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[foxxynoiia]

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welcome to my blog! you can call me noia, and i write whenever the motivation strikes me about anything i found interesting. i hope you enjoy your stay <3 requests: open! please remember to follow the guidelines :)

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[foxxynoiia]

Stories over Fire and Promises Set in Stone

synopsis: in which senku tells stories about you — which does nothing to change the fact that he undeniably misses you. 4.7k words

pairing: senku x maomao!gn!reader (there's no denying it, it's romantic now)

tags: canon divergence (slightly?), 70% flashbacks, reader is inspired by maomao from apothecary diaries, written as gn but i may have made pronoun mistakes along the way js lmk!, fluff, yearning senku but he doesn't know it yet (kind of) tw: self poisoning, suicide/self-harm jokes

(prequel to this)

"Come on," Chrome whined, tugging on the edge of Senku's dress persistently. "You never tell us anything about life before the stone!"

"I've already told you about the inventions before," Senku retorted, swatting Chrome's hand away. "All of the ones you asked for, by the way."

"Okay, that's true, but you never told us about your life before the stone," Chrome clarified.

Kohaku nodded in agreement. "All we know is that your father is the founder of our village. Were you as unpleasant then as you are now?"

"I feel like he was always like this, ever since he was born," Gen chimed in, biting off a piece of his meat on the stick he held over the fire. "I wonder if anyone even liked him."

"Anyone who did would have to have been incredibly stupid," Ginro mumbled.

Senku didn't really know what made him cave in. Maybe it was the way that this wasn't the first time that they had asked him to talk about his life before the petrification. Maybe it was the way they were so quick to assume things about his life without concrete proof.

"For the love of —" he sighed exasperatedly, heavily planting himself onto the ground out of irritation. "Fine!"

Chrome, Kohaku, Gen, and Kinro collectively blinked at the same time. They didn't actually expect that to work, not when it hasn't been working for the past two weeks.

"I'll tell you about my life before the petrification," Senku said, "but you have to keep your mouths shut and don't interrupt me with any stupid questions. Understood?"

Chrome and Ginro nodded eagerly. Even Kohaku and Gen fell silent out of curiosity. This would be the first time the stoic, logical scientist actually shared things about his life, and they weren't going to let that chance go away.

"I'll only talk about one thing," Senku clarified. "And it will only be about this one thing, since I'm planning on reviving them sooner or later, and you might as well learn about them now."

"Them?!" Ginro gasped, and immediately yelped when Kohaku knocked their elbow deep into his gut in order to shut him up.

Gen politely raised his hand, making Senku sigh again for what would seem to be the first of many that night. "What, mentalist?"

"Are 'they' a friend of yours?" He asked.

The question made the scientist fall silent. Were they friends? He barely even considered Taiju a friend, and he's known him for much longer than he's known you.

And there's no way what he feels for you is that of a friend. He may be more knowledgeable with science and facts, but he wasn't ignorant about how his biology reacts different around you.

"I guess you could say that," Senku said. The rest of those surrounding the campfire exchanged odd glances when they all noticed the softness that his tone took.

Which meant that his story was just beginning.

—————

The first time you met Senku was a memory that Senku could never forget, because he was the only one of the two of you that actually remembered it.

You were both in your first year of middle school, and Senku had once again stayed behind in his school's science laboratory to make some things that Byakuya would definitely scold him for trying to make at home. At least the lab was left basically unsupervised, leaving him to do whatever he wanted as long as he cleaned up after.

After another failed simulation of his rocket engine, he packed up and went home, his head deep into calculations and possible solutions for his trial today.

He didn't expect to hear manic giggling from the small patch of trees beside the exit of his school.

Senku was curious. Of course he was; it was part of the basic structure of his ingenuity as a scientist. He would not have become the person he is now without curiosity, as it was his biggest strength. (And weakness.)

He approached the source of the sound cautiously. For all he knew, it could be some escaped convict that's currently hiding out in the greenery of his school.

He pushed the branches away, revealing a kid.

Their back was turned towards him. Their white uniform was dirtied with lines of soil, hair decorated with the random stick or stray leaf.

They were hunched over something, muttering to themself and laughing. Based on appearance, they were definitely not an escaped convict, but with how they were acting, they might as well be one.

(As if he isn't the same way when he was passionate about something.)

The kid was stuck in their own world, giving not a single sign that they were aware of Senku's presence behind them. He slowly approached them, peering over their shoulder to see what they were so focused on.

Now that he was closer to them, he could make out a bit of their unceasing mumbling, catching a few worlds like "rare… effects… test it out…"

Once he got a better view of what they were holding, he could no longer stay silent. "You do know that's poisonous, right?"

That was enough to snap the kid out of their trance. They yelped and spun around, the momentum causing them to fall ungracefully onto the dirt. Their eyes, wide with shock, stared up at Senku, as his seemingly uninterested red ones stared back at them.

That was the first time you had seen this boy. You were a kid that was always in their own separate plane of existence, never talking to someone long enough to remember their names or faces. Despite his unnatural hair and eye color, you don't remember seeing anyone like him in your school, but you were wearing the same uniform.

"You know about poisonous mushrooms?" You said incredulously. Not even your parents, who have been putting up with your antics since you could read books about poison, ever understood your interests. They only understood enough to keep you out of harm's way — not that it always worked.

The boy shrugged. "It's not hard to tell. The colorful ones are normally poisonous, sometimes even by touch alone."

You shook your head, holding your bundle of mushrooms towards him. He instinctively recoiled, but that didn't deter you. "These ones are only poisonous through ingestion! I read somewhere that these make your head feel fuzzy and affects the way your brain perceives color. I can't wait to try them out later."

The boy blinked. Once, then twice.

"You're crazy," he muttered, his eyebrows creasing. He couldn't believe there was someone as stupid as you.

You waved his insults away. "These aren't poisonous enough to kill. I mean, whoever eats these would most probably sleep for almost two days, but it doesn't kill if you just eat small amounts of it. I'll be fine!"

"How do you know so much about mushrooms?" The boy asked.

You grinned, standing up and dusting your uniform off with your free hand. Your parents were sure to murder you once you arrive home wearing yet another dirtied set of uniform, but to you, it was worth it if you were able to keep these mushrooms.

"I'm an apothecary!" You proclaimed, tilting your head up high.

The boy offered you a blank look. "Apothecaries don't wander around school campuses hunting for poisonous mushrooms."

"There's no better way to develop an antidote than testing it on yourself!" You didn't let the boy's pessimistic view on your practices dampen your spirits. "There's nothing like the threat of your own life being ended to find the most effective antidote out there!"

His expression morphed into something discreetly concerned. "You're insane."

"I prefer the word 'eccentric,'" you countered, weaving around him to leave. "Only geniuses would appreciate my dedication to my work."

Your last words were said as a murmur, obviously to yourself and not to him, but he froze nonetheless. Did you just assume that Senku was… stupid?

Despite being closed off and not having that many friends, there was no doubt that Senku had pride. Pride as a scientist, a soldier of technology, and a genius. The fact that you had indirectly demoted him to the status of an average person because he had said nothing but insults about how you do your craft hit a spot Senku refused to acknowledge existed.

"Some poisons have long-lasting side effects," he said snarkily. "Your own perception of color could be permanently altered depending on the strength of the mushroom's poison. Even worse, you could partially paralyzed."

You stared at him, eyes blank and unreadable.

Then you turned away without saying a single word.

Senku sputtered, slightly tripping over an overgrown root as he tried to catch up with you. "Wha — hey!"

You had gone back to your mumbling, your pace unnaturally fast for a small kid. You left Senku in the dust made from his own ego and audacity as he keeled over and started wheezing. For someone with a strong brain, he sure sucks at any kind of physical activity.

"Wait!" He called out, weakly reaching a hand out in a pathetic attempt of stopping you from leaving.

You finally turned, tilting your head at his distraught state. You had just stepped out of the gate, and he was already winded? What a weak kid, you noted.

"I'm a scientist," he said, finally gaining enough of his composure to straighten his back and lift his chin up high. "I can help you with your mushrooms."

You frowned. You couldn't really recall if there was ever a time where someone willingly offered to help you with your "weird" interest. "How do you plan on helping me?" You asked.

"I can help you develop antidotes," he offered. "I'm knowledgeable in chemistry and biology, so it would be easier for you to make an antidote, thus giving you more opportunities to test out poisons."

Putting a hand beneath your chin, you gave a moment of thought. It would be helpful to have another person of science working with you.

Maybe I can even try out stronger poisons now that I don't have to be completely mobile to administer a cure! You thought gleefully.

"Deal!" You chirped, holding out your hand. Your palms and fingers were stained with clumps of dirt, and Senku physically recoiled at the sight.

You looked down at your hand, suddenly aware of how dirty it was. "We'll shake on it tomorrow when my hand's clean! I have to head home. See you around, scientist!"

You gave him a single wave, before you launched into a sprint, obviously looking forward to working on the mushrooms in your house.

Senku slapped his hand on his forehead, shaking his head back and forth indignantly. What the hell did he just get himself into?!

He resumed his more relaxed trek home, his mind going back to his rocket model and more improvements, but now, his thoughts occasionally circled back to you — you and your messy uniform and beaming smile.

Then, he realized.

I don't even know their name.

Senku, at the time, didn't really understand why he was so hellbent on getting on your good side. You were just some random kid that he's known for less than an hour, but he was willing to put his dignity as a proud scientist on the line just for you to not card him off as another average person.

Whenever Taiju or Byakuya asked why he tried so hard to get close to you as he grew older, he had simply said that he didn't want you insulting his intelligence, since he was smarter than people who were even as old as his dad. But now, three thousand years later in a new world, he knew exactly why he sought for your companionship so much. It was the same motivation that drove him to look for your statue, somewhere out there, separated from his over the centuries that you've both been in stone.

From then, when you were kids, even until now, you had been the only one who didn't make him feel like an anomaly in society. Of course, he wasn't ashamed of how much smarter he was compared to the average adult, but he knew that his ingenuity also put up invisible walls between him and kids his age.

Though he may be the most logical child — or person in general — that you would ever meet, he was still inherently a human. Humans thrived on connection with others, because they were social beings. All humans, no matter how young or old, no matter how normal or twisted, will always seek human connection, whether consciously or otherwise.

Now that he had the chance to forge an alliance (because Senku would rather die than call it a friendship) with someone who was as passionate and knowledgeable in an aspect of science as he was with the entire subject, he subconsciously grabbed onto the chance and didn't want to let it go.

When young Senku arrived at his home, his father immediately noticed something was different about him. Byakuya could tell that his son seemed… hopeful.

"Did anything interesting happen today?" Byakuya asked lightly, peering at him over an old newspaper.

"I met an apothecary," he announced. "They're very odd."

"Like 'Taiju' odd?" Byakuya said teasingly, but Senku shook his head, ever the serious child.

"They're another plane of odd, but… they're like me."

The last part of the statement was so soft that Byakuya barely caught it.

"What do you mean, Senku?"

The kid shrugged, any ounce of childlike softness that had surfaced just a few moments ago already gone, as quick as it had arrived. "They're passionate about poisoning themselves."

Without any further elaboration, Senku retreated to his room, ready to work on his rocket during the time he had left before Byakuya would force him out to eat dinner.

"'Like you,' huh?" The older man mused, staring outside the window. The sun had began to set, which meant that he should get started on dinner soon. "I hope you find a friend in them, Senku," he muttered to himself, smiling slightly as he stood up and rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work on food.

—————

Over the course of the next few months in your first year of middle school, you found yourself spending a lot of your free time with Senku. Through him, you met Taiju, the brawn. You thought that him and Senku complimented each other perfectly; that is, Taiju was nothing short of an airhead.

"Why would you try to eat that?!" Taiju cried, slapping another kind of brightly-colored mushroom out of your hands just as you were about to pop it in your mouth.

A scowl immediately replaced the once blissful expression on your face at the idea of digesting a new kind of fungus. "Taiju, we've been over this! I'll be fine! I just want to see how strong the effects of the poison are before our dear scientist administers an antidote!"

Senku rolled his eyes from behind his monocle (of course he had a monocle), examining the piece of the suit he was developing for Byakuya in order to help him with swimming to pass the astronaut qualification exam. "As if I would give you the antidote, apothecary."

"You always do," you sang, snatching the mushroom from off the ground again and putting it in your mouth before Taiju could stop you. Unlike either of them, you were a perfect balance of physical and mental strength; your reflexes outmatched both of Senku's and Taiju's combined. "Don't worry! I swear to you that I'll always come back alive!" You shouted through a mouth full of mushroom.

"No!" Taiju lunged forward, albeit quite dramatically, tackling you and making you both fall to the floor of Senku's bedroom slash lab. He wrapped his arms around your stomach, trying to squeeze it to make you cough out the mushroom.

But it was too late. You had already swallowed.

You swiftly elbowed Taiju in the stomach, trying to get him to let go, but he didn't even wince. Stupid meat shield.

"How are you feeling, apothecary?" Senku asked monotonously, not even bothering to turn around to make sure that you were okay. However, his hand was already reaching for the antidote that you made before you decided to eat the mushroom.

"Vision is getting blurry," you noted, grinning. "There's also a ringing in my ears, and I'm losing feeling in my fingertips." After a pause, flexing your numbing fingers, you made your conclusion. "I'm about to lose consciousness in less than twenty seconds. Please administer the antidote."

With that, you grew limp in Taiju's hold, and Taiju immediately let you go to make you lay down flat on the floor, brow creased in worry. You had done this a dozen times in front of the boy, leaving him trained in handling it, but he never really stopped worrying for you. It was stupidly sweet, you couldn't lie.

"Senku, you heard them! Give the cure!"

"Shut up, you big oaf, I'm doing it," Senku sighed, standing up and walking over to your body, kneeling over you and forcing the liquid into your mouth. He put down the bottle to massage your throat, trying to make you swallow. His other hand was on your wrist, his pointer and middle finger pressed on your pulse point to track your heartbeat.

He felt your throat move reflexively beneath his hand. He couldn't help the small feeling of relief that let made his shoulders sag almost imperceptibly.

"Are they okay?!" Taiju asked, looking over Senku's shoulder.

"Pulse is stabilizing," Senku muttered, more to himself than to the boy hovering behind him. "Breathing is evening out as well. They'll be fine; they'll wake up in a few hours or so."

Taiju let out a big sigh of relief as he leaned backward, sitting down heavily on the ground as if he was the one who had administered the cure. "Thank the gods they're gonna be okay! I should put them on the bed so they'll be comfortable when they wake up!"

He immediately reached forward, aiming to do just as he suggested, but Senku stopped him. "Just leave them there, you big oaf. If they wanted to be on the bed, they would have sat on the bed before they drank the poison in the first place."

Taiju hesitated, tilting his head in conflict as he battled between his thoughts and the suggestions of the smartest person he knows — well, now one of the smartest people he knows. "Are you sure that's fine?"

Senku sat back down on his desk chair, clicking through various websites displaying graphs that made Taiju's head hurt just thinking about looking at them. "They'll be fine there. Just go back to molding the plating for the suit. I still have to work out new simulations."

