Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Senkuu always wore his lab coat. 

    Always.

    Out to dinner, at the movie theater, through day and night, in rain and snow - Senkuu always wore that lab coat. Every day. Every hour, hell, even in the photos Chrome had seen of the little, ten-year-old version of him, he was still wearing the damn thing. It was crazy.

In fact...Chrome was in the firm belief that Senkuu hadn’t gone a day without it - he wore it that often. Half of him was tempted to call up Taiju or Yuzuriha and make sure he was correct, just for...curiosity's sake. They had known him longer, so, surely, they would be able to clarify that he was completely right in regarding this question.  A question he just wanted to be answered for curiosity's sake, mind you, having nothing to do with the bet he and Kohaku totally didn’t have. Nope, definitely not. 

(Ha, he was going to win, screw you Kohaku). 

And Senkuu really did wear it everywhere. Chrome wasn’t sure if he or Kohaku or any of Senkuu’s new college friends had even seen the man without his signature coat. It was just...part of Senkuu being Senkuu, at this point. One of those ticks, like how Chrome would pull out his worry stone and rub it between his palms, or how Kohaku only wore skirts, even in the dead of winter. Which was ridiculous, by the way, Chrome wasn’t sure how she didn’t freeze her ass off. 

    “Because I’m not a wimp like you,” she would say, and Chrome would say something rude, Kohaku would tackle him to the ground, and Senkuu, not even looking up from his this-is-bigger-than-my-IQ book, would tell them to be mindful of the vase to their right. 

    Ah, good times. He still had the bruises to remember them by - Kohaku hits hard. 

    However, even in times like those when it’s just the three of them chilling around his dorm, Senkuu still never took off the coat. Chrome used to wonder about it, used to poke and nag, but now...Well, let’s just say Senkuu is as stubborn as a mule. There’s hardly any use arguing with him about something he’s set his mind to unless you have good, solid reasoning to combat against it.  

    Problem was, Senkuu was scarily smart, and he always had a rebuttal for everything . 

    So Chrome kinda just...forgot about it.  He just assumed that that was the end of it, because he had seen Senkuu spitting mad before, and it wasn’t something he wanted to see ever again. Who in their right mind would? In the long run, it just didn’t matter . 

That was, of course, until the later dubbed Holy Shit Chrome You’re An Idiot Incident or the HSCYAI ordeal for short. That was what Kohaku liked to call it, at least. Chrome swore up and down it was just a small misunderstanding. Hardly even anything of note. 

It had started as a normal day. 

Chrome had just been lazing around his dorm, procrastinating his homework, and drinking a lot of apple juice for some reason (don’t ask him why - he was craving it, okay?) when he heard a knock on his door.  

However...calling it a ‘knock’ might be putting it generously. It was far too loud for that, and Chrome could see his poor door frame shaking from his spot on the couch. He also heard the sounds of cursing, muffled by the wood, as well as a louder shout of “CHROME, OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!” accompanied by another bang. Looking up from where he was playing a Jenga match against himself (he was really bored but didn’t want to sleep ) , he decided to comply with the mysterious voice’s demands. Anything was better than sitting here, bored out of his mind, for longer. If it was a murderer, at least that would be something interesting. 

“Coming, coming,” he said to the door. The ‘knocking’ didn’t cease. 

Eventually, he ambled his way over. Standing in front of the door, holding his cup of apple juice and still in Hello Kitty pajama pants, Chrome briefly wondered if this was such a smart idea. Anyone could be behind it. Anything could happen. 

Another loud bang rattled the frame. 

Eh. His impulse control had gone on strike, because of his five-hour-a-day sleep schedule, as of late. It would be fine. 

Probably. 

Chrome opened the door and promptly cursed loudly, as he was nearly met with a book to the face. He stumbled backward, his juice sloshing over the side, and eyes wide. “My AJ, man,” he complained, clutching his chest. Opening his mouth to say more, his words died on his tongue at the sight that met his eyes. 

