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Despite the noises of science that now started to fill the air more frequently, Ishigami Village and its surrounding forest was still considerably “quiet” during the nightly hours. Enough for all of its inhabitants, despite any sort of stresses the “sorcery” brought during the day, to sleep calmly and peacefully. This was something that, secretly, Senku looked forward to each day.
Oh, he definitely enjoyed the daylight hours as well, don't get him wrong. But there was something relaxing about the night that brought him peace, knowing that he would be left alone for a time to reflect and plan. The green-ombred hair scientist would find the midnight hours to be the most enjoyable, well after some of the loudest members of the village – namely his fellow scientist and good friend Chrome, and the golden child of the bodyguard duo Ginro – had finally passed out from personal exhaustion. Even Gen, the illusionist trickster that, next to Chrome, had shown the most interest – albeit for his own means – in his science, would find a place to disappear and sleep for the night, leaving Senku alone to his own devices within the laboratory that he had now called his home. His Kingdom of Science.
Or... he would say he was alone this one particular moonless night, but by technicality, there was more than just his shadows to keep him company. Granted, that company was silent, drawn into slumber by the darkened skies, but still was there, resting mere inches away from him as he sketched out equations and ideas via candlelight.
For reasons unknown to even him, instead of leaving for the night as she normally would, asleep upon the floor with a folded blanket – his blanket, he personally remarked – acting as a pillow was the lioness guardian of the village, Kohaku. As was much of the village during the day, she did what she could to help Senku with his scientific experiments and plans, while also keeping diligent eyes and ears open for any potential threats to her home, her friends, and especially to her father and precious sister Ruri. This day's work was two-fold: training Ginro and Kinro to become stronger, as well as being a runner of errands and supplies between the main village and the laboratory, given her massive reserves of strength.
Likely, by that guess, she had plans made of going back to her home, but was unsurprisingly worn out by the day's activities and ended up falling asleep unintentionally. Perhaps just as a means to take a small nap but it turned into a typical nightly slumber. Although how and when she managed to grab his blanket was a mystery; honestly, he wasn't actually fully aware that she was still there until he had started the search for a new candle on one of his shelves and heard the faint stirring sounds. She was a silent force of nature, this blonde bombshell of a warrior. In the many months since their paths crossed, he found himself more and more intrigued by the little things he would notice about her. But that was humanity in general; even in the over 3700 years since he became petrified, the little quirks about each and every human has yet to change.
Given how late things had started to become by the time he noticed her, Senku didn't have the heart to really disturb her and allowed her to sleep. She was out of the way as it was, nestled in a ball against a wall between shelves and couldn't really do damage to anything that was around even if she stretched out. He made sure of that, to be safe, moving things out of the way of moving legs and arms, slightly curious over how soundly she was sleeping to not have heard all of the grinding sounds of containers being moved across the floor. For someone that slept with daggers at the ready to strike on the first night they met, freaked out over their conversation about the illogical feeling of love, she was now far more relaxed around him. Enough, apparently, to fall asleep and use his blanket as a soft place to lay her head.
He scoffed to himself over the memory of that night. That was an amusing time, not actually expecting that the girl that he had saved from a fallen tree after a battle with his rival to his ultimate rival plan, the inhumanly strong Tsukasa, to have led him to a treasure trove of people, supplies, and discoveries, offering herself and her village as allies, even if it did take quite a long time to get there. Then again, the surprise was namely at Kohaku herself. Outside of the trio of people he had revived from his time – Tsukasa, his oaf of a best friend Taiju, and the crafty and sweet Yuzuriha – Kohaku was the first human he had met that had found a way to survive in the primitive stone world, and yet despite his odd appearance and his even odder ways of going about things, she trusted him almost completely right from the start. That was something he wasn't fully used to from his time. Not that he actually cared, of course, but he knew that his obsession with all things scientific did make him an outcast among his other classmates. So to have someone that wasn't from his time take such an interest in him and his work – even if it wasn't phrased correctly at their first introduction – was a change for him. A delightful change, he must add.
His scarlet eyes darted to her sleeping form, bathed namely in shadow with exception of her face. The rope that kept up her hair had loosened sometime in her slumber, tangling itself in her fallen locks, her hands balled in light fists next to her head, one on the blanket and the other on the floor. She was definitely at peace, no cares in the world. Definitely a far cry from that first night. Turning back towards his work, he yawned, rubbing a bit of the ache from his eyes before stretching. He was getting tired, he admitted that. Perhaps he should rest too, just for a little bit. Granted, he can't exactly curl up in a blanket like he usually would, but luckily it wasn't that chilly of a night...