"Alright, if you say so!" The strong boy spared you one last glance before grabbing the aluminum sheet that he had before you had passed out, deciding to just work near you in case you wanted company when you woke up.

Senku mentally scoffed. Stupid oaf.

He let you stay unconscious on the floor of his bedroom, knowing that you preferred the feeling of the cool wood beneath your body whenever you were passed out because of a new poison.

Not that he left you there for that reason. Totally not.

—————

High school arrived faster than anyone had anticipated — except for Senku, obviously. The demon probably counted down the seconds from the end of their middle school to their first day in high school.

Luckily, the three of you had gone to the same high school, which was the sister school of your middle school. During your first year, you had met Yuzuriha, a sweet girl who was insanely good at arts and crafts. Taiju had been the one to introduce her to the group, and she quickly became part of your odd little circle of individuals. Along the way, you had noticed that Taiju had developed feelings for her, and Yuzuriha felt the same.

Now, it was only a matter of when either of them would cross the line.

Other than that, you were still close friends with Taiju, Senku, and now Yuzuriha. Growing up into a taller, smarter version of yourself did nothing to pacify your obsession with poison. All it did was make you bolder, and Senku's hair would have turned white a long time ago because of you if it weren't for the fact that his hair was… you know… genetically white already.

Due to your insanity and Senku's aloofness, most people kept their distance from your group. Although it made you seem like a bunch of nerds and weirdos (which, let's be honest, you were), at least you weren't tortured with being approached every day by new people hoping to be friends with you.

You already had your circle of friends, and that's enough. It took you a long time to even warm up to Yuzuriha, and you were still in the process of doing so. The thought of adding someone else to your group sent shivers down your spine.

You were with Senku in the lab, as usual. Although it was technically club time, Senku simply worked on his own thing despite being the head of the science club, leaving the rest of the members with basically free time on their hands.

He was muttering to himself about something as he peered into the microscope, while you were doing the same on another table, but you were currently making an ointment for the rash that appeared on your back a few days ago as a side effect from another mushroom you decided to eat. Your antidote had done well in keeping your heart from stopping, but it left the non-lethal side effects for you to deal with separately. So fun.

Taiju barged in, slamming the door open as he announced, "Senku! I will confess to Yuzuriha today!"

You looked up from your work and grinned at him. "Finally. Don't mess it up."

Senku, on the other hand, look at him as he replied, "Great, do you want this potion I made? It makes you irresistible, and it boosts your confidence level by two billion percent." He grabbed a beaker filled with a strange fluid and held it out for the boy to take.

You watched Taiju consider it for a moment, before he cemented his resolve and shook his head with a determined frown creasing his eyebrows. "Thank you for the offer, Senku, but I won't need it today! It's either she likes me back or she doesn't — whatever comes next should be up to her and how she truly feels!"

"Bravo," you nodded in approval, giving him a small round of applause for his awareness. "Good luck, Taiju."

He smiled at you. "Thank you!"

With that, he left the lab.

"Yo, Senku, does that potion actually work?" One of the club members asked.

An evil grin spread on Senku's face as he poured the liquid out into the drain. "No, this is petroleum."

You perked up. "Do you still —"

"No, I'm not giving you any of that," Senku interrupted you, giving you a scolding glare. "One of these days, your organs will stop from the amount of stress you put them under."

Huffing, you deflated into your chair and rolled your eyes. "Boo. No fun."

You soon engrossed yourself in your work, while Senku decided to take a little break by the window, sipping on his drink while he watched his friend confess to his crush.

Then the flash of green light came from the distance.

He turned to you to warn you, to make sure you would be safe.

You looking back at him in confusion was the last thing he saw before the stone swallowed him whole.

—————

The people surrounding the bonfire were silent. The only sound heard was the crickets and the crackle of the burning wood.

"So that's what happened to you when the petrification happened," Gen hummed softly. For once, there was no tint of mischief or manipulation on his face; his expression was simply neutral, neutral in a way that only a person who knew how it felt to turn to stone could have.

Senku scoffed out a laugh, but it wasn't humorous. It did nothing to alleviate the tension that lingered in his frame ever since he started his storytelling. He couldn't believe that he actually let himself be convinced to tell your story, like you were some kind of legend that could only live through memory.

"Senku," Kohaku started. Her voice was unnaturally soft, with a feeling akin to pity. Senku didn't like it. "If you were able to develop the revival fluid, then why haven't you revived them yet?"

"You think I wouldn't have done that already if I could, lioness?" Senku said, voice void of emotion as he stared at the flame in front of him. "I haven't been able to find their statue. The change in terrain during the past thousands of years seemed to separate us far enough for them to go to a place that I can't reach yet, not with our current tools and situation."

"It would be good to have someone good at medicine with us," Chrome muttered, adjusting his headband. "Maybe they can make the all-cure drug faster than we did!"

Senku let out a chuckle. "Nah, they don't really dabble in pharmacy. They'd probably make some other kind of remedy, purely out of the plants that they could find."

The thought made Chrome's eyes sparkle. "So they're a scavenger too?! That's so cool!"

"I wish they were here so we could meet them," Suika said sadly, sniffling a little bit as she slowly recovered from the tears that she shed from Senku's stories. "They seemed like a good person."

"Yeah, they are."

Chrome stood up, grinning with a determination that only he could have. "Senku, I swear to you that we will do everything we can find them and revive them!"

Senku stared at him. His words sparked a memory.

"I swear that I'll always come back alive!"

The scientist couldn't help but throw his head back in laughter. "If you want that to happen, Chrome, then you better work two billion percent harder tomorrow so we can make the phone!"

Ginro groaned dramatically, flopping on the ground. "Look what you did, Chrome! Now we're subjected to more labor because of you!"

"We have to do whatever Senku wants either way, since he's the village chief," Kinro reminded his brother. "Rules are rules."

While the rest of the circle conversed with each other, Senku slipped away from the gathering as he made his way to the observatory. The turmoil of the entire exchange made the exhaustion sit heavier on his bones, and he needed an ample amount of sleep for his brain to function to its highest potential tomorrow as they continue the reinvention of the phone.

As he laid back with the blanket pulled over his chest, he stared out at the open sky, watching the stars glint in the black night.

He was participating in this war against Tsukasa for multiple reasons; ownership over the Cave of Miracles, diplomacy, resources, manpower… the list goes on. The whole village knew this, which is why they were all willing to help him.

However, there was one more reason that he decided to keep to himself. After endless calculation and prediction based on how much the land has developed during the petrification, where he was originally, where he found Taiju and Yuzuriha, and where their school once was, Senku was over eighty percent certain that your statue was hidden somewhere deep in Tsukasa's territory. If he wanted to find you, scanning that whole area would be the best place to start.

"I swear that I will find you," Senku whispered to the stars, as if they could somehow convey his message to wherever you were hidden. "No matter what it takes. So hold on for a little bit longer for me, apothecary."

He closed his eyes and let himself sleep. That night, he dreamed of your eyes, and how much he yearned to see them open once more, free of stone.

notes: i wrote this in a lot of intervals, which is why it might seem inconsistent at some point. get me someone who yearns like senku. prequel to this, so if you haven't read it, give it a shot! hope this was worth the wait, thank you to all those who showed love for this little idea of mine <3

[foxxynoiia]

next part of maomao inspired reader and senku content will be my next post trust, the next part just keeps getting longer... i hope you guys like long fics...

(edit: it's out)

[foxxynoiia]

Noia, what's in your inventory?

you…

[foxxynoiia]

i just finished watching “destroying a world that doesn’t exist” and i got an idea so LET ME COOK. (SPOILER WARNING FOR DAWTDE AND SEARCHING FOR A PLAYER THAT DOESN’T EXIST BELOW THE CUT)

what if the minecraft world that the king in yellow was trapped in was originally made as a containment unit by the DMS in order to be able to experiment on the king. they would send people from their previous experiment with alex (searching for a player that doesn’t exist) in order to gain in-depth knowledge of the universe with expendable subjects. it would make sense to trap the king in yellow in a video game like minecraft, sincei t’s a sandbox game and can be seen as an artform, and most depictions of the king in yellow are him influencing people through art forms.

HOWEVER! ever since wifies was able to crack the code of the DMS, more people have been able to gain access to these pieces of information, INCLUDING D3RLORD. knowing how smart he is, i can see him being able to gain access to the minecraft world that contains the king by cracking all the codes or whatever.

due to the DMS’s first leak from wifies’s detective skills, they put up multiple failsafes in the world itself to stop unwanted guests from ever coming across the king, from the disappearing mountains to the church with scriptures that could hypnotize you. THIS IS WHERE I GOT THE IDEA OF LINKING THE DMS TO THIS MC WORLD — when avery visited the church, he was put in a trance-like state for around 12 hours to forget his objective of finding d3rlord and doing what the scripture probably made him do, which was to stay in that specific world and forget about finding d3rlord and coming across the king.

this is similar to alex mining bedrock for 6 years — both were conditioned to do the same thing, over and over again, forgetting about the past, present, and future in favor of following orders.

this is also linked to the new updated document of derek’s last letter, where it says that the letter was under the property of the DMS.

(screenshot not mine, found on tiktok)

imagine if the DMS have derek as an investigation to see if they can revive the king in yellow.

so what if…?

disclaimer: i don’t know how entirely accurate this is to the ARG, since i haven’t fully digested the entire lore behind the three videos, but i’m onto something i swear (or i’m on something, either is very likely). i don’t know if i’m making sense and i’m too hyped up by this series to proofread whatever i just wrote. BUT AM I COOKING

[sweetredmanzanas]

The Senku way (Trial and error)

𖹭.ᐟ Pairing: Ishigami Senku x GN!Reader

𖹭.ᐟ 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.

𖹭.ᐟ Word count: 11.8k

𖹭.ᐟ 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.

"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?"

Taiju pauses before continuing, "Since its a big deal and you had agreed so quickly, I assumed you already talked about it with them."

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 he’s 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 isn’t a typical business trip but… semantics.

If Senku had missed the note on that, what else had he missed out on that the average conventional couple did?

“Are you…” Senku starts, licking his lips. “Are you okay with that?” His hands wetter from sweat than the condensation from the glass of water.

You look at him weirdly, “What.” You chuckled. “Well, yes..? Why wouldn't I be?”

He wasn’t nervous about the possibility of you not being okay with it, in fact he doubted it was even a possibility at all– and you had just confirmed that.

“You never usually ask anyways?”

Senku placed the cup on an empty spot on the table. “I hear it’s what other people do.” He spoke, slower, words feeling a little heavier than they usually do. “…ask for their partner’s opinion.” He clarifies.

You hum absentmindedly, “Doesn't mean we have to, it’s fine. Why would I ever want to hold you back from what you enjoy?”

Those comforting words send Senku spiraling once more, why did you immediately go to assure him? It felt wrong to him. He wasn’t 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.

“No…” He stands up and sighs. “You don’t hold me back.” He affirms. “If anything, don’t you think I'm the one who holds you back?”

In a softer voice, “Senku…” You called. “Where is this coming from?”

Senku runs a hand through his hair. “You can ask me to stay with you.”

“I don’t understand…” You shake your head, “Do you not want to go?”

He wasn’t stupid, he knew there was probably a better way to get what he meant across but right now… the words hung heavy and Senku couldn’t find strength to reach them.

“No, I- I do…” he stammers out. “I'm just asking what you- you…” he pauses, trying to catch his breath. “You're just okay with this?”

You stand, brows furrowed and concern plastered on your face. “Yes?” You let out a sigh. “C’mon Sen, what is it really?”

Senku wills himself to calm down, the beating of his heart slowing down. “Taiju… that oaf, mentioned something about talking to your partners and it- it just got me thinking about you.”

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 him… in shame? Embarrassment?

“Asking your partner before agreeing to business trips?? I didn't even know about that. What else do I not know?”

His voice, now full of frustration, was getting louder. “Just how much have I actually been holding you back? Dates, romantic evenings, affection… don't you want it? Why don't you ask me for it?”

For a second, You don’t say anything. His outburst probably caught you off guard. “I… because…” You start.

He doesn't see it but, You were looking at him so tenderly. “I never minded it. I mean, asking for those kinds of stuff, they would just get in the way right? And… science has always been your priority, something I never really wanted to get in between of.”

Get in the way? No…

Despite having a drink of water not long ago, his throat felt strangely dry. “No, that’s… you can tell me. I wouldn’t choose science over y-“

“You don’t have to say stuff like that.” You take a step forward towards him, entering his field of vision once more. “I'm more than happy just being with you.”

Senku shakes his head in disagreement, placing his hands on your shoulder. “No, let me… hold me accountable if I’m not enough.” 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. “Sen, I have always loved you for who you are. I never needed you to change.”

“It'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.”

Senku’s 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. “You're wrong…” He whispered, finding his own voice too weak. “I can-“

…

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 would’ve been better to just brush it off and think nothing of it, to just keep going with the way things were.

“Sen, I love you. Its okay, really, don't need anything else.”

But as Senku’s eyes find the ever gentle smile on your face, he just couldn't give up, couldn't just let it end there, and he’d 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 the… argument? Disagreement? Could it even be called that? Regardless, Senku’s 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 weren’t 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 Senku’s third attempt that he managed to launch a rocket beyond the earth’s 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 he’d 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 Senku’s 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 would’ve just tried anything and everything, it was the fastest way to get accurate information on what works and what doesn’t. It’s a little shameful that he doesn’t 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- it’s just that, now he was older. Wiser? that’s debatable. He has plenty of experience under his sleeve with rocket launching and outer space research now but probably still in the same place he’s 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 hadn’t 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 wasn’t 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 doesn’t 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 weren’t 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.

“Senku?” You answered, dragging out the last syllable of his name. You sounded cheery. Though, it’s not like the you were ever upset for long periods of time when it came to him, even if you had gotten into what you’d essentially call a disagreement just a few nights ago.

Senku grunted out a reply, “Hey.” Clearing his throat before taking a sip of his coffee.

“What’s up? Did you need something?”

“Did you eat lunch yet?” He answers the question with another question.

“Ah? Mhm, not too long ago …why?”

“I’m just asking.” He mumbles, throwing away the empty can of coffee in a nearby trashcan.

You giggle, “What? Is something up? Have you finally inhaled too much fumes?” You teased.

He smiles to that. “So, I can’t just ask you that? Whatever happened to making small talk?” 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?

“What.” Senku can hear your laughter through the phone. “You’re being so weird, when have you ever made small talk? If you need something- “

Maybe it was the taunt, but now Senku had felt like he had to bite back to that. Why can’t he just do it for the sake of it? He ought to prove he can do such things soon.

He licked his lips, “Yeah, maybe I needed some of your attention?” His voice cracked at the end, and Senku couldn’t 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.

“WHAT.” 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. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. ARE YOU SICK…”

“S-seriously! You can’t just say stuff like that, what is wrong with you- you should get checked out, I think the fumes have actually entered your brain-“ You don’t stop, spouting at an incredible speed, no doubt flustered as well.

He smiles at the thought. Well, he might’ve not given the best line delivery but it seemed to at least worked out anyways.

“I gotta go.” Senku cuts you off. He didn’t actually have to go but it was time to retreat for now.

