Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gen had always been good at lying to himself.

So, when his monthly expenses started growing bigger and his monthly income started shrinking, he repeated to himself that everything was fine. When he lost his part-time job —serving rich people in suits food that was definitely too expensive for the quantity displayed on the plate, or where you couldn’t complain if a middle-aged man groped you because “You can’t fight against the client”— and his career as a magician was still not taking off, as his manager-half-fuckbuddy said, he repeated to himself that he had enough money saved up to pay rent for the next few months without having to starve himself. 

It was a great lie, but when in the first month he’d had the electricity cut off by the company, the truth of it all started sinking into him. He didn’t have the money to pay rent, let alone to pay the electricity bill, so he had to find an alternative to get money, and fast.

Asking Aito, his manager, for money wasn’t even an option, because he knew he’d be willing to leave everything behind for him, and the prospect of it made him terribly uncomfortable; the fact that someone cared about him in a selfless way —selfless in the sense that he only expected to have sex in exchange, which Gen didn’t really mind.

Since asking for money wasn’t an option and his career as a magician was still not taking off, Gen started to desperately leave job applications everywhere. He even tried convincing some of his old university professors that they surely really needed an assistant, to which most of them had kindly answered that, in fact, they didn’t —“It’s good to know that you’re finally redirecting your life to what you’re the best at: psychology.” One of his favourite professors had emailed. Gen had almost punched the computer screen. He couldn’t afford to fix it, after all. 

He was so desperate he even had started to leave job applications on random fast-food restaurants near his house, in hopes that maybe they considered that having a pretty waiter could be a way to boost up their sales. They hadn’t called back either, but he didn’t want to give up just yet. 

That day had been especially rough. He had woken up alone in bed, Aito long gone after their nightly hook-up session, and the light was entering through the blindfolds in such a beautiful way, drawing shapes on the bare white walls of his room. He had stayed there for what had felt like an eternity, staring at the walls while sprawled on the futon he slept with on the floor, fuzzy, the spring breeze cooling his body, and had internally wished that he could stay there forever, in that apartment, in that bed, the world stopping around him and just letting him enjoy the few things he had in his life. 

Then his phone had chimed with a new message from his landlord telling him he had to pay last month’s rent that week or he’d have to move out, and the reality of it all had sunk into him. 

As much as he wished to stay there, he forced himself to get up, “make” breakfast —warm yogurt, which was absolutely disgusting, with some cereal— before getting dressed and checking his phone for shops and restaurants near his house where he could leave his curriculum. 

Part of him was admiring his strength to keep going, to not back down and ask for help, no matter how bad he wanted it. His body was begging for rest, to curl up on a corner of his bedroom and just cry. Cry because he had studied a career that didn’t give him almost any joy, but had done it as a way of self-protection from his past and from the future; cry because he wanted so bad for his career as a magician to take off once and for all; cry because he didn’t have anything stable in life —as much as he knew Aito wasn’t going to leave him any time soon, he couldn’t say the same. He was growing tired of him—; cry because he didn’t know where his parents were, and the last time he’d seen them he had said some horrible things to them; cry because the words that every director or man with any influence in the industry had said to him were still imprinted in his mind; cry because his apartment, the only thing he really didn’t want to lose, was a luxury that he couldn’t afford.

But instead of doing it, he was making himself move forward. He couldn’t stay behind, let life step on him and crush his bones with the force of reality. Gen had to keep moving, and, similar to lying to himself, he was really good at it.

The positivity that he had started the day with was already fading by the time he’d been rejected for the third time in a shop, but as much as he wanted to go back home and lie down in bed for the rest of the day, he took a deep breath and forced himself to smile as he stepped outside, ready to go to the next shop. 

He didn’t see the man leaned against a car until he was close enough not to be able to change paths without it being too obvious. He was tall, blonde, with beautiful eyes, hungrily looking at Gen as if he was going to leap towards him and eat him whole in one single bite. 

“Are you looking for a job?” His accent was thick, definitely foreign, and Gen studied his toned body and muscled arms while the man put a cigarette on his lips, stained with red lipstick, and lit it calmly. 

How much could he get from fucking him? 100? 150 if he was feeling generous? He considered his offer for a moment, until he finally straightened his spine and spoke.

“I am.” 

They held eye contact for a brief second, one of the blonde man’s eyebrows slightly raised in amusement, until he chuckled.

“Good. Call this number.” He took a card out of his pocket and handed it to Gen. For a second, the psychologist huffed and felt his face heat up from the embarrassment of even thinking he wanted something else, but before he could grab the card, the man raised his arm, the card out of reach for him. “What were you thinking of doing, pretty boy?” 

Gen gave him a sly smile before answering, glaring at him with his chin slightly lifted. “What did you want me to do, hmm? Did you want me to tell you we can go back to my apartment and you can fuck me against the counter for a bit of cash?”

That left him surprised enough for Gen to stretch his arm and grab the card, tucking it into one of his jean’s pockets before looking back at him. 

The man chuckled and softly shook his head, an incredulous smile on his face. “I like you.” 

“Do you think that’d get me the job?” Gen asked cockily, folding his arms and his chest puffing out unintentionally —but definitely intentionally, like everything he did. 

The man’s eyes travelled all over his body, probably thinking of the possibilities he’d lost when he handed that card to Gen. “Maybe I can put a good word in for you.”

“Your name?” The psychologist asked, his eyes still fixed on the man’s bright but dangerous eyes. 

“Stanley.” He spoke with the cigarette, now also stained with lipstick, between his lips, too amused by Gen to even put it out of his mouth. 

“Can I have a cigarette, Stanley?” He asked, smiling a toothy grin that just made the blonde man chuckle. He took a cigarette out and handed it to him, eyes hungrily studying his face. Gen placed it between his lips and took a step towards him, signalling him to light it. 

Stanley did it, both of them aware of their closeness and the other’s smell, maybe lingering a beat too long close to each other, as if they were incapable of pulling back. Gen was the one who took a step back, the lit cigarette on his lips and a smile on his face. 

“Pleasure to meet you. We’ll see each other soon, I hope.” He said, eyeing Stanley one last time before turning around and walking away. 

“I bet we will.” He heard the man say, and Gen waved his hand dismissively, finally turning around the corner and losing his sight. 

The psychologist tossed the half-smoked cigarette to the ground and stepped on it, extinguishing the flame. 

He didn’t like smoking. He’d always hated the smell and taste of it.

—

Gen turned the card on his hands, carefully examining it. It didn’t look fake, it was too good quality for it to not be real. It was off-white, sturdy, with a texture that the psychologist’s fingers apparently couldn’t get tired of. He was turning the card over and over again, his brain repeating the name that was written on it in an elegant black font: Dr. Xeno.

He finally stood up from his bed and took his mobile phone —he’d charged it on a café, trying to seem cool about the fact that it was taking him to drink a coffee more than two hours. He googled the name and was suddenly overwhelmed by the number of articles written about him.

May 2016.

Dr. Xeno, the highly acclaimed and respected American scientist, has given up his job at NASA and moved to Japan, where he is supposedly working on a new project he isn’t ‘really keen on talking about’. The Administrator of NASA, Jim Bridenstine, has expressed his sadness about Xeno’s departure in his latest press conference.

Gen huffed, biting on his nails while he read the article. What would a famous scientist be looking in a psychology student that hasn’t even worked on his field yet? There was only one way to know.

He stayed a few seconds in silence, mentally preparing a speech for what to say once he called, and once he was happy with it he typed the number and pressed the call button. 

It rang once, twice, and by the fourth one, Gen was getting impatient.

“Yes?” A girl’s voice made him relax again, but he automatically straightened his spine, hoping his voice would sound confident.

“Yes, hi. I’m calling for the job offer. Someone gave me your card.” 

“Ah! Yes! Can I have your name, please?” She said enthusiastically, and Gen frowned before answering.

“Gen Asagiri.”

“Okay Gen, can you come tomorrow at 12 for the job interview? The address is on the card.”

“Sure, see you tomorrow.” He muttered, hanging up and placing his mobile phone on the bedside table before dropping down on the bed, eyes wide open and fixed on the ceiling.

Everything about it was weird. Why had Stanley given him the card out of all the people that were walking on the street? He hadn’t even asked what he had studied, or the type of job he was looking for. Why would that Dr. Xeno guy be looking for someone to hire in the street? 

Maybe it was a scam. He wouldn’t be surprised about it —once he had tried looking for a sugar daddy, and that hadn’t worked out well. Most of them were bots waiting to scam anyone stupid enough. 

Resting his arms behind his head and sighing loudly, Gen weighed his options: he could ignore them and simply not go to the job interview tomorrow, or he could go and risk it. It would most probably be a waste of time —something he didn’t have much anymore, since it was Wednesday already and he had to pay his landlord by the end of the week—, but a small part of him was telling him that maybe, maybe, the job was real and it could help him out of the situation he was in. 

He wasn’t in the position to ignore a job offer. The prospect of it being real was 50% of the possibilities. 

Okay, maybe not 50%, but 30%. And he was desperate. 

With a conclusive sigh, Gen sat up on the bed and told himself that he’d be there at 12 tomorrow. He didn’t have anything to lose. 

Before he could even second-guess his decision there was a knock on his door, pulling him out of his thoughts. 

It was probably Aito, and for a moment Gen thanked his manager’s insatiable sex-drive, because what he needed the most was not to think at all.

He’d have plenty of time to overthink tomorrow morning. 

—

The building was huge. Despite it being on the outskirts of the city, it held so much grandeur that it could’ve perfectly been in the centre of the city as an intimidating, impenetrable building that everyone wondered what it was for.

Gen’s face was tipped upwards, glittering eyes focused on the huge letter X on top of the door. It was intimidating. His whole body was telling him to run away from there, ditch the job offer and just consider working as a camboy. 

After their second round of sex yesterday Gen had felt maybe clingier than usual, and had ended up telling Aito everything; his struggle with money, how he was failing at finding a new job, and the mysterious card that he’d been given by Stanley.

“Do you know him?” Gen had asked in almost a whisper, his nervous eyes studying Aito’s every expression while he observed the card.

“I don’t, but it doesn’t seem fake to me.” His manager had finally answered, looking back at the psychologist. Gen had pursed his lips and lied back on the bed, one of his hands behind his head and the other mindlessly caressing his stomach, the feeling of his fingertips softly grazing his skin giving him goosebumps. 

He could go for another round of sex. Maybe he should. He was overthinking too much.

“Are you going to go?” Aito had finally asked, leaving the card on his bedside table and lying sideways, looking at Gen. 

Another round was a bad idea. He needed to be able to walk properly tomorrow. 

“I guess. Depends on what I decide tomorrow.” He had finally said, and Aito had hummed in agreement, lying back and closing his eyes. 

Gen took a deep breath, eyes still studying the building, and forced himself to walk towards it. Being a camboy would always be an option, but his curiosity had been sparked by the possible job offer not to risk it and go back home in the last minute. 

The A/C was blasting inside and he hissed, instantly feeling a cold sweat start at the sudden temperature change. The lobby was filled with people in suits walking hurriedly, and Gen scolded himself for the poor choice of clothing. He wasn’t going too informal, just some grey slacks and a silk white shirt, but he couldn’t help but feel underdressed for a second. 

Everything inside the building was white; the marble floors, the decorations, the desks, the elevator doors… Hell, even one of the paintings displayed on the wall was White on white by Kazimir Malevich. It was disturbing.

As much as he wasn’t feeling his best self right now, he needed to seem self-assured. If he wanted to get the job, whatever it was —he was already expecting something like a lab assistant, cleaning and feeding rats used for experiments, or anything weird and boring like that.

He forced himself to exude confidence when he walked over to the main desk and patiently waited for the blonde girl that was frantically typing on her computer to look up at him. 

“Hello, how can I help you?” She asked, looking up at him with an innocent smile. She also had a foreign accent, and looked far too young to be working there. 

“Hi, I’m here for the job interview?” Gen’s voice raised a bit at the end of the sentence, his nerves slipping out of his control. He cursed himself internally before speaking again. “I’m Gen.”

“Oh, yes! I remember you.” She said enthusiastically, standing up and offering her hand. “I’m Luna.” The blonde girl’s grip on their handshake was firm, and Gen silently admired her for her assertiveness. “I’ll show you to Dr. Xeno’s office. Follow me.”

He did, trying not to hold eye contact with anyone else while he followed Luna to the elevator. They went up to the eleventh floor, and as soon as the elevator doors opened he was breathless. 

The whole wall was glass, and the view of the city from there was amazing. If he squinted his eyes enough he could even see his shitty apartment building, but before he could truly locate it he had to focus back on Luna, who had started walking towards the far end of the hallway without even waiting for him. 

She finally stopped in front of a plain white door and turned around to smile at him. “Are you nervous?” 

“Yes.” He tried his best to sound sincere, plasting a nervous smile on his face so she could feel more empathetic towards him. Easy trick. 

Luna smiled at him before knocking on the door and slightly opening it, saying something before finally opening it all the way. 

There he was.

Dr. Xeno in the flesh.

So it wasn’t a scam after all. 

Gen did his best to swallow all the nerves that had suddenly surged inside of him and walked inside the office, trying his best to look confident enough. 

Everything was white, of course. The only thing that wasn’t were Stanley’s clothes, who was leaning against a window with a cigarette between his lips. Gen didn’t know why, but his presence already eased him a bit. 

“Nice to meet you, Gen. Sit down.” Dr. Xeno’s voice was serene, and the psychologist nodded before sitting down on the white (obviously) leather chair in front of the doctor’s desk. 

He heard the door close behind him, and knew that Luna had left them three alone. A curious glance towards Stanley gained him an amused smile from the blonde man, who winked at him before exhaling the smoke of his cigarette and adding more pressure to the already tense atmosphere.

“Can I ask you a few questions?” Xeno asked, leaning back on the chair and folding his arms. 

“Sure.” Gen tried his best to hold eye contact with him, studying his face. He was old, maybe ten or fifteen years older than him, but his under-eye circles and receding hairline made him look much older. 

“What did you study at university?” The scientist asked, his eyes following Gen’s every movement. The psychologist couldn’t guess what he was thinking, but something about his and Stanley’s body language were giving him enough clues; he already had the job.

He just needed to know why, and what exactly was it. 

“Psychology.” Gen’s eyes travelled from Xeno to Stanley, trying to read their body language so he could answer what they wanted to hear. A small nod from the scientist gave him confirmation that whatever he was saying was the good thing.

“Here, at the University of Tokyo?”

“Yes.”

“Did you do any extracurricular activities during your studies at university?” 

He stayed silent a few second, observing Xeno attentively; for a second, the black leather collar he was wearing distracted him. Kinky. The scientist leaned forward on the chair, and that made Gen concentrate on the conversation again; so this was the question that truly interested him. 

He focused back on his own body language and tried his best to seem relaxed, but not too relaxed; nervous, but not too nervous. “I did. I was part of the student council for two years.” 

“Do you want the job, Gen?” Xeno asked, leaning back on the white leather chair again. “If you agree, I’ll tell you what it consists of.”

The psychologist couldn’t help a cocky grin, his eyes meeting  Stanley’s for a brief moment, who also smiled, the cigarette hanging between his teeth. Gen felt like they were sharing a secret —what it was, he didn't know.

He looked back at Xeno, his eyes filled with determination, and curtly nodded. “Of course I want it.”

Chapter Text

The hot water instantly eased Gen’s muscles, sore from all the tension they’d held during his interview with Dr. Xeno and Stanley. 

He had a job. A really good one too —could it even be considered a job, though?—, but there was a feeling of uneasiness that hadn’t left his body since he went out of that office. His mind was working at an inhumane speed, trying to fit the puzzle pieces, and getting frustrated because he didn’t even have all of them. 

“Are you still alive?” Aito knocked on the bathroom door, pulling him out of his thoughts. “You’ve been there for almost half an hour.” 

“Yes, sorry. I’ll be out in a minute.” Gen said, his forehead resting against the cold marble tile of the walls, trying to ground himself for a second. He had also worked out a lie to tell Aito as an excuse for not being able to do as many interviews at theatres and bars for magic performances, but he was hoping his manager understood. 

What he didn’t know how to explain to him was the way he’d gotten a job that paid him 50 grand a month and covered all his living expenses. 

He painfully stepped out of the water, hoping he could’ve stayed for at least half an hour more, before taking the towel and drying his hair and body. 

A quick glance in the mirror confirmed him what he’d been fearing for a few weeks; he was skinnier, the outline of his ribs marked well on his chest, and he silently cursed himself. He’d have to eat more, now that he could afford it. 

It was so weird to think that —he could afford it. A little chit-chat with Dr. Xeno had ended up with him having 50 grand on his bank account and a new job. Not even in his wildest dreams he could’ve imagined that a card given by a stranger on a street wouldn’t be a scam. 

After putting his underwear on he walked out of the bathroom, towel hanging from his shoulder. He didn’t mind being almost naked in front of Aito —he’d seen him completely naked countless times anyways—, but something about delivering the news in his underwear just didn’t seem right.

“Wait.” He said when he found his manager sitting on the sofa, waiting for him. He walked over to the bedroom and put some clothes on before going back to the living room. 

Gen dropped down on the sofa with a sigh, closing his eyes and letting his head back. He could feel Aito’s eyes on him, waiting for him to start talking. 

“It was real.” He said with another sigh, opening his eyes and looking at his manager. “I met Dr. Xeno.” 

Aito’s smile looked genuine, and Gen felt a pang in his chest —he wasn’t going to be as happy when he heard the rest of it. 

“And I got the job.” He wished so bad for his own smile to be genuine, but he couldn’t lie to himself.

His manager cheered and stood up with a small, energetic, jump. “We have to celebrate that. Do you want some champagne?” 

