Chapter 2 - The Waiting Game
All the color immediately drained from Senku's face. He was shaken down to his core and promptly took a seat on the bed. He hunched forward, resting his elbows on his knees with his fingers interlaced and knuckles pressed to his forehead. The look on his face was one of pure distress.
—SHIT!— he swore internally. —This can't be happening. Not now! I've taken painstaking measures to prevent this exact scenario at all costs. So then HOW?! And WHEN?!—
—Dammit all! There's no way in hell I'm ready for this. I'm ten billion percent screwed!— he yelled in his mind, raking his fingers over his temples and into his hair.
—ARGH! Get a grip, Senku. This is no time to panic. Now focus. Could I have miscalculated somehow?— he wondered to himself, regaining some composure.
—No. Not likely— he answered his own question. —Despite Kohaku's irregularity, all it takes is some counting and basic math to predict her windows of ovulation. Plus, her body gives me all the proof I need to know that my calculations are spot-on— he reasoned.
—But given her symptoms, I'd say she's anywhere from four to eight weeks along. That would put conception around the time we got snowed in during Ryusui's obligatory ski trip or as far back as Ryusui's birthday party, when he was being a pain in the ass and we decided to fool around in his office.—
—Tch... figures that greedy bastard played a role in this somehow. But that aside, I know for a FACT that in both instances we used protection. She couldn't have gotten pregnant unless...— he paused when the most obvious answer dawned on him. —...unless the condom broke, and I just failed to realize it.—
—DAMMIT! What the hell was the point of being so meticulous and obsessing over timing if my shitty luck was just gonna screw me over yet again?— Senku was beside himself with frustration. —I should've known better than to play with fire. I blame the lioness for being so damn irresistible.—
He was so caught up with his own internal meltdown that he failed to notice when Kohaku exited the bathroom and made her way over to him, or even when she sat on the bed beside him. His concentration was only broken when he felt the gentle touch of Kohaku's lips on his neck. He shuddered with a start and immediately turned to face her.
"Hm, hm... Did I frighten you?" she giggled at his startled reaction.
She reached out to caress his face with her right hand, but Senku caught it in midair and looked her dead in the eyes with an intense stare. Kohaku gasped in surprise, and her eyes widened considerably.
"Kohaku..." he could barely utter a word, much less broach the subject at hand. "...How are you feeling?" he asked, opting for a safer topic of conversation.
"I'm feeling much better. Don't worry. Now... where were we?" she asked before moving in to kiss him. However, much to her surprise, he immediately pulled away from her.
After the discovery he had just made, a part of him was reluctant to proceed with Kohaku's plans, given the circumstances. In the most minuscule of chances that she wasn't pregnant, she would currently be within another window of ovulation, and he wasn't about to take any more chances.
"What's wrong, Senku?" she asked, looking genuinely hurt by his blatant rejection of her advance.
"You just threw up. This is hardly the time for all that," he attempted to dissuade her.
"It's okay. I made sure to brush my teeth and even used that rinsing liquid that burns the inside of my mouth."
"Kohaku, that's not the point. You can't honestly tell me that you're still thinking about keeping your promise to me after what just happened. I would've thought you'd have other things on your mind," he remarked, subtly alluding to the likelihood of her being pregnant, without having to say it out loud.
"Hah! Like what, my health? I already told you, I feel just fine. Right now... all I'm thinking about is YOU," she declared with a seductive smile before making her move and pouncing on him, leaving zero opportunity for him to withdraw again.
Senku instantly tensed up. Clearly, Kohaku wasn't going to back down that easily. He needed to think fast, which was an uphill battle given how ravenous this lioness was as she attempted to devour him whole. His mind was reeling, but somehow he was able to keep his wits about him long enough to realize that Kohaku didn't suspect a thing, which meant she must have a different theory as to why she suddenly got sick.
"Kohaku, wait!" he exclaimed, barely managing to pry her off himself. "Do you have any idea what could've made you sick in the first place?"