“H-huh? Oh okay…” You stutter out, still taken aback.

“Seriously… what the heck.” 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 didn’t.

...

Unfortunately, breaking habits never come easy.

In Senku’s 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 one’s surprise, really.

He felt specially exhausted as well too, something he usually wouldn’t think much of as he’d 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, he’d wanted to go home early for the sake of spending time with you and it’s been ruined.

The unmoving traffic was not helping either. He sighed, glancing at his phone to check the time again as if it’ll make it a difference. A chuckle coming from the man beside him had caught his attention, however. “In a rush to get home, Senku?”

Xeno, who had offered him a ride when the older one noticed they were leaving at the same time, looked at him with curiosity. “You’re usually the last one to leave. How unexpected to see you rushing to get home for once.”

Senku hid his impatience with a smile. “Heh. You’ve been watching me that closely, Dr. Xeno?”

“Hmph, it was merely an observation.” The older one retorts. “Perhaps, there’s a special occasion today?”

He looks away, leaning against the window instead. “Nah… nothing like that.”

The traffic finally moves and the car reaches a more familiar area. It’s 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.

“We’ll be nearing your block soon.” 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. “Actually, I’ll just get off here.”

“Are you sure?” The man beside him asked.

He hurriedly made sure he got all his belongings before replying, “Yeah, this way you won’t have to take an extra turn either.” He put his hand on the handle, ready to exit. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Well, get home safe.” He hears Xeno say as he closes the car door.

Senku didn’t know why he was rushing home. Why had every minute mattered now when it didn’t 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 wasn’t work- that no, he wasn’t 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 can’t even manage to come home early.

Ever the man with no stamina, he’s 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 hadn’t even adjusted to the sudden bright light yet but is already trying to look for you, worried you somehow managed to get hurt.

“Ugh… Senku? Is that you? I just got flashbanged…” 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.

“What are you doing? Freak.” Senku questions, squatting down near you.

You tilt your head to look up at him, with a big goofy grin. “I’m trying to let my eyes adjust! It’s common practice to let your eyes to get used in the dark for at least 30 minutes first before doing any stargazing.”

“Although… now I’ve been flashbanged, thanks to you! I think I’ll have to restart.” You pout.

Senku sighs, standing up. “And laying on the floor also helps with that?” He pulls one of the chairs closer to them and signals for you to stand up and sit on the chair instead. “Sit on a chair like a normal person. Isn’t the floor cold? If you get sick, I’m not taking care of you.”

He hears you groan before moving, “Research says that floor time is great, actually.” Your voice slightly fades as Senku walks away, turning off the light switch from the hall.

Research? He lets out a dry laugh. “Uh huh, I’d love to read that study.”

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, he’d 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. “Ah! That scared me…” Judging from your laughter, it didn’t actually. You wrap the blanket around you better than Senku did, a smile on your face.

“Andromeda is supposed to be visible to the naked eye tonight, it’s great!” You exclaim.

Senku looks away from the night sky, staring at you instead. “You know we have a telescope, right?” He says as a matter-of-fact, raising a brow.

“Yeah, but this is still different! There’s just something about actually spotting it with your own eye, you know?” You insist, looking up with a sparkle in your eyes.

“Not really, I mean I see these galaxies on like a regular basis from our telescopes. It’s almost a chore now.” He states dryly, leaning back.

You pout, “Boo.” You stick out your tongue as taunt. “Okay, we get it, Mr. Astronomer Scientist!”

“You’re looking at one of humanity’s potential doom. Unlike other galaxies, Andromeda moves towards us. If the sun doesn’t explode first, then we’ll be wiped out when the Milky way and Andromeda inevitably collide.” Senku smirks, explaining dryly as if he wasn’t talking about the wipeout of humanity.

“Well, that’s for the future. For now, it’s just beautiful to look at.” 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 Earth’s surface anyways. On land, Andromeda looked like just an average star. Maybe slightly bigger and fuzzier- almost blurry. But that was about it, he didn’t think it was anything to celebrate about.

“Oh! I think my eyes are adjusting… I can see a lot more stars now.” You chirped. “And soon, Andromeda!”

Right now, it wasn’t any star or galaxy that held Senku’s 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 doesn’t 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 can’t 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. You’ve 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.

Mundane…

Perhaps that’s why Senku got complacent in the relationship. It was just something he put at the back of his mind, repeating that he’ll 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.

“Can you see it yet?” The scientist asks only to find you scrunching your face in an effort to squint harder.

You grumble. “No, am I blind?”

He can only snicker, “Idiot, you’re looking at the completely wrong direction.”

You let out a drawn out, “Huuuh?” 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.

“Focus your eyes on that area.” He instructs. “See that fuzzy thing that kinda resembles a star?”

You let out a small gasp after realizing, “Woah. That’s it?” You question. “It looks so… normal. That’s a whole galaxy? It just looks like a slightly stretched out star.”

Senku smirks, “Why do you think it took so long for the existence of other galaxies to be accepted? It’s only been a hundred years that people started comprehending that the Milky Way was only one of the thousands of galaxies out there.”

“And that’s gonna crash into us one day.” You giggle. “How unthreatening.”

“Uh huh. Let me know if you still think that way when you see it up close.” He quipped.

You hum in thought, “I don’t know… We’ll be old and wrinkly by the time it comes for us.”

“I’ll be surprised if that’s all we’ll be, decomposed is more like it.”

A comfortable silence blankets over them, quietly admiring the cosmos in peace. We’ll be old and wrinkly, huh? Senku found he didn’t hate the thought.

...

“Senkuuu…” You whine. “Wake! Up!”

The man groans in protest. “Ugh.” He lifts up his head and rubs his eyes in frustration. “What.” Senku deadpans. He looks over to you, still clad in your pajamas and obviously looking like you’ve also just woken up.

“Why are you still here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work by now?” You hurriedly question. “It’s already 7’o’clock!”

Senku groans again and falls back to the bed, slightly grumpy from having been woken up. “I don’t have to go in early today, they’re preparing a few training stuff for the people who’s gonna get on board.”

“Oh.”

You scratch your head sheepishly. “Sorry… you usually leave so early, I kinda panicked. And plus! You didn’t say anything about it.”

Too sleepy for a coherent conversation, Senku just babbles a response, already closing his eyes again. “Alright, well, just go back to sleep then.” You say as you move to leave the bed.

Before you can, Senku throws an arm around you. Not totally keeping you in place, Senku’s stick arms being too small for that. “Huh? Why?”

“Silly, I have work.” 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.

“No one’s gonna die if you’re five minutes late.” He complains.

You laugh, mocking his distress. “Wow. I never thought I’d ever see the great Ishigami asking for morning cuddles.”

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. “Okay but like, I really do have to get ready now.” 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 could’ve kept sleeping. He wasn’t 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. “Careful, it’s hot.” He warns, knowing you’ll still probably burn your tongue anyways.

And you did, “Ah. Oops.” You stick your tongue out as if that’ll make it feel better.

Senku can only huff in disbelief, “Idiot.”

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 doesn’t 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. “Shouldn’t you get going soon? You were so worried about being late earlier.”

“Huh? Oh, right.” You test the temperature of the drink and after confirming it was at a much tolerable level, quickly gulp it down. “Thanks!”

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. “Are you leaving now?” He calls out.

“Hm? Yeah!” 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.

“No goodbye kiss?”

It was amazing to watch you completely freeze in motion, face morphed into horror and warm. “E-excuse me?” You choke out.

Senku holds back his laughter, keeping up the act of composure. “Hm… Just gonna leave me to take care of the house all day for nothing in return?” He teased.

“O-okay? First of all, I sincerely doubt you’re going to do anything productive before leaving for work too. Second! Yeah, you’re not going to be here all day. So, I don’t know what you want, good sir.” You ramble, blurting out words faster than you can think in an attempt to conceal how flustered you were.

And this time, Senku couldn’t contain his laugh. He steps forward, going closer to you. “A goodbye kiss would be nice.”

He thinks that, if you were a volcano- you would’ve definitely erupted from embarrassment by now. “Since when! You’re acting crazy-“

“Since now.” He cuts you off.

You squawk in disbelief. “I swear- they actually did something to you in that lab. A failed experiment or something, and now you’re all weird and crazy.”

He shakes his head. “You can just say no. Why do I have to be dragged into a conspiracy theory?”

He smirks in triumph, knowing he’s won when you couldn’t find any other rebuttal to make. Just quiet, debating whether or not you should take the bait. “I swear, I’ll be the one who turns crazy with how you’re acting crazy lately.” You huff.

You take a step towards him, closing a bit more distance. If Senku’s heart wasn’t beating so loudly in his ears, he might’ve just heard the curses you were spewing under your breath before finally kissing him on the cheek.

“There. Happy?”

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 Senku’s heart do a little backflip and a twirl as a landing pose.

When they part, your eyes were so dilated it would’ve been concerning under any other circumstance. Though, Senku doesn’t 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. “Well, uh… you should go.” He broke the silence first.

“Yeah, I- yup! I’m gonna go…”

You both awkwardly shuffle for a few seconds, Senku moving out of the way to let you out. “I uh… I’ll see you later then.” 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 doesn’t 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 didn’t end as an error. Although he realizes, maybe he should’ve thought about it more before going through with it. After all, when was the last time you’ve 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 wasn’t the biggest guy on physical touch as a love language. Physical intimacy wasn’t necessarily scary, no- he didn’t fear it. More like, it made him squeamish? To him, it just came so unnaturally. Hence, never getting any proper “practice” 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 he’s 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 “goodbye kiss” 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 he’s 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 wasn’t 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 but…

It’d 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 can’t 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, names… 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. “Are you really sure it was okay to not attend the celebration?” 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.

“I told you already, no one’s even gonna notice I didn’t attend.” Senku assures, his pinky locating his ear out of habit. “It’s just a bad excuse to sip wine and act snotty.”

You purse your lips, “Well, alright.”

A beat passes. “You’re much better company anyways.” He says, refusing to look at you. His cheeks had a light dusting of pink on them.

“And… you look amazing.”

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? “Not even a thank you? Just going to laugh at me instead?”

You snort, “It just feels weird hearing you say it.” You laugh lightheartedly, “I guess, I’m just not used to hearing you say stuff like that.”

And Senku leaves it at that but his thoughts don’t. Why was it weird? Why couldn’t 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 wasn’t bad… 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 didn’t 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 he’d done this sooner and more often. He’ll 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 entrée. You look up to catch his gaze and smiles, “Sen? Have you already decided what you’re getting?”

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 they’ll be back with your food before finally leaving the two of you alone again.

You catch Senku’s attention, “Psst, Sen.” You smile when his attention lands on you. “Do you think the food will actually be good?”

He raises an amused brow, “Are you having doubts?”

“I mean…” You drag out the last syllable in ponder. “Isn’t it usually a gamble when it comes to a place like this? It’s either the food doesn’t actually taste good or the portion size is abysmal for its price.”

Senku snickers. “If you wanted to go to a greasy fast food place instead, you could’ve just said so. No need to disguise your picky eater trait by placing the blame somewhere else.”

“I am not!” You pout. “If it does end up good then you’ll never hear me complain again. But if it’s bad, then I’ll have told you so.” You stuck up your nose.

“Besides, it’s your money wasted anyways.” 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? “Oho, why do you even have a job then? If you’re just going to be a freeloader.”

You quip, “For fun! What else?”

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 entrée wasn’t bad… 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 wasn’t bad, nor was it good.

The food had been terribly mediocre.

They weren’t 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. “I can’t… I just- WHAT is this…” You poke at the food in emphasis. “It looks like they just boiled everything and called it a day! Not a SPECK of seasoning is on it…”

Senku couldn’t even manage a response, too busy trying not to die from laughter. “Senku! Are you even listening… Pft- I mean, just look at it!”

When he does look at it, he ends up letting out a howl of laughter. “O-okay, stop… stop talking…” He wheezed. “I can’t breathe-“

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.

“I wonder if the water was boiled too-“

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 didn’t 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.

“What do you say we just leave?” Senku suggests, resting his chin on a propped up hand.

“Awe, but what about dessert?” 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. “We can get something from the convenience store on the way home.”

You giggle in satisfaction. “Sounds like a plan.”

Senku stands, extending a hand for you to take. “Now, come. Let’s go before someone notices.”

Senku was pretty disappointed that their dinner hadn’t gone exactly as he planned. Next time, he’ll 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 Senku’s shoulder, humming a soft tune while scrolling through your phone.

He clears his throat, catching your attention. “Listen, sorry it didn’t work out tonight…” He frowns, voice getting quieter at the end. Scratch that, he wasn’t 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. “No… it wasn’t even your fault.” You chuckle as a brief memory of what happened flashes in your mind.

You falter for a second before continuing. “Actually, I should be the one to apologize.”

Senku eyes you, confused. “Remember when you had brought it up? About how I shouldn’t have accepted being second on your list?” He winces for a second at the reminder but lets you continue anyways. “Well…”

“Yeah.” You smile gently, looking at him in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Sen.”

“I was just… 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 would’ve broken my heart. I want you to reach all the dreams you have, so I let myself come second, I insisted. That’s why when you came to me, suddenly proposing the idea of prioritizing me… I got scared. What if I caused you to slow down?”

Senku mutters your name, brows furrowed. You shake your head, and it makes his heart ache. “And, I always knew that conventional romance wasn’t 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.”

You press your forehead to Senku’s, “And look at you. You’ve proven me so wrong. You’ve treated me so well these last few weeks…”

“It’s been barely anything…” He whispers, emotions welling up at his throat.

You pull away, looking at him. “You should give yourself more credit, Dr. Ishigami.”

Senku’s hand twitches, the urge to cup your cheeks and kiss you silly was strong. But his stomach had other plans, growling from neglect. “Pft-“

“Tsk, seriously?” He deadpans, scratching his neck in disbelief.

You calm yourself down from giggling, “To be fair… I’m also hungry. We barely touched our food earlier.” You stand up, heading for the kitchen. “No worries, I’ll whip us up something deserving of 3 michelin stars!”

He sighs, leaning back to the couch in defeat. “If it has salt- I’m sure it’ll already be ten billion percent better than what we had earlier.”

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.

“Wow. Well that definitely has sodium in it.” He remarks dryly.

His partner chuckles, “Oh I’m about to undo all the training they had you do with some bad, bad diet.” You pass him his cup, still steaming, alongside a pair of chopsticks.

He smiles; heart filled with warmth. All those trials and specially tonight’s 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 hadn’t 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 he’d like to admit. Now, he bathed in the warm kitchen light, heated from the inside by comfort food and sharing laughter with the person who’s 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 wouldn’t 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 her 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 hadn’t 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 wasn’t until tomorrow’s dawn, but everyone involved had to be at the site for all the preparations and precautions that needed to be taken. It wasn’t Senku’s 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, that’s 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 wasn’t like the site was going to go up in flames if he was an hour late and, in his defense, it’s 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 didn’t sound familiar, something that probably would never play in radios nowadays, but not a popular classic either that anyone would’ve known- it was most likely just an obscure song that the owner loved during their youth.

