Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sound of dress shoes on a metal floor echoes through the laboratory.

“Mm, I think we should check the interior panels more thoroughly before any tests, even though they're made of tungsten, the alloy isn't as refined as the one from the 21st century”

Senku responds with an affirmative murmur, not paying much attention to Dr. Xeno.

The main wiring of the power source is his priority for now. They had made considerable progress in just two years on a project that should clearly be a fantasy. His mentor's power generator will be the key, along with Whyman. He was 10,000,000,000% sure of it.

“Oh, I was right, some of the plates here have uneven cracks,” Xeno mentions from inside the machine, his voice echoing off the walls of the device before reaching Senku. “The interior power buttons could also be improved”

“Chrome is supposed to locate the materials needed for the reinforcement welds,” he replies distractedly. Aha! One of the main conductors had broken when bent. He would need to test it with ordinary electricity to measure the magnitude of the leak; a small power generator would do. “Hey, Dr. Xeno, where's the portable generator?”

“Under the table, if I remember correctly,” comes the man's slightly distorted voice. To his left, then.

Senku quickly rummaged through the mess under the table until he found it. “I'm going to test the wiring!” he shouted over his shoulder, alerting his mentor.

“Yes, maybe we should—” an unintelligible word “—turn on the wiring”

“Huh? Yes, I said I would turn on the wiring,” he shouted back. To rule it out, he connected wires one and two, and that was it. It worked fine. The third would be the real test.

“We could try a little nickel or lithium if the percentage between a metal of the type...” He ignores his former mentor, knowing that as soon as he started explaining something, he lost himself in his thoughts, to focus on the task at hand.

Carefully, he connects the third and final main cable to the voltage meter. Senku smiled when he saw that the number displayed showed that he was losing power, until suddenly the power increased, as if the machine was trying to absorb all the electricity at once. Senku quickly let go of the meter and tried to disconnect the cable from the outlet, but it was stuck, as if the connector had melted into the outlet.

“Senku, what are you doing?!” Xeno shouts behind him, and the young scientist immediately turns around in alarm, his mouth opening in a silent scream when he sees the doctor still standing inside the machine. Before he could utter a word, the glow from the machine enveloped the other man, followed by an explosion. The panic in his mentor's eyes was the last thing he saw before the smoke enveloped him.

Desperate, Senku grabs a nearby axe and cuts the wiring. Calculating the possibilities of what could have happened, he runs toward the cabin, quickly clearing the smoke.

Inside the machine there is only a large pile of clothes, gloves with claws, and a pair of dress shoes. All of Xeno's.

Senku stares at the cabin without really looking for at least two seconds. Only clothes, no trace of the body. His jaw tightens as his stomach sinks at the gravity of what he sees. His mind processes the visual information at full speed in an attempt to control the panic.

“No, don't give in. Calculate.” he tells himself, dragging back every impulse in his psyche that demands him to freeze in fear or scream. With two fingers near his forehead and his hands trembling, he thinks.

- Could the machine have worked and Xeno been sent to some other time? No, it was impossible. Not only it didn’t have complete programming, but it was missing Whyman and other essential parts. The power source wasn't even connected. 

- Could the machine have tried to run on the basic programming it had, and therefore broken down the particles of the body without having anywhere to send them? High probability, and yet it shouldn't have the power to do something like that with so little energy. 

- Could the explosion have broken down the body at the molecular level? Impossible. 

Time seemed to slow down as Senku lowered his head, trying to rationalize everything. Things would only get worse from this point on. Xeno's death meant the greatest intellectual loss of the new era; his absence would delay humanity's ​​space technology advances for years, no, for decades, and the machine plan would be affected.

Another problem was Stanley Snyder.

Stanley is a variable. The man has become a close friend of his team and has proven himself to be a collaborator with the scientific realm, but Senku also knows perfectly well where his loyalty lay. Therefore, he would have to think of a way to incapacitate the man before he found out, just to be safe.

The scientist clenches his fists, trying to contain the guilt, anger, and everything else that wasn't a priority because he had technically just killed his mentor. Barely holding back the panic, he raises his head toward the machine again, and then freezes at what he sees. The clothes are moving, or rather, something is moving underneath them.

Cautiously, he approaches and lifts the lab coat, immediately revealing a mop of messy white hair, causing him to recoil in surprise. In front of him, a sleepy child returns the same confused expression he has.

Senku feels his own jaw drop before bursting into laughter like a lunatic.

-

“So, do I already have a PhD?” ask the boy with a big smile.

“I can assure you ten billion percent” he replies in English.

“Elegant!’”

Senku laughs and lets out a sigh of relief. After the emotional roller coaster he had just been through, he could only be absolutely happy that none of his theories were correct.

“Awww, he's adorable,” says Yuzuriha, watching the little white pompadour that bounces in excitement with its owner, before leaving.

