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Chrome watched as the sun began its descent into the sea and let off a small snort. The brilliant violet and azure hues scattered into a blazing combination of amber and scarlet, shimmering against the calm waters. Being on the coastline, Ishigami Village was a total stranger to this sight. Alongside that, there was something about being in the open waters -- the salty spray as the boat’s hull sliced through the ocean, the humid air of what Senkuu and Ryusui called “The Pacific”... the camaraderie of a crew navigating the great unknown, at least for most of the crew. Chrome couldn’t stop his lips from curving upwards at the thought of how things had changed so much with the arrival of Senkuu. He hadn’t had a lot of time to think about the past since Senkuu was always moving at a speed ten billion percent faster than everyone else. But with the eventual lull of twilight… Chrome couldn’t help but have his mind wander a bit.
Even despite having grown up with Kohaku and Ruri, he was generally alone. It didn’t help that he’d built his lab a fair distance away from the rest of the village. His fascination with the way things worked and taking note of all of the details that no one else noticed often left him ostracized by the rest of the village. As amazing and cool as science is... it didn’t fill the social aspect of being human. Chrome always yearned for that human-to-human connection, but no one else took the time to understand things the way he always had. Kohaku was always caught up in training since Ruri got sick, while Chrome himself was trying to figure out absolutely anything he could do to help her…
Now with Senkuu with them, Chrome’s natural curiosity took shape. He no longer had to worry about finding the ingredients to cure Ruri, no longer had to just guess at what materials did when they interacted with other materials. He could just immerse himself in science without worrying about the consequences. Chrome finally made a connection that revolved around a topic that he was passionate about. Yet…
The science-user of the Stone World felt a variety of emotions towards the clear master between the two of them. Pride. Curiosity. Admiration. Affection. Envy… Frustration...
The man’s hand pounded lightly on the wood as he struggled with his conflicting feelings. They would never have made it as far as they have without Senkuu’s genius and natural penchant for solving everyone else’s issues on the way to his goals. Chrome, meanwhile, stumbled to generate the simplest solutions. Most of these feelings came from the fact that Chrome wondered just what he could do to contribute against the geniuses like Senkuu or even Ryusui.
He already knew that he couldn’t dwell on thoughts like these if they were to make their way across the seemingly infinite waters, but… There wasn’t much else to do while being stuck at sea. However… These conflicting thoughts were dispersed as Chrome felt a light squeeze on his shoulder, jumping with a start. His head turned to the onion head behind him and those piercing crimson hues shined brighter in the setting sun’s rays. Chrome’s admiration and adoration began to creep back to the front and he turned his eyes back to the sunset to try and hide the blush that was forming on his cheeks.
The sound of Senkuu’s chuckle was like a melody in his ears and he could feel Senkuu lightly radiating body heat against him as the fellow scientist leaned onto the wood. For a few moments, though, they stood there in silence. Neither male made so much as an attempt to spark conversation. It was almost as if their minds were feeling each other out, non-verbal cues that they understood between each other. Perhaps it was because they were both scientists. Maybe they were just that close with one another. One thing was for certain -- Chrome was starting to get nervous. Maybe he should say something? Maybe he should return the shoulder-squeeze?
Before a single note could even leave Chrome’s throat, Senku was the first to get a word out.
“Y’know, it’s not like you to sulk. Though I suppose that’s normal. The past two years have gone by in a flash and being on this boat has slowed that pace to an insane crawl, right?”
Of course, it was as if Senkuu could read his mind. Or, perhaps, he had calculated Chrome’s state of mind. Certainly, Chrome couldn’t have been the only one who felt the same way about their current situation. Floating at sea and to be alone with one’s thoughts. It wasn’t beyond belief that a ship’s captain would tend to the well being of its crew. Chrome nodded a response to the scientific genius and let a grin form on his lips.
“Right? But we never would have made it this far on our own. You’re jumpstarting humanity back to how it was before the petrification, aren’t you?”
“Well, yeah. We’re ten billion percent going to make that happen. It doesn’t hurt to slow down and think, though. Maybe just savor a few moments with friends to recharge before going back on the adventure.”
Chrome took in what Senkuu said and wondered if he was really talking to the same scientist who never seemed to slow down. That flamboyantly eccentric man who presented outrageous ideas and executed them with minimal snags. He, who held Chrome’s utmost respect and admiration. No, this was a different Senkuu -- one that Chrome figured very few others would ever get to experience. At least -- if only for a moment -- Chrome was able to feel important. He turned his head to look at the other young man and found their eyes locking, those piercing fierce pupils tearing into his soul. There was something aside from that intensity, though. A fierce affection that Chrome wasn’t entirely sure of, but also that he couldn’t quite doubt either.
Senkuu didn’t say anything beyond his last sentence. He simply leaned in and pressed his lips up against Chrome’s, and the Stone World scientist couldn’t help but note how assertive, yet soft the lips that pressed against him were. His cheeks reddened and his head felt devoid of all other thoughts. His eyes started to roll back up into his head and his eyelids closed over his pupils, darkness taking his sight while sensations of pleasure filled his entire being. Senkuu lifted a finger up to support Chrome’s chin and held it firmly to keep him in place. The moment lasted for what seemed like an eternity -- Chrome did remember hearing Senkuu mentioning something about time being relative…
Then it was over. Chrome’s eyes were still closed for a few moments longer when their lips parted ways, but… when he opened them, Senkuu had already stepped aside. If it weren’t for the glow of the burning atmosphere, then Chrome might actually have looked more embarrassed. All at the same time, however, the budding science-user felt re-energized to take on the treacherous road ahead of them. All of his negativity was blown away by Senkuu’s forceful affection and some sort of chemical instinct was telling Chrome that Senkuu needed that moment as much as he did. Affirmed in his goals once again, Chrome’s lips spread into a huge grin and he turned to follow Senkuu, mentally preparing himself for the next precious opportunity to get closer to his fellow scientist.