“...Senkuu?” 

Knuckles white against the heavy textbook and face expressionless - maybe someone who didn’t know the scientist well would assume everything was fine. Chrome knew better though. If the blank face and tense muscles weren’t telling enough, there was another crucial detail signifying something was wrong. And he wasn’t talking about the fact that apparently, Senkuu had been smacking his book against his door, though that was more than a little concerning. 

“Senkuu…” Chrome’s mind raced with dozens of questions. The most prominent thing going through his mind, however, was simply this -

 Where. The hell. Was Senkuu’s lab coat. 

Ohhhh shit. Maybe he shouldn’t have opened the door, after all. The last time Chrome had seen Senku this mad was when he got in an argument with that flat-earther boy, and he still had nightmares about the ensuing verbal thrashing. 

Chrome, in his friendship with Senkuu, had started to follow a few general rules to go off of, to avoid Senkuu’s wrath. One - you do not mess with him or his friends. Two - you do not mess with science. And, as Chrome stared down Senkuu, wearing a wrinkled black flannel and an expression so cold it could freeze hell over,  he mentally added a third rule. Three - you do not mess with the Lab Coat. 

Because whoever made Senkuu this pissed was going to have hell to pay. 

“Uhhh…Senkuu, my dude! My friend who totally won’t kill me, uh; whatever brings you here to my humble abode?” 

“My, I wonder,” he said dryly, lowering his book and stepping inside Chrome’s dorm. “And you said my name no less than three times, in case you didn’t notice.” 

Chrome laughed awkwardly. “My bad, my bad.” Uh oh. No jokes, then. 

“It’s fine,” Senkuu sighed deeply, casting him an apologetic look. Chrome felt some of his unease fade. “You should clean up your juice before it stains.” Senkuu flopped on the couch. 

“Oh, yeah.” Chrome said aloud. He stared at the stain on his carpet for a solid thirty seconds, before giving up and plopping down next to Senkuu. That was a problem for future him, right now he just wanted to figure out what the hell was happening with one of his closest friends. “Sooo, my dude...are you going to tell me what’s up?”

“I thought it was obvious,” Senkuu grumbled, arms crossed. Chrome started at him for a couple of seconds in bewilderment. Was Senkuu… sulking?

“Well, yeah, but I mean I don’t really know the circumstances,” Chrome said carefully. “So do you wanna, you know, talk about?” Senkuu slumped down further, eyes averted. Holy crap, he was sulking. Senkuu, the smartest kid in their class, mega-genius was sulking. 

Huh. Well, you see new things every day, don’t you? Just wait till he told Kohaku. 

S\enkuu sighed, then sighed again, sinking into the couch. “It was just  - ugh. I don’t even want to talk about it. I just can’t believe it. How could he do this to me, that freaking thief. I never saw it coming, though maybe I should’ve. He was acting suspiciously. ”

“A thief?” Chrome echoed. The late hour made images of ninjas and assassins dance in his head. He blinked and shook his head. “That’s horrible, you said they just...took it? Why? I mean it’s just a lab coat; it can’t be super valuable.”

“Right?! I have no idea what he was thinking!” Senkuu threw his hands in the air. “And now I can’t find him anywhere. Dropped off the grid.”

Chrome hummed thoughtfully.  

It was silent for a few seconds as Senkuu tried to gather himself. Eventually, he took a deep breath and, when he opened his eyes, they were full of steel. “I’ll hunt him down soon enough,” he said simply. 

Chrome felt an overwhelming pity for whoever took Senkuu’s lab coat then, as even seeing that steely determination reminded him why he didn’t want to be on Senkuu’s bad side.“Yeah,” Chrome said, semi-nervously. “No doubt from over here, man. Good luck.”  

“Thanks.” he grinned darkly.

After an awkward silence, where Senkuu looked like he was plotting a homicide, Chrome coughed loudly. “So, uh, video games?” 

“Don’t you have homework?” 

