs spirits. So when a surprisingly warm evening came and someone came up with the amazing idea of celebrating with a bonfire, not many protested.ย
It wasnโt a big party. Some food, booze, friends, a fire, playful banter. Just like in the old times. Because when someone is too occupied with rebuilding civilization, sometimes the fact that they are still just a teen can easily slip oneโs mind. So it was nice to be reminded.
โI donโt know about you guys but Iโd love to see some proof of it.โ interrupted the ever so practical Kohaku. โYou said youโre a pro, didnโt you Gen? Well I volunteer. Hypnotise me!โ
โAre you sure about this? I mean itโs been a hot minute since I last practisedโฆ 3700 years to be exactโฆโ the boy laughed awkwardly. โI wouldnโt want to mess it up or somethingโฆ plus youโre the strongest one among us. What if you run away and I canโt un-hypnotise you?โ
Kohaku couldnโt argue with that.
โItโs okay, Gen. We wonโt force you to prove it to us. Itโs your choice when and where you choose to hypnotise someone.โ you stated gently.
โThank you!โ
โBut of course itโll absolutely make you seem like a liar. Gosh, I wish there was an easy solution!โ you quickly added with such puppy dog eyes, that it immediately ruined the mentalistโs mood.
โThatโs what Iโm saying! The guyโs a total phony.โ the scientist laughed.
โYou guys are so mean to me sometimes!โ the guy whined, earning a chuckle from the others. โFine! Iโll do it! Iโll hypnotise someone. But not Kohaku-chan! For all of our safety.โ
The girl tried to act offended but she was also laughing as she gently there a small branch at Gen. To which he replied with an appropriate amount of dramaticism.
โSee?! Sheโs already attacked me! Imagine if she was hypnotised to have no boundaries!โ
โOh shut up! But the question remains. Who should get hypnotised, if not me?โ
โIโm just throwing this idea on the table, but what about the guy whoโs the most sceptical?โ your sly grin was met with Senkuโs frown.
โThatโs not a bad idea actually! The least complicated way to hypnotise someone is to just get them in a trance where their instincts and deepest desires come to the surface. And Senku-chan is always so collected and civilised. Iโm kinda curious what he would be with no boundariesโฆโ
Oh no! Now it was the two of you against him!
โHold up! Letโs not jump to conclusions! I never agreed to this!โ
โWhat? Are you scared? Gen is a nice guy, he wonโt hurt you.โ Kohaku cooed with a shit-eating grin.
โSenku! Could you really sleep at night if you havenโt found out whether Genโs lying? I thought you were a man of science, thirsty for all knowledge!โ you teased him dramatically.
In the end you had all turned against him. What a bitter betrayal! I guess he had no choice left.
โFine!โ he rolled his eyes. โBut if I do anything embarrassing youโre not allowed to tell anyone!โ
โOh heโs playing the boss card!โ Gen laughed. That stupid grin of his didnโt comfort Senku at all.ย
He stayed sitting on the tree trunk next to the fire as Gen stood in front of him and took his hand. He leaned in, whispering calming nothings while keeping his fingers on the artery in his wrist. Kohaku and you stood up and walked closer to get a better look at the process.
Gen kept mumbling stuff like โRelax! Breathe! What do you want to do the most? Imagine yourself doing it!โ while gently pressing a spot on Senkuโs arm before stepping back with his signature grin.
โDo it Senku-chan!โ
He opened his eyes, scanning around. He looked a bit scary like this, in your opinion. His signature grin and other micro-expressions that made him him, were nowhere to be seen, only a neutral face, wide eyes and a dilated pupil.
โWell Senku? How are you feeling?โ Kohaku asked cautiously.
His head snapped in her direction, eyes examining her face. Then his gaze slowly moved over to you as you carefully took a few steps back. With a few swift steps he towered in front of you catching you off guard. Eyes widened, you stumbled, losing your balance. But the fall never came.
Instead you could feel his steady arms around your waist, pulling you flush against him. Thanks to the blood rushing to your cheeks your skin warmed up under his touch, lips already opening but he didnโt give you time to protest, before his lips crashed into yours.
Huh?
All the air escaped your lungs and your stupid stomach started fluttering but what could you do? THE Ishigami Senku was kissing you!ย
Thankfully your body caught up faster than your mind and you slowly melted into his touch. Your hand found its way to the back of his head where you started playing with his hair and only at this point did you realise how well his lips fit against yours.
Although it felt longer, the kiss itself lasted for only a few seconds before you finally separated. You knew your face was burning and you were incredibly overwhelmed by this whole situation but Senku would not let you go. His arm stayed steadily around your waist.
โThatโs enough buddy.โ Genโs firm grasp on his shoulder finally motivated him to let you go.
He slouched back on the trunk, his gaze still stuck to you. The mentalist pressed the same spot on his arm while whispering something in his ear and just in a second he returned to his old self. He looked around confused.
โSo? Did it work? What did I-...Why is Y/N red?โ
Silence.ย
โDonโt.โ
Kohaku was already opening her mouth but your glare and finger pointing at her shut her up.
Warnings: Use of y/n once, mentions of blood, near death experiences, explosions, and passing out. If any of these things bother you stop reading now!
If thereโs one truth about the world, itโs that numbers never lie. They donโt falter under pressure, they donโt hesitate. They are cold, precise, and absolute.
But when he saw you on the ground, surrounded by a halo of smoke and shattered glass, the crimson stain blooming beneath your fingers, Senku Ishigami realized that numbers could mean absolutely nothing.
โY/N,โ his voice was even, but his mind was running faster than mercury spilled across glass. One hand pressed firmly over your wound while the other reached instinctively for his pack. He was already calculating blood loss per second, estimating how many minutes you had before hypovolemic shock set in. Ninety seconds to stop the bleeding. Ten minutes before your pulse would dip dangerously. Twenty, if he pushed his luck.
It wasnโt panic. Senku didnโt panic. Panic was useless, a distraction. This was just science. Controlled, ruthless science.
โShouldโveโฆ moved faster,โ you rasped, your lips trying for a smile.
โYeah, well,โ he muttered dryly, his long fingers knotting the makeshift bandage around your waist with surgical precision, โblowing yourself up isnโt exactly the speedrun strat Iโd recommend.โ
Your laugh was a broken thing, catching on pain. โYouโreโฆ bossy.โ
He smirked, though his amber eyes were sharp enough to cut glass. โI get that a lot. Especially from people who canโt follow basic safety protocols.โ
The words came out teasing, almost casual. But the tension in his hands betrayed him. His mind was firing off data points, simulations, backup plans. And yet, buried beneath all that cold calculation, was one immutable truth:
He couldnโt lose you.
โSenโฆ ku,โ your voice cracked, eyelids fluttering.
โNope.โ His tone was brisk, final. One hand cupped your face, his thumb brushing your temple, grounding you. โYou donโt get to tap out. Not now. Not ever.โ
Your breath stuttered, and he could feel itโthe weight of your pulse faltering beneath his fingers. He leaned closer, voice low, steady, the same voice that had coaxed life back into a dead civilization.
โIโve brought people back from stone. Iโve rewritten human history from scratch. So trust me when I sayโฆโ He adjusted the tourniquet, cinching it tighter, โโฆsaving you is childโs play. A million percent guaranteed.โ
You wanted to argue, but the warmth of his hands, the quiet steel in his voice, it anchored you.
He scooped you up with surprising strength, his lean frame deceptive beneath his tattered lab coat. Your head lolled against his shoulder as he began walking, every step measured, deliberate.
โOkay,โ he muttered, more to himself than you, โtwenty-five minutes back to camp if I donโt stop, fifteen if I cut through the ravine. Risk of terrain collapse: moderate. Blood loss margin: decreasing. Yeah, weโre taking the ravine.โ
You managed a weak chuckle. โYouโreโฆ insane.โ
โYeah,โ he replied without missing a beat, his voice cool and clipped as he adjusted his grip on you. โTakes a certain level of insanity to rebuild civilization from scratch. Lucky for you, that insanity also means I donโt let people I care about bleed out in the middle of a forest.โ
Your head rolled against his shoulder, but his voice kept you tethered. Each step he took was measured, sure-footed, his body moving with the efficiency of someone who had long since learned to calculate outcomes under pressure. He wasnโt rushing, but there was an urgency to his stride that spoke volumes.
โJustโฆ leave me,โ you whispered weakly, though even you didnโt believe your own words.
Senkuโs laugh was low and humorless. โYeah, thatโs not happening. You think Iโve invested this much time in you just to toss you aside? Not a chance. I donโt abandon good data.โ
Even through the pain, you managed to roll your eyes. โRomantic.โ
โFacts over fluff, babe,โ he quipped, though his voice softened at the edges. โIโm not gonna feed you some sappy reassurance. Youโre going to live because Iโm going to make you live. Thatโs all there is to it.โ
Even through the haze of pain, you managed a weak grin. โDid youโฆ just call me babe?โ
Senku glanced down at you, one brow arched. โYouโre bleeding all over me, and thatโs what youโre focused on?โ
โHistoric moment,โ you mumbled, eyes fluttering. โWrite it down inโฆ your lab notesโฆโ
He snorted, shaking his head as he adjusted his grip on you. โUnbelievable. Youโre seconds from passing out and still busting my chops. Fine. I take it back. Forget I said anything.โ
โNope,โ you whispered, voice barely above a breath. โKeeping it. Scientistโs honor.โ
A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, though his eyes stayed sharp, scanning the path ahead. โYouโre impossible.โ
Branches snapped underfoot as he descended toward the ravine, the terrain growing uneven and treacherous. He didnโt falter, even as his arms trembled from carrying you and his coat snagged on jagged rocks. His mind was still spinning with calculations, blood loss rates, time to med camp, risk factors, but his grip on you was unyielding.
โStay awake, Y/N,โ he murmured, glancing down at your pale face. โI know youโre tired, but I need you conscious. Canโt exactly lecture you if you pass out.โ
โAlwaysโฆ so bossyโฆโ you breathed out, voice faint.
โDamn right,โ he said simply, his expression unreadable but his jaw tight. โBecause I donโt lose people. Not you. Not ever.โ
His words werenโt loud, but they struck with the force of a promise, a law of nature, absolute and undeniable. You felt your eyelids flutter, but Senkuโs voice was there, steady and grounding:
โIโll rebuild the world a thousand times over if I have to. But losing you? Thatโs not on the table. So keep breathing. Thatโs an order.โ
Even as darkness crept in at the edges of your vision, you clung to his voice. He wasnโt panicking, wasnโt begging. He was calculating, commanding, guaranteeing. And somehow, that was more comforting than any soft whisper could ever be.
Senku didnโt believe in miracles. He believed in science. And science, in his hands, was unstoppable.
Summary: Senku always said he didn't have time for relationships, well, time decided to change that. Or, as soon as Senku finished his time travel machine, he ends up in a loop and he needs to get out of there as soon as possible, but how?
warnings: soft!senku, yearning!senku, senku's oblivious and sometimes a little mean, time loop, hurt/comfort, delicate themes, mentions of accidental deaths, a little angst, fluff, feelings, senku's bad at feelings.
"I don't have time for relationships", Senku would always say when the topic was the center of attention, "I need to finished this machine", he said as his usual excuse. If it wasn't the time machine, it was other project to help the humanity to progress and escape the stone age.
"And when you are done with everything, Senku-chan?" Gen would ask hopping for a different answer.
But Senku would respond with "There's always something new to create and invent", and Gen's hopes, that a romantic relationship between a girl, maybe you, and the scientist might generate interesting drama on his boring life, would instantly die on the spot.
But time was always a complicated topic.
For most people even a minute was a debatable theme; for a few, a minute could feel like five minutes, and for others, it was just a blink of an eye.
But not for someone like Senku.
Time was precise, calculable, and crucial. He needed every second to achieve his goal of restoring civilization; he couldn't waste a single millisecond. A person could die in milliseconds if the proper calculations weren't made.
That's how precise he needed to be.
Therefore, something as demanding as a partner was out of his thoughts because a partner needs shared time, heart to heart conversations, tons of affection, respect, confirmation words, gifts, constant care and trust, specially trust. A lot of things that Senku wasn't used to because people were unpredictable; their feelings were unpredictable and complicated, they always had been.
So, instead of dealing with them so they can interfered with his work, he rather avoid them and those situations at all.
"And, hypothetically, if I were interested in finding a partner," Senku didn't take his eyes off the measurements on the screen, "Who would be interested in me? I'm not a romantic man who gives flowers or writes letters by hand."
"Well...", Gen looked at you, "You'd be surprised, there are all kinds of people."
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Senku opened his eyes and stretched as usual. Last night they finished assembling the machine with all its parts; today they were going to test it.
He got up from his bed and went to get dressed, but last night he forgot to kept his shoes in place and he tripped on one of them. He sighed and got dressed as usual; his lab coat and the honorific cape Suika made for him years ago and the shoes he accidentally kicked.
Senku went to his small kitchen to get something to drink from yesterday and poured himself the first thing he saw on the counter. Unfortunately, he left some cold coffee and coughed from the strong taste of the forgotten chocolate at the bottom of the cup.
"Shit" his lab coat now had a coffee stain on the chest; so, when the day is over, he'll have to clean it.
He went out of his compartment and when to the lab twenty minutes away from his home. He walked so agitated over the coffee stain that he almost missed Chrome's waving energetic as always at him. "Senku! Today we'll see if the time machine works!"
"Could you please not scream so early?" He covered his ears with his pinkies and kept walking with the engineer by his side. "But yeah, let's see if finally works"
"Guys!" Suika greeted them, "Everybody's here, come on!"
"Look who finally decided to show up," you said with a mocking smile to the scientist, his eye tickling from all the commotion around him in the early hours of the morning. "Oh, you stained your lab coat, be careful with the chemicals inside"
"No shit, Sherlock" he didn't needed your teasing so early, especially after a little mistake he'd done and you chose as the running joke of the day.
You snickered at him, "Fuck you, Watson"
"Uh, tension" Gen mumbled, "Interesting"
They all gathered inside the room were the machine rested and begin to prepare everything for the test; Dr. Xeno and Sai typed some instructions on the computer, Suika and Chrome supervised the measurements, you were taking notes of the calculations and Senku watched everything in the lab.
"Ishigami, everything is alright to go" you informed him and stood by his side waiting for his next instructions.
He nodded and watched your notes, "Then we can proceed" he said and the rest of the scientist walked over to him. "This is exhilarating"
Senku approached the time machine and programmed a timer, just to test it, for April 20, 5757, for two minutes. He didn't want to mess things up by sending someone back years without a solution, so he opted for a safer option. He placed some objects in the specific zone for the machine and told everyone to step back for safety reasons. Everyone did as told and waited for the machine to work.
But nothing happen.
Senku was confused; the numbers were right, the structure was perfectly done, the conditions and objects were in perfect shape. What happened?
"Ow, Why didn't the machine work?" Suika sounded disappointed.
Chrome was by her side, equally disappointed.
"We need to reevaluate, Dr. Senku", Dr. Xeno gave him a coffee and walked to the measurements.
"Yes, there's no point in feeling upset now" the young scientist said and take the notes out of your hand. "What could have gone wrong?"
***
After so many restless hours, they didn't find an answer to the mystery.
"Ishigami, it's enough, you've been doing this for four hours without a break" You didn't like him torturing himself with his inventions, sure, you were amazed by him and his mind, but sometimes he didn't know when to stop. "Why don't you check it tomorrow? You need to rest and you know it"
He kept his eyes on the numbers on the screen, "Pity is not going to solve this" he sighed.
"I...", you nodded and grab your notes, "Yeah, you're right, sorry to bother"
Even though, it wasn't pity,ย you thought.
***
The moon made its presence and the birds went to their nests, the stars glow above everything known to mankind and the people prepared to go to bed.
"You know? You can leave" you heard behind you while you watched your calculations and notes. Senku appeared with a shitty look because of all the time spent searching for the reason the machine didn't work.
You kept your eyes on the notes and drink a sip of your long forgotten cold coffee that now tasted like shitty hopes, "I didn't want to lave you alone in the lab", you explained trying to sound nonchalant about it.
"You don't have to" He said looking at you from theย door edge with his hands on his waist. "You can go and have rest, I'll need you to check on the machine tomorrow"
"And you should keep and eye on that stain" you grabbed your things and walked past him, "Clean it up before it becomes permanent; we don't want our favorite doctor to have a stain on his lab coat, which is now not entirely clean."
He snickered and watched you leave.
***
When Senku arrived to his apartment, he leaved everything in order so he didn't tripped with anything tomorrow morning and cleaned his small kitchen.
The silence of the place invaded the site and he sat for a moment to review your notes with the measurements and calculations made that day; your precise notes and neat handwriting caught his attention because before he hadn't paid attention to them.
He couldn't understand why the machine didn't work when everything seemed fine with it.
He dropped the papers on the table and went to bed without changing his clothes.
"Shit, the stain" He remembered he didn't clean it.
Maybe tomorrow.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Senku opened his eyes and stretched as usual. He wanted to go and see the time machine and see what went wrong yesterday.
He got up from his bed already thinking about some solutions for the time machine when he tripped. "I remembered I placed them somewhere else" he mumbled to himself already confused by the shoes.
He sighed and he noticed he was with his pajama and not with his shirt. Then he reached for his lab coat.
