Chapter 1 - Expect the Unexpected

After a long night and some much-needed rest, Senku was suddenly stirred from his slumber by the pressure of a weight on his upper body. Without opening his eyes, he already knew exactly what the source of that weight was. And it wasn't just pressure that he felt. There was also a warmth that came with it.

Pretty soon he felt the familiar sensation of feather-light touches all along his neck and jawline. It wasn't until he felt the tickle of hair brushing against his nose that he opened his eyes to gaze upon his stunner of a wife, who was currently laying atop him, showering him with kisses.

After six and a half months of marriage, he still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her. She was strong, caring, hard-working, dependable, and, of course, drop-dead gorgeous. Not to mention, she was the only woman capable of rousing his hormones from the dead and driving him crazy.

Now that he was fully awake and aware of her intentions, he took advantage of the fact that she was within reach and immediately placed his hands on her body.

"So you're awake," Kohaku noted when she felt his hands on her waist.

"Yeah, well, what do you expect when you climb on top of me like that? What's the matter, Lioness? Didn't get enough of me last night?" he questioned, running his hands along her bare back.

"Hah! You already know the answer to that," she retorted before kissing him passionately.

He returned the kiss with similar intensity and continued caressing her back. Despite all her years of training and the countless battles she'd been in, her skin was still ridiculously soft. He couldn't get over just how incredible she felt to the touch. He wanted nothing more than to explore every inch of her.

However, just when his hands started to travel lower, she suddenly pulled away from him and began trailing kisses down his torso. She paused her retreat for a moment and sat off to his side before giving him a seductive look. That single expression told him everything he needed to know.

Senku gave her a devilish look in return. He was in for quite the treat this morning. Or at least he would've been if the phone hadn't started ringing. And knowing full well that Kohaku was of the mindset to go and answer it, he immediately sat up and essentially tackled her down onto the bed, holding her down with his body weight.

"Senku!" she called out in surprise.

"Let it ring," he demanded, grabbing her wrists and pinning her hands to either side of her head as best as his meager strength would allow.

"But..." She tried to protest, but Senku resumed kissing her to keep her from uttering another word.

Eventually the phone stopped ringing, and Kohaku relaxed, allowing herself to give in to her desires. She freed her hands from Senku's grip and wrapped them around his shoulder while also wrapping her legs around his waist.

They continued in this fashion, and it didn't take long for him to get fully worked up. But just when things were about to get good, the phone rang once again, infuriating Senku to no end. He had half a mind to throw the damn thing out the second-story window.

"We should answer it, Senku... It could be important," she said between pants, trying to catch her breath.

The look on his face told her he wasn't willing to comply with her request.

"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere," she reassured, placing a consoling hand on his face.

He couldn't argue with her logic and begrudgingly got out of bed to answer the phone despite being completely naked.

"Yeah? Who the hell is this?" he asked rudely.

"Oh, Chrome... it's you. Now I know who to be pissed at."

There was a bit of chatter on the other end before Senku responded again.

"Oh, she is, is she? Alright, I'll let Kohaku know."

Kohaku sat up at the mention of her name and was curious to know what they were talking about. Maybe some news about Ruri?

"Okay. Yeah, got it. Bye," Senku replied dismissively, just trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

Once he hung up, he rushed back to Kohaku's side and began kissing her neck, trying to get things going again.

"What did Chrome say?"

"Not much," he responded without any kind of discernible urgency. "Just that Ruri's in labor."

"She's what?" Kohaku's eyes grew wide at this news.

Without a moment to lose, she got out of bed and started getting dressed.

"My sister's about to have her baby, and you didn't think that was the first thing you should've told me?"

"Relax, there's plenty of time. Her contractions just started," he tried to inform, but Kohaku wasn't listening.

She was too busy running around in a frenzy.

"It'll be hours before she..." A set of clothes getting thrown in his face cut him off mid-sentence.

"Get dressed," Kohaku told him as she tied her hair back.

"Tch, what happened to you not going anywhere?" he scoffed snidely.

"Senku, we can do that any time. But it's not every day my sister has a baby."

Yet another great argument on her part. Sometimes he really hated how she used logic and sound reasoning against him. Much to his disappointment, he was forced to give in. But why did this have to happen today of all days?

