Work Text:
"You want to learn to sew?" Ruri repeats, brows furrowed in confusion as she looks up at Gen. Though her eyes aren’t focused on the quilt in her hands, her fingers never falter in their quick, smooth movements. Gen smiles in return and takes a seat across from her, eyeing the blankets and clothing waiting to be patched by her skillful hands. The elders sit around the huts with various piles of fabric themselves, everyone busy preparing for winter the best they can while also preparing for the impending war.
“The children have grown and need bigger clothes, and the men have worn through their clothes this last summer,” Ruri had explained when they first began the process only days ago. “Some of our blankets have been handed down through the generations, so they grow thinner every year. Warm clothing is just as important to the survival of the village as food storing and preserving.”
“I know the basics,” Gen explains, watching Ruri’s hands move. “I’ve patched holes in my own clothing before, and though it isn’t much, I made this outfit myself once I was revived,” Gen motions to his clothes. “But, I wouldn’t know how to go about making anything for warmer weather, if that makes sense..?”
“Of course!” Ruri smiles at him, finally setting the bone-needle in her hand down atop the blanket in her hands. “I’d be more than happy to teach you!” Gen returns her smile and claps his hands together cheerfully.
“Wonderful!”
---
It’s not perfect, but the robe Gen ends up making is lined and trimmed with fur and warm as can be.
“Are you sure about the sleeves?” Ruri asks, lips pursed with confusion. “They’re awfully short. Even if they’re fur lined, I’m sure you’ll get cold.”
“Mm, I probably would,” Gen agrees, adjusting the lapels of the coat once more, a small smile on his face. “It’s a good thing this isn’t for me then.” Ruri’s brows furrow deeper, the confusion still present for a moment before her eyes widen.
“Oh!” she says. She clasps her hands together in front of her, blue eyes glimmering with excitement. “Oh Gen!”
Gen laughs, a little awkward and embarrassed as he folds the jacket up, trying to ignore the burning in the tips of his ears. “I thought maybe the sleeves would get in the way if they were too long,” Gen explains. “There’s-” he pauses, swallows, tries to collect his words so he doesn’t look quite so flustered. “He’s always working on something, and heaven knows he would never wear anything impractical.” Ruri’s hands are gentle, if a little chapped, when they take Gen’s hands in hers. Her smile is reassuring and excited all in one.
“He’ll love it, Gen,” Ruri promises. “You should take it to him!”
“No, no,” Gen laughs, shaking his head. “Not while he’s working,” he holds the jacket close and gives Ruri another small smile. “But maybe after dinner.”
-
Senku gets caught up talking to Kaseki and Chrome during and after dinner, and as the night stretches on, Gen loses his nerve. He turns in early, under the guise of being tired, but he lies awake in his pallet for a long time after he blows the candle beside his pallet out. He listens to Chrome and Kaseki and Senku down below discussing blueprints and scientific feats from the past until he could weep from nostalgia-
But eventually their yawns can no longer be stifled, and Kaseki crosses the long bridge home. The small fire outside the hut is put out, and Chrome and Senku are quiet as they make their way into the small hut, trying not to disturb Gen as he pretends to be asleep in his small pallet, back turned to the door. The remaining candles are blown out as Chrome and Senku quietly say good night and begin to slip into their respective pallets, but Gen hears Senku pause.
“Senku?” Chrome whispers. “What’s up?”
“...nothing,” Senku replies quietly. Gen hears the shuffle of fabric and furs as Senku slips into his bed. Gen’s heart pounds in his throat as he listens, waiting for Senku to say something, do something… but Senku does nothing. He doesn’t speak. He rolls around in his pallet, squirming to find a comfortable position, and then he stills. His breathing evens out, a sure sign of sleep, and Gen’s sighs quietly, finally allowing his own eyes to slip shut.
He can’t say he’s not disappointed, but really, what did he expect?
Laying the new coat on Senku’s pallet had been a sure-fire way to get Senku to see it, but it also kept the creator a secret. It was a cowardly way to do it, but Gen never claimed to be brave. As long as Senku wears the coat and stays warm, that’s all that matters to Gen. Even if Senku thinks Ruri or one of the older villagers crafted it for him, Gen will be perfectly okay with that, because he’ll know who the coat Senku wears is made by.
-
In the modern world, Senku would be the kind of person to rise at dawn while Gen crawls out of bed around mid-morning, unless his manager threatened him otherwise.
Here, though, with all three of them sleeping in one small room, Gen is woken at the crack of dawn alongside Senku and Chrome. He takes significantly longer to get out of bed and awake, so by the time he’s blinking the sleep out of his eyes and shuffling down the ladder out of the small bedroom and outside the hut, Chrome and Senku have been awake for a good while. The air has already begun to get a little bit chillier in the mornings, making gooseflesh breakout over Gen’s arms. The cold ground beneath his bare feet has a chill rushing up his spine, makes him hunch over and rush to the fire burning in the center of the village just a little faster.