He really should just leave now. There wasn’t 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 wasn’t 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 couldn’t 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 weren’t 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 doesn’t 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 you’re outside of the Earth’s 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 he’s 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 Senku’s 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, he’s 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 it’s 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. “Hey, Sen.” You called, softly. “You’re back.”

His eyes widen, certainly not expecting the sudden appearance. He doesn’t let it show for long though, a curious expression quickly replacing it. “And who let you in here?” He snickered.

“I’ll have you know it was Dr. Xeno who invited me here.” You quip, laying the flowers at the bedside table. “What? Not happy to see me?”

The opposite. Senku had such a big smile painted on his face, the expression was one he couldn’t suppress. “I was just about to get some shut eye, you know? Way to ruin my beauty sleep.” 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. “Yeah, well, I think you’re plenty beautiful even with dark circles.”

“Though, the jet lag must be insane. From all the way outside of Earth’s atmosphere to here.” You jest.

Senku lets out an amused chuckle. “Not quite, not like there’s any day or night out there anyways.” He lets out a groan, sitting up.

“Oh… Are you really sure you should be sitting like that?” You worriedly ask.

“You act as if it’s my first time.” He smirks, smugness evident on his face.

You can’t help but laugh in amusement. “Ok genius, we get it.”

Senku was glad that the medical team hadn’t 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 doesn’t slip by your keen eyes though, try as he might to pretend that he was feeling fine. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look pale.”

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. “I’ll go get a doctor, okay?”

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.

“No, I don’t need a doctor.” He manages to croak out; his throat filled with anxiety.

He knows it’s 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.

“S-sen! I don’t think you should be doing that- sit back down-“ 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.

“Senku?” You call out, voice audibly shaky.

His heart almost backflips out of his throat when he couldn’t 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. “You already know right?” He lets out a weak laugh as if it’ll mask the fear he was feeling.

Before all of this, he couldn’t 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 should’ve been writing reports.

Senku could see your tears welling up in your bright eyes, he should apologize afterwards for all the heart attacks he’s been causing to you lately. But not until after this latest one.

“I’m sure this is sudden for you but I had plenty of time to think about it, way up there in space.” He smiles. “And it’s not exactly a space rock but…”

“I do hope you’ll say yes.” He calls your name. “Will you marry me?”

You don’t let him entertain the idea that you’ll 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. “Ugh, okay. I might actually need a doctor now. I think I hit my head.” He deadpans.

You let out a laugh, smiling through your tears. “I can’t believe you. I’ll get mad if I find out they’ve actually replaced you with a different Senku…”

He can only huff in disbelief. “The ring is not on your finger yet. I could take it all back if I wanted to.”

You shake your head. “No, no. I didn’t say anything.” You quickly take back your comment. “Give me!”

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. “Here, you better not lose it.”

No errors here. It had gone completely successful, and despite all the trouble he had to go through, Senku would’ve done it all the same. No elaborate plan or scheme would’ve beaten the euphoria he was feeling. He’ll gladly endure tomorrow’s back pain for laying on the floor if it meant holding his future spouse for many more years to come.

END.

[foxxynoiia]

hey so i’m crying wtf the way that senku actually made an effort to change habits that he’s had for his entire life is so heartwarming. gorg oneshot that i came across just when i thought i was experiencing a senku fic drought ❤️❤️

[foxxynoiia]

going through a tumblr identity rebrand hehe. i'm now noia and i'm orange

[witchcraftshere]

It's always "I love you" and never "Okay, I don't care that we're different. What I care about is you. I care about you. Okay? And I didn't say it. I should've said it. But I didn't. Because... well, 'cause I am an emotionally insecure source of your discomfot who is not good at expressing his feelings. Probably because I've been on my own my whole life. And it's not an excuse, it's just- it's why instead of telling you that you're the best thing that ever happened to me, I make jokes about your ears and I tell you that you try too hard. When, you know, the truth is, I just don't want you to get hurt because... because no one else in the world matters more to me than you do."

[foxxynoiia]

i just watched zootopia 2 and there is nothing casual about that fox and that rabbit

[foxxynoiia]

synopsis: in which the kingdom of science was not prepared to meet someone as crazy — scratch that, even crazier than senku himself. 2.4k words

pairing: senku x maomao!reader (can be read as platonic, but written with romantic interests in mind)

tags: canon-divergent, fluff, crack, reader is inspired by maomao from apothecary diaries, soft!senku, gn reader, tw: self-poisoning, suicide jokes

When Senku said that he would be reviving someone crucial to their plan of bringing back all humans from stone, everyone from the Kingdom of Science developed their own image in their head.

Chrome imagined another genius like Senku, someone who can help create things that seemed like magic.

Kohaku expected an athlete, meant to do the heavy lifting that she normally found herself doing for Senku and his experiments.

Ginro shook at the thought of a leader, commanding and terrifying and ready to rule over the Kingdom of Science with an iron fist.

Obviously, Senku thought it was unnecessary to explain who he was actually planning on reviving and what they were like, because no one expected him to emerge from the thickness of the forest with someone like... you.

You, who looked as normal as could be, save for the cracks etched upon your skin from the de-petrification process.

"Senku... who is this?" Kohaku asked. Typical of her, one of the only ones who had the guts to openly question the scientist's judgement.

Senku grinned like he had just uncovered diamonds (and to him, maybe he did). "This, ladies and gentlemen of the stone world, is the capable apothecary back from the modern world."

You had smiled and nodded at them, introducing yourself. "Nice to meet you all. I look forward to working with you."

Gen was the only one who was actually wary of you — you, who did not seem fazed at all when you came out of the petrification to find yourself in a world that has descended into over three thousand years without a single human soul from the modern world.

From his experience, the only ones who had that kind of reaction to this new age were the ones that had a couple of screws loose in their brains, much like Senku.

If only he had followed his gut.

After you had explained to the rest of the Kingdom of Science what an apothecary was, little Suika was eager to learn form you as you wandered through the forest together in search for herbs. Senku had your own clinic constructed beside his lab, where you kept various leaves and plants that you thought would be useful.

It took a few weeks for you to properly settle in and get used to the difficult simplicity of things, but once you did, Senku knew that he had to keep a tighter leash on you.

"Kinro, Ginro," he had told them one day when you were holed up in your clinic. "While you're guarding the village, make sure that the apothecary doesn't leave the area."

Ginro had tilted his head, confused. You kept to yourself most of the time, sure, but you seemed harmless to him. "Why?"

Senku shook his head. "Trust me, you do not want to see what would happen if they're left unsupervised."

Nonetheless, Kinro and Ginro nodded. It was part of the rules to be wary of outsiders anyway, so Kinro had no problem keeping an eye on you.

But of course, even the strict Kinro could sometimes slip, especially with someone as sneaky as you under their watch.

They didn't even notice you were gone until Gen went into the clinic one day to bother you, only to find it empty.

He thought that bringing it up with Senku would be no big deal, and that he would probably know where you were.

Until his news of your sudden disappearance caused Senku to look up from his messy science-y notes so fast Gen knew that man had to have gotten whiplash.

"Get Suika, Kohaku, and Chrome and tell them to search the forest," he barked, storming out of his lab like a man on a mission.

Gen stumbled to keep up with him, eyebrows pinching together. Why was Senku, the normally logical, overall detached scientist, act like you not being here was a war crime?

Gen began to question how much you really meant to the scientist. Obviously you were something to him, seeing as you didn't have extraordinary skills, and yet you were still one of the very few people that Senku decided to revive.

Either way, this level of overprotectiveness is crazy! Gen thought.

"Wha — What are you gonna do?!" The mentalist sputtered.

"I'm gonna have a word with the bodyguards," Senku grumbled, and he didn't wait to see if Gen left to do what he was told (he did leave — no way did he want to deal with an angry Senku) before he approached Kinro and Ginro at the end of the bridge.

"I thought I told you to watch the apothecary!" He said, his voice shaky and maniacal, the way it always sounded when he was stressed about something. "They're gone!"

Kinro was the first to speak up this time. "I apologize for losing sight of them, but guarding the village is our number one priority. If they leave the Kingdom of Science, which is not technically part of the village, then it is not really our concern."

"They could be anywhere doing gods know what!" Senku threw his hands up, one raking through his hair.

"They — They couldn't have gone that far," Ginro reassured, but his hands were shaking the spear that he held. "They're probably still around the area, gathering their herbs or something!"

The statement was meant to reassure Senku.

It did not.

"Shit, what if they come across...?" Senku began mumbling to himself, walking away as he dived deep into his thoughts.

In the end, it was Kohaku that found you.

In a not so good condition.

"They're unconscious!" Kohaku called out as she came out into the clearing of the Kingdom of Science with you in her arms. "There are weird, soapy things coming out of their mouth."

Senku almost tripped over himself to get a better look at you. There was foam on the corners of your purple lips. Your skin was deathly pale, and your chest was barely rising.

But you were alive, that was the good thing. Keeping you alive would be a different challenge.

"You stupid apothecary," Senku laughed, but there was no humor in his voice.

Despite his... less superior strength, he took you out of Kohaku's arms and brought you to your clinic, laying you on the stretcher on the ground as he rummaged through your shelves of remedies and herbs.

"This is why you can never leave my sight," he said, more to himself than you. "Who knows what you find in this forest? The plants are different from how they were three thousand years ago, of course you'd be curious of its properties. Of course you'd test it on yourself."

He found a bottle you had labeled "generic antidote" and snatched that one.

He pulled the cork out with his teeth and brought the lid of the bottle to your lips.

"No."

He paused his movements when he heard you. Your words were more air than voice, but he had heard you nonetheless due to your proximity.

"Your lips are purple, you're foaming at the mouth, you're deathly pale, and you're barely breathing," Senku listed down. "That's the generic effects of poison. What's wrong with the generic antidote?"

Your eyes cracked open, and Senku almost recoiled in shock.

"Your eyes are black."

Sure enough, even the part of your eyes that were supposed to be white were almost fully coated in black, like you had put on contacts.

"Different... poison..." you muttered, like speaking was the hardest thing you ever did in your life. "White petals, salt... the green paste in the small bottle. Grind 'n boil 'em 'until 'til they bubble."

"Is there enough time for that?" Senku asked, but he was already reaching for the ingredients. His hands moved with lightning speed, determined to give you the antidote.

"Yeah... got lots of time..." you had started to fade into unconsciousness, but Senku was quick to lightly slap your cheek.

"Oi, stay awake, stupid apothecary," he commanded.

"Yessir," you slurred slightly, a weak grin on your face.

The preparation took forever, when in reality it only took around twenty minutes until he had a strange concoction in a bowl, ready for consumption.

He knelt beside you, pushing you up into a sitting position so the antidote would travel around your body faster.

With one hand behind your back and the other holding the bowl, he brought the antidote to your lips. "Open up."

You drank obediently, your face faintly scrunching up at the expectedly awful taste, but you had finished everything in the bowl.

"Good." Senku laid you back down. "Now you can rest."

He didn't even need to tell you that; you were already knocked out the moment you had drank the last of the antidote.

—————

Throughout the rest of the day, various people came to check in on you, asking Senku how you were doing and if you were alive.

He was quick to snap at all of them, telling them that you would recover faster if it was quiet. Obviously that wouldn't really change anything, but they don't need to know that.

You woke up late at night, your head feeling like a balloon and your body feeling like lead.

Senku perked up from his seat on the side of the clinic when he heard you groan, immediately standing up and kneeling by your side.

"You good, apothecary?" He hated how worried his voice sounded; a scientist like him shouldn't be chained down by emotions.

But you literally just poisoned yourself, so could you really blame him?

"I..." It took you so long to finish your answer that Senku was convinced that you had fallen asleep again, until you bolted upright with the widest grin on your mouth. The contrast of your bright smile with your pale face and bloodshot eyes made you look like a character straight out of a horror game. "I feel great!"

Senku blinked. "Huh?"

"Did you get the flower that I ate?" You started rambling, pulling at your sleeves to examine your skin, as if looking for residual poison. "I knew that there would be new kinds of natural poison around here since it's been a couple hundred years, but wow! That flower was unlike anything I've ever tested —"

Your eyes suddenly snapped to Senku's. "Did you record how long it took for me to pass out? How long it took for the antidote to take effect? My symptoms? How close I was to death?"

Senku was in disbelief, to put it lightly. He knew from the moment that he met you that you were as passionate about poisons as he was about science, but he forgot how actually insane you were.

"It took you eight hours to recover, but that doesn't include the time from when the poison started to take effect to the time that Kohaku found you," Senku replied, not to answer your question, but to scold you. "What have I told you about trying poisons out without telling anyone?! What would have happened if I didn't tell the Kingdom of Science to look for you?!"

You waved his concern away like it was unnecessary (it was very much necessary). "My heartbeat would have been slow enough to not even be detected by a machine, my chest would barely rise, but I was confident that I wouldn't die. I'm immune to most poisons."

"Well, obviously not this one!" Senku groaned. He felt like pulling his hair out. "You could have died!"

You put your hand to your chin, suddenly deep in thought. "What if the flower gives you the effects of death, but in reality, it doesn't actually kill you? Or what if it does kill you, but giving an antidote can basically revive you?" You muttered.

It was like Senku wasn't even there!

He slapped the back of your head, hard enough to pull you out of your brain but not hard enough to actually hurt you. "Stop that! Stop plotting ways to commit suicide! You're grounded until further notice!"

"But Senku!" You whined, clutching the front of his shirt like you were begging for your life rather than freedom to roam through the forest and find more lethal poisons. "This is the pinnacle of poison discovery! I'm the only one alive that has true experience with poison, and I could find new ones that'll be named after me and carry my legacy for generations!"

"I understand that discovery comes with risk, but this is neither necessary nor calculated risk on your part!" Senku retorted, flicking your hand away. "Kohaku was already caught off guard when you were surrounded by strange, purple flowers!"

The silence made Senku sweat. He should not have said that.

Before he could react, you were already out of the cot, dashing out of the clinic. The fire in front of Chrome's storage facility was still alive, which meant that there were still people awake in the Kingdom of Science.

You spotted a familiar head of blonde hair. "Kohaku!" You called, dragging her name out as you ran towards her, your smile as maniacal as your laugh as you evaded Senku, who was shouting at you to get back to bed.

You slid on the ground, stopping right beside Kohaku. You grabbed her shoulders and made you face her. "Do you remember where you found me? Did you get any of the flowers that you found me with? Do you —"

"Do not answer any of their questions!" Senku interrupted, wrapping his arms around your waist and hauling you up. "It'll only encourage them to test stuff on themself!"

The rest of the people surrounding the campfire — old man Kaseki, Chrome, and Gen — stared at you in horror. You thrashed around in Senku's arms, but ultimately gave up when his hold on you never faltered. For a scientist who normally lacked physical strength, he sure was good at keeping you in place.

"I knew there was something wrong with you," Gen muttered, a scared smile spreading on his lips.

"This is bad," Chrome moaned, clutching the sides of his head like he just found a live bomb. "I thought the apothecary was tamer and more mature than Senku. Turns out they're just as bad!"