Chrome groaned. “I’ll do it later - ”  

“Do it now.” 

“Ugh,” Chrome sighed. “You’re no fun.” 

“I’ll be sure to remember that when you ask for help on your next science exam.” 

“Buzzkill.” 

Senku smiled fondly, looking a little better. “Dumbass.” 

Soon, the sounds of pencil scratching on paper filled the air as he worked, and Senkuu pulled out his book and quietly began to read. Staring at his notes, trying to review, Chrome found his mind wandering - which wasn’t that unusual in and of itself. However, the direction his thoughts were going… 

“Hey, Senkuu?”

“Mhm?” 

“If I see this thief guy,” Chrome said, “I’ll have your back, yeah? I’ll, like, punch him or something.” 

Senkuu laughed and laughed a little more. He reached over and patted his shoulder. “Sounds good, Chrome,” he smiled, something mischievous in his eyes. “Sounds good.” 

Chrome beamed. 

He hoped they found the guy soon. 

However, that turned out to be the last thing Chrome heard about the coat drama for a whole week. After Senkuu left, fire still burning mutely in his eyes, promising to update him if he found the guy, Chrome slowly lost himself in the constant flow of work and school. Professors liked to do this funny thing where they forget their students have lives outside of college and assign a lot of shit right at the same time. Kohaku liked to describe it with a whole lot of cuss words, and Senkuu just called it a ‘challenge’ and moved on. Chrome thought his description was the most accurate, however. He just called it hell on Earth, downed his coffee, and tried not to pass out from exhaustion. 

Fun times. Fun, fun times. 

And one of these work spirals just happened to fall right on this week. Yay. Honestly, though, Chrome felt like he was slowly losing his mind, staring and staring at notes. Like, why were there so many? Why were they so complicated? And, God, he had barely started on his research paper - 

A knock. Someone was knocking on the door.

Chrome blinked blearily and looked up from his papers. Ugh. Whoever was there better have come bearing coffee or there would be hell to pay. Heaving himself up from his chair, Chrome tottered like a baby elephant towards the door. Crashing into three walls, he yawned loudly. What time was it? Eh, he's sure whoever this is will tell him. 

    Opening the door, he squinted at the sudden onslaught of light. Huh, so it was morning. Good to know. 

“Chrome,” Senkuu’s voice sounded way too chipper for such a hellish week. Seriously, how does he do that? “Chrome. Chrome, look.” 

Still squinting, he looked around. “A’ what?” 

“My shirt, idiot, look - look at my shir - hey, what’re you doing?” 

Chrome, who’s eyes had zeroed in on the coffee in Senkuu’s hands, had grabbed it and was already drinking greedily. “Coffee first,” he murmured. “Gossip second.” 

Senkuu huffed but followed Chrome into his dorm nonetheless, closing the door behind him. He studied the dark room, the drawn curtains, and takeout containers left haphazardly around. “Chrome,” he said. “You’re a mess. If you need help, you know I’m here for you, right?” 

“‘S fine. Just studying.” 

“You’ve studied enough, I think,” Senkuu said, his voice softer. “You always ace the tests, idiot. Now, let some light in, take a break. This isn’t - “ 

 “Healthy, yeah, yeah. I get it,” Chrome grumbled but sent Senkuu a grateful smile nonetheless. 

After a few minutes of him sipping his coffee in silence, finally feeling more awake, he spoke up. “So, what’s going on with your shirt?” 

Senkuu grinned, and ah, yeah, that’s the evil smile. Shouldn’t have asked, shouldn’t have asked - 

“Well, first just guess whose shirt this is,” he said, gesturing to his torso. Chrome studied it, confused. It looked like a normal turtleneck sweater, a bit small on Senkuu, and a dark blue color. 

‘Uh, yours?” 

“Wrong!” Senkuu smirked slyly. “It’s that damned mentalist’s.” 

“Damned what now?” 

“Mentalist,” Senku said, confused. “You know, the one who stole my coat. My bo - ” 

“Oh, the thief guy! So does that mean you got your lab coat back or what?”

