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The crackle of the fire was comforting as Chrome and the four other captains took their place around it, laughing and cracking jokes well into the night. The friendly atmosphere was brought on when Ryusui requested wine to keep them company. The group steadily chatted about their lives and what needed to be done in the Kingdom.
“It’s nice we can spend a night with everyone” Ukyo stretched where he was sitting, “We almost never get to do this.” Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Well, the Perseus is well on its way to being finished, we deserve a break” Senku chipped in.
The cool night air was refreshing to Chrome, as the whole day he was tasked with collecting limestone, leaving him exhausted and wanting much needed company from his companions. Building Pereus was exhausting, but it was worth it. Chrome cherished exploring and finding materials that could help everyone out, as well as theorizing and planning utilities for it with science. He was also grateful for the fact that he did all of this with the help of his dear friends who were in front of him.
His dear friends, who at this moment were laughing at a joke Gen made. Ryusui put his hand around Ukyo’s shoulder as he made a quick comeback that also had the group snickering. Senku had his hand intertwined with Gen’s. However, Chrome did not hear what was being said. Under all of this, he tuned them out. His mind was racing from confusion and if he was being honest with himself, jealousy. The four captains relished in each other’s presence as the hours ticked by like seconds.
Gen was the first to notice how Chrome wasn’t having a good time. “Hey, Chrome?” He tilted his head. “Are you feeling ok? This whole night you’ve been giving out half responses to us.” Chrome noted how Gen was now leaning next to Ukyo.
Chrome stood up, and looked around at his friends. “I… yes I’m fine!” Chrome put on his biggest smile and pointed to them.
“I’m going to bed. Science is waitin’ for me bright and early!” He stuck his fist up into the air and turned around, walking off towards his hut. What he didn’t see was the concerned faces looking at his back as he slumped off away from the company.
It was a restless night for Chrome, for as soon as he opened the flap into his hut, all hell broke loose in his brain. The thoughts he had been holding back all night caught up to him when he laid down. He didn’t know how to feel seeing his dear friends interact so intimate in that manner. He didn’t even realize he HAD these feelings until a few hours ago. The pang of jealousy made him utterly confused and sick as his whole world felt like it had come crashing down in the span of a couple minutes.
He tossed and turned and watched the sky fade from black to the early pink of dawn, taking the stars away with it. He was far from over with his inner turmoil and he knew it. Seeing his friends get all close and cuddly last night kept him wary and paranoid as he swallowed down last night’s guilt and opened the flap of his hut to get to work.
Chrome knew he liked Senku, thanks to Gen having to spell it out word for word for him. Back before the stone wars, Chrome relied on Gen for advice and occasionally, for emotional support. When it was just the three of them managing the village, the reassurance and encouragement from Gen helped push him to realize how much he liked the other boy, although it took eons for him to do so. And even then, his brain short circuits at the notion of liking anyone else besides Ruri, let alone a guy. He really owed one to Gen for helping him through uncertain times these past few years. It was when Senku had his hand linked with Gen’s that threw him for a loop. Gen knew, of course, how Chrome felt. So why did he hold his hand? Also Ryusui and Ukyo, and also Ukyo and Gen… So many questions circled in his hurting brain that he didn’t even notice when Kaseki attempted to wave him down.
It was only when someone put a hand on his shoulder did Chrome snap out of his thoughts.
“Chrome--” Chrome jumped and turned around to see a startled Kaseki staring with concern at him.
“Oh, hey Kaseki! What have we got planned today? Hopefully something baaad, right?” Chrome said.
Kaseki gave a small smile. “Ah, to be young and full of love again. What I wouldn’t give.”
Chrome’s mouth hung open. “What! I-I, uh, you don’t know what you’re talking about! I was just thinking about--”
“Gen wished to see you this morning.” Kaseki interrupted. “ I haven’t the slightest why he is up so early looking for you,” he shrugged, “ but he is probably around here somewhere. You should go looking for him.” And with a clap on the shoulder, Kaseki walked past him.
Chrome steamed up from hearing that name. Now is not the time he wanted to talk with the likes of the mentalist. Suddenly, all the anxiety and overhanging questions that lasted in the night came swirling back, filling his mind as he sombered over to where Kaseki came from originally.
Gen appeared out of the trees nearby with a concerned look on his face. But when he saw Chrome looking absolutely upset and in turmoil, which was rare for the boy, he grew more shocked. He reached out to hold Chrome’s arm but his attempt was smacked away from the science user. Emotions overwhelming him as all the bottled up feelings threatened to burst.