He eyed a space next to Kohaku, near her head, with access to the wall. Eh, not the worst way to sleep, he privately admitted; honestly, it was better than being bent over the table, risking hitting the candle and setting flame to his work. He didn't want to blow it out, in case he couldn't sleep as soundly as he wanted, and as long as neither of them made the move to go near the table, it would be fine. Standing up and stretching out a cramp in his legs, he walked over towards the wall, sitting down carefully as to not to accidentally disturb his companion. Not that he thought he could at this point, anyway.
He glanced down at her again, taking note of her profile. Her lips were slightly parted, with the quietest of snores emitting from her throat. If he didn't highly value his life, he'd find a way to tease her about it come the morning, but he didn't want to be on the end of her brute strength. It'd likely be as sensitive of an issue to her as it was when she was referred to as a gorilla or a lioness. While he understood the desire of not wanting to be referred to as a gorilla, he did question internally why she hated to be called a lioness... in his mind, it was actually a term of respect. Lionesses were strong, maternal, the queens of their prides. That was certainly fitting for Kohaku, scarily so. He says it endearingly, yet she seemed to have found it insulting. He was smart, keeping that term in his back pocket of things not to say to keep his head free of bruises, but yet he didn't understand why she hated it so.
Another mystery about her, another of her quirks, that amused him, that was all.
He smirked, bending in one knee and resting an arm upon it, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Humanity really hadn't changed, not in the slightest... that was his last thought as he tried to drift off to catch a few hours, or at least a few minutes, of slumber.
He didn't know how much time had passed before he heard a soft moaning sound. He didn't open his eyes at first, but then it came again, still as quiet as before. 'She must be waking up,' he thought, his lids opening and turning his head towards the girl.
No, she wasn't waking up; she was still sound asleep as she was before, although now she had shifted. She laid on her back, one arm over her stomach with the other resting above her head with curled fingers, her legs stretched out with a small bend at her knees. Her blonde lock sprayed across the blanket, the rope laying in a line underneath and peeking through openings in the mess. Her clothes were a bit displaced in her shifting, a sleeve of her dress falling to her shoulders and a peek of extra cleavage from beneath the bodice, the ripped cloth of the skirt suggestively tucking in between her legs and around her curvature.
He looked away after noticing that, feeling rather uneasy seeing her in such a state. How uncouth... Although, since she didn't even realize she had fallen asleep here, this wouldn't have been something he had seen if she was within her own bed. And it wasn't as though she was conscious of how she was appearing to him, so he had no ground to stand on to berate her. Yet he still felt uneasy... he should not have any ability to see her in such a vulnerable state like this. He may not have interest in romantic relationships, but he was still a man of virtue.
However, there was a tiny piece of him – that innate biological side that he made every attempt to ignore – that did find the sight of her bathed in the shadows and candlelight in such a way oddly attractive. Granted, she was attractive in general, albeit in different ways than how he would describe Yuzuriha. She was a bit shy and soft-spoken, a little bit naive, but also rather intelligent and had latent talents and better understanding of science. But Kohaku... she was similar in some ways to Yuzuriha, but different in many others. Yururiha was cute, he agreed, and understood entirely why someone like Taiju would fall in love with her, but Kohaku wasn't just cute. There was an aspect to her that spoke to that biological sense far more than any other girl had done. It was something he ignored at every instance to focus on his ultimate plan, but in the stillness of the night, with only the two of them within the room and illuminated only by firelight and intrigued by the sounds of her sleeping moans, that feeling began to creep into his consciousness.
He attempted to close his eyes again, but then another moan broke through the quiet, causing him to look again. This time, her brows were scrunching up a bit, and he swore that there was a flush to her cheeks. She must be dreaming... a nightmare, perhaps? She did look like she was in a bit of discomfort. Yet he still didn't want to wake her; if she awoke, it'd be on her own accord. Although hopefully she wouldn't lash out at him in misunderstanding, thinking of him as some sort of bedroom pervert in her daze.