"Hmm...? I think it's 'cause I ate too much too quickly," she answered with a dismissive shrug, not giving it much thought or importance. "It used to happen to me a lot when I was a child. Ruri would always warn me to eat more slowly. Guess that's what I get for not pacing myself. But I was starving, and the food smelled so incredible that I just couldn't help myself."
—So she thinks it was just an upset stomach, huh? It's plausible, but I have my doubts. After all, Kohaku's an adult now, and she's got an iron stomach that can handle just about anything. But the only way to know for sure is to get definitive proof. And that means running some tests. But unfortunately, that'll have to wait 'til morning. In the meantime, it's probably best to keep my suspicions to myself. Now... to keep the lioness at bay.—
"I see," he finally responded after a moment of contemplation. "Listen, Kohaku, I know you're liable to guilt trip yourself if you don't keep your word, so I'm letting you off the hook. Even though you feel alright now, there's still a possibility that this is just the start of whatever's ailing you. So I'd like to err on the side of caution and avoid aggravating your symptoms."
"I'd also like to run a few tests at the lab. But for now, I suggest you listen to your body and try to get some sleep."
"Are you sure? I mean, I know you're worried, but I'd still like to honor you on your birthday."
"Relax, your health takes precedence above all else," he insisted, still trying to convince her into abstaining. "And have you forgotten? You already 'honored' me plenty last night," he reminded, giving her a suggestive grin.
"Hah! Of course I remember. Last night was unforgettable—probably the most magical night of my life. And if I'm being honest, I've never felt closer to you," she expressed while lovingly placing her hand on his cheek.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," he agreed, returning her affectionate gaze. For a moment he forgot all about the predicament they were in and gave in to the urge to kiss her.
The kiss was soft, tender, and filled with so much emotion. It was moments like this that made all of Senku's problems seem small and insignificant in comparison. There was nothing better than when he had Kohaku all to himself, and he would give anything to keep it that way for just a while longer; another year, at least.
—Heh, who knows? If I'm lucky, then maybe Kohaku's right, and I'm just jumping to conclusions... For all I know, this could all be a huge coincidence— he posited in the midst of kissing his wife.
—Pfft! Me, lucky? That's laughable.— He scoffed mentally at the very idea. —Still, a guy can dream.—
Just then, Kohaku broke the kiss and looked straight into his eyes. "You're my whole world, Senku," she whispered softly before retracting her hand and turning in for the night.
Her words hit Senku hard. His eyes locked onto her, following her every move as she changed into something more comfortable, got under the covers, and shut her eyes. All the while, he felt a crushing weight bearing down on his chest.
"And you're mine, Lioness," he finally said in reply, earning a contented smile from Kohaku, which only worsened that unsettling feeling.
Her innocent, unsuspecting smile brought him nothing but shame, and now more than ever, he felt truly undeserving of her. He knew he was a gutless coward worthy of the name scumbag for keeping this from her, but he'd rather not get her hooked on the idea until he had indisputable evidence. So with a heavy sigh, he cast his doubts aside and settled into bed alongside Kohaku.
For hours, he lay awake, plagued by the uncertainty of their situation. Was Kohaku really pregnant? Was his entire life about to change? Was he even ready to be a father? He was so desperate to run his tests and get answers that he hardly got a wink of sleep. Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.
...
It had been nearly two full hours since Senku completed all the steps for the newly recreated pregnancy test that used bioengineered antibodies to detect hCG, the pregnancy hormone. As a prototype, it was still in the trial phase and took several times longer to produce results than the convenient, three-minute tests that humanity enjoyed back in the twenty-first century. However, it was still significantly faster than the method he used to confirm Ruri's pregnancy.
Now Senku was just moments away from getting the answer to his burning question—is Kohaku pregnant, or isn't she? His eyes were glued to all three test tubes, which held a solution of Kohaku's urine and the testing compound. He was on the edge of his seat, counting down the seconds as he waited for even the slightest reaction to occur, all the while hoping to see none at all.
Then, a mere fifteen minutes before the full two hours had elapsed, his concentration was broken by the distinct sound of a baby crying.
