Chapter Text
Asagiri Gen is many things: Japan’s most famous magician, a psychology major currently struggling his way through university, and a man who would do just about anything for his now very real boyfriend. He is also a very light sleeper. This last fact is one that he wishes every day would stop being true, but just like always, his wishes are not granted, as he wakes up one morning to the sound of Senku’s voice talking to somebody from down the hall.
Gen sits upright, pushing his unruly morning hair out of his face and yawning. Glancing at the clock on the bedside table and seeing the time of 10:15 am displayed in glowing green luminescents, he can practically hear Senku rolling his eyes and sarcastically commenting about how waking up past 9:30 barely classifies as “morning”. He doesn’t hear any voices aside from Senku’s- he can’t hear what’s being said, but he would recognize that voice anywhere now- so he figures the scientist must be on the phone with someone. Perfect , he thinks. I can go out there and charm him with my presence into making me something to eat .
Figuring there’s no point in getting dressed before making his way into the kitchen, seeing as Senku by this point has seen him on pretty much every point of the dressed-to-undressed scale, he makes his way down the hallway in nothing but what he slept in, being his boxers and one of Senku’s too-large t-shirts that he likes to steal. The padding of his bare feet on the floor is all but silent as he goes to ambush the other man.
Catching a glimpse of familiar white and green hair in the kitchen, Gen grins and calls out in a whine loudly as he enters. “Senku-channnn! Why did you leave me all alone in your room? I think as punishment you should cook me some break-” He freezes. “...fast” He finishes weakly.
Somebody else is in the kitchen with Senku. Somebody he’s starting to recognize from photographs. He’s a middle-aged man, with whitish hair that hangs down to just above his shoulder and is darker at the ends. He’s looking at Gen with just as much surprise as Gen is looking at him with, though the celebrity can’t imagine the man’s face is nearly as bright red as his is at the moment.
The more Gen stares in embarrassed shock, the more he’s certain. The man in the kitchen talking to Senku is definitely Ishigami Byakuya, Senku’s father.
Gen tugs at the collar of his shirt, hoping to quickly hide the marks on his collarbone left by Senku the previous night before Byakuya notices. Based on the obvious stifled giggle by the older man, he fails to do so.
“Okay!” He says in a squeaky voice. “I’m going to go get dressed… and then hide myself in shame in Senku-chan’s room forever until I die of embarrassment.” He turns and walks briskly down the hallway, practically slamming the door behind him. He buries his face in his hands and holds back a scream as he hears Byakuya laugh loudly from the kitchen.
“You should’ve warned me you had, errrr, company over Senku!” The man’s voice rings out.
Gen only hears Senku’s bark of “Shut the fuck up” before he tunes them both out to focus on picking out some clothes from the drawer in Senku’s dresser he’s taken over. Before opening the door to go face the two other men again, he briefly wonders if it isn’t too late to climb out the window and go find a bridge to jump off of. Well, I always have that as a backup plan he sighs as he heads back into what is easily the worst way he’s ever introduced himself to somebody.
Upon reentering the kitchen, he is handed a bowl of rice and something else that he can’t identify for breakfast. He takes it gratefully, although his nerves at being watched by Senku’s father from across the room have diminished his appetite immensely.
“So, uh.” Senku says, clearing his throat and breaking the awkward silence that has settled into the room like a heavy cloud. “Mentalist, this is my dad, Byakuya.” He gestures a hand back and forth between them as he talks. “Dad, this is my boyfriend, Asagiri Gen.”
Byakuya’s face splits into a wide-eyed, surprised smile. “I knew you looked familiar!” He gasps, before turning an accusatory finger on his son. “And what’s this about a boyfriend?! I sure missed a lot while in space, huh?” He then switches to a very fake weepy voice and grabs Senku’s hand as he pretends to sob. “Six whole months of not speaking to my son because he won’t pick up the phone and I miss out on important milestones like a relationship!”
Gen is honestly so amazed by how dramatically emotional Byakuya is when compared to Senku he almost forgets how embarrassing this whole situation still is. He does allow himself a small giggle hidden behind a sleeve at Byakuya’s antics, however.
Senku yanks his hand out of his father’s grasp, his face dusted pink in a way that makes him extremely cute. “Cut it out, old man, you’re being totally cringy right now.” He spits with no real venom behind it. His father only pouts in response.
Gen squirms uncomfortably at the silence that has once again fallen over the room. Although he would love nothing more than to run away back to his own apartment and pretend that he’s meeting Senku’s father under literally any other circumstances, his mentalist-instinct to try and talk his way out of awkwardness takes over and forces him to speak.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Byakuya-chan. Though I wish I had known you were coming so I at least could have made myself presentable beforehand.” He adds, looking pointedly at Senku.
