Work Text:
You have agreed to go on a date with Ishigami Senku. He promises you a good time with your preferences in mind.
Gen stared at the Google form incredulously. While he wasn’t quite sure what he had expected when he agreed to go on a date with Senku, it certainly hadn’t been this.
He and Senku had been orbiting around each other for nearly a year, and Gen had been fending off comments from their friends about them for just as long. Both he and Senku would deflect and sometimes pointedly ignore the jokes at their expense, and Gen had honestly expected them to circle each other forever.
While Gen had certainly been attracted to Senku from the onset of their friendship, he’d quickly learned that he was dedicated to his work and to science. The other man had shown zero interest in romantic entanglements since he had known him, and if Taiju and Yuzuriha were to believe, he never had before either.
So while Gen was quite charmed by the scientist’s wit and dry sense of humor, and could certainly stare into those scarlet eyes for hours, he’d tucked those feelings into a little box and switched fully into “friend” mode.
And Senku was an amazing friend, which made Gen glad to be so adept at compartmentalizing as otherwise he was sure he’d have fallen head over heels much faster than he already had. Senku was kind and generous, his barbed and blunt comments often hiding sweeter intentions if one took the time to look closer. Sure, sometimes he could be harsh, but he was never untruthful, just straightforward.
When you looked at Senku, you got exactly what was advertised.
Which is why Gen had been so surprised when Senku, married-to-science hater of all things romantic, had been the one to finally cross the friendship line and ask him out.
It had been over text, a simple if I asked would you wanna go on a date sometime popping up on his phone screen seemingly out of nowhere.
No flowery confessions or awkward lead up, just a simple question looking for a yes or no answer. His no-nonsense approach to communication was a breath of fresh air after navigating the two-faced sea of show business and Gen had happily replied with a yes and a when were you thinking?
Following a bit of back and forth navigating their busy schedules, they both found they were free the following Sunday. However, that was where the conversation ended- no further details, no plan of action, all Gen had was a day blocked off in his calendar.
Which, when considering Senku’s direct communication style and propensity for planning things, made the survey in front of him make much more sense.
Scrolling down, he chuckled at the first question.
“What style of date would you prefer?”
“Oho, Senku-chan, you put quite a bit of thought into this…” he hummed, looking over the options that ranged from the standard ‘dinner and a movie’ to ‘escape room and brunch’ with a few other choices in between.
He immediately disregarded the option for a hike, snorting as he pictured both of them collapsed, out of breath and struggling halfway up a mountain. The two of them were arguably the most out of shape and least outdoorsy people in their friend group, and he suspected the option was only added based on research Senku had done for date ideas online.
He ended up checking off the option for ‘dinner and trip to museum’, though ‘pottery painting and ice cream’ was a close second.
The fact that Senku had added in parenthesis that the museum was currently hosting an exhibit on The Art of Magic knowing that he himself had little to no interest in the topic certainly didn’t have Gen’s heart skipping a beat.
He quickly filled out the section on food preferences, giving a small giggle at the standard “do you have any food restrictions” question tacked at the end and smiling fondly at the small note beneath of “I’ll make sure wherever we go carries the brand of cola you like” .
“ On a scale of 1 to 5, what is your preference for fancy-schmancyness… ” Gen read out loud, unable to hold back the snicker at the thought of Senku typing out this survey without a hint of irony. He could picture him hunched over his laptop, the stern look of concentration he gave lab reports on his face, and he felt a pleasant tingle at the idea of the scientist putting him so much effort for something he’d always considered trivial.
He checked off everyday casual , but kept in mind the apparent option to see Senku in his pajamas or a suit. He’d always had a thing for men in formal wear and something told him Senku would look quite dashing dressed to the nines.
The next question was marked as optional but Gen couldn’t help but click the highest option.
How excited are you for this date from 1-10.
1 - I don’t even want to go anymore
10 - This is going to be the best date ever.
Hitting submit, Gen felt the anticipation he was already buzzing with increase tenfold, his cheeks hurting from how wide his smile was.
Maybe he’d go buy a new outfit for the occasion.
-
Saturday night, Gen double checked his outfit for the next day and took extra time with his skincare routine, wanting to look his absolute best.
As he rubbed moisturizer into his cheek, he felt the buzz of his phone on the counter, glancing over to see Senku’s contact pop up as a text.