"No," Kohaku shook her head, watching Senku drag you back to the clinic where he would undoubtedly imprison you until you were fully recovered and properly confined within the Kingdom grounds. "They're worse."

Kaseki sighed, tending to the fire. "At least young Senku is there to keep them in line. It seems he cares about them very much."

Gen nodded. He may have missed you being a complete suicidal maniac, but that's one thing he was sure of: despite your tendencies, Senku was always there to make sure you never actually "step into the light", so to speak.

And he's pretty certain that will not change any time soon, not even in the stone world.

notes: i finished apothecary diaries before i started dr stone, which is where i got the idea to combine the two, in a way. hope you enjoyed reading! <33

[foxxynoiia]

i did not expect this to receive so much love but i’m glad it did cus i’m proud of this idea. ty to those who enjoyed it!!

[stxxrrgirl]

secret bf!bakugo katsuki fluff⋆｡°✩

“Did you get a new perfume?”

Mina exclaims after giving you a hug, going back in closer to your neck to take a big inhale. “Huh?” You clock your head to the side, pulling away and plopping onto the couch in the common room next to Ochaco.

“I can swear i’ve smelled that before.” Mina crosses her hands in front of her, narrowing her eyes at you. “What—No? I haven’t changed my pef—“ You chuckle nervously. You knew you shouldn’t have cuddled him right before this, he always gets his sweat on you and consecutively, you smell just like him.

“Oh my god! I know this smell! You—“ Mina says, pointing an accusatory finger at you, voice loud enough to catch the attention of Bakugo’s squad who are all the way across the huge space.

“You smell like Bakugo!”

Noise stops, heads snap, a moment later gasps ensue.

“You totally do! You smell like caramel!” Mina keeps pointing at you dramatically, footsteps of the boys are heard before they enter your view, all ready to join the chaos.

“You know, you’re right. I got new perfume. It’s in my room.” It’s so not in your room because you never bought new perfume. Ochaco leans in close too, “No, no, Mina’s right! You do smell like Bakugo!” She exclaims too.

“I do not—” You don’t even get to defend yourself.

“Hah! I knew you were dating him! He‘a a hundred times calmer when you’re around!” Denki interrupts you, throwing his hands up. “Denki, you owe me 10 bucks!” Kirishima laughs.

“I am not dating Kats—Bakugo.” Your voice carries over the chorus of conversation, leaning against the back of the couch. Before anyone can say anything else, you feel warm lips press against your neck, hot breath fanning against your skin.

“You were saying?” Katsuki murmurs against your neck as your roll your eyes. You throw him a glare over your shoulder, Katsuki takes the chance to press a peck to your lips as your classmates around you lose their minds.

he agreed to keep it a secret but he can’t have his girl denying being his in public 😏

[foxxynoiia]

kicking my feet screaming

[foxxynoiia]

whoever decided to spread the propaganda that heated rivalry was just soft porn, i'm fining you for making me waste my time avoiding a really good piece of queer media (watched it a few days ago, and i don't regret it at all). COUNT YOUR DAYS.

[sweetredmanzanas]

One moment, one Nescafe

𖹭.ᐟ Pairing: Ishigami Senku x GN!Reader

𖹭.ᐟ SUMMARY: An incident involving the guy (with suspiciously shaped radish hair) that you always see at your local convenience store leads to him helping you focus on your studies. After flirty quips, stolen glances and most importantly passing your exams, you decided you didn't want it to end in that dingy convenience store.

Does he feel the same? or does he just tutor every person he accidentally pours coffee on?

𖹭.ᐟ Word count: 5.4k

𖹭.ᐟ Content: Chance meeting, Banter, College AU, Tutor/Study buddy Senku

The words on the presentation slides no longer made any sense. In fact, the more you read it, the more it seemed to just become a bunch of nonsense that a small child made up. You could swear the LED lights were making a faint buzz, one you could usually easily drown out but was now inescapable. Not to mention the humming of the air conditioner unit. You couldn’t even hear your own thoughts anymore.

With a defeated sigh, you rub your temple as a futile attempt to ease the headache you have. How long had you been studying? Heck, could you even call it studying when you’ve just been staring at the same slide you’ve been attempting to read for 30 minutes? Usually, you would just combat this issue by chugging caffeinated drinks or sneaking a sweet treat but that plan gets old real quick after using it over and over again for a week now.

Thank fuck for this convenience store actually. It really lived up to its name.

It had been your place of refuge. And while that usually would’ve been your room, finals had been a nightmare and you hadn’t gotten the time to cleaning it yet. A wise man once said its better to study in a clean environment, or something like that. Semantics, details, whatever! It was really just an excuse to procrastinate cleaning up a bunch of haphazardly thrown worn clothes.

And now you were procrastinating on studying by thinking about how much you’ve procrastinated. Sigh.

You stood up, ignoring how much your body screamed in protest, on a mission to find something to energize you and maybe some painkillers for the damned headache. This convenience store hasn’t failed you yet and you trusted it won’t. Though, softer lighting than LEDs would be much nicer right now.

While you may not have memorized the full periodic table of elements, you’re convinced you have the fridge full of energy drinks and caffeine memorized. If only your professor would include a question like, “What drink was on the 2nd row, third to the right in the fridge of the local convenience store?” Then maybe you would’ve been able to confidently answer roasted black coffee. But unfortunately not.

Hypothesis? Uh… What was the definition to that again? Something, something… If-then statement. Well, if you were to combine all these drinks into one concoction, then surely you’d be able to go through a hundred more slides.

A snort coming from beside you snap you out of your trance.

You see a radish looking guy picking out a drink for himself from the fridge next to the one you were standing in front of. You frown. Sure, there was a saying to just imagine people as vegetables when you get nervous but did that also apply when you were sleep deprived? And this one had the nerve to laugh at your ramblings!

Oh, and had you been rambling out loud? Yikes. Thankfully he had quickly walked away after picking up a drink and didn’t stay to see you just blank out during that whole thing.

Another heavy sigh escapes you. Perhaps blanking out and unknowingly rambling to a stranger was a sign to finally call it a night.

You head back to where you had been spending the last few hours trying to understand a lesson that was discussed to you from two months ago. You shut your laptop closed, and stuff the rest of your things in your bag. Once you got the last highlighter shoved in a random crevice, you snuck a glance at the one person who was here with you. (Aside from the poor employee who had been stuck with the graveyard shift that is.)

It was hard to recall if he had been here the whole time or if he came during a time where you were actually still able to focus on reading your slides. But it looked like he had his own shit to figure out, if the two cups of instant noodles and three- well, now four, energy drinks he had lying around his own table had to say anything.

That was comforting. It was nice to know that you weren’t alone during times like these. Were you ever even really in college if you hadn’t spent at least one night in the company of caffeine?

With a huff, you sling your heavy bag over your shoulder and walk to leave. It was time to say goodbye to your second home for now and actually spend time in your own bed. Before you left the store however, you snuck one last glance at radish boy, yes- you named him, and silently wished him good luck. Everyone deserved some, even if they laughed at your ramblings.

…

Who knew it was possible to fall right asleep even after two cups of coffee? Well, apparently learning materials does a really good job of acting like a bed time story. Who needed a lullaby when gas laws and chemical equations lulled you right into dream land?

The thought of failing and retaking the class should've been enough to keep you awake but no amount of fear mongering yourself was enough to resist the temptation to just close your eyes for a minute or two. You've been pushing yourself hard, maybe even harder than usual, but you needed to in order to even have a chance at passing.

Still, maybe there should’ve been a balance. A good balanced schedule of resting and studying would’ve prevented you from passing out at your usual spot in the convenience store. You had barely gotten half an hour of studying before letting your head rest on top of your notes when you should’ve been reading it.

You had gone into the convenience store immediately after finish up a late-night class which you had to drag your feet into even attending in the first place. The thought of just heading back to your own private place sounded so very appealing but you knew deep down you would’ve just gone straight to bed.

Well, maybe you should’ve just done so. Drooling on your notes wasn’t exactly productive either.

And you doubt you would’ve woken up; you were so close to slipping into deep sleep when the sound of something falling over in the otherwise quiet convenience store jostled you awake. Groggy, you look for where the loud noise came from only to see someone in front of you… and the worksheet you had finished earlier in the day was now soaked.

You flinch from the sight, all the fatigue you were feeling had now left. “What-?!”

A voice mutters a string of curses. “Shit. Sorry… I bumped into-“

Maybe it was the two hours of sleep that caused your fuse to be so short, or the build up of stress, but you exploded. “Don’t you pay attention to your surroundings? You should be careful!”

It was only after you looked at the face of the person responsible for soaking your assignment did you realize it was…radish boy. He was looking worse for wear. “It was an accident-“ He tried to explain.

Annoyed, you cut him off as the words kept slipping out of you. “Look at what you did!” You let out an exasperated sigh. “I worked hard on that, you know.”

Seemingly having had enough as well, radish boy frowns and raises a brow. “Oh please, the only thing you got correct was… the first number!” He squints to look closer. “Yeah, the whole second half is a mess. If anything, I did you a favor. Go redo that or something, instead of sleeping in a public space.”

Your face flushes from embarrassment and sat up straighter from the shock at his blunt words. “Some nerve! Not only do you spill your cheap coffee all over my work, now you’re criticizing it too!”

You could tell he was about snap back but the employee who’d been working the graveyard shift alone had come over. “Um… is there something wrong? I’m sorry but if you keep yelling, I’ll have to ask both of you to leave…”

That snapped you out of it. How embarrassing to get corrected by a random stranger but also get threatened to be kicked out… you sigh in defeat, slumping. “S-sorry… we’ll quiet down.”

Satisfied, the employee goes back to behind the counter. You turn back to look at your assignment, now completely ruined, and dread the thought of having to do it over again. Your hand reaches out to grab it, intending to throw it away but, a warmer hand stops yours.

“Don’t. I’ll take care of it.” The guy you still don’t know the name of, says. “You should probably just move to a different table too, some of it spilled on the floor.” He directs, in a manner much calmer now. His voice was oddly nice to listen to. You don’t allow yourself to think about it more than that.

Carrying your bag, you listen to what he says and move to the closest table. You pick up the notes you were drooling on and whatever else you laid out, careful not to let it touch the spilled drink. By the time you finished setting up, radish boy- who looked a little withered, had gone to the counter to ask for help to clean up the mess.

You felt bad. Maybe it was wrong to blow up on him. Everyone had accidents, right? And he was nice enough to apologize, yet you completely cut him off. You slump in guilt. Still, it wasn’t too late to make up for it so you stand up and slip to the drinks section of the store.

Quickly locating a chilled can of red Nescafe, you pick it up and pay for it by the counter. When you return to your spot, you spot your target and make your way over to him. “Hey- uh, here…” You hand him the peace offering. “Sorry for losing it back there, I totally lost my temper.”

He tears his eyes away from his laptop and looks at you, accepting the chilled can. Feeling awkward and unsure of what to say, you turn your heel to go back to your own table again. “Well, that’s all… good luck with your own thing.” You add without waiting for a reply.

“Ah- wait…” You turn around to see him scratching his nape in a nervous manner. His eyes, which you just noticed were a beautiful deep ruby, found yours. “I feel bad too.” A sigh escapes him. “I was lost in thought and didn’t pay attention to where I was walking…”

“To make up for it, maybe I could help you redo that worksheet.” He tore his eyes away, which you almost got lost in. “I know… a thing or two about it.” You almost couldn’t catch what he said as he muttered the last part.

You raise your hand to turn him down, feeling a little shy at the memory of him correcting your work. “Oh, no. Don’t worry about it! I’ll manage.” Plus, it’s a little embarrassing… You kept that thought to yourself.

“But with my help, you won’t just manage. It’ll go by faster too, and if there’s a part you don’t get- I can guide you.” He insisted, with a firmness in his voice that could only make you let out a weak chuckle in worry as a reply.

In truth, you could probably use the help. You’d only been barely able to keep up. If he really did know his stuff then maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to accept his offer…

So, with a reluctant nod, you sat back down to your seat and begin to move your stuff around to make space for him. He takes it a sign to move and gets up from his spot; his bag finds its place next to yours and he’s careful to set the drink you bought him in a place at the table that won’t get in the way of anything.

Realizing that you still don’t formally know each other, you quickly introduce yourself as he sits next to you. You give him your name and your major, making a comment on how stressful it’s been lately.

“Senku. I’m majoring Astrophysics.” Radish boy finally introduces himself.

“Woah? That’s really impressive…”

Senku only shrugs. “Anyways, do you have a copy of the worksheet?”

You quickly pull out your phone. “Oh, I’ll have to reprint it but I have a soft copy…”

Admittedly, you were quite giddy to work with him. Perhaps it was the company, but it was as if you had gotten a full night’s sleep despite the time being one in the morning right now, you felt full of energy. For now, though, you couldn’t let yourself wonder if it was Senku himself who made you perk up. There were word problems to take care of.

…

The man had insane patience. Well… he did! But anyone would be driven mad after two hours of what is basically tutoring, yet you were only just about to near the end of the assignment. What was supposed to be a quick favor had turned into hours of struggling.

And bless his heart, but Senku had higher expectations from you than he really should’ve. See, you quickly found out radish boy was actually a genius. And while you maybe should’ve known ever since he said he majored in astrophysics, it was still a splash of cold water, Worst of all, it started with him fully expecting you could keep up with him no problem!

You weren’t the dullest tool in the shed, but you weren’t really the sharpest either- not when Senku was anywhere near you.

Still, you really appreciated his help. Unexpectedly, when he caught on to the fact that you were struggling with his pace, he quickly adapted. And no question was too dumb, no answer that he didn’t repeat when you asked him to. (Well, he did make a few faces that suggested annoyance a few times but it got overshadowed pretty fast with the fact that he helped anyways, that he stayed.)

It was easy to listen to his words, his voice had gotten you lost in thought a handful of times, which was probably why you needed to ask him to repeat what he had just explained- oops? But it made you smile how he would just sigh and re-explain it anyways.

If you were alone, you probably would have given up halfway on problems that seemed to make no sense. But with Senku’s help, patience and the slight praise he would give you when you see it through the end had worked as excellent motivation to push through.

“See? I knew you could do it.” He had said when you successfully managed to connect the dots and answer correctly, it made your heart do backflips that you didn’t know it could do, but for the sake of your dwindling sanity, you blamed it on sugar and caffeine.

By the time the worksheet was fully answered, it was only a few hours left till dawn. You groan and let your head rest on the table, defeated from exhaustion but also feeling relatively accomplished. “I’m so dead…”

Senku lets his head lay on the table too, facing you. “A corpse is the last thing I’d want to deal with after that.” His voice was notably weaker now, probably tired from all the lecturing he did.

You were sure you had a snarky remark you were going to follow up with, but it seemed to get lost in your throat at the sight of Senku’s cheek being squished with how he was resting his head at the table. He looked ridiculous. You were sure you did too, add your heavy eyebags in to the mix as well.

“I want to go home…” You mutter. Before you could drift into a daydream while looking into Senku’s eyes, you will yourself to sit up straight again. You hear him whisper a weak me too as you do. Apologies and gratitude should probably be given actually.

