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Language:
English
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Published:
2026-01-07
Updated:
2026-02-20
Words:
1,139
Chapters:
3/10
Comments:
5
Kudos:
33
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8
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384

5 Times Senku Hurt Himself and the 5 Times People Noticed

Summary:

It was illogical. It made no sense, from both a physical and scientific standpoint. Getting hurt in the stone age could mean infection- and no way to combat it means death. Scientifically, when your body senses pain, it's meant to distract you and force you to pay attention to the injured area until the issue is resolved. So why was pain somehow the key to clearing his mind? It didn't divert his focus- it sharpened it. With each drop of blood the heavy fog seemed to clear, solutions to the problem at hand seemed to jump out. Back before the petrification, he couldn't figure out why people would do this to themselves. But now, now he gets it. The rush of endorphins, his mind clearing, the satisfaction of seeing the skin split.. It was mesmerizing. And just what he needed to stay focused. If he didn't get this phone done before the first snowfall, Tsukasa's empire would be upon them and it was game over. The end of science. And that was ten billion percent worse than a small cut here and there. So he continued. Just enough to keep himself sane- Failure is not an option.

Notes:

first two chapters are short i know but more are coming, tags will be added as they are.

anyways have me projecting onto senku

also the pacing is a little weird sorry

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: The start of it all

Chapter Text

It started out small.

An accidental nick when working with glassware, a burn from touching a too-hot beaker. The shock of pain jolted his mind awake enough to move past whatever roadblock he was stuck on. And like any great scientist would, Senku noticed. He observed. And he started running tests. Tests framed as careless accidents around the lab. A minor burn here or there, cuts from “picking up broken glass.” It was enough, for a time.

           As the stone war drew closer, the stress was greater, and the smaller injuries didn't work as well. Senku felt an indescribable want for more, thought that maybe then he could figure out a way to win. The (partially) accidental injuries evolved into intentional cuts along his wrists, only little ones. No deeper than epidermis. It started that way, at least. Funny how addiction creeps up on you like that.