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Cricket chirps were the only sounds that could be heard that night. Everything had settled down once the moon rose, leaving nothing but a peaceful atmosphere and contempt feelings. Despite the late hour, there were two still awake to enjoy its serenity.
They lay on a makeshift bed with various blankets around them. Their softness was shielding them from the fiery cold outside.
They had been talking for hours under the starry night sky in the newly built observatory. Eventually, they delved into more. Now in the afterglow of their activities, they stayed silent and enjoyed the other’s company.
Their foreheads were pressed together, and their breaths mingled into one. Four hands and one from each were exploring the other.
The scientist and the mentalist.
The mentalist and the scientist.
Two beings completely different from the other, yet tonight they had become one.
x-x-x
Senku was the first to break the long silence as his fingers traced over Gen’s chest and over a straight line of discolored skin. It was paler and rose above the rest of his skin. It felt tough beneath his fingers as he traced it. “Where’s this from?” He’d ask.
Gen looked down at Senku’s hand, still resting over it and smiled. “Magma’s attack.”
Senku frowned as he looked over Gen’s face. His eyes were closed, and he was still smiling. What he didn’t like was the sadness that came from that smile. He also didn’t miss the way that Gen moved to pull the covers higher up to cover it.
Senku snagged the blanket and pulled it back down again. “Don’t. Let me see it?”
“Nothing really to see.” Gen sighed but let him take control. Senku retraced the line with his fingers, noting how the skin was raised a little on one side. He remembered the injury well; how he worried about possibly needing to sew the skin together without proper materials. In the end, they had left it with the belief that it would heal on its own. Still, he confirmed it with him.
“From the spear?”
“Mmm,” Gen nodded.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore…” Gen places his hand against Senku’s. “It’s more embarrassing now.”
“Is that so?” Senku leaned forward and lightly kissed the scar, reveling in the feeling of Gen shivering beside him. He leaned back and took Gen’s hand in his own. Their fingers intertwined as if they were made for each other. His other hand went about, slowly and faintly running over Gen’s skin. He purposefully went slow, determined to find every soft spot on the mentalist in front of him. Gen smiled and closed his eyes, fully submitting himself to Senku’s relaxing touch.
When Senku looked around some more, he found some more scarring, though it was way less noticeable. Scratches that had healed but left faint marks behind. Eventually, his hand moved up Gen’s neck, and he pushed his head towards his own. From there, they kissed and then kissed some more. Nothing was stopping them after all. They could enjoy themselves for once.
Senku’s lips traveled from Gen’s lips to his jaw and neck. Then he went further down and explored the rest of Gen’s chest.
“Senku-chan ~” Gen whispered only to be cut off when Senku shushed him. “I’m a scientist. It’s my job to inspect the unknown.”
“Am I unknown to you now, Senku-chan?”
“Not after tonight, you’re not.”
Gen stuttered, in response, his face flushing a deep crimson as he remembered just what they had done a mere hour before.
Senku continued his exploration. It wasn’t until he’d given the scar a quick peck before Gen froze and tensed up. Senku leaned back and tightened his hold on Gen’s hand. He looked up into the sad eyes of the mentalist he came to adore.
“Do you really not like the scar?”
“It just proof of weakness.”
“Weakness against a spear?” Senku cocked his head in exasperation. “Pretty sure, a spear is everyone’s weakness when they aren’t prepared for it.”
Gen giggled, and Senku’s heart fluttered with it.
“Guess I was pretty lucky I had stashed that guard into my clothes, huh?” Gen smiled that sad smile again. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here right now, would I?”
Senku’s expression turned into a troubled one. Still, he told the truth as he always did. “Yeah, it was a close call.”
“All the more reason I don’t like seeing it.”
“Gen…” Senku cupped Gen’s cheek and wiped away a rebel tear that had fallen from the mentalist’s eye. “It’s ok now. You’re safe.”
Gen leaned into Senku’s hand and responded. “I know.”
Senku continued stroking Gen’s face, and Gen continued to rub his face into Senku’s hand like a cat.
“Where do you think we’d be if I weren’t attacked?”
The sudden question caught Senku off guard. Though now that he thought about, it got him curious. Where would they now if Magma never attacked?
“Never mind, never mind.” Gen waved his free hand back and forth. “Forget I said anything.”
Senku sat up, making the other sit up as well. Both were silent, with Senku looking to the floor and Gen worriedly staring at him.
“Senku?” Gen leaned forward and brushed one of Senku’s bangs away from his face. “Are you -”
He didn’t have time to finish before Senku wrapped his arms around his neck and tightly pulled him into a hug.
“You shouldn’t be ashamed of it.” Senku’s voice wobbled a little as he spoke. “If Magma hadn’t attacked, then there would’ve been no way we’d be here now.”
Gen blinked as he found himself choking up.
“It sounds bad to say it, but in a way, Magma attacking you was what pushed you and me to make that deal of alliance.” Senku tightened his grip even further and clenched his eyes shut. “I hate to even think about it, but if none of that had happened, we wouldn’t be here.”
Gen cried out and buried his head into Senku’s shoulder.
“It - I was so scared.”
“Me too.”
“I didn’t want to die.”
“I know.”
“It hurt…”
“And I hate that it did.”
Gen continued his breakdown in Senku’s embrace for a long time. Both knew this was coming. They had ignored it for long enough.
When Gen had finally quieted down, Senku let go of his death grip around the mentalist and moved his face close to the other. He started on the right cheek and lightly kissed Gen’s closed eye before moving to the left side and doing the same. He pulled back completely when Gen fully relaxed and started leaning against him. His limbs were like noodles, and his face resembled that of an exhausted person. His eyelids were drooping, and he had an "out of it" demeanor.
Senku chuckled. “That was exhausting.”
“You can say that again.” Gen smiled and cupped Senku’s face before toying with his ear. The skin was cold, and the feeling was oddly grounding.
Gen laughed as he wiped the rest of the tears from his eyes with his other hand. “Well this is lame, isn’t it?”
“Totally lame.”
Both laughed and laid back down, pressing their foreheads back together and holding the others hand close. They fell asleep to the sound of crickets chirping and the feeling of relaxing bliss.
Here they could be themselves without conforming to their reputations. It was here, in the observatory, that they were able to forget about the dangers of the world and truly enjoy its beautiful side of peacefulness.