—Seriously? The lab's no place for a baby. What the hell was Chrome thinking, bringing his brat here?— he thought to himself, automatically assuming that Kotetsu was the one behind this assault on his ears. But when he turned around to face the source of the crying, all he saw was a lone bassinet.
"What the...? Did Chrome just ditch his kid here while my back was turned?" he wondered aloud as he approached the bassinet to investigate. But what he found brought his entire world to a screeching halt. Lying within was indeed a newborn infant, but it wasn't Kotetsu.
—What the hell is going on here? This can't possibly be right. It's ten billion percent impossible!— he argued to himself, refusing to believe his own eyes. Yet as much as he wanted to deny it, the white hair was a dead giveaway. This baby... was HIS!
Senku was in complete and utter shock. He couldn't even begin to wrap his head around the idea and just stood there gawking as the baby... HIS baby, continued to cry. It wasn't until the infant let out an ear-piercing shriek that scared the crap out of him that he was brought back to his senses. And although he was loath to accept that this was in fact his child, he knew he needed to take action.
He took the infant in his arms and began awkwardly rocking them back and forth. When that didn't work, Senku could only assume that the kid must be hungry. Then, upon closer inspection, Senku noticed a baby bottle in the bassinet and promptly fed it to the infant. Luckily that did the trick, and Senku was able to relax somewhat. However, his relief was short-lived when he heard a loud thud behind him.
The newborn in arms became frightened and started bawling loudly again, but Senku was more preoccupied by what made the sound in the first place. Rolling across the floor of the lab was Chrome's sulfur ball, and sitting in the opposite direction was the last thing that Senku expected—a SECOND baby!
This one was at least six months old and able to sit up on their own. They also had an unruly mop of white hair that stood on end. If there were still any doubt about the first, there was no room for doubts in regards to the second. This was most assuredly his child.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a playpen appeared beside the bassinet. But rather than question it, Senku decided to set down the crying infant and go retrieve the second baby. As he came closer, he saw the baby reaching for an empty energy drink can and noticed how it rolled toward them.
"Heh, looks like you discovered static electricity. Ten billion points to you, kid," he commended, bending over to pick them up. But when he made contact, he received a serious static shock in return, causing the baby's hair to fall limp.
"Ow! What the...?" he exclaimed in surprise. "Oh, I see. Your clothes must be made of wool. That would explain how you were able to generate that big of a charge. That's better than Chrome could manage on his own. I'll give you an additional ten billion points for that, but right now I need you somewhere safe," he explained, taking the child in his arms and placing them within the playpen.
Now that that was taken care of, he could turn his attention back to the newborn. However, right when he was about to tend to the crying infant, he suddenly heard the shattering of glass. He turned around with great alarm and was floored by what he saw. Sitting atop his worktable was a THIRD white-haired baby easily twice the age of the previous.
They had just knocked over a beaker of water and were now shaking an open container, sending a mystery powder flying everywhere. Assuming the worst, Senku immediately rushed over and swiped the container, relieved to discover that it was only potassium iodide and not sodium azide, which would've produced a toxic gas if mixed with the water.
He breathed a sigh of relief and began moving anything dangerous outside the baby's reach. Then, much to his surprise, the baby realized what he was doing and offered him an open bottle of hydrogen peroxide. He was quite surprised by this and accepted the bottle before sparing them a glance.
When a pair of familiar blue eyes stared back at him, he lost grip of the bottle, and the hydrogen peroxide combined with the potassium iodide, producing a volatile reaction. In a matter of seconds, the floor became covered in foam, which Senku slipped and fell on. Now a mess of foam, he rose to his feet just in time to witness the third baby crawling toward the test tubes with Kohaku's test results.
Senku tried to dash forward and grab the baby but lost his footing once again. He came crashing to the floor, helpless to stop the inevitable. He could only watch as the mischievous third baby knocked over the test tubes, one after the other. But he hadn't given up completely and lunged forward to attempt a save.
Time seemed to flow in slow motion as one by one the test tubes landed right before him. He managed to catch all three, but Senku couldn't stop to celebrate. Two hours had officially gone by, and the results were in. All three tests... had come back positive.
