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Senku sat in the observatory silently. He looked to the night sky from the open gap in the roof. It was so quiet. If he didn’t know any better he’d probably think he was all alone in the world again. Though emotionally he kind of felt that way. It wasn’t like Senku to have such strong emotions affect him, but like Gen always liked to remind him, he was only human.
Speaking of Senku saw the mentalist shuffle under the covers of the wool blanket he had draped over him. Gen peeked his head over his shoulder, looking tiredly at Senku. “Senku chan why are you still awake?” He asked. Senku shrugged and looked back down to the paper and pencil he had in front of him. “Just thinking up more resources we might need to build the perseus.” He says.
Gen sits up using his hands to hold him up. “I can think of one! Sleep.” He says with a smile. “We can’t have our lead scientist half awake during construction.” He jokes. Senku rolls his eyes at Gen’s statement before looking back to his paper. It barely had anything written on it. “You should go back to sleep, Mentalist.” Senku tells Gen. “Tomorrow we have a hard day of work!” Gen whines at that. “Always up to put me to hard abor-lay Senku chan.” He says getting up from his cot and walking over to Senku.
He had taken his overcoat off before going to bed so all he had on was his yukata and pants, showing off his thin figure. “Why’d you go to sleep like that?” Senku asked, looking Gen up and down. “Don’t you get cold?” He asks the older man, who is now standing next to him. “I got a little warm tonight, that's all!” Gen explains while rubbing his bare arms.
He looked at the paper Senku was writing on and pursed his lips. “More rocks?” He asks. “Of course! You underestimate Chrome's collection!” Senku tells him. “They all look the same to me.” He tells him. “Of course they do you simpleton!” Senku says. “We need only the strongest material for this ship.” He explains. “Well it seems You, Chrome chan, and Magma chan have to hit the road again soon huh?” He asks. “Well actually I was thinking this time around you and Chrome can just go. We need Magma’s muscles and everyone here needs me.” He explains.
Gen makes an exhausted sound. “So uel-cray.” He says. “Yeah yeah, but I’m right. Just get some rest…like I said you’ll need it! Don’t need my Mentalist being half awake on the job!” Senku grins. Gen rolls his eyes, but smiles. “Sleep with me my dear Senku.” Gen then says. “You look horrible! Obviously due to lack of beauty sleep.” He comments. Senku looks at him. Gen wasn’t one to rub his nose in Senku’s business that often, so his sudden care of Senku’s sleep schedule made an alarm ring in his head.
He looked back down to the sheet of paper before setting the pencil in his hand down and walking with Gen over to their cots. Gen layed down with Senku following his lead and Gen pulled the large blanket onto both of them. After Senku was comfortable he turned to his side to look at Gen. Gen looked back and after a minute of silence he laughed. “Penny for your thoughts?” He asks. Senku rubs his eyes. “Just thinking.” He says.
“Of?” Gen asks poking further. “Everything.” He comments. Gen then gives him a sympathetic look. “All of this is catching up to you isn’t it?” He asks and Senku nods.
Gen scoots closer to Senku and wraps an arm over his side. “I realize you’ve been through so much this year, Senku chan.” He says. “You awoke in this strange world,learned to survive by yourself, revived dear Taiju chan-” He says. “Revived a morally gray psychopath.” Senku finished for him. Gen laughs. “Oh Senku chan! Don’t be so hard on yourself, it was a life or death situation.” He says. “And I for one am glad you are alive.” He adds. Senku makes a face and Gen laughs again. “You’re so cringey!” Senku tells him.
“Anyway Senku chan!” Gen giggles. “I realize you’ve been keeping up a front with everyone acting like you’re fine. I’m just the only one who sees through it.” He says. “It's okay to not be okay you know.” Gen tells him. Senku nods. “Yeah I know.” He says. “Then why do you insist on keeping this front up with me?” Gen asks. Senku looks down. “I don’t know….it’s just these things never really bothered me before, but now…” Senku says. “Well that's because you didn’t go through immense trauma until this year! That's a big transition.” Gen explains. “All of this…is a really big transition.”
Senku pulls the blanket close to his face. “Yeah.” He says. “But you’ve also helped so many people. If it weren’t for you Ruri chan may have been dead already and you wouldn’t have opened this whole village up to science and gotten them to help you.” Gen goes on. “You’re a strong person Senku chan and you only have to go through these emotions alone if you want to.” He says. “I’m here just tell me what you need.”
Senku sighs, giving out a shaky breath. He looks at the man in front of him. The man he’d been so skeptical of at first glance, but would now trust with his life. They’d been through so much yet Senku still held back what he felt from him. “I just need a good friend right now.” He said. Gen smiled at him sweetly and nodded before hugging Senku. Senku hugged him back, tightly allowing their bodies to touch. Geen rubbed Senku’s back and Senku buried his face in Gen’s neck.
“It’s okay Senku chan…I’m not okay either.” Gen told him. Senku didn’t miss the crack in the other's voice while saying that, nor did he ignore how the body against him started shaking ever so slightly. “Thank you Gen.” Senku says.
And he meant it
After the two pulled away Gen looked to Senku as a few tears escaped his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and looked to his friend. Senku stayed close to Gen, keeping a hand on his arm. “So Senku chan anything else on your mind?” Gen asks. Senku smiles. “Naw. What about you, Mentalist?” He asks. Gen laughs. “Oh come on you can’t tell me even the great Asagiri san doesn’t have a few troubling thoughts on his mind.” Senku teases him.
Gen props his elbow up holding his chin in his hand. “Well…I worry about you often.” He confesses. Senku’s eyes widened. “It’s true. Every other minute I hope you haven’t gotten yourself killed or blown a limb off.” He smiles. “Though I guess that might just be the thrill of being your friend.” He says. “I hate it though…in such a short amount of time Senku chan, you’ve become so important to me.” Gen goes on. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”
Senku smiles. When was he getting so sentimental? And for the mentalist. “Oh god Gen your soft sides showing.” He says with a smirk. “I’ll probably regret saying all this in the morning but what the heck!” Gen says. “Sometimes the world's most phony man can be sincere.” Senku hums. “And the world's most emotionally stunted scientist can be sincere as well.” Gen adds. “Don’t push your luck!” Senku replies.
“I already got you to open up to me about your trauma! What's neeeext!” Gen laughs. “Well Mentalist I don’t want you to worry about me! So don’t. I’ve done way more dangerous stuff back in the modern world.” Senku tells him. “I don’t know whether to be relieved or even more terrified.” Gen says. Senku snorts and feels his eyes begin to droop. Gen yawns and rests his head on his pillow. “You tire me and yourself Mentalist.” Senku says.
Gen shrugs with a content look on his face. “You’d be bored without me.”
“You are a piece of work, Asagiri Gen.”
“And you are a wonder Ishigami Senku.”
As Senku and Gen quieted down, Senku quickly got up to blow out the candle which had dimly lit the small room. As he settled in for sleep Senku looked at Gen’s face as he slept peacefully. There was so much mystery about Gen and it excited Senku very much, but something about this kind of mystery made him want to unwrap it slowly. He’d never think in a million years his closest friend and greatest ally would be a lying magician.
Senku closed his eyes and rested his head before drifting off to sleep. That night he slept better than he had in a long time.