Chapter Text
Ever since Senku was young, he has always wanted to go to the moon. He will build a rocket that will bring him, Taiju and Yuzuriha there one day.
But how do they get back down? Simple. They get down by–
Senku paused, realising his error. He doesn't know how to land properly.
Even if they do get to land right, how do they tackle the waves? Most– if not, all landings back to earth are done into the water. Ughhhh, Senku would read up on the waves and the water, but that takes much longer than he wants. So he turns to the trusty good old internet for help.
It was a simple sentence really, ‘I’m building a rocket to the moon. When I land back down, I need to read the waves and know how to get back safely. Anyone willing to help me?’
Senku asked Dr Xeno via email if he did, but Dr Xeno himself shared that it is a different component and was not willing to share.
Dam it!.
Ishigami Senku : I’m building a rocket to the moon. When I land back down, I need to read the waves and know how to get back safely. Anyone willing to help me?
User 34445234 : lol, we got a dreamer heh haha.
Timberstrike! : unless you have someone who can sail boats or is a massive nerd, i’m afraid no one can help you kid
Useless!
Senku groaned, tossing the tablet aside. Guess he has to start reading…
It’ll take longer to get to space, even longer if he spends time reading these many books about sailing and reading the waves.
That is, until he hears the ‘ping!’ and opens the tablet again to find an actual good comment.
Ryuna : I’m willing to collaborate. I’ve been studying sailing since i was young
Ryuna : i’d be delighted to help with such ambitious desires!
Yes!
…
Ever since Nanami Ryusui has been a little boy, he has been curious about François. They looked feminine, yet masculine as well. He noticed how some of his uncles would stare at them weirdly, trying to discern their gender.
To him, François was François. And Ryusui wanted to be like that too. He likes being a boy, he is quite comfortable as one, actually. He wants to try being like François. Dressing so ambiguously.
Ryusui desires to sail the ocean in an older era sailboat, one that could take to the seas using no modern technology, just like the old Nanami shipping company used to be back during its Edo period.
But!
BUT!
It annoys Ryusui to no end how limited men's fashion is. How should he wear the same boring stuffy black and white suits during events while the women around get to wear the nicer and colourful dresses. All of them look so splendid! Beautiful!
And he’s not saying that the men's fashion was, he likes it too! Some of the men look sharper and more refined– but. But…
“François, do you think I can wear a dress?” Nanami Ryusui asked François at age 12.
At age 12, Ryusui wears a dress in his own bedroom. At age 12, he is yelled at for thinking of wearing it. At age 12, Ryusui never touches another dress, and it makes his skin burn. He was given an ultimatum.
Either continue doing whatever it is he does with his boats, or get kicked out for thinking of acting like a woman.
But I was not! I was merely adorning their fashion! Ryusui angrily thought as he continued making the model boat angrily.
After Sai left, Ryusui had taken to the internet to ask for help regarding topics under the username of ‘Ryuna’. It made sense. ‘Ryu’ from Ryusui, and ‘Na’ from Nanami. Technically, he was using his name.
At age 16, François got Ryusui a skirt with a smile, a gentle pat on the head as Ryusui held it fervently. Ryusui had asked François to ensure the house was empty, save for Ryusui’s maids and manservants who were tending to the other wings, since François was that good of a butler.
At age 16, Ryusui wore a skirt. It looks odd, considering his muscular build, but he felt pretty, and beautiful. Haha! This is desirable.
“Thank you, François,” Ryusui thanked his butler.
“The pleasure is all mine, Master Ryusui. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you smile,” François smiled in return.
His family would be overseas for a few months, almost two years if Ryusui was not mistaken, they hadn't wanted to bring their arrogant son to the family, so he took advantage of this and tried new clothes. Dresses, skirts, blouses, heels, makeup. How fun!
At 16, Ryusui wore women's clothing to avoid the public eye, how fun.
At 17, Ryusui was online and found someone asking for help about waves.
How could Ryusui not help?
…
“Ryuna… sounds like a girl's name.” Senku mumbled, private messaging Ryuna, asking some basic questions that Ryuna answered enthusiastically.
Huh, she seems to really be greedy of sorts.
But Senku doesn't mind, as long as things are done, everything will be back on track.
Sure, talking online was fine, but soon, it was pouring into pictures of models and mindmaps and needing to actually talk in real life when the topic started getting even more complex. So Senku invited her over to some library.
The library itself was small.
Senku sat in a corner and was just going through his notes before someone sat opposite him, a woman… no, she’s quite buff. No, that being said, why shouldn't women be buff? Senku doesn’t really care. If Ryuna was a sailor, it was bound she was going to be very physically fit.
“I’m Ryusui Nanami, delighted to meet you, Ishigami Senku,” the… man? extended his hand.
Senku froze and just shook his hand. Ah, a crossdresser. No matter, as long as he can help, Senku doesnt mind.
Ryuna- no, Ryusui, was so knowledgable about this topic that Senku feels he hit jackpot. Ryusui had came here, hair styled into a half up, a pair of sunglasses, a dark red lip, with bracelets and a white blouse with a sleek ankle length skirt and red heels and a black sling bag containing notes and several books.
