Chapter Text
Senku didn’t like people. He didn’t like getting close to them, barely even talked to them. He simply refused to. He preferred to stay distant, alone. After all, he only suffered when he opened his heart. Taiju and Yuzuriha were always a reminder that he was already broken once, a reminder that he’ll never let anyone in ever again.
With greenery taking over, grass growing tall, vines and trees taking over the streets and abandoned buildings of Japan. It was getting harder and harder to find food and clean water. It was currently Senku’s third day without food, his stomach rumbling and his body feeling weak. He had finally found a building that looked untouched. Dipping in, carefully and quietly walking around the silent abode, he couldn’t help but feel a touch of unease.
His growling stomach, however, was a growing reminder that he was in desperate need of food. The scientist suspected by day 5, he’d be too weak to walk. He held the handgun in his hand tightly, clenching his teeth as he searched each room of the apartment complex. It was a little strange that the place was weirdly tidy, only a thin layer of dust gracing the counters and tables. The walls had small cracks and holes occasionally, but there was no sign of panic, like most buildings had after the outbreak.
Then Senku came across a room that had no signs of dust, everything neat, everything clean. It was a clear sign someone had recently lived there, but he ignored the signs. He scrambled to quickly look in the cabinets, sighing in relief when he saw rows of canned food. He immediately took one of the Chef Boyardee mini raviolis off the shelf, hurriedly opening the can and using two fingers to scoop the raviolis into his mouth, humming in content. “I never thought Chef Boyardee’s would be so good..” He whispered to himself, scarfing it down like a starving cat.
When he finished the can, he sighed. Finally feeling the grumble of his stomach being satiated.
But then, he heard a beep behind him, and suddenly a web of ropes was dropped onto him. He froze, then struggled. Senku grunted in effort, trying not to let panic take over.
“Struggling only makes the tangle worse, silly~” A voice rang out, playfully teasing. Senku could only freeze in confusion at why the person wasn’t immediately aggressive. “As much as I’d like to let you poor thing go, I can’t risk you being a psycho. So, I’m going to ask you a few questions, and the answers better be honest.”
The voice was weirdly bubbly, but the speech sounded rehearsed. Like they had played it in their head over and over until they wouldn’t make any mistake.
Senku tched before he responded. “And what makes me trust that you won’t hurt or kill me after I answer?” He questioned, trying to see through the thin ropes that trapped him. It seemed they were weighted too, another hindrance.
The person laughed, seemingly amused. “I would’ve already killed you if I wanted you dead. But I feel like being a good person today. So, you just need to answer my question, and I’ll let you be on your way.” They paused, “However, if I even detect a single lie, I’ll stab this kitchen knife wherever I see fit in the net and let you bleed out on the floor.”
Senku could tell it was just a bluff, he doubted the person actually had any weapon in their hands, but he couldn’t risk it.
He clenched his teeth and spoke. “Fine, what do you want to know?”
Senku heard the person shift, seeing the dip in light as they walked around him. “First of all, what’s your name?”
Seriously??
The scientist thought about lying, giving them a fake name. The threat from before still stuck to his mind though. He decided to be honest.
“Senku.” He said bluntly. “How about yours?”
“I’m the one asking questions, dear Senku.” They huff. “Second, how did you find me and were you sent by someone?”
Senku pouted slightly when they avoided his question but still answered. “I only came looking for food, and I haven’t talked to a single soul in 2 months and 14 days.”
They hummed in acknowledgment. “Alright..” They seemed to think for a moment before continuing. “Third question…” They didn’t talk for a good long minute, contemplating the question he was about to ask. “What was your occupation before the outbreak?”
That wasn’t what they wanted to ask.
“I was a scientist. I worked for NASA; I was an astrophysicist.”
“That’s quite the title.” They said, impressed. “One more question.” They reached for something. “How many people have you killed?”
The question knocked Senku out of his head. Entirely unexpected, almost irrelevant at this point in the apocalypse. After 10-ish years, it just became normalized that killing people is something you have to do to survive.
“I haven’t killed anyone before, other than two people around the beginning of the outbreak.” Senku bit back the memories that tried to flood his mind. “Only have done enough to get by. Unless you count infected as people, since technically-”
“Yo-You don’t need to explain the technicalities of the infected, the less I know the better. I find it incredibly hard to believe you haven’t killed anyone since the outbreak, though.” Their tone is wary, a small doubt laced in like a single raindrop on a huge canvas.