Before Gen could speak, Chrome angrily but calmly interjected, on the verge of tears.
“What the hell, Gen!” He pointed a finger at the mentalist. “You knew how I feel! You knew I liked Senku! Yet…” He swallowed. “Yet you, everyone… I”
He was dizzy with hurt and confusion that he couldn’t do anything but cry.
Gen’s shocked expression immediately turned to one of worry as he realized what exactly had been going through Chrome’s mind since last night.
“Chrome! Snap out of your head.” Gen took a seat on the ground and patted next to him. “I know how you feel. Come, sit with me and tell me why you’re upset. Like the old days?”
Confused, angry, and mostly hurt, he took a second to take a deep breath and sat down next to the mentalist.
“I’m sorry” Was the first words he spoke. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I should have known that you two were--”
Gen waved his hands frantically at Chrome. “We aren’t! Not yet anyways” He put on a soft smile that radiated nostalgia and longing. A long silence stretched between them. Chrome wanted nothing more than to finally hear what Gen was thinking about.
“I’m going to ask you a serious question, and you have to answer me super duper seriously, m’kay Chrome~?” Gen beamed at him.
Chrome was taken aback at his attitude, and couldn’t help but sniffle and smile at his sudden shift.
“What will it be, mentalist?” He suspiciously posed.
Gen took a more serious mannerism and asked. “Do you like anyone else other than Senku?”
. . . Silence filled the forest floor as a bombshell went off in Chrome’s head.
“L-Like anyone else?” His face flushed. “Why are you asking this of me Gen? Just a second ago I was seriously angry with you. I still am.”
Gen stared uncharacteristically at the ground. “We care about you Chrome. I care about you.” He looked up and smiled softly at the boy. “Please answer the question properly.”
The wind rustled the treetops as the sky, now a crystal blue, promised for a clear day. Chrome looked down at his hands, and finally understood why jealousy swallowed him up whole before. He took a deep breath before speaking.
“Gen, to be honest, I don’t know.” He started. “It’s hard to wrap my head around this whole thing.” He met Gen’s gaze as his bright brown eyes glistened like honey in the new day. His heart lurched.
“You guys mean so much to me, and I don’t know what came over me yesterday when I saw everyone get so close” He paused. “I mean, I know now what that is, and I feel so dense not understanding it earlier.”
Gen nodded as he listened to Chrome pour his heart out and thought about the first time Chrome confided in him.
“What I mean is, I--” Chrome starts again, but Gen cuts him off with a finger to his lips.
“I understand just fine, Chrome-chan~!” He beamed. Gen stood up and offered his hand to Chrome.
“Don’t worry about a thing.” Gen smiled half mischievously and half genuinely. “I actually came here to tell you some other news as well.”
Chrome gazed suspiciously at the mentalist. “Oh? Could it be that Senku asked for me to find more calcium carbonate ‘cause we are close to being out again?”
Gen chuckled and smiled calmly at the scientist. “You know him better than I do.”
The science user took his hand and they parted ways.
With many thoughts in his head, Chrome found himself near the ocean gathering shells and other materials Senku would want. While mindlessly picking up each piece shell by shell, his mind wandered to how Ukyo would have liked to come with him to the ocean. Chrome loved hearing about the old world, and was still fascinated with Ukyo’s stories as he retold his time working on submarines to him many times. He would have also liked coming along today because of the need to scout out a new location for shells along the beach. The pair worked effortlessly as a team to scout out and discover new areas of usefulness.
In times like this, where he was tasked with mind-numbing repetitive behaviors, wandering thoughts drifted to and from his brain, as he had lots of time to think out by himself. He truly was grateful for Gen, Senku, Ukyo, and Ryusui. Without a single one of them, the Kingdom would not be where it is today, and he was also wouldn’t have gotten to know the wonders of the old world. Science too. He was always grateful for science.
He also remembered that Ryusui promised to show Chrome another delight from the old world called ‘brioche bread’ a couple days ago and had Francois go out and collect the necessary ingredients to bake it. Ryusui took pride in impressing Chrome and always sought for bigger and better things to beat his previous record for things-that-blow-Chrome’s-mind.
It was midday by the time Chrome arrived back at the Kingdom. During his gathering-resources trip, Chrome managed to find a slight amount of peace of mind with the fact that he truly cherished his four companions. Although he couldn’t quite pinpoint the source in his brain, he took peace of mind in the fact that they could fully trust and rely on each other. He would be ok with the fact that maybe sometimes they were a little closer than your typical friendship. Eventually, he figured the jealous pangs he feels in his heart would subside and he knew he would have to be ok with it.