Luckily for him, the astronaut seems to be a very easy going person- something Gen figures must be one of the few traits he managed to instill into his son- and laughs. “Oh don’t blame Senku, I didn’t warn him I was coming. He didn’t even know I was set free from Jaxa’s clutches yet!”
Senku shoots Gen an apologetic look anyway, which he appreciates.
Of course, he should have expected this friendly peace would end quickly, as Byakuya turns to him and asks, “So, Gen. How long have you and my son been together?”
It isn’t the question itself that makes Gen start to die inside. After all, he and Senku had long-since agreed to go by the timeline of their fake relationship. All that does anyway is add an extra month, and it’s easier to do that than it is to admit to everyone they know that they were faking it for so long.
No, what Gen hates about being questioned by Byakuya is, is that he’s completely out of his element. He’s never had a relationship long enough to warrant meeting the other person’s parents, so even if he had known ahead of time that this is how he was going to start his day, he wouldn’t have really known what to do. And yes, his entire career is built off of being able to adapt to situations quickly and alter himself to make others like him, but much like the first time he had met Senku’s friends he knows now that if he does anything other than be his genuine self, Senku will know and call him out on the changed behavior.
So really, Gen is currently standing in his boyfriend’s apartment, meeting said boyfriend’s father with no warning after thoroughly embarrassing himself by making it extremely obvious that he had spent the night there, and now he’s being questioned and he doesn’t really know what to do.
Senku, seeming more like an angel than a man right now, notices Gen’s rapidly growing distress and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Actually, dad, the mentalist has a meeting to get to soon, so he should probably get home.”
“That’s right!” Gen immediately agrees, gratefully diving into the escape route Senku has laid out for him. “I’m afraid I do have to go, but I would love to get to know you, dear Byakuya-chan, and answer all your questions when I can. Though I’m sure Senku-chan can answer some for you also.” He decides then to offer up a better time to do a more formal meet-the-parent thing, somewhere he’ll be more secure in knowing he has full control over the situation.
“I’m doing a show this weekend. I’d be happy to get you and Senku-chan some front-row seats if you’d like to come. We can go out to dinner or something afterward.”
He has to hold back his sigh of relief when Byakuya’s face lights up at the invitation. Senku sends a knowing look his way and smirks. “I’d like that!” Byakuya exclaims, slapping Senku’s arm happily. “Senku! You should have told me your boyfriend is this great!”
Senku rolls his eyes and starts ushering Gen out the door. “Yeah yeah, he’s the best.”
He presses a kiss to Gen’s cheek before shutting the door. “See you this weekend, mentalist.”
Gen finally lets out his breath once the door is shut, and starts making his way home, sending Senku about a million thank you texts on the way.
---
Over the course of the next few days, Gen talks to Senku over the phone and over text, using his skills as a mentalist to try to subtly gather information on Ishigami Byakuya. Of course, while he is doing this to simply learn more about the man so he doesn’t look like an ignorant fool the next time they speak, he also is attempting to learn one major thing: does Byakuya like audience participation in shows?
Apparently, he does.
It’s a good plan, or so he tries to reassure himself. Senku assures him of it too, since it didn’t take very long at all for the scientist to figure out exactly what Gen’s true motivations were. All he has to do is bring Senku’s father up on stage during the show and perform one of his new tricks. He had planned on doing the new trick with a random audience member anyway, so there isn’t going to be any real change in just knowing ahead of time who he’s going to bring up. And once again he reminds himself that Senku made it very clear that Byakuya will go absolutely nuts for being called up to have magic performed on him.
“The guy’s totally illogical.” Senku had scoffed over the phone once he figured out Gen’s intentions. “He’s crazy for magic tricks and whatever. Tch. And he calls himself a scientist.”
Gen had frowned in response. “You’re a scientist, Senku-chan. Are you saying you don’t like my shows?” He asked, knowing Senku doesn’t dislike them in the slightest but feeling the need to mess with him anyway.
“I didn’t mean it like that!” Senku had shouted back, apologizing profusely until Gen couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer.
So even based solely on that conversation, Gen knows that everything at his show tonight is going to go just fine. Byakuya will love being called on, the trick will go well, his show will be a hit as usual, and then he can go get to know Senku’s father in a situation that won’t make him want to get run over by a train.
Still, his heart races as the hour of his show draws closer. He adjusts his suit in the mirror in his dressing room as his manager pokes her head in the door with a smile. “Ready, Asagiri?” She asks. “You’ve got about ten minutes until you should be backstage. Oh! And I saw your boyfriend in the audience!”
Gen smiles back at her. He had replaced his old, awful manager about two months ago, finally giving in to Senku’s concerned nagging about how he needed someone who at least pretended to care about him. His new manager is much better, and she never fails to ease his nerves before a show, although the reminder of Senku, and therefore Byakuya, being in the audience does nothing but make his stomach twist around uncomfortably.
