Chapter Text
“This is fucking stupid.” Senku groans. How he even agreed to this whole thing is still beyond him. With his pinky in his ear and heels already turning the opposite way, Senku was almost about to make a run for it when he froze, suddenly remembering the reason why he was here, back straightening as if a bucket of ice had been dumped over him.
Gen and him had fought. Well, more like Senku had acted like an absolute ass last week and Gen wasn’t giving him the time of day, blatantly ignoring and avoiding him as soon as Senku so much as entered his line of sight. He winces as he recalls what had happened.
One Week Ago
“Alright everyone, I’m sure everyone’s been informed of the reason why this meeting was called,” Gen cheerfully says, addressing everyone in the room. Truth be told, the Vice Chairperson had been looking forward to this meeting. Since Valentine’s day was coming up, he’d spent the last few weeks conjuring up the best project that would surely lift student morale due to upcoming exams, but would also generate enough income for the student council for any upcoming projects.
Gen had spent hours researching the latest trends, developing the perfect line of merchandise from cookies with personalized letters to small bouquets of flowers, hell he’d even curated the perfect playlist that they could play on the school intercom during breaks or at the end of classes, creating a romantic yet happy atmosphere for the whole school. All this to ensure that love was indeed in the air for their little campus.
The end of their high school days and their careers as the student council would surely be remembered fondly with this project. Now, more than ever with only one year left in high school, Gen had wanted to create an impact—leave a legacy behind just as how his dads did.
Gen was proud, and rightfully so. The whole project was carefully written out and well researched. His proposal was neat and his presentation was going smoothly, all members of the council seemingly agreeing to his plan, with some even adding their own ideas, Gen takes a mental note of all of them. In the middle of explaining the costs of the project, one guy raised his hand, putting a temporary halt to the presentation. All eyes now turned towards Ishigami Senku, Chairperson of the student council.
“Snyder, where do you suggest we get the funds for this project, hm?” Senku says, nonchalance dripping from this tone. While he didn’t make any sort of reaction that indicated he was mocking him, Gen still felt his left eye twitch, irritation slowly welling up inside him from being interrupted.
“As I was about to say,” Gen forces through his teeth, patience wearing thin as he slightly narrows his eyes at the guy who rudely interrupted him. “Since the council’s currently a little low on funds, we might as well reach out to sponsors. We can contact former alumna, reach out to small businesses willing to promote their goods. It’ll be—”
“Tedious.” Senku finishes, arms crossing against his chest as he huffs. “We’ll have to make sure that these sponsors don’t back out on us at the last minute so we’ll need all hands on deck on persuading them. What’ll happen if we can’t secure a good number of sponsors? What are our contingency plans?”
A small frown begins to form on Gen’s face. While Gen was someone that preferred minimal effort-maximum yield, this was his project damn it, and he’d see to it that every detail is perfect, every step carried out with utmost precision. He’d never been one to half-ass his work, especially if it had his name and reputation on the line.
“Yes, I am well aware, Senku-chan.” Gen replies, saccharine sweet smile gracing his lips once again as he’s regained his composure.
“Pursuation will be no problem on my end as I’ll be personally overseeing the task of reaching out to the sponsors. Plus, I think plenty of alumni would be thrilled to help out with a school project like this, sense of nostalgia and all.” Gen’s smile softens just a bit, remembering the tale of how his dad had swooped his papa off his feet at an event like this, during the time when they were the students making memories within the school’s walls.
“When push comes to shove, I think we’d have to make do with what we have right now. We can always make handmade goods to sell. I was thinking of contacting Yuzuhira-chan, the head of the Crafts club for help.”
Gen presses a button, the slide of his presentation changing to a picture of the crafts club, with Yuzuriha at the center proudly showing off a ceramic vase she’d spent days on perfecting. The members around her were holding various ceramic items, too, like mugs, plates, and even incense holders.
“The crafts club always produces such quality merchandise, from jewelry to sometimes even clothing, I’m sure the student body will be thrilled to own something made by their fellow students. And, it’ll be great publicity for the club too so they could get more members in, the next time the clubs start recruiting again.” Gen finishes confidently, his eyes staring straight back at the red irises in front of him.
They both hold eye contact for a minute longer than necessary, neither of them seeming to back down. Finally, Senku sighs exasperatedly, shoulders dropping just a bit. For a while, Gen had thought he had been victorious, winning Senku and his support over guarantees that his project would be a success. Gen had let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.
“Gen, with all due respect, this ten billion percent still seems like a waste of resources.” Senku says, shoulder shrugging as if he’d just casually commented about the weather.
