Work Text:
Gen watched the ritual of the sun and moon interchanging over the horizon way too many times than he bothered to count. The lifespan of a yōkai is a long one, Gen had lived thousands of years only this time, it felt lonelier than ever.
What once known as modern civilization were reclaimed by nature; buildings crumbled and metal rusted into dust, taken over by lush greens of plants. The soil below his feet felt richer than it had ever and animals roamed the land freely. It reminded Gen of a time before he was even born, spoken only through tales from his elders.
For a while, all things otherworldly inhibited the space humans left behind. They wore the clothes of people, ate the food and listened to music, but it only lasted a few decades before they eventually became bored or troubled.
The gods and deities had fallen into deep slumber without any worshippers and offerings being given. Yōkai who are dependent on conflict with humans in order to survive grew weaker and sooner or later, they’d disappear. Some still lingered around, like Gen, but mostly kept to themselves.
Gen always had a strong affiliation to human society. His kind are all capable of shapeshifting, mingling and living close to humans. Some Kitsunes are naturally mischievous in nature and Gen is one of them. Before the petrification he posed as various young men in their early twenties, changing his face and identity as he saw fit. Gen's favourite face had to be of a young magician.
It was also the face he'd met Senku with.
That time, Gen had wowed a crowd of people with some card tricks. Senku was in the group but he looked so bored out of his mind that Gen felt personally insulted. He called him up to assist him for a few tricks in hopes of cracking a smile out of him. It didn’t work. He has such a handsome face, but it seems to be permanently donned with an unimpressed expression!
So for his final act, Gen sneaked in a little Kitsune magic. Just a little to defy the laws of physics. Now that did the trick, but instead of genuinely impressed Gen could see Senku’s gears turning trying to figure out how it’s done.
Somehow, they became quite close after that, to the point that Gen was infatuated.
( Well, actually, It’s less romantic than it sounds. Senku called his book trashy and insulted his hair but all things considered, Gen fell in love with the sharp mind and persistence he possessed. )
When Gen gets bored — which happens more often than you think — he talks to the stone statue and shows them tricks he used to perform back during his time as a magician. He quickly found that stone statues are not very good audiences. Boy, did he miss the days where he was still in the spotlight. His illusion tricks aren’t anything mysterious nor interesting to his fellow otherworldly peers.
In Spring, Gen gathered flowers and laid them around Senku to create a soft bed of petals. The stone statues had lost their footing over the years and eventually toppled over all over the place. Gen decided it wouldn't be wise to try and move any of them. They are quite heavy after all, and it would be bad if they toppled over again and broke.
If he tries hard enough, he can picture Senku as one of those sleeping princesses in western fairytales, waiting for a prince to kiss him awake. Gen jokingly tried kissing him but of course, Senku didn't magically come back to life.
( That doesn't stop Gen from trying to kiss Senku awake every now and then though. )
Around the time the summer rolls along, all until up to autumn, Gen grows vegetables in a nearby clearing. He had taken up the hobby of feeding local wildlife(given that they do his bidding, of course). He never had a green thumb so it took him years to successfully cultivate something. There were hardships, and complaining. For someone basically alone out there, he complains a lot . Talking out loud to himself kept him sane and Gen was never one to shut up anyway.
When the world was still loud and bustling, Gen considered himself somewhat of a junk food connoisseur. He can get incredibly snacky . Now he chews on anything he could get his claws on including and not limited to: root vegetables, sticks and small bones.
One time he was so frustrated, he sat next to Senku and complained for two whole days about how there’s nothing to do and then gnawed on Senku’s petrified arm hoping he would wake up and scold him for it. It didn’t work.
Gen got him some clovers the next day as an apology.
In his opinion time passed way too slowly but seasons seem to come and go without him even realizing it.
Gen uses his tail to gently brush away the snow on Senku's cheeks. Stone statues do not fear the cold, and Gen has fur to keep him warm, but on cold winter days like these, he liked to sit next to Senku’s statue and pretend they're cuddling.
Gen realized at this point he pretends a lot, even back then he could never settle with one facade. Now with no one to keep him company he had to find ways to entertain himself somehow but when he can’t, he sleeps.
Foxes do not hibernate, but after thousands of years of waiting Gen has grown tired and weary. He would shift into the original form of a little black and white fox and tuck himself against Senku, curling up to sleep throughout winter. Every year without fail he wakes up in Spring to keep up with the maintenance of Senku’s statue. He knew if Senku were to ever wake up, it would definitely be on a sunny spring day.
( Senku nearly lost an arm once, Gen had struggled to make fillers and glue out of tree sap. Repairing the cracks were a delicately tedious process! )
And then it happened. One year, Gen was out collecting flowers when his ear twitched at the sound of something cracking. He quickly dropped what he was holding and sprinted to where Senku’s statue rested, worried that the harsh weather conditions over the years had finally worn it down to points of no return.
To his surprise, he was chipping, but for a completely different reason. Gen hurried over to Senku and kneeled by his side, Senku hatched out of the stone shell like a newborn chick and Gen could hear him breathing , gasping for air when life returned to him.
Gen sniffled. He can’t help it, he’s just so happy .
"Good morning, Dear Senku~" Gen sing-songed and leaned over, blocking sunlight from Senku’s face. It’s a little different from what he imagined how this day would play out; there was no dramatic kissing scene, nor bone crushing hug. Instead of delicate tears prickling his eyes, he had big fat tears plopping down onto Senku’s cheeks.
The young scientist blinked and squinted at him. Senku reached out to cup Gen’s cheek, thus wiping away the tears with his thumb. Gen subconsciously leaned into the touch while Senku threaded fingers through Gen's hair. He toyed with the white locks for a bit. It felt nice, until Senku had the gall to harshly tug the fox ears atop Gen’s head. Gen’s tail bristled and he yelped. Then, Senku grinned.
"I'm ten billion percent sure these weren't there the last time I saw you.”