Xeno Houston Windfield was now a 10-year-old boy due to some programming or machine configuration error, and Senku is thrilled. He would never have thought to do something like that! An error led to the unthinkable discovery of age regression. It was so exhilarating.

Of course, he would have to return his mentor to his original age, but that would take at least a few days. Xeno didn't seem to have any memories of the future, his memory only went back to his current age, but despite that the boy was already brilliant. So he decided to be direct and tell him what had happened, and in passing, call Yuzuriha to put some clothes on his little naked butt.

Needless to say, Xeno was more than happy to hear the story of who he was. Ignoring the ‘dictator’ part, which he didn't mention.

“That means I'm qualified to help you fix problems with the travel machine, Dr. Senku,” Xeno proudly says, adjusting the collar of his child-sized lab coat.

“I don't think that's a good idea, dear Xeno,” Gen explains with a smile.

After the initial scream of panic and scolding Senku for his carelessness, the mentalist had been floating around Xeno, trying to keep him from getting his hands on anything dangerous.

“I believe that I am still quite capable of helping you find a solution to the problem even without my original age. After all, I have completed a vast number of projects at my age, Mr. Gen”

“Y-yes, but your body may not remember how to do that…”

“Of course it does! In fact, when I turn eleven, I'm going to college.”

Gen steps back with a tired groan. “I guess there's no way. Dear Senku, say something”

The mentalist had tried to distract Xeno by performing some magic tricks, but he gave up on the second trick when the boy explained how it worked and how he could do it better. Instead, Senku had given the boy some simple but necessary tasks to distract him, and he finished them almost immediately, so now Xeno was moving around Senku's welding area, wanting to do it himself.

“Huh? Actually, I think he should help. I could use some extra hands here” he says, scratching his ear and ignoring Gen's venomous glare.

“Well, dear Stanley surely won't agree” replies the mentalist, smiling smugly. Senku clicks his tongue. Gen knew how to attack.

“Stanley isn't here right now” he complains.

At that, a small hand clung to Gen's clothes, pulling them hastily.

“Are you talking about my friend Stanley? Is Stan here?” he asks with a hopeful expression. Gen nods. 

“Yes, actually he should be on his way here,” he replied, looking at the clock on the wall. “It's lunchtime after all”

Senku tenses up and pretends not to hear Gen, even though he knows why the mentalist has come looking for him. He also knows that if he doesn't give in, the lioness will drag him out of the lab so the three of them can eat together anyway. It was the same reason Stanley came every noon to look for Xeno; they were all determined to slow down scientific progress, no doubt about it. It was a plot started by Ruri on the day she began taking Chrome away. He still has no proof, but he is certain.

“He is an adult now too, isn't he?”

Senku and Gen nod.

“You and him are childhood friends, right? You're exactly like dear Taiju and Senku.”

Senku shudders at that. 

“Not exactly the same,” he objects with a disgusted look on his face as he continues working. Gen snorts. 

“I meant that they were probably a small scientific team, with you dear Xeno as the leader and Stanley as your faithful assistant”

“You’re correct! And I am pleased to know that Stan is here, he's truly a competent assistant, he's also very skilled with weapons. After all, he always tests the weapons I build” 

“Eally-rey? I had no idea that dear Stanley was a sniper since childhood. I thought it was just his profession… Wait! you built weapons at your age!?” Gen shouts.

Senku smiles “That means they were a dangerous duo even as brats”

“That’s right, Dr. Senku. In fact, we're unstoppable” says the boy, snorting smugly. “With my science and his strength we can do anything”

The kid sounds just like old Xeno, pretentious tone of voice and all. It is funny how some things never change.

“You must be exaggerating” says Gen, waving his hand dismissively with an unimpressed expression. “Isn't Stanley just a child after all?”

 Xeno gasps, indignant. 

Immediately understanding what the mentalist is trying to do, Senku plays along. Gen surely thinks it will be fun to have more information about the nightmare duo when they were children.

“Gen is right,” he adds mockingly. “That Stanley can't do much if he's less than 1.40 cm tall” 

Hearing this, Xeno's cheeks flush and his brow furrows, surely harboring all the anger his small body can contain.

“I understand your ignorance, gentlemen, but I can assure you that my friend Stan is very elegant” 

“Hmm, I don't know...” Gen says, seeming to think about it with a finger on his cheek.

Frustrated, Xeno began to list on his fingers 

“He can shoot without any margin of error. He always carries all my boxes of equipment no matter how heavy they are, and he's skilled at street fighting”

“Street fighting?” Gen asks, confused.

