Work Text:
When Gen wakes up, the first thing he notices is the sharp, pungent smell of chemicals in the air. The second thing he notices is the rock hard surface underneath him. The third thing he notices - that renders any other observations he makes after not nearly as important - is that he has no clue where he is.
He sits up, the fuzzy ache of sleep draining from him as shock and confusion take its place. He has no clue where he is, and he doesn't remember anything from before he passed out.
As for now, he spreads his hands across his chest, frantically moving them down to his abdomen and legs. Everything seems to be intact, and his clothes, albeit wrinkled, are his and still on his person.
Moving to dangle his feet off of the bed, Gen takes the opportunity of his nonimmediate dangerous situation to study the room he's in. It's dim, the room lit up through a small window by the light of early morning or maybe fading day? But it's enough to see for now. The room is tiny and almost completely bare with dark stone walls and a wood plank floor. He's sitting on a one-person bed with little padding, hardly unfit to sit on, he notes, much less sleep in. Gen's back aches in agreement. The only thing in the room other than the bed he sits on and a small desk with a chair and candle in the corner is a familiar well worn red bag glowing blue in the light.
Almost instantly, he's standing up to get it. But before he can reach the bag, his head begins to throb, and the room turns blurry as if he has water in his eyes. Gen grabs onto the back of the nearby chair to steady himself. He feels nauseous, sick almost. Drugged, maybe? The thought comes to his mind, but he attempts to push it away. He doesn't know anything yet.
After a few shallow breaths, Gen feels a little better, though a headache remains. He manages to take the last few steps before kneeling in front of his bag. He goes to lift it, the bag as light as if it is empty, but he knows better. He cast a spell on the bag about a week after he received it when walking with the bag full of everything he had to his name tired him out and hurt his back. The spell makes it lighter to carry. Even if he fills it with stone, the bag will still be feather-light.
He opens the flap and sticks his hand in, pulling out his belongings. There's a shirt here, a toothbrush there. He even pulls out his wallet, still full of coins from his last show. By the time everything is scattered around him, Gen confirms nothing is stolen. He puts it all back in and slings it over his shoulder. If he has everything, he doesn't need to stick around.
Gen takes his time standing up, not wanting a repeat of before, and tiptoes to the singular door in the room. When he turns the knob and pulls, he meets no resistance, and the door swings open. It opens into a cluttered, slightly bigger room. Here, the smell of chemicals assaults his nose, and he scrunches up his nose.
The room is much better lit by light balls rather than the usual orange glow of torches. Gen is surprised by the different light source. Most people don't have them, as they're hard to make and sell for high prices, and if the stone and common worn planks of the cabin are any indications of the owner's financial status...they can't afford them. Confusion aside, the glass jars of yellow light balls hanging on the walls bathe the room in a warm yellowish glow and makes for a beautiful sight.
Once Gen turns his attention to the rest of the room's contents, the smell makes sense. Every available counter space is taken, most of them by different sized beakers filled with every color of the rainbow. When he looks closely, Gen notices scrawled notes on each one, labeling the liquids with names he doesn't recognize. An alchemist, then.
Gen becomes lost in the many different substances and objects. One beaker glows with a pink substance, while another shimmers like a visage. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a golden band glimmering in the light. As he looks closer, he sees it's a ring with a circular cavity in the middle filled halfway by a purple gem. He reaches out to touch it when suddenly, a low voice speaks from behind him.
"It's about time you woke up." Gen immediately retracts his hand and whirls back, instinctually lifting his arms in front of him, ready to unleash his power...when he spies a man.
In the soft light, the first thing he notices is the glow of crimson eyes, half-lidded and coupled with a smirk to match. Gen's attention is next brought to the hair. He comes across plenty of species during his travels, each one having some special characteristic that differs from humans, but the gravity-defying strands of this man are something else.
The man yawns, stretching his head to each side till two cracks resound through the room. "I was wondering if you managed to kick the bucket from a little magic using."
"I'm-" And like that, Gen is back on alert. How does he know Gen has magic? Maybe he saw it? What else does he know?
Gen shakes his head and takes a deep breath, ignoring the sharp pain from the action. The man seems to be about his age and doesn't have any muscular strength. Considering he is speaking rather than attacking Gen is a good sign.
Conversation is something he can do.
"I'm sorry, but how do you know I have magic? And could you tell me where I am?" He asks, fitting a small smile on his face. The man raises an eyebrow and shifts his hands to rest on his hips.
