❀

The fingers rubbing the bridge of her nose came to a dead stop, straightening in her office chair to glare directly into her camera. She let the silence linger, allowing the words to sink into the speaker's mind.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. It's an office joke." He chuckled, clearly not thinking it was a big deal.

[Y/N] breathed in, glancing at her clock. Five minutes left on her shift, perfect.

"All right, let's cut to the chase. There is no 'we' here; I'm the one who's going to have to fix your mess, like always. But before I do that, I'm going to need you all to get off your asses and do the job you are being paid to do." She didn't want her voice to rise, and despite her best efforts, it surfaced.

"Fix your reports, I can't file incomplete information or projects that haven't been concluded properly. Do you understand?" A few heads nodded hesitantly.

"I expect them to be updated by next week and sent to my work email. Anyone who fails to meet this deadline will be demoted from my team, and so will those who call me that surname joke again."

"But ma'am it was only-"

"Jordan, hang up before I do something drastic."

The disconnect sound rang a couple of times before she finally closed the tab. [Y/N] rubbed her eyes as she got out of her seat and left the room, heading straight towards the absolutely delicious smell.

"You look angry." A kiss landed on the top of her head. She saw a blur of yellow before it disappeared, still rubbing her eyes.

"Just another day of work." Xeno and [Y/N] took their usual seats at the dinner table while Stanley evenly divided the food.

Both men shared glances as their girlfriend ate quietly, picking at her meal before taking bites. It was unsettling to say the least, she was always a talker during their late dinners, eager to share or hear anything other than work stuff.

A solid twenty minutes of pure silence went by before they got up to place their dishes in the sink. Xeno washed them while [Y/N] dried. Stanley leaned his back on the counter, right next to the woman, observing her lack of expression.

He tried to let her have her obviously much-needed space, but it didn't sit well with him. She was very vocal in her desires; if she didn't want to talk about it, she would tell them so.

"What happened?"

[Y/N] continued to dry the dishes passed on to her, biting her lip as the meeting from earlier resurfaced in her head like a broken record. Xeno shut off the water, wiping his hands and turned to look at her.

It was a silent gesture, and she knew they wouldn't let her leave until she told them what was on her mind, or told them she didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm tired of work." The plate in her hand was set off to the side, still not shifting her head to face either of them. "Everyone is so goddamn lazy, I end up doing my already demanding job and then their work on top of it."

"It suffocates me." Her frustrations died out into a whisper, feeling her emotions hanging by a thin thread.

She had been staying home due to her stress levels getting worse, unfortunately, still having to work because her team was falling behind.

"I thought you took the week off? What are you doing attending those meetings?" Stanley murmured, rubbing small circles on her back.

"The data department always collapses without her." Xeno answered for her, trying his best to keep the anger from being heard.

"Then, why don't you quit? Xeno and I can take care of everything until you're ready to go back or find something better." [Y/N]'s eyes filled with unwanted tears; she was so grateful for her husbands.

Stanley brought her into his arms, and Xeno moved to stand next to them, grabbing her hand for comfort.

"Because without me, Xee's job is going to be harder." She worked overtime, always, when it involved Xeno's projects. Requested forms? Done. Revised data? Already on it. Information on a similar test he wanted to perform? Folders from the 1960's came out.

[Y/N] had absolutely everything organized. She prided herself on how good she was; however, it sucked to be good at keeping everything but herself put together.

"And I appreciate all you do for me." Xeno gave her a gentle smile when her head moved to lie on Stanley's chest and look up at her favorite scientist. "Even so, if work is draining you this much, I'd rather struggle for a few hours a week than see you like this, love."

"Or, I could have a little chat with those workers of yours."

Xeno sent him a 'really' look, but it earned a laugh from their crying wife. Jordan, seeing Stanley walk into their office to have a chat with him and the others, would probably shit himself.

"We don't need you going to jail again." Xeno huffed, and this time it was Stanley who gave him a look.

"We went to jail together."

"Not the point."

"Entirely the point."

They shared a smile when [Y/N] continued to laugh at their antics, already feeling much better.

"If things don't get better by next week, I'll consider putting in my letter of resignation."

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The stuffy room was crowded entirely by dancing bodies, the bar so occupied that they had three bartenders shuffling around. Stanley flicked his cigarette over an ashtray, chuckling softly when he looked to the side and saw Xeno swirling his colorful drink while scrolling on his work iPad.

His empty beer glass was quickly refilled, not bothering to count how many he had downed. Xeno would put a stop to it as soon as it posed a problem, and he was a regular with an open tab.

Caramel eyes scanned the area, liking the music that blasted loud enough to be heard but still allowed conversations to be spoken.

Stanley was suddenly utterly mesmerized. From the shade of beautiful rose red coating her lips, to the dark eyeliner wings accentuating her eyes. His gaze never faltered, not even as an amused bartender tapped at the counter, trying to gain his attention.

The woman was minding her business, chatting with a group of girls who were sharing shots and giggling. Not once did she meet his eyes; somehow, this made him yearn for it.

"You're going to burn holes into her skull." A familiar chuckle finally snapped him out of his trance, looking away to see that Xeno had put down his device to focus on his drink.

Xeno ignored the buzz of his iPad notification, too busy teasing a stunned Stanley.

"Absolutely beautiful." He murmured, returning to stare at her. Now they both watched her stand up, feet stumbling in her heels, no doubt caused by the quickly consumed alcohol.

She walked towards the dance floor, closely followed by her friends. They held hands as the music changed to an even higher beat, dancing close to one another.

Their voices blended with those of everyone else, as they sang and moved their hips to the rhythm. Xeno and Stanley quickly forgot about their sitting drinks, too immersed in the way the pretty woman grinded up to her friend, her tight silver dress had ridden up her thighs from the movement.

It felt like an eternity, observing every dip of her body, every click of her heels. Before they knew it, an ice cube in Xeno's drink cracked, a sign it had been sitting still there for far too long.

"We look like creeps." Stanley laughed at himself, asking the bartender to replace his beer with a colder one. Xeno downed his drink, getting it out of the way so he could focus on something else.

And it seemed like that 'something else' was fast approaching the bar.

A body grazed the side of their outer thighs. The woman they had been looking at for what seemed like hours was standing between their seated figures.

"Hi, could I get a round of five tequila shots? Any brand you think is better." Her arms rested on the counter, her lower half leaned out, no doubt causing the already short dress to lift up higher.

"Be right with you."

She hummed in response, patiently waiting.

Two hands suddenly touched the back of her thighs, sliding up her smooth skin and grabbing the fabric to tug it down. They held it in place as she stood up straight.

"Careful there." Xeno smiled up at her shocked face, which suddenly gasped and smacked both him and Stanley on the knee.

"You scared me!"

Stanley let his hand rest on her ass while Xeno shifted his own to grasp her arm, rubbing circles with his thumb.

"You seem to be having fun, [Y/N]." She broke out in a grin, no doubt on the verge of being completely drunk.

"Put these on his tab." She patted Stanley's cheek when her shots were placed on the counter. The bartender was used to this exchange, only nodding and moving along to his next order.

[Y/N] had forgotten she called them a few hours prior, wanting her boyfriends to be in the same vicinity so she could let loose with her friends and stay safe. Before their arrival, she had been getting harassed by a couple of men, a few of whom were still lingering about.

She gently grasped their chins, tilting her head down to press a quick kiss to their lips. A silent but loud enough claim to anyone who had witnessed it.

"Twenty minutes more, then we can go home, so both of you can take this dress off me." With a cheeky grin, she scooped up the shot glasses and glided over to her awaiting friends.

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When did this feeling start? It filled her with dread to see them so distant, when she was left with a kiss on the forehead, and they were gone.

More than dread itself, something she couldn't explain, when they'd sleep in each other's arms, leaving her to fend for herself against the cold of the night, a movement away from slipping off the edge of the bed.

Did it start when she was fired? They reassured her it would be okay, that they'd help her stay afloat while she looked for something else. Yet, they were always too busy with their own jobs to find the time to assist her, to hold her.

Did the feeling grow stronger when they went out on a date without her? It had stung quite a bit when the pictures were uploaded on their social media, more because that was the same night she had been crying in bed, wishing they'd come home early for once.

[Y/N] sipped the hot coffee from the purple thermal cup in her grasp, sighing softly as the hot liquid slightly burned her esophagus. It was a nice balance for the cold winter evening that enveloped her, small snowflakes falling on her head and coat.

Christmas was fast approaching, and she had no idea what to get everyone. The year before, she had bought gifts months before December was even a thought. But this year, she had barely spoken to her friends and lovers, having no clue about what new interests they might have acquired.

Her feet shuffled through a pile of snow beneath her boots, watching it compress as the air that had made it fluffy was forced out. Xeno had told her about her back in high school, when she was setting up a Christmas-themed theater stage for her club.

Right, she hadn't received a message from them all day. [Y/N] slipped her phone into her coat's pocket and stood up from the metal bench. She walked back into the crowded mall, a desperate attempt to gift search for the fifth time.

"Hello, Sweetheart! Shopping for a parent, friend, or partner?" The cheery voice startled her. A kind man approached her holding a shopping basket.

"Hi, for all of the above, actually..." She awkwardly brushed a loose strand of [H/C] hair behind her ear, the employee hummed loudly before hooking their arms together.

"I'm an expert on love gifts, so tell me what your partner does for a living first." He picked up a perfume box, an assortment of different scents, awaiting her response.

[Y/N] felt a little emotional at the physical contact, as she was extremely deprived of it these past months. She couldn't recall the last time she had hugged them, only remembering the daily soft kisses on her forehead.

"Uhm, one of them works at NASA as a rocket scientist. The other is a military officer."

The silence suffocated her; it was always tiring to explain she was part of a throuple relationship, not a cheater.

"Well, in this case, buying them stuff they'd use in their professions seems out of the question. Where would you get the chemicals they use or an M16?" Her heart skipped a beat, recalling a silly argument she had with Stan years ago, when she accidentally bought the M16 off a wall in Call of Duty, effectively replacing her upgraded weapon.

"Okay, let's get everyone else a gift, then we circle back." The newly introduced Julian guided her throughout the gift shop, making small talk while coaxing information about her friends.

It was nice to have a fluid conversation for once in a long while, and in mere minutes, she had bags of gifts and wrappers. And after a long talk, Julian advised her to make something handmade, that perhaps her boyfriends might appreciate that more than any store item.

"Say, Sweetheart..." He mumbled, walking her out of the store. [Y.N] looked up from the ground to meet his intense gaze, "I don't like to pry, and I was trying to stop myself, but—"

It wasn't like it was all that surprising, of course, he'd be curious about two boyfriends.

"—Was your nose red because of the cold, or because you were crying?"

Her steps faltered, reaching the glass door. Julian gulped at her mood shift, watching her readjust her grip on the newly purchased items.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." His voice was soft, awaiting her response.

"Everything's okay, thank you for your help today. I appreciate it." She gave him a wide smile, turning on her heel and walking towards the stairs.

Julian hesitantly watched her blend into the crowd with a concerned frown on his face. She hadn't answered his question, and it felt like her response was almost robotic.

The cold hadn't lessened, but the night sky had severely darkened. Her thick coat wasn't enough to help against the harsh wind either, she had made a quick stop at a yarn shop, thinking of what to make for her lovers.

[Y/N] reached her car, unlocking the driver seat and sitting down quickly. The bags were placed on the passenger seat, and she let the car warm up before heading home. The coat was shrugged off alongside her gloves, scarf, and earmuffs.

Softly singing along to the Christmas songs buzzing from the radio, she shuffled through the purchased goods, pulling out a blossom-themed teacup set, a painter's kit, heeled black boots, and a makeup kit.

The satisfied smile on her lips slowly fell, and the presents in her hands didn't make sense anymore. Who was the makeup for? Heather or Brenda? Did Ollie like teacups? It hurt her to realize she didn't know her friends anymore, tears blurred her vision as a few fell onto the items.

She quickly stuffed them back into the bags and gripped her steering wheel tightly, hiccupping softly as she choked on her tears. Eyeliner stained her skin and smudged everywhere, wiping her eyes quickly when she felt the buzz of her phone.

Notifications flooded her screen, all holiday discounts and the receipts for her recent purchases. No messages or missed calls from her boyfriends. Maybe they were busy, or maybe they had forgotten. It was getting harder to tell.

...

Were the kisses quicker today? They had felt so brief when they used to linger. [Y/N] shuffled her fluffy socked feet before leaving the front door and back into the living room, where she had been setting up the Christmas tree. She'd leave the top part to Stanley, being far too scared to use the ladder to place the star and a few ornaments.

A gust of wind caused her to shiver and bring her attention to the open window. She quickly made her way over and reached to close it, stopping herself when her eyes caught the sight of Xeno and Stanley finishing a conversation, sharing a tender kiss, and parting ways.

'Badump.'

Pain. Her chest was struck by an unexplainable pain, like a sharp needle prodding at her insides. They hadn't kissed her in that manner in a long time.

Stepping away from the now-closed window, [Y/N] put away the decoration box, heading towards her closet to bring out the yarn and begin her the creations of her gifts.

Except when she tugged the yarn into the crochet hooks, her movement stopped. [E/C] eyes blinked, staring down at her hands like they were alien. Why couldn't she remember how to do it? Did she need to start with a half double crochet or a single? Did it matter?

The sound of the front door opening wasn't registered by her, still staring at the material in her hand. Their shelves all had crocheted items for decoration; in fact, the whole house was littered with them, so why did the hook in her hand feel so foreign?

"[Y/N]?" A head peeked into the room, and she finally looked up to see Stanley with his eyebrows furrowed. She coughed softly and put the yarn down, walking up to his awaiting figure.

"I thought you went to work?" The soldier tilted his head slightly, observing her reddened eyes.

"Xeno did, I told you I was getting food, you said you wanted sushi." Her eyes darted to the bag in his hand, acknowledging the aroma of fresh fish.

"Right...?" Stanley nodded, guiding her into the kitchen and setting up their plates. [Y/N] took a seat, mumbling a soft thank you when he set down her favorite chopstick set.

"How was the gift shopping?" He nudged her with his foot, snapping her out of her thoughts.

The sushi called out to her, yet her appetite was withering. To appease his piercing caramel eyes, she picked up a few pieces onto her plate and aligned them.

"You knew where I was?"

"Of course, you asked Xeno and me to not text or call, scared you were going to spoil our gifts." He chuckled, taking another sushi piece from the box. "We were worried all day, y'know."

The chopsticks in her mouth chipped slightly at how hard she clenched her jaw; had she actually told them that? No, when did that happen? Her heart raced faster.

"Oh, sorry. It went okay, a little over budget though." She froze, with what money had she paid? She hadn't gotten a job yet, and her savings were nowhere to be seen.

"We told you not to worry about money, it's why Xeno gave you his card." Stanley wiped the corner of his mouth before reaching over to scoot her chair closer to him, raising a hand to check her temperature.

"Are you feeling alright?" The warmth on her forehead made her lips quiver. Why couldn't she laugh it off and hug him tightly like she used to? Her hand shook, desperately wanting to reach for him. His touch quickly faded, removing himself from her personal space like she had scorched him.

"Everything's okay." She offered him a smile, turning away to continue eating. Stanley's eyes were glued on the way the corners of her smile trembled.

...

...

The days passed, and the gifts were still stuffed in her closet. Yarn rolled back to what it was, [Y/N] blankly sat in front of the tree, seeing the presents begin to fill the bottom.

Xeno approached her with a hot chocolate mug, handing it over before settling on the other couch. The drink in her hand shook, a result of watching him sit away from her.

Last Christmas, they had cuddled with a large blanket, talking about everything and anything while gazing at the pretty tree. When did he stop holding her?

'Badump'

Cold. The room suddenly felt colder, and the lights no longer shone as brightly in her eyes. How long would they last with this growing distance? Had they both agreed to break things off with her and were doing it slowly?

"Is it suitable, [Y/N]?"

She looked away from the tiny marshmallows, meeting his half-lidded onyx eyes and soft smile. It took her a few seconds to understand what he was talking about.

"Yeah, it's great. Thank you..." Did she always like lukewarm drinks? Yeah, she did. Why was her coffee during the shopping trip extremely hot?

Questions were all that lingered in her mind, feeling like everything she knew was slowly slipping away from her, and it was scary. Goosebumps arose on her arms, bringing the blanket closer.

"I noticed you haven't added any presents, do you need help?"

"I don't need help."

Her ears began to ring, muffling everything around her. His voice sounded like a faraway whisper.

"No, I have them, just not wrapped." She waved him off playfully, going back to drink from the mug. Xeno's eyes were wide; he had started to notice the change in her, but never did he expect it to get this bad.

Receiving an emotionally hostile response, only to get a normal one right after, like she had forgotten her first words. It was getting harder to accept, to live with. Holding onto strings that wanted to snap, away from him and Stanley.

"Let's go wrap them." He stood up, waiting for her to do the same. [Y/N] finished the last sip and placed the empty mug on the coffee table, not making any move to get up.

Xeno took a few steps forward, suddenly feeling his wrist get tugged back softly. He darted his eyes to the side. They hadn't had physical contact in a while; for her to initiate it was a sudden change.

She didn't let go, and he didn't push her away. Silence lingered, bodies still. Xeno saw the conflict swirling in her [E/C] eyes, the shake of her hand on him. With a self-induced confidence boost, he reached for her hand, slowly prying it away from his wrist and holding it.

They were warm from the mug she had been holding moments ago.

"Is this okay?"

The question hit her like a slap, yanking her hand away from his.

"No, it's not! Don't touch me!"

"Why do you even need to ask? Aren't we a couple?" The scientist listened with a frown taking over his lips. The warmth from her hand had dissipated, leaving his own to shiver at the coldness.

Why did he look so crestfallen when he was the one to always keep his distance? Looking down at her like she had hurt him, confusion polluted her mind, and she was done.

"You and Stan, both of you..." She felt the slight sting of her throat closing up, trying not to cry. "Why don't you just break up with me, instead of continuously pushing me away?"

"If you want to let me go, just do it already!"

Xeno's lips parted, watching her spring up from the couch, tears threatening to spill. She took a step to the side, ready to bolt to their shared room, but he couldn't let her leave this conversation with those thoughts of hers, not today.

This time, he grasped her arm, pulling her closer to his figure. Her body crashed into his, chest to chest, face looking up at him in shock.

"Let you go?" He whispered, nearing his lips against hers. Her resolve weakened alongside her struggles, too entranced by what he was doing. "The day we do that is the day we die."

The kiss was soft, gentle, the complete opposite of what he had been craving for months. Her fingers relaxed against his shoulders, releasing the bunched-up sweater from her deadly grip. The lost warmth had come back, rewarding him with a satisfied craving.

When they pulled away, she had no words, simply staring into his eyes with content and tears still lingering.

"This is possibly the most lucid I've seen you in a while." He softly traced her cheek with his thumb, like he was checking if she really was here, in his arms, with zero fight. "I missed you."

"I was always here..." "No, my dear, you weren't." She finally noticed, there in his beautiful onyx eyes, was a glint of sadness. "And I think it's time to have a talk, again." He still held her closely, only moving his hand to check the time on his watch.

"Let's do some brain stimulation tricks while we wait for Stanley."

Again? She couldn't recall a talk, at least, not about anything serious. How much had she forgotten? It was starting to scare her. Xeno must've noticed, because he immediately cracked a scientific joke, one of those stupid ones he used to say when they were barely dating.

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Game night. A night she looked forward to until the moment where she was absolutely crushed by both men, in every. single. game.

"You definitely cheated!" Xeno smiled at the finger pointing directly at his face. He gently grasped it, pulling her in closer. "Acting sweet won't save you from the next round."

She lost.

"It's a strategy game, of course you suck." Stanley, who had been sitting next to her, observed her various mistakes.

"You lost to Xeno too, seven times."

"This is your ninth."

[E/C] glared up at him, only getting a cheeky smirk in response. [Y/N] huffed and reset the Connect Four game, about to start a rematch, but ultimately decided to stuff it away into the box.

Xeno and Stanley adored these late Friday nights. [Y/N] was so bad at these games that it was endearing to see her try so hard. Tongue sticking out her lips and eyebrows scrunched in concentration, only to lose by something she didn't take account for.

"Having two boyfriends is awesome, they said. They'll treat you right, they said." She mumbled sarcastically, reaching over the table for her forgotten energy drink. 

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"We should break up."

A sentence that wasn't followed up on, leaving Xeno and Stanley to watch their now ex-girlfriend get up from the table with tears pooling in her [E/C] eyes. They weren't allowed a single second of rebuttal, hearts nearly ripping in two when she rushed out of the restaurant, stumbling slightly from how fast she moved in her heels.

Both men spent day and night talking amongst one another, trying to find out what had gone wrong. It was frustrating when they couldn't think of anything, and it was worse when [Y/N] cut off all communication and didn't show up for work.

Xeno stared up at the ceiling, onyx eyes dropping from fatigue. His hand tangled itself into Stanley's hair, massaging his scalp softly, and the soldier lying on his chest was deep in thought.

"Anything?"

"No." Stanley murmured, feeling Xeno's heartbeat skip a beat. "She needs time and space."

"It's been two weeks, it's killing me not knowing what caused this."

Hundreds of missed calls and unread texts flooded her notifications when she had finally charged her phone. She looked into the mirror, realizing tears had ruined her eyeliner, foundation fading away—god she hated the way she looked.

"[Y/N] I'm gonna borrow your skirt." Lianne, her roommate, burst into her room and marched to the closet, ignoring the girl breaking apart by the vanity mirror. "By the way, Kiara mentioned you broke up with those boyfriends of yours, good job realizing this is better for you."

The door slammed close, leaving [Y/N] to fiddle with the phone in her hand. She couldn't believe what she had done; the build-up to that dreadful night had pushed her into a meltdown, breaking up with the loves of her life on the spot.

It had all started with a few comments here and there, which never bothered her until they had started dating, ecstatically telling her group of friends the same night it had been established.

"A military lieutenant and NASA scientist?" Lianne paused, holding her lipstick up and eyeing a happy [Y/N] from the corner of her eyes. "How did you manage that?"

She was too over the moon to hear the hostile shift in the question, smiling brightly and leaning into Erica, who giggled at the pictures [Y/N] showed her.

"We met at an event, the one Kiara invited me to." Kiara was a gifted mathematician, which had landed her an invitation to a privately hosted party, governors, scientists, and military and more amazing people attended—she was allowed to bring a plus one, in less than a second she had chosen [Y/N], knowing the girl wouldn't cause a scene or stray far.

"She was your plus one? I thought you couldn't have one."

"Lianne, be honest with yourself. You're too crazy to take out, especially in a setting with an open bar." Kiara rolled her eyes, sitting by Erica and [Y/N]. She snatched up the phone, laughing loudly at the picture of a grumpy but smiling Xeno with a face full of makeup, Stanley grinning on the side, holding the eyeliner pencil in the air. "Oh, you hit a double jackpot, honey."

You. You. You. Why did that word bother her so much? Yes, she did get lucky, yes, she managed to get the interest of two very amazing men—but what about them? They had also gotten lucky with her; she was smart, caring, and clicked immediately with them—well, that's what she thought at first, did everyone else secretly agree that she wasn't nearly enough for them?

The movie's dialogue was muffled the room felt cold and empty despite the group of girls sitting on the large couch and on the floor. [Y/N] had her head resting on Kiara's shoulder, the latter patting the [H/C] haired girl's thighs in a comforting rhythm.

Michelle threw popcorn at the screen when the ML admitted to cheating, the other girls followed suit, yelling in discontentment. Lianne stayed neutral, scrolling through her phone and getting the attention of Erica who couldn't help but glance over.\

"Why are you looking at [Y/N]'s ex's socials?"

The living room got quiet, the movie was paused, and every head turned to look at the annoyed girl. Erica was shoved away, Lianne clicked her phone off crossing her arms and rolling her eyes at their gazes.

"Just checking up on them, seeing if they aren't dating someone else already."

"I don't want to know, thanks—"

"I'm not doing it for you [Y/N]." Lianne opened the app back up, fluttering her eyelashes when Stanley's social page was updated, a picture of him holding hands with Xeno at a restaurant. "Doesn't seem like they miss you anyway."

Kiara slowly pushed away [Y/N]'s head from her shoulder, unfolding her legs to stand up and walk towards the gushing Lianne. The phone was snatched up, Erica holding down the frantic girl by the waist and Michelle locking her legs together.

"Give it back you bitch!"

She was ignored, and her secret text messages were leaked.

"Hey, we briefly met when you came to pick up [Y/N]. Now that you're broken up, it's time to admit that I found you both cute. Text me if you're interested."

Xeno nearly rolled his eyes into the back of his head for good, blocking the contact off of Stanley's account. He was angry for the blatant disrespect she conjured up against [Y/N], wasn't this breaking some sort of girl code?

"Xeno, do you think she knows?"

"No, and that's what upsets me."

...

...

"Hello, do you have an appointment?"

Stanley held a bouquet of pink camellias, which signified their longing for her, a clear message that she was missed and one she would take notice of.

"No, please make sure these reach Miss. [Y/N]." The receptionist nodded, a little overwhelmed with the giant amount of flowers sitting on her desk, she carefully picked them up and nearly tumbled with the weight.

He walked away, sighing when the elevator showed the 'maximum capacity' button lit up. He took the stairs instead, already grumbling about the thirteen floors he needed to get down.

A few in and he took a brief break, noticing there was a window on this floor's stairs, he cracked it open and lit up a cigarette, browsing on his phone meanwhile. Smiling when Xeno sent him a scientific meme.

His focus was broken when the cigarette was tugged out of his grasp and thrown out the window, sharp caramel eyes darted to the side ready to punch whoever did that—Stanley's breath got caught in his throat, the most gorgeous woman was standing in front of him with a timid smile, [H/C] hair pulled up into a neat bun, white buttoned shirt and a dark purple pencil skirt.

"Sorry, there's no smoking in the building, darling." She bit her lip at her slip-up, watching his eyes flicker at the pet name. [Y/N] murmured another apology, gasping softly when he didn't hesitate to pull her closer.

He had taken that 'darling' as a clear indication she was still the old [Y/N], the one he loves, and this had boosted his confidence in his next move, cupping her warm cheek in the palm of his hand.

"Stan, thank you for not replying to Lianne. It's been a very hard time being away from...." She blinked when he placed a finger on her lips, effectively making her words trail off.

"We aren't going to have this conversation without Xeno, however, we don't need him here for us to do this." His purple lips met hers, pressing softly and waiting for her to reciprocate before pushing further.

[Y/N] placed a hand on his chest, thankful for his arm around her waist, keeping her on her feet. She used her free hand to pull him closer by the collar, tilting her head to the side and parting her lips to allow him entry.

She could feel his usually calm heart start beating faster, it pulsed under her palm and in turn made her own flutter. Stanley squeezed her hip, delighted to hear the soft groan escape her glossed lips.

"Stan—"

"No."

"—Darling."

[Y/N] had gotten only a few seconds of air, quickly pulled in for a much rougher and desperate kiss.

"Again."

She whispered it, and he continued to break apart. How he missed her, her voice, perfume, lips, everything. Stan didn't truly understand how badly he needed her until this very moment.

They only broke apart when [Y/N] heard a door slam, startled, she pulled away and rested against Stan. Shaky breaths were echoing slightly in the empty staircases.

"Now your makeup matches your skirt." 

︽❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀︾

Brody's boastful laugh echoed throughout the castle, letting everyone know he was making great progress. Shots rang outside, even without stepping foot near there, they all knew the bullets hit bullseye every time.

[Y/N] swirled the spoon in her coffee mug, while everyone was busy trying to bring back what humans once underappreciated, she sat alone in the kitchen area. Self-doubt continued to crowd her mind; why did they allow her to stay?

She had no old profession that could help her contribute anything to the growing evolution. [Y/N] was at the NASA expo only because her best friend Luna dragged her along, trying to get her to leave her suffocating house, even if it meant sneaking her into government affairs.

For the past year of being alive once again, never did the feeling of being so utterly useless go away. A constant voice in the back of her mind asked her to stop dragging them all down.

Stanley tried to help her learn how to shoot a gun. Brody often invited her to help with his inventions. Maya urged her to become her pupil and learn combat. Xeno sometimes had her sit in his laboratory and tell him stories while observing his science.

Yet, she couldn't seem to learn anything despite their efforts.

Stories were all she knew, ones she wrote and read almost every day before getting hit by the green beam. The only form of entertainment she had for herself was pencils and paper.

Luna teasingly called her friend a shut-in, forcing her to go shopping, go to fancy restaurants, and go to the beach, all while tricking [Y/N]'s parents to never notice her absence. Teasing was all it was truly, Luna knew the [H/C] haired girl enjoyed the outdoors.

"Let's go take a walk in the forest!" Speak of the bubbly devil, [Y/N] choked on her drink and nearly got whiplash from the sound of the door slamming open. "No buts!"

"It's almost nighttime, is it okay?"

"Oh right, we'll take the boring route, that way we don't get lost."

Well, that plan backfired so horribly [Y/N] couldn't even help the laugh that escaped her lips, leave it to Luna to see a spider and run deeper into the forest like a screaming lunatic. She ran after her only to land herself in an area she didn't recognize, not that she ever memorized the endless rows of trees like the scouting team managed to do.

She sighed, rubbing her bare arms, a sweater would've been nice. It was too dark to see anything and [Y/N] knew it didn't matter if she returned or not, they would only be losing an extra mouth to feed.

The moon was obscured by thick tree branches and an overwhelming amount of leaves. Sure, she wasn't in any hurry to find her way back, but she didn't want to stay in the dark much longer either. Taking a step forward, she built the courage to keep going forward, pushing away thick vines and swatting the flying insects that got too close.

She hoped Luna made it back safely, no doubt Carlos and Max were desperately trying to find her.

It didn't take long for [Y/N] to reach a clearing. Rows and rows of beautiful cardinal flowers adorned the grass. Plucking one, she twirled it around and looked at the surroundings, finally noticing the cliff.

A cold breeze swept her [H/C] hair back gently, goosebumps covered her arms and legs, dress doing nothing to help shield her. The flower in her hand drifted away when she accidentally loosened her grip, "Ah, fuck..." she mumbled.

The water crashed into the rocks below with smooth waves, her steps took her closer to the edge. The moon was finally in full view, reflecting off the ocean's surface and creating a pretty glow.

God, what was she doing? Anxiety clawed at her chest. Were they happy she was gone? Did they ever hope someone with more use had been revived instead of her?

[Y/N]'s parents were gone, yet they still held power over her mind. Maybe if she had gone out more, and allowed herself to indulge in the outside world she'd be happier. If she had taken that one-in-a-million job offer she could've learned something useful. What...what if her parents hadn't been so controlling?

Maybes, ifs, and self-criticism clouded her thoughts.

No, they weren't here, not anymore. As an adult, she should've taken control of her own life; it was her fault for continuously wanting to be the perfect child in their eyes. Why was it so hard to break away from this feeling?

The sound of a branch snapping barely made her react. The smell of lingering smoke revealed the identity of the person standing behind her. Footsteps got closer, and a thick sweater was dropped on her shoulders.

"The hell are you doing? It'll be a hassle if you get a cold." The voice sighing, rustling of clothing and a match lighting was right next to her ear. [Y/N] turned to gaze at the blonde man, his eyes were half-lidded looking out beyond the cliff.

"Sorry." She snuggled into the clothing. Noticing it smelled heavily of cigarettes, she gave Stanley a quick look-over. "What about you?"

"Answer my question."

"I got lost."

"You didn't try to find your way, why?" She looked away when he stared at her from the corner of his eye.

"What makes you say that?"

He exhaled, smoke drifting into the air and tickling her nose. "Stop dodging my questions." Right, she forgets he's ex-military, he wasn't asking, he was ordering her.

"I contribute nothing, what's the point?" [Y/N] brushed her hair back when it stuck to her face by the wind. "Isn't it better to get rid of the weak links?"

"We're humans, not part of some mythical ass movie—or story. Getting rid of people in a world where we lack population is crazy talk."

"Even if they aren't useful?"

"Who said you weren't?"

Stanley flicked the end of his cigarette over the cliff, not bothering to watch it fall into the water and directing his attention to the shivering woman.

"Who?"

"Stop ordering me around, please." Her voice broke with words she desperately wanted to tell her parents back then. Were they easier now? Or was it because she knew Stanley wouldn't get upset at her request? He never treated her harshly, even when pathetic questions left her lips.

"Alright, could you please let me know who?"

He still held the commanding tone, albeit much softer this time, she chuckled at the effort.

"Nobody. Nobody said anything, they don't have to. Maybe they haven't thought about it that deeply, but they must have noticed how I'm just wandering around with no purpose, not helping, no ideas...nothing."

"A person with no purpose, wouldn't have kept their mind running for three-thousand years." Stanley noticed that once again, his fingers didn't reach for another cigarette. It was something he picked up being around [Y/N].

"Why did I fight so hard? Was I really that desperate to stay alive? How funny." Really, there wasn't anything amusing about it. [E/C] eyes filled with tears, blurring her view of the moon. "All I could feel was rage, anger for wasting my life molding myself to fit someone else's ideals."

"Begging whoever to bring me back, to give me a second chance. Then, the stone cracked, and I was placed in a world where brains and brawn were needed; it was back to square one." A tear escaped, rolling down her cheek and falling onto her boots.

"I can't do anything, and it's so frustrating. I spent so long pleading in the darkness, and I still stayed pathetic. I can't shoot a gun, I can't predict combat hits, and never could I dream of remembering a formula like Xeno or making mechanical blueprints like Brody."

"You don't need to be like them, or me." He placed a hand on her head, rubbing her [H/C] hair affectionately. "Do you know what we call you?"

She shook her head, rubbing away the droplets of water.

"[Y/N] the story teller. Or using Xeno's words, an elegant production of endorphins. Why do you think we all crowd around trying to steal you away from each other?"

The memory of Maya picking [Y/N] up like a rag doll, giggling and running from a frantic Brody who chased them down like hell was taking over, saying it was his turn to hear the Rumpelstiltskin tale, flooded her brain.

"Bringing up the moral, making us feel like there's something else to life other than focusing on our mere dull survival. You do that, so yeah, I'd say you're plenty useful."

"Saying all that gushy shit while petting my head, who are you and what have you done to Stanley?"

"Shut up." She laughed in response, his purple lips settling into a smile.

"Luna's most likely still freaking out, let's head back."

"Oh, yeah..." Sensing her hesitation, he sighed and bent slightly beside her. 'What is it—!?" Stanley picked her up bridal style, her hands curled up in into her chest, staring up at him with puffy red eyes and a deep blush on her cheeks.

"We're still going to talk about this, I'm sure Xeno would love to hear the rest."

"The rest?"

"Of what or who made you feel this way."

"I SAID NOBODY!"

...

...

"I see, so, who was it?"

[Y/N] was so over this, itching to grab an empty vial and hurl it at the scientist. Stanley grabbed her by the back of the dress, noticing she took a step forward.

"Are you even listening? Are either of you!?" Exasperated, she rolled her hands on her face, dragging it down dramatically. "Nobody here. Okay?"

"Hm."

Hm? Oh, her eyebrow twitched. She knew what they were trying to do, annoy her to spill information, except what difference would it make?

"Luna told us the gist while she was crying, parents huh?" The blonde whispered in her ear.

Her blabber mouth of a best friend, of course. Luna meant well, so if she mentioned something to them, she had a reason....is what [Y/N] hoped.

Stanley let go of her clothes and closed the door, leaning his back against it and crossing his arms. Xeno approached her right after putting down his sketch, a clawed finger lifting her chin to look into her [E/C] eyes.

"Would you like us to search for their statues?"

She blinked. So, Luna hadn't actually said anything. Was it his question that surprised her, or the gentleness in his onyx eyes?

"Uh, aha, they're dead-dead, Xeno."

It was his turn to blink. Stanley covered his snort with the back of his hand. Seeing his childhood friend baffled was rare, and of course, he would engrave this face into his mind.

"My apologies, I shouldn't have assumed." The sharp tip of his gloved finger poked her in the cheek.

"If you're going to touch my face, can you do it without those bear claws?"

"I take it you don't mind if I touch then?"

"My face." She deadpanned at his smug little smile.

"Get to the point, Xeno."

Xeno waved off Stanley with a 'yeah, yeah' comment, bringing his attention back to [Y/N]. Her eyes had cleared up, leaving only light red traces to linger on her eyelids. Lips parted to ask his next question when she took the initiative.

"Ever since I was old enough to talk, my parents made it clear my only goal in life was to keep the family business running. Not to run it myself, no, to marry a man who could take over it." She watched Xeno take off his glove, setting onto his desk.

"I wasn't allowed to venture outside, afraid I'd get an injury so bad it would scar and fumble my chances at marriage. A pretty face to auction out, that's what I was." Stanley no longer lingered by the door, standing right next to her.

Nobody but Luna knew this, her heart hammered in her chest, but she had to do this. They'd never stop asking, a scientist who hates the word no, and a soldier who's the only one allowed to say no.

"Luna slowly helped me get out of the house, what twelve-year-old doesn't know what ice cream is? Kind of laughable huh?" [Y/N] began to feel awkward when they gave no input, staring intently at her. Being heard like this, was so different to her usual life.

"I avoided it most of the time, scaring myself that I'd be a failure in their eyes. Then, the plane accident happened, just a few days before the petrification. I felt pure relief, that maybe, this was my chance to run away from it all and start fresh."

"However, because they sheltered me so much, I never learned anything outside of being a pretty little doll. Sure, I wrote short stories and learned old ones by heart, but I couldn't make a living off of that."

She breathed in harshly, softening her tone with the last words. "If I had taken that modeling gig Luna got me, I could've lived away from them, but living off of something my parents deemed my only use in life...I let it go."

"What about now? there is no requirement for you to make a profit to live. Being you is enough."

"Embrace your pretty face, they didn't do shit to make it like that, it was already beautiful."

"Shut up Stanley." She grumbled, earning her a chuckle. "Are my stories really enough?" Xeno pretended to think, making her nerves build up.

"No, they aren't. You, are."

"He's now a philosopher, [Y/N] watch out."

She giggled when Xeno sent Stanley a playful side-eye, "Thank you guys, really."

"Oh, this was a favor, darling."

oh?

"You owe us."

"You two really couldn't leave it as a sweet moment?"

"We'll be providing them later, for now, we'll take advantage to hog you for a week straight." Xeno smirked, walking around his desk to sit down. "Stories for only Stanley and I, no excuses."

providing them later? what? [Y/N] puffed out her cheeks in slight irritation, almost biting the hand that tried to pinch her face.

"You could've gotten them for free! All this false cute build up and for that?"

"Free sweet moments?" The soldier teased, finally managing to pinch her cheek.

"STORIES!"

"Sure, yeah uhu."

...

...

"—She was forced to step into the red-hot shoes and dance until she fell down dead. The end."

"So Disney lied?" Xeno mumbled, trying to recall the snow white movie he had seen as a kid.

"Well, kind of? Disney took the ideas and made them kid-friendly."

"Can't really imagine a kid wanting to idolize a princess who puts someone in burning shoes—except you, why are your eyes shimmering?" Stanley finally finished his shooting practice and turned to raise an eyebrow at the sitting pair.

[Y/N] had been happily swinging her legs during the story-telling, exaggerating scenes with her hands and smiling widely.

"Hey! It was only fair, that witch tried to kill snow white three times. Like you're not as pretty, get over it."

"Let's hope no one targets you."

Xeno continued to mumble, going over the details of the story, not noticing the blush coating her cheeks due to the insinuation of his words.

"Not like Stanley would let it happen three times, well, not even the first..."

Stanley nodded his head, reloading ammunition and hitting more bullseyes. [Y/N] was still not used to their comments, it had gotten better worse after coming clean on why she felt like she did.

"I'm pretty sure you'd be the one getting kidnapped, Xeno." She poked his temple, bringing back his attention towards her. "They'd want your brainnn~"

She wiggled her fingers, grinning when he half-heartedly swatted them away from his face, lips parting when he was suddenly holding her hand.

"Better learn how to shoot faster, you can come rescue me alongside Stan."

"I wouldn't be in a hurry."

"Yeah right." [Y/N] scoffed, raising their intertwined hands. "This is making you shake in your boots."

The soldier tucked his gun into the holster near his thigh, caramel eyes focused on the woman who got slightly startled when he walked closer to her.

He crouched right in front of her, separating her legs when she immediately snapped them close. Stanley kept eye contact with her and pulled her legs apart gently

[Y/N] couldn't bring herself to look away, squeezing Xeno's hand trying to comfort herself. He only laughed in response, watching them like it was a TV show episode.

"Who's shaking now?" Xeno murmured near her ear.

"You got something wrong, [Y/N]. I don't mind sharing with Xeno."

"I meant you being jealous of ME." She whined, trying to nudge Stanley away with her other leg, "And you, don't join in on his teasing." Placing a hand on Xeno's face, she pushed him back.

A sudden soft sensation landed on her inner thigh, Stanley had placed a kiss, holding the leg she tried to use to stop him.

[Y/N] scooted back in the wooden bench, letting out a yelp when she forgot the damn thing didn't have a backrest, slamming her body on the ground. Her legs dangled over the seat, two faces peered over her smirking in amusement.

"Shut up." She covered her face.

From then on, they always did something every time she told a story. Whether it be touching or in the form of compliments, it had her in a state of lose. Wondering if they were just trying hard to make her feel better.

Whenever she'd confront them about it, the only response was a smile and a shake of their head.

"—And thus, for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness all their days."

"Think I like the Disney one better..."

"Hmm, I'll have to disagree, Stan."

[Y/N]'s week of....whatever this was, was over. The real Cinderella story marked the end, now she'd be allowed to hang out with the others.

"You into chicks who cut off a part of their foot to fit in some shoes?"

"Takes guts, no? Thought that was your type, Stan."

"This one's my type." The blonde grabbed her waist and pulled her in, nuzzling his chin on top of her head.

[E/C] eyes twitched, trying to compose herself, being around them so much, had sparked feelings she buried months ago. They were far out of her league for Christ's sake, it was getting harder to ignore.

"Stop touching me so casually."

"Push me away."

"I'm cold."

Laughter filled the laboratory, oh how she hated when they would team up to do this shit. [Y/N] didn't want him to let go of her though, swallowing the embarrassment down to relish in the few seconds of comfort.

"So, what's the next course of action?" She asked, trying to ignore the warmth of Stanley.

"It's a surprise." Xeno smiled, onyx eyes sparkling. [Y/N] was done being flustered, glaring at the rocket scientist when he approached them and caressed her face. "It'll be ready next week." 