Another moan emitted from her lips, but this one was different than the others, causing his brow to arch. What sort of dream was she having? Her head tilted to one side, her lips parting a little wider than they were, her chest heaving a little more rapidly than before. She let out a short, breathless gasp, followed by a single word that caused the scientist to flinch.
“Sen...ku...”
Wait... did she just say his name? In her sleep? What in the world... was she dreaming of him?? And in what context to cause such subconscious reactions? He lowered his stance, gazing down at her in stunned confusion. Well, this was a new thing about her he learned today...
She moaned again, turning her head again, relaxing her curled fingers, her legs shifting. “Mmm... Senku...” she whispered again, and once again he was surprised at the utterance of his name from her voice.
His mind raced at a thousand thoughts per minute, trying to piece together what was going on. Obvious logic told him that, yes, she was dreaming of him, but what exactly? Her reactions didn't seem reflective of a nightmare as what he first thought, but he couldn't think of something more typical that would cause such reactions either, so what could it be...?
Then the thought came to him, and his eyes widened. He almost didn't believe it, and he was actually shocked at the mere idea of it potentially being true, but it made sense... He began to laugh internally out of disbelief, covering his mouth to make sure he didn't accidentally laugh out loud. As he was pondering his own biological urges, Kohaku was clearly exploring hers subconsciously. She was having some sort of sexual-based fantasy, with him at the forefront of her desires.
He backed away from her, yet still kept his eyes upon her, watching as she subtly writhed in reaction to whatever visions was going through her mind. This was definitely out of the realm of his forte. Granted, it was all related to biology, in one way or another, but he never thought he'd be the center of someone's dreams. Dreams of any sort, but definitely not ones of an erotic nature. Definitely not within his earshot, and definitely not from the warrior lioness that had made it clear that she had no romantic intentions with him either.
Although, the subconscious and the dream realm can be a fickle thing, showing things one would've never thought of when awake... Still, what a shock to his system! Out of all the things that could've happened this night, hearing that Kohaku was having some sort of naughty vision involving the two of them was definitely not on the list!
Despite his initial surprise, there was a part of him that was, as always, curious. He never had the opportunity to observe someone in their slumber, yet alone someone that was dreaming. An erotic dream, even less so. While biology wasn't a high favorite out of the many different sciences, it was science nevertheless, and as long as he lives, it was his life goal – besides his ultimate plan to revive humanity, of course – to learn as much as he could about anything and everything that dealt with those types of discoveries. So this awkward and unintended situation brought forth a chance to study and observe a phenomenon he had only read about in books and through boring conversations in the classroom. He thought back to that first night, and how he had told her that he wouldn't dare take advantage of a sleeping woman... He wouldn't do anything that would be excessively violating. If anything, it'd be nothing more than teasing. Although there was a risk that he'd actually just egg her on, a thought that didn't thrill him considering. He definitely shouldn't encourage the warrior to act upon any sort of activity going on in her brain. But he wanted to see what would happen, just to see, just for the fun, just for the science.
Carefully, quietly, he moved to be more in front of her form, the light from the candle no longer shining upon her face yet he could still see her reactions clearly. Her chest was lifting with every short breath that came from her mouth, although the noises was more and more infrequent. She didn't utter his name again, but watched as her lips trembled as if she was mouthing the word. Her legs shifted again, coming closer together, and her back arched for a brief moment as she moved.
Whatever was going on in her mind, it was definitely erring on the steamy side, which both made him feel uncomfortable but also was heightening his curiosity. What, exactly, did she think of him and his libido to cause her to react in such a way, and for how long will her vision last? He certainly didn't want her to suddenly awake and see him ghoulishly watching over her. The pain he could've received of her waking up with him by her head was one thing; there was a ten billion percent chance that he'd be stabbed if she was awaken now. Yet, he didn't pull back, still wanting to watch and see what would happen.
'How out of character...' he thought, fully aware that this was not in his usual act. But this was not a usual night.
So... what next? He was thinking of how to approach this, much like any other experiment. Theories filled his head of what to do, what not to do, how it could end, how things could turn... That urge he kept hidden started to creep into his theory. Highly illogical, all of this was, but yet he couldn't turn off that little spark in his tired brain that wanted to explore the different paths this night had set before him. All thanks to an unsuspecting blonde temptress that had inexplicably caused something to be brought forth that he would've never allowed otherwise. At least not now, not anytime he could've imagined.
