#chrosen

"Wha-?" Chrome struggles to pick himself up to stare at the other teen and thanking the gods of Science it was so dark, and he couldn’t see his face. He had noticed?

"Yeah," Senku continues calmly, as you go. Either not noticing or not caring for Chrome’s awkward scrambling. "Or did I perhaps bore you to death?"

"Of course not!" Chrome almost shouts, sitting up immediately. "Senku I would never-"

He stops, blushes harder when he notices that Senku was already looking his way, a sliver of moon dancing on his face and letting him see his half a grin in the dark.

Chrome sags, unimpressed. "I'm really predictable, aren't l?"

"You are rather simple-minded, yes.” Senku answers truthfully, voice heavy with fondness. “But that's not a bad thing. You're honest, it's a rare trait to have."

Chrome just sighs, looking down at his lap. "I'm just never going to measure up to you, am I?"

 Senku tilts his head. "Is that what it is about?"

 The other teen starts, wide-eyes looking back at him, before grumbling out a response. "I-no. This is not about anything. You know what, forget it."

He proceeded to lie back down, his back to Senku.

 "This is not a competition, Chrome. and even if it was, you are one of the smartest and brightest persons I know." Senku continues, voice still as serene and unperturbed as always.

 He sighs when Chrome doesn't reply.

"I mean it. Do you have any idea how impressive it is what you have achieved here on your own?" He waits a beat, but when he still gets no reply, he carefully makes way over to Chrome’s bed.

 "What I told you back then,” Senku continues, as bullheaded as ever, sitting down by Chrome’s back. “When I wanted to make you my successor... it wasn't just because I was afraid of dying.”

He lays a hand on his shoulder. “Chrome, you're the one person I trust to successful lead humanity back to the modern world. You are the person who would understand what my legacy meant."

 "But there's so much I don't know. So much I don't understand. And it's embarrassing." Chrome finally speaks up, grimacing as the words slip past his lips. But he might as well. "And you're not dead, you still have so much on your plate and I feel- I feel that I'm just distracting you from what you're supposed to be doing. I hate it, but I feel like a burden."

 "Burden?" Senku repeats, before roughly yanking his arm so he’d be face-up, before dropping his considerable weight on him. He smirks at him when Chrome chokes out a surprised breath. They were so close, nearly face to face again, chest pressed together. "Burden is my weight crushing you, dearest scientist."

 Senku drops the charade as he seeks out his eyes in the dark. "Curiosity is the thirst for knowledge. Ignorance is just the perfect ground to plant it. I'm terrible at words, but I want you to understand just how amazing it is to have you in my life. I meant what I said before, you are one of the brightest persons I know, past, present or future."

Chrome is silent again, but Senku is 99.99% sure it’s out of embarrassment more than anything else.

"So ask me, Chrome. Pry this useless knowledge from my brain." Senku lets a fond grin on his face when the teen underneath squirms a little, as if still unsure or uncertain. But then Chrome sets his jaw and carries through, as he always does.

“…The other day, when we made electricity, how did the lightning create magnets? Why do they still work? Why didn't the energy leak out soon after?"

Senku's smile widens. He opens his mouth, and begins answering. Long, elaborate explanations, inserting increasingly complex and technical words as he continued, sure in his knowledge that Chrome would be able to follow. They talk and talk, until Chrome finally remembers he has a human being on top of him and begins to wheeze for breath. Senku only laughs at him as he finally rolls off. "Any more questions?"

"Ten billion more,” Chrome says, but he's laughing. They're both laughing.

They laugh and talk until dawn broke.

 II.

Chrome asks him a dozen questions a day, insatiable as always.

For weeks, for months. Senku continues answering them all, looking proud and happy and comfortable.

 Chrome asks and asks, until one day he can't think of anything other than…

 "What's this? You just have one question for me?” Senku asks, amused and fond as if he knows what Chrome has in mind. Chrome really hopes not. “Is your brain finally drying out?"

The other scientist rolls his eyes. "It's a question I don't think you've ever thought about."

Senku smirks, always ready for a challenge. "Oh?”

They’re standing outside, under the sun’s ray, in the middle of a water break as they had gone to collect more pyrite from the caves.

The day is relaxed, a soft breeze blows and Chrome looks flustered as all hell.

And then, right there in front of him, he gets down in one knee, pulls out a ring from his pocket. "Senku,” he begins, grandiosely. “Will you be my boyfriend?"

Senku laughs, loud and strident in his surprise. He laughs some more, startled and beet red, a wide grin on his face. "Chrome, you're giving me a ring to be your boyfriend? The diamond and marriage industries are rolling on their collective graves."

 Chrome blushes but doesn't relent. "Yeah, well you're the one who told me you don't feel ready for marriage. And I think being boyfriends is plenty important. I want to give you something pretty, durable and memorable. Besides, it's not like there's a precedent anymore. I can do whatever I want."

Senku laughs again as he takes the ring from his hand. He inspects it, a shine to his eyes. "Beautifully crafted. Did Kaseki make it for you?"

"I had him teach me." Chrome pouts as he gets up. "So, what do you say?"