He grumbled as he finally finished dying his hair orange, putting down the can and looking at himself. What stared back was him in an obnoxiously striped shirt with colors that shouldn't go together, and the sleeves clung to his arms like a second layer of skin.

It also had a V-shaped neckline, which he definitely knew wasn't close to the original look. The overalls were undone on one side, per her particular request.

Clicks of heels could be heard outside his room, the door was opened, and in came his girlfriend with the biggest smile on her face.

"You put your hair down." She giggled, reaching out to delicately touch his hair.

A complaint died out in his throat, lips parted as he took in her costume. Tiffany Valentine. The white corset was tightened as much as possible, dipping her waist and pushing up her breasts. Her skirt was short, showing off the garter belts connecting to her thigh-high sheer stockings.

Instead of simple heels he had imagined, thick combat boots with a high stiletto stared back at him. Senku was rendered absolutely speechless, looking up to meet her shy smile. The red, deep color on her lips called out to him in a way he didn't completely understand right now.

She tugged on a small leather jacket, completing her look. "Do you like it?"

"It's...something else." [Y/N] didn't really know what to make out of that answer, feeling her shoulder slightly drop. He was her boyfriend; she should've remembered he didn't did really care much for anything sexy.

"Sit." She walked away from him, pulling his office chair out and patting the seat. Senku sat without complaint as she took out multiple makeup bags from her backpack and what he assumed to be special effect stuff.

She wiped away the specks of orange that sprinkled onto his skin, drying it afterward. A fluffy brush was tickling his nose, and he suppressed the urge to sneeze while she was right in his face.

Something cold was placed on his forehead, her fingers lightly pushing it around to form a scar. [Y/N] hummed, opening her eyeshadow palette and picking the darkest shade of red she had.

When she bent down to get a better look at it, Senku averted his eyes from her chest. He never had an issue before—well, not that he really had one right now, but this was different.

Senku had seen her wear the thinnest shorts and tank tops, all while sleeping over, and not once did he bat an eye. It felt odd to try to fight the warmth that spread from his neck to his ears, not wanting her to notice it.

"I was going to ask..." He held his breath as she pushed the chair closer to his desk, then settled herself on his lap. "But I know you don't care."

He did not—not care. In fact, he cared way too much right now. Her chest was firmly placed against his, paying no mind to his expressions or the change in his body language.

Her legs swung childishly, applying more scar wax to his face. Senku wanted to ignore it, truly, he did. His hands dug into the chair's armrests, avoiding placing any touches on her.

[Y/N] wanted to quit, wipe it all off his face, and simply go home. He wasn't a very sexual person; that was obvious from the very beginning. She expected a monotone response, anything other than his unmoving figure and silence.

Why couldn't he simply give her a white lie, at least for today, when she had swapped out her costume millions of times, shifting through her stockings like a madwoman?

The scar outlines were done, and needed a couple of minutes to dry as the dark eyeshadow seeped into its material better. In the meantime, she separated some staples and counted them.

Senku was glancing off to the side, crimson eyes burning imaginary holes into his wall. His fingers twitched against his will, wanting to dip down and touch the garter belts squishing her thighs.

"You don't like it." She sniffled, feeling tears threatening to ruin her eyeliner. [Y/N] wanted to go to this party, not him. Maybe it was all her fault for forcing him to say yes. "I'll take it all off, just say the word."

He was lucky he was sitting down, because those words would've had him stumbling back. Senku finally looked at her, feeling guilt crawl up his throat when he noticed her forming tears.

It took him a quick, embarrassing second to realize she was talking about the stuff on his face, not her clothing. Great, he was turning into a pervert because his girlfriend was dressed as a hot serial killer.

"Is it too much? Do you feel embarrassed being next to me dressed like this?"

Senku's blush got worse, creeping up higher on his neck. She was actually talking about her outfit. Of course, he wouldn't make her take it off, in his room...all alone with him...

The sound of him clearing his throat felt like a punch to her gut. [Y/N] shifted her weight, starting to slide off his legs and give him space. Senku suddenly grabbed hold of her thighs, stopping her from moving further.

It was a desperate attempt to stop her from leaving his side while she was upset, and to put a stop to the sudden friction she caused between his legs. Senku's fingers dug into the thick flesh, thumbs pressing into the belt hooks.

"You're doing something to me." He muttered, hating how much he was enjoying holding what he had eyed so intensely a few moments ago. Senku took it as a positive sign when she didn't push him away, only placing her hands on his shoulders.

"And you're my boyfriend. You don't need to hold yourself back." Senku sucked in a breath at her firm voice. [Y/N] picked up the foundation that matched his skin tone, applying a few dots directly onto the wax and evening it out with a brush.

His fingers slid up further, tracing the belt and disappearing under her white skirt. What greeted him wasn't shorts but the thin border of lacey underwear.

She continued to work on his makeup, using all of her other red powders to texturize the scars and around his normal skin. Her bottom lip was being softly bitten in between her teeth, not fully, afraid he'd notice and possibly tease her.

Senku hooked a finger under the fabric's border, gently tugging it away from her skin and tracing the entirety of the outline. His hands ended up resting on the exposed bottoms of her ass because her underwear wasn't the usual style she wore; this was much smaller.

They've had sex before, nothing this extra touchy-feely, especially from his part. He genuinely began to regret how mundane he treated her during those times. Touching her this way was stirring up his insides like nothing he'd experienced, so he could imagine what she felt in return.

An exhale left her lips when he squeezed his hands out of nowhere. [Y/N] smiled when she realized he was avoiding looking into her eyes, instead keeping his gaze on the floor. His face was slowly turning a bright red under the gentle touch of her fingers.

It messed her up a bit to blend the colors while he blushed, but she couldn't tell him that. While she shuffled through one of her bags, Senku took the chance to glance at her.

Her blonde wig had been perfectly styled into loose, bouncy curls, mimicking Tiffany's style from when she was still human. The chucky tattoo was settled on the top of her right breast. [Y/N] applied it extremely well, looking almost realistic.

Senku should've said something else. She had put in so much effort, and he was too busy acting like some high schooler who'd never seen a girl before.

He didn't look away when she turned back, holding a fake blood container. Crimson and [E/C] met, neither letting go of eye contact. He kept a hand on her ass, the other slid back to the front, and playfully pinched the small bow at the top of the underwear.

Senku only teased her with words, not actions. It was a new, explored territory in their relationship. She shuddered against his touch, feeling a finger lightly brush against her clothed clit. It lowered, pushing the thin fabric between her labia.

The fake blood was applied, giving his costume life. Warmth pooled in her lower stomach when he detached the hooks from her garter belt and pulled down the underwear. She lifted her hips slightly to allow him to pull it further.

Their eyes never faltered, even when their faces clearly showed the effect this newfound intimacy was having. It was pure trust; there were only two people in this room sharing a moment, a safe bubble.

She gasped softly when he made contact, smoothly rubbing her exposed clit with the slick that had gathered. Senku gently tugged it, earning him a sharp inhale. Her thighs shifted from the feeling, and he knew it was a good sign.

He had memorized every twitch, movement, facial expression, and sound. It wasn't intentional, but he couldn't deny how proud he was of it right about now. Her back arched slightly, pushing her chest closer to him.

[Y/N] trembled in his hold, doing her best to stick the staples into the wax and not stab him by accident. A finger slipped inside with zero signs of struggle; he noticed and added another, happy to hear the moan it caused her to emit.

He guided them to stretch her walls, a scissoring motion made [Y/N] drop the last staple. It fell onto the floor and was quickly forgotten. She gripped his shoulders once again, digging her manicured nails into him.

"Sen..." She whispered. A low, quiet plea, he understood. Senku pumped the two fingers in and out, creating a rhythm for her thrusting hips to follow.

Squelching sounds filled the room, and he was glad his dad wasn't home, allowing them to be as loud as needed. Trails of her wetness went down the palms of his hands, smearing across her inner thighs and sinking into the fabric of his overalls.

She was the one to break eye contact first, closing them and bringing him into a sloppy kiss. Senku wasted no time parting his lips for her tongue. The way she sucked on his made a weird but pleasant rush run through his lower half.

Two became three, filling her up even more. His middle finger reached further than the other two; he curled that one into her walls, trying to find the 'sweet' spot the article said women usually had.

When she moaned into the kiss, he knew he had found it. More than a moan, it came out sounding like the wind was knocked out of her. Senku focused on that spot, enjoying the vibrations of her pleasured noises against his lips.

His thumb latched onto her clit with circular motions, alternating between it and his occupied fingers. She suddenly guided her hips far too forward, making his fingers reach deeper and rubbing her ass against his semi hard-on.

"Fuck—" The word muffled as her mouth continued to clash with his, her hand reaching down to stroke him above the clothing. She pushed back her body, giving him back the space he previously had.

[Y/N] pulled away, slipping off her leather jacket, leaving her neck and shoulders exposed to the cool air in his room. She wiped away the saliva dripping from his chin and hers, whimpering as he fastened his pace.

Because of the overalls, she didn't have any quick access to him. She undid the other side, tugging it down to pool around his waist. He caught on, removing his fingers from her temporarily as she took off his shirt.

Her hands roamed his chest as he went back to pleasuring her. Thighs clenched tightly against him, tensing up when the familiar imaginary knot formed in her uterus.

Senku gulped a sigh when she licked the shape of his Adam's apple, attaching her lips and gently sucking. Typically, he'd tell her to do it somewhere else where no one could see them; his classmates were nosey and would undoubtedly call him out on it.

He couldn't bring himself to redirect her. Who really cared if someone else saw them? It would benefit him to have the marks linger on his skin, evidence that he was taken. Perhaps this way, she'd be less worried about those girls who tried flirting with him all the time.

A pulsating feeling overtook her, and goosebumps arose on her skin. She was getting closer to climaxing. [Y/N] didn't want him to be left out, so she gently pried his hand away from between her legs.

Senku was breathing a bit heavily from all of her love bites; a particular one just below his jaw was sensitive. He watched her stand up, wobbling slightly. Crimson eyes followed the way she approached him again.

"Chair or bed?" The simple yet direct question made him blink; he didn't get to reply. She walked to his drawers, rummaging through the contents and grabbing a condom.

He chuckled when her fingers pointed at his overalls. Senku pulled them down enough to give her access. She sat down on his lap again but kept herself near his knees.

Senku held her from falling, patiently letting her tug his boxers down and open the condom's foil. The earlier embarrassment had melted away, realizing they had nothing to be ashamed of.

[Y/N] offered him no time to prepare, sinking herself to the hilt. He groaned at the tightness squeezing him all of a sudden, sucking him right in. Senku moved the fabric from her skirt away, allowing him to watch the motion.

Every lift of her hips had her thighs slamming down onto his own, messily coating them with her spilled arousal.

His name escaped her lips like a never-ending chant, bringing him closer to the edge. Hands dug into the sides of her hips and guided her body when she began to slow down.

Was it the heightened emotions that made him feel this needy to have her in his grasp? He swore he could last longer than this. It was hitting him like a train, the utter want for her that is.

Her fingers were tangled in his dyed hair, staining her slightly with the color orange. Senku's trance was broken, instead fixing his gaze on her fucked-out expressions. Her pretty lips were parted, a fruitless attempt to catch her breath.

"I couldn't..." His voice died out, biting his inner cheek to stop the moan threatening to get out. She hummed in response, encouraging him to keep talking, even though she was the reason he was struggling.

"speak..." [Y/N] wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, rubbing gently to encourage him. Her nails deliciously scratched against his skin when he moved her hips in a perfect circle. "...because all I wanted..."

He couldn't hold back anymore, knowing she was about to come soon. Senku relaxed significantly, allowing the friction to work its magic. "Was to touch you everywhere."

His words completely eased her lingering worry; butterflies swarmed her stomach instead, heightening her need for him. Senku seemed to pick up on the faster pace, matching her quickly.

"Sen—" "Me too."

Their lips collided. An intimate, silent shield for their moans as they finished at the same time. Lazy strokes started to ride out their highs, letting them focus on the kiss.

Neither moved an inch, even as he twitched inside her. [Y/N] smiled at the red lipstick staining his lips and neck, a part of her wished she had chosen a long-lasting one. He would either sport them for the world to see or stay at home until they faded, which meant spending more time with her.

Senku pulled her closer into a hug, basking in the aftermath. They would not be going to that party anymore, his overalls were soaked by her. It was a shame to see the fake scars on his face go to waste, but could this really be considered a bad alternative?

"We really went into character." She mumbled against his shoulder, enjoying his arms around her.

"I know they have a kid, but they didn't show the...process in the movie right?"

"Oh, they did. They fucked in doll mode."

Senku's eyebrow raised, not that she could see it. He had only watched half of the Bride of Chucky movie, succumbing to sleep while she finished it.

"We should be aliens next year."

He snorted at the out-of-the-blue statement. "Why?"

"They're always naked." Senku probably should've guessed that'd be her answer.

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"Akaza, this is [Y/N]." The demon king drank the tea she had prepared, a special blend that demons could consume without a speck of disgust. "You are to check up on her briefly every night, kill everything and anything near this home."

Akaza nodded, hesitating to sip the beverage; it smelled nice at least. He couldn't shake off his suspicions of [Y/N], brightly smiling at them, covered in blood from head to toe.

"I'll take my leave and [Y/N], try not to wear those clothes outside again."

"Hm? Don't I look adorable though?" He rolled his red eyes and picked up his fedora, all while sending her a glare that barely made her react. Muzan placed a hand on her head, squeezing a bit roughly.

"Yes, and you aren't the only one who thinks so." Her smile faltered as he left the residence, leaving her to sit with a quiet demon. It was silent. Akaza ended up gulping greedily, amazed to taste something other than human.

[Y/N] wordlessly stood up and poured him another fill, ignoring the way the blood began to dry, seeping further into her silky nightgown. It wasn't common to dress in anything other than the traditional kimonos outside your home, but it wasn't like she planned on the incident.

"There's a corpse behind this door." He wasn't asking a question or making a big deal out of it, simply pointing it out. Akaza had never heard of [Y/N], wondering why Muzan wanted him to keep a human safe.

She didn't reply, dipping a clean towel into a bucket of water and wiping her face. Yellow eyes darted across the walls, trying to find something, anything that would tell him why she had met the demon king and survived. His gaze landed on the large bookcase, completely filled, and stacks of books on the floor.

"Flowers. I read about flowers."

He picked one up, noticing the vast amount of small pieces of paper sticking out of the pages; almost every book had notes. It made sense that she was kept alive; he had never heard of anybody having his huge amount of knowledge of flowers, they were considered simple and pretty, providing nothing else, the exception being wisteria.

The flowers in her backyard were also an indicator that he missed.

"How do you make a living?"

"Muzan gives me an allowance so I can devote my time to finding the blue spider lily."

Akaza's eye twitched, hearing her address his lord so casually. A human in no way could bear the curse that non-upper moon demons dealt with. He would need to get used to hearing her say it without honorifics.

"Would you like some dinner?"

"Demons cannot eat regular—"

"I meant the man in my bedroom."

He blinked, now realizing she had stopped smiling a long while ago. Akaza got on his feet, sliding the door and being greeted by the sight of a dead man with his eyes open wide, throat slashed, and a repeatedly stabbed chest. He glanced over his shoulder, feeling her body come closer to gaze at the ugly scene.

"Bad night with your lover?"

"He's my friend's fiancée, well, was." [Y/N]'s lips lifted up into an amused grin, although her [E/C] eyes showed nothing but anger. "Followed me home, crept into my bed, and thought he could have me. It's quite insane what a pretty thing in a short dress can make a man do."

He finally took notice of her bloody clothing, silky fabric hugging her waist and hips, cleavage peeking out, and giving anybody a clear view of her assets. She had gone outside wearing just that? He wasn't shaming her in any way; being shirtless, he had no room to talk.

"I just wanted some strawberries, instead I got a weirdo and blood everywhere." She huffed, tearing her eyes away from the man who tried to force himself on her. [Y/N] desperately needed to take a bath and conjure up reassuring sentences for her friend, who was surely going to flip out her man suddenly disappeared.

"Thanks for the food." Akaza walked into her room and closed the door, leaving her to quickly wash up.

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It had become a nightly routine. The tea would be ready for his arrival, and her nose would be buried in another book. Akaza lazily munched on eyeballs he brought to kill time while eyeing the nail file she had set on the table, wondering if he should try to even his claws nails out.

[Y/N] closed the finished book with a loud snap, stretching out her limbs before biting into some strawberries—strawberries Akaza had brought her, they somehow tasted better than usual. She scooted to the other side of the table, noticing how he was contemplating hard.

She picked up his free hand and the nail file, separating his index finger from the rest, and started to fix his chipped nail. [Y/N] made it look effortless, switching between blowing on his hands and moving on to the next target.

"You should get some emery boards, they're disposable and very cheap."

Akaza looked up from his hand, sending her a confused head tilt.

"Oh, that's another name for this nail file." He continued to observe, surprisingly liking the way his hands looked way more appealing to the eye. She finally pulled away, laughing when he extended his fingers out and intensely looked.

"Did you like the fruit? I made sure to steal the freshest batch."

"I did, thank you." Confirming her answer she bit into another piece, humming when the burst of flavor intensified. [Y/N] settled down, grabbing a book and dragging her own tea cup to the other side. Akaza could feel the warmth of her body near him, he couldn't think of a reason of why he felt so fuzzy inside.

"I hope Muzan isn't angry with me. He hasn't come by this week."

"He's been busy." He reached over the table, pouring himself another cup. "There's nothing on that flower, no matter where we search."

[Y/n] picked up a different book only for it to be snatched out of her hands. Yellow eyes with written kanji narrowed at her confused stare, Akaza set the material on the side, away from her reach.

"It's late, rest."

"But I can only talk to you during the night." His usual dead, cold heart skipped a beat.

"Tomorrow will be a long night, we'll speak then."

He hoped he looked nonchalant on the outside, because inside, the fuzzy feeling had grown stronger.

...

...

Akaza didn't particularly understand the warmth that spread on his face, in his heart, and stomach whenever she'd smile at him. He hated humans; they were weak, useless, and nothing compared to him.

So why, why did he feel so strongly for a mere human? Yes, he could agree she was a huge asset to the search, but why was he getting attached? So comfortable? So quickly.

The way she enthused about what flowers reminded her of his eyes, Canola Blossoms, Japanese kerrias, she'd explain it as seeing two bright little suns whenever their eyes would connect. He never said much in response, turning away with a hand on his cheek to hide the sprouting red.

"It's nighttime, I wanna see the sunnnn~" She'd whine when he closed them, and only when she'd promise to talk more about other yellow flowers, would he comply.

Her voice scratched his brain in a way he couldn't truly describe, like he wasn't complete until he heard her greeting him every night, asking him if he wanted tea. It was a routine he didn't want to change for anything in the world, not even fighting the strongest could pull him away from this little home, from her.

[Y/N] had become a reminder that he was human once, emotions he thought had dissipated decades ago resurfaced, unwanted at first, but he grew to like them as they helped him forge a bond quicker with her.

When tears would fill her eyes, his chest felt heavy, even if she was only crying about something silly. The way he felt his lips fighting a smile from appearing when his name was called.

She liked holding him close whenever she felt unsafe, unknowingly causing the demon to melt from the inside out.

"za...ka...Akaza!" He snapped away from his deep thoughts, feeling a small hand on his forehead, checking his temperature, it seemed. Akaza slowly cupped his own hand over it and pulled it away, not letting go.

His sharp nails slowly grazed her soft flesh, careful not to break the skin. He glanced up from her warm palm, tilting his head as if to ask what she needed.

"Sorry, I was asking if we could take a walk by the river."

He wordlessly nodded, still keeping her hand in his. The pair walked in a comfortable silence, enjoying the sound of the wind drifting through the trees and chilling their skin.

They reached the body of water, and [Y/N] had split from his side, taking off her sandals and dipping her feet into the lake. Akaza approached but stayed seated on a boulder, curiously watching her play around the water, chasing the small fish that lingered around her ankles.

With the moon shining down on her, she looked ethereal. [H/C] hair glowing brighter, soft [E/C] eyes shimmering as she watched the water flow. Never had he met someone quite as entrancing as her.

Her figure crouched slightly as she pulled out a small flower, holding it out to him with a bright smile. The hand resting on his knee nearly slipped, looking down at her, it felt wrong, like instead he should be the one gazing up, worshipping her very existence.

"It's a water lily! Usually, the yellow ones are faded, but this one is really bright, like your eyes."

Maybe he didn't need to force himself to understand why he felt the way he did; maybe it was okay to let it grow on its own, to let it blossom. He couldn't do anything to stop it, not that he wanted to either.

"Beautiful." The word slipped from his mouth before he could take a second to think.

"Right? Wait, come down here, there are so many more."

He wasn't talking about the flower.

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[Y/N] lived on the mountain, a long path from the main village below. Akaza watched her trail up the graveled road to her house. The sun had set just minutes ago, and he was transported by the biwa woman.

She hummed a low tune while struggling to carry a bundle of books, hoping that this new batch could provide her with more information. Muzan had allowed her to live, and to repay him with nothing, it made her squeamish.

The weight in her arms was relinquished as Akaza settled next to her, matching her walking pace.

"Good evening, Akaza." The demon gulped, feeling his mouth dry up from how sweet her greeting sounded. Instead of replying, he nodded, looking away when she giggled at his antics.

[Y/N] had grown to favor Akaza in a way she hadn't for anyone. Despite being a demon, he was extremely respectful of her and never made her feel less for being a human.

And while her heart raced whenever he was around, reality tugged at her as well. He would probably never indulge her in any way, for she was only a pawn in this long game. One that held no purpose on its own, to be discarded or forgotten.

It was okay. She had come to terms with her predicament, and to enjoy every minute she could with him was her only comfort.

Upper-moon three fixed his gaze on her once again, lips parting in slight wonder when he noticed how her eyes were half-lidded, eyebrows slightly scrunched up, like she was holding back tears.

"Any progress?"

"Not much, but these books were sent from another region not that long ago. I'm hoping they have something." The only reason she had chosen this specific village to live in was that it had a huge library, and it influenced people to travel to donate their documents, recovered scrolls, and even their own fictional stories.

"The master will be arriving shortly, he said he has things to discuss with you."

[Y/N] pouted. The fear she once held for Muzan had dissipated the moment he scoffed a laugh out when a book fell from the shelves during a serious conversation and hit her square on the head.

Still, she had no information to relay. He'd be undoubtedly disappointed.

A silence overtook their walk, [Y/N] being a little ahead of him, plucking some flowers and observing the beautiful night. Akaza paced slowly, keeping a watchful eye out for any potential dangers, and taking advantage of the space between them to take in her figure.

The clothes she wore always sparked his curiosity; short dresses and shorts were her favorite. Her legs were always on display. After the incident, she had gone back to her kimonos, but when Akaza had reassured her he'd be there the moment the sun went down, she waited until said time to go shopping and wear the clothes she adored.

It had warranted her rude comments and nasty looks; however, she didn't care. [Y/N] only validated Akaza's opinion, and so far, he hasn't seemed to have any complaints. Feeling soft tingles go down her back whenever she'd catch him staring at her thighs, the brush of his hand on them whenever he'd stand up, it was all that mattered.

The door was opened swiftly with the wooden key, shutting it when both of them were inside. [Y/N] immediately started up a fire to boil the water and tea leaves.

Akaza set her books on the table and took a seat on the cushion, rolling his neck and sighing softly when it cracked. Once again, his gaze was glued on her, concentrating on the slight sway of her hips as she walked around the kitchen area.

"Akaza?" He hummed in response, holding his head up with a hand on his cheek. "I know you mentioned not eating women or children, but is there a deeper reason that holds you back from it?"

"Doesn't seem right, even for a demon." He accepted the teacup provided and waited for [Y/N] to sit down. "I eat the strongest, most women are brought up to be housewives, to be protected. And children are just that... children."

"And while there are female demon slayers, I'd fight if it were necessary. Kill or eat them? No. Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity mostly, I met Douma a few nights back when you weren't available to come by. He was very vocal about his food preference." Akaza's grip tightened, and the cup in his hand shattered. Pieces lodged into his palm with blood dripping on the table.

His body hovered over the table, bringing his face closer to her stunned one. The mere thought of that shitty demon being near [Y/N] was enough to anger him for a million lifetimes. Nails sharpened abruptly, scratching her furniture, she trembled slightly.

Never had she seen him this way, and why did her thighs clench together?

"Stay away from him, [Y/N]." The way her name fell from his lips with such authority had her face reddening, mindlessly nodding to his demand. Akaza seemed to snap out of it, letting his scowl disappear, and settled back into his sitting position.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and calming himself before making eye contact with [Y/N]. Akaza was worried he had scared her, but when her expression showed nothing but being flustered, he was discombobulated.

A confusion that lingered for a few seconds before he welcomed it, relieved she wasn't afraid of him.

After that small interaction, the sound of a biwa strumming brought their attention to their new guest. Muzan was holding a stack of papers held by tight ropes. He took a seat at the head of the table and waited patiently for [Y/N] to finish pouring him tea.

And when she sat once again, he began speaking.

"Kokushibo was scouting an area where one of my demons was killed." The pages were placed next to the woman, who immediately undid the rope and skimmed through the fading ink. "Before it became their domain, it was an archive, he thought these might provide more knowledge. So, any updates?" He turned to his demon.

Akaza bowed his head. "Nothing, my lord." Veins appeared on Muzan's forehead, teeth growing sharper at his lack of intel. Before the demon king could tear Akaza to pieces, they were both distracted by the sound of [Y/N] gasping and running to her bookshelf.

She began to compare a page to her book notes, and a while later, she sat back down. Hand on her chin, wondering how to formulate her discovery to Muzan.

"These pages are not directly about flowers, but medical treatments. Really old ones at that." She slid a paper towards Muzan, who only blinked once at the language he didn't know. "That one is a list for a medication you told me one of your doctors provided."

He looked closer, recognizing the drawn symbols of flowers and plants, and he recalled seeing them being crushed and filtered. Kokushibo had brought these back solely due to the drawings he noticed, and it was paying off.

"These date back hundreds of years, which means there's a high chance of one of these pages or the library containing information about the blue lily."

"You continue to surprise me. I expected you to whine about not knowing the language." [Y/N]'s hand flipping through the pages froze, almost robotically turning her head to look at a smug demon.

Her cheeks burned a bright red, holding back on scoffing at the man who could kill her in less than a second.

"Saying that when you yourself don't know, you're so mean, Muzan." She huffed, turning away from him, and muttered through a pout. "Also, I never whine."

"Lying doesn't suit you." He was having too much fun, watching the way her hands twitched, dying to say something else but holding back to keep her life.

Akaza was a little dumbfounded at their casual talk, never once had he seen Muzan treat a human, well demon at that, this...friendly. Not to mention, he laughed?

Not even an hour had passed when the tea had run out, and [Y/N] was softly snoring on the table. Muzan gathered the pages and wrapped them up once again. He walked towards her garden with Akaza following a few steps behind.

The superior demon stared up at the full moon, hands clasped behind his back, while Akaza was seated on the small steps. He knew his master was about to harm him earlier, but [Y/N] had indirectly-directly saved him from that wrath.

"You're falling for her." His thoughts suddenly jumbled, staring up to meet crimson eyes piercing his very soul. The commanding aura had him bending the knee and staring at the ground.

"Yes." The redhead grimaced, having a feeling of what was about to occur. "If I am to be switched out from this duty, may I ask that Douma be discarded as a choice?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Akaza." Said man shuddered at the low voice, feeling his muscles tense up in anticipation. "This is your task, and you will see it to the end."

Muzan would've swapped demons if it wasn't for the fact that he knew this would happen, the tone of voice used between those two, the lingering stares, not to mention Akaza expanding his hunting area around her house.

The truth was, [Y/N] was far too interesting a character to discard, even if she was human. One who wasn't blatantly afraid of him and even managed to get a few chuckles out of him.

He couldn't rid himself of Akaza either, having no stronger demons to add to the upper-moons at this point in time, he'd be uselessly discarding a piece. Not to mention the assurance that he'd never harm her.

"Nothing will happen, my loyalty lies with you, my lord—"

"Indulge yourself for all I care. You need to carry out your tasks, will you let this hinder them?"

"No, keeping her safe for the sake of the blue spider lily is all that matters."

Muzan rarely had demons lie to his face, and for a human to be the cause of it was strangely amusing. Was it the slight euphoria of knowing he was a step closer to the flower he's been searching for all his demonic life? He didn't know, but in the end, it wasn't like he cared what his demons did in their spare time.

"Head back inside." And with that, he was gone from the garden and left an Akaza sharply breathing in from this slight confrontation.

Of course, the thought of holding her, kissing her, and more explicit actions crossed his mind daily, but never did he take the leap. Because the demon was sure, she'd either reject him, or Muzan would put an end to them before Akaza could even blink.

What was he going to do with this granted permission? What first step should he take? Why was this harder to process now that he could?

"Is everything okay?" He stopped heaving, looking up to meet her concerned face. She slowly walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Akaza?"

He didn't need to think so hard because she wasn't going anywhere; she was right here with him, every single night.

Akaza took one last sharp breath and stood up, dusting off his attire and turning around to stare directly into her eyes.

"I'm alright. Let's get you to bed." He offered her a hand, hoping she wouldn't notice the way it shook in anticipation. [Y/N] softly smiled and accepted it without a shred of hesitation, letting him guide her back into the warm home.

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[H/C] hair was sprawled over the large pillow, and the bed had scattered pages [Y/N] was currently reading. Akaza was resting his eyes while lying his head on her chest, steadily listening to her heartbeat.

This position had forced her to hold up the pages to read them, having nowhere else to balance them. Her free hand softly massaged his scalp, running her fingers through his red hair.

Her eyes began the same paragraph for the ninth time, distracted by the man in her personal bubble. Giddy was an understatement; over the moon was a more appropriate expression to use for this development.

Nights and now some mornings were filled with cuddling, soft touches, and deep eye contact. She wondered what had brought on this change, although she didn't dare question it, fearing it might make him back off.

It did slightly irk her that no further intimacy had been exchanged, maybe more so annoyed that she couldn't bring herself to initiate it, and it seemed like Akaza wasn't sure how to either.

"Are you staying tonight?" The sun was going to set soon, and he had been here since last night.

"Not for most of it, I'm going to hunt first." His voice was muffled as he snuggled closer to her, wrapping an arm over her stomach.

Another silence enveloped them, [Y/N] set down the finished page, and fixated her attention on Akaza. Feeling this sudden body language change, he flipped his head to face her. Yellow met [E/C], and it was like they were in a deep trance.

Her fingers softly traced the marks on his face, smiling teasingly when it began to fluster under her touch. A thumb smoothly glided over the blue line on his forehead. Slowly but surely, he removed himself from her to sit up, settling next to her body instead. [Y/N] said nothing, curious about what was going through his mind.

Akaza couldn't look away from the beautiful shade of [E/C], the thick eyelashes that fluttered on occasion, her nose that seemed to fit her face so perfectly, and lips that looked soft, so kissable.

He gulped, feeling his hand tremble. It twitched, wanting to reach out and touch her, hold her close again. Akaza scooted off the bed, walking towards her window and moving the curtains out of the way. It was finally nighttime, time to go.

"Stay safe." She knew he'd be perfectly fine; he wasn't an upper-moon for no reason. Still, she couldn't let him go into the dark night without knowing he had somebody who worried for him.

The window suddenly slammed closed, and Akaza took a few steps back to slowly turn to meet her face. He made his way back to the bed, where [Y/N] had sat herself on the edge.

She looked at him, wondering what had changed. Did he see something outside? Perhaps it wasn't dark enough?

He bent down, placing both hands on the sides of her thighs. [Y/N] looked up from this action to come face to face with him again, an inch barely keeping them apart.

"Akaza?" Honey. It sounded like pure sweetness to his ears, to have someone care for him like this; it was unnatural, but not unwanted. She had shown him glimpses, and now he was addicted.

"[Y/N]..." The whisper sounded so desperate, she felt her brain short-circuit. "Can I kiss you?"

A laugh. Akaza's eyes widened, watching her laugh to herself, holding onto his arms for support. Had he been way in over his head? A human and a demon together sounded like taboo, and maybe the logic behind it was there for a reason.

Finally getting over her giggling fit, she breathed out, feeling lightheaded. She removed Akaza's hands from her body, standing up to meet his full height. He held a blank face, watching her movement.

[Y/N] spun them around, this time having Akaza sit on the edge of the bed. He blinked a few times before sitting properly, and it seemed like the woman didn't want to waste any more time, settling herself over his lap.

Arms slid over his shoulder and hugged his neck, and his own hands slowly settled around her waist. Her lips tugged up into a smirk, taking in his flustered state. It was finally here, the moment she had craved for weeks, months.

No way in absolute hell would she let him get off this bed until she felt satisfied. In a way, it seemed like Akaza knew exactly what she was thinking. It excited him and terrified him all the same.

"As sweet as that was, next time? Just take it." She whispered against his lips, not waiting for an answer, and brought him into a rough kiss.

Akaza could still taste traces of her delectable tea lingering on her tongue. His grip on her waist tightened, bringing her impossibly closer to his chest. The small dress rode up higher as she ground her hips, sending a feeling similar to an electric shock throughout his body.

Her mouth suddenly came to a halt, keeping his bottom lip between her teeth, and her eyes fluttered open. [Y/N] gently tugged before letting go, taking in his blissful expression and smiling to herself.

Remembering her last words, he didn't hesitate to bring her in for another kiss, and this time, he took his time with her. It was soft, gentle, sweet, a clear contrast to what he represented. As he brought her closer, Akaza felt her lean her weight onto him, effectively pushing him flat on the bed.

The dress straps had fallen to the side of her arms, her breasts no longer having the coverage they had moments ago, and he was mesmerized by the newfound view. Akaza's gaze wasn't missed by her. She placed the palm of her hand on his chest as she sat up.

Having a powerful being beneath her like so was weirdly empowering; the look of absolute desperation lingering in his kanji-written eyes was enough to heighten her want.

She slowly took off her dress, curving her back as she slid it up. His hands returned to their rightful place, now meeting bare flesh. The piece of clothing was discarded on the floor as her eyes went back to him.

Her thighs slowly parted further, adjusting herself on top of him, unknowingly catching his full attention. He felt his mouth water, a taunting smell he'd never encountered, it called out to him, and who was he to deny himself of this?

[Y/N] barely had time to blink, one minute she had the upper hand, and now she lay for his hungry eyes to dance over. He had flipped them over with him still between her legs.

"Akaza...?" She breathed out, feeling his hands lower from her hips to pry her legs even further apart, the confidence boost her earlier control had given melted away, and now she felt her entire body grow warmer.

[E/C] half-lidded eyes watched him slowly slide off the bed, getting on his knees and tugging her legs to drape over his shoulders.

His lips brushed feather-like kisses on her inner thighs, gently nipping at the sensitive skin, careful of his canine teeth. A sharp gasp was emitted from her when his mouth finally made contact where she wanted him the most, and the grip of his large hands kept her in place.

The demon had absolutely no idea what he was doing; this was foreign to him, and his only sense of direction was paying attention to her reactions. He curiously licked the wetness that coated her labia, and he took his sweet time exploring what else caused pleasure for her.

"If I do something wrong, please let me know." Akaza murmured as he let go of one of her legs, using his fingers to gently prod around, watching as goosebumps arose on her skin.

His touches were light, unpredictable, and clumsily perfect. She could understand his lack of experience; it was noticeable, obvious. But perhaps because it was him, it felt so right anyway.

Before [Y/N] could reassure him it'd be fine, her hand abruptly raised to cover her mouth. Feeling the slight graze of one of his fingers over her clit, this didn't go unnoticed by him, returning to the cause.

He was attentive, not letting any good signs slip away from his ears or eyes. She trusted him enough to be vulnerable, offering herself completely to him, and that was something he wouldn't dare take lightly.

Akaza quickly reached up to remove her hand, [Y/N] got the message, and instead reached out for her pillow, squishing it in her grip. He dipped his head lower to take a closer look, watching the small bundle of nerves slowly turn red and swell the longer he played with it.

"Look at me." Voice barely above a whisper, and she complied, nearly coming undone when he wrapped his lips around her clit, predatory eyes glowing while keeping eye contact with her.

Her heart stammered harshly against her ribcage, catching the pure adoration in his gaze as he held her so tenderly. He wasn't even trying to tease her, sucking a little timidly to test the waters first, her body shifted side to side, trying to ease the pain of pleasure, but Akaza held her tightly in place.

She thought he'd be at her mercy tonight, excited to finally have her hands on him. So, how was it that her confidence had shattered into a billion pieces, left a mumbling mess beneath him, exposed to his hungry yet so beautiful self?

Without a shred of warning, he let go to guide his mouth further below, plunging his tongue between her lower lips. There was absolutely no sense of obstruction; never had someone else made her feel this aroused before.

Continuously dripping, creating a mess between her thighs and the lower half of his face. He didn't seem to mind, tilting his head slightly to reach a deeper angle, tongue stroking the inside of her walls.

"Fuck...Aka...za..."

Moans and soft pants of air kept his pace going, fueling him in a way he couldn't describe. A feral want, or a greedy one, whatever it was, he never wanted it to end. Picking up the momentum when her back arched off the bed and pushed herself closer to him, nose bumping into her sensitivity.

Tingles spread throughout her body, tears building up and getting stuck in her eyelashes as he applied further pressure, devouring her entirely. Her thighs tried to close, only managing to squish his head slightly, and encourage him further.

Akaza liked the sensation of her limbs encasing him; it gave him a rush like no other. He lapped up every single drop that spilled out of her, savoring such an addictive taste, and while he waited for it to gather again, he continued to enjoy the way her body twitched against him whenever he pressed sloppy kisses on her clit again, and again.

Still figuring it all out, he gave her a few seconds to relax before slowly inserting a finger. It slid in so smoothly that [Y/N] didn't even have to prepare herself for the insertion, feeling him pump it in and out, once again studying her.

One became two, and two turned into three. He seemed to figure out where the spot that had her reacting the most was, taking turns curling his fingers inside of her and then sliding them out completely, only to insert them again in a fast pace.

God, the sounds. Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, it sounded so sloppy, so lewd. Akaza seemingly let them become louder, enjoying the way it made her body's heat rise.

His mouth and fingers had her scratching into her pillow, feeling her throat start to sore up with how much sound she was making. Stars filled the empty ceiling, feeling an invisible coil in her uterus snap and spasm against his mouth. Akaza was entranced, yellow eyes following the juices that spilled out of her as she regained her breathing.

He assumed that had been her limit, still, he took it upon himself to clean her up properly, slightly oblivious to the orgasm that left her extremely sensitive to any touch. Her legs were shaky, and her chest rose up in a fast rhythm. Regulating her breathing was harder when she could barely take in a gulp of air without moaning.

An audible 'pop' made her face heat up even more, following the way his tongue ran across his bottom lip, thumb cleaning up the slick going down his chin, and licking it off.

"Was that okay?" The glow in his eyes slowly diminished, and he looked away, slightly flustered by his own question. [Y/N] held her upper body up while leaning on her propped elbows, a thin coat of sweat glistening on her skin.

"Are you sure you haven't eaten women?"

Akaza blinked at her cheeky grin, taking a quick second to process what that had meant.

"Only...you..."

Her head lolled to the side, giggling at his sudden shyness. Akaza squeezed her skin in his hands once more before getting up. He was still in awe of her naked body, every dip, every curve, every mark. She was utterly perfect in his eyes.

"Woah, woah." [Y/N]'s hand reached out to tuck her fingers on the side of his waistband, tugging him slightly to catch his attention. "Where do you think you're going? We're not done here yet, sweetie."

Oh, how glad he felt, turning away from that window. For this meal was far superior to anything he would've gotten that night.

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In no time, the rest of the year had passed in the blink of an eye. Their relationship evolved over time, and they seemed to strike a balance between duty and pleasure very well.

Winter was especially harsh this time around; it had her bound to her home, struggling to buy meals due to the supply shortage in the village below. Shipping carts were either being robbed or getting stuck in the thick snow.

Akaza was gladly forced to cuddle, keeping her warm throughout the freezing nights. He didn't mind; he liked to tease her about her red nose and pouty lips whenever he'd leave their cocoon of blankets.

"Seriously, I have no food, my garden is dead, and my boyfriend is leaving meee~" She dramatically let her head fall on his shoulder, snapping a book closed.

"It's only three days, I'll be back before you know it." He peppered kisses on her face, laughing when she playfully stuck her tongue out to interrupt an incoming kiss.

So far, she had learned the flower was extremely rare, rarer than they had anticipated. It was never meant to be used as a medicinal elixir, and whoever Muzan's doctor was, was ahead of his time. The one page containing details about it only stated size, color, and smell.

Useless in her eyes, she needed to know its growing conditions, ideal weather, soil, and water consumption. No one seemed to have studied this flower, almost like a mythical object.

Deciding to take advantage of Akaza being gone, she planned a small trip of her own, not only for food, but to find something to help Muzan.

Maybe her morals were shattered, but what could she do? Die an extremely painful death, or help a demon have absolute control of the world while she sipped hot chocolate with her hot boyfriend? Option two was the clear answer.

She waited for the bright morning sun to melt some of the snow in her path, but after a small amount of time, she lost all patience and started her journey anyway.

Blowing hot air into her hands didn't seem to help, and all she wanted right now was to be huddled in front of the fireplace with Akaza holding her tight.

The kimono inverness coat was too big on her; it seemed like she was drowning in it. This was not fashionable at all. Was warmth really more important than style? No.

"Stupid winter." She grumbled under her breath, the road signs were slightly worn out, making her squint to read the words, and correcting her path. The first stop was fairly close, the plan was to eat a quick meal and head to their closest form of a library.

By the time [Y/N] arrived at the village, the sun was starting to set, and she quickly approached the closest food stand.

"Ah! What can I get for you, pretty lady?" The old man smiled brightly, and she couldn't help but match his enthusiasm. Setting down her traveling bag down she sat down and picked up the wood slab with the menu engraved onto it.

"Hi, I'll just get a shina soba."

"Oh dear, you look a little pale." Presumably, the wife reached out to hold her cold hands. "Everything alright?"

"I'm okay, just haven't eaten today." Hearing that, she curiously watched the old man freeze up and quickly pour more ingredients into the bowl.

An amazing aroma made her heart squeeze; just from the presentation, she knew it would be amazing. She got the bowl half down before turning her attention to the couple.

"Is there any place here I could check out books, or medicinal scrolls?"