Gen sat up on the sofa with a frown and a playful smile on his lips. “You bought champagne?” 

“I was sure you were going to get it.” Aito explained, opening the fridge and getting the champagne bottle, serving it in two tall and skinny glasses. Gen couldn’t help but feel a bit boujee when he took it and drank a small sip of the golden beverage, following his manager with his eyes. 

That’s why they’d stayed together for such a long time; Aito had an almost blind confidence in his success, and no matter how badly Gen fucked it up, he was always there to give him support.

A strange sense of warmth and fondness overcame him, and he had to take another sip of the champagne to ground himself. 

“So, what’s…?” Before Aito could finish the question his voice was drowned by Gen’s hungry lips. Their kisses tasted of the bittersweet champagne, and, like always, the psychologist’s mind repeated him again and again that he shouldn’t be fucking his manager, but by doing it he achieved what he needed the most: not thinking at all. 

“You always have confidence in me.” He exhaled between kisses, his body relaxing against Aito’s when his hands traveled under his t-shirt. 

“That’s why I’m your manager.” 

“The best one.” He smiled, his fingers hooking the waistband of Aito’s sweatpants and pulling his body even closer. 

The talking —the lies— could wait. Now he needed to stop thinking about Xeno and Stanley’s words. 

— 

If Gen had to describe the range of emotions Dr. Xeno’s face showed once he heard his answer, it would be something like surprise, amusement, distrust and mild confusion. 

Stanley leaned back on the wall, a pleased smile on his face, and for a second Gen had to fight off the heat that he felt going up to his face. 

“That easy? You’re that desperate?” The scientist asked, one of his eyebrows rising. 

Gen had to resist the urge to tell him the desperate one in that office was him, but he didn’t want to show off his cards so soon. Instead, he leaned back on the chair with a false nervous chuckle, and brushed his bangs out of his face. 

“You see, I’ve been having a hard time finding a job. I’ll take anything at this point.”

It was easier to trick Dr. Xeno than what he’d previously thought. From the way the scientist smirked at hearing those words, Gen deduced he had some type of superiority complex that truly made him believe that he needed him. Still, he heard Stanley huff, and he knew that the blonde hadn’t been as easily convinced. 

“That’s why we chose you.” That distracted comment by Dr. Xeno while he stood up and turned the blinds of the windows on the office so they could have more privacy confirmed all of Gen’s suspicions; of course he’d been chosen. 

“Now, will you care to explain what the job is?” Gen made sure his question didn’t sound like an order or condescending at all. He had the job, now he just had to discover what all that secrecy was about and, more importantly, why he’d been chosen for it. He couldn’t risk falling on Xeno’s bad side and losing this opportunity. 

“Do you remember who you went to the student council with? Any names you can recall?” The scientist asked, sitting back down on the white chair in front of him. The tidy —white, of course— desk that separated them gave Gen comfort, trying to ignore Stanley’s piercing gaze while he dived into his memories in an attempt to find a good answer. 

Did he meet anyone special at the student council? He’d only gone because of the extra credit, so he didn’t even pay much attention to the people that went with him. Gen blinked a few times, trying to focus on someone, anyone , but he finally gave up and slumped on the chair, rubbing his temples as if the effort of thinking had left him mentally exhausted. 

“I don’t.” He sighed, and he didn’t miss Xeno’s pleased smile; so he loved to be the one with the upperhand in regards to information. Interesting. 

“Does the name Senku Ishigami sound familiar to you?”

Gen muttered the name under his breath a few times, trying to sound deep in thought; he actually did recognise that name —why, he couldn’t exactly pinpoint. 

“No, not one bit.” He lied, nervously eyeing Stanley. He seemed quite relaxed, which in turn also comforted Gen. If he didn’t see through his facade, that meant he was doing a great job at acting clueless. 

But then again, if these two had purposely chosen him for the job, they should know that Gen was everything but clueless. 

“Well, let me tell you who Senku is.” Dr. Xeno stood up and started pacing around the office, followed by Stanley and Gen’s eyes. “Twenty year old kid. Crazy intelligent, we could maybe say he is one of the most intelligent people here on earth as of now.”

Gen noticed the way Xeno’s face twisted when saying those words, noting it down in his brain for future reference. 

“He’s also against me.” The scientist said, turning back to Gen. “A twenty year-old amateur scientist used my kindness for his advantage and now it’s leading my whole experiment on his own.” 

“Why is he against you?” The psychologist asked innocently, cocking his head to one side like a confused puppy would do. 

“Because he felt like I was being too noisy with how the experiment was going.” Dr. Xeno sighed exasperated and leaned against the window, eyeing the view of the city. 

“And because I shot him.” Stanley added with a noncommittal shrug, and Gen couldn’t control the way his eyes widened. 

“But that doesn’t have anything to do with me.” Xeno waved a hand dismissively, and the blonde man huffed and tossed the cigarette to the white trash can next to the desk with a scowl. 

“You gave the order.” He reminded him, and Xeno glared at Stanley as if that detail was something Gen shouldn’t have ever heard. 

“So… You did some things that made Senku lose your trust in you.” The psychologist said cautiously, his gaze travelling from Xeno to Stanley. 

The scientist groaned and turned around, slamming his palm on the desk, which made Gen yelp. “I don’t care about him losing his trust in us, but what happened after that.” He stuffed his hand into the pockets of his lab coat, as if he was scolding himself for losing his temper. Stanley had lit another cigarette, still leaning against the window, but his eyes never left Gen, the psychologist feeling his gaze’s full force on him, making him self-conscious. “He secluded himself in one of my facilities and refuses to get out or let me in.” 

“Why don’t you just kick him out of the experiment?” Gen asked, his gaze meeting Stanley’s. The blonde softly shook his head, as if what Dr. Xeno was about to say was absolute nonsense. 

“Because he’s the only person that knows about it except for me, and because he’s the one that’s proven it real. Despite me being aware of what he was doing at first, now I’ve lost track of it.” The scientist brushed his hair out of his face with his hand and sighed, annoyed. “ My experiment. My idea. And this kid comes from nowhere and steals it from me, while still using my resources and my money.” 

Gen was trying his best to keep up with Xeno’s story, but there was something not fully making sense about it. He could ask more things and try to get more info, but he knew he’d be lied to. It was going to be a waste of time. 

“How long has this been going for?” He finally asked, and Dr. Xeno turned around to look back at him. 

“Two years.” The scientist sighed. “We’ve really tried everything we could.” He added when he saw Gen’s confused expression, one of his eyebrows raised and his lips pursed. 

“I even shot him.” Stanley added again, meeting Gen’s eyes. There was something about the coldness he had when saying it that made the psychologist shudder. 

“So, what’s my role in all of this?” He asked carefully, trying to seem confused. 

Dr. Xeno finally sat back in front of him and clasped his hands together. “You, my friend, are going to be my eyes and ears inside of Senku’s facility.” 

Gen frowned and crossed his legs, his eyes fixed on Xeno. “And how exactly will that work?” 

“You’ll go live there with him.” The scientist shrugged, and for the first time Gen felt truly confused.

“Is he really going to let me enter the facility?” He asked eyeing Stanley, who had turned around and was looking out the window.

“You don’t have to worry about that, I’ll find a way to convince him. You just have to befriend him and get him to tell you all the information about the experiment.” Xeno raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to one side, studying Gen’s face. “Are you in, or have I scared you off?” 

“How much?” The psychologist uncrossed his legs and leaned back on the chair. He could see Stanley's face through the reflection of the window —he was frowning, but a small smile played on his lips. 

“Fifty thousand dollars every month plus all the living expenses.” Dr. Xeno’s smile once he saw Gen’s surprise was cocky, pleased with the reaction he got from the psychologist. “Have you seen that sum of money ever in your life?”

Gen’s smile and slight blush was, as always, fake, as the next words he said with an innocent chuckle. “I haven’t. That’s a lot.”

Xeno’s change of expression and words stayed imprinted on Gen’s mind for the rest of the afternoon and night, as a foreboding and warning of what he’d chosen. 

“Dealing with Senku won’t be easy.”

—

The light entering through the blinds woke him up, and Gen turned around in the bed with a soft grunt. He had a mild hangover, and he was sticky from the two —or were they three?— rounds of sex from yesterday. 

He had to make use of all his willpower to sit up on the bed and open his eyes all the way, brushing his hair away from his forehead with a sigh. 

“Mornin’.” Aito mumbled, throwing his arm around Gen’s waist. 

The psychologist faked a smile and pushed his manager’s arm away, getting out of bed. “I have to take a shower.” 

“Stay for a bit.” Aito grabbed his hand, softly pulling him back to the bed. 

Gen sighed and freed his hand, taking his clothes from the floor. “I have things to do.” 

“Your new job you didn’t end up telling me about?” He asked, voice muffled against the pillow. 

“Exactly.” Gen lied, getting out of the bedroom and walking over to the bathroom. 

He took a shower in complete silence, scrubbing his body as if the soap could wash away all the thoughts and doubts he had, and tried to concentrate on what he’d decided to do today: examine the facility, gather information about Senku. 

Before Aito was fully awake and could try to persuade him to stay with him for a bit longer, Gen got dressed and left his house, his mind still trying to piece together all the information he got yesterday. 

He was supposed to move into the facility in two days, and the nervousness and creepiness of it all was starting to get to him. There were still too many plot holes in Xeno’s story, and the fact that the scientist was so convinced that Senku was just going to let Gen in didn’t sit right with him. 

Gen took the subway towards the direction Dr. Xeno had provided him with, closely checking in the maps app all the surroundings and trying to memorise all the street’s names. If he was going to live there —if he was going to be able to live normally there— he needed to know the surroundings just in case. 

It was one of the most expensive sides of the city, filled with high buildings and busy people in suits running to or from work, young rich girls with countless high-end fashion brand’s bags filled with clothes, expensive sports cars with roaring motors speeding on the road, expensive cafés with instagrammable walls. 

Gen thanked the fact that Xeno had done the fifty thousand dollar deposit yesterday and his bank account was fuller than ever when he saw the prices on the outside of one of the café’s, one that was exactly in front of the highly secluded, modern —and obviously white— facility where Senku supposedly lived and worked in. 

It stood out from the rest of the taller buildings, but it wasn’t exactly ugly. It was surrounded by a high white fence, and all the trees and plants in the garden just let the eye see glimpses of how the facility was exactly. 

He didn’t know what he was going to get from staying in a café for an hour or so waiting. Probably nothing, but he was curious, and he needed something to soothe the wild thoughts in his mind. 

Gen ordered the most expensive thing on the menu —a piece of chocolate cake that was definitely too pricey for what it really was, but he could afford it, and he deserved it— and sat on the table closer to the window, his eyes scanning every person that walked in front of the building or even dared look at it. 

“You’re so predictable.” Stanley’s voice startled him, jumping a little on his chair and a small yelp leaving his lips. The blonde man was intensely staring at him, standing up next to the table, a cup of black coffee on his hand. 

“You scared me.” Gen smiled nervously, his eyes following Stanley as he sat in front of him and took a sip of his coffee. 

“Spying on Senku?” He asked once he put his cup down, his eyes fixed on the psychologist’s. 

“Getting to know the surroundings.” Gen tilted his head to the side, studying Stanley’s serious expression. “Why are you here?” 

“Xeno sends me here from time to time just to keep an eye on Senku.” He took another sip of his coffee. “And in case he gets too close to a window and I can shoot him easily.” His smile was almost devilish, an amused glint in his eyes.

“You have a shot from here to a window?” The psychologist thanked the seconds he took in glancing towards the building, looking mysterious and out of a movie in the middle of the busy street. How expensive would having that random big building with a garden in the middle of the city be? 

“Not exactly from here.” Stanley smiled when he saw Gen’s frown. “I can’t reveal my exact position.”

Gen didn’t know what to respond, so he just took a bite of his chocolate cake, his eyes never leaving Stanley’s, and nodded. “Hmm.” 

The blonde leaned back on the chair, taking a long sip of his coffee, before looking back at Gen. “Can I have a bite?” He asked with sad puppy eyes, his blue eyes glossy and a small pout on his red stained lips. 

The psychologist had to stop for a brief second, too taken aback by Stanley’s face —which he thought was kinda adorable, but at the same time scared him because he now knew the blonde was aware of his beauty and wouldn’t hesitate to use it for his benefit— and his petition. 

“You don’t look like the type to have a sweet tooth.” He finally said, cutting a bit of cake and pinching it with his fork. He was going to hand the fork to Stanley, but the blonde simply leaned towards him over the table and opened his mouth, eyes fixed on him. 

Gen fed the piece of chocolate cake to Stanley while trying to fight the blush that was threatening to show up in his face, especially with the way the blonde’s lips wrapped around the fork. 

“Hmm. So good.” Stanley said, leaning back once again on the chair and savouring the cake.

“Yeah.” Gen mumbled, taking a bite of the cake himself. 

“Once you finish, will you come out for a smoke with me?” The blonde asked, leaving his now empty coffee cup on the table and looking at Gen. “Senku won’t come out, you shouldn’t worry about that.” He added when the psychologist looked over at the building. 

“Sure, but I won’t smoke.” Gen sighed, taking the last bite of his cake and standing up. 

“Quitting?” Stanley mimicked him but, instead of walking towards the entrance door, he turned and paced towards the back of the café.

 The psychologist didn’t have any other option other than following him, so that’s what he did. “Something like that.” 

“Too bad.” The blonde opened the café’s back door, stepping into a deserted alleyway. Gen’s instinct told him to find and excuse and run away from there, but he ended up following Stanley out nonetheless. 

He stared with nervous eyes at the way the blonde lit up a cigarette and leaned against a wall, briefly closing his eyes at the feeling of the warm and bitter smoke entering his throat. 

“When are you going to tell Xeno you aren’t up for the job?” Stanley asked, his hooded eyes focusing on Gen, who was fiddling with the cuffs of his sweater. 

“What? I’m not giving it up.” The psychologist frowned, slightly tilting his head in confusion. 

Stanley shook his head and took another puff of his cigarette. “Look, Gen. I like you.” The other man didn’t add anything, just nodded, even more confused than before, so the blonde continued. “As Xeno told you, dealing with Senku won’t be easy.” 

“I’m not scared.” 

“It’s not–” Stanley stopped himself, took another puff of his cigarette, heavily sighing, before trying again. “It’s not about being scared of not. It’s about what could happen to you.” 

“Again, I’m not scared of what could–” Before Gen could finish his sentence, Stanley tossed his cigarette to the ground and pinned him to the wall, his forearm softly pressing against the psychologist’s throat. 

“This is not about you being scared or whatnot.” He growled, applying a bit more pressure. 

Gen didn’t know what to do, or what to say. His hands were uselessly gripping Stanley’s arm in hopes of the man backing away, but a small part of his brain was concentrated on the way the other smelled, on how close they were…

His train of thought was suddenly stopped when Stanley rested their foreheads together. “Gen,” he stopped for a second, softened the pressure on the psychologist's throat, and sighed, their foreheads still pressed together and their breaths mixing. “You can still walk away from this. Please do.” 

“I can’t. I need the money.” He didn’t know what else to say, his mind working at an inhumane speed trying to understand what was happening and what he hadn’t been told. 

Stanley sighed and lowered his arm, freeing Gen a bit, but he didn’t move away from him, suddenly the two too aware of the small gap between their bodies. His clear blue eyes were fixed on the psychologist's, occasionally flickering down to his lips and back up. 

“I hope you’re as good as we heard and can get around Senku’s little tricks.” Stanley exhaled, taking a small step towards him. He pressed his body against Gen’s, who inhaled sharply at the contact, and closed his eyes, their hips pressed together and their noses softly bumping against each other’s. 

Gen grinned cockily, his hooded eyes focusing on Stanley’s lips. “I’ll try my best.” 

The blonde brushed his nose against Gen’s, taking a deep breath. “Good. If you don’t, I’ll kill you.” 

They both knew he wasn’t joking about it, but the psychologist's mind was focused on other things. They were close, so close, Gen could tilt his head to one side and their lips would meet. Stanley’s hands gripped his waist for a brief second, their lips millimeters away, but before they could finally kiss and get rid of all that sexual tension that was driving them both crazy , the blonde stepped away and groaned, rubbing his temples. 

“I have to go.” Stanley sighed, brushing his bangs away from his face. “Please reconsider it.” 

“I will.” He wouldn’t. 

Gen watched idly as Stanley walked out of the alleyway, the psychologist's back still pressed against the wall and shivers going through his body, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Was his body responding to Stanley’s threat, or was it releasing all the adrenaline that he’d felt when being so close to the blonde?

His phone was vibrating with what surely was a call from Aito, but he was too shocked to even move. 

“What have I gotten myself into?” He whispered to himself, sliding his back down the wall and sitting on the floor, his mind more overwhelmed than ever with all the puzzle pieces he had to fit together. 

Chapter Text

The message Dr. Xeno sent him twenty-four hours before Gen was supposed to move into Senku’s facility only served to make him even more nervous and fidgety than before. 

12 pm sharp. Senku will be expecting you.

Gen kept scolding himself for being so anxious about something he didn’t know about. Despite the warnings Xeno gave him and Stanley’s reluctance about him taking the job, he knew that letting his mind run wild with thoughts about how Senku could be wasn’t the best idea. 

Maybe he was just a normal kid, too intelligent for his age. Maybe he was someone so aware of his intelligence he didn’t even care about other people’s thoughts or feelings. Maybe he was an evil scientist ready to use Gen as a guinea pig. 

“Stop, idiot.” Gen murmured to himself, rubbing his temples and laying back down on his dear bed. He’d already paid rent. Despite him moving out the next day, he didn’t want to give up his apartment so fast. 