Now this is weird.
The lab coat was completely clean.
Senku went to his small kitchen to get something to drink, and now that it was clean, he wouldn't drink old fucked up coffee. Unfortunately, he indeed left some cold coffee and coughed from the strong taste that now he remembered as broken hopes.
"Shit" his lab coat now had a coffee stain on the chest.
Again.
He went out of his compartment and walked to the lab. He was so confused about his weird morning that he almost missed Chrome's waving at him. "Senku! Today we'll see if the time machine works!"
"Could you please not scream so early?" He covered his ears with his pinkies and kept walking. "But we need to check why did it fail first"
"Fail?" Chrome looked at him confused. "What do you m...?"
"Guys!" Suika greeted them, "Everybody's here, come on!"
"Look who finally decided to show up," you said with a mocking smile to the scientist, his eye already tickling from all the confusing things going on. "Oh, you stained your lab coat, be careful with the chemicals inside"
"No shit, Sherlock" he felt like in some kind of dรฉjร -vu.
You snickered at him, "Fuck you, Watson"
"Uh, tension" Gen mumbled, "Interesting"
They all gathered inside the room; Dr. Xeno and Sai typed some instructions on the computer, Suika and Chrome supervised the measurements, you were taking notes of the calculations and Senku watched everything in the lab extremely careful.
The machine was programmed the same way as before. Senku already knew it wasn't going to work.
"Ishigami, everything is alright to go" you informed him and stood by his side waiting for his next instructions.
Heย watched your notes, "Is not going to work" he mumbled and you couldn't heard him. "Let's cancel the test"
"What?" You were confused, he wouldn't do that without seeing the results, "Why? We didn't even turn it on"
He didn't looked at you, "Because nothing will happen."
"How do you know?"
"I just do"
"But how?"
Senku remained quiet, he wasn't sure if he was right about what was going on since this morning, but he saw enough signs to know this wasn't a dream, and even clear as day that the machine wouldn't work again.
"Ow, why didn't the machine work?" Suika sounded disappointed.
Chrome was by her side, equally disappointed and confused as to why Senku didn't want to do the test and declared it a failure even before turning it on.
"I don't understand why you cancel the test, Dr. Senku", Dr. Xeno gave him a coffee, "but I assume you must have your reasons".
"Yes, I do" the young scientist said and took a sip of the coffee. "I'm still confused about a specific situation"
***
Everybody was confused about Senku's behavior.
"He seems a little out of it" Suika commented while drinking her tea.
You stared at the scientist from afar with the group, "He knew the machine wouldn't work from before" you stared at them, "He doesn't do that, he never calls it quits"
"Yeah", Chrome agreed, "He said it when we greeted in the morning, he just knew"
"Dr. Senku wouldn't made a decision like that just because" Xeno commented, "He always has his reasons"
***
The moon made its presence and Senku was thinking about the crazy day piece by piece; the shoes, the clothes, the stain, the calculations, the machine.
He needed to do his last experiment of the day.
***
When Senku arrived to his apartment, he leaved everything completely messier than that morning.
He grabbed her lab coat and completely soiled it.
He took all his clothes of and went to bed.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Senku opened his eyes and immediately got up.
He walked careful through his room and dodge the shoe, the one he always tripped over, and he noticed he was wearing his pajama when he knew he took all his clothing off.
Then he quickly looked for his lab coat.
The lab coat was completely clean.
"Time loop" he mumbled to himself and sighed, "Shit"
Senku got dressed and walk out of his compartment without stepping a foot on his small kitchen.
"Senku! Today we'll see if the time machine works!" Chrome screamed at him while waving.
He remained quiet the whole trip till the lab. "Guys!" Suika greeted them, "Everybody's here, come on!"
"Hey," everybody listened to the young scientist, "Let's cancel the test for today" The whole group was in shock and extremely confused by Senku's instruction. Yesterday he seemed radiant about the machine, but now he says this.
"Why?" Everybody said in unison.
He sighed. "Because I'm trapped in a time loop"
***
"What's a time loop?" Suika asked stealing the question from Chrome's mouth. Everyone reunited to discuss Senku's situation.
"A theoretical concept where a specific period repeats indefinitely, returning to the same initial state" Dr. Xeno explained being completely interested with the young scientist's dilemma. "It's a science fiction concept. It wasn't proved its existence until today on Dr. Senku". All their eyes fell on him.
Everybody was confused about the situation because nobody knew what to do next. "How many times had you repeated the same day?" you asked while taking notes.
"You don't need to do that" Senku said watching you writing and you stopped.
"Why not?" Chrome asked and his reddish eyes followed him, "We need to take notes to comprehend the situation"
"It's pointless, everything I do will come back to normal as soon as the loop resets, you all won't remember this conversation because it never happened and I'll have to explain myself again" Senku explained and looked at you again, "I've repeated the same day three times now"
"What?!" Gen was in complete shock, "That can really happen?"
"Oh, that's horrible" Suika mumbled.
"That's why you cancelled the test?" you asked and watched him with caution, "You knew it wouldn't work"
"Yeah, on the first day we spent hours trying to understand why it failed, but we found nothing, even when the machine was in perfect condition and with perfect numbers." Senku explained and watched the faces of his scientific team.
"Then we can exclude the machine for the time loop" Xeno mentioned.
"That's what I thought" Senku commented and sighed with his pinky in his ear.
Suika seemed worried at the current conversation, "But then, what caused the time loop if not the time machine?"
Nobody could answer to that question.
"That's what we don't know" you commented and let your notes to your side, "We must find the answer"
***
"What if it was the machine?"
"It never worked"
"And certain conditions?"
"Like what? Mystic forces of the nature or the beyond?"
"Yeah..."
"That doesn't exist"
"But, what if...?"
"It useless thinking about that, 'what ifs' don't lead to anything more than overthinking"
"...then I'm clueless"
"I figured"
"Hey! We are trying to help"
"I know, but there's no such things like mystic forces, just science"
"Yeah..., you're right"
You just stared at the sky and the birds flying around freely, not restrictions, no knowledge or concept of time, not having to worry about time machines that didn't work or your friend trapped in a time loop.
Careless and free.
Ignorance is happiness, you once heard.
Senku only sighed by your side. You two were lying on the grass watching the clouds trying to find the cause of his problem.
But nothing.
Every thought was dismissed by the scientist.
"Hey, love-birds" Gen sang and watched you two, Senku rolled his eyes by the implication, "Any ideas about Senku's time problems?"
"No, nothing" You straightened up and remained sat on the grass. "We don't know what caused it", you got up and leave before Gen kept up with his love-jokes.
The two men watched you leave and the white-and-black hair man smiled maliciously. "Well, if there's no cause, you can use it on your advantage" Senku lift his eyebrow at him. "Think about it, you always complaint about running out of time to do certain things or to test some, then, you can use this day to experiment and do things you couldn't do before"
Senku's eyes opened, "You are damn right, mentalist"
***
When Senku arrived to his apartment, he mentally prepared for the exact same day.
Tomorrow will never come anyway, he could only use the time he was that day as its maximum potential.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Senku got up and prepared for the day.
In 4 minutes Chrome will appear,ย he counted the seconds till he heard Chrome's loud voice.ย In 6 minutes and 35 seconds Suika will salute us,ย he counted the seconds and he saw her at the distance.ย We well spend twenty minutes talking about my problem and fifteen minutes discussing its causes,ย he kept counting the people's actions thru the day.
If he knew how much things happened in the day, he could know how many time he had to investigate, experiment and do new research. He calculated that, if he omitted walking to the lab for the time machine and the explanation about his problem, he could have a whole hour and then the rest of the day.
He ignored the questions about the machine and the cancelled test and proceed to do other pending investigations with the rest of the scientific crew behind him watching everything he did.
And he thought a few more dangerous experiment than others.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Senku made an error with some calculations and burned himself experimenting with chemicals and fire.
Everybody scolded him for being reckless.
But how could they know the reason?
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn and Senku mixed some chemicals, that he knew could kill many people, on the lab and it exploded.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Senku made two different projects, both equally successful.
But they wouldn't exist the next day.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Senku lay down on the grass looking up at the sky.
Maybe, for today, he could rest the whole day.
"Hey, Senku-chan" Gen sang approaching to him, "May I interrupt your relax time with some silly questions?"
He didn't even opened his eyes, "What do you want, mentalist?"
"I've noticed your weird behavior, more strange than usual, and I figured that something is bothering you" Gen sat down a few steps away from him.
Senku shrugged without looking at him, "I'm trapped in a time loop"
That wasn't an answer Gen expected from him and he didn't know what to say about that, but he needed to try, "I see, I didn't know it was possible, I thought it was science fiction or something"
"Yeah"
Gen watched him, "How many days?"
"Seventy five"
"Jeez," Gen wasn't even sure how Senku was handling the whole situation, and he knew it was useless to ask, Senku barely talked about his feelings and emotions. "I guess you find something interesting to do all those days"
"I've been doing experiments and researching", he sighed tired of the thought of the never touching a glimpse of tomorrow, "You gave me the idea"
That statement surprised the mentalist, "Oh, so then, what's the problem?"
"I'm stuck and my projects can't work in a single day; some need more time to progress and others need pieces that, as soon as Kaseki creates them, would disappear for the next restart of the cycle."
"Oh, and did you find the cause of the loop?"
"If I had, I wouldn't be trapped right now."
"Yeah, true" Gen understood his problem, but there's no way to fix if there's no solution. Maybe he could give him another idea, "Well, you always complaint about couples"
Senku frown from his spot. "What the hell are you saying now?"
"That maybe, now that you can't work on your experiments, you have time to date someone"
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn and Senku sighed.
He was fed up with the stupid routine: the shoe, the coffee, the shouting, and everyone's constant questions about his behavior. And, to top it all off, he was running out of projects and experiments. He needed the time loop to end; he couldn't make any progress in a single day; he made progress, but it wouldn't last.
And then Gen gave him the idea to date you, to get to know you better given the circumstances of his dilemma. And the idea wasn't as horrendous as he first thought it would be.
You were always there since he woke you up to help them with the spaceship and the following years you remained by his side taking notes about his comments, projects, successes, failures, everything. You constantly watched his back with his the research and ideas to help the society and you didn't expected him to be a genius of some sort. You served him coffee or tea, covered him with blankets on cold nights when he fell asleep and listen to his rambles about equations and chemicals.
And Gen mentioned you were interested in him for a while back and, that maybe, you two could work.
But...
How do you date someone?
What topics would be interesting to discuss?
How can he make you interesting in someone like him?
A partner was a demanding task indeed, they needed a lot of things to last, and he knew a few things that were like the basics to have one.
Fisrt, a lot of time together; he could do that, you were smart and were with him in the lab all the time, so maybe you could share time after that or something.
Heart to heart conversations; Senku wasn't used to that, he almost never talked about feelings.
Tons of physical affection; he didn't reject the idea.
Respect; he did respected you and you did the same. You constantly teased each other for fun, but neither of you weren't aggressive or disrespectful with the other one.
Gifts; you two were very alike, so you would never expect roses or letters from him.
Constant care; you both already did that. It wasn't that evident, but you cared.
Trust; he did trust you and you trust him.
Maybe it can work,ย he thought.ย But how to approach you?
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Senku got up and looked for you earlier than usual.
"Hey, Ishigami" you greeted him, "Weren't you supposed to be on the lab now?"
"Yeah, I just..." Words, emotions, vulnerability. Senku struggled a little. "I... wanted to discuss something first"
You were confused, he didn't often struggled with words. "What is it?"
"I'm trapped in a loop"
"Oh" You processed his words, "Wait, what? A time loop? But that's science fiction"
"I know" He deadpan tired of hearing the same words, "But it's true, I've repeated the same day eighty times"
You blinked a few times a little confused but understanding the situation.
You nodded, "What can I do for you then? Look for some answer? Run some tests on you?"
"No, you don't need to do that" He pressed the stress point in his ear with his pinky so he could relax a little after saying his true intentions of his visit, "Have a date with me"
The words reached your ears, but it took you a while to comprehend what he wanted.
"I... I'm sorry, what?" you couldn't believe him now, he said his trapped in a time loop but he wants to date you instead of dealing with that, "A date? You with me? Are you sure you are okay?"
"Yes, I am fine" he scratched the back of his neck, "So? What do you say?"
"I say that it was a good joke" you patted his shoulder while passing by his side to go to the lab, "Gen told you to say that? Tell him it was good, I almost believe it"
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
He fucked up.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
He fucked up. Again.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
He fucked up.ย Again and again.
You often thought it was some joke, that he wasn't being serious about it or that he hit his head with something.
Senku was rethinking about Gen's words about your compatibility, or maybe, you were so sure he wasn't interested that you didn't believe on the date idea.
He fucked up anyway.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Senku watched you from afar. You were laughing with Suika and Chrome. In Senku's calculations and analysis, it could be from an inside joke.
"Anything interesting over there?" Gen's voice caught Senku's attention and he turned to look at him. "Oh, so you were looking at her, got it"
"What are you implying by that?" Senku lifted his brow at him.
Gen smiled like the Cheshire cat, "Are you finally interested in dating her, Senku-chan?"
Senku wondered if to speak or to keep it to himself, but thinking that the mentalist wouldn't remember this chat..., "Maybe"
"Wait, what? Really, Senku-chan?!" He couldn't believe his ears. "Oh my-, this is incredible, why?"
"Do I need a reason?"
"It's just, you always said you didn't have time for something like that because of the sake of civilization"
"Well, I have some time now"ย A lot of time, actually.ย "Do you...? shit, do you know how could I approach to her?"
Gen felt like if he won the gambling game in the Perseus years back. Senku asking for advice wasn't in his prediction for that year, so he thanked mentally to every sacrifice so that could happen.
"My dear, Senku-chan" He grabbed his shoulder, "I'll provide you the best help you could ever ask for"
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Gen told Senku to learn about you, get to know you better from the inside, not literally though. To learn about your dreams, hopes, ideas, personality and not with the scientific eye Senku did days ago.
He watched your daily interactions, the way you expressed yourself, the way you annotated things, your body language and the way you interacted with him every second of the day.
You were careful, precise, but warm. You tried to do your best every time, and you kept everything writing on the notebook he once made for you. You acted by careful thoughts and didn't just say whatever comes to your mind.
Every day you analyzed his behavior, his glances, his body language, his answers and explanations carefully. And then he understood that you always kept an eye on him.
Senku never noticed how obvious you were about your interest on him because of his undying concentration for his experiments. But now, having the time on his side (partially), he noticed all this details.
"Hey" he walked by your side.
"Hey" you greeted back, you were a little unprepared by the sudden talk with the scientist, he would often look for you only when you were writing measurements and his explanations. "Do you need something?"
"Not really, just some simple chitchat"
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"It's just... you almost never do some unnecessary conversation"
Senku stared at you, "Does it bother you?"
"Not really" you shrugged and kept walking to the village, "I might like it" and you smiled at him.
He smiled back.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
He looked for you immediately when he woke up.
***
"What happened? You look upset"
"You will not remember a thing of what we did today"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you never do... And I want you to remember me"
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
And Senku knew he liked you.
A lot.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
And Senku knew he was screwed.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
And Senku knew he was in love.
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
And Senku knew he have a day with her.
He could live stuck in that day forever if it meant being with you.
He didn't want to live without you now.
He wished he could go with you to space someday.
"One more day with her"
Thursday, April 21 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds sang at dawn.
Senku stretched and dodge the shoe. He got dressed in his usual attire and ignored the small kitchen with the disgusting forgotten coffee.
He looked for you the moment he went out of his compartment.
"Hey" his usual greeting to you that felt like fireworks in his insides.
You looked at him and he mentally thanked you, "Hey, Ishigami"
"Can we talk?" his usual practiced question so you wouldn't mistake his intentions.
"Sure!" and you smile and he knows everything is alright.
***
You two would try and fix the machine as Senku's excuse to keep talking and for him to finally confessed his feelings towards you. Today he finally did. The others days he couldn't let the words out and you never knew.
"I... I think you would be a really good partner for me"
You looked at him surprised by his words, "You really do think that?"
"Yeah" and he felt his heart beating faster and faster, "I do".
You smile softly at him, "I would like that too"
And he smiled back.
And after some hours dealing with the machine, you two couldn't make it work. You two stared at each other and shrugged at the same time.
You laughed a little, "Let go, there's nothing else for us to do"
"Yeah, you're right"
The walk to his apartment was slow but comfortable. Senku really needed a moment like this; feel completely calm and to forget about his misery when the day resets, so he appreciated your warm hand in his and the smell of your hair.
"I don't want this day to be over" he muttered and you listen closely.
"Yeah, me too" you hold him tighter. "I would like this day to repeat over and over"
He made a face you couldn't see, "Believe me, you won't like something like that"
You snickered, "I'm just goofing around, I wouldn't like to be trapped in the same day all my life"
"Good"
When you two arrived, he talked about the mess inside caused by his lifestyle, but you shrug it off. "I'll help you clean all of this" you said grabbing a trash bag and dropping the coffee cup and some other things inside.
He mentally thanked you and looked at you carefully while you kept cleaning, "Stay", you turned around and looked at his face, searching for something that, for a instant, would indicate that what you had just heard was a lie or a mistake. "Stay tonight"
You nodded and let the trash outside his apartment. When you came back inside, he wait for you to keep talking and drinking some tea.
