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guess who graduated today!!!!!! (hint hint: itโs me)i thought it was only right to grace you guys with a dry humping drabble in celebration ๐ฅณ
1.7k words | unedited ๐ฌ
โWe shouldnโt be doing thisโฆโ
His voice comes out rough, raspy. Slightly breathless from the heated make-out session the two of you had just been tangled up in moments prior. His lips are still swollen from your kisses, chest rising and falling a little faster than usual.
โPlease, Senโฆโ your own voice rises into a needy whine, hands refusing to stay still as they wander over him againโgrabbing at his shirt, his arms, anything you can reach. โI need you so badly.โ
He looks down at you.
You can practically see the gears turning in his head.
He looks down at you, his gaze wavering as he mentally thinks of the risks of entertaining you here and now.
โWe really shouldnโt,โ he sighs again, though the pink tint creeping across his ears gives him away immediately.
You don't bother arguing.
Instead, you just stare up at him through your lashes, bottom lip jutting out into a pout so shamelessly manipulative that you're almost proud of yourself. A face you knew he couldnโt deny.
โChromeโs just downstairs,โ he reminds you weakly.
โThat guy could sleep through a hurricane,โ you shoot back immediately. Your hands slide up his chest again as you shift closer, thighs brushing his.
โCโmonโฆโ you whine softly, breath warm against his lips. โItโs been so long.โ The words come out embarrassingly needy. You don't even care; at this point, dignity is the least of your concerns.
You need him.
Your hips rock forward before you can stop yourself, seeking friction, seeking something. Anything.
โPlease.โ
That seems to be his breaking point.
Senku moves back slightly, staring at you with uncertain eyes. His lips part like he's about to say somethingโprobably another logical argument. Another reminder of why this is a bad idea.
You don't give him the chance.
Your hands come up to cup his face, fingers slipping into the hair at the nape of his neck before you pull him back toward you. The kiss is immediate. Hungry and desperate.
The second your lips meet, whatever argument he'd been trying to form dies before it can leave his mouth. His breath catches, and for the briefest moment he freezes before immediately kissing you back with equal desperation.
Your mouths move together in a way that feels almost frantic. Every soft press of his lips against yours only leaves you wantingโnoโneeding more. You chase him whenever he pulls away for air, and he follows when you do the same.
It's ridiculousโpathetic, honestly.
Neither of you seem capable of staying away from each other for more than a few seconds.
The room fills with the quiet sounds of itโshaky breaths, muffled sighs, the faint sound of lips meeting again and again. Your fingers tighten their grip in his hair while his hands wander restlessly over your waist, your hips, your back, never staying in one place for long.
You can feel the hesitation slowly bleeding out of him with every passing second. Feel his resolve crumbling beneath your hands.
You tilt your head and deepen the kiss, and Senku makes a sound against your lips that sends a shiver racing down your spine. It's quietโbarely audibleโbut it's there.
His grip tightens immediately afterward, as though he's embarrassed you heard it. As though he can somehow take it back.
You only smile against him.
The realization makes him groan softly before pulling you even closer, and victory blooms warm in your chest. Your tongue slips into his mouth, keeping him occupied exactly as intended, and the kiss turns messy after that. All-consuming. The kind that leaves your lungs burning and your thoughts thoroughly scattered.
You barely register the fact that you're moving until the backs of Senku's knees hit the cot tucked into the corner of the room.
The impact makes him stumble.
The loud sounds of your kissing fill the room, mouths wet and hungry as you continue pushing him back. His hands tighten around your waist instinctively, trying to steady himself, but you don't give him the chance to recover.
You pull back from the kiss just long enough to look him in the eyes, palms splayed across his chest.
Then you shove.
Senku drops onto the bed without much hassle.
He's panting, eyes blown wide as he watches you climb on top of him. His hands immediately come to grip your hips the second you settle your weight atop him, fingers digging into your sides.
Your gaze drops from his eyes to his lips.
Then back up again.
Your need is obvious, and the only thing stopping you from ravaging him outright is his misplaced moral high ground.
The second your lips meet his again, whatever coherent thought he'd managed to hold onto evaporates. A small whimper slips into the kiss before he can stop it, and suddenly his grip on your hips isn't there to steady you anymoreโit's guiding you, pulling you closerโencouraging every drag of your body against his.
His bulge presses up against you, and the friction pulls a helpless sound from your throat. Not enough. It's nowhere near enough. Yet somehow it's already making your head spin.
The flush across his face deepens, spreading all the way to his neck. His eyes squeeze shut as his head falls back against the pillows, looking completely dazed beneath you. Barely able to form words.
You take advantage of it immediately.
Shoving your face into his neck, you lick and suck along the curve of his jaw. Your lips trail lower and lower, leaving a beautiful array of hickies in their wake.
A sign of your affection.
His breathing grows heavier with every passing second.
You roll your hips down against him again and his own immediately juts up to meet yours, stuttering beneath you. The motion lacks any real rhythm, more instinct than anything else.
It's too much and not enough all at once.
Every grind of your hips seems to make him lose a little more of whatever self-control he had left.
Which is exactly why, before things can get any further out of hand, he finally decides to take control back.
You barely have time to register the shift before you're the one staring up at him.
ย One second you're on top of him, rolling your hips down against him and drinking down every little whimper that escapes into your mouth. The next, you're staring up at the ceiling, the cot creaking beneath your weight as Senku settles over you.
You blink up at him, breathless.
For a moment neither of you say anything.
His chest rises and falls rapidly as he looks down at you, lips swollen, eyes dark and focused in a way that makes heat curl low in your stomach. He looks just as affected as you feel.
You licked your lips apprehensively and caught Senkuโs eyes as you reached down and hooked your thumbs into the waistband of your shorts before slowly lowering them down your legs.ย
โDamnโฆโ he whispered huskily.
By the time your shorts are discarded somewhere beside the bed, you're left lying there in nothing but your underwear, and Senku drinks in the sight of you unabashedly.
His eyes drag over every inch of exposed skin. For someone who'd spent the last several minutes insisting this was a bad idea, he certainly isn't looking away.
Then he's moving.
He crawls over you, knees settling between your thighs and nudging them farther apart. He drops down onto his elbows, lips meeting yours in a frenzied kiss, one which you reciprocated fully in turn, especially when he gradually began sinking his weight down upon you, his pelvis meeting yours, letting you feel his hardness through the thin fabric of your underwear.ย
โMmph, Senkuโฆ!โ you moan wantonly against his lips, opening your legs and wrapping them around him.
The sound seems to do something to him.
Senku lets out a groan deep into your mouth as his hips begin rocking back and forth. The friction between your bodies sends sparks of pleasure skittering through both of you, and whatever rhythm he starts with quickly falls apart. His movements become messy. Completely uncoordinated as he grinds himself against you.
The fabric separating the two of you was soaked by now, and Senku was clearly struggling to maintain control of his arousal.
You welcomed all of it.
You want him so badly you can barely think straight. Every coherent thought that enters your head immediately gets drowned out by another grind of his hips, another kiss, another groan caught between your mouths.
At this point, you couldn't care less about the repercussions.
The two of you just kept going.
Senku's pre-cum spilled from the tip, mixing with the slick you'd been producing and creating a sticky, wet mess between the two of you. Every movement only seemed to spread it further, making each grind of your bodies against one another feel even better than the last.
It felt so good, yet the greedy part of you still wanted more.
Every inch of him.
You found yourself wishing your panties would somehow be pushed aside, wishing he could finally feel you properly instead of through layers of damp fabric. The thought alone was enough to make you throb.
But alas, even you had some restraint.
So you settled for this.
The two of you kept grinding against one another, kisses growing sloppier and sloppier as the line between pleasure and desperation blurred. Every gasp was swallowed by the other's mouth. Every groan dissolved into another heated kiss.
It wasn't long before the tension finally snapped.
Your body trembled beneath him as pleasure crashed over you, leaving you breathless and boneless against the cot. Senku wasn't far behind. A broken groan spilled from his lips as he buried his face against your neck, his hips stuttering through the last of it.
When it was over, your underwear was thoroughly drenchedโevidence of both your pleasure and his.
Senku's release spilled across your stomach, warm against your skin.
A small frown immediately tugged at your lips.
Even through your ragged breathing, you managed a huff.
"Such a waste..."
Senku lifted his head just enough to look at you. For a moment, he didn't say anything.
Then he shifted back onto his knees, fingers hooking wordlessly into the waistband of your panties.
"How about you let me make it up to you?"
an: love how my first course of action once getting home was to write smutโฆ you can take the girl out of the hyperfixation but you canโt take the hyperfixation out the girl
on another, sappier noteโ iโm very excited to be finished with this first chapter of my life ๐ฅน honestly didnโt think iโd make it this far but here we are. and you know i had to double it!!! (got my diploma AND my AAS [more specifically ASN])
writing is a big comfort of mine so iโm glad to say i dedicated a lot of my free time toward the craft. anyway i doubt yall are actually reading this but yeah!! im super hyped rn (เนหฬตแดหฬต)
this is exhilarating, get excited!