"Hmm, a lovely fellow in the next village likes to restore old writings, maybe you'll find some luck there."

[Y/N] indulged in their questions and talks before setting down money on the table.

"Thank you for the meal!"

"Don't stay out too late." They exchanged waves before the flower enthusiast headed towards the mentioned person, her eyes narrowed as she realized how quiet it had gotten. The old couple was already packing up, and she stopped in her tracks, waiting patiently for them to finish up and enter their home.

As the door closed, she continued walking, hoping to make it before midnight.

...

...

"Flowers, huh..." 'Lovely' fellow seemed like a stretch, sure, appearance-wise he did look like a cute scruffy puppy, but his hazel eyes were empty. No hint of emotion, and it unsettled her.

He browsed through his cabinets, humming too loudly. A shiver ran down her spine; this didn't feel safe.

"It's alright if you don't, I'll be on my way. Sorry to trouble you." She bowed her head slightly before turning on her heel and speed-walking towards the door.

"Wait."

Hesitantly, her gaze returned to him. He was waving a singular sheet of paper, his thin lips stretched out into a sweet smile.

"Blue spider lily, this one has very useful information. Take it." [Y/N] caught a glimpse of the flower drawing, she slowly approached him and held out her hand.

"How much?"

"Much? No, no, sweetheart. I require something more than money." Her hand snapped back to her side when he tried to grab it.

"You see, I like to collect women, beautiful ones like yourself, who search for knowledge. I examine their brains, it's very fascinating."

[Y/N] did not travel this far just to have some weirdo cut open her head and prod around her brain. Nearly getting caved in by snow, tripping in front of other travelers. No. Far too many embarrassing things had happened for her journey to end here.

"I can assure you, my brain is not that interesting." A perfectly practiced smile graced her lips. "I just like pretty things." She bashfully waved her hand, as if he had flustered her.

Acting dumb was rule number one to fool men such as this one, lower their guard, and strike when they least expect it.

"No ordinary woman would come looking for the blue spider lily, not many have the knowledge of its existence...therefore, you are interesting." He giggled, scratching his tangled black hair.

"So can I read the page before you lock me up or something?" His eyes widened in surprise, a blush coating his pale cheeks as she hugged his arm to her chest, meeting her lust-filled eyes.

"Oh! I'll let you read it after I chain you up, can't have a runner on my hands now, can I?"

This was going to possibly backfire on her, but she couldn't think of anything else at the moment.

"Thank you..." He gestured for her to follow him, nearing a hidden backdoor and searching for his key. He mumbled incoherent words as he struggled to find it.

[E/C] eyes stared daggers into the back of his head, waiting patiently for the door to open. Once it did, she huffed out a humorless chuckle.

"...not." Her foot slammed into his back, she watched him roll down the steps before slamming the door closed and heading towards the front desk area, snatching up the page and bolting for her life as she heard him scream profanities.

The coat was feeling too heavy on her, so she shrugged it off and continued to run into the forest. Somehow, this man scared her more than the demons who were undoubtedly lurking in the darkness.

Thick branches ripped at the remaining clothing, tearing bits and pieces that exposed her further to the freezing temperature. Ignoring the slight rustling from the bushes and the low growls.

"Hell." She stopped to catch her breath, eyes frantically reading over the material she had stolen. The information was soul-crushing, to say the least, and this needed to be relayed to Muzan.

Unfortunately, her brief relaxation had cost her distance, and her body was tackled to the ground. The man snatched the page out of her hand and ripped it apart, screaming in her face.

"I tried to be nice! You women are such liars!" A sharp blade made contact with her arm, and he plunged it deeper into her skin, causing a scream to ring out. Birds once sleeping peacefully in the trees flew out in waves, startled by the sound.

"Get off!" Her feet kicked at him, and she felt fear start to consume her. He yanked it out only to stab her in the hand, her limb twitched as blood spurted out at an alarming rate.

"Thieves have their hands cut off, you know..." His voice was far too calm for her liking. He moved to hold her healthy arm down from hitting him, briefly leaving himself open. A knee raised up to kick him between the legs.

Another scream died out in her throat as she pulled away from him, the blade slicing through her hand and setting her free. Why did she stupidly decide to leave the comfort of her home?

The thick snow constricted any fast movement she wanted to achieve. It only took a few steps for her to fall to her knees, her hand had been split in two, and the visuals were making her stomach churn in shock and disgust.

Her bones were clearly visible, pieces of flesh hanging on by a thread, and ligaments clearly snapped. The pain was still fresh, pulsing, screaming, yet numb; her fingers had lost their movement.

As a result of her lack of strength, her pursuer had recovered, stalking forward slowly. He gazed at her like he was watching a prized possession, tilting his head as if to relish in her pain.

"It's going to be okay, I'll make use of you." She tried crawling away, only to feel a sharp pain stem from her back and through her stomach. The blade was quickly taken out, and her body was flipped over.

He dropped his body on top of hers, ignoring the protests of pain. He observed her slightly before yanking her kimono open, tracing the fatal wound he had caused. Crimson red gurgled in her throat, struggling to breathe, when he suddenly plunged a finger in the cut.

"Don't...touch me..."

Fingers tightly squeezed her airway, [Y/N] tried to pry him away, but she was sleep deprived, sore, and now dealing with blood loss. Her good hand brushed through the snow sluggishly, and as her vision began to blur, she struck his head with a big rock.

It seemed like her last burst of energy was enough to knock him out.

"Ha...fuck you."

Blood continued to pour out of her wounds, staining the once pure white snow beneath her body. The cold was starting to feel welcoming, her arm twitched up to drag one side of the kimono over her exposed chest, hoping whoever found her body wouldn't see it.

If she could laugh without coughing up blood, she would. Akaza would come back to an empty home, and she was to blame. Tears ran down her exhausted eyes, mixing with the droplets of blood.

Perhaps, in her next life, she could find Akaza and start again. This time, without getting chased by a psychopath. [E/C] eyes were losing their light, gazing up at the bright moon like it was lulling her to sleep.

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Distant chatter cleared up slowly, and hunger was the first feeling that overwhelmed her. The darkness was quickly replaced by a room's ceiling, one she did not recognize.

Colors blended together as she took a second to stabilize herself, and she softly groaned, effectively putting an end to the voices.

"[Y/N]." The woman nearly cried right there and then, waiting patiently for Akaza to rush to her side. His arm wrapped around her waist as he helped her sit up.

"Hi sweetie..." He breathlessly chuckled in response, squeezing her close to his chest. Her pain was gone; in fact, she had never felt better in her life.

"Why the hell did you leave?" It seemed like his relief was short-lived, for she was unaware he no longer had a reason to worry. Oblivious to the long nails that dug into his skin, the sharpening of her canines, and the [F/C] highlights that littered her [H/C] hair.

As she looked up at him, he felt a shudder run down his spine; her once calm [E/C] eyes glowed brightly, splashed with specks of different colors. He had to admit they lured him in deeper.

"I wanted to expand my search..." Her words died out as her mouth felt weird, her eyebrows scrunched up in slight confusion. Akaza watched her run her tongue over her sharp teeth, raising a hand to touch it but stopping when she noticed her nails.

"Am I a fucking demon?"

"Correct. The transformation was quite smooth, despite your initial state." The lovers turned to the other room occupants, a tall man she did not recognize lingered by the door, Douma was sitting nearby, and Muzan stood directly in front of them.

"You..."

"Don't tell me, you would've preferred Kokushibo let you die." Muzan's voice was sharp, hostile even, to be against being turned into something far superior was an insult to him.

"I won't be able to eat strawberries!" They all collectively deadpanned, Akaza bit his inner cheek, because as childish as it sounded, he knew her love for the fruit rivaled even her feelings for him.

The demon king let his anger drift away, closing his eyes and taking in a sharp breath. This stupid human, well, now demon, always seemed to have her priorities messed up.

And he hated how entertaining she was.

"Leave us." Reluctantly, Akaza squeezed her hand before letting go and walking out of the room with the other upper-moons.

[Y/N] tapped her legs, waiting for the man to speak. It seemed like he was doing the same, and the silence was awkward. Seconds became a full minute, and he sighed, very loudly.

"Speak. Was your death worth it?"

"Hell no, it fucking hurt, and don't get me started on how it always has to be a damned man attacking me." Muzan's stoic face twitched, remembering the night he approached her house, the large garden intrigued him.

Flowers he'd never seen flourished brightly even in the cold of night, as he lingered in the beautiful sight, a sandal had flown past his head and dropped down the cliff.

"Hey, I would kindly appreciate you leaving my home." He turned around to meet the strict gaze of a woman, her other sandal held tightly in her hand. "It's not appropriate for a man to invite himself in and...wait..." She blinked, watching him stalk up to her in slow, deliberate steps.

His hand lurched forward, going through her wall and sending small debris everywhere. The woman had somehow dodged his attack, and he kept his hand where it had landed while gazing down to make eye contact.

"Woah." She pointed at his face, and he stopped himself from lashing out at the disrespect. "Listen, pretty men shouldn't go around attacking women. You're giving the rest a bad reputation."

"Flowers?"

Her eyes had lit up in a way he had never witnessed, and the finger in his face darted away as she excitedly marched to her plants.

"You did seem enamored with my flowers. I'm guessing that's why you broke in." Brushing away leaves in her way, she finally found the desired flower and snapped it from the soil. Presenting him with the flower that visually represented him, a red lily.

"Tell me, what do you know about the blue spider lily, human?"

"Human? What the hell are you then?" She squinted at him, ignoring the tick mark that appeared on his forehead. "I've never heard of that flower before, sounds fake."

"I assure you, it's real." Muzan shook his hand out of the damaged wall and let his eyes fall on the flower still being held out to him. He took it and observed the petals. This was a well-taken care of plant, for it shone brighter than any he'd seen.

"Mhm, sure, so, what is it gonna take for you to leave my property?"

"Your death." He couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips, seeing the way she dramatically placed a hand on her chest at his blunt answer.

"Anything else?"

"Aid me in finding the blue lily, and I'll spare your life." The gears turned in her head, waiting for him to suddenly lunge at her, but he stayed perfectly still.

Neither made a move, making the man suddenly shape his body into that of a monstrous deformity. Her eyes blanked out, and Muzan returned to his normal form.

"Never do that again, please. I'll do it."

"Say...do you mind fetching my sandal—EEP! It's okay, don't worry, I'll get new ones..." He retracted his hand once more, already regretting recruiting a human of all damned creatures.

"Not what I meant."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, that's all you care about, huh?" Muzan rolled his eyes when her own widened like a baby reindeer, looking up at him like a hurt child.

"[Y/N]."

She gave him a grin before settling down with the teasing, gripping the blanket on her lap. To be honest, she was quite scared of what his reaction would be to the information she literally died for.

"The blue spider lily is...a hopeless cause." As predicted, the man stiffened up. "First, it only blooms during the day, three to four days a year, and even then, some years it refuses to sprout."

He nodded when she paused, giving her the clear indication to keep going.

"Secondly, its growing conditions are absolutely horrid and tedious; it's no wonder it's not common to grow at all. It requires the sun to be in long rotations, so it's more dependent on nature than the gardener. Seeds are basically impossible to obtain for the same reason."

[Y/N] gripped the cloth even harder, getting ready to drop the real bomb on the demon king.

"And...third, when used medically and ingested, the flower needs time to adjust within the body; what accompanies the dosages needs to be specific because if anything were to interfere with its process, it comes to a standstill, leaving the effects incomplete."

His mind quickly put the pieces together, getting angrier by the second. All his hard work, all this meticulous planning, just to find out his efforts were in vain.

"Consuming humans..."

"Yes, and due to your process stopping, consuming more flowers will not change the outcome...I'm sorry."

Muzan's eyebrows scrunched up a split second before hiding his anger. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her head, meeting her new pair of eyes when she looked up in wonder.

"You did well."

He left her confused, not a yell, not a slam of a door. Did he really take it that well—

BOOM!

—Nevermind.

She assumed that the mild head pat meant she was safe, for now at least. The door slammed open, and in came a panting Akaza, sighing in relief when his beloved blinked up at him.

"I thought he..." He didn't need to finish his words; she knew what he meant. Giving him a smile was all the reassurance he needed, settling next to her body and bringing him into her arms once again.

"Sorry for leaving, I never thought some crazy madman would slash me up like that." Akaza seemed to still, like he remembered something important.

"He's here. Locked up, but here for you to dispose of." Akaza had nearly destroyed everything surrounding him, seeing his bloodied lover in the arms of upper-moon one, his brain was sent into overdrive.

Muzan turned her into a demon before his very eyes, with not a shred of hesitation. He had never discussed his worries with her, how scared he was of the future, one with her growing old and leaving him all alone.

Selfishly, he was happy she could now be with him for however long the world let them. It didn't mean that he didn't worry about what her reaction to this new life would entail. [Y/N] was smart; she'd get the job done no matter what, but her morals would possibly get in the way, and she'd lose herself.

"For...food, what is it you wish to do about it?"

Her nose scrunched up at the thought of eating a human, but then her eyes lit up with stars.

"I'll start with the man you guys retrieved, payback time."

Akaza was a little scared of her instant change, maybe a bit proud too, but overall scared. That very night, he watched her torture the man who had chased her through the dark forest, stabbed her like she meant nothing, and it made his blood boil that he couldn't step in to beat the shit out of him.

The screams and pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears. Every time her conscious would falter, she'd recall the pain, the cold, the desperation, the fear, and it'd go away as quickly as it came.

Seeing her get her revenge lifted his spirits, and she somehow looked cute as she munched on the severed leg. Smiling up at him with blood dripping from her pretty lips.

"This is so gross to see, but it tastes like steak." He didn't remember the taste of steak or if he ever had the opportunity to eat it before he was turned into a demon.

He wiped her chin and leaned in to lick the blood from her lips, smiling when her cheeks turned red. [Y/N] leaned in closer, bringing him into a gentle kiss.

Momentarily relishing the fact that he was consuming the man who hurt her, his yellow eyes closed, removing his lips from hers and dipping his head lower, licking up the blood that had trailed down to her breasts up to her neck.

A comforting warmth embraced them, and they felt content in each other's arms. She shuddered, feeling his cool tongue pass by her searing skin, leaving small bite marks here and there while holding up her entire weight by the waist.

"Do you want to continue eating?" He continued to press soft kisses, awaiting her answer.

"Let's turn this into a picnic!" It seemed like their definition of a picnic was vastly different, with him being undressed in under two seconds.

...

...

"Hey Koku? Do you think you could help me use a sword?" Kokushibo's six eyes blinked in unison, watching the new demon swing around a blade like it was a flimsy toy. It flew out of her grasp and missed his head by a centimeter.

"Sorry, hehe...help me?"

He couldn't bring himself to say no, nodding and retrieving her sword. She was sloppy and predictable, but it was pretty much expected.

Akaza and Douma watched the one-sided fight, casually munching on human remains. The woman's arm was sent flying, and she took a second to watch it grow back in pure awe, shouting 'again, again!'.

Muzan had told her she was free to do whatever she wanted, and that also applied to the other demons while the king figured out what his next move should be. It was spent eating, training, and going out on dates for Akaza and [Y/N].

"To get a pass from the master himself. You sure picked a special one, Akaza-dono." Douma giggled behind his fan.

"Shut up, she managed to figure out the damn flower before any of us." Akaza pushed the clingy male away and continued to observe his lover; she was still a pouty little thing, despite being a demon. He was absolutely glad she was still the same old [Y/N] he had fallen for.

Douma said nothing else, changing his attention to the silly training. He had to admit it was a tad humiliating, a human figuring something out that they had searched for years.

"So Koku," She wiped her forehead, grinning when she realized no sweat had appeared. That was definitely a huge plus in her books. "How did you know who I was?"

"I didn't, you smelled like Akaza, and he'd never attack a woman the way you were."

"Smell...?"

Kokushibo tilted his head, giving her the sword back and putting his own away.

"Is that why I never got attacked by demons? That night, I could hear inhuman growls, the bushes rustling like someone or something was running through them..."

"Yes. You were marked territory to them."

"So why the hell didn't they help me?" Kokushibo shrugged. He recalled the demons surrounding them, only watching, waiting. She made a mental note to find out who they were and give them a long lecture.

Akaza got the air knocked out of his lungs as [Y/N] rushed at him and jumped into his lap, she still didn't realize the extent of her newfound strength. Her nose bumped into his as he readjusted himself.

"Make me smell more like you, so it keeps everyone away."

"Even more? I don't think that's how it works." In all honesty, he didn't even know it was a thing to begin with.

"Sex has a better chance of working, right? Because we're very connected during it, there's no way it won't work." Her voice lacked any sense of teasing, humming softly as she thought of more possible methods.

His jaw dropped at her sheer lack of self-awareness, already knowing Douma was grinning at his blush, and Kokushibo slipping out of the room. Despite his embarrassment, he could never deny her whatever it was she wanted at any given moment.

"As you wish, beloved."

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xtra something i typed for no real reason <3

"Akazaaa~" Her feet kicked at her bed, waiting for him to approach her instead of practicing his punches.

"Twenty more minutes."

"Can't you practice stamina in bed?"

His punch faltered mid-air, and he could see the sly smirk she wore as he considered her offer. It truly was a no-brainer, for he was between her legs in an instant.

"I need to be better, for you [Y/N]." She shyly smiled at his kind words, cupping his face and tracing his demonic features.

"I'll be okay."

"Now that you only eat human food, you won't get any stronger." The demons and even Muzan himself were surprised to see her succeed in eating regular food, perhaps it was because her transformation was only recent, and her memories were intact.

"To protect us both, I will work twice as hard."

He kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, then her lips. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pressing him closer.

"Okay, but make sure to blow off steam with me." She lazily grinned, feeling the grip of his big hands on her waist tighten with purpose; she was absolutely in for it now.

...

...

"Douma, you can't be pretty and weird, pick one."

Douma had to admit, this particular demon always made his interest spike up; her commentary and opinions were weirdly entertaining. He pretended to think hard, tapping at his chin, before gasping loudly.

"Are you perhaps judging me? How cruel!" [Y/N] cackled, he really reminded her of herself, always trying to reverse the words of another person.

"Pick one, come on."

"Why? It doesn't seem like you picked one either."

A pause. A blink. Then, a neck cracking.

"Sweetie?" Akaza, who had been minding his business, snapped his eyes open to meet her intense stare. He licked his dry lips, trying to look away, but he couldn't. Every time he caught even a glimpse of her beautiful face, he'd be caged in.

"I like your weird."

"Wrong answer, Akaza-dono." Douma expected a little fight, and he was all prepared to enjoy watching. He didn't account for the woman to get hearts in her demonic eyes and hug Akaza like her life depended on it, giggling and rubbing their cheeks together.

"And I'm the weird one..."

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Senku didn't have much to do other than study more, so when they both came into his science club and demanded he join them for the evening, he didn't argue—now he wishes he had put up a fight.

"Sorry. It's my fault." Yuzuriha smiled sheepishly, having stopped by the merch stands to get matching bracelets, effectively putting them further back in the queue.

It took another thirty minutes to finally make it inside, quickly heading over to a drink booth and getting refreshments. Senku gulped greedily, on the verge of passing out.

"So, are we going to wait long for her to get on stage, too?"

"I don't think so..."

Senku was going to commit a war crime, aka leave, like right now. He was tired of sitting around for his friend to sing, something she did for free whenever she came over. Although it was oddly curious to see the security personnel dashing around and the event coordinators looking frantic.

"Oh my! There you are, please, we need help." Senku's wrist was snatched by a panicked-looking dude he briefly recognized, Yuzuriha and Taiju exchanged a glance before catching up to them.

They were led backstage and near a locked door, with staff lingering outside looking severely ticked off. That irked the teen. He knew they didn't have the best work relationship with [Y/N], but they never even tried to hide it.

"Anything?"

"No, she won't open the door."

Senku approached and knocked softly, hearing a muffled 'go away'.

"It's Sen-" The door slammed open, and he was tugged inside, the door closing immediately after. [Y/N]'s makeup was ruined from tears, and she looked absolutely devastated.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything. My manager won't let me use the costume Yuzuriha made me, the microphones are fucked up and no one has spares or a way to fix them. It's a mess!" She hit the mic on the palm of her hand for added effect, crashing onto her vanity seat and trying to hold back more tears. "I wasn't allowed to eat lunch, no snacks either, I'm starving..."

Senku wasn't stupid; he knew there was something much deeper here that affected her, but he wasn't about to worsen her mood by asking. He softly sighed and walked up to her, gently taking the mic from her clutches. [E/C] eyes moved up to meet his own, lips twitching in a sad pout. Her empty hands were soon holding a small bag of gummy bears, one of her favorites. 

"I got this, let's get Yuzuriha to fix your makeup, yeah?" She nodded, sniffling as she watched Senku open the door very little, motioning for the brown haired girl to come in. She did, and so did an energetic Taiju.

It didn't take long for her to get cleaned up, looking better than before. Laughing at Taiju's stupid jokes and comments.

"There, good as new and for the costume, maybe next time [Y/N]?"

"No, yours matches the song's theme. The one Paul picked is so ugly and unflattering." The pair trailed their gaze to the hung-up costume, grimacing at its unfashionable appearance. Ruffles everywhere, bright pink and a clear contrast to the song that was supposed to be sung in harsh vocals.

"Here." The mic was handed back, [Y/N] took it, and observed the bored teen. "A wire was loose, I tied it with another."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Seriously?"

"Uh, yes?"

[Y/N] breathed in deeply, turning in her seat and staring at herself in the mirror. She was fuming on the inside. Fifteen people here, and none of them could fix the mic. A loose wire? She got a headache because of a loose wire.

Senku had taken a step back when her eyes stared up at him in disbelief, he too was surprised her team didn't think to check the most common malfunction. He darted his gaze to see Yuzuriha look uncertain in the newfound quiet atmosphere.

Deeming herself presentable, she slammed open the door once again. Paul stood there with his face flushed red in anger, eyes scanning her attire, and opened his mouth to yell, but got cut off.

"You're fired. Your team is fired, everyone's fired except Vivian and George."

George had been the one to fetch Senku, while Vivian was the assistant manager who did more work than Paul ever did.

"I made you happen! You can't fire me!"

"I will get Vince to escort you out if you don't get out of my face." He was far too close for comfort, hand raised like he wanted to strike her, and [Y/N] would not stand for it.

"Viv, you're my new manager. Any funds you need to start up, let me know. George, you are going to be my head staff, everything goes through you now. Hire anyone you like."

They both hesitantly nodded, a little worried from the shift in attitude. [Y/N] turned to look at the trio with a smile on her face.

"Thank you."

The show had gone on without any further issues, Senku murmured like a whiny brat when Taiju was trying to get him to admit he liked the show—and yeah, he did, but he'd never admit it, at least not to this oaf.

They stood by the empty stage, waiting for the teen singer to bounce over to them. Scarlet eyes scanned her now clean face, no trace of the heavy performance makeup from earlier or the costume. [Y/N] readjusted her tank top straps and pulled her jeans higher.

"I hope you guys enjoyed the show, and sorry, but the VIP perks are no longer valid. As compensation, dinner on me?"

Yuzuriha and Taiju's eyes filled with sparkles, accepting the invitation without a shred of hesitation. The not-a-couple but kinda-couple walked off to the parking lot, leaving the singer and scientist to stand awkwardly next to each other.

"Hey, Senku?"

He mhm'd and turned his head to meet her small smile, hand outstretched, holding a roll of cash. Senku blinked at the money, noticing the bills were all hundreds.

"You really helped me back there, this was supposed to be their pay, but I can't exactly pay people who didn't do their job, now can I?"

When he didn't make a move to grab it, [Y/N] reached out for his small sling bag, effectively pulling him closer to her and sliding the money inside, then zipping it back up. Their eyes met yet again, and Senku felt his breath falter from their proximity, her hand still holding him close.

She then hooked her arm with his, beginning to drag him to their awaiting friends.

"It's too much for what I did."

"I disagree, you saved me from a panic attack. Thank you again."

"...No problem."

Well, he really did need new equipment in the lab, and it wasn't like she was struggling for money. Still, some guilt gnawed at his chest, like he didn't deserve that reward.

As they walked, she kept a firm grip on his arm. Senku had initially thought she was being overly clingy like usual, but the way she kept glancing off to the sides and behind her made him put the puzzle pieces together. [Y/N] was being followed, or felt like she was at least, he couldn't blame her.

"If it makes you less tense, you can help me out during my next show."

He really wasn't tense because of the money; it was her close proximity that put him off, it brought back fond yet painful memories of when they had once been dating.

"As long as you don't make me wait in the sun again."

A laugh left her lips, masking her guilt for not only leaving Senku, but also her fans waiting that long.

"Promise."

...

...

The day was perfect, a sunny day but not too hot, a slight breeze in the wind, absolutely perfect. 

[Y/N] folded her hands in front of her blue sundress as she walked alongside a yawning Senku. It was surprising to see him agree to a walk in the park. Their arms brushed every time they took a step, while he deemed it as something that regularly happened, [Y/N], on the other hand, felt like it was overwhelming her. 

It only took a few minutes to reach their destination, the large bridge above a medium-sized pond. Senku rested his arms on the railings while [Y/N] pulled out a ziploc bag containing slices of lettuce to feed the ducks below. He watched her with a soft glint in his eye, remembering the time he scolded her for feeding them bread when they were younger.

"Hey, are those two okay?" Her soft voice broke his trance. He stared right below, where two ducks had their necks tangled. Senku observed for a few seconds before confidently answering. 

"They're mating." He chuckled at her horrified face as the male duck pulled the female's head underwater. "It's normal, although sometimes neck tangling can mean another scenario, like showing dominance or attacking." 

"That poor girl." [Y/N] sighed in relief when the ducks separated and swam off together, even with the little roughness, they understood each other. "At least we can cross off duck guts from our date list." 

Senku paused, the hand holding his chin up almost slipped. She froze completely.

"So this is a date? When were you going to let me know?" Despite the shaking of his hands, he still managed to tease her flawlessly. 

"Later today, actually." [Y/N] looked straight into his scarlet eyes. "I like you, Senku." 

He huffed out a laugh, covering his mouth and looking away from her. She was definitely bold at times, but he didn't expect this. 

"I guess perfect timing, here." His free hand dug into his pocket and pulled out a small box, holding it out for her to grab. [Y/N] took it and pried it open to gasp at the beautiful hairclip, in a glittery golden star shape. She was too busy staring at it to notice the way he stopped leaning, stood up straight, and got closer.

He gently took it from her hand and brushed her hair back from one side, snapping the clip into place and tracing the same hand down to cup her blushing cheek. [E/C] eyes sparkled meeting a beautiful scarlet, he leaned down just a bit to hold eye contact at an even level. 

"Senku...?"

"I like you too." 

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It had only been a few weeks since the show, and Senku had spent the money the moment his eyes landed on a very amazing chemistry set. [Y/N] lingered in the back of his mind, wondering if she was busy recruiting a new team, if she was holding up, was she okay?

He had some idea of why she had broken up with him last year, but she seemed so heartbroken he didn't try to push it further, going along with whatever she needed in that moment. Ever since then, she'd been more emotionally closed off, bottling everything up and holding on until she exploded.

She rarely visited his home back when they were dating, and now she seemed too busy to even call. Senku wanted to not care, but he did. He really cared for [Y/N], and that made him shudder in slight discontent.

Feelings. He wished he didn't have them. It made it hard to get over her, it was dumb to waste time lingering on what could've been. But Senku didn't really want to let go, for [Y/N] meant far too much to him to simply let go.

Even if that meant staying only as friends.

It hurt his ego when he realized how excited he was to see her next performance. Her voice was smooth yet rough when needed, her dancing wasn't over the top or shaky—no, it was easy to follow and didn't detract from her vocals. Overall, it made the waiting worth it.

Senku rolled his eyes when he almost spilled a toxic chemical. He set it down carefully and took off his gloves and protective goggles. He was far too distracted to be in this lab, risking his hands and life.

He strolled out of the clubroom, leaving his members to clean up after his mess. His ears twitched, hearing a commotion from around the corner, he slightly peeked his head to see somebody cornered against a wall by a handful of students.

Senku was going to keep going on his way, but a desperate voice he recognized reached his ears. He gazed back at the crowd and finally noticed a frantic Yuzuriha trying to get people to back away, her head twisting around to ask for help, but only seeing more crazed kids. Then, her eyes landed on Senku, tears of relief sprang in her eyes, and she motioned for him to get closer.

"They're overwhelming her, and I'm scared she's gonna panic." It took him only a second to glance over the crowd closer and latch onto the [H/C] colored hair accessorized by a star hairclip, the one he had given her.

"Oi." The chatter suddenly froze, heads turning almost robotically to meet the cut-throat voice, landing on the all too familiar cold scientist. Senku didn't say anything else, walking up to them and reaching into the mob to grasp a wrist. The students moved out of the way in curiosity, as the girl didn't protest against his touch like she had against theirs.

[Y/N]'s uniform was disheveled, a result of all the tugging. Her ponytail had completely come undone, and her eyes were filled with tears.

With a sharp glare, the students dispersed quickly.

Senku's hand let go of her wrist and came up to adjust the collar of her blouse, straightening out the red bowtie as well. His fingers reached up to brush away the stray [H/C] strands of hair tickling her face. He was about to tuck the shirt back into her skirt, but decided against touching her any further than necessary.

He stepped away from her to give her much-needed space, and she finally moved, wiping away her tears with the sleeves of her sweater. She sniffled, hiccupping a thank you. Yuzuriha came up behind her and whispered reassuring words while redoing her hair.

"Is it really smart to have a celeb running amongst her fans without security?"

"Viv insisted on attending school, there are no shows planned until George files through all the hiring options and Viv gets set up as a real manager." [Y/N]'s lips formed a pout, "I expected some attention...not full-on chasing me down the halls and reaching out to touch my shoulders and hair..."

"Yuzuriha! We need help stitching this up!" Her friend apologized and rushed over to help her club, leaving them together once again.

"Can...can you stay with me, at least for the rest of today?"

Senku's face was blank, still observing her shaky figure, head darting to the side and even behind her, gulping when she noticed she was standing in front of a window. He realized just how paranoid she truly was, and he finally sighed, extending an arm for her to hold onto.

She took it at the speed of light and huddled closer to him.

"You should bring a bodyguard. They might not mean any real harm, but they can still cause it." [Y/N] looked up to see where Senku was gazing at, noticing another small crowd gathering but not approaching her, eyes bouncing between her and Senku like they were afraid of him.

"Vince would body slam them in a heartbeat if he had seen how they put their hands on me." Senku chuckled when the image of the grown ass man he met when he was a kid, slamming an excited fan to the ground was conjured in his mind.

"Bad for them, good for you."

Like some god-given miracle, [Y/N] and Senku were in the same homeroom, and after providing the teacher puppy eyes, she was allowed to sit next to him. Desk scooted a taddddd bit closer to his.

She did feel bad for being so clingy with the boy, but he wasn't a fan of hers. He never made her feel uncomfortable or care that she was famous. He kept his distance, treated her normally, and it had always been a breath of fresh air from her usual life.

[Y/N] was homeschooled right after she turned thirteen and had released a single that skyrocketed on the Billboard. Her old classmates were far too invasive, causing her to have severe panic attacks, and her father refused to let her stay around them.

At the time, she wasn't busy. Her management focused on expanding her single track as much as they could, which meant more time spent with her friends, specifically at Senku's house. [D/N] liked the leek-haired kid, saying he was smart and good to have around [Y/N], who hated even the simplest of math problems.

"Stop staring."

[Y/N] blinked, snapping herself out of the trance, and before she could apologize to him, she saw him lift his head from his notebook and glare around. Once more, students were blatantly gawking at her.

"Hey, how long can you hold a note?"

"Oh, uhm, I haven't really tried finding out."

Scarlet eyes barely shifted, still glued on the task of glaring at everyone. Senku hated how people couldn't act normally, especially towards another human being.

"I want to do some research with your voice, come over."

[Y/N] chuckled. Senku had a habit of never asking. It's like he knew she wouldn't say no, which made her heart stupidly skip a beat.

"Can we stop for boba?"

"Only if Vince is going to escort us in." She had gathered that he really, really, wanted to witness her bodyguard clock someone.

"You'll see it happen, one day." Senku's lips quirked up slightly, looking a bit evil.

Class went without a hitch, and lunchtime rolled around, dread filled her chest when she noticed no one getting up to head for the cafeteria. Senku was putting away his books when he noticed the stares. He placed the last book into his bag and reached his hand over the desk, waiting for her to grab it.

[Y/N] immediately intertwined their fingers, walking around the desk to reach his side and diligently follow him out of the room. She hoped the school would get used to her presence and leave her alone. Vivian really wanted her to experience school again, and she didn't want to worry her new manager.

"Anything specific you want? They have curry today, I think some apple salad too." He kept weaving through the bodies, keeping her close to him and sending side-eyes to whoever dared take a step near her.

"Do they have anything lighter?" Her head smacked into his back when he suddenly halted. Senku shifted to rest his chin on his shoulder, looking back and directly at her confused face.

"You're eating a full meal."

"I'm not that hungry."

"You always say that. Besides, I wasn't asking." He left it at that, getting in line for two curry plates. His words sounded harsh, but the tone was soft.

[Y/N] bit her lip, trying to calculate how many calories that could amount to. If it was too much, she could kiss her desired boba goodbye.

"And, we're getting you that tea."

"But, Senku-"

"Paul isn't here, he won't be back, and Viv seems like a nice enough person."

She quieted down, letting him guide her while thoughts consumed her. Senku hated her old manager, the very man who would never let her eat anything, scaring a young [Y/N] into thinking a chubby singer would never make it.

Especially hated him because she had stopped going on their ramen dates, as corny as they were, he missed them, and her most of all.

...

...

"Is this what you really want?" Senku's voice was low, taking a sharp notice of the way her head shook 'no' for a fraction of a second before she nodded, her words kept breaking, and it was getting harder for him to breathe.

"Is everything okay?" [Y/N] seemingly cried harder at the question, squeezing his hand so hard it turned red. It began to really hurt, but he couldn't bring himself to remove her grip.

"[Y/N]..."

"I'm so sorry..." That was all she managed to get out, and while she was literally breaking up with him, her hand told a different story, holding onto him like he was her last lifeline.

Senku couldn't ask anything else, not only for his own mental sake but for hers, whereas she seemed more distraught than him, and that was saying a lot. So his last words for now were clear and true.

"I'll still be here, no matter what." She was more important than anything, and it would remain that way, whether he liked it or not. 

They stayed put until Vince had come to pick her up, the ex-couple exchanged one last heartfelt glance before the car pulled out of the driveway and disappeared down the street. 

Byakuya had a hand on Senku's shoulder, the teen was biting his lip to stop the tears, but his dad knew how he was feeling from the simple way his body shook. 

"I'm sure you two will figure it out, you're special to each other." He could only nod, staring at the empty street, wishing she would make Vince turn around and jump back into his waiting arms, yet no matter how much he wished, she didn't.

The last thing she gave was a soft kiss on his cheek, which left a lingering tingly feeling. One he would keep memorized deep in his brain, because he didn't know if they'd ever come back from this. 

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[Y/N] sipped on her Boba tea while observing the way Senku's eyebrows scrunched up in concentration, eyes glued on his computer screen.

"45 seconds, not bad." He muttered, she had no idea what information her held note could provide, but if it made him happy, she'd do it again.

She left him to ponder alone longer, taking this time to look around the room she hadn't been in for a long time. [Y/N] smiled like a giddy child seeing her poster near his bed, the bracelet sold at concerts dangling on his corkboard alongside pictures of them together.

"You got me that corkboard, only fair if it's you and me." She turned away from him, hiding her apple cheeks. Senku smugly snickered, having caught a glimpse of her expression.

The color reddened when she noticed the picture in the middle,  a shared kiss during a picnic date. It was possibly the best date they had ever gone on.

A few minutes later, he let out a deep sigh and stretched, turning off his device and yawning while making his way to the bed where [Y/N] was already seated. As he plopped down, their shoulders bumped together, and neither gave an indication of moving.

"Do you think I made the right choice? Firing Paul?" Her voice came out in a whisper, unsure of the question herself.

Senku took note of the way her hands shook, barely keeping a firm grasp on her phone. His eyes trailed up to see her already looking at him, cheeks slightly puffed out, something she did to try to avoid crying.

"Are you happy he's gone?"

"Yes, but from a professional—"

"Then that's enough." He brushed his hair back, groaning softly in pain when his fingers got tangled. "If you're happy, that's what matters."

The singer smiled at his intense gaze. In what seemed like a split second, she pounced on him, knocking Senku onto the bed and startling him momentarily.

They lay in silence with her head on his chest and both looking up at his ceiling, covered in glowing stars that formed constellations. He could still vividly recall when they would spend nights together doing this exact same thing, yet it felt like forever ago.

[Y/N] combed through his white and green hair, undoing the knots he had accidentally tugged on moments ago, and each time her nails softly collided with his scalp, he had to keep his satisfied noises to a minimum.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"I don't know...being you?"

Senku rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the red that bloomed on his face. They both turned their heads to look at one another.

[Y/N]'s eyes flickered down to his lips, a movement he didn't miss. He was also guilty of glancing at hers, catching a long glimpse of her usual cherry gloss.

She leaned forward, barely hovering over his mouth. Senku wanted it to happen so badly, to have back what he lost and couldn't fight for.

"If you kiss me, there's no backing out this time [Y/N]." He whispered against her lips, his heart squeezed when he noticed the doubt beginning to consume her. She pulled away, keeping her body on his and murmuring a sad 'sorry'.

Instead, once again, he was left with a soft kiss on his cheek.

...

...

"You're out of tune."

[Y/N] puffed out her cheeks when that nonchalant voice reached her ears, her eyesight became blurry as she failed to stop tears from starting up.

She turned around to see Senku finishing up his homework, and the pencil stopped when he felt the mood shift. He blinked, meeting her sad gaze, and all he could do was beckon her closer with the wave of his hand. 

Despite her hurt feelings, she approached him, falling to her knees to be on his level. Senku observed her for a few seconds before gently ruffling her [H/C] hair, her head raised to meet his blank face. 

"Being out of tune is completely normal. It just means you haven't warmed up enough or found the right rhythm." [E/C] eyes stayed wide and teary, lip trembling as she scanned his face. Senku held in a sigh. "I'm sorry, I'll help you, okay?" 

Hearing the apology, she finally gave him a nod. Satisfied with his problem-solving, Senku patted her knee so she could sit down properly. They began with humming, a common way to warm up, a few breath control techniques he saw online, and in the aftermath of twenty minutes, she was good to go. 

[Y/N] hugged his neck, snuggling into his shoulder and squeezing the life out of him. His arms awkwardly stayed close to his sides, not minding the hug but being too shy to reciprocate.

"Thankyouthankyou! Did you know you're my favorite person in the world?" 

"Your mood swings are as mysterious as the moon stalking me." 

"Do you want me to fight the moon for you?"

Scarlet eyes widened, staring down at the girl hugging him. Why did that childish question make his heart skip a billion beats? 

"It's physically impossible to do that."

"But what if you end up liking the moon? Would you like it more than me?"

"First discoveries are always more important, they lead to progress and growth—" He stopped talking when he noticed her confusion. Instead, he exhaled and lowered his voice, slightly embarrassed. "—No, nothing will ever make that happen." 

...

...

Students and staff alike were finally getting accustomed to having [Y/N] attending school like a normal child, greeting her in the morning and keeping a safe distance at all times unless she initiated talk first.

She did feel more comfortable, but not enough to join a club and spend time away from Senku and her friends. They were like a shield, keeping her company and never allowing others to corner her like they did that dreadful first day.

"It sucks that we can't hang out publicly, it's like paparazzi have a tracker on me." [Y/N] and Senku were sitting in the back seat of her bodyguard's black BMW, waiting for Vince to get their ordered food. Originally, they were going to head inside, but there were lingering people with cameras around their necks.

"I've told you many times before, I don't care if they take pictures." He grumbled, rubbing his thumb over her shaky hand. [Y/N] worried he'd be crowded by paparazzi if they saw him with her, Senku could take care of himself, and driving people away wouldn't be that hard.

The thought had made him pause; he hated when people invaded his personal space or bothered him, so why didn't he care when it came to enduring it for her?

Senku snapped out of his head when he heard her scream and shuffle closer to him, practically giving himself whiplash, his scarlet eyes landed on the pressed-up face of a fan near her window. The grown man slammed his palms on the glass, grinning at them like he had just found a rare prize.

The sound of the handle being pulled echoed in the car. Senku reached over for his own handle, keeping a firm grip on [Y/N]'s arm, ready to leave the car from the other side if the man somehow opened it.

Vince rushed over, hearing the commotion and seeing people trying to pull a man away from his car, without missing a beat, he grabbed hold of the fan's collar and yanked him back enough to land a hard punch that knocked him out, all while keeping the food steady.

He wasted no more time and got into the driver's seat, setting the order on the passenger seat and turning his head to check on the kids.

[Y/N]'s knees were curled up to her chest with her head hiding in Senku's shoulder, and his arm was tightly wrapped around her. Her breathing was uneven as she cried, she hated this, feeling like some animal people wanted to swarm.

"I'm so tired..."

"I know." Senku felt the droplets drip onto his blazer, the warm tears made his stomach drop, and he truly could never understand how [Y/N] endured this on a daily basis. "You're okay, we're here, I'm here."

"I should've parked more carefully, I'm sorry, darling." Vince gripped the steering wheel hard, making his knuckles turn white, pressing the gas pedal harder, eager to get them home without further incidents.

"It's not your fault, you already protect me so much..."

The ride to her house was quiet, just small sniffles and the rustling of paper bags. Vince rolled up into the driveway, getting out first and unrolling an umbrella to help them get out, specifically covering [Y/N]'s skirt as she hopped out of her seat, and then Senku's face.

Briefly greeting her dad and mom, they ran upstairs and straight into her room. The singer quickly closed all her curtains and the door. Placing the food bags on the small table in the middle of the room, they both sat down on yellow cushions.

Senku curiously observed her silence, the red, puffy eyes, and her swollen lips from harsh biting. He wondered what her thoughts could be right now, as she unloaded the food and passed him chopsticks.

"[Y/N]." She barely glanced at him, biting into a dumpling. He called her name again, only for her to ignore it. Senku sighed, scooting closer. He gently stopped her chopsticks from reaching her mouth.

She looked up at him in utter silence.

"Talk about it."

[E/C] eyes filled with tears immediately, her lips trembled as his gaze intensified. And that look was all it took for her to break, break down in a way she desperately, emotionally, needed.