"Between the towns of Alderaan and Emerlys." He says slowly, watching Gen through narrowed eyes, "As for the magic...what was the last thing you remember before you woke up?"
"I- that's a good question." Gen remembers walking in the woods, on his way to Emrlys, and it stops there. At least that adds up. The man brings a hand to his chin and lowers his head, muttering,
"Memory loss? Hitting his head...side effect of magic draining?"
Gen's eyes widen, "Did you say magic draining?" He instantly raises a palm to his face, about to procure a light when...nothing happens. There's a brief flicker in his palm before it sputters out. He tries again, but he never manages to make it bigger or brighter. The man sighs, wiping the smirk off his face in favor of a similar smug smile.
"Let's talk over dinner."
---
Dinner ends up being a green version of ramen, apparently made from the man's backyard. Gen plans to eat none of it, but the man gets two bowls from a huge pot, and after he takes a bite and swallows, he figures it's fine to eat.
It's nothing amazing, but to Gen, who eats whatever he can come by, it's delicious. He's scarfing down his bowl when the man speaks.
"You were passed out when I found you."
Gen glances up across the small, rickety wood table, chopsticks halfway to his mouth, "Passed out?"
"About to get eaten by wolves." The chopsticks clatter to the table,
"What?" Suddenly, a memory comes back to Gen. It's fuzzy, but he remembers hearing the howls of wolves when he was walking, getting closer and closer with every step he took until they were right on top of him. So unless the man somehow tampered with his memories, which even the most skilled witches and wizards have trouble with, he is most likely telling the truth. "Then how did I get here?"
"I saved you." The man takes a huge slurp of his noodles before shrugging his shoulders.
"You saved me?" Gen raises his eyebrows in surprise.
"Yeah yeah, I was in the immediate area; it's not like I could just leave you."
"How?"
The man doesn't miss a beat, "Stun grenade. Works ten billion percent every time." He gestures towards something beside him. It's a cylindrical device with a glass bulb on the end. Huh, who would have thought?
"That doesn't explain my magic overuse."
The man answers in short sentences, Gen notices. Most liars tend to add more details to their stories. Unless he somehow knows that and is trying to trick him.
The man shrugs, "You were on the ground surrounded by wolves, half of them already dead with magical wounds. No one else was around to do that."
"Fair point." Gen almost flinches as another memory comes to him, this time shooting purple beams out of his hands at snarling black wolves, his arms shaking. His magic isn't the best for offense.
He goes to take another bite when his chopsticks hit the bottom of the bowl. "Thank you..."
"Senku." The man replies.
"Thank you, Senku-chan. but I'm afraid I should take my leave." Gen moves to stand up, only to sit right back down as a crashing wave of nausea hits him.
"You really overdid yourself this time, huh?" The words are more of a statement than a question. Before Gen can reply, Senku shrugs, "I don't mind you staying here for a few nights. No one uses that bed, anyway."
"Oh no, I could never trouble you like tha-"
"Then don't." Senku interrupts him, standing up to collect their bowls, "Doesn't bother me either way."
"I'm a wizard." Gen states. Who trusts a magic user in their home?
"And I'm an alchemist. Do you want to say more obvious things?"
Gen stares at Senku, stares straight into eyes that seem to glow brighter with every second that passes by... and he laughs.
Senku is blunt and there's something about the way he carries himself that can make anyone feel intimidated. And that's just what he figures out one hour in with the man. But...Gen appreciates the honest nature. He saved him and hasn't done or said anything that would discredit that. Gen prides himself on figuring out other's motives, and Senku's seems harmless. He can stay here a little bit, where even he doesn't know where he is, much less anyone else...
And the fact Gen can't walk a single mile in his current state has nothing to do with his next decision, "Well, Senku the alchemist, are there any house rules I need to know?"
---
Gen regrets everything.
In response to his question, Senku asks Gen to help with a few of the chores around the place. Gen, while often doesn't stay in stranger's cabins during his travel, knows helping out with cleaning dishes or sweeping the floors is a small price to pay for a roof over his head and food on his plate.
But this? This is WORK.
After dinner, Gen goes back to his new room, while Senku stays in the alchemy kitchen, 'identifying the change in composition' of substances with names Gen can't say out loud if he tries.
He's woken up early the next morning by Senku barging in. "Good morning, mentalist. Lots of work to do today."
