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1 - Suika
Gen had always had a soft spot for children. They were excitable, easy to impress, and usually happy to see him.
He especially had a soft spot for Suika, which was how he found himself sat amongst tall grass, pointedly disregarding his usual concern for ticks and other creepy crawlies, braiding daisy chains and flower crowns with her. The fact that it got him out of whatever back breaking or tedious task he would have otherwise been assigned was simply an added bonus.
“How come you and Senku don’t kiss like other couples?”
His fingers twitched, the head of the daisy in his hand popping off the stem and falling into his lap.
“Hm? What was that?”
“Usually I see couples kiss and hold hands and stuff,” she replied, ignorant to the storm roiling inside him as she placed her own finished flower crown on the top of his head. “But you two don’t. Is it ‘cause you’re not married yet or did people not kiss back before?”
“Ah,” he blinked, trying to steady his thoughts and approach the topic in a way that would not either confuse or crush the poor girl. “Senku-chan and I-“
“You and me what, Mentalist?” Senku approached, giving the crown of wildflowers on Gen’s head an assessing look as he dug his pinky into his ear. “Slacking off with Suika is still slacking off, y’know.”
Gen smiled and fluttered his eyelashes, “I am simply showing interest in Suika-chan’s budding career as a fashion designer. I think it quite suits me, don’t you?”
Senku gave a non-committal hum, reaching out and straightening the flower crown slightly so it fit a bit more securely on his head, adjusting one of the loose leaves so it was no longer falling into his eyes. “Whatever you say, Mentalist.”
A rustle of grass drew their attention back to Suika who was looking between them contemplatively before a wide smile crossed her face. “I’m gonna go find Kohaku!”
She raced off before either could question her and Senku looked at Gen curiously. “Don’t ook-lay at me, Senku-chan, I’m just a pretty face.”
Senku snorted, “Yeah pretty lazy. Let’s go, I’ve got a task for you.”
Suika’s comment was forgotten in place of Gen’s complaints of more hard labor, and he chalked it up to the innocence of children. No reason to dwell on it further.
2 - Kohaku
Before being petrified there was not a person alive that would have called Gen a morning person. He much preferred a chance to laze in bed and rise slowly and gradually at his own pace, and would often take advantage of days off to stay in bed past noon when he could.
But in the Stone World he found himself enjoying quiet mornings in the village before everyone else rose for the day. The soft stillness of the air, slightly chilled as the sun began to creep over the horizon, enjoying a warm cup of tea and the gentle breeze through the trees.
“You’re up early.”
Gen glanced up as Kohaku approached, taking a seat next to him. “Ah, Kohaku-chan, to what do I owe this easure-play?”
She took the second cup of tea he offered her and blew over it, the steam thick in the chill of dawn. “I’m usually up with the sun, saw you over here and got curious. Thought you were up late last night?”
“Hmm? What gave you that idea?”
“Senku was up late and you usually either camp out in the lab or stay up late enough to drag him to bed to make sure he sleeps. He’s not in the lab this morning which means you were able to drag him out.”
Gen laughed softly, “You make me sound like his nagging wife waiting up for him.”
Kohaku didn’t reply and Gen took a sip, gazing over the horizon as the sun continued to climb, enjoying the quiet company.
“It’s nice that Senku has you.”
He paused, cup halfway to his mouth, and peered at the warrior out of the corner of his eye.
“He works too hard. Nobody wants to be the one to tell him to take a break, either out of selfish desire for his inventions or just not wanting to argue with him… but you make sure he takes time to care for himself. Eat, sleep,” she smiled, tilting her head in his direction, “laugh.”
“Well, like you said, I have no oblem-pray arguing with him. If anyone else had the tenacity to nag at him like I do, they could do the same. You all just give up too easily.”
“It’s more than that, he listens to you.”
His brow knit up at the almost wistful tone in her voice as she turned back to the sunrise. He felt there was something he was missing weaved between her words but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Kohaku took a long sip of her tea and Gen cleared his throat, “I simply use his own logic against him, my dear Kohaku-chan, a little manipulation goes a ong-lay way.” He tried to make it sound like a joke but something in the way Kohaku hummed in response had him doubting himself.
“He listens to you,” she repeated, setting her empty cup down and rising as the first sounds of the villagers began to filter from across the bridge.
He watched her walk away, wondering why her tone didn’t sound quite as teasing as usual. If anything it had sounded… admiring.