He was alone tonight. Aito was kinda angry with him for not responding to his messages or calls for almost 24 hours and didn’t want to come over to his apartment, and for the first time, Gen felt like the bed was too big for him, constantly tossing and turning in search for something he didn’t even know —was it body heat? The feeling of the weight of someone else on the same bed? The need to be cuddled by someone? Was he already craving sex only after a few days without it? 

He sat up once again on the bed and took his phone, checking Dr. Xeno’s message for the tenth time, as if rereading it again and again was going to crack some weird message written in code. 

The psychologist sighed and was about to get out of bed to take the second shower of the day in an attempt to clear his mind when his phone chimed. 

Still awake. 

Nervous?

Despite the number being unknown, Gen’s body relaxed when reading it, instantly realising it must’ve been Stanley. He bit the smile threatening to show up on his lips, and picked up the phone. 

He wasn’t going to text Stanley back —they weren’t horny teenagers. The psychologist took a deep breath and pressed the ‘call’ button, walking over to his fridge and getting a beer while waiting for the man to pick up.

“What do you want.” Stanley almost sounded annoyed by the call, and that only made Gen smile even more, sitting back down on the futon with the beer balanced on his thigh. 

“I got your message, but I decided it was better to call.” He took a sip of his beer, noticing the moment of silence before the blonde responded.

“I didn’t send any messages.” Gen could picture him perfectly: cigarette between his lips, a smug smile on his face, his clear blue eyes fixed on him while he lied. 

“Must’ve been one of my secret admirers then.” 

Stanley huffed, and the psychologist couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips, taking another sip of his beer and enjoying the brief silence that settled between them. 

“Are you outside?” Gen asked, leaving the beer on the floor before lying back down on the bed, enjoying the way the night breeze entering through his opened window caressed his naked body. 

“I have a job to do.” He answered briefly, a sigh escaping his lips. By the way he grunted, Gen deduced he’d sat down or moved, and for a second he wondered if he was waiting outside of Senku’s facility, still hoping for the moment he could shoot him. 

“Difficult?” His hand was trailing up and down his stomach, and Gen’s train of thought led him back to their almost kiss on the alleyway the other day, a rush of warmth spreading all over his body. Maybe having sex every day had made him insatiable. 

He could hear Stanley’s cocky grin through the phone. “Nothing I can't handle.” 

Do it fast and come over then. Make me forget about tomorrow. The words almost left Gen’s mouth, but he just sighed and turned around on the bed, humming. “Good luck, then. I hope you can finish fast and go rest.”

Stanley huffed. “ You need the luck for tomorrow. Go to sleep and be careful.” 

The nervousness that had been keeping the psychologist awake but had disappeared the moment he saw Stanley’s message came back all at once, and he pursed his lips. “I will.” 

“If you need anything you can call this number. I’ll be available 24 hours, every day, any day. Got it?” 

“Yeah,” Gen sighed, closing his eyes. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Gen.” 

After five or six seconds in silence, Stanley hung up. For a moment, Gen wondered whether the blonde was wishing for the same thing, both of them meeting up and letting their desires and arousal do whatever was pulling them close. 

“Ah, shut up.” Gen whispered to himself, softly slapping his own forehead. “You’re just horny and he probably has a huge dick.”

Closing his eyes again, he tried to let his mind blank, but after a few minutes he huffed, exasperated, and lied back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. 

He definitely wasn’t going to sleep at all tonight. 

— 

Gen hated suitcases. 

Packing a suitcase was enough in itself, but what annoyed the psychologist the most was the constant clang, clang, clang the suitcase wheels did when he was walking. Something about the loud, arrhythmic sound they made put him on edge and brought him memories he preferred to bury deep inside his mind. 

Now the sound was making him even more anxious than before, all the things that had considered important for his stay with Senku reminding him with the constant sounds that he wasn’t going to sleep that night, and many to come, at home.

That was, if he ever got to go back home. 

He scolded himself for the nth time for having those kinds of thoughts, and raised his chin to force some confidence into him. 

Trying his best not to hold eye contact with any of the people that walked past him on the street, he finally approached the entrance to Senku's facility. 

He was in the middle of the city, in a busy street. Surely nothing could go wrong. He could find help easily if needed. 

At that moment Gen realised he wasn’t as good as lying to himself as he’d thought. 

Before pressing the button that would alert Senku of his presence, he turned around and scanned the buildings surrounding them, eyes studying every person in a window they could, in search for Stanley. A part of him assured him that the blonde was there, making sure everything went well. 

For a second he imagined Stanley perched on top of a building, eyes fixed on him, and a silent plead escaping his lips. Don’t go in. It isn’t too late yet.

He took a deep breath, pushing those thoughts aside, and pressed the button. 

The door opened instantly with a loud creak, startling Gen and the passerby. He smiled awkwardly at the people that had stopped to look at him, probably the ones that walked by the facility every day and hadn’t seen past the wall ever before, and finally entered, the heavy metal door closing behind him. 

Every instinct inside him was telling him to turn around, press his back against the door and just wait until it opened again to just run away from there, but Gen did his best impression of being calm when his gaze met one of the at least twenty surveillance cameras that decorated the front of the building and the garden. 

His eyes fixed on the black lense looking back at him, and something inside him stirred. He didn’t exactly know why, but he instantly knew Senku was holding his gaze on the other side of it. 

Gen grabbed the suitcase and ignored the rattling of the wheels while he walked towards the entrance door. It buzzed open as soon as he was near enough to push it, and a shiver ran up his spine. He was being observed. 

Once he entered the hall and the door closed behind him, all the city sounds faded completely, leaving Gen alone with the sound of his own breath and the thoughts that were taking over his head. 

The main hall was… creepy. It was completely empty, no furniture or sofas or a desk where someone could attend visitors, not even a plant or paintings as decoration on the walls. It also was completely white —this didn’t surprise Gen anymore, but it crept him nonetheless—, the floor made of what seemed white marble and the walls white and completely bare, save for some of the surveillance cameras pointing at the entrance and the elevator door in front of Gen. 

He scanned the cameras as subtly as he could before walking towards the elevator and pressing the button. The doors opened instantly, and the psychologist walked inside trying to ignore the way his body was slightly shaking. 

The buttons in the elevator had the floor name next to them, making it easier for Gen to know where he should head to. 

There was a floor below him, labelled as “garage”, then the first and second floor were labelled as “warehouse”, third to sixth were the laboratories, but the label of the next floors made Gen stop for a brief second. 

Floors six, seven, eight and nine were “secluded floors”. He stared at the words for a brief second, then forced himself to keep reading. Tenth and eleventh floors were the “living quarters”, where Gen was probably going to spend most of his time. 

There was also a rooftop, which the psychologist silently thanked. He didn’t know if he was going to be able to go outside , so having somewhere where he could get some fresh air calmed him a bit. 

He side-eyed the surveillance camera on the corner of the elevator’s ceiling before pressing the button to the tenth floor, ignoring the way his hands were trembling.

The ride up was spent with him bracing for the worst. Gen was trying his best to look confident and not scared at all, but if Senku knew the simplest notions of body language he would’ve guessed the psychologist was too nervous. Gen hated himself for not being able to hide it. 

The elevator doors opened silently, showing Gen a huge, completely white —obviously— open-floored apartment. He stepped into the marble floor as silently as he could, the elevator doors closing behind him, and he studied the room, completely still. 

The kitchen was at his right, big, black —a change, which Gen thanked— and modern, with an isle in the middle of it surrounded by black barstools. The living room was at his right, also big and modern. The furniture was also black, a huge TV covering most of the wall and a big bookshelf filled with books next to it. The sofa was big and looked comfy enough to sleep on it. 

And, obviously, there were surveillance cameras on almost every corner of it. 

Gen dragged his suitcase to the kitchen isle, leaving his backpack on it before noticing the paper on top of the black marble counter. 

Your room is on this floor. It’s the door on the right at the end of the hallway. I’d appreciate it if you didn't enter mine, it’s quite untidy as of now. Don’t take it too personally if I don’t show up for dinner tonight. 

Senku.

Gen fiddled with the paper for a few seconds, analysing the writing style. It was carefree, as if Senku had thought about writing that note minutes before he arrived. He left it back on the kitchen isle and took his things before heading towards his bedroom.

There were no paintings on the white walls and no other form of decoration whatsoever. Was this white frenzy Dr. Xeno’s making, or was Senku just too uninterested about where he lived that he didn’t care about decorating? 

The hallway wasn’t that long, lined with two doors on the right and two on the left, and with a staircase leading to god-knows-what at the end of it. 

He decided he’d have enough time to explore after unpacking and taking a shower, which were his priorities now —that and counting all the surveillance cameras he’d spotted in the building, which were now almost thirty. On the hallway, he counted another two, but before he could investigate more he entered what was supposed to be his room.

It was unsurprisingly white, but the bed covers were a deep blue for a change. It only had the bed, two bedside tables on each side of it, a wardrobe and a big window looking towards the buildings next to the facility.

“Home sweet home.” Gen sighed, leaving his things on the bed before turning around in the room, searching for cameras.

Thankfully he didn’t spot any —he even looked inside the wardrobe just to make sure—, but the feeling that he was being observed hadn’t worn off him just yet. There was something utterly chilling about the silence in the facility, and if it wasn’t from Senku’s note, Gen would’ve assumed he was completely alone in it. 

He did his best to unpack everything and leave it reasonably tidy, but he was getting too anxious and couldn’t stop thinking about Senku someplace inside the facility, waiting for him or just keeping an eye on him through all the surveillance cameras. 

After deciding he should take a shower and clear his mind before anything else Gen got some clean clothes and exited his bedroom, looking at the other three doors in the hallway. 

He guessed that the room in front of him was Senku’s, so he opted for opening the door next to his own bedroom, his muscles relaxing a bit when he saw that it indeed was the bathroom. Closing the door behind him and making sure it was locked, Gen stood in the middle and slowly turned, his deep blue eyes scanning every corner where a camera could be located. 

Nothing. He felt himself relax more. At least he still had some privacy.

Stripping off his clothes and leaving them on one side of the bathroom floor, Gen briefly looked at himself in the mirror before stepping into the shower. 

As much as he’d wanted to take the time under the hot stream of water as a moment to relax, his mind was constantly turning over and over all the possibilities he could have with Senku. 

Dr. Xeno’s orders had been clear: find a way to get information about the experiments, pass it onto him. 

‘Find a way’ was quite a vague expression to use, but Gen guessed the scientist just trusted him enough to come up with a plan. 

Still, there were too many unanswered questions, too many suspicious actions. 

He wanted to meet Senku already. It was impossible for him to think of a way to lure a person into giving information without even knowing them. 

Gen sighed and pressed his forehead against the cold tiles of the shower, the hot water burning his skin and the contrast just soothing his nerves for a second. 

What if he wasn’t good enough for this job? What if Senku was way smarter than him —he probably was— and he wouldn’t be able to play his mind games? What if he really was in danger, just as Stanley had said?

“Stop with all that self-doubt and get your shit together.” He muttered to himself, straightening his spine and letting the hot water wet his face and hair. “It’s time for the acting.” 

After stepping out of the shower, drying his hair a bit and getting dressed, Gen went back to his bedroom just to leave the dirty clothes inside the hamper next to his wardrobe and then headed towards the kitchen. 

He opened the fridge and relief washed over him when he found it full. At least he had food as a distraction until he met Senku. 

Cooking wasn’t his forte —never had been—, so he opted to make some pasta. Easy enough for him to still concentrate on acting carefree while being completely aware that he was probably being watched by Senku. 

He wondered if the cameras also had microphones in them while he waited for the pasta to boil, scrolling through his emails and trying to seem as nonchalant as possible. 

What if Senku didn’t appear today? What if he went to sleep completely alone inside of a secluded facility, with another person about whom he only knew he wasn’t safe ?

For a second he hesitated, his eyes fixed on Stanley’s phone number, ready to call and ask him to get out of there. 

Shut up. He screamed at his own mind, turning his phone off and leaving it on the kitchen counter. 

He had to wait until he met Senku. Then he could start overthinking about whether it was a good idea to leave or not. 

Gen ate in silence, a small —fake— smile tugging at the corner of his lips, still showing off his carefree demeanour even though he wasn’t sure if Senku was still watching him or not. 

If he was, he would label it as downright creepy. 

Once he finished eating and stashing the dishes into the dishwasher, he made his way towards the huge bookshelf on the left side of the living room. 

From a camera’s viewpoint, it could seem Gen was just choosing an interesting read, but the psychologist’s mind was focused on other things; find hidden cameras, microphones, anything. 

Trailing his finger on the book spines, occasionally taking one out to read the summary, Gen made his way through the bookshelf, in a task that seemed awfully boring but was somehow soothing the wild thoughts inside his mind, and that also gave him a glimpse of Senku. If he’d been the one to choose these books, there were two things he liked: science and classics. From that along, Gen guessed that he probably was quite a straightforward person. 

He finally opted for a relatively old copy of a sci-fi classic he’d never heard of, checking the cover and the summary once again before tucking the book under his arm and making his way back to the bedroom. 

As much as he wanted to check for hidden cameras inside his bedroom again —he had the feeling that they were hidden—, he knew he should hold off for the time being and keep acting just in case. 

He dropped down on the bed with a sigh, opening the book and trying his best to concentrate on the words printed on the yellowing pages, talking about crazy spaceships and super intelligent aliens. 

The feeling that he was being observed didn’t go away. 

— 

He woke up disoriented, not completely aware for a few seconds of where he really was or what he’d been doing before falling asleep. Outside the sun was already setting, and Gen idly sat up on the bed for a moment before his mind fully processed it. The sun was already setting. 

After scrambling out of the bed he rubbed his eyes, yawning and trying to calm down the wild beating of his heart.

Now he had two options: go back to sleep or go have dinner and potentially meet Senku. 

He knew which one he preferred; his whole body was asking him to go back to bed and sleep soundly until tomorrow, but still, Gen forced himself to straighten his clothes and step out of his bedroom. 

Complete silence, which Gen didn’t know whether it comforted him or just made him even more nervous. 

For a second he thought about going to the bathroom and then back to his bedroom, but when his stomach growled impatiently he realised he didn’t have much of an option. 

Gen made his way towards the kitchen reluctantly, acting as if he still was a bit sleepy. Even if the possibility of him still being observed was slim, it still was a possibility. 

He felt himself relax a bit when he found the living room and kitchen both deserted, everything exactly the same as he’d left it after having lunch. 

Senku’s note was still where he’d discarded it, and Gen reread it once more before starting to prepare dinner —nothing too special, just some roasted potatoes and a pack of instant noodles—, but having to concentrate on something else apart from his thoughts about who Senku could be relaxed him, and by the time he sat down to have dinner, he wasn’t as half as anxious as before. 

“I hope you’re enjoying your stay.” 

The voice startled Gen, and he turned around on the chair, trying to find the source of it. 

There he was. He did recognise Senku from their encounters at the student council, but he’d never known his name or what he studied. 

What crept him the most was the fact that he was sitting on the sofa, which meant that he’d made his way from the elevator to the living room so soundlessly Gen hadn’t even noticed. 

The psychologist stood up, his food long-forgotten, and studied Senku attentively before answering with a smile. “I am. It’s a lovely apartment indeed.” 

He guessed the scientist didn’t expect that answer, because he turned his head towards him, finally assessing Gen with his penetrating crimson eyes. 

Senku’s appearance was surprising, not really common, which had made Gen curious when they’d met in university: long, spiky white hair with green tips, deep red eyes with long lashes that made them shine even more, sharp but inviting features, and when he’d talked in the student council —it wasn’t common, but Gen remembered that his discourses were always straightforward and mostly right—, the slight arch of his eyebrows and his cocky grin made him even more attractive. 

What he didn’t remember at all were the two parallel black scars that ran from his forehead to the bottom of his eyes in the form of lightning, making his gaze even more intimidating than before. 

He was wearing a white shirt with a red tie, topped off with a gray sweater, white gloves, and a white lab coat that had gotten wrinkled with him sitting on the sofa, making him look like the scientist Dr. Xeno had described: intelligent, cunning, potentially dangerous. 

“I understand you’re here to work with me?” Senku asked, standing up and pacing over the living room to the bookshelf Gen had studied before, giving his back to the psychologist. 

“Yes,” Gen kept his smile, even though Senku wasn’t looking at him. “Although I haven’t worked at a laboratory ever before.” He said apologetically. 

“And you won’t.” The scientist turned around and glared at him. “You're just going to be the psychological support.”

Gen frowned, confused. “And what’s that, exactly?” 

Senku sighed, as if he had grown tired of his mere presence, and waved a hand dismissively. “Ask Dr. Xeno, he’s the one who insisted on you being here.” He cocked his head to one side, studying Gen’s face, until he huffed and finally looked away. “You shouldn’t have even come, but I guess I’ll have to deal with you for the time being.” 

Gen observed how the blonde turned around again and continued examining the bookshelves, completely in silence and apparently forgetting he had a guest inside his house. The psychologist studied his demeanour; he was sure of himself, maybe too confident for having a stranger right behind him, and he wasn’t showing any signs of not trusting Gen, which in turn made him even warier.

“Are you enjoying the book?” Senku’s voice pulled him back to reality, and as much as Gen wanted to keep observing him, he turned around and walked back to the kitchen to clean up after his meal.

The fact that Senku knew he’d gotten the book and was reading it sent a shiver down his spine, but he tried his best to ignore it and talk as lightheartedly as possible. “Haven’t read much yet.” 

His response was acknowledged by a low “Hmm” from the blonde, who finally sighed and turned around to look at Gen. The psychologist tried his best to ignore the feeling of his piercing gaze on him, concentrating on putting the dishes inside the dishwasher.