Senku does have to admit, he really thought that Ryuna was a woman until Ryusui said his actual name. Well, no one is that stupid to put his name on the internet–.... Uh…
Either way, they began regularly meeting at the library.
It was… fun.
…
Ryusui decided to wear clothes from his main closet this time since he didn’t really have time to dress nicely today. It didn’t really matter either way, Ryusui missed wearing this hoodie. Now think, what can he wear it with?
He ended up wearing sweatpants before François made him wear cargo pants instead because there was no way they were letting him leave in sweatpants.
He got coffee and got to the seat at the library and decided to take time writing more diagrams for Senku when he came later on.
“Ah, where are your usual dresses?” Senku asked, sitting down in front of him.
“Crossdressing is a hobby, it is always alright to not indulge in that hobby,” Ryusui smiled, snapping his fingers “Besides! I look dashing either way,”
Senku sighs. What confidence radiating from the man, it made him look… like spun gold.
They talk for another few hours, and Ryusui is glad he got to talk about this. In truth, he has always admired Senku for his ambitious desire of going to the moon, and was willing to fund such a project (François reminded him that he should not throw money around recklessly, especially after what happened at 14).
Ryusui knows that Senku was focused on that, and Ryusui is focused on his own desire of sailing the world, so they could never be together. So Ryusui would hide these desires forever more.
…
Senku buried his face in his pillow as he stayed on call with Yuzuriha, Taiju had gone to sleep early, claiming sleep is good for the body (it was, but Senku wasn’t going to need that much sleep anyway).
“Ryusui Nanami? Like, the heir of Nanami Conglomerate?”
Ah. no wonder his dresses were the best of the best…
Senku frowned, sighing. Hey… with that money… That money could fund the entire space ship project.
But after a few more weeks, Senku was looking forward to meeting Ryusui. The way his hair was spun gold, his voice was honey, it was as though the god Apollo himself came to grace the earth and chose to study his uncle's domain.
Apollo does switch between genders…
Senku paused.
Ryusui might quite literally be Apollo…
…
They have known each other for a year and a half, and Senku had buried his feelings deep in his heart. Yes, he likes Nanami Ryusui– no. He likes Ryuna. Ryusui just happens to be Ryuna. Unfortunate as that is…
Senku prides himself in his science, he loves everything and anything with science, Ryusui just happens to be a supplier of one of the sciences.
“Senku, I’ve come to terms with my feelings, I believe I do enjoy your company.” Ryusui began as Senku began dreading this sentence.
“I like you, Ishigami Senku. I desire you.” Ryusui grins.
Senku looks up from his papers and sighs.
“I’ll have to refuse your very passionate confession,” Senku sighed. It was weird. Sure, science was all about finding and observing the unknown, but it was weird. Byakuya always talks about women he’s been with, Taiju and Yuzuriha– they are normal.
Ryusui is odd. He’s weird.
“Why not?” the red eyed beauty in front of Senku asks, hands stalling over the paper.
Senku paused, mouth dry, and utterly disgusted by what he’s doing, why did he even think of that.
“I wish you were a girl.”
Ryusui froze, biting his lip to stop whatever he wanted to say and just sighed.
“A shame indeed…” He put his pencil down and an envelope.
“Consider this an investment in your project,” Ryusui said, voice oddly strained of its usual vigor. “Do make it to the moon, and I will be conquering the seas when you return.”
The petrification happens two months after that. On the very day Senku was planning to apologise.
…
When they got to the island that Minami was talking about, Senku was looking for a familiar face. There he is, Nanami Ryusui.
When he awoke, he didn’t treat Senku any differently as the others, invented currency, exploited it, wanted the rights for the oil, and such.
And he didn’t wear a single dress. Senku thought it was odd, considering he knew how Ryusui adored how dresses and skirts look on him before the petrification. Hm, maybe because of his new position as captain?
Either way, the moment Senku saw Ryusui smile after getting out of that storm in the hot air balloon, he was 10 billion percent sure he still harbours feelings for Ryusui. But it doesn’t make sense. Senku was in love with Ryuna, not Ryusui.
…
When François returned from stone and noticed their charges outfit, they were impressed how it looked feminine and masculine at the same time, but they also knew by watching Ryusui during the fashion show, watching him stare at the dresses, it made their heart burn.
Ryusui wanted to dress up, but if the world only saw the world's greediest man, then he played into that role. In fact, he embraced it like a first skin.
But Ryusui wanted to wear the dress that Yuzuriha made. He bought many as ‘an investment’, but François knew better.
Why would they not?
…
“François, is it odd for me to be wearing a dress?” François remembers Ryusui changing out of the dress he wore and into the most ‘manlike’ attire he could find, scrubbing his makeup off instead of swiping it normally as he usually does.
“What brought this up, Master Ryusui?” François asked, worried about Ryusui. No, that's not right. Their boy was finally feeling comfortable in their own skin…
The boy who felt out of place in mens clothing despite liking the mens wear. Despite wearing womens attire, will not hesitate to correct people on his actual gender. Why now?
“I desired him so, but he desired for me to be a woman instead.” Ryusui hugged François, burying his face in their chest like a petulant child.
No, Ryusui was not petulant.
He was hurt. And that made François’ heart burn with pain.