“Yes! A few weeks ago, or rather a few weeks in my current age, he single-handedly knocked out a group of kids who threw water on my research in class, and all he got was a split lip and detention in return”. Senku's eyes widened. “Stan also threatens them during dodgeball because all the kids always try to hit me” At this point, Senku gave Gen a worried look, which the mentalist returned. “And he doesn't laugh at my hairstyle or my clothes, he's not afraid of me... Oh, and he also goes to my birthday parties”

Slowly, Gen kneels down next to the boy, with a worried expression. 

“Dear Xeno, don't other kids go to your birthday parties?”

Xeno shakes his head.

“The other kids don't like me, Mr. Gen,” Well, Senku thinks, ‘like’ is a mild word considering everything he said. "But those idiots don't matter, Stan is a much more satisfying company for me. For my 10th birthday he gave me a magnificent gift, a beautiful bouquet of paper flowers in the colors of the galaxy. It is the most elegant gift I have ever received! I don't even know what to give him for his birthday now!" Xeno rambled happily, seemingly forgetting his previous anger and returning to the excited tone of voice he used when explaining something.

Gen, standing next to him, lets out a little “Awww”

“That's going to rot my teeth for sure” whispers Senku.

“We're sorry we underestimated dear Stanley,” apologizes Gen, playfully holding one of the boy's hands. “He seems to be the est-brey of friends” 

Xeno nods effusively in response.

“He is! And even though he's not a scientist, he's very smart too. My original plan was to poison all the children in my classroom with non-lethal chemicals diluted in their food, but he reminded me that if I got caught, I could be expelled and never go to NASA until my twenties, so it was more feasible to choose the most annoying children and ‘beat the shit out of them’ as Stan eloquently described it”

There is a second of complete silence until Senku bursts out laughing, almost falling off his chair. Gen, on the other hand, remains frozen in place with a defeated expression.

The loud sound of military boots approaching distracts them from their conversation. Entering through the door arrives ‘The ultimate knight’, as his mentor often calls the commander in the most disgustingly soft tone of voice possible.

“I'm here” the man announces to the entire area as he walks toward them, looking for the other scientist without realizing that Xeno is hidden by Gen's figure.

“Hey, Stanley!” Senku greets him cheerfully, and Stanley waves back.

“Where 's Xeno?”

“Stan?” A childish voice timidly interrupts from behind Gen. 

The mentalist stands up and moves the small figure forward, in front of the soldier's view. Lab coat, black eyes, white hair, and a voice Stanley hasn't heard in thousands of years.

Everyone hears the sound of Stanley's jaw dropping. 

Chapter Text

Stanley Snyder was 7 years old.

He had been excited all day about passing the last level of his game, whether or not he had class, so he had placed a math book as a barricade on his desk to hide his console from the teacher's gaze. The level was difficult, and he was barely listening as Mrs. Elise's voice introduced a new student, “Xeno.”

“Now I'm going to pair you up for a practical report. Xeno, go with that boy over there.”

Suddenly, the desk next to him moved closer to his, Stanley groaned. Apparently, ‘that boy over there’ meant him, and now he would have to deal with the new kid. Stanley kept his eyes on his console as he waited for the inevitable greeting, but to his surprise, it never came.

“Hey, new kid”

No response. The other boy's silence was as strange as his name. Awkward.

“You could at least say hello,” Stanley complained.

He had finally listened to his mother and been ‘polite’ for once, and all he got was to be ignored. So he would do the same.

After a few seconds, a voice came from his side.

“Hello,” the other boy replied. 

It was barely a whisper, but Stanley nodded to himself, satisfied, pressing the buttons faster. He had to hurry; class would start soon, and the teacher liked to confiscate things.

The chair next to him scraped with a horrible squeak on the floor.

“Do you like Pokémon?” the other boy asked. Stanley didn't turn to look at him but nodded, focused on the battle. “Me too. I don't usually play it because I think it's too tedious, but I think the concept of Pokémon evolving like animal species is very elegant.”

“The best evolution is Charizard,” Stanley replied immediately.

He didn't fully understand what the boy was saying, but he understood the part about evolutions being cool. The new boy made a small, thoughtful murmur.

“That's a valid choice. But I think the best Pokémon species is Eevee. It has eight evolutionary variants, and each one covers a different element. That makes it superior.”

There was no way Eevee was better than Charizard, but Stan let it slide.

“What's your name?” asked the boy, apparently unable to keep quiet now.

“Stanley Snyder, what about yours?”

“I just said it in front of the whole class”

Stanley smiled at the triumph that appeared on the small screen.

“I wasn't paying attention, I only heard your first name,” he explained with a satisfied tone, putting away his console.

When his most precious possession was safely in his backpack and the teacher's chalk began to scratch the blackboard, Stanley turned to look at the new boy. White hair, a strange hairstyle, an even stranger outfit, and a hand extended toward him. His eyes were almost completely black.