Suddenly, the crying from the newborn grew louder and louder. Senku tried his best to get up, but the expanding foam made it impossible. The harder he tried, the more he failed. And in the end, the foam swallowed him up completely. Meanwhile, the baby's cries still came in loud and clear until the moment he took his final breath.
Senku's eyes shot open as he awoke with a start and sat upright, gasping for air. His sudden movement also woke Kohaku.
"What's wrong? Is there trouble?" Kohaku questioned, now at full alert.
Rather than answer, Senku got out of bed and went downstairs.
"Senku?"
He returned as quickly as he left, now with a plastic cup in hand.
"I need a urine sample. Do me a favor and pee into this," he stated plainly, extending the cup toward her.
Kohaku looked at the cup, then back at Senku. Although confused, she had absolute faith in her husband and accepted the cup without question, complying with his request. When she came out of the bathroom, she found him fully dressed.
"I'm guessing that's for your tests, right? Do you need me to come with you to the lab?"
"No, this sample is all I need. Just call me if you start feeling sick again."
"Okay. In that case... I think I'll go visit Ruri and the baby!" she declared excitedly as she went to get changed. However, when she finished changing, she was surprised to learn that Senku had already left for the lab without so much as a word of goodbye. This bothered her a bit, but she chose to let it go and focus on the prospect of visiting her sister and nephew.
...
Once at the lab, Senku rushed over to the research and development department to hunt down what he needed to run his tests. Upon arrival, he immediately went to the mice and picked out a handful of young ones barely a few weeks old. He weighed each one until he found five within the target range that would serve his purposes.
Unfortunately, unlike in his dream, the stone world was still lagging far behind in terms of bioengineering. So much to his disappointment, Senku was forced to rely on animal testing to find the answer he so desperately sought—a process that would take a minimum of five days.
And so, over the course of the next three days, Senku injected Kohaku's urine into all five immature mice three times per day. Then, for the last two days, he let them rest. In all that time, Kohaku never called to report other instances of morning sickness, which was a good sign, but not concrete evidence. He would have to wait until the sixth day to get his answer, but the constant waiting was pure agony. The closer he got to the moment of truth, the more anxious he became.
In fact, his anxiety left him so restless that he hardly got any sleep at all. Instead, he spent that entire week locked away in the lab distracting himself with various projects. Anything to take his mind off things. If not for his work, his mind would eventually wander back to Kohaku being pregnant, which only brought up concerns like sacrificing his home lab or the possibility of multiples. That thought alone was enough to keep him up at night.
Then, late into the fifth day, Senku dozed off and had a horrific nightmare where Kohaku suffered complications during childbirth and died as a result. This left him traumatized and impatient. So beyond all reason, he ignored the five-day deadline and checked one of the mice several hours ahead of schedule.
—If there's gonna be any signs of inflammation, surely they'd start to manifest by now, right?— he tried to rationalize his hasty decision.
However, his gamble proved pointless when there wasn't even a millimeter of traceable inflammation to be seen, which could only mean one of two things. Either the result was negative, or it was still too early to get an accurate reading. But he had no way of knowing which was the case and just wasted one of his test subjects.
He berated himself for not thinking things through but quickly realized that this was probably the wake-up call he needed. This whole dilemma had taken over him completely, and he needed to step away from the situation altogether. And at this point, the only thing that could elevate his mood was to be reunited with Kohaku. After that terrible nightmare, he was desperate to see her alive and well. So for the first time in days, he decided to spend the night at home. But before that, he would need to make a quick stop at Chrome's house.
.
The moment he approached the door, Senku could already hear Kotetsu crying and got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he recalled his initial dream. He hesitated for just a moment before knocking firmly on the door. After a minute or so, Chrome answered the door. He was a total wreck with dark circles under his eyes, indicating his lack of sleep, although Senku was in a very similar state himself.
"SENKU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? KOHAKU SAID YOU'VE BEEN CRAZY BUSY AT THE LAB," he shouted over the infant's cries.
