Chapter Text
Minami Hokutozai is a master of gossip. So when she heard that Nanami Ryusui, the greediest, most despicable man on earth did drag.
Oh how could she not go over and see if for herself? And take a picture.
They only have a few more months…
“Ryusui! I heard that you once dressed in drag,” Minami went looking for Ryusui in Yuzuriha’s hut, she found him fitting a dress with Yuzuriha excitedly making adjustments.
Despite Ryusui’s very muscular build, Yuzuriha somehow made his dress suit him very well. Minami was genuinely jaw dropped by how gorgeous he looked. It hugged his hips in a way that showed his not that very pronounced hip dips. They gave him pirate sleeves for the dress. The dress length touched his knees, slightly below it and he was currently barefoot as Yuzuriha made adjustments, François nearby, smoothening the sleeves.
“Is he getting married?” Minami asked as Gen chuckled.
“It’s dear Ryusui-chans birthday,” Gen said, pointing to where Ryusui gave another twirl and Yuzuriha adjusted the dress.
“Well, he certainly looks gorgeous.” Minami sighed, envious. Gosh, how did a man pull off a dress better than a lot of the models she has seen before.
“Doesn’t the area around his thighs look a little tight?” Minami asked, putting her camera down to poke at Ryusui’s legs, expecting flesh but got muscle instead— OKAY MINAMI HOKUTOZAI, ENOUGH MEDDLING TODAY.
She jumped back in surprise as Yuzuriha nodded nervously. She explained that it was hard to fit the fabric right so she is adjusting it now.
“Pose!” Minami held her camera up. Ryusui grinned with Yuzuriha waving and François smiling next to Ryusui. Gen was facing the camera with a cheshire grin.
…
Ryusui was in that dress the entire day, since it was cold, Yuzuriha made a cloak that suited it, made of sheep's wool. Ryusui looked gorgeous.
Senku caught himself staring throughout the day as Ukyo smiled.
“Like what you see?” Ukyo asked, pointing to where Ryusui was currently dancing with Gen by the fireplace.
“Hm? Well, a happy capitalist makes our job easier,” Senku picks at his ear, turning away. “If we make him happy, the rights for the oil field will be his and we won’t have to pay much for the oil in turn.”
Ukyo sighed, an amused, older brother-like sigh. “You keep staring at him. Dress or not.”
Damn it. Senku forgets Ukyo is still as perspective as an eagle. Must have come from his years in the military as a sonar reader.
“Well. I can't lie, that dress does compliment his figure.” Senku sighs. “And it does show his hip dips, although it is quite common in men, it is hard to notice it.”
“Hm, is that so?”
“Yes. Before the petrification, I once saw Ryusui wear a short dress that really a-” stop talking.
“You knew Ryusui before the petrification?” Ukyo looked surprised.
Senku sighed. Well, mind as well tell the truth to the truth seeking marine ukyo.
“Yeah, we were somewhat research partners.” Senku explained.
“Oh, I did not know that a sailor like him liked rockets…”
“No it wasn’t rockets– it was how the return pod would get out of the water if the tide or the waves were not working- you get it.” Senku explained.
“So he has always enjoyed wearing dresses. Good to know petrification hasn’t changed much of people’s personalities.” Ukyo nodded.
Ukyo had gone off to help Francois for dinner. Senku continued watching Ryusui twirl and dance. Taiju himself had made a flower crown for Ryusui, no doubt with Yuzuriha’s help. The way the dress twirled with Ryusui’s carefree grin. Hm, maybe Senku should consider making makeup in this stone world.
…
Sailing off to Treasure Island took some time. So during that voyage, Ukyo took his time to learn how to braid hair using the longer strand of gen’s hair.
“Why are you practising, Ukyo-chan?” gen asked as Ukyo messed up the braid again.
“Ryusui just reminds me of my brother. He used to cross dress too.” Ukyo said, smiling. “Ah, but they’re off in Russia on holiday when the petrification happened. I do hope their statues are okay…” Ukyo stopped his braiding to sigh.
“Well. I was never really close to my family. Difficult circumstances. I was adopted by an American couple. But one was military and was barely home, the other started going down mania, so I was adopted by a nice Japanese family here instead of another American family.” Gen explained. “Soon, I grew out of the system and made a name for myself,”
“You have a very insane backstory, you know that?” Ukyo chuckled, combing gen’s hair again.
“I pride myself in keeping it secret,” Gen shrugged.
“So why tell me?” Ukyo asked.
Gen paused. Perhaps it is because Ukyo gave a comfortable sense and had a gentle presence. “Who knows,”
After Ukyo has finally perfected the art of braiding hair, he smoothened Gen’s hair to go back to the radar.
There, he saw Ryusui hand on the steering wheel, looking out to the sky, eyes twinkling with child-like delight of seeing the stars out in the ocean. Ukyo smiles. It is nice watching the people with the world on their back finally act their age for once. He knows Senku was… 17? How old was Ryusui anyway? If they were research partners, they had to be the same age right?