3 - Chrome
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
Gen didn’t look up, pinching the edges of the zinc sheet to make sure it held firm. “You should close your eyes when you finally get over yourself and kiss Ruri-chan, yes.”
Chrome flushed red and stammered for a moment, “Th-th-that’s not what I was gonna ask!”
Chuckling, Gen picked up a piece of charcoal and looked up at him, head tilted expectantly. Chrome was pouting, cursing him under his breath, so Gen continued with the next few steps, not looking up when the other scientist suddenly sighed deeply.
“How come you complain so much if you’re just gonna do whatever Senku says anyway?”
Eyebrow raising, Gen set the now finished battery to the side, reaching for another sheet of zinc. “Whatever do you mean, Chrome-chan? I’m very much doing this against my ill-way.”
“Yeah, but you’re still doing it,” Chrome countered, looking thoughtful. “You didn’t even question if it would work or if there was another way, you just complained about how long it was going to take and about your delicate hands .” He wiggled his fingers at Gen mockingly.
The mentalist batted his fingers away, picking up another chunk of charcoal and settling it into place. “Why question it? If Senku-chan says it’s going to work, it’s going to work. No reason to doubt the plan, plenty of reason to pawn the abor-lay onto others more qualified.”
“See that’s what I mean!” Chrome scratched his head, frowning, “You always make this big show about being dragged along, but you still just… go with it when he asks.”
Gen gave a theatrical sniffle, rubbing away an imaginary tear, “It’s the Stockholm syndrome, I’ve realized resistance is futile.”
“Stockholm…?”
Gen sighed remembering that many of his jokes went over the heads of the villagers. Senku would have gotten a kick out of that one though, he was sure of it. “It’s really quite simple, Chrome-chan, once Senku-chan decides to do something your two options are to go along with it or get out of his way. I’ve decided to go along with it… with the optimal amount of complaining, of course.”
“Yeah but even when he says something crazy like he’s gonna make this phone cell thing… you looked surprised at first but…” he tilted his head thoughtfully. “You trusted him.”
Feeling the conversation was getting a little heavy, Gen laughed. “Doesn’t everyone? I doubt we’d all be toiling away if we didn’t.” He paused, looking down at the partially built battery in his palm and thought back to a somewhat gritty bottle of cola. “He makes it quite easy… trusting him.”
Chrome watched him for a moment too long and Gen put up what he was sure was a disarming smile. “Huh… you two really aren’t together.”
It was Gen’s turn to be confused, “Of course we aren’t. Why would you think otherwise?”
“Well… you spend a lot of time together and Senku doesn’t seem to mind when you’re in his space the way he does with other people. That and you got us all to build him the observatory for his birthday.”
Gen raised a brow, “Is this your way of asking for an observatory, Chrome-chan?“
The Stone Age scientist snorted, hands resting on his hips as he shook his head, “I dunno, now that I’m saying it out loud I can see where I might have just assumed some stuff. I sorta figured relationships were different back where you two are from, y’know? Take things slower.”
“Slower than you pining for over ten years for Ruri-chan?”
“Hey!”
“Making fun of Chrome again?” Senku walked in, pinky finger in his ear and an amused smirk on his face. “And here I thought watching Taiju and Yuzuriha was painful.”
“I’m honestly surprised Kohaku-chan hasn’t just locked them in some empty hut and let nature take its course,” Gen agreed, adding the completed battery in his hand to the growing pile. “Though I somehow doubt even that would work.”
Senku looked over the pile of batteries, nodding in satisfaction as he picked one up, “You’re getting good at this, Mentalist, we might make you a half-decent lab assistant yet.”
Gen gave a derisive sniff, “No way, we both know I’m booth babe material, Senku-chan,” he pursed his lips and pressed the back of his hand under his chin coquettishly. ”I couldn’t bear the thought of taking Chrome-chan’s place, he’d never forgive me.”
“He’ll get over it,” Senku shrugged, returning the battery to the pile, smirking over at Chrome, “won’t you?”
“How uel-cray, Senku-chan~”
It wasn’t until several minutes later when Senku went to leave that Gen realized that the other man had been resting a hand on his shoulder the whole time. He looked back at Chrome to see his arms crossed and a skeptical look on his face.
“We aren’t together.”
4 - Ryusui
If Gen wasn’t so confident in his looks he would’ve been more insulted.
He knew he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea - his sense of humor divisive, his tongue a bit too sharp - but Ryusui flirted with everyone so it was rather obvious when none of his attention seemed to land on Gen.