Senkuu’s smile faded. “No, actually. The idiot hid it somewhere, and I can’t find it for the life of me. I figured stealing something of his,” he gestured to the sweater, “would help even the battlefield, somewhat” 

“Yeah, for sure. Plus, this way I can help by being your backup.” He mimed punching someone in the face.   

Senkuu snorted. “Whatever you say Chrome. All that matters is soon I’ll get it back, and we can forget all this.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Chrome grinned with as much enthusiasm as his sleep-addled brain could muster. Soon, this would just be another funny story between the three of them; soon, Senkuu would get his lab coat back and stop sulking everywhere. 

And soon, the problem would be solved once and for all.

Chapter Text

And that soon turned out to be... three days later. After Senkuu had forced Chrome to take a nap and eat something, he mustered up enough sanity to make it through the rest of his tests. Granted, he had two mental breakdowns and impulsively bought an emotional-support cactus, but you win some you lose some, right? And he did survive (though sometimes he wondered how) so he was counting that as a pretty big success. 

In fact, it was such a big success that he convinced Kohaku and Senkuu to come out with him for celebratory coffee after school ended at his favorite cafe. You know, just a fun get together between friends, admiring the beauty of existence and drinking caffeine until it felt like bees were throwing a party under your skin. It would be a blast. Senkuu and Kohaku, however, were a bit more skeptical of his idea...

“I don’t see the point of this,” Kohaku huffed as they walked away from campus. She had deep bags under her eyes, and her usually flawless ponytail was in disarray. “Why couldn’t this wait until after I had a nap?” 

“Because then it wouldn’t be the same! You need the full-experience, sleep-deprivation and all,” Chrome grinned. Plus, he added mentally, he doubted any of them would stop at just a nap now that it was the weekend. Except maybe Senkuu, but he barely qualified as human, anyways. 

“Full-experience,” Kohaku grumbled, drawing him back from his thoughts. “I’ll show you full-experience. Ever wonder what it’s like to be murdered, Chrome?” 

Senkuu looked up from his phone, raising an eyebrow. He still didn’t have his lab coat back, Chrome noted, between more bickering with Kohaku. He looked out of place in his deep green turtleneck - which was new, had he stolen two of them now? 

“How long of a walk is this, again?” He said suddenly, interrupting Kohaku’s argument that she could totally get away with murder. Which was probably for the best, considering all the suspicious looks they were garnering. Chrome blinked at Senkuu, before checking his watch. 

“Dude, we’ve only been walking for, like, two minutes.” 

Senkuu rolled his eyes and continued looking at him, expectant.

“Fine, fine,” Chrome said, exasperated. “Probably around ten minutes more? Sorry it’s such a chore to spend time together.” 

Senkuu nodded, mouth twisting upwards. “I certainly clean up after you enough for it to be considered one.” 

“One time!” He threw his hands in the air. “I ask you to clean my apartment one time.”

Kohaku snorted, then pitched her voice into a high, whiny tone. “ Senkuu, will you do the dishes?’ Senkuu, it’s fine, all the trash adds to the aesthetic.’ Senkuu, do you think I should throw away this takeout? It has mold on it, but it looks fine - “ 

“God, what is this, bully Chrome day? -”

“ - and that’s not even mentioning all the times you’ve asked me for help.” Kohaku finished victoriously. “And yes. You’re keeping me away from my nap. I need to get some entertainment out of this.” 

“It’s funny, considering how precise you are about chemistry,” Senkuu butted in. “At least, most of the time…” 

Chrome groaned dramatically, hiding a smile. It was good to spend time with his friends, especially after such a crazy week. 

He should’ve known the crazy wasn’t over. 

After arriving at the cafe and ordering drinks, the trio wandered outside. Senkuu was still acting odd, checking the time constantly with this weird little gleam in his eyes, but Chrome chalked it up to not enough sleep or worry about his lab coat. Which reminded him…

“Anything new with the thief guy?” he asked him, Kohaku perking up in interest. 