Senku thought that would've been it. A single sliver of doubt could've been enough for this mysterious person to decide he wasn't worth it. It was an incredibly stupid way to die.
Senku didn't like killing. Having to shoot his best friends already did him enough. He was lying, of course. He’s done his fair share of killing, in split second decisions to defend himself, or to get others out of his way. But he never started the issue, you only killed what he had to, never going beyond that. Even then, the former astrophysicist would literally rather starve to death or die of thirst than actually kill.
He waited for the strike, or a gunshot, but nothing happened.
After about 4 or 5 minutes, he felt the ropes being cut, untangling himself from the suffocating threads. The breath of fresh air was heavenly to his lungs.
The man he saw before him had a slim figure, a baggy purple hoodie and loose jeans hugged his body. He had a peculiar haircut, the right side of his hair longer than the rest. The right side was white, while the other side was black. His eyes were a greyish blue, staring down at Senku cautiously before standing up and backing away.
For a few minutes, they just stared at each other. Scarlet eyes looking into clouds of grey. Then the man spoke. “You can call me Gen. You look hungry, my dear friend.”
Senku hesitated before speaking, his voice slightly raspy. “I recon 3 days without eating does that to you.” He brought a hand to the back of his neck stretching after having his body cramped forcibly.
Gen frowned, a pit of concern pooling into his gut. “Is that so..? Well, I have a proposition for you.” Senku perks up, furrowing his brows and straightening his posture, resting his elbow on his knee and stretching the other out. “I’ll share my food, water, even medicine with you if you can make me one thing.” The bi-color haired man crossed his arms, a serious expression adorning his petit features. The scientist leaned in slightly, determined for even a shred of food.
Gen leaned in close, gesturing his hand to come closer, then whispered:
“A bottle of cola”
…
“A BOTTLE OF COLA??”
Senku looked at Gen with an expression that read ‘what the actual fuck is wrong with you?’ It was insane, offering your own supply for a single bottle of
cola?
Who in their right mind THOUGHT of that? In the darn APOCALYPSE nonetheless! WHY was a BOTTLE OF COLA going into play?
But at the same time, it was incredibly simple. Like those easy missions in video games that gave you an overabundance of supplies. Other than the fact that the actual brand was severely unhealthy, loaded with way too much sugar, he knew the general recipe.
“That’s..seriously all you want…A bottle of cola? A single bottle of cola?” The scientist asked, deadpanning at Gen. The man only nodded, a plea written in his eyes, desperation leaking out of his skin. Senku could tell one thing: This guy was a huge fan of Coca Cola, and his dedication outmatched anyone. It was almost admirable.
Almost.
-
Making cola was incredibly simple. The most difficult part was getting his hands on lime. It took him quite a few hours. He had seen a lime tree a few miles back, and cilantro seemed to grow everywhere. He already had honey, all he had to do was caramelize it, and he found a soda siphon with a somehow functioning CO2 charger, maybe enough for around a couple of bottles, in another apartment. He just had to assimilate the ingredients. Heating up honey with a splash of water. He didn’t have lemon, however, so he decided a few drops of lime wouldn’t hurt. When he felt like the honey was done, he grated the lime zest, careful not to grate any of the white parts of the peel. Then he moved onto crushing the cilantro. Last but not least, he started making the carbonated water, filling the soda siphon with water and putting it together.
Senku could feel Gen’s stare from around the corner. He had taken the lobby area of the apartment complex to make the special drink. As he waited for the water to carbonate, he started mixing the ingredients together, bringing the small bowl of syrup in his hands to take a sniff and smirks. It almost had him nostalgic, remembering the caffeinated drinks back when the world wasn’t a place of constant death and misery.
The smirk quickly fell though, when memories of his friends started to flood his mind. He couldn’t stop it this time, leaving him with an irritated frown and a sigh. He felt Gen’s presence disappear, probably sensing he needed to be alone. Senku brought his knees to his chest, looking out the glass windows, seeing the night skies. A look of longing, he rested his head in his arms, which were crossed over his legs. He tried to not to think about them, but he knew it was inevitable sometimes. Sometimes, the thoughts won’t just let you shove them away. Instead, they’ll punch you in the gut, remind you of the pain, make you relive those moments.
