Work Text:
Boom!
“What was that?” Kaseki asked, looking up from the diamonds.
“Shit- Get down,” Senkuu tackled the old man down to get out of the way of the debris.
“What in the?” Kaseki started.
Senkuu could only look at the diamond they had been working on go up into ash.
“Oh hoho… all the diamonds are burning up,” Kaseki pointed out, sounding defeated.
Bang! Bang!
Senkuu looked at the pile of burning diamonds. Kaseki and Chrome were saying something but there was just so much sound around him. Bullets flew in the air and with each, the sound of the crack followed. The flames crackling sound. How warm it had suddenly felt.
“Senkuu?” Chrome’s voice said his name. Senkuu looked over at where the sound came from. “We can still do this,” Chrome clenched his fist. “Trust me,”
Senkuu clenched his eyes tight to stop the tears and got up to his knees along with Chrome.
“My life's work,” Kaseki sobbed. How strange… I could drop dead today but thanks to science we could transcend death,”
Senkuu didn’t know if they were true but he needed some hope.
“Well, why don’t we use the radio? Not like it matters if Stanely and his guys hear us,” Chrome pointed up, somehow just as upbeat.
“Ohhh~? Don’t tell me you’re planning something without me. I’m urt hay,” Senkuu knew that voice. Gen’s normal malicious grin was replaced with an unsure smile. “But if that’s the way we want to play, you’re forgetting one thing though,” Gen knelt down next to Senkuu. “Dear Stanley and gang now lack radio I dare say,” Gen’s smile looked like it was getting harder and harder to keep up. “The boys are b- being awfully aggressive don’t you say? Like they are unorganized,” Gen’s voice cracked. “Besides dear Kohaku, Tsukasa, and Hyoga a-are hardly the types to go down without a fight,” Gen’s tears ran down his face as he talked about his friends.
“Right… which means” Chrome huffed. “We have control of the airwaves,”
“Yes, in which case,” Gen gritted his teeth.
“Kuk,” Senkuu snickered. “It’s do or die,” Senkuu put his foreheads to Gen’s.
“Then let’s do this!” Chrome pumped up his fist.
“Ohoho,” Kaseki smiled.
Senkuu took a deep breath.
It has to be done.
Before Senkuu could get up to his feet, Gen covered Senkuu’s ears and kissed his forehead. Gen’s hands didn’t do much but muffle the sound but it still helped.
“I love you,” Gen mouthed.
Crask!
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“All we do is rig some kind of contraption!” Chrome noted out loud.
“And if all goes right I’ll be the lucky one waking up,”
“I wouldn’t say lucky dear Senkuu chan,” Gen hesitated.
“We just need to get Senkuu-,” Kaseki started when.
Bang! Crakk!
It took Senkuu a second to understand why all eyes were turned on him. Or why he was falling backward. Or the ringing in his ears. It all happened so fast Senkuu didn’t even notice he had hit the ground. What he did notice was the almost unbearable pain that started in his shoulder that shot through his body. The shattered parts of the revival fluid’s clay container scattered around him. A warm liquid started to run down Senkuu’s mouth. Senkuu could only assume it was blood. He didn’t have the strength to check. Everyone was screaming at him. He didn’t even know what they were saying. Like muffled screams.
It’s all so loud.
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“So how about last minute crafting projects before the moon launch,” Senkuu cleaned out his ear with his pinky. “We can whip up just about anything,” Senkuu shrugged.
Senkuu didn’t even have time to pull out his pinky when-
“Robot maid,”
“Protein powder,”
“PS5,”
“Wine cellar!”
A bunch of asks flooded Senkuu all at once with the others gathering around him.
“Alright alright!” Senkuu shouted. “Write them down please geez,” Senkuu acted annoyed, but he was happy to see everyone was in a good mood.”Come on Chrome, we got some work to do,” Senkuu snickered.
“Ohh I want to help!” Suika joined in.
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“Aye Chrome, hand me that will you?” Senkuu pointed to a beaker on the other side of the lab table.
“Oh, sure dude!” Chrome slid the beaker across the table.
Senkuu put his hand out to get the glass beaker.
Clash!
“Chrome!” Senkuu dropped what he was working on and stood up in a panic.
“Uhh…. Sorry Senkuu…?” Chrome apologized. Senkuu looked over at the beaker broken on the floor. “Was the beaker important?”
“Uh no. It’s fine,” Senkuu took a second.
Why did that scare me so much? We break breakers all the time.