“Thank you, really… and I’m sorry too. You had your own work to do too, right? I didn’t mean to keep you for so long.” You pout.

Senku rubs the sleep away from his eyes before sitting up straight. “Nah, I was the one who offered.”

“Would you still have offered if you knew how much help I actually needed?” You chuckled, the self-deprecating humor escaping you.

When Senku looks at you straight, it throws you off-guard and feeling slightly exposed. Your cheeks felt warm at the intensity of his gaze. “I would’ve been quicker to help if I actually did know.”

You didn’t know what to think about that. Your brain was already crammed with information; it couldn’t handle the fast thumping of your heart too. It was just new, unfamiliar- it reasoned with your heart who couldn’t hear any of it.

Still, you force yourself out of it. “I’m hungry…” You blurt out, to which Senku chuckles.

He checks his phone for a second. “Do you want to fill up on some instant noodles with too much sodium before we call it a night?”

“Oh, sure? That sounds nice actually.”

Senku stands up, “Wait here.” And heads for the aisle packed with too many options for food you cook with boiling water.

When he comes back, he sets down two cups of steaming noodles. He pushes one towards you and oddly- it’s your usual choice. You mutter a thank you but can’t help the look of confusion painted on your face. “Uhh, do I just give off the vibe I like this flavor or are you just that much of a genius?”

Senku lets out a hum. “Its what I always see you get.” He says with a matter-of-fact tone to his voice, as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

Well, was it that weird? Maybe not. After all, even you had noticed how he was a regular at this convenience store but somehow that thought that he also noticed you… Well, it did something to your heart.

He pauses from eating and looks at you with a raised brow. “Why aren’t you eating? If you don’t hurry up, the sun will be here.”

So, you slurp the noodles, trying to ignore the heat on your cheeks that is most definitely just from the steam.

“You can pay me later then.” Senku states.

You almost choke on your food when you hear it. You had been so distracted that you completely forgot about where the food even came from. “O-oh, right! Crap… I really need to sleep soon. It would’ve completely slipped my mind if you didn’t tell me.”

You reach for your wallet when Senku pauses to look at you with a smirk. “I was just teasing you, idiot.” He points at your food with his chopsticks. “Just eat, this one’s on me.”

If you had the brain cells to think more clearly, maybe you would’ve argued with him, insisted that you pay your share. But for now, you blamed the hunger and fatigue for easily complying to his words. You eat your food heartily.

After the two of you finished your food over some small talk, you found yourself exhausted. Rightfully so, it seemed. It had been a rough night of war over study materials. And while you enjoyed hearing Senku talk about the incidents he would go through his major, you couldn’t help but feel like your eyelids were getting heavy.

After a pause of silence, one that you didn’t realize was there until Senku broke it, you snap your eyes open. “We should go really go home.” He says, voice much softer.

You try to rub the sleepiness away from your eyes to no avail. “Hm… yeah.” You reply with a yawn.

“Can you get home safe?”

You think for a second and nod. “Mhm, I don’t live too far. I’ll be okay.” In hindsight, that was probably a dangerous thing to admit to someone you just got formally introduced to a few hours ago but alas, radish boy seemed real trust worthy right now. He got you food and helped you with your work (that he ruined, but you forgot all about that at this point), there wasn’t anything else your exhausted mind could ask for.

After Senku fetches his stuff and helps you pack up yours, the two of you head for the doors of the convenience door. The cold wind brushes your cheek and all you could think about was the warmth your bed would provide.

“Thank you again… Get home safe.” You smile.

Senku nods and flashes you a small smile of his own. “Get some rest when you get home.”

The soft light of the approaching dawn highlighted his features and if you weren’t so sleep-deprived, you might’ve looked at him for just a second longer. Still, you were sure that image would appear in the short dreams you would have soon.

Waving goodbye to Senku, you make your way home. It wasn’t until you reached your front door did you realize you didn’t get to study anything for your exam in a few hours at all…

…

It seemed like a blessing to have Senku by your side in that quiet convenience store. Ever since that little accident, the two of you had started studying together. And while he wasn’t always tutoring you- he had his own degree to earn after all, just being in each other’s company seemed to boost your productivity.

Having him by your side seemed to improve your focus, you were sure there was some psychological reason for it. Something about someone’s presence acting as a stable pressure to be productive. Still, there was a voice in your head that suggested something more, a voice you were always quick to silence.

Now, it was nearing the end of it all. While you were glad you were so close to the end of the semester, you also couldn’t help but be disappointed at the thought of having to stop seeing Senku. He had become such a regular part of your days, it felt weird to suddenly stop having him in it.

Would it be weird to hit him up after everything’s over? Were you even close enough to him to do that casually? If you were to go to the convenience store every now and then just to see if he’d be there, would it be considered stalking?

“Oi.” A voice snaps you out of your thoughts. “Tsk… you’re off to dream land again. If you want to pass, I suggest focusing on your notes.” Senku taps the end of his pen on the notes you were neglecting.

You let out a groan. “I deserve a break. Probably…”

Senku makes a face of disapproval at you. “You haven’t even gotten halfway in. Where did all the motivation to pass go?”

“Up in the clouds.” You retort.

He frowns and lightly smacks you at the head with his pen. You dramatically let out a sound of pain. Defeated, you sigh and resign to reviewing your notes again.

However, it wasn’t long until you got distracted again. You were shuffling your flash cards when your eyes drifted to the sight of Senku diligently studying, scribbling short notes in his textbook. The way that he pursed his lips as he read the words in the book glued your eyes to him.

His focus was admirable. You always thought that his diligence was so charming. Yes, he was a genius in his own right, but it didn’t take you long to find out that his smarts came from hard work. From the handful of times you studied with him, he always seemed so concentrated. And don’t even mention the cute smile he would wear after he figures out a problem, it melted you.

You let out a dreamy sigh. One that Senku quickly catches. “You… didn’t I just tell you to focus?” He frowns, shooting you a glare.

“You’re so strict!” You complain. “I was only distracted for a few seconds, I’m actually really locked in right now, you know.”

“Sure.” His voice drips with sarcasm. “Then you’d be fine if I quiz you right now, hm?”

You try to stop him before he could snatch your study material away from you. He succeeds. You groan. “Oh- come on…” You watch as he flips through it, finding a topic to question you with.

“If you get it right, I’ll give you a reward.”

You try your best not to act excited, even crossing your arms. “I’m not falling for that.” You totally were, but giving Senku an upper hand was never a good idea. Do you end up trying your best to answer each of his questions correctly anyways? Absolutely.

The way he would give you a small praise as a treat for every correct answer and tease you when you got it wrong had you on the edge of your seat. You hoped it wasn’t too obvious that your cheeks felt like they were on fire. The permanent smile Senku had while messing with you was just too much…

“You remember, good. You’re doing well.” Or “This is what you get for daydreaming. This is common sense, tsk.” The hot and cold was driving you insane.

By the time he lets you go and goes back to his own business, you’re completely worn out. “You hate me…” You lament, deflating on the table.

“You’re so dramatic. I do not.” Senku flips to the next page of his textbook. “I just want you to succeed.”

That last comment, which he threw away like it was nothing, single-handedly fueled you and sent you into a flow state. All of a sudden, it was as if you could do it all. Your hand was moving with ease, writing and highlighting information at top notch speed.

Amidst your concentration, there was a thought at the back of your head that was motivating you more than ever. You’ve made up your mind now. You’ll bring him the good news that you passed all your classes and then… and then, ask him out, get some food. Real, actual food- the kind you don’t cook with boiling water and see what happens from there. The only thing you were sure of was that you didn’t want to stop having him by your side.

You were so lost in thought; you never noticed how Senku was sneaking glances at you.

…

You exit the exam room full of confidence and so much giddiness. You couldn’t wait to tell Senku the good news! Well, potential good news. Your grades weren’t out yet but you felt confident enough that you passed, and maybe even got high scores. You were impatient to brag about it to Senku.

From what he told you, his last exam was also today. It made a really good opportunity to ask him out… right, asking him out. That part is what made you nervous. But you shake it off, held your head high and made your way to the convenience store.

Well, you were sure you were going to find him there. He would usually be here by now. But as you looked around the aisles of the store, he was nowhere to be seen. You sigh; your confidence crumbled so easily at that moment.

What were you thinking anyways? After all, this place was where the two of you studied, but it didn’t necessarily mean anything else. Why would he go here if exams were over? And what if that’s all it really was?

What if it was just by convenience to sit with you in this dingy store while he also studied? That didn’t exactly mean you were friends, let alone anything more… Your mood soured to the point you couldn’t even let yourself think about messaging him instead anymore.

You were about to lose all hope and just go home to mope when the doors to the convenience opened and chimed the bells hanging above it.

“Hm? You’re already here? Do you like this place that much?”

You turn around to the sound of Senku’s dry and sarcastic voice. “Senku!” You call out, voice slipping out with too much obvious excitement. You shake your head and force yourself to appear calmer than you actually are. “I could say the same about you, you know! Does the AC in this place give your ramen extra seasoning or what?”

He smiles at your retort, walking closer to you. “Its convenient, hence the name, and has cheap prices. Everything a college student could ask for.” Senku looks at you up and down. “Anyways, from the looks of it, I’m guessing you passed?”

You smile brightly, “I think so! I walked out of that exam room with no sweat.”

“I believed you could do it.” Senku’s eye soften. “Despite all the whining and complaining, the studying paid off right?”

Senku never failed to fill your entire being with so much woozy feel-good warmth from just simple praise.

You nod with enthusiasm, “Thanks for all your help… and staying with me all those nights.” You look away, feeling shy. “Seriously, I think I would’ve failed if I didn’t have you setting me straight.”

“Oh, and uh…” You clear your throat, trying to find the strength. “I was wondering if maybe-since like all we’ve been eating is sodium broth-that maybe we can go out to eat nicer food?” A weak chuckle escapes you with how nervous you were. It felt like you heart was drumming right at your ears. “There’s this place nearby that has really good food, and the price is reasonable too!”

You were looking at everything but him, “Oh but I understand if you already had plans tonight-“

“Hm, I did actually…”

You try not to look too disappointed. “I understand! I mean, I totally did ask out of the blue…”

“The skies are going to be clear tonight, it’ll make the stars really visible. I was going to ask you to join me but if you want to go out to eat instead then I don’t mind.”

Your mind faltered. “W-wait… really?”

Senku nods, looking at you with an intense sureness in his eyes. “I’ll treat you. I did say I would reward you, didn’t I?” A smug grin paints his lips. “Plus, Byakuya gave me his credit card-“

At this point, you couldn’t hear him anymore. Well, you could. It was more like you couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Your mind was on overdrive. Your eyes drifted to the light pink dusting Senku’s cheeks and ears. You were so focused on his slightly shaky voice which was accentuated by the humming of the air conditioning unit, was his heart also beating fast from restlessness?

The LED lights reflected on his eyes, making it sparkle, you couldn’t help but get lost in them. And the strands of his hair that fell in front of his face, you wanted to brush them away and softly tuck them behind his ears…

“Oi, are you even listening? Tsk.” Senku flicks your forehead, lightly and gently. “Daydreaming even when I’m trying to woo you, you really are something…”

You exploded. Well, you think you did. It certainly felt like your brain had short-circuited. “I’m listening! …kind of.” You shake your head.

If Senku could muster up the courage to be bold, so could you. Or at least that’s what your heart reasoned to your declining brain. “Well- how about we do both? We could stargaze tonight… and next time, I’ll treat you. Consider it as payment for when you bought me that instant noodle.” Shyly, you offered.

“So, a first and a second date. Is that what you were daydreaming of when I was trying to get you to focus?” Senku teased.

The bells chimed once more, and a group of students had entered the store. When the employee greeted them, the realization dawned on you that the two of you were still very much in public. In a panic, you grab Senku’s hand to drag him out of there.

“Whatever, radish boy. I passed, didn’t I?”

There was a night of stargazing ahead of you both. Surviving and passing your exams had certainly been worth it, and now you could celebrate it with a snarky sarcastic vegetable with eyes far too beautiful for his own good.

“Radish? Really? I’ll teach you to be more original.”

END.

[foxxynoiia]

amazing piece to wake up to fr

[foxxynoiia]

synopsis: Bakugou needs to let off some steam, and he was surprised when you offered to spar with him, especially since you were a UA student in General Education with no proper training. Or so he thought. < 1k words

tags: fluff, gn!reader, can be seen as either platonic or romantic

notes: is it bakugou or bakugo? i've always written bakugou but i've seen both being used. let me know!! enjoy reading!

He knew that you didn't want to be a hero, and he respected that. You both supported each other in your own different fields, and that was enough.

Until one day, he came back from a particularly harsh day of training. None of his moves were going the way he wanted them to go, and for some reason, his basic hand-to-hand combat was also off.

He was obviously frustrated when you both met up on one of the benches near the dorms.

He felt bad, really. He didn't mean to be so snappy at you, especially since you both could only meet during these times after school. He didn't want to bring his own problems into your conversations, but it got brought up anyway.

Instead of consoling him like you usually do, you stood up. "The training grounds are still open during these times, right?"

Bakugou scowled, confused. "Yeah, but why the hell would ya wann —"

"C'mon, let's get the steam out of your system."

He had just stood up when you started walking to the training grounds.

"Hey —"

You didn't slow down until you entered the clearing behind the walls, giving you both some privacy.

You turned to face him. "You tried out new moves today and they didn't work out, right?"

Bakugou nodded slowly, still a little lost. "Yeah. So what?"

"Try them again here," you said. "I'll help you."

"They work better against an actual opponent," Bakugou grumbled.

"Then try it against me."

He blinked once, then twice. Was his hearing getting worse? "Hah? You want me to fight you?"

"Yeah," you said, like it was obvious. You got into a stance, and Bakugou noted how your form was practiced and almost perfect. Since when did you know how to get into a proper fighting stance?

"Do ya even know how to fight?" He asked, suspicious. Despite his amazing control over his quirk, explosions were still dangerous in general. He didn't want to accidentally hurt you.

You rolled your eyes. "I may be a Gen Ed student, but that doesn't mean that I suck. C'mon, just do your moves."

"Fuck no!" Bakugou shook his head, a frown etched between his brows. "I've never seen ya do anything remotely physical! How would I know if you can actually handle —"

Your figure blurred as you approached him faster than he expected. You wrapped yourself around him and next thing he knew, he was laying flat on his stomach, the wind knocked out of him as you sat on his back.

It took him a few moments to process that you had just immobilized him. Sure, his reflexes were normally much quicker, but his subconscious probably relaxed in your presence, thus slowing his movements.

Didn't make him feel any less shocked, though.

"What the fuck?" He managed, wheezing slightly from your weight pinning him to the ground. "The fuck are they teaching you in Gen Ed?"

You got off him and helped him back up. "I may have ended up in Gen Ed and no longer want to be a hero, but I still remember enough to put you on your ass."

Bakugou's signature angry look returned to his face at the insult. "Ya caught me off guard! That's just a one time thing!"

"Really?" You grinned. He knew you were teasing him, but your expression held a confidence that he had never seen on your face before. Well, to be fair, he's never seen this side of you before either.

Even though he didn't mean to, his own smirk spread on his lips. This was exciting.