The scientist felt his eyes well up in tears, unblinking as one rolled down his cheek, not even bothering to hide it. The stars twinkled in the night, with no light pollution, the world of space shone with its glory once again.
It was beautiful, yet there were two stars that felt out of place. Two stars that seemed to watch him, and twinkle brightly. Senku buried his face into his arms, looking down at the soda siphon.
It’s..It’s not like he hasn’t thought about it. Taking his own life, he means. It crossed his mind plenty. But he felt like he needed to continue living, almost like a punishment for not being able to help his friends get better.
Senku remembers shooting his gun, the same gun he held in his pocket. The puddle of blood that pooled under their heads was all he could think about, the horrible feeling of dread and anguish coming from his gut.
A quiet sniff later, he pinched his arm, grounding himself back to reality. A deep breath and he wiped the tears from his cheeks gently with the rough fabric of his jacket sleeve. He managed to compose himself before the bi-colored haired man peaked around again, clearly curious at the process, but not wanting to bother him.
Senku decides he doesn’t want to be alone.
“Oi, yin yang wannabe. You can come closer y'know? I’m not some gorilla in the zoo.” He semi-shouts, loud enough for Gen to hear, but not loud enough to echo throughout the empty and rotting building.
The man jumped slightly but approached carefully. “You seem to have a lot on your mind..” Gen sat next to the Senku, looking up at the window the other man was previously looking out of. “Just trying to figure out my next step after I’m done with this. I’m trying to find a suitable plot of land to potentially set up a base. As much as I absolutely love walking around the country, I’m eventually going to need to settle down.”
Senku could see Gen look at him through his peripherals. He could probably tell that he was lying, he wasn’t necessarily trying to hide it.
It seemed Gen let it go, looking down to the floor. “If you want to ask something, go right ahead.” The former astrophysicist said, using his pinky to dig into his ear, looking down at the soda siphon with a ticking timer in his head.
“I was more of hoping you would ask me a few questions, dear friend. Believe it or not, you’re the first person I saw in about a month.” A sigh, “I just want to talk to someone for a bit. You should get it, you said you haven’t talked to anyone in..2 months?” Gen looked hopeful, looking over at Senku with a gentle look, the question left a bitter taste in the scientist's mouth. “I don’t, actually. I don’t really get it. I don’t think I ever will get it.” He rests his hand on the floor, leaning back. “It’s not that..It’s not that I dislike talking to people. Well, I mean, it kind of is. But..” Something was left unsaid. Senku changed the subject. “What did you do before the outbreak?” He asked, picking up the soda siphon and grabbing the bottle he had found earlier that day, pouring a bit and taking a quick sip and nodding to himself.
“Uh, I was a magician, I did magic shows. I was actually decently well known, maybe you’ve heard of me.” He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Some others would call me a mentalist, though. I majored in psychology in college.”
The other was lost in thought for a second, trying to remember if he’d ever heard a Gen before. Searching through his memories when one stood out.
When he was in high school, the day Taiju confessed to Yuzuriha. His clubmate was reading from a psychology book. “You were Asagiri Gen, the one who wrote those trashy psychological books.” He said, pouring more of the carbonated water into the bottle, and carefully adding the syrup he stirred up into it.
Gen pouted. “So, you have heard of me!” He teased. “I wouldn’t call them trashy, though..” His voice went into a deeper, pouty tone. Senku huffed a laugh through his nose. “You act like you didn’t write that book just for the money.”
The magician puffed out his cheeks. “Doesn’t mean I didn't work hard writing it! Who would have guessed Senku-chan was so mean!” He grumbled, crossing his arms and looking down in defeat.
Senku paused at Gen saying his name. The addition of ‘chan ’ wreaks of affection. It made a sense of dread sink into his gut, telling him that he's already getting too close and that he needed to leave quickly.
“Did you have any family before..before all of this? Anyone you got separated from?” The man next to him suddenly asked, after a quiet moment sat too long between them. The scientist seemed shocked at the question, considering it before he gave an answer. “My father was on the ISS. Lost contact the night of the outbreak. I don't worry about it too much anymore. The ISS would've deorbited within 2 years with no boosts to keep it in orbit. It was scheduled to go down in 2031 anyway..” Gen gave him a look of sympathy. “That old man probably found a way to get down, Lillian Weinberg was there too. If they did though, they had to do it with no help. So, they would have landed somewhere completely random, if they did land at all.”