But Senku most definitely went to public school. Yes he was smart, but he doubts Senku would go to the high end schools that early. As talented as Senku was, he did want to live a normal life like everyone else around him.
“Ryusui, how old are you, anyway?” Ukyo decided to ask, voice low so as to not wake anyone downstairs up.
“Hm? I’m 19!” Ryusui grinned
He’s so fucking young what the fuck!?
“Oh! I thought you were older,” Ukyo chuckled.
“Haha, I do seem that way, don’t I? But I am afraid I am only 19, the same age as Gen, am I wrong?” Ryusui glanced to look at Ukyo who looked so embarrassed.
“Well, due to the events, Gen is older than you now, so you are technically wrong,” Ukyo chuckled.
“Oh, right.” Ryusui nodded, looking back to the ocean. There was silence for a bit before Ukyo cleared his throat.
“So uhm, do you still need to stay at the wheel or you can take a break?” Ukyo asked.
“I suppose a break will do,” Ryusui nodded, sitting down
Ukyo hesitated before sighing and walking over with the tiny comb he asked Senku to make and the same one he used to comb Gen's hair. He walked over and took off Ryusui’s hat to comb his hair.
Ryusui was rightfully very very confused but realised that Ukyo was just combing his hair.
“What brought this up, Ukyo?” Ryusui asked, certainly amused.
Ukyo was silent as he began the braid. It would be messy, but who cares. Ukyo just let himself get lost in the motion of doing this once more. Oh how he missed his siblings. Until then, he supposes playing with Ryusui’s hair will do.
…
“Ryusui! Your hair looks great!” Taiju said, waving to Ryusui.
Gen turned, holding the cup of tea he was nursing to find Ryusui’s hair braided, not any kind of braid, it was a french braid. How gorgeous.
“Did you braid it, Francois-chan?” Gen asked Francois who was helping themself to another cup of tea.
“No I did not, I believe this is Mister Ukyo’s grand work,” Francois nodded.
Ryusui did look good in braids, well, Ryusui already looked good. It was hard not to believe why he had so many admirers for his appearance, for his personality on the other hand? Yep. Gen can also see why he had many haters.
But Gen knew Ryusui stayed true to himself, and if the rumours he heard from Minami was true, then that means Ryusui was oppressed by the Nanami name, even if he was the outrageous son.
If the petrification had not happened, would Ryusui still be the Ryusui they knew now? Would he end up spiraling like… he did? Gen was silent, watching Ryusui just admire his braid as Taiju showered him with more praises.
“It is not that messy, right?” Ukyo’s voice asked next to him.
“Hnm… Ukyo-chan, I certainly am most jealous. You gave me a boring braid but gave Ryusui-chan such a gorgeous braid. One might say this is a show of favouritism." Gen flipped his hair playfully, hearing how Ukyo laughed a little.
“Haha, do not fret. I can braid it for you right now,” Ukyo said, sitting next to Gen.
“Give me a dutch braid.”
“I dont know how to do that with your hair…”
…
Senku watched Ryusui do his normal activities, the sails, the ship, helping scrub the deck, watching with the binoculars (even though they had Kohaku), as well as insisting everyone ate dinner together.
To be fair, Senku did adore how Ryusui embraced everything and everyone. Insisting he desired it all. Everything and everyone is his for the taking, and Senku cannot disagree with him.
He knows what kind of person Ryusui is. He was the man who bought a race track for fun, he was the man who invested in stocks at the ripe age of 9.
He was the man who Senku had fallen in love with.
But Senku can never admit to it. How dare he fall in love with a man. He knows Byakuya would not even care, hell he would just be glad Senku of all people had found someone he wanted to give his heart for. But it was a man.
Ryuna is Ryusui. Ryusui is a man.
And as far as Senku was aware, nobody would accept them for the way it is. He is afraid, sure the primitive people would care. Senku has seen two women making out one night when he went to get water, but he noted how nobody cared.
It is the ones revived that he is worried about. Would they judge? Most certainly. He has seen how some of them gave weird looks to Ryusui the first night he wore a dress, and how Ryusui dismissed them so easily.
Senku prides himself in science. Senku knows that the true nature of science is to help everyone progress, for humanity will always keep moving, no matter what happens. The petrification was a clear example.
But what good can Senku pride himself in if the people he wants to help will judge him either way? He adores Ryusui, god he wants to be with Ryusui. He wants all of Ryusui’s greed, his mistakes, his words, his cruel nature. Fuck he wants it all. He wants Ryusui’s beauty, his words, his hands.
He wants it all, is Senku as greedy as Ryusui? Yes, one can say that.
But will he practise that same greed? No. Not everything can be attained, even if that is the principle of science.
Sometimes, things cannot be taken from the tree. No matter how ripe the apple is.
...
treasure island at long last. Ryusui was helping everyon move some crates so that they can scrub the deck more efficently before suddenly feeling something wrong in the air.
"We're being watched!"