"Mentalist?" Gen sits up slowly, raising his hands above his head in a stretch. Senku dips his head back and laughs,
"Don't think I didn't notice you trying to psychoanalyze me yesterday, and it's not like you ever offered me your name." Gen almost visibly wilts. First, he can't use his magic, now he can't even read people without being noticed? He's lost his charm. As for the name...
"Gen." Senku only gave his first name, so it shouldn't matter too much.
Senku looks him over, deep in thought, before flippantly waving his hand in the air, "Well, get ready, Gen. There's some oatmeal in the kitchen for breakfast."
After he gets dressed and scarfs down a bowl of cold oatmeal, Gen follows Senku out the kitchen door and outside of the cabin. He squints his eyes against the harsh sun. Once his sight adjusts, all he can see are trees. He glances towards the alchemist. Gen hopes he's right, and Senku isn't some crazy killer.
The latter leads him behind the cabin to an open clearing. Gen's jaw almost drops at the sight of various machines and mechanisms, only a few he can identify.
"Okay, so here's what you're doing today..."
---
And that's how Gen is in what he considers hell. He's still weak due to magic overuse, but apparently, stronger than Senku, who wheezes heavily after attempting to push a box across the ground.
He offers to push it for him, and from that point forward, becomes Senku's human luggage carrier. He's supposed to be making some things Senku calls batteries, but that fatal mistake has him doing a lot of the heavy work.
Throughout it all, Senku talks. He explains the science behind everything they do, and even though Gen's sure the alchemist knows he doesn't understand a single word of what he says, he goes on.
Gen finds he doesn't mind, though. Whenever he asks a question, Senku always patiently explains, or whenever he tells his own story, Senku immediately stops talking and listens.
At one point, Gen tries using his magic to continuously pump some machine Senku says produces electricity. It's slower than his arms, as he's still recovering, but it works.
"Shouldn't you be saving your magic?" Senku comes up behind him, arms full of scrolls. "Exhaustion and all that?"
"A lot of people think that," Gen replies, sitting back on his hands, "But it's actually like twisting an ankle. You have to walk it off." Senku doesn't look convinced.
"Like stretching or something?"
"Sorta. You don't want to overdo it. This is just small magic. I won't be casting grand illusions or anything like that." Senku places the scrolls on the ground and sits beside Gen.
"Is that your specialty?" He cocks his head, and Gen's chest feels warm with the attention.
"Yes, it is. I can tell you about it if you'd like?"
Senku smiles, and his eyes shine with genuine curiosity, as if the knowledge Gen has is worth gold, "Go ahead."
---
Senku is really smart, Gen decides. Like the smartest person he's ever met, possibly ever will meet.
The field of alchemy is one of little knowledge. It's filled with gaps of understanding and fear. Its uses are vast, just like magic, but it's not something creatures are born with. It's something they must actively seek to learn, and many give up trying. But Senku? Gen's only known the man for a week and won't be surprised if someone tells him he created it.
He says as much to him.
"Don't be silly, mentalist. There's so much more to discover about alchemy. People find it complex because it combines multiple sciences is all."
"Yet you don't sell your findings?" Gen exclaims, "You can live comfortably for the rest of your life with what's in front of me." He's in Senku's science lab, a small shack surprisingly well organized. On the table in front of him, there are parchments of words and symbols Gen can't all understand.
"What's the fun in that? I'm greedy, but I don't want money or anything else but what the world has to offer. Nothing compares to the feeling of a breakthrough or coming to a result that challenges your whole understanding."
Gen considers this, watches Senku wave his hands in wild gesticulations, notices how his eyes shine a bright red. All because of chemistry and physics and whatever else he goes on about. It reminds Gen of the first magic spell he casts and all of the ones after that. How every mastered spell only strengthens the ache in his chest for more and more.
"Does that make sense?" Senku asks as if he just remembers there is a person he is saying all of this to.
"I think so."
"Then watch as I pour sodium acetate into the mixture." He tips a beaker full of clear liquid into the other one, and as it starts to bubble up, his red eyes widen in alarm, and he's pushing Gen towards the door. "Run."
"W-what?"
And then there's a loud noise.
Afterward, Gen helps Senku pick up the glass pieces of the broken beaker. They're reaching for the same pieces when Gen bumps his head against Senku's.
"Sorry, Senku-chan." He looks up to find Senku with three bangs instead of the usual two. Unconsciously, he lifts a hand to sweep the extra hair upward, and it stays that way as if standing straight up is normal. Then, he notices a smudge of black against Senku's cheek and wipes it off, too. "Isn't there some kind of protective gear for this?"