He shifted, leaning over her, hands planted on the floor near her but fingers still inches away from her form, his lips lining up to be in direct position over her ear, scarlet eyes and brows relaxed as he gave them a subtle lick, contemplating the move he was about to make.
“Kohaku,” he whispered, trying to match the boneless tone of how she had spoken his name.
She didn't react, so he tried again... “Kohaku...” Ah, her brow furrowed, and her breath caught in her throat for just a second.
A flicker of excitement came across his orbs, and his lips curled a fraction upward. That was a good reaction, all caused by a simple word spoken in a smooth whisper. He leaned a little closer, speaking her name once more. She gasped again, moaning softly, her lips trembling, “Sen... ku...”
There it was again. She shifted again, her head turning towards him, hair falling in a way to expose her throat clearly, the sleeve of her dress moving downward a mere centimeter more, the arm that was across her stomach now falling to her side, landing gently atop Senku's hands. He pondered the next step, now that she had moved again, changing up one of the roads he had come up with. He leaned back, shifting to align himself more along her side. Slowly, delicately, he shifted a hand across the floor towards her fallen arm, watching her face as his fingers made their way, centimeter by ever slowly centimeter, to embed themselves between her own, intertwining in a way he had never done with another person's hand. Fist bumps, hand shakes, high-fives, holding hands, sure... those were normal. But there was something more... intimate, about how their hands were now. He wasn't sure why he had done such a thing... perhaps wondering if she would react to a physical presence, even in her state of sleep? He remarked the current situation in his head... Fingers together, their forms not far apart from one another, the candlelight now bright upon their profiles and their shadows connecting in a way that, if one could see, would be highly questioned. But all was quiet, all was asleep, and that was the only reason he dared to attempt this outrageous experiment. The only reason he dared to act in such an unfitting manner.
He slowly lifted her arm next to her head, fingers still intertwined with hers, hovering over her with his free arm resting on her other side, now only a few inches above her torso that he could almost feel her chest brush up against his own. She didn't react in any substantial way, but her fingers curled gently around his hand. Her fingertips, despite all of the fighting and work she has done, felt almost soft against the bridge of his hand. He never did look at her hands this closely before, so he had assumed they would be calloused. Not that he found that idea at all repulsive in a woman like her; in fact, he had to praise her! For her to care so much about her skin, to make sure that her hands would not become damaged, that was a feat he had not expected her to have done. Especially not in this stone world, with no access to the creams and balms he was used to.
Hers were entirely opposite of his own hands, cracked and blistered often by all of the work he has done. Against the blonde's smaller palm, his skin must be as rough as the hilts of her daggers, but it didn't seem to bother her one bit. Speaking of her skin, however... it wasn't just her hands that surprised her with how smooth and clear it was. Now that he had a chance to closely examine her, even in the lack of light, everything about her seemed very delicate and demure, the complete opposite of her actual demeanor. There was a flutter in his chest, an unexpected feeling, a confusing feeling. It was all apart of those urges that he had suppressed, he knew that. It was shameful how much he was indulging on this dangerous experiment, yet allowing himself to do this was about as exhilarating as any other project of his had been to this point.
He tilted his head slightly, allowing his gaze to drift from her face to her neck, to the base where it met her shoulders and how exposed her collarbone was, despite the ribbon necklace that still kept its place. There was nary a scratch or sign of injury to this area on her, much to the scientist's surprise. With as hard as she fights, as much as she trains, to not see an injury anywhere was a sight. In fact, he couldn't recall in all of the time he has known her to have seen her cradle any sort of excessive injury; could she have found a way to hide them to prevent anyone from worrying about her? To prevent anyone from seeing her being weak?
He scoffed at that; like anyone could ever see her as weak. Even in this moment, as she slept completely unaware that she was at the mercy of his questing mind, all he could think about was how much he would pound his ass into the dirt if she woke up. No matter how much she hated the term, she was a lioness. A prideful, incredible, beautiful lioness, stronger and wiser than even the king of the pride.
Lowering his head, he blew gently onto the delicate skin of her throat, his eyes looking up to watch her brows furrow. Once more... ah, a slight flinch of her closed eyes, but no awakening. A whisper of her name against her skin... her chest heaved, brushing up against his. That flutter returned; could she have felt it? No, that wasn't plausible. A third time... a moan, a shiver.
