ㅤ﹑tags ... fluff/headcanons/implied relationship if u squint really hard/reader glaze/multitalented!reader/probably ooc lol/sfw/short
ㅤ౨ৎㅤ—ㅤa/n﹕negative + positive = balance
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤpre petrification
according to everyone in the classes you shared back then, you two were academic rivals turned lovers
minus the rivals part
they just can't exactly comprehend how senku bagged you so
he's a genius by hard work, you collect skills like minecraft achievements
when senku met you as a child, you were holding a four leafed clover.
when he met you as a teenager, you won the lottery.
it was around senku's early teenage years that he realized you were a walking lucky charm blessed by the universe
and along with that revelation came the decision that you were too useful of a companion to let go of anytime soon. (aka a crush)
he was aware you'd have no trouble making friends in high school, but he figured if you got distant, the average success rate of his experiments would decrease significantly.
see, if luck could be measured in integers, senku's would be knee deep in the negatives
you, however, are frolicking through a field of flowers in bliss
notice the difference?
senku was fortunate enough to have crossed paths with you in childhood more than once, back when he cared very very very very little for socialization and friends
either you also joined the science club or maybe arts and crafts with yuzuriha or even just a classmate of taiju's, you and senku were always bound to reunite
u guys ever notice some random person at school and suddenly you start to see them everywhere?
you are that person to senku.
i imagine senku was having trouble with a certain science experiment and no matter the formula he used, it just kept blowing up in his face.
senku's patience was running out by that point and it wasn't until YOU gave it a try that it finally worked.
and that's what made it click for him
as time passed, senku's attempts at finding a logical explanation for your unnatural luck began to wander from logics to philosophy— something he wouldn't normally resort to.
your fortune is with you for a good reason, he concludes.
your luck isn't something you exploit or flaunt
you're generally a wonderful person, especially compared to him lol
no wonder nobody else questions you as much as he does.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤpost petrification
senku discovered your statue just by the entrance of a cave, somewhat upright and with little to no damage besides the natural erosion caused by time and weather inflicted onto your stone body.
senku's only reaction was a smile and sigh, of course your luck transcended time and petrification.
it wasn't like he doubted it, there was no need to worry after all.
things fell back into routine pretty quick after you had woken up
ㅤ﹑tags ... implied romance/not really implied relationship but like/idk/made at 4am/fluff/corny/tooth rotting fluff/highschool au/modern au/or pre-petrification fic, doesn't matter/short oneshot/starvyz posting anything but new chapters and finished drafts
ㅤ౨ৎㅤ—ㅤa/n﹕i don't wanna do my homework bruh // I wrote this cus I was sick all friday, fell asleep at 9 then woke up at 2 pm the next day to 93892 messages from my friend talking about leaving his racist friend and I was like rejoice! and somewhere amidst the rant, he asked me if he'd pull off the femboy style
ㅤYou don't remember falling asleep.
ㅤYou remember going to school, zoning out the entire day, coming home, opening your binder to start your english homework, then your bed started whispering promises of a world where homework didn't exist… then you realized you left your phone on the bed, so you just had to go grab it real quick…
ㅤThen your head hit the pillows and the sky turned dark while you weren't watching.
ㅤMost of all, you don't ever recall allowing Senku into your house.
ㅤIt probably says something about you how you only now woke up to the sound of someone snapping open your binder rings. With your head buried in your arms and the rest of your numb body tangled with your blanket, you peeked at the burglar.
ㅤ"Keep sleeping," said the burglar as he took out 3 papers from your english section.
ㅤTo preface, Senku could not care less about english class, but he will (reluctantly) care about his average regardless of the subject. Being the only person he knows in that class automatically makes you his only hope of survival.
ㅤHe stood by your mess of a desk in a dark green hoodie and long shorts. Music always played from your laptop no matter the time. If this were a real break in, the robber would be stealing with Mac Demarco as their montage music in the back. Currently, your room was dimly lit, golden rays of sunlight shone through your curtains along with light from a lamp Senku must have turned on. Or perhaps you left it on this morning—last morning?
ㅤ"What time is ittt…" You groaned in borderline incomprehensible mumbling.
ㅤSomehow, Senku could decode it. "Seven thirty something. What order are your notes in? Are they even in an order at all?"
ㅤ"Is it Saturday?" You murmured again.
ㅤ"Still Friday. Where's the most recent stuff?"
ㅤ"I shove all my homework in the front flap."
ㅤSenku flipped your pages to the front and pulled out the recent assignment. "Cool, thanks, go back to sleep." He sat in your desk, eyes skimming through the instructions to your half-assed answers you swore you'd do later tonight.
ㅤFinally, you took a breath and sat up on your knees, staring at your headboard. Your head turned to Senku. "Why are you in my house?"
ㅤ"I–" Senku started, then stopped copying your answers for a minute to stare at your disheveled figure. "You sound sick."
ㅤ"Oh." Your throat felt sore, your nose was runny, your body temperature felt too high, hair clung to your forehead with sweat, and the world kept tilting to the left if you stopped focusing. "I feel sick."
ㅤSenku searched your floor, pulled out your water bottle from your backpack, then handed it to you. "I kept texting you after my extracurr for your answers for english because I forgot to steal them during school, but you weren't answering so I simply came over."
ㅤYou took a small sip then lost all interest in water as soon as the liquid touched your throat. Senku took notice of your visible recoil.
ㅤ"Alright, maybe it is time you get up. Take some medication," he suggested.
ㅤYour head fell back slightly, eyes closed as you whined. "Where are my parents? How did they let you in?"
ㅤ"They welcomed me, actually. There's leftovers on the stove if you can handle eating in your current state. Right now, they're getting groceries, I think."
ㅤ"When did you become part of my family?"
ㅤ"When did you ask so many questions? Just stand up already."
ㅤYou slowly fell forward and hit your pillow. "No, it's okay. I'll just rest a bit more."
ㅤSomewhere between you mumbling about doing your homework tomorrow and closing your eyes, Senku slipped out of the room unprompted.
ㅤYou woke again with a jolt, blinded by the bright ceiling light Senku turned on. You practically hissed at the exposure.
ㅤHe trudged over to your nightstand and put down a small bowl of rice and giniling topped with chopsticks. Next was a cup of cold water, then a Tylenol tablet.
ㅤ"If you take it, I'll turn the lights off."
ㅤYou sighed heavily enough for him to hear, then exited your blanket cocoon and took the bowl of food.
ㅤSenku worked on the english assignment while you took slow bites of rice. It was quiet, normal, nice. Music continued to fill the atmosphere. The sun dipped lower and lower out of reach from your room. By the time you swallowed the tablet, you were ready to go back to sleep.
ㅤ"Did you eat?" You asked Senku. He nodded in response, lost in though on one of the questions he called poetic nonsense because they were always formatted like insane riddles. After a moment, he stood up and turned off the lights as promised, followed by a yawn from you.
ㅤ"Go back to sleep. You can rest assured now," Senku instructed as he sat back down and picked up your pencil.
ㅤYou pulled your blanket up to your knees. "It's too dark though. You won't be able to finish writing." His shoulders loosened at that thought. "It's manageable."
ㅤ"Aren't you tired?"
ㅤ"No." After all that ridiculous effort to make sure you eat and take medicine, he won't even spare you a glance for wondering about his health.
ㅤYou gave him a minute to think before speaking up again. "Senku?"
ㅤHis hand came up to scratch his head, an excuse to look away, essentially. "Yeah, I'm tired, whatever."
ㅤSenku switched to your bed, sitting next to you, laid down. He stared at the slight breeze coming from your open window.
ㅤYou tossed half your blanket over him, which he took as a sign to lay down. He turned to you in bed with a sigh.
ㅤ"I'm gonna catch your illness, huh?" he mumbled, mindlessly throwing an arm over your torso to pull himself closer to your sickly warmth.
ㅤ"Rest assured, I'll bring you food and medicine if you do," You mumbled back with a smile.
Hiii can we have Senku and a clingy partner but smart and strong
I love your stuff and hope you have a good day/night!
︖﹖ㅤㅤSenku w/a Clingy Partner 🤯
ㅤㅤㅤㅤ❕️ㅤclick4rules—4masterlist
ㅤㅤ🔭ㅤㅤ—ㅤ(dr stone) ishigami senku x gn!reader
ㅤ﹑tags ... fluff/headcanons/implied relationship and r-r-r-r-romance.../reader glaze/i love glazing reader
ㅤ౨ৎㅤ—ㅤa/n﹕AAYYAY MY FIRST REQUEST YIPPEE (>▂<) i went with headcanons if that's okay also reader was a sports player in the old world
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤpre petrification
holy moly were you a high achiever 🙏
medals and certificates, you exceeded in athletics and academics
your classmates often wondered what your secret was in maintaining such a stable sanity and life
the trick? senku's persistent ass who takes pleasure in using your talents and skills to complete side quests for his illegal science projects
you are not allowed to skip practice
he doesn't even come to any of your games smh
fetching this and that
buying this and that
coding this and that
it was just part of your routine at that point to always be running errands for him
senku was taught how to say please and thank you, he just... does it differently...........
senku isn't a romantic person in the slightest
he isn't one for physical touch at all, but if it's coming from you, he doesn't mind
unlike taiju's suffocating hugs, your embrace is comfortable and respectful.
for the sake of senku's sanity, reader will be an acts of service and quality time type of clingy rather than physical touch
always seen together, yet senku is so used to your company that it hasn't registered in his head how you're always nearby until someone else points it out
then begins the over-analyzation behind every minor interaction you two have ever had
he attempts to keep it subtle but senku isn't known for that lol
his intentions become clear at some point and that's when you'd have to explain that you simply enjoy being around him because interesting things always seem to happen to him
for such a random reason senku failed to consider, he was a little skeptical about your honesty regarding that
"you sure you weren't paid to assassinate me and you're just waiting for the right time to strike?"