“My name is Xeno Houston Wingfield. I hope we can be friends,” the boy greeted him, his voice dry and his expression cautious.

Stan looked at his hand and took it, returning the greeting adults used.

“I guess that would be okay,” he said without thinking much about it.

Instead of the casual response he expected, the new boy was startled, looking at him as if he were the one who had said something strange.

Stanley frowned, annoyed by the other's reaction. He was about to pull his hand away, but then Xeno smiled. His grimace turned into a smile, and his eyes, which had been almost dull before, lit up, reflecting the light from the windows in those large black ovals like Christmas lights. Stanley had never seen anything like it.

“I'm so happy, it will be a pleasure to be your friend!” replied the boy, waving his hands effusively.

From then on, Stanley just nodded distractedly at Xeno's incessant chatter during math class, not understanding what his classmate was saying, or the sudden sound of his racing heart.

-

Now, 5,762 years later, he stands looking into the same large, impossibly bright black eyes of the child he met in his classroom.

“That seems to be the natural response to this event.”

Stanley's ear picks up the phrase when Senku murmurs it to Gen, but he doesn't really care; his attention is fixed on the child who is watching him with a smile, seemingly amazed by his presence.

Is this Xeno... Or is it some kind of experiment?

“Y-You look absolutely elegant, Stan!” he stammers, standing on tiptoe in an attempt to get a better look at Stanley.

“Are you in the military now? It makes sense, a military career is undoubtedly the most appropriate choice for someone with your skills. You've become very tall and strong! I didn't know you liked lipstick, but it makes sense because you were always curious about the makeup your sister wore. It suits you! How old are you now? Your nasolabial folds are starting to become prominent, so according to my calculations, you should be around 27 to 32 years old, but given the conditions faced by the average soldier, constant exposure to the sun could have..."

Is Xeno

Curious, Stanley lifts the child by his armpits, putting an end to his endless analysis of his age. The little version of his husband doesn't seem fazed by the movement, looking quite amused by his new position in front of him.

“You could at least say hello,” says the child.

Stanley's eyes widen as he recognizes the greeting, and an incredulous laugh escapes his throat without him meaning it to, because what the hell, this is definitely Xeno. Without further question, Stanley pulls him into a hug, which the boy happily returns. Xeno has always been a few inches shorter than him, but now the scientist feels tiny against his chest.

“Hello, buddy”

“Hello, Stan!”

Hearing his name again in the voice of his schoolmate is so strange and nostalgic that he doesn't know whether he should feel younger or older. He will undoubtedly never fully understand Xeno's passion for science, but damn it, it never ceases to amaze him.

Stanley sighs before breaking away from the hug. As moving as it is to see his childhood best friend again, he would also like to know what will happen to his husband. He adjusts the weight of the child in his arm before turning to Senku.

“What happened?” he asks, ignoring the penetrating gaze Xeno gives him from his side, no doubt dissecting the changes of his adult form.

“The machine was accidentally activated with him inside. It was only programmed with the ‘notion’ of regression, so there was no way he could travel back in time,” explains Senku, turning off his welding device. “In a few days, I should be able to return him to his normal age.”

It's been a while since Stanley smoked his last cigarette, because he's not allowed to bring one into the lab, but he can smell a lingering odor of smoke, which explains it. At the back of the lab, the time machine platform has a large black stain in the center, the mark of the explosion. The old scientist's clothes lie neatly on a side table.

Avoiding thinking about what might have happened, the commander looks back at Xeno, who is listening attentively to the conversation from his seat on Stan's left arm, before asking another question.

“I guess from the way he talks, he doesn't remember being an adult.”

“Yep. He doesn't remember anything after his current age,” Senku confirms. Xeno nods.

“In fact, he was very excited to see how his good friend had grown,” Gen mentions. “He was telling us about how incredibl-ay you were as a child, dear Stanley, strong and brave.”

Senku smiles mischievously.

“He also told us about a very elegant gift you gave him.”

Stanley tenses up upon hearing that. It's only half a second, but like a shark smelling blood in the water, Gen picks up on the movement. To his dismay, the mentalist sighs dreamily before dramatically placing his hand on his chest.

“'Elegant indeed! An antastic-fay bouquet of paper flowers as a birthday gift.”

“How thoughtful, Gen.”

“A very thoughtful gift, dear Senku, handmade or perhaps purchased with savings. And in galaxy colors, no less!” Gen says, bringing his hands to his sleeves and throwing pink flower petals.

“So since you were 10, huh? Such loyalty.” Senku raises his eyebrows mockingly at the soldier.

Stanley wants to kill them.

“Totally!” Xeno exclaims beside him.

The boy stands with his arms crossed, looking satisfied and clearly not understanding the duo's joke.

“There's no one more loyal than Stan. And the fact that he's here in the future with my adult self confirms that I've always been right.”