Senkuu slumped over and hid his expression behind a mouthful of coffee. “Not really. I keep running into him, but he’s stupidly good at disappearing when he wants to. I have stolen a bunch more sweaters, though.” He gestured proudly to the green turtleneck he was currently wearing. It fit him a lot nicer than the other one and seemed more his style, loose and dark-colored.

“Good for you,” he said, nudging him. “Though, uh, I'm a little confused about where you're finding all of these.”

“It's not that hard. I know where he works and goes to school, and he seems to leave spare clothing everywhere , for some...reason… ” Senku trailed off, abruptly stiffening. Chrome, who had been about to ask how Senku found all that out, forgot his question as he followed Senkuu’s gaze. He was looking at a man with odd half-white, half-black hair who was practically gliding over to them. A man who was wearing...a lab coat. 

Holy shit. That was Senkuu’s lab coat. 

This was the thief.

“Can we help you?” Kohaku asked as he arrived and stopped next to them. She had one eyebrow raised, interested in a detached sort of way, or at least that's what she looked like. Chrome was sure that her mind was awhirl behind the facade.

“Well, y ou can't,” he grinned, before looking to her side. “Hello, Senkuu. Miss me?”

“You're early,” Senkuu said, checking his phone. “And no, as always, Gen. Maybe if you gave me back my damned -”

“Lab coat, yeah, yeah.” The man - Gen - rolled his eyes. He gave Chrome a can-you-believe-it? look as he swiped Senkuu’s coffee and took a sip. He made a disgusted face. “Ew, not sweet enough.”

Senku glared .

“Hey, man, come on. Can’t you just give Senkuu his lab coat back? There’s no need to fight.” 

Gen tilted his head to look at him. “Oh. Hello. You must be Chrome. I’ve heard...lots about you, but I’m afraid not. I can’t give it back until he admits I’m right -”

“You’re not right,” Senkuu hissed. 

“- And as you can see that’s not happening anytime soon. So...I think I’ll just keep it~” 

    He handed Senkuu his coffee back with a cheery wave. “Chrome, Kohaku, nice to meet you. I’m afraid I should probably go now -” 

    “Look,” Kohaku interrupted him. “Senkuu’s been super pissy ever since you took that thing, so could you maybe- ”  

    “- as it appears I’m not welcomed. Goodbye!” He gave them a wink as he turned to walk away. Senkuu looked like he was debating grabbing him and shaking him down; Kohaku gazed up at the sky in frustration, and Chrome...well. 

    Chrome just had very, very poor impulse control, especially when he was on a caffeine high. So, while Senkuu debated and Kohaku gave up, Chrome - he took action. 

    No one could ever say that he wasn’t loyal as hell. Though he definitely regretted it later.

    Gen flinched back in open surprise when he shot forwards and made a grab for the coat. He ducked back, and as he did so, the hand that had previously been flying towards his shoulder met his face with a resounding thwap. 

    Chrome blinked. 

    Oh. 

    Oh shit. 

    He had just punched this complete stranger . In the middle of a public space. And, even worse, he had dropped his coffee while doing so. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Kohaku slam her head into her hands. Senkuu had risen, concerned.

So much for a relaxing get together with his friends. 

“You,” Gen said, touching his face gingerly. “You punched me.”

“Uh, whoops?” 

“Well maybe you deserved it,” Senkuu announced loudly. He was studying Gen with - was that concern? No, it couldn’t be, he must’ve been seeing things. “Considering you won’t give me back my damned -”
    “Yeah, we get it, Senkuu your oh-so-important lab coat. Boohoo. I thought you’d be a little more concerned about the fact that your boyfriend just got punched in the face!” 

“Well, maybe I would be if my boyfriend didn’t -” 

“Wait. Wait a second,” Chrome said, mind screeching to an abrupt halt. “Did you just say boyfriend ?!” 