"i'm sure."
after this hell of a revelation, senku gradually began reciprocating your actions more and more
it took a while for it to click for him
but one side quest turned to an unexpected date after the other... there were more reasons to be near each other besides projects and school.
senku definitely googled "how to treat my partner right" at least once just to make sure he wasn't messing anything up
relationships were the last thing on his mind, but putting the pros and cons on paper with you in mind, it wasn't so difficult to convince him anymore
he even caught himself planning a future with you
he shut it down pretty quick, but that doesn't mean he willingly forgot everything he was thinking about
future jobs, university, travelling, studies, all with you would make things ten billion times easier
overall, your clingy affection and presence may not be reciprocated by senku, but it will be appreciated.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤpost petrification
is petrification cold, or is it just the absence of your warmth?
anyway, your waking was guaranteed to be as soon as possible
for reasons other than senku being uncomfortable with the lack of your voice and presence, of course
never has he ever outright admitted to missing you
and he never will
whenever he has extra material left over, he makes small gifts for you. to avoid wasting resources, of course
your touchstarved ahh probably infected him too so now he's slightly more affectionate than he was before
it's fitting because he's probably referred to you as a contagious disease as a joke at one point
senku has zero interest in sports and games but he'll reinvent a volleyball or something for you to play with taiju
but if he needs you in the lab and you start going "one more game! one more game!" you're getting dragged by the ankles and he has no remorse.
for a multitalented person, your name is likely being called out every 5 seconds from every direction and that will definitely get overwhelming at some point.
senku deals with that for you by politely shutting everyone up by bringing back drama tv or whatever will keep the others away from annoying you
so that he can be the only person to bother you with requests, duh
you are the only exception
ㅤ౨ৎㅤ—ㅤa/n﹕guys i really should've joined badminton this year idk why i didn't i regret not joining 🥀
ㅤ﹑tags ... x reader/headcanons/super ranom/odd/lowk procrastinating everything else so pls take this/platonic or romantic/may make a continuation... maybe/short
ㅤ౨ৎㅤ—ㅤa/n﹕where did everyone in the dr stone fandom go.... it's so quiet and lonely and i feel embarrassed being like one of the only x reader writers left........😰😰😣😣😣
dates are usually never planned, senku just coincidentally accidentally surprisingly leads you to the arcade or a restaurant while you're on a walk together
study dates feel like a tutoring lesson except the tutor (senku) is a college level professor
OR he's rambling and info dumping while you sit and look pretty 👅
he's actually allergic to verbally apologizing yeah
type of person to bring you apology fruit if he knows he actually messed up
if not, he's gonna be stubborn and dismiss the situation entirely so he isn't distracted by something irrelevant
went through a multilingualism phase and randomly knows how to speak decently in foreign languages because he studied how some of them work (if you're multilingual, he definitely studied yours (also this is self projection because i'm a linguistics nerd))
probably dreams about numbers idk
walked around the playground when he was a kid memorizing his times tables up to 24 instead of socializing (me too)
has complex math techniques he made up that actually work
has 16 different emails
always has gum in his backpack
abacus warrior
made his own cypher for fun one time
watches scientists do experiments on youtube or minecraft while he eats
would be one of those build a boat engineers on roblox
a fan of thrill and the feeling of adrenaline
will go on amusement park rides with you and joke about loose screws and the probability of dying (he's lying)
i think it's canon he's a freak.
over a hundred items in his amazon wishlist
"is it legal to ____" several times in his search history
has a poster of the periodic table on his wall
pulls up with a thick winter coat on the first day of autumn i'm joking
enjoys sunsets
probably really wants a 3d printer or he already has one
not financially aware at all
clarifies with you that if he ever upsets you, just tell him straight up, it's troublesome to keep quiet about your problems
his brain multitasks. that's canon from how he counted the seconds for 3700 years. meaning, he probably listened to gossip all the time in school
"and after i literally told her about our whole argument, she hooked up with him the next day."
*gasp* "no way..."
"yeah, and she had the AUDACITY to keep calling and texting me acting like she didn't just seduce my now-ex-boyfriend." from a conversation two girls were having across the classroom.
you poked senku and whispered, "senku, senku! did you hear tha—?"
"shhh—shut up, they might notice us."
remembers every little thing about you and pretends not to
likes to play dumb around you because you make him comfortable. will shrug at "senku, what's 7 times 9?"
and because you make him laugh
lowk cannot lock in on school because of his side projects and scientific hustles
boxes of books under his bed and in his closet
cereal, then milk like a normal person
likes to travel but then takes like 3 good pictures (foreshadowing for a fic i'm working on)
takes random part-time jobs
partly because byakuya gets mad at him for spending too much money sometimes
partly because he wants the experience
#overachiever
heavily hc that he wrote a few books of important information in the stone world, like making a stone world library of alexandria
was saliva conscious in the old world
yeah idk what else to add i'll get back to writing my actual projects and requests.....😣
pictures upload weird on mobile tumblr..... gr.....
︖﹖ㅤㅤAntibiotics, Antiromantics
ㅤㅤㅤㅤ❕️ㅤclick 4rules—4masterlist—4ch2
ㅤㅤ🧪ㅤㅤ—ㅤIshigami Senkuu/Reader
ㅤ﹑tags ... apocalypse au/zombie apocalypse au/first responder!reader/senku finds the cure/mentions of blood/first aid/mentions of wounds, injuries, violence, apocalyptic things/author has never been in a zombie apocalypse/couple goals/slow burn/fluff/awkward firstish impressions
ㅤ౨ৎㅤ—ㅤa/n﹕cross posted on ao3 as well, i'll fix this when it's not 2 am and i'm not at 9%
ㅤHow many nights have you spent crying?
ㅤHow many ordinary days did you take for granted?
ㅤHow many times have you hesitated?
ㅤWhat day was it now?
ㅤYou didn't know. You should've kept count. A smart person would've kept count, but you're not smart. If you were, you wouldn't have run away and gotten lost.
ㅤIt was embarrassing, really; an ambush at the abandoned shelter you and your friends had found. You were the farthest person from the shadows where they were lurking and the fastest one to leave.
ㅤYou're so stupid.
ㅤSuch an idiot.
ㅤYour only role was first responder. While others gathered food, looted homes, and ruthlessly killed zombies, you made uneven splints and wrapped infected wounds with shaky hands.
ㅤWhat right did your hands have to shake while your companions were covered in blood?
ㅤYours were, too, in a way. Carefully, you wiped the old blood on your right leg that ran all the way down to your ankle. You were stalling. Basic wound treatment was easier to do on another person when the pain wasn't yours but your job to eliminate. Now, it was both.
ㅤYou grit your teeth as you ran the wet cloth over your knee. The sleeve of your jacket in your mouth absorbed every wince of pain and urge to scream that left your mouth. For a clean-contaminated wound, you needed antiseptics, hence, the reason why you were doing this behind the counter of a convenience store.
ㅤBetadine, or povidone iodine is not meant to be used on large wounds. Hydrogen peroxide is a gamble between cleaning the wound and accidentally destroying healthy tissue. The best you could find was polysporin antibiotic cream, one small package left on the floor like it had been waiting for you since the apocalypse began.
ㅤAfter removing as much debris from the wound as possible with sanitized tweezers, you applied a generous amount of cream over it and wrapped it tight with layer upon layer of bandage.
ㅤThank goodness it was on the knee. A knee wound was easier to manage with walking compared to anywhere else on the leg.
ㅤYou stood up quietly, one hand on the dusty counter and the other occupied with your jacket. You bent and stretched the injured leg, practicing to tolerate the pain, ignoring the red splotches surfacing the fabric. Autumn would soon come, these shorts needed to be replaced either way. You wished it didn't take a crowbar to the knee to be reminded.
ㅤWith a tired sigh, you peeked outside the shattered glass door where the sun began to set in the west.
ㅤYou heard noise. The sound of something scraping across the sidewalk by the enterance.