Gen knew he was attractive, especially by modern conventions. Smooth, pale skin, well kept and silky hair, delicate androgynous features- he may not have been everyone’s ideal partner but he was at least an 8/10.
It wasn’t even that he wanted to be flirted with. He’d had enough unwanted attention thrust upon him back in the modern age to last him a lifetime and in some ways it was rather nice to not have to fend off wandering hands or brush off flowery comments.
But it was the principle of the thing. Ryusui was a walking ball of hormones and testosterone, complimenting anyone and everyone, tactile and flirtatious and the definition of a modern day fuck-boy.
Despite every logical part of him saying to let it go, Gen had to understand just what was so unappealing about him that he alone was spared Ryusui’s attention.
“Hmm? Of course I think you’re attractive, I’d be a fool not to.” Ryusui seemed confused by the insinuation, looking up from his model with his brows drawn. “What gave you the idea I didn’t?”
Gen preened under the compliment, disguising it with a purposefully theatrical pout. He didn’t want to give Ryusui the wrong idea, after all, “Well you’ve never said. You talk about how beautiful everyone else is, I was feeling left out.”
Ryusui barked out a laugh, “My apologies! I avoid flirting with those who have jealous partners, it’s far more trouble than it’s worth.”
“Jealous partners?”
The blonde had returned to his model, fiddling with a tiny piece of balsa to try and get it into the right place. “Yeah, I may be confident but I’m not stupid enough to welcome Senku’s ire by flirting with you.”
“Why would Senku-chan be upset by you flirting with me?”
Ryusui hummed, eyes flashing in victory as the piece finally snapped into place. “I mean, I doubt he’d do anything to actually hurt me, he’s not the type, but it’s rather obvious how possessive he can be.”
“Senku-chan? Possessive? He’s more likely to break his belongings to repurpose them than hoard them and then give them away when they’ve served their purpose. He’s the exact opposite of possessive.”
“Not everyone desires everything like I do,” Ryusui shrugged. “But it takes a possessive man to write their name on things that are important to them.”
Gen rolled his eyes, “Well, if that’s your hard line then how come you flirt with Yuzuriha-chan? I would think you’d be far more afraid of Taiju-chan’s reaction.”
“Taiju understands my appreciation of Yuzuriha and knows I mean no harm to their relationship, if anything I think he likes hearing the one he cares for be praised by others. On the other hand I avoid showering Ruri with praise despite her elegant beauty because it upsets Chrome.” He frowned for a moment. “Do you think it’s a scientist thing to be jealous?”
“I think you’re an idiot.” Gen grumbled before he could stop himself.
Ryusui barked out another laugh, clapping Gen on the back. “Well, if you think Senku won’t be bothered I’d be happy to compliment you. You are exceptionally beautiful after all, and your clever mind just as much.”
Gen gave a pleased hum at the compliment, smiling proudly and realizing that maybe he did miss getting praised more than he previously thought.
“Senku is a lucky man!”
Gen’s face fell and he rolled his eyes. “Well, thank you Ryusui-chan, good to know I’ve still got it.”
5 - Yuzuriha & Taiju
“It’s so annoying when he gets like this,” Ryusui scowled as Senku snapped at Chrome again for giving him the wrong flask, shaking his head slowly. “I, more than anyone, know we’re on a tight schedule but that’s no excuse for his behavior.”
“Senku’s always been like this,” Yuzuriha said softly, wincing as Taiju tried to help and got a similar biting response. “Though it’s been a while since he’s been this tired… he’s usually better at explaining what he’s looking for, or at least it felt like he was when we were building rockets together.”
The pair watched as Taiju laughed, giving Senku’s hair a rough tousle and dodging the flailing arm he got in response before jogging off in some random direction.
“If he keeps it up, I’m going to barricade him in the observatory until he sleeps. He’s fortunate he hasn’t bit at the wrong hand so far, but I doubt Kohaku would tolerate him talking to her like this.”
Yuzuriha winced at the thought, “You’re probably right…” she trailed off as Taiju appeared, dragging a bewildered Gen behind him. Chrome was staring at the shelves of chemicals and materials, a panicked look on his face as he tried to parse what Senku was looking for and obviously struggling. "Oh, I forgot that Gen was coming back to the village today with Kaseki, good thing Taiju remembered."
Gen took one look at the scene in front of him and huffed in displeasure. Ryusui moved to take a step forward as the mentalist approached the cactus-given-human-form that was Senku, but stopped as Yuzuriha put a hand on his arm.