Senkuu gave him a quizzical glance. “Yes? I thought it was obvious from how I talked about him.” 

“ This is your mysterious boyfriend?!” 

“I’m going to have to agree with Chrome here on this one, Senkuu,” Kohaku said dryly. “Seems like important information, though I had my suspicions.” 

“Boyfriend?!” Chrome repeated despairingly. Oh my god, he just punched Senkuu’s boyfriend in the face. He would never live this one down. 

Senkuu shrugged, an odd, smug look in his eyes. Kohaku chuckled, and Chrome knew that he would get an earful in the near future. 

“It doesn’t matter now,” Senkuu said. “All that matters is that Gen stops being so stubborn -” 

“Oh, I’m the stubborn one -” 

Kohaku groaned, straightening as she tried to keep the peace. “Girls, girls, you’re both pretty - ”

“Well obviously,” Gen huffed.

“ - So can we please try to be civil?” 

“How can I - how can I when my own boyfriend betrays me like this!” Senkuu pointed an accusing finger at Gen, who looked at the coat around himself smugly. “Civil, civil you say? Well Gen wasn’t acting civil when he robbed me, the little - ” 

“Okkkkkaaaay. Let’s keep it PG- 13 in here, guys. We’re already getting enough attention as it is,” he said, mind still slightly reeling. 

“I agree with Chrome, you are being completely unreasonable and should shut up before you embarrass yourself.” Gen smiled sweetly, still clearly upset about the new bruise he was sporting on his cheek.

“What, that’s not what I - ” 

“Chrome shut up for once, will you? I’m gonna kill him, PG-13 be damned,” Senkuu growled. 

Gen tutted condescendingly. “Now, now, Senkuu-chan, there’s no need for that.”

“ You took my lab coat,” he hissed. 

    “And you have no fashion sense,” Gen argued back. “Honestly, hun, if anything I’m helping you.” 

    Senkuu froze before slowly, slowly narrowing his eyes. Chrome shivered, and later he swore the air, somehow, grew colder. “That’s it - let me at him.”    

    “Oh, calm down.” Kohaku rolled her eyes, holding him back. “And you,” she rounded on Gen, “stop being so immature.” 

    “Why, Kohaku,” Gen batted his eyes, “I have simply no idea what you mean.” 

    “See, I just met you, and I can already tell that’s a load of BS.”
    Chrome snorted, as Gen gasped in mock-outrage. This proved to be a mistake, however, as the she-demon turned her focus to him. “And you… ” Chrome winced, as she narrowed her eyes. Crap, she looked really mad now. “Do I really need to say anything? Or do we all understand how much of an idiot you are?” 

    “Ouch - ” 

    “ Shut,” Kohaku said, low and dangerous, “ up .”

    “Yeah,” Chrome sighed. “That’s fair.” 

    His friend snorted, muttering curse words under her breath and running a hand through her hair. Her fiery gaze swept between each of them, her language never stopping until she was shushed by a passing parent. Carefully, none of them looked at her - even Gen had his eyes looking serenely somewhere to her left, not testing her anymore. Smart dude. If Senkuu or Kohaku didn’t end up killing him, he’d fit right in around their little group. 

After a few more seconds of glaring, Kohaku finally nodded and decisively pulled out her phone. Ten minutes,” she said with an air of finality. 

    Chrome blinked. “Wha - ?” 

    “ Ten,” she said, jaw clenched. “ Goddamned. Minutes.” 

    “Okay, okay, jeez! Just, what does that - ” Chrome was interrupted again, as Kohaku pushed by roughly, muttering something about idiot boys and needing more caffeine for this. Which -  fair. It was actually a pretty smart idea; God knows the minute she was gone Senkuu and Gen would be at each other’s throats. Chrome looked mournfully at his fallen cup of coffee and then longly after Kohaku, to where she was walking towards the cafe. He bit his lip. Maybe he could just - 

    “Don’t you fu-” A soccer mom gasped dramatically. “-ng dare, Chrome!”