(also may or may not be open to a face reveal ๐๐๐ if anyone cares hehโฆ)
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
โ Live Streamingโ Interactive Chatโ Private Showsโ HD Quality
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Rebuilding the world takes time. So does love.
But gravity doesn't ask for permission. The tides don't apologize
You've always been drawn to him.
And him, to you.
| fic masterlist. | song of the chapter.
i. curiosity | 11.8k words
Kids are mean.ย
You were six years old when you first encountered Senku Ishigami. It was your first day after being transferred to a school across the country, and you already hated everythingโ the unfamiliar classroom, the weird accents, even the lunch trays were different. Every little thing seemed to tick you off more and more. And itโs not like the rest of the kids made it any better. After yourโ extremely difficult to understand and rushedโ introduction, the class already moved on from you; the shiny new student they mightโve wanted to befriend, to just another forgettable face.
So that's how you found yourself alone on the playground. You looked around at the other children, all huddled into their own little groups of friends, and you stared at them with envy.
You missed your friends.
You missed your family.
You missed your old houseโ where the wood floors would creak under your foot if you stepped on them wrong.ย
You missed the neighborhood cats you used to sneak food to at night. You missed the creek youโd visit every spring and summer, where youโd get muddy and soaked while hunting for pretty rocks and slugs.You missed your old life, the one you had before you had to pack everything up and move with your mom. But above all,
you missed your dad the most.
The thought of him hit you like a punch to the gut. It wasnโt even a whole memoryโ just a flash: his laugh while lifting you onto his shoulders at festivals; the way heโd whistle off-key while making breakfast; or those weekend trips deep into the woods, just the two of you.
You used to love those trips. Heโd kneel in the dirt beside you, gently pushing aside leaves to reveal strange little flowers or odd-smelling roots. He knew them all by nameโ scientific and otherwiseโ and heโd always let you carry the worn leather field guide, its pages dog-eared, scribbled with notes, and stained with years worth of dirt and grime.
โThis oneโs good for sore throats,โ heโd say, pressing a leaf into your palm. โAnd that one? Donโt eat it. Not unless you want to meet the gods early.โ heโd chuckle.ย
Youโd giggle with him, even if you didnโt fully understand the weight of what he meant.ย
Back then, it felt like magicโ the way he could heal little cuts with leaves, soothe a fever with bitter tea, or calm your nightmares with a poultice and a quiet story. He was like a mini wizard, the kind who didnโt need spellsโ just plants, patience, steady hands, and a kind heart. He was someone you admired, someone you wanted to become.ย
You didnโt know it then, but those moments were planting something deep inside you. A curiosity. A quiet kind of wonder. The beginnings of a map that wouldnโt finish drawing itself until much, much later.
And now, sitting alone on the edge of a strange playground in a strange town, with dirt under your shoes and no one to talk toโ youโd give anything to be back in those woods again, his voice calmly naming herbs like they were old friends.ย
You didnโt even notice that you had begun to cry, the tears falling into your lap before you could rein them back. You were pathetic werenโt you? Canโt even make it one day in this new place before you start falling apart, your mom would be disappointed in you. You blinked hard, bringing the dark colored sleeve of your sweater up to wipe away at your face. You shouldn't be crying. Definitely not here where the rest of the kids could see.ย
"Hey."
You turned your head quickly, already on edge, but it wasn't another group of kids ready to come and eat you alive. It was one boy. He was slightly taller than you, but honestly you blamed half of his height on his hairโ spiky and pale green that stuck out like his roots were battling with gravity itself (and winning). He wasnโt smiling down at you, but he didn't look mean either.ย
โWanna see something cool?โ he asked, crouching beside you without waiting for permission. You glanced at him like he was insane. He dug into his backpack and pulled out what looked like a pencil case... but not really. It was metal. And humming like some sort of animal, cobbled together with wires and tape.ย
โโฆWhatโs that sโposed to be?โ you asked, brows furrowed, wary but intrigued.ย
โPrototype,โ he said. โKind of a battery-powered brush bot. Not super stable yet, but I got it to move yesterday. Thought it might be fun to tweak it.โ
He glanced over at you. โYou any good with your hands?โ
You hesitated a frown tugging at the corner of your mouth. โNot with machines, nah.โ
โOh?โ He raised an eyebrow. โWhat then?โ
You dug your fingers into the sand. It was warm, gritty, grounding. โPlants,โ you said quietly. โBack home, my papaโd take me out into the hills every weekend. Taught me how to tell one leaf from โnother, how to crush bark into powder or steep roots in tea.โย
You paused, then added with a soft smile, โHe always said everythinโs got its useโif ya just know how to look.โ
Senkuโs eyes lit up like youโd just said something genuinely impressive. โSo you know medicinal stuff?โ
You nodded, a little self-conscious. โSome, yeah. Still learninโ, though. But I can tell whatโll help ya and whatโll make ya real sorry ya touched it,โ you said with a small laugh. โThat count?โ
He grinnedโ wide and crooked and full of mischief. โThat 10 billion percent counts.โ
The two of you sat there in the sandbox, trading thoughtsโ him rambling about conductivity and how lemon juice could be a weak electrolyte, and you chiming in with how your dad used to use citrus to clean wounds when you ran out of antiseptic.
It was weird. And nerdy. And messy.
But it didnโt hurt the way everything else did.
You went quiet for a second, eyes drifting down to your lap as you started picking at a loose thread on your sweater sleeve. โKidsโre mean,โ you mumbled.
Senku blinked, thrown a little by the shift. โYeah,โ he said after a beat, voice softer than usual. โThey can be.โ
โThey didnโt talk to me,โ you murmured, kicking at the sand. โIn class, they all just looked at me weirdโฆ then forgot I was even there. Ran off at recess like I didnโt even exist. Thatโs why ya found me sittinโ here all by mโself.โ
For once, he didnโt have a quip or fact ready. He justโฆ listened.
โBut youโre not mean,โ you added, glancing sideways at him, voice smaller now.
Senku shrugged like he didnโt know what to do with that kind of compliment. โIโm just curious.โ
You smiled faintly. โStill. Makes ya different.โ
Then, after a momentโs pause, you added with a teasing grin, โYou are weird, though.โ
He shot you a mildly offended look, brows arching. โSeriously?โ
โNot in a mean way!โ you said quickly, waving both hands defensively. โYa justโฆ real smart. Talk about stuff most kids donโt care about. But itโs kinda nice. Most folks donโt listen when I ramble โbout plants or whateva.โ
He tilted his head, thoughtful now. โWeirdโs subjective,โ he muttered. โThe world only calls things weird until they become useful.โ
You blinked at him, then slowly grinned โ that big, proud kinda grin that scrunches your nose. โWell, Iโm weird too.โ
โWow,โ he replied, completely deadpan, eyes back on the brush-bot. โHadnโt noticed.โ
You snorted, elbowing him lightly. โHey! Ya donโt gotta agree so fast!โ
A hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. โJust making an observation. Science-based.โ
You rolled your eyes, but the smile lingered anyway. โWe can be weird together.โ
That got his attention.
His hands paused, the little stick he was using to nudge a wire into place hovering midair. For a second, he didnโt respond. Just sat there beside you, the weight of your words swirling in his mind while the silence lingered in the air between you like the dust motes dancing in the afternoon sun.
โWeird together, huh?โ he muttered under his breath, voice low and unreadable.
You nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. โYeah. Like a team or somethinโ. You do your robot stuff, anโ Iโll mix up weird leaf tea. Weโll be unstoppable.โ
He finally looked up, eyebrows raising slightly. โThatโฆ sounds absurd.โ
โExactly!โ you chirped, beaming. โAbsurd anโ awesome.โ
Senku stared at you for a moment, then shook his head with the kind of exasperated fondness that only made sense in the weird little bubble the two of you had created. He didnโt say anything elseโ just went back to fiddling with the bot in his lap, poking at the wires with more focus this time.
But his hands had slowed, the usually sharp motions softened into something more relaxed. Measured.
His mind, constantly moving at lightspeed, didnโt dwell on feelings too long. But stillโ somewhere in the labyrinth of circuits and formulas, something warm flickered quietly. It settled in the part of his brain he rarely noticed, like the click of a gear slipping perfectly into place.
He supposed... he liked the sound of that.
Weird together.
It had a nice ring to it.ย
When you got home, the first thing you did โ after kicking off your shoes and washing your hands like Mama always reminded you โ was race into the kitchen, words tumbling out of your mouth like you couldn't get them fast enough.
You left out the part where you cried.
โI met this boy at recess, Mama!โ you said, practically bouncing on your toes. โHe had this big olโ hair stickinโ up like seaweed, anโ he showed me this weird robot thing! Said it ran on batteries, but it looked like a bug!โ
She hummed softly while stirring the pot on the stove.
โHe wasnโt mean neither,โ you went on, tugging at the hem of your sweater. โDidnโ laugh or nothinโ when I talked โbout plants. Said I was smart for knowinโ stuff Papa taught meโฆโ
She nodded gently, listening with one ear as she added more seasoning.