His exasperation quickly dissolves into a snort as he feels his chest swelling with affection. When they were children, his friend never doubted Stanley, and as an adult, he always placed absolute faith in Stanley. Xeno was the kind of man who was sincere with his trust, and Stanley made sure to always live up to it.

Gen blinks in surprise and then smiles, letting go of the joke.

"Yes, you're absolutely right, dear Xeno. But I think now is the time to find our friends and go to lunch. Dear Senku will accompany us, and you can meet more people. What do you say, will you come?"

Xeno nods.

Senku lets out a discontented groan, but he lets the magician lead him out of the laboratory anyway, while Stanley walks a little behind with Xeno, who still doesn't seem to want to walk on his own.

On the way, his friend looks around, marveling at the novelty. Some people absentmindedly greet Stan as they pass by, undoubtedly not paying attention to the child in his arms, otherwise there would be a scandal.

“Stan, I'm not hungry yet, so I'd like you to clear up a question for me.”

“Go ahead.”

“Actually, I have several questions, but first, could you tell me why we're still in Japan instead of going to the United States?”

Ah. It was going to be a damn long story. 

-

In the end, Stanley decides to take a wide route around the building while summarizing the last few thousand years.

Apparently, Senku had already told him some of the more general things, but Stanley took care of the details, such as those he knew he would like to hear about his years in Corn City. From their time reading comics together at home, he already knew that Xeno preferred cartoon villains, especially intellectual ones. Not that he could blame his friend for anything; after all, Predator was his favorite character of all time.

“Oh, what a great idea! A design based on a classic European castle is undoubtedly the best representation of status.”

“And you also wore black clothes, with a long trench coat and clawed gloves, like an evil super scientist.”

Xeno gasped, excited.

“What else? Are there any photos?”

Actually, he does have one, and he searches his pockets until he finds it. It's a small thing, even wrinkled from being squeezed in his pockets all the time, but it's still visible. 

There had been two photographs before, the first one was a photograph of the entire Corn City group in front of the castle, which had been lost when they were petrified for the second time. And the second one was this, a photo of him and Xeno together with the golden cornfield behind their silhouettes. The photo had only been saved because it had been left in his room at the US base while the chase was going on.

The boy's hands took the photo delicately and he examined it, at first curious but then his expression turned confused. Stanley wonders what this version of Xeno is thinking about his adult self, about his appearance or his decisions. Suddenly, he feels the urge to justify his husband.

“What do you think?” Stanley asks cautiously.

“I believe we look elegant,” he replies, handing the photo back to the soldier, “but I also think I wear too much black. White coats suit me better.”

Stanley murmurs in agreement.

“On the other hand, I like the huge ‘X’ on my forehead, it looks menacing, and the claws look great,” the boy continues, now looking thoughtful. “However, it's strange, I can hardly recognize us in that photo. Do people still tease you about your feminine face, Stan?”

“Not anymore, people think it looks nice.”

“That's good, you always looked very aesthetic to me” Xeno assures him.

Stanley can tell that despite talking about him, the scientist isn't really paying attention. Instead, his gaze is lost in the hallway in front of them, lost in his thoughts, as if Xeno were searching for the face of the Stanley he remembers. The ‘Stan’ that the boy must consider real.

The reserved, overly fond of sugar and with boots a size too big for his feet: Stanley Snyder.

Chapter Text

During his youth, Stanley was not a social butterfly.

Teachers often scolded him for participating little in class discussions or avoiding group activities. It wasn't that he disliked the other children, he just enjoyed his own company; he has always been a man of action rather than words.

However, he did have a few friends. He may have preferred to spend the afternoon shooting guns with his father rather than playing marbles with his classmates, but he was no fool and understood social dynamics very well, something that was very necessary in the ruthless school environment of a small school in Texas.

You played the game, kept a low profile, and remained neutral so as not to be easy prey for bullies. One wrong move and you'd be drinking toilet water until high school graduation.

Xeno, on the other hand, was a genius, a prodigy, one in a million. From childhood, it was obvious to anyone who saw him in his field or dared to say something scientifically incorrect within his hearing range. His friend could recite the difference between a quantum particle and an atomic particle while eating cereal for breakfast and studying college-level theorems.

But despite his great intellect (or perhaps because of it), social norms almost always eluded him.

That first day he met him, Stanley decided to have lunch with him instead of his other friends. And of course, he made up an excuse about how the teacher had forced him to give Xeno a tour of the school, because he couldn't just say he was very curious about his new classmate or he would sound like a weirdo.

They sat down to eat away from the cafeteria, and Stanley bombarded him with questions, which the talkative boy happily answered. He was very surprised when, halfway through a ham sandwich (for which he was scolded for 'talking while eating'), Xeno explained that he had changed schools because he had been expelled.