ㅤBy instinct, you knelt down out of view and readied your arm crossbow. In the apocalypse, one would think guns would solve this disaster, but guns are flashy and loud. They attract more. A crossbow was quieter and still a range weapon. You had a dagger on your belt for emergency, too, beside it was a bag of sharp arrows. All you needed was to take out their mobility or simply headshot.
ㅤYou ran through the routine in your head. Aim. Breathe. Shoot. Don't hesitate. Don't think.
ㅤYou crawled to the farther side of the counter and searched for your target. Aimed for the back of the head. Breathing. And—shit.
ㅤIt's a human. They're a human.
ㅤYou mistook them for a zombie. It's not hard to differentiate survivors, you just—it's been a while. You've grown used to blocking out mercy.
ㅤThe person was hooded and carried a backpack like any survivor looked like. They muttered under their breath. A human voice was relieving to hear after your time in solidarity.
ㅤ"Antiseptics. Antibiotics. Anti-anything—" he grunted, picking through empty shelves you had taken from.
ㅤAt some point, you found your position a little awkward.
ㅤ"Are you kidding me? No polysporin? There's no way my luck is that bad. There's no way." Wow, he talked a lot.
ㅤYou stood up slowly, one hand tracing up the counter and the other with your crossbow still aimed at him.
ㅤ"Called it," he murmured. The guy locked eyes with you. Intimidating red eyes contrasted against his pale skin and white—wait, it fades to green, is that natural?—hair. He pulled out a knife, mostly clean, indicating he didn't have much of a killer instinct.
ㅤYou analyzed him. He seemed to do the same. His eyes lingered on your bandaged knee.
ㅤ"Got any polysporin?" He smirked.
ㅤ"Drop the knife," you spoke, rather quietly, as you expected. There wasn't much to talk about. Why waste your breath?
ㅤ"Huh?" He staggered forward, tilting his head. "Drop the crossbow—or remove the arrow, I guess," he replied, returning the knife to his belt. You returned your arrow to your bag.
ㅤYou held up the small tube of polysporin. "You need antibiotics?"
ㅤHis eyes lit up. "That'd be incredibly useful, thanks." Once again, he glanced at your knee.
ㅤ"I-I'm experienced in first aid. If you have an injury, I could..." you trailed off. What were you saying? He's a stranger. Many survivors were greedy. A few from your old party definitely were. There were little chances of this one being selfless. You shouldn't waste your energy on—he clutched his side. Blood stained clothes and pale skin. You really were an idiot.
ㅤ"I'd appreciate that. I have information to trade if you're worried about fairness," he offered.
ㅤ"So I save your life and you tell me some fun facts?"
ㅤ"...Yeah." He shrugged.
ㅤHe didn't seem to have any company. If he did, he wouldn't be scavenging old stores for supplies with a bloody side injury.
ㅤHe propped himself up against the counter where you were earlier, dealing with your own problems. By habit, you kneeled next to his side. You winced, awkwardly, at the pain. Criss-cross would have to do.
ㅤAccording to the old, loose bandages he must have done himself at least 3 days ago, the injury in height only extended just above his belly button. Width—you were scared to find out.
ㅤ"Not bad, right?" He noticed you observing. "The wound itself isn't too deep, but it's definitely punctured, though not contaminated. The first and last time I checked, it was about this big." He gestured an estimated width with his fingers. This guy was awfully calm. You nodded and dug for your first aid supplies in your backpack:
ㅤ— 3 rolls of bandages. 2 still untouched.
ㅤ— Sterilized water.
ㅤ— Safety pins.
ㅤ— Sterilized tweezers.
ㅤ— Gauze pads.
ㅤ— Scissors.
ㅤ— Curved sewing needle.
ㅤ— Thread.
ㅤUse of items had to be moderated. Your last pair of disposable gloves were gone. You laid out a piece of cloth to keep track of your equipment. Never underestimate a case, always prepare for the worst.
ㅤYou unwrapped his bandages, seemingly held in place by tying both ends together. Blood stuck to the fabric as you calmly folded it and set it aside. As you estimated the severity and planned your steps, a reminder popped up.
ㅤ"I didn't get your name, did I?" Keep the patient occupied, distract them from the pain, keep them awake.
ㅤ"Really, you don't know?" He seemed to understand, fidgeting with his shirt as he held it up while you dealt with the bigger issue.
ㅤ"No?" You soaked another piece of cloth in sterilized water, beginning to clean the mess of blood.
ㅤ"Ishigami Senku. Weren't we classmates before the whole apocalypse thing hit?" Ishigami's voice hesitated before each word. His pain tolerance was good, you noted.
ㅤ"Maybe, I can't recall." Perhaps you could if you thought about it hard enough, but when you're in a constant life or death situation, thinking about something so trivial was low on your to-do list. 'Survive another day' was at the very top.
ㅤ"I'd rather you focus on fixing something else before your memory." You chuckled softly at that. Number two would be: 'Save another life.'
ㅤConversation ended quick as you moved on to the actual cut. It was clean across the side of his torso, visible bleeding muscle, no sign of infection or debris.
ㅤ"You did well patching this up immediately."
ㅤIshigami responded with a small nod, his head now facing the other wall.
ㅤ"But it needs stitches."
ㅤ"I thought so," he muttered.
ㅤOnce you had the wound cleaned enough, you poured sterilized water over your needle and the small piece of thread you cut. You set the bottle back down and splayed your hand across the other side of his abdomen. Ishigami showed visible discomfort. You had grown used to this routine.
ㅤTissue forceps would be ideal, but if you hadn't noticed, medical equipment is an ultra rare sight in the apocalypse. Matter of fact, most people in the medical field succumbed to the virus as soon as it began to spread. You often found hospital name tags among the rotting flesh and bones. It isn't surprising. They had to work closely with the infected. You try not to read the names or look at the faces. There's no point in mourning people you didn't know.
ㅤYou worked as fast as you could, seeing the light was fading away quickly. Insert needle through one side, then the other. Tie off three times. Cut. New thread, sterilize. Insert, tie, cut, new thread, sterilize. The steps played in the back of your head like brown noise along with Ishigami's occassional curses and groans. His breathing had become significantly shallow, like the pain was making him manually breathe.
ㅤ"Almost done," you lied. "Just a few more." You avoided asking the story behind injuries, only when necessary would you push the patient to speak up. Otherwise, you'd rather look towards their recovery.
ㅤBesides, you hardly knew Ishigami.
ㅤHe seemed to know you, though.
ㅤHe didn't even ask for your name.
ㅤWith one final cut, you gently spread polysporin cream over the stitched wound and hoped for the best. The last rays of sunlight were replaced by the full moon's comfort as you wrapped bandages around his waist. You secured it tightly with a safety pin while he complained about being unable to breathe.
ㅤYou wrapped up your supplies and stored them away in your pack with red, trembling hands. Ishigami stared, one hand grazing over the fresh bandage under his shirt.
ㅤHe reached into his backpack and pulled out a water bottle, handing it to you. "Drink."
ㅤYou looked at the water, then at him, then back to the water, and then back to him. "It's yours," you declined.
ㅤ"You need it," he insisted.
ㅤ"...Are you sure? Because you're the one who just had to get stitches, I'm sure—
ㅤ"Just take it."
ㅤYou looked at the water, then back at him. You gulped. Saying no a third time would be awkward anyway...
ㅤYou muttered a small thank you and drank the water. Meanwhile, Ishigami fulfilled his part of the deal.
ㅤ"I'm working on a cure," he stated.
ㅤ"Bold start." You leaned against the wall, eyes glancing at the entrance every now and then.
ㅤ"I got split up with my group of four about 5 weeks ago or so. One of them got infected. I managed to hold off the virus for a month with just weekly doses of the cure fluid I was developing." You listened attentively. Suddenly, every word he spoke sounded like religious scripture describing a miracle. "I lost the formula in the mess that I had to run from, but the fluid was likely only effective in terms of the placebo effect. I plan to develop a real cure, and revive fresh infected."
ㅤ"If that were possible, don't you think the government would be wide-distributing revival fluid by now?" You wanted to believe Ishigami's cause, invite a little hope in your life for once, but it sounded fictional. "Instead of abandoning us?"
ㅤHe smirked. "I believe the government's a little behind. Their best people were practically the first infected cases: doctors, scientists, lab workers, and researchers. That and they might want to use this opportunity to lessen the population. Whatever the situation, I'll just have to beat everyone to it."
ㅤ"You sound real confident for someone who should be graduating highschool this year."
ㅤ"What? Underestimating my abilities, nurse?" he purposefully teased. You tried to picture this guy in a classroom setting. "The thing that slashed me was a fresh zombie wielding a knife like a maniac. With my luck, I was bound to encounter that." He looked back at his bandages, either pleased with the lack of blood or reminiscing in the wonderful memory of being slashed across your side torso—probably the former. "Infection only spreads with blood or saliva contact."
ㅤYou connected the dots. "D-did you—?"
ㅤ"Yeah, probably." Ishigami shrugged. His nonchalance was throwing you off. "I poured an updated formula over it with antibiotic solution and wrapped it up. I figured if you saw signs of infection on the wound earlier, you'd let me know, but..?"