When he gets there, the village is already awake and bustling as well. Many of the villagers are sporting their own fur-lined coats, and Gen sort of wishes he’d worked on his own coat first- until he sees Senku bundled in the coat he made for him, mid-conversation with Kokuyo. Though Gen knows for sure he’s only been awake a half hour more than Gen, at most, Senku looks wide awake and ready to start working. Gen takes a seat by the fire, gratefully accepting the skewer of cooked fish Suika passes to him.
“Ah, such a nice coat~” Gen croons, catching Senku’s attention. “It sure must be nice to be the village chief; people fawn over you from dawn to dusk, following your orders without question and making you warm things.” He sighs, sounding put out. “Meanwhile your little worker bees have to make their own warm things.”
Senku laughs and tucks his hands into his pockets, conversation with Kokuyo apparently finished. “I guess my “worker bees” better work faster or they’ll freeze. The temperatures are gonna take a huge dive soon. I wouldn’t want to lose any of my able-bodied workers.”
It’s said airly and played off as a joke, but Gen knows Senku means it.
One of Senku’s biggest worries is making sure everyone survives through this winter, however harsh it may be. He might claim it’s to ensure they have enough able-bodied people to fight Tsukasa, but Gen knows better. Senku is soft hearted to the very core, and if anyone in the village were to fall ill, Gen knows that without a doubt, Senku would bend over backwards to find a cure. He would do the same thing he did for Ruri a hundred times over if he needed to-
But he won’t need to.
Senku will get them through the winter unscathed, through the battle with Tsukasa and into the new age. Because Gen believes in him. Because his people believe in him. Because his father believed in him. There’s an unbelievable amount of pressure resting on Senku’s shoulders right now, and nothing Gen says will ever take the burden off him, but he can at least help ease it by taking one problem away.
Gen spends the day helping patch clothing and sew blankets and wrap children in warm coats and scarves. He takes a small break for lunch, but then he’s right back at it, working until he’s no longer cold, even in his thin robes. He doesn’t realize that he hasn’t actually seen Senku since breakfast this morning until the sun is beginning to set and Gen hears the hustle and bustle of everyone coming back to the village. Children laugh and shout excitedly as they pass the huts, excited about the prospect of having warm ramen noodles and pork broth for dinner. Gen stretches his stiff muscles and gathers up the coats he’s finished before leaving the hut, stomach roaring angrily.
“Looks like you got quite a bit of work done today!” Kohaku greets, carefully skinning and cleaning their kill of the day. The meat will be divided up once it’s cleaned, some of it to be smoked and some of it to be salted. Some will go to the large pots in the center of the village for dinner as well. The sight of blood still makes Gen squeamish, though he’s seen the process a hundred times over since reviving, so he doesn’t stay and chat with Kohaku. She doesn’t seem to mind, allowing Gen to scurry away with his bundle of coats and cloaks without protest.
Gen makes his way around the village snagging small children without coats by their collars and helping them into their newly made/patched winter wear. Trying to make children who don’t want to wear a coat is almost more exhausting than making the actual coats, he finds, but by the time his arms are empty, the sun has set and the smell of food is making his mouth water. He takes a seat by the fire with a small shiver, feeling the evening chill settle in, and jolts a little when he feels something warm drape over his shoulders. He looks up to find Ruri smiling down at him, and Gen pulls the thing on him off to look at it better.
It’s a fur lined coat. For him.
“You’ve been so helpful the last few days, Gen,” Ruri starts. “The children's cloaks and coats aren’t especially difficult to make or mend, but there’s always so many!”
“It’s more tedious than difficult,” Gen agrees, pulling the coat on. He sighs, eyes falling shut and smile curling at the corner of his lips at the warmth of it. “But I was happy to be of assistance!”
“Since you were taking care of the children’s warm things, I had plenty of time to make something warm for you,” Ruri says, adjusting the fur trim around Gen’s neck and shoulders. “Does it fit alright?”
“It does,” Gen nods, pulling the coat around him tighter. Gen won’t lie- he’s been freezing the last week as the temperatures have fallen. He’s never been a big fan of the cold weather, but especially now that there’s no kotatsu for him to slip under. “Thank you, Ruri-chan.” Ruri smiles sweetly once more before heading over to take a seat next to her father, leaving Gen to swaddle himself in warmth beside the fire.
The evening passes like any other, filled with storytelling between bowls of food and cups of wine, and discussing plans for the following day, and before long, the warmth of the fire and food and alcohol have Gen relaxing a little too far. He doesn’t realize he’s actually dozed off until someone is gently shaking him awake.
“You’ll be sore if you sleep like that all night, Mentalist.” Senku’s voice is pitched low, intended for only Gen’s ears. Gen rubs his cheek against Senku’s shoulder, the leather below his cheek warmed from the heat of his own body.