Senku looked at you the whole like wishing you wouldn't disappear tomorrow morning.
He would wait for you, over and over if he needed to.
Friday, April 22 of 5757, 7:00 a.m.
The birds didn't sang that morning.
Senku didn't wanted to open his eyes and be faced with disillusionment once again. He only wanted to wake up with you by his side and let the nightmare of the loop behind.
He dreamt was waking up to you and staying by your side.
For once he wished he'd talked to Gen to let him introduced you two before all this situation happened, before we invested all his time with machines and inventions instead of meeting you.
Now he wanted all his days to include you in them, for you to look at him like last night, to support him as you always did in the laboratory, and for your caresses to belong only to him.
Senku sighed at his impossible dreams and hopes. He needed to got up and do something that day anyway, so staying in bed wasn't an option even if it was the only thing he wanted to do right now. He was about to stretch as usual, when he felt something hugging him and keeping him from going to the outside world.
He looked to his side and you were tangled to his body; your messy hair resting on the pillows and your face hiding in the space of his shoulder.
Senku blinked many times thinking it was a dream inside the loop.
"Just five minutes, Senku" you mumbled and hold him tight to your body. Your voice sounded raspy and sleepy.
It wasn't a dream.
"What are you doing here?" he asked concerned. He was pretty sure you wouldn't be here by morning.
You didn't opened your eyes, "You told me to stay last night", you caressed his shoulders and neck. "Are you regretting your choice of words?"
"No, I'm not"
He looked around him, and everything was in different spots from last night. He sighed relieved and let himself be embraced by your warm.
Finally the loop was over.
And maybe there's some mysteries out there out of his comprehension.
Everything started with a little mistake from the scientist.
A hickey.
We has in the college's laboratory as usual. Calculations here, messy notes everywhere and mysterious liquids all over the table. It was the normal sight for his friends to see, nothing out of the ordinary.
Senku explained to them his new experiment with strange terminology to all of them, they only nodded pretending to understand his overcomplicated words, when suddenly he turned to show something in the whiteboard and Gen saw it.
"HOLD ON!" He screamed. Every living thing on the lab stopped from working, even Senku completely stunned by the scream. "What's that on your neck?!"
The prodigy of science blinked once and then twice extremely confused, "My neck?". And his hand reached the place of everybody's attention. It was extremely subtle, but his eyes expressed the feeling of being caught.
Gen noticed. "Yeah, your neck Senku-chan" He insisted in the matter with a smile plastered on his face. The others eagerly awaited for Senku's response now that the topic had shifted from something complicated to gossip, and not just any gossip, but Senku's private life kind of gossip.
Senku didn't take his hand away from his neck now that Gen had revealed something he wanted to hide, even though, there was no point in hiding the truth, any excuse would be stupid and tedious, he just wanted to work in his project now.
Senku sighed. "A hickey".
His friends didn't saw that coming. They knew about Senku's bluntness, but they hoped to beg more for that kind of information. Even more thinking that he probably had a couple and never told them.
"What?" Taiju was astonished. And the question everybody had in mind. "You have a girlfriend?"
Senku rolled his eyes. "Yes, I do". He wanted to go back to the scientific discussion, but that was impossible after throwing that bomb on them. Senku wished he had worn something that would have covered his neck, that way he could have avoided this whole new argument.
"Since when?" Gen asked. The mentalist couldn't let this opportunity escape from his hands. It was juicy, sweet as honey, delicious as a Cola gossip. Opportunities like this weren't often after all.
"Doesn't matter"
"Of course it matters, we thought you didn't do relationships" Yuzuriha participated in the discussion. She was also in shock at the thought that there was a girl somewhere who had opened Senku's heart and stayed there. That the scientist let her stay.
"Believe me, I thought that too" Senku said shrugging. "It happens"
"Who is she?" Taiju asked excited.
"When did you met her?" Gen and Yuzuriha were also overjoyed and expectantly to know. This was like discovering that mars has martians. "How long have you two being together?"
The scientist was getting tired of the questions about his partner, but an idea appeared on his head. He smiled smugly to his friends, "If you are all so eager to know, discover it on your own"
All the joyful faces fell apart after hearing that.
"Find out who's my girlfriend"
***
The challenge was more complicated than they expected.
They spent the last two weeks observing the people Senku talked to when he was in his usual classroom, also following him to the casino and to the rooftop.
Nothing.
Two weeks completely wasted.ย
He was never seen interacting more than necessary with any of the girls in the extracurricular science class. He would simply explain the class and its topics, and then proceed to conduct his experiments with the others. Afterward, he would gather his things and leave. So perhaps she wasn't one of the girls in that class.
So then, who was Senku's girlfriend if she wasn't from that class?
Maybe that was the problem, they thought Senku could only be with someone from the scientific world, but what ifย she's not from any scientific careers?
What if she's from another class?
The problem was that Senku was with them all this time and there was no one they haven't seen before.ย
"I'm running out of ideas" Yuzuriha said while drinking her apple juice sat on a bench. "I haven't seen him interact with someone else except from us"
Gen looked at them, "But we can't give up yet, there's someone from this campus that gave Senku-chan a hickey!" He really wanted to know who was inside the scientist's heart. He knew Senku wouldn't lie about his relationship. Sure, he might be evasive on the topic, but he wasn't a liar.
"Yeah, but who?" Yuzuriha really thought about it. Senku's schedule was extremely predictable, precise and always on time, how did they missed something so important as a couple?
"Well, we still can't give up" Gen said. "Let's look at him closely then"
As days passed, they noticed that Senku checked his phone more often than usual. He sent tons of messages when he had free time and sometimes, took pictures, and sent them.
Once Taiju saw a picture of a drawing on Senku's gallery. The drawing was a chibi version of Senku and a girl with a little heart on top of them. Simple but cute. When Taiju talked about it to Yuzuriha and Gen, they thought about it for a long time.
Usually Senku didn't take pictures of his notebooks or drawings. He was practical, he wouldn't have wasted memory on his own notes.ย And second, a romantic drawing wasn't his style, not even close.ย So maybe that drawing was yours.
Gen, with his mentalist and psychologist's mindset, assumed you came from the art world after Taiju's discovery. This surprised him. Someone like Senku, a full-time scientist, with the opposite of that was a funny and maybe, just maybe, predictable thing he never thought possible.
But, well... Opposites attract. Or so he'd heard.
They were walking toย accompany the prodigy scientist on his personal time he used in the laboratory when they heard someone else's voice with Senku.
"And what's that?" They heard a sweet voice. Your confusion sounded genuine, so they were right to point out you weren't from the scientific world. Gen instructed them to remain silent.
"E=mc2" They heard Senku's calm voice. He sounded relaxed, also focused, but there was a hint of unstrained that he usually hid from them. He almost, almost, sounded soft.
"What does that stand for?"
"It establishes that energy and mass are equivalent and convertible to each other, related by the speed of light squared"
"What does that imply?" They started to think you were like them. You were with Senku, but didn't understood his explanations.
A sighed from Senku. "You really need to pay attention to your classes" Even when heย reprimanded you, he sounded calm.
"Why would I?" You laughed. "I have you if I need answers, plus, we can have fun every time you come over my place"
All of them froze in their place after hearing that coming out of your mouth. Now It was completely obvious you were his girlfriend, even Taiju understood that.
"I know you're outside the door" They heard Senku's voice. "Come here"
They entered the classroom and saw you sitting at the desk next to Senku. You were playing with his hair and made no attempt to hide what you said before.
"Who is she?" Yuzuriha asked.
Senku looked at you and then at them. "She's my partner"
"Hi!" You waved your hand with a lot of energy. "Finally I met you all. I told Senku I wanted to met you all, but he refused"
Gen was out of words. If he thought you were Senku's opposite professionally, it was now clear that you were also his opposite in terms of personality.
You were energetic, outgoing and cheerful.
How did you end up paired with Senku?
"Shocking, isn't it?" Senku's satisfaction knew no bounds; he knew his friends would never find you.
"How did you two met?" Gen asked as he could. He was still processing the whole situation.
"Oh, well, I was failing chemistry" You explained while blushing slightly and scratching the back of your neck. "Isn't that funny?"
"Oh, please, not the cheesy phrase" Senku frowned and looked away from all of you. Yuzuriha, Gen and Taiju swore it was the first time they heard Senku saying 'please'.
"It's funny! We found the chemistry between us" You smiled mockingly doing guns with your fingers.
"Stop, just stop" Senku took a deep breath. "Well, this is also the reason I didn't want you all to met"
"So cruel" You said acting hurt.
"It's shocking for me to see you with someone so different" Gen confessed.
"Well, life is boring without these kinds of attributes, isn't it?" Senku shrugged.
Taiju watched you intently. Somehow, you reminded him of someone else. But he simply let the thought fade.
Were words that once shocked him, blinking in surprise when the girl did nothing but offer him a smile right after, leaving him to wander in his thoughts.
It wasn't the first time she had said them, as kids, [Y/N] always made sure to say them once a day. Back then it meant what it seemed, good friends who played with each other daily, nowadays? Now, they felt heavier, with much more emotion.
"Yeah, I know."
[Y/N] chuckled, not a stranger to the way his fingers twitched upon hearing her. She knew he knew about her feelings, choosing to brush them off instead of over-analyzing them.
Senku scrolled through his emails, eyes focused on the recent update from his mentor. [Y/N] shuffled around small pieces of junk, from a box he kept stuffed in his closet, parts he used for his projects.
She didn't know what half of these were, only recognizing bolts and circuit boards. [E/C] eyes shifted to look at the white and green haired teen, smiling sadly when she noticed how utterly fascinated he looked.
A look he would never give her.
She tried to erase her feelings, all efforts dissipated whenever he'd hold her hand, wordlessly dragging her out of the house to bring her to his own residence or the park. Wanting [Y/N] to be there to experience whatever crazy plan he had in mind.
[Y/N] tidied up, pushing the box back into its rightful place and dusting off her school skirt. Her light footsteps lead her to stand behind the scientist, placing her hands on his shoulders and slowly sliding them down his chest.
Her face nudged his cheek, focusing on whatever he was gazing at. Senku forced his body to relax, telling himself this was normal, something she did a lot. It was nothing new.
Yet her warm cheek next to his never failed to make his heart skip a beat.
Senku couldn't focus on the beaker in his hand, placing it down and settling by the window. He plunged the straw into his milk carton and sipped away, scarlet eyes scanning the field of soccer players and a certain [H/C] haired girl sitting by the bleachers with a group of friends.
She looked dazed, much like how he looked right now.
I, a vowel she had uttered three times just this morning. No 'like you' was added, [Y/N] dashing away with a frown before she added anything else.
He shouldn't care this much, it was illogical to let this occurrence hinder his experimental progress. He could lie to everyone else and say it didn't bother him, but he couldn't lie to himself.
"Senku, it's time to lock everything up."
He sighed, barely registering the passing of time and how the bleachers were empty now. Senku turned away and nodded, going to his station to clean up his unfinished work.
The night came soon, and he felt pure annoyance when sleep could not overtake him, stomping over to her house. Clicking the doorbell until his finger got tired, flinching when he heard a crash.
[Y/N] opened to door, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning lightly. Senku held a blank face walking past her and closing the door, despite the very empty streets, there wasn't a reason someone should see her attire.
Before he could comment on her messy tank top, straps falling to the side of her arms, the rolled up shorts and the singular bunny slipper, blood trickled down her nose.
Noticing she wasn't reacting in the slightest, he quickly pinched her nose, tilting her head up. He guided her into the bathroom, sitting her on the toilet cover and quickly searching for a towel.
He kneeled down in front of her and held her chin, pulling it down forward to allow the excess blood to flow onto the towel. [E/C] eyes barely started to register what was going on.
"Sen..?"
"Clumsy, why did you fly down those stairs?"
"Only one psycho rings my bell like that." She murmured softly, he only ever did it when her parents weren't home, otherwise he'd be throwing pebbles at her window like she was a locked up princess.
"Got eager when you realized it was me?" He teased, biting his inner cheek when she didn't laugh in return, sadness pooled within her. Senku was making it harder with each passing day, unknowingly tugging at the strings attaching them together.
That's what [Y/N] thought at least.
"Senku, I..."
"Like me, I know."
"Yeah..."
He should've let her speak, she had nowhere to run to here. He held in the sound of frustration he desperately wanted to make, looking at the girl sleeping soundly next to him with her face stuffed in his chest.
Senku's sleep was filled with memories, ones he used to find rightfully childish but also held them close to his heart, refusing to let any details about them slip by his memory.
"Hi, what are you doing?" Scarlet eyes blinked at the small face peeking over the tall backyard fence, it took him a second to realize this was his new neighbor, who'd barely moved in yesterday evening.
"I'm growing crystals." He watched her head tilt, curiosity brimmed in her [E/C] eyes and she tried to climb over. The stool she had used wasn't enough, yelling for her father, who was drinking by the pool, the man got startled and walked over.
A young [Y/N] pouted and pointed over the fence, motioning [D/N] to help her over. Senku went back to his task, drowning out her yells of protest when her dad dragged her inside the house.
Minutes later Byakuya opened the backyard door and waved, with the new family behind him. The small girl immediately ran over to the sitting brainiac and sat down, observing his little setup.
"Not that you would understand, but first I put magnesium sulfate also known as Epsom salts, into this jar, add water and monitor its growth." He waved his notepad, scribbles of words she didn't know at all, but still capturing her attention.
"Can I have one?"
Senku smugly smirked, of course she wanted one, who could resist science?
"Sure."
He soon learned she didn't care for science at all, she cared for his reaction, his words, and his adoration for it. Whenever he'd hit minor setbacks during his projects, whether it be waiting for a part to be shipped or a slight miscalculation in his notesโ[Y/N] kept his mind running with requests.
For example, she had asked him to make a large beautiful lava lamp, the very one sitting on her desk and lighting up the room with bright red and green colors.
She liked him. Did he like her? He didn't know. Obviously [Y/N] was someone he wanted around him at all times, she's been there since the near beginning and continued to stay.
"Woah! [Y/N], where'd you get that necklace?"
"It's so pretty!"
[Y/N] felt claustrophobic having so many classmates surround her desk, the shimmering crystal had attracted unwanted gazes. One of the boys suddenly grasped the accessory and ripped it off her neck, dangling it in the air showing it off to everyone else.
"Please give it back.."
"Looks cheap, why are you all amazed?" He scoffed, dropping the necklace to the floor and stomping it with his foot. All that remained were small dusty particles, the rest of the students berated the boy but [Y/N] couldn't focus on anything else other than her gift being mistreated so harshly.
"Hey [D/N], Senku said [Y/N] refused to come out and play today, is everything okay?" Byakuya had never seen her give up a single opportunity to hang out with his son, they had become close friends in a very short span of time.
"No, not really. A classmate broke the crystal Senku gave her, she's been crying all evening and I don't know what to do. [M/N] tried to calm her down too but nothing worked."
Senku opened the front door, stomping past the talking adults and making his way to her house. The door was slightly ajar so he allowed himself in, walking past a confused [M/N] and up the stairs, now standing in front of her door.
He knocked. Nothing.
Sniffles behind the door and he felt uncomfortable.
"[Y/N]. Open the door."
Nothing.
"[Y/N]."
Fine.
He went back downstairs and headed to the backyard, picking up small rocks and throwing them at her window. Paling when he threw one with too much force and the glass broke, [E/C] irises popped up from the broken window and blinked down at him in surprise.
"Senku? Mommy's going to be mad."
"Why are you sulking over a stupid crystal?"
[Y/N] felt tears gather, lips quivering trying to hold herself together. She didn't want him to see her cry, but despite her best efforts, he did.
"Because you made it. I couldn't keep it safe."
"So instead of asking me for another or telling me about it, you decided to ignore me?"
He jutted out his bottom lip, he didn't mean to sound so whiny, his face reddened when she stopped sniffling and stared down at him with her eyes sparkling. Never had she heard him sound so dejected, not to mention Senku blushing was rare.
"Now, get down here so we can convince your dad to transfer you to my school."
"Senku...I like you."
"Huh? Oh...me too?"
...
...
Senku wasn't the type to shrug something off with an 'I don't know.', always having a logical explanation for everything. He just couldn't formulate anything other than his emotions going haywire when it came to her.
He glanced at the silent girl copying his math notes, he liked her writing, it was neat, pretty, and aligned perfectly no matter what paper she wrote on. The way her fingers seemed to glide smoothly, the sun's rays making her skin glow...when did he start seeing her in a different light?
"Is everything okay?" Senku blinked, met with her head tilting to the side and giving him a concerned expression. The only times [Y/N] had seen him this locked into his thoughts was during anything science-related, this sudden change worried her.
"Yeah, just thinking of the parts I need to buy." She closed their notebooks and slid his towards him, putting her own away and leaning back in the chair. Her head shifted to look up at the ceiling.
"I..." Why did his breath hitch? Why did his heart skip a beat? "I'm sorry for falling asleep on you yesterday."
Disappointment polluted his veins, awkwardly playing with the pencil in his hands.
"Heh, wouldn't be the first time."
"It won't happen again, sorry."