“Any questions?” Senku finally asked, and Gen thanked the excuse to look at him and study his character just a bit more.

“Not yet.” This time his smile was genuine, and by the way the blonde frowned, he’d probably assumed that, obviously, Gen had a lot of questions. 

It just wasn’t the right time to ask them.

He wasn’t troubled by it for long, because after two or three seconds of just staring at him, he sighed again and shrugged off his lab coat, walking towards the hallway. “Good. You can have a tour of the facility by yourself tomorrow,” He looked at Gen one last time. “Although floors six, seven, eight and nine are secluded. You aren’t allowed to enter those under no circumstances whatsoever.” 

“Understood.” He tried looking as if he was attempting to hide his fear, and by the way Senku exhaled, it looked like he believed it. It would take much more to convince the blonde that he was completely innocent, but it was a start.

“I’ll let you know when I need your assistance.” Senku said, finally looking away from Gen. It felt as if the weight of his gaze had lifted off his shoulders.

And with that the scientist disappeared into his room, leaving Gen once again alone with his thoughts.

Chapter Text

When Gen woke up the next day, he didn’t really remember what happened until he sat up on the bed and everything came back in a flash. 

White gloves. White lab coat. Senku’s words. 

After he’d been left alone again, the psychologist had tried his best to seem calm while he finished cleaning what was left of his dinner and walked back to his bedroom, but once he closed the door behind him his objective changed: check again if there were any hidden cameras in it. 

He’d looked everywhere, as if he was suddenly a crazed animal trying to find an escape to his cage, but once he’d finished his search with no cameras, Gen had dropped down in bed and fallen asleep in minutes, his body exhausted with all the stress he’d undergone that day.

Gen woke up more relaxed than he’d been the previous night, but he knew a part of him was going to constantly be stressed if he stayed in the facility for too long. He needed an excuse to get out of there. 

He stretched his arm towards the bedside table, trying to get his mobile phone, when he realised it wasn’t there. 

Gen turned around, checking the other bedside table: nothing. He scrambled out of bed and grabbed the jeans he’d worn the previous day, checking if it was there, with no success. 

He sat down on the bed again, eyes scanning his bedroom and mind whirling in an attempt to remember where the fuck he’d left his mobile phone. 

The psychologist stood up again with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair and deciding whether to go out and search for it or keep looking inside his bedroom. 

He was going to step outside into the hallway to check in his bathroom when he heard a door open, his whole body freezing at the sound. 

Maybe it was earlier than he’d expected and Senku had just woken up. Gen pressed his ear against the door, listening to the scientist’s steps and then another door closing. He stood there, frozen in place, trying to strain his ear to the maximum, when he finally heard the sound of water running.

Senku was taking a shower.  

He straightened his back, trying to think about what to do. Going outside wasn’t an appealing option because it’d involve an encounter with the scientist, but he wanted to know what time it was. 

After a few minutes standing near the door in complete silence, listening to the sound of the water on the other side of the hallway, Gen opted to sit down on the floor with his ear pressed against the door and just wait for Senku to finish his morning routine. 

It was impossible for him to know how much time he spent listening, but once he heard footsteps fade into the entrance of the apartment, Gen counted a few minutes until he stood up, changed into some clean underwear, black jeans and a black shirt, and opened his bedroom door.

The hallway was empty, Senku’s bedroom door tightly shut and no other sound apart from the psychologist’s nervous breathing. 

He made his way to the bathroom, checking if his phone was there, only to find nothing. As much as he wanted to find his mobile phone now, he brushed his teeth and hair before going to the kitchen. 

All the hunger he’d possibly had vanished as soon as he didn’t find his mobile phone there. The panic was starting to settle in, but his painful awareness of the security cameras surrounding him was enough for him not to show his stress. He tried his best to seem calm while walking over to the fridge, eyes scanning the kitchen in hopes of finding his mobile phone anywhere, before opening the refrigerator and staring at it for a few seconds, as if he was deciding what to have for breakfast. 

After taking some yogurt he closed the refrigerator and sat down on one of the stools, lips pursed in concentration and the question of what the hell he should do now that he didn’t have his mobile running through his mind. 

He remembered the words Senku said about him being able to do a tour of the facility by himself, and Gen decided that maybe that was the best option. 

As much as his body screamed it wasn’t the best idea to leave the safe space of the apartment, Gen finished the yogurt with a scowl and stood up, walking back to his bedroom and taking a black sweater before wandering back to the hallway. 

Looking back at the stairs at the end of it, he asked himself whether to go upstairs or save it for later. 

Gen finally decided to do the tour from the first floor to the last, so he made his way to the elevator and stepped into it. Studying the labels next to each floor number, he finally pressed the button for the first floor. 

What he expected when going to the warehouse, he didn’t know, but once the doors opened and he saw the long hallway with shelves filled with boxes, so many he couldn’t even see the end of it, a sense of uneasiness overtook him. 

The elevator doors closed behind him, leaving Gen alone in that maze of boxes with labels of “fragile” everywhere. 

After taking a step forward and examining the shelf in front of him, he realised that everything had been organised alphabetically. Of course. He didn’t expect less.

He started walking through the hallway in the middle, occasionally checking behind him just in case. The prospect of someone following him was slim, but he still felt like a cornered prey in wait for the second the predator lunged at him.

A ton of chemicals and lab equipment was saved there, and Gen guessed that maybe Xeno used to store everything needed in here before Senku took over the facility. If that wasn’t the case, the psychologist couldn’t imagine what the hell would the scientist be doing that needed so much material. 

He wanted to stay and check over everything —he couldn’t deny he was overly curious about what the scientist could’ve been saving here—, but some part of him didn’t feel completely safe there, so he just turned back and made his way into the elevator again. He’d have time to explore the warehouse in the future, hopefully.

Gen pressed the button for the second floor, the laboratory, and just hoped for the best. 

As soon as the doors opened, the psychologist asked himself why had he thought he’d feel safer in the laboratory. Gen felt his skin get goosebumps at the coldness of what laid in front of him, but he tried his best to look unfazed, painfully aware of the cameras surrounding him. 

The lab was big, way bigger than he’d expected; there were tables everywhere, filled with glass vials and microscopes and computers that Gen supposed were there to gather all the data. What type of lab could possibly occupy 5 floors? Did Senku really need so much material and space for his experiments?

What the hell was he experimenting on? 

As much as he wanted to investigate the lab, study every vial or turn on every computer to check what was being documented there, the feeling of being observed wasn’t going away —he knew it wasn’t going to disappear unless he went back to the precarious safety of his room—, so he decided to step back into the elevator and just go to the third floor.

If every laboratory floor was the same, Gen would definitely start getting suspicious. So much space couldn’t be needed, let alone managed by a single young boy. 

He let himself rest against the elevator wall, briefly closing his eyes. The exhaustion of all the tension was getting to him once again —he wondered if every day was going to be like that—, so lost in his thoughts he didn’t even hear the elevator doors open.

When he opened his eyes, the sight before him sent a shiver down his spine. 

It was as if he’d been transported to a hospital, and for a brief second Gen felt like he was in a TV set for any hospital-centered series one could think of. If he concentrated enough, he could even imagine the actors walking to and fro, getting orders from the director.

But there was no one. The silence was unbearable. But Gen’s curiosity was bigger than his fear. 

Stepping into the hallway, the psychologist observed every detail. Eight doors, four on each side, with seats next to every one of them, as if someone was going to sit down and wait for an appointment. 

Ignoring his loud heartbeat resonating all over his body, Gen decided to open the first door to the right, slowly turning the doorknob and softly pushing the door open until it bumped against the wall. 

It was a surgery room. The psychologist hesitantly stepped inside, closing the door behind him —just in case—, before taking a look at all the equipment. 

While examining a tray full of scalpels and other surgical tools, Gen wondered whether Senku had enough medical knowledge to perform surgeries. 

The poorly cleaned bloodstain on the metal table in the middle of the room answered the question for him. 

It made a rush of nausea take over him, and even though what he most wanted in the world was to let what he was feeling take over him and just rush towards the elevator, he stayed still, as if he was in a staring competition with the bloodstain, before turning around and walking out of the surgery room. 

His body was tense while walking back to the elevator, his stomach upset and the need to just curl up in himself and cry making him feel dizzy. 

Gen only calmed down a bit once he was back in the elevator, and he instantly pressed the button for the apartment floor. 

Whatever Senku was working on, Gen didn’t care. The tour was over for today.

The psychologist’s breathing had already gone back to his normal rhythm by the time he arrived at the apartment, and with the last ounce of willpower he had, he took a glass of water and sat down in one of the stools that surrounded the kitchen aisle. 

Gen had his face hidden in his hands, trying to calm down completely and stop his mind from the wild thoughts that were running on it when he shifted on his seat, suddenly feeling something protruding against his thigh.

He stood up, turning towards where he’d been sitting seconds ago, and once he saw it,  it was as if nausea came back to him all at once.

His mobile phone. 

It hadn’t been there before. He’d looked, and it hadn’t been there. 

Taking the phone cautiously, he side-eyed the camera to his left, before chuckling relieved and hugging the phone to his chest. “There you are!” He sighed again, turning the mobile phone on —ignoring the missed phone calls and messages, he’d take care of that later— before walking over to his room and instantly closing the door behind him. 

He needed to take a long, hot, and relaxing shower. After that, he’d call Xeno.

—

Thankfully, he didn’t vomit while taking the shower. Even though the image of the hospital floor —the white walls, seats next to each door, the surgery room with the bloodstain on the table— hadn’t left his mind and he was constantly thinking what the hell was Senku doing in it, his nerves had calmed down noticeably.

After getting dressed and going back to his room, he hesitated over what to do. The best plan he could think was just snuggle inside his room and spend the rest of the day there, but the curiosity had already been sparked, and he still had things to investigate. 

Finally tackling the stairs at the end of the hallway, Gen went up to the second floor of the apartment.

He’d been ready for the worst, so when he found a normal, enormous living room, relief washed over him. 

The room was a mix of things; a huge TV took a whole wall in front of him, almost making the room look like a cinema. There was a grand piano on one side, and when Gen traced his hands over the keys, he was surprised to find little to no dust on them. Did Senku play the piano too?

On the backside there was a huge desk, with a big computer and papers all over the surface. When the psychologist got closer, he was pleased to recognise chemistry assignments with their university logo. Stanley had told him Senku never left the facility, but despite that, the scientist was still studying. For what, Gen preferred not to know. 

The sofas there looked much more comfortable than on the first floor, and for a second Gen considered just laying down there and taking a nap. Then he spotted another security camera and he remembered it probably wasn’t a good idea. 

With some kind of renewed energy, he decided it was best to go up to the rooftop and check their surroundings. He jogged down the stairs —still feeling a hint of nervousness at the prospect of bumping into Senku anytime—, before making his way into the elevator and pressing the button for the twelfth floor.

The rooftop terrace was big , but at this point, he didn’t expect anything else. He wandered around, checking the rooftops of the buildings around them; there was no way of jumping to any of them, and for a second Gen wondered if that had also been premeditated.

Eyeing the buildings in front of him, he hoped to spot Stanley somewhere, but he obviously didn’t —he had to stop getting his hopes up about the blonde. 

He was going to sit down in one of the white sofas when his phone rang, and he hesitantly took it out from his pocket.

Aito’s name on the screen made his stomach turn once again. Gen wasn’t much in the mood to talk, but he picked up nonetheless. “Yes?”

“Fucking finally .” Aito didn’t sound exactly pleased, and the psychologist bit his bottom lip, anticipating the scolding he was about to receive. “Where the hell are you? I called you like ten times.” 

Gen rubbed his eyes and leaned on the wall, looking down at all the people walking through the city unaware of whatever was happening inside this place. “I already told you, yesterday I started working with Xeno.”

“Cut it out, Gen. Stop lying to me.” His manager sounded tired, as if he couldn’t keep up with him anymore, and he frowned, confused.

“I’m not lying.” He tried to sound confident, but the sudden accusation had made him anxious and it sounded more like a question than a statement.  

Aito sighed, and for a second Gen could imagine him perfectly, brushing his hair back with his hand in desperation. “Yes, you are. I talked with Xeno yesterday and he told me he doesn’t know who you are.”

“Excuse me?” His hands were maybe gripping the edge of the wall too hard. He didn’t care.

“You weren’t responding to my calls or texts, so I went over to the building and asked about you. Both the receptionist and Xeno told me they don’t know who you are.” Another sigh. “So, tell me; where the hell are you and what are you doing?”

Gen released the grip on the edge of the wall and tightened his jaw. “I’ll call you later. Bye.”

“No! You-” Before Aito could stop him he hung up, concentrating all of his willpower on not tossing his phone to the ground and stomping his foot on it until it broke into pieces. 

Instead, he checked Xeno’s message “ Any updates?” which he completely ignored, before searching for Stanley’s phone number and calling him.

No response. This time Gen did throw his phone to the floor in exasperation.

He was completely alone, isolated. 

Sitting down on one of the sofas, he buried his face in his hands and tried to find a way out of this, but there was only one, and it wasn’t pretty.

He had to discover what Senku’s experiments were as soon as possible, and only once he passed that information onto Xeno was he going to be able to get out of there. 

But for that, he needed a plan.

Chapter Text

Maybe he really was going crazy inside the facility.

If he wasn’t, he didn’t have any more reasons for what he was going to do apart from pure desperation and a death wish. 

His phone had “broken” —he’d taken out the SIM card so he couldn’t receive calls or messages, using it only as a clock—, so for the past four days he’d been completely isolated, most of the time spent inside his room, curled up on his bed and lost in thought. When it all got too much he went up to the rooftop and just chilled there for a few hours, reading a book and hoping he’d spot Stanley somewhere near, vigilant. He either never was there, or the blonde was too good at hiding himself. 

That was what he did in his free time, when his mind had stopped overthinking everything and when Senku was busy working somewhere inside the facility he couldn’t enter; because he’d try.

After Aito’s call, Gen decided to go down to the secluded floors the next day and just test his luck. The elevator door opened, to his surprise, but only to reveal him a short hallway with a metal door at the end of it that required a keycard to open it.

That’s where the real planning had begun. 

Senku woke up every day at 7:30 in the morning. He’d then proceed to take a shower, which took him almost fifteen minutes, and after going back to his bedroom to get dressed, he’d leave the apartment and go to the secluded floors; the ninth one, to be precise. 

Obviously Senku owned a card to go through that door, but Gen’s reasoning was obvious: they had to be more keycards. If he had taken over Xeno’s facility, that meant more people used to work here apart from the scientist, and that could only mean he’d have to be in possession of all the keycards that had been made. 

Gen had been allowed to freely roam through the facility, except for the secluded floors and Senku’s bedroom. One of those two was automatically discarded, because, in case of an emergency, the scientist would need to have a keycard available in case the one he used daily got lost or broke. 

That only left Senku’s bedroom or bathroom as a possible option. 

Despite being alone most of the day, Gen couldn’t just enter the blonde’s room without permission, because the security cameras would pick on it and the possibility of him seeing it was pretty high. 

So, he didn’t have many options: he’d have to enter Senku’s bedroom while he took a shower, and in the span of fifteen minutes or less he’d have to find the keycard or risk being caught. 

“You can do this.” Gen whispered to himself, and as soon as he heard the door of Senku’s bathroom close, he slowly, terribly slowly opened the door, making sure he didn’t make any noise. 

He walked across the hallway and stopped in front of Senku’s door, staring at the door for a few seconds, a new plan spurting inside his mind, before turning his head towards one of the security cameras and smiling. 

Gen’s hand was resting on the doorknob, his eyes fixed on the security camera, and his heart rapidly thundering inside his chest. 

After a few seconds of staying completely still, smiling to the camera like a maniac, he opened the door to Senku’s room and peeked inside.

It wasn’t as big as he’d expected, but it also wasn’t as small as Gen’s. Everything was black: the walls, the furniture, the bedsheets… There was a desk with a TV on it, a little minifridge and stacks of scientific books everywhere. After taking one last look down the hallway, checking that the water was still running and that Senku hadn’t gotten out of the bathroom, he entered the room and rapidly checked in the bedside tables and the desk. 

He didn’t find anything there; he wasn’t hoping to. Before going back to his bedroom, he knelt down on the bed and checked there, his hand traveling over the bottom part of the bed, hoping to find a box there; nothing.

Gen bit down his smile —he knew he wasn’t going to find anything, but the adrenaline of it all was getting to him— and stood up. He exited Senku’s room and looked straight at the camera again, winking at it before entering his room and closing the door. 

The seed was already planted. Now he just had to wait for Senku to make the next move. 

—

Gen rarely got out of the apartment —he felt the safest there, even though he knew it’d be much easier to hide somewhere like the warehouse or the laboratory. He had slowly gotten acquainted with the feeling of being observed, and sometimes he didn’t even remember the presence of the cameras surrounding him. 

Today, though, he was aware. Every one of his moves was calculated, from the way he was lying down on the sofa —face down, his legs playfully moving back and forth or his feet rubbing against each other, while he read one of the books he’d taken from Senku’s bookshelves—, to the way he’d been humming the whole day while preparing breakfast or just cleaning the kitchen. 

He was dressed in some dark gray slacks and a white t-shirt, in case his day did go as planned. Careful of it not being picked up by the cameras, he checked the time and after putting his mobile phone back in his pocket, he closed the book and sat up on the sofa, lazily —but calculatedly— stretching his arms and yawning. 

“I should make lunch.” He mumbled to himself, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. 

Gen thanked the fact he was looking inside the fridge to decide what to have for lunch when he heard the doors of the elevator open, biting down the smile that had appeared on his lips. 

