Okay but Gen finding out Senku has a crush on someone so he decides to teach him how to flirt, completely unaware that it’s *him* the scientist has feelings for and these lessons are absolutely killing him.

Like when Gen tells Senku to casually place his hand on his lower back/other areas that’ll surely get his crush to feel flustered/etc.

Or when they get far enough into these lessons that Gen decides he should teach Senku how to kiss since the poor thing is a virgin nerd

The whole village thinks they’re dating after Gen decides that he should just teach Senku how to be a good boyfriend.

The mentalist is perceptive with everyone except the one he has feelings for,

so Gen stupidly thinks that this is the closest he’ll ever get to actually being in a relationship with the scientist.

When Senku builds up the courage and confesses to him,

You know what Gen does?

He claps his hands and compliments the scientist on how believable he sounds

Senku tells him that he is being honest and that he really does love him, which catches Gen completely off guard that he just sorta stands there dissociating for a good few minutes

Because what????? The scientist was never supposed to have feelings for him?? Gen was supposed to be alone, forever pining while being happy knowing that Senku was with someone he loved..

But... Gen was the one he loved???

While the mentalist starts to have a lowkey breakdown, Senku holds him close and tells him that it’s okay if he doesn’t feel the same way.

That’s what snaps Gen out of it.

He gets all pissy and starts passionately proclaiming his love for Senku and how dare Senku think that he loved him any less than the truth.

After that, the two tenderly kiss one another, and they felt complete.

It was their first real kiss.

One where they knew that the other wasn’t faking the feelings they were putting into the kiss. It was perfect.

When they announce to the village that they are officially dating, the villagers are all like

“???We thought you were already dating???”

Which causes the pair to turn red in embarrassment because holy shit they really were wayyy too obvious about their feelings

(yet neither picked up on them lmao)

So anyways, the two are happy and finally together

Until Gen decides to propose to Senku..

About a year of being officially together, Gen decided he wanted to make things even more official. Even though marriage in the stone world is nothing like the modern era, he still wanted a celebration and to make a commitment with the scientist to be with one another forever.

So he set out to make the scientist a ring out of tungsten, the rock that glows at sunrise.

It was gruelling labour and the ring wasn’t without a few dents and abnormal shapes, but the mentalist was certain it would fit Senku’s ring finger perfectly.

As all it took was asking the scientist if he knew his measurements as accurately as he knows how many minutes he’s been alive.

So when Gen finally finished, he put the ring in his sleeve the way a magician does, and met Senku at the observatory.

He didn’t get down on one knee or outright asked him to marry him, maybe if he did it wouldn’t lead to the problem.

Instead, Gen told Senku that he loved him and wanted to spend eternity with him,

“You and I both know that’s ten billion percent impossible, mentalist” he had chuckled, to which Gen responded with mock anger, telling him off for interrupting him.

Gen then continued and pulled out the ring, slipping it on the scientist’s ring finger “I know eternity isn’t possible, but I want to spend all the time we have here with you”

Senku smiled and pulled him in for a kiss, marvelling at how much effort his mentalist had put in to making the ring. Gen had joked that since it glows at sunrise, it can be Senku’s reminder to go to bed since he tends to stay up late working on his inventions.

And here’s where the problem started.. Senku had thought Gen had simply given him a gift, a practical one at that.

As whenever his ring began to glow he was reminded of the mentalist and how he was worried about his sleeping habits.

Since lack of sleep can decrease life expectancy.

Meanwhile Gen really had proposed to Senku and was sitting here waiting for the scientist to *acknowledge* that they were engaged.

Since the mentalist really wanted to start preparing a little wedding so that he and Senku can get married already!!

So as the days turned into months, Gen became more irritable and pouty. He complained to Kohaku about how the scientist still hasn’t said or done anything or even so much as refer to Gen as his fiancé and how it was icking-tay him off.

Kohaku told him he was being stupid and should just talk to Senku; which made Gen realize that he probably shouldn’t be coming to Kohaku to vent to about this kinda stuff because instead of sympathizing with him she’s giving him practical advice.

Which is Not what he wants to hear right now.

He told her “noooo I just can’t~~”

Kohaku took it upon herself to confront the scientist and told him about what’s been bothering Gen.

Senku was shocked when he realized that the ring and Gen’s little speech had been a proposal and he just *missed* it entirely.

The scientist thanked Kohaku for telling him because he had no idea and then once she left, he instantly broke down into a gay panic induced frenzy

He had to make Gen a ring. To show him not only that he loved him just as much, but that he also was ready for such a commitment.

Senku was going to return Gen’s proposal with one of his own.

But first he needed a ring.

The scientist wracked his brain with ideas and landed on making a resin ring with deadly nightshade, his mentalist’s favourite flower, in the middle.

He worked for three days straight without sleep to make the ring, and everyone was getting worried.

Especially Gen, because when he tried to check on him Kinro had stopped him saying that he can’t see Senku. The mentalist tried to pry some information out of him, but it was Kinro. The only answer he got was “the rules are the rules”.

Finally, when the ring was completed Senku was grinning ear to ear. This’ll surely convince the Gen that he was ten billion percent devoted to him.

As much as he needed sleep and a shower, the scientist rushed to find Gen. He needed to declare his love right then and now.

The mentalist had been hanging out with Ruri and the others while telling the children about the origin of the stone world when his love, looking even more like a mad scientist than usual, ran over to him and dropped down on one knee.

Senku grabbed Gen by the arm and pulled him close, with the scientist’s lips brushing against his ear, Gen was brought to tears as Senku whispered out his proposal.

The entire village watched it happen,

and were slightly confused until their chief was slipping a beautiful ring, that somehow had flowers trapped inside it, on the mentalist’s ring finger.

Everyone cheered which pulled the couple out of their moment. The two were finally, officially engaged.

[END]