His stomach lurched at the idea that Senku was cancelling on him, scrabbling for the device and opening it expecting the worst.
Instead he found an image of a simple yet formal looking invitation.
While he contemplated the image and how long it must have taken Senku to put together, his phone buzzed again, this time with an actual text.
“ Please see the attached casual date invitation.”
Gen couldn't remember the last time he had smiled this much, sure that if it kept up he'd pull a muscle in his face. Shaking his head slowly, he typed out a response. “Wow, so casual. I’m honored to be invited and can’t wait for tomorrow <3”
—
Gen sat on his bed after the date, scrolling through a few of the photos he’d taken over the course of the afternoon.
Senku had been at the station to meet him, looking quite handsome in a loose pair of dark wash jeans and a silly graphic tee of Doraemon underneath an obviously well loved flannel shirt. He was awkward at first, seemingly unsure on if his behavior needed to change with the atmosphere of a date looming over them, and Gen veered the conversation towards whatever experiment he’d been running that week in an effort to get him to relax.
If the way his face lit up like an excited little kid made him look all the more handsome, that was just a bonus.
The museum had been wonderful, and Gen was surprised to find out that Senku had done some research on the exhibit ahead of time, showing actual interest in the art on display. Gen had also been quite pleased with the impressed look Senku gave him at the knowledge he was able to show off in the Aeronautics exhibit, proving that he did listen when the other man nattered on about rocket science.
The hours passed far too quickly in Gen’s opinion and they eventually found themselves at a cute ramen shop nearby, specializing in absolutely delicious tonkatsu style ramen. When Senku casually mentioned that he and his dad would go there when he was in town, Gen felt his heart melt and wished at least one of Senku’s hands was free as he would have definitely reached over and taken it in his.
Eventually Senku walked him back to the train station, wishing him a good night and requesting that he text when he got home safely. Gen had lingered for a few more moments, broadcasting in every way he could that he wanted Senku to kiss him, eventually giving up when it seemed the other man was either oblivious or just plain ignoring the signs.
It was one of the more fun first dates he’d ever been on, certainly helped by just how much he liked Senku already. But now he was staring at his unanswered “just got home <3” text, nearly an hour after sending it, questioning if he’d been misreading all the signals he thought Senku had been sending him.
Maybe Senku didn’t have fun with him and realized that he didn’t want to date after all.
Or that he just didn’t want to date Gen .
Chewing on a hangnail, was about to send another text when his phone lit up with a notification from Google of a new form being shared with him.
Post-Date Evaluation Form
He hesitated, thumb hovering over the notification as he re-read the title. A small thread of insecurity prickled at the back of his mind at the thought of the day being just an experiment for Senku. Logically he knew he wasn’t the type to play those types of games, but the twinge of anxiety was still there. With a resigned sigh and a nervous twist of his stomach, Gen tapped the link, the survey opening to a simple, monochrome layout.
It was basic, clearly thrown together at the last minute, but efficient and clean just like Senku himself.
In the interest of continuous improvement, Senku requests that you fill out this optional survey.
He scrolled down through the questions, pausing on the last one for a long moment, reading it a few more times just to make sure he hadn’t misread it before bursting out into laughter. Loud and delighted, head thrown back against his pillows, phone nearly slipping from his hand. He clutched it tighter, eyes misting just a bit with affection he was nowhere near ready to put into words... but damnit if it wasn't there.
He didn't hesitate, warmth spreading through his chest like fire and the tension that had been coiling inside him since he left the train station melting away as he scrolled back to the top and started to fill out the survey.
It was less than a minute after he hit submit that his phone buzzed with another notification.
“Are you free next weekend?”
His heart thudded in his chest. Sharp, direct, no fuss or preamble. Just trying again. So completely Senku it almost hurt.
"Depends, do I need to fill out another survey?"
A long pause, dots appearing and disappearing several times before:
"Not unless you want to. I was thinking dinner. And I'm definitely kissing you this time."
Gen felt the humming buzz of something sweet and giddy course through him, staring down at the message like it might dissolve if he looked away. Definitely kissing you. Definitely.
"Good" he typed back, thumbs trembling just slightly. Then, after a beat, he added, "Because if you don't, I definitely will <3"