The smell hit you just then โ rich and deep and familiar. Your dadโs favorite stew. Which meant it was yours too, by association. You blinked, throat tightening. It was too much.
โSmells like home,โ you whispered, voice quieter now. โMiss it, Mama. Missโฆ everythinโ I miss papa.โ
Your mother turned the heat down low and came over, wiping her hands on a towel before crouching beside you.
โI know, baby,โ she said softly, brushing your hair from your face. โI miss him too.โ
You nodded, lips pressed tight. Her hand stayed on the side of your head, warm and steady. Like an anchor.
โBut Papaโd be real proud, yโknow?โ she added. โYou talkinโ โbout your plants like that. Teachinโ someone somethinโ new.โ
โSenku already knew a lot,โ you mumbled, gaze fixed on the floor. โHe talks all fast anโ big like you gotta keep up or get left behind. But he listened.โ
She smiled. โSounds like a good friend.โ
You shrugged one shoulder, trying to play it cool. โHeโs weird.โ
She laughedโjust once, soft. The kind of laugh that reminded you of warm afternoons playing out in the backyard, sun on your cheeks, the scent of cut grass and citrus in the air. The kind of laugh your dad used to say made everything feel less heavyโ sweeter, better.ย
She ruffled your hair gently, like she used to when you were smaller. โWell then,โ she said, her smile curling with a hint of mischief, โsounds like he might be your perfect match.โ
You huffed a small laugh, leaning into her touch just a little. โYeah. He said we could be weird together!โ
โThat so?โ She questioned while she wiped her hands off with a kitsch towel and began setting the table.ย
You nodded, a little more certain this time. โLike a team or somethinโ. He does his science stuff, and I talk about my plants. Told him some trees can be medicine and poison, dependinโ on how ya use โem. He didnโt even flinch.โ You paused, trying to hide the small grin that crept up. โHe said I was smart for knowin' that. Like, really smart. Never thought anyoneโd call me smart for somethin' like that.โ
Your mom gave you a lookโone of those quiet, proud ones that filled the space between words. โYouโre gonna do good things with all that knowledge in your head, sweetheart.โ
You wrinkled your nose. โYโthink so?โ
โI know so.โ
And even though your throat still ached and your chest felt a little too full, something in her voice settled the storm inside you. Just a little.
Later that night, after dinner and dishes and brushing your teeth, you curled up in bed with your old stuffed seal under one arm and the blanket tucked under your chin. The moonlight filtered through the window, painting soft shadows across the ceiling.
Your mama had kissed your forehead and told you to dream something sweet.
But your thoughts wandered back to the sandbox. To wild green hair and wires and your own voice saying, weird together.
You whispered it once into the dark, just to feel how it sounded in the quiet.
It still made you smile.
And for the first time since the move, you didnโt feel quite so alone.
โI think everโthingโs gonโ be okay now, Papa,โ you whispered. โThink I found somethinโ good.โ
And just like that, your eyelids fluttered shutโ drifting into sleep full of starlight, trees, and whirring machines and a strange little boy with seaweed hair who didnโt think you were too much.
Just enough.
โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โย
You wouldnโt leave him alone.
Ever since that fateful day at the sandbox, you had been a permanent fixture at Senkuโs sideโmuch to his loud and very vocal displeasure. Not because he didnโt like you (he did, though heโd rather chew batteries than admit it), but because you were noisy.
You were always complaining.
โWhyโs it makinโ that smell, Senku? That ainโt normal.โ
โIf ya blow somethinโ up again, Iโm tellinโ ya now, I ainโt cleaninโ it.โ
โYou gotta eat, yโknow! You canโt survive on soda and caffeine gum forever, you maniac.โ
You were relentless. A constant stream of chatter, commentary, humming, questions about the plants you found outside school, theories about if moss could maybe conduct electricity if it tried hard enoughโand complaints. So many complaints.
And yetโฆ you were there. Always. Even when the wires sparked. Even when the experiments fizzled. Even when he barked at you to go away because he was on the verge of something huge, and your presence was apparently โthrowing off the magnetic field.โ (whatever that meant)
You still showed up the next morning. Hair done up nice, probably after a full-on battle with your mom that morning. A frilly little dress that was practically begging for mud stains. You never cared.
โIt shows the proof of our experiments!โ you said once, proudly displaying the dirt on your knees like it was a medal. You never seemed to care about the odd looks youโd get from the other girls in your class when youโd come back from recess with leaves in your hair and your clothes a complete mess.ย
Sometimes, you brought in weird leaves or roots or half-squished flowers to test. Or a broken pencil sharpener you begged him to โturn into a laser.โ Senku swore up and down that he couldnโt do itโ yet somehow, a few days later, youโd find that same sharpener back on your desk, outfitted with tiny wires and a sticky note written in the worldโs most dramatic handwriting:
"Do NOT use in class."
Or youโd bring in a bug you found under the slide that you swore glowed in the dark. (It didnโt.)
Senku rolled his eyes. A lot. He muttered. He groaned. He said โwhat nowโ at least three times a day. But he never told you to stop coming.ย
And maybe that was the strangest part of it all.
Because slowly, between the beakers and bickering, you carved out a little space in the lab and in his life. And much to his horrorโฆ
It felt kinda nice.
Not that heโd ever admit that out loud, of course. He had a reputation to maintain. Cold, logical, scientific detachment, all that (although no one else seemed to notice besides him). But the truth wasโ heโd gotten used to your voice always bouncing off the class walls. To your weird theories and weirder tea blends that you swore could revive a dead person. To the way you always found wonder in the smallest thingsโ a funny-shaped rock, a heart-shaped leafโ like they mattered more than anyone else ever noticed. (they slowly started to matter to him too)
So when middle school started, Senku wasnโt expecting much to change. Same town, same โscience clubโโ which just consisted of you, himself, and 4 other antisocial, nerdy kids from elementary, same people. Youโd still be at his side, poking at things you werenโt supposed to and asking questions you already knew the answers to. Business as usual.ย
Until you werenโt.
Until he walked into homeroom and your deskโ the one that always used to be next to hisโ was empty. Well, not empty, but was occupied by someone he didnโt care enough to give the time of day due to the small fact that they werenโt you.ย
By second period, he had memorized your new classroom number. By lunch, he'd run several failed simulations in his head, trying to figure out why the school would separate the two of you when your combined test scores had basically carried the district average.
And to make matters worse, thatโs when Taiju showed up.
Big. Loud. Alarmingly enthusiastic. The kind of guy who'd break a microscope slide just trying to look at it. Senku hadnโt even learned his name before the guy was plopping down next to him, acting like they had been best friends since the womb.
Taiju grinned, holding up a diagram he'd hastily drawn. "Yo! That thing you said about dominant and recessive traitsโcheck this out!" He pointed to a messy chart, clearly proud of it. "I think my genotype's got, like, all the best traits, right? Gotta be genetically superior, y'know?"
Senku blinked. "That's not how that works."
Taiju just grinned wider. "Cool! Youโll teach me, right?"
Senku sighed. Loudly. And made a mental note to start eating lunch on the roof.ย But before he could escape, there you wereโjogging across the courtyard with your lunch in hand and wind in your hair like no time had passed at all.
โMiss me?โ you asked, dropping your lunch bag beside him and flopping onto the bench, a smirk pulling at your lips. โDoesnโt seem like it. Youโve already replaced me, huh?โ
Senku glanced over at you, not missing the teasing tone, before giving a nonchalant shrug. โDonโt mind him,โ he muttered, gesturing to Taiju, who was still proudly holding up his overripe orange. โHe just sat here for some reason.โ
Taiju blinked, looking between the two of you like he was missing. Faced turned into confusion like he just saw a question on an exam that he didnโt know the answer to. โHuh? Nah, I didnโt replace anyone! I was just... sitting here. For, uh, science,โ he said grinning sheepishly.ย
You rolled your eyes, popping the lid off your bento. โSure, sure. Well, donโt worry, Iโm still here.โ You leaned over and passed Senku a pickled plum, clearly acting like nothing had changed. โNo shared classes this year. Kinda sucks, though.โ
Kind of? It was a catastrophic miscalculation, is what it was.
Still, you were here now, settling between him and Taiju like you were re-staking your claim. You casually mentioned your morningโโThe comp sci room smells like 5-in-one body wash and emotional breakdownsโโbefore passing him a pickled plum without asking, brushing a leaf out of his hair mid-sentence. You didnโt even need to say much. It was as if nothing had changed.
And somehowโฆ that made it okay.
(Though he did send Taiju death glares every time the guy got a little too comfortable.)
The three of you fell into an odd rhythm after that. A triangle of chaos. Science club became your base of operations, your shared lab table once again strewn with wires, crushed leaves, and half-empty cans of coffee.
Then, one afternoon, you didnโt show up to the club room.
โWhereโs Leaf Girl?โ Taiju asked, halfway through melting a spoon by accident.