"I don't want to be in the spotlight anymore." She took a huge gulp of air in, "I want to be a normal teen, to go to school without people taking my picture or following me home."

They all disregarded her pleas for privacy. They didn't care if she publicly voiced feeling scared, that grown men would sit outside her house camping out as they waited for the right time to snap pictures, to wait for her curtains to move.

Senku kept his lips shut, reaching over to hold her hand like he always did.

"I want to go out on dates with you again, but I can't put you in that situation. They'd pounce on you at the first opportunity, and I would never sacrifice your privacy for my feelings."

There it was again, his heart did that thing, where it hurts but feels so full of warmth. His scarlet eyes traced her features, feeling her hand squeeze his as she confessed something she kept hidden for quite a bit of time.

"And what made you think I wouldn't sacrifice my privacy for your feelings?"

"Because you're you, wonderful you." She whispered, wiping away at her eyes. "I can't ask you to do that, I just can't. You deserve better."

It was easier when she was a mere baby singer, when people weren't that interested in getting her picture. Sure, she'd get the occasional fan during their outings, but never like this, [Y/N] wished she could go back in time and restart everything.

Senku closed his eyes momentarily, taking a beat to gather his thoughts. Truly, he would absolutely hate living a life followed by people who lived for drama, negative or positive. He'd never be alone, all his information out for the world to see.

Yet down that dark path of consequences, there was a small light, [Y/N]. She would be the ultimate pro against those cons, and he knew she'd always be worth it in the end.

"Is this all for me, or do you truly want to stop performing?"

Senku's lip twitched up when her cheeks turned a slight red. it had just dawned on her that she had told him about her lingering feelings. Not that he didn't already know, still, it was making her shy.

"I want a break, a really long one where people forget about me and I can start again when I'm older. To spend time with you and our friends without feeling like someone is lingering around snapping pictures."

Senku paused, hearing the clear emphasis on 'someone'. His eyebrows scrunched up, remembering her jittery self, glancing behind her even when there was only a wall there. Peeking around his home whenever she stayed over, repeatedly checking if his window and door were closed.

"A stalker?" He blurted out when the dots finally connected, his suspicion confirmed when she froze up. "Someone has been threatening you with me, is that why we broke up? Tried harder to hide me?"

[Y/N] slipped her hand out of his and stood up, walking to her closet and digging around the slight mess. A few seconds passed, and she pulled out a wooden box, going back to him by the table and placing the item in his hands.

He glanced at it, at her, then back to the box. The lock came undone, and he filtered through the blurry pictures, scribbly notes, and a purple pen he lost a year ago.

"You lent me this pen..."

She nodded, watching him shuffle through it all. His eyebrow raised when a beaker he thought had been misplaced was there as well, this person had really been prying around.

Some pictures were taken from outside his window, most were non-decipherable, like the culprit was trembling as they took it. But one of these was so clear it made his blood run a little cold.

Her head tucked under his chin, sleeping soundly as his own head rested on top of hers. Arm around her waist, and the other sprawled over his pillow.

The corner of the picture got crumpled as his hand tightened. The person was clearly targeting both of them, but he couldn't ignore how, at the center of it all, was [Y/N]'s underwear peeking from her ridden-up shirt.

"What did they want?" These were old pictures, some just days before their breakup. The notes were filled with threats, mostly against him.

"They said they loved me, that without my music they'd be dead." She gulped, hands balling into fists. "That...they wanted me, and if they couldn't have me, you couldn't either..."

Tears slipped out of her eyes, that stalker situation had gone on for a long while, and no one else knew. The plan was to pretend like Senku meant nothing to her, hoping it would make this stalker back off. To say she failed miserably was an understatement. 

He meant the whole world to her. He supported her dreams and never treated her any differently. The [H/C] haired girl wouldn't be where she was if it weren't for him. Senku was more than a support beam; he was the entire structure.

"I never wanted to break up with you. God, it was so hard, but I was scared of what they could do to you." [Y/N] hiccupped, feeling her throat close up due to the constant crying. "I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, ending things the way I did."

Senku nodded slowly, letting the information sink in, and placed the items back into the box. He pushed it away and reached out to grab his chopsticks, picking up a still-warm dumpling and pressing it against her lips.

The girl blinked gently, taking the offered food and chewing. Senku watched her eat with a sparkle in his eyes, his hand reached out to wipe her face with a pink handkerchief, and he smiled softly.

"I started to relax around you again because I stopped receiving the notes and pictures, and I thought they gave up. I'm not so sure now..."

"We'll deal with whatever happens next. Together." In the end, Senku was relieved to know it wasn't he who was the problem. So now, he was fully ready to do anything to keep her happy again.

[Y/N] would've cried again if it wasn't for the second dumpling being sent her way. She really missed these quiet little nights where all they had was the company of one another and food, it was nice, and she'd do anything to have the rest of her days resemble right now.

"Besides, I finally got to see Vince kick someone's ass." 

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Senku scrolled through his phone, deeply immersed in his shopping cart contents. He hummed along to the low volume of [Y/N]'s song playing in the background. He was relaxing in the bathtub, the hot water had turned lukewarm already, but he still had no desire to get up.

The tub had been overflowing with bubbles just moments ago, they dissipated over time, and it seemed like [Y/N] was insistent on keeping them going.

"You're going to finish the bottle." He muttered, putting his phone down onto the floor, staring at his girlfriend emptying the bubble maker. Her upper body came out of the water to lean closer towards the bin and throw the empty bottle into it.

[Y/N] splashed down and quickly scooted back into his body, earning a groan as she slammed into his chest. Senku blew away the [H/C] hair strands that poked his face, his hands raising up to adjust her messy bun.

"I missed this."

"What? Seeing me naked or bathing?"

"I was going to say cuddling, but seeing you naked is a bonus too." [Y/N] didn't remember when or why they began taking baths together like this, she didn't really have the desire to have any sexual relations at her age, and neither did Senku.

She saw this as more of a trust thing, and her trust in him was greater than anything.

"I guess you have a conventionally good body."

"Geez, thanks, babe." He chuckled when she looked up at him with a playful pout, and despite the smirk that appeared on his face, his scarlet eyes were soft. [Y/N] missed that gaze. It always made her feel so mushy inside.

Reminding herself they were really once again together, she tilted her chin up to place a quick peck on his lips. 

"Oh my god, I missed that too." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and a hand pressed against his bare chest. He reached up to lay his own hand on top of hers, not even trying to hide the slight redness consuming his cheeks. 

"No more until you sleep." Senku's grumbling was interrupted as she placed another quick kiss, giggling when he reacted too late to dodge her. Senku watched her smile get wider, twisting around to lay against him, he was glad something as simple as a kiss could cheer her up. 

When the girl was tossing and turning in his bed, he had suggested a bath, knowing full well she always managed to sleep in the calm of the water. As her breathing began to relax, she reached up to grab his dampened leek-colored hair, tugging on it softly. 

"Have I told you, you look good with your hair down?"

"Only about a billion times." 

She laughed at his teasing tone, feeling her eyes start to flutter close. Senku's arms slipped off the sides of the tub to wrap around her waist. He kept his head steady, trying to avoid falling asleep. The last time that happened, they both nearly drowned. 

"Can we stay like this, forever?"

Senku's stomach twisted hearing the sad tone she carried. He hated lying to her in any way, shape, or form, and he knew forever wasn't something he could promise. Yet, the limbs around her pulled her closer to his body. 

"Sure." He murmured softly, rubbing circles on her skin beneath the water. 

...

...

The bliss their rekindled relationship had given [Y/N] withered away one Monday morning, when a classmate came up to her with a frown on her face. A phone was placed in her hands, and the singer couldn't believe what she was seeing. 

There, on one of the most popular gossip sites, was a picture of her and Senku only wearing towels. It was seemingly taken right after she had woken up from their little tub date. How the hell could she forget to close the curtains to his room? Why did she get so careless?

[E/C] eyes briefly read the comments, it was constantly getting updated. While this was all extremely dreadful, she was glad to see that most of these people had a clear mind about this. 

'Who tf approved of this article release? They're both underage? Hello???'

'Omg I remember him, he was with [Y/N] when I asked for a picture like a year ago!'

'this is gross'

'im all for drama and sneaky pics, but we're talking about literal children, guys wtf?'

'hope she sues this gossip company to the ground, this is absolutely sickening.'

'wasnt this article on thin ice? swear they posted some priv info about another singer a while back.'

'^ yeah they were given a severe warning in like march, they even fired the author for that week's article dunno why its happening again..'

She shoved the phone back to her fellow student and thanked the girl for letting her know, the bell rang but [Y/N] couldn't stay in the classroom, her feet took off down the hallway and into an empty room, her phone buzzed in her skirt pocket but she was far too busy trying to control her breathing.

This was it. Everyone knew about Senku, and there wasn't anything she could do to keep him partly hidden anymore. His privacy was set to public, and she was to blame. There had been rumors about her dating life, but she always managed to avoid acknowledging them. Unfortunately, this wasn't something she could deflect. 

A special ringtone echoed, and she reached for her phone to see Vivian's name on the screen. Her hand shook as she answered, bringing the device up to her ear.

"I'm so sorry, I'm—"

"Are you okay, [Y/N]?"

[Y/N] paused, hearing no anger or disappointment, only worry. Paul had a strict no-dating policy. He hated when she'd risk being seen with Senku, he would've ripped her apart if he were still her manager. Vivian wasn't like him. She needed to remember that.

"I—I don't know..." She could barely hold herself up, backing up to fall into a chair. "He's never going to be left alone, Viv. I was too greedy." Her cries made Vivian's heart slowly break. [Y/N]'s fans were crazy individuals, but to photograph teens in such a vulgar state, it was crossing a line, a line she would not let slide.

"What if they never leave him alone?"

Senku had been rushing down the halls trying to find [Y/N] right after Taiju had shown him the picture. He expected this stalker to appear again, but definitely not with this bold move. His heart pounded loudly in his ears.

He stopped, hearing crying in a nearby room. Senku slowly opened the door to see his girlfriend on the phone and trying to calm herself down.

"We should've stayed apart..." Hearing that soft whisper of a sentence, Senku reached for the phone and read over the contact name before reassuring Vivian he had the situation covered. Hanging up, he pocketed the device and turned to meet her stunned face.

"Senku..."

He huffed, watching her stand up and stumble slightly. Scarlet eyes narrowed, remembering her last words. He took a step closer to her, it turn making her take one back and accidentally pushing the chair over.

Senku continued backing her up till her lower back hit a table, with nowhere to go, [Y/N] finally looked up. Through her wet eyelashes, she saw his piercing gaze, her hands trembled, awaiting his words.

Except he didn't say anything, reaching his hands out to help her sit on the table, walking closer and standing in-between her legs. Her breath hitched, feeling his cool hands on her thighs.

And before she could open her mouth to ask what he was doing, her lips were captured by his. He didn't give her a moment to adjust, pushing like he desperately needed her to know he was right here.

Senku was here; he always had been and always would be. [Y/N] closed her eyes, feeling stray tears trail down her cheeks as she fully embraced the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck and brought him impossibly closer. He rarely initiated intimacy, but when he did, it always held a deeper meaning. The timing of all of those were like pure sweet sugar to her. 

The kiss stopped feeling rushed, both slowing down to enjoy each other's presence. They separated, with [Y/N] giving soft pecks and Senku sighing in content.

"Still think we should've stayed apart?"

A laugh got caught in her throat. He was teasing her even now. She shook her head, focused on how his lips formed a smile against her own.

"I didn't mean it like that, I want you more than anything in the world." Although shaky, her voice was confident with these said words. Senku was her rock, her other half, her whole damn universe.

"I know, and I promise everything will be okay." He hated how many times he had wiped away her tears, wanting to never see her cry, but he would never think to let another wipe them for her. 

This promise was real, something he trusted himself with to ensure. Because before his love for science, before the moon stalked him, [Y/N] was there first, in his mind and heart.

And weirdly enough, just a week later, they were turned to stone.

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[E/C] eyes blinked, watching pieces of rock fall from her hands, crumbling away from her legs and setting her free. [Y/N] stood up from the cold ground and looked around, gaping as a naked Senku stood only a few feet away with his back turned to her.

His head suddenly tilted over, sending her a huge smirk, and he reached his hand out for her to grab. She accepted without hesitation.

"Well, not the fix I had in mind, but I guess the stone age works too."

He evilly cackled, guiding her out of the cave and out into the new world. It was miles and miles of nature, no buildings in sight or other people. Everything they knew was gone, and while that included her precious phone and old mementos, this was a fresh start for her and Senku. Away from the public view, because there was no longer any internet.

It had all been wiped.

She was free.

"Senku, I love you." A startled Senku accidentally let go of the vine he was trying to rip out and fell on his ass, he slowly shifted to meet her teary eyes and lips quirked up in a sweet smile.

This time, his heart didn't feel any pain, just a comforting squeeze and warmth. The usual discomfort that overshadowed his thought process didn't take over, because for the first time in what felt like forever, those were happy tears. 

"Heh, I love you more, one billion percent."

Maybe, this time around, she could finally be happy with him, without prying eyes, without sneaking around. This was probably the biggest feeling of relief she had ever felt in her life, and while she was scared of the new unknown, she wasn't alone.

Senku would be here every step of the way, and so would she, for him.

"Now come here, unless you want the monkeys to keep staring at you." 

"I want a dress!"

"Anything for you." Senku teased, waving a piece of vine at her.

He muttered softly when she playfully rolled her eyes with a stupid grin on her face and collected more vines near him. 

"Anything."

God and worst of all? She absolutely hated the way she couldn't look away when he'd blush from a simple brush of her finger on his hand, when his lips quirked up in a soft smile, and when his eyes would widen slightly, giving her a better view of the pretty cat-like pupils.

Hated. Fucking hated that she was whipped for him.

"How the fuck did you roll another six?!"

"Luck."

[Y/N] held the Nintendo tighter, talking herself out of throwing the damn thing against the wall. You'd think she'd have a better chance at winning on Mario Party, except no, because Kenma was a god when it came to video games.

Sneering as he got another star, bringing his total up to four stars while she had zero. Finishing up the rounds, [Y/N] turned off the device and avoided gazing at his victory scene.

Kenma smiled, seeing her childish pout from the corner of his eyes. He gently took her DS and turned it back on, opening super bomberman and inviting it to a lobby he made.

[Y/N] took it back, blinking up at him.

"Let's team up."

And that was the first time she had won.

"Kuroo, what does he say about me?"

The tall rooster head stopped whistling, twirling a volleyball on a finger, and side-eyeing her. They crossed paths near the park and now he was walking her home.

"Not much, think he talks more about that orange crow he met." [Y/N] fidgeted with the melon bread in her hand, taking a bite and grumbling incoherent sentences. "Why are you asking?"

That was a question she didn't have an answer for, wondering the same thing herself. She hated him, right? So why did he plague her mind like a pretty persistent parasite, consuming her every thought, messing with her sleep by making her think of what he could be doing at times. Was he playing that new god of war game he bought last week, or did he go back to replay monster hunter?

"The quicker you accept that you like him, the easier your days will be." He chuckled, feeling her fist weakly hit his shoulder, glaring up at Kuroo like he had just exposed her.

"I don't. I hate him."

"You hate him because of how he makes you feel." Kuroo didn't miss a beat, dropping his teasing smirk and settling his lips into a very tender smile. [Y/N] sighed, crumpling up the wrapper in her hand and throwing it into a nearby bin.

"The last time I liked a dude, he fucked my best friend. I had to move schools because whenever I'd see their disgusting faces in the hallways, I'd be plotting their deaths and my own." He knew she had past troubles with boys, but he never thought it had that much lore, he made a mental note to ask for more gossip information later.

Kuroo tossed the ball from hand to hand. He understood why she felt so hostile when dealing with her feelings, however, comparing Kenma to that guy was not even remotely the same thing.

"Have you seen him talk to any girls who aren't you?"

"No, but that's not saying much, considering Kenma is very reserved."

"Okay, well, how many people does he let use his gaming consoles?"

That made her stop. Kuroo followed suit, his teasing smirk came back, and the girl looked up at him with her lips parted, face blushing slightly.

"Just me..."

"Just you."

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Kenma wiped the sweat from his forehead. This practice match had been going on for far too long, and he needed out. Now. The gym was unbearably hot, and the third set was not helping.

His only saving grace was knowing [Y/N] had stepped out a few points ago, yelling out that she'd be right back. She always did the same during hot days, watch him play for as long as she could stand the heat then leave, going to the nearby store and getting them popsicles.

"Kenma, just two more." Yaku patted his shoulder reassuringly then got back into position. The whistle was blown, and everyone moved accordingly. Kenma's eyes sharpened, hands in the air waiting to touch the ball and guide it towards an awaiting Fukunaga.

The moment it came in contact he decided to simply tap it over the net, hearing the whistle confirm the point and he breathed out—doubling over in pain when Kuroo smacked his back with an obnoxious laugh.

"A setter dump, good timing."

"HURRY UP!" They all turned to look at an impatient [Y/N] holding a plastic bag with the cold goodies. Knowing they were about to receive a treat had their blood pumping, and they scored that last point like their lives depended on it.

"Thanks." After saying their goodbyes and changing into their regular school uniforms, Kenma took the popsicle she had handed to him. The rest of the boys walked further, leaving the pair to stray in the back in silence.

A very comforting silence to him, but [Y/N] weirdly longed to hear his voice. She cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks heat up when he tilted his head to the side, observing her while biting into the cat-shaped treat.

"Can I come over today? My dad got me the Nintendo Switch and I...I really wanna play Animal Crossing with you..." She whispered the last two words, Kenma looked away from her pretty [E/C] eyes, and felt his own face turn red.

"You can come over whenever you'd like, [Y/N]."

Her name feel from his lips like sweet honey and she quite literally melted on the spot.

"Ah! It's getting on your hands—"

...

...

Kenma softly snored into the pillow he had clutched to his chest. Next to him lay a focused [Y/N], determined to get the last 5k bells they needed for the house upgrade. Tom Nook was a greedy little man, but she needed the extra space to decorate, and no way in hell could she sleep right now.

His body rolled onto his back, head lolling to the side and facing her. [Y/N] confirmed the selected items to sell and smirked in victory as she ran to Tom for the long-awaited upgrade. She sighed quietly, saving the game and setting the console on the bedside stand.

[E/C] eyes shifted to the side, observing Kenma's peaceful expression, she lifted a hand to brush the pads of her fingers on his cheek, softly dragging them down to pass her thumb over his lips. A strand of hair loosened from behind his ear, [Y/N] reached to tuck it back.

Half-lidded yellow eyes fluttered open, and Kenma didn't move an inch, just observed her. Her warm hand rested on his cheek, cupping and caressing.

"[Y/N]?" Whispered groggy words, [Y/N] smiled and scooted closer to rest her head on his shoulder, looking up at him, she could feel her heart race. "You're lucky it's the weekend."

"You only fell asleep early because of the volleyball match." His gaze trailed from her eyes to her lips, to Kenma, [Y/N] was a dream. A dream he didn't think could ever be real, a dream he didn't have a chance with.

It hurt him to like someone like her, funny, kind, and beautiful. They had become friends when Kuroo lost to her in a sandbox fight, and Kenma stepped in to help his friend get sand out of his nose. He remembered that day so clearly, especially her very humored giggles.

For this night, he'd risk it a bit, mind still half asleep. Kenma adjusted her head to be on his chest instead, arm wrapping around her shoulder, and chin resting on her hair. When [Y/N] hugged him in response, Kenma hoped she wouldn't worry about how shaky his breaths had gotten.

"Will you stay today too?"

"I'd love to."

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Kenma loved [Y/N].

Loved the way she'd never shy away from anyone, speaking her mind and keeping everything in control.

Loved when she smiled brightly during his volleyball games, screaming the loudest and buying him victory treats.

Loved her pouty lips, red cheeks, and especially her [E/C] eyes. They were clear windows to him, knowing how she was feeling in that moment with a simple look-over.

The best part of it had to be those late nights when they'd play together, shoulders touching, munching on junk food and energy drinks, whispering to avoid waking up his parents. When she'd muffle her laughs into his sweater, clinging onto him like he was her lifeline.

Loved. Absolutely loved everything about her.

"Where's [Y/N]?"

Kenma scanned the sitting crowd, and he saw her friends, but no sign of the girl. The whistle rang out, and he was forced to tear his gaze from the people, settling into his position on the court.

She promised she'd never miss a game, no matter what, and he believed her. Recalling the day she had gone down with a severe flu, wearing three sweaters and two facemasks, cheering for him while coughing.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to bring along a stray." Coach Nekomata rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the grin on his face, Kenma's frown slowly quirked up into a cute smile—[Y/N] waving from behind the old man enthusiastically.

"Hey."

"Hi."

Smiles. Blushing faces. Something he loved and she hated.

"Alright, alright, stop drowning in each other's eyes. Sit down and you get into the setter spot." Kuroo playfully patted their backs and dragged Kenma to start the game.

[Y/N] took her place on the bench, fidgeting with her fingers above her shorts, a little nervous to watch the game this closely. She wasn't allowed to enter the gymnasium, having lost her entry ticket and clinging to the poor coach trying to get a drink nearby.

The world around her went mute, not even the annoying squeaking of their sneakers could penetrate her concentration this time. Everything but Kenma blurred out, his slightly long, cute, pudding-colored hair, his focused yellow cat eyes, lips set into a thin line, and cheeks red with adrenaline.

He was perfect in her eyes.

[Y/N] didn't hate Kenma, she hated what she couldn't have.

"Careful where you spike!" A meek boy on the opposing team shrieked and quickly bowed to Kenma, as he had almost hit the ball into his face.

"Don't mind her, she goes a little cuckoo when it comes to him." Kuuro offered a gigantic smirk, sending not-so-subtle glances towards the duo, who blushed in unison.

The game continued on smoothly, both teams giving their all and keeping a balanced score. First set was given to the opponents, in the middle of their second, a time out was called.

"Their middle blocker is good, but gets sloppy when you all charge in. Keep an eye out and track him, bounce the damn ball as many times as you can." Coach Nekomata received a loud 'hai' from the group, proudly smiling at how they all contributed more ideas to increase their points.

Kenma separated from the group, needing a breather. Walking up to [Y/N], who held out his water bottle, he thanked her and took a much-needed sip while sitting down. She gently took a folded towel to wipe away the sweat dripping down his forehead and neck, knowing Kenma hated sweating above all else.

Could she really live on like this? Acting as if this weird situationship wasn't happening? She wanted something more, something clear. [Y/N] finished and placed the towel to her side, she turned back to look at him already with his eyes on her.

"Think we can win?"

"Of course." She cackled. "Can't lose when I'm over here cheering for you."

Kenma laughed quietly. She hadn't seen him lose yet, and he was not going to let today be that day. He stood up when the referee mentioned the fifteen minutes were up, as he bent down to leave his bottle, [Y/N] snatched up the collar of his jersey, bringing him down further, in turn making him need to place a hand on the side of her thigh to balance himself.

"If the winning point is a setter dump, you can make me do one thing. If it's not, then I'll make you do something. Deal?" Her [E/C] eyes were filled with a mischievous sparkle, wanting to spice the game up. Kenma blinked from the close proximity, the words got caught in his throat, but he made sure to nod, already knowing what he'd like to ask of her.

"He looks locked in." Lev stood tall with his hands on his hips, observing the way Kenma's face was blank, no trace of the usual complaints, only utter silence. Kuroo had noticed their little interaction and swore by everything he loved that they had kissed.

Kenma set the ball like a precise hawk, earning his team the second set without a hitch. Coach Nekomata had never seen him so focused, he needed to know what had been said.

"[L/N], what'd you say to him?"

"Uh, nothing in particular..."

"I'd like to know, maybe with those words I can make him take matches this seriously every time."

[Y/N] held in her laugh, turning to look at the older man with a smile.

"I don't think it'll work if you say it."

"Ah, young love. I understand."

He looked away and monitored his players, purposely ignoring the shocked girl next to him. Great, now even this dude was teasing her.

...

...

"The poor thing didn't even see it coming." [Y/N] skipped over the cracked lines on the cement, chuckling when she remembered the shocked faces of everyone, including his teammates.

"Yaku almost tackled me, he was very amused with it."

The sky had gotten dark, leaving them to walk under the lamp posts and hurry on home, aka his home, because she lived further away and he didn't want her walking alone at this hour.

"So, you won. What are you gonna make me do?"

Kenma stuffed his face into his sweater's collar, hiding the bottom half from her. His eyes darted to the side and avoided meeting her curious expression.

He wanted a kiss. When he was dragged down to her level, her words almost didn't reach him, wanting to lean closer and connect their lips. Kenma wanted to ask for it, but now all his confidence had dissipated like the petals of a withered flower.

What if she thought he was some sort of pervert after this? Would it ruin what they had built together?

"Kenma, don't overthink it."

They stopped walking, standing underneath a light. [Y/N] was expecting him to ask for a game or make her play that scary one she refused to even touch.

He breathed in, feeling goosebumps take over his covered arms. Countless times, she had mentioned hating past relationships, and anyone who confessed to her was shot down quicker than a bullet. Why'd he go and fall for her despite knowing this?

"[Y/N], you can say no."

"Tell me then."

Now she was beginning to feel nervous, giving her the option to decline was starting to look like a red flag. But this was Kenma, her sweet little pudding angel, there was no way he'd ask for anything she considered bad.

"A...k..."

"What?"

"Uhm, a k..."

[E/C] eyes blinked rapidly, straining her ears to try and decipher his low mumbling. She took a step forward and squinted when he looked away shyly, k? k what. Kenma suddenly began walking again, [Y/N] matched his pace with confusion building up inside of her.

"Never mind, you don't have to do anything."

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"K-word that causes embarrassment? Why would I know?"

"Well, I can't exactly ask him, now, can I?" Kuroo threw a pencil at her face, scowling playfully at her blatant sarcasm. [Y/N] told him about the silly deal, needing feedback on this matter before going straight to the source.

"Just because he's my best friend doesn't mean I can read his mind."

"No duh—okay, sorry, find out for me please? I'll set you up on that date you wanted with Claire." Kuroo's eye twitched at the stupid puppy look she was making. He hated it so much because it worked, plus the reward was something he wanted.

"Fine, get out of my face and classroom."

"Awww, you're the best." This time, the pencil hit the back of her head as she ran away.

He sighed. Of course he knew what Kenma wanted to ask. The boy had mentioned it multiple times at every damn sleepover or hanging out time they had. How these two were so oblivious to each other was a greater mystery than the Bermuda Triangle.

Kuroo and Kenma were practicing alone in the gymnasium, [Y/N] was needed at home, so the others were sent for drinks. The tall boy ruffled his black hair, wondering how he should bring the topic up, stressing out slightly until he realized this was Kenma.

"You chickened out."

"Huh?" The volleyball Kenma had thrown in the air landed at his side, startled by his friend's sudden words.

"If you ask her to kiss you, she'd do it in a heartbeat...actually a bit longer cause she's as dumb as you when it comes to this." Kenma pouted when Kuroo laughed, walking closer to him.

"[Y/N] says she hates you, and she does, but not you in specific. Hates you because she has feelings for you, someone she doesn't think would ever like her back." He yawned into his palm. "See why you're both dumb?"

"I can't ask her...and I can't do it either."

"So you're going to let the girl who likes you back be a missed opportunity?"

"I can't do it Kuroo..."

Well, he didn't need to. His best friend had a plan set in motion, going straight to [Y/N], standing in front of her locker the very next morning. Holding her there until all the students left the area, once the coast was clear he grasped both her shoulders.

His 'plan' wasn't much of a plan per se, but it'd work nonetheless...he hoped it would at least.

"[Y/N] kiss Kenma. Next time you're alone with him, grab his school tie and pull him in for one."

She frantically blinked at his hushed words, feeling heat rise to the tips of her ears. K, k as in kiss? Kenma wanted a kiss? From her?

"Is that what he wanted?"

Kuroo nodded with a serious expression. He needed this interaction over so he could plan his date with Claire instead of playing cupid for these two airheads.

"...I'll tell Claire to text you..."

"Pleasure doing business with you." With that, he finally let go of her and ran away into the halls. Now it was her turn to think things over, Kuroo would never lie about something like this, and that scared her a bit.

Oh wow. Okay. A kiss, pretty straightforward and easy. She lost the deal, and that was okay. Okay. Okay. Oh my god. She looked redder than the color red itself, fanning her face at the mere thought of kissing Kenma.

"You okay?" Claire jumped back when [Y/N] freaked out. "Damn! Okay calm down."

"Okay? It's not okay, Claire help."

"Okay....?"

"Stop saying okay, okay?!"

"...alright?"

"I need to kiss Kenma." [Y/N] rushed her words, "Well, not need, want. Both actually, need and want."

"Then just...do it?"

Claire was severely confused. She thought they were dating already, there is no way you look at someone the way they look at each other without being together.

[Y/N] activated her puppy look once more, adding a pout this time, Claire's specific weakness.

"Ok—alright. We'll talk about it during lunch."

...

...

[Y/N] spent the entire school day mulling over the pros and cons of the kiss, the kiss itself? check. The embarrassment after? cross. She kept going back and forth, annoying both Kuroo and Claire, mostly Claire, who found out she was trapped in a date she did not want. She did.

"Are you two sure he likes me?"

"Noooo, we want you to make out with a dude who doesn't like you—shut up and do it!" Kuroo pushed her out of the school gardens, guiding her towards the gate where Kenma was waiting for her—they'd be playing more Animal Crossing today.

He lowered his head, whispering. "All jokes aside [Y/N], if you don't make the first move, you two will be stuck in a state of limbo. I promise it'll be fine."

Kuroo ruffled her [H/C] hair and once again pushed her forward. She gulped and walked up to Kenma. He noticed her from the corner of his eye, so he saved the game and put his console away.

"Let's stop by the store first." [Y/N] nodded, and they began their walk in silence. The streets were a little crowded, leaving them to bump shoulders every now and then, hands brushing by one another.

If she planned on kissing him, holding hands wouldn't be that big of a deal, right? Kenma felt his nerves rise, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the amount of people near him, almost suffocating.

Before his 'flight or fight' activated, the soft, warm feeling of her hand holding his dulled all other senses. Kenma turned his head to see her looking directly at the ground, gnawing at her bottom lip. He didn't dare say anything, worried he'd make her let go.

Kenma didn't let go, not even to try and hold more snacks, paying at the counter, and holding the heavy bag. He couldn't, and he wouldn't. This continued all the way to his house, [Y/N] unzipping his backpack to get the key out and unlocking the door, walking up the stairs, and into his bedroom.

"..."

Yellow met [E/C], both glancing down at their joined hands and then up to each other again. Hesitantly, she let go, shrugging off her bag and lying on the floor. Kenma did the same, settling himself right next to her. The bag of snacks was set in front of them, Nintendo Switches turned on, and they loaded up their save.

"It kinda sucks that you can't build on my island, that'd be fun."

Kenma made an 'mhm' sound, collecting anything he could and fishing nearby. He watched her character zoom past him multiple times, decorating the outside of her house.

An hour into the game, [Y/N] got the trade offer from Kenma, said boy didn't mention anything, not even looking at her. She clicked accept, and in her inventory was a desk, the yellow cute DIY table she had been trying to get.

Her [E/C]'s were wide. Giggling, she ran into the house to place the pretty little thing in her bedroom.

"If only we could get married in this game."

That made him flustered, and he continued his fishing. His hands were a bit shaky, and he found it so silly he was this affected by the thought of marrying her in a game.

"Stardew Valley lets you marry villagers...and other players..." He awkwardly coughed when she turned to look at him. This time, he didn't shy away, meeting her gaze. Subconsciously darting his yellow eyes to her lips, like always.

[Y/N] didn't miss the change of attention, not this time. She never hated Kenma. Who was she trying to fool?

"Kenma, close your eyes." His attention snapped up to see her serious face. Did his staring make her feel uncomfortable? He complied with her ask, eyelashes brushing by the top of his cheeks, and he stayed silent, anxious for what came next.

A million possibilities ran through his head, but nothing could've prepared him for the mellow kiss she had initiated. Pleasant, soft, warm, and more words came to mind, but the best one for this situation was perfect.

[Y/N] pulled back, watching him flutter his eyes open and gaping slightly at her. She smiled nervously, scanning his face for any sense of rejection.

"I'd like to be your girlfriend and marry you in Stardew."

Kenma felt like his chest was relieved of all the worry that had built up, feeling fresh air fill his lungs, and a wonderful bliss taking over. He leaned back in, giving [Y/N] a quick, shy, chaste kiss.

"I'd like you to be my girlfriend too...and my Stardew wife..."

Animal Crossing was quickly forgotten, both of them buying and downloading Stardew Valley the next day. (They clocked in 80 hrs in a mere week.)

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"How do you die that much in a farm game?" Kuroo had googled the game on his phone. If Kenma never died in those dragon RPGs he loved, how was this farm more difficult?

"[Y/N] kept making our characters kiss, I couldn't attack the bats coming for us."

"Hey! We're rich enough for the medical bills already." She grinned, scrolling through screenshots she had taken of them in the game, passing by an occasional selfie.

"No more kissing in the mines, I lost the sunflower decoration I was going to give you."

"We'll get a new one. By the way, let's have a baby today."

"Have to visit Robin so she can put back the crib you exploded."

Kuroo packed up his lunch and left them alone on the rooftop, tired of the weird conversation.

"Yeah, I know."

[Y/N] chuckled, not a stranger to the way his fingers twitched upon hearing her. She knew he knew about her feelings, choosing to brush them off instead of over-analyzing them.

Senku scrolled through his emails, eyes focused on the recent update from his mentor. [Y/N] shuffled around small pieces of junk, from a box he kept stuffed in his closet, parts he used for his projects.

She didn't know what half of these were, only recognizing bolts and circuit boards. [E/C] eyes shifted to look at the white and green haired teen, smiling sadly when she noticed how utterly fascinated he looked.

A look he would never give her.

She tried to erase her feelings, all efforts dissipated whenever he'd hold her hand, wordlessly dragging her out of the house to bring her to his own residence or the park. Wanting [Y/N] to be there to experience whatever crazy plan he had in mind.

[Y/N] tidied up, pushing the box back into its rightful place and dusting off her school skirt. Her light footsteps lead her to stand behind the scientist, placing her hands on his shoulders and slowly sliding them down his chest.

Her face nudged his cheek, focusing on whatever he was gazing at. Senku forced his body to relax, telling himself this was normal, something she did a lot. It was nothing new.

Yet her warm cheek next to his never failed to make his heart skip a beat.

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I.

I..

I...

Senku couldn't focus on the beaker in his hand, placing it down and settling by the window. He plunged the straw into his milk carton and sipped away, scarlet eyes scanning the field of soccer players and a certain [H/C] haired girl sitting by the bleachers with a group of friends.

She looked dazed, much like how he looked right now.

I, a vowel she had uttered three times just this morning. No 'like you' was added, [Y/N] dashing away with a frown before she added anything else.

He shouldn't care this much, it was illogical to let this occurrence hinder his experimental progress. He could lie to everyone else and say it didn't bother him, but he couldn't lie to himself.

"Senku, it's time to lock everything up."

He sighed, barely registering the passing of time and how the bleachers were empty now. Senku turned away and nodded, going to his station to clean up his unfinished work.

The night came soon, and he felt pure annoyance when sleep could not overtake him, stomping over to her house. Clicking the doorbell until his finger got tired, flinching when he heard a crash.

[Y/N] opened to door, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning lightly. Senku held a blank face walking past her and closing the door, despite the very empty streets, there wasn't a reason someone should see her attire.

Before he could comment on her messy tank top, straps falling to the side of her arms, the rolled up shorts and the singular bunny slipper, blood trickled down her nose.

Noticing she wasn't reacting in the slightest, he quickly pinched her nose, tilting her head up. He guided her into the bathroom, sitting her on the toilet cover and quickly searching for a towel.

He kneeled down in front of her and held her chin, pulling it down forward to allow the excess blood to flow onto the towel. [E/C] eyes barely started to register what was going on.

"Sen..?"

"Clumsy, why did you fly down those stairs?"

"Only one psycho rings my bell like that." She murmured softly, he only ever did it when her parents weren't home, otherwise he'd be throwing pebbles at her window like she was a locked up princess.

"Got eager when you realized it was me?" He teased, biting his inner cheek when she didn't laugh in return, sadness pooled within her. Senku was making it harder with each passing day, unknowingly tugging at the strings attaching them together.

That's what [Y/N] thought at least.

"Senku, I..."

"Like me, I know."

"Yeah..."

He should've let her speak, she had nowhere to run to here. He held in the sound of frustration he desperately wanted to make, looking at the girl sleeping soundly next to him with her face stuffed in his chest.

Senku's sleep was filled with memories, ones he used to find rightfully childish but also held them close to his heart, refusing to let any details about them slip by his memory.

"Hi, what are you doing?" Scarlet eyes blinked at the small face peeking over the tall backyard fence, it took him a second to realize this was his new neighbor, who'd barely moved in yesterday evening.

"I'm growing crystals." He watched her head tilt, curiosity brimmed in her [E/C] eyes and she tried to climb over. The stool she had used wasn't enough, yelling for her father, who was drinking by the pool, the man got startled and walked over.

A young [Y/N] pouted and pointed over the fence, motioning [D/N] to help her over. Senku went back to his task, drowning out her yells of protest when her dad dragged her inside the house.

Minutes later Byakuya opened the backyard door and waved, with the new family behind him. The small girl immediately ran over to the sitting brainiac and sat down, observing his little setup.

"Not that you would understand, but first I put magnesium sulfate also known as Epsom salts, into this jar, add water and monitor its growth." He waved his notepad, scribbles of words she didn't know at all, but still capturing her attention.

"Can I have one?"

Senku smugly smirked, of course she wanted one, who could resist science?

"Sure."

He soon learned she didn't care for science at all, she cared for his reaction, his words, and his adoration for it. Whenever he'd hit minor setbacks during his projects, whether it be waiting for a part to be shipped or a slight miscalculation in his notes—[Y/N] kept his mind running with requests.

For example, she had asked him to make a large beautiful lava lamp, the very one sitting on her desk and lighting up the room with bright red and green colors.

She liked him. Did he like her? He didn't know. Obviously [Y/N] was someone he wanted around him at all times, she's been there since the near beginning and continued to stay.

"Woah! [Y/N], where'd you get that necklace?"

"It's so pretty!"

[Y/N] felt claustrophobic having so many classmates surround her desk, the shimmering crystal had attracted unwanted gazes. One of the boys suddenly grasped the accessory and ripped it off her neck, dangling it in the air showing it off to everyone else.

"Please give it back.."

"Looks cheap, why are you all amazed?" He scoffed, dropping the necklace to the floor and stomping it with his foot. All that remained were small dusty particles, the rest of the students berated the boy but [Y/N] couldn't focus on anything else other than her gift being mistreated so harshly.

"Hey [D/N], Senku said [Y/N] refused to come out and play today, is everything okay?" Byakuya had never seen her give up a single opportunity to hang out with his son, they had become close friends in a very short span of time.

"No, not really. A classmate broke the crystal Senku gave her, she's been crying all evening and I don't know what to do. [M/N] tried to calm her down too but nothing worked."

Senku opened the front door, stomping past the talking adults and making his way to her house. The door was slightly ajar so he allowed himself in, walking past a confused [M/N] and up the stairs, now standing in front of her door.

He knocked. Nothing.

Sniffles behind the door and he felt uncomfortable.

"[Y/N]. Open the door."

Nothing.

"[Y/N]."

Fine.

He went back downstairs and headed to the backyard, picking up small rocks and throwing them at her window. Paling when he threw one with too much force and the glass broke, [E/C] irises popped up from the broken window and blinked down at him in surprise.

"Senku? Mommy's going to be mad."

"Why are you sulking over a stupid crystal?"

[Y/N] felt tears gather, lips quivering trying to hold herself together. She didn't want him to see her cry, but despite her best efforts, he did.

"Because you made it. I couldn't keep it safe."

"So instead of asking me for another or telling me about it, you decided to ignore me?"

He jutted out his bottom lip, he didn't mean to sound so whiny, his face reddened when she stopped sniffling and stared down at him with her eyes sparkling. Never had she heard him sound so dejected, not to mention Senku blushing was rare.

"Now, get down here so we can convince your dad to transfer you to my school."

"Senku...I like you."

"Huh? Oh...me too?"

...

...

Senku wasn't the type to shrug something off with an 'I don't know.', always having a logical explanation for everything. He just couldn't formulate anything other than his emotions going haywire when it came to her.

He glanced at the silent girl copying his math notes, he liked her writing, it was neat, pretty, and aligned perfectly no matter what paper she wrote on. The way her fingers seemed to glide smoothly, the sun's rays making her skin glow...when did he start seeing her in a different light?

"Is everything okay?" Senku blinked, met with her head tilting to the side and giving him a concerned expression. The only times [Y/N] had seen him this locked into his thoughts was during anything science-related, this sudden change worried her.

"Yeah, just thinking of the parts I need to buy." She closed their notebooks and slid his towards him, putting her own away and leaning back in the chair. Her head shifted to look up at the ceiling.

"I..." Why did his breath hitch? Why did his heart skip a beat? "I'm sorry for falling asleep on you yesterday."

Disappointment polluted his veins, awkwardly playing with the pencil in his hands.

"Heh, wouldn't be the first time."

"It won't happen again, sorry."

His movement came to a stop, his lips parted but no words came out, silently watching her pack the rest of her things, sending him a brief smile and walking out the clubroom.

A smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Senku had always brushed off her indirect-direct confessions, never thinking about it for too long and moving on. When did it start bothering him to not hear it? It was ridiculous.

"Senku! I like you."

"You said that yesterday, and the day before."

"Doesn't make it less of a truth!" She pouted playfully, passing him the screwdriver.

Senku shook his head at her giggle, continuing his science fair project. Could someone really like a friendship this much?

Was it still a friendship? And when the hell did he start asking himself so many questions, unanswered ones at that? Senku blew out air, finally getting up from his chair and rolling his stiff neck around.

"What a dumbass." He berated himself under his breath, oblivious to the girl waiting just outside the door.

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The leek-haired kid stood outside her window, nearly snapping his neck from jumping over the fence. A small pebble rolled between his fingers, deciding if throwing it would be a good idea. Remembering the amount of times he broke the glass he dropped the rock and took out his phone.

Scrolling through his contacts and hesitating to press on her icon, he didn't even know why he was here in the first place, dragging his feet out of bed before he could really think about it.

