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It was merely a product of long, grueling days and proximity. Neither one made a conscious decision to become whatever it was that they were now, but from their comrades' eyes, what they had was undeniable. Just as oxygen makes a fire burn brighter, hotter, giving way to precious metals. What they accomplished individually was only exponentially enhanced when they were together. There's a reason behind the saying 'opposites attract'. They leaned on each other's strengths in more ways than one and only grew when they uncovered each other's weaknesses. Though they toiled on tedious tasks most of the time, too focused to make any effort for conversation, everyone knew it better than to disrupt.
The mentalist himself was the first to notice it, no surprise Chrome denied any allegations despite having Gen lay out all of the subtle hints for him.
"Eriously-say? Chrome, you really are a special kind of dense..." Gen sighed, exasperated at the man beside him. "Plenty of us have worked alongside Dear Senku for long hours too, but I don't think it ever looked like that when we did. You could practically see the tension radiating off of them."
Chrome turned where Gen nodded his head. He glared at Senku, who busied himself with some complicated-looking machinery, and Kohaku, who was hammering away at minerals to prep for smelting. He couldn't have made his spying any more evident if he tried.
"Baaaad! Our nimble gorilla just ain't one for romance. Also, I've never heard of Senku talking about girls, don't think the guy's even capable of thinking about the opposite gender like that!" Chrome retorted, turning back to Gen with eyebrows deeply furrowed in a mixture of disbelief and confusion.
He had to roll his eyes at the lame reasoning. "Even our dear Senku isn't immune to fondness if anything that's the reason he's so hell-bent on saving the whole world. That guy's softer than you give him credit for. Also, though I'm glad Kohaku-chan didn't just hear you right now, maybe rough-around-the-edges is exactly his type."
The notion forces Chrome to pause, a hand coming up to cradle his chin in thought. Gen allowed him to deliberate on his own. After some time, the brunette, with eyes still full of skepticism, lowered his hand before muttering his own thoughts on the issue.
"I guess... But I still think you've just gone from mentalist to mental. I won't be convinced until I see it with my very own eyes." He explained, shrugging before getting back to his own work.
A reasonable stance, Gen decided, fighting back a grin. He'll just have to convince the ex-sorcerer himself, and this time, no magic necessary.
-
Gen points out that he watches her. It's so subtle that Chrome refused to count it as anything until he really started to pay attention to how he watched her.
He understood that most things outside of science were an absolute bore to the man in question. Yet somehow, a new aspect of village life seems to have piqued Senku's interest, only showing it by way of stolen glances.
Whenever Kohaku became overly spirited during sparring sessions, whenever she chatted a bit too loudly and excitedly with her sister and Suika, or whenever she laughed unguardedly. Even if she was aways away, his gaze would find its way to her. Whenever the situation allowed it, he would simply watch for longer, expression unmoving minus the slight crinkle in his eyes from amusement.
There were also the moments when Kohaku would jump into action. Whether it was during combat, or in the face of back-breaking, potentially dangerous work, she was always the first to commit at 10 billion percent. And Senku would watch her with utmost pride only hinted by the glint in his eyes, as if to say, "look at her, isn't she amazing?"
Despite this, Chrome still wasn't convinced.
-
Everyone knows Kohaku as the villages' strongest fighter, it'd be dangerous not to. Though she never attacks without reason, being at the wrong end of one of her staredowns is enough to make anyone cower in fear, or at the very least, think twice. Even the former chief of the village, her father. She'd always been curious but utterly skeptical by nature, her sharpened senses didn't help. Enemies could be miles away, and she'd be the first to know. So when it came to her personal space outside of combat, she is very protective, no one takes it personally, and they know better than to challenge it. Except for Ginro, who had a track record of getting pummeled by Kohaku for thinking he could get close enough to cop a feel. He never learns.
Chrome and Gen were no exceptions to her rule, but they knew there were at least 2: Suika and Ruri. As far as the village could see, they were the only ones with the permission to be so close.
Once again, Gen wasn't surprised at the lack of attention to this simple, yet vital detail. Senku's very presence was enough of a distraction as it is. But how could he ignore the way they gravitated towards each other? How, during this whole journey, Senku, by some sorcery or science, was able to breach what most wouldn't even dare to. Kohaku, who usually kept people at arm's length, would be huddled, shoulder to shoulder beside Senku as they examined chemical reactions, or whenever she had the patience to listen to his explanations of why or how something is working. At times when the whole group was spent and gathered around for some refreshments, more often than not, they would be beside each other.