Suika bounced up to Chrome once she caught sight of him entering the Kingdom, waving him down.
“Chrome, Chrome!” she looked up at him. “Senku’s waiting for you at the lab! He said to go there once you return!”
He smiled at her and patted her head. “Thank you, Suika.”
Suika nodded and ran back over to the other village kids.
A tiny wave of anxiety washed over him again as he his brain raced with thoughts about what was to come. It’s nothing, he reasoned. I’m just dropping off the calcium carbonate like he asked for. Taking a deep breath and a long sigh outwards, he opened the tarp to go inside the lab.
Inside was the other four captains. Senku leaned on the table, as if expecting him. Ryusui was sitting down on a bench tapping his fingers on the armrest, and Ukyo and Gen looked like they had been pacing for an hour. At the sound of Chrome entering, they all looked up at him, straightened up, and looked at Senku expectantly. Chrome would have dropped the basket in his arms if it wasn’t on his back. He gazed at Gen, who looked guilty but also sorry for him.
Senku cleared his throat. “Chrome, you know I don’t get all soft and all,” He started. “but I know we hurt your feelings last night.”
He continued. “As a valuable member of the Kingdom of Science, it was not right for us to do things without thinking about our actions--”
“Ah jeez Senku, I already know all that jazz” Chrome set down the shell basket and put his hands on his hips.
“I was able to do a lot of thinking.” Chrome looked across the room, making eye contact with each one of them and taking control over the stunned silence. “And I came to realize just how dense I am.”
Senku held up his hand and smirked. “Will you please let me finish? I think there are things everyone here would like to say.”
With that, Ryusui stood up along with Ukyo and Gen as they looked at each other. Gen spoke first.
“Chrome, you remember how in our previous chat I mentioned that me and Senku were not dating just yet?” He said.
Confused, Chrome cocked his head. “Yeah..?”
“Well, that’s true, but not entirely true.” Ryusui interjected. Chrome cautiously processed the words they were saying.
“You see, if they were to date, it wouldn’t just be the two of them.” Ukyo responded. “Because we all like each other.”
Like… each other? Chrome’s mind went through hoops trying to piece together what they were trying to tell him.
“We didn’t want to officially start dating, because we all like you Chrome.” Gen stated. “And after our talk this morning, I believe I am correct in saying that you like us too~”
Chrome stared in disbelief and shock as all of the blocks finally fit into place in his brain, and everything clicked. Fireworks went off in his brain as the realization hit that yes, this is happening. It took a few seconds of processing before he could respond.
“O-Oh, yes. I see.” The fact that he was able to speak at all was impressive.
“We thought about it,” Senku spoke. “and what we really mean is, would you like to be our boyfriend.”
Hearing those words was like a slap in the face to Chrome, a wake up call to reality that this is in fact happening. Never in a million years did he expect this to happen-- where everyone reciprocated his feelings and all his doubts and turmoil was for nothing. He wanted to run up the mountain and scream his lungs out. He wanted to cry. Finally the words that he had been choking up on for the past minute were finally able to come out of his mouth.
“Yes, yes of course!” He spoke as tears began to well up, this time from happiness. Emotions overtook the science user as Senku cringed.
“There’s no need to be sappy.” He picked at his ear. “It’s just what’s mutually beneficial for the group, and ultimately the Kingdom.” Ukyo stuck his tongue out at him.
“Oh, he’s just saying that, ignore him.” He said.
The previous hanging tension eased out of the room as the issue that was on the captains’ minds were resolved. The peace of mind brought relief to everyone in the room. Chrome sniffled.
“And here I thought everyone liked each other except for me.” He laughed, feeling embarrassed but overall happy.
Ryusui scoffed. “How silly. Of course we like you.”
“Who else would get excited over the ‘wonders of the old world’ and listen intently with what we have to say.” Ukyo added.
“There’s no one who has a drive for science quite like you, Chrome.” Senku rubbed his nose.
“Nobody else appreciates my magic more than you do.” Gen smirked.
Chrome had no words. All he could do in that moment was look at his new companions-- ones who he thought were close but ended up even closer. Established on a foundation of absolute trust, the five captains now ruled the Kingdom of Science hand in hand. An unbreakable system of support held each of them up higher than they could have gone alone. All it took was a simple misunderstanding to be resolved so they could nurture the future of the new world together, as it takes five to rule a kingdom.