“I’ll cook.” He pretended to be startled by Senku’s voice, jumping a bit and a yelp escaping his lips, rapidly turning around towards him. 

“You have to stop doing that.” Gen said, pressing one of his hands against his chest while studying the scientist’s expression. 

It was the first time they saw and talked to each other since that night after Gen’s arrival. The psychologist was pleased to know that he looked relatively calm; either he hadn’t seen the footage of this morning or he was trying to find a way to know whether he’d found any of the keycards and was just good at hiding his anger.

Senku had his eyes fixed on him, crimson eyes slightly squinted and his lips pursed, as if the psychologist’s nervous smile unsettled him. He was wearing a lab coat over a white shirt and a red tie, and the white gloves Gen dreamt of every night.

But as much as he wanted to seem calm around him, the scars on his forehead made him fidgety. When had he got them? How? Those black scars, similar to a dark void in the middle of his face, didn’t seem natural at all. 

“I’ll cook.” Senku repeated, stepping past Gen and starting to take things out of the cabinets and fridge. The psychologist just sat down on one of the barstools, resting his chin on his hand and observing the scientist. 

“What are you going to do?” Gen asked, smiling shyly at Senku when the blonde turned around to look at him. 

“Ramen.” 

Gen chuckled and stood up, taking a step towards him to stop him but hesitating when he was about to touch him. “I can cook something better… Healthier.” He said, noticing the way Senku stopped and eyed the hand that was stretched towards him. 

“I’m going to do healthy ramen.” He sentenced, and the psychologist didn’t have any other option but to sit down on the stool again and just follow with his eyes Senku’s every movement, amused. “I need you to do something for me.” The scientist said after a few minutes in silence, that Gen had spent just wondering how the hell was he so comfortable with cooking while wearing those gloves. 

“Hmm? What is it?” He asked, trying not to smile and actually seem surprised at that request. 

“I need you to buy some things for me.” Senku said distractedly, taking a sticky note from his pocket and handing it to Gen, while still preparing the vegetables he was going to cook the ramen with. 

Gen took the note carefully, making sure his hands didn’t touch the gloves —he had to get over the irrational fear he’d developed for them, but now was not the time—, before checking the items listed on the note, Senku’s handwriting messy but still legible. 

Two packs of surgical masks, hand sanitizer, piano tuning tools.

“Can’t you order these things online?” He asked innocently, flinching slightly when Senku side-eyed him, visibly annoyed. 

“I thought you were bored and wanted something to distract yourself with.” He said amused, focusing back on cooking the ramen. 

Gen pouted, leaning back on the chair. “I don’t know a thing about piano tuning tools.” 

“A thing we have in common, then.” He said harshly, and just with the way he seemed overly annoyed by it, the psychologist didn’t dare to ask any questions. 

They stayed in silence for the rest of the time Senku took to make the ramen, Gen asking himself the same question over and over again: if the blonde wasn’t the one who played piano, who did? Or was he just finding a cheap excuse to get Gen to leave the facility for some hours?

“Done.” Senku finally said, serving the ramen in two plates and leaving one in front of Gen. The scientist sat in front of him, on the other side of the kitchen isle, his crimson eyes fixed on him. “Will you go, then?”

“Hmm?” Gen asked, his mouth full of ramen. Whatever Senku had done to make it so flavourful, he needed the recipe. “Yes, I will go.” He said once he swallowed it, playing with his chopsticks and evading his gaze. “My phone broke, though. I won’t be able to call you in case there are any emergencies.” 

Senku hummed, munching on the ramen with his eyes unfocused, as if he was thinking of a solution for that. 

“I can give you mine and you can call the building’s number in case something happens.” He finally said, taking his phone out and sliding it across the counter to Gen, who picked it up and observed it. “You can use the emergency calls without unlocking it.”

“Right.” Gen mumbled, putting the phone in his pocket. “Do you have a pen? So I can write down the number.” 

“Memorise it.”  He said instantly, his gaze meeting Gen’s —deep blue eyes wide open, finally a genuine reaction that he hadn’t premeditated. “You can’t?” Senku asked, tilting his head in amusement. 

“Of course I can, but that adds the risk of me forgetting it.” The psychologist met his gaze, a small frown framing his eyes. 

Senku hummed, leaving the chopsticks on the counter without tearing his eyes away from Gen’s, an almost devilish smile playing on his lips. “Well, if we’re hypothetically talking about an emergency, where your life could be at risk, do you really think you’d forget?” 

“I hope we never know.” Gen answered, taking the piece of paper he’d been given before and passing it to Senku. “Write it. I’ll make sure to memorise it before I go out.” 

The scientist didn’t take it; instead, he got another sticky note from one of the pockets on his lab coat and scribbled the number there. Then, for Gen’s distress, instead of just tossing it at him he stretched his gloved hand towards him, both notes pressed between his index and thumb. 

For a second, the image from his nightmares came back at him all at once, the white fabric stained with blood all over in patches, some of it so fresh it dripped down. 

Senku seemed amused by Gen’s hesitance, one of his eyebrows rising in curiosity, but before he could say something the psychologist got a hold of himself and took the two papers, stuffing them on the back pocket of his slacks. 

“Will you go now?” The scientist asked, and for a second Gen was surprised at his bluntness. Wouldn't he even try to make it as if he didn't really need him out of the facility as soon as possible?

Maybe he really didn’t want him to see what he had on the secluded floors and was panicking already. 

“Aren’t you going to give me money to buy everything?” Gen asked, smiling innocently at Senku. 

“I’ll give it back to you once you come back.” 

Gen chuckled, resting his chin on his hand. “Afraid I’ll take the money and run away?” He cooed, amused. Whatever little control he’d lost before, he’d already regained it; the way Senku’s eyes darkened confirmed it. It also made his skin get goosebumps, but he could ignore that.

“You seem easy to steal from.” Senku sighed, standing up and getting his empty plate to leave it on the sink. He walked over to Gen, but before he could ask whether he could retrieve his plate, the psychologist handed it to him and spoke.

“I can put up a good fight. You’d be surprised.”

Senku chuckled at that, taking the plate and turning away from him. “You’ll have to show me sometime.” 

Gen’s eyes followed the blonde’s every move while he put the plates in the dishwasher, trying to understand how could he be that person Xeno and Stanley talked about with a hint of fear, and what did he not know for that fear to be that little. Had he committed any crimes? Were his hands stained with blood under those white gloves?

“Are you going to go or are you staying here for the whole afternoon staring at nothing like a lost cat?” Senku’s voice pulled him out of his train of thought, and Gen’s eyes flicked back at him.

“Impatient.” Gen sighed, standing up and walking out of the kitchen and into the hallway, hiding the smile on his face. The scientist was desperate, and he was enjoying every second of it. 

He went back to his bathroom to brush his teeth and then to his bedroom to retrieve a mask to cover his face and his wallet, overly conscious of Senku’s presence at the end of the hallway just waiting for him to finish getting ready —he’d seen him when he’d exited the bathroom. 

“How am I going to buy good piano tuning tools?” He asked once he got out of his room.

Senku sighed, running one of his gloved hands through his hair. “I don’t care. Just ask the shop clerk about it.” 

Gen glared at him. He was about to ask him why’d he need the piano tuning tools so bad then since he didn't care about them, but he was more afraid of the answer than of any possible question he could have. 

Adjusting the mask over his nose and mouth, Gen sighed dramatically and made his way towards the elevator, closely followed by Senku. “I’m going to charge you for my service.” 

“Stop talking about money. I’ll pay you when you come back.” The blonde said with a scowl, pressing the elevator button before Gen had the chance to do it. Oh, he was  desperate. The psychologist was having so much fun. 

He stepped into the elevator and turned around to look at him, smiling so widely his eyes crinkled, even if Senku couldn’t see half of his face due to the mask. “I’ll be back home soon! Have fun.”

The elevator doors closed before the scientist could respond, and as soon as Senku was out of his sight Gen’s body relaxed just the tiniest bit, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes briefly. 

Once he got to the main hall, he reluctantly stepped towards the door, hesitating for a moment. Should he stay and catch Senku red-handed or just continue with his plan?

His hand hovered over the doorknob for a few seconds, but he finally opened the door and stepped outside. 

The garden was well-kept, and for a second Gen wondered how the scientist managed to take care of everything while still having time for his work and studies. It was impossible. 

Having some fresh air and actually going outside after so many days cooped up inside the facility gave him a thrill and a sense of freedom, but he still hesitated before opening the gate door. The biggest thing he wanted to do was escape, but some part of Gen was screaming at him not to go; what if he couldn’t go back? What if Senku was trying to kick him out?

As if the scientist read his thoughts, the door buzzed open, and Gen turned around to glare at one of the cameras, sighing before opening the door all the way and closing the door behind him. Some passerby turned and looked at him surprised —probably one of those who’d never seen any movement around the facility and was just surprised to find out people actually lived or worked there, but the psychologist was too focused on his task to acknowledge those people. 

He needed to get all the things, and fast.

And he needed to seem happy for someone that was surely looking for him.

Taking the note with the list Senku had given to him, he was relieved to find the address of two shops. The street names were familiar to him, which meant they were relatively close to the facility. 

Gen scolded himself for not insisting on having Senku’s password when he realised he didn’t have a way of knowing where to go, no maps app to guide him. He decided to go shop for the masks and hand sanitizer to a shop nearby and ask there for the address of the music, hoping that the shop clerk would know that information. 

With a renewed objective, he made his way down the street, turning right towards a shop he’d spotted the last time he’d been around the facility, when someone shoved him against a wall.

“Rude.” Gen said, looking up at Stanley with a playful smile —sadly covered by the mask—, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, where the blonde was gripping harshly. 

“Will you care to explain why the fuck aren’t you responding to our messages?” Stanley asked in something similar to a growl, and the psychologist had to make use of all his willpower not to flinch. 

“Will you care to explain why the fuck didn’t you respond to my call?” Gen bit back, and he felt a sort of proudness when Stanley’s clear blue eyes darkened.

The blonde finally softened his grip on him, although still caging the psychologist against the wall with his body. His gaze was unfocused, as if he was remembering something, before muttering a curse under his breath and finally answering. “I was... Busy with something.” He looked at the people staring at them for a second, the scowl on his lips enough to scare them away. “You owe an explanation to Xeno.” Stanley looked back at Gen, frowning. 

“I don’t owe Dr. Xeno a thing.” The psychologist tried shoving the blonde away without much success, and that gesture only seemed to anger Stanley even more. “I’m going to do my job, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t meddle in it.” 

“I’m here to protect you.” The blonde exclaimed, his voice rising a bit.

Gen glared at him, eyes squinted. “You didn’t even respond to my call.”

“I already told you, I was busy.” 

“Shoving your cock down Xeno’s throat?” The way Stanley’s eyes widened and he took a small step back from Gen made him smile. “Yeah. Thought so.”

That only confirmed Gen’s suspicions; he wasn’t the only one playing tricks. Xeno and Senku had been playing at this chess game for years, and now he’d been shoved into it without warnings whatsoever.

But he had to win. He was going to. And that meant being five steps ahead of both of them.

“How do you-” Before Stanley could finish his question, Gen pushed him away and straightened his clothes.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some errands to run. If your little doctor wants to communicate with me so bad, make him send me a new mobile phone.” 

He winked at Stanley, who was just watching him dumbfounded, lips pursed and eyes slightly squinted in a mix of surprise and hate. 

It wasn’t the smartest idea to give himself away like that, but the blonde’s reaction pleased Gen so much he didn’t wait for another word, just turned around and kept walking down the street while humming happily, ignoring the way Stanley’s piercing gaze’s weight felt against his back.

— 

Gen was pleased to know he hadn’t been kicked out of the facility as soon as the door buzzed open seconds after he’d rung, stepping inside as fast as possible. Then the thought that maybe it would’ve been best for him if he’d really been kicked out came to his mind, but he made a good job of shoving it away. 

He made his way up to the apartment, the plastic bag filled with the piano tuning tools and the rest of the things Senku had asked for.

“Missed me?” He said as soon as the doors of the elevator opened, leaving the plastic back on the kitchen counter and waiting for Senku’s attempt at a comeback. 

The response didn’t come.

Gen sighed and walked over to the hallway, checking if Senku was there; nothing. The psychologist smiled to himself —half of his face still covered by the mask— before going to his room and checking how things were there.

He tried his best to seem calm, since the possibility of the blonde planting a camera in it was high. The room seemed the same as it’d been when he’d gone out, but there were some hints here and there that gave away Senku’s presence on it; the way his wardrobe was closed in all the way even though Gen had left the door slightly ajar, a small piece of paper on the floor —he’d placed it so it fell when one of the drawers of his bedside table was opened—, and the way his pillows weren’t as neatly placed as before. 

So, phase one of his plan had worked successfully.

Dropping himself down on the bed with a dramatic sigh, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a few seconds before yelling hard enough for the security cameras on the hallway to pick it.

“Ah, Senku, I’m so tired! Make me dinner!”

Chapter Text

As soon as Gen woke up, he wanted to go back to sleep. He desperately needed to wrap himself in the duvet covers and bury his face in his pillow, forget where he was or what had happened for the last few days, but instead, he turned off his alarm and got out of bed. 

Gen rubbed his eyes and slapped himself softly in the face to try and wake up. He needed to be completely awake for what he was going to do later. 

Sitting down on the floor next to the door, he pressed his ear against it, trying to hear Senku’s door when the scientist went out to have his morning shower. The rush of adrenaline that surged on his body once he heard the bedroom door open woke him up just enough.

He stayed completely still for what seemed like an eternity —not more than fifteen minutes—, until he heard Senku walk out of his bedroom and shortly after the familiar buzz of the elevator. 

As much as he wanted to get this over with, he needed to be careful; instead, he dressed up —all black, which already seemed like his uniform inside the facility— and went out to the kitchen to have breakfast.

How the hell the fridge managed to stay full even though Gen cooked every day, he didn’t know. Senku going out to get groceries wasn’t an option —he couldn’t even imagine the scientist just doing mundane things—, so the only other option was that he ordered what was needed online and got them silently delivered to him at night.

Or there was someone else roaming through the facility and taking care of things and Gen just didn’t know about his existence. That was an option he didn’t want to think about much. 

After having breakfast he walked around the living room, calculatedly sliding his finger through the top of the bookshelf and making a disgusted face at the dust gathering there. It wasn’t much, he just needed an excuse for his plan to start getting into motion. 

He walked over to a little door on the left side of the living room, thankful to find a storage room there with a broomstick and some other cleaning supplies. 

Cleaning never had been his favourite thing. In fact, his apartment had always looked a bit rough before he’d met Aito, who was kind of a neat freak, so when he picked up everything and realised he had to get into the task, Gen wasn’t very enthusiastic about it.

Still, a plan is a plan, and he couldn’t risk failing. Finding motivation from wherever he could find, the psychologist started his task: cleaning the whole apartment.

After finishing with the kitchen and living room —disgusted and kinda horrified by the fact that he was sweating and his body was already exhausted—, he headed towards the hallway.  Trying to be as casual as possible while sweeping the floor closer to Senku’s bathroom, he turned on the lights and peeked inside, clacking his tongue.

Time to see if he’d outsmarted Senku this time. 

In one of his many tours through the apartment, carefully examining the surveillance cameras and the angle they were focusing at, he’d found the possible blind spots. One of them was Senku’s bathroom. 

Not the entirety of it, though, just enough for Gen to open the cabinet under the sink and check whether the keycards were there without being seen by any of the cameras. It was risky, but he didn’t have anything to lose.

Sweeping closer and closer to the bathroom, he finally entered it, softly pushing the door shut —enough for him to crouch down without being noticed, but not so much to seem suspicious. After taking a deep breath, he knelt on the floor and quickly opened the cabinet door, his hand sliding over the top of it until it bumped against a box.

Oh. Senku really was easier to trick than he’d thought.

He took the box, which had been stuck up there with some duct tape, before opening it and suppressing a cheer. Gen quickly got one keycard and after putting it inside his underwear —no, he didn’t have a better place to put it in—, he stuck the box to the top of the cabinet again before continuing with his task of sweeping the floors.

It had taken him less than fifteen seconds. He’d counted.

Now, to the last phase of his plan.

Entering the secluded floor.

—

Every one of his senses felt heightened, and Gen was wondering when was his body going to collapse for being so alert for the past few hours.

He was going to do it. If he didn’t hear any more noises in the apartment for the next fifteen minutes, he was going to get up and go to the secluded floor.

Letting his imagination run wild for a few minutes, he imagined what he could find in there. Most of the floors on the building were secluded, so that meant that either Senku had something big he didn’t want Gen or Xeno to know about or he just needed a lot of space for his experiments, whatever they were. 

Cloning, maybe? Some form of scientific magic he’d discovered? A weapon that could petrify all of humanity?

Yeah. Letting his imagination run wild was definitely a really, really bad idea. 

Gen’s whole body was shaking slightly, and when the fifteen minutes passed, it took a second for his body to respond and follow his orders.

He stood up from the bed and slowly, terribly slowly opened his bedroom door, making sure of making no noise at all.

Walking barefoot so his steps weren’t heard against the cold floor, he made his way to the elevator and pressed the button, holding his breath until the doors opened and he stepped inside.

The psychologist’s hand wasn’t shaking anymore when he pressed the button to the ninth floor, gaze fixed forward in wait for the door to open and determination settled on just getting this over with.

If he discovered enough tonight, he could leave this place. He could just tell Xeno, get his cash —because he was definitely going to charge him extra for everything—, and leave everything behind. 

For a brief second, he wondered what would happen if he did leave, if he did disappear. Would Stanley go and search for him? Would he kill him because he’d know too much about something apparently Dr. Xeno wasn't keen on talking about? Would he feel the same unexplainable sadness just at the prospect of never seeing Gen again, same as how the psycholgoist was feeling just with thinking about it?