โShe has a name, you know,โ Senku muttered without even looking up from his work. โAnd she joined another club.โ
โโฆShe what?โ
โSomething about crafts, extra credit, and โdonโt worry, Iโm still yours on Wednesdays.โโ
(Senku remembered it all too well. The way you said it so breezily, like it didnโt completely throw off the internal equilibrium he hadnโt realized he was clinging to. Like one designated day of the week was enough to balance the equationโlike it made up for your absence in all the other variables. You smiled when you said it, like it was a promise. But to him, it had sounded a little too much like a compromise. One he hadnโt agreed to, but accepted anyway. Because you were always going to do what you wanted. And heโhe was always going to let you.)
That night, over the phone, was the first time Senku heard the name Yuzuriha.
The next day, you were back at the lab, fiddling with solder like it was embroidery thread. โSheโs got good hands,โ you said offhandedly, as you worked. โHelped me fix a bracelet in, like, five seconds flat.โ
โShe seemed nice,โ Taiju added, his cheeks pink for some reason.
Senku hummed, calculating. Adjusting.
New variable added to the formula.
You reached into your bag, pulled out a bracelet, and handed one to Senku. โCheck it out,โ you said, clearly excited. โMe and Yuzuriha are basically besties now. We made each other these. Arenโt they cool?โ
Senku looked at the bracelet for a moment. The charms were a little too cutesy for his tastes, and the thread was a touch too colorful for his usual preference. But you were beaming, practically glowing with excitement, like you couldn't contain it.
And for a moment, Senku felt a strange twinge in his chest. A weird, inexplicable feeling he couldnโt quite place. Besties. Youโd just met Yuzuriha, and already you were practically inseparable, wearing matching bracelets like it was some kind of permanent mark of your shared bond.
He shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling. It was just a bracelet, right? Just a silly little thing, a temporary distraction. He forced himself to breathe and mentally scolded himself for getting worked up over something so trivial.
Just a bracelet, he repeated in his head. But it didnโt stop the strange feeling from lingering.
It clung to him especially hard the day Yuzuriha showed up to the science clubโbreezing in beside you like it was the most natural thing in the world. She was all bright eyes and soft energy, giving Senku a polite smile before turning to Taiju with a familiar, โThere you are!โ like sheโd just spotted a friend across the cafeteria. (Which, apparently, she hadโthey shared a class already, something youโd casually mentioned in passing.)
She floated over to the lab table, completely unfazed by the wires, solder burns, and general chaos. โSo this is the infamous lab setup,โ she said, nudging a stack of resistors aside to sit for a moment. Her eyes flicked to the soldering iron in your hand, and she smiledโjust a little too knowingly. โDid you bring the other one, or is that strictly a โWednesday projectโ?โ
You snorted, clearly trying not to laugh. โShh,โ you whispered, elbowing her lightly. โWe donโt talk about that in front of the boys.โ
โRight, right,โ she said, grinning like it was your shared secret.
Senku blinked. What other one?
She asked a few curious questions, complimented Taijuโs โfocusโ even as he nearly short-circuited a breadboard, and stuck a cat sticker on the back of his hand for โtrying his best.โ And Senku just sat there, watching it all unfold like he was observing a perfectly controlled experiment slowly go off the rails.
Thenโjust like thatโshe was leaving.
โAh, my art clubโs starting, I gotta run,โ Yuzuriha said, dipping into an apologetic little bow as she gathered her things. โBut youโre in good hands! Sheโs basically a genius, you know.โ
You laughed at thatโbashful, like it caught you off guardโlike you hadnโt ditched Senku three times that week with โSorry, helping Yuzu with the display board,โ and โShe just needed a second pair of hands.โ You waved her off, but your eyes followed her all the way to the door, soft and fond.
Senku didnโt say anything. Not then.
But something in him pulled taut. Like a wire stretched too thin. Like a variable had shifted without warning and no one had bothered to rerun the equation.
Because it hadnโt gone unnoticed. The late arrivals. The quick exits. The half-answered texts and โIโll be there in fiveโ that turned into not at all. You were still his partner on paper. Still took your place beside him at the lab table when you actually showed.
But lately, it felt like you were justโฆ visiting.
And if that stupid bracelet on your wrist sparkled a little too much under the fluorescentsโwell. That was fine. It didnโt mean anything.
Just string.
Just friends.
He didnโt need a bracelet to prove anything.
Right?
You were late again that Wednesday. Just by a few minutes, but it felt a lot longer when Senku was left sitting there, scribbling aimlessly on his paper. The chair beside him sat empty, the space between them feeling a little wider with each second that passed. When you finally showed up, you didnโt immediately say anything. You just dropped your bag beside him and slid into your seat like everything was normal. You cracked open a can of soda, popping the tab with a soft click, but didnโt even offer him one this time.
โI got caught up with Yuzu,โ you said casually, like it explained everything. โShe needed help picking out some art supplies. You know how she is.โ
Senku didnโt reply. His pen continued to scratch across the pageโnothing important, just random equations and doodles. Anything to avoid the awkward silence that seemed to stretch between you. But he knew you werenโt fooled.
โYouโre mad, arenโt you?โ
He didnโt look up. Didnโt even pause. โIโm not mad,โ he muttered, his voice flat. โJust... busy.โ
You hummed, unconvinced. โBusy, huh?โ Leaning closer, you rested your chin in your hand, eyes fixed on him. โSure youโre not mad because Iโve been ditching you for art club?โ The teasing tone in your voice was light, but there was a softness to it, like you knew exactly how it had been eating at him.
Senku went still. His pen stopped moving, but he didnโt say anything. Not now. Not with the weight of it all suddenly hanging in the air between you. He didnโt know how to explain that it wasnโt the art clubโ or even Yuzurihaโ that bothered him. It was the way youโd been drifting just far enough that he couldnโt quite reach you anymore.
But you didnโt need him to say it. You already knew.
โYou donโt have to act all grumpy about it,โ you said gently, your voice warm in a way that made the tension in his chest tighten. โYou know youโre still my partner, right? Iโm justโฆ Iโm still here. Even if Iโm all over the place with the art stuff.โ Your voice softened, almost imperceptibly, as if you were sharing something vulnerable for the first time. โAnd Iโm not going anywhere.โ
The words hung in the air, their weight pressing down on him in a way he hadnโt expected. There was something about itโsomething in the way you said itโthat felt like both an apology and a promise. He glanced up at you, surprised to find a small, shy smile on your face. Your eyes were soft, but there was still something in them that reminded him of the person who always kept him grounded.
โI still got your back, Senku. You know that, right?โ
For a long moment, Senku didnโt say anything. He just sat there, watching you with that look on his face that always made it hard for you to tell what he was thinking. You were still here. You still cared. Even if the world outside the science club kept pulling you in different directions, you kept coming back.
โYeah,โ he said, quietly. โI know.โ
There was a pause, heavy with everything unsaid between you two. Then you broke the tension with your usual teasing grin, the one that never failed to lighten the mood.
โStill my lab partner?โ
Senku felt the corners of his mouth twitch, but he kept his expression mostly neutral. โFor now.โ
You laughed softly, the sound like a little breath of relief. The tension from earlier finally seemed to melt away. โGood. Youโd better be ready for when I finally beat you in the next experiment.โ
He snorted, the last of the tension slipping out of him. โNot gonna happen. You canโt even tell the difference between sodium and potassium chloride.โ
โThatโs just what I want you to think, genius,โ you shot back, the fire in your voice a familiar spark that made Senkuโs chest warm in a way he hadnโt expected. But it was a fire he recognizedโone that told him things were okay. That you were okay.
And even if the bracelet on your wrist still sparkled a little too much under the labโs fluorescent lights, maybe it didnโt matter as much as it had before. Maybe it wasnโt about that at all.
Just a string, right?
Justโฆ friends.
The next day, you showed up to the science club room with a small bag in your hand. You didnโt say anything at first. You just slid into your seatโthe one next to Senkuโand pulled out two keychainsโmatching ones, each with a tiny scientific equation printed on them.
Senku raised an eyebrow, half-expecting another one of your weird, random gadgets. But no. This time, it was different. You placed the keychains on the lab table, right in front of him, your face all casual, like it wasnโt a big deal.
He eyed the keychain youโd put in front of him. Of course, it was that equation. The one that everyone knew, that had somehow become synonymous with science itself. E = mcยฒ.
"...You really went with that one, huh?" Senku asked, his tone flat but with a trace of surprise. "You know it's not exactly a secret, right?"
You chuckled, your voice softening as you met his eyes. โYeah, I know. But itโs classic. Canโt go wrong with Einstein.โ You nudged his keychain closer to him, and for a brief moment, you glanced down at the one you held in your hand. It wasnโt as famous, but it was still a perfect fitโa clean, precise representation of another fundamental concept, one Senku would appreciate.
"I got the same one for me," you said, voice casual but your eyes glinting with something that felt a little softer than usual. "Just... figured it'd be nice to match, you know?"