He clicked off contacts, sending her a message instead. It didn't take long, the girl quietly walked downstairs and opened the backyard door, scrunching her eyebrows at him.

"What's wrong?"

"[Y/N] I don't mind you sleeping on me."

"Did you come here just to say...that?" [Y/N] had thought of the worst, that maybe he was going to call off their friendship, tired of her feelings or clinginess.

"No, but it's not a lie." Senku let out an unamused chuckle, emotions are stupid, therefore making him feel stupid. [Y/N] closed the door behind her and approached his conflicting figure, the worry from earlier came back.

She gave him a few seconds, realizing he was once again drifting away into his thoughts. Her lips twitched, from the cold and from how intense his gaze was fixated on her.

"Senku?"

"Do you like me?" That wasn't what he wanted to say either, he knew she did, he wasn't that oblivious—

"No."

—or was he? Scarlet eyes widened only slightly, had he misread the entire situation? Struggling to comprehend his own feelings he held for her, when she wasn't interested in him anymore?

"I don't like you, I—"

"Yeah I got it, see you tomorrow [Y/N]." He lazily waved and spun on his heel, heading towards the fence to hop over it again. His leg suddenly got tugged on, messing up his balance and falling towards the grass.

He blinked away the mild pain, the blurriness cleared away and the scenery of [Y/N]'s face right next to him greeted his eyes.

"Why, why don't you ever let me finish my words?"

"Because I know what you're going to say, that you like me. Did you say them that much to try and get a reaction out of me? Was it fun?" His voice came out harsh, completely surprised at how angry he felt. Senku's stomach twisted when he watched as her [E/C] eyes narrowed significantly.

[Y/N] bit her bottom lip in frustration, no longer kneeling by his side and taking a few steps away from him.

"Get out, and don't ever talk to me again." That was the softest he'd ever heard her voice, sounding completely defeated. Maybe being away from her is what he needed, time to gather himself and what this all meant to him.

That was the best way to get rid of her unrequited love, even if it hurt her more than anything in the world. She couldn't help but sneak glances at him, feeling her chest tighten at how he looked perfectly normal with the change.

The bell for lunchtime rang, Senku walked past her desk without sparing her a glance. The crystal sitting right above her collarbones suddenly felt heavy, she gripped her hand around it and couldn't bring herself to rip it off.

"[Y/N]!" Two hands roughly landed on her desk, startled, she looked up at the cause. Taiju held a bright smile, making exaggerated hip movements and she had never felt so confused in her life.

"I'm going to confess to Yuzuriha after school! You'll have the perfect view from the science club hallway so please, be there for me!" The giant bowed and ran out of the room before [Y/N] could reply, hopefully, Senku wouldn't be there...who was she kidding, of course he would.

She spent the last lesson shifting in her seat, it wasn't like she'd be going there for him, it was for Taiju and Taiju only. It had been a week since their friendship break-up, finding herself sitting alone and talking to no one.

[Y/N] smiled watching Taiju stroll up to a waiting Yuzuriha, both of them were already blushing. She snapped as many pictures as she could with her limited storage space, wanting the couple to have memories.

Somebody joined her right next to the window, balancing their arms on the thin windowsill. Green and white flooded the corner of her view, gulping quietly when she realized who it was. No words were exchanged, just two teens being here for their friend.

Her face scrunched up when Taiju stopped talking, gazing at the atmosphere in a trance. [E/C] eyes widened at the bright green light approaching them quickly, she took a step back noticing Senku do the same.

"What?" She whispered, Taiju and Yuzuriha had been turned to stone statues.

"[Y/N]!" An arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her closer, and a hand landed on her head as if to protect her. Her heart was beating like crazy and all she could do was hug him back, feeling her body encased by a weird material. "I'm sorry." was the last thing she heard.

The darkness was beginning to overwhelm her, it was eerily quiet with only her inside voice being her saving grace. Her head was consumed by her memories, replaying them desperately to keep herself awake. Was Senku still next to her? She hoped he was okay.

"We don't have the same homeroom..." [Y/N] traced the bulletin board list, frowning when she noticed Senku and Taiju were together, but she had been placed in a different one.

"Maybe next year, let's go big oaf." Senku patted her shoulder before walking off with the enthusiastic giant, well she didn't expect him to care, however a head pat would've been better.

Thankfully her classmates were pretty okay, meeting a cheerful girl named Yuzuriha who immediately hit it off with [Y/N]. They paired up for every assignment and helped each other whenever, still, something was missing.

It was barely a week into their first year of middle school when she was approached by her neighbor, holding a pink envelope in his hand. Senku was going to show it to her, but [Y/N] snatched it quicker than lighting itself.

Her [E/C] eyes barely skimmed over the gushy words, tugging the paper back into the envelope and not returning it to him. He didn't read all of it, so he wondered if he missed something weird written in it.

"Don't accept any of these."

"Why?" It wasn't like he planned on accepting anyone's confession, her firm voice did spark curiosity on this matter though.

"Because I like you." That was when Senku realized that sentence was no longer innocent, never had he seen her look so conflicted or embarrassed. [Y/N] loosened her grip on the piece of paper and gave it back, lowering her head to look at her school shoes.

What was he supposed to say? Teasing her like usual didn't feel right, not when she had basically confessed to him. Senku didn't need or want a relationship, not right now, maybe not ever.

"Okay, I won't." So why did he go out of his way to reassure her?

A scarlet eye was finally gazing up at something else other than the total darkness, it was the ceiling of a cave, not the prettiest sight but different nonetheless. He frantically looked around, knowing damn well he held onto [Y/N] so tightly there was no chance her body strayed away.

Oh, there she was. Huddled up near the darker area of the cave, knees pulled up to her chest and hiding her bottom parts.

"I heard your stone cracking...I got shy..."

"Keke, get up, we have work to do—or don't, give me a second." Senku's best clothing option was thick vines, roping them together to shield their parts even if he didn't care for nudity. [Y/N] ended up weaving a dress, deeming the two-piece a little too revealing for her taste.

Senku was completely in his element, a part of him was also extremely glad he wasn't alone. [Y/N] on the other hand was fucking losing her mind, she kept her composure in front of him, helping him in whatever he needed, but when she had her alone time—struggled to keep in her freak-outs.

He had noticed, sending her away whenever he'd feel her body tensing up or eyes glazing over. It worried him that she wouldn't be able to adapt, and slowly lose herself instead.

Maybe he was too, considering his nights were plagued by the flashbacks of her saying she liked him. They hadn't brought up that topic again, and he didn't think he could.

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"You like him." Gen leaned over the tall tree stump, playfully grinning at the usually stoic girl. He heard from Senku that she was only this reserved with them, not him, and that intrigued the mentalist.

"Hm? No, not quite."

It didn't sound like denial, or had she not understood his question? Gen slowly approached her, dropping his teasing tone and melting back into his normal persona.

"Did my question upset you?" [Y/N]'s hand stopped writing, lifting her head up from her lap and blinking up at the concerned boy. She softly shook her head, but Gen knew better, he had definitely heard the shake in her voice.

"Knowing he will never return these feelings...I'd rather keep them buried till the end of time."

Except, Gen knew for a fact it was not that simple for her, placing a hand on her shaking shoulder. He looked away, wanting to be here for her but also giving her privacy to cry.

So he made it his mission to find out how Senku felt, if he did, he'd try his best to get them together. If not...well he would have to find [Y/N] a new love interest.

"What?" Senku nearly dropped the beaker in his hand when Gen popped his head into the laboratory so suddenly and hit him with a wild question.

"I asked how you feel about [Y/N]."

"She's a good friend."

"No."

"No..?" The scientist was playing stupid, trying to shrug off the mentalist from prying into his emotions.

"Well, I need to know before proceeding."

Senku raised an eyebrow, pouring the next chemical from a vial.

"Whether [Y/N] has a shot with you, or I get her fixated on someone who likes her back."

He paused, Gen smirked behind his joint arms, jackpot.

"Impossible, there's no one else she could possibly develop feelings for—not that she has them for me, not anymore."

Senku regretted the words that spilled out his mouth, hearing Gen snicker. Yeah maybe he did like her, the 3,700 years in solitude and the one year being awake, [Y/N] was constantly in his thoughts. Not knowing if they'd ever wake up, he wondered what they could've been if he had realized his feelings for her earlier.

[Y/N]'s love language was physical, hooking her arm around his, holding his hand, pressing her face to his, and cuddling up during sleepovers.

"Listen, Senku. [Y/N] still wants to be with you. I think you're worrying too much about the physical aspect of it." Why was this mentalist this good at reading even him? Senku finished writing up his progress, turning to look at the stone-faced Gen. It was the first time he looked serious.

He wasn't confident that he'd be giving his best friend what she truly deserved. Senku stilled, realizing he had been doing exactly what he thought he couldn't give, her touches were never foreign or unwelcome, in fact, he didn't mind them. Allowing [Y/N] to be that close to him was already reciprocating her feelings.

"Tell her how you feel, give her a kiss or two, and let everything else flow naturally."

...

...

[Y/N] didn't think much of the thick blanket around her and Senku, shoulders pressed against each other. Gen had wrapped them up and walked away with no further words, sitting across the campfire and giving them a thumbs up.

Senku was on the verge of making a torch and throwing it at the smug white and black haired male. Her knee touched his and he tensed up, too focused on her close proximity, why was it sweetly suffocating him now?

"Hurry, say 'ah', the fish is getting cold."

"...ahh..."

[Y/N] giggled seeing him hide his cheeks that flared up like apples, thanking Kohaku for the second fish and eating it quickly while giving some bites to Senku.

"[Y/N]."

She hummed in response, mouth filled with food and cheeks puffing out.

"Meet me by the flower field after you're done." He stood up and fixed the blanket to envelop her further, she nodded half-dazed and wondered what he needed from her. She finished the last bite and got up, lending the blanket to a small shivering Suika.

The path to the flower field was only a few minutes away, but it must be something important, otherwise, he'd tell her what he needed to say in front of everyone...oh..did, did Gen say something? [Y/N] was extremely nervous now.

Senku's hair swayed softly with the cold breeze, he gazed up at the moon gathering his thoughts and formulating words in his head, the moment he heard her approach him, all his meticulous planning drifted away.

He turned around, facing her. What was he going to say again? Fuck, it left his mind.

"What did you need Senku?"

Once he said this, there would be no going back, fearful of the chance it might ruin their friendship. A teeny tiny part of him yelled out that Gen basically confirmed her still have feelings for him, so it shouldn't be this hard to speak.

"Senku?"

She made no move to approach him, standing exactly three feet away. [Y/N] needed this rejection to go by quick, she would heal and move on.

"Is...is your love from before still strong?"

[Y/N] teared up as a shiver ran down her spine, and her lips trembled at the way he gazed at her, with such a soft look. It had taken him quite a bit of time to understand what she had meant by her 'no', all of her hesitated I's, it was right in front of him and he was so damn blind.

"I'm sorry, I should've let you finish that day. I was barely coming to terms with how I felt about you and hearing you say you didn't feel the same anymore, well it put me off."

the same? She finally took a step forward, another, one more and she was right in front of him. Scarlet eyes were half-lidded and fixated on her [E/C] irises, awaiting her response.

"I...I wanted to say I love you." His hand grasped her arm, not bothering to hide his blushing face this time. He felt her eyes scan him as if trying to reassure herself this was truly happening. "I know you didn't feel this way back then, so for a while, I struggled to even say I liked you. Scared that you'd continue to grow tired."

"[Y/N], I was never tired of them." He needed her to know that, his day wasn't complete unless he heard her say those words. "To be honest, I felt worried when you stopped saying it. Wondering if I had done something wrong..."

"I was trying to convince myself that having you as a friend was good enough for me, that I'd force myself to live with my feelings while still being beside you—but I couldn't, I wanted to let go and failed at that too." She took in a shaky breath, his hand squeezing her arm tighter, the air felt heavy despite them clearly confessing to each other.

"Heh, it's my fault you felt that way and I can't turn back time but know that I do in fact have feelings for you [Y/N]." Senku trailed off, feeling her hands come up to rest on his shoulders. "I might not be enough, although, if you want me, I'm right here."

Senku didn't get a chance to cringe at himself as [Y/N] got on her tippy toes and placed a kiss on his lips, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away and panicking at his baffled face.

"Sorry! Sorry..."

"No, It's just that...I wasn't ready." Her lips felt soft, intimacy wasn't something that interested him as it did everyone else and his first kiss wasn't on his checklist but coming from [Y/N] he actually really didn't mind.

"Okay, I'm ready now." Senku initiated the second kiss, hand letting go of her arm and sliding around her waist. They separated, noses touching tips and they held a deep eye contact. The cold night no longer froze them, feeling warmth in the embrace and in their hearts.

"Senku I—"

"Love me, I know."

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To them, it was a quick fun joke, to [Y/N]? Dread. Pure and utter dread was already consuming her from the mere thought of going through with it. Just a few days ago they had invited her to a sleepover, and when the topic of boys came up, she excitedly expressed her interest in the science club member named Xeno.

Big fucking mistake, who knew a bunch of fifteen-year-olds could be this twisted?

"You can always get someone better, you have a decent face, nice body, and a cheerleader now." Bridgette rolled her brown eyes, not seeing the big deal on this whole fiasco. They've all mostly done it before, forgetting who they had even picked in the past.

Although she was sure no one had picked Xeno yet, which excited the girls to witness this messy prank. They could agree he was cute and would've probably skipped out on him as a choice, but knowing [Y/N] had feelings for him was too good to pass up, something Maggie didn't overlook one bit.

"So, anyways. The restaurant you'll be going to is the one near the karaoke bar, Berlin's Delight was it? We'll be nearby, don't worry." Except that's what worried her the most, having their prying eyes suffocating her every move and word.

The very next day she stood outside the clubroom, taking in a deep breath and composing herself. How would she even get him to agree to a...date? They've only been friends for very few months, meeting at the start of the school year. She was sure he didn't feel the same way at all.

A hand suddenly reached from behind her, opening the door she had been hesitating to touch.

[Y/N]'s head shifted over her shoulder, gazing at the tall blonde who held a blank stare. Xeno's best friend, the second boy she expressed interest in, but ultimately wasn't chosen for this prank because he was part of the football team and a very common crush with the female and male students.

"You've always been eager to burst in there, what's up?" She gulped, feeling sweat start to build up. Stanley guided her into the room when she muttered nothing in return, making the young boy inside raise an eyebrow in wonder.

"Ah, [Y/N]. Do you need help with a question?" Her [E/C] eyes couldn't handle the gentleness his voice carried towards her, looking away and softly shaking her head. She took a seat nearby the metal counter, taking out a notebook and pretending to start her homework.

"Nothing like that, I just...needed some company." From the corner of her eye, she watched Xeno send her a smile and a quick nod, going back to his own little science world. It wasn't rare at all for them to sit in silence with each other, he liked the company of his favorite people.

Stanley couldn't shrug it off as fast as Xeno did, he kept his caramel eyes on her nervous figure, the slight scrunch in her eyebrows, and the trembling of her hand—he knew something was up. [Y/N] was a very shy individual, being a transfer student and forced to make new friends, it wasn't surprising for her to be this jittery.

However, she had gotten over it with them, she no longer stuttered her words or flustered whenever they'd invite her to lunch. Knowing that phase was over, made this behavior all the more suspicious and concerning.

"I heard from the guys you tried out for cheer, how'd it go?" She lifted her gaze, looking to the side and feeling her cheeks warm up from how close he was to her, if she moved even an inch they'd bump noses.

"Oh, I uh, I made the team..." Something clicked in his head, from how dejected she looked, to the uncertainty she carried. He wasn't a stranger to the pranks those girls liked to play, and it worried him that [Y/N] was planning to do something she didn't want to.

Stanley pursed his purple lips slightly, noticing the way her [E/C] eyes trailed to them, blush getting a tad bit darker. He knew she liked them both, what started off as a silly little tease fest, turned into something more. But he wasn't going to rush it at all unless she decided to take the initiative.

Maybe he'd sneak in a kiss though.

Xeno kept his attention to his beaker, writing down the changes in his notepad. Despite his determination to keep focus, his ears were still very distracted by their words. The color turned a bright blue, and confusion settled in his head.

"It was supposed to be green..." He muttered, looking over the chemical bottles he used, onyx eyes dropping in annoyance and a loud sigh caught the sitting pair's attention. "Someone changed the liquids around."

It wasn't like was a bully target, knowing full well Stanley had threatened those who tried it before, effectively cutting any chance for it to continue.

[Y/N] felt a shiver run down her spine, there was no explanation other than Maggie sending someone over to do this. It wasn't a target for Xeno specifically, no, it was for her. A warning, if she didn't go through with it, they'd take the steps necessary.

"Guess I should be glad they weren't as dumb to switch around the lithium, would've exploded right in my face."

Those words made the pencil in her hand snap in half, why did she have to mention him during that stupid sleepover? Unknowingly dragging him into the claws of the cheerleaders, anger brought slight chest pains. Pranks were meant to be harmless and fun, not borderline dangerous and humiliating.

"Hey, Xeno?" He hummed in response while pouring the failed mixture down the drain, wiping down the counter while sending her a quick look—letting her know he was listening.

"Are you free this Saturday? Berlin's delight, 7 pm." [Y/N] stuffed the notebook in her bag, hesitating to move away from the pretty blonde, but knowing she had to leave the room before he could verbally deny her request. "Bye."

That solidified it for Stanley, who felt his mood drop drastically. He turned to look at his best friend, watching him blink in surprise.

"I'm sure you picked up on the signs too."

The white-haired teen chuckled softly, washing his hands thoroughly and then walking around the counter to settle next to the blonde. Both boys gazing at the door she walked out of.

"I didn't peg [Y/N] to be the type, somehow I'm more curious to see the outcome rather than upset."

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Slipping on her white pumps, [Y/N] felt her heart hammering in her chest, smoothing out the light blue sundress and putting pins to hold her [H/C] hair back from falling into her eyes. Her lips were a glossy pink, light mascara, and a pinch of highlighter.

'The girls and I are going to be there shortly, put on a show will you?'

She threw her phone into her purse, grumbling under her breath and checking over her outfit for what seemed like the hundredth time. Her mother knocked softly and opened the door, peeking her head in with a concerned gaze.

"You've been getting ready since three o'clock dear, is everything okay? We need to go soon."

"I'm ready."

The car ride was silent, the soft hum of the radio barely kept her brain occupied away from her thoughts. Reaching a red light, [M/N] glanced to the passenger seat, seeing her daughter gazing out the window.

"Okay, something's up. What is it?"

[Y/N] pursed her lips, and the hand on her dress tightened.

"If you needed to lose two friends for a new group of friends, would it be worth it?"

"Are those two perhaps the boys you like?" Her voice held a teasing tone, laughing when [Y/N] murmured a 'stop it' and covered her face in embarrassment. "Judging from that reaction, no, darling it's not worth it. If your new potential friends take away what you hold dear, they aren't real friends, now are they?"

"I taught you to follow your heart, Xeno and Stanley seem like very nice kids, even if they only came over a few times. They're good for you, don't lose good over an 'if', ever."

The conversation was finalized right when the green light sparked, driving off and getting closer to the destination. Her watch blinked 6:55 pm, she took in a deep breath and ran her mom's words again and again in her head.

It didn't take long to arrive at the parking lot, receiving a comforting smile from her mom she opened the door, waving slightly, and walking towards the crowded line. Maggie had assured her she set up a reservation, even then, she wasn't sure if Xeno would even come.

There was no text message, from him, or sent from her. [Y/N] brushed passed the angered adults muttering half-hearted apologies and going up to the hostess who was trying to calm them all down.

"Hi, I have a reservation for 7 pm under the name of [L/N]."

"Ah, yes here you are. Table for two, we have a corner booth set up for you. Follow me." The woman gave her a tired smile, eyebags prominent and cheeks sunken in. She guided the teen towards her table, setting down a menu and quickly telling her the specials.

"I'll be okay with the wait time, don't worry about me." The hostess huffed out a heavy sigh, nearly close to tears from her reassuring voice. "Two waters for now will be fine."

[Y/N] took out her phone, sending a quick text to let Xeno know about the reservation, shutting it off not wanting to see his reply or lack of one. A few seconds later she looked around the full restaurant, body going rigid when she gazed at the group of girls sitting at the opposite side. Bridgett sent her a thumbs up, smugly smiling when [Y/N] bit her lip harshly in response.

"Right over here sir."

[E/C] eyes filled with sparkles, looking up to see Xeno approach her table and sit down with a soft smile. His white hair was in the usual small pompadour style, but seeing him wear casual clothing always made her heart skip a beat.

A black long-sleeved shirt covered by a black vest and accessorized by a tie that matched the color of her eyes. Matching black pants and dress shoes.

"Hello, [Y/N]." She melted when he rolled up his sleeves, showing off the watch she and Stanley had gotten him for his birthday. She murmured a greeting back, watching his smile stretch further when she tried to hide her growing blush.

"Hi, I'm Yuna, I'll be your waitress for the night. Would you like to order drinks while you look over the menu?"

"I'll stick to water." Xeno took a sip and picked up the menu, gazing over the contents.

"A lemon mocktail please." [Y/N] needed something to quickstart herself, picking up the menu as well and nearly grimacing at the dish prices. For a damned casual place, these amounts were out of this world. An obvious reason why Maggie insisted on this place, wanting the bill to be high as hell for the boy.

"I'll admit, I was a bit surprised by your forwardness. Seems like you've grown more comfortable, I'm glad."

Shut up. The more he spoke the more she nearly folded, he set down the menu, trapping her into an intense eye contact. Holding his cheek up with his hand, his onyx eyes lidded when she couldn't look away.

"I'm sorry, I practically forced you to come."

"No worries, I'm happy to be here."

[Y/N] paused, hearing the slight edge to his words. She twiddled her thumbs, trying to hide the shakiness of her hands. Her drink was set on the table, thanking the waitress she immediately took a gulp, sighing in contentment when it started to cool off her face.

"I uh, I heard from Mrs. Hunter that you got an internship at NASA. How is it?"

"Interesting, although they haven't given me permission to meddle with actual rocket components."

"You're very smart and they'll realize the extent of it soon enough. I'm sure of it."

Xeno had seen the giggling girls a few moments after entering the restaurant, sending them a glare with a sharp smile on his lips. To make [Y/N] feel like she needed to prove herself in such a silly way, warmed his blood significantly.

Yuna came over a few minutes later, taking their food orders and walking away. Xeno immediately stood up, asking [Y/N] to give him a minute, and walked off. Ironic how panic settled within her, did he know what was happening and decide to leave her with the humiliation instead?

She stayed still, swirling the straw in her mocktail trying to avoid the confused eyes of the cheerleaders. [Y/N] wasn't planning on going through with it in the long run, even then, she deserved this treatment.

"Sorry, I needed to change something on my order." Xeno sat down once again, holding in the chuckle from seeing her inner turmoil. She looked cute like this.

"M'kay." He was intent on keeping her eyes on him, catching onto the fact that the [H/C] haired girl found it hard to look away from him. When she first sat at lunch with him and Stanley, she barely gazed up from her lunchbox, face redder than beets. Xeno liked seeing her blush, it always portrayed her emotions so blatantly even when she tried hard to hide them.

"So, will you be in the front lines for the next tournament?"

"Well, I'm the best for flashy moves like the backflips, handsprings, and such—oh! I didn't mean to sound so egotistical..." She covered her face with her yellow-colored drink, hearing him laugh lightly at her self-concern.

"If you're the best, it's natural to embrace the thought. It's not like its a lie anyway." Xeno beamed, nearly gloating for her. He'd seen her practice almost every day, only when Stanley planted the idea of joining the cheerleading team did she enhance her training.

"Don't feed my ego so much Xeno." She giggled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

Their food arrived and conversation slowly flowed out naturally, laughing in-between bites and having a good time. She had momentarily forgotten the reason they were really here, enjoying Xeno's company in a much more intimate light.

'Bathroom. Now.'

The lit-up text had her sucking in a deep breath, sending Xeno a brief shaky smile she got up from the table, clutching her purse. "I need to use the bathroom."

[Y/N] made her way over, the door slammed shut when she walked inside. Annoyed faces gazed at her, Maggie looked at her with a blank expression instead, arms crossed and cornering [Y/N] near the sinks.

"What are you doing? Did you forget what we're here for?"

Bridgett hopped up on the sink counter, staring down at [Y/N] who opened up her purse to take out her lip-gloss, touching up on her makeup. She ignored them, keeping her eyes on herself through the mirror.

"Chicken." Maggie taunted, leaning in the mirror, close to the teen. "Do it, or don't bother coming to practice again."

It was kind of cute, seeing someone who couldn't compare to your skill level be so adamant. Trying to hold themselves above everyone else when they offered absolutely nothing in return.

"I think you've forgotten something, you aren't in charge, only coach can kick me out."

"As the captain, I hold much more power than you think."

[Y/N] rolled her eyes, getting angrier by the second. Why did she even want to be friends with them in the first place? Right, being in a squad with people you dislike was horrible, and brought so much struggle into the routines. Yet, thinking back on her mom's words, and her own thoughts, she wasn't about to let them ruin this.

Was she really going to ruin the friendship she managed to build with these two? Over a group of girls who would drop her in the blink of an eye if she wore anything they didn't deem fashionable enough?

Yeah fucking right, she chuckled looking into the mirror. Feelings dissipating and turning to look at Maggie, who was startled at the sudden close proximity.

"When you become half as good as me, you can talk your shit. Get out of my way." [Y/N] bumped her shoulder into the black-haired girl, making her stumble back from the impact. Her confidence was only shown on the outside, inside she was freaking out, never thinking she'd be capable of doing something like that.

The girls guarding the door moved out of the way, never had they seen [Y/N] so enraged. They exchanged glances between each other, realizing how right the [H/C] haired girl was. Maggie and Bridgett didn't really contribute much to their cheers, lacking both flexibility and leadership.

Leaving the bathroom, followed by the entire flock of girls they all froze simultaneously. [Y/N]'s table was empty. Xeno nowhere to be seen and she felt a lump rapidly grow in her throat, a laugh suddenly broke her trance.

"Seems like loverboy didn't hold the same sentiment as you, guess the prank worked anyway."

"Shut up Maggie!" Nina snapped, balling her hands into fists. She was one of the 'lucky' few who only had to humiliate herself, not someone else. Seeing [Y/N], who taught her how to tumble safely, looking so sad made her feel bad.

"Excuse me?" Bridgett stepped up for her friend, raising a hand to slap the meek girl when her wrist got caught in a tight grip.

"Will you both just fuck off?" [E/C] eyes narrowed, pushing the girl back and walking to the bar counter. The squad dissipated, with Maggie and Bridgett walking out together and the other girls settling back at their table with troubled expressions.

"Hi, Yuna? I'd like to pay for the check now."

The waitress bumped her head from how fast she sprung up from the bar's lower shelves, she blinked trying to regain her balance and walked up to the frowning girl.

"Oh, that boy paid right after you ordered."

So that's why he had gotten up, he had basically done what the prank called for. Tears welled up in her eyes, startling the woman in front of her.

"I'll stay seated for a few minutes if that's okay."

Yuna nodded, watching the teen walk off quickly. She glanced at the paid bill, remembering the items he had added before sitting back down earlier.

[Y/N] stared at the unfinished plates, more than half of his chicken fillet was left and the water was topped off. She pushed away her own food, no longer feeling an appetite for the pasta. Crossing her arms over the table and settling her head on them, trying to stop the tears from spilling.

This was all her fault, having no one to blame but herself. Xeno wasn't an idiot, and surely Stanley told him the extent of what this date could mean. There was no way for Xeno to know she wouldn't go through with it, maybe that was the only reason he came, to let her feel what he would've felt if she left first.

"Well, you were right." Stanley finished his cigarette throwing it in the large bin nearby, both boys gazing at the large window and settling their eyes on [Y/N].

"I'm sure you're also aware of her real crush on us. She can barely conceal it." Xeno had assured Stanley firmly, that she had invited him out of sheer adrenaline. [Y/N] wasn't capable of going through with this cruel prank, no matter what target was chosen.

The girl lifted her head when new plates were placed on her table, Yuna smiled down at her. A pretty [Fav/Flavor] cake was pushed towards her, while a serving of steaming fettuccini alfredo pasta was on the other side of the table.

"Items he added, told me to wait like 20 minutes before bringing them out. Enjoy."

She was utterly confused, ignoring the pasta and fawning internally over the pastry. Getting a good chunk of it on the fork, she took the bite, nearly moaning at how good it tasted.

The fork stayed between her lips, staring off into space and feeling the tears stream down her face again. He was still being nice after what she had done, everything was ruined, and she had no idea how she could ever face them again.

A soft hand landed on her head, [E/C] eyes filled with unshed tears looked up to widen at the gentle smile gazing down at her. Stanley ruffled her hair, caressing gently and wiping away her tears with his free hand.

"Stanley was in the area, I went to fetch him." Xeno sat, continuing his meal like nothing had happened. Stanley took a seat next to her, pulling the plate of fresh pasta closer and eating as well.

"I'm sorry." [Y/N] picked up a napkin, wiping her eyes carefully. Her mascara was absolutely ruined, and she knew she probably looked like a damp raccoon right now. "It's stupid to be crying, you had every right to leave..."

"Don't worry, I know you like me."

...

...

The tears quickly evaporated, leaving her to look at his smug smile like a gaping fish out of water.

"And me."

Stanley really didn't need to add his commentary, but he took the chance to tease her anyway. His arm rested on the booth's seat, right behind her. [Y/N] was caged, feeling his body warmth reach her.

"I ended up using it as an excuse to go on a date with you, even if they were watching me like hawks." She poked Stanley's thigh, pouting her lips when they laughed at her flustered state, a sort of relief washed over her.

"You don't need any further excuses, we may go out together whenever you desire."

together.

They didn't notice Yuna watching them with sparkly eyes, peeking over the bar in wonder. Never had she seen mere teens be this romantic or self-aware, that girl was super lucky. The hostess sighed finally finishing up setting tables, side-eyeing her fangirling coworker.

"This isn't a K-drama, get back to work."

[Y/N] stuffed her face with the last bite of the cake, not leaving a single crumb of that amazing desert. They all got up and grabbed their things, making it out of the restaurant while thanking the staff.

The cold night was shielded by the thick sweater that enveloped her, Stanley took out a cigarette to keep himself warm. She slid her arms into the sleeves and sighed in contentment, watching the tall blonde walk forward to avoid the smoke getting near them.

Xeno matched her pace, keeping his hands pocketed. He slowly took a hand out, reaching out to hold hers. It stopped her steps, he felt her slowly squeeze him, as if checking if this was real.

He bent down slightly, pressing a lingering kiss to the corner of her lips.

"Whipped cream."

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"Well, I can't say I'm surprised." [M/N] held her face in her hands, having not one, but two boys asking permission to date her daughter, oh my it was so adorable. "There wasn't a single conversation where you two weren't mentioned."

Xeno, Stanley, and [M/N] shared a smile when they heard a loud crash coming from upstairs. Stomping footsteps got closer and out came a stumbling [Y/N], trying to put on her school shoes while maintaining her balance going down the stairs.

"Don't expose me like that, please mom."

"Ah, watch out boys, she has a killer puppy face."

Morning chills overtook her, usually, her mom would drop her off but both boys insisted on walking her. She snuggled into the sweater Stanley had given her two days ago, assuring her he wanted her to keep it.

"This also means you two will eventually be dating each other, right?"

"Yes, indeed." Xeno raised an eyebrow when she put a finger under her chin, muttering under her breath and looking up at the cloudy sky in a giddy gaze. He glanced at Stanley who was holding in a laugh, urging him to voice his amusement.

"She's imagining us together, like those BL stories she reads occasionally."

[Y/N] nearly tripped on the sidewalk's cracked cement, Xeno swiftly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled towards him, her back colliding into his side. She jumped away from his grasp, grabbing Stanley by the tie and pulling his head down to her level.

"When and where did you see that?"

Caramel eyes held nothing but mischief, giving her a brief wink and a kiss to the tip of her nose. His fingers gently unlaced her grasp on his clothing and smoothed it out, a hand grabbing hers and continuing their walk.

"I always wondered what the big paragraphs of text you'd read were about, guess that sums it up." Xeno gave a fake thoughtful hum hiding his amusement, trailing a few steps behind them. His wrist suddenly got yanked forward, and [Y/N] was holding both their hands now.

Her lower face was stuffed into the sweater's high collar, keeping her [E/C] eyes focused on the ground, trying not to trip again. She was mortified they knew about her little...hobby...well who could blame her really? Good literature is good literature, no matter the content.

Chatter was now reaching their eyes, [Y/N] took a sharp breath in, feeling worry settle in her being like an unwanted parasite. She felt slight comfort knowing Stanley and Xeno didn't mind the gossip, they wouldn't care about people's opinion on their relationship.

She didn't either to be honest, but the thought of everyone turning against her in the blink of an eye felt scary. The school building was finally nearing, some students turned to look at them, whispering amongst each other.

"Two? Isn't that weird?"

"Maggie said [Y/N] was kind of a slut."

"Bridgett said the same, apparently she's very easy."

Stanley cleared his throat loudly, making the gossipers freeze up. He gently swung the intertwined hands, bringing her attention up to him.

"Let's have lunch on the rooftop, Xeno doesn't have an experiment to do today."

That surprised her to the very core, snapping her neck to Xeno, who was mindlessly scrolling on his phone. Feeling her piercing gaze, he lifted his face away from the screen and tilted his head at her. [Y/N] thought he looked like a lost little puppy, wanting to pinch his cheeks.

"No experiment? What's wrong?"

"Nothing at all, I'll be working on some internship papers my mentor has provided for me. If I ace them, those rocket parts will be mine to tinker with." Onyx eyes sparkled excitedly, pocketing his phone and adjusting his schoolbag strap.

"[Y/N]!"

Nina came running up behind them, jumping on her back and almost toppling them over. [Y/N] blinked at the beaming girl, her blue eyes were wide and a grin played on her lips.

"Hi?"

"I have direct orders from the girls to bring you to the gym."

Stanley and Xeno shared a quick worried glance, approaching the girls' figures. Each putting a hand on the bubbly teen's shoulders and lightly pulling her back, Nina was even shorter than [Y/N], leaving her to crane her neck to look at the skyscrapers glaring down.

[Y/N] stood a few steps away, watching them do a silent interrogation. Holding in a laugh at how serious they looked, and a bit of adoration seeing them so protective.

"Oh, no! I promise it's nothing like that, you two are welcome to tag along."

So they did, Nina held [Y/N]'s hand guiding her towards the destination. Her two almost-boyfriends strolled not too far behind, ready for whatever was coming.

...

...

"New captain huh? I expected a catfight or something." [Y/N] was still processing what had just transpired, apparently the rest of the team had voted out Maggie as the captain, sadly still having to deal with Bridgett as the vice.

"A catfight? You're more into actual combat, or am I wrong?" Stanley bumped his shoulder into Xeno's, the science enthusiast chuckled at the weak attempt to shut him up.

The childhood friends continued to play fight, nearly spilling their food over their uniforms and the rooftop flooring. [Y/N] still managed to pull Xeno's important files and Stanley's cigarette box from harm's way, even while being deep in her thoughts.

Nina along with Crystal and Hannah, finally spilled the beans on why Maggie was so persistent with this particular prank. She has a crush on Stanley, if [Y/N] had gone along with the scheme, it would not only ruin her standing with Xeno, Stanley would've been collateral damage.

"Let's go on that date soon, I need to post many, many pictures." [Y/N] finished the small bag of peanuts, taking a sip of her favorite energy drink. "Well maybe I shouldn't stir the pot but the look on her face will be priceless."

Stanley and Xeno pulled away from each other, interested in the way [Y/N] looked like she was about to start a war. Xeno slid his notes back, trying to resume his task but was stopped by her sharp gasp. [Y/N] scooted closer to them, settling in between their seated figures.

"Kiss me." She puckered her lips up at Stanley who's eyebrows shot up at her bold ask, he didn't hesitate for long, capturing her lips in a sweet kiss. When he pulled away, [Y/N] immediately opened her phone camera, ensuring the purple lipstick had adorned her lips.

Her face turned to the side, kissing Xeno on the lips and pulling Stanley closer to the frame by his tie. Snapping the photo and grinning down at it, this would indeed send the message she desired. Loud and clear.

"They can bitch all they want, as long as they know you're both mine in the end."

Xeno blinked rapidly, never had he heard her swear, and a little dazed from the kiss. He felt her fingers slightly rub away the color from his mouth and her own, smiling sweetly.

"Guess our shy little [Y/N] is gone. As much as I adore seeing you so confident, I'll miss those flustered looks you...nevermind, there you are." [Y/N] stuffed her red face in Stanley's school sweater, still holding onto Xeno's hand.

She could get used to this. Maybe a little less teasing.

Maybe worried about his wife who wouldn't stop arguing with the enemy, the motorcycles bumped around the dirt path. The wheel hit a rock when [Y/N] yelped and nearly fell off, being grabbed by a frantic Ryusui, balancing his grip on the back of her shirt and the steering wheel.

"Hyoga pull her up!"

"Hm. no."

"Drop me, and my husband will shoot your ass!" [Y/N] felt a pebble strike her cheek, whining but staying still.

"With what gun?" Hyoga taunted, pushing Xeno further over the bike, the scientist kept his eyes on [Y/N] beginning to panic from her position.

"Okok! Whatever help me up!" She could feel the pirate boy's hand beginning to slip, the motorcycle going side to side. A harsh tug brought her face away from the ground, and she nearly fell to the other side but managed to hold onto the driver.

She was going to kill this disrespectful brat. The sound of something getting closer reached her ears, her eyes narrowed not being able to see anything.

Two shots rang out, blood splattering onto her face and neck. Practically giving herself whiplash, she spun her head, worried that Xeno had taken the hit instead. Sighing in relief when it was Hyoga who did.

Only one person could've land those.

"SHOOT HIM AGAIN HONEY!"

Xeno's mouth was covered with a wooden gag, leaving him no choice other than to glare at her, hoping she'd notice and sit down properly.

She pouted her lips, trying to hide the smile that threatened to appear. Unfortunately, the spear user had some sort of body made of fucking steel, so the bullet's damage wasn't grave.

Encouraging her husband to shoot some kid was a little messed up, but hey it's a new world, and he had it coming. Kidnapping a soldier's lovers, like that would ever end in sunshine and rainbows.

She tried to ignore how biased she was being, when they shot Senku she nearly flipped the castle. Hyoga didn't mean anything to her though, so she was justified.

It felt like hours before they settled down, losing the 'rescue' team when the plane blew up. After cleaning the crimson liquid off her face, [Y/N] was enjoying a...whatever meat this was from...while standing next to a finally untied Xeno.

"A ropeway!"

"Nope."

Senku cackled, twisting a pinkie in his ear sending [Y/N] a smug smile.

"Scared? Seems unbefitting of you, Dr. [Y/N]." Freaking leek-kid. Her eyebrow twitched, finishing the last bite of her food and stomping towards Senku. Getting yoinked back by Xeno, she sent him wide eyes, bottom lip jutted out.

"Please?"

"Pushing him down the cliff, wouldn't be efficient my dear."

"You shot him."

"Correction, Stan did."

"Who ordered it?!" He smiled gently, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. [E/C] eyes turned into hearts, and forgetting her little vengeance, she snuggled up to Xeno.

"More~" She gave him a kissy face, earning her one...JUST ONE.

[Y/N] deflated like a balloon in the background, fake tears building in her eyes. Chrome poked her with a stick, screaming when she suddenly stood up straight, focusing on Xeno's voice sounding so hot.

"Wire made of carbon and steel. Light, yet sturdy. Truly Elegant." Xeno held it in his clawed hand, observing the craftsmanship.

"Weight limit is about 160 kilograms." Senku calculated in his head, earning him a nod from his mentor. Technically speaking, everyone could make it over with no issue, the time crunch was the problem, and the pairings.

"There's more than just the numbers to consider, the real issue is [Y/N] and Xeno," Kohaku spoke through the stone age phone. "If we don't put any thought into this, and in the end, Xeno, [Y/N], and Suika are the last ones left down below..."

The blonde girl continued. "The biggest cause for concern though, would be pairing them two with Hyoga—"

"Hell no! I'd rather jump off this damn thing than be near him again, nearly murdered me." [Y/N] came up like a protective hyena, standing in front of Xeno and blocking Hyoga's view of him.

"I believe that deep down, we're much alike, Xeno. The two of us could flee together and rendezvous with Stanley's crew."

"Elegant offer, but my wife doesn't seem fond of the idea." The animalistic noises stopped, watching in amusement when [Y/N] nodded her head vigorously.

"As much as I want to go back to our husband, we aren't going to—whatever actually, I don't care at all about this, however, you aren't allowed to be near my Xeno!"

In the end, [Y/N] couldn't let sweet Suika ride with Hyoga, so with a frown she watched Xeno sit down, he offered her a reassuring smile. There were so many words she wanted to say but didn't want to risk Hyoga getting mad and pushing Xeno down.

After they safely landed on the other side, she helped Suika sit down, and plopped right behind her. The little girl wrapped her hands around the handles, [Y/N] held the side of the seat and the back of Suika's clothing.

During their travel, the doctor hummed a small tune, trying to relax the young girl. Despite her efforts to make it a calm ride, a harsh gust of wind hit them, and the seat swerved to the side.

"SUIKA!"

Kohaku was about to jump, stopping herself when [Y/N] managed to catch the child, holding a firm grasp. "Oh shit! Don't panic, I swear I got you." Suika stopped swinging her legs, staying completely still, and could only leave her life in the hands of—a doctor! The melon head covered her bright smile, Senku told her that doctors were people who saved lives every single day.

He made sure to point out that [Y/N] was one of the greatest doctors of his time!

They made it safe and sound, Kohaku thanking [Y/N] profusely and the latter hugging Xeno, tugging him away from Hyoga's amused aura.

"Did he do anything?"

Xeno shook his head, enjoying the way she poked around his face, arms, and torso. Finishing up her search, she sighed in relief. This whole thing was stressing her out, she was only taken hostage because she refused to let go of Xeno when they kidnapped him. Not to mention getting stuck underground, her claustrophobia was so bad even Chrome was reassuring, his enemy, it'd be okay.

"Don't worry so much."

"How can I not? There's no jail I can throw his ass in."

"You say it like you've done it before..." Xeno raised an eyebrow when she slowly turned her face away from his. "[Y/N]."

She began walking away, with him hot on her heels. [Y/N] squeaked hiding behind a confused Senku. His weird hair covered her entire head. Xeno approached them, keeping a blank expression, even if he really wanted to smile at how cute she looked peeking from behind the kid's shoulder.