His lids drifted closed ever so slightly, a subtle squeeze of her hand, his other fingers bending a mere inch into the floor, as he lowered his head a bit more with a short turn, clearly hearing the heavy beat of her heart in his ear. Another small curl of his lips; to be able to hear it without direct connection to her chest wasn't entirely normal, but between the dream and his teasing, it must be causing something more intense to the blonde's sleeping form. One more gentle whisper against her collarbone... another moan, a heavier thump, then a stir. But this wasn't any typical stir... Oh shit, she was starting to wake up, wasn't she!? And here he was, almost laying on top of her. The realization of what he was doing had finally hit him like a ton of bricks.
How far he had come! Never did he actually plan for his experiment to go this far. But at the same time, he knew how ridiculous he was. How low the mighty Senku has become, acting like a lusting fool over a sleeping girl! It was unlawful and gross how he was acting; when did he become a predator in the name of science? No, his hormonal desires had gone far enough; this experiment was over. He had taken advantage of her enough in her sleepy state; now he had to end this. Go outside, get some fresh air, maybe hit himself once or twice with a hard rock for being such a disgusting dumbass. He began to pull back, releasing the grasp on her hand, growling to himself in his frustration. What a terrible thing he had done. Honestly, he was tempted to purposefully make her angry in order to give her a chance to hurt him, as he actually felt like he deserved.
Before he could fully release her hand, a sharp pull kept him still, forcing his head to turn back towards the source. Eyes widened and air caught in his throat as Kohaku looked up at him with glazed-over sea green orbs, only half-open yet she was able to see him clearly even in the darkness. “Senku...?” she whispered, and the green-ombred hair man couldn't speak a word.
The only thing that could usually leave him speechless was an accomplishment in science, even more so now in this world where he had to recreate everything from scratch. Yet now, knowing that he was caught in an unexplainable position, he was truly lost. How could he even get his way out of this? Perhaps he had thought something had happened to her to cause her to stop breathing, so he was checking on her? Or that she reached out to him and he thought she had said something, so he was trying to hear her more closely? No, both of those had flaws to them she could easily pick apart. He could come up with a road map for any sort of invention, yet how could he explain this? Especially to someone that could, if she wanted to, just as easily bring harm to him for the wrong answer.
Kohaku shifted herself upward, not fully sitting up, but not releasing the grasp on Senku's hand. He didn't move or say anything, neither faltering in the gazes they had upon one another. The scientist could feel his lips was getting drying, and unconsciously he licked them, swallowing a heavy knot that had grown in his throat. What can he do? What is she thinking? What was going to happen next, especially if he couldn't properly explain his actions?
“Kohaku, I--” he tried to say, but was stopped by a finger against his lips, a quiet “shh” following it.
He looked down at the appendage, then back at her. She was smiling. It was faint, but it was a smile nevertheless. That flutter again. Thump-thump, thump-thump... that was about all he could hear now, that noise from his own heartbeat. She removed her finger, snaking her hand instead around his head, gently resting against the back of his neck, coaxing him slowly towards her, watching as her eyes softly closed, freezing up as her lips covered his own.
A kiss... what an unexpected twist to how this night had become. This wasn't a subtle, quick motion... no, the pressure she was placing upon him was filled with something that was more than just chaste. Was she still asleep? Was this a form of acting in her sleep? No... no, she was clearly awake. This was purposeful, but for what reason he didn't know. But... he didn't make the attempt to pull away either.
His lids fell closed, bringing his free hand up to her face, caressing her cheek as he pushed back, returning the unexpected affection. They released their clasped hands, scooting a bit closer to one another. Another arm went behind Senku's shoulders, a hand grasped at Kohaku's upper arm, the leverage the new grips had given allowing for them to move without breaking the kiss. She had moved to rest on her knees, raising herself up to be more equal to her partner. It almost seemed like she was trying to balance the power between them in one way, but also that she wanted to make sure this moment lasted as long as possible in another. And in the ever-working mind of Senku, both reasons were applying to him as well.
This wasn't scientific, but biological and instinctual. A new way of acting for him, an exhilarating new way. It was the same for Kohaku, although neither had entirely a clue how the other was feeling. But this was exciting, this was confusing, this was strange, this was perfect, this was... it went on and on. A small mewl escaped the huntress' throat as one of Senku's hands rested against her upper shoulders, putting a warm amount of pressure against her skin, and she could feel the curl of his lips against her own. He enjoyed that, obviously, she thought... Her mind flashed forth a deviant thought.