ㅤYou looked at your blood-stained hands in your lap. "No, no infection at all. It was just a clean cut."
ㅤ"Exactly." Ishigami grinned. A mad scientist. He's a mad scientist. The moment he got injured he took it as a chance to test his new formula. He glanced to the side, still smiling like he'd been waiting to tell someone about his success for a while. "It's getting late. I planned to sleep in that storage room tonight, you might as well stick with me."
ㅤRight, you almost forgot. Surviving alone for the past 4 weeks meant you hardly got any sleep. There was no one to rotate shifts with and finding safe places high up was an occassional blessing.
ㅤIshigami was already picking up his things and heading towards the small storage room. "This area is quiet. The infected gather towards noise, so they're all mostly around downtown where it used to be busy."
ㅤYou followed behind him with a slight limp in your left leg. He put his hood down earlier. You hadn't noticed it before, but his hair was concerningly messy and spiky. Is that colour really natural? Is it appropriate to ask?
ㅤThe storage room really was small. Despite the size, Ishigami placed his backpack on a shelf and entered his sleeping bag. You prepared for bed as well. When the sun rises, light will enter the cracks of the door. You needed to get used to the darkness at some point.
ㅤBack then, with your group, finding safe spots was the hardest part of the night routine. Everyone had a role to fulfill. Fear was the last thing on your mind when other lives were at stake, you couldn’t afford to be selfish that way. It wasn't until you were alone that you realized just how scared you were.
ㅤThankfully, Ishigami set up a solar flashlight.
ㅤYou curled up in your own sleeping bag, head rested against the shelves across from him. Ishigami was writing in a notebook. You couldn't help but be a little nosy. Was he keeping an apocalyptic diary?
ㅤYou nudged his sleeping bag with yours. "What's that?"
ㅤ"Notebook. Today is thursday, I usually update on thursdays. That's when it all started anyway. I keep track of information and—"
ㅤYou lifted your head up fully. "You know the date?"
ㅤ"Yeah. I've been counting the days," he murmured, focused on writing. "Sometimes the hours. Or minutes. Or seconds. Time is precious."
ㅤ﹑tags ... x reader/fluff/corny/slice of life/stupid teens in love/horribly explained lab experiment/sunshine and rainbows and happiness/both parties are bad at feelings
ㅤ౨ৎㅤ—ㅤa/n﹕fuckass website fuckass writing passion 5 days after i posted counting stars and stats, i threw up 5 times within 15 hours during a car trip and by theoretic calculation, that's 1 bag of vomit per 3 hours but nooo i just HAD to throw up over and over again for like the first 5 hours and then I slept for the rest of the ride because i can't puke up my remaining intestines if i'm unconscious right? yeah well to add to my misery, my insomnia decided to make a comeback arc that very trip because apparently getting 10-12 hours of sleep every night for a week prior is a sin with drastic karmic consequences. now i'm sick and as i write this, i am rejecting every symptom of illness i have through sheer force of will (05/20) apologies for the long note—i started this chapter like 3 months ago but hey it's here yeah yay
ㅤBright white light from the snow outside illuminated your room, causing you difficulty of sleep. Along with it was a cold. You woke up sniffling and still fully dressed in formal attire—efforts from the night before. For a while, you stared at the wall, making estimates on the time.
ㅤIt was a Saturday, thank goodness. You didn't know if seeing Senku again after that would be good for your mental health. You replayed the events in your head. The heat rising to your cheeks made you forget how cold it was now that the first snowfall had arrived. Your recent memories of Senku now bathed in a romantic light made you forget you were sick and in uncomfortable clothing.
ㅤHe walked you home without being prompted like a gentleman. How'd he even find you? He made it seem like a coincidence, but even if you weren't paying attention on the way to that bench, you knew there should have been no way anyone could follow you.
ㅤAnd paying for you at that convenience store? You clearly shook your head when he asked if you needed anything, yet he dragged you inside anyway. The cliche route would've been giving up his jacket for you, but Senku was anything but cliche, he was weird.
ㅤWeird in the way that he'd talk about interesting satellite reports to distract you. In the way that if you leaned in too close, you might see calculations being made in real time in those eyes.
ㅤWith a faint smile you were struggling to hold back, you sat up and stretched, reaching for your phone to check the time. 10:38 AM, what a coincidence. How long had you been blushing at a wall before getting up? The heat pad he had bought for you last night had long lost its warmth and you had long lost your bitterness towards your failed date.
ㅤYou cringed at the reminder then went off to take a shower to clear your head as much as possible.
ㅤAs if that were even possible.
ㅤRight as you faced your reflection, you began to spiral.
ㅤSenku Ishigami?
ㅤReally?
ㅤOut of everyone in the world?
ㅤHe was nowhere near the standard you had built for your dream person. Yeah, he was smart. You'd absolutely agree he was much smarter than you, but he wasn't exactly humble about it. He wasn't gentle or particularly smooth with his words.
ㅤSenku was logical, efficient, and straightforward. He wasn't boyfriend material, especially not according to how your friends would describe the material of a boyfriend.
ㅤHe's definitely not romantic and he would agree if you said that to him. Could you imagine him spoon feeding you? Covering you with a blanket when it's cold and you're passed out? Complimenting every outfit you showcased? Taking you out on dates? Bringing you flowers?
ㅤEven if both of your arms were amputated, Senku would most likely rather build fully functional robotic arms than feed you a single grain of rice.
ㅤBesides, you had a bright future ahead of you that didn't necessarily need to include a long term partner. You could settle with being alone forever if that's how it went. Your feeble attempts to prevent such a sad ending weren't working out anyway.
ㅤOverall, you concluded that Senku would never make a good partner for you. Your pathetic one-sided crush would never be reciprocated like in shōjo media and you'd be better off dying alone than clinging to a mad scientist who'd choose vials of radium over you.
ㅤOddly enough, this easily foreseen revelation stung more than you'd like to admit to even your own reflection.
ㅤFor breakfast/lunch, you devised a four month long step-by-step plan to eliminate your crush by dodging any interactions with Senku that could possibly cross the platonic line—oh, and cooked some eggs.
ㅤ"He said I make bad decisions, so here I am changing my ways," you muttered to nobody in particular. "...He said I make bad decisions." You scoffed.
ㅤYour ringtone was probably the loudest thing you'd heard all day considering you visibly flinched at your phone. The call came from your group chat. Assuming they were making plans for the weekend again, you decided to ignore them this time, not quite in the mood to come home tonight with a bigger migraine.
ㅤMonday, back to school, your mission began early in the morning with your first step onto school property.
ㅤThe way to the entrance was deeply ingrained into your muscle memory by now, and all you had to do was zone out and try not to stare menacingly at people by accident. Wrapped up in counting each of your steps, you noticed too soon the familiar sound of laughter from a group of students who looked way too happy to be at school at 8:45 in the morning.
ㅤYour friends had that kind of effect—one joke, one chuckle, and it was over for everyone else. It was like a mini pandemic of severely contagious giggles. You had zero immunity.
ㅤThat was to your left.
ㅤTo your right—Senku and Taiju.
ㅤTaiju looked like he did 50 push-ups before school whilst Senku looked like he had tested 50 combinations of dangerous chemicals. His hair was testing gravity, Taiju was testing his patience. Even from your path, you could tell he was ranting on and on about Yuzuhira, who was grouped with her crafts club members by one of the benches outside, farther away.
ㅤSenku wore the regular winter uniform paired with a thick jacket not fully zipped underneath his blue scarf. You knew at some point this week—or today—the jacket would be replaced by a lab coat. Taiju tripped and he laughed. You were staring for too long.
ㅤDepending on your mood and intentions, you would swerve your path a bit to either meet with your friends or tag along with Senku and Taiju before Yuzuriha would join.
ㅤBut today, you couldn't take either option.
ㅤIf you went to the left, you'd be smothered with questions about what happened to you during the dance last week and accusations of becoming unresponsive over the weekend. You knew your friends would mean well by their words, but you weren't looking forward to what they had to say about the dance in general.
ㅤIf you went to the right, you'd have to talk to Senku, and you had already committed yourself to this elaborate plan to avoid him until your feelings passed.
ㅤAdmittedly, you weren't the best with people, and your efforts to switch that would probably screw you over even more.
ㅤWith a huff, you started walking to the left.
ㅤ"Heyyy......." You counted to 4 under your breath until it began.
ㅤ"Oh, oh, oh! I see them over there with, uh—oh, they're going over to their friends." Taiju pointed towards your shaking figure (not because you were cold, but because you were literally being shaken by a friend). "Ah, you'll probably see them later during school or whatever, Senku, don't worry."
ㅤ"I'm really not," Senku said. He took notice of your coat. Typical of you to underestimate your tolerance to the cold. The side of your hair you always seemed to forget to tame. The open pocket on your backpack. Your relaxed, affectionate expression despite your voice being indistinguishable among your chaotic friends. Someone slipped on a pile of snow nearby, and you laughed. Senku flicked his gaze back to Taiju and Yuzuriha now approaching.