Senku hesitates, a dusting of pink rising to his face - must be the shock from the explosion, Gen notes - before responding, "It wasn't supposed to explode..." He mutters.
"I could've told you that."
"Shut up, mentalist."
Gen doesn't take it to heart as the scientist joins in with Gen's laughter after.
---
Two weeks in, Senku walks into the kitchen where Gen is mopping, washing the dishes, and wiping around the beakers with his magic.
"I see your magic is coming back."
"This is nothing." Gen boasts a little, "I could clean the whole cabin with my full power."
"Well once you're done using your power for the valiant task of scrubbing pots..." The alchemist pulls out a wooden box with symbols on it. Gen almost breaks a beaker in his excitement.
"Is that a deck of cards?"
"I'll be outside when you're done."
"Senku-chan!"
---
"Is this your card?" Gen lifts an ace of spades, a wicked grin on his face.
"It is." Senku sits back on the grass as he lets out a deep breath.
"You're not automatically going into your summary of what I did to accomplish that? Have I finally stumped you, Senku-chan?" Gen giggles, placing the card back on top of the deck and deftly shuffling the cards again.
Senku peers at the cards, as if they hold the secret to the universe itself. Gen lets him be, content to continuously shuffle the cards, sometimes using nothing but his hands, sometimes showing off with his magic. A few minutes later, Senku's face relaxes and he chuckles.
"You got me, I have no clue what you did." He looks up thoughtfully, "Do it again.
Gen complies, and when he pulls a card from the deck only a minute late, Senku falls back onto the grass, "Maybe I'm not that smart."
"Pfft," Gen scoffs. Senku's doesn't look down on people, but he knows how intelligent he is. If Gen is anyone else, he might be offended by the comment. "If it makes you feel better, I have a lot of practice in front of people."
Senku sits up, "What do you mean?" Gen's eye twitches,
"Just would do some tricks whenever I passed through towns for some extra money is all. Shouldn't we check on the mixture thing or whatever now?" Gen slips the cards back into the wooden box they come in and begins to walks towards the shack without waiting for an answer.
"Hey, wait for me!"
---
A week later, three weeks total, Gen's magic is mostly recovered, but he stays.
"I don't know how you lived without me, dear Senku." He teases, taking their washed dishes and putting them in the cupboard they belong. Dinner that night is ramen again. Senku, despite claiming cooking is a science, doesn't seem to have many recipes in his arsenal.
"Says the one almost eaten by wolves less than a month ago." He retorts, all while scribbling something down on a piece of parchment paper.
Gen groans, "How long are you going to hold that over me?"
"As long as you stay." He shrugs. Gen ignores the implications behind the statement. As if it's something Senku won't mind... and moves to stand behind the scientist's chair.
"What are you writing? The cure to disease?"
"As if all diseases can be cured by one formula." Senku snorts like the very thought is ridiculous, "It's a letter to my father. He's an adventurer, so he's off exploring the world or something."
Gen almost backtracks. He never considers Senku may live with someone. It might have something to do with how independent he seems. "Is your mother with him?"
"I don't know her. Or my real father." Senku says it so bluntly, like some offhand comment about how the Earth actually revolves around the sun - THAT one throws Gen for a loop, though he supposes it's human nature to think the world revolves around them. It doesn't feel right to apologize. "Byakuya took me in and taught me everything he knew. Of course, it wasn't long until I was the teacher."
"Did you get a letter from him?" Gen asks, cocking his head, "I never saw anybody deliver mail."
At this, Senku looks away from him and focuses his attention on some random neon orange beaker. "I haven't gotten anything back in two years." It hits Gen like a punch to his stomach. Senku notices the silence. "Oh, don't give me that. I know what it most likely means. Writing letters is just a habit at this point. You probably understand, being a mentalist and all."
"Can I hug you?" Senku almost falls out of his seat.
"Did you just ask for a hug?"
"Physical affection is known to lower stress and boost someone's mood."
"I don't need a mood booster, Gen-"
"Who said it is for you, Senku-chan?" In response, Senku just sighs and stands up, making a big fuss as he kicks his chair away and turns toward Gen.
"You're insufferable."
"Yeah, yeah, come here." Gen leans forward to wrap his arms around Senku's waist. The scientist stiffens as if he doesn't quite know what to do. Gen won't be surprised if he finds out Senku hasn't been hugged in over a year, maybe more. Senku doesn't seem like the physically affectionate type.