An inch more she lifted herself, one knee shifting on the floor, as she gave a small nip to Senku's bottom lip. He froze, a hitching noise in his throat. The little nip didn't hurt – not in the slightest – but why did she just suddenly do such a thing? Fingers teased the hair at the nape of his neck, another small nip to his lip, the sounds of a muffled chuckle. Oh, so that's what she was aiming for... This is what he gets for playing games with a lioness. She was playing with her prey. He wondered... was this retaliation for what he had done? Was she perhaps awake during some of his actions, but didn't allow herself to be stirred in order to not alert him? But, if that was the case, then why would she be engaging in such an act with him? Perhaps it was to make him uncomfortable, to throw him off, knowing full well of how much he hated anything illogical, romance especially... Or maybe she was conducting an experiment of her own? See how far she could push him, just as he was attempting with her.
The idea was thrilling. Ten billion percent thrilling. Never in all this time did he ever thought that someone like Kohaku would be this bold! But ah... he wasn't one to lose so easily when it came to even the slightest prospect of an experiment. Before she could attempt her third nip, he bit back with one of his own, causing her to give a quick “eep” from behind her teeth. Ha, that was worth it! That little shocked reaction was enough to fill him with just as much delight as it did when he completed a new formula. He moved, pulling her a bit closer, to the point where she was just mere moments away from sitting on his lap, and she was highly aware of this fact. But it didn't deter her; instead, a boneless moan echoed from the depths of her throat as the fingers of one hand curled themselves into Senku's labcoat, holding onto him as she pressed further into the kiss. Now it was his turn to make a noise, increasing what control he had. This was a battle of sorts. A battle of minds, a battle of emotions, a battle of instinct, and both weren't sure if either of them was actually going to turn out to be a loser.
There was something to this illogical emotional thing, and it couldn't be entirely denied that, deep in the recesses of Senku's soul, he was finding this entire rendezvous to be a smidgen entertaining. Perhaps it was a good thing, just for one solitary night, that he allowed himself to act in an entirely opposite way than how he carried himself, given how things had turned out. A one-of-a-kind experience.
Another nip against her lips, but instead of an enticing moan, her tongue reached out to give a small lick, taking advantage of the brief moment of separation. Ah, another bold move! But this time, he was quick to react; the second she attempted to do the same motion, both were shocked with the sudden spark that ran down their spines the moment the tips of their tongues collided. It lasted barely a half-second, but that spark was instantly intoxicating. Awareness of positions be damned, Kokaku mewled again, pulling herself to where she was now in his lap, hands fully involved in tight grips of his coat, her lips parting with an invitation to him to do that again. An invitation he fully accepted, wrapping arms strongly around her waist, a hand still on her exposed back, sighing deeply as they began to twirl their tongues in a provocative dance. Their eyes began to open just barely, their visions blurred, but it was enough. They could see the other's flushed faces, the mixture of emotions that swirled in their colored orbs, closing again as they focused more on the sensations. Moans and gasps were shared, although it was being drowned out by the sound of their rushing heartbeats. The candlelight was fading, the candle burning down to the last of its wick, but the encroaching darkness wasn't stopping them from exploring one another, living for each and every twitch, every little noise, every little second they remained close.
Neither was aware of how long they had been locked in their battle, but eventually the ardor cooled and the two pulled back, their lips parting with an audible “pop”, their eyes slowly opening to look upon one another. Her hands relaxed, but still held onto his coat, her body lowering to where she was sitting upon his lap, his arms keeping her in place. They were panting very quietly, still feeling the rush of their affair, their foreheads resting against one another, ignoring the sticky drops of sweat that was clinging to their skin. Their cheeks were hot, likely tinged pink, and Senku could tell that her lips were obviously swollen. One hand reached up, a thumb brushing gently across the appendage, telling him he was right.
“Kohaku,” he whispered, although he didn't know what to quite say after that.
She didn't expect him to. She smiled, that same soft and tired smile, bringing a hand up to his cheek, brushing gently over his face. It took a bit of willpower for him to not want to snuggle himself up against the touch, feeling comforted by the feel of her delicate palm.
“It's just a dream, Senku. Come the morning, everything will be back to normal,” she replied quietly, sincerely, and once again air was caught in Senku's throat.