ㅤStatistically, things were going well.
ㅤIn classes you shared with Senku, you either stayed silent or conversed with other students. Breaks were spent with your other group of friends as well as lunch—though you weren't excited to go for a walk in the cold with them to buy food. After school, you went out with friends or ran errands by yourself rather than bother Senku at his house. You guessed he picked up your avoidant behaviour and decided to back off, which is technically good for you, but a small part of you wished that Senku would try to oppose.
ㅤMaybe he would prove you wrong and show that he was actually capable of comprehending romantic feelings in a non-scientific format.
ㅤNo, that's just delusional thinking.
ㅤSenku is always right. Hormones are to blame.
ㅤStop thinking about Senku.
ㅤThis routine and occassional affirmations carried on for a week. Just as you'd hoped, your feelings were already beginning to die down to a tolerable measure.
ㅤOf course, with your luck, you just had to be hit in the head with the rusty metal crowbar of obstacles.
ㅤThe following weekend, you received a text from Senku asking why you were absent at the most recent science club meeting despite being present that afternoon. In all honesty, you had completely forgotten about it and you told him that. Senku gave you a reminder when the next one was. End of conversation. You didn't make any random jokes to fill the space. Senku didn't humour you and banter back to fill the time.
ㅤThe next few school days blended together until Thursday afternoon in the middle of your English class when Senku came up to you—well, said something to you as he walked past your desk.
ㅤ"Meeting after class. Don't forget again, vice prez."
ㅤHe didn't spare you a glance. You wondered if he even noticed anything different between you.
ㅤYou muttered an "okay" that could have passed as a whisper.
ㅤScience club followed the regular meeting schedule of activities. Senku filled you in on what you missed the other day. Apparently, they had made cola from scratch, experimenting with chemistry. You began to wish you hadn't missed that meeting.
ㅤLately, with the recent budget increase thanks to that successful competition you and Senku had won a month ago, the club had been performing all sorts of experiments with new chemical equipment. It's typical of Senku to do something easy to get everyone confident and exhilerated then throw in something ridiculously difficult only he can do. In short, you were afraid of what project he would be introducing.
ㅤ"For the next project, we are turning mint flavour into glowing liquid." Members showed pleasant reactions. "This assignment will fall under study of chemiluminescence, so pay attention and get excited."
ㅤEasier said than done.
ㅤ"Wintergreen—or methyl salicylate—is a minty flavouring used in candy, essential oil, and etc. We'll be using it as the starting material for the synthesis we need," Senku briefly explained while a small flask of the liquid was passed around.
ㅤ"It's edible?" One student asked.
ㅤ"Yep," Senku answered.
ㅤ"So I can taste it?"
ㅤ"And you can overdose on it." The student's smile faded and passed the flask back to Senku. "Moving on, the first step is to distill it for roughly 20 minutes to remove all the impurities. Need it as pure as possible." As vice president, you knew where every piece of scientific equipment in the school was. You carefully placed the distilliation apparatus on the main table after notebooks were picked up. To make projects more interactive, you had students take turns doing simple procedures like pouring out the impurities in the flask, pouring the wintergreen into a new vial, and pouring the next chemicals into a new flask.
ㅤThe distillation process gave you 3.85g of wintergreen. Students poured in 50mL or the reaction solvent—THF first, then the wintergreen, and then 4.97g of pyridine. All three chemicals were rather colourless, so there was nothing interesting to look for. The flask was covered and magnetic stirring was activated.
ㅤ"The reaction will produce heat, so we need to maintain it with an ice bath. Once it's cooled down, we need to add oxalyl chloride in small portions," Senku instructed. By this point, it was getting late and some members had left to run errands.
ㅤYou explained the next part. "This next reaction will produce MCPO and hydrochloric acid. The pyridine and hydrochloric acid will combine into pyridine hydrochloride—the white solid that's forming now." The remaining science club members leaned in to watch the solid layer form over the liquid. Adding the oxalyl chloride took around 15 minutes. Senku mentioned the following step would take an hour. The classroom was nearly bathed in golden sunlight, indicating the arriving sunset.
ㅤSoon enough, it was just you and Senku, still stirring.
ㅤWith a dramatic sigh, you collapsed against your seat. You tilted your head back like you did on that bench days ago, except this time, you could only count the cracks in the ceiling rather than the stars.
ㅤ"Tired already? It's only, like, 6:43. You usually last longer than that. Get up," Senku said super encouragingly. He poured in the 50mL of water you fetched earlier.
ㅤ"This is taking forever. Everyone's left now and we're still stirring. Can you blame me for being a little tired?" You gave him a look to which he responded by explaining the next reaction with the added water.
ㅤ"It's decreasing the solubility of the MCPO and increasing the solubility of the pyridine hydrochloride, so now the products are switching positions—making the white precipitate the MCPO." You were zoning out more than you were listening.
ㅤSenku stood up and set up a gravity filter. He poured in the flask and watched the liquid drip into the lower one, head resting in his free hand.
ㅤTo your oblivion, Senku's concentration was elsewhere. Noted, it was usually everywhere, but something unusual had truly piqued his interest. His trademark smirk that exposed his malice was gone, replaced with a surprisingly more sincere expression.
ㅤ"You've been pretty avoidant lately. Got a good reason for that or has seasonal depression already hit you?" He joked. You contemplated throwing a book at him, but you fought back the urge. It would come back in twenty more minutes.
ㅤ"Are you saying you miss me?" You laughed dryly, weakly attempting to tease him. You leaned forward, resting your head in your arms on the table.
ㅤ"I don't see the point in lying, so I'll admit, it's been a little boring without your occassional annoyance."
ㅤ"...Is that technically a yes?"
ㅤHe stared at you. You stared back. The prolonged eye contact began to make you nervous. He looked away after you did.
ㅤ"And, well, Taiju nor Yuzuriha exactly match your IQ and interests. Plus, they're insufferable to be around now that they've upgraded their relationship and removed the concept of personal space."
ㅤYou chuckled, internally hoping you didn't seem as awkward as you felt. Was Senku indirectly saying yes? Why would he? Is that normal? No, it shouldn't be. Your mind ran calculations at the speed of light trying to form a response
"So anyways, we should probably clean up the used equipment and leave because it's getting pretty late." Is what you wanted to say.
ㅤInstead, you sat up and said: "Hah... why are you bringing up their relationship...?"
ㅤ"Huh?"
ㅤ"Uh- I mean—that was just kind of random! There's a ton of other people in the world besides me, Taiju, and Yuzuriha."
ㅤ"None of them are hardly comparable to you."
ㅤ"Huh?"
ㅤ"You really do have seasonal depression. I'm just saying that it's been painfully quiet without you lurking around me all the time anymore, so I'm taking this opportunity to ask why. Don't you want the extra cred for being vice president of the science club? Can't exactly do that if you're missing meetings. Plus, you went radio silent after the winter formal, so with my ten billion percent genius critical thinking skills," he tapped a finger on his temple. "I'm assuming you're still hung up on your one-sided art class crush. Let me remind you that hormones—"
ㅤAt the speed Senku was speaking, you'd think every word was pre-made and scheduled for this exact time and date. You could barely comprehend one sentence before he began the next. He just kept going on and on like this was something factual he read and memorized word for word from a textbook.
ㅤ"What? No, I'm over him. I've been over him," you clarified.
ㅤSenku scowled, taking your words with a pinch of trust. "So what is it then? Are you actually depressed? If so, don't go to talk therapy. It's commonly associated with treating depression, but it isn't necessarily the most efficient type of therapy for mental illness, especially with your avoidant personality. And I might know the formula for an SSRI antidepressant if you're willing to be my first experiment—"
ㅤ"No! No, Senku, I am as mentally well as I should be—I think. I've just been..." avoiding you like crazy, but you couldn't say that to him. You inhaled. "Remember in August when I was talking about making new friends and socializing and stuff?"
ㅤSenku put down the empty flask and leaned back, exhausted by you, it appeared.
ㅤ"That's what I've been doing," you said.
ㅤ"Socializing."
ㅤ"Yeah."
ㅤHe blinked slowly. Your eyes trailed to the door.
ㅤ"You're aware that's not really your area of expertise?" Senku spoke up.
ㅤYou crossed your arms. "Okay, just tell me I'm bad at people, I can take it."
ㅤ"You're pretty bad at reading people for the most part."
ㅤ"Don't they say, 'practice makes perfect'?"
ㅤ"That doesn't apply to this specific situation. You should stick to what you're good at. It has more benefits. For one of the most severe cases of academic achievers I know, you're practically incapable of logical thinking."
ㅤ"Extra credit and a good academic profile for college doesn't come with the benefit of life long friendships. Call it a lost cause as much as you'd like, but I'm dedicated to this whole socializing thing. Making friends is nice." You waved your hand at him in dismissal (of his opinion).