“You ok Senkuu?” Suika asked.
“Yeah yeah, I’m fine,” Senkuu lightly shook it off.
I probably need more sleep.
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.
“Excuse me Senkuu chan but I don’t see how you’re going to make smartphones in the… well it really isn’t the stone word anymore huh,” Gen put his hands in the sleeves of his overcoat.
“Well if you have to know Mentalist,” Senkuu smirked. “We’re making liquid crystals for touch screens,”
“How the heck?” Chelsea chimed in.
“And where does one find these liquid crystals?” Gen asked.
“It’s not like a natural crystal that comes from liquid,” Senkuu pointed out. “You’d expect crystals to be solid but these move almost like liquid. Kind of exists in that weird in between state,”
“Ahh yes… of course,” Gen sighed.
“It’s not going to be a proper smartphone but it’ll-,” Senkuu started to say.
Bang!
A gunshot.
“Shit get down!” Senkuu yelled, pulling Gen down with him.
The others around also got down but many others looked confused.
“Uhhh Senkuu… That’s just Xeno and Stan testing out the new guns for your trip,” Ukyo reminded Senkuu. “Didn’t they tell you?”
The memory popped into Senkuu’s head. Xeno had informed him earlier that afternoon that they were doing that. He knew they were going to do that. “Ugh did they need to be so loud?” Senkuu groaned, standing upright again.
“Well they need more gunpowder to work in space,” Ukyo reminded. “It was your idea,”
“Just forgot how loud it would be,” Senkuu cracked his neck.
I swore I got enough sleep last night
“Is everything alright Senkuu chan?” Gen asked, getting to his feet too.
“Yeah, I’m fine Mentalist,”
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Senkuu tossed and turned as he was trying to sleep. He tried all the sleeping tricks he could think of. Counting, breathing in his nose and out his mouth, rapid blinking, even lighting a candle. He wasn’t even feeling anymore tired.
Creek!
Senkuu sat up when he heard the observatory door creek open.
“Uhhh hey there Senkuu chan,” Gen acted confused.
“Oh Mentalist,” Senkuu’s brows furrowed in confusion.”What are you doing here?”
“You’ve seemed on edge recently,” Gen shut the door behind him.
“Huh? I guess,” Senkuu pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Chrome chan told me you did the same thing yesterday,” Gen pointed out.
“Just need more sleep that’s all,” Senkuu shrugged.
“Hmmh sure,” Gen walked toward Senkuu’s bedroll. “You know you can talk to me Senkuu chan,” Gen sat down next to Senkuu. “We’re alone and frankly it might be the last time for a while,”
“I don’t know mentalist,” Senkuu sighed. “I’ve just been jumpier,”
“This coming from the guy who exploded a lab making drugs for Ruri chan,” Gen nudged.
“Heh,” Senkuu hummed.
“Or the same guy who was target practice with Kohaku and Ryusui chan a few days ago?” Gen raised an eyebrow.
“What are you trying to get at menatlist?”
“What happened in South America… I just noticed you are really on edge ever since that day,”
“Well getting shot again can do that,” Senkuu pointed out, his tone a bit cold.
“Senkuu chan,”
“Right, sorry,”
“You’ve been so stressed and plus this may be the last time we have some personal time together for a while,” Gen pointed out.
“Sorry about that…,”
“It’s fine. Our agreement was after everything was over we could finally be in a proper relationship after all of this was over. Work comes first,” Gen sounded a bit sad with those last few words. “But I’ll still miss you,”
“I’ll miss you too,” Senkuu admitted. “I swear once the world is more in order..,”
“I know,” Gen smiled. “You better come home then,”
“That’s the plan,” Senkuu scoffced.
“If you die I’ll bring you back to live so I can kill you myself,” Gen joked.
“That’s not logical. I would be a zombie so how would you kill me-,”
“Oh god shut up Senkuu chan,” Gen teased.
“What? I’m just explaining your logic to you and how the zombie trope doesn’t make any sense,” Senkuu pointed out.
“You were holding that one huh?” Gen jeered.
“Every time Byaukya would put on a zombie movie I would say the same thing. I would try but he’d fall asleep half way through,” Senkuu playfully rolled his eyes.
“Huh? Did you say something?” Gen pretended to be asleep.
“You ass,” Senkuu nudged Gen while laughing.
“I’m sorry Senkuu chan but I am not going to sit here on our last day together with you rambling about zombies,” Gen started to laugh too.
“Whaaattt? Sounds like a fun night to me,” Senkuu teased.