“I’m ready.” He responds to her question. “I’ll head backstage now and make sure all the props are good to go.” Fiddling with his magic props and stuffing more flowers into the depths of his sleeves usually helps keep his mind off of his nerves.
In the end he has nothing to worry about. He never does- not that it stops him from worrying to know that- because as soon as the curtain rises his stage persona takes over and he becomes the walking embodiment of suave confidence.
Naturally, his tricks go over perfectly with the audience, who clap, cheer, and gasp in amazement with every reveal and every flourish. He moves gracefully around the stage as he performs, nearly allowing himself to forget the ultimate purpose of tonight’s show until finally, it’s time for the trick.
“And now, I have a special treat for all of you! A brand-new trick, and what’s more, in order to give you all the best experience, I will need a volunteer- or perhaps a kidnapping victim would be more accurate to say- from the audience!”
His request is met with many pleas and waving hands, all desperate for a chance to get on stage with him, but much to all of their disappointment, he already has his eyes locked onto the man in the front row.
“What’s this? A familiar face in the crowd!” He raises a hand to his face in mock surprise. “Wow, everybody! We have an incredible opportunity here! My darling boyfriend is in the audience, but seeing as I would rather not get broken up with tonight,” He pauses, allowing the audience to laugh, “I think I will claim the man next to him.”
He gestures to Byakuya, who sits wide-eyed in the front row. “Ishigami Byakuya! The incredible astronaut recently back from space, and also the father of my beloved Senku-chan!” Gen cheers. Byakuya continues to stare at him, shocked, until Senku, grinning wickedly, grabs his father by the arm and drags him onto the stage. Gen helps him by grabbing Byakuya’s other arm and pulling him further in, only allowing Senku to escape back to his seat after stealing a quick kiss, much to the audience’s delight.
“Now then, Byakuya-chan! I know you just left behind your zero-gravity lifestyle, but how would you like to try floating again?”
The trick is simple enough, just make a person float in the air. Plenty of people have done it before, but Gen has recently perfected his own technique in the trick, so he’s excited to try the act out on people. Byakuya only takes a moment to adjust to being on stage before he happily laps up the attention and allows himself to be manhandled by Gen. His excited exclamations as he is maneuvered around the stage, seemingly floating, are loud enough to almost drown out Gen’s voice as he talks to the crowd. The audience is amazed throughout the act, and the astronaut is eventually sent back to his seat with a loud round of applause, still unsure of how exactly Gen was able to do that to him.
When the show finally comes to an end, Gen changes in his dressing room as fast as possible before rushing out to meet Senku and Byakuya in the lobby. Byakuya immediately throws an arm around Gen’s shoulders and ruffling his hair affectionately. “That was a great show! You have to tell me how you did that floating trick!”
Gen allows himself to enjoy being treated with such caring familiarity and laughs. “I’m sorry, Byakuya-chan, but a magician never reveals his secrets.”
“Not even to his future father-in-law?” Byakuya pouts.
Senku and Gen both flush bright red at the implication, but Gen takes note of how neither denies the possibility. “Believe me, old man.” Senku says, quickly changing the subject. “The only way even I can know how his tricks are done is if I figure them out myself.”
“Well if I just told you how they were done it wouldn’t be as fun for you, love.”
Senku shoves him playfully as they walk out the door. “Dude, you gotta stop with the pet names. I thought we already agreed on one.”
Gen laughs and shoves Senku back. “But it’s just so much fun!”
They continue like that the whole way to the restaurant, Byakuya watching with fondness from behind as they walk, at least until Gen manages to rope him into the conversation as well by asking his opinion on the use of pet names. Byakuya, much to Senku’s obvious distress, highly encourages them, explaining how he was able to win over Lillian Weinberg by repeatedly calling her varying nicknames throughout their trip in space.
If Gen didn’t know Senku was adopted he might think that winning over the hearts of celebrities must run in the Ishigami bloodline. He also wonders if this means he’ll have to meet the Lillian Weinberg at some point too. He decides not to worry about that for the time being, turning his focus instead to the dinner at hand as they reach the front doors of a restaurant he knows quite well.
---
“You know, Byakuya-chan,” Gen begins as they take their seats towards the back of the restaurant. “Senku-chan took me here for our very first date!”
Senku kicks him under the table, red-faced. His father looks around the inside of the ramen shop they all sit in and smiles at his son. “Aw, Senku! You do care about the places I take you!”
Senku frowns at his father. “Relax. It’s just the first place I could think of that had half-decent food, okay? There’s no need for your sentimental crap.”