Senku stared at the keychain in front of him, a strange feeling settling in his chest. He wasnโt sure if it was warmth or something else, but it was there, undeniable. He didnโt need to ask why youโd done it. He already knew. You were always like thisโsubtle, thoughtful in ways he didnโt always catch until they were right in front of him.
โYouโre way too sentimental,โ he muttered, though his fingers brushed against the keychain in a way that felt surprisingly light, a little less guarded than usual.
โMaybe,โ you said, a playful smile tugging at your lips. "But what can I say? I thought itโd be funny if we both had one." You attached your keychain to the strap of your bag, then looked over at him with a soft glint in your eyes. "Itโs like... a little reminder. Of us, yeah?"
Senku froze for a split second, then slowly processed your words. A reminder. Of you two.
He didnโt know why it hit him the way it did. Maybe it was the way you said it, so casually, as if it was no big deal. Maybe it was because it wasnโt about the keychains at all, but what they symbolized. A connection. An acknowledgment that despite everythingโdespite the shifting tides between art club and science club, despite the distractionsโyou still saw him. And more importantly, you still cared.
And then, as if to soften the weight of the moment, you added with a smile, โAlso, โcause I know Einsteinโs your favorite, so by association, heโs mine too.โ
Senku blinked, his heart skipping a beat at the unexpected sentiment. He didnโt say anything for a long moment. Instead, he reached for the keychain, fingers grazing the smooth surface, feeling its weight. He was still trying to hold onto his usual cool, but there was something about this, about the gesture, that made him feel... lighter.
โYeah, yeah, I get it,โ he said, voice low but not quite as dismissive as before. โIโll keep it on my bag. For science.โ
You nodded, a quiet satisfaction in your expression as you got back to work, your hands moving quickly and deftly across the lab equipment. The sound of itโthe clinks and clattersโfelt oddly comforting, like everything was falling back into place.ย
Senku didnโt clip the keychain to his bag immediately. Instead, he let it sit there for a few moments, like it was a secret he wasnโt ready to fully acknowledge yet. But when he finally did, when he clipped it to the strap of his bag, it didnโt feel like a decision he had to make. It felt like a choice he wanted to make.
It was just a keychain, after all. Just a string.
Just friends.
But maybeโjust maybeโit meant a little more than that. At least to him.ย
Over your years at junior high, things had changed. The experiments became more challenging, you joined more clubs, your bond with Senku strengthened, and the science club felt more like a second home. But as time passed, you started to notice a shiftโslowly, imperceptibly at first.
And then, Mika showed up.
At first, it seemed harmless. She transferred from some fancy academy, and the buzz around her arrival felt like just another passing thing. She had the looks, the presenceโeverything that screamed "I belong here." And naturally, with the crowd of โnew student must befriendโ gawking at her feet, she set her eyes on her next feast. Her eyes, always sparkling with that arrogance, quickly found Senku. And since she saw you always hanging around him, she tried with all her might to make your days living hell. Even going as far to join the science club, even though her grades and tests were beyond abysmal, and she seemed to have no real interest in science at all.
Somehow, despite everything, Senku hadnโt pushed her away. In fact, it almost seemed like he welcomed her, even though his reasons were more scientific than social.
It wasnโt like she belonged in the science club, not really. But sheโd decided to join, and Senkuโbeing Senkuโcouldnโt say no. โWhy the hell not?โ he had said, leaning back in his chair. โMore test subjects, more data. Itโs useful.โ
And that was it. Sheโd started coming around more often, getting involved with experiments, helping him out with supplies. Of course, Senku did use her, but that didnโt stop her from sticking around, always looking for an excuse to hover near him, watching him with those soft, fluttering eyes.
You didnโt mind at first. You really didnโt. It was just the science club, and you were friends, right? Friends who worked together. But as time went on, you started noticing things that you hadnโt before. Little touches. The way Mika would stand just a bit too close to Senku as they worked, the way sheโd giggle a little too loud when Senku made a sarcastic remark, as if she were enthralled by his genius.ย
It wasnโt like Senku was obliviousโ he justโฆ didnโt notice.
Mika would pass him supplies, her hand brushing against his in a way that lingered just a second too long, and Senku would nod, hardly noticing the shift in her behavior. But you did. You felt it every time she leaned in a little too close to him, every time she laughed at something Senku saidโlike she was trying to make him laugh, like she was trying to make him notice her.
And it was starting to grate on you.
It wasn't jealousy, you told yourself. It wasnโt. You and Senku were just friends. Friends who worked together. Friends who sat next to each other in the lab, who bantered back and forth. Thatโs all it was. You didnโt need to feel this... weird about it.
But then, everything shifted.
You were on your way to the science club, thinking youโd be able to brush off the discomfort from the day, when suddenly, Mika appeared. She was standing in the doorway of an empty classroom, her arms crossed, a knowing smile playing at the corners of her lips.
โGoing to the science club again?โ she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. โFunny how you never get tired of hanging around Senku. Donโt you think itโs a little... pathetic?โ
Her words caught you off guard, but you refused to let them shake you. You met her gaze, refusing to back down. โExcuse me?โ
Mika tilted her head, her smirk growing. โI just donโt get it. Youโre so... obsessed with him. Is that really what your lifeโs become? Following him around like a puppy? Or maybe you just donโt know how to let go.โ
A knot tightened in your stomach, but you werenโt going to let her get to you. โYouโre literally going to the science club too,โ you shot back, voice cool but sharp. โMaybe you should look in the mirror before you start throwing around accusations. Itโs not like youโve got any better reason to be there.โ
Mikaโs eyes flickered with surprise, but she quickly masked it with another smug smile. โOh, I donโt know. I actually help with the experiments. Unlike you, whoโs just there for the ride.โ
โI literally do more work than youโฆโ you muttered under your breath. You clenched your fists, but you kept your cool, even as the sting of her words dug deep. โAt least Iโm not trying to use him for some lame excuse to hang around,โ you retorted, your voice dripping with disbelief. โYou're not fooling anyone.โ
Mikaโs smile faltered just for a second before she regained her composure. โTouchy, arenโt we?โ she taunted. โDonโt worry. Itโs just cute how much you care about him. Too bad he doesnโt see you the same way.โ
The words hit harder than you expected, but before you could respond, she turned on her heel, her smirk never fading. You stood there for a few moments, stunned, trying to push the words from your mind. But the weight of her words followed you all the way to the science club, where things only seemed to get worse.
When you arrived, Senku was already there, buried in his notes as usual, his focus unwavering. But Mika was there too, hovering over him. She was standing a little too close, her hand brushing against his as she passed him something. It felt deliberate, like she was putting on a show. You could feel the tension in the airโthe way she was leaning in, giggling a little too loudly at Senkuโs jokes, as if she were trying to get his attention, trying to make him see her. It made your stomach churn.
Senku looked up for a moment, noticing the change in your behavior. โWhatโs up? Youโre awfully quiet today,โ he said, not taking his eyes off his notes.
You forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace. โIโm fine,โ you muttered, looking away.
Mika, sensing your discomfort, seized the moment to step in closer. She leaned against the workbench next to Senku, her shoulder brushing against his. โYou know, Senku, I could really help you with your next big experiment,โ she said, her voice sugary sweet. โIโve got plenty of free time now.โ
You felt the tension in your chest tighten, every little thing about her touch setting you off. Her proximity to him, the way she seemed to practically be begging for his attentionโit was unbearable.
"Iโm gonna go," you blurted, surprising even yourself with the abruptness. Without another word, you grabbed your bag and made your way toward the door, unable to stand another moment of watching her fawn over him.
Senku barely registered your departure, his attention already back on his notes. โWait, youโre leaving?โ he asked, but you didnโt answer him. You just left, the door swinging shut behind you.
The cool air of the hallway felt like a relief, but the knot in your stomach only tightened as you walked aimlessly. You needed a distraction, something to get your mind off the complicated mess of emotions swirling inside you.
You didn't even realize how you ended up at the art club until you saw Yuzuhira in the corner of the room, stitching up a new piece for her collection. She looked up when you entered, giving you a warm smile, but the expression on your face must have been telling because she immediately set her pencil down and tilted her head.
โYou okay?โ she asked softly, her voice a little cautious.
You plopped down on the couch across from her, your frustration spilling out before you could stop it. โIโm fine.โ You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself. โI just ughโฆIโm just a little irkedโ
Yuzuhira raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued but gentle in her approach. โabout what?โ
โYou remember that new girl? Mika,โ you spat, your anger bubbling to the surface.Yuzuriha nodded, her hands slowing down just a bit so you knew she was listening. โSheโs... itโs like sheโs trying to replace me, like Senku is just going to drop me for her.โ Your words came out in a rush. โIโve been by his side this whole time, and now she just waltzes in like she owns the place. And the worst part? She knows itโs getting to me.โ
Yuzuhiraโs gaze softened, and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. โSheโs really getting to you, huh?โ she asked, her voice gentle, but firm with understanding.