No, the answer was no. Well, he’d might go and kill Gen before he could tell anything, but the other options seemed really unlikely, almost impossible. 

The elevator doors opened, pulling him away from his thoughts, and he took a deep breath.

While walking towards the door, he second-guessed his decision. The risk of being caught was too big, and he didn’t want to know the consequences of what could happen if he was. Maybe this was his last taste of freedom. Maybe this was his last taste of life. 

No, Senku wouldn’t kill him, would he?

Better not to find out. 

He swiped the keycard and the door buzzed open, making his heart jump. Gen stepped inside and it closed behind him softly, but he couldn’t care less. What he had before him was too impressive to look away.

In front of him laid a huge wall filled with TVs, all of them showing CCTV of every part of the facility one could think of. On one side there was another door that required the keycard, and desks filled with papers and CCTV tapes occupied most of the space in the room. Everything was white, obviously, even the TVs.

Thankfully, neither Senku’s bedroom and bathroom or his own were being filmed, but what unsettled him the most about the TVs were the other bedrooms that were being filmed. He stepped closer, staring into one of the screens and trying to make out who could be on the bed, but the lights were turned off and the image wasn’t clear at all.

Ignoring the shiver that ran down his spine, Gen turned his attention to the computer running all the CCTV and after a few minutes trying to figure it out, he looped the video so it showed how everything looked twenty minutes before he went out from his bedroom.

He had half an hour. After that, it would restart the recording and he had to be in his room by then.

Feeling the clock tick, he started frantically searching, checking all the papers on the desk in search of something interesting, anything, that could explain why the cameras were filming other people. Who were they? Why were they there? Were they Senku’s experiments?

A folder tagged XP-001 TO XP-008 looked like it could get him the answers he needed.

He hesitantly opened it, bracing himself for the worst.

Whatever XP-001 and XP-002 had been, they weren’t in the folder, because the first paper Gen saw was labeled as XP-003. 

XP-003

Name: Tsukasa Shishio.

Age: 17. 

Ability: Superhuman strength. 

Memories of previous life: Yes.

Observations: Aggressive but tamable with the right method. 

A picture of a man who absolutely didn’t look like he was seventeen was at the bottom of the paper, gaze looking somewhere that wasn’t the camera, which made Gen guess that maybe he hadn’t been aware that he was being photographed at that moment.

What horrified him the most, though, were the two black scars across his face, as if a terrible beast had clawed at him. 

There were more papers filled with notes about Tsukasa after that first file, but Gen didn’t have the time to read them all, as much as he wanted to. Instead, he searched for the next case, and his heart jumped when he found the page.

XP-004

Name: Hyoga.

Age: Undetermined.

Ability: Thorough knowledge of all martial arts. 

Memories of previous life: Undetermined.

Observations: Mostly silent but aggressive. Not tamable. Only relaxed in presence of XP-003. 

His picture only made Gen even more afraid, suddenly intimidated by the amber eyes staring back at him and the huge black scar surrounding his mouth with circles and crooked lines. If he ignored the scars, Hyoga would be beautiful, with silver hair and those deep, almost yellow eyes. 

But the scars were big, and scary.

The psychologist rapidly turned the page, ignoring all the notes about Hyoga and searching for the next subject. He didn’t want to look at it for longer. 

Gen found the file for XP-006, and he frowned. Had he skipped number five? He flipped back a few pages, checking if he’d rushed through it and missed it, but there was nothing. 

That was enough for another shiver to run up his spine.

XP-006

Name: Ryusui Nanami.

Age: 20.

Ability: Undetermined.

Memories of previous life: Yes. 

Observations: Quite possessive of XP-007 and XP-008. On romantic relationships with both of them.

The boy was blonde, with a bright smile and, thankfully, with no scars on his face. He looked friendly, and for a second Gen wondered how old the picture was, and how much he’d changed since then. 

Was he one of those people that were being filmed while sleeping right now? The psychologist looked up at the TVs again, but he couldn’t make out any familiar faces due to the low quality of the cameras. 

There were a lot of notes on Ryusui, but Gen couldn’t stop and read them all. He promised himself he was going to check it after looking at the other files.

XP-007

Name: Ukyo Saionji.

Age: Undetermined.

Ability: Ultrasensitive hearing.

Memories of previous life: Yes.

Observations: Shy. On a romantic relationship with XP-006. 

He stayed still for a few seconds, looking at the “memories of previous life” part, as if he’d just processed the words. What did it mean exactly? Would there be people without memories of it? Why would they even lose their memories in the first place? Gen shook his head, organising his thoughts again, before looking at the image on the bottom of the page.

The boy in the picture looked young, alarmingly so. He could perfectly have sixteen or seventeen years, with light blonde hair and turquoise eyes that looked shyly into the camera. He didn’t have any scars on his face, making him look almost angelical. Was he real? He looked too perfect to be real. 

For some reason, looking at him unsettled Gen and made him feel something close to nostalgia and a need to protect him, so he just flipped through his notes rapidly onto the next file.

XP-008

Name: Chrome.

Age: 17.

Ability: Prodigy.

Memories of previous life: No.

Observations: Overly enthusiastic. On a romantic relationship with XP-006. 

This one apparently didn’t have memories. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He couldn’t decide.

The boy in the picture had the biggest and brightest smile Gen had ever seen. His eyes shone intensely, and the psychologist couldn’t help but instantly like him. Chrome looked as if he still had the childish innocence and enthusiasm about everything, and he was saddened when he remembered that maybe those feelings have died down over time.

Senku had also written a lot of notes about him, but he rapidly skipped them and looked for XP-009, anxious to know who it could be.

Then, out the corner of his eye, he noticed someone standing close to him. 

He sprang back, a small yelp escaping his lips and the folder falling on the desk with a soft thump. 

Senku was looking at him with his lips pursed, but he seemed calm, not angry at all, which in turn unsettled Gen even more. The psychologist flinched back automatically, bracing for the worst, when the blonde talked.

“I guess you’ll want an explanation.”

Chapter Text

The silence was killing him.

After being caught red-handed, Senku had just guided Gen back to the apartment in complete silence, and, without saying a word, he’d gone back to his bedroom and closed the door behind him, leaving the psychologist alone.

Gen, confused and fearing that the scientist was planning on murdering him in his sleep, had gone back to his own bedroom and just lied on the bed, completely awake and going over the information he’d learnt. 

He’d lied awake for the whole night, but when the clock struck 7:30 am and Senku didn’t go out of his bedroom, that’s when Gen really got scared. 

The plan he’d previously followed didn’t have a solution for what had happened now, and Gen didn’t know what to do.

He took the SIM card of his mobile phone from the bedside table, where he’d left it, before putting it inside his phone and turning it on, his hands slightly shaking. 

Ignoring the flood of notifications he got once his phone was connected to data again —most of them from Aito, who was still asking where he was and what was he doing—, Gen searched for Stanley’s number. 

His thumb hovered over the “call” button for a few seconds, biting his bottom lip in concentration. After giving it some thought, he decided it wasn’t the best idea to call Stanley, so he just opted for sending him a message. 

If I don’t text you back in 24h, get worried.

Gen stared at the message for a few seconds before finally sending it. The “read” appeared almost instantly, and before he could his mobile phone off again Stanley texted him back.

I was already worried.

What happened?

The psychologist bit his smile and turned the mobile phone off, leaving it on one side of the bed before turning around and closing his eyes. 

He wasn’t going to back down today, no matter how scared of Senku he was. 

Gen was going to find out the truth. 

—

When he woke back up, the determination he’d felt before had faded away. He was scared, he didn’t want to go out and talk with Senku or risk being seen by the scientist, but if he wanted enough information to give to Xeno and get out of there, he needed to do it. 

Getting out of bed and putting on some clothes —all black—, he decided that he was surely going to feel a bit better once he had breakfast, so he got out of his bedroom and walked over to the kitchen. 

Senku’s room’s door was closed, but the psychologist had the feeling that, if the blonde was there, he would feel it. Without any fears of encountering the scientist, Gen prepared himself breakfast and sat down on one of the stools surrounding the kitchen isle, eating in silence, deep in thought.

He was going to get up and clean up after him when he heard the sound of the piano. Gen’s body froze, too concentrated on the sound that was coming from upstairs to do anything else. 

As if he was entranced, he left whatever he was doing and headed towards the staircase, stopping before he could see who was playing. 

The song was beautiful, a nostalgic melody that wrapped around him and transported him to a beautiful place, while still sounding vibrant and almost happy. Gen sat down on the stairs, still attentively listening to the piece, trying to think who the composer was. 

It sounded difficult to play, and the psychologist stilled for a second. It couldn’t be Senku, since he said he didn’t even know about piano tuners. Someone that had that level surely had to know about tuning a piano, right? Or had he been lying so Gen didn’t ask any more questions?

Whoever stopped playing for a second, maybe turning a page or just letting the beat linger a bit longer, before picking up the piece in one of the most beautiful parts Gen had listened until that moment. 

He wanted to know who was playing. He needed to know, to calm the rapid beating of his heart. If it was Senku, then it’d be the best excuse for the conversation about yesterday to happen. If it wasn’t… well.

Gen was going to stand up and go up to the second floor to meet the anonymous player when he realised his face was wet. He touched his cheeks softly, and to his horror, realised he had been crying. When? He didn’t even remember the feeling of wanting to cry, but apparently, the tears had flowed without his permission. 

Ignoring the fact that whoever was playing the piano had started another piece, Gen rushed to his bathroom and closed the door behind him, wiping the tears away rapidly, even though he was still crying. He sat down on the floor with his back against the door, hiding his face in his hands and finally letting himself pour his emotions out. 

“Stop, you idiot.” Gen mumbled to himself, but the tears that were going down his cheeks and getting his hands wet wouldn’t stop, which in turn made him cry even more. 

Because he was hopeless. Because he didn’t see a way out. Because hearing the piano piece had made him feel something apart from fear for the first time in two weeks. 

He hugged his legs, pressing them against his chest, before resting his cheek on top of his knees and closing his eyes. 

“I am going to get out of this.” He whispered to himself again and again, until the words lost their sense but somehow managed to calm him down. 

Gen stood up with a sigh, checking his reflection in the mirror. He seemed tired —he was. With another sigh, he went out of the bathroom and to his room, and after getting some clean clothes, he went to take a shower.

He needed to pull himself together for tonight. 

Senku and him had an important talk pending.

—

Gen was starting to regret it. 

When he sat down on the sofa to just wait for Senku to arrive and have dinner with him, his thoughts started running freely again, and the tears he’d thought he didn’t have anymore after all the crying threatened to come again. 

Maybe it was a good time to leave the facility. 

He’d discovered almost nothing, that was true. Maybe if he told Dr.Xeno what he’d seen the scientist would laugh at him and drag him back to the facility to let Senku experiment on him too. 

Would he lose the memory of his previous life too? For a second, he thought that maybe that would for the best.

Gen shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. Now it wasn’t the time to think about that. Now what he had to do was concentrate on what he was going to ask Senku. 

“Aren’t you going to make dinner?” The blonde’s voice startled him, and Gen turned around instantly, his eyes meeting Senku’s.

“We have to talk.” He said, standing up. 

The scientist held his gaze for a few seconds, as if he was assessing the situation and choosing what to do next. “Yeah, I know. Let’s talk over dinner.” 

Gen stayed still for a few seconds, glaring at the blonde in mild confusion, before sighing and sitting back down on the sofa, folding his arms.

“I’m not going to cook.” It was childish, but fuck him. He wanted answers, not a romantic dinner with him. 

The scientist sighed, not exactly pleased with Gen’s attitude. “I’ll order delivery then.” He mumbled before walking over to his bedroom, leaving the psychologist alone once again.

Gen groaned, frustrated, brushing his hair out of his face before pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes, trying to calm down. 

It wasn’t the time to back down. He wasn’t going to back down. 

Senku came back after some time, not wearing the white lab coat over his clothes anymore —he hadn’t taken the white gloves off, for Gen’s dismay—, before sitting down on the sofa next to him with a sigh. 

“They’ll arrive in twenty minutes more or less.” He rested his head on the back of the sofa, closing his eyes. 

“And can’t we kill the time by talking about it?" The psychologist insisted, looking away from Senku when his eyes opened and the crimson orbs met his gaze. 

The scientist shifted on the sofa, trying to get more comfortable, before talking. “You have nervous hands.”

Gen stayed silent for a few seconds before frowning, turning his body so he could look at the blonde directly. “Excuse me?”

“You have nervous hands.” Senku repeated, eyes fixed on the psychologist’s, as if he was challenging him to something. His adam’s apple bobbed for a second before talking again, distracting Gen from his eyes. “I prefer you to have something to do while I talk.”

“I can take care of my nervous hands perfectly.” The psychologist frowned, sitting up straighter on the sofa and trying to focus on the scientist’s eyes, not to the way he was exposing his neck at him as if he was waiting for Gen to lunge at him. 

“It’s because you’re a magician.” Senku raised his head a bit, eyes fixed on his. “You’re used to having a deck of cards in your hands, aren’t you?”

Gen stilled for a second before sighing and resting his back on the sofa, folding his arms. If this was Senku’s attempt at distracting him from the questions that had been bubbling inside his mind since yesterday night, it wasn’t working. 

“I can buy you one, if you don’t have any.” 

“I’m not a kid you need to distract with toys.” He bit back, his gaze fixed on the turned off TV in front of them, not wanting to look at Senku. 

Before the scientist could talk back to him, the bell rang. The blonde sighed, a small smile tugging at his lips while he stood up and walked towards the intercom next to the elevator. The way he tugged on his glove before pressing the button and telling the delivery guy he’d be down in a minute sent a shiver down Gen’s spine. 

He was back before the psychologist could even process the fact that Senku knew about his previous life one way or another. Had Xeno told him? That was unlikely.

Did he remember him from the time they went to the student council together? Another shiver ran down his spine, but when the elevator doors opened he stood up, trying not to seem as scared as he was. 

“The food arrived.” He said with a smile while leaving the bags on the kitchen aisle, taking the food out without noticing Gen approaching him. 

The psychologist frowned when he saw everything, sitting down on one of the stools while Senku laid the table. “Did you really order ramen again?” 

He didn’t even respond, just smirked at him before sitting down and taking the first bite of his ramen. 

Gen took his tray filled with ramen hesitantly. He was too nervous to even think about eating, but the blonde would notice he was scared if he didn’t eat at all. 

“Are you finally going to explain or what?” He asked, looking up at the scientist’s crimson eyes and ignoring the goosebumps on his skin when his eyes fell to his gloved hands. 

“Honestly, I don’t know where to start.” Senku said nonchalantly, serving the ramen into his plate calmly. He looked back at Gen for a second, expression serious. “So, ask me what you want to know and I’ll explain it to you.”

“Everything?” 

The blonde slightly tilted his head, an amused smile on his face. “Everything you ask about, of course.”

Gen was seeing through the trick, but he couldn’t be bothered enough to complain about it. Answers. That’s what he was finally going to get, if he chose his words carefully and saw through Senku’s facade. 

“Okay, I’ll start then.” He sentenced, leaving the chopsticks on the table and intertwining his hands. Nervous hands. Maybe Senku was more observant than what he’d seemed previously. 

The blonde just stared at him, chewing on his food calmly, and Gen had to take a deep breath and look away from his deep red eyes before talking. 

“Who are the people that were shown on the screens?”

Silence fell between them for what felt like an eternity, Senku’s hands toying with his napkin —apparently he was also nervous, to some degree—, before the blonde finally sucked in a breath and talked. 

“My experiments.”

Gen looked up at him again, wanting nothing more than ditching everything and running away from him, but instead he talked again. “You’re experimenting on people.”

It wasn’t a question, just a statement, but the scientist answered nonetheless. “Yes.”

“What are you doing to them, exactly?”

Senku took a deep breath, as if he was trying to organise his thoughts, before taking a sip of water and speaking again. “The human brain is fascinating.” He set the cup down on the table before looking at him, his crimson eyes now lit up with something close to excitement. “We know so little of it and how it works, you can’t help but get intrigued by it.”

“What did you do?” Gen asked in a low voice, unable to look away from Senku. 

“I just followed Xeno’s instructions.” The blonde clarified, intertwining his hands and leaning forward on the table. “Let’s just say he found a potential way to tinker with the human brain in order to boost each person’s abilities, and I just made that hypothesis real.” 

Senku stayed silent for a few seconds, waiting for the psychologist’s reaction, but Gen just fisted his hands around his pants, under the table so the other couldn’t see it, and tried to wrap his head around what he’d just heard. 

“How did he find out it could be possible to do it?” He asked, eyes fixed on the surface of the kitchen isle, incapable of looking up at him.

“I don’t know. I guess he read something somewhere that sparked the idea and he asked me for help.” 

“He came up with the theory, you turned it real.” Gen looked up at him again, his whole skin covered in goosebumps when Senku’s eyes fixed on him again, somehow darker than ever. 

“It’s not that simple, but yes.” He sighed, taking another bite of his food as if nothing. How could he even think about eating? 

Gen stood up and grabbed his plate, emptying it and leaving it on the sink before resting his hands on the counter and trying to gather his thoughts. 

“Who are those people? Do they live here permanently?” Had he not been alone for this entire time without even realising? Another chill ran down his spine. 

“People no one is going to miss.” He couldn’t see it, but he knew Senku was smiling, or something close to it. “And yes, they live here. The secluded floors are their living quarters.” 

“Explain the whole process.” Gen demanded, turning around and looking at the scientist again. His hands were gripping the kitchen counter a bit too hard, but he needed something to ground himself. A thousand questions were burning up inside his mind, but he couldn’t put everything into words, only frustrating him even more. 