What seems like a minute but must be only a few seconds later, the scientist lifts his arms up and around Gen's neck and pulls him closer. Gen feels a hand tangle in his hair, and not long after, Senku lays his head on his shoulder.
They stay there for a while, Gen taking in the smell of sweat and the spearmint soap Senku uses, wondering what crazy alchemy mixture he uses to make his hair so soft against Gen's cheek.
"Got your mood boost, mentalist?" Senku mutters from his spot on Gen's shoulder, yet his arms wrap tighter around his neck.
"Not yet." Gen hums, and if Senku notices how he tightens his hold, too, he doesn't mention it.
---
Gen's settled into his new life when two months after he first arrived at Senku's, he receives a letter.
He and Senku are supposed to be working on some potion, though they're mostly laughing and playfully arguing about whether magic is 'intellectually stimulating'.
"Imagine finding something you're born wit-"
"Senku, I already refuted that statement!" Gen points a finger at Senku's chest, feels their knees knock together as he leans into the man, "I could make you think you're getting attacked by a huge slime. Don't underestimate my power." Senku laughs, and it's music to Gen's ears, albeit a little loud.
During his stay, the two manage to get closer and closer, emotionally and physically. It becomes strange not to have some sort of physical contact with Senku whenever they're together. Whether that's a hand on Senku's shoulder as he explains something to Gen or a pat on the mentalist's back when he understands something Senku says. It's not unusual for that hand to stay a little longer than needed, too.
Before Senku can respond, a loud caw resounds through the shack, and Gen almost jumps back when a pair of beady, black eyes appear right in front of him. A messenger raven.
The letter is wrapped up by a blood-red ribbon, and the silk rubs against Gen's fingers as he takes it off of the bird.
The letter reads:
Gen,
This is the last letter we will send. It's a great honor to have skills worthy like yours, yet you have seem to have forgotten this. We know you reside at a cabin in the woods. You should come back. No one wants to run away for the rest of their lives.
The letter doesn't offer a signature. It doesn't need one.
Gen scrunches the paper up and throws it across the table. There's a pit in his stomach, and his hands shake as he clasps them together.
"What, have some scorned ex-lover or something?" Senku says, though his tone is laced with something Gen identifies as concern.
"No, it's-" The words get stuck in his throat. He's never told anyone, never had anyone to tell, but... Gen looks at the man beside him, red sight meeting his gray, unwavering. As if he has any doubt whether or not he can trust him, "When I was younger, I was in a bad place, and I needed money."
"I used to do magic tricks on the street as a source of income, but it never paid enough, and then one day, two men struck a deal with me. They were well known for managing quite a few magic wielders, so I signed a contract without even thinking. I put on shows with my illusion magic, became sorta famous, too."
"Gen Asagiri." Senku says, as blunt as ever.
"You know me, then?"
"I have for a little bit." Senku shrugs, "I'm not a complete hermit in this cabin, you know."
"I think you're perfectly sociable, dear Senku."
"Yeah, yeah, continue your story." Senku rolls his eyes before focusing his attention on Gen, again.
"Well, about a year ago I got sick of it, but I had another couple of years on the contract. So during the night, I used an illusion, took what I could carry, and left."
"And they're still chasing you?" Senku scrunched his eyebrows together.
"I was sorta their big money maker." Gen sighs, "That's why I always travel. I'm on the run. Will be for who knows how long."
For some time, they sit in silence. "I don't want to drag you into this, Senku-chan. I'm healed now. I'll go pack my bag."
It almost hurts when Senku doesn't follow after him.
---
He's almost packed completely, his bag stuffed with almost twice what he had when he first arrived at Senku's place. There are little trinkets and a few more outfits - Senku knows a seamstress in Emryls.
When he's done, Gen slings the bag over his shoulder, its weight not betraying the extra things stuffed in it.
He blows out the candle in his room before leaving, though he supposes it's not his room anymore.
The cabin is quiet, and he leaves, making his way to the shack. He may be sad to go, but he's not an asshole.
Senku's sitting in the same spot as before, hands clasped as his elbows rest on the table, his thinking expression on.
"I'll be off, now." Gen says, "Thank you for letting me stay here, Senku. I won't forget it." He turns to go when...
"Gen," Senku says, dead serious, "Do you want to go?"
"It doesn't matter whether or not I want to g-"
"It does. Do you want to go?"
"No."
"Okay." And with that, Senku swipes his arm across the table, pushing everything on it to the side before spreading a piece of parchment paper across it. "Here's what we are going to do."