Byakuya turns to Gen, who counters his boyfriend’s statement right away by explaining how much Senku likes this place while Byakuya’s dopey smile grows wider and wider.
Despite Senku’s many protests, the conversation between the three of them continues in the same way for the rest of the night, with Gen and Byakuya poking fun at Senku, who tries very hard to pretend that he doesn't enjoy the way the two of them have started getting along so well. Gen wonders once more about how somebody as emotional and utterly ridiculous as Byakuya could have ever raised someone like Senku, though perhaps the ridiculousness is a bit more inherited than it seems at first glance.
Really, though, Gen couldn’t have asked for a better night. He’s able to win over Byakuya pretty easily, or so it seems based on how much the man laughs and smiles throughout dinner, and he can almost forget how awful their first meeting ever was.
Towards the end of the night, Senku scoots off of the bench and tells them he’s heading for the bathroom. Gen’s heart races a little faster knowing he won’t have Senku as a buffer for the next few minutes. For as much as he likes Byakuya, it’s still a bit terrifying to be left alone with one’s significant other.
The second Senku is fully out of sight, Byakuya leans across the table and takes Gen’s hand in his own. Gen’s a bit worried the older man is about to threaten him or something cliché like that. “You’re not good enough for my son, and if you ever hurt him I’ll strap you to a rocket and hurtle you into space.” … Or something like that.
Instead, he’s met with a gentle voice and a matching smile, the man’s eyes crinkling at the edges fondly. “Gen.” Byakuya begins. “It’s pretty clear to me how much you two love each other, so I know I don’t have to lecture you on taking good care of my son.” He sighs. “So instead, I’ll just tell you that as long as you two are happy together, I’ll love you like you’re my own son, so don’t ever hesitate to ask me for anything, alright?”
Gen feels his face heat up and shifts in his seat awkwardly. “Ah-haa~” He laughs in a strained voice. “Senku-chan told you about my parents or something, right?” He asks, thinking back on his conversation with Senku so long ago on their picnic date.
Byakuya furrows his brows. “No? I’m only saying this because it’s true. You’re a part of the family now, whether you like it or not, okay?” His grip on Gen’s hand tightens, and Gen, unable to stop them, feels a flood of tears come to his eyes as he lets those words sink in. Before he met Senku, he’d never had anyone in his life who genuinely cared for him, especially not this deeply and unconditionally. Now all of a sudden within the last few months, he’s gained friends he couldn’t have dreamed of having before, a family who supports him, and most of all, Senku himself.
Thinking of everything, the tears just won’t stop coming.
He pulls his hand away to rub his sleeve against his face, choking out a half-sob, half-apology to Byakuya, who’s already frantically apologizing himself for upsetting Gen, who’s still trying to explain through his tears that he’s not crying out of sadness.
Senku arrives back at the table and punches his father in the arm. “Jeez old man, I leave for two minutes and you make my boyfriend cry?”
“No! No!” Gen protests, waving a tear-soaked sleeve in Senku’s direction. “I’m fine, Senku-chan. More than fine!”
After giving the celebrity a few minutes to calm down, they pay their bill to a very concerned looking waitress and head out the door, Senku climbing onto the back of Gen’s motorcycle and waving goodbye to Byakuya, who gets into his own car. They head back to Senku’s apartment together, Senku’s arms wrapped more tightly than usual around Gen’s waist as they drive, his chin nuzzling into Gen’s back protectively. If Gen hadn’t already drained himself of all his tears, the affectionate action might have been enough to make him cry again.
Eriously-say . He sighs to himself. This is honestly too much . And yet, he can’t help but smile as he drives.
---
The two of them sit side by side on Senku’s couch, the flickering light from the television which plays a movie that they had once again argued for about an hour on what it should be illuminates them in the darkness. Senku is curled up and resting his head on Gen’s shoulder, his eyelids drooping sleepily as the movie begins to draw to a close. It’s a small, domestic type of night that Gen knows he’ll never get used to despite how often they occur.
“Hey, mentalist?” Senku’s voice breaks through the content static of the low-volume tv.
“Hm?” Gen asks.
“Move in with me. It’s only logical, since you’re here most of the time anyway.”
Gen’s heart stops for a moment, though honestly, despite the question being so unexpected, the casual way in which Senku asked it is enough to assure him that it’s entirely serious, and he can’t bring himself to be completely shocked.
“Okay.” He responds, meaning it whole-heartedly. “Just promise me one thing.”
“Anything.”
Gen laughs. “Warn me before your dad shows up next time.”
He can feel Senku smile against his arm. “Yeah. No problem.”
Gen presses a small kiss to Senku’s forehead, burying his face in the scientist’s hair.
“I love you, Senku-chan.”
“Love you too, stupid mentalist.”
And Gen knows he means every word.