“You can not be erious say,” Gen groaned.
“You started this mentalist,” Senkuu sneered. “You’re going to have to listen to my zombie ramble for the rest of the night,”
“Nooooo,” Gen leaned his forehead on Senkuu’s shoulder.
“Kukuku,”
Ceeek
Senkuu tensed up when he heard the slight creaking sound.
“What was…?” Senkuu looked around the room.
Gen lifted his head from Senku’s shoulder. “That was just Chrome…He told you he was moving into a hut in the village. He’s just getting his stuff,” Gen looked almost sad. “Senkuu chan..,”
“I’m fine Gen,” Senkuu tried to tell Gen.
“You’re still tense,” Gen reached to put his hand on Senkuu’s shoulder when Senkuu jerked it away intentionally. Gen moved his hand back.
“Shit…I-,” Senkuu mumbled. “Mentalist-,”
“It’s ok,” Gen reassured Senkuu. “But something is bothering you,”
“It’s fine, I can deal with it on my own,”
“Senkuu, we’ve talked about this before. You’re don’t have to deal with this alone,”
“I just…,” Senkuu tried to articulate his feelings. “Ughh I don’t even know how I feel,”
“Take your time,” Gen said.
Senkuu took a deep breath. How did he feel? Hedidn’t feel anxious but something was eating at him that just wouldn’t lt him sleep. “I don’t know what is wrong. I know something is but it doesn’t make any sense,” Senkuu got out. Senkuu kind of let rge words flow. “I look around sometimes like is this real? Logically it is. I can feel and see all of this but for a second, I think we’re back in South America,” Senkuu admitted. “Like we never left” Senkuu got the last few words out with such pain behind his words.
“Senkuu…,”
“It’s like I’m even more on edge since we work up Stanley,” Senkuu clicked his tongue.
“Heh bastard,” Gen agreed.
“I was trying to relax with everyone and enjoy the time I have left here but…,” Senkuu breathed out his nose.
“Well if it helps I promise we’re back home,”
“I gathered,” Senkuu glanced around him.
“Honestly, I don’t know what to say,” Gen confessed.
“I bet,” Senkuu sighed, fidgeting a bit with his fingers under the covers.
“Is it alright if I touch you?” Gen asked.
“Yeah sure,” Gen re-adjusted himself so he was closer to Senkuu’s side and facing Senkuu. “You have right now. Nothing bad is going to happen here,” Gen moved a piece of Senkuu’s bangs out of his face. “It’s just us,”
Senkuu fidgeted with his fingers a bit more. “You know I miss the days when it was just the village and us. You had everyone make his observatory for me and your over the top confession,”
“Oh? That all?” Gen hummed.
“Hmhh, or that time you made Magma think his heart was going to explode,” Senkuu grinned.
“Awww are you praising me now Senkuu chan,”
“Heh don’t flatter yourself Mentalist,” Senkuu waved off. “It’s not like you help me trick half the empire of might to join us,”
“Getting sentimental are we?”
“I’m going to be gone for a while. Maybe I’ll swallow my pride for one night,” Senkuu lightly grabbed Gen’s wrist and motioned towards himself.
Gen followed Senkuu. Gen straddled Senkuu’s lap and lightly put his forehead on Senkuu.
It was out of character for Senkuu to indicate physical contact between the two. Often because of how vulnerable it would make him feel, but for a moment he wanted to feel that. To hold Gen and know he was there. Senkuu wrapped his arms around Gen holding him there. Gen had one hand in Senkuu’s hair and the other tossed over his shoulder. They had been close before but something in him wanted to be closer to Gen.
“You promise you’re coming home,” Gen asked, playing with a bit of Senkuu’s hair.
“I promise,”
Gen lifted his forehead and held Senkuu tighter.”You know I’m going to be worried the whole time right,”
“I know,”
“We don’t know how long you’ll be gone, who Whyman is, or even if the rocket gets you up to space,” Gen spilled.
“I know Gen,” Senkuu held Gen closer.
“I don’t think I could take it if you were hurt again,” Gen’s voice started to break. “Every time, it’s like you get hurt worse and worse each time we go somewhere new,” Gen tried to play it off by laughing.
Hearing Gen’s voice started to crack made Senkuu's conviction weak for just a second. Senkuu pulled back from the embrace to look at Gen. Gen was once again holding back tears. Seeing Gen broken up also hurt him. Senkuu went and whipped some of Gen’s tears off.
“Ahh Senkuu chan,” Gen's laugh was weak but still genuine.