"THAT'S RIGHT, BUT MY WORK'S NEARLY DONE, AND I'D LIKE TO ENJOY A NIGHT AT HOME," he replied, having no choice but to yell in return. "SPEAKING OF WHICH, WHERE'S THE LIONESS? I'M HERE TO GET HER."
"SHE'S WITH RURI. THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET KOTETSU TO SLEEP FOR THE PAST HOUR."
Then, as if on cue, Kotetsu's crying began to fade into a whimper as he tired himself out.
"Finally! I can hear myself think again," he said more to himself. "Kotetsu's got a bad set of lungs on him. Who knew someone that tiny could be so loud? I haven't been able to sleep through the night since before he was born. Listen, Senku. If you value your sleep, then take my advice and hold off on having kids for as long as possible."
"Yeah," he answered dismissively. "Tch, a whole lot of good that advice will do me now," he added under his breath with snide sarcasm.
"Anyway, come on in. Kohaku's inside."
Senku followed Chrome to the nursery, where Kohaku was currently rocking the sobbing infant.
"Hey, Senku's..." Chrome started to say rather loudly.
"SHH!" she shushed him harshly.
"Not so loud, Chrome! He was finally beginning to calm down," she warned in a whisper, but the damage was done, and Kotetsu burst out crying again, yet not as loudly as before.
Ruri let out a long sigh before coming to her son's aid. "Allow me," she said, taking him in her arms.
"Way to go, Chrome," Kohaku chided, giving him a glare.
"Me? I was just letting you know that Senku was here. Besides, how do we know you're not responsible? You probably scared him with your gorilla strength."
His comment struck the usual nerve, and Kohaku raised her fist at him, ready to deal out his punishment before Senku intervened.
"Actually, she was doing just fine until you opened your big mouth," he stated while picking his ear.
"Hah! Hear that? It is your fault."
"Tch, whatever. Now that Senku's here, you can go. Ruri and I got this."
"Are you sure?" Kohaku automatically turned and asked her sister. "You don't need my help with anything? We could stay a little longer. Right, Senku?"
Senku made a face that indicated his distaste for that idea, but Kohaku failed to notice. Ruri, on the other hand, was a different story.
"Don't worry, Kohaku. You've done more than enough already. We'll be just fine. You should go home and be with your husband," Ruri advised, much to Senku's relief.
"Well... okay," she relented after a moment of hesitation. "Goodbye, Kotetsu," she bid her nephew farewell with a smile while gently stroking his hair.
The sudden contact seemed to catch his attention, and he finally stopped crying. He opened his eyes wide and locked gazes with Kohaku, only making her smile grow larger. He was so unbelievably cute that she could hardly stand it. Meanwhile, Senku stood off to the sidelines watching this scene unfold and grew nervous. For the sake of his sanity, he needed to get her out of there immediately.
"C'mon, Lioness," he hurried her along, already heading for the front door.
"Coming!" she called out, running after him.
They made their way home on foot, and all along the way, Kohaku raved about her nephew and how adorable he is. This was exactly what he expected, although it was still hard to listen to given the circumstances. He was already under enough stress just waiting for test subjects to be viable. Luckily for him, Kohaku noticed his disinterest in her topic of conversation and changed the subject.
"So... you finally decided to come home. Does that mean you're done running your tests?"
"Not quite. The procedural part is done, but the results won't be ready until tomorrow," he explained. "I'm heading back, first thing in the morning."
"Oh... I see," she replied solemnly. "Well, I can tell you've been hard at work. You look exhausted," she commented, noting the dark circles under his eyes.
"I hope you remembered to eat every day. Did you get the meals I sent over with Suika?"
"Yeah, I got 'em," he assured.
"That's good. I would've delivered them myself, but I didn't want to distract you. I know you only stay at the lab overnight when you're especially busy."
"Hm... I wish you would've," he murmured in reply. "It would've been nice to have some company while I ate."
"You really mean that? In that case, I'll make you an extra special lunch tomorrow, and we can share it together. I've been practicing every day, and while I'm nowhere near Francois' level, I think I've really come a long way," she exclaimed proudly, looking rather pleased with herself.