โYeah.โ You ran a hand through your hair, exhaling sharply. โSheโs always hovering around him, always leaning in like sheโs trying to make a move. I canโt stand it. I donโt even know whatโs worseโher annoying neediness or the fact that Senku doesn't even see it. It's like... like I donโt even matter anymore.โ
The words spilled out like they had been building for days, and once they were out, you couldnโt seem to stop. โAnd every time Iโm there, I can just feel her pushing me out, trying to prove sheโs more than I am. Like Iโm some kind of... joke, and sheโs the real โassistantโ to him. Itโs like I donโt even exist.โ
Yuzuhira stayed quiet for a moment, letting you vent. When you were done, she nodded, her expression thoughtful. โI get it. It must be rough. But you know how Senku isโheโs not great at noticing that kind of thing, right? He gets caught up in his experiments. And Mikaโฆ she knows how to play the game. Sheโs not dumb. She knows exactly how to push your buttons, and sheโs using it against you.โ
You sighed, leaning back into the couch, frustration simmering just under the surface. โI hate that sheโs doing this. I hate how she makes me feel like Iโm not important to Senku anymore.โ Your voice wavered, barely above a whisper. โI hate that I even care. Itโs not that big of a dealโฆโ
Yuzuhiraโs eyes softened, her gaze a little more knowing than before. But she didnโt say anything about your slip. Instead, she gave you a reassuring smile and spoke gently. โLook, itโs not about what Mika thinks or does. It's about what you mean to Senku. And if anyoneโs in your corner, itโs him. He might not see it yet, but he values you. Donโt let her get into your head like this.โ
You let out a slow breath, letting her words sink in. It was hard not to let Mikaโs constant interference mess with your head, but Yuzuhira's calm presence grounded you. Maybe you were letting this get too far under your skinโbut maybe it was okay to feel something too.
You werenโt going to let Mika winโif you could even call it that. Not like this.
โThanks, Yuzu,โ you muttered, managing a small smile as you sat up straighter. โI needed to hear that.โ
Yuzuhira winked and picked up her pencil again, casually returning to her sketch like she hadnโt just helped glue your entire heart back together. โAnytime. Now, take a deep breath and let it go. Youโve got a lot more important things going for you than Mikaโs drama.โ
You nodded, grateful for her calm steadiness. Maybe you couldnโt change everything right away, but you sure as hell werenโt going to let it break you.
For the next two weeks, you held your ground.
You didnโt rise to Mikaโs little jabs, didnโt flinch when she casually brushed up against Senkuโs side or let out one of her syrupy-sweet giggles at something he hadnโt even said. You trained yourself to ignore the way she fluttered her lashes like it was some kind of anime bitโevery little move designed to get under your skin.
And, honestly? It worked. For a while.
You focused on the work. The experiments. The things you and Senku actually built together. You clung to that partnership, even if it felt more distant lately. And the more you acted like Mika didnโt exist, the more it seemed like she didnโt know what to do with herself. Her little โaccidentalโ touches got bolder, more desperate. But you didnโt give her the satisfaction of reacting.
You were in control again.
At leastโฆ thatโs what you told yourself.
But the thing about ignoring something thatโs festering is that it never really goes away. It just waits. It waits for the perfect moment to break the surface. And Mika? She was good at waiting.
And even better at knowing exactly where to strike.
So when Mika, for the fifth time that week, casually brushed a lock of hair out of Senku's face while handing him a vial, your patience snapped.
She was too touchy, and Senku? He wasnโt even noticing.
You were testing a new compoundโnothing fancy, just a mix of acids and basesโand Mika had offered to "help" again. She stood by Senku's side as usual, leaning over his shoulder, her finger brushing the back of his hand. Senku barely acknowledged it as he calculated the next step.
"Can you hold the flask steady?" Senku asked without looking at her.
โOf course,โ Mika replied, her voice too sweet. โIโve got it, Senku.โ
You were barely listening, your gaze fixed on the way Mika was watching him with that adoring look in her eyes. It was like she was waiting for Senku to notice her, to acknowledge her efforts. Your fingers tightened around the beaker in your hands.
And then it happened.
Mika laughedโsoft, breathy, like sheโd said something important. She leaned in even closer to Senku, her shoulder brushing his. He barely flinched, just continued adjusting his notes.
Thatโs when you couldnโt take it anymore.
โYou know,โ you said, your voice louder than you intended, โif youโre done with your โexperiment,โ I can help too. Iโm not completely useless, you know.โ
Mika raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into that smug smile that made you want to scream. "Oh? I didnโt realize you wanted to join in. I thought you were more... into plants and twigs."
Your jaw clenched. โI know more than just plants,โ you snapped. โBut itโs kind of hard to get a word in with someone who doesnโt know the meaning of personal space.โ
The silence in the room thickened.
Senku, still focused on his notes, shot a glance at you. โWhatโs up? Youโre acting kinda... weird today.โ
โIโm fine,โ you muttered, feeling your face heat up. โItโs justโshe keeps hovering over you like sheโs your personal assistant. And Iโm kind of sick of it.โ
Mikaโs expression shifted, her amusement turning into something sharper. โJealous much?โ
โOf you?โ you looked her up and down โPlease, don't flatter yourself,โ you replied quickly, a little too quickly. โIโm just tired of being ignored.โ
Senku, as always, was oblivious. โIgnore you? Youโre still here, arenโt you?โ
You bit your lip, the frustration growing. โI am here. Iโm still your partner, Senku. But it feels like I donโt even exist half the time anymore. Youโre too busy with your new... test subject to notice.โ
โTest subject?โ Mika echoed, blinking like the words had knocked the wind out of her. Her carefully crafted smile crackedโjust a hairline fracture, gone before anyone could call it real.
You scoffed, folding your arms across your chest. โDonโt tell me you actually thought he cared,โ you said, your tone sharp and bitter in a way that surprised even you. โHeโs just using you. Thatโs kinda his thing, isnโt it?โ You rolled your eyes like it didnโt burn to say it out loud, like the words hadnโt been sitting at the back of your throat for weeks, festering.
For a second, no one moved. The lab, usually buzzing with noise and clinking glass, went dead silent. The weight of what you said hung in the air like a chemical cloudโstinging, heavy, inescapable.
Senku finally looked up from his notes, his brow furrowed, expression unreadable. His brain was working, you could see itโthe cogs turning behind his eyesโbut you didnโt give him time to formulate some smart-ass response. You were already grabbing your bag, heart pounding too fast, hands too hot.
โIโm sick of thisโ you muttered, voice tight. The words came out fast, messy, like you were trying to outrun everything you hadnโt said until now. And then you were goneโjust like thatโleaving nothing but the echo of your steps and the brittle crackle of tension behind you.
You didnโt hear anyone follow. Didnโt hear Senku say anything. Just Mikaโs breathy little โSenkuโฆโ trailing after you, like she was already picking up the pieces you left behind.
Let her.
She could have her little moment in the lab, all fluttery eyelashes and fake concern. You were done. And if Senku couldnโt see what was happeningโif he couldnโt see youโthen maybe you shouldnโt try to force it.
Senku didnโt speak. Not right away.
He stood in the same spot, staring at the space you had just left, fingers still curled loosely around a pen heโd forgotten he was holding. Mika was saying something againโsweet and high-pitched and meaninglessโbut for once, he wasnโt hearing her.
Because the only thing he could hear was your voice ringing in his ears. That bitter edge. The hurt underneath it.
For the first time since you started working beside him, the chair next to his felt like a hole. A missing piece. And the silence that followed you out the door felt a lot louder than anything Mika could say.
You were sitting under the old cherry tree behind the schoolโthe same one that always caught the afternoon light just right. Your knees were pulled to your chest, sketchbook balanced in your lap, pencil tucked between your fingers. But you werenโt drawing. Hadnโt been for a while. Just staring down at the blank page, waiting for somethingโanythingโto pull you out of your own head.
The wind stirred gently around you, carrying the faint smell of sakura and something sharper, syntheticโprobably a trace of the lab, still clinging to your clothes. You sighed and pressed your forehead to your knees.
Then you heard footsteps. Light on the gravel. Measured.
You didnโt need to look up.
Senku.
He stopped a few feet away, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his lab coat, head tilted like he was observing something too delicate to poke at just yet. He didnโt say anything at first. You didnโt expect him to.
โI didnโt tell her to be there, yโknow.โ
You didnโt answer. Didnโt even glance up. Just kept your eyes on the sketchbook that hadnโt seen a line in over twenty minutes.
โSheโsโฆ persistent,โ he continued after a moment. โLike a parasite. Clings to anything that holds her interest.โ
โReal flatterinโ way to talk about someone,โ you muttered, arms tightening around your legs.
โI wasnโt talking about you.โ
That made you look up. Slowly. Eyes narrowed, voice cool. โI didnโt say you were.โ
Senku scratched at the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. โTchโฆ Youโre actinโ like I swapped you out for some knockoff assistant. You think Iโd pick someone like her over you?โ
You said nothing, but the look on your face said everything. And he saw it.
