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Senkuu had always tried to hide his actual feelings.
There was no real reason behind it. Perhaps it was his logical way of handling things or to appear less weak. In any case he was the kind of guy that would mask his emotions to the point of coming out as cold. Gen knew from the moment he was assigned to follow him that Taiju and Yuzuriha were his friends. People like Taiju and Yuzuriha shouldn´t be the kind to get along well with people like Senkuu. They were highly emotional and he was a hopeless rational. He had put them in the “Opposites attract each other” jar to justify the odd trio. He had nonetheless left them behind. For all three´s sake. Even with the threat of being uncovered and succumbing to Tsukasa, his face showed no concern.
His acts in the other hand…
He had sped up every process he could to its outer limits. But he would also help the people of the village. Using time and resources was completely out of the question if he wanted to get them back as soon as possible.
Senkuu appeared to be more of a sensitive person that Gen thought to be.
However, they were fighting Tuskasa´s intellect and army. The making of a phone was for yesterday if they wanted to win. Communication was key to win this time limit race. Senkuu knew this very well and kept giving his all not only to the top priority but the village as well.
Putting all this info together, Gen had started his personal “Senkuu log” in his head. It was nothing else but a profile as he did with everybody else out of habit. It´s easier to manipulate people if you know the little details on their lifestyles and mannerisms.
So, naturally, he was the first to notice his exhaustion.
They had tirelessly been working on the lightbubls for a few days in the cold. Everyone worked hard all day, Gen included, but nobody stayed up to ungodly hours for brainstorming. On Christmas, when he put the illumination, Gen took notice of how blatantly he will try to keep those feelings hidden. It was a delightful thank you from Gen´s point of view. The flashy and big Senkuu way to thank. The bags under his eyes were still fairly hidden as well.
As the time passed and the things became complicated with the vacuums, Senkuu slept even less. Trying to come up with ideas and materials, the bags under his eyes only seemed to grow by the day. He was starting to unconsciously micro sleep during lunch and dinner. Only to be woken up by the smallest sound with a jump.
He needed a break. And it came in the form of the tungsten realization.
Gen thought that if for his birthday he got him something he liked maybe he could feel less pressured about the whole mess and thus sleep better. So, the expedition was as if the gods had sent them enough time to build something a space enthusiast would love.
It was a bit of a hassle to remember how it was made but in a few hours of thinking hard, a few words here and there with grateful people and it was done.
Senkuu arrived being carried by Magma. Just in time for the big surprise.
“So you have finally noticed you can trade my head over the village´s safety if it comes down to it” Those words hit like a thousand bricks. It was nothing but unexpected to hear those words from just the innocent teasing. Gen cracked a smile knowing it was the pressure talking rather than him. Senkuu´s painful smirk made taking the blindfold off even more rewarding when it switched to awe.
He had spent a few nights sleeping on the observatory and gen chuckled at him when he silently made it their new operations room. However, he have left the micro sleep behind to welcome suddenly falling asleep whenever he closed his eyes.
To ensure he wouldn´t freeze to death in one of those sleeps, Gen decided to bring him blankets and check on him to sleep more. They wouldn´t sleep closer than an arm length but suddenly he was spending a few hours to conversations of all kinds without realizing they were shortening that distance. He had larger eye bags now, however, it didn´t bother him if his Senkuu log could be enriched by a few late night conversations. He learnt more about science and Senkuu and got to check the king of the science kingdom didn´t kick the bucket. It was a win-win situation.
It was around early spring that Senkuu became obsessed with time saving. He was going on to crunching phase. His brain was plain ignoring any tiredness to get to his goal. By that time, he had to drag him to sleep or he would end up working all night. He still woke up earlier than him by hours.
Then he had to go bury the cellphone. He couldn´t leave the workaholic like that. So in preparation he left blankets and a few snacks around the lab and the observatory. Just in case.
He was almost sure it would be alright. If a higher possibility of it being a suicide mission if they fucked up was an almost.
So when they came back without Chrome, he could see a small crack on Senkuu´s confident look.
After finally acquiring paper, Senkuu silently walked away from the rest. Gen noticed this and followed him. He was sitting by the river just letting the wind blow his hair.
Gen allowed his steps be heard. The slight twitch of Senkuu´s head letting him know he was aware of his presence.
Quietly, Gen sat next to him.
It was a very soft April breeze.
The silence was awkward at first. The stress of all going to hell was overwhelming and he still remembered the words from his birthday.
Senkuu suddenly groaned and rested his head on Gen´s shoulder.
“You can sleep for a while. I´ll tell them you´re working on something special” his offer was received with a silent hug. Tight and with his face deep buried on his chest. It had been recurrent that in the middle of the night Senkuu would pull Gen closer. He would mutter some words in his sleep. All about his friends and the man who had taken them away.
Still, it was the first time he actually hugged him. Senkuu´s not the kind of person who liked being touched so intimately, so this was like a forgotten wish had come true out of the blue.
Senkuu pulled away after a while and quickly got up to which Gen responded with a pout.
“Ok, recharged” He whispered as he scrammed to the camp.
For a moment he stayed very still and then giggled at the flash of red in Senkuu´s ears. He got up as well and walked back feeling a gentle burn on his cheeks.
When Chrome got back on his own, Senkuu was the first to notice the blood. Gen didn´t know he could pull such a worried face and was, once again, confirmed that Senkuu in fact hid his feelings for everyone more than he wanted to admit. To everyone´s relief it was only a fake. If they were to lose Chrome right before the big battle…
There was no time left and no turning back.