His movement came to a stop, his lips parted but no words came out, silently watching her pack the rest of her things, sending him a brief smile and walking out the clubroom.
A smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Senku had always brushed off her indirect-direct confessions, never thinking about it for too long and moving on. When did it start bothering him to not hear it? It was ridiculous.
"Senku! I like you."
"You said that yesterday, and the day before."
"Doesn't make it less of a truth!" She pouted playfully, passing him the screwdriver.
Senku shook his head at her giggle, continuing his science fair project. Could someone really like a friendship this much?
Was it still a friendship? And when the hell did he start asking himself so many questions, unanswered ones at that? Senku blew out air, finally getting up from his chair and rolling his stiff neck around.
"What a dumbass." He berated himself under his breath, oblivious to the girl waiting just outside the door.
The leek-haired kid stood outside her window, nearly snapping his neck from jumping over the fence. A small pebble rolled between his fingers, deciding if throwing it would be a good idea. Remembering the amount of times he broke the glass he dropped the rock and took out his phone.
Scrolling through his contacts and hesitating to press on her icon, he didn't even know why he was here in the first place, dragging his feet out of bed before he could really think about it.
He clicked off contacts, sending her a message instead. It didn't take long, the girl quietly walked downstairs and opened the backyard door, scrunching her eyebrows at him.
"What's wrong?"
"[Y/N] I don't mind you sleeping on me."
"Did you come here just to say...that?" [Y/N] had thought of the worst, that maybe he was going to call off their friendship, tired of her feelings or clinginess.
"No, but it's not a lie." Senku let out an unamused chuckle, emotions are stupid, therefore making him feel stupid. [Y/N] closed the door behind her and approached his conflicting figure, the worry from earlier came back.
She gave him a few seconds, realizing he was once again drifting away into his thoughts. Her lips twitched, from the cold and from how intense his gaze was fixated on her.
"Senku?"
"Do you like me?" That wasn't what he wanted to say either, he knew she did, he wasn't that obliviousโ
"No."
โor was he? Scarlet eyes widened only slightly, had he misread the entire situation? Struggling to comprehend his own feelings he held for her, when she wasn't interested in him anymore?
"I don't like you, Iโ"
"Yeah I got it, see you tomorrow [Y/N]." He lazily waved and spun on his heel, heading towards the fence to hop over it again. His leg suddenly got tugged on, messing up his balance and falling towards the grass.
He blinked away the mild pain, the blurriness cleared away and the scenery of [Y/N]'s face right next to him greeted his eyes.
"Why, why don't you ever let me finish my words?"
"Because I know what you're going to say, that you like me. Did you say them that much to try and get a reaction out of me? Was it fun?" His voice came out harsh, completely surprised at how angry he felt. Senku's stomach twisted when he watched as her [E/C] eyes narrowed significantly.
[Y/N] bit her bottom lip in frustration, no longer kneeling by his side and taking a few steps away from him.
"Get out, and don't ever talk to me again." That was the softest he'd ever heard her voice, sounding completely defeated. Maybe being away from her is what he needed, time to gather himself and what this all meant to him.
That was the best way to get rid of her unrequited love, even if it hurt her more than anything in the world. She couldn't help but sneak glances at him, feeling her chest tighten at how he looked perfectly normal with the change.
The bell for lunchtime rang, Senku walked past her desk without sparing her a glance. The crystal sitting right above her collarbones suddenly felt heavy, she gripped her hand around it and couldn't bring herself to rip it off.
"[Y/N]!" Two hands roughly landed on her desk, startled, she looked up at the cause. Taiju held a bright smile, making exaggerated hip movements and she had never felt so confused in her life.
"I'm going to confess to Yuzuriha after school! You'll have the perfect view from the science club hallway so please, be there for me!" The giant bowed and ran out of the room before [Y/N] could reply, hopefully, Senku wouldn't be there...who was she kidding, of course he would.
She spent the last lesson shifting in her seat, it wasn't like she'd be going there for him, it was for Taiju and Taiju only. It had been a week since their friendship break-up, finding herself sitting alone and talking to no one.
[Y/N] smiled watching Taiju stroll up to a waiting Yuzuriha, both of them were already blushing. She snapped as many pictures as she could with her limited storage space, wanting the couple to have memories.
Somebody joined her right next to the window, balancing their arms on the thin windowsill. Green and white flooded the corner of her view, gulping quietly when she realized who it was. No words were exchanged, just two teens being here for their friend.
Her face scrunched up when Taiju stopped talking, gazing at the atmosphere in a trance. [E/C] eyes widened at the bright green light approaching them quickly, she took a step back noticing Senku do the same.
"What?" She whispered, Taiju and Yuzuriha had been turned to stone statues.
"[Y/N]!" An arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her closer, and a hand landed on her head as if to protect her. Her heart was beating like crazy and all she could do was hug him back, feeling her body encased by a weird material. "I'm sorry." was the last thing she heard.
The darkness was beginning to overwhelm her, it was eerily quiet with only her inside voice being her saving grace. Her head was consumed by her memories, replaying them desperately to keep herself awake. Was Senku still next to her? She hoped he was okay.
"We don't have the same homeroom..." [Y/N] traced the bulletin board list, frowning when she noticed Senku and Taiju were together, but she had been placed in a different one.
"Maybe next year, let's go big oaf." Senku patted her shoulder before walking off with the enthusiastic giant, well she didn't expect him to care, however a head pat would've been better.
Thankfully her classmates were pretty okay, meeting a cheerful girl named Yuzuriha who immediately hit it off with [Y/N]. They paired up for every assignment and helped each other whenever, still, something was missing.
It was barely a week into their first year of middle school when she was approached by her neighbor, holding a pink envelope in his hand. Senku was going to show it to her, but [Y/N] snatched it quicker than lighting itself.
Her [E/C] eyes barely skimmed over the gushy words, tugging the paper back into the envelope and not returning it to him. He didn't read all of it, so he wondered if he missed something weird written in it.
"Don't accept any of these."
"Why?" It wasn't like he planned on accepting anyone's confession, her firm voice did spark curiosity on this matter though.
"Because I like you." That was when Senku realized that sentence was no longer innocent, never had he seen her look so conflicted or embarrassed. [Y/N] loosened her grip on the piece of paper and gave it back, lowering her head to look at her school shoes.
What was he supposed to say? Teasing her like usual didn't feel right, not when she had basically confessed to him. Senku didn't need or want a relationship, not right now, maybe not ever.
"Okay, I won't." So why did he go out of his way to reassure her?
A scarlet eye was finally gazing up at something else other than the total darkness, it was the ceiling of a cave, not the prettiest sight but different nonetheless. He frantically looked around, knowing damn well he held onto [Y/N] so tightly there was no chance her body strayed away.
Oh, there she was. Huddled up near the darker area of the cave, knees pulled up to her chest and hiding her bottom parts.
"I heard your stone cracking...I got shy..."
"Keke, get up, we have work to doโor don't, give me a second." Senku's best clothing option was thick vines, roping them together to shield their parts even if he didn't care for nudity. [Y/N] ended up weaving a dress, deeming the two-piece a little too revealing for her taste.
Senku was completely in his element, a part of him was also extremely glad he wasn't alone. [Y/N] on the other hand was fucking losing her mind, she kept her composure in front of him, helping him in whatever he needed, but when she had her alone timeโstruggled to keep in her freak-outs.
He had noticed, sending her away whenever he'd feel her body tensing up or eyes glazing over. It worried him that she wouldn't be able to adapt, and slowly lose herself instead.
Maybe he was too, considering his nights were plagued by the flashbacks of her saying she liked him. They hadn't brought up that topic again, and he didn't think he could.
"You like him." Gen leaned over the tall tree stump, playfully grinning at the usually stoic girl. He heard from Senku that she was only this reserved with them, not him, and that intrigued the mentalist.
"Hm? No, not quite."
It didn't sound like denial, or had she not understood his question? Gen slowly approached her, dropping his teasing tone and melting back into his normal persona.
"Did my question upset you?" [Y/N]'s hand stopped writing, lifting her head up from her lap and blinking up at the concerned boy. She softly shook her head, but Gen knew better, he had definitely heard the shake in her voice.
"Knowing he will never return these feelings...I'd rather keep them buried till the end of time."
Except, Gen knew for a fact it was not that simple for her, placing a hand on her shaking shoulder. He looked away, wanting to be here for her but also giving her privacy to cry.
So he made it his mission to find out how Senku felt, if he did, he'd try his best to get them together. If not...well he would have to find [Y/N] a new love interest.
"What?" Senku nearly dropped the beaker in his hand when Gen popped his head into the laboratory so suddenly and hit him with a wild question.
"I asked how you feel about [Y/N]."
"She's a good friend."
"No."
"No..?" The scientist was playing stupid, trying to shrug off the mentalist from prying into his emotions.
"Well, I need to know before proceeding."
Senku raised an eyebrow, pouring the next chemical from a vial.
"Whether [Y/N] has a shot with you, or I get her fixated on someone who likes her back."
He paused, Gen smirked behind his joint arms, jackpot.
"Impossible, there's no one else she could possibly develop feelings forโnot that she has them for me, not anymore."
Senku regretted the words that spilled out his mouth, hearing Gen snicker. Yeah maybe he did like her, the 3,700 years in solitude and the one year being awake, [Y/N] was constantly in his thoughts. Not knowing if they'd ever wake up, he wondered what they could've been if he had realized his feelings for her earlier.
[Y/N]'s love language was physical, hooking her arm around his, holding his hand, pressing her face to his, and cuddling up during sleepovers.
"Listen, Senku. [Y/N] still wants to be with you. I think you're worrying too much about the physical aspect of it." Why was this mentalist this good at reading even him? Senku finished writing up his progress, turning to look at the stone-faced Gen. It was the first time he looked serious.
He wasn't confident that he'd be giving his best friend what she truly deserved. Senku stilled, realizing he had been doing exactly what he thought he couldn't give, her touches were never foreign or unwelcome, in fact, he didn't mind them. Allowing [Y/N] to be that close to him was already reciprocating her feelings.
"Tell her how you feel, give her a kiss or two, and let everything else flow naturally."
...
...
[Y/N] didn't think much of the thick blanket around her and Senku, shoulders pressed against each other. Gen had wrapped them up and walked away with no further words, sitting across the campfire and giving them a thumbs up.
Senku was on the verge of making a torch and throwing it at the smug white and black haired male. Her knee touched his and he tensed up, too focused on her close proximity, why was it sweetly suffocating him now?
"Hurry, say 'ah', the fish is getting cold."
"...ahh..."
[Y/N] giggled seeing him hide his cheeks that flared up like apples, thanking Kohaku for the second fish and eating it quickly while giving some bites to Senku.
"[Y/N]."
She hummed in response, mouth filled with food and cheeks puffing out.
"Meet me by the flower field after you're done." He stood up and fixed the blanket to envelop her further, she nodded half-dazed and wondered what he needed from her. She finished the last bite and got up, lending the blanket to a small shivering Suika.
The path to the flower field was only a few minutes away, but it must be something important, otherwise, he'd tell her what he needed to say in front of everyone...oh..did, did Gen say something? [Y/N] was extremely nervous now.
Senku's hair swayed softly with the cold breeze, he gazed up at the moon gathering his thoughts and formulating words in his head, the moment he heard her approach him, all his meticulous planning drifted away.
He turned around, facing her. What was he going to say again? Fuck, it left his mind.
"What did you need Senku?"
Once he said this, there would be no going back, fearful of the chance it might ruin their friendship. A teeny tiny part of him yelled out that Gen basically confirmed her still have feelings for him, so it shouldn't be this hard to speak.
"Senku?"
She made no move to approach him, standing exactly three feet away. [Y/N] needed this rejection to go by quick, she would heal and move on.
"Is...is your love from before still strong?"
[Y/N] teared up as a shiver ran down her spine, and her lips trembled at the way he gazed at her, with such a soft look. It had taken him quite a bit of time to understand what she had meant by her 'no', all of her hesitated I's, it was right in front of him and he was so damn blind.
"I'm sorry, I should've let you finish that day. I was barely coming to terms with how I felt about you and hearing you say you didn't feel the same anymore, well it put me off."
the same? She finally took a step forward, another, one more and she was right in front of him. Scarlet eyes were half-lidded and fixated on her [E/C] irises, awaiting her response.
"I...I wanted to say I love you." His hand grasped her arm, not bothering to hide his blushing face this time. He felt her eyes scan him as if trying to reassure herself this was truly happening. "I know you didn't feel this way back then, so for a while, I struggled to even say I liked you. Scared that you'd continue to grow tired."
"[Y/N], I was never tired of them." He needed her to know that, his day wasn't complete unless he heard her say those words. "To be honest, I felt worried when you stopped saying it. Wondering if I had done something wrong..."
"I was trying to convince myself that having you as a friend was good enough for me, that I'd force myself to live with my feelings while still being beside youโbut I couldn't, I wanted to let go and failed at that too." She took in a shaky breath, his hand squeezing her arm tighter, the air felt heavy despite them clearly confessing to each other.
"Heh, it's my fault you felt that way and I can't turn back time but know that I do in fact have feelings for you [Y/N]." Senku trailed off, feeling her hands come up to rest on his shoulders. "I might not be enough, although, if you want me, I'm right here."
Senku didn't get a chance to cringe at himself as [Y/N] got on her tippy toes and placed a kiss on his lips, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away and panicking at his baffled face.
"Sorry! Sorry..."
"No, It's just that...I wasn't ready." Her lips felt soft, intimacy wasn't something that interested him as it did everyone else and his first kiss wasn't on his checklist but coming from [Y/N] he actually really didn't mind.
"Okay, I'm ready now." Senku initiated the second kiss, hand letting go of her arm and sliding around her waist. They separated, noses touching tips and they held a deep eye contact. The cold night no longer froze them, feeling warmth in the embrace and in their hearts.
๐นญ.แ SUMMARY: Senku received an invitation from NASA to join a mission but it seems he forgot one thing, actually it seems like he's forgotten about a lot. After becoming complacent in his relationship with you, it seems he forgot about the concept of romance itself. You and him have been in a relationship for a long time now and yet, would you even be called a couple?
Romance has been neglected in this "romantic" relationship and it sends Senku spiraling. He questions whether or not he's done anything to deserve your loyalty and devotion to him, after all he's only ever repaid it by coming home late everyday and barely even treating you right.
But Senku's never been a quitter, science gives him no choice in that regard with all the trial and error he has to endure, so instead of giving you up he vows to make things right even if it means learning how to be conventional.
๐นญ.แ Word count: 11.8k
๐นญ.แ Content: Senku's POV, Canon divergence, Senku works at NASA, Established relationship, Light angst, Happy ending, SFW
Senku's project advisor closed the door as he exited the meeting room. The leek-haired man's phone vibrates, reminding him he was on a call.
"Taiju? Oh, sorry about that." Senku presses his phone to his ear, talking to the man on the other side. "Don't worry about it! And that's amazing, Senku! Congrats!" Taiju's boisterous voice rang loud, making Senku put some distance between his phone and his ear.
He let out a laugh, trying not to feel too smug about it. "Yeah, well, it's no big deal. It was almost to be expected with the amount of work I contributed into the project."
He smirks, leaning on a wall while the conversation continues. "That's true... then I assume that they're okay with it?" He hears Taiju ask and raises a brow.
Taiju pauses before continuing, "Since its a big deal and you had agreed so quickly, I assumed you already talked about it with them."
"Them?..." He licks his lips in thought, "What do you mean?"
Taiju's line goes quiet for a moment before Senku hears his voice again, he mentions your name and continues. "Do they not know? Oh, well, I just mean... don't you ask your partner first before agreeing to those kinds of things?"
Senku's reply is only him humming in thought. "Though if I was in that situation, Yuzuriha probably won't be mad anyways so I can't imagine them being any different... oh well!" He couldn't believe that Taiju, that oaf, of all people was giving him something vaguely like relationship advice.
It was true that Senku had agreed rather fast when the project advisor had approached him, he was on the phone with Taiju when it happened so it was only natural that his friend had overheard everything. Senku was offered a seat in the latest mission, a project he'd also contributed a lot towards. For him, it was a no-brainer to accept, it was a great opportunity after all. It's not like it'd be his first time flying off to space either, so... was it really necessary to bring it up to you first? The thought hadn't crossed his mind. Though now that Taiju had pointed it out, it left him conflicted.
Senku was almost completely lost in thought when he heard Taiju speak again, "Oh, Senku! Yuzuriha's calling me down for dinner so I gotta go. It was nice catching up!"
Senku's eyes found the clock hanging on the wall opposite to him, realizing Taiju was right, he hasn't even noticed. "Yeah man, have a good one." The call ended.
Senku brought the phone down from his ear and stared at his lockscreen. The clock on his phone had also read 7:22 PM. His eyes drifted to his wallpaper, looking at the photo he had set as his wallpaper. It was a photo of you and him wearing your highschool graduation robes, taken after the ceremony.
He sighs, Taiju's words was bothering him more than it should. Why was it gnawing at him? He turns off his phone and rubs his temple, the bright lights were starting to get to him too. Perhaps it'd do him some good to come home early, and have that chat with you too while he's at it.
...
The apartment was quiet when Senku entered, but not silent. He could hear you were home, if the mood lighting turned on was not enough evidence of your presence.