    He took an unconscious step back. 

    ...That was a no then. 

There was an awkward pause as Kohaku stormed into the cafe, slamming the door after her. Silence hung over them like a thick cloud despite the hustle and bustle of the street, people still giving them a wide berth. Senku stood, arms crossed and shoulders thrown back like he was ready for a fight while Gen fiddled tauntingly with the edge of his sleeve. Chrome himself shifted back and forth, one hand rubbing at his rapidly bruising knuckles. Now that Kohaku had ditched them, he gave it three-seconds before  - 

“Well?” Senkuu growled, stepping forward. Andddd there it was . 

“Well what, Senkuu?” 

He gave Gen a murderous look, and simply held out a calloused palm. 

Gen gave it a high five, his face still impossibly smug despite his boyfriend’s rising anger. 

Before Senkuu exploded (and Chrome doubted even Gen wanted to see that), he butted in. Apparently, now that Kohaku was gone, being the peacekeeper fell to Chrome (and wasn’t that weird). 

“Okay,” Chrome said before awkwardly trailing off as the two intense gazes suddenly locked onto him. He cleared his throat. “Okay, uh, no fighting? Come on, guys, you literally just did this. And, I mean, I get that yelling can be very therapeutic - I yell at my cactus all the time - but I’m...I’m not sure it’s working here.”

Gen blinked, looking truly thrown for the first time since he was punched. “You yell at your cactus?” Chrome shrugged, as Gen turned to Senkuu. “He yells at his cactus?” 

Senkuu sulkily looked to the ground, refusing to answer. Chrome remembered a week ago when that would’ve shocked him. Now, it seemed to be becoming more and more commonplace with all this drama.  

Gen stared at him for a moment before groaning loudly, his whole body sagging. “You know what - fine, fine! Though I’m definitely coming back to the fact that you’re yelling at a plant regularly, Chrome-chan, let’s talk this out or whatever. That is, if Senkuu can handle it.” His smile turned sharp. “Which I’m not sure of, as he appears to be giving me the silent treatment.” 

‘I see what you’re doing,” Senkuu said with narrowed eyes. “You’re goading me.”
    “It’s working.” 

Senkuu huffed. “Goddamnit.” 

“Alright!” Chrome interrupted before things could get heated again. “I guess, uh, talk it out? Or do I need to play therapist - because I’ll do it. I’ll just suck.”
    “I’m the more qualified therapist, between the three of us, Chrome-chan. And, based on your previous tact earlier, I’m going to have to decline, though thanks for the offer,” Gen smirked. “I know it’s genuine; I don’t know how capable you are of lying or, at least, getting away with it.”  

“What?” 

“What?” Gen said innocently. 

“I’m confused?” 

“And this is new?”

Chrome squinted at him. “Are you insulting me or complimenting me? I feel like you’re manipulating my words here.” 

“Three star vocab word, good job,” Gen smiled slyly, before wincing as it tugged at the bruise on his cheek. Oh yeah, for a second there Chrome had forgotten about that. It was definitely an insult, then. “And I’m not manipulating you, silly. If I were ...Well. Let’s just say you’d have no idea until I wanted you to.” He looked meaningfully at Senkuu, whose face had gone open-mouthed with shock. 

“All those spare clothes…” Senku muttered, looking down at his shirt with a deep, horrified look of betrayal that Chrome probably would've found amusing, if he had any idea on what was going on.

“Yep!” Gen said, looking ecstatic. “You know green’s not my color; in all honesty, I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out sooner! I thought you were smarter than this, Senkuu.”

“You asshole .” 

“I told you, hun.” Gen gave Senkuu a look of mock-pity. “Not to mess with me and fashion. I’ll always get my way.” 

“You fu - !”

“Okay,  that’s it!” Chrome interrupted them, “ what the hell is going on?!” 