Kohaku couldn't help but notice the dejected look on Senku's face and instantly knew the reason for it. She placed her hand on his face again and made him look at her.

"I'm sorry, Senku. I swear I'll make it up to you," she promised before offering him a tender kiss as consolation. After parting, she gazed lovingly in his eyes and wished him a "Happy birthday" before leaving their bedroom.

"I'M GONNA GO MEET UP WITH RURI. YOU COMING?" she shouted from downstairs.

"NAH, I'LL JOIN UP WITH EVERYONE LATER. I'M GONNA SHOWER FIRST," he shouted back.

"OKAY! NEVER FORGET YOU'RE MY WORLD!"

"NOT IN TEN BILLION YEARS, LIONESS!"

Kohaku smiled at hearing his reply. This had become their preferred method of saying goodbye.

Once he heard the door shut, Senku got up to take his shower... a long, cold shower.

...

"ARGHH... IT'S COMING!" Ruri, who had already been in labor for over twelve hours, yelled in pain.

"Huh? It's coming? You mean this is it? Oh, man, this is bad. Shit, I don't think I'm ready for this," Chrome admitted while frantically running around the room.

"IT'S A LITTLE TOO LATE FOR THAT!" Kohaku berated. "The baby's about to be born any second now. So get a grip and man up!"

"Right! I gotta man up!" He straightened his posture and tried to look composed. "Uhh... how do I do that?"

"Ugh!" Kohaku slapped herself on the forehead and shook her head in disapproval. Her brother-in-law was utterly hopeless.

"Chrome, honey... NGH... I love you... but you're not helping," Ruri managed to say through gritted teeth, panting heavily.

"AAAHH..." she yelled again as another contraction washed over her.

"RURI!" Chrome cried out in deep concern for his wife. "What should I do? How can I help?"

"I know! I'll..." In all his effort to run to her side and offer her his hand to hold, Chrome wasn't watching where he was going and ended up knocking a tray of surgical tools onto the floor.

"Oh, crap! Don't worry. I'll..."

"GET OUT!" everyone shouted at him, Ruri included.

Once she had officially booted him out of the delivery room, Kohaku came over and held her sister's hand instead.

"You're doing great, Ruri. You'll meet your baby soon."

"Yes."

.

Meanwhile, out in the waiting room, everyone turns to see Chrome walking in.

"Chrome, what gives? Why're you coming out here empty-handed? We've been waiting here all day. And I wanted the distinct honor of being the first one to hold the first child born into the Kingdom of Science," declared Ryusui.

"Shouldn't that honor go to their parents?" pointed out Minami.

"If anyone is holding my grandchild first, it should be me," asserted Kokuyo. "I am the former village chief, after all."

"Following that logic, our dear Senku should be the first, given how he's technically still the reigning chief," argued Gen.

"Hard pass," he immediately refused.

"There, see. As former chief, I will gladly take up the mantle."

Disregarding this pointless discussion, Suika walked up to Chrome to inquire about the situation.

"How's Ruri?"

"She... was in a lot of pain. And I couldn't even keep it together long enough to give her moral support. I was a total basket case in there!" he berated himself. "Now she's in there suffering, while I'm out here, just waiting for it to be over. Damn it! My kid isn't even born yet, and I'm already a failure as a father."

"Come now, Chrome. There's no need to belittle yourself. Eriously-say, unless they're the doctor, very few men do well in the delivery room," Gen tried to rationalize.

"Gen's right," affirmed Minami. "Back in the modern era, when I was still interning for a newspaper, I conducted countless interviews for birth announcements, and I can't even begin to tell you how many accounts there were of fathers fainting."

"But I'm a scientist! I should be able to stay level-headed and think things through. Even during high-pressure situations. Now I'll be too ashamed to tell my own son or daughter that I couldn't even handle their birth."

"Listen, son, take it from me." Byakuya, who had been standing off to the side, finally decided to offer his two cents.

"Being a good father isn't about impressing your kids, even though it's pretty fulfilling whenever you can manage it. No, what really matters is being there as a support system for whenever they may need you. And even when they don't need you, always be at the ready and remind them that you're there."

"They might consider you a nuisance for it, but in time they'll come to appreciate it," he spoke from his own experience.

"Just be there for them?" Chrome repeated to himself. "Yeah, I can do that. And I'll start by being there for Ruri. I won't let her do this on her own. I'm going back in there!"