If Gen wasn’t fully irritated at him before, he was certainly fuming now. Clutching the remote to the projector tightly, he waits for the other boy to continue. His smile never left his face, the corners of his mouth raising just a tiny bit. The gesture was small, but the message still came across clearly. Do not try me.
Senku looks at him blankly, clearing his throat before he continues. “I meant that we could allocate the budget to more pressing matters, like helping out with the renovation of facilities like the labs, or even funding the robotics team’s expedition for their upcoming competition.”
The members around them were now talking to themselves in hushed tones, seemingly contemplating the feasibility of the project when the competition was brought to light. At the mention of the school’s robotics team, Chrome—leader of the robotics team and treasurer of the student council—suddenly spoke up.
“OH YEAH! Almost forgot about that. I had wanted to discuss the upcoming contest with you guys, especially the expenses. I’ve heard we’ll be going up against some pretty baaad teams considering it is the nationals, so I wanted to buy new gear before we left.” Chrome says animatedly, his eyes practically sparkling at the thought of acquiring new components for their team, ideas rushing through his head a mile per minute.
Senku seems to share the same excitement that the boy felt at the upcoming competition, suggesting brands and stores that Chrome could check for new parts while listing down the pros and cons of each one, his tone taking that of a lecturer getting to teach his favorite topic to his class. Chrome, eager to get as much information as possible from their resident boy genius, grabs his pen and notebook and begins to take notes.
While the other members have taken to discussing other plans with each other, with Senku and Chrome becoming too engrossed in whatever the fuck they’re talking about now, Gen was in the middle of it all. With chaos steadily brewing among their group, Gen pondered if he’d be immediately promoted as Chairperson if a table accidentally landed on Ishigami Senku’s face. Maybe now was a good time to test that hypothesis.
With the mentioned Chairperson busy and failing to notice the daggers being glared at his way, Ukyo—Gen’s only best friend in the entire goddamn universe and secretary of the student council—spoke up.
“Ehem. I believe Gen still has a few points he’d like to make for his project. Let’s focus our attention on this now please.” While the secretary’s tone was nothing but polite and respectful, everybody knew better than to push Ukyo’s patience. Gen mouths a silent thank you and throws Ukyo a grateful look, which the secretary returns with a nod, a small smile forming on his lips.
Truth be told, before he was so rudely interrupted, Gen only had a few more points he wanted to discuss with the council regarding the project’s logistics and distribution of tasks. Gen meant it when he said that he’d see to it that his project was accomplished according to exactly how he had planned it. Once he was done wrapping the presentation up, the council proceeded to vote on whether the project would be launched based on Gen’s preferred timeline (which was February 11-14) or pushed back a little later (February 14-17, which Gen was absolutely against, seeing as Valentine’s day would quite literally have ended before the project could take off) to allow for more funds to come in.
By some sheer stroke of luck, or maybe the Gods have pitied him at this point, (Gen wasn’t one to complain when lady luck was finally on his side), the majority of the council (with the exception of one resident boy genius and a few others) agreed to push the event at its intended timeline with Ryuusui—Ukyo’s golden retriever of a boyfriend and Public Relations Officer of the council—snapping his fingers and laughing loudly, proudly proclaiming that he’ll do his best to find them a million sponsors.
With that out of the way, Gen had felt all the tension he’d been holding release from his shoulders. Sighing softly as he takes a moment to relish the small win for today. While everyone is busy packing up and heading home, Satan's incarnate calls him.
“Mentalist.” Senku calls out to him.
Mentalist was a title bestowed upon him none other than the young scientist himself. A few years ago, he had pointed out how slightly creepy it was that he knew what everyone needed before they even spoke up about it. It was in the little things, like how Gen would know exactly which glassware Senku was having trouble finding and pointing its exact location, to the big things—things that mattered—like how Gen could easily diffuse a fight with a mere slight of his hand and a few disarming words, tension between parties eased and erased in a snap.
Gen had laughed at him back then, winking as he said he liked the nickname as it feels like it suited him. While it was made as a joke, the nickname stayed, only used when it was just the two of them. Like their situation right now.
See, if this was any other day Gen would have turned around and smiled at the guy, asking what he needed while his face developed a slightly redder shade, which in his opinion wasn't that obvious (Ukyo has pointed it out several times).