“Might be worth it though,” Gen murmurs sleepily before forcing himself upright. He stretches his arms above his head and points his toes, the warm feeling in his chest and stomach bubbling as he does. He’s warm all the way through for the first time since the temperatures began to change. The thought of having to leave his warm spot and trudge all the way back to the chilly hut does absolutely nothing to make him want to leave his spot, but he feels Senku stand beside him, so Gen dutifully pushes to his feet as well-
And freezes in place.
His feet aren’t cold.
When he looks down, he finds his feet wrapped in leather shoes, nearly identical to the pair Senku is wearing beside him. He jerks his head up, eyes wide. “Senku-chan?”
Senku doesn’t meet his eyes, instead choosing to stare up at the night sky, one hand rubbing the back of his neck, a nervous habit Gen has come to understand. The pink to his cheeks could certainly be attributed to the warmth they’ve found next to the roaring fire or the alcohol Senku might have imbibed while Gen was asleep, but-
“I estimated your shoe size but I made them a little bigger, so there should be plenty of room if you need to snug them up or something,” Senku says, trying for nonchalant. “The ground has been pretty cold the last few days; it wouldn’t be good if you got sick because of it.”
Gen grins, feeling his own cheeks warm. “You’re right,” he agrees, wiggling his feet around and testing out the feeling. “My poor feet were beginning to ache walking this rough terrain for so long.” He hasn’t worn shoes in months now. He’s more than grown used to the feeling of twigs and rocks, and even the rough, unpolished floorboards, but with the comfort these shoes give him, Gen might never go back to being barefoot.
“Also,” Senku continues, drawing Gen’s attention once more, “thank you.” He slips his hands into the pockets of his coat, still not looking directly at Gen. He doesn’t have to explain why he’s thanking Gen.
The older man suddenly feels bashful himself and he has to look away from Senku’s pink cheeks and ears. “Mm. Of course, Senku-chan.”
They stand in silence a moment longer, Gen’s heart racing double time as he tries to find the words to break the awkward silence that’s threatening to swallow them both up. Senku clears his throat first, right hand returning to the back of his neck.
“Chrome is uh. He’s already back up at the hut,” Senku nods his head in the direction of the hut. “It’s actually pretty late, so we should head up as well.” For the first time since Senku woke Gen up, he looks around the gathering area and is surprised to see only a handful of the villagers left, mostly older men who sit with cups of wine in their hands, and a few children asleep in their father’s laps.
The idea that Senku let Gen sleep on his shoulder for so long just because Gen was tired has a whole new warmth fizzing in his chest and rushing to his cheeks. He finds himself unable to speak, so he hums what he hopes is an affirmative noise and trails after Senku when the younger man starts to walk.
They walk in silence through the village, taking care not to wake anyone on their way to the hut, but Gen isn’t paying attention to his surroundings like he should be. The first step onto the bridge outside the village has him slipping and swaying, unused to the feeling of using shoes instead of feeling the change in terrain. He inhales sharply, hand flying out for stability, and Senku turns quickly, his own hand flying out to catch Gen’s.
“You alright??” He asks, eyes wide.
“I’m okay!” Gen huffs a breathless laugh, his own eyes wide. He grips Senku’s hand and the rope next to him tightly as he regains his balance. He looks over the edge of the bridge and swallows, trying not to let the cold he feels creeping up the base of his spine swallow the warmth he feels. If he’d fallen over the edge-
“They’re a little slick on the bottom until you wear them around a day or two,” Senku’s voice draws Gen’s attention back from the shadowy abyss and black waters, like it always does. “You’ll have to be extra careful going back and forth across here.” Gen nods obediently, and Senku turns to lead the way once more… but he doesn’t let go of Gen’s hand. Gen swallows hard once more as he carefully follows Senku over the bridge and back to the hut. The chill of fear he’d felt when he looked over the edge is gone, completely chased away by Senku.
It’s always like that, Gen realizes. Whether it be his own thoughts and fears of the current situation that have darkness creeping into the corners of his mind or even the chill of the weather itself, Senku is always quick to chase it away.
The fear and darkness that plagues Gen’s nightmares is always dismissed with a single smile from Senku. Even the chill of Autumn doesn’t stand a chance against the warmth of Senku’s hand in his own.
Gen finds himself squeezing Senku’s hand just a little tighter as they pass the torches at the end of the bridge before relaxing his hand… but Senku doesn’t let go… so neither does Gen. Senku doesn’t let go until they’re at the base of the ladder, where both hands are needed to enter.
Chrome is already snoring loudly when they enter, so Gen and Senku remain silent as they slip out of their coats and prepare to slip into their pallets…
And if Gen slides his pallet a little closer to Senku’s while shuffling around in the dark, well, no one is awake to see it except him and Senku… and the younger man clearly doesn’t mind, if the soft huff of laughter he lets out as he slips into bed is any indication.
Maybe it’s the boots he refuses to take off, or the fact that he laid his blanket atop his pile of furs, or maybe it’s the fact that Senku is only a couple feet away from him that does it, but Gen sleeps better than he has in weeks.