"Uhm...remember that scientist who suddenly quit after stealing one of your ideas?"

His silence was deafening, even Senku froze from how sharp the onyx eyes were settled on their figures. He really had forgotten his mentor wasn't this superb nice guy, his smiles and laughter were only ever meant for his wife during this time.

"Well...he didn't quit, I got dad to put him into jail after Stanley kicked his ass."

"Are you confessing to a crime right now?" Senku's scarlet eyes blinked, looking over his shoulder. "I knew your dad was an important figure, didn't think you'd be a daddy's girl though."

"Where the hell did you think I got the money I sent you and supported Xeno's projects from?"

"Right, incapable ass keke—ACK!" [Y/N] hit the back of Senku's knees, slamming her foot on his back. Suika rolled over checking his face kissing the ground.

"Anyway, to what force is anyone reporting me?" [Y/N] snickered, crossing her arms in triumph.

Kohaku and Chelsea shared a glance, maybe the trio's relationship wasn't as far-fetched as they initially thought, [Y/N] definitely had a screw loose.

Xeno didn't reply, going back over the details of said scientist. His work had been stolen, and amateurishly presented in front of the board members. The man didn't even think of changing the formatting on his folders, to which [Y/N] immediately noticed, knowing her husband's work like the back of her hand.

It was made known to Xeno that he quit, moved across the country before NASA could intervene. Seemed like his spouses didn't let it slide that easily, did [Y/N]'s action surprise him that much? no, did Stanley's? Actually no to that either, they were both very much in character.

He finally chuckled, [Y/N]'s shoulders relaxed, and she went back to normal. Stepping off of Senku, letting him regain his breathing.

"It does suck that I no longer hold any power in this era, such a shame." Images of all the food Ruby would cook, her first-class trips. From having all the money in the damned universe to being flat broke in a world where there wasn't even an economy yet was so embarrassing.

Oh my, don't even remind her of the shopping sprees. Her clothes now were okay, but her designer heels, her Le Pliage backpack collections, [Y/N] didn't feel like herself without them.

"Only a matter of time, my dear."

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"Look how hot I look in these, Xee!" [Y/N] modeled her rubber boots, being a perfect match with her black shorts and white buttoned shirt. She twirled around Xeno, and he indulged in her little runway, knowing she was trying to relax before venturing into the bug-infested forest.

Suika followed behind, copying her steps. She had been unofficially adopted by the [H/C] haired doctor, Suika didn't mind getting brought into bear hugs every now and then.

"Very beautiful."

[Y/N] nodded in agreement to his compliment, of course, she could pull off anything. Senku had mentioned that a girl named Yuzuriha was a talented seamstress, she desperately needed to meet her and plead for cuter clothing.

"What're you burning, Xeno?" Suika stopped by the mad scientist, observing the smoke and fire.

"Plants of the apiaceae family and artemisia genus, to create an insect-repelling mist." He quickly pointed a claw towards his wife, who was suddenly borderline crying at how many mosquitoes bit her upper thighs, scratching harshly.

Luna and [Y/N] watched in mutual horror as they turned army ants into an extract, and put it over their bodies. The doctor panicked when Luna foamed at the mouth and fell, there was no way in hell she'd put that on either.

Senku approached her with his hands coated in the disgusting substance, evilly grinning but was stopped by Xeno who shook his head.

"She's allergic to ants." He lied without missing a beat, standing close to [Y/N] with the repellant mist. She quickly hugged his arm to her chest, muttering 'i love you' every few seconds.

[Y/N] felt her life slowly slip away with every step, eventually making it out of the forest, then helping make a freaking waterslide that she almost flew out of, and ended with a torturous walk. Their path led them to a giant glimmering...mountain?

A Mountain of the petrification devices. Taiju jumped into the piles yelling out 'one meter! one second!' multiple times, making others join in with the antic.

"—On that day, A millennia ago, they gave the earth a coating of stone. Can you imagine what a grand sight it must have been?" [Y/N] noticed Xeno pocket a device while giving the fake hearty speech, she zipped her lips and pretended not to notice.

Until the mentalist approached them so casually, leaning his head towards the rocket scientist.

"My dear Xeno, what did you put in your pocket? A medusa perha—"

"Are you flirting? He's a married man!" Her voice cracked lightly when she pushed away Chrome who was tugging on Xeno's unmoving figure. "Don't touch him!"

Xeno kept a firm smile at her attempt to distract them, appreciating the effort.

Gen spluttered, waving his hands around. A shiver went down his spine at how she glared at him, "No no! I would never!" he couldn't even fake a persona. [Y/N] terrified him.

"It's fine, leave him be. In fact, if his interest is piqued, we oughta borrow his knowledge. Our only chance of winning against Stanley—" Senku paused, side-eyeing [Y/N] fawn when she heard the name. "Ahem, involves using the medusa."

"I'm not sure I agree with the idea of petrifying my husband." She crossed her arms, deep in thought.

"You're a hostage, you don't have to agree."

...

...

"I'm letting it slide because you're my favorite child."

"I'm your only child—" Senku froze, the smirk on his face fell when he noticed [E/C] eyes filling up with sparkles. He didn't have enough time to avoid the hug, with a sigh he let her squeeze his soul out.

"I knew you loved me!" She smooched his cheek, earning a groan and a flustered Senku.

He wouldn't use the word 'love' but he knew a part of him cared for the chaotic doctor, their email exchanges, her financial and emotional support towards his projects, he truly did appreciate it.

"But I do have another child, Suika's now your younger sister."

"What are Xeno and Stanley's thoughts on this addition?"

"It's like a single mother situation y'know? I can't co-parent with those two."

"A single mother with two husbands, interesting." He brushed back his white and green hair, breathing in when she finally let go. She was steadily making it a habit to suffocate him.

[Y/N] watched them start working on a new ship, sitting down on a nearby rock. She'd been fake-arguing with everyone (except Hyoga), teasing their intentions towards her husband, all in an effort to mask her nervousness.

She missed spending time with both her lovers in that damn castle, it sucked being away from Stanley, making her feel incomplete. In the end, she could never say no to their little schemes, too fucking cute to deny.

Xeno joined her shortly, sitting closely and bumping their shoulders. Onyx eyes observed her scrunched-up face, he lightly traced the lines.

"You're going to get wrinkles if you keep that up."

"Would that displease you?"

"Not in the slightest, but it would bother you."

She relaxed her face, turning to look at Xeno. He held a soft smile, making her insides feel all mushy. Maybe instead of freaking out, she should've just kept her eyes solely on him. [Y/N] kissed his lips, lingering there for a few seconds before pulling away.

"I miss Stan."

"I know, I do too."

"If...no, when, this is all over. I demand a cuddle session, no interruptions."

Xeno chuckled, taking off a glove to pull her head onto his shoulder, running his fingers through her [H/C] hair. "Anything you desire, my dear."

He observed his wife longer, in a way, getting through the first months of the new stone age was easier because of [Y/N]. Sure she did understandably freak out when she realized everything was gone, not to mention her reaction to their rings being gone too.

Xeno wasn't sure if [Y/N] noticed how he and Stanley felt seeing her still wear those rings with pride, showing them off to every person who woke up. A little guilty when both men had nothing representing their commitment to each other, so after settling into a more comfortable progress, he had the scouting team led by his favorite soldier to look for the materials to replicate them.

When the shock went away, she left them to handle all the 'unimportant' things while setting up honeymoon plans with what she could work with. Lunch under a big tree, covered by its shade, taking a swim at the beach—and a few moments in the mattress he had made.

When they finally settled into a rhythm, he oddly felt content with the world. Having both his partners just a yell away, wherever and whenever, they'd be right there. He was also able to create whatever he wanted without needing the approval of a corrupt system.

"Love you too, times forty-seven."

[Y/N] raised an eyebrow, confused but still blushing over his statement.

"That's how many times you said it, during the forest walk."

"Wish I could say 'bedroom now', these kiddos haven't made beds yet..." She smiled at his soft laugh, her body melted further into his, enjoying the warmth.

She was still bitter that they were turned to stone a week after their ceremony, she was going to destroy whoever did this to them. [Y/N] didn't care if it was an alien, she'd win.

(actually scared that it might be an alien)

Eventually, they stood up and joined the others, observing the new creation. The new ship looked like something straight out of a Alien vs Predator movie, [Y/N] bounced around it, observing the slanted sides.

Xeno stood back praising his kid mentee, then the topic of the medusas not being able to get tracked via radio signals was brought up by Ukyo. Chrome suggested covering the entire ship in said devices, more hours later and it was completed.

"Dammit, I planned on bedazzling my dad's yacht for his birthday, now I wouldn't be the first to do it." Ukyo sweat dropped, the more [Y/N] talked, the more she seemed out of touch with the world he used to now. Were all rich people this way? Ukyo glanced at Ryusui, right, they were not normal.

"Science is, truly elegant."

"Yeah so are we, let's get on!"

While Xeno was stuck inside some stuffy room with Senku looking over the medusas trying to figure something out, [Y/N] was being swarmed by the girls and Francois, who was serving them yummy food.

"Do they treat you right? I can't picture those two weir—hehe...eccentric?" Chelsea awkwardly laughed, "people being in a relationship."

"That scientist does seem to be fond of you." Kohaku commented, rubbing her chin in thought.

"Well I'd hope it's noticeable, I'm married to him..." The doctor mumbled under her breath. Shoving a mouthful of ramen in her mouth, the flavor was so rich, could she add Francois to her marriage?

Whenever Xeno would try cooking, it would end up in a monstrous experiment, Stanley had a habit of forgetting he had something on the stove too focused on finishing his cigarette. [Y/N] well, she rarely made anything fancy, taking her then-boyfriends to 5-star restaurants whenever they craved something.

"Yeah, they do. Rest assured, aside from their murder-y schemes and evil plans, they love me."

Luna gushed while the other two deadpanned, Francois only smiled. Suika was tuning them out for the most part, finishing up her food and rolling around trying to find out if anyone needed help.

"How does one get two husbands?!"

"Luna don't you go trying to cheat on my son." [Y/N] teasingly pointed at the pink-haired girl with her chopsticks. "It's not just me having two husbands, it's also them having a wife and husband."

Luna blinked at the utensils in her face, confused by her words. Chelsea pushed up her glasses and held up a finger in the air, trying to explain to the capable girl what those words meant.

"What [Y/N]'s saying, is that Senku would have to be into men as well."

Everyone looked up, an imaginary scenario of Senku being interested in a man flashed by their eyes, talking to each other and slowly leaning in to kiss.

"AH! Make it go away!" Kohaku waved the air, getting rid of their thoughts, except for the doctor. She'd seen the way Senku interacted with Gen, she would support her kid no matter what. Well make him have a talk with Luna first, can't have him be a cheater.

"I think I'll stick to Senku, what if I get jealous..." Luna gasped dramatically, "Oh my, does that happen to you [Y/N]?"

The woman shook her head, never did she feel that ugly emotion when they'd be lovey-dovey. Actually, she enjoyed seeing them kiss and hug, squealing whenever they'd do so. [Y/N] even had a folder dedicated to 'stanxeno' moments, sometimes telling them to kiss at random times, only to flash the camera.

"Can't be jealous when they look so hot together." She turned mushy, finishing her food and letting her head run with the faces of her lovers.

"How long have you been together? Not counting the years you were a stone." Kohaku finished her bowl of ramen as well, scooting closer to the doctor.

"Oh, overall six years and six months. Three of those married."

"Wow! You guys are pretty old huh?"

...

"I'm very good-looking for my age if you haven't noticed!"

"I never said you were ugly, old yes, ugly? Never!"

"[Y/N]!" Kohaku held back the [H/C] haired woman by the waist, stopping her from lunging at the young geographer.

"What about kids?"

Suddenly tears sprouted from her [E/C] eyes, Luna panicked and apologized for asking. [Y/N] looked like a dejected child right now, slumping in Kohaku's arms and sniffling.

"We got petrified a week after our wedding, we didn't have the luxury of time to discuss it.."

The timing couldn't have been more horrible, Francois made no comment, only handing a small handkerchief to the crying woman. So the three years of marriage were actually spent in the stone age, and the other girls deflated thinking about how hard that must have been.

"[Y/N]?" Chrome peeked his head out from the corner. "Senku asked for you."

"Oh, well excuse me, ladies." She thanked Francois for the food, stopping herself from giving them a kiss on the cheek. Walking down the wobbling steps to enter the room, the sight that greeted her had nerd written all over it.

"I'm happy to contribute my scientific knowledge if it concerns my wife and I's well-being. But you can't expect me to aid your efforts to deceive my husband. Can you?"

An evil giggle made them turn their heads, [Y/N] held her red face in her hands, muttering how adorable his speech was.

"Hey, mental case, c'mere." Senku watched her approach him, surprising her when he snatched up her hand. "I remembered your rings having a shape similar to the diamonds we found inside the medusa, they might be a different color, but it should work nonetheless."

"Senku, you know I adore you, but nothing in this world could ever make me give up these rings." Senku paused noticing she was completely serious, no teasing, no flustered state, just pure honesty. He let go of her hand, he had checked Xeno's a few moments ago but realized they weren't authentic.

"Sorry." He murmured softly, he should've known how special the rings would be to her, they weren't replicas like the other pairs. These were the original rings she managed to keep safe, even after 3700+ years.

"Oh come on! Science is much more important than some ugly rings!" Chrome stiffened when Xeno placed a clawed hand on his shoulder, the amateur scientist was sweating bullets.

"Those are lab-grown diamond rings, ones that took me two years to finally deem perfect enough. Ugly is the last word you should be using."

"Grown your own damn diamond!" [Y/N] huffed, holding her hand close to heart, offended by the word 'ugly' being thrown around her today.

"We're making a diamond alright." Senku smugly smiled like a villain, heading straight for the phone to send a message back to his comrades situated in America. Of course they weren't allowed to hear, so [Y/N] plopped down where Senku had been sitting earlier, Xeno sat as well, this time next to her.

"They're all different shades of black, well this one here is more of a gray color."

"The usage must be deteriorating the diamond over time, the much darker ones are surely a result of the world-ending beam years ago."

"You never told me you took the time to make these yourself." [Y/N] whispered, the honey and black colored diamonds glowed slightly, even if the room was kind of dark. They were important before, but now? She would die to keep the rings safe.

"Did you notice that Stanley's ring isn't exactly caramel, like his eyes?" He hummed, taking off his gloves and using his bare hand to hold hers. "He asked me to make it a honey shade, because that's what you call him."

"Please, I've heard you call him honey before too." Xeno smiled, knowing full well he did, only hiding the nickname calling whenever she'd come around to deprive her of teasing material.

"Buying things for you never seemed like the right thing to do, so what do you gift somebody who can get anything they want? Handmade crafts, something special, unique, elegant."

[Y/N] noticed he stopped looking at her hand a while ago, he was directing those last words to her. She cupped his face, pressing a sweet kiss. It turned into a feeling of desperation, prying his lips open with her tongue to swirl it against his. Xeno's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush to his chest, her hands straying away from his face and onto his shoulders.

His lips felt so soft against hers, she tilted her head to try and better the angle, biting his bottom lip gently in response to one of his hands traveling further from her waist and lightly tapping her ass. Xeno rarely initiated intimate touches, he liked seeing them squirm when he'd surprise them out of nowhere.

"Stop that." [Y/N] mumbled against him, pressing another kiss. "There's nowhere to do it." He laughed, onyx eyes shimmering with mischief as his hand continued to venture around her. Brushing against her clothed chest, trailing up to wrap his fingers around her throat.

The pad of his thumb slightly rubbed the skin when she gulped, her cheeks were turning a bright red, and he absolutely adored it. Xeno leaned in again, giving her a sloppy kiss and applying pressure to her airway. [Y/N] held in the moan that threatened to slip out, if Stanley were here he would've scolded her for not letting them hear her sounds.

When he finally pulled away, he kept his grasp on her, letting her expression sink into his mind.

"I never should've taught you choking."

"I'm very glad you did dear."

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"And you couldn't blink an 'I miss you'?!" [Y/N] whispered, Xeno had just notified her that Stanley would know where to head next. Maybe she should've paid more attention to their morse code lessons.

"I'm sure he knows that already."

"But what if he doesn't? My poor little bubby, he's all alone." Xeno blinked at the nickname, usually, she'd say 'hubby' where'd bubby come from?

"Um, why did we construct this crazy-fortified stronghold?" Gen had drops of swear coating his entire face, gawking at the newest creation.

"For the final battle against Stanley." Senku looked like he was smug about the situation, only a few could tell he was really stressing inside.

"Are the bad guys gonna chase us all the way here?" Suika huddled up to [Y/N] who felt her soul leave her momentarily, said bad guys include her husband y'know...

"Heh, Dr. Xeno was up to no good with our radio signal. His claw was magnetized."

"You people planned to lure Stan—" Xeno felt a poke to his ribs, he glanced to the side seeing [Y/N] mouth a word. With an amused sigh, he continued. "to lure my husband here, so I don't see the harm."

"You sped up the timetable, that's the harm." Senku ran his fingers through his hair, grinning down at them. "We're out to beat Stanley, and reclaim the Perseus."

The next big step to this plan was to acquire more diamonds, [Y/N] refused to help them, one because it was a war against Stanley, and two, she was not about to go digging underground risking getting caved in, again.

Attempt after attempt, it was looking more dire. The diamonds gathered were too small, not even being able to tinker with most of them. So everyone circled around trying to decide on backup plans.

"I can just run it over and take them down with me!" Taiju yelled out, his spirit firing up.

"You'd get shot before getting a meter close." [Y/N] patted his head when he calmed down and realized she was right, these were soldiers who shot to kill any threats with no hesitation.

"What if, we all get petrified?" Chrome was on a roll coming up with ideas, it seemed like being around Senku for this long had upped his thinking process significantly.

Senku was going to build on this suggestion, realizing that it would be the best course of action, but was cut off by the sound of a loud thud.

Xeno had his arms crossed, [Y/N] sprawled on the floor in front of him. "No! I don't want to get petrified again, it was so goddamn depressing."

The dark nearly drove her crazy, she kept herself conscious because Stanley firmly told her to do so. Scared that if she didn't, she'd never see them again. [Y/N] had never felt such despair in her life.

"[Y/N] I ten billion percent promise, it won't be another 3700 years." Her 'adopted' kid firmly assured her, scarlet eyes keeping direct eye contact. He didn't enjoy being a statue either.

"She has the habit of being on the floor, doesn't she?" Kohaku observed from the side, recounting the times she'd seen [Y/N] let herself drop to the floor.

"[Y/N] grew up spoiled, she used to lay on the ground like so to get what she wanted from her father—"

"WHY ARE YOU TELLING THEM THAT?" Her body sprung up from the floor, nearly bashing her head into Xeno's chin. "No, it's just for theatrical effect. Okay? I'm not spoiled."

No one believed her.

The American-land pair were later tied up, Suika and Francois were sent out to scout the incoming military team. The rope was digging into her skin, putting her in a bad mood.

"What you must know about Stanley, is that he will not hesitate to slaughter everyone. Ethics and morals do not come into play, not when he's doing his job as a soldier and spouse."

"Yeah. I'm aware of that."

The mentor and mentee continued their weird chat, leaving the woman near them to just drown herself in make-believe positive thoughts. Wanting everyone to be safe in the end, she just desired to be happy with her hubbies and live happily ever after, was that so hard to achieve?

...

In the forest a few moments ago...

"We are unaffiliated with the combat unit, we have no intention of attacking and will do as you say. Knowing that will you still execute us?" Francois held a firm posture, trying to protect everyone from getting shot.

"Nope, won't shoot you. If what you're saying is true—"

"I was adopted by [Y/N]!" Suika spluttered, shaking when the head soldier blinked in response, he didn't seem caught off guard or surprised.

"Of course you were, my wife can't go a second without gathering things she finds cute." Stanley smirked, dangling an unlit cigarette between his lips.

...

"Shoot to kill! Everyone but Xeno and [Y/N]. Show no mercy!"

Her husband's voice rang out, and despite his choice of words, warmth spread throughout her entire chest. Happiness and sorrow mixed within her, she'd grown quite fond of these kids throughout the months but knew she couldn't have them and her husbands, at least not right now.

She watched with teary eyes as Taiju and Ryusuui got shot down, barely breathing. Her inner doctor screamed to run over and help, burying the feeling when she remembered she was still tied up.

"No!" Senku was shot down, slumping to the ground with blood pooling around him. [Y/N] couldn't even bring herself to look at the bright green light approaching them, barely noticing when Stanley untied them.

"The rescue took nearly one hundred days, I imagined you'd come a bit sooner. Or were you dragging your feet because our princess was guaranteed safe?"

"Shut up, this ain't the time for your warm and fuzzy gratitude." Well at least not from Xeno's smug face, Stanley embraced the sobbing [Y/N] in his arms. He caressed her messy [H/C] hair and allowed her to pull away the cigarette, kissing him roughly.

It spelled out anger, sadness, and yearning all at once. His purple lipstick stained her lips slightly. The time left didn't allow them to continue much longer, despite the situation, he was happy to see his lovers safe and sound.

"The bottles are gone." Maya notified them, seeing the empty bag in her grasp.

The soldiers noticed a running Suika. Stanley ordered them to shoot, sending a reassuring glance to [Y/N], he wouldn't shoot the child, just the bottles. Suika fell to the ground from the force, and one fluid managed to get caught by Chrome, who threw it up to Gen awaiting in the tower.

"Catch on yet, Xeno?" Senku coughed up blood, grinning at his baffled mentor. [Y/N] realized that the leek-haired kid was going to live long enough for the beam to engulf him, meaning he'd be alright in the long run.

Stanley aimed up at the singular revival fluid bottle, weighing the pros and cons of what his shot could entail too. He didn't think for long, feeling [Y/N] wrap her arms around his waist. The blonde softly sighed, turning her face away from Xeno who had been already turned to stone.

"Bambi, they won't be able to revive you if you're holding onto me." He murmured, knowing full well Senku would bring back Xeno for his scientific specialty, and [Y/N] because he was fond of her. However, they had no reason to bring him back.

"Xeno will find a way, don't forget who we married." Hearing him call her by the nickname she'd grown to adore, made her feel like everything was going to be alright. Stanley softly smiled, she wouldn't let go, he felt selfish letting her risk it all, but he could never bring himself to push away his crying wife.

"I love you. I love you both so much." [Y/N] sniffled, hearing him light up his last cigarette and holding her tighter.

"Love you both more."

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Not alone, Stanley's right next to me.

It's ok.

Xeno, are you awake?

I can't keep thinking of our dinner dates, cuddle sessions, or our wedding. It's making me yearn even more, how long has it been?

Senku and the others circled around the stone statues, Xeno felt his heart wrench when he noticed the sad expressions they carried. He got closer, chuckling when he noticed the rings were gone. [Y/N] didn't want to risk losing them again it seemed, his own were thankfully still intact.

"All of Stanley Snyder's assaults on us were, A, justifiable acts of warfare or B, attempted murder." Ryusui snapped his fingers dramatically. "It's our testimony that counts here."

"I suppose we'll all go with option A? That's what we can offer to dear Xeno." Gen awkwardly smiled, [Y/N] was too close to Stanley to get revived, knowing that if they splashed it on her figure it would bring back the soldier as well.

"Or C, a soldier doing whatever to rescue his wife and husband, we did kind of kidnap them..." Ukyo muttered, observing the longing in the mad scientist's onyx eyes.

Xeno agreed to help them out with their moon mission, it didn't matter how long it would take. He'd bring them back, one way or another.

"Are you really playing tic-tac-toe right now?"

Xeno's smile twitched, feeling the soft tracing of a washable marker on his forehead. His girlfriend lying on top of him, Stanley held in his snickers, sitting beside him.

"I'm too lazy to get paper." [Y/N] smiled down at him, kissing the tip of his nose and drawing the grid. Placing a circle, she passed the marker over to Stanley.

Xeno had his arms loosely wrapped around her waist, sighing and allowing them to do whatever they wanted. With every color stroke, they'd give him a brief kiss as a reward.

X O X

O X O

X O X

"I hate you Stan." She grumbled, she didn't even notice him setting her up. Her pouty lips were kissed by an amused Soldier, who then grabbed a wipe to clean off Xeno's face.

Stanley finished up and laid back down, face nuzzling into Xeno's. [Y/N] smirked when they started kissing, trying to fight down the blush before they could tease her.

Ok, these thoughts need to go fucking away.

[Y/N] was slowly getting angrier than sad, will she be stuck like this? Not getting any more kisses or hugs? Swearing she'd beat Senku's ass if she woke up 50 years later and Xeno was an oldie.

Despite her efforts to focus on medical notes, memories of their relationship kept flooding her mind. Eventually letting them run wild, and once they had been replayed around a hundred times, her brain settled down.

Now remembering her procedures, surgeries that were over 24 hours, she was so damn good at her job. It felt kind of wrong to say what a shame it was she couldn't do her job as meticulously now—not that she wanted someone to get badly injured so she could help...haha...

"Ah, a wise pick for the job." Gen snickered behind his arm, Xeno turned away from them, hiding his emotions. "But I must say I'm shocked, Stan is the ultimate soldier, if we join forces again we might try to take over again."

"I'm ten billion percent sure, [Y/N]'s going to wake up pissed off and set some rules." Senku heard her yell when he got shot down, the first time it happened she sprung into action, minimizing the damage to his body, and he made a very fast recovery. This time, she could only watch in dread, he knew that had an effect on her.

Notifying the others was received with shocked yells, worried that bringing him back would cause chaos once again.

"By bringing back Stanley, we'd be waking up [Y/N] too." Kohaku stated, crossing her arms when everyone turned to look at her. "I can't object then, she deserves to be here."

Xeno trudged up the mountain accompanied by Senku, Chrome, Gen, and Tsukasa as a guard. He had brought clothes, but couldn't dress them by their positions, so he opted for a large blanket.

Not long after pouring the revival fluid, the stone began to crack. Stanley was the first to react, gladly accepting the cigarette and lighter his husband was handing over.

"What's the job?" He quirked an eyebrow when his wife took four rings out of her mouth, coughing lightly before sending him a sharp glare.

"Oh shut the hell up!" [Y/N] slammed her fist on his chest, earning a weak grunt. "What's the job? Your job is to fucking coddle me after raining bullets everywhere, which was kind of hot because you did it for us BUT STILL!" She huffed, flustering when she noticed her bare body pushed up against Stanley's.

"No more fighting, okay? not one damn shot against them, or I will divor—who am I kidding, I can't commit to that." Her resolve melted, feeling his hands rub her hips gently. She heard footsteps getting further, glancing back to see that only Xeno and Senku remained in the cave.

The latter closed his eyes, turning away slightly from the trio. Senku didn't care for nudity, but something screamed at him to look away before [Y/N] could react.

Xeno took away the large blanket, lips quirking up in a smirk when [Y/N] covered her behind with a hand, and her chest pressed closer to stanley.

"I've seen it all before, my dear."

"Stop ogling—you too! Hands off until we get a damn bed." Stanley quickly put on his new clothing, Xeno helping strap the belts near his waist and thighs. His hands wandered around, teasing the awakened soldier.

[Y/N]'s [E/C] eyes were sparkling like a happy kid on Christmas. The top was a black corset, with stitched purple flowers decorating it, accompanied by a short black skirt with shorts peeking from underneath. Thigh-high stockings covered her bare legs and finished off with black combat boots, similar to what her lovers were wearing.

She felt fingers tug on the corset laces from behind, helping her tighten them properly. Xeno stood in front, holding out another article of clothing.

"No way." [Y/N] gushed and put it on, it was a white lab coat, similar to the one she used to have in the old world. She took a few steps away from them, modeling her new clothing.

"This is what I wore on our first anniversary, well minus the skirt and boots hehe—" [Y/N] paused seeing Senku's eyebrow twitch, "Cockblocker." she muttered.

"Back to business, say you shoot a one-pound piece of ammunition, initial velocity of 600 meters per second, on the moon's surface with gravity and acceleration being a sixth of what they are on earth. Your target is a medusa device, exactly one kilometer away."

"Firing angle should be 0.13 degrees"

She loved seeing the small glints in their eyes, nerd-ing up in their own respective fields.

"Are you up for the task, honey?" Stanley chuckled, reaching out a hand to cup Xeno's face. Adoration spelled out on his face.

"Sure, I am."

[Y/N] slid next to a nonchalant Senku, 'I'm going to need a camera, no, a video recorder. Look how cute they are." he pushed away her face.

"Stop simping, get a grip woman." He removed his hand from her head, noticing she calmed down significantly.

"Are you okay, Senku?"

Scarlet eyes blinked in response, he noticed how her gaze lingered on his chest, where he had been shot. Senku roughly smacked the area, sending her a reassuring smile.

"Perfectly fine."

He would absolutely take this to the grave, but the hug she gave him felt so motherly, that he teared up.

When they relayed the full details of their next project, [Y/N] nearly lost it. Anger bubbled in her chest first, then it dwindled down into pure sadness, like a snuffed-out candle.

[Y/N] was not on board with this at all, a one-way trip to the moon? She had barely gotten her husbands back, and now one of them was departing? Not to mention Senku being part of said trip.

"[Y/N], dear..."

"I know." She murmured, "I know you don't want this either, even if you guys think it's the best course of action." trying to keep her emotions from spilling. Seven years in stone, just to get told about a moon suicide mission.

"Why did we have to get turned into stone?" [Y/N] didn't have the energy to cry, looking utterly defeated. "We worked so hard, build our lives together and we never even got to fuck at that Hawaii hotel I booked."

"Hawaii?" Stanley shot the last target, turning to look at [Y/N] with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I reserved it for our honeymoon. Cost me nearly half a million to book the entire place to ourselves."

Xeno deadpanned, followed by an amused Stanley. [Y/N] was spoiled, that they knew, but she wasn't one to flaunt it off as her only benefit. She loved sharing her perks with the people she held close to her heart.

"We can go for free now." The soldier pocketed his gun, taking out another cigarette to light up.

"Free? Worry not darlings, I'm officially the richest woman in the...not so stone age anymore...age..." With a hand on her hip, she held a proud smirk. "I shall be taking care of us."

What they didn't know previously was that there was an economy, established by Ryusui, who folded at [Y/N]'s demands and ended up unknowingly aiding her to overturn him in the terms of dragos. "That's how they get you." Was her excuse, and the pilot couldn't help but admire her ambition.

"But really, is there no other way?"

Xeno softly shook his head, bringing her in for a hug, followed by Stanley wrapping his arms around the white-haired male. The blonde set his chin on Xeno's shoulder, looking down at a [Y/N] stuffing her face into the lab coat.

"Are you really okay with it? To get left on the moon for who knows how long?"

Stanley paused, he rarely hesitated to say what was on his mind. Her [E/C] eyes stared up at him, it stirred a feeling in his chest he couldn't decipher.

"If it's what the job requires, then I have to go."

"This isn't an obligation, not anymore. This is your life...our life." [Y/N] felt his hand brush her [H/C] hair, trying to comfort her.

Xeno closed his eyes, rubbing circles on her back. He kept his cool act up, trying to keep everyone reassured, even if he didn't want Stanley to go either.

"Xee, when Stan gets petrified we turn to stone ourselves."

They paused in their actions, she wasn't being wistful or optimistic. [Y/N] said it like a statement, one he really couldn't argue with. Xeno smiled, opening his eyes and nodding at her.

"Consider it done."

Stanley pulled away, sighing deeply. He didn't want them to sit in the dark again, for the third time. And yet, that selfish feeling he got when [Y/N] hugged him and turned to stone next to him, was present once again. Love really was a finicky emotion, wanting to be with his lovers no matter what.

His caramel eyes trailed over their gazes, both waiting for his thoughts on the condition. Bringing a hand up to brush his blonde hair back he sent them a smile, feeling his eyes annoyingly tear up.

"Yeah, you did make a commitment to me. Till death do us part was it?"

"Death parted us twice now." Xeno huffed out a laugh, earning him a poke to the chest. [Y/N] extended her hand out, bringing Stanley back into the hug. The pads of her fingers gently wiped his eye, caressing his cheek and holding them both closer.

It didn't take long for them to settle down, trying to enjoy the time they still had together. Xeno had fetched some paper and pens, drawing out sketches for the rocket while observing Stanley holding [Y/N]'s waist to position her better.

"What if i accidentally shoot you?"

"From this angle? I'd be impressed." She rolled her eyes, feeling him smack her ass as a sign to tell her she was ready. He backed off giving her space, holding onto the lab coat she handed to him a few minutes ago.

The sun was getting harsher, [Y/N] tried not to get distracted by how a thin layer of sweat coated the blonde standing nearby. Thankfully her clothing allowed her to breathe in.

"For every bullseye, I get a kiss." [Y/N] smugly held Stanley's gun tighter, aimed it at a target, and pulled the trigger.

...

...

"Bambi..."

"I KILLED IT!" She rushed to the tree, staring at the dead chonky bird that fell from its nest. Stanley walked up to her, holding the animal by the leg and dangling it back and forth.

"Nice shot."

Xeno turned his face away focusing on his work, knowing that if she saw him holding in a laugh she'd be upset. The soldier had been trying for years to teach her how to shoot a gun, safe to say it was still shaky.

"Xee, I can hear you..."

"I'm sorry, [Y/N]."

Stanley didn't hide his amusement, nearly doubling over with laughter. His wife tackled him to the ground, sitting on his stomach and trying to shut him up. He gulped in the air to try and calm down, holding her thighs in his hands.

"Take a good look, honey." She pointed at her clothes. "Remember that night? I'll have you squirming again soon."

"Is it really punishment if I enjoyed it?"

"Wasn't he crying, Xee?"

Xeno vividly recalled Stan being left a whimpering mess by them, tears escaping his caramel eyes. Being overstimulated for what seemed like an eternity, his soldier bravado had melted away the moment he was laid down.

Probably their favorite anniversary celebrated.

"He was, a lot."

"You would've been moaning, but your face was stuffed in this one's cunt." Stanley playfully slid a hand under her skirt, bumping a finger in between her legs.

Her cheeks flared up at his boldness, checking around praying no one was nearby to hear or see that. Xeno didn't seem to mind, continuing to utilize his rocket science expertise. He leaned back momentarily, tapping his lips when his spouses turned to look at him.

"Say what you want, but don't forget I was deemed the best seat in the house." Xeno then looked away, picking up his pen once again.

[Y/N] covered her face, groaning loudly a their stupid antics. Trying to rile each other up, knowing it would only end in her being teased. Warmth sprouted in her lower stomach like a stubborn seed growing, his thumb was now rubbing circles around her clit.

"We're in public...Stan..."

"Got to stay quiet then, bambi."

...

...

"Why is she crying?" Gen whispered, leaning closer to an equally weirded-out Senku. They both stared at [Y/N] looking defeated, [E/C] eyes filled with shimmering tears.

In front of her? A campfire, with a skinned bird rotating on a stick and getting cooked.

"She's eaten armadillo before, why is a bird any different?" The mentalist only earned a shrug in response, the duo was approached by Xeno, whose lips twitched trying to hold in a smile. He crossed his arms keeping his onyx eyes on his wife, being comforted by a smoking Stanley, who patted her lower back in a gentle rhythm.

"[Y/N] accidentally killed it." He truly felt for her emotions, but the whole situation was too hilarious to him.

Senku sighed while Gen grimaced, her being this sad was now very understandable, well only the black-white-haired male understood, Senku didn't.

"I never want to hold a gun again."

"Do you want that kiss now? Technically it was a bulls..." The soldier's words trailed off, watching his wife suck in a deep breath and crying all over again.

"I'm a murderer!" [Y/N]'s eyes were covered, Stanley trying to not let her see Francois preparing the bird.

It reminded him of how she reacted when she noticed Suika wasn't the cute little kid she adopted, now in her late teens. He'd much rather have her crying over situations like these, than anything too serious.

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"So, how about some last-minute projects before the moon launch?"

Immediately everyone jumped in with their suggestions, a microwave, washing machine, video camera (she got one too), plastic wrap and even a smartphone for Taiju.

After the creations were done, Senku lingered behind everyone, scarlet eyes softening seeing them happy. Everyone except a certain [H/C] haired doctor.

"Nothing you want?"

"My husband and kid to not get stuck on the moon."

He didn't bother correcting her, knowing that no matter what he'd always be the cute science kid in her eyes. Senku crossed his arms, not knowing if he should let her know about a potential plan Chrome and Suika worked on.

It was worth a try, but not a high chance, at least, not enough to give her what might be false hope. He sighed, realizing she had every right to know, whether he wanted to save her the extra heartache, didn't matter now.

"We're building a return rocket, there's no guarantee it'll work. The rocket is going to be sent by parts, and assembled on the moon."

"What's the percental chance?"

"I...I don't know."

Those words scared her more than anything else, she reached out to hold Senku's hand. He glanced down at her seated figure, squeezing her hand in response.

"Please, please do everything you can to come back home."

His scarlet eyes began to gloss over, trying to smile away the painful tugs in his heart. [Y/N] would forever be his only motherly figure, even if they had never met in person before the petrification, her love and care were clearly received through her emails and video calls.

"I promise to do my best." Senku shook away the feelings, going back to his normal self.

"Now, aside from that, do you not want anything materialistic?"

"Well, three materialistic things, and two humans."

He blinked, hands still joined together.

"You can make me a bed, large enough for three people, and have the American team search for my dad and Ruby."

"Disgusting." He teased her, he knew who Ruby was, often being sent pictures of [Y/N] and the head maid, he would issue her revival first then have the maid identify her father. "You have no shame, asking your kid for a bed."

"You don't want to know the other two things, worry not, Xeno's got it."

"...Let go of my hand."

"Nope~"

Despite his clearly displeased words, Senku worked harder on the bed, not even Taiju's phone had gotten this much thought process. Was it silly to plan out this bed's materials and structure so meticulously? Yes, he could be doing other things.

The bed was the comfiest thing ever. How it surpassed her expensive bed from the past, would continue to baffle her till the end of time itself. She snuggled up to the pillow, face down and ass up, her feet kicking the mattress in pure happiness.

Ruby had been found and revived, they stayed on call almost all day, and sadly the night had come too soon. [D/N] was still being searched for, he was away at a meeting when the beam happened. After saying a temporary goodbye, Senku showed her the new bed, not lingering enough to see her like...well like this.

"Oh look, we have a little present." Xeno walked into the room, steps faltering lightly noticing how her large white t-shirt rode up her thighs, showing off her cute pink underwear. The blonde pushed the scientist gently into the room, closing the door behind them. Stanley couldn't risk letting anyone see his wife like this.

"Yeah we do, look at this beauty!" [Y/N] let her body collapse like a stiff board, enjoying the way her body sunk into the pure plush.

The husbands exchanged a glance, was she that happy, to the point of letting Xeno's words fly over her head? Stanley bit on the unlit cigarette, knowing he couldn't light it up in their shared room.

"Get changed, or naked, and get in here." [Y/N] lifted up the thick cover, she needed to thank Yuzuriha for her clothing and this divine blanket. She relished in the warmth, it was going to be a cold night, so she needed them in bed ASAP.

"You'd like that, perv." Stanley teased, removing his tracksuit-like outfit, slipping on sweatpants, and leaving his torso bare. Xeno did the same, knowing full well he'd end up naked in just a short moment.

"I asked Xeno to make condoms and lube, so yeah, I'd like that."

Xeno tapped the drawer near their new bed, sending a smirk toward the blinking blonde. The scientist was pulled closer, [Y/N] resting her chin and hands on his stomach, both of them waiting for Stanley to take a course of action. She was happy, but definitely not innocently like he had initially thought.

"I'm the one going to the moon, so, it's only fair I get to lead. Everything."

Oh. [Y/N]'s eye twitched, earning heavy laughter from Xeno. Her threat from a few days ago was swiftly dodged, he'd be the one holding the reigns and that scared her as much as it excited her.

"Get in before I change my mind."

Stanley approached her, setting a knee on the edge of the bed and leaning his body forward to stare down at her. His hand grasped her chin, prying her lips open with his thumb, caramel eyes half-lidded when she lightly bit his finger.

"Like you could ever resist a good time."

Yeah no, [Y/N] wouldn't let this pass by. Xeno had made them a means of protection while living at the castle, but during their third year, it had somehow stopped being a frequent thing, too focused on their progress and the long journey of war.

The night was hard, no pun intended, trying to cover up their sounds. [Y/N] would launch herself into space and let the shutter open wide if Ukyo's hyper-hearing ears caught onto what the trio was doing. It seemed like their efforts were in vain, the banana-dressed man only sent her awkward smiles and averted his eyes whenever she'd try to ask him about it.

'Hey, Ukyo...how good are your ears?'

'Oh, uhm...not that good....'

'He's lying, but I'm pretty sure everyone heard you [Y/N].' Senku put in zero effort to help out the mortified doctor.

Kohaku apologized to the husband duo profusely, all three watching [Y/N] dancing with Ryusui by the fire, a cup of wine in her hand. Droplets spilled everywhere with every twirl she was put in, the pirate-pilot was suddenly dragged into it but he didn't mind it one bit.

"Well, at least it made her forget about the bird?" Xeno tried to reason, whenever she'd get drunk it was like her memories were made to be a jumbled mess.

"She probably forgot about our marriage too." Kohaku paled at those words, was the forgetful woman trying to flirt with Ryusui?

"I'll make sure she doesn't do anything throughout the night! Promise." Stanley shook his head, puffing out trails of smoke. He pointed a finger at the dancing pair, Kohaku's eyes following the direction.

"Ryusui! I'm getting married!" [Y/N] smiled brightly, finishing the liquid in her cup only for it to get refilled by an equally drunk Chrome. "Red carpet, purple flowers and onyx table decorations. Caramel cake...It's going to be perfect...."

Ryusui froze when [Y/N] suddenly stopped her happy steps. A pout overtook her smile, staring up at the pilot with teary eyes.

"Wait, where is my dad going to get the oysters? or the yummy caviar...the golden flakes..." He gave her a nervous smile, sending pleading eyes to Stanley and Xeno.

They received the message loud and clear, replacing him as her dance partners. Xeno rubbed her cheek affectionately, wiping her tears with his thumb. The droplets lingered on her eyelashes. Stanley distracted her with a chaste kiss, snatching the alcohol from her grasp.

"I'm sorry, our wedding won't be as grand. That stupid bitch on the moon ruined everything, I had a special wine bottle prepared for our future honeymoon.." She sniffled, Xeno was looking a little blurry to her. "Dad managed to get his hands on the 1945 Romanée Conti bottle."