Yes, obviously Gen looked at the whole student populace and decided that the gremlin of a scientist with his stupidly gravity-defying hair and more stupidly attractive face was the one he wanted; had been wanting for the past 4 years thank you very much. It took him a year to realize that maybe Ishigami Senku was someone he kind of tolerated more than most people. It took him another to realize that not falling into the young scientist’s orbit was as futile as writing all the digits of pi. Ishigami Senku was as stubborn as he was brilliant and as insufferable as he was honest. If one manages to peel back all the layers of intimidating knowledge while dodging all the sharp edges of his brutal honesty, Senku was as kind-hearted, selfless, and loyal just as much as he was everything else Gen had said. Which goes to show that Gen loved all the facets that made up Ishigami Senku—brilliant scientist, loyal friend, and an absolute menace to humanity.
Over time, Gen had found himself irrevocably drawn to the scientist and his magnetic charm. More often than not, he finds himself quietly supporting Senku, enough to be appreciated but not enough to be noticed. He was the cup of coffee wordlessly passed towards the chairperson in one of the many days that they had to stay behind to finish a few reports. He was the carefully prepared bento left on the chairperson’s desk with a tiny note reminding him to eat on time, or the shared umbrella between them when the other forgot his on a particularly rainy day, bearing witness to their silent walk home.
Safe to say, Gen loved this man as much as he adored and respected him. Only took him two years of realizing and one more of finally admitting it to himself, while the rest is now spent pining over said scientist denser than a brick wall, no biggie.
Ah, but alas, they were at the present and the present currently has an infuriated Gen with a very punchable Ishigami Senku. Deciding that he was bigger than the emotions he was feeling right now (and weaker than a twig to even lift the table that he’d been fantasizing about throwing across the room), Gen turns towards the exit, with his hand resting on the door knob, he turns to look at the boy one last time, eyes slightly narrowing.
“Meeting’s adjourned, Ishigami.”
Finally turning his back on the chairperson, Gen had gone through the door and made his way home, the sound of his footsteps long faded while Senku still stood in the middle of the room, one hand frozen in mid-air in his attempt to grab the vice chairperson’s wrist earlier.
What Senku didn’t know was that this would mark the start of a whole week of Gen avoiding him, or what the council has lovingly deemed as the “Gen Strike”. When they cross each other in the hallway, when they get in line at the cafeteria, during student council meetings, Gen has managed to disappear the second Senkuu stepped foot in the room, like Senku had been carrying mankind’s most dangerous disease.
February 10, Monday
Senku found it hilarious the first time he noticed it. He had made eye contact with Gen across the student council room and the other glaring at him before turning his eyes away, a small pout forming on his lips when Senku huffed a laugh. The word cute popped up in his mind before he repeatedly slammed his head on his desk, earning him a few confused stares.
***
February 11, Tuesday
Tuesday rolled in with Senku calling Gen over to finalize a few things for the council’s upcoming valentine's day project. Gen had been in the middle of talking with Ukyo when he called, so he must not have heard him. He tried calling again, but the mentalist refused to turn his head. Annoyed, he sat up from where he was sitting, striding towards the pair when Gen had suddenly stood up, excusing himself and walking towards the bathroom. Senku stood a few feet away from Ukyo, looking at him with a confused expression. It earns him a small shrug from Ukyo.
Strangely, it was during this time that Senku had noticed that something was missing, like someone had pulled a rug underneath his feet. He feels lost. There were no longer freshly brewed cups of coffee he could easily reach, no more bento boxes with cute notes attached to them reminding him to take breaks, the student council room seemingly quieter without the familiar hum of an overly sweet love song, the rain bringing a slightly colder air to it whenever he went home, backpack on his head as a makeshift umbrella. He never brought an umbrella with him anyway, so how did he manage to even get home whenever it was raining?
Think, Ishigami. Senku mutters to himself, stepping on the tiny puddles that had formed on his usual path to his home. What has changed?
***
February 12, Wednesday
It was on a Wednesday afternoon, during one of Senku’s experiments, that he finally realized, eyes slightly widening and the beating of his heart now loud in his ears.
It was Gen.
Gen was missing, and now all the other things were missing, too. Which could only mean that the vice chairperson had been the one behind all of those gestures. The coffee, the lunch, the company he had been giving the scientist all this time, gestures so subtle but undeniably grounding. So small that he hadn't realized just how big of a difference it would mean if it all stopped.
Senku misses the warm cup of coffee on his desk in the late afternoons. He misses the cute sticky notes he’d find taped to his laptop or on a lunch box, some offering words of encouragement and some just telling him to have a good day. He misses the warmth radiating against the warm body next to him, their shoulders touching as they share a small umbrella underneath the pouring rain. He misses the routine, the normalcy of it all, and he misses Gen.
