A scene from A Place Kept Warm on ao3 by Arkelya (me).

Also, my husband said: "You should add some color to it". Well, this is my first attempt at coloring with lights and shadows... Here it is:

I saw this idea somewhere and had to do it too!!

Regalo por dinámica de Santa Secreto 2025 en el grupo de facebook Senku & Kohaku 🎁✨️🎄

Summary: After a year has passed already Kohaku revisits the place she and Senku met for the first time

Fandom : Dr. Stone

Relationship : Senku x Kohaku

My Kisstember 2025 contribution for the prompt : Kissing a wound or hurt.

I’m sorry for the mistakes, English is not my native language. I hope you like it.

Summary : Senku opened the bottle. Kohaku stepped closer, made him sit down, and took the antiseptic.

“I’ll help,” she said.

She soaked the cloth and gently dabbed it on Senku’s wound.

Disclaimer : Dr. Stone belongs to Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi.

@kisstember

AO3 / FF.NET

Senku and Kaseki reviewed the various stages of the Perseus’s construction. The work was progressing well and Senku felt confident. They would be able to stick to the schedule he had planned and depart on time. Kaseki showed him the plans he had modified. Without these changes, he had told Senku, they might run into trouble during the voyage. Senku trusted Kaseki. If he said the modifications were important, Senku would listen. Kaseki was the best craftsman he knew.

The two of them headed toward the part of the ship Kaseki had reworked. A small group, Kinro, Ginro, Matsukaze, and Niki, was busy at work. Senku smiled proudly as he watched them. Everyone was deeply invested in the project. This journey to the other side of the Earth was not just his mission. It belonged to the entire Kingdom of Science. For each of them, building the Perseus was of vital importance.

Senku frowned as he heard frantic hammering. He turned toward the noise. Ginro, he thought with a sigh. A small group of girls was walking past. Ginro wore that same goofy, mischievous grin he always had when a pretty girl passed by. He was hammering faster and harder, hoping the girls would notice him. Senku figured he had better stop him before he punched a hole in the wood. He walked over.

“Ginro !” He called.

But Ginro did not notice, too busy watching the girls.

“Ginro !” Senku repeated, louder.

Ginro jumped and flung the hammer into the air. Senku felt like everything was happening in slow motion. Yet he did not have time to dodge, the handle struck him squarely on the forehead. He clutched his head and crouched down in pain. He heard his friends rushing over and Ginro apologizing in a trembling voice.

Senku should have known that Ginro, a hammer, and a group of girls was a recipe for disaster. He cursed himself. Some genius he was.

******

Senku stared at his reflection in the infirmary mirror. He touched his forehead and winced. The spot where the handle had hit was red and starting to swell. He knew he would have a bump by the end of the day. There was a bit of bleeding too and he needed to disinfect the wound before it got infected.

He walked over to the cabinet where he kept the medicines he had made. He opened the door and took out a clean cloth and a small bottle of clear liquid. He had made an antiseptic a few days earlier, thinking it might come in handy if someone in the Kingdom of Science got hurt. He had not expected to need it because of Ginro’s clumsiness. He returned to the mirror.

“Ginro didn’t go easy on you.”

Senku saw Kohaku’s reflection in the mirror. He turned to her and gave a crooked smile.

“I should’ve been suspicious when I saw he was paying more attention to the girls than to his work.”

“Niki told me what happened. Does it hurt much ?”

“It’s fine. Could’ve been worse.”

He opened the bottle. Kohaku stepped closer, made him sit down, and took the antiseptic.

“I’ll help,” she said.

She soaked the cloth and gently dabbed it on Senku’s wound. He winced.

“Sorry,” Kohaku said quickly, pulling the cloth away.

“It’s nothing.”

She carefully placed the cloth back on his forehead. Kohaku had never been known for her gentleness, but she did not want to make Senku’s injury worse. After disinfecting it, she fetched a bandage and stuck it on his forehead. She knew what to do, she had seen this kind of treatment many times before.

Senku watched her and held back a smile. Aside from Suika and Ruri, it was the first time he’d seen Kohaku act with such tenderness. It had even been one of her weaknesses during the infiltration mission at the harem. Seeing her like this made his heart beat a little faster. He closed his eyes, trying to regain control of his emotions.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I ?” Kohaku asked, concerned.

“No, it’s fine.”

He opened his eyes and saw her smile.

“When Ruri and I were little, our mother had a magic remedy to heal us. It worked every time.”

“Really ?”

Kohaku nodded. She leaned in and gently kissed the bandage. Then she pulled back and Senku chuckled softly. Apparently, magical healing kisses were still a thing in Ishigami Village. Of course, it was not magic and certainly not scientific. But still…

“You’re right. I feel much better.”

That magical remedy had warmed his heart ten billion percent.