Stanley had no clue what that was, Xeno on the other hand felt his cheeks light up despite his best effort to avoid it. The scientist had expressed slight interest in said wine before they were even dating, he mentioned it to her when she asked about his opinion on alcohol.

He felt a pinch on his reddened face, Xeno was ready to send a slight glare toward Stanley, but his eyes softened instead, seeing the genuine smile on the blonde's face. He sighed, holding and cuddling up to the warm hand.

"You remembered that?"

"Of course, I memorize your guys' talks. What kind of a girlfriend would I be if I didn't? A wine bottle and the newest gun model on the market. I even had it customized with our names on it and sparkly hearts, it's gone now..."

Her words were slowly getting clearer, only lightly slurred now. Her hand clenched and then opened slowly, blinking in confusion. [Y/N] was about to take another sip, now just realizing her cup was gone.

Stanley had finished the rest of it and secretly handed the empty cup to a fast Kohaku. He didn't let her linger on her realization, the blonde pulled in Xeno closer, sandwiching [Y/N] between them tightly.

"We'll make them again, one day."

Xeno nodded in agreement, well maybe not the bottle unless they made one and turned to stone enough years for it to age properly—or waited till they were like eighty years old to drink it.

"I'll have to save up all my dragos, will the price change with the new economy though?" She hummed, letting her head fall back on Stanley's chest, looking up into the starry sky in deep thought. [Y/N] suddenly sprung up, nose bumping into Xeno's.

"I need to discuss this with Ryusui." Placing a quick peck on both their lips she ran off, nearly tackling the unexpecting pilot.

Stanley lit up a cigarette, turning his attention to Xeno who was containing his blush. The soldier intertwined their hands, standing closer to the fire with his lover.

"That bottle, how much was it worth?"

"Last I heard about it, the 1945 bottle was auctioned off at around $558,000 in 2018, meaning [D/N] bought it a year prior to the wedding."

"...and the gun?"

"The newest 'model' at the time, was actually a thrown-away prototype, it was a high-end revolver with a literal aim assist feature, not to mention a small touch screen. You could receive messages, use a gps...like a phone. " Xeno hummed, rubbing his thumb over Stanley's finger. "The initial cost was estimated to be around a million, that plus the customization and the...very illegally bought gun, I'd say over two million."

"Should we lock up her dragos?"

"Yes."

︽❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀︾

Even if she was warned it wasn't a 100% possibility, [Y/N] clung onto that small glimmer of hope. Everything had finally been set up, the suits were made, the rocket was ready and the astronauts were currently putting on their new attire.

She put on the face mask, entering the contained area with Xeno trailing a little behind. Stanley stood there looking like a damn bulky toy, [Y/N] snickered, earning her a sharp glare.

"At last, the fateful—"

[Y/N] raised a hand to stop him, knowing he was about to deliver some Disney villain-level speech.

"This is the part where you kiss and let me record." She revealed the video camera, bouncing from foot to foot. They smiled, matching her energy.

Xeno approached the soldier, pulling his mask down to press a firm kiss. Without missing a beat she rolled the film, evilly giggling when Stanley furthered the kiss, his tongue slipping between Xeno's lips.

When they pulled apart the scientist acted nonchalant, pulling up the mask and hiding his blush and purple-stained lips. He pulled out a small box out from his coat's pocket.

"Can't smoke in space, but how about chewing tobacco shaped like cigarettes?"

Stanley took the box, brushing his fingers against Xeno's palm. Immediately he put one between his lips, testing out the thoughtful creation.

[Y/N]'s [E/C] eyes shun brighter than the sun itself, happy she caught the moment on camera. She quickly put the object in Xeno's awaiting hands, knowing she was eager to get her potentially last kiss in.

She approached her astronaut-soldier husband, watching him slowly take out the tobacco stick. Getting on her tippy toes to give him peppered kisses, his lipstick slowly faded from how rough she did so, smearing on the corners of his lips and her own lips.

"I love you." She murmured, taking out a handkerchief, cleaning his lips and her own. Applying a fresh coat of his signature color, she slipped off her lab coat, bringing up the collar near his face.

"Kiss it." It was a command, he let his lips linger on the fabric, making sure the color planted onto it perfectly. Pulling away and sending her a soft smile.

"Love you too. Love you." He sent the second pair of words to Xeno, who was recording their moment. He gazed up, onyx eyes gently shimmering in adoration.

"Love you too."

All three were nearly in tears, it was scary to think how badly this could all go down. Best case scenario was Stanley being turned to stone and staying in tact till he could be rescued, even then, it didn't sit right with them.

[Y/N] walked out holding hands with Xeno, she was trying hard to keep herself together. Senku had allowed her to press a kiss on his forehead with no fuss, reminding her of the promise he made to her months ago.

"What if it blows up?" Xeno's eyebrow twitched hearing those words, the stiff smile on his face was getting wider, trying to keep his shocked wife calm.

Gen felt the sharp glare, stuttering out a batter line...sort of. "I-I mean it's fiiineee, if they blow up, we just have to find the pieces and glue them back together~"

"I'd spend decades finding your little stone bits, so that Yuzuriha could piece you back together!" Taiju yelled out with tears springing up, Yuzuriha standing nearby with the same expression.

"Heh, I bet you'd try."

"Not try, we'd do it. My husband and kid don't deserve to be scattered around." [Y/N] smirked, trying to show confidence, even if her body wanted to drop onto the floor in worry.

The astronauts were petrified, everyone was now collectively counting down. Nervousness was being bounced around, the rocket looked like a huge shooting star, heading straight for space.

Xeno was sitting by the microphone, one connected directly to the rocket's radio. She was sitting in front of a computer screen, looking at a bunch of numbers she didn't understand.

"3"

"2"

"1"

Everyone cheered when they were notified they made it safely, Xeno leaned forward.

"Ah, Senku. I take it you're awake now."

"So our gear isn't busted, this was your doing Xeno."

"Well, liquid doesn't flow normally in zero gravity, as a precaution I scheduled your revival a bit early." Gen was standing behind Xeno, smiling at how the older man was hiding his true intentions.

"Not shocked huh? You and Xeno cooked up this little plot? Creeps me out having you old dudes doting on me." Senku's voice was slightly distorted, most likely due to the satellite's quality.

"Doting? Definitely not for you." Stanley chuckled, taking out his chewing tobacco box.

"[Y/N] insisted on giving you a moment to yourself, Xeno and I aren't capable of saying no to our cute wife."

"Really kicking it up a notch in the motherly department, huh."

"Don't go stealing my lines!" She invaded Xeno's personal space, nearly gobbling up the mic. "Is it pretty, honey?"

"I have something prettier waiting back on earth, but yeah, it's nice."

Leave it to Stanley to flirt even up in beautiful space, however, she knew he was only trying to distract her from the situation. [Y/N] relaxed, Xeno holding her hand tightly.

Both their efforts quickly burned down, Xeno noticed that their communication was now one-way. They all froze, hearing that the cause of the issue was a strand of petrified hair.

"What are the chances of it being mine?" [Y/N] gulped, she had gotten up and personal with them before the launch. What if her husband gets stuck in space because of her?

"Extremely low, nearly impossible. Your hair was covered." Xeno reassured her, but it didn't really matter who it belonged to, they needed to fix it.

"OUTER SPACE IS MINE! ALL MINE!! HA HA!"

...

"He could be your right hand in a villain movie, darling."

"I have you and Stan, no need for more."

"Really? Shame, I was thinking of getting Francois in on the ride." Xeno's heart skipped a beat hearing her giggle at her own silly joke, it was truly fascinating how deep-rooted feelings never seemed to dwindle, no matter how much time had passed.

Ryusui managed to adjust unit 4, using his body and rotating like a gyroscope. The idea itself was so absurd that even Xeno looked utterly baffled, she could hear Senku cackling evilly from the radio.

Moments later the rocket was closer to the moon, [Y/N] munched on some rice balls further away from the equipment. She didn't need a grain of rice to fall somewhere and make it explode, or something like that.

"Communications with earth will be cut off soon, they'll rely on their own eyes and measurements. Keep your promises you two." Xeno glanced over his shoulder, seeing [Y/N] with stuffed cheeks, eyes completely locked onto the computer screens.

"Yeah yeah, we got it." Senku was initially fine with the risk of staying up on the moon, it was only changed when his 'mom' asked him to come back that his resolve cracked.

[Y/N] finally finished her snack, standing next to Xeno once again. The trio was finally taking their first steps on the moon, while Kohaku gleamed a bit, she quickly got back to the task.

"That's it? No profound romance about being on the moon?" The blonde reporter sweat dropped from the lack of enthusiasm.

"We're talking about an efficiency aficionado, a lady who goes hard and fast, and a soldier, whose romance lies with those two." Gen directed Minami's gaze to the duo standing close to the microphone. "They prioritize speed, especially with the limited amount of oxygen."

They drove around with the rover, passing by the old U.S. flag that was placed in 1969. The mission was going smoothly until some sort of miscommunication happened.

"Kohaku! Senku didn't say a word!" She had opened up the capsule, allowing it to escape its confinement.

"Thank you so much, for unlocking it for me."

It disturbed [Y/N] to hear Senku's voice be used like this, to deceive his friend in such a critical time. Her heart hammered in her chest, worried about them.

"All along...why-man was you."

"Please don't be an alien, please."

"Machine lifeforms dear, the medusas themselves were what formed why-man—"

"Do you wanna die?"

Gen awkwardly smiled, walking towards the mic and pulling it closer. "Ahem, dear Senku. I'm not sure if our new friends are capable of an honest conversation, but with new political enemies, negotiating has always begun with an immediate offering of a gift."

The gears in Senku's head turned, tuning out Kohaku asking what they could possibly gift this entity. He recalled the timing of the whys, the die question, everything led to this moment. It clicked a few seconds later, it was simple really.

"We can replenish your life force, by providing new diamond batteries. And in return, we request that you..."

[Y/N] side-eyed Gen, he was kind of looking very proud of Senku. This was something she needed to look into after everything settled down.

"Keep it polite, Senku—"

"QUIT FIRING OFF THOSE DAMN BEAMS EVERY CHANCE YOU GET!"

Everyone collectively deadpanned, the [H/C] haired doctor really wanted to say 'I expected more' but this? This was Senku through and through.

"Why?"

"Dumb ass parasite, it wanted help but in the process destroyed the technology that could." She muttered, hearing Senku and Xeno exchange more information on this, the medusas thought we'd be grateful to have been given some sort of immortality. Mildly ruined her marriage plans, and trips.

"Why?"

...

"Why?"

"On that note, why-man. I want to negotiate, just you and me, face-to-face."

"What?" [Y/N] nearly knocked over a shocked Xeno, without a view on Senku, Stanley wouldn't have a clear line of sight in case he needed to save him.

"[Y/N], trust me."

With his last words, communication with the white and green haired boy was cut off, leaving everyone in the dark for a while. If anyone could talk to some weird mechanical alien thing, it would be Senku, she was sure of that.

It felt like an eternity before they could hear both Senku and the medusa again.

"Probability is near zero percent."

"Near zero sounds about right." She took a deep breath in, hearing his voice reach her ears. "But near zero, ain't zero. Not when it comes to us."

"Abandonment is your kind's fate, my kind will seek other planets and more intelligent organisms. However, I may be taken by you and only I. This body is yours to destroy, to kill. A creation out of this world, that excites me."

"Careful Gen, it sounds like it's confessing to your boyfriend."

"My what!?"

She ignored his splutters, seeing Xeno with a grin told her it was going to be okay. This was over, now all that she needed was her husband back on earth and they could move on from the constant fear of being loomed over by some entity.

...

...

Except [Y/N] truly didn't think it would look so cute, sitting inside the small capsule with the drawn-on face. She snatched it off Senku's hip, coddling it close to her face.

Stanley, Xeno, and Senku shared a knowing glance. Watching the woman practically jump up and down in pure glee.

"I presume this is the doctor you mentioned."

"Yeah, looks like she's adopted you too."

"My kind has no parental figures, we hold no family value—"

"Oh my god! Screw your secret plan, I'm keeping them." Technically, this was some sort of alien, a theory she was scared to know back then, but not now.

Senku struggled to pry the damn thing out of her grasp, managing to get it back when Stanley intervened, and even he took a while. They settled into a quieter space, only them four being present.

"So, why did you tell this cutie about me?"

"Heh, why don't you ask your question again, why-man?"

"Why was the promise of eternal life rejected?"

Oh. So that's why. She crossed her arms, standing closer to the capsule set on the table.

"Humans naturally fear death, and some would do anything to stay alive. My job is to give second, third, or even more chances to a lot of people, so of course I'd love to see everyone I treat stay healthy and live on...however..." [Y/N] paused, thinking of her next words.

"If every single human on earth was immortal, we'd be run dry of our supplies, food and water would be scarce, and would most likely cause a panic. At my old hospital, the number of babies delivered in a day was almost equal to the lives we lost, it sadly had a very neat balance. Aside from those facts, your petrification was scary."

The machinery clicked, keeping quiet and receiving the information without a single complaint.

"It was dark, quiet, and had us mentally battling for thousands of years. Everything we knew and loved was gone, we struggled to rise from the bottom, and it's going to take a long time to get it all back. Eternal life, isn't something we should ever have our hands on."

"I see. So this is a motherly figure, I believe the terms used were 'nagging' followed by a sense of adoration."

...

"You'd never say that to [Y/N]'s face." Stanley chuckled at Xeno's words, being there when Senku said it, the soldier was extremely surprised he admitted to his feelings so openly.

"Okay well I was saying all of that as a human and doctor, but, does that mean you understand the concept of a mom now?"

"Still incomprehensible, continuing research on this matter."

[Y/N] hugged Senku tightly, nearly crushing his bones. Truly, he never intended for her to know how he felt, knowing she'd get all mushy like so. Can't say he hated the hugs though.

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Several years later...

"What's wrong?"

Senku's scarlet eyes blinked, [Y/N] had been in a very suspicious quiet mood, dragging him out the laboratory and to a quiet secluded area.

"How far along are you guys on the time machine progress?"

"[Y/N]." His voice was firm, that was the only way to stop her dodging questions.

...

...

"I'm pregnant, and I don't know who the father is."

"They're both the damned fathers!" He deadpanned, sighing loudly into the palm of his hand. He was stressing over nothing, feeling his worry melt away into mild annoyance from the scare she gave him.

"WELL NO SHIT! But I...I don't know, they both always cu—"

"Shut up! For this conversation I'm your kid, keep the details to yourself."

Her lips shut, holding in the chuckle from seeing his disgusted face. She truly had no real reason to be this nervous, her husbands would accept the baby with open arms no matter what. Still, she was worried it would interfere with their work.

"When do you plan on letting them know?'

"I found out this morning, one of the scientists did me a favor of creating a few pregnancy tests." She muttered, feeling a headache start to take over.

"First we have to calm you down, then we'll figure it out. Let's talk about it over lunch."

...

...

"Heteropaternal superfecundation?" Stanley quirked an eyebrow, he was on his knees in front of his very pregnant wife, rubbing lotion on her legs.

Xeno was filling up a small pouch with warm water, his hands were a bit shaky receiving the updated news on the pregnancy.

"It's a super rare occurrence, twins who have different biological fathers." [Y/N] almost collapsed onto the ground when she was notified, her curiosity led her to get a DNA test. The ultrasounds were so obscure, only being able to see one singular child, so she never thought for a second it could ever be two.

The scientist approached her, pressing the warm water pouch on her aching back, rubbing gentle circles on her stiff shoulders.

"Screw my shoulders, my tits are hurting." Xeno chuckled, sliding his hand forward and cupping her chest, first roughly squeezing them to ease the tension then rubbing softly.

Stanley finished up her legs, washing his hands quickly then grabbed the oil bottle she was given as a gift from Yuzuriha. He raised her maternal nightgown, applying the liquid to her swollen belly. [Y/N] was scared to get excessive stretch marks from popping out two kids in a single sitting.

"This fucking sucks, and it's only been three months. No more kids, two is enough, one for each right? You guys are happy, right? This is okay?" Her hormones were all over the place, one minute she'd be happy then the next she'd be sobbing hysterically, like when Stanley dropped her long-awaited chocolate cake.

"We're happy, bambi, I promise."

"Everything is okay my dear, we'll be here every step of the way, for this pregnancy and any future ones you desire."

"Shut uuuup~" She cried into her hands, their words fell with love and warmth, reassuring her that it truly was all okay. Those nicknames still caused her to melt on the spot, and now held such an important role in her life.

The months that followed were hard on [Y/N], thankfully her husbands and surprisingly Senku were catering to her every need and want. Kohaku, Ruri, and Suika often took her out on walks, setting up beach days and Francois was paid to cook whatever the pregnant woman craved.

Xeno focused on his work, but balanced time for his wife and husband perfectly. He was doing his best to keep her mind occupied, ordering doctors to send her some patient files to look over. She was definitely going to work at the newest hospital building that was made, furthering her research and sharing her talents once she recovered.

Stanley held shooting and combat lessons, smoking as much as he could, he can't smoke near his wife nor would he be able to when the kids are still young. From forcing Xeno to eat when he was too focused on his project, to keeping his concerned stares to himself whenever his wife would be eating the most baffling food combinations, Stanley was surprisingly keeping it all together. He couldn't afford to have a weak mind, especially when it involved his spouses.

"I have a feeling she won't be happy to see our faces during it." Xeno murmured, looking at Stanley who masked his nervousness by ruffling his blonde hair.

"Our hands are going to be exposed to a dangerous hazard." Sharing a dry laugh, they finally entered the room.

They really, really underestimated the sheer force their wife would have when giving birth. Stanley now truly understood the monstrous grip [Y/N] showed signs of having before, feeling his fingers getting literally crushed as she squeezed tighter.

"GET THEM OUT OF ME!" She screamed tugging Xeno down on accident, he nearly crashed onto her body from the sudden pull, miraculously catching himself and gripping the headrest.

"Never letting your DAMNED DICKS NEAR ME AGAIN!" A hard push later and one of the twins was out, being wrapped in a white blanket. The doctor settled between her legs and got ready to deliver the second one, sending her reassuring words.

Stanley wiped away the sweat building on her forehead, cheeks flushed and tears dripping. He bent down to press a sweet kiss, pulling away to see her [E/C] eyes staring directly into his caramel ones.

She sniffled, feeling overwhelmed with so many emotions at once. Her lips parted to ask for another kiss when she suddenly groaned loudly at the contractions starting again.

"One more push!"

Both babies were placed in her arms, the nurses helping out stepped out giving them privacy, while the doctor stayed back to clean up [Y/N].

"Oh my, they're beautiful." She wept, leaning down to press kisses to their heads. Neither were crying, softly blinking up at their mother. [Y/N] laughed, realizing that these truly were their kids.

Her little girl had blonde hair, her baby boy on the other hand had white hair—their eyes, were a pretty shade of [E/C]. The perfect balance between them three.

Xeno and Stanley quickly picked up the kids, noticing their wife's eyes slowly shut. They nearly snapped their necks towards the doctor who jumped from the sharp gazes.

"She's just tired, everything here is fine." She left the room before they could continue their scary faces, gently closing the door.

It was opened a few minutes later, Senku trailed inside with a hospital gown and a face mask. Scarlet eyes softened up seeing the bundles of joy, finger lightly poking their chubby cheeks.

"So, these are my newest siblings huh?" He whispered, feeling relief flood his body when he noticed [Y/N] was alright and just sleeping off the delivery.

"Nice to see you finally accepted your title." Stanley chuckled, letting Senku hold the calm baby close to his chest.

"He never really had a choice, [Y/N] has been babying him since they met."

Senku rolled his eyes at Xeno's words, the smile on his face not faltering in the slightest. The baby made grabby hands towards the leek's face, [E/C] eyes wide with curiosity.

"If they didn't look like you two, they'd be much cuter."

"Shut up." The woman in the bed murmured softly, nuzzling up to the pillow. Her moment of lucidity was cut short, lulling back into a deep sleep once again.

Taking care of the babies was most of the time a smooth ride, they rarely cried, only doing so when they wanted to sleep or eat. The rare times when they would cry non-stop it felt like her life force was being shredded into particles, desperation and tears overtook her—calming down when her husbands would jump in with zero hesitation and allowing her to rest.

"They're finally asleep." [Y/N] sighed in relief, taking a few steps backs and hitting Stanley's chest. He held her body weight and guided her to bed, laying down first and allowing her back to rest against his chest.

The door was slowly opened, Xeno came in taking off his tie, shrugging off the lab coat.

"Did you see that, Stan? Him and ties."

"He never lets us take it off for him."

Xeno's lips quirked up into a bright smile, putting on his pajamas and making his way to his lovers. The whole situation was reminiscent of the past, a moment he held dear. His head laid down on her chest, cuddling up to the warmth, feeling Stanley's hands rub his shoulders.

"Because it always ends up in sex."

They shared a quick laugh together, holding each other closer.

"Sleep time, before they wake us up." Xeno held her [H/C] hair, twirling it in his fingers before allowing sleep to take over. His lovers shortly followed after.

It was going to take a long time to get their old lives back, slowly but surely, and that comforted her in a way she couldn't explain. It wasn't just them three anymore, they were joined by two little mini versions.

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•[Y/N]'s dad was ecstatic to hold another wedding, taking his drunk daughter's rambles too seriously. This time, she had to pay for everything, it was shocking to see her be richer than him in this new world but he was proud.

•The calm babies turned out to be mischievous gremlins, often being indulged by Senku, who loved showing his little siblings how to create rockets—and scaring the trio-parents whenever they'd hear explosions inside their new house.

•Ruby still worked for [Y/N], assuring her that taking care of the kids while they all went to work, was a job she truly adored.

•Stanley and Xeno were sex banned for a while, their wife being too scared to risk another pregnancy. That wall crumbled when the scientists gifted her plan b pills for her birthday, it was mortifying, to say the least.

Everything was going perfectly fine, and [Y/N] would never trade it for anything in the world.

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Definitely not as detailed as the last post, I didn't have a lot of creative freedom with the obvious timeline that happens after the petrification.

During one of his rare lazy nights, he scrolled through his phone, scarlet eyes landing on a particular question.

"how can i find out if my friend is okay without being it obvious?"-posted 30 minutes ago by alo_mistx11

25 comments +

He sighed, when did it start bothering him this much? The leek-haired boy clicked on the plus sign, eyebrow raising at how the replies were lengthy paragraphs of others trying to give real advice, he sped-read most of it.

"I'm going to use my personal experience to try and give you some idea, I noticed a while ago that my friend's mood never seemed to change, not when he did something he claimed to like or something he mentioned hating. I started by asking simple questions like, how was your morning? did you enjoy lunch today? what do you think of this x thing? His typical answers were short, direct and lacked details—but the more I asked, the more I realized they started changing. He added a few more comments every time, slowly but surely my friend opened up, the 'It was fine.' turned into 'It was nice.' the 'Yeah, I did.' was now 'Not really, my curry didn't have enough flavor.'

The point is, to focus on their answers and go from there. Words are complicated, they can mean multiple things at once or nothing at all. Be patient.

Senku woke up the next morning with a mission to work on, instead of his usual seat in the middle of the classroom he swapped to sit next to a stiffly sitting [H/C] haired girl who didn't spare him a glance.

Why wasn't he sure of their status? Because he met the girl back in the third year of middle school, ever since then she always silently chose him as her partner for any assignment that needed to be worked on in pairs, sitting next to him during school trips and not to mention lingering in the science club—something she still did to this day in high school. Halfway through the second year of knowing each other, he realized maybe the reason wasn't her but him, thinking she silently made an effort while he didn't.

Weirdly enough he couldn't recall a single time she spoke, did she even at all? Was she mute and he didn't notice? Senku would ramble his points during their work, not caring if she paid attention or not. However, he knew she did, [Y/N] writing exactly what he had just said and using it for their presentations.

"How was your morning?"

A brief pause in her movements, a nod, and nothing else.

So he tried right after lunchtime, making his way back to the classroom he noticed her standing by an open window. Senku slid next to her, careful to not invade her personal space. Taking a moment to admire how the sun's rays gave her [S/C] skin a glow-like effect, even as her face expressed nothing her body was relaxed.

"Did you enjoy lunch today?"

Once again, a quick nod and she walked away.

Nearing the end of the last lesson, their teacher bid them a good day and left them to write down the homework scribbled on the blackboard. Senku zipped up his bag before catching up to [Y/N] who was already halfway down the hallway.

"What did you think of today's topic?"

Oh, she stopped walking. Her head slowly tilted over her shoulder to show him her usual face, [E/C] met a curious scarlet. She shook her head.

It wasn't exactly a huge progress, but it was something. He kept a notepad solely to write down her responses, day after day it stayed the same, a nod, a shake, or nothing at all. Senku's curiosity turned into something more, like a desperation to understand just what or who [Y/N] really was.

It gnawed at him that nothing he tried worked, repeating himself like a broken record and possibly annoying the girl—if she could feel annoyance anyway. But science took time, he knew that, Senku needed to up his effort.

So he decided to drop the questions he took from the post, scribbling consistent things she indulged in. Sadly, reading books was the first and only thing he noticed she did regularly, or well read one book, Senku realized after a short while she always re-read the same one.

Walking behind her while leaning over her seated figure, squinting his eyes trying to catch a glimpse. Pointing at a random corner in the classroom and reaching his hand over to move the book closer when she looked away. Even going as far as to lie to [Y/N] that a teacher was looking for her.

And every single damn time, the book was too far away for his eyes to catch anything. The cover closed over the pages whenever she'd look away from it, and the worst one of all, she carried it everywhere. Leaving no room to snatch it in her lack of presence.

Two weeks later the perfect opportunity set itself up for him, or so he thought.

While they were paired up in groups and loud chatter filled the room, the teacher asked [Y/N] to quickly fetch some assignments he forgot in the staff room. The scientist took this chance to pull out the book from her bag, there was nothing written on the cover. Senku flipped through the pages, feeling his face scrunch up as he read the words—this wasn't a story like he initially thought, no, it was more of a diary.

Entry #27

She started kicking a lot today, the first few times made me feel so giddy! But now I can't pick up my paintbrush without her causing me so much pain, can she stop?

Entry #28

I'm so sorry, I don't want her anymore. I'm scared, so goddamn scared…

Senku stuffed the book into his bag in a hurry when he noticed the top of her head peeking through the door's window before opening it. [Y/N] handed over the papers she was sent to get and took a seat next to him, picking up her pen and continuing to write.

On the outside, his composure could rival that of an actor, inside? Oh lord, inside he was screaming at himself, why the hell did he panic? He didn't know how he could return her book before she noticed—he's screwed.

[Y/N] reached into her bag, sitting up straight when her hand came up empty. Scarlet eyes widened in absolute fear surprise when the grasp on her pen tightened hard enough to spill ink out of the blocked end. Small plastic shards fell onto her open work notebook alongside droplets of crimson red, she hardly seemed fazed by the injury and wiped the blood away with a handkerchief.

He felt like he fucked up. Big time.

Senku started to lecture her to ease his worry in a familiar way, "Plastic might seem harmless to most people, but if microplastics enter your bloodstream it could cause cell damage, inflammation and not to mention an increased chance to develop diseases." he gently took the cloth and wrapped it around her hand carefully, tying a knot to secure it from moving. During his ramble he could feel her [E/C] eyes burning into his forehead, he couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze.

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[Y/N] walked into the classroom on a cold Monday morning, she made the mistake of showering before checking the weather—leaving her body shivering while she waited for the bus just a few moments prior.

Like always, she tuned out the lively talk and sat down at the very back. Senku was already there writing down a list of things he'd need for an experiment, or so she assumed. Lately, the boy had been weirdly talkative to her, he always entertained her with random science facts but now he'd been asking questions out of the blue.

"Good morning." She wanted to part her lips and greet him back, but the grip on her bag tightened when she nodded instead and sat down.

With the book gone, [Y/N]'s routine had drastically been reduced to nothingness for hours. Her hand was now wrapped with clean bandages, there wasn't a chance in the world she misplaced the book. That meant someone had purposely taken it, her brain recited the pages to fill the void, word by word.

Entry #76

The doctor said I needed to be careful, [Y/N]'s very fragile. Was this my fault? I should've taken care of myself more, what if she never gets better? Sorry…

Entry #102

What's this? I don't know, I can't tell. Voices. There are voices everywhere and no one else seems to hear them, they happen when I'm around her…is this [Y/N]'s fault? Making her mother suffer this much, what have I done to deserve this?

"Pigeons have five color receptors in their eyes, while humans only have three." The feeling of something falling on her shoulders and the scrapping sound of a chair broke her trance.

Her closed eyes fluttered open, head tilting over her shoulder as if questioning Senku's random fact and act. [Y/N] observed the slight red tint his ears got, looking away while she slipped her arms through the sweater's sleeves.

"I saw you petting a pigeon Friday after school."

'You look cute like this.' is what she wanted to say, a twinge of pain in her chest brought her back from her thoughts. Why was he observing her so closely nowadays? Senku was completely out of character. His questions, thankfully now dropped, unsettled her at times—reminding her of the twice-a-week therapy sessions.

"Would you like to come over? Taiju and I are going try and send another rocket into space."

'Huh, another?' It was so…Senku coded…that her surprise melted away quickly, it sounded like it could be fun but unfortunately, she couldn't head anywhere other than home. Her dad who worked from home never let her out of his sight besides school, not even to go to the corner store. It used to feel suffocating, but now she mindlessly went along with it, fighting was a waste of time.

When you're the cause of someone else's despair, it's only fair to stay quiet and oblige them.

The boy sighed softly at the shake of her head, denying his invitation. Senku wasn't one to give up, his mind dead set on everything having a solution and while humans were complicated beings, a science he typically had no interest in—he wanted to know about [Y/N] no matter how long it took. When he started something, it was almost impossible for him to stop.

A note slid onto his desk, the pinky stuck in his ear stopped moving, and Senku felt his heart skip a beat. There laid her first words towards him, on the ripped-up corner of her notebook page.

'Sorry, have fun for me.'

That single note had changed everything, a huge leap in progress. Taiju questioned him on the number of packs of post-it notes he carried in his bag, only to get brushed off by the ecstatic scientist. Senku would stick a blank note on her desk every day since that Monday, and without fail, it would be on his after a few minutes of asking her stuff. It was a wonder how he didn't feel impatient at her vague words and quick sentences, but they were far better than the nods.

"I'm sure the next one won't explode."

"Good luck."

"Your club member dropped off this box."

"I'd like to know more about pigeons."

Senku breathed in shakily reading the newest piece of paper he got, eyes borderline burning imaginary holes into the only note he kept safe. The rest were thrown out after their 'conversation' ended, but this one? He couldn't bring himself to do the same.

Unfortunately, after this breakthrough, his only obstacle to moving forward was the book still stuffed in his bag. Logically theorizing her reaction, ten billion percent it would end with her killing never speaking to him again. Guilt overtook him whether he liked it or not, it felt wrong to just place it on her desk when she wasn't around. Senku was sure [Y/N] knew someone had taken it, he needed to come clean.

Oh boy.

"Uhm, are you sure about this, Senku?" Yuzuriha waved her hands frantically, she tagged along for a few minutes when the leek-haired boy asked her to help look for [Y/N]. The crafts member was horrified when he admitted to being the culprit behind the book's disappearance, Yuzuriha hung around the [H/C] haired girl on the daily—with them being in the same club.

"Nope, tell Byakuya to stop crying like a wimp when I go missing." The brown-haired girl could see Senku smirking smugly, however, he couldn't hide his trembling body from the thought of how this could all go down.

Waiting behind the corner, they noticed [Y/N] finally walk out of the nurse's office and head towards them. Senku tried to take a step back, only for Yuzuriha to send him an encouraging smile and push him forward. Her friend was going to get her book, no matter what.

Senku stumbled forward almost bumping into [Y/N], he huffed out an annoyed sound and fixed his lab coat. He wordlessly grabbed her wrist in a gentle grip and guided her to the rooftop. Really he was just trying to buy more time to compose himself, these feelings were beginning to become an illogical mess.

Illogical. Feelings were nothing but illogical, that's what he always said to himself and others. It was bothersome to realize that once they overtook you, it was hard to push them away.

[Y/N] walked behind him without struggle, eventually settling near the railing of the rooftop. Her eyes noticed his hand reach into the bag, grasping something and hesitating to bring it out. She had a vague idea of what it was going to be. Suspicions floating in her head were confirmed when her mother's journal entered her line of sight, she made no move to grab it, only raising her head to stare into his wavering eyes.

[H/C] hair was hit by a soft breeze, she lifted a hand to brush it out of her face.

"Why?"

Feeling like his brain malfunctioned, Senku nearly dropped the book at her voice. It was soft—so soft that if he wasn't paying attention, he would've missed it. He couldn't tell if she was mad or upset, face staying neutral.

"I'm sorry." He wiggled the book, trying to encourage her to take it and be done with it. Senku felt sweat build on his forehead when she stayed still. "I wanted to know more about you, I got too into my head and took it."

"Know me as a person or did you see it as an experiment?"

"I'm sorry."

[Y/N] finally grabbed her belonging, tracing a finger over the smooth cover. "Did you..?"

"Read it? only two entries." He didn't know if that would help him save face. "I couldn't bring myself to read further without your permission." He watched her flip through the pages, still standing in front of him with what seemed like zero interest, before he could utter another rushed apology she spoke once again.

"I'm not allowed to talk, not at school or home." She paused, trying to think of a good reason to keep talking. Senku, from the beginning, sparked hints of emotion she thought she had lost forever ago. It was an occurrence she wanted to keep happening, and while she couldn't ignore the slight anger bubbling right now—she would suppress it, not wanting to lose him.

Maybe, just maybe she could get this off her chest. Knowing the boy would never gossip or spread rumors about her, Senku wasn't that type of person, and perhaps that's why he drew her in so quickly.

"My dad says I sound too alike to my late mother, he hates it. I'm not sure when exactly I stopped talking altogether, but before I knew it, my voice felt like a distant memory." [Y/N] sighed softly, continuing when she realized he had no intentions of interrupting her. "It's not that I hide my feelings like everyone claims, I just don't feel them anymore. Not as strong anyways."

"Your cute science rambles gained all of my attention, ever since middle school. Something about your passion and love for it made me feel warm inside, the strongest feeling I'd get was all because of you."

[Y/N] took another, much longer pause this time. Slowly thinking back on her words, he'd probably think she was confessing to him. Before she could rephrase, the bell rang loudly. Senku gave no indication that he planned on moving, taking a step forward and stopping her.

"Finish what you were saying."

"Senku…"

"You were right. At first, the way you acted did feel like science I wanted to figure out, over time It became more about…you…as a person." His scarlet eyes kept their focus on her, refusing to break contact. "So, please [Y/N], tell me everything, every detail possible—I ten billion percent assure you I will do whatever I can to help you."

Seconds later she pushed the book into his chest gently, leaving him to hold it while walking back inside. He stood there feeling conflicted. Fuck. Was this really okay?

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Click. Clack. Click.

The sound echoed throughout the room, the culprit? Newton's cradle settled on her therapist's desk. The older man knew it bothered her, why he kept it moving was a mystery she wished would disappear.

"It's been years [Y/N], why do you still come back?"

"Because you suck at your job."

"Cheeky shit." Dr. Bernard poured himself a glass of whiskey, swirling the liquid around before downing it in one go. "Your mom died, get over it."

"You know what your real problem is? You. You're the issue. You self-destruct whenever you feel any hint of happiness, feeling guilty about it." [Y/N] stayed quiet, these words had been thrown at her by the man since forever ago. "Your mom hated you, not because she wanted to, or because you did something. Being happy isn't going to make her mad, [Y/N] she's fucking dead."

"Can we end this early? I just needed your signature."

She dusted off her school skirt, taking the waving paper from Bernard's hand. He didn't let go, forcing them to engage in eye contact. "I hope you find something that brings you so much joy, you stop taking these shits."

For a drunk, rude, and lazy therapist, Bernard had been the best possible match. He'd been trying for years, since [Y/N] was a mere eight-year-old crying hysterically whenever her mom came up as a topic. Why was he the best in her eyes? Well, it came in the form of his prescription notepad. At first, he hesitated assigning any further treatment, however over time while his life went to shit, he stopped caring about his job and patients.

"I didn't understand at the time, why she was so unresponsive. Taking a nap…what a joke.."

"It must've been heard to learn the truth, [Y/N]. However that's why you're here with me, I'll be helping you."

Even when he got back on track, he couldn't fix the addiction he created within [Y/N]. Trust him he fucking tried, she always managed to get the pills one way or another, even if it meant getting involved with shady third-party sellers. So he kept agreeing to sign for them.

While [Y/N] laid in bed waiting for her medication to settle and lull her into sleep, a few blocks away a certain scientist was doing intensive 'research'.

Postpartum psychosis. A mental illness that causes a mother to lose their grip on reality after giving birth, hallucinations, and deep confusion are the main symptoms. Senku was approaching the middle of the journal when he realized the extent of it, putting pieces together from each entry. Some were lengthy, others were single sentences.

Entry #123

[Y/N] made paper flowers for Mother's day, gosh she looked so adorable with those messy pigtails she insisted on doing herself. Lately, I've realized my thoughts have been jumbled in a way, I don't even remember writing those weird entries that keep appearing. Maybe [Dad/N] was playing a prank on me? Anyway, leaving this cute memory here.

Senku traced the glued-on picture, a smiling [Y/N] hugging her mother's leg while shoving the fake flowers into her hand. They looked extremely happy.

He couldn't help but intensely stare, a part of him wanted her to smile like that for him. Subconsciously making it a goal in his head. Senku yawned looking at his clock, a little past two in the morning, he was too focused to stop.

Entry #268

Something's wrong. Yesterday I had a vivid dream where I nearly killed my baby girl, it felt so real. From the sound of her crying to the blood that gushed out from where I cut her….it was horrible. I tried to cater to [Y/N] all day, giving her treats and playing dolls until sundown. Why do I feel so guilty, if it was only a dream?

The clock continued to tick, flipping another page Senku's eyes began to droop. It was extremely illogical for him to tire himself out like this, fully knowing he could finish reading tomorrow—the book still remained in his grasp.

He couldn't begin to imagine what [Y/N] had lived through, typically postpartum psychosis lasted for weeks, sometimes months, and in bad cases up to three years. It seemed [M/N] never got better, slipping between her mental illness and reality constantly for eight consecutive years. To hear and see your mother love you so profoundly one day only to hate your existence the next, must've been awful.

Entry #311

This will be my final entry, I've hurt you so much already and I can't continue to allow it. Remembering is becoming harder and harder with each passing day, but I know I love you [Y/N], so very much. Take care of [D/N], he'll get a bit lonely without me.

I'll leave this book with you, hoping you finish filling its pages. Please be strong my little pigeon, I know you asked me to stop calling you that but I couldn't help it. Will you allow just this once? I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry darling, promise me that you'll live life to the fullest, for both of us.

-[M/N] [L/N]

His fingers lightly traced the darker spots around the page's surface, lips trembling when he realized some of them were dried-up blood instead of tears. Senku noticed the pages after this last entry were all written by [Y/N], hesitating for a good while until he remembered how the girl had entrusted him with it.

Entry #46

Dr. Bernard couldn't answer my question, I didn't expect much to be honest. He's been drinking heavily every session, his wife died? or was it his kid? Perhaps both. I wonder when I stopped caring, where is the real me? Neither of us knew.

So with an energy drink he'd been avoiding till now, cracked open and set onto his bed stand he was ready for an all-nighter. Future Senku can deal with tiredness.

Entry #88

I didn't take any medication today, I met a boy who wouldn't stop talking about how rockets were made and operated, I was too immersed in his passion to notice my alarm telling me to take my pills.

Senku? Yeah, that's his name. I think I'll stick around him more, still have to take my pills even if he makes me feel like they aren't necessary in the moment.

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"What are you doing?"

[Y/N] watched Senku search for her bag, they were alone in the science club, and she wanted to hurry home but the boy insisted on giving him a quick minute.

After a few seconds, he found what he was searching for, the two antidepressant pill bottles with different labels. He shook them in front of her seated figure, a frown etched on his lips.

"Taking Prozac and Zoloft together isn't doing you any damn favors, [Y/N]. It doesn't result in better efficiency, harming you faster than you could ever outheal it." [E/C] eyes barely reacted to him dumping the pills into a vial filled with some sort of acid, the disintegration took only mere moments sizzling up before the liquid settled back to its original composition.

"It doesn't seem like you suffered with serotonin syndrome, no, you got a severe case of emotional blunting. You noticed and continued to take them regularly." Senku scratched off the labels before throwing the empty bottles in the trash, people didn't need to find out who they belonged to. "Remember the response you gave me, [Y/N]? When I asked if you minded my science talks?"

He took steps forward, stopping when he was right in front of her. Scarlet met [E/C], head tilted up to observe him.

"If you ever feel the itch to take a pill come to me instead, I'll fill your head with the brightest colors."

It was easier said than done, the confidence he felt when saying those words settled into raw embarrassment. It was the first time he ever heard her huff out a noise close to laughter, trying to pry his hands away from blocking the red faced scientist.

Senku studied up as many pigeon facts as he could, he truly underestimated how badly [Y/N] was hooked on the medications, asking to hear his voice around every hour. When she needed some science talk, he'd immediately do it, even going as far as sending her constant audio texts throughout the day and night—it was logical, right? Just in case she needed them while he wasn't physically there.

A few more weeks later, her lips would slowly twitch up into very brief smiles, [E/C] eyes gained a small spark, one he noticed in a heartbeat. [Y/N] greeted him and other classmates in the morning, shocking even the teacher when she raised her hand to answer a question. From an outside perspective, it looked like a teen finally coming out of her introverted shell and fitting in more snuggly with her peers.

For Senku? He never thought he'd ever feel this sort of third-party heartbreak, her cries being muffled by his chest, tears streaming down her face and onto him. Yeah, she was healing, but being healed meant all of her suppressed emotions came back in harsh waves. He had been the one to throw out her remedy, so he would ten billion percent be the one to help her get through it all.

"Your mom's last words, weren't they asking for a promise? To live for her and yourself?"

Was a question that had completely broken the thin barrier that remained between them, it was the hardest she cried and honestly, it scared him. Trembling words that were spoken in a hoarse voice letting him know, that in fact, that wasn't the last promise she had asked of [Y/N].

"While she wrote her last entry, I was in the room. I didn't understand why mom had a rope tied around the ceiling fan, or why there was a stool just underneath it." Senku's arms around her tightened, body felt heavy against his as they were seated on his bedroom floor. "I was so excited for her to finish because she told me it would be mine. I didn't know I was practically beaming with happiness that my mother was about to die."

