Gratitude

Senku leaned his back on the floor, staring to the sky with its bright stars. "When I was 7, Byakuya made me a laboratory. There were books, machines, chemicals, computers, experiment materials,...."

Gen still sat beside Senku, listening to him quietly.

"And a telescope." Senku smiled faintly. "A lab was far beyond an elementary student's reach. Only adults could have a workspace like that. Moreover, my father was not a rich guy like ones who had Nanami corp. Imagine what I felt back then?"

"You were over the moon," Gen replied.

"Exactly." Senku got up, back to his sitting position. His right hand moved to Gen's head, grabbed and stroked the dichromatic hair softly, and staring the mentalist's eyes gently.

The older man froze, hadn't had a single clue that a cold boy like Senku could be this... tender? He wanted to divert his eyes somewhere else, but he couldn't. As if those bloody orbs had successfully locked Gen's eyes movement.

"So, Gen... Thank you for your brilliant idea." His gaze was extremely soft, with a faint smile on his face. "I'm extremely happy. 10 billion points for you!" Then, that faint smile broadened.

There was no petrification ray, but Gen was stoned. At the same time, butterflies fulfilled his heart. So much that it might explode. So much that he burst into tears.

"What? Are you crying?!"

Gen always felt like he could see through Senku. The younger man always seemed to be rational, cold, science-freak, and egocentric. Still, Gen knew that Senku was an emotional liar who always cared for his surroundings. Had he known that his heart couldn't stand this much emotion, he wouldn't have asked for honest-Senku.

"Hey, what did I do wrong?" Senku asked again as Gen didn't answer his previous question.

The mentalist tried to be back to his usual self, hard. "Ahahahaha. Nothing, Senku-chan. I just didn't expect you would say those cheesy words."

Senku frowned. "You were the one who asked me to be honest about my feelings. It was pointless then."

"No! No! No!" Gen said stuttering. "Not at all! Okay, I'll also be honest. I was extremely happy and relieved hearing those sweet words of yours. Thank you, Senku-chan." Gen grabbed Senku's hand which was still on his head, putting it down to the young man's lap. "It's almost midnight. Why don't you sleep right now. You must be tired from the cave exploration, right? You haven't had a rest since you came back hahaha. My bad, Senku-chan." Gen stood up, preparing to leave the room and let Senku sleep. "I'll take my leave then. Oyasuminasai, Senku-chan."

Before Gen took a step, Senku grabbed the other man's hand, stopping him.

"What is it?"

"Before my birthday ends, I'll say it once." Gen saw a serious face in front him. "So, listen carefully."

The atmosphere became intense between them.

"Thank you for choosing me from the beginning."

His heart pounded as the sentence came out.

Gen's, and Senku's.