“Lillian Weinberg… That American singer, right? The one who sang from space before..” Gen thought aloud, bringing his hand to his chin. “I never stopped to wonder about the people up on the ISS. I guess you could say they're kind of lucky, yeah? Since they didn't have to experience everything that went down. How long do you think it took for them to realize what was going on?”
Senku bit his lip. “It probably took at least a couple hours, they already knew something was up. With all ‘mysterious’ violent attacks that would happen before the launch, I heard there was one at the site as the rocket launched.” He pushed a strand of his hair back. “We gathered that the entire world was affected by this at the same time, correct?” Gen nods. “Well, it's safe to say they immediately knew something was wrong. Within 1-2 days after the launch, the outbreak happened. Imagine communication going out in an instant, one by one, around the world. They probably logged into the cameras and saw the destruction and a multitude of other things, then tried to get down by themselves.”
Gen audibly gulped, a bead of sweat running down his neck. “And how are you so confident about that?”
Senku smirked. “Because I know my old man. He wouldn't go down without a fight.” For a glimpse of a second, the scientist has a sparkle in his eyes. As if being reminded of something, of someone whom he could have left. But the sparkle quickly vanished with the blink of an eye.
“How about you, mentalist? Did you get separated by anyone?”
The magician flinched at the question. “Well, not exactly. I didn't really have anyone..that really cared about me, despite my overwhelming fanbase.” He fully laid down, looking at the ceiling that was falling apart, a few missing tiles exposing small wires and pipelines. “It might sound a bit crazy, but I've been here since the outbreak.” Senku shot him a look, eyes furrowed. “I just kinda stayed here, cleaned up the hallways every now and then for something to do. Everyone in the apartment complex was either at work or already infected when it happened. You remember the theory on how the infection took over so fast?”
“Grain products, so pretty much anything with flour.”
“Correct! It seemed I had narrowly avoided eating cake that day.” Gen sighed bringing an arm over his eyes. “ Alll the food here was left for me, I raided every room, except for the top floor. I led all the infected to the top floor..” His tone softened. “I couldn't… I couldn't bring myself to kill any of them.”
Senku hummed in understanding. “It was hard at first. It's hard to not see them as human right away. Especially with how newly infected act.” He looked down to the ground. “I believe it's better to kill them. End their suffering, y'know? Since.. Well, since it's believed the person still has some sort of awareness up until it's around closer to the second stage.”
The former astrophysicist bit his lip, remembering the tears in his friends' eyes when they finally lost all semblance of control, like..like they didn't have any say on what their body did. The veins around their bite marks were mixed colors of red, blue, and purple, in a disgusting mix of gore. Their mouths and nose overflowed with blood, teeth gnawing to get into his skin, spread the infection.
As much as Senku hated it, he's glad that at least he ended their suffering. He's glad they don't have to witness the way the world fell apart.
They were too kind for what the world has become.
“Senku..” Gen called out quietly, his arm now laid spread out, the back of his fingers feeling the cold metal floor. The other only hummed. “Do..Do you know how long it takes for the infected to wither away?”
Senku paused and thought. “Did you ever hear about the stages of the infection? They practically don't . You see, since the infection is a special fungi- the cordyceps- the longer the host is infected, the more the fungus grows .” Gen looked taken aback, almost anxious. “Its only goal is to grow and spread. Even when the host dies, it grows more and emits spores. That's why it's recommended to burn their bodies.” The scientist stretches a bit. “They pretty much only get stronger as the fungus grows. They keep their host alive, they make sure of it,” Senku paused in consideration, but was interrupted by the other next to him.
“What if they were left in an enclosed area for a long time.”
Senku freezes. “How long are we talking..?”
“Since outbreak day..?”
The scientist looks at Gen for a moment, blankly processing the information before he stifles a laugh, a snort coming out of his nose before breathless heaves of laughter echo off the walls. The mentalist looked confused.
“It might as well be considered ground zero!” Senku says between breaths of laughter. “I'd just try my best to keep it sealed, make sure they don't get out. It's not worth the trouble to clear them out.” He waves off, having a feeling where the question came from. “Plus, the place has got to be riddled with spores, so it'd be completely in vain anyways.”
Gen let out a sigh of relief but also basked in Senku's seamless fits of laughter. It was one of the first true emotions he let out of his mask.