All or nothing.
But he saw something on Senkuu´s eyes when seeing Taiju walk over. And he knew. He just knew how relief washed over him like a cleansing.
Now that he had tasted that relief, he wouldn´t let go. Not ever again.
After Hyouga´s incident they set down in an improvised tent. Alone, he was setting his sleeping bag on the floor. Out of habit he had left space for Senkuu´s. Gen let a breath out.
It was the first time in months he would sleep alone. How nostalgic…
He had seen Senkuu with a sheepish face being dragged by an enthusiastic Taiju and holding Yuzuriha´s hand walking to the latter´s tent.
In this sheepish face, was a tender smile of relief he couldn´t quite believe came from him.
He went to sleep at ease, knowing Senkuu finally had slept right for the first time in months. And was the only one not surprised about him waking up later than usual.
Gen was starting to get used to sleeping alone again, when one night, Senku appeared right beside him when he switched sides on his sleeping bag. He was about to scream when he covered his mouth and put his finger in front of his lips.
“Do you wanna wake everyone up, Gen?” he asked him in that usual tone of his.
“Do you wanna give me a heart attack?” He asked back taking his coat and putting it on.
“Sorry about that. Just, come with me ok?” Gen looked at him, and puzzled, pulled himself up. He followed him looking at his small back. He noticed it was getting broader thanks to the manual labor.
“What´s this, Senkuu-chan? You missed me?” he teased expecting a snarky remark. But it was only met with silence. The light was dim, but he could perfectly see his ears flare up.
After a few, they were in front of Yuzuriha and Taiju´s tent. Senkuu opened the tent and cocked his head for Gen to enter.
They were awake as well and looked happy to see him. Quickly it became a conversation of the old days. Of how they would do sleepovers like this when they were kids at Senkuu´s when they had been working on a project of his for longer than it was allowed and his father have had to ring up Yuzuriha´s parents to allow her to stay. They were still kids after all. It had become more difficult when they started high school.
Gen felt a bit out of place intruding like that, but they were so warm he could quickly put the feeling away. The topics drifted into a succession of modern day stuff they couldn´t talk with the villagers and suddenly it felt as if outside wasn´t the Stone Age II. As if they were back at school and Gen was still performing and writing his books. As if only for a moment, it felt like everything was going to be ok. And Gen realized why they were friends.
He was leagues away of becoming something like that for Senkuu.
He couldn´t help a sigh escaping his lips.
“Oh, are you tired, Gen?” Taiju went suddenly making three pair of eyes set on him.
“Well, it´s already late” Yuzuriha said right before he could say anything, sprouting a yawn “maybe 3am?” Gen was surprised he hadn´t felt the passage of time.
“Time to sleep then!” Taiju said as both of them gathered the biggest blanket Gen had seen yet.
“Sleep is the most important if we want to keep our brain working” Senkuu went and Gen shoot him a glare.
“Senkuu-chan…”
“Senkuu! Here” Yuzuriha gave him a pillow made from fur “It´s not the best, but I hope it helps with the sleeping problem” she said just to turn to help Taiju grabbing another set of blankets.
“I don´t think the pillow is the problem, but thanks”
“You see, Gen, Senkuu haven´t slept well this week” Gen didn´t push down his surprise.
“Is that so?” Taiju nodded even as Senkuu tried to shut him off. “Well, I had a blast in this sleep over and I wouldn´t like to intrude, so I will be heading out. Good night” Gen went already walking out. But instead he felt how three pairs of hands grabbed his coat and pulled him into the pile of furs and blankets.
“It´s not a sleepover if you don´t stay!” Taiju and Yuzuriha said laying right next to Senkuu who somehow was covering his face with his hands.
“You guys..!” Gen heard Senkuu as he elbowed a laughing Taiju in the ribs.
Oh. The realization had hit him quite late. But he fully embraced it as he saw with the dim light of the moon, Senkuu´s flushed face.
“If you wanted me to sleep with you, you could´ve just asked you know?”
“Huh? What are you going on about? That´s not what…” Gen just pulled him closer into a hug.
“Oh? Senkuu-chan has more of a dirty mind than I thought” he giggled. Senkuu wouldn´t be the kind to think of doing something like that just yet. More less when his friends were sleeping right besides them. He wanted something simple. “I missed you too” he whispered on Senkuu´s hot ears.
“Yeah, yeah let´s just sleep”
“Ah~ So cold”
“Good night~” Both Yuzuriha and Taiju replied.
“Good night!” Gen responded for both of them.
“God just sleep already!”
Gen curiously enough was the last one to fall asleep. Taiju´s snores were quite loud, though. He just wanted to carve the moment into his memory. Where Senkuu slept, for the very first time, right on his chest with the most relaxed face he had seen on him. Not because he longed to be with his friends, but because he wanted to be with him.
But he snorted at how smitten he had been about it.
His Senkuu log told him that he never really asked for something for himself. So the other two had set this up. He was a bit embarrassed about the fact they had been obvious enough for them to notice.
The next day, Senkuu looked a bit more alive. More relaxed even. As he would for the next days. Gen received a thumbs up from Taiju and Yuzuriha and didn´t manage to hide his smile.
“Something good happened?” Suika asked Gen suddenly.
“Eh?”
“You look very happy, Gen. Did something happen?”
He couldn´t articulate very well even then so he limited himself to say:
“Just had a very good night sleep”