"Ya sure you can handle it?" He taunted, small explosions crackling in his palms from the anticipation.

You laughed, getting into a stance once more. "Fight me and figure out, Dynamight."

You both didn't realize the sun had started setting until it was gone completely, too lost in the laughter and adrenaline to notice.

notes: i'm currently in school, but i basically have a whole day of free periods because it's all project working time n i'm already finished >:) wrote this in one sitting after the idea came to me while i was spaced out. not the best, but i hope you enjoyed!

[foxxynoiia]

synopsis: in which the kingdom of science was not prepared to meet someone as crazy — scratch that, even crazier than senku himself. 2.4k words

pairing: senku x maomao!reader (can be read as platonic, but written with romantic interests in mind)

tags: canon-divergent, fluff, crack, reader is inspired by maomao from apothecary diaries, soft!senku, gn reader, tw: self-poisoning, suicide jokes

(prequel is out now!)

When Senku said that he would be reviving someone crucial to their plan of bringing back all humans from stone, everyone from the Kingdom of Science developed their own image in their head.

Chrome imagined another genius like Senku, someone who can help create things that seemed like magic.

Kohaku expected an athlete, meant to do the heavy lifting that she normally found herself doing for Senku and his experiments.

Ginro shook at the thought of a leader, commanding and terrifying and ready to rule over the Kingdom of Science with an iron fist.

Obviously, Senku thought it was unnecessary to explain who he was actually planning on reviving and what they were like, because no one expected him to emerge from the thickness of the forest with someone like... you.

You, who looked as normal as could be, save for the cracks etched upon your skin from the de-petrification process.

"Senku... who is this?" Kohaku asked. Typical of her, one of the only ones who had the guts to openly question the scientist's judgement.

Senku grinned like he had just uncovered diamonds (and to him, maybe he did). "This, ladies and gentlemen of the stone world, is the capable apothecary back from the modern world."

You had smiled and nodded at them, introducing yourself. "Nice to meet you all. I look forward to working with you."

Gen was the only one who was actually wary of you — you, who did not seem fazed at all when you came out of the petrification to find yourself in a world that has descended into over three thousand years without a single human soul from the modern world.

From his experience, the only ones who had that kind of reaction to this new age were the ones that had a couple of screws loose in their brains, much like Senku.

If only he had followed his gut.

After you had explained to the rest of the Kingdom of Science what an apothecary was, little Suika was eager to learn form you as you wandered through the forest together in search for herbs. Senku had your own clinic constructed beside his lab, where you kept various leaves and plants that you thought would be useful.

It took a few weeks for you to properly settle in and get used to the difficult simplicity of things, but once you did, Senku knew that he had to keep a tighter leash on you.

"Kinro, Ginro," he had told them one day when you were holed up in your clinic. "While you're guarding the village, make sure that the apothecary doesn't leave the area."

Ginro had tilted his head, confused. You kept to yourself most of the time, sure, but you seemed harmless to him. "Why?"

Senku shook his head. "Trust me, you do not want to see what would happen if they're left unsupervised."

Nonetheless, Kinro and Ginro nodded. It was part of the rules to be wary of outsiders anyway, so Kinro had no problem keeping an eye on you.

But of course, even the strict Kinro could sometimes slip, especially with someone as sneaky as you under their watch.

They didn't even notice you were gone until Gen went into the clinic one day to bother you, only to find it empty.

He thought that bringing it up with Senku would be no big deal, and that he would probably know where you were.

Until his news of your sudden disappearance caused Senku to look up from his messy science-y notes so fast Gen knew that man had to have gotten whiplash.

"Get Suika, Kohaku, and Chrome and tell them to search the forest," he barked, storming out of his lab like a man on a mission.

Gen stumbled to keep up with him, eyebrows pinching together. Why was Senku, the normally logical, overall detached scientist, act like you not being here was a war crime?

Gen began to question how much you really meant to the scientist. Obviously you were something to him, seeing as you didn't have extraordinary skills, and yet you were still one of the very few people that Senku decided to revive.

Either way, this level of overprotectiveness is crazy! Gen thought.

"Wha — What are you gonna do?!" The mentalist sputtered.

"I'm gonna have a word with the bodyguards," Senku grumbled, and he didn't wait to see if Gen left to do what he was told (he did leave — no way did he want to deal with an angry Senku) before he approached Kinro and Ginro at the end of the bridge.

"I thought I told you to watch the apothecary!" He said, his voice shaky and maniacal, the way it always sounded when he was stressed about something. "They're gone!"

Kinro was the first to speak up this time. "I apologize for losing sight of them, but guarding the village is our number one priority. If they leave the Kingdom of Science, which is not technically part of the village, then it is not really our concern."

"They could be anywhere doing gods know what!" Senku threw his hands up, one raking through his hair.

"They — They couldn't have gone that far," Ginro reassured, but his hands were shaking the spear that he held. "They're probably still around the area, gathering their herbs or something!"

The statement was meant to reassure Senku.

It did not.

"Shit, what if they come across...?" Senku began mumbling to himself, walking away as he dived deep into his thoughts.

In the end, it was Kohaku that found you.

In a not so good condition.

"They're unconscious!" Kohaku called out as she came out into the clearing of the Kingdom of Science with you in her arms. "There are weird, soapy things coming out of their mouth."

Senku almost tripped over himself to get a better look at you. There was foam on the corners of your purple lips. Your skin was deathly pale, and your chest was barely rising.

But you were alive, that was the good thing. Keeping you alive would be a different challenge.

"You stupid apothecary," Senku laughed, but there was no humor in his voice.

Despite his... less superior strength, he took you out of Kohaku's arms and brought you to your clinic, laying you on the stretcher on the ground as he rummaged through your shelves of remedies and herbs.

"This is why you can never leave my sight," he said, more to himself than you. "Who knows what you find in this forest? The plants are different from how they were three thousand years ago, of course you'd be curious of its properties. Of course you'd test it on yourself."

He found a bottle you had labeled "generic antidote" and snatched that one.

He pulled the cork out with his teeth and brought the lid of the bottle to your lips.

"No."

He paused his movements when he heard you. Your words were more air than voice, but he had heard you nonetheless due to your proximity.

"Your lips are purple, you're foaming at the mouth, you're deathly pale, and you're barely breathing," Senku listed down. "That's the generic effects of poison. What's wrong with the generic antidote?"

Your eyes cracked open, and Senku almost recoiled in shock.

"Your eyes are black."

Sure enough, even the part of your eyes that were supposed to be white were almost fully coated in black, like you had put on contacts.

"Different... poison..." you muttered, like speaking was the hardest thing you ever did in your life. "White petals, salt... the green paste in the small bottle. Grind 'n boil 'em 'until 'til they bubble."

"Is there enough time for that?" Senku asked, but he was already reaching for the ingredients. His hands moved with lightning speed, determined to give you the antidote.

"Yeah... got lots of time..." you had started to fade into unconsciousness, but Senku was quick to lightly slap your cheek.

"Oi, stay awake, stupid apothecary," he commanded.

"Yessir," you slurred slightly, a weak grin on your face.

The preparation took forever, when in reality it only took around twenty minutes until he had a strange concoction in a bowl, ready for consumption.

He knelt beside you, pushing you up into a sitting position so the antidote would travel around your body faster.

With one hand behind your back and the other holding the bowl, he brought the antidote to your lips. "Open up."

You drank obediently, your face faintly scrunching up at the expectedly awful taste, but you had finished everything in the bowl.

"Good." Senku laid you back down. "Now you can rest."

He didn't even need to tell you that; you were already knocked out the moment you had drank the last of the antidote.

—————

Throughout the rest of the day, various people came to check in on you, asking Senku how you were doing and if you were alive.

He was quick to snap at all of them, telling them that you would recover faster if it was quiet. Obviously that wouldn't really change anything, but they don't need to know that.

You woke up late at night, your head feeling like a balloon and your body feeling like lead.

Senku perked up from his seat on the side of the clinic when he heard you groan, immediately standing up and kneeling by your side.

"You good, apothecary?" He hated how worried his voice sounded; a scientist like him shouldn't be chained down by emotions.

But you literally just poisoned yourself, so could you really blame him?

"I..." It took you so long to finish your answer that Senku was convinced that you had fallen asleep again, until you bolted upright with the widest grin on your mouth. The contrast of your bright smile with your pale face and bloodshot eyes made you look like a character straight out of a horror game. "I feel great!"

Senku blinked. "Huh?"

"Did you get the flower that I ate?" You started rambling, pulling at your sleeves to examine your skin, as if looking for residual poison. "I knew that there would be new kinds of natural poison around here since it's been a couple hundred years, but wow! That flower was unlike anything I've ever tested —"

Your eyes suddenly snapped to Senku's. "Did you record how long it took for me to pass out? How long it took for the antidote to take effect? My symptoms? How close I was to death?"

Senku was in disbelief, to put it lightly. He knew from the moment that he met you that you were as passionate about poisons as he was about science, but he forgot how actually insane you were.

"It took you eight hours to recover, but that doesn't include the time from when the poison started to take effect to the time that Kohaku found you," Senku replied, not to answer your question, but to scold you. "What have I told you about trying poisons out without telling anyone?! What would have happened if I didn't tell the Kingdom of Science to look for you?!"

You waved his concern away like it was unnecessary (it was very much necessary). "My heartbeat would have been slow enough to not even be detected by a machine, my chest would barely rise, but I was confident that I wouldn't die. I'm immune to most poisons."

"Well, obviously not this one!" Senku groaned. He felt like pulling his hair out. "You could have died!"

You put your hand to your chin, suddenly deep in thought. "What if the flower gives you the effects of death, but in reality, it doesn't actually kill you? Or what if it does kill you, but giving an antidote can basically revive you?" You muttered.

It was like Senku wasn't even there!

He slapped the back of your head, hard enough to pull you out of your brain but not hard enough to actually hurt you. "Stop that! Stop plotting ways to commit suicide! You're grounded until further notice!"

"But Senku!" You whined, clutching the front of his shirt like you were begging for your life rather than freedom to roam through the forest and find more lethal poisons. "This is the pinnacle of poison discovery! I'm the only one alive that has true experience with poison, and I could find new ones that'll be named after me and carry my legacy for generations!"

"I understand that discovery comes with risk, but this is neither necessary nor calculated risk on your part!" Senku retorted, flicking your hand away. "Kohaku was already caught off guard when you were surrounded by strange, purple flowers!"

The silence made Senku sweat. He should not have said that.

Before he could react, you were already out of the cot, dashing out of the clinic. The fire in front of Chrome's storage facility was still alive, which meant that there were still people awake in the Kingdom of Science.

You spotted a familiar head of blonde hair. "Kohaku!" You called, dragging her name out as you ran towards her, your smile as maniacal as your laugh as you evaded Senku, who was shouting at you to get back to bed.

You slid on the ground, stopping right beside Kohaku. You grabbed her shoulders and made you face her. "Do you remember where you found me? Did you get any of the flowers that you found me with? Do you —"

"Do not answer any of their questions!" Senku interrupted, wrapping his arms around your waist and hauling you up. "It'll only encourage them to test stuff on themself!"

The rest of the people surrounding the campfire — old man Kaseki, Chrome, and Gen — stared at you in horror. You thrashed around in Senku's arms, but ultimately gave up when his hold on you never faltered. For a scientist who normally lacked physical strength, he sure was good at keeping you in place.

"I knew there was something wrong with you," Gen muttered, a scared smile spreading on his lips.

"This is bad," Chrome moaned, clutching the sides of his head like he just found a live bomb. "I thought the apothecary was tamer and more mature than Senku. Turns out they're just as bad!"

"No," Kohaku shook her head, watching Senku drag you back to the clinic where he would undoubtedly imprison you until you were fully recovered and properly confined within the Kingdom grounds. "They're worse."

Kaseki sighed, tending to the fire. "At least young Senku is there to keep them in line. It seems he cares about them very much."

Gen nodded. He may have missed you being a complete suicidal maniac, but that's one thing he was sure of: despite your tendencies, Senku was always there to make sure you never actually "step into the light", so to speak.

And he's pretty certain that will not change any time soon, not even in the stone world.

notes: i finished apothecary diaries before i started dr stone, which is where i got the idea to combine the two, in a way. hope you enjoyed reading! <33

[smiskisworld]

KISS ME- senku ishigami

a smiskisworld fluff!

“Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight

Lead me out on the moonlit floor

Lift your open hand

Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance

Silver moon's sparkling

So, kiss me”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DATE?

That’s the question you’d been mulling over recently. Things were finally somewhat peaceful within the Kingdom of science— no figuring out how to make revival fluid, no wars against Tsukasas army and nothing to do but work towards building the ship. So now you had nothing but time to think about more trivial things. 

Things like your long term relationship with a certain scientist. 

You usually had the answers to many questions, being smarter than most did that, and if you didn’t have the answer to one you’d just ask your slightly smarter boyfriend. However, if you were to ask him this one— he probably wouldn’t know the answer to it either.

Still, you couldn’t let this one go since it was driving you crazy.

Dating.

What does it even mean?

You and Senku had decided to date back at the end of middle school. No dramatic confession, no fireworks—just a mutual, quiet understanding. You liked him. He liked you. Why complicate it?

And honestly… nothing has changed since then.

You still walk everywhere together. Still sleep beside each other, backs nearly touching for warmth. Still hug—long, comfy hugs that make the world feel steady again. Sometimes you hold hands, fingers loosely linked like it’s no big deal.

It’s comfortable.

It’s safe.

It’s… childish.

Your jaw tightens. Your thoughts are so damn childish, what are you twelve?

God, get it together, you scold yourself internally. You’re thinking about stupid shit.

But now that you’re not constantly worrying about being murdered, or petrified, or starving, your brain has space for these thoughts. Too much space.

You still hadn’t kissed. Or said ‘I love you’ even when there were moments where you could tell the both of you wanted to say it to one another. Or done anything a normal couple at your age would do.

You sigh quietly, staring at the empty table in front of you, lost in thought.

“…Knock knock, anyone there?”

Gen’s voice cuts through the air, light but teasing.

You don’t react.

He blinks. “Wow. She’s gone gone.”

Still nothing.

A moment later, a finger pokes your cheek.

“Oi,” Senku says. “Stop spacing out.”

You jolt like you’ve been struck by lightning. “W–WHAT—?!”

The sudden movement makes you knock your plate over, and your frantic scrambling draws laughter from almost everyone nearby.

“Adorable,” Gen snickers.

Your face burns. “I wasn’t spacing out!”

Senku raises an eyebrow. “You totally were.”

Before you can retort back, Ryusui plops down across from you, resting his chin in his hand, eyes sharp with interest.

“So,” he says casually, “it’s cute how you only stopped spacing when Senku called out to you! Speaking of you and Senku, how’s it going?”

Instant death. Shots were fired. He called you out.

How did he know you were JUST thinking about the sad state of your relationship?

You choke on air. “H–HUH?!”

Senku sighs. “Why is that any of your business?”

Ryusui smirks. “Because you two act like a married couple and a middle school couple at the same time. Fascinating contradiction.”