He glanced toward the school, jaw clenching slightly. โSheโs loud. Disruptive. And honestly? I barely remember her name half the time.โ
โSenkuโโ
โI didnโt ask her to help,โ he interrupted, sharper now. โShe just keeps showing up and hoverinโ. You think I want that?โ
You tilted your head, giving him a long look. โYou sure donโt not want it.โ
That seemed to hit. He turned to face you fully, expression drawn tight in frustration. โIโve got acid fumes burninโ my nose hairs and six different reactions tryinโ to go thermonuclear. If I donโt say anything, it's not because I donโt see itโ itโs because Iโm tryinโ not to blow the place up.โ
A huff escaped you. Half bitter, half amused. โStill couldโve said somethinโ. I felt like a ghost in there.โ
Senku hesitated. Then, quietly, he moved to sit beside youโnot close enough to touch, just enough to share space.
โYouโre not a ghost,โ he said after a moment. โYouโre the reason half my experiments donโt explode up in my face. Iโve got four notebooks that would be literal fire hazards without your notes.โ
You blinked, glancing sideways. โThat your version of sweet talkinโ?โ
He smirked a little. โIโm not built for compliments.โ
You exhaled through your nose, resting your chin on your knee. โStill felt like I didnโt matter. Like I was justโฆ in the way.โ
His voice dropped, quieter now. โYou werenโt. You arenโt. I wouldnโt even know how to replace you.โ
That made something behind your ribs clench a little. You looked away again, fast, blinking against the heat prickling behind your eyes.
โYa donโt gotta say stuff just โcause Iโm upset.โ
โI donโt do sympathy,โ he replied. โYouโre not wrong to be pissed. I shouldโve said something sooner.โ
You nodded slowly, the tension in your shoulders easing by degrees. โYeahโฆ well. Just donโt let her try to hold your damn hand again like youโre too busy to notice. I might actually lose it next time.โ
Senku huffed, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was fighting a smirk. โTch. Wasnโt exactly inviting it.โ
The quiet that followed wasnโt heavy this time. It settled between you like something earned. Something understood. You finally lowered your legs and put pencil to paper, sketching out the first line with a hand that didnโt shake anymore.
โIโm still mad at you, though,โ you murmured without looking up.
โFair,โ he said with a half-shrug. โJustโฆ donโt try to poison me with apple seeds again.โ
That pulled a snort out of you before you could stop it. โThat was one time. And it was for science.โ
Senku grinned. โYeah. My near-death experience. Real educational.โ
Maybe everything between you would be fine.
Not exactly perfect, but you can work on that.
Mika dropped out of the science club a week later.
You didnโt ask any questions when you noticed she wasnโt glued to Senkuโs side on Monday. And you definitely didnโt care to ask when Senku casually mentioned her name had been taken off the attendance registry.
She was useless there anyway.
Never did much beyond hovering around Senku, pretending her presence was helpful while actually just getting in the way. She didnโt participate in any real experiments, didnโt log any solo workโwhich, last you checked, was kind of the bare minimum for club hours.
You assumed, after realizing that sticking to Senkuโs side wasnโt getting her what she wanted, she just moved on. Found some other distraction. Some new person to orbit.
You didnโt care. Not really.
Because this time, when you looked across the lab bench, Senku was looking back.
โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ
You still remember the first time you ever went to Senkuโs house.
You were seven. He was eight. And from the moment he invited you overโand your mom said yesโ, you spent the entire morning bouncing around like a storm made of nerves and hair clips. You couldnโt sit still, couldnโt stop pacing the hallway, mumbling worst-case scenarios under your breath like some tiny academic preparing for a thesis defense. What if his house was super fancy and you looked like a total dork? What if his dad thought you were weird? What ifโheaven forbidโyour bangs were crooked?
Your mom had called you into the bathroom with a teasing smile, already brushing out your hair with practiced hands. โYouโve been spinninโ round so much, youโre going to wear a hole in the floor,โ she said, guiding you onto the stool. You barely heard her. You were too busy inspecting your reflection with all the dramatic weight of someone about to meet royalty (at least in your eyes).
You asked herโinsisted, actuallyโto make your hair look โthe prettiest itโs ever been,โ and halfway through the process, you almost burst into tears because one of the bobby pins looked slightly off. She patiently adjusted it, smoothed your hair, and promised that everything would be perfect. You told her it wasnโt for anyone special. Just, you know, for science. Science in the shape of an eight-year-old know-it-all with gravity-defying green hair and the most annoyingly perfect answers in class. Definitely not a crush. Just admiration. Academic interest at best.ย
When it came time to pick your outfit, your mom suggested jeansโyou might be running around, after allโbut you practically threw a tantrum over it. How could she expect you to go to Senku Ishigamiโs house in anything less than your favorite skirt and blouse? Tear-stricken and pouty, you pleaded with all the emotional strength your seven-year-old self could muster, and, in the end, she caved. She always did.
You left the house with your hair pinned to perfection, your skirt freshly ironed, and a bag packed with snacks and handmade flashcards on astronomy and botany, just in case. Before hopping into the car,ย your mom bent down and asked if you were excited, and you clutched your bag to your chest, whispering, โDo you think heโll like it?โ
She smiled and said simply, โSweetheart, I think he already does.โ
The car ride to Senkuโs house felt like the longest journey of your life. You sat in the backseat, gripping your snack bag tightly, your legs bouncing nervously. You couldnโt stop thinking about all the possible things that could go wrong. What if his house was too fancy? What if his dad thought you were weird? What if you accidentally spilled your juice on something?
โWhat if heโs allergic to peanut butter?โ you asked suddenly, your voice tight with panic.
Your mom, the epitome of patience, kept her eyes on the road. โYouโve known him for over a year. I think youโd know.โ
โBut what if he didnโt want to tell me? What if heโs too polite to say anything and dies quietly?โ
She laughed softly. โIf Senku ever did anything quietly, Iโll eat your Iโll eat that weird syrup you made outta licorice root and burnt orange peels.โ
You grinned despite yourself. โHey, that was medicinal.โ
When you finally pulled up outside his house, your heart skipped. It looked surprisingly normalโto normal. You half-expected plasma panels or robot arms greeting you at the front door, and felt slightly betrayed by the lack of dramatic flair. But just as the thought passed, the door opened and there was Senku, holding it open with one hand while waving you in with the other, already mid-ramble.
โIt finally dried, by the way. The mitochondria model. The glue took forever because someoneโโ he gave you a pointed look, โโused the slow-drying kind.โ
You scrambled out of the car, barely remembering to call a thank you to your mom as you kicked your shoes off in the entryway. She called after you, โPlay nice! And donโt electrocute anything important!โ
You waved vaguely over your shoulder, but Senku was already tugging you inside, halfway through explaining how he'd recalculated the solar panel wattage to better power his โnot-even-that-dangerousโ circuit board. You only caught about half of it, too focused on the way his house didnโt smell like your own. It wasnโt the usual mix of laundry detergent and herbsโinstead, it smelled like antiseptics, printer ink, and something sharp and citrusy, like someone had been cleaning circuit boards with orange peels.
The living room looked like a regular living room, if regular living rooms had microscopes on the coffee table and an anatomy model sharing space with the TV remote. You stared at it with wide eyes until Senku waved a hand in front of your face.
โYouโre gonna short-circuit if you keep staring like that.โ
โIโm just looking,โ you said, trying to sound casual. โItโs cool.โ
Senku grinned. โTold you.โ
Before you could ask what half the gadgets on the shelves actually did, another voice called from the hallway. โSenku? Is that your friend?โ
A tall man stepped into view, smiling warmly beneath a bit of stubble and what you would later recognize as perpetual exhaustion softened by kindness. His lab coat was half-buttoned, his tie askew, like he'd just come back from something important and forgot to change. He looked a little like a grown-up version of Senku if someone swapped out the smug genius energy for soft-dad warmth.
โHi,โ you said, suddenly shy, clutching your bag a little tighter.
Byakuya crouched a bit to your level, his expression kind and easy. โNice to meet you. Thatโs quite the supply kit youโve got there.โ
You glanced down, realizing your tote was bursting at the seamsโflashcards, notebooks, folded diagrams poking out at the edges. โI didnโt know what weโd be working on,โ you said quickly. โSo I brought some notes. And samples. Andโumโgloves. Just in case.โ
Byakuya let out a warm laugh, not mocking but genuinely delighted. โThat might make you the most prepared guest weโve ever had.โ
Your eyes darted nervously to Senku, who was now aggressively adjusting the velcro on his slipper like it was the most important task in the world.
โI also made a chart on plant propagation,โ you added, voice softening.
Byakuya raised his eyebrows, impressed. โWell, I can see why Senku talks about you so much.โ
You blinked. โHeโhe does?โ
Senku let out a loud, theatrical sigh. โOkay, no one needs to start writing a biography. Cโmon already. Iโve got chlorophyll samples turning green and exactly two hours to show them off.โ
You let yourself be pulled along, sandals slapping awkwardly against the floor, nerves still fluttering somewhere in your chest. But as the hallway filled with his voice againโtalking fast and excited and a little smugโyou felt it settle into something easier.