"ATTABOY, CHROME! SHOW THOSE NERVES WHO'S BOSS!" cheered Taiju.

Chrome squared his shoulders and made straight for the delivery room, but as soon as he opened the door, the distinct sound of crying could be heard in the distance. Knowing that could only mean one thing, he darted toward the sound as quickly as possible.

As he approached, the crying sound faded, which only encouraged him to run faster.

"Ruri!" he burst through the door and found her holding a small bundle in her arms.

"Chrome, come look," she urged, giving him a teary-eyed smile.

He approached with caution, almost as if any sudden movements would cause the baby to start crying again. When he got close enough to get a good look, he saw a tiny thing with a little patch of brown hair.

"Meet our son."

"Son? It's a boy? Whoa, bad! We have a son."

"Congratulations, you two. So have you picked out a name yet?" asked Kohaku.

"No. Not yet, I'm afraid."

Chrome took a moment to consider some options when the shine from the surgical tools that he knocked over caught his eye. Their polished finish and durability gave him a stroke of inspiration.

"Hang on! I think I have one," he exclaimed excitedly. "How about Kotetsu? You know, like steel. It's one of the baddest alloys that science has to offer."

"A science name? Seriously, Chrome?"

"Kotetsu," Ruri repeated the name, gazing upon her infant child's face with a loving smile. "I think it's a wonderful name."

"Really? Oh, bad! I just gave our son a name," he stated, filled with pride. "Ya hear that, Kotetsu? That's your name."

"Would you like to hold him, Chrome?"

"Who, me? I don't know. What if I make him cry?" Chrome started to get nervous again. "Maybe you should keep holding him."

"If you won't take him, Chrome, then I will," warned Kohaku.

"What?! No way you should hold him. You'll crush him with your gorilla strength."

Kohaku immediately raised her fist at him, fuming at the implication that she would ever do anything to hurt her darling nephew.

"I'll let you off just this once, Chrome, since I don't wanna ruin this special moment for Ruri. But call me that again, and I won't hesitate to humiliate you in front of your newborn son." Her tone was dead serious, making Chrome gulp in fear.

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am," he apologized vehemently. "Well then, I guess I will hold him. Can I take him out to meet everyone?"

"Of course. Now, hold your arms together and I'll pass him to you."

"Like this?" asked Chrome, cradling his arms.

"That's right. Here. Make sure to support his head," Ruri instructed as she transferred the infant to his father's grasp.

Once Chrome had gotten a good hold on him, he took a long, hard look at his son. All the movement had caused him to stir. When he settled once more, Kotetsu looked up at his father with wide eyes. And that's when Chrome noticed that in addition to brown hair, Kotetsu also had blue eyes, just like his mother's.

Seeing a part of Ruri reflected in their son's appearance made him insanely happy. Like he was living proof of the love between him and Ruri. Suddenly he couldn't wait to show him off to everyone. He made his way back to the others with Kohaku tailing close behind, opening doors for him.

"Hey everyone, I'm a dad!" he announced excitedly upon entering the waiting room.

A collective cheer of congratulations rang throughout the room as everyone crowded around him.

"Arvelous-may! So was it a boy or girl, pray tell," inquired Gen.

"A boy!"

"Ha-ha! Excellent," declared Ryusui with a snap of his fingers. "I'll make him my disciple and show him all the ropes."

"Over my dead body," refuted Kohaku. "I'm not letting you turn my nephew into a degenerate womanizer."

"So, this is my grandson, ey?" asked Kokuyo, approaching to get a better look. "Hello there, young one. I'm your grandad."

"Oh... He's so cute!" cried Suika. "What's his name?"

"We decided on Kotetsu."

"Kotetsu, huh?" At last, Senku joined the conversation. "So you named him after one of the most versatile man-made alloys. It's a solid name, no pun intended."

"With a name like that, I'd be more than happy to share a birthday. Just make sure you live up to the name, okay kid?"

At the mention of his birthday, many gasped in surprise.

"Oh yes. Your birthday. In all the excitement, it must've slipped my mind. No hard feelings, I hope."

"Yeah, I'm in the same boat as Gen." Ryusui cleared his throat. "But how about I treat you to dinner at my house? I'll have Francois make anything you want."