Gen hums. “Now that you mention it… you are oddly awkward sometimes.”

Your hands fidget in your lap. “We’re not awkward.”

Ryusui tilts his head. “Then why do you act like strangers when romance comes up?”

Senku answers flatly, “It doesn’t matter.”

You nod quickly. “Yeah. Isn’t this how a normal couple acts?”

Ryusui laughs—loud, bright, utterly unconvinced.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he says, leaning closer. Then he lowers his voice and whispers in your ear, “I can tell the two of you haven’t even kissed yet.”

Your entire face goes up in flames.

“Shut up,” you grunt, mortified, standing abruptly. “I’m helping wash dishes.”

You flee before anyone can say anything else.

Behind you—

Senku remains seated, arms crossed. “What’d you say to make her freak out?”

Ryusui crouches beside him. “I told her the same thing I’m about to tell you.”

Senku glances over. “Which is?”

“You haven’t kissed her.”

“…So?”

Ryusui’s jaw drops. “So?!”

Senku shrugs. “It’ll happen eventually.”

“Eventually?!” Ryusui throws his arms into the air dramatically. “You’ve been dating for over three thousand seven hundred years! Man up and make a move while you finally have time!”

Senku clicks his tongue. “…I don’t know how.”

Ryusui freezes. Then he puffs out his chest. “Lucky for you, I’m a relationship connoisseur. You may be a genius in science but I’m a genius in dating!”

He proceeds to ramble about timing, confidence, instincts, and seizing moments when adrenaline is high and emotions are raw.

Senku listens. Annoyed, but interested (not that he would ever admit to it).

Then stands. “Shut up.”

But the words Ryusui said stick.

Later that night, you’re sitting beside Senku again—this time surrounded by paper, charcoal scribbles, and calculations.

Fuel logistics.

The ship needs enough power to cross long distances without overloading capacity. You both scribble numbers, muttering under your breath.

“If we use oil exclusively, we’ll exceed weight tolerance,” Senku mutters.

“Yeah, there’s the problem with the ships capacity,” you reply. “Hmm… what if we stagger consumption?”

He pauses. “Explain.”

You lean forward, excitement bubbling. “If we calculate fuel usage per nautical mile and store it in segmented containers, we can reduce excess storage by optimizing burn rates based on wind conditions.”

You scribble rapidly. “Look—if we assume an average wind assist of 15%, we can reduce fuel load by—”

“I got it!” you suddenly shout. “We cap fuel at this amount, reserve emergency storage here, and rely on sail propulsion for the first leg!”

Senku’s eyes light up. “That’s genius, I really wanna kiss you right nooww—!” He suddenly blurts out, slurring the ‘now’ when he realises what he just said.

“So kiss me,” you jokingly say, hanging the piece of paper on the open door of the lab. A few moments later, you realise that he didn’t take your words as lightly as you’d expected. The scientist was walking closer to you by the second and for some reason you kept on backing away, until the two of you were now outside.

You couldn’t say nor do anything— I mean who could at the sight of his beautifully flushed face glowing in the moonlight? So instead you lick your lips in anticipation, staring up at the silver moon reflected in his crimson eyes as he looks up at the sky in an attempt to keep his nerves at bay.

Then… he grabs you suddenly, exhilaration surging through him—

—and kisses you.

Right on the lips.

Your brain explodes.

It’s warm. Softer than you expected. His lips hesitate against yours, like he’s half-afraid you might pull away. You can feel his breath stutter, feel the faint pressure of his thumb tightening against your sleeve as if he’s grounding himself.

It lasts only a moment—barely enough time to register that it’s real—

Then Senku pulls back as if shocked by his own actions.

Your heart is pounding so loudly you’re sure he can hear it. Your face feels hot, your lips tingling where his were, and you’re staring at him with wide eyes, trying to process the fact that after everything—

It finally happened.

Senku’s ears are bright red. His expression is caught somewhere between disbelief and panic. “…I—”

You laugh, breathless and a little shaky, the sound bubbling out of you before you can stop it. “Took you long enough!”

That makes him freeze and he thinks to himself. How can someone be so perfect?

Before he can overthink it—before he can retreat back into logic and reason—you grab the front of his shirt, fingers curling into the fabric, and pull him back down.

This time, you kiss him.

And you do it like you’ve been holding this in for years—because you have.

His breath catches sharply, a soft sound against your mouth, and for a heartbeat he’s completely still. Then he melts into it, hands finding your waist, pulling you closer until your faces are pressed together, cheeks squishing slightly, awkward and perfect and real.

You tilt your head, instinct guiding you, and deepen the kiss. Your lips part just enough to catch his lower lip, gently tugging it between yours.

The kiss grows slower, warmer, unhurried.

There’s no rush. No panic.

Just closeness.

When you finally pull back, you’re both breathless, foreheads touching, noses brushing as you laugh softly, dazed smiles spreading across your faces.

Your lips tingle. Your chest feels too full. “I love you.”

“Y’know, I love you too. And I’m 10 billion percent sure I’ll always feel that way!” He chuckles before giving you another peck on the lips.

And suddenly, you get it.

Dating isn’t about labels. Or milestones. Or what you should have done by now.

It’s this.

♟️a/n

21/12/25

2000 words

@smiskisworld/-fischll/fischll

-TYSM FOR READING MY WORK AND GIVING ME REQUESTS!!

-this is written from a request I got, I’ve never written a Senku fluff before so I hope I did him justice!! ps: not proofread or anything yet so ignore the wording and lack of info I’ll proofread one day🥹🙏

-sorry for the wait I promise I’ll get to the rest of my requests soon I’m just busy writing my ryusui fic I’m not even updating it I’m just writing so much for it lol I do this for the love of the game

-13 year old me would be so proud of me for writing about my childhood crush like aww TYSM TO THE GOAT @anajellyc for requesting this!! You’ve been here from the start and I genuinely love how u motivate me to write ily twin

🪼taglist (comment/like/reblog to be on it!!)

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[foxxynoiia]

man i miss dr stone, i decided to restart it since I stopped months ago, and damn is it goated. This oneshot is so cute too i love soft senku ragh

[foxxynoiia]

Oh wow that diluc story you wrote was amazing it was so beautiful but aughhh will they ever met again?? I wish them a happy ending😖😖😣

TY ANONN!!

who knows if diluc and the angel met each other again 🤷‍♀️ i just think that whatever they had was more precious because it ended (also because i love angst lolol)

[foxxynoiia]

diluc x reader oneshot that makes no sense. 2k words.

synopsis: the angel deserves to spread its wings. the wine maker was just grateful to have heard its voice in his lifetime.

hear me out on the concept of being partners with the traveler and going around teyvat with the traveler and paimon. you meet so many interesting people throughout the different nations — you make some friends, some enemies, some more enemies, but you were enjoying yourself to the fullest.

you felt like this was what you were born to do: traverse the world. you didn't know it then, when you were just a nobody in mondstadt that performed at the angel's share with the hopes of earning enough money to get buy.

it was a miracle that you were able to snag a job as the go-to performer at the bar. you remember the day when you were crouched in front of a crying child, singing a soft song in hopes to calm her down. when her parents came and brought her home, you were startled when someone spoke to you out of the blue.

"you have a beautiful voice."

when you had turned, it was none other than diluc ragvindr, the old cavalry captain of the knights of favonius and the owner of the large winery west of springdale. you had heard of him and you saw him sometimes, but you had never talked to him before that day.

you thanked him for his compliment, and he gave you an offer; show up every week to sing a few songs to the patrons of his pub in the city, and he would pay you handsomely.

"that's too much for a weekly performance," you had protested. you may have been in desperate need for money, but you still had some dignity.

diluc, as stone-faced as when he had complimented you, shook his head. "i won't go higher or lesser," he said, his tone final.

and so your arrangement began. every saturday night (which was conveniently also the only day that diluc would personally tend to the bar), you climbed up a stool and sang your heart out in hopes that you would actually earn the amount of mora that diluc was giving you.

there were times where the whole bar would be noisy, singing along with you as they raised their drinks and cheered while a certain bard took up the spot of being your music. other nights, they let you take the spotlight, enraptured by the rise and fall of your melody as you took them through a journey with merely your voice.

even diluc would stop wiping his cup sometimes to just listen to you, his full attention on you and the words that you sang out with such a richness that couldn't be found anywhere else.

you were the angel of the tavern, that much was certain.

"you were amazing up there," he said after you finished your set and settled on one of the high stools at the bar table.

you smiled, your cheeks slightly pink. "you say that every night."

"and every night, i mean it."

kaeya would tease you sometimes whenever he bought his own drinks, saying that you had "softened the shadow of mondstadt into a teddy bear". you laughed and slapped his arm good-naturedly, because it was easier to do that than to meet the eyes of the man who had helped you more times than you could count.

at first, your connection with diluc was professional; you would come to the tavern, sing your songs, then he would pay you when you were finished.

but then one day, he asked you questions about your life, your experiences. you started with answering politely while standing up, cutting it short when you would call it a night then leave. it proceeded to you taking a seat at the bar, and then ordering a drink, and then laughing with (or sometimes at) diluc as patrons filtered out of bar one by one. he would walk you home once his shift was over, apologizing for keeping you out for so long.

"it was my choice to stay," you had reassured. "besides, you are much more interesting than other people give you credit for, mister ragnvindr."

you could have sworn that he was blushing before he turned around and spedwalked out of the city.

soon enough, you had evolved into something more than just a singer and a bar owner; you became friends.

then you met up with a blonde boy named aether and his floating traveling companion named paimon, and even helped him defeat the dragon that had been terrorizing mondstadt during the past weeks.

the thrill of facing dangers head-on with nothing but a weapon in your hand and the strength of your will to live was invigorating to you. it was a different pleasure compared to the kind that you felt when you performed; while singing brought you satisfaction, fighting and traveling, you realized, brought you life.

the purpose that you had been searching for was not hidden in the aged wood of a bar, nor was it whispered through the streets of the city you were born in. it was out here, where your heartbeat was your drum of war and your weapon was the banner you held.

when aether and paimon asked you to join them in their search for aether's sister which would undoubtedly take them all over teyvat, you didn't hesitate to say yes, buzzing with the excitement of finally doing something you properly enjoyed.

you visited the tavern one last time on your last night in mondstadt; aether said you would be making your way to liyue in the morning, and may not be back for a while.

you wanted to say your goodbyes to the person that truly made you feel seen.

diluc knew that there was something different when you entered the tavern and sang your heart out. every patron was captivated with your voice, more so than during your usual nights. you made sure to make the night count, making your final performance count.

he was rinsing the glasses when you were done, when you had climbed off of your usual stool and sat down on the bar. he'd given you your usual drink, and you sat in silence. you were still trying to work up the courage to tell him that you were leaving, and you didn't know how long it would be until you would find yourself back here, in the warmth of the tavern and in the warmth of his presence.

he beat you to it. "you're leaving with the traveler."

he didn't ask. it was like he knew all along.

you nodded, taking a quiet breath before speaking, hoping your voice stays even. "i've never felt as happy performing as i did helping aether out, fighting and going on adventures. i think... i think that was what i was meant to do."

diluc didn't reply immediately. he took his time wiping the rim of the glass until it was clean, setting it down beside the others in the tray before he opened his mouth again.

"make sure to take care of yourself," he said. he finally looked up at you, red eyes meeting yours. you could have sworn that they were glowing. "you will do well out there."

you smiled. it was small, a bit melancholic, because you knew that this would be the last time you would be right here, with him.

"that reminds me," he slung the towel over his shoulder as he bent down below the bar table, rummaging around and setting something on top of the wood. "this is your last paycheck, something a little different to signify your last performance in the angel's tavern."

your brows furrowed. it was a suspicious, long sack, and it obviously had some weight to it.

diluc noticed your apprehension, nudging it towards you. "open it. be careful, though."

you set your drink down and opened the sack. your jaw dropped when you realized what was inside. you hurriedly pulled it out.

"wha — mister ragnvindr, you didn't have to do this," you sputtered.

he'd given you a weapon. your weapon of choice, obviously meticulously forged.

"give it a swing," he encouraged. there weren't any patrons left, since you had once again stayed back to spend some time with diluc.

you lifted it off of the table and gave it a few experimental moves, and you marveled at the way that the weapon seemed to hum in your hand like it was made for you.

"since you will no longer be performing here every week, i thought that giving you something to help you on your new journey would be a sufficient final paycheck," he explained. the way that his eyes never left your expression and the way you played with the weapon almost made him look nervous. "is it to your standard?"

"actually much higher than it," you chuckled. you looked up, and diluc had to force his heart to calm down lest he accidentally activates his vision and sets the sleeves of his coat on fire from how you were grinning at him. "thank you so much, mister ragnvindr. this — this means more to me that you know."

diluc shrugged. "it's nothing. it would mean a lot to me as well if you made use of it."

"please, i feel a little embarrassed that the only thing i could give you before i left was a performance compared to this."

"call me diluc."

you frozed. "pardon?"

"i consider you as more than just an employee. it feels odd that after how long we've known each other, you still address me as formally as you do now."

you felt warmth erupt from your stomach, slightly flustered. yes, it was weird that you never used his first name in the duration that you've known him, but it felt like you would be crossing a line. a line that would confirm something you've thought that you've been feeling for quite some time.

"thank you diluc." his name felt warm on your tongue, like you had swallowed the sun.

diluc looked at you with something dangerously close to a smile. "actually, i think there's one more way you can repay me."

you urged him to continue with a nod of your head.

"sing. any song you'd like."

"i do that every night, diluc," you say, confused.

"sing for me," he clarified. "you've sang for crowds of all sizes, and i've seen all your performances, but i have yet to see you perform for just one person, with nothing but raw emotion mixed with skill. so now, sing with the passion that i know is inside you. sing without restraint."

you lay your weapon gently on the countertop. he's right; you've performed multiple times, both in and out of angel's share, in front of all kinds of people.

and yet a performance just for the wine maker, for the one person who gave you a stage, made you feel more nervous than you had ever been to sing.

"if that's what you wish," you breathed.

your next moves were a familiar routine; you grabbed the nearest chair, dragged it to the center in between the bar and the door, and you climbed on top of it.

diluc leaned on the table behind the counter, crossing his arms and looking up at you. not with expectation, not with suspense.

he just looked at you. the angel that had blessed his bar with a voice and a presence. the one face that has haunted his dreams since the moment he stumbled across you and first offered you a place to perform.

"sing with the passion inside you. sing without restraint."

you knew just the song for him, and you opened your mouth to let the notes flow out of you and maybe reach his soul the way that he reached yours.

no one knew of the private performance that the angel gave to the hero. no one knew that would be the last time they would see each other.

all they could hear, as they slept peacefully in their beds deep into the night, was the heartbreakingly beautiful melody that graced the tavern and weaved itself into fibers of the wood, making it hum with a life that it had lacked in its years of existing.

(we're not talking about the tavern itself.)

wow did this take forever to get out of my system. i have felt the urge to write something for genshin for the longest time, and why not write it about my first five star and the character that makes me feel so nostalgic every time i see him?

i'll try my best to be more active during the break! send any requests or thoughts you may have. thank you for reading <33