---
When Gen first hears the idea, he's shocked. When he hears it the second time, he wonders why he was ever surprised. Senku is literally a mad scientist.
It takes a few days to prepare. Senku takes care of most of the science aspect while Gen takes a small trip into Emrlys to get some supplies and find out more about where the scumbags he signed the contract with currently are.
It only takes a simple illusion to get the secret out of someone.
"They're in Alderaan, that's all I know, please stop!!" The illusion falls and Gen smiles at the man.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
---
Senku calculates the estimated time of their arrival. Gen's not sure how accurate it will be as they hide in their places - his a bush a few yards in front of the cabin - an hour before that time, until he hears heavy footsteps that grow louder as each minute passes by. He almost smiles at the accuracy, but his rapidly beating heart stops him.
"We know you're in there, Asagiri!" One of the men, Takeda, yells as the pair come into view. "You'll regret ever leaving, I'll make sure of it." He's a burlier man and walks in a way that reminds Gen of penguins, not that he's ever seen one before. The other man is wiry and tall with a frame that seems nonthreatening. That is until you make a single mistake, and you go without food for a week.
When they reach the door to the cabin, Takeda goes to open the door. Most people knock first. Gen thinks bitterly right before closing his eyes.
There are twin screams as the stun grenade goes off, and the two are blinded. Even behind his eyelids, the light hurts Gen's eyes.
At that moment, there's a loud noise ominous noise. Gen barely notices it as he reaches deep inside him for that tug in his gut he's had since he was a child. When Senku first introduces what he calls a 'thunder sheet' to him, the loud noise it makes terrifies him. But now it acts as the signal for him to start.
Gen doesn't understand how people believe his illusions so readily. To him, they appear as a mediocre drawing of whatever image he conjures up. He shows them to the kids at the orphanage, back when the spells are still under development. He uses the crude comments they make as criticism and improves his images till they're flawless. Of course, that doesn't matter to him anymore when the other kids become scared of him, and he forgoes the illusions to work on his people skills, learning to charm everyone around him.
It starts as a shadow behind the men. Gen's still working on sound effects, so along with the thunder sheet, he only adds a low growl to the visage.
The men instantly turn around only to see the shadow take shape as a gigantic bulbous, slimy creature. Or that's what Gen presumes they see. He feels the magic bubble up and out of his hands as a picture in front of him. It's not real, the men must notice, and after a second, they laugh nervously.
"Your images don't scare us, Asagiri. We know the truth behind your pathetic illusions." Takeda rumbles.
Gen's illusions cannot hurt people, but physical things can.
There's a shuffle about 10 yards away, and Gen glimpses the green tops of gravity-defying hair before loud noises begin erupting in the air.
The men start screaming, dancing as they're pelted by what feels like little bullets. It's nothing lethal, Gen knows, but they pack a punch and leave bruises for days. Senku figured out how to turn the one solution he accidentally made with Gen into a device he can shoot with precision.
It doesn't take long for the men to take off back the direction they came, yelping as they're shot throughout the whole way and chased by the monster Gen sends after them.
A few minutes later, Gen reaches the furthest distance he can send his illusion and allows it to dissipate wherever it is.
He steps out of his hiding spot only to see a familiar leek haired individual do the same from across the clearing.
Gen wastes no time heading toward Senku. The man has a wide grin on his face, and Gen bets he has one to match.
When they meet, they fistbump before Gen pulls Senku in for a hug. They haven't hugged since that one time in the cabin, and he melts into it as all the stress he's had for years finally slips away.
"Those fuckers are gone for good." Senku says.
"We did it." Gen mutters in response. He can feel his body shake in Senku's grasp. Gen feels every inch of where their bodies are pressed together and the warmth that comes with it. He relishes in it.
Too soon, Senku pulls away. Gen's about to protest when he rests his forehead against his, and his attention is caught by dazzling, glowing red eyes.
"Gen," Senku murmurs, his voice deep, "Can I kiss you?"
Gen nods, and then he surges forward to place his lips on Senku's own.
It's cold, and Senku's awful at staying hydrated, so his lips are chapped, but it doesn't matter to Gen, whose whole body flushes with heat, and in a moment of delirium, he sends a quick thank you to whoever put those wolves in his path.
The kiss is short, but when they pull away, Gen still holds onto Senku, refusing to let him go.
"Really, Gen?" Senku raises his eyebrows.
"What do you mean?"
"A huge slime is your 'scary illusion'?"
"It worked, didn't it?"
And with that, Senku laughs before pressing his lips to Gen's once more.