“Senkuu and I are always getting in fights about this stupid thing,” Gen said, gesturing at the lab coat. Though he was talking to Chrome, his complacent gaze never left Senkuu, who was still in a state of enraged shock. “He refuses to wear anything else, even in the dead of summer! I told him: just wear something I picked out one time; you can even wear your lab coat over it! But no. He wouldn’t even leave the damn thing open - you know how boring it is to basically wear the same shirt every day?! Really it’s your fault,” he said to Senkuu, “we could’ve avoided this whole thing if you just listened to me at the start.” 

“I hate you -”
    “Love you too, babe!” 

Senkuu made a frustrated noise and buried his head in his hands. “Why’d I have to date a psychologist,” he muttered to himself, dejected. “Could’ve dated anyone - scientists, writers, engineers - and yet I settled for this - this idiot.” 

“ Settled?” Gen made an offended noise. “I’ll have you know, I’m far out of your league.”
    Senkuu crossed his arms silently, still glaring. He appeared to be doing a lot of that, as of late.  

After a second, Gen sighed and, with a swoop, took off the lab coat. He was wearing an oversized purple sweater underneath and looked mildly put out. “Look, Senkuu. I’ll give you your coat back, no violence,” he side-eyed Chrome, “needed.”

“Thanks,” Senkuu muttered grumpily. 

“Besides.” Gen’s expression softened, the ditzy, giggling facade melting away, replaced by a loving, exasperated look.  He stood on his tip-toes to kiss Senkuu’s cheek, handing him his coat as he did so. “I’m sick of fighting. And, you do look cute in that lab coat. It’s part of your charm, I think. So I’m…” he lowered his voice, “sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you this much.” 

Senkuu tried to retain his aloof look, but he didn’t last long under Gen’s sad eyes. Sighing, he ruffled Gen’s hair and ignored his offended squawk. “I’m still mad at you,” he said. Chrome wasn’t sure any of them believed him. 

“Righttt.” 

“But...I suppose I could hypothetically see your point. Though I’m not apologizing -” 

    Gen beamed. “Of course not, Senkuu! I’m very glad you see my point, though, because I bought a lot of sweaters for you, and you, you know, you  just can't let them go to waste -”

“Okay, now you’re pushing it.” 

Gen laughed. “I suppose we’ll see, then.” 

Senkuu narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “I suppose so.” 

Gen smiled up at him, and the suspicious look faded from Senkuu’s face as he smiled softly. It was the happiest Chrome had seen him for a couple weeks, and he was glad it all ended well. Well, mostly well…

He looked mournfully at his fallen coffee. 

“Stop with the face already,” Kohaku said from behind him. Chrome jumped a foot in the air and nearly started complaining. That is, until he saw the extra cup of caffeine she brought with her. 

“You’re a goddess,” he said, dazzled. 

She flipped her hair. “I know. And now that all you idiots have figured out your drama, can we please go back to campus? I need a nap. And time to think.” 

“Think about what, Kohaku?” 

She smirked. “The best way to mock Chrome about this, of course. I was thinking something along the lines of the HSCYAI ordeal…”

Chrome groaned good-naturedly as everyone around him laughed. Senkuu was wearing his lab coat again, he noted, and, despite his earlier complaints, had left it unbuttoned. Gen was fussing about the sweater, waving their clasped hands dramatically as he tried to convince Senkuu about one thing or another. Kohaku nudged him, and Chrome smiled. 

He could live with the embarrassment, he supposed, as long as all his friends were happy. 

Coffee in hand, they all walked, laughing, back to campus.

***

 Later that night, when Senkuu and Gen were curled up together watching a documentary, Gen turned towards his boyfriend. The soft voice of the narrator rose and fell in the background, gentle waves under a sleepless sky. “You totally knew he was going to punch me didn't you?” he accused. Senkuu looked at him, smirking.

“A mentalist,” he said very seriously, “ never reveals his secrets.”

“Oh. Oh my God. You bastard - ”

Laughing, Gen pulled Senkuu forward, kissing the smirk off his lips. 

Fin.