Senkuu could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He wasn’t sad. That wasn’t the feeling but tears formed in his eyes too. Senkuu rumb his thumb over Gen’s cheek. How had he not noticed, it felt slightly different from when they were younger. All the time they had spent together…7 years together.
“It’ll be fine. Everything will be just fine mentalist,” was all Senkuu knew how to say to reassure the other.
“I believe you,” Gen put his hand over Senkuu’s to keep it in place.
“I’ll be back and I can play the role of the nerdy boyfriend,” Senkuu teased.
“God, did you really just say that? How wfu aye,” Gen sang, through the cracks in his voice.
“Regretted it the moment it came out of my mouth,” Senkuu lied.
“That’s the Senkuu chan I know. As stoic as ever,” Gen playfully rolled his eyes but leaned more in Senkuu’s hand.
That just broke Senkuu. “Gen, I love you,”
“Heheh just going to say that after I made fun of you?” Gen started a laugh without any hiccups.. “You jerk,” Gen lightly pushed Senkuu. “I love you too,”
Senkuu didn't have the conviction or strength to hold himself back. Senkuu guided Gen’s face towards his. Gen seemed a bit confused until Senkuu placed a little kiss on Gen’s lips.
Senkuu Ishigami, age 24, had his first kiss with Gen Asagiri, age 26.
It felt Gen a bit confused for a second before it hit him. Gen leaned back down for another kiss. And another. And another. Senkuu’s hand running over Gen’s scalp. The kisses became longer each time but it wasn’t like Senkuu mind. Anatomically it was just skin on skin contact. Gen’s lips on his. Lips were just made of more exposed surface epidermis, connective tissue, and a muscle layer. He knew the science behind kissing but never got to run a proper experiment on it. Senkuu felt Gen’s hand over from his napde down his neck to the edge of the fabric on Senkuu’s tunic. Gen pulled away for a moment and saw what he was doing.
“Ahh sorry Senkuu chan,” Gen moved his hand away.
Like Senkuu hadn’t already crossed the line he had set for himself. Senkuu grabbed Gen’s wrist and put his hand back where it was. “It’s okay,” Senkuu knew he had to be blushing.
“You sure? You don’t have to,” Gen asked.
“Yes, I want to,” Senkuu consented.
The candle to the side of them flickered. Gen was painted with a beautiful orange hue. His hair already a bit messed up and lips a bit red from kissing. Gen’s blue grayish eyes looking into his.
“I can never tell with you, you know,” Gen leaned forward and locked their lips again before Senkuu could reply.
Senkuu threw his arms around Gen’s neck. Senkuu felt Gen's palm dragged more and more down his chest, pulling the fabric of his tunic with it. Gen started to kiss down Senkuu’s face and followed to the skin between jawbone and neck. Senkuu gulped but put his hands on the crown of Gen’s head. Gen unhooked the hooks in Senkuu’s tunic and moved further down Senkuu’s neck. Senkuuu’s free hand pushed at Gen’s overcoat. He shrugged it off and threw it to the side. With more of his shoulder exposed Gen made sure to kiss that part too, being a bit more aggressive with the skin between his neck and shoulder. Gen had unbuttoned the top half of Senkuu’s tunic and had it draped itself over Senkuu’s shoulders. Gen ran his slender hand over Senkuu’s chest. Senkuu shrugged the top half of his tunic off and used his arms to help keep him up.
“Gen-,”
Gen laided next to Senkuu in a tired haze. Senkuu’s arm over his shoulder keeping him close. Gen didn’t mind. He knew he was tired but he just wanted to savor the moment a little longer
“It’ll be fine. Everything will be just fine mentalist,” Gen repeated Senkuu’s words to himself.
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“Right today is the day,” Suika looked up at the rocket. “It feels like a big party, but what if the rocket fails?” Suika thought out loud.
Suika’s words brought down the mood of the celebration. Gen knew Suika didn’t mean to because he was thinking the same thing.
“It’s fine! Ruly tay~,” Gen sang to the crowd. “After all our space cadets will be petrified for take off, right? So even if the launch fails and they blow up, we can just gather the fragments and retrieve them,” Gen lied through his teeth.
“Uhh yeah good point…,” Taiju tried to convince himself.
Gen would admit it was a bad lie. Not even he believed it.
“You’re not very convening. Even the big oaf doesn’t believe you,” Senkuu pointed out.
“It’ll be fine. Yes, just fine,” Gen tilted his head down.