Senku feels like screaming and tearing his hair out.
He misses the cheezy love songs that Gen would hum in the council’s room whenever he thinks Senku wasn’t listening. He misses having someone to bounce his ideas off of, someone just there to listen and give a fresh point of view on whatever task it was that was demanding his attention. And he misses Gen. He misses his right hand man, his vice chairperson, his mentalist, his friend…?
His?
Senku jolts up, all thoughts in his brain that were racing a mile a minute seemed to stop and crash towards each other, the tips of his ears burning a fierce red. The mentalist doesn't belong to anybody, he tells himself. And while he knows it's true, a small part of his brain can't help but feel that it doesn't feel right.
When Senku thinks of Chrome, Ryuusui, Taiju, or anyone of their closest friend’s presence being momentarily gone, the heavy pang on his chest is apparent. He immediately thinks of how to contact them if it happens. But with Gen, the ache is heavier, like someone took a hold of his heart and squeezed it. Senku would have gagged at the use of such metaphors if he didn’t find the description unnervingly true.
He thinks of gray-blue eyes no longer looking at him with warmth and awe whenever he shows him his new invention. He thinks of small smiles being replaced with grimaces and looks of pure repulsion. He thinks he’s drowning. He feels like all the wind has been knocked out of his lungs. Hell, a punch to the gut would have hurt him less at this point.
Okay, so maybe Senku misses Gen in an amount that would certainly be closer to lovers territory than protective best friend slash concerned organization member. And as if that revelation wasn’t enough, his brain has decided that now was the best time to remind him of what had transpired the last time he spoke with the vice chairperson.
Oh.
Ishigami Senku was an asshole. Well, that wasn’t really much of a new revelation as it was an astute observation made by a few groupmates and a handful of friends whenever he spoke too bluntly.
Ishigami Senku had definitely, royally, ten billion percent fucked up. If time machines existed now, he would have used it to smack some sense into himself from a few days ago. He feels like an idiot. The reason why life became just a bit duller, the reason why Gen was missing and not beside him as it should be, was because he acted like an ass and he has yet to apologize for it.
But where others would have given up, he sees a challenge—an opportunity to strengthen his relationship with Gen… and maybe finally have the guts to cross the line of this continuous will-they-won’t-they situation they put themselves in.
Because Ishigami Senku was relentlessly optimistic and stubborn and many other things, but a quitter is not one of them.
***
February 13, Thursday
So, it was on Thursday that Gen had begun submitting his reports to Senku by passing them to the other members of the council. The first report had come in delivered by Ryuusui, a wide smirk stretching across his face as he handed the report to him.
“So…” Ryuusui trails off. “Gen still not looking your way, huh? Ukyo told me.” He teases, one arm on Senku’s desk as he leans, smirk growing wider as mischief glints in his eyes. Senku gives him a pointed look, snatching the papers off the guy’s hands.
“Mind your damn business, blondie.” He grumbles. Ryuusui backs off the table and laughs, holding his hands up as a shield, in case the young scientist decides to fling an encyclopedia at him again. Seriously, at this point Ryuusui wouldn't be surprised if he’s currently suffering from a concussion he's not aware of.
“Hey, if you need help, man you know where I am. You know we care about the both of you, right?” He grins, this time it feels more genuine.
His friendship with Ryuusui is unexpected but not unwelcomed. People see Ryuusui as this arrogant and over-the-top kid with ambitions bigger than his head. And while Senku agrees, he knows that beneath it all, Ryuusui is an amazing friend—a great listener, and when the time calls for it, readily gives pieces of wisdom to help his friends out. The bravado the man exudes is merely a protective shield he's honed because of his fierce loyalty to those he cares about.
So instead of replying, he shoos the guy out of the room with a flick of his hand, his gaze on the neatly written report in his hands, unmistakably Gen’s. Ryuusui laughs as he makes his way towards the door, the unspoken gratitude Senku holds for Ryuusui does not go unnoticed.
***
The second report of the day from Gen is handed to him by Chrome and Kohaku, the door closing gently behind them as they make their way towards Senku’s desk. It was Chrome who decided to break the silence that enveloped the room like a thick blanket. Senku’s attention turned towards the pair in front of him.
“Dude, what’s up with Gen? I told him I was busy but he insisted I bring these to you. When I asked why he couldn’t do it himself, he ran away. Isn’t that weird?” Chrome asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, one hand on his chin as he recalls the encounter. Kohaku is standing next to him, arms folded across her chest as a loud snort escapes her mouth.
