-𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜- (ꜱᴇɴᴋᴜ ɪ. x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

-𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤-

The rest of the day went surprisingly well, even though the surprise didn't go as planned at first.

Yuzuriha was still grateful for the cake, and we had fun decorating it in the dessert room. In the end, we all tried to draw Yuzuriha on the cake with the icing, which was obviously an epic failure as Taiju made her hair look like a mop of brown strands, but it was the thought that counts, right?

I had given her a cute daisy-shaped charm for her bracelet and a pair of sunglasses for the approaching summer and our trip, and Senku had gotten her a volume of her favourite manga. Taiju had obviously gone all out, buying her a bouquet of woven flowers and some extremely soft, fuzzy slippers. They were so oblivious. But cute all the same. I could see Senku holding back a gag as they both exchanged sweet words, embarrassedly blushing crimson as they spoke.

He was also pretty pissed off that we didn't get a refund from the other place, which meant that all his dog walking for his neighbour was for nothing. Evening approached quickly and we all got on the next bus and headed back home.

Taiju and Yuzuriha got off together, even though Taiju lived a generous distance from her house, but he insisted that he wouldn't let her walk home alone in the dark, even if it was just down the street. He wouldn't have any problems walking home from her anyway, he could sprint the whole 3 kilometres without breaking a sweat.

It was just me and Senku left, he hummed to himself as he watched the sun go down outside the window, the seat next to him occupied by yours truly as I scrolled through my phone.

I glanced up to look at him, to see the golden glow of the sun's setting rays bouncing off his pale skin. Perhaps golden hour was his time of day.

I turned back to my phone, about to open Instagram, when I heard him talking.

"Thank God that big oaf is gone now, it's much quieter." He said, not to me specifically, just as a statement.

I hummed in response, not really feeling the need to strike up a conversation, and once again the bus fell into a comfortable silence.

"You're not dizzy or anything from all the fumes in the closet, are you?" He asked, speaking again.

I was surprised to hear a hint of concern in his voice, almost like he was worried but not really.

"No, I almost forgot about that, actually," I replied casually, and truth be told, I had. The rest of the day had been so busy that the morning's situation had slipped to the back of my mind until now.

"You seemed to have a sensitivity to fume smells, maybe it's better if you stay away from bleach and cleaning products for a while." He said in a nonchalant tone.

But for some reason, I could tell that he was a little concerned. His tone lacked the casual edge or wit it always had.

"It's okay, you don't need to worry. But, yeah, I'll stay away for a while." I replied, trying to reassure him that I was fine.

"I wasn't worried." He said quickly before turning towards the window.

"But just to spare me the inconvenience, don't do it again. Passing out, I mean." He said.

"You're the one who sent me in there in the first place." I grumbled.

He turned to look at me, a cheeky grin on his face. Either way, I couldn't really make out what he was thinking.

He nodded, "True enough. Then we'll keep the adventures in abandoned buildings to a minimum."

The bus came to a stop where we were supposed to get off, and I slid out of my seat and walked out, Senku following behind.

It was dark and quiet, the sun had finally set and the stars in the sky were beginning to blink into life, brightening the blackness of our natural ceiling. I stared up, I'd always thought that the sky made you feel so small because it itself was so big. The stars twinkled, something so small as a sparkle in the sky was something so much bigger up close. It made you afraid and at the same time comforted you.

And it also proved to be a good distraction from the warmth of a certain scientist walking beside me. The night was cold, and I couldn't help but feel the slight body heat radiating from the person next to me. It was temping to just move a little closer.
But that would be weird.

He'd probably just push me away.

I glanced over at him and saw that he was looking up at the stars, too. He was probably taking in the constellations and various other science nerd things to do with space.

We approached the separation path, and I felt like it wouldn't be worth it if I just snapped him out of his trance, so I just turned on my heel, ready to walk away silently.

He cocked his head down and raised an eyebrow.

"You're not even going to say goodbye to me? Are you angry or something?" He said, an amused tone in his voice.

I paused and turned around, rubbing my neck awkwardly, "I didn't want to, uh...interrupt your stargazing or whatever you were thinking about."

He laughed, a warm sound in contrast to the cold air.

"You think I was in la-la land? You think low of me, Y/N. I was just enjoying the peace and quiet. I'll see you tomorrow then, yeah? We have to book visas." He said, amused.

I felt a small smile creep across my lips, and I nodded, a small laugh escaping me.

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

His gaze almost softened before returning to his original casual grin.

"There you go, you look ridiculous frowning like a depressed kid who didn't get a sticker at their doctor's appointment, I'll see you tomorrow."

He gently reached out and ruffled the top of my head before pulling away and walking toward his house. I did the same.

A/n sorry for the short chapter 😭 it's my easier break now so I'll have time to write more, been busy studying for mock exams :)