This one Chrome couldn't explain, but did it confirm much? He didn't think so.
--
The third one was rare but not tough to spot if you knew what you were looking for. When they all got a chance to go on the same expedition Kohaku usually had to give Senku a hand. She'd either support him as he climbed, or grab hold of his hand when stumbled through treacherous terrain.
Gen thought this one would be a no brainer, but Chrome chalked it up to Senku's physical ability, Kohaku simply trying to helpful. So, of course, he had to expand on why this was noteworthy.
"Just watch how they linger," Gen commented one day as they hiked behind the two.
Chrome squinted as Senku grabbed onto Kohaku's outstretched hand, helping him up and over an unusually large boulder. It's always right before it seems like they're about to let go that a moment or two passes that just slightly extend their contact.
The same thing happens when they're further ahead, and Senku places a hand over Kohaku's shoulder to get her attention instead of just calling out her name. She turns towards him, and his hand stays planted on her for a beat longer than necessary.
As the two discuss their next destination, Gen and Chrome exchange knowing glances.
--
A few days later, Chrome, despite Gen's disapproval, confronts Senku about the predicament. After witnessing these so-called "hints," he decided to take matters into his own hands.
The three finally got a chance to rest after a long day's work, the bright moon against the star splattered sky signaled them to sleep, but Chrome remained restless.
The boy genius was already laid out, eyes closed in relaxation, but he was still awake. Gen sat staring out into the night, while Chrome tried to busy himself with the rest of his inventory, trying to pick the right words to get Senku to talk, but ultimately failing. After some moments of struggle, he finally broke the silence.
"S-so Senku!" he started, hating the fact that he stuttered, "I've been meaning to ask..."
A single eye peeled open to stare back at the brunette. His nonresponse was his way of telling him to continue.
"Gen and I have just, y' know, since we work together a lot, we'll talk about a lot of things. And us being guys, we inevitably started talking about our types. Like, preferences, y' know?" he gulped, knowing full well that he was already losing Senku's interest with how nonsensical he was sounding. "Anyway! Guess we also became curious about you since it seems like you never react to anything or anyone."
He managed to look everywhere else but him as he dawdled, only returning the one-eyed stare at the very end. Senku deadpanned at him, letting the silence simmer before scoffing and shutting both eyes again.
"Eh??? What kind of pointless question is that? There are more important things to do than to sit around and talk about your crushes. I personally could care less." he declared.
Chrome glanced at Gen as if to ask for reinforcements, but he merely shrugged back. He was frustrated.
"Care less, huh?" Chrome echoed, finally deciding that beating around the bush wasn't going to cut it. "Then what about dear old, Kohaku? I don't know about you, but a little mentalist birdie told me that you might have a soft spot for our village lioness. We're not blind, you know? Admit it! You have the hots for Kohaku!"
Even Gen was intrigued by how Senku was going to avoid Chrome's questioning at this point. The bluff was too strong. Any answer he gives could potentially hint at something, one way or another. They both watched the laying figure with great anticipation.
"As I said, if you guys have time to worry about silly romances, then maybe you should focus on solving the case of the petrification beam," he grumbled as he waved a hand in the air. He let a pause fall between thoughts before deciding to add, "Besides, the sooner we save the world, the sooner you'll get your answer."
He punctuated the statement by turning over and facing the wall. The hut grew silent for a few moments before Gen chuckled, the audacity of this man.
Chrome, who was more than short of reading between the lines, turned to Gen, whose laughter only grew at his comrade's confusion.
"What the hell is so frickin' funny?! What did he mean by that?!" Chrome exclaimed, his fist banged against the wooden floor. "Senku! What did you mean by that? Hey, answer me! No one falls asleep that fast!"
Gen was losing it, how very Senku-like to confess in such a bungled mess of vaguery. He figured as much, though he was surprised that he offered an answer at all. After finally catching his breath, he offered a hand on Chrome's shoulder.
"You heard the chief," he started, chuckling once again at Chrome's animated expression. "We're just going to have to save the world first."
The man looked almost ready to tear his hair out, and at that point, there was nothing he could do to fight back another fit of laughter.