“Something funny, lioness?” Senku huffs, clearly exasperated with the confirmation that the whole council now seems to be up in all his business it seems.
Kohaku—Senku’s best friend and appointed head of the Disciplinary Committee—instead turns to Chrome as he hands Senku the written report. “You know, something about idiots in love and hopelessly pining for each other really makes a girl’s day.” She chuckles, her gaze teasing as she looks at Senku.
It takes Chrome a moment to register what she said, cogs in his brain visibly turning until, finally, his eyes widen in realization. “OH! I get it now. You know, I used to be like that with Ruri. The whole council made it hell for me by the way, but I eventually told her how I felt!” A wide smile formed on his face, the kind of smile he does when he successfully runs a code he’s been working on for weeks or when he discovers a new material to use for his latest machine—proud but undeniably happy. “Just go over and talk to him, man! As your friend, I promise not to make fun of you, you’re welcome by the way!”
“Not me though.” Kohaku interjects smugly. “I will make fun of you for all of this, just so you’re aware. Consider it as payback for calling me a lioness and a gorilla since our first year of high school.” Kohaku grins at him wickedly, eyes narrowing as she thinks of all the ways she can make the scientist suffer, or at the very least, come out of this with a very memorable experience.
“Wouldn’t expect anything else from you, you gori—,” before Senku could even finish, a cushion had already landed square on his face. While Kohaku is Senku’s best friend, Gen also holds a big space in her heart as the vice chairperson had become her closest confidant. She finds herself looking for Gen whenever she has trouble voicing her thoughts out, when she can’t put her feelings into words, or when she simply just wants to feel understood. Becoming head of the Disciplinary Committee was a goal she always aimed to reach. It was a rewarding duty that earned her lifelong companions like Ryuusui, Ukyo, and her own right hand man, Tsukasa. But for as many friends she’d made, she’d also made enemies, and for that she was glad that Gen was there by her side.
And that’s for Gen. She smiles.
“Ow! What the fuck, lioness?! That hurt!” Senku complains as he holds his nose. Fortunately for him, the cushion wasn’t even that heavy. She laughs at him, hands on her belly as she continues to call him a baby. Chrome is now crouched behind the room’s sofa, afraid of becoming victim number two.
Once her laughter had died down, she looked at him seriously, arms folding back across her chest. “Look, whatever it is you guys are going through, we both know that good communication will fix it. Talk to him already or I’ll do something about it.” Before Senku could even reply, Kohaku was already halfway towards the exit, dragging Chrome behind her as he gave Senku a big smile and two thumbs up. “You’ll do great!!!” He says, his voice fading as they walk farther from the door.
***
It was a little past 4pm when the third and final report had been handed to him by none other than Ukyo. One eyebrow raised and an unimpressed look on his face, Ukyo hands him the stack of papers.
“I fucked up.” Senku says dejectedly, head bowing slightly in defeat as his shoulders slump. Weariness overtaking his body, from the busy day he’s had or from the weight of this whole situation, he’s not quite sure. Senku knows its no use lying to the secretary. While mind reading is a talent he didn't necessarily have like how a certain mentalist did, Ukyo was very observant. He knows how to read a room well and his keen eye for details that a lot of people miss is what makes him the best secretary after all. Senku doesn't doubt that the man already knows by now.
Senku doesn't doubt he already knows the situation.
Ukyo looked at him with something akin to concern before it turned to one that felt more like amusement.
“Hello to you too, Captain Obvious.” Ukyo teases, something in Senku’s mind tells him that the joke is a silent warning. “As Gen’s best friend and future best man at your wedding, I have half a mind to hit you right now, you know.” Gaze turning sharply as he takes a seat across from him.
Senku sputters out a sound that’s meant to be a mix of “What, how, and why?!” His cheeks rapidly turning the shade of a tomato. Ukyo would have found it hilarious if the situation wasn't serious.
Ukyo shrugs, slightly reclining. “You’d be surprised at how much dirt I have on all of you. Good hearing, remember? And both of you aren’t exactly the definition of subtle.” One finger raised as if to make a point.
“Anyway, it doesn't really matter how and how much I know at this point, right? You've hurt Gen. What will you do now?” With one eyebrow raised at the scientist, Ukyo challenges him. Senku sighs, gathering up what’s left of his strength and dignity already depleted from the embarrassing act he’d put on last week. His eyes steeling with pure determination.
“I need your help.”