Her enthusiasm brought a smile to his face. "Heh, sounds good. It's a date," he declared, earning a smile from her in return.
"Well, here we are," she announced as they arrived at their house.
"Yeah. Home, sweet home," he stated, devoid of emotion.
"Hah! Try not to sound so excited," she remarked at his dry humor.
"Y'know I'm actually..." she started to say but was interrupted when Senku suddenly wrapped his arms around her the second they were both through the door. "Senku?"
He didn't say anything and simply relished in the feel of having her in his arms. Kohaku wasn't sure what was on his, but she didn't question it either. She just accepted his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Welcome home, Senku." That's all she needed to say to let him know how much she missed him. And his hug let her know how much he missed her as well.
They stayed holding each other for a good while until the rumble of Kohaku's stomach lightened the mood and made Senku laugh. This put him in a significantly better mood that he offered to make dinner. They ate together, shared pleasant conversation, and just enjoyed each other's company in general. They even shared a relaxing bath together. And suddenly, Senku's problems felt ten billion miles away.
Kohaku was so happy to have Senku back home that when it came time for bed, she couldn't hold back anymore. She kissed him fervently, letting her intentions be known. However, as much as he wanted to reciprocate, he just couldn't bring himself to, not until he knew the truth of their situation. So although it pained him, he forced himself to stop.
"Not tonight. I'm... too tired," he told her with his eyes downcast.
"Oh... right. Of course you're tired. Some other time then," she conceded before getting into bed.
She lay with her back turned to him, and Senku couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt for denying her.
—Too tired? What a sorry-ass excuse. I really AM the scum of the Earth— he criticized himself.
He felt like a complete jackass for keeping secrets, but he couldn't tell her the real reason. Not yet, at least. All he could do now was wait and see what the results would reveal.
When morning finally came, Senku was eager to get to the lab. But after what happened last night, it felt wrong to simply ditch Kohaku. Instead, he opted to make them breakfast and sit down to eat with her. He even stayed to wash the dishes. That was the very least he could do. In the end, Kohaku left before him, but not without saying goodbye in their unique way.
With the dishes done and Kohaku out of the house, there was nothing keeping him from his ultimate goal. At long last, the sixth day had arrived, and Senku would finally learn the truth. He headed straight for the lab, but somewhere along the way, he caught wind of a conversation that left him rattled.
"Have you heard the news?" asked Amaryllis, eager to share some newfound information.
"Yeah, I just found out about it," replied Nikki. "I'm still pretty surprised. Do you think it's true?"
"It's gotta be! I mean, have you seen her lately? She's positively glowing! I'm honestly more surprised it took them this long considering how 'active' they've been," Amaryllis commented with a sly smile.
"Uhh... no need to get into the details," Nikki said with a notable blush on her face.
"Oh, right. I forgot you're the timid type. But just think, pretty soon we could have two babies to fawn over!"
Senku had heard more than enough and made a mad dash for the lab. For better or worse, he'd finally put all his uncertainties to rest.
To be continued...
A/N: Hey there, here's a new chapter! Sorry to keep you waiting, but I'm back, and I've got an announcement to make.
Lately, I haven't been able to update as often as I'd like, and that's why I've decided to leave my full-time job in favor of part-time work. Once my contract ends in June, I hope to dedicate more time to writing. Not only that, but I'd also like to start drawing more. In case you hadn't noticed, I create all my own cover art, and I'd love to make even MORE fanart.
That being said, I've also decided to launch a Patre0n account where I'll be posting all future chapters for early access, as well as some exclusive content. This is totally optional, but for anyone who might be interested, chapter 3 of this fanfic is already available for as little as $1 USD.
My main goal is just to be able to bring all my story ideas to life and share them with everyone who's been supporting me on my writing journey. But if monetary donations aren't an option for you, don't worry. You can still offer your support in the reviews. I always appreciate hearing from my readers.
Well, that's all I wanted to say. Thanks so much for reading, and I'll catch you in the next one!