Stanley didn't understand at first; the boy was clearly a brainiac, one of the annoying ones in fact, and nerds never got into trouble.

How wrong he was

It turned out that Xeno had been expelled from two schools before Stanley's, always for the same reason: hurting the kids who bullied him.

The albino had casually admitted how, in his latest exploit, he had made a super itchy powder at home with fiberglass and powdered sawdust. He explained how he had put it in his tormentors' backpacks at lunchtime and then described how “those stupid kids” had screamed, scratching themselves desperately until they cried. He also explained how the teacher, who “couldn't even solve a basic quadratic equation,” was hysterical with him, even though he had explained that it was all in self-defense.

It was an incredible story that earned him Stanley's immediate respect (his mother would surely kill him if he did something like that), but the more the boy talked, the more the blond understood because he was the prey of the bullies in the first place. 

Since he was a child, Stanley had been told that he had a "delicate" face, and although he loved that his grandmother praised him for it, at school it was a different story. He had to learn to dirty his face sometimes, he cut himself a big fringe with his sister's scissors, and he wore very intimidating shoes.

He just wanted to look like any other boy, to go unnoticed.

But not Xeno. The boy was smart and he knew it. He wasn't ashamed of it or of telling others that they weren't as smart as he was, whether they were children or adults. Intelligent, with a proud personality, but a weak body that made it impossible for him to defend himself. It's easy to see the terrible combination that makes up.

Xeno might as well have had "nerdy punching bag" written on his big forehead. 

Although he wasn't defenseless (he was surely much more dangerous than the adults at school), Stanley could imagine how uncomfortable it must be to spend a day in those blue boots. That also explained the suspicious look he had when he met him, and which he still has when he sees other children passing by. 

"My mother says I should stop saying what I think or I'll get in trouble again, but I won't," Xeno explained calmly. Stanley tilted his head, wondering if the boy was really that bright.

"Don't be stupid. Would you rather be bullied at school?"

"Of course not!" Xeno said, looking offended. "But... I'd rather be expelled than have my ideas silenced by other people," he replied decisively, his hands clenching the lunchbox he was holding. 

Stanley took a moment to look at him. Xeno knew he was going to have a hard time, and he was doing it with his head held high in order to be himself. And to Stanley, who had lived on the sidelines until then, bored even, it seemed like the most hardcore thing he had ever heard. 

Everything was inevitable once Xeno mentioned his weapon-making and Stanley mentioned training with his father. He needed to be friends with this kid. 

So, Stanley quickly started meeting Xeno for lunch more and more often until he was doing it all the time, then after school, then he would visit him on weekends to test weapons, play video games, or do experiments, and before he knew it, they were spending the summer together. 

He still liked playing sports with other kids, but he definitely spent his free time with Xeno.

With his friend's company came a life of exciting adventures. Now he barely had time to watch his cowboy TV shows because Xeno was always coming up with new plans. Boredom was a thing of the past. Yeehaw! 

Sadly, their friendship was also a full-time job, with Stanley trying to get them out of the trouble Xeno got them into, either with his extravagant presence or his big mouth. 

Beyond the explosions of weird gadgets, it turned out that his new friend not only talked a lot when it came to science, but Xeno couldn't keep his mouth shut for the life of him: he corrected teachers in the middle of class, made fun of the kids who bullied him, or started muttering to himself as soon as a new idea came to him, making him look like a little lunatic.  

So after the third time they got beaten up and a flushing in the boys' bathroom toilet, Stanley finally bit the bullet and accepted the basic military training his dad had been bugging him about for months. 

At first, he didn't take it very seriously. Protecting Xeno wasn't easy work, but getting up at five in the morning to exercise and then going to school wasn't either. 

As the weeks went by, he gradually realized that it was actually enjoyable, and it got easier each time. His body felt freer when he exercised, and now he could carry heavier lab equipment or play against older kids without any problems. And even though Xeno didn't believe him, he was sure that he now had a little bit of muscle, just like Rambo. 

The training became a hundred times better when his father taught him how to fight. It was almost like the feeling of pulling the trigger, but now he could use his fists with precision instead of bullets. 

Several months passed until he finally managed to take down a teenager three times his size who was trying to shove Xeno into a locker. The guy even tried to use the excuse that 'he was just joking' when he realized he couldn't win. Stanley made sure to break his nose

That day they escaped before the dickhead’s backup arrived. Xeno was saying something to him as they ran, but Stanley wasn't listening. He was too excited thinking about everything that had just happened. If he tried hard enough, he would be as strong as he wanted to be, he thought, smiling. With or without weapons, he would be unstoppable.

Like a super cool movie protagonist! 

It was in the playground that Xeno stopped his escape by pulling him by his shirt. His friend was sweating and panting as if he were about to collapse right there, but he also had a huge smile on his face. 