ㅤ"Life long?" Senku scoffed. "Have you been watching too many magical girl anime? Magic is friendship? If you're looking for a spouse already then you'll probably have to get rid of me first since I've been lasting pretty long in your life." And then he laid his elbows across the top of his chair with a smirk like he just won a debate.
ㅤ"Senku, what the hell are you talking about. You were just accusing me of depression for being slightly avoidant lately and now you're encouraging me to go through with it and get rid of you from my life?"
ㅤHe leaned forward into a more normal sitting position with a blank expression. "I stopped paying attention to this pointless conversation approximately 4.3 minutes ago."
ㅤYou let out a deep sigh. "If that's so, then shut up and help me clean up."
ㅤSenku held the door open for you while you tied your shoes.
ㅤBoth of you agreed to resume the experiment tomorrow.
ㅤ"I anticipated this and held off on getting a vaccuum filter, I'll have to buy it anyway."
ㅤYou slung your backpack over your shoulders and caught up, the door shutting behind you. "What for?"
ㅤ"To dry up the MCPO as much as possible. It's fine as it is, but I think the percent yield will end up too low. Aim for, like, 85%."
ㅤ"Yeah, okay, whatever that means."
ㅤSenku was walking slowly. It'd be awkward if you were way ahead of him, so you matched his pace, counting how many steps it took to reach the sidewalk. Once there, you turned to the left then hesitated. Senku's place was in the opposite direction. You turned back to see him watching you.
ㅤHe smirked and tilted his head. "What? Need me to walk you home again?"
ㅤYou averted your gaze. "Hah, no thanks. Bye Senku, see you tomorrow." You waved and gave a smile before walking down your path.
ㅤ"Bye." Was all you heard in response.
ㅤ14 steps in, you looked back to see him looking at you at the same time. He whipped his head around faster than you did. Blush surfaced your face—out of embarrassment. He's probably embarrassed too. That was embarrassing.
ㅤWhat was meant to be a peaceful walk home was now interrupted by your ever-irritating thoughts. If this were to happen again, you didn't know if you had the strength to ignore how you felt each time.
ㅤIn conclusion, your long term avoidance plan was in vain and now, canceled. It no longer mattered how you saw him, just as long as the way he saw you stayed the same.
ㅤ﹑tags ... fluff/small fic/insomniac!reader/sfw/they/them prns used/teacher!reader/3rd person fic/definitely ooc/wrote at 3 am/probably corny/implied r-r-r-r-r-romance.../senku is bad at feelings/i'm bad at writing fanfics/first actual finished fic/partly proofread
ㅤ౨ৎㅤ—ㅤa/n﹕as a tragic victim of insomnia, i would like to present this funny little fic about senku reinventing a melatonin alternative for reader just to find that his company makes for a good enough sleep drug for them ^_^
ㅤi projected my overthinking onto senku way too much here
ㅤOn the makeshift chalkboard with a makeshift chalk—Senku finished drawing out the roadmap for a melatonin drug.
ㅤEven long before the petrification, Y/N was diagnosed with insomnia and occassionally took melatonin when nothing else was cutting it.
ㅤFinding a temporary solution to their insomnia shouldn't have been such a high priority as it was, but Senku wasn't blind. After spending what felt like half of his life with Y/N, he could tell when sleep was becoming a bothersome topic to discuss again.
ㅤIt shouldn't have been as high of a priority, then again—if Senku were to lose his prized science partner to something as trivial as a little bit (a lot) of sleep deprivation, production would significantly slow down. For a reason unbeknownst to the others in the Kingdom of Science, Senku could not afford such a case.
ㅤAnd so, here goes another science project speedrun!
ㅤFirst Task: Obtain valerian root.
—ㅤNo, melatonin cannot actually be reinvented in the Stone Age. Do you have any idea how difficult it would be to figure that out???? Instead, we utilize the traditional medicines made from natural herbs that have similar effects as modern day drugs!
ㅤThe roadmap was... actually short? After being intimidated to death by Senku and Y/N's overcomplicated plans, the Kingdom of Science had collectively developed a fear of the faint mention of a roadmap. This is a miracle.
ㅤSuika raised her hand, as taught by Y/N in her teaching lessons. "What is... ka-no-ko-so..?" she pronouced each syllable of the word, hesitance in her voice.
ㅤJapanese literacy is one of many vital pieces of the modern world that should be brought back to the stone age. Y/N had been in charge of teaching lessons to the village.
ㅤ"Kanokoso, or valeriana fauriei is a plant that makes you sleepy, Suika," Senku briefly explained, skipping the scientific details of why and how. "They aren't really considered common around the area here, but it's easily recognizable and can't be that hard to find. In the meanwhile, Y/N will be resting in the observatory, so—"
ㅤ"Hold on," Kohaku paused. "If Y/N is already sleeping, then what's the point of this?"
ㅤ"They're sleeping in the day like a nocturnal animal," Senku deadpanned, not a hint of apology in his voice as he glanced at the observatory. "And even so, Y/N's abnormal sleeping habits aren't a temporary situation. We should stock up on the valerian root just in case."
ㅤ"Wow, when did you get so nice, Senku?" Chrome teased.
ㅤ"Me? Nice?" Senku responded. "I'm just looking out for the level of productivity in the kingdom. Can't have anybody slacking." He shrugged.
ㅤKohaku and Chrome side-glanced eachother with a look.
ㅤMajority of the people were working on the Perseus, and that should have included Senku and Kohaku especially, but a little sidequest to help bring Mx. Y/N back to the classroom shouldn't damage the development too much. Gen's attempts at hypnotherapy weren't quite working anyway.
ㅤThe small scout team went off to find valerian root in the meadows. The sun was up and shining when they began their search, and it was nearing sunset when they finally found some.
ㅤ"SSSEENKKUUUUU!!!" Kohaku and Chrome rushed towards him, holding light pink flowers in their hands. The petals drifted in the wind.
ㅤSenku didn't particularly care for pretty views. He cared about how light works and how physics is applied in weather, but flowery meadows and a sunset? That's something he would rather pass up to Y/N. He wondered for a moment if they'd been to this place before, and if they would like it.
ㅤ"ARE THESE THIS IT? THEY MATCH YOUR DESCRIPTION PERFECTLY THIS TIME!" Kohaku shoved the roots in his face, eagerly awaiting his answer. Senku examined the plants they had collected. He tossed a few away.
ㅤ"Nope, nope, no—" Senku paused, closely observing the features of one specific plant. "Valerian root. Finally," he smiled at Kohaku, Chrome, and—Suika? "Where's Suika?"
ㅤ"Somewhere over there, I think," Kohaku pointed in the distance, though the sunlight made it annoying to look. "I'll go get her. You guys head back and start making the melontin or whatever."
ㅤChrome singled out the rest of the valerian roots and bunched them up. "This is all we need?"
ㅤ"Should be more than enough. We need to dry up the roots and make some tea. It'll be quick. We can get it done before the moon rises and so does Y/N," Senku explains.
ㅤ"Great! If we have extra, I'll store them in the storehouse for later use."
ㅤThe two walked in silence for a moment, until it became unbearable for Chrome.
ㅤ"So, uh, you and Y/N, huh?" he starts.
ㅤ"Stop talking."
ㅤ"Were you guys close back in your world? I kinda see why you would, I mean—you're both insanely smart."
ㅤ"Yeah."
ㅤ"...Yeah?"
ㅤ"Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"
ㅤChrome scratched his head. "'Yeah' isn't really an answer, Senku."
ㅤSenku sighed. "I've known them for a long time. You should ask them about that, not me. Whatever they say is my answer too." He shrugged. He and Y/N weren't something he took much interest in labeling or defining.
ㅤIt was more or so Y/N who was the interesting one. A person who could keep up with him, a valuable asset, a priority? Unsure. Senku was unsure. He didn’t let trivial things like that bother him, and mostly tried not to let it bother Y/N. Whatever label they wanted to put on it, he was fine with, as long as it wasn't enemies or strangers.
ㅤSenku spotted the observatory nearby, then stared at the valerian root in his hands. Was this indirectly putting a label on it? Did he mind?
ㅤAfter one or two hours in the lab, Chrome ditching Senku to meet Ruri for something, Kohaku leaving to assist the others with the ship, Gen coming by to request more cola and telling him Y/N was awake, Senku had made a batch of dried valerian root, specifically made to be brewed as tea. Assuming Y/N was still back at the observatory, he kept the roots in a sort of tea bag and carried a small cup of hot water up.
ㅤ"Y/N?" he called out, in a quieter voice than he intentioned.
ㅤAlong with a yawn, they called back. "Senku?" They were positioned by the window, a blanket over their shoulders and dark circles under their eyes. "Gen told me you were making drugs."
ㅤ"Heh, not exactly, but sure." Senku sat across from them, placing the cup in between and dropping the tea bag into the water.
ㅤ"Drugged tea?"
ㅤ"It's valerian root. Didn't take that long."
ㅤY/N gave a nod, their delayed processing evident in their face, which Senku smiled at. He was more than happy to elaborate.