"I'm home..." Senku announced, closing the door behind him as he loosened his tie. Upon entering the living room, he immediately spotted you by the couch. The warm glow of the floor lamp was the only thing illuminating the room, but it was enough for Senku to see the scattered mess across the coffee table.
You, who were sorting through folders, looked over your shoulder with shock to see him. "Senku! You're home early?" Not waiting for a reply, you immediately picked up some documents laying on the couch, adding it to the pile on the coffee table instead. Tucking them away to make space for him to sit.
Senku was about to argue. One, that it wasn't an early time to be home and two, that you didn't need to bother. But he shut his mouth instead, sitting next to you, and compared to the time he'd usually go home- it was early.
"If I'd known, I would've cooked us dinner." You smile, discarding the folder to focus on him instead. "Oh! have you actually eaten dinner yet? If not, I can-"
He sighs, cutting you off. "I ate at the office, it's fine."
He leans into the couch, relaxing. You copy him, "Alright, that's good..." You let out a satisfied hum.
What once would've warmed his heart with appreciation for your understanding nature, now tugs his heartstrings.
It slips into his mind again, he'd forgotten about it briefly on the commute home. But it's here again. There was this doubt that it shouldn't be like this. Then again though, it's not like it was actually something to complain about. Other people would probably die to have a partner that wouldn't complain even if they always get home from work late, even if they always missed dinner, or go on work trips without asking for permission first.
He sighed and ran his hand through his scalp. Of course, it doesn't escape you.
"Was work extra tough today?" He turns to look at you, only to find the gentlest eyes paired with the warmest of smiles. The look of love he's ever so familiar with, you never looked at him with anything else but love in your eyes, and it made his chest feel tight.
You didn't push him for an answer, recognizing the look of distraction on him. His mind was always running. "I'll get us something to drink." You stand up, heading to their kitchen. And Senku was left with his thoughts. Again.
Well, he came home with a concept of a plan. Talk to you about what he was feeling. Because he had never struggled to voice out what he felt, ever.
Lies, of course. For someone who is always telling other people to just verbalize what's on their mind, Senku certainly struggles when it was his turn. It was inefficient, and the heavy feeling on his tongue was mocking him.
It reminded him why it took years to even admit he had romantic feelings for you. He can hear your soft humming coming from the kitchen and it reminds him of how long you've actually been together. From quietly working together in the school's science club, to staying up during the late nights to finish college assignment and now living under the same roof.
Your relationship with Senku was never rocky, steady, in fact. You've always been together, always the other's constant and Senku had grown comfortable with that. But now there was this lingering thought that won't leave him.
He might've continued spiraling but the feeling of cold glass pressing on his cheek brought him out it, "Huh?"
"Something's on your mind, isn't it?" You ask him, handing him the glass of water while you sipped your own.
Senku puts off answering the question by drinking his own, but decides to speak up in the end. "...I got invited to join the mission."
You hum, "The one you were working on? Mhm, that sounds great."
Right, see? What Taiju said, it was unfairly making his stomach sick. Got him thinking about "normals," something he hadn't done since he was in middle school and wondering if there was something wrong with him when he struggled to feel romantic attraction towards other people. Something that seemed to come so naturally towards his peers.
But, he thought for sure things were surely different now. Senku got comfortable with that. How can he not? It came so easy with you.
You had accepted his entirety without struggle, and with welcoming arms instead. When Senku had first mentioned to you about his struggle with intimacy, you didn't even have a hint of surprise on your face.
Throughout your relationship with him, you never asked for more than what he gave. But what has he given you? The guilty feeling that heโs been lacking is what weighs him down, Taiju only made him remember it was there.
Senku eyes you sitting next to him, rubbing your eyes as you look over some documents. So normal couples even bother asking to go away on business trips? Well, a space mission isnโt a typical business trip butโฆ semantics.
If Senku had missed the note on that, what else had he missed out on that the average conventional couple did?
โAre youโฆโ Senku starts, licking his lips. โAre you okay with that?โ His hands wetter from sweat than the condensation from the glass of water.
You look at him weirdly, โWhat.โ You chuckled. โWell, yes..? Why wouldn't I be?โ
He wasnโt nervous about the possibility of you not being okay with it, in fact he doubted it was even a possibility at allโ and you had just confirmed that.
โYou never usually ask anyways?โ
Senku placed the cup on an empty spot on the table. โI hear itโs what other people do.โ He spoke, slower, words feeling a little heavier than they usually do. โโฆask for their partnerโs opinion.โ He clarifies.
You hum absentmindedly, โDoesn't mean we have to, itโs fine. Why would I ever want to hold you back from what you enjoy?โ
Those comforting words send Senku spiraling once more, why did you immediately go to assure him? It felt wrong to him. He wasnโt the one who needed it, he should be the one comforting you instead. Tell you that it was okay to hold him back, to selfishly ask for his company instead of going some place else. Instead, he was being comforted for his own shortcoming.
โNoโฆโ He stands up and sighs. โYou donโt hold me back.โ He affirms. โIf anything, donโt you think I'm the one who holds you back?โ
In a softer voice, โSenkuโฆโ You called. โWhere is this coming from?โ
Senku runs a hand through his hair. โYou can ask me to stay with you.โ
โI donโt understandโฆโ You shake your head, โDo you not want to go?โ
He wasnโt stupid, he knew there was probably a better way to get what he meant across but right nowโฆ the words hung heavy and Senku couldnโt find strength to reach them.
โNo, I- I doโฆโ he stammers out. โI'm just asking what you- youโฆโ he pauses, trying to catch his breath. โYou're just okay with this?โ
You stand, brows furrowed and concern plastered on your face. โYes?โ You let out a sigh. โCโmon Sen, what is it really?โ
Senku wills himself to calm down, the beating of his heart slowing down. โTaijuโฆ that oaf, mentioned something about talking to your partners and it- it just got me thinking about you.โ
Have I not before? He thought. Why was this the first time I had thought to ask first?
His eyes drift down, no longer looking at who was standing in front of himโฆ in shame? Embarrassment?
โAsking your partner before agreeing to business trips?? I didn't even know about that. What else do I not know?โ
His voice, now full of frustration, was getting louder. โJust how much have I actually been holding you back? Dates, romantic evenings, affectionโฆ don't you want it? Why don't you ask me for it?โ
For a second, You donโt say anything. His outburst probably caught you off guard. โIโฆ becauseโฆโ You start.
He doesn't see it but, You were looking at him so tenderly. โI never minded it. I mean, asking for those kinds of stuff, they would just get in the way right? Andโฆ science has always been your priority, something I never really wanted to get in between of.โ
Get in the way? Noโฆ
Despite having a drink of water not long ago, his throat felt strangely dry. โNo, thatโsโฆ you can tell me. I wouldnโt choose science over y-โ
โYou donโt have to say stuff like that.โ You take a step forward towards him, entering his field of vision once more. โI'm more than happy just being with you.โ
Senku shakes his head in disagreement, placing his hands on your shoulder. โNo, let meโฆ hold me accountable if Iโm not enough.โ Desperation was obvious in his voice as it trembled, why was this harder than rebuilding humanity from scratch?
He opened his mouth to speak but you had beaten him to it. โSen, I have always loved you for who you are. I never needed you to change.โ
โIt's always been fine if I came second, or if there were things I couldn't have. As long as it meant I could stay by your side.โ
Senkuโs hands, that found their place on your shoulders, fell to his side. He pulled away, took a step back and averted his gaze. He felt like he was about to collapse any second now. โYou're wrongโฆโ He whispered, finding his own voice too weak. โI can-โ
โฆ
He couldn't even find the words. How could he convince you when he couldn't even convince himself? Maybe you were right. Maybe it was foolish to even think otherwise, maybe it wouldโve been better to just brush it off and think nothing of it, to just keep going with the way things were.
โSen, I love you. Its okay, really, don't need anything else.โ
But as Senkuโs eyes find the ever gentle smile on your face, he just couldn't give up, couldn't just let it end there, and heโd have to be maimed before he would even consider backing down.
It was late into the night now. A couple of hours had passed since theโฆ argument? Disagreement? Could it even be called that? Regardless, Senkuโs mind was a little clearer now. That isn't to say his frustrations had disappeared though, no, if anything it was stronger now. If Senku had to describe it, it would be like the frustration that came with trying to solve an equation when all the principles werenโt given, leaving him to find it on his own.
He was leaning on the kitchen counter, pondering by himself with only the warm kitchen lights to accompany him. You had already gone to bed, no doubt that the unexpected outburst he threw at you had worn you out. Ironic, as it was the same thing that was currently keeping him wide awake now.
The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't accept it. Though he also knew that denying the facts is just being stubborn. It was true that science has always been what he put, it was true that no matter how much time would pass, Senku would probably always struggle with feelings and affection. But what wasn't true was that there was nothing he could do about it.
It was on Senkuโs third attempt that he managed to launch a rocket beyond the earthโs atmosphere, each one taking a grueling amount of patience, research and care. He was going to be damned if he was going to be defeated by his inexperience with romance. It was time to do things his way, because heโd rather fail in his attempts for hundreds of times than potentially lose something good, the one thing that kept him anchored.
With a fire in Senkuโs eyes, one that usually only showed when he got his hands on a new discovery, he would look at you soon enough, brand his usual cocky smirk that tells you he knows something you don't and show you just how much he can achieve for you. He clenched his fists, he was going to prove he deserved to let you stay.
...
The office has been busy with preparations. Senku was supposed to be focused on running simulations for the launch to happen with zero casualty, but really, he was running simulations in his head for something else. He was no stranger to having to go through plenty of trial and error when doing something for the first time, and now he was stumped with having to figure out how to romance his own partner.
If he had it his way, he wouldโve just tried anything and everything, it was the fastest way to get accurate information on what works and what doesnโt. Itโs a little shameful that he doesnโt even know, actually.
He truly felt like he had gone back in time to when he was still a fumbling highschooler trying to figure out how to woo the person he was admiring. Though, arguably, he was still fumbling and trying to figure out to woo you- itโs just that, now he was older. Wiser? thatโs debatable. He has plenty of experience under his sleeve with rocket launching and outer space research now but probably still in the same place heโs always been when it comes to love.
Even now, that word still rolls off his tongue in a weird, unnatural way. Love.
What did love mean? What did it mean to love? Senku feels slightly silly thinking about it, such questions felt like they would really only come from a pubescent girl trying to sound deep. Still, you made it look simple. When he tries to recall all the things you had done to show him love, he would fill up a notebook trying to list it all down.
Acts of love he so graciously repays by coming home late and droughts of affection.
Senku sighs, feeling dejected by his own neglect. He runs a hand through his hair, unintentionally glaring at the screen in front of him. He had gotten barely any work done and he hadnโt even gotten far on the other heavy topic that was weighing him down. Perhaps it was time to take a break.
The scientist moves to stand, finding his way to the nearest vending machine. It was lunch time now anyways, even if he was usually known for prioritizing work above all else, it wasnโt going to be unusual to step away.
Actually, would you have eaten lunch by now too? He thinks as he pushes the button for a can of cold coffee and inserting the exact number of coins for it. It drops and he picks it up, though he doesnโt open it just yet. Instead, he takes out his phone from his pocket and pulls up your contact.
His thumb hovers over the call button for a second before ultimately pressing it. Senku hoped you werenโt busy. His phone vibrates in his hand, the call ringing. While he waited, he opened the canned coffee and leaned over a nearby wall- just in time for you to finally pick up.
โSenku?โ You answered, dragging out the last syllable of his name. You sounded cheery. Though, itโs not like the you were ever upset for long periods of time when it came to him, even if you had gotten into what youโd essentially call a disagreement just a few nights ago.
Senku grunted out a reply, โHey.โ Clearing his throat before taking a sip of his coffee.
โWhatโs up? Did you need something?โ
โDid you eat lunch yet?โ He answers the question with another question.
โAh? Mhm, not too long ago โฆwhy?โ
โIโm just asking.โ He mumbles, throwing away the empty can of coffee in a nearby trashcan.
You giggle, โWhat? Is something up? Have you finally inhaled too much fumes?โ You teased.
He smiles to that. โSo, I canโt just ask you that? Whatever happened to making small talk?โ Senku swears he almost choked on air while trying to form a coherent sentence. Since when did a casual back and forth make his palms sweat?
โWhat.โ Senku can hear your laughter through the phone. โYouโre being so weird, when have you ever made small talk? If you need something- โ
Maybe it was the taunt, but now Senku had felt like he had to bite back to that. Why canโt he just do it for the sake of it? He ought to prove he can do such things soon.
He licked his lips, โYeah, maybe I needed some of your attention?โ His voice cracked at the end, and Senku couldnโt be more thankful it was only a voice call. He so badly wanted to bury himself for that fumble of a line delivery.
However, he was then snapped out of his self-deprecation when he hears you yelp.
โWHAT.โ Senku presses the phone closer to his ear to hear muffled coughing from the line but quickly has to pull it away again when you start rambling at louder volume. โWHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. ARE YOU SICKโฆโ
โS-seriously! You canโt just say stuff like that, what is wrong with you- you should get checked out, I think the fumes have actually entered your brain-โ You donโt stop, spouting at an incredible speed, no doubt flustered as well.
He smiles at the thought. Well, he mightโve not given the best line delivery but it seemed to at least worked out anyways.
โI gotta go.โ Senku cuts you off. He didnโt actually have to go but it was time to retreat for now.
โH-huh? Oh okayโฆโ You stutter out, still taken aback.
โSeriouslyโฆ what the heck.โ He hears you whisper before ending the call.
A win is a win. Senku thought, huffing out a laugh. That little unplanned, stunt he pulled had gained him some confidence. If earlier he was feeling stuck on how he should go about his whole plan about romanticizing his own long-term relationship, then now he feels a little more certain.
Perhaps it was going to be good, perhaps it was even going to be fun.
And if anyone saw Senku walking back to the office with an evil smirk and a dangerous glint in his eyes? No, they didnโt.
...
Unfortunately, breaking habits never come easy.
In Senkuโs defense, the workplace was getting busier. With the launch date coming closer and closer, the need to double check and eliminate any potential of something going wrong. The tiniest wirings needed to be inspected over and over again, hundreds of simulations that needed to be ran through and in case something does go wrong- safety measures that needed to be taken.
And thus, Senku came home late once again. To no oneโs surprise, really.
He felt specially exhausted as well too, something he usually wouldnโt think much of as heโd normally be coming home feeling quite content. The blanket of exhaustion would be his proof of a well spent day at the lab. But today, heโd wanted to go home early for the sake of spending time with you and itโs been ruined.
The unmoving traffic was not helping either. He sighed, glancing at his phone to check the time again as if itโll make it a difference. A chuckle coming from the man beside him had caught his attention, however. โIn a rush to get home, Senku?โ
Xeno, who had offered him a ride when the older one noticed they were leaving at the same time, looked at him with curiosity. โYouโre usually the last one to leave. How unexpected to see you rushing to get home for once.โ
Senku hid his impatience with a smile. โHeh. Youโve been watching me that closely, Dr. Xeno?โ
โHmph, it was merely an observation.โ The older one retorts. โPerhaps, thereโs a special occasion today?โ
He looks away, leaning against the window instead. โNahโฆ nothing like that.โ
The traffic finally moves and the car reaches a more familiar area. Itโs completely dark out now, all the buildings in the area had turned on their lights and the streets was far less busy now compared to how it would be during an earlier time. Everyone seemed to be on their way home now.
โWeโll be nearing your block soon.โ Stanley, whom had been driving for them, assured as the car came to a stop again- the last red light in the way of Senku reaching home.
He gripped his phone, debating if he should just go for it as he eyes the screen of the traffic signal counting down 120 seconds. โActually, Iโll just get off here.โ
โAre you sure?โ The man beside him asked.
He hurriedly made sure he got all his belongings before replying, โYeah, this way you wonโt have to take an extra turn either.โ He put his hand on the handle, ready to exit. โThanks for the ride.โ
โWell, get home safe.โ He hears Xeno say as he closes the car door.
Senku didnโt know why he was rushing home. Why had every minute mattered now when it didnโt before? Well actually, he did know why. It was just hard to admit. It was a mix of reasons, between wanting to competitively prove something and genuinely wanting to show that he can love something else that wasnโt work- that no, he wasnโt just a man drowning himself in chemical compounds and scientific equations, he too can do something in the name of love.
Which was quite hard to prove now that he canโt even manage to come home early.
Ever the man with no stamina, heโs already breathless from speedwalking and climbing a couple flights of stairs. He opens the door to the apartment and is greeted with the absence of light. Had you already gone to bed? He shuffles around and tries to feel around the walls where he remembered the light switch was. After awkwardly palming the wall, he eventually manages to smack the switch on.
Senku hears a scream and flinches. His eyes hadnโt even adjusted to the sudden bright light yet but is already trying to look for you, worried you somehow managed to get hurt.
โUghโฆ Senku? Is that you? I just got flashbangedโฆโ His eyes eventually land on the clumsy you who was laying on the balcony floor for some reason.
He frowns, wondering what it was that you were up to. It was worrisome, why were you laying on the balcony floor with no lights on? It was a small balcony, just big enough for a couple of chairs so someone could hang out there in case they needed some fresh air, and on the occasion- where they hanged laundry to dry.