Senku led you down the hallway like he was guiding someone through a top-secret laboratory. โDonโt touch anything on the right side of the desk,โ he warned. โThatโs the unstable compound section.โ
You nodded solemnly like that meant anything to your seven-year-old brain.
His room wasnโt what you expected. It didnโt look like a scientistโs lair, exactlyโthere were stacks of books, yes, and a microscope perched on a tiny desk, but also a chaotic pile of LEGOs in one corner and a model volcano on the shelf that looked like it had erupted one too many times. The whole place smelled faintly of vinegar and rubber cement.
โOkay,โ he said, letting go of your wrist. โYou can sit there. But donโt knock over the beaker. I calibrated it.โ
You blinked at the suspiciously lumpy beanbag chair and dropped into it carefully, adjusting your skirt like it was part of a lab coat. โI brought my own stuff,โ you said, reaching into your bag. โWanna see my flashcards on leaf types? I laminated them.โ
Senku raised an eyebrow. โLaminated?โ He sounded impressed. โNice.โ
You tried to pretend it was no big deal, but you were definitely glowing with pride.
The next hour passed in a blur of enthusiastic debates about which plants were most efficient for oxygen production, wildly inaccurate microscope observations (โThis one looks like a frog but, like, evilโ), and a very serious trade-off where you let him borrow your chart on root systems and he let you poke the bubbling goo in a test tubeโโBut just once,โ he warned, โand with gloves.โ
At some point, Byakuya poked his head in to check on you both. โEverything okay in here?โ
โWeโre fine,โ Senku said, waving him off without looking up from where he was sketching something vaguely mushroom-shaped in his notebook.
โYeah!โ you added brightly. โOnly one near-explosion.โ
Byakuyaโs eyebrows lifted, but he just chuckled and disappeared again.
When lunchtime rolled around, Senkuโs dad called from the kitchen, โFoodโs ready! I made tempura!โ
Senku stood up immediately. โFinally.โ
You stayed frozen in place. โWait. Do Iโฆ take my shoes off again? Or do I say something first? Orโโ
Senku rolled his eyes. โYou just eat. Itโs not a ceremony.โ
But when you hesitated, he paused at the doorway, turned back, and offered his hand like it was the most obvious thing in the world. โCโmon. Iโll show you where everything is.โ
You stared at his hand for a beat, then took it with all the shy ceremony of a kid who felt like sheโd just been handed the moon.
Lunch was loud and warm and a little messy, with you trying not to get tempura crumbs on your blouse and Senku explaining the science of frying oil to you mid-bite. Afterward, you both ended up on the living room floor, heads bent over your laminated flashcards again, giggling over your own made-up quiz show rules.
By the time lunch was cleared and your flashcards were exhausted, Senku had a new planโbecause of course he did.
โWeโre building a telescope,โ he announced, already dragging out a cardboard box filled with what looked like paper towel rolls, bits of wire, and two scratched-up magnifying lenses.
Your eyes lit up. โLike, a real one?โ
โA mostly real one,โ he corrected, nudging over a ruler and a roll of duct tape. โWeโll have to adjust the focal length using trial and error since someone didnโt bring their refractive index chart.โ
You grinned, sitting cross-legged beside him on the living room floor. โI did too. Itโs in my side pocket. Next to the iodine strips.โ
Senku paused, then grinned. โKnew there was a reason I let you in my lab.โ
The next hour was chaos in the best possible way. You held the body of the telescope steady while he muttered measurements, barking out instructions and adjusting lenses with the intensity of a NASA engineer. You argued over angular positioning, almost glued your fingers to the table, and knocked over a juice box in the processโbut when you finally stepped out onto the porch to test your โmasterpiece,โ the two of you were glowing with pride.
โIโm gonna go to space someday,โ Senku said, eyes turned skyward, voice quieter now. โJust like how my dad is.โ
You looked up from aligning the telescope and blinked. โReally?โ
He nodded. โGonna build a rocket. Maybe not tomorrow, but someday. Iโll get to the moon.โ
You didnโt laugh. Not even a little. Because you knewโknew he wasnโt just saying it to sound cool, or because it was a kid thing to say. He meant it. This wasnโt a dream heโd outgrow. It was a mission. And he was going to chase it with every ounce of brilliance and stubbornness in his bones.
And you? You wanted to help him get there.
So you just said, โCan I come?โ
He looked at you like the question barely needed asking. Like your place beside him had already been calculated into the launch trajectory.
โObviously,โ he said. โSomebodyโs gotta be in charge of on-board medicine. And making sure I donโt do anything reckless.โ
You beamed so hard your cheeks hurt.
Later, long after the light had shifted and the living room was quieter, Senkuโs dad peeked in to check on you. He found the telescope abandoned at the edge of the rug, half-complete, still warm with purpose. The two of you had crashed without realizing it, curled up in a quiet lump among open notebooks and marker-stained pillows. Your head had drifted to Senkuโs shoulder, one of your arms thrown over his chest like you were mid-reach and just forgot to let go. Heโd leaned unconsciously toward your warmth, and one of his hands was still loosely clutching a screwdriver.
Byakuya stood in the doorway for a moment, smiling to himself. Then, without a word, he crossed the room, gently laid a blanket over both of you, and turned off the light. And for a second, he let himself imagine a future where two kids who once built cardboard telescopes and tin foil rocket ships actually touched the stars.
an: hi... my last post was a month ago, and honestly, that doesn't even count cause it took me like 10 minutes to write. this is the work that has took over my waking thoughts and I'm so glad to be somewhat happy enough with the first chapter to finally post. I first watched Dr Stone back in Feb and I have been OBSESSED ever since so... thank you @lo1itado11 for the rec (everything I watch is because of her). ALSO I forgot just how awful it is to format on ao3, it genuinely took me 3 hours to get it right. never again (it will happen every time I post)
anyway, this is getting long. next chapter will hopefully be out this or next week. we'll see...
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Synopsis: You, with your limited knowledge in astronomy, gave Senku a book written about that exact topic for his birthday. Without the touch of science, the book was woven by stories and myths of the stars, which he brought with him into outer space.
This is a Senku centric fic. Reader is barely mentioned.
Beyond the glass window of the spaceship, the universe unfolds like a tale kept secret for thousands of years. The stars aren't scattered but layered into infinity, like the field of sunflowers he has treaded a thousand times with the sky above hugging the Earth. Some burned cold and distant, while others flared with passion, competing with the light in his eyes to be the brightest stars in the universe.
Nature has always been a step above humans, but tonight, it lets him win.
It cradles him like it did Icarus's wings. It pours the golden lights of the stars into his eyes. It charms his heart with beauty and fills it with the pride of a conquerer.
So he could spread his own wings and dive into the vastness of the universe.
There it is, the moon. He has gazed upon it for countless times, when he ran and dared it to chase him, when he launched his first rocket only to watch it bloom into fireworks, when he wandered through forests so ancient they seemed to swallow the Earth and when he folded in on himself, grieving someone he could not bring back.
The moon has always been there. Its light spills over rooftops, tracing the edges of trees, turning the mundane into extraordinary. But seeing it upclose, the moon feels like a god. Barren and cold like a haughty deity, yet watchful and benevolent to its pious people.
God? There is no such thingโ
But, god. There is someone.
The book reads "Chronicles of Stars". Its coverโonce wholeโis now split along the edges, with the pages stained with time. It is not a beautiful book in the traditional sense. But there was something intimate in its flaws, especially when he's standing, or floating, in front of the moon, with the pages unfolded as he wishes you could be there to witness the sight with him.
The moon hangs on the other side of the glass, alone within the vastness of eternity. But the moon in the book is not. It is on its trip with a titaness as she drives her silver chariot across the heavens. The moon sits beside her, like a child to be amused, like a treasure to be honored. The chariot glides across the sky, carrying the titaness over mountains, seas, and cities, bathing all beneath in a calm, argent light. Her name is Selene, he learns.
And there's another deity with the bow in hand, its curve mirroring the crescent moon that seems to follow her wherever she goes. Her feet strikes the earth with her moon forever at her shoulder. Its pale light glows, threading through the trees, laying silver upon her path as though the sky itself marked her passage. Her name is Artemis, he learns.
Beyond the glass window, the moon is a satellite, on its own, orbiting the Earth.
Beyond the pages of the book, the moon is a treasure, a companion. It takes forms of goddesses to bless all the living on earth with its soft, benevolent light.
Insanely human for a rock.
The more he looks at the stark difference between the drawing and reality, the more he misses the Earth. Because only in the minds of humans, the moon has a soul. Only in the mind of you, the moon is cradled by goddesses, dragged across the sky in a chariot and laid on the shoulder of a hunter.
For a while, he just stares at the drawing.
What a fraud. Doesn't even look like the moon.
Can't blame you. You haven't seen it for yourself.
And what if I DO write this (it's just a brainstorm)
Sorry I'm edging you guys but the public has asked for dad senku and my mind was like hey what about if I include ryusui because I collect hot characters like Pokรฉmon and hello if I get greedy while actually writing this I'm including kohaku because she's my wife
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