“From recruitment to living here or the other thing?” He raised his eyebrows a bit, apparently amused with Gen’s reaction. 

“The tinkering with brain thing.” 

Senku chuckled a bit, tilting his head slightly, eyes fixed on the psychologist. He was having fun. It was making Gen want to vomit. 

“It’s just a simple procedure.” The scientist stood up with his empty plate and walked around Gen, leaving it on the sink. Their closeness made him tense a bit, but suddenly an idea sparked inside the psychologist’s brain. “It needs special equipment that Xeno personally built, and you just need to know the exact points of the brain to tinker with for the changes to happen.” He opened the fridge, humming while deciding what to get for dessert. “The recovery process is long, but worth it.”

Gen had moved slowly, too slowly for the blonde to notice, his whole body tense with the anticipation of what he was going to do next. “Is everyone in this facility a successful experiment?” 

The blonde didn’t look back at him, eyes still fixed on the fridge. It took a second for him to respond, as if he was trying to remember. “No, not everyone.”

“You’re aware that what you two have done is a crime, right?” Gen stepped closer to him, choosing his words carefully. “Apart from being morally wrong on so many levels.” 

Senku closed the fridge and looked back at him, an amused smile playing in his lips. “What are you going to do, call the police on us?” The smile disappeared, suddenly serious. “I didn’t do it for pleasure, you know. I’m in Xeno’s mercy.”

In a quick movement, Gen pressed his forearm to the scientist’s neck, the tip of the kitchen knife he’d taken seconds ago pressing against Senku’s throat.

The blonde chuckled and leaned a bit closer, the psychologist suddenly aware of how close they were.

"Are you going to kill me?" Senku asked in a whisper, his hot breath meeting Gen's skin. 

The psychologist smiled —fake it until you make it, right?—, his index finger tracing the blonde's jawline unhurriedly. "You know I could. I don't think I'd hesitate much." 

"I wouldn't stop you." The scientist breathed, his ruby eyes meeting Gen's. "But if you're going to do it," He whispered in his ear, and the psychologist's whole body shuddered. "Make me suffer. Make me beg for you to end it all."

Gen couldn’t hide the hitch of his breath when he heard those words, but he took advantage of the hungry way Senku was looking at his lips to grin as falsely as he could and just press the knife even more against his bare, pale neck, to which the scientist just straightened his back, never breaking eye contact with him. 

“So you also have a death wish.” Gen purred, eyes studying attentively the blonde’s expression, getting a bit closer to him, their chests touching faintly. 

“If only you were violent enough to kill me.” Senku whispered, and briefly closed his eyes when he felt the tip of the knife cut through his skin, a small trickle of crimson blood, the same colour as his eyes, go down his neck. 

Gen had to take a hold of all his self-control not to lick the blood staining Senku’s neck, briefly scolding himself for having the thought —what was he, a vampire? 

“What makes you think I won’t?” He finally pressed their bodies together, and couldn’t hide his shock when he felt Senku’s erection against his stomach. He chuckled, trying to hide the shiver that ran up his spine, and tilted his head to one side, studying the blonde’s smug smile. “A knife to your neck is enough to make you cream your pants?” Gen asked while grinding his hips against the scientist’s, grinning at the soft huff Senku exhaled at the friction. 

“Wouldn’t you want to know.” The blonde said, finally leaning towards him and pressing their lips together. It took Gen a second to follow the kiss, too shocked by the fact that Senku had leaned forwards without caring about the knife pressing against his skin —either he definitely had a death wish, or he trusted Gen. He wasn’t able to choose which one he preferred. 

The kiss was hot, wild, making both of them feel goosebumps spread all over their bodies. The knife that had been pressed against Senku’s skin wasn’t anymore, Gen’s grip on it tight and the only thing reminding him all of this was real. 

Senku gasped softly against his lips when the psychologist ground his hips against him again, this time realising Gen too was hardening. 

“So it’s true you’ve always had a thing for me.” The blonde whispered against his lips, hands gripping Gen’s hips tightly and helping him move against him.

The psychologist pressed the knife against his throat again, softly pressing until a new small wound was made. “Don’t be so smug. Remember that you have a knife to your throat as of now.” 

Senku hummed pleased, kissing him again while sliding his hands until they were cupping his ass, pressing their bodies even more together. 

As much as he didn’t want to, Gen couldn’t contain the small whimper that escaped his lips when their clothed erections met, the blonde kneading his ass while kissing him hard. 

“Are we going to fuck in the kitchen or would you prefer to take it somewhere else?” Senku whispered against his skin, ignoring the knife pressing enough to make another wound on his skin. 

Gen’s body tensed for a second, closing his eyes and trying to stop the movements of his hips against the scientist’s. 

They could fuck in the kitchen, and the cameras would record it. The idea of Senku looking over the footage the next day sent a rush of arousal through his body, but when the blonde kissed his jaw Gen came back to himself and hesitantly pulled the knife away from the blonde’s throat. 

“Bedroom.”

Senku didn’t question his decision, just gently nibbled at his jaw and talked again, his hot breath making the psychologist’s body tense. “You lead the way.” 

Gen left the knife on the kitchen counter, ignoring the way the blonde looked at it for a few seconds before pulling his attention back to him. He kissed Senku one last time —hot and desperate, enough to make him breathless— before grabbing his arm and walking to the blonde’s bedroom, trying his best to not get distracted by the arm wrapped around his waist and the scientist’s erection against his ass. 

The psychologist’s knees almost failed him when he witnessed the scientist biting the edge of one of his gloves to take it off, revealing big hands with long fingers that were surely skilled . Gen dumbly stared at how Senku took the other one off, and, as if his gloves hadn’t been something he’d had nightmares about for weeks now, the psychologist took them before tossing them to the ground and kissing him hard again, gasping against his lips. 

He pushed Senku to his bed before straddling him, a firm hand pressed on the blonde’s shoulder even though he was trying to sit up to be able to kiss Gen again. 

“Should’ve brought the knife with us.” The psychologist clicked his tongue, pride swelling in his chest when he felt Senku’s body tremble under him. He bent over the blonde’s body, licking at the small wounds he’d made on his neck, the metallic taste of blood only turning him on even more. He harshly sucked on one of them before biting down on it, unable to help his smile when the scientist whimpered. 

Senku wasn’t staying still either; his hands were travelling all over Gen’s body, gripping his ass or sliding inside the psychologist's shirt, and when he felt his teeth against one of the wounds on his throat he curled his fingers, scratching his back hard enough to draw blood, making Gen hiss. 

They were wildly grinding against each other, and the psychologist was feeling so much friction against his clothed dick he was afraid of cumming in his pants right then and there. Sitting up on Senku —ignoring the way his erection was pressing against his ass now—, he took off his shirt before helping the blonde out of his sweater and shirt. 

Gen was back to ravishing the scientist’s neck, hands sliding over his shoulders, when he felt a strange bump on Senku’s right shoulder. He backed away just enough to look at it, and his blood ran cold when he saw a scar.

A bullet wound scar. 

Senku was apparently oblivious to it, still focused on grinding their hips together and kissing the psychologist’s neck as if his life depended on it, his hands gripping Gen’s hips and getting dangerously close to the edge of his pants. 

He shook his head, snapping out of it, before finding Senku’s lips and kissing him again. He’d had time to ask about it any other time. 

This time the kiss was slower, the blonde humming against Gen’s lips while he ran his tongue over his bottom lip before kissing him again, the hands on the psychologist’s hips finally going down to his pants and unbuttoning them. 

Gen gasped when his erection was finally freed from the confinements of his pants, shuddering when the blonde palmed him through the fabric of his underwear, softly pressing against the head of his dick. 

“Do you have lube?” He asked against Senku’s neck, back to kissing and softly biting at the wounds he’d made minutes before. He had to bite his bottom lip not to whimper when the blonde took his hand away from his dick, hiding his face against his neck and closing his eyes. 

Senku stretched his arm and opened the bedside table drawer, taking a small bottle of lube and some condoms before dropping them on the bed and going back to slowly stroking Gen over his underwear. “We should take these off.” He whispered, softly tugging at the band on the psychologist's underwear and smiling when he felt him shudder against his body. 

“Yeah.” Gen whispered before backing away from him, sitting down on the bed and getting the remains of his clothes off, observing the way Senku undressed —save for his underwear— before looking back at him. 

God, he definitely was crazy for doing this. 

The psychologist sat down on Senku’s hips again, hissing when his dick came into contact with the fabric of the blonde’s underwear. The scientist ran his hand up his thigh before wrapping his fingers around Gen’s dick, smiling when another shudder took over his body. 

Senku’s hands were slightly bigger than his, and it just made him feel even smaller when he saw the way his fingers wrapped around him, stroking his dick slowly. “Are you okay?” 

“Eh?” Gen looked back up at his eyes, and he suddenly realised that maybe this was starting to be too intimate for his liking. “Of course.” He whispered, taking Senku’s hand away from his dick and guiding it to his hip. Before the scientist could ask something else he kissed him, softly biting his bottom lip before talking again. “Are you going to finger me or do I have to do all the work?” 

He smiled when he felt Senku’s dick twitch against his thigh, the scientist’s fingers clenching and unclenching around his hip. 

Gen kissed him again, a small whine escaping his lips when he felt the blonde’s hands grip his ass, one of his fingers softly rubbing against his entrance. He softly bit Senku’s shoulder when he heard the sound of the lube bottle click open, feeling the scientist’s now slick finger softly press against his hole, slowly breaching the ring of muscles. 

He was silenced by the blonde’s lips on him again, this time kissing a bit more desperately again while Senku thrust his finger inside slowly. Gen ran his hands down his stomach, palming the scientist’s erection over his underwear. 

Senku let his forehead rest on the psychologist's shoulder, his finger thrusting a bit faster inside Gen, trying to move his hips against the other’s to get more friction. 

“You can add a second finger.” Gen encouraged him, hissing when the blonde bit on his shoulder at the feeling of the psychologist wrapping his fingers around his still clothed erection. It took a second for him to feel a second finger slowly slide inside him, but he couldn’t help to moan when he felt Senku crook his fingers just slightly against his walls. 

The blonde started kissing and biting Gen’s neck, and even though the psychologist didn’t want the reminder of what they were doing right now, he was too distracted by the two fingers thrusting inside him and the feeling of Senku’s length pulsing under his hand. 

His mind cleared for a second when the blonde bit at the kiss mark he’d just left, Gen softly pressing on his shoulder until he pushed him back on the bed, his fingers slipping out of the psychologist, making him hiss. Gen took a condom before yanking Senku’s underwear down and rolling it on, stroking it with some lube a few times before lining it with his entrance and starting to sink down on it. 

The stretch burnt. The pain was giving him something to ground himself on, but at the same time, he was feeling his dick twitch pathetically against his stomach because the pleasure everything was giving him was too much. 

“Slow down.” Senku said softly, his hands going to the psychologist’s hips and helping him. 

Gen didn’t listen to him, just pushed himself down until he was completely seated on top of him, both of them gasping when the blonde bottomed out. “Fuck.” The psychologist whispered, his nails scraping against his own thigh in order to distract himself from the mix of pain and pleasure taking over his body. 

He moved his hips just slightly, biting his bottom lip when he felt the blonde’s dick twitch inside him. Senku shuddered when he felt Gen clench around him, his hands tightening on his hips and helping him move up and down on his length. 

“Are you okay?” Senku asked sitting up, the psychologist moaning when he got even deeper, brushing his prostate. 

Gen couldn’t help the moan that escaped his lips when he moved his hips in circles and felt the friction against the bundle of nerves, making the blonde groan when he clenched around him. 

He hid his face on Senku’s neck, ignoring the way the blonde was back to kissing and biting his shoulder. He’d wanted to be the one in charge of everything, but every sensation was too much. 

“Fuck.” He whispered again, apparently incapable of forming any other coherent thoughts. Before he could even ask for it —he didn’t want to plead, but it was getting hard—, Senku flipped them on the bed, him being now on top. The scientist spread Gen’s thighs before bottoming out again, both of them grunting at the stimulation. 

It had started rather slow, but it didn’t take long for Senku to start picking up the pace. One of his hands gripped Gen’s hips again, making him meet his thrusts every time, which was only causing him to hit against his prostate again and again. 

“Are you close?” The scientist asked, one of his hands wrapping around Gen’s dick, biting his smile when the psychologist moaned and pressed his face against the pillows. 

“Just-” Gen’s words were interrupted by an especially deep thrust, and before he could talk again he was being kissed by Senku again, his lips hungry against his mouth. 

The blonde backed away just slightly, pressing their foreheads together, and a rush of shame took over Gen. Too intimate. He looked away, pressing his face against the pillow again, and felt Senku sitting back on his knees to deepen his thrusts, still jerking him off. 

He was close, embarrassingly so, and when Senku leaned forward again and started sucking on one of his nipples Gen really thought for a second that he was going to cum suddenly. The blonde grunted when he clenched uncontrollably around him, a shudder breaking through his body. 

“I’m going to cum soon.” Senku pressed his face against Gen’s neck, thrusting even faster and tightening the hand around the psychologist's dick, making him moan. 

Senku cummed first, biting and sucking on Gen’s neck while he filled the condom, still moving his hand on the other’s dick to help him climax too. 

The psychologist whined when he felt the blonde pull out, instantly filled again by his fingers thrusting deep and fast inside him, pressing against his prostate incessantly. 

Gen’s body tensed for a second before he cummed, spilling all over the scientist’s hand and his stomach. Senku stroked him through his orgasm, leaning down and kissing him again, this time a bit slower and deeper. 

“Are you okay?” The blonde whispered against his lips. Gen nodded, closing his eyes and trying to catch his breath. Senku took some toilet paper that was lying on his bedside table —convenient— before wiping his hand and the psychologist’s stomach tenderly, wiping the cum away. 

Senku stood up and threw the condom to a bin before adjusting his underwear again and lying down next to Gen, who was still with his eyes closed and trying to clear his mind. 

He’d fucked Senku. The evil scientist he’d been warned not to mingle with. 

What would Stanley do if he knew?

For a second he really wondered if he had a death wish, but the blonde’s arms around his waist and his lips on his jaw pulled him out of his thoughts. 

Fucking was one thing, after-sex cuddling was another. 

Still, as much as Gen wanted to pull away, he was instantly comforted by the unexpected warmth of Senku’s body against his, grounding him enough to open his eyes and look up at the scientist. 

“You’re still hard.” Senku observed, and only then the psychologist realised that he was right. Maybe his body was too used to going for round after round with Aito still. 

“It’s okay. I’m a bit sore anyways.” Gen lied, curling against the blonde’s body and sighing pleased when he felt the arms around him tightened. 

Just a bit of physical affection wasn’t going to kill him. 

“Let me take care of it.” Senku whispered, leaving a small kiss on the psychologist's lips before pulling away from him. 

Gen rested his weight on his forearms, sitting up just enough to see the scientist kneel between his legs. “No, I’m-” A moan escaping his lips interrupted him when Senku swiped his tongue over the head of his cock, licking the bit of cum that was left there before sucking on the head. “Fuck.” He whispered, one of his hands gripping the scientist’s hair before tugging at it, trembling when Senku hummed around his length. 

Why the hell was he so good with his tongue? 

Gen could feel the blonde’s smugness every time a small moan escaped his lips, and as if he was able to memorise every single detail, Senku was just getting better, concentrating on the psychologist's tip —where he was more sensitive— while stroking the rest with his hand. 

The psychologist tugged at his hair hard enough to pull him off, his body shaking with the thought of orgasming so fast. 

“Close?” Senku asked, smug, before parting his legs with his hands and leaving small kisses and bites on Gen’s thighs. 

“Yeah, I’m too sensitive still…” He sucked in a breath when the blonde’s kisses trailed down to his entrance, licking over it with enough pressure to make him shudder. 

The scientist sucked at his entrance, his nose stimulating the skin on top of it and making Gen moan again, feeling himself blush. He needed to shut up. Senku smiled against his skin before thrusting his tongue inside him, ignoring the way the psychologist covered his mouth with his hand and tried to silence his moans. 

He backed away from Gen’s entrance before sucking on the tip of his dick, pressing his tongue against the slit and humming pleased when the psychologist moaned again, unable to keep silent. 

“Wait! Don’t-” Before he could finish Senku fully took him inside his mouth, his tongue pressing against his side, and even though Gen tried to push him away but tugging at his hair the blonde just chuckled around his length, his throat moving around him and stimulating him even more. 

He came without a chance of warning him whatsoever, feeling Senku swallow it around him and just making him even more sensitive. The blonde pulled off with a satisfied smile, licking the head one more time before sitting up and looking down at Gen. 

“Satisfied?” He lied down next to him, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him close. 

Gen didn’t reply, just hid his face against his neck and let himself be hugged tightly, silently thanking the physical comfort. 

He didn’t even stir when Senku covered both of their bodies with the duvet, instantly drowning in his scent and warmth. Gen hummed in contentment, one of his hands resting on the blonde’s waist and trying to pull him even closer.  He sighed pleased —he blamed the post-orgasm daze for that— when he felt his hand press on his lower back and bring him closer, their chests pressing against each other’s. 

“I should go back to my room.” Gen mumbled after a few minutes in silence, trying not to smile when Senku's arms around him tightened just a bit. 

“It’s okay. Stay here.” Senku whispered, burying his nose in Gen’s hair and closing his eyes, his breath relaxing. 

Gen knew he should go back to his bed, but sleeping next to the warmth of someone else for the first time in a while was too soothing, and before he could stop himself he was curling against Senku’s chest again, his body relaxing. 