โWhat are you doing? Freak.โ Senku questions, squatting down near you.
You tilt your head to look up at him, with a big goofy grin. โIโm trying to let my eyes adjust! Itโs common practice to let your eyes to get used in the dark for at least 30 minutes first before doing any stargazing.โ
โAlthoughโฆ now Iโve been flashbanged, thanks to you! I think Iโll have to restart.โ You pout.
Senku sighs, standing up. โAnd laying on the floor also helps with that?โ He pulls one of the chairs closer to them and signals for you to stand up and sit on the chair instead. โSit on a chair like a normal person. Isnโt the floor cold? If you get sick, Iโm not taking care of you.โ
He hears you groan before moving, โResearch says that floor time is great, actually.โ Your voice slightly fades as Senku walks away, turning off the light switch from the hall.
Research? He lets out a dry laugh. โUh huh, Iโd love to read that study.โ
The scientist can barely hear you mumbling out some complaints when he enters the shared bedroom. Senku puts down his stuff on the floor somewhere, careful to avoid knocking down a random furniture from how dark it was. He squints his eyes, trying to find a blanket. When he spots one, he snatches it and walks back to the balcony.
The balcony lets in a bit of light at least. The moon illuminating your figure. He slows down, quieting his footsteps as if he was trying not to scare a small animal. Perhaps he was scared that if he made a noise, heโd somehow scare you away into disappearing- away from him. He frowns.
Senku drops the blanket on you inelegantly before taking a seat on of the chairs as well. โAh! That scared meโฆโ Judging from your laughter, it didnโt actually. You wrap the blanket around you better than Senku did, a smile on your face.
โAndromeda is supposed to be visible to the naked eye tonight, itโs great!โ You exclaim.
Senku looks away from the night sky, staring at you instead. โYou know we have a telescope, right?โ He says as a matter-of-fact, raising a brow.
โYeah, but this is still different! Thereโs just something about actually spotting it with your own eye, you know?โ You insist, looking up with a sparkle in your eyes.
โNot really, I mean I see these galaxies on like a regular basis from our telescopes. Itโs almost a chore now.โ He states dryly, leaning back.
You pout, โBoo.โ You stick out your tongue as taunt. โOkay, we get it, Mr. Astronomer Scientist!โ
โYouโre looking at one of humanityโs potential doom. Unlike other galaxies, Andromeda moves towards us. If the sun doesnโt explode first, then weโll be wiped out when the Milky way and Andromeda inevitably collide.โ Senku smirks, explaining dryly as if he wasnโt talking about the wipeout of humanity.
โWell, thatโs for the future. For now, itโs just beautiful to look at.โ You shrug, used to the somewhat deprecating comments he would make.
And Senku looks at you. Really looks at you.
He can admit that Andromeda looked beautiful up closely. Well, closer than from Earthโs surface anyways. On land, Andromeda looked like just an average star. Maybe slightly bigger and fuzzier- almost blurry. But that was about it, he didnโt think it was anything to celebrate about.
โOh! I think my eyes are adjustingโฆ I can see a lot more stars now.โ You chirped. โAnd soon, Andromeda!โ
Right now, it wasnโt any star or galaxy that held Senkuโs gaze. It was you. Senku chalked it to fatigue, too tired to lift his head and look at the stars, so instead he admires the person next to him. Whether anyone would buy that excuse doesnโt concern him. It was just easier than admitting to the whole universe that he found you beautiful, so he tucks it inside his chest with a poor disguise.
Senku canโt actually recall the last time he had properly looked at you like this, too busy looking at microscopes most days.
Time has passed; the two of you, together, for a long time now. Youโve both grown out of your baby faces, developed a few wrinkles and deepened smile lines. Both having respectively gone far in your careers, and have entered a stable spot in your lives long enough for you to say that it has become mundane.
Mundaneโฆ
Perhaps thatโs why Senku got complacent in the relationship. It was just something he put at the back of his mind, repeating that heโll get to it later yet making no plans to actually go through with.
He frowns and glances away, finally choosing to look up instead. His eyes immediately spotted the distant galaxy, Andromeda. It was terribly small from this distance.
โCan you see it yet?โ The scientist asks only to find you scrunching your face in an effort to squint harder.
You grumble. โNo, am I blind?โ
He can only snicker, โIdiot, youโre looking at the completely wrong direction.โ
You let out a drawn out, โHuuuh?โ Senku stands up and moves behind you. He wraps an arm around the back of your shoulder as he crouches near your level and points.
โFocus your eyes on that area.โ He instructs. โSee that fuzzy thing that kinda resembles a star?โ
You let out a small gasp after realizing, โWoah. Thatโs it?โ You question. โIt looks soโฆ normal. Thatโs a whole galaxy? It just looks like a slightly stretched out star.โ
Senku smirks, โWhy do you think it took so long for the existence of other galaxies to be accepted? Itโs only been a hundred years that people started comprehending that the Milky Way was only one of the thousands of galaxies out there.โ
โAnd thatโs gonna crash into us one day.โ You giggle. โHow unthreatening.โ
โUh huh. Let me know if you still think that way when you see it up close.โ He quipped.
You hum in thought, โI donโt knowโฆ Weโll be old and wrinkly by the time it comes for us.โ
โIโll be surprised if thatโs all weโll be, decomposed is more like it.โ
A comfortable silence blankets over them, quietly admiring the cosmos in peace. Weโll be old and wrinkly, huh? Senku found he didnโt hate the thought.
...
โSenkuuuโฆโ You whine. โWake! Up!โ
The man groans in protest. โUgh.โ He lifts up his head and rubs his eyes in frustration. โWhat.โ Senku deadpans. He looks over to you, still clad in your pajamas and obviously looking like youโve also just woken up.
โWhy are you still here? Arenโt you supposed to be at work by now?โ You hurriedly question. โItโs already 7โoโclock!โ
Senku groans again and falls back to the bed, slightly grumpy from having been woken up. โI donโt have to go in early today, theyโre preparing a few training stuff for the people whoโs gonna get on board.โ
โOh.โ
You scratch your head sheepishly. โSorryโฆ you usually leave so early, I kinda panicked. And plus! You didnโt say anything about it.โ
Too sleepy for a coherent conversation, Senku just babbles a response, already closing his eyes again. โAlright, well, just go back to sleep then.โ You say as you move to leave the bed.
Before you can, Senku throws an arm around you. Not totally keeping you in place, Senkuโs stick arms being too small for that. โHuh? Why?โ
โSilly, I have work.โ You blink, confused as to how he forgot.
Defeated, Senku lets out a third groan. It was super rare for the both of you to wake up at the same time. Usually, the scientist had to wake up much earlier in order to immediately get back to work. But now, all he wanted was a lazy morning and you were threatening to leave. It was cruel.
โNo oneโs gonna die if youโre five minutes late.โ He complains.
You laugh, mocking his distress. โWow. I never thought Iโd ever see the great Ishigami asking for morning cuddles.โ
Still, the whining seemed to have worked as you slide back under the blanket with him. A win is a win. Senku cheered in his head.
You laid together quietly, warm and cozy. And he was so close to slipping back to dream land when he felt you shift again. โOkay but like, I really do have to get ready now.โ You whisper. As much as Senku wanted to protest more, he let you out of his grip now.
He hears the bathroom door open when you enter it and decides to also get up now. Granted, he couldโve kept sleeping. He wasnโt needed at work anytime soon, lest he volunteers himself for physical labor. Still, he drags himself to the kitchen.
Routinely, he made himself his usual pot of coffee and your preferred hot drink. He settles your cup at the dining table while he sat and sipped his drink. He can hear the water from the bathroom has stopped now. You were most likely going to come out of the room soon after getting dressed.
After thinking through some simulations in his head, you come out and walk towards him. He hands you the cup of milk. โCareful, itโs hot.โ He warns, knowing youโll still probably burn your tongue anyways.
And you did, โAh. Oops.โ You stick your tongue out as if thatโll make it feel better.
Senku can only huff in disbelief, โIdiot.โ
He watches as you blow air into the hot drink, cooling it down, when an idea presents itself to him. It immediately paints an evil grin on his face. He doesnโt usually do it, but the opportunity is just far too tempting, far too amusing.
You eye him weirdly as he lets out a stream of evil, low chuckles. Senku pays you no mind. โShouldnโt you get going soon? You were so worried about being late earlier.โ
โHuh? Oh, right.โ You test the temperature of the drink and after confirming it was at a much tolerable level, quickly gulp it down. โThanks!โ
You move quickly, grabbing the last of your things before heading towards the door. Senku, who was in no rush, places both of your empty cups by the sink. โAre you leaving now?โ He calls out.
โHm? Yeah!โ You answered, putting on an extra outer layer of clothes by the door.
Senku walks over, putting his plan into motion. He leans on the wall and crosses his arm, failing to hide his smirk as he was preparing to drop a bomb.
โNo goodbye kiss?โ
It was amazing to watch you completely freeze in motion, face morphed into horror and warm. โE-excuse me?โ You choke out.
Senku holds back his laughter, keeping up the act of composure. โHmโฆ Just gonna leave me to take care of the house all day for nothing in return?โ He teased.
โO-okay? First of all, I sincerely doubt youโre going to do anything productive before leaving for work too. Second! Yeah, youโre not going to be here all day. So, I donโt know what you want, good sir.โ You ramble, blurting out words faster than you can think in an attempt to conceal how flustered you were.
And this time, Senku couldnโt contain his laugh. He steps forward, going closer to you. โA goodbye kiss would be nice.โ
He thinks that, if you were a volcano- you wouldโve definitely erupted from embarrassment by now. โSince when! Youโre acting crazy-โ
โSince now.โ He cuts you off.
You squawk in disbelief. โI swear- they actually did something to you in that lab. A failed experiment or something, and now youโre all weird and crazy.โ
He shakes his head. โYou can just say no. Why do I have to be dragged into a conspiracy theory?โ
He smirks in triumph, knowing heโs won when you couldnโt find any other rebuttal to make. Just quiet, debating whether or not you should take the bait. โI swear, Iโll be the one who turns crazy with how youโre acting crazy lately.โ You huff.
You take a step towards him, closing a bit more distance. If Senkuโs heart wasnโt beating so loudly in his ears, he mightโve just heard the curses you were spewing under your breath before finally kissing him on the cheek.
โThere. Happy?โ
Not quite. Senku cups your cheeks before you could move away and presses his lips with yours. He hears your little squeal as he deepens the kiss, and it makes Senkuโs heart do a little backflip and a twirl as a landing pose.
When they part, your eyes were so dilated it wouldโve been concerning under any other circumstance. Though, Senku doesnโt say anything about it, he was sure he probably looked the same.
They quickly take a step back from each other. Senku letting out a little cough and you were suddenly much interested on what was on the ceiling. โWell, uhโฆ you should go.โ He broke the silence first.
โYeah, I- yup! Iโm gonna goโฆโ
You both awkwardly shuffle for a few seconds, Senku moving out of the way to let you out. โI uhโฆ Iโll see you later then.โ You croak out, turning to leave.
The door closes and Senku almost keels over right there and then. WHAT WAS THAT!
A kiss was just a kiss, lips on lips. It held no purpose, not even in recreation. The only reason it holds any significance was because humans decided it had one and oh god- Senku was spiraling. In an attempt to calm himself he was now rationalizing what a kiss was. Senku doesnโt know how other people manage to kiss in a relatively casual manner without going on the verge of a heart attack.
But in terms of a trial, it certainly didnโt end as an error. Although he realizes, maybe he shouldโve thought about it more before going through with it. After all, when was the last time youโve had a proper kiss like that?
Senku lets out a sigh as he crashes on the couch, feeling slightly weak in the knees. He can still recall how hard his heart was beating, and was still in fact trying to calm down.
He definitely wasnโt the biggest guy on physical touch as a love language. Physical intimacy wasnโt necessarily scary, no- he didnโt fear it. More like, it made him squeamish? To him, it just came so unnaturally. Hence, never getting any proper โpracticeโ for it and hence, never getting properly used to the act. It was just another pointless endeavor the alloromantic did for the sake of it.
You were the only partner heโs ever had. Every first time he had was with you, and it was something. Which might sound bad to anybody else but, for him- it was just hard to consider special. Still though, what made this โgoodbye kissโ so different from all the other times to the point he felt like he was going to burst like a supernova?
When he recalls all the other kisses heโs shared with you, they never really felt like that. Small, quick pecks at the lips that really felt more like formality. Though, he guesses it wasnโt always like that. The closest thing he could compare it to was the feeling of anticipation and uncertainty he felt during the early days of your relationship.
When the two of you were still experimenting and approached love with a curious hunger. So, was it the eagerness to comprehend that made this recent one so explosive? The need to prove something with scientific evidence? Senku admits he initially thought of the plan as just another part of finally being a little more conventional with your relationship with him butโฆ
Itโd gone so well it would be a shame to boil it down to just that. But why?
Senku closes his eyes. What was it that makes a kiss so tender and explosive that couples did it so regularly despite not having any real purpose? And what had he been doing wrong before that it became something so mundane to the point it was something he avoided?
When did it become something he just disregarded? And how can he ensure that never happened again?
He was going to need another cup of coffee. Thank god he had a few hours to kill.
...
A few weeks have passed and the launch date was getting closer and closer. So close in fact, that it was going to be the day after tomorrow. And for the first time, Senku was dreading it. He did not want to leave.
He was just starting to really enjoy spending more and more of his time with you. Senku wonders when the distance between the two of you actually grew, memories of being peas in a pod during highschool flooding him. Was it when you both entered college and had gone into different majors? Or was it when either one started getting flooded with work- drowning and sinking deeper into more work that was covered up with the excuse of pursuing passion? Or maybe, it was only ever Senku whom had assumed there was even a distance to begin with.
Because now, as he looks at you and your smile, he canโt find any semblance of a distance. He feels closer to you than he had ever before, and greed whispers to him that he wants to be even closer.
In a last-ditch effort to spend his remaining time with you, he had made reservations for the two of you at this fancy place that had recently opened. You had both dressed up for the occasion, ditching the usual comfy clothing for something slightly uncomfortable in exchange for looking better.
And looking better indeed was his partner standing beside him as they waited for their names to be called. Huh, namesโฆ The hostess was going to call out a reservation for his last name and yours once there was a table ready.
Senku snaps out of his thoughts when you tap him on the shoulder. โAre you really sure it was okay to not attend the celebration?โ You ask.
The celebration for the launch, it was also being held tonight in order to congratulate those who had worked hard on the project. It would be crowded, with journalists and plenty of flashing lights from photographers trying to get the latest gossip.
โI told you already, no oneโs even gonna notice I didnโt attend.โ Senku assures, his pinky locating his ear out of habit. โItโs just a bad excuse to sip wine and act snotty.โ
You purse your lips, โWell, alright.โ
A beat passes. โYouโre much better company anyways.โ He says, refusing to look at you. His cheeks had a light dusting of pink on them.
โAndโฆ you look amazing.โ
The compliment slips out of Senku before he even realizes it.
You, who was standing beside him, can only laugh. He pouts, he gives a heartfelt compliment and this is what he gets? โNot even a thank you? Just going to laugh at me instead?โ
You snort, โIt just feels weird hearing you say it.โ You laugh lightheartedly, โI guess, Iโm just not used to hearing you say stuff like that.โ
And Senku leaves it at that but his thoughts donโt. Why was it weird? Why couldnโt it just be the most natural thing in the world?
Senku can admit though, it did feel weird to do all these things. But it wasnโt badโฆ Yes, it was still unnatural and foreign to him, but at the same time, it felt like something he wanted to continue. Like a new discovery he wanted to keep studying. It felt overwhelming at times, and he found himself wanting to pause time for a few seconds every now and then just so he could recollect himself. Still, he didnโt wish to leave. He wanted to stay, soak in the moment and replay your laughter just to enjoy it, even at the cost of his dignity.
He'd sincerely wished heโd done this sooner and more often. Heโll be sure to make up for lost time.
Eventually, the two of you are seated and handed a menu. It was certainly a nice place. Despite having the capabilities to seat more customers, the restaurant chooses to give plenty of space between tables instead- making it scarce and each party having their privacy.
You were seated just across the table from Senku, the candle at the table illuminating your features. He watches you skim through the menu, as you purse your lips while trying to decide on an entrรฉe. You look up to catch his gaze and smiles, โSen? Have you already decided what youโre getting?โ
The two of you converse easy, helping each other decide what looked good or not. You flag down the server and state what the two of you were having. The server gives the both of you a pleasant smile and claims theyโll be back with your food before finally leaving the two of you alone again.
You catch Senkuโs attention, โPsst, Sen.โ You smile when his attention lands on you. โDo you think the food will actually be good?โ
He raises an amused brow, โAre you having doubts?โ
โI meanโฆโ You drag out the last syllable in ponder. โIsnโt it usually a gamble when it comes to a place like this? Itโs either the food doesnโt actually taste good or the portion size is abysmal for its price.โ
Senku snickers. โIf you wanted to go to a greasy fast food place instead, you couldโve just said so. No need to disguise your picky eater trait by placing the blame somewhere else.โ
โI am not!โ You pout. โIf it does end up good then youโll never hear me complain again. But if itโs bad, then Iโll have told you so.โ You stuck up your nose.