"That was so elegant, Stan, you were amazing!" Xeno shouted, euphoric, wrapping his arms around him in a hug.

At first, Staley blamed his violent heartbeat for his escape, and then also for the blush he felt from his ears to his neck, before shyly returning Xeno's hug.

"But please don't run so fast again," Xeno complained, stepping back to lean on Stanley's shoulder. His friend looked like he was about to faint. "I don't think I have any electrolytes left in my body." 

He spent the entire way to the Wingfields' house making fun of the scientist's mediocre resistance 

That day they made a toast with sodas and agreed that Stan would handle the bullies from now on, since Xeno's 'preventive containment plans' were as ingenious as an excuse for the principal to finally expel them. 

From then on, things only got better. 

Time passed, he got up earlier so he could train more, instilled fear in his schoolmates with every pair of teeth knocked out, and kept Xeno out of trouble. Then the scientist went to college, where he would visit him often, until he graduated himself. 

When he told Xeno that he was thinking of joining the army, the scientist supported him by designing a specialized training program so that Stanley could be above all the newcomers, and boy did he ever.

Stanley remembers that they were both sad before parting ways, but also determined. His friend would be distracted by the stars and he by the action, but at the end of the day they would always seek each other out, of that he was sure. 

-

"So in theory, I became like Dr. Octavius?" 

"Something like that."

He definitely softened the story of their scientific dictatorship.

He also avoided mentioning almost all of the major crimes, but technically he didn't hide too much beyond that. 

Xeno had asked why they hadn't reinstated NASA instead of what they did in Corn City, and he had told him most of it. He knew his best friend well enough to know that even his childish version would find his actions a totally logical conclusion to the ‘unreasonable positions of the fools in power’ so he wasn't surprised that by the end of the story, the boy seemed totally understanding when he heard how his adult self tried to take over the world with science. 

"It's really a shame that there are stupid people even at NASA. However, It's wonderful to know that science is free here." 

Something he agrees with.

"I'm also very happy you came with me, Stan. And that you joined my team even though we failed," he says. "I'm sure we would have managed to rule the world in the most elegant way possible," Xeno assures him, suddenly letting out an exaggerated cartoon villain laugh. 

Stanley smiles and can't help (nor does he try) pinching the evil little boy's chubby cheek, which only makes him laugh more. 

Sometimes, when the other scientists or investors in this new world were being assholes, Xeno and he would joke about how they should go back to the tyranny plan. But if the situation had been too frustrating for his husband, Stanley would go from jokes to hypotheses about what they could do if they executed a real plan. They never went beyond silly theories between them, but the scientist always got excited about the fictional scenario and rambled on until he forgot his annoyance. Then Xeno would start nodding off from the exhaustion of the day, and he would tuck them both into sleep. 

Now, he had a mental image of himself armed to the teeth and following the orders of a child sitting on a throne bigger than himself. It was too funny a version of the story.

"I bet we would have kicked everyone's ass," he assures him. And they almost did, but he doesn't mention that. 

Xeno nodded, excited by the childish idea of world domination.

"Plus, we'd have total access. Imagine all those materials at our fingertips, Stan, from every country even." 

"And a lot of manpower," Stanley replies. His time around Senku was taking its toll on him.

"And all for free!" Xeno says. "Maybe I was right, ruling the world didn't sound like such a bad plan."

"You'd better not be conspiring with that child, Stanley Snyder. Save that for your old buddy!"

A cheerful female voice interrupts them from behind, Dr. Chelsea. The petite woman has her arms full of folders but looks as lively as ever.

"Actually, it's just conspiring with my old buddy," Stanley replies. 

The commander turns around, showing her the boy posing like a king on his arm. 

"Xeno, meet Dr. Chelsea, geographer." 

"I'm Dr. Xeno Houston Wingfield, it's a pleasure," he says, extending his hand for a formal greeting, immediately interested in meeting another scientific figure.

Chelsea freezes for a second before dropping the stack of folders, which scatter around her along with her incredulous cry, and she almost lunges toward them to shake Xeno's hand with unnecessary emotion. Stanley tries to explain to Chelsea what happened, but he's not sure she's even listening, enchanted as she is, trying to absorb Xeno with her gaze. 

His friend, on the other hand, seems overwhelmed by the intensity of the attention, his back pressed against Stanley in an attempt to keep his distance from the effusive geographer. Stanley is not surprised; even old Xeno had a hard time understanding Chelsea's easy familiarity. He subtly takes a step back to make space between them. 

"This is so freaky, I can't believe you kept this discovery from me for so long!" It happened just a few hours ago, but Stan doesn't correct her, Xeno does. 

"In actually, the event happened three hours ago, although that's just an approximate calculation since I don't remember if I was unconscious before." 