ㅤ"For your sleep. Valerian root holds similar properties to melatonin. This is just the first batch, so if you get the bad side effects, we got more for a second attempt."
ㅤY/N's eyes drifted away to the sky. Senku followed their gaze.
ㅤ"Pretty sure everyone's holding some campfire or something near the Perseus construction site. You gonna go?" Senku said, unconsciously trying to read their mind, or maybe he just wanted to talk more.
ㅤ"No, that's okay." Y/N took a sip of the tea. They gagged.
ㅤ"Bitter?" Senku chuckled.
ㅤ"Very." Y/N shivered. "But if it helps me sleep, so be it. I'm so tired." They yawned again. "Shouldn't you get going? I'm sure they'll need you over by the ship."
ㅤ"Ehh, no thanks. I'm exhausted." Senku shrugged, his eyes returned to Y/N, somewhat fixated on them more than usual.
ㅤ"Weird," Y/N muttered. Senku mentally agreed. He did feel weird. Weird about them? Weird about himself? Y/N was better at putting things into comprehendable words. Maybe he should bring it up—
ㅤ"I feel sleepy now. Does the tea work that fast?" Y/N's head was drooping, their voice just above a whisper and laced with fatigue. Oh, that's what they meant by weird. "Thanks for coming, Senku."
ㅤ"Hey, Y/N? Do you think we're close?" he asked, hoping they hadn't fallen asleep just yet. Senku poked their shoulder. Y/N's head leaned on the wall by the window, their hair cascaded over their face. Senku cringed at the way he was thoroughly analyzing the situation. Should he let them sleep or force an answer out of them? Be nice... or get what he wants...
ㅤSenku sighed and sat next to Y/N. He pulled the blanket over them. Does he need to bring it up? They are close, that's nothing but a fact. They've done this before in a different setting. Late nights in his room translating messages from Dr. Xeno into Japanese. Stargazing on grassy hills challenging each other to memorize all 88 constellations. Pulling all nighters for exams because they were so focused on other projects for the entire semester. And this time, there was no particular reason Senku felt the need to stay. There wasn't something to accomplish here besides getting Y/N to sleep. Was it only him thinking about this too much?
ㅤMaybe he'd bring it up later, whatever.
ㅤSenku pulled one knee up to his chest and rested his head in his arms, head towards Y/N's sleeping figure. Their soft breathing filled in the silence. Eventually, Senku reached over to share the blanket and sleep.
ㅤ﹑tags ... x reader/comfort/slice of life/fluff/modern au/corny/slice of life/stupid teens in love/sunshine and rainbows and happiness/both parties are bad at feelings
ㅤ౨ৎㅤ—ㅤa/n﹕cross posted tis on ao3 lmk if i suould write a part 2 😼 part 2 is upppppppppp‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️
ㅤOn the day the guy from your AP art class that you'd been eyeing for several weeks finally asked you out to the dance, you sprinted to Senku's house to tell him.
ㅤKnowing each other for years now, it was just natural that he was the first person you'd alert.
ㅤNot even your nice friends that complain about schoolwork and convince you to go out with them once a week instead of studying, or your classmates that you only speak to in class when there's nothing to do who ask you for answers and notes during breaks, but Senku.
ㅤThe guy who's most likely to either solve climate change or become a dictator and involve you in his madness either way.
ㅤYou don't know when exactly it hit you that you wanted to start doing less advanced schoolwork and more socializing, but you did know that Senku wasn't interested in it. He was always trying to drag you away from your friends to pull you back in the lab, putting you through Olympic sports level studying over college courses you weren't even planning to take, and running statistics on socialization to prove to you how useless it is compared to science.
ㅤSure, it was probably sweet in Senku's weird way of showing his care, but this time, you got asked out.
ㅤTo a school dance.
ㅤThis is revolutionary for you.
ㅤ"Hate to break it to you, but you're gonna have to cancel your little dance date thing," Senku interrupted, right when you were describing how the guy smoothly asked you after class.
ㅤ"What?" You blinked. "Why?"
ㅤ"I need your help setting up the telescope so we can compare Saturn's moons' orbits over the course of the night. Visibilty rate is the best on the night of the dance before the weather decides to start coating everything in snow," he said casually. Senku hadn't spared so much so a glance since you started talking.
ㅤWith him in his chair, scribbling down notes—probably memorizing each of Saturn's moons—you sat on his bed, fidgeting with a rubix cube in your lap.
ㅤ"Who's we? I'm going to the dance, Senku. You can collect your data by yourself because I'm not skipping out on this just for you." You rolled your eyes. "Ask Taiju, maybe."
ㅤ"Taiju's going with Yuzuriha, and I'd rather disturb your night over theirs because they have a more solid relationship than you and your little art buddy do."
ㅤYou huffed. Arguing over whose date should be prioritized more was useless.
ㅤ"Then you're on your own, Senku. I want to go. I got asked," You stated.
ㅤSenku sighed and put down his pencil. "You're gonna regret it, ten billion percent." He turned to face you, but didn't exactly meet your eyes. "Gen told me that guy is an entrepreneur in asking girls out over bets for money."
ㅤYou frowned. "Are you saying I'm more likely to be a bet than a real date?" Your hands fell slack in your lap.
ㅤ"I'm saying that you need to think more logically about the people around you." He gestured towards the space around you with his hand then stood up and flicked your forehead. "Use that supposed brain of yours to make better decisions, idiot."
ㅤYou rubbed your forehead, it didn't hurt at all. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, you're not a licensed therapist and I don't feel comfortable taking life advice from someone who watches petri dishes for entertainment."
ㅤSenku turned back around, a smirk peeking at the corner of lips. He scoffed. "Alright, see through the consequences of your actions. Not my problem."
—
ㅤOh how you loathe how right Senku is every time.
ㅤSitting in one of those cheap, black chairs the dance committee laid out at a table only you were at, your date was over an hour late and it was just now starting to sink in.
ㅤYou got stood up.
ㅤThis is unbelievable.
ㅤWith a sigh, you stopped your relentless tapping on the table and placed your chin in your hand as you watched everyone with sonder.
ㅤYour friends were occupied with their own dates. Taking pictures, dancing, sneaking off to make out in a bathroom stall, things you've never really pictured yourself doing but sometimes wished you could. More or less because you craved the real experience and making memories and not because you wanted a pair of lips trailing bacteria and saliva down your neck.
ㅤYeah, maybe you could cross that one off as unnecessary.
ㅤYou checked the time on your phone. 10:38 PM. Might as well go for a walk and rethink everything about your life, then come back with a new identity.
ㅤOne step outside and you had already made another regret: not bringing a thicker jacket.
ㅤHumiliation was stronger than your need for warmth, so you walked down the steps and strode into the night.
ㅤNo particular destination, just listening to the sound of the cool breeze, clacking of your accessories, and your shoes hitting the pavement with each step. A car or two would drive by and you'd wonder if they thought you were a loner, or maybe a runaway.
ㅤPassing a lampost, you grazed your fingers over the pole and observed the light and shadows sharply reacting to your bone structure. Your gaze softened at such a simple sight. Maybe if things had gone well, that hand would be warmer, held by the art guy who apparently profited over your emotional expense.
ㅤ"I can't help but respect the hustle. I would've done it for the yen, too," you softly whispered to yourself. You took a few more steps then collapsed on the bench next to the post, shivering at the cold.
ㅤYou sighed as you tilted your head up towards the moon, your breath coming out as white wisps. For a moment, you only counted the stars you could see.
ㅤThen warm tears began to trace your cheeks.
ㅤIf you weren't freezing cold, you would have lifted a hand or two to wipe them away. But it's okay. There's nobody around. You walked far enough to guarantee that. It's pretty stupid to be crying over something so trivial. You've shed a few tears over exams, failed experiments, teacher comments, normal things that you deemed worthy crying over because they were failures—important things that slipped past your logical thinking.
ㅤThis wasn't like that. This wasn't a test below 80% or a shattered beaker, this was your emotions. A consequence you couldn't have foreseen like you could with a grammatical error. All you did was say yes. All you wanted was a date.
ㅤYou closed your eyes, taking shaky breaths.
ㅤ"Moon, why does nothing ever go right for me?" You asked quietly, as if a round rock in earth's orbit could offer you comfort.
ㅤYou tilted your head back down and wiped the tears onto your sleeves.
ㅤ"... What the hell are you doing here?"
ㅤ"WHAT the FUCK, Senku—" you flinched and snapped your head towards the voice, recognizing him immediately. "—where did you—?"
ㅤ"Answer my question first," he deadpanned. Senku was wearing a much better coat than you were. Regular pajama pants, too, and bedhead hair.
ㅤYou turned your head away, still attempting to fix your whole crying situation. "I'm on a walk. Th—the school gym was crowded."
ㅤ"Uh huh." Reluctancy to tell the truth detected. Senku settled on analyzing you and piecing together what actually happened instead—not like it'd be hard, he saw this coming a week ago.
ㅤHe gave a dramatic sigh. "Move over."