โBesides, itโs your money wasted anyways.โ You grin.
Senku crosses his arms at the comment. It was true of course, but what fun would there be if he just let it go? โOho, why do you even have a job then? If youโre just going to be a freeloader.โ
You quip, โFor fun! What else?โ
The two of you continue to banter, not even noticing the time that was passing as it was quickly filled with smiles and laughter. Still, the food had finally arrived.
The entrรฉe wasnโt badโฆ not bad enough to stop eating. It was the main course that had the two of you in a laughing fit, covering your mouths in an attempt to not disturb the other guests from their behavior. It wasnโt bad, nor was it good.
The food had been terribly mediocre.
They werenโt even quite sure what they were looking at when it was first served to them. How could food look cooked and raw at the same? The food was obviously cooked but from the lack of anything, it had managed to look raw.
You were holding your stomach from the laughter. โI canโtโฆ I just- WHAT is thisโฆโ You poke at the food in emphasis. โIt looks like they just boiled everything and called it a day! Not a SPECK of seasoning is on itโฆโ
Senku couldnโt even manage a response, too busy trying not to die from laughter. โSenku! Are you even listeningโฆ Pft- I mean, just look at it!โ
When he does look at it, he ends up letting out a howl of laughter. โO-okay, stopโฆ stop talkingโฆโ He wheezed. โI canโt breathe-โ
He wipes off some sweat from his forehead in an attempt to calm down. Trying to help, You pass him a glass of water, which he gladly took and downed.
โI wonder if the water was boiled too-โ
And that was it. Senku Ishigami had died from laughter.
The server assigned to your table had eventually noticed the commotion and had come over to ask if anything was unsatisfactory. You, not having the heart to be honest just kept quiet as best as you could, placing a hand over your mouth and hoping the shaking of your shoulders didnโt make it obvious you were one push away from bursting out laughing. On the other hand, Senku whom had been tired out from nearly dying of laughter just waved the server away.
Confused but unwilling to ask any more questions, the server leaves them be.
โWhat do you say we just leave?โ Senku suggests, resting his chin on a propped up hand.
โAwe, but what about dessert?โ You pout, feigning disappointment.
He flashes you a smile, taking out his wallet and stack of cash that more than covers the cost of the bill and tip. โWe can get something from the convenience store on the way home.โ
You giggle in satisfaction. โSounds like a plan.โ
Senku stands, extending a hand for you to take. โNow, come. Letโs go before someone notices.โ
Senku was pretty disappointed that their dinner hadnโt gone exactly as he planned. Next time, heโll be sure to read a couple of reviews before settling on a decision.
...
The two of you were at home by now, still clad in fancy attire, sitting at the couch as you both wind down. You were leaning on Senkuโs shoulder, humming a soft tune while scrolling through your phone.
He clears his throat, catching your attention. โListen, sorry it didnโt work out tonightโฆโ He frowns, voice getting quieter at the end. Scratch that, he wasnโt just pretty disappointed, he was massively disappointed. He had hoped that things would end well tonight as it was essentially their last before Senku had to leave. A disappointing, heavy error that weighed his heart down.
You break away, sitting up straight. โNoโฆ it wasnโt even your fault.โ You chuckle as a brief memory of what happened flashes in your mind.
You falter for a second before continuing. โActually, I should be the one to apologize.โ
Senku eyes you, confused. โRemember when you had brought it up? About how I shouldnโt have accepted being second on your list?โ He winces for a second at the reminder but lets you continue anyways. โWellโฆโ
โYeah.โ You smile gently, looking at him in the eyes. โIโm sorry, Sen.โ
โI was justโฆ I always want to be your biggest supporter, and if it turned out that I was ever getting in between you and your passion- it wouldโve broken my heart. I want you to reach all the dreams you have, so I let myself come second, I insisted. Thatโs why when you came to me, suddenly proposing the idea of prioritizing meโฆ I got scared. What if I caused you to slow down?โ
Senku mutters your name, brows furrowed. You shake your head, and it makes his heart ache. โAnd, I always knew that conventional romance wasnโt your thing. That was another thing I would never want to pressure you into. But I guess I was so tunnel visioned on that I ended up brushing it off when you wanted things to change.โ
You press your forehead to Senkuโs, โAnd look at you. Youโve proven me so wrong. Youโve treated me so well these last few weeksโฆโ
โItโs been barely anythingโฆโ He whispers, emotions welling up at his throat.
You pull away, looking at him. โYou should give yourself more credit, Dr. Ishigami.โ
Senkuโs hand twitches, the urge to cup your cheeks and kiss you silly was strong. But his stomach had other plans, growling from neglect. โPft-โ
โTsk, seriously?โ He deadpans, scratching his neck in disbelief.
You calm yourself down from giggling, โTo be fairโฆ Iโm also hungry. We barely touched our food earlier.โ You stand up, heading for the kitchen. โNo worries, Iโll whip us up something deserving of 3 michelin stars!โ
He sighs, leaning back to the couch in defeat. โIf it has salt- Iโm sure itโll already be ten billion percent better than what we had earlier.โ
He almost dozed off while waiting for whatever his partner was preparing in the kitchen, but the moment the aroma hit his nose, he was completely awake. He stands and makes his way to where you were only to find you stirring in the seasoning pack to two cups of instant ramen- ah, a delicacy indeed.
โWow. Well that definitely has sodium in it.โ He remarks dryly.
His partner chuckles, โOh Iโm about to undo all the training they had you do with some bad, bad diet.โ You pass him his cup, still steaming, alongside a pair of chopsticks.
He smiles; heart filled with warmth. All those trials and specially tonightโs error had been well worth it. There was no greater reward than slurping instant ramen in the kitchen while dressed in a well-tailored suit with his partner.
It just made the fact that he had to leave all the more bitter. Ironic, considering a few weeks ago he hadnโt given staying at home an inkling of thought.
No, a few weeks ago, all Senku saw was intricate, delicate wirings and calculations of numbers that exceeded him more than heโd like to admit. Now, he bathed in the warm kitchen light, heated from the inside by comfort food and sharing laughter with the person whoโs been with him through it all- the same person he now has to separate from.
Yes, it was his decision. One that Senku was allowed to regret but also wouldnโt take back. He looks at you, seeing the same person he would share unhealthy instant ramen back when you were suffering through long nights in your respective majors. You who wanted nothing more but to support him.
It tore him apart. Because now, he just wanted to slow down for once and walk by your side instead of leaving for a vast, empty space. Sure, there were sights out there that no human has ever even seen yet but where was he going to find your bright smile and red cheeks in the endless stars if not right here at home, beside him?
Maybe that was the importance of asking your partner first.
...
Senku left early the next morning. He hadnโt woken you up when he did. He felt bad, you had both stayed up relatively late last night and he had to leave after only a few hours of sleep already. So, he let you rest instead.
The launch wasnโt until tomorrowโs dawn, but everyone involved had to be at the site for all the preparations and precautions that needed to be taken. It wasnโt Senkuโs first rodeo. He had already managed to be a part of multiple projects like this one in the past, with his impressive genius of course.
Despite the rest of the city still in slumber, there were already plenty of people at the site running around with work to do. At least, thatโs what Senku would assume. Considering there was a party thrown last night, it was also highly possible that a good majority of the team was still recovering from hangover.
See, Senku had made a detour. He figured; it wasnโt like the site was going to go up in flames if he was an hour late and, in his defense, itโs not like he did it on purpose. Not totally anyways. But this antique store had caught his eye on the way, it was the only thing that was open and had its lights on in the desolate streets. And like moth to a flame, Senku had stopped his commute to take a look.
The warm lights that the store used was perfectly highlighting the stock they kept, painting each item in a golden hue. It carried a scent that was comforting and nostalgic, of old books with a hint of dust. Soft music played from, what Senku would guess, a jukebox. It didnโt sound familiar, something that probably would never play in radios nowadays, but not a popular classic either that anyone wouldโve known- it was most likely just an obscure song that the owner loved during their youth.
He really should just leave now. There wasnโt really anything here that was worth getting an earful for. Still, his feet remained planted for just a second longer, admiring all kinds of trinkets that the store carried.
It wasnโt until he was about to leave that something had caught his eye. Just a few steps away from the door, there was a shelf he had missed when he first entered. It was relatively empty compared to the rest of the shelves, housing only a few items. One of which was a jewelry box.
The box itself was rather big, holding all kinds of accessories. Though it was an antique store, the other items were well maintained, except for this one. Senku guesses it had been there for a long time now, untouched, the untrained eye probably dismissing it. And he couldnโt blame them, from the first look, most of the jewelry was rusted or in bad condition. Unless people were specifically looking for worn out jewelry or hoping to repurpose the metal, there really werenโt going to be any customer buying anything from it.
Senku exited the antique store, fidgeting with something as small as a coin in his hand. He tried to pay for it at first, but when he brought it to the counter, the old man tending to it just waved him off. It was most likely because the item had been too small or dirty, perhaps feeling a little too bad to charge anything for it.
Senku doesnโt dwell too much on it, just playing with the item as he continued on his way.
...
One would probably think that it gets busy when youโre outside of the Earthโs atmosphere, and it does, but not enough to occupy all the hours. Once the routine of monitoring, maintaining and reporting was done, Senku had just enough time on his hands to wallow in his thoughts.
Senku had spent a good portion of his life looking at the moon, wondering what mysteries it held and the vastness of space beyond it. But now, he finds that heโs always looking back at Earth, relishing its familiarity instead of the unknown that the rest of the universe around him held.
Science had advanced far enough that communication between those in Earth and those outside of it was no longer impossible, but it was still kept limited for various of reasons. Resource management, the occasional delay, risks of interferences and such held him back from talking to you like he would if he was just a few miles away from you.
So instead of risking the chances of getting a scolding for wasting resource and causing delays, he spends his time fidgeting with his new antique when the urge to mindlessly talk with you sprouts. It had a considerable amount of tarnish and built-up dirt that covered its true color.
The spacecraft thankfully had stuff he could use to return it to its full glory. A simple salt bath in aluminum foil had already done wonders for the tarnish, and a bit of elbow grease to get rid of the stubborn dirt stuck in the nook and cranny had it sparkling in what he assumes had been years.
Senku wonders whose hand it had belonged to before him. Perhaps the old man that was attending the antique store he got it from? Or perhaps someone had surrendered it there a long time ago. Did it always belong in that jewelry box or was it just eventually placed there when there was no space anywhere else?
Well, no matter, it was his to give now.
...
The rest of the month that was spent in that spacecraft was unworthy to Senku. After all, the revelations that would come after was what they were going for anyways. Him and the rest of the crew were only there so that once the spacecraft would be fine on its own, everything would go well.
So once word got to them that they were being prepared for return had reached Senkuโs ears, he was basically buzzing with anticipation. It was time to go home.
The camera flashes that were getting in between him and getting home was thoroughly irking him, still he tried to not show it too much, good media meant more budget after all. But the exhaustion of landing back on Earth was really weighing him down, figuratively and literally. Gravity felt heavy.
It was important they received an immediate check-up after landing, so while Senku wanted to just insist he was fine so that he can go lay down at home, he gritted his teeth and let the medical team do their work.
Thankfully, someone had finally come to escort them out of the scene, ushering the media away so a path could form. Him and the crew were then brought to a more secluded area, seated in wheelchairs to avoid any accidents in case a disorientation spell was to happen.
Senku just quietly let everything happen, just hoping all of it would go faster. He spots Xeno and other familiar faces monitoring and helping the process go smoothly. Obediently answering all the questions the stationed doctors were asking him while they helped him out of the heavy spacesuit, careful not to shock the body.
Eventually, heโs assisted to a private room where they helped him lay down on a bed. After a more intensive interview about his state, they finally leave him be.
He lets himself close his eyes for a second.
The peace however, does not last long as itโs interrupted by a series of knocks. The door opens and he tilts his head to see who it was.
There you were, carrying a bouquet of flowers in your arm. โHey, Sen.โ You called, softly. โYouโre back.โ
His eyes widen, certainly not expecting the sudden appearance. He doesnโt let it show for long though, a curious expression quickly replacing it. โAnd who let you in here?โ He snickered.
โIโll have you know it was Dr. Xeno who invited me here.โ You quip, laying the flowers at the bedside table. โWhat? Not happy to see me?โ
The opposite. Senku had such a big smile painted on his face, the expression was one he couldnโt suppress. โI was just about to get some shut eye, you know? Way to ruin my beauty sleep.โ But he tries and hide it anyways, relying on his sarcasm as his usual line of defense.
A line of defense that easily crumbles as you flash a smile of your own. โYeah, well, I think youโre plenty beautiful even with dark circles.โ
โThough, the jet lag must be insane. From all the way outside of Earthโs atmosphere to here.โ You jest.
Senku lets out an amused chuckle. โNot quite, not like thereโs any day or night out there anyways.โ He lets out a groan, sitting up.
โOhโฆ Are you really sure you should be sitting like that?โ You worriedly ask.
โYou act as if itโs my first time.โ He smirks, smugness evident on his face.
You canโt help but laugh in amusement. โOk genius, we get it.โ
Senku was glad that the medical team hadnโt bothered to link him up to a heart monitor, because good god his heart was beating fast now. The weight in his pocket was reminding him of the existence of a certain object. All of a sudden, he felt sick and on the verge of hurling. If it does happen, at least he had the excuse of blaming gravity. It doesnโt slip by your keen eyes though, try as he might to pretend that he was feeling fine. โAre you sure youโre okay? You look pale.โ
The scientist prided himself in being able to plan ahead. It was necessary after all, in his field of work, an error could mean death so it was only natural that there had to be extensive planning throughout the whole thing.
However, he was still human. He had impulses.
During the month he had spent floating in space, Senku had plenty of time planning out scenarios on how he would ask the question. Each with its own elaborate details and scripted lines. But now, desperation was clawing at him, specifically his pocket, screaming at him to just man up and do it already.
Worried from not receiving an answer, you offer to call someone in. โIโll go get a doctor, okay?โ
Before you can get far, Senku grabs a hold of your wrist, effectively not letting you get far. Because yes, after spending a month away from you with minimum communication- even just leaving the room felt too far from him.
โNo, I donโt need a doctor.โ He manages to croak out; his throat filled with anxiety.
He knows itโs sudden, after all this was not the plan. Not even close to it. Plans of waiting for a few months, plans to establish a more stable foundation before even entertaining the idea had been all thrown out the window now.
With a weak push, Senku stands up for a second.
โS-sen! I donโt think you should be doing that- sit back down-โ You panic, holding him by his shoulders in case he toppled over.
Kneeling down was even harder but he eventually manages to get down on one knee, taking all of his strength. Though it did get easier to manage once he found his balance. You shakily take your hands off him, stepping one foot back.
โSenku?โ You call out, voice audibly shaky.
His heart almost backflips out of his throat when he couldnโt feel the item on his pocket for a second, letting out a sigh of relief when he finally finds it. His hands were not only incredibly sweaty but trembling too.
Senku wishes he could be one of those people who manages to voice out a whole speech, vocalizing their feelings without any difficulty, but he just did not have it in him. โYou already know right?โ He lets out a weak laugh as if itโll mask the fear he was feeling.
Before all of this, he couldnโt even ask you what your thoughts was on him leaving and now, he was asking you to stay with him forever.
He wills himself to stop shaking when he holds out the ring. The same ring he had found a day before leaving, the same ring he had painstakingly cleaned and took care of when he shouldโve been writing reports.
Senku could see your tears welling up in your bright eyes, he should apologize afterwards for all the heart attacks heโs been causing to you lately. But not until after this latest one.
โIโm sure this is sudden for you but I had plenty of time to think about it, way up there in space.โ He smiles. โAnd itโs not exactly a space rock butโฆโ
โI do hope youโll say yes.โ He calls your name. โWill you marry me?โ
You donโt let him entertain the idea that youโll ever say no, quickly nodding your head. You whisper out a yes through your tears, crouching down at his level to wrap your arms around his neck.
Relief had washed over him, wrapping his own arms around you.
Unfortunately, gravity was still heavier than what he was used to. He quickly lost balance and the both of you end up on the floor. โUgh, okay. I might actually need a doctor now. I think I hit my head.โ He deadpans.
You let out a laugh, smiling through your tears. โI canโt believe you. Iโll get mad if I find out theyโve actually replaced you with a different Senkuโฆโ
He can only huff in disbelief. โThe ring is not on your finger yet. I could take it all back if I wanted to.โ
You shake your head. โNo, no. I didnโt say anything.โ You quickly take back your comment. โGive me!โ
You wave your left hand in front of him, not minding the fact that the two of you were still very much on the floor. Senku can only laugh at you, sliding the ring on your finger anyways and placing a tender kiss on your cheek. โHere, you better not lose it.โ
No errors here. It had gone completely successful, and despite all the trouble he had to go through, Senku wouldโve done it all the same. No elaborate plan or scheme wouldโve beaten the euphoria he was feeling. Heโll gladly endure tomorrowโs back pain for laying on the floor if it meant holding his future spouse for many more years to come.
"Senku" Chrome entered the lab where the aforementioned was working with your company by his side.
"Chrome" The scientist from the 21st century didn't lift his gaze from the calculations on his blueprint. He wanted to test something that would be illegal in his time.