At the mention of dinner, Kohaku's stomach rumbled loudly. She had been at Ruri's bedside for hours and hadn't had much to eat.

"Sounds like the lioness can't wait that long. Make it a dinner at our house, and you're not invited."

"Dinner for two, it is then. I'll get right on it."

"Wait! Before we go, I want a turn to hold Kotetsu," said Kohaku, pulling him out of Chrome's arms without delay.

Ryusui slumped his shoulders in defeat upon witnessing this. In his haste to make up for forgetting Senku's birthday, he missed his opportunity to be the first person, after his parents, to hold little Kotetsu like he wanted. But watching Kohaku fawn over the infant gave him the hope that she'd get baby fever and would soon be begging Senku to have a kid of their own, thus giving him a second chance.

Once the dinner arrangements were confirmed, Senku had to practically drag Kohaku back home. If not for the fact that she was starving, she probably would've stayed glued to Ruri and Kotetsu's sides all night.

All along the way home, Kohaku wouldn't stop raving about the baby, which was to be expected. She always had a soft spot for her sister and would bring up her pregnancy any chance she could get. It got to the point that he was afraid she might ask him for a baby too, but she seemed pretty content with the idea of being an aunt for the time being. Which was great news for him. He still needed a couple of years to warm up to the idea.

When they finally got home, they were welcomed by the pleasant aroma of delicious food. Francois was nearly done preparing dinner, and Kohaku's mouth was already watering with anticipation. Her stomach rumbled again, and she felt an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach.

Then she suddenly felt a bit faint. It wasn't until that moment that she realized just how tired she was. She reasoned that it was probably due to being on her feet for most of the day and going several hours without eating. So she decided to take a seat on the sofa in the meantime.

It didn't take long after that for Francois to call them over. After serving them, they made themselves scarce and allowed the couple to enjoy their meal in only each other's company. Kohaku dug in immediately. For dessert, Francois had planned ahead and prepared a miniature birthday cake that could serve four. They decided to split it, with Kohaku eating more than her fair share.

Now that she was fed, Kohaku was ready to make up for this morning. She led Senku up to their bedroom and immediately took the initiative. She kissed him hungrily, forcing him backwards until the backs of his calves met with the side of the bed.

After removing his shirt, she pushed him, and he fell onto the bed with a flop. Then she wasted no time in pulling her own sweater off over her head. However, in doing so, a feeling of light-headedness came over her, reminding her of her earlier fatigue.

Senku noticed this about her and had to wonder if something might be wrong.

"Kohaku, are you feeling alright?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Yeah. I'm just a little tired. It's been a long day. But... I can manage. I promised I'd make it up to you, and I intend to keep my word."

She then climbed onto him and resumed kissing him. He lay back down and let her do as she pleased to him. However, after a while, she was forced to stop when the uneasy feeling in her stomach returned.

This sudden pause raised a flag in Senku's mind. Something was definitely going on with her.

"Kohaku, if you're tired, then get a few hours of sleep. I can wait."

"No! I've made you wait long enough. It's your birthday. Let me do this for you," she pleaded.

Senku knew that once her mind was made up, it'd be next to impossible to change it. So he suggested a compromise.

"Alright, I can see you're determined. But I don't want you overexerting yourself. How about you let me take the lead?"

After weighing the options for a moment, she finally agreed. She got off him and sat at his side, then made him face her as she pulled him down on top of her. The force of his body weight on her wasn't doing her stomach any favors, and she suddenly became queasy; however, she fought to keep it under control.

Senku was doing all the right things, but thanks to this awful feeling, she just couldn't enjoy any of it to the fullest. It eventually got to be too much that Kohaku had to push Senku off of her completely so she could run to the bathroom.

Needless to say, Senku was surprised, but it only took him a second to get over the shock and run after her. He was about to knock on the door when he heard the sound of her vomiting into the toilet. And that's when the realization hit. This was the last piece of the puzzle he needed to see what was happening here, but he hoped with his entire being that his suspicions were ten billion percent wrong.

To be continued...

A/N: New fanfic! Here's the continuation to 'Steps Toward the Future' that I promised. And I bet you can already guess what this one's gonna be about. X3

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this small tribute to Senku's birthday. I also hope that you're excited for what's in store, 'cause I know I am.

Thank you for reading, and I'll catch you in the next update.