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Gen heard all about it. Byakuya was being featured in a documentary all about him since he was his father-in-law and if he read things from the internet correctly, most of it was looking at Gen's life through his eyes. After Senku, Byakuya was definitely the person closest to Gen so it made sense that they would ask him to be featured as Senku would definitely decline the offer.
So there he sat on an old, worn, leather chair in front of the only source of light in the dark room, the television. He'd wanted to watch it with his husband but Senku was terribly exhausted after a long day of hard work at the lab and he didn't want to bother him. It was weird, they never made him talk for this documentary. Instead they filmed him just doing what he always did and opted to get information from his past interviews and through the people that knew him. Gen didn't mind, they asked for his permission with everything anyway. Still, it made him anxious but excited to see the finished product.
They started off with his childhood, but seeing as that part of his past was mostly hidden away they gave vague details at best. Where he was born, who his family was, where he went to school among other trivial details. Then came his training in the United States where he met some of his friends who went on to become known magicians as well. Then, there was a solid ten minutes about his life in showbusiness. Then Byakuya's face came onto the screen with his name and "Asagiri-Ishigami Gen's Father-In-Law" written on the corner. Gen smiled widely and his heart fluttered in happiness at seeing the man he was proud to call family.
"We've heard that Gen was Senku's first boyfriend. Is this true?" A voice away from the screen asked.
"Yes! Senku wasn't really much of a romantic person so it was quite the surprise when I slowly noticed the changes in him. He started smiling more and he just had this glow that tingled my father senses and I knew someone was behind his newfound glee."
"When you first met Gen, was he introduced as just a friend or as his boyfriend already?"
"I met Gen back when they were still friends but really when Senku brought him home to introduce him to me formally, it was as his boyfriend."
"Did you like Gen immediately after meeting him or did it take some time before you accepted him as your son's partner?"
"I couldn't have asked for a better son-in-law!" Ishigami Byakuya beamed with pride in response to the interviewer's question. "I loved Gen the moment Senku introduced him to me and I couldn't dream of a better person to care for and love my son." Gen teared up when he heard this and grinned.
He watched the rest of the documentary in peace before heading out the white room.
"Can you tell us about him the way you know him?"
"Well, let's see. He is extremely caring in ways that are both direct and indirect much like Senku. He is also very sensitive to his environment, having the ability to gauge the situation and come up with the appropriate solutions in the blink of an eye. I'm not sure of how I could put the way I perceive and know him into words but there is nothing in this world that brings me greater joy than knowing that a person as marvelous as him is part of my family."
Gen arrived at his room and took a seat on the bed, noticing his husband's absence.
'He probably went to the bathroom.' He thought to himself. Staring out the window where a small, stout vase with a fully bloomed lotus flower resting on the rim sat on the sill.
After watching a documentary based on his life, he was left to reflect on what he'd been through the past couple of years. He was content, there was nothing more he could ask except for maybe a child but he knew both he and Senku were not ready to start a family just yet. Right now he was content with just him and Senku. He was content with their nights together and their moments of fleeting bliss and slow dances that of course Byakuya didn't fail to mention.
"Gen loved to dance with Senku. There were times when he'd spend the night and I'd get up from bed in the middle of the night for a glass of water and I'd see them in the dim living room, slowly swaying to whatever songs they had playing on low volume on their phones." He sighed fondly with a grin. "The first time I saw them, I knew that they really did love each other. There was just something about the way they looked at each other, their smiles, their breathless laughs that gave off this atmosphere of comfort and security.
"Maybe when Senku gets back and has trouble sleeping again we can have a little dance before sleep." He whispered to himself with a small smile.
"Now, we will be moving towards a topic that I know is sensitive for you so would it be alright to proceed?" The interviewer asked and Byakuya nodded solemnly
"When your son passed away, how hard was it for Gen?"
"Well, I can't speak for him so I can't say how painful it was for him but I can say that it really was a hard time for both of us. I'd already lost my son and to see him in extreme grief that I just can't take away made it even more heartbreaking. I believed that both of us would've gotten past it though. I believed that there would be a day where we would no longer suffer and instead look back and cherish Senku in our hearts and move on. But, that was just a dream for me."
Gen began humming to himself and felt the space next to him on the bed sink under Senku's weight. He felt his husband's arms wrap around him and the familiar floof of hair tickle his cheek as Senku rested his head on his shoulder.
"Dance with me, Senku." Gen stood up and offered his hand to his lover. He gave him the all too familiar grin and accepted the invitation. Senku started humming and all Gen felt was pure bliss.
"One day, I visited Gen after he refused contact with anyone for a week. None of their friends could reach him and we thought that maybe he just needed time alone and we all understood him. That day, I brought him some ramen from the shop we'd go to often. I knocked the door, then I and waited. I knocked once more and I waited again, thinking that maybe he was busy with something, he did tell me that he'd be cleaning out some of Senku's things. When he didn't open the door, I thought that maybe he was asleep or maybe he just didn't want to talk to anyone but I wasn't letting the ramen go to waste and I wanted to at least check up on him."
Gen closed his eyes and leaned his head against Senku's as they still swayed with his song. Slowly, he felt Senku back away and he chuckled.
"You must really be tired, come on, let's go to sleep." Gen heard a knock on the door but he paid it no mind.
"When I entered their home, I felt my heart stop." Byakuya took in a breath and shuddered at the memory.
"Gen, we came to visit you." Taiju cautiously smiled.
"Where's Senku?" Gen asked monotonously, his expression far from what he was feeling just seconds before.
"Gen." Tsukasa sighed and remained silent, choosing to bury his face in his palm instead of answering.
"I found Gen in the living room, dancing to silence with what looked like a mannequin he used for practicing some tricks fashioned to look like Senku. In that moment, I felt like I lost another son."
"He's gone, he's been gone for five years, Gen. You know this-" Chrome was cut off by Gen's scream.
"You're lying!" He screeched, charging at Chrome but was caught by Tsukasa. He yelled curses at them and Taiju wrapped him up in a bear hug to stop his flailing arms. "Senku isn't gone, he was just here with me! He is always with me! How dare you tell me he's gone!" Tears started streaming down his cheeks and he stopped struggling, feeling too weak to fight back. Taiju's restraining grip relaxed into a comforting embrace around his broken friend who sobbed loudly with pitiful wails.
"Senku isn't gone." He whispered to himself.
The screen faded to black and the credits started to roll along with a song. Then, the documentary's title flashed on the screen.
The Bloom and Wilt of Asagiri Gen.