Chrome looked at you first and then returned his eyes to his scientific friend. "What do you think about kisses?"
"Kisses are proven biological acts that strengthen the immune system by exchanging bacteria, also reduce stress by lowering cortisol and release a cocktail of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and which cause pleasure, attachment and emotional well-being with your partner."
"But... do you like them?"
You paid attention to that question; for some time you had wondered whether your partner, from the scientific world, liked them or not since you kissed him in many occasions through the day and he never complaint, but with Senku you never knew what could happen.
"Nah, I can live without them" he said still fixated in his blueprints.
You only looked at him without saying a word.
You pretended it didn't hurt you.
Why would, the fact that your couple doesn't care, affect you?
Chrome give you an apologetic look and you mouthed an 'doesn't matter' trying to Senku not to notice.
Okay..., Senku doesn't care.
Then no more kisses.
***
Morning came and Senku waited for you to wake up with a cup of tea prepared as usual. It was a routine none of you bothered to reject, so you kept with it.
"Hey" He call when he saw you with your messy hair. "Today we can do the hydraulic gear, that could help a lot for the next projects"
You stand in front of him and received your beverage. "That's sounds like a good idea" You drank a little and stare at him. "I'll go get Kaseki to prepare everything" and you left to the opposite direction.
Senku only starred your figure leaving his side in silence. Astonished.
Usually you received your cup of tea and give him a kiss as 'thank you'. But today, nothing of it.
Maybe she forgot,ย he thought while pouting.
But Senku forgotย the cause and effect of things.
***
You were helping Kaseki with the blueprints and its pieces when Senku appeared.
Kaseki beamed with his presence. "Oh-ho-ho, look our progress!"
"Great job, old man!"
Senku's eyes went from the gear to you; usually, when he arrives, you kiss him right away and people laugh a little at the public affection.
Nothing.
And even Kaseki knew something happened.
***
"Gen" Chrome called the mentalist. "Do that card magic again!"
It was lunch time and people reunited to relax a little and to have fun. You were by Kohaku's side when Senku arrived with his plate. He sat next to you as always.
And waited for you to kiss him.
"Yeah, Gen, do it, please" Your attention was placed in the white and black haired man.
Senku pouted.
And the world became quiet.
Everybody stared at the scientist of the stone worldย stunned.
"Senku-chan..." Gen was the first one to recover. "What are you doing?"
Senku was confused. "What do you mean, mentalist?"
Gen blinked many times trying to come back to Earth.
"You are pouting"
Senku frown. "I'm not"
"Yes, you did" Chrome said after recovering from the expression in his teacher.
You only stared carefully.
***
It was the sunset.
You often watched it with Senku, but since he doesn't care, you didn't wait for him to go to your favorite spot.
The soft and cool breeze hugged you and the birds sang for your heart.
You felt unappreciated by the savior of the stone world, also your closest friend, also your boyfriend.
Why didn't he said something sooner?
You wouldn't have kissed him every day if you had known.
You wouldn't made it a routine if you had known.
You wouldn't done that, period.
"There you are" Senku's voice appeared in the middle of your thoughts. "I was looking for you"
You didn't look at him, "Why?"
Senku stopped in his tracks. "What do you mean why? We always do this 'cause it's healthy" He sat next to you. "It improves blood circulation, lowers blood glucose levels, and reduces minor ailments."
You didn't said a word for a moment.
Senku only thought about the fact that you didn't kissed him in the whole day. Even now its rare, you kiss him while admiring the sunset.
"What's wrong with you today?" He said bluntly as always. "You acted strangely"
You looked at your hands, you didn't want to see him so you wouldn't kiss him.
"I thought you didn't care" You mumbled.
Every moment.
Every kiss not given.
Every made sense now in Senku's mind.
You were mad of what he said yesterday at Chrome's question about kisses.
His rejection hurt you.
He hurt you.
If you knew that it was the complete opposite of his answer.
Senku didn't want to admit he liked your kisses.
Senku didn't want to admit he waits for them every day.
Senku didn't want to admit he's waiting for your lips to get in touch with his skin.
Senku didn't want to admit that he expected your affection, that it belonged only to him.
He couldn't tell you.
He wasn't a man for that kind of words.
He was bad at that, bad at feelings, bad at expressing himself.
He pouted.
It was a rare sight indeed for you and everybody to see.
You wanted to laugh, but you hold it in.
"I... If I have time I might get used to them, a little" He suddenly said.
He felt weird being that open with something so simple as kisses. Half-admitting he likes them, at least when they are your kisses.
You looked at him with shock on your face.
You snickered "Let's see if that's so true as you say"
Finally, you both enjoyed the last rays of sunlight as the moon appeared on the horizon, and you kissed him to conclude this tortuous day for the two of you.
Senku learned he can't live without your kisses.
And you learned that he pouts when he wants another kiss.
Dad! Senku always let's his little duckling shadow him everywhere he goes. But he makes sure his baby stays safe and doesn't wander off in the home while he's busy he wears a baby wrap on his back to keep her safe. Until he's overworked and overstressed on a day and doesn't realise he's still carrying his daughter while he goes searching around in the house for her.
Panic building up into him when every room he goes to find is empty. You're not home yet and you're going to laugh your ass off if you found out he let their daughter climb into the toilet.
"what are we finding daddy? "
He feels grabby plush hands find their place almost inside his nose and her hair brushing his cheeks while she looks over his shoulder.
He would be lying if he couldn't admit he felt stupid at the moment.
"ah of course we're searching for mamas charts to keep safe from your paint." he doesn't know why he's lying through his teeth to a 2 year old who carrys around feathers to stick it in everyone's hair.
"in the bathvoom?"
Was his own daughter sniding him? Pretty clear she takes after him.
"yes. I might just hide it here since you can't reach the shelves"
"it will be soggy and mama will be mad and I'll tell her it's your fault"
For someone taking full advantage of you not being home she sure is talking alot.
Synopsis: Senku's been bed ridden after his attempted assassination for a few days (8, to be exact), as his partner, it's only natural you worry for him. He thinks you're endearing dramatic.
Contents: Angst with comfort, a LOT of kisses, slightly suggestive(he calls you a kiss fiend idk if that counts?), mention of shooting (?), not beta read :(
WORD COUNT: 1.5k
You shouldn't have agreed to his stupid idea. They needed you in the Perseus for emergency medical response. Why did you need to assist in infiltrating the enemy base? Surely Hyoga and Tsukasa are men enough to withstand a few scratches and bruises here and there. You could treat them afterwards, when they come back.
But nooooo, Senku just had to send you with them. Then again, it didn't take much convincing since the mere mention of Suika's name made you agree, reluctantly. How could you leave such a little thing in the sole hands of the battle team? She could get crushed!
And, of course, how could you say no to those crimson, ruby-like eyes that you've been so fond of since 2019?
So when news reached your group about the attempted assassination, you panicked. The moment you were out of reach, the universe just had to poke on Senku's side. More like, pierced him in the lungs.
It took everything in you to stay behind and help Chrome out however he needed. But your heart never ceased to wander where your home was. Your home who was shot in the chest while you were away. And they knew that. So, upon your return with Suika from measuring one of the angled distances from Dr. Xeno's base, Chrome opened up a massive opportunity for you.
"Hey, there you are!" He grinned, handing you a crumpled, rolled-up paper. A road map of his latest invention that could help you with your mission. "It's almost impossible for us to send long ass messaged using the phone." Chrome scratches his head in annoyance, "You're the quickest one who can get this to Senku for materials. Can you?"
You blinked, staring at the blueprint, opening it for a peek. "A drill?" You stared in disbelief as the young scientist nodded his head eagerly. You could only chuckle; he had stars in his eyes. One similar to Senku's when he was younger. "Why me, though? Kohaku's way faster than I am."
Chrome purses his lips before speaking once more, "Yeah, but we need Kohaku's help for manual digging and carrying."
"Just say I'm useless, Chrome." You coax him with a resigned sigh, hiding the mischief with a frown.
"What?! No! You're not useless at all!" He shakes his head profusely, waving his hands in front of him. He starts to reason around his previous one, only to stop when you start laughing that soft laugh you do when Senku humors you, the moment you two are alone. Chrome notices, when it's just you and Senku in the makeshift lab back in Ishigami village. You have that certain laugh that's unmistakably you.
You sigh deeply after your fit of laughter, wiping away a small tear forming in your tear duct. "I'll be back in a few days with it, Dr. Chrome." You offer him a smile, rolling up the blueprint once more, neatly, this time.
"Oh! And pay him a visit while you're there, alright?" Chrome mumbles, almost embarrassed about it. You nod, huffing another short chuckle of agreement. "I will."
And you do. You're quick enough to make it back to the Perseus in just 2 hours. Once you've arrived, Yuzuriha and Taiju are quick to greet you on the deck, the latter wailing as he runs to embrace you in a bone-crushing hug.
"Y/n! I'm sorry! I couldn't protect Senku! Agaaaiiiiinnnn!" He cries, smothering you in his chest. Yuzuriha gently pries you from his arms with a soft call, consoling the guy. "Why are you alone, Y/n?" Yuzuriha asks while patting Taiju's back as he continues to sob.
You almost forgot you were here with a mission. "Ah, right. Is Kaseki busy?" Yuzuriha shakes her head, "He's probably down in his workshop. He has a heavy load while Senku's not around." For a second, her composure falters the moment she remembers Senku's condition.
"Y/n!" She suddenly clasps your hands in hers. "Go check on him, please?"
"Right, sure, of course." You offer her a curt nod, trying to hide the worry in your voice.
The two lead you to the infirmary, where Franรงois and a pink-haired girl dress Senku up with new bandages. "Luna," Yuzuriha whispers, "One of Dr. Xeno's spies. Don't hold anything against her, though, Senku's been trusting her with his life."
You sigh, you'll have to thank her later then.
Franรงois notices you by their peripheral vision before lifting their head, ultimately as they finish their duty. They offer you a smile, bowing slightly before Senku, before they walk towards the exit where you stood. "It's been a few days, Master Y/n. You must be hungry. I'll prepare you a meal."
Luna stares at the scene before her. She starts to panic as Taiju pulls you along towards Senku's cot. Yuzuriha follows suit, grabbing Luna's arm gently, "Are you done with him? Let's leave them be, alright?"
As the two girls leave with Taiju in tow, Luna can't help but stare a little longer. Why did you need to be alone with Senku? Were you someone important to him? A thousand unanswered questions fill her brain as the door closes behind them.
"Hey." Senku greets, his voice almost inaudible. Strained by the way his injuries constrict him. You frown at his state. This wouldn't have happened if you didn't leave the Perseus. If only you didn't let him coax you. If only you stayed by his side like you vowed you would. What was the use
"Gonna... continue t-to..." Senku gasps slightly, catching his breath. "Ignore me?.. That's just... cruel." He finally huffs out his sentence, chuckling breathlessly. As if he was still teasing you.
How could he have that smirk plastered on his face while you were on the verge of crying?
Senku notices this. And as your eyes blur with the tears, you don't spot the way his smirk fades and the facade of mischief in his eyes are gone in an instant, replaced by fatigue.
With all the strength he has left for the day, he musters up enough to slowly raise one finger at a time until he holds a weak grasp of your own hand.
"What theโ Senku?.."
"I'll be... fine. Stop crying... you bโ big baby..."
"You got shot! Through the chest!" Unintentionally, your volume raises more than usual. Senku winces at the sound of it which makes you flinch at your own actions.
"I've been... stabbed a l-lot, fell off... a waterfall, and s-survived a... a war. Whatโ what makes you... gasp t-think that I'm d-dying before I... bring back... civilization?"
You purse your lips, your middle and index finger curling around the fingers that weakly grasp them. Not a single word leaves your lips and your throat starts to dry up. Senku knows this is what happens when guilt starts to creep into your mind, so he speaks up again.
"You're here. W-With me. That's enough... to push through... all of this."
And as he finishes his sentence, your knees buck. You fell on the floor, sobbing as you continue to hold his hand, trying to ground whatever sanity you had left. Senku chuckles weakly again, his thumb lifts itself to rub your knuckles.
"How could you s-say that in the verge of dโ DEATH!?" You sob at him. "Get... back up, I... can't see you!" He scolds in retort.
You slowly stood up, face tear stricken, eyes puffy and cheeks red. You frown, your eyebrows furrowing at him. It takes everything at him not to laugh at you.
I. That would be mean.
II. It would make things worse.
III. He just physically can't, not with the little strength he has left for the day.
"I have to... to work on the drill Chrome requested.But I'll visit you a lot while I'm here I promise." Your eyes look like they were pleading him to allow you. He just snickers. "A-And, you have to save your strength, d-don't even think of getting out of bed Senku Ishigami! I will tie you down with chains, I swear to Godโ"
"Y/n. Go."
You purse your lips before sighing in resign, "Alright. One thing."
Kiss.
One to his forehead. One he always secretly looks forward to. One he knows will lead to another.
You hesitate as you pull away. Which doesn't go unnoticed by Senku as he smirks. "That's it? For a kiss fiend you usually steal moreโ"
Kiss.
Another one to his lips. One he expected. One he smiles to. One he'll think about for the rest of the day.
And as you pull away, you mutter, "One more. For safe measure."
He doesn't fight back, but he laughs at your reason, letting you take control of the affection.
Kiss.
"One last, for the day." Kiss.
"You're insatiable, aren't you?" He mutters in between the kiss.
"Are you complaining?" Kiss.
"Absolutely not." Kiss.
You sigh, pulling away, "Alright, that really was the last." He chuckles once more, watching you fix yourself from your previous breakdown.
"I'll see you first thing in the morning." You look at him with determination, as if it was a vow. Once again you press a chaste kiss to his lips before making your escape. As if he could run after you. "Okay, gotta run, lots of things to do, love youโ Bye!"
The rooms grows silent before Senku huffs out a quiet laugh, "Dumbass."
Author's notes: First fic in a while and it's because of my recurring love for Dr. Stone. I haven't written in like... Two years. Any suggestions, comments and requests are warmly welcomed!
He took a cloth and start cleaning it up carefully, gently and with some glimpses of affection while checking that each piece was where it should be.
The day was beautiful, sunny with some little clouds decorating the sky and the birds chipped from afar. Senku walked for, who knows how long, from the village with just a simple idea on mind, an idea he couldn't share with the group, an idea the he wasn't sure he could fulfill that day, but thankfully, he did.
After so many days, that could count as months, he finally found you.
The problem was, you were a statue.
***
Walking for hours, every day, become part of his routine at this point.
The birds didn't sang that day because the cold days were getting closer, and every living being needed refuge. And maybe Senku needed to stop making this walk, maybe he needed to come back to the warmth of the village and itsย chimneys, the warmth of the fire, the warmth of a hot meal or a cup of tea.
But he needed to see you.
He needed to watch your face.
He needed to clean you up of the moss and the grass.
He needed to cover your statue from the cold. Maybe you couldn't feel the cold from the wind or the heat of the sun, but he didn't mind.
He needed to protect you from the erosion of time.
He kept walking like everything depended on it.
Because for him, it was like that.
Senku originally thought of bringing the statue with him, but there were three problems; first, he didn't had the strength to lift it to the village, second, he didn't want questions about it and third, he thought of tearing it apart, but he didn't had enough glue at the moment.
So, his only solution was to leave it in its original place and keeping and eye on the petrified human.
***
Nobody questioned Senku's behavior because many people from the village knew that he had his moments of ideas and planifications by his own, so they leaved him alone when he walked into the woods, instead they kept an eye on every project very closely so everything was alright the moment he came back.
But the closes to him knew better, and they wondered why Senku walked into the forest, almost every day, at the same hour of the day and came back exhausted and sweaty without explanation.
They knew asking to the scientist the reason behind his actions wasn't useful; Senku never talked about his personal things or thoughts.
So they had no other option than to spy on him.
***
"He's losing his mind"
"Why is he doing that?
"Maybe Senku is doing a experiment"
"No, I don't think so, he wouldn't be acting this way"
"It doesn't matter, his mind is gone"
Senku was just cleaning a statue in the middle of the forest, like every day since he found it, but today is the first time that Kohaku, Suika, Chrome and Gen saw him doing his ritual to preserve the human made of stone in perfect condition.
"No, he's protecting that person" Gen commented in the conversation. The eyes of the descendants of the astronauts looked at the statue and then the care Senku applied to it.
"Wait, the statues are real people?"
"Yeah, they are" Gen noticed Senku's precise hands cleaning the statue and the way he looked at the person, "And it seems to me that that person is very dear to him". And then it hit him; since the revival fluid was in Tsukasa's possession, Senku couldn't wake you up.
"That's terrible, having a important person so close and so far away at the same time" Suika muttered while playing with her hands.
They never saw that part of Senku before; the caring one, the soft one, the one he only keeps to himself when no one's around.
"Let's go" Gen said, "This is a private moment for him". And all of them retire in silence letting the scientist have a moment to be vulnerable.
***
Days passed, hours, minutes, seconds. Senku's secret remained in the shadows of the forest with the statue. Nobody approached the area, which to the outsiders was the closest thing to a sacred place.
Senku took care of the eroded parts and look at the statue.
"You'll be alright", a soft murmur that tasted like promise came from Senku's lips. "Once I have nitric acid you'll open your eyes again."
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