ㅤHesitantly, you made room for him on the bench. He sat a little too close. No, that's probably you.
ㅤ"Art freak ditched you?"
ㅤSilence.
ㅤ"I'll take that as a yes. All your critical thinking deficient friends too busy to accompany you?"
ㅤSilence.
ㅤ"Damn, rough night."
ㅤ"Don't say it," you muttered, lowering your head a bit more.
ㅤHe smirked. "Say what?" He teased, leaning closer to you for more effect. "I told you—"
ㅤ"Senku," you stopped him, voice coming out with less confidence and stability than you intended. You sniffled.
ㅤSenku leaned back on the bench and stared straight ahead for a moment of silence. Uncomfortable silence, significantly on his part.
ㅤWere you crying? He could've deducted that from the sight of you moping on the bench earlier when he started walking here, but he sincerely hoped you weren't because he wouldn't know how to deal with that—how to make you feel better.
ㅤHe'd seen you cry before... from afar... with someone else handling it. After all these years, he still didn't wouldn't know what to do exactly.
ㅤOne time, you cried over a failed math test because your friends wanted to take you somewhere fun the night before. They said you worked too hard and that it was important for you to relax every now and then. Senku disagreed with their beliefs, always encouraged you to study more. When you started crying, he thought only about how he was right. When your friends started frantically apologizing, comforting you until you started smiling and laughing again, he wondered if he was wrong.
ㅤLogically, no, not at all.
ㅤEmotionally?
ㅤSenku never bothered with your questionable taste in the people you surround yourself with until then. He realized he forgot to factor in your emotional need for connection, experience, and comfort, and that's why you stuck around those gossipy idiots, half of whom are failing in at least two subjects.
ㅤSenku clicked his tongue and spoke up. "Look, you got stood up by some kid who'll probably be a deadbeat when he grows up, who cares? You'll live. You should be more above this, genius."
ㅤYou shifted slightly. "That's not helpful."
ㅤHe shrugged. "Tch, this isn't my sort of thing to do so have some empathy."
ㅤHe glanced at you and heard a soft chuckle. He smiled. Laughter, good. Clear sign of positive improvement in emotional recovery.
ㅤ"Then why are you trying?" You snickered, leaning back on the bench and tilting your head towards him. The thought of Senku Ishigami, comforting you, was impossible in the way that it was hilarious.
ㅤSenku looked away, trying not to catch your contagious laugh. "Because you were crying."
ㅤSilence.
ㅤHe leaned back and crossed his arms. You only watched, absorbing that singular sentence. Such a simple reason, yet it meant way too much than it should have coming from Senku.
ㅤHe stared at the street, you stared at him.
ㅤ"Shouldn't you be watching Saturn's moons right now?" You blurted.
ㅤSenku looked at you. Was that it? It was that easy to make you feel better? Noted.
ㅤ"Didn't feel like graphing things myself all night." He shrugged, stretching his legs out. "Went on a walk instead and saw your lonely ass moping on a bench."
ㅤ"Besides," he continued, looking up at the night sky. "this is nice, too. Y'know I'm not only into astronomy because of the scientific details and data, right? I mean, c'mon, any person would be curious of this too." Senku gestured at the sky.
ㅤYou followed his gaze. A small smile spread on your lips, the moon offered you comfort after all.
ㅤSenku went on to list 88 more facts about space with words that had too many syllables to count. You were half listening, half wondering why scientific terms always ended in '-tion'.
ㅤIn the middle of his rant, you pulled out your phone.
ㅤ"12:00 AM, happy New Year, Senku," you joked, smiling at him. "The dance is wrapping up by now. I'll just tell my friends I went home early or something." You sighed as you slid lower down the bench, shivering.
ㅤ"Alright, might as well wrap this disaster up too," Senku huffed, standing up with his hands in his pockets. You followed and began walking down the path to your place, Senku walked next to you.
ㅤSilence. Comfortable silence. Just listening to the sound of the cool breeze, clacking of your accessories, and you and Senku's shoes hitting the pavement with each step.
ㅤYou passed by a 24/7 convenience store, glancing up momentarily at the bright light. Senku followed your gaze and stopped walking.
ㅤ"Want something?" He nodded towards the store. You shook your head. He sighed. "Alright, one second."
ㅤSenku took your arm and dragged you into the convenience store.
ㅤYou yelped. "Wh—!?"
ㅤSenku let go of you at the cashier desk, disappearing into one of the aisles. You blinked and made awkward eye contact with the worker.
ㅤYou peeked your head into the shelves. "Senku?" You called out. Senku magically reappeared next to you.
ㅤ"Get yourself a snack or whatever. I'm just looking for something."
ㅤYou shivered. "God, you're like a ghost," you murmured.
ㅤPhone in hand, packet of pastillas in the other. You waited for Senku at the front. He returned with what looked like one of those ice packet things the elementary school office used to hand out to those injury prone kids for bruises and stuff. You decided not to question it. Senku snatched the pastillas from your hand and handed it to the cashier. Before you could pull out your wallet, he had already paid.
ㅤYou narrowed your eyes at him and slowly put your wallet back.
ㅤOn your way out, he pressed something on the ice packet then handed it to you. It was warm.
ㅤ"Ohh, it's a heat pad," you said. Senku nodded.
ㅤ"You looked like you were about to get a secret fourth degree level of frostbite back there."
ㅤYou glared at him but laughed anyway and thanked him, feeling significantly rejuvenated by the warmth. Senku opened your snack.
ㅤ"What are these?" he held one piece up as you two walked side by side. You took one for yourself and popped it in your mouth.
ㅤ"Pastillas," you said, chewing. "They're good, try one."
ㅤSenku ate one and made a face.
ㅤYou snickered at his reaction. "What? Don't like it?"
ㅤHe held the packet up and squinted at the ingredients. "Does this thing have, like, 15 pounds of sugar per serving? Holy." You laughed. "You're going to get one cavity per bite. Never letting you pick snacks again."
ㅤ"I'm sorry, I didn't know you wanted to share in the first place. And if you hate it so much, why are you eating more?" You glared, taking the packet back before Senku could toss another piece in his mouth.
ㅤ"I was stating facts, not my true opinion," he countered. "Your taste in convenience store snacks are nutritiously inefficient, but admittedly, not bad." Senku made a hand gesture as he spoke.
ㅤThe rest of the walk to your house was—for one, warmer, and a lot nicer than what you expected with that AP art classmate.
ㅤIn retrospect, you didn't know why you said yes in the first place. It wasn't like you two were super close. It was clearly a one-sided crush. Senku called him a distraction. You knew that. And yet, caught up in the moment of when he asked you after class, you said yes.
ㅤYou made impulsive decisions sometimes. It's a good thing Senku knows how to knock sense into you. Never is it polite nor gentle, but he does it without being prompted, and is always conveniently there for you when it ends in disaster—painfully accurate according to his prediction.
ㅤYou snuck a glance at him while you walked in that same, slow pace, as if you were mutually savouring the moment.
ㅤSenku, the guy who would either solve climate change or become a dictor and involve you in his madness either way, cheered you up, bought you a heat pad and a snack, and then walked you home.
ㅤAre you just now realizing this?
ㅤRealizing him?
ㅤYou faced forward once again, ignoring the heat rising to your cheeks.
ㅤFuck. This is going to be your worst distraction yet.
ㅤ"We're here." Senku's voice snapped you out of the clouds. Your eyes darted from his to your home. You muttered a small "Oh" and started walking towards your door.
ㅤYour hand lingered on the door knob. You could already hear Senku's footsteps fading into the quiet of the night.
ㅤThat's a bit unfair of you, isn't it?
ㅤ"Senku," you called out.
ㅤHe turned around with that unfathomable look, like walking you home was just another task on his to-do list that he was satisfied to check off and not an overly romantic gesture you didn't know he was even capable of.
ㅤ"Thank you." You smiled.
ㅤYou caught a glimpse of his smirk before he turned away.
ㅤ"Don't go accepting any more dates with ridiculous guys without consulting me first," he retorted.
ㅤWith a sigh, you entered your house, kicked your shoes off your aching feet (you walked a farther distance than you thought), and collapsed on your bed, fully content with sleeping in your current attire.
ㅤYou threw the empty packet of pastillas in your trash and left the heat pad on your desk.
ㅤYour phone buzzed in your jacket. You hummed, contemplating whether or not you should fall asleep now or answer that.
ㅤOpening your phone, you squinted at the brightness, scrambling to turn it down. You opened the notification. A text from your friend group.
[name]whre are u??????
did thwy get kidnepaped holy shit guys
vroo i told u their date was sketchy asf like
ㅤYou chuckled at their texts and typed out a reply.
i'm fine lol
i went for a walk and ran into senku.
SO U DID GET KIDNEPAPD😥
no, hs walked me home
wair werent you supposed to be with that guy feom yiur art class?
he stood me up, not a big deal.
senku filled in.
ㅤToo tired to elaborate, you dropped your phone on the bed next to you and began to count stars until you fell asleep.