“Open your hand, Gen.”
The magician turned to Senku in confusion but did so anyway. He jumps when a cold bottle is placed there, making him look.
It was a plastic bottle filled with a dark brown-ish liquid. “Is this..?”
Senku nodded.
Gen jumped to sit up, unscrewing the cap and gulping down the carbonated drink.
It was heavenly, amazing. Everything he had remembered it to be, - although his memory is rusted since he hasn't had one in almost a decade, burning through his supply within the first 2 years- sweet and satisfying going down his throat, the tingle on his tongue sent shudders down his spine. He could almost cry.
When he put the fizzy drink down, a teary smile was on his face. So incredibly happy to taste the beverage he's been craving for so long .
“Oh, Senku-chan. I could never thank you enough. This is incredible!” Gen praised, his voice wobbly, like he was on the verge of tears. “You could stay here; I really don't mind sharing my space and food if you can keep making these for me~”
Senku doesn't seem to take the offer nicely though, his nose scrunching up. It was clear he didn't like the idea. “Uhm, I'll be fine on my own. I'll just take what I need and go..” He stood without a question, leaving Gen dumbfounded. “Really? Are you sure? I-”
“I don't know about you, but I don't do well with people. I prefer to be alone .”
The other man stood abruptly, folding his arms. “Sorry, Mr. Astrophysicist , but I call bullshit on that.” His expression was stern, brows furrowed and a deep frown on his lips.
“Excuse me?” Senku turns, expression offended. “You’ve only known me for- not even a day . I don’t like people; I’d rather be alone.” He sighs and grabs his bag that was placed on the wall and walks towards Gen’s apartment.
The other stood there for a moment, voice stuck in his throat. He watched the scientist disappear into the halls, audibly gulping before grumpily following behind. As if he was already friends with him, treating him like a naughty kid.
Gen walked past Senku, stomping lightly into his apartment and grabbing bags and packing his things. “What the actual hell are you doing?” He asked, gritting his teeth. “I’m going with you.” The other answers, a deep pout on his face as he started shoving canned food into his bag and water bottles, he had stocked in the cabinet below. “I’m not letting you do that-”
“You’re gonna stop me from going the direction you’re going because you’re going in that direction? What’s exactly stopping me-”
Gen heard the cock of a gun, turning around slowly to Senku, who held his handgun with a cold look in his eyes. “Senku-chan, what-”
“You’re not coming with me; I'm moving on my own. ” The scientist had this stoic expression on this face, like he was prepared to make this split-second decision. “I won’t let you go through with this stupid plan I can see you formulate in your head.” He slung his backpack off his shoulder, keeping the gun in his other hand pointed at the magician as he started packing only what he needed, leaving more than enough for the mentalist.
Gen only stood frozen. Not out of fear, but out of dejection. Saddened that whatever Senku had gone through made him so shut off and protective over his own self-preservation.
This was going to be more difficult than he thought.
“Senku…Do you really want to be on your own..?” He asked slowly, a single drop of sweat rolling down his neck. “Is that what you really want?” Gen slowly hitched over, hiding his hands in his sleeves, trying to seem less of a threat. He blinked slowly, trying to analyse the situation. Senku doesn’t want to act like this, he doesn’t want to be like this. He felt like he had to be, to protect himself from others, to protect himself from the pain.
Gen knew this kind of defense mechanism wasn’t from the mysterious fate of Senku’s father, it had to be much deeper than that, something he had most definitely lost, something he witnessed get lost, or something he took away himself.
There was a slight tremble in Senku’s hand, the barrel of the gun staring into his soul as he contemplated his next move. The scientist was scared , but he did his best not to show it. Gen felt as though he was staring into the eyes of a dragon, but not because he was fierce and strong, but because he was scared and defensive, territorial.
Senku only attacked when he felt threatened, especially when the walls he so carefully built were being picked at.
“What is it to you? I only just met you and you're up my ass like I’m some sort of
patient
you have to take care of.” He growled. “Your mentalist tricks don’t work on me. If I ever see that you followed me, in the slightest, I won’t hesitate to shoot you.”
And with that, Senku put his backpack back on, finally pointing the gun away from the bi-colored man and walking away quickly, his footsteps echoing faintly.
Gen thought, and thought, and though, until he decided-
“Fuck it.”