"In her last moments, she was no longer my mom. Screaming at me for ruining her life, for being born…then…then she asked me to promise to take my own life." Hiccups interrupted her words, taking deep breaths to compose herself long enough to tell Senku the memory that haunted her above everything else.

He pulled her head closer to his chest. His eyes began to sting at her words, he regretted bringing up that question.

"When she realized I didn't understand what it meant, whispering a 'like this.' she pushed the stool away. I tried, I tried so hard to stop her legs up while she twitched but I was too weak. My mom died hating me Senku, and I know it wasn't her, but in the end, it was still a part of her." [Y/N] wiped at her face uselessly, the tears kept getting replaced by fresh ones. "If I hadn't been born, she'd be living happily with my dad."

"Mommy…?"

A croaking noise left the woman's body, natural instincts kicking in to try and pry the noose away from her crushed throat. Feet harshly kicked around narrowly missing a frantic [Y/N] who managed to finally wrap her small arms around her mother's legs.

"What's wrong? Mommy?"

Silence enveloped the room, the small girl kept her grip on the now-still body. [Y/N] trembled with tears running down her chubby cheeks, she was scared. Never did her mom ever make any sounds like that.

"Are you sleeping mommy?…goodnight, don't let the bed bugs bite." The small girl sighed in relief, from what? She didn't know. She stayed there for an hour, frowning when her mom was getting cold. [Y/N] turned to the bed and struggled to take the thick blanket, she froze hearing a loud thud, and her head whipped seeing the body sprawled on the floor.

Dried up blood stained the woman's neck, a result of her nails having dug into her neck when desperation caved it. [Y/N] dropped the blanket over her mother, running over to the bathroom, and grabbing a first aid kit.

"You need to be more careful mommy…" [Y/N] closed the wide dull eyes staring right at her, wiping the wounds with the light hum of a lullaby her mom used to sing whenever she healed her up.

Eventually, sleep won her over, the child huddled up to the corpse with a smile on her face. She hadn't cuddled with mom in a long time.

What [Y/N] never could've known, was that her mother, in the truly very last moments had regained full consciousness. Clawing at her cause of impending death, desperate to push her child away from seeing this.

Wait…I…I don't want this anymore please god…not yet..[Y/N]….[Y/N]….

"The if doesn't matter. not anymore." His words were sharp, trying to get them across loud and clear to the girl having a breakdown in his arms. "Her mind hated you [Y/N], not her heart."

"The real her loved you so much, cling onto that." Senku's arms slowly unwrapped her figure, instead raising his hands to cup her puffy face, eyes filled with new tears. The pads of his fingers caressed her cheeks, lightly wiping right underneath her eyes.

"Learn to remember only the happy memories, bad ones will only continue to hurt you and…..I don't like seeing you sad."

He mumbled the last part, despite this very weak attempt he knew she heard it. [Y/N] giggled seeing his face turn a bright red, feeling the heavy chains around her heart disappear bit by bit. Like a fresh breath of air, she had found happiness in Senku.

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"Hurry up, slowpoke."

The morning was too chaotic for Senku, his damn alarm didn't go through, leaving him with literal seconds to get ready.

[Y/N] yawned buttoning her school sweater, she regularly slept over at her boyfriend's house—even learning to deal with Byakuya gushing over how cute they were to him.

Grabbing her backpack she headed out first, leaving the scientist to stumble about still getting his last items. Stuffing the lab coat into his bag he raced for the door, before closing it he glanced at his computer.

There, on the corner of his main monitor, was the post-it note he refused to throw out. It dangled softly with the wind coming from his slightly opened window, scarlet eyes filled with adoration recalling the writing. Words engraved into his brain and heart.

"Do you mind me talking this much about science? Is it okay?"

The question lingered in the air for a brief moment before the note was placed on his desk.

'It's okay, the brightest colors fill my head when you speak."

Taiju and Yuzuriha were excited to hear they were dating, the former teasing him and backing down once his best friend threatened to expose his crush on the brown-haired girl.

[Y/N] finally said her goodbyes to Dr. Bernard, smiling gently when the older man cried his eyes out, apologizing and saying how proud he was. Slowly but surely, the strings that attached her to the past were snapping.

Dad's string was the hardest, she didn't want to get rid of it, only untangle the knots. It was rough, but with time and patience, he agreed to attend therapy and changed to work in the office instead of at home. Relationship getting stronger with each dinner night together.

"Stop spacing out dumbass." Oh right, with a romantic relationship came deeper trust and a back to normal Senku. His hand outstretched waiting for the chemical he asked for three minutes ago, [Y/N] sent him a pout, giving him the requested item.

"You were much nicer before."

"Do you reeeally mind it?" He leaned over to quickly peck her lips, turning his head back to his experiment. "Even when I do that?"

"Dumbass, was it? yeah, agreed."

Senku huffed out a cackle, partially from her comment and the chemical reaction going perfectly. They watched the foam-like substance pour out of the vial, he had already explained what it was but she was too busy focusing on his cute concentrated face.

Her fingers wrapped around his hand, squeezing tightly and letting her head fall on his shoulder.

"My dumbass though." He sucked at mumbling.

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3700+ years later he created post-it notes for her, receiving that beautiful huge smile he longed to see. (He melted on the spot, not caring about Kohaku or Chome's eyes bulging out their heads from his reaction)

Walking into his lab in the mornings and seeing her words scribbled with encouragement. Yeah, feelings were illogical, but she made it worth it.

To keep herself conscious, [Y/N] recited her mother's journal, only the happy pages this time though.

Upon awakening she slapped Senku abruptly, covering herself with her hands and yelling out. She didn't realize it was him, forgive her.

-

[Y/N]'s last entry before petrification:

Entry #211

I found someone very precious to me. I'll probably follow him till the end of time, hope you don't mind waiting longer for me mom.

and mom?

Rest easy please, I'm not afraid anymore.

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Xeno grimaced as the bubbly [H/C] haired girl, read over his file alongside the other board members. He could barely hold in his anger as they skimmed over his perfectly chosen words, equations and unique idea. One by one, the thick file was placed down and he was met by taunting expressions.

"It's interesting I'll give you that Dr. Xeno, however we can't endorse it. The cost of the inevitable failure will be far too much."

The older generation spewed more words onto the already rejected scientist, yet he could only focus on the girl still holding his file open.

"I don't know much about this position, my father asked me out of the blue to show my presence." [Y/N] hummed and softly closed the file cover, a small—yet mischievous smile graced her glossy lips. "But, he did say I could have fun, and this?" She lifted up his idea and waved it around, "This sounds fun! Let's do it."

"You have no authority to do so!" The voice was loud and rough, it bounced off the soundproof walls and [Y/N] tried hard not to show her annoyance.

"Woah~ I wonder what my father would say hearing you talk to his daughter like that, Dr. Von." She playfully waved him off, keeping eye contact with the blank scientist in front of her.

"If he fails the first, second or even third time, I'll cover the cost. When he gets it right, none of you will have the privilege of profiting a single dollar. How about that?"

Oh how she loved playing around with these greedy corrupt monsters.

As for Stanley, his encounter with [Y/N] wasn't as nerve-wracking as it was for Xeno. No, it was absolutely entertaining to say the least.

The blonde puffed out another trail of smoke, his eyes glanced to the side to see the sprawled mess of [H/C] locks on the bar counter. He hadn't even considered sitting down for this long, but something quietly begged him to sit next to the seemingly tipsy woman.

Her head lifted up to meet his amused gaze, he twitched noticing tears flooding her pretty [E/C] colored eyes. A finger was pointed at his face, close to jabbing his nose. Stanley couldn't help but smile at how silly she looked right now.

"G-get away from me before I do you a favor b-because you're cute!" Her voice came out stumbling and mumbled, he managed to catch onto every single word due to his good hearing.

"Like what?" He teased, playfully twirling a strand of her hair while she failed to push his hand away.

"Like agreeing to pay for your experiments!" Her finger finally managed to boop his nose, "My dad is gonna kill me when I write the $600,000 check, not once but maybe even thrice! All because he was so cute, that stupid cute looking Dr. X."

Oh. Stanley's eyes widened with recognition, his childhood friend had been happily rambling on about his fully funded project, he tuned out the nerdy details and only paid attention when Xeno brought up that it was all thanks to a temporary board member. [Y/N], her name was [Y/N]. There was no way he could forget it, that mad scientist had practically engraved the name into his mind with how many times he mumbled it.

"It's not even about the money actually, but how could I ever say no to him? And you—!" She sighed dramatically, moving her hand away from his gorgeous face. "Don't you dare propose anything!"

He couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her cute rambling, he had to agree wholeheartedly. "Don't worry, I can't say no to him either."

"IS HE YOUR BOYFRIEND? I'M SORRY BUT HE'S SO CUTE I WON'T TAKE IT BACK!" [Y/N] lunged forward grabbing ahold of his shoulders and shook him back and forth, the tears that had disappeared moments ago were spilling again.

Stanley grabbed her elbows gently, stopping her movement. A meek apology left her pouting lips as she settled into her seat, [Y/N] tried to flag down the bartender, desperately needing a shot to down her embarrassment. The man next to her shook his head at the girl behind the counter, she nodded taking away the dirty cups.

"Let's get you home."

After getting her address he made sure her seatbelt was on before driving off, his window rolled down letting the smoke drift out the car. The cigarette dangled from his lips, a hand on the steering wheel while the other guided the cancer stick.

[Y/N] softly snored into the seat, holding onto a pillow she had stolen taken from one of the sofas at the bar. Stanley tried to take it away, god knows what or who touched it prior. He failed miserably, a little ticked off but low-key proud of her deadly grip.

Dropping her off was awkward, nothing Stanley couldn't handle. Still, he was not used to dropping off people he met at bars anywhere other than his own apartment. Her dad managed to wake her up, guiding her back into the grand mansion.

"Thank you for helping her, she gets carried away sometimes." He laughed it off, but couldn't hide the worry in his voice.

"No problem."

"noooo~ dad! Don't let the pretty man leave!" [Y/N] turned around in her dad's arms and made grabby hands towards a humored blonde, her [E/C] eyes were wide filled entirely with sparkles, a small bambi is what she looked like.

She had definitely become his favorite bambi.

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[Y/N] entered the NASA laboratory looking for a certain white haired male, while she had practically forced the board to accept his crazy idea, they needed to skim over a few details before proceeding. Except she hadn't expected both of the different worlds she met yesterday to be standing closely together watching small sparks emit from a glass container.

"Ah, how elegant of you to join us, [Y/N]." She brushed off her heart skipping a beat, the way his voice uttered her name was heavenly.

After remembering last night, she was absolutely mortified. Not only did she ramble to a total stranger, she rambled about their boyfriend! The blonde man hadn't denied or confirmed their relationship, but when her eyes trailed over how tightly he was hugging the scientist with a gentle expression on his face, there was no denying it.

"Yeah, Hi." She squeaked out, walking towards them almost robotically. [Y/N] placed down her notebook and sat on the grey stool, face warming up when Stanley rubbed his cheek against Xeno's affectionately before pulling away.

"I need to know which parts you need, these old assholes decided to leave everything to me as punishment." She huffed, eyes softening before looking at a stone-faced Xeno. "Don't look at me like that! I never said i regretted it or anything."

"I was only joking, dear." He sent her a smile, starting to disassemble the small experiment he had shown Stanley. [Y/N] couldn't help but admire how the sleeves of his white lab coat were rolled up showing off his arms, sure he wasn't super built but it stirred something in her. Her hand slowly raised up to hide her mouth, annoyed at how attractive these two men were.

"Hangover?"

"Huh? Oh, no. You stopped me before I could teeter into that hell."

"I've been wondering, what exactly is it that you do, [Y/N]?" Xeno finished up wiping down the counter and threw away the towels before sitting directly in front of her. His head rested against his hand, elbow propped on the counter.

She noticed the way he crossed his legs too, how could a man look so hot just sitting there? [Y/N] cleared her throat, fidgeting in her seat as she felt both pairs of eyes staring at her intently.

"I'm a medical student, well I was..." A sigh left her lips, "I'm taking a gap year." They didn't press her for further answers, seeing how she made no move to add more details.

"So you're going to be your old man's stand-in for a year?"

"Basically." She chuckled remembering the words her father had given her, "He specifically asked me to annoy the hell out of the board members by doing whatever it is I wanted. Apparently he was fed up with good projects being denied while he wasn't present."

Xeno did remember Dr. [L/N] giving him proper feedback on why they couldn't and could do certain projects of his, he was a man he respected.

"I really have no clue what I'm doing Xeno, so please don't hand me a file filled with a world-ending plan."

"Why, you wouldn't deny it?"

Oh.

Oh.

"NO YOU DID NOT!" [Y/N] stood up quickly, the stool fell to the ground with a loud 'clank'. Her face was beet red trying her best to glare down at the duo smiling at her with nothing but amusement dancing in their eyes.

"Did what? Tell Xeno how you found him cute and that's why you couldn't say no to him? No, I didn't—oh wait." Stanley turned his face away from them and slid open the window to bring out a cigarette.

"If it makes you feel any better, that's news to me."

He was definitely playing with her, the smile on his face hadn't faltered in the slightest. This bastard was having fun.

"Why would that make me fe—just fill that out!" [Y/N] pushed her notebook towards the scientist and stomped out the room extremely flustered.

"So, what do you think?" Stanley exhaled while turning to see Xeno curiously looking at the door she had left through.

"An elegant possibility."

A few months had passed and before they knew it, hanging around the laboratory had become the new normal. Stanley by the window, Xeno playing around with chemicals (and settling very, very far away from the cancer smoke, he didn't need anything blowing up.) and [Y/N] getting distracted by the cool colors the mixtures made.

"Stop staring and get back to studying, bambi."

Bambi. Stanley's oh so 'perfect' nickname for her, she tried to get him to drop the name for weeks but he refused to budge. It bothered her only because of what it represented, a defenseless and cute thing. Only she was allowed to call them cute.

[Y/N] mocked his words under her breath with a high pitch voice, focusing on her medical notes scribbled and highlighted. Even if she was taking a year off to help her dad, there wasn't any time to slack off. Board meetings were so goddamn boring, she couldn't even hide the sparkles that bounced around in her [E/C] eyes whenever Xeno came into a meeting with a progress report or new idea.

"By the way, you guys never answered me. Are you dating?"

They barely reacted to the question, still focusing on their own activities. She didn't know why exactly she craved and feared for their answer, [Y/N] was undoubtedly attracted to them both equally.

Xeno's happy little face while info dumping on them, onyx eyes that lit up whenever she'd ask a question genuinely intrigued by the topic. Stanley, who always teased her but never crossed the line. He knew when to back away and change his words depending on how she was feeling that day, his awareness towards both her and Xeno was...to say the least...hot.

[Y/N] stopped writing, a blush taking over her face when she noticed Xeno peeking over the counter to read her notes. Her heart dropped into her stomach hearing his laugh, she was not going to live this down, was she?

"Inflammation of the myocardium, a great percentage of high risk patients are usually men in their 20 to 40's. Men, men, stanxeno."

"STOP READING IT!"

The medical student was too focused on trying to block Xeno's field of view to notice Stanley walking up to them, he leaned over her shoulder to stare down at the notebook. His face slightly bumped into hers and gave zero indication that he planned on moving.

She knew he could feel her warm cheek pressed against his, Xeno smirked leaning even more forward over the metal table. His face was only inches away from hers, they were messing with her, again.

[Y/N] swallowed the knot building up in her throat, she was deeply embarrassed. Her thoughts on them were running wild from the close proximity of both men, she slammed her book closed—still not moving away from them.

"Why so curious, bambi?"

"Is there a deeper reasoning to your question, dear?"

God the nicknames, how could she ever function like a proper human after hearing the way they called her? She always felt giddy whenever they'd do this, invading her privacy with lingering touches and words falling like sweet honey—but she couldn't ignore the small, teeny tiny part of her that felt as if they were just playing around. To relish in her obvious attraction towards them, something she miserably failed at hiding.

"Am I imposing on your quality time together by always being here?"

[Y/N] was as surprised as Xeno and Stanley, that isn't what she was even thinking at the moment! Why'd she go and say it? Sure she thought of it sometimes but never had the courage to ask, what if they said yes? She'd never be able to meet their eyes again.

A few seconds of silence were starting to scare her, she felt Stanley shift, thinking he was pulling away until warm lips pressed again her cheek softly. Her [E/C] eyes widened keeping eye contact with Xeno, who raised a hand to brush a strand of [H/C] hair behind her ear. They both pulled away at the same time, leaving a stuttering [Y/N] to collect her thoughts that were in shambles.

Her fingers lightly pressed against her cheeks, one where the kiss was placed and the other where Xeno's fingers brushed by. She took a hand away, blush intensifying seeing the purple lipstick staining her fingers. [Y/N] took a deep breath in before looking up at them standing next to each other now, brain melting when Stanley wrapped an arm around the scientist, Xeno caressing the blonde's face as they both continued to stare at her.

"We've never labeled it, it's like an open relationship."

The girl in front of them deflated comically like a balloon, face almost slamming onto the table. Nope, all her dreams and fantasies had been drained at that sentence. She liked-liked them, both. An open relationship meant their loyalty lied emotionally between them but not physically, she couldn't work with that. The faces they were giving her stirred nothing but worry within, almost like an invitation to join them on this little adventure.

[Y/N] badly wanted to scream yes! and take the opportunity they were offering on a silver platter, sure it'd be okay at first...however in the long run she knew jealousy would win her over. They wouldn't be hers they'd still see other people while being with her, and the [H/C] haired girl wouldn't be able to emotionally endure it.

"I see."

"You sound disappointed, dear." Their little show melted away, awkwardly glancing at each other when they noticed her flustered state disappear into a neutral expression.

She sighed lightly, might as well try and get over her feelings now rather than letting them grow further. Her fingers twirled the mechanical pencil as a way to fidget, building up the courage to spill her words.

"I like you both." Their faces didn't change in the slightest, they knew already. "As much as my heart is telling me to leap at the offer, my brain is encouraging me to step away before I hurt myself."

[Y/N] started to pack her things, avoiding their eyes. Oh my god, she was going to jump off the fucking NASA rooftop after this. She didn't want to keep talking but it felt like word vomit.

"I'm interested in a relationship with just us three, having other people linger in-between would make me feel like I'm not good enough for you guys." She zipped the backpack and hugged it close to her chest, hiding the bottom half of her face. "Thank you for today." [Y/N] rushed a polite bow and made her way to the door.

Before she could even grab the handle, a hand landed on her head, it turned her to come face to face with Stanley. She couldn't muster up the courage to ask what he was doing, but she didn't even have time to. His lips landed on hers, an arm wrapped around her waist colliding her into his chest and in turn causing the backpack to slip from her arms.

A few tears built up as she indulged the blonde, his lips were soft, avoiding rushing her. It only took a few milliseconds for [Y/N] to return the kiss, lips parting and allowing him to slip in his tongue. She'd never kissed anyone like this, it left her feeling vulnerable, like her heart was on her sleeve.

Her hands cupped his face with a gentle grip, she wondered if his body hurt bending down slightly to kiss her. [Y/N]'s lips slipped from his, only to get pulled back in quickly. Xeno took this opportunity to stand behind her and nuzzle his face into her neck, unbuttoning her white collared shirt and slipping it down from one of her shoulders.

His own lips made a trail from her jawline down to her neck and across her bare shoulder. One of the hands on Stanley's face was moved back to come in contact with Xeno's. He cupped over her hand with his own and continued to pepper kisses on her [S/C] skin, a whimper was muffled.

The tears finally escaped her eyes, trailing down her face. The droplets landed on both men, they pulled away from her still holding [Y/N] close.

"D-don't do that!" She unenergetically hit Stanley's chest, "Don't give me false hope.." her sniffles echoed lightly in the laboratory, she was flooded by nothing but embarrassment.

"Let's do it." The blonde ignored her weak fists against him and wiped away her tears, Xeno gently turned her head to place a chaste kiss against her swollen lips.

"Just us three, right my dear?"

[Y/N] woke up the next morning feeling like she was on top of the world and still drowning in shyness. Her face was stuffed into a pillow, concealing her squeals. She kicked her feet roughly, leaving her personal maid to hide her smile behind a hand.

"Ruby, I'm so happy I could dieeeee."

"Please don't, Miss [Y/N]."

Ruby had never seen [Y/N] this giddy, she was absolutely over the moon. Her trip down memory lane was cut short when the loud sound of the girl in her care falling reached her ears, she hurriedly walked around the bed to see the mistress still letting out happy noises.

"I'm going on a date with them! Help me pick out the best outfit Ruby!" It was barely noon on a sunday, NASA had issued a full day off to every employee, why? She didn't care to listen for the reason, her ears were preoccupied hearing Xeno and Stan plan a date.

"Them? Are they gender neutral?" Ruby caught all the clothing being thrown out the closet, doing her best in the thick maid outfit she always had inside the manor.

"Huh? Oh, no, them. As in, two." The poor maid couldn't even dodge the shoe thrown her way, hitting her square in the forehead and falling back.

"Shit! Ruby I'm so sorry!" [Y/N] frantically bounced around the dizzy woman, Ruby blinked her hazel eyes twice before settling them onto the worried rich girl.

"How will your father react?"

haha...oh,

"I didn't think of that."

Her father sent her to NASA to fuck around with the board members, not fuck with employees! Well technically Stanley was only there during his free time, but still! She couldn't go up to him and say, 'Hey dad! I managed to piss the old dudes off, and I got myself not one, but two boyfriends!'

World end her now.

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"Oh my gosh!" [Y/N]'s body was over Xeno's shoulder, face a few inches away from his screen. Unfortunately Stanley was too busy to come by for the week, so it left the mad scientist and the medical student to hang out together.

Xeno held a firm hand on her midsection, holding [Y/N] up to the best of his ability. He was in the middle of responding to his mentee, completely immersed in the lengthy email consisting of rocket science, when [E/C] eyes landed on the picture of the white and green haired boy holding a test rocket.

"He's so cute!" She poked the screen, ignoring the English gibberish of science littered around the zoomed-in picture. "He's like a mini you."

"[Y/N] dear, you're crushing me." She apologized and got off of him, scooting her chair closer and settling next to him. He smiled feeling her shoulder bump into his and stay there, [Y/N] had been a little reserved with her physical contact towards them but after two solid month of dating she'd gotten comfortable and extremely cocky.

Xeno didn't mind it, he felt pride knowing she felt lucky to have him, even if he felt like him and Stanley hit the jackpot instead. The blonde usually tuned him out during his rambles, that didn't bother him in the slightest, Stan listened when it was important and that was good enough for him. [Y/N] on the other hand, indulged him quiet often, even if she didn't understand most words and comparisons, her questions and interest made his heart fill with a warm feeling.

"I still can't believe an elementary kid built a rocket, that actually went up in the air..." Her childhood was filled with music up until she picked up a book about hearts in her big library, at the mere age of eight she completely spent her time studying. To acquire the ability to help as many people as she could, sparked something she couldn't understand. Xeno tried to explain the feeling in his usual science-y way and she got lost along the words.

"He's from Japan, reading and writing these emails using an English dictionary. Senku's efforts are quite elegant."

"Devoted little thing isn't he? I wanna meet him and pinch his chubby cheeks." She cooed once again at the picture, whining when Xeno clicked off of it and continued scrolling through the information.

"Fawning over a different scientist is—" He didn't even get to finish his sentence before his face was being quickly peppered with light kisses, from his forehead to his cheeks, to his nose and finally his lips. [Y/N] pulled away and snuggled back into his side, leaving him with enough space to type away at the keyboard.

Xeno didn't continue speaking, trying to fight the light red on his face before she could glimpse at it. She effortlessly achieved flustering him on multiple occasions, something Stan regularly tried—and failed at. If he knew, he'd never let Xeno forget it.

"That part, isn't it like $10k? How is a kid going to get that?" Xeno smirked adding a picture of said part, a machinery she had to purchase multiple times because he kept exploding it. [Y/N] grabbed her phone and used a currency exchanger to see the total in yen, ¥1.5 million.

"A true scientist finds a way."

"Seriously? Tell him to send you his address!" Xeno's eye twitched as his girlfriend pulled out a checkbook, scribbling a big number obscured to him. "I'll set up a card for him, hmm but can he buy stuff in dollars while he's in Japan?" She tapped the pen against her chin.

"Oh! I'll just make it an online account so he can order the parts instead." The scientist didn't even try to interfere, knowing full well rich people just thought differently from the rest. He finished up writing his email and added a small note at the bottom.

'P.S, you'll be receiving an email from [L/N]_@NASA.×∆×.com.'

Senku had read an article about [Dad Name] [L/N], a genius who built one of the strongest rockets recorded in history. He was excited to receive some sort of mentorship from the older man, sure Dr. X was plenty of help, but more couldn't hurt.

The boy had just come back from school, eagerly rushing towards his computer ignoring Byakuya's yelling for him to go eat. He skimmed through his emails, first reading an update from his mentor then his eyes sparkled seeing the anticipated email appear at the top of his inbox.

'Hi! Here's an account with around 10 million yen, it's in American currency so you'll have to order online. Have fun, oh! And make sure to send more pictures.'

Bank of America details:

User: [Y/N]Senkufund

Pw: adorablesenkufund223

Love, [Y/N].

...

...

What the hell? The entire email was littered with heart symbols. Adorable? Who was this [Y/N] weirdo? Despite his suspicion, the email address checked out with what Dr. X mentioned. He opened a new window tab and went to the bank website, typing in the details. His scarlet eyes lit up with ¥ signs, he could get past the creepy message if it meant he could buy the parts he needed. It was temporary until his dad managed to be an astronaut an get his very own NASA card.

Senku typed out a hasty thank you, his mouse hovered hesitantly on the add image option. He had taken a new one just recently with Taiju included, it was them covered in ash from a mild explosion, should he send it? He glanced at the money this person sent, well it wouldn't hurt to do it once right?

He was startled at how fast the reply had come. He didn't bother reading much of it, noticing the paragraph beginning with capitalized letters and once again, being plastered with hearts all over. The title itself was five red hearts.

Despite thinking it'd be one time exchange, this [Y/N] person toned it down after a few more exchanges. Senku had even looked forward to their little medical lessons, it was a type of science after all.

'So you weren't a complete oaf. Good to know, I was starting to doubt Dr. X.'

+Image attached

-Senku.

That offended [Y/N], how dare this little bok-choy looking kid doubt her boyfriend? The image sent made her forget his initial words, squealing at how cute the boy looked grumpily looking into the camera holding his latest science project he presented at his school fair.

'I know I promised no more hearts but you're too cute! ❤︎❤︎❤︎ Once I get married I'll adopt you.❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

Love, [Y/N]❤︎'

-

'Already adopted, and who would even marry you?'

-Senku.

The little gremlin chuckled, slurping his ramen. The sound of a new inbox and Senku choking on his food filled the room. He blinked frantically at the response.

'First of all, I'd win the court case if i wanted.

As for marriage, it's going to be your dear Dr. X and someone else, obviously~

Love, [Y/N].'

Senku could only focus on his mentor being in cahoots with this mental case, he was definitely going take the logical route and avoid taking this path.

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[Y/N] groaned into Stanley's chest, body feeling extremely sore. She had jokingly encouraged her blonde boyfriend to teach her how to shoot a gun, that turned into a full blown training regiment he made. It included physical training and he even body slammed her! (very carefully, but not the point.)

The mixed smell from his earlier cigarette and cologne filled her nostrils, at first it did tickle her nose, now she was used to it and even longed for it throughout her days. She could cope at work when Xeno was around, still, having the blonde away from them felt like an eternity.

"Did you learn anything?" He was amused by the sounds she was making, he held her in his arms, his fingers lightly tracing patterns on her back.

It wasn't until his girlfriend slept over for the first time that he and Xeno found out she slept with a long T-shirt and her underwear, obviously now she constantly stole their shirts, sometimes finding them back in the closet with a cute gloss lipstick stain. Stanley was guilty of doing this himself, with purple of course.

After starting an established relationship between this little doctor in the making and his childhood friend, both men agreed to get their own apartment together. [Y/N] mentioned wanting to stay with her dad while he was usually at home now, planning to move in with them after the year passes.

"Yes, three things."

"Hm?"

"That you look really fucking hot when you're drenched in sweat." She snuggled closer into him, blushing when his hand gripper her hip in response. "You look even hotter holding a gun, and...when you uh..." her words were low and muffled.

Stanley heard them loud and clear, mumbling like that only worked with Xeno. He smirked flipping their bodies over, her legs were wrapped around his hips due to the startle he gave her. [Y/N]'s blush intensified when the blonde caged both her hands above her head, his free hand performing a 'tactile exploration' near her inner thighs. The pads of his fingers left lingering tingles on her skin, a gasp flying past her lips when they made contact with her clothed clit.

"When I had you at my mercy, huh?" Repeating her words with a teasing tone, Stanley leaned forward while pulling her shirt up above her bra. His purple lipstick left marks on her cleavage before slowly descending down her stomach, hips and lastly a quick kiss on her underwear.

"Stan.."

"[Y/N].." He mimicked her breathless tone, annoying her and barely avoiding the knee she raised to his face. They stayed in that position gazing into each other's eyes, her [E/C] irises relaxed significantly. [Y/N] lowered her knee and settled it around him again, the heels of her feet slightly digging into his back pushing him lower onto her.

Stanley release his grip on her hands and welcomed the embrace, allowing his head to rest between where her neck and shoulder met. [Y/N]'s fingers tangled into his slightly long blonde hair, massaging his scalp.

The sound of keys jingling and the front door opening made them both glance a their bedroom door, silently waiting for the person to walk in. Xeno came in loosening his tie and dragged it down, showing off a bit of his collarbone. He sent them a tired smile and walked towards the closet, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt and slipping it off.

"Did you see that, Stan? Him and ties.."

"He never lets us take it off for him."

"Because it always ends up in sex."

Xeno finally slipped on more comfortable clothing, folding his lab coat and setting it in the laundry basket. He walked towards the bed, immediately getting pulled into a hug. His stress melted away as his partners cooed him gently, the new position consisted of Stanley slightly propped up by two pillows, followed by [Y/N] resting her back against him and finally Xeno's face squished into her chest. Arms wrapped around each other in any way possible.

"They held you up for so long, is everything okay?"

"The board was trying to convince me to swap sponsors, my project is estimated to bring a huge revenue." The laugh leaving his girlfriend causes his body to move up and down alongside her chest, he huffed a chuckle in response.

Stanley reached over to massage Xeno's tense shoulders, watching the scientist groan happily in response. No further words were exchanged, all three relished in comfort.

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A happy [Y/N] bounced down the halls of the NASA building, eventually making it down to the break room where a lot of employees gathered to eat or talk together.

She no longer wore a work outfit, her year was up and now was fully focused on her career (for the most part). Most of them didn't know who she was, except one present man who always greeted her every morning she came in.

"Good morning [Y/N]!" Byakuya greeted her with a bright smile, [Y/N] turned to gaze at the newest addition to NASA. Despite only being there for a month or so, he'd become a friendly face. He opened the shared fridge, chuckling when she put a black plastic container with a cute heart-shaped note on it inside.

"Your boyfriend sure is a lucky guy." The older man raised an eyebrow when he caught glimpse of another lunch inside her backpack, she didn't react to him noticing nor did she try to hide it.

[Y/N] wasn't aware of his concerned gaze, thinking solely on how late Xeno would be getting home today. She had made an earlier stop at the laboratory for a quick kiss and was sadly sent on her way right after. A sigh left her lips, she turned to look at Byakuya who now held a tight lipped smile—an eyebrow raised at his changed expression.

"Yeah he is, well I'll see you later Byakuya, I have to go drop off lunch for my boyfriend." [Y/N] waved making her way to the door.

"Bye [Y/N]—" the door closed, "wait, what?"

He turned to look at his coworkers who shrugged in response, why did he have to witness or hear this? He didn't want drama, but letting someone string along a fellow coworker felt harsh and guilt overwhelmed him. Byakuya opened the fridge to glance at the note.

'YOU BETTER EAT IT XENO.

Love you, [Y/N]❤︎''

Xeno, Xeno, that Xeno? He had seen him very few times, the scientist spent 90% of his time cooped up in the laboratory. Woah, never would he had expected the serious white haired male to be dating such a cheery person. That thought brought down his mood, how should he bring it up?

Byakuya didn't get much time to think it over, seeing the man clouding his mind walk into the break room and head straight over to the coffee pot. His thermal cup was black and littered with colorful stickers, he noticed they resembled the shape of hearts [Y/N] always drew.

"[Y/N]?"

Xeno noticed the finger pointing at his cup, a huff of amusement left his lips before nodding. "She insisted on it, mumbling something about marking territory."

"I hope I don't offend you, uh—" His voice froze when the scientist turned to give him his full attention, head slightly tilting and encouraging him to continue. "Ithink[Y/N]isseeingsomeoneelseotherthanyou!"

"Is that right?" Xeno quickly took a sip of coffee, a perfect way to hide his smirk and compose himself. "How un-elegant, say, Byakuya right? Would it be too much to ask if you could find out for me? Lately I've been stuck at work, leaving almost no room to speak to my partner."

...

...

"WHAT!? BYAKUYA WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR!?"

After a solid week of being ticked off by the older man's squinting gazes, and always asking her about her earlier or later whereabouts, [Y/N] finally had enough and cornered him once everyone left the room, he was sweating bullets when she asked what was wrong. The glint in her [E/C] eyes scared him like nothing else.

To which in a state of panic, he replied with a rushed "ARE YOU CHEATING ON THAT SCIENTIST?"

"Ah! I'm sorry but i couldn't ignore the signs! And when I asked Xeno, he asked me to figure it out for him."

"Oh that motherfucker," [Y/N] made a strangling motion with her hands, scaring the poor man in front of her. "Xeno and I have another partner okay! I'm not a cheater."

The amount of apologies that spilled from Byakuya were starting to overwhelm her, tears threatening to spill out as his body flung back and forth in a fast bowing motion. She awkwardly pat his shoulder, accepting his apology. From an outside perspective she guess it did look suspicious, Xeno was going to pay for this.

"Don't listen to that disney villain, he may look serious but he's a mischievous little thing."

"H-have I met them?" His attempt to change the conversation topic was easily received, her aura took a complete turn into a gushy looking fangirl.

"You've probably seen him around Xeno, he's a soldier. Tall, blonde, pretty face, caramel eyes, wears purple lipstick, hot, always smoking, did I say hot already?" She rambled a few more compliments before clearing her throat.

"His name is Stanley, Xeno and him were technically together before they met me."

"How does it work? I'm curious, a relationship with one person is sometimes very complicated, I can't wrap my head around three people in one."

That is how Byakuya had become her gossip buddy, how she frequently chatted up a storm while balancing her focus onto her studying, always astonished him.

The following night had the polyamorous couple sitting at their small dinning table, the girl sat in the middle while both men sat at the ends of the table—still close enough to each other though.

"You let him think I was a common whore!" [Y/N] angrily shoved a spoonful of rice into her mouth, cheeks puffed out and [E/C] eyes glaring into Xeno's soul. He couldn't take her seriously, to him she looked like a squirrel right now.

"Stan, tell him something." Her eyes were wide, sending a pleading face to her soldier boyfriend, he playfully ruffled her hair before turning towards the amused man.

"Bad Xeno."

"I'm going to choke you fuckers."

"Oh? sounds like a threat."

"That's right!"

"Would it perhaps be happening in the bedroom?"

[Y/N] stopped. Stanley stopped. Hell even Xeno's eyebrow raised at his own words, he wasn't one for sexual desires, usually leaving it up to his partners to decide and act it out. He smiled down at a [Y/N] who scooted closer to him with no traces of her earlier fake anger, she looked like a curious kid.

"Did you mean that?" she whispered, truly wondering if she heard him wrong.

"Shall we find out?" [Y/N] glanced back at Stanley who only shrugged in response, he didn't know what was happening either.

"Ok, you're forgiven." She snatched up the plates and the cup in the blonde's hand, practically throwing them into the sink. "Bedroom now."

"I think you awakened something within her." Stanley stood up and pushed his chair in, making eye contact with a sweat dropping Xeno.

"How...elegant.."

(He was scared.)

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The soft light of the candles decorating the dining table made her [S/C] skin glow, she blinked curiously as her boyfriends of nearly three years now stood in front of her. They quickly shared a glance then nodded, they both dug into their suit pockets and each took out a small velvet colored box.

Her [E/C] eyes filled with tears when they opened them, in Stanley's box laid a beautiful ring with a honey colored gem shaped like a diamond. Xeno's was the same size and shape, but his had a black diamond.

"[Y/N], when we first met—"

"YES! YES I WILL!" She extended her hand out, eyes closed and sporting a huge smile on her face. Hearty laughs reached her ears as she felt the rings slip onto her finger, a hand brushed away the tears on her face.

She opened her eyes to see them holding out two more rings, this one had a gem with the same color as her eyes. Xeno and Stanley held out their own hands, already wearing each other's colors. [Y/N] softly slid her ring right above the other, quickly taking out her phone to take a picture of their hands.

"I love you both." The [H/C] haired girl sniffled as they brought her into a sandwiched hug, their own confessions tickling her ears. To say she was happy was an understatement, she felt a bit bad not letting them pop the question in their own way—however her eagerness had won over her rational thinking.

It was a bit unfortunate they couldn't legally get married, despite this minor thing, she happily gushed about her husbands to anyone who asked about her rings. Some were understandably confused or amazed, [Y/N] defended her relationship with every fiber of her being no matter what comment was thrown at them. Both guys often told her to ignore it like they do, but it made her mad how people had the balls to question them so rudely at times.

"My baby is all grown up!" [D/N] wiped his tears away with a handkerchief, Ruby providing a new one every few moments.

"We celebrated on our own already, but I remember you made me promise to let you plan my future wedding." [Y/N] gave her dad a bright smile, "So go for it."

"Of course darling, it's time to show everyone how my daughter is the only one who could bag two successful men at once."

"Okay, where in the world did you hear that term?"

"From this app called tweeter, people are very funny there. [Cousin's name] got it on my phone."

"Delete it and go back to reading your nerdy articles."

The wedding ceremony was held in her old home's gigantic backyard and it was absolutely beautiful, the gleeful bride was chatting away with her bridesmaids, leaving both grooms to stand by the wine station. Stanley's fingers itched to hold a cigarette, although because he promised to avoid it for today, he was coping with wine—glass after glass.

From the red carpet leading up to the wedding arch, to the flowers on every table and grass, it all screamed money. Xeno's eyes lingered on the snack table, filled to the brim with expensive looking dishes ranging from caviar to weird looking oysters, and…were those golden flakes?

"Stop drinking like a madman, Stan."

The blonde could only smirk, leaning down to place a kiss on Xeno's cheek before pouring himself another glass. The scientist could only smile in return, his heart bloomed with pure warmth.

"Our wife looks quite elegant." She wore a white dress with a sweetheart neckline, fabric hugging her waist and hips tightly before flaring out near her mid thighs. Her veil was removed earlier by them, showing off her [H/C] hair styled perfectly into a bun with curly strands framing her face.

"Best part of today." Stanley's eyes softened up seeing [Y/N] making her way towards them, surprised when her cheek puffed out close to his face.

"You gave Xee one..."

Oh.

[Y/N] refused to clean up the dark purple lipstick, showing it off with every ounce of pride she could muster. After what felt like a billion pictures, she made a quick trip to her room and changed into a much lighter and shorter dress. It didn't take long for the girl to start stumbling in her heels thanks to downing five glasses of alcohol in a short span of time.

"I'm so happy, we're getting married!"

"Last time I saw her drunk was when we first met."

"Think she agreed to our proposal because we're cute?"

Stanley chuckled, "I wouldn't put it past her." they both watched her stuff her face with anything she came across with adoration in their eyes.

"Not going to dance my dear?" She gazed at the guests moving in sync with the slow song.

"We can dance in private later."

"You've gotten quite bold, bambi."

[Y/N] wiped away the sauce that stained her lips with a napkin, turning to look at them. "No offense hubbies, neither of you can dance. I'm saving you."

That didn't stop her from swaying around them, playfully twirling them as she bit into a cookie. They indulged her cute antics throughout the night, even having a few minutes of Stanley forcing Xeno into a very intimate dance of waltz. By the end of the celebration, both [Y/N] and Xeno were plastered with purple stains over their faces and neck.

Very few guests lingered, most had given their blessings and bid them a goodnight. They stayed in their own little bubble, the very annoying topic of a secret gathering they needed to attend in about a week came up. Strange appearances of stone swallows were being posted online, surprisingly Senku had been the one to post a full article on it, giving the scientists at NASA a bit more information.

[Y/N] was only attending because she was nosey, and no way she was going to spend a week of her honeymoon vacation alone. Even if it was work only, she'd sure as hell be next to them.

"Right after that stupid meeting, we're settling in our room and staying there forever!" Stanley gently took away the half empty glass from her hands, downing it himself to avoid her getting even more wasted.

"You'll get to meet that Dr. Chelsea girl you found adorable." Xeno knew exactly what to say to lighten up her mood.

[Y/N] brought their hands into her lap, squeezing both with a smile on her face. It had been a few days and still, she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she was married to her soulmates.

"Tonight was amazing, we should do it again and again....we can, right?"

"We can."

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Xtra thing

"—god I miss my husband's blonde hair." [Y/N] had her body sprawled dramatically on the boat's floor, an amused Xeno sat nearby with his hands tied together.

"Wait, I thought you were married to this weird man." A blonde girl with blue eyes blinked at the whining woman, she was 100% sure [Y/N] mentioned "My husband's really smart huh?" while hugging Xeno.

"No way, she was talking about the other dude." Chrome nodded his head along with his words.

"Who hugs someone like that, while saying—well that!"

"A woman who has two husbands." Senku walked into the room, narrowly avoiding the hug sent his way. "This idiot managed to trick them into marriage."

"I did no such thing!" [Y/N] shoved her hand into the leek's face, showing off her glittering rings. Right before the beam reached them, she saw one of Luna's boy toys stuff a ring into his mouth—not having any time to rationally think, she did the same. Waking up and seeing her hubbies with nothing on their finger had her depressed for the first few months, until Xeno replicated them once again.

Before the teenager-not really a teenager anymore could untie the older scientist, his wrist was grabbed by the [H/C] haired doctor. His scarlet eyes filled with confusion.

"Leave his ass tied, not only did he issue a kill order on my child, he looks hot like this."

"I'm not your damned child."

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