“Senku-chan, are you being ude-ray to your friends?”
Senku grunted dismissively, scowling down at the seemingly random pile of flasks and materials in front of him. The bags under his eyes were dark, eyes blood shot, lips chapped from dehydration.
“You haven't slept in days, have you? If I get you what you need will you finish up and go take a nap?”
Another grunt and a derisive snort. Gen flicked his forehead and the scientist cringed away, his scowl turning up to him, the mentalist giving a look best described as one a disappointed parent would give their overtired toddler.
“What is it you need?”
Rubbing his forehead, Senku muttered a few disconnected syllables and Ryusui was sure he heard some form of “I need the thing over by the other thing that we used for the project last month.”
Rolling his eyes, Gen whirled away with an overly dramatic swish of his coat, not even glancing at most of the items of the shelf and making a beeline for an innocuous bottle of what appeared to be fine white powder.
Senku’s eyes lit up as Gen approached with it, reaching for it only to scowl again as the mentalist pulled it back. “What?”
“Are you going to stop acting like a feral raccoon?”
When Senku grunted again, reaching for the bottle, he was stopped by a firm finger to his forehead.
“Chrome-chan, Taiju-chan,” Gen sing-songed, not looking away from Senku, the smile on his face sharper than normal, “when our dear Senku-chan finishes with his current task, please be sure to bring him to the observatory for nap time. I’ll make sure his bedroll is ready with a snack and some tea.”
“Don’t treat me like a kid,” Senku grumbled, finally able to snag the bottle away, pulling out the cork and measuring some out.
“Don’t act like a child and you won’t be treated like a child.” Gen gave the top of his head a condescending pat, rolling his eyes as he tucked his hands back into his sleeves and walked away.
“Thanks, Gen! Appreciate you!” Taiju called cheerily, settling into place to watch as Senku worked.
As he floated by, Yuzuriha beamed, “It’s nice to know Senku has someone who understands him so well, even when he’s grunting like a caveman.”
Gen smirked, “I am a first-class mentalist, Yuzuriha-chan, it’s sort of my thing.”
She laughed at that, “Still, neither Chrome who understands the science or Taiju who has known Senku forever had any idea what he was talking about. You didn’t even have to think.”
“What can I say? I’m fluent in gremlin. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go prepare for his royal pain in the ass to finally get some rest. Be a dear and make sure Chrome-chan and Taiju-chan can pull him away?”
Ryusui laughed, starting to reach forward to clap Gen on the shoulder and stopping halfway with a sheepish grin. Gen tilted his head in question, “I will be sure to help if they need it! Don’t you worry!”
Yuzuriha gave a reassuring smile, "Thank you for taking care of him, Gen. It means the world to us."
Get gave them one last curious look before pivoting on his heel, heading in the direction of the observatory.
+1
By the time Taiju fireman carried a semi-lucid Senku up the ladder and deposited him at the entrance of the observatory, Gen had already had Francois prepare a plate of finger food which he set beside the scientist’s fluffed up bedroll.
“Delivery!” Taiju called with a chipper laugh, giving Senku a gentle push through the door, “He’s all yours!”
Gen didn’t look up, “Be careful, Taiju-chan, he bites.”
Senku grunted, letting himself be herded into the observatory like a stray cat, taking the mug of tea from Gen with a grumble. “Thanks again, Gen,” Taiju beamed as Senku gave the cup a few blows before taking a sip. “Let me know if you need any help.”
Making a lazy beeline for his bedroll, Senku gave a small huff when he was stopped by Gen's hand on his arm, taking another petulant sip of his tea. “Thank you, Taiju-chan, I’ve got it from here.”
As the door clicked shut behind the brunette, Gen shoved the plate of food into Senku’s hands.
“Eat first.”
Senku grumbled but didn’t resist, eyes still fuzzy and half focused in exhaustion as he start picking at the array of finger foods. His shoulders had slumped, body beginning to wilt now that there was no project to keep his adrenaline pumping, his chewing slow and swallowing even slower.
Gen shook his head, using his hold on Senku’s arm to gently lower him to the floor before his legs gave out. “I stay back at the ship yard for a week and all the good habits I try to instill in you fall apart. You know what prolonged sleep deprivation can do to a person, but no matter how many times I remind you…”
Senku grunted sleepily, “Yeah, I know.”
Sighing fondly, Gen shook his head, “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“I know,” Senku huffed a small laugh, lips curling in the smug little way Gen always found as infuriating as he did adorable.