A dream... ah, yes... that was what this was, huh? A very realistic dream. He understood the meaning behind her words, though. She was telling him that nothing was going to change from this, that there was no obligation for him to think of her any different, that there was no obligation for him to think that now something more was going to happen between them. He was free to place this in the back of his mind, to pretend that this had never happened and leave it as a meaningless memory. His mindset was still intact; romantic relationships were still illogical, and he had no reason to think otherwise. This was all just a dream. A momentary lapse into the subconscious world. She was going to remain the faithful huntress of the Kingdom of Science, with him as the ruler of the world he was setting out to restore. Nothing would change within their relationship; everything was going to be normal again once the dawn came and the fire went out.
Yet, there was a part of him that was actually a little mad at the suggestion. Maybe this didn't mean as much to her as it did him? Was this just her using him, retaliating against him? No... he instantly dismissed that. It was obvious by the glint her eyes that this did mean something to her. But she knew him. She didn't want him to think that this had to mean something, something that would go against his usual self, go against his pursuits of science. In the time she had known him, she knew that was always going to be the most important thing to him, and nothing – not even a strange and unusual night – was going to get in his way. And she wouldn't let it get in the way either. That was one thing she definitely wouldn't allow. She had unwavering faith in Senku, in his science, in his goal, just in him.
He chuckled, closing his eyes, smirking as he momentarily brought her closer to him. “Yeah,” he replied, “Just a really vivid dream.”
Kohaku let out an agreeable sigh, moving back to yawn, a hand reaching to cover her open mouth. It was obvious she was still tired, and so was he. The adrenaline of the moment was falling fast, and he felt the painful sting hit his eyes harder than before. It was definitely time for him to go to sleep. It was still late, so Kohaku didn't dare leave and try to go home, nor did he make a motion for her to do so. With her now removed from his blanket and from his lap, he grabbed and unfolded it, shaking it out so that it would have better use as a covering. However, instead of taking it for himself, he handed it over to Kohaku, who took it gingerly and held it close to her form. He took notice of the rope that usually held up her head on the floor, grabbing it and placing it on the table, figuring that she would use it in the morning to re-tie her hair and now there wasn't a chance for it to be lost.
Taking his place once again against the wall, he sat up against it, his legs outstretched, one hand resting behind his head with the other arm on his lap. He sighed, closing his eyes, then opened one up to see what his bunkmate was doing. She just blinked, still knelt down on the floor with the blanket in hand, looking away to find a safe place for her to lay down. He just smirked, patting his lap, offering her to lay her head upon it, figuring it'd be better than the hard ground or wall.
She smiled, head at a small angle that somehow made her smile look a bit more serene that it usually would, and she crawled her way over to him. With her back against the wall, she covered herself loosely with the blanket, hands folded under her head as she rested them against his lap, finding it not as bony or uncomfortable as she initially thought. With her settled in, Senku pulled the blanket up a little more up over her body, covering her until the top of her shoulders. She stirred a little bit, curling up her legs closer to her frame, shutting her eyes now that she was finally relaxed.
“Good night, Senku,” she spoke in a whisper.
“Good night, Kohaku,” he replied all the same, the curvature of his lips never faltering even as the feelings of sleep washed over both of them, the candlelight finally going out and extinguishing the shadows at long last.
At least until the dawn came, until the sun peeked through. And with the sun, they awoke, gazing out together at the changing colors of the sky before looking at one another with knowingly glances. The villagers were starting to awaken as well, with the sounds of the usual crew starting to break through the still morning. Down the ladder Senku went first, ready to greet his eager subjects, with Kohaku coming down next. Partway down, she looked and saw him extending out a hand to her, with that trademark smirk and playful glint. She just scoffed, equally as playfully, reaching out for his hand, fingers curling around each other as she jumped down the last few steps, his free hand resting against her hip to balance her. Not that she actually needed it, of course. Not this lioness. Yet still he did, yet still they smiled knowingly at one another, and then like clockwork Kohaku went instantly into training mode, charging at Ginro and Kinro with intent to fight.
The scientist blinked, taken aback with how quickly she had moved, but just shrugged his shoulders, letting out a loud laugh, before meeting up with Chrome to discuss what was next. Yes, things were certainly back to normal, leaving the night in the past, the “dream” they had experienced along with it. They didn't speak of it again, but for a time when their gazes met, they would smile to themselves, but nothing more.
'Just a dream.'
-end-