—

Gen woke up a couple of hours later, staring for a few seconds at Senku’s face, completely relaxed and features soft from sleep, before slowly untangling himself from the blonde and getting out of bed. 

He put his underwear and trousers on before looking at the scientist’s wardrobe, which was wide open, and putting on one of his hoodies —he wanted to find an excuse for it, but there weren't any. 

It was kind of disturbing how his scent relaxed him a bit, but before he started overthinking he shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Gen walked over to the pants the scientist had been wearing and checked the pockets, biting his triumphant smile when he found the keycard. 

The floor was cold under his socks, but wearing shoes would be too risky. He slowly made his way to the elevator, ignoring the mess in the kitchen and the knife on the counter, the reminder of what had happened yesterday making his skin get covered in goosebumps. 

He held his breath until the elevator doors opened, instantly pressing the button to the ninth floor and silently praying for Senku not to wake up. If he did, he was screwed. 

A chill ran down his spine when he arrived on the ninth floor, not wasting a second before walking towards the door and swiping the keycard to open it. 

The TVs with the CCTV footage were still turned on, but Gen didn’t pay much attention to them; instead, he walked over to the door on one side of the room and swiped the card again, staying frozen for a second when he was met with a long hallway that ended with another door. 

He took a deep breath before walking towards the other door, swiping his keycard again and bracing himself for the worst. 

What he didn’t expect at all was to step into an apartment, quite similar to the way the one where Gen lived was. He closed the door behind him —just in case—, before observing his surroundings. 

It was similar to the upper floor of the apartment, with black and white furniture, but this one had way more rooms and a staircase going down instead of up. 

Gen decided to walk over to one of the doors and slowly open it, softly gasping when he realised it was a bedroom. 

And someone was sleeping on the bed. 

The psychologist felt another shiver run down his body when he recognised the boy with almost-white blonde hair peacefully sleeping: Ukyo, one of the experiments. 

“Ukyo?” He softly whispered, flinching slightly when the blonde boy stirred in his sleep. “Ukyo.” Gen called again, stepping a bit closer to the bed. 

He almost jumped back when the boy’s eyes opened: they were turquoise, shining brightly even in the dark, and they widened when he saw Gen. Ukyo rapidly sat up on the bed, grabbing the psychologist’s wrist hard before looking up at him with a worried expression.

“Please help me.”

Chapter Text

For a few seconds, Gen wasn’t exactly sure of where the hell he was. 

The panic only lasted for a brief moment, because he soon realised he was in a bedroom. Senku’s bedroom, to be exact. 

He sighed, turning around on the bed and burying his face on the pillow, before remembering his night hadn’t exactly ended with him on Senku’s bed. 

Gen abruptly sat up on the bed, now fully alert of his surroundings, and flinched slightly when he saw Senku sitting at his desk, looking at him with a small frown. 

“Are you okay?” 

He curled up in himself, pressing his legs against his chest and wrapping his arms around them. “My head hurts.” It was a lie, but that was better than admitting he was just feeling sick at the prospect of having magically been brought back to the blonde’s bed without him noticing. 

“I found you outside Ukyo’s room, hidden under a table.” Senku stood up and sat down next to Gen on the bed, gaze fixed on him. “You had a panic attack.” 

“Oh.” The psychologist mumbled, gaze fixed on the duvet and trying to remember what had happened after getting into Ukyo’s room. 

“Do you want to eat anything? I can make…” He stretched his hand towards Gen, who jumped away as soon as he saw he was wearing the gloves again.

“N-no, I’m fine.” Gen blinked a few times, trying to calm down and organise his thoughts, before wrapping himself on the duvet —under Senku’s attentive gaze, whose hand had fallen limply on the bed— and looking back at the scientist. “Is Ukyo okay?” 

The blonde’s gaze had fallen to Gen’s neck, which was filled with kiss and bite marks from the previous night, and only when the psychologist brought the duvet around his shoulders higher so it covered everything did he answer. “Yeah. He’s waiting to talk with you.” 

“With me?”

“He wants to apologise for yesterday.” Senku stood up, sighing, before tugging at the hem of his gloves —making a shiver run down Gen’s spine— before looking back at the psychologist. “He’s upstairs. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to work.” The scientist didn’t even wait for a response, just exited his bedroom, leaving Gen alone. 

The psychologist took a deep breath, lying back down on the bed and wrapping himself on the duvet before pressing his face against the pillow.  

He had to get out of Senku’s bed, but the warmth and his smell around him were just too comforting, and before he could think about it twice he stretched his body on the bed, closing his eyes again and just enjoying the sensations around him. 

What really woke him up was the sound of the piano, flooding the apartment once again, this time playing a different piece. Gen sat up on the bed abruptly, eyes wide open, before softly whispering. “Ukyo?”

He scrambled out of bed, getting out to the hallway and peeking upstairs —without seeing anything, just the sound of the piano dancing around him. 

Just as he stepped onto the first stair, Gen realised he was still wearing Senku’s hoodie. Flinching slightly at the realisation, he decided to go back to his bedroom as fast as possible and change into one of his black hoodies. 

He stayed still for a few seconds on the hallway, trying to think whether to get breakfast or just go upstairs and get it over with. 

As if he was racing against the piece —which had picked up the pace and was fast once again—, he walked to the kitchen and felt relief wash over him when he saw the coffee had already been prepared. He prepared it as fast as possible before grabbing the mug and walking back to the staircase, taking a deep breath before slowly going up. 

Ukyo had stopped playing for a second, looking for another piece on the notebook resting against the rack. 

The psychologist didn’t mean to spy on him like that, but it was different to look at the blonde in plain daylight. His hair shone brightly under the sunlight, looking almost white. He was wearing plain clothes but somehow still looked ethereal, as if he wasn’t real.

To an extent, he actually wasn’t.

Ukyo took a deep breath and placed his hands on the piano keyboard, ready to keep playing, when Gen talked.

“Can you play the last one again?” He asked softly, smiling when the blonde jumped on his seat and turned to look at him. 

“Oh, Gen.” Ukyo stood up, suddenly his body tense and a worried expression on his face. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”

The psychologist waved his hand dismissively, taking a sip of his coffee before talking again. “It’s okay. Please play the piece again?” 

He stayed a few seconds in silence, looking at Gen wide-eyed as if he’d been waiting for a scolding or some kind of bad thing, before slowly —hesitantly, almost like he was thinking that he was being tested or something—, sitting back down on the bench and placing his hands on the piano keys softly, still not playing it. “Of course.” 

Gen took a chair and sat down close to the piano, observing the way the blonde’s hands rapidly moved and played the fast-paced piece in an effortless way, the coffee mug in his hands long forgotten.

His heart stopped for a second when Ukyo’s hand lingered in a note mid-piece, and the blonde talked in almost a whisper, eyes casted down and lips slightly pursed. “I thought you had come to save us.” 

The psychologist had to take a deep breath to calm down the way his body was slightly shaking, placing the mug on the table before sucking in a breath. “I’m sorry.” 

Ukyo closed his eyes briefly. “It’s okay.” He muttered, a false smile in his face, before picking up the piece again, fully concentrated on playing the piano now. 

They stayed silent for a few minutes after the piece was finished, the blonde’s eyes fixed on the keys and Gen trying his best to calm down the rapid beating of his heart. 

“Why do you play the piano up here? I thought you couldn’t get out of the secluded floors.” The psychologist talked finally, trying his best not to flinch when Ukyo looked up at him with a smile —which had to be false.

He looked younger than before, lively even. His hair now shone even more brightly, if that was possible, under the sunlight, and his eyes closed in two crescent moons that looked adorable. 

“I tend to get… Distracted by Ryusui when I play downstairs.” Ukyo explained, looking back at the sheet notebook and flipping the pages, trying to find another piece to play. 

“So you asked Senku to let you come here and he let you?” He couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice, which made the blonde frown and look back at him. 

“Of course?” Ukyo genuinely sounded confused, and Gen was just too put off to even explain why he’d asked that. The blonde turned his attention back to the notebook, not waiting for the psychologist to elaborate on his question. 

As much as he wanted to ask a thousand more questions, apparently, he wasn’t the only one conscious about Senku probably surveilling all this interaction —the way Ukyo had looked down at the piano while talking and still kept his hands busy was enough for him to notice—, so Gen just sighed and took his mug again. “Can I make a request?” 

“Yes, sure.” The blonde said instantly, looking up at him. 

“Vivaldi’s summer, 3rd movement.” 

Ukyo chuckled, taking the notebook and flipping the pages rapidly, trying to find the piece. “You’re lucky I’ve practised that one a lot. It’s Senku’s favourite.” 

His body tensed when he heard that, but Gen tried his best not to react to the scientist’s name. Ukyo didn’t seem afraid of him, but a small part of him couldn’t help but wonder whether Senku had forced him to look friendly and free. 

Coming out of his thoughts, he smiled and nodded, taking another sip of his coffee before scooting his chair closer, getting a better view of the piano. 

The blonde’s hands softly rested on the piano, taking a deep breath as if he was getting ready to start playing. 

“You got the secret out already. Get out of here as soon as you can before it’s too late.” Ukyo whispered before he started playing, the sound of the piano instantly taking over the whole room, flooding every corner with the sharp notes. 

Gen stayed completely frozen for a long minute, too scared to move and break the blonde’s concentration —if he’d seemed warm and soft under the sunlight before, now it was as if something else had possessed him. His hair fell forward and covered his eyes, fixed on the rapid way his hands deftly moved over the keys, jaw tight with concentration and body tensed. It was even more intimidating than what he’d uttered before starting to play. 

He turned around rapidly when he heard steps behind him, his body tensing even more when his eyes met Senku. 

Ukyo didn’t stop playing —the psychologist didn’t even know if he’d noticed the scientist’s presence with them—, the piece now softening and not drowning Senku’s voice when he leaned towards Gen and talked close to him, one of his gloved hands resting on his shoulder and making him tense even more, if that was even possible. 

“Xeno’s dog is outside. He’s threatening to burn the building down if you don’t come outside in the next ten minutes.” 

At the mention of Xeno, Ukyo did stop playing abruptly, looking up at the blonde with worry on his face. 

Stanley. He’d forgotten to text him. 

“Shit,” Gen whispered, leaving the mug on the table before standing up. “I’ll go now.” 

He rushed downstairs, hesitating for a second in front of his room before stepping inside. He needed a change of clothes —clothes that covered his neck . 

After almost throwing all of his clothes all over the floor, Gen put on a black turtleneck and some light-washed jeans before rushing back to the elevator, pressing the button to the ground floor. He tucked his hands, which were slightly shaking, before taking a deep breath and shaking his head to clear his thoughts. 

He had to forget about what had happened with Senku and Ukyo. He couldn’t let Stanley see what his thoughts looked like right now. 

The psychologist’s determination wavered a bit when he arrived at the main hall, hesitating at the door before slowly opening it and letting the warm morning breeze welcome him. Taking another deep breath, he walked through the garden to the gate door, stopping for a second before opening it and stepping into the street. 

Stanley was leaning against a lampost, arms folded and gaze fixed on the door, his blue eyes widening just a bit when Gen stepped outside. He instantly walked towards him, his face filled with worry —whether it was genuine or not, the psychologist couldn’t know. “Gen? Are you okay?” The blonde asked, resting his hands on his shoulders. 

“I’m fine.” Gen mumbled, trying his best not to lean into Stanley’s touch. “Can we go somewhere else?” He looked back at the building almost dramatically, just to prove his point. “He’s probably watching us right now.” 

The blonde’s gaze darkened as soon as he heard that, but he curtly nodded before guiding the psychologist to the other side of the street, a chill running down Gen’s spine when they stepped into the alleyway from last time. 

“Did he do something to you?” Stanley asked, stepping closer to him and cupping his cheek not soft enough to be tender but neither hard enough to scare him. 

“No, I’m fine.” Gen repeated softly, closing his eyes at the blonde’s touch and leaning into it. 

Stanley hummed, apparently not entirely pleased with his response. “Then why did you text me?”

The psychologist thanked the hours he spent when he was younger in his acting skills when some crocodile tears threatened to escape his eyes and he shrugged timidly. “I-... I don’t know. I was scared and paranoid that something was going to happen to me.”

“Are you sure Senku didn’t do anything?” Gen —falsely— flinched at the mention of the scientist’s name, and a weird type of pride bloomed in his chest when he noticed Stanley tense at his reaction. “Hey.” His touch against his face was tender now, calloused and rough skin meeting his soft cheek, pressing his thumb against his jaw so he would look up at his light blue eyes. “It’s okay.”

Gen didn’t say anything else, just nuzzled his nose against the blonde’s wrist and looked up at him when Stanley tossed his cigarette to the ground and leaned closer, finally kissing him. 

It was as if all the tension he’d been bottling up for weeks vanished instantly, the psychologist feeling like bursting with pride while his thoughts were only occupied by a single sentence: Fuck you, Xeno. Fuck you fuck you fuck you. 

Stanley was dominant , even more than Senku, gripping his chin with bruising force and claiming his mouth expertly. His lips tasted like cherry chapstick and cigarettes, and Gen just wanted more. Stanley hummed pleased when he backed away, softly nipping at his bottom lip. “Don’t let that jerk lay a finger on you, okay?”

The next words weren’t explicitly said, but he could see it in his intense gaze. You’re mine. 

Boy, was he wrong about that. 

He didn’t even give him time to respond, just kissed Gen again, sucking in his teeth once he backed away completely, as if he’d just realised what he’d done. 

Gen looked away from him, faking a blush. “I should just go back…” He stepped away from the blonde, who instantly grabbed his wrist and made him turn back to look at him.

“Here,” Stanley took a mobile phone out of his pocket and handed it to him. “The mobile phone you asked Xeno for.” 

The psychologist took it hesitantly, observing it before putting it in his pocket and looking back up at him. “Thanks.” 

“Text me or call me for anything .” Stanley leaned forward again, not enough for their lips to touch but he was there, his breath meeting Gen’s lips in a way that was too erotic. “I’ll promise I’ll be there.” He felt the blonde’s lips move against his, and for a second the psychologist’s heart jumped. 

“I will.” He whispered, closing his eyes at the feeling of Stanley’s eyelashes caressing his cheek. 

The blonde hummed in contentment, one of his hands gripping Gen’s chin harshly, thumb and index finger softly pressing right under his jaw, before whispering in his ear. “Behave.” 

Gen wasn’t even given a chance to respond, Stanley leaving him alone before he could take a hold of his thoughts. His whole body was shaking, hands fisted on his thighs and chest rising and falling with every breath. 

What the hell was he getting himself into? 

— 

His body was still trembling a bit by the time he arrived back to the apartment, taking a deep breath before the elevator doors opened and he found Senku and Ukyo in the kitchen, both of them drinking coffee and chatting as if they were friends. 

Ukyo looked at Gen before turning his attention back to the scientist and standing up. “I should go back now.” He said almost apologetically, taking his cup of coffee and finishing everything in one last sip before leaving it on the sink and walking past the psychologist to the elevator. 

“Do you let him roam the building freely?” Gen asked as soon as the elevator doors closed, and the blonde turned to look at him, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

“Did you tame Xeno’s dog?” His gaze stayed a bit longer on the turtleneck Gen was wearing, as if he knew that under that he’d left his marks yesterday. 

Something about his gaze seemed possessive, primal, as if the thought of Gen going all marked up to meet Stanley made him proud, but, honestly, the psychologist didn’t want to find out about it. 

“I asked first.” He sat down on the stool in front of him, and Senku had the audacity to tilt his head and smile innocently. 

“I think what you’re asking is whether Ukyo can go out of the building or not.” 

“Well, can he?” Gen asked, hiding his hands, fidgeting with the sleeves of his turtleneck.

Senku’s smile faded, pursing his lips and talking without a hint of amusement in his voice. “No, he can’t. But he does have more freedom than the others.” 

“Why?” 

The scientist tilted his chin upwards, a spark of defiance in his crimson eyes. “He knows how to behave.” 

Gen was pretty sure his heart stopped at those words, his hands gripping the edge of the stool a bit too hard. Had he possibly heard his conversation with Stanley?

The scientist looked confused and slightly amused by Gen’s silence, taking a sip of his coffee with his eyes fixed on him intently. Softly shaking his head, the psychologist stood up and brushed his hair away from his face. 

“I think I’m going to take a shower.” 

He turned around and was about to walk to the hallway when Senku talked. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” Gen nodded, not even looking back. “Oh, and by the way, your clothes from yesterday are still in my room.” 

That made Gen stop in his tracks, internally cringing at the memory of… that. “Look…” He turned around to say something, anything that could fix whatever mess he’d created yesterday, but he was interrupted by Senku. 

“And you can take the hoodie you put on yesterday, if you like it. I don’t really mind.” 

He nodded before rushing to the scientist’s bedroom —he didn’t want to be interrupted again — to retrieve his clothes when he saw the hoodie on the bed. Gen took it hesitantly, burying his nose on the collar and feeling himself relax a bit when he was welcomed by Senku’s scent. 

Oh, he was definitely going crazy. 

Going back to his bedroom to leave the clothes and get some clean ones, Gen’s mind was a mess of incoherent thoughts, trying to piece together all that had happened for the last 24 hours. 

He only let himself breathe when he closed the bathroom door behind him, looking at his reflection in the mirror for a brief second before taking off the turtleneck and scanning all the bruises and bite marks on his neck. 

And, what made him feel even worse, is the way heat pooled at the pit of his stomach just with the memory of yesterday. 

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts again, Gen stripped off all his clothes and stepped into the shower, resting his forehead against the cold marble of the wall and closing his eyes. 

He needed to rethink his plan before it got even more out of hand. 

Because now, the goal wasn’t just getting himself out of the building. 

It was helping everyone out.