He picked at the last few bites of food and drained the rest of his tea before setting the empty dishware aside, crawling the few feet to the bedroll and slumping face first on top of it. Gen watched as he took a deep breath, seeming to melt into the plush surface as his exhaustion truly hit him.
“Thanks for the calcium bicarbonate before.”
“Oh, we remember what it’s called now? If you could just use your words you wouldn’t have needed me to step in.”
Senku sighed, rubbing his face on his pillow. “I’ll always need you.”
Gen’s smile faltered, caught off guard by the sincerity in Senku’s words. There was something about the gentle honesty in the admission that picked at something inside him, unsettling him more than he liked.
He thought back over the last several months. The others' confusing comments and observations, strange behavior that had been written off in the moment but as part of a bigger picture seemed to imply so much more.
“Senku-chan…” he murmured softly, pausing for just a moment before biting the bullet, “are we dating?”
Senku grunted sleepily, eyes closed and breath evening as he began to drift, “That’s a stupid question.”
Gen sighed in relief, so he wasn’t completely oblivious.
“Of course we are.”
Gen’s mouth worked uselessly for several moments, heat climbing up the back of his neck and onto his cheeks at the declaration. Despite the slur of sleep, it had been stated as if it were completely obvious, like saying that grass was green or water was wet.
“What do you mean ‘of course we are‘?” Gen finally cried, getting no response but soft, even breathing. He reached over, giving Senku’s shoulders a shake. “Senku-chan, what do you mean? Senku-chan!”
Receiving nothing but a low grumble, Gen gave up, staring down at the sleeping scientist with a roiling storm of emotions in his chest.
His fingers tapped aggressively against his knees and chewing on his bottom lip, Gen tried to decide if he wanted to laugh, cry, or throttle the scientist in his sleep. All three were appealing in their own ways.
“Of course we are,” he muttered, a hysterical pitch to his voice. “Of course we are, what does that even mean?”
Sure, they shared a living space- but in a growing population it only made sense to do so when building more houses would expend valuable resources. Plenty of friends cohabitated!
And, yeah, he understood Senku- enough to be able to decode the inflections in his grunts and silences, able to parse which were simple ‘I’m thinking’ distracted ones and which were annoyed. He was a mentalist, his entire career was built off being able to understand people.
It only made sense for him to make sure Senku ate and slept and took care of himself. His well-being was vital to the success of the Kingdom of Science and who better to take care of him than his right hand man, his mentalist…
His mentalist.
Gen stared down at Senku, completely out cold with his face smushed into his pillow and body slack with a bone deep exhaustion, limbs splayed like a discarded ragdoll.
“We’re not…” Gen whispered before letting his head drop back, eyes closing. “Are we?”
He thought back to a flower crown, adjusted with delicate fingers and a fond expression, touch lingering for just a bit longer than necessary.
Late nights in the lab, Gen forcing himself to stay awake despite Senku’s many demands that he go to bed until the scientist finally gave up and followed him back to the observatory.
Casual touches from someone who avoided physical contact with others- hands on shoulders, brushes of fingers, inside jokes and an easy camaraderie. Teasing comments and subtle jabs, always in good fun and paired with a sly smile.
The warmth of a body just slightly closer than normal, interjecting into conversations and redirecting with all the grace of a bull in a china shop, written off as intense focus and work ethic but in another light was obviously awkward jealousy.
Trust. Trust in his skills, his loyalty, in Gen himself. Blind and unwavering, as though there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Gen knew exactly what Senku needed and would provide it.
Trust that Gen returned a thousand fold. A desire to be close, to care for, to connect.
A gifted observatory and a bottle of cola.
“I’ll always need you.”
Gen blinked rapidly, unsure if his heart was suddenly racing from confusion or something far, far worse, something dangerous.
Far more dangerous than being in love with some who didn’t love you back.
Being in love with someone who did , and realizing you had completely missed it.
Gen’s fingers found Senku’s hair, brushing the wild strands out of his face and lingering on his temple. “You really are lucky you’re cute, you pain in the ass…”
Something in his chest unwound as Senku smiled faintly in his sleep, head moving just slightly as if leaning into the touch, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Of course we are,” he repeated softly, unable to hold back the delighted laugh that escaped him, shaking his head slowly. “Of course we are.”
Senku had better be prepared- Gen wasn’t sure just how long he’d been out of the loop, but he was sure as hell going to start catching up on missed out kisses and cuddles as soon as the scientist woke up.