The Science of Connection (Senku Ishigami x Reader)

The cool air of the night is still lingering, but it's gradually warming up as the village wakes up. The faint sounds of birds chirping and the hustle of early risers fill the background.

You blink your eyes open, feeling disoriented for a moment. The soft weight of your body, the warmth pressing against you, and the unmistakable scent of Senku's presence all blend together. You slowly become aware of the odd position you're in—your head resting against something solid.

It takes a moment to process: it's Senku's shoulder.

Your heart skips a beat, and your breath catches as you realize you're not alone. You're close—too close. His arm is just barely around you, almost instinctively, as if you both had collapsed into this accidental comfort while drifting off. You try to stay still, not wanting to disturb the quiet, and yet... you can feel the tension rising inside you. The cool morning air has wrapped itself around you both, and his warmth feels oddly reassuring.

Senku, still unaware, shifts slightly next to you. His breath steady, he doesn't seem to register the proximity at first. But when his eyes flicker open and land on you, something almost imperceptible passes between you two. His eyes widen for a brief second, then quickly narrow, his usually sharp gaze sharpening to a more guarded look. He's fully awake now, though he doesn't immediately pull away.

You can feel his body tense ever so slightly beneath you, and for the first time since you've met him, he looks... almost unsure.

You pull yourself up slightly, just enough to sit up but still feeling the weight of the moment. Your heart is pounding, a strange mix of embarrassment and something else settling in your chest. You open your mouth to say something, but words fail you for a second.

"I... uh... didn't mean to," you start, but Senku interrupts with his usual detached tone.

"Didn't mean to what?" he mutters, rubbing his eyes with a hand as he sits up a little straighter, still keeping some distance. But his voice lacks its usual bite, instead carrying a faint trace of... well, something else. You can't quite put your finger on it. Maybe it's the fact that he's still adjusting to this moment of closeness, or maybe it's just the way he doesn't rush to pull away from you.

"Nothing," you say quickly, but your voice is a little too loud, a little too defensive. "It's fine."

You both sit there for a moment, awkwardly avoiding each other's gaze, but the silence is more comfortable than anything you expected. In the quiet, you realize just how much you've been needing a moment like this. But Senku—always so composed—probably feels very differently.

After a long stretch of silence, Senku lets out a breath, his usual confident air slowly creeping back into his posture. "This isn't... normal," he mutters, as if stating the obvious.

You raise an eyebrow, finally looking at him, your gaze more guarded than before. "You're telling me."

He doesn't respond right away, his usual scientific brain already likely running through countless possibilities. But instead of jumping into that, he glances over at you for a split second—then looks away again, a hint of something flickering in his eyes. He's still processing, just like you are.

"We should probably get moving," he finally says, standing up and brushing off his clothes. He still looks slightly disoriented, but it's clear he's not going to let this moment linger for too long. The last thing he's going to do is let it distract him from everything else that needs doing.

You nod, but you can't shake the feeling that something has shifted between you two, even if just a little. And as Senku turns to walk away, he mutters, "Next time... let's keep the physical proximity to a minimum, okay?"