Chelsea lets out a squeal. 

"So you've had that super formal way of speaking since you were a child! You're so cute, little Xeno!"

The boy frowns at that.

"I would prefer you to refer to me by the appropriate title, Dr. Chelsea," Xeno corrects her.

"Of course! How unprofessional of me," she replies, clasping her hands together apologetically. 

Chelsea bends down to pick up one of the folders and show him its contents: a large map of the continents with annotations unfolds before them.

"Putting my mistake aside, would you like to see what I'm doing now, Dr. Xeno?" 

The boy immediately smiles, patting Stanley excitedly on the shoulder. The commander kneels down to bring the two scientists to the same height.

Chelsea explains how she has been creating records of the tectonic changes in the new world, comparing them to the distribution of land thousands of years ago and life before petrification. It's a topic of global relevance since the distribution of land in some areas has changed over the last few millennia, but it's a lot of paperwork and field research, so even Stanley is interested in understanding what makes the geographer look so busy these days. Every now and then, Xeno interrupts her to ask a question, and she almost bursts with excitement when answering him each time. 

At one point, his friend made a correct guess, and Chelsea tried to give Xeno an encouraging pat on the head, for which she received another scolding. Stanley chuckled at that; with the exception of Mrs. Wingfield and himself, his friend didn't like other people touching his hair.

"Who knew Dr. Xeno was so much more rigid as a child," Chelsea complained before apologizing again. 

It's not exactly more rigid, Stanley thinks, it's more that now there isn't a line of people trying to touch his hair (except for the children in Ishigami Village who swear it's not real), or calling him diminutive names, so that the adult Xeno can complain. 

After ten more minutes of explanation, Stanley has to stop them or they'll subject him to a full hour of nerdy talk. They help Chelsea reorganize her papers before she leaves.

"You can find me in the library, Dr. Xeno, I'm free every afternoon!" the woman shouts as she waves goodbye before running off. They both watch her disappear into the distance.

"She's weird," Xeno whispers. The pot calling the kettle black. 

Having had enough time to explore the surroundings, Stanley walks toward the side hallway. 

"Where are we going now?

"To meet up with Senku and company," explains Stanley. The entrance to the cafeteria is now in front of them, marking the end of the impromptu tour. "We can see everything you want after lunch." 

"Before going in, I'd like to get down to the floor, please." 

Stanley raises his eyebrows in silent question, then stops, and lets the boy stand up. He is surprised by the request; Xeno seemed to be enjoying himself looking at everything from above, like a little monarch.

"I have to make the best impression now that I've changed my age, otherwise they won't take me seriously," he explains, smoothing his white coat over his pants. 

So Chelsea's comment continues to bother him.

"I think you look good, Doctor," Stanley says. 

At that, the boy lets out a proud snort, clearly basking in the title, Stanley can almost see the gleam behind him. And, after a minute watching the miniature equivalent of his husband getting ready in the morning, the commander moves to guide them inside, but Xeno's hand around his stops him.

"Wait, I have one last question, Stan," the boy interrupts, holding his gloved hand with an iron grip. "Doctor Senku and Mister Gen have been very nice so far, but I would like your confirmation."

Now, Xeno's previous satisfied expression has been replaced by a serious and cautious one as he looks toward the door a few feet away from them. 

"Are these people my friends?"

And no matter how many time have passed, Stan still remembers what that expression means.

There were things they never talked about. Even if they were aware of what was going on, they respected each other's silence if the other didn't want to talk about it. Like him with his parents' terrible relationship and subsequent divorce, or his family's comments when he started wearing makeup. 

Xeno's case was quite obvious to him, but true to their code, Stanley never mentioned it. 

As a child, his friend had told him several times that being friends with other kids didn't seem important to him, assuring him that he was happy to hang out with the only other smart kid in the whole school. 

But Stanley had always been observant. He could see how Xeno's gaze would sometimes wander to groups of children, and later teenagers, who seemed to get along well. He noticed how Xeno tried not to talk too much in front of Stanley's basketball team, or how his voice would become colder when he entered an area with people he didn't know. 

During college, he asked Xeno if he had any friends yet, but the answer was always evasive. He didn't ask him when he joined NASA, although he often saw him talking more comfortably with astronauts and other scientists, so he assumed he would have at least a few, which at that stage of his life makes perfect sense. 

Upon entering college, his friend no longer had to live under the constant state of alertness he maintained in the school jungle, while at NASA he had to rise to the level of the competitive world of work, so over the years that problem had faded, crushed under the certainty of knowing himself to be intellectually superior in almost any place he entered. 

Xeno gave lectures, classes, interviews, and rubbed shoulders with scientists from all over the world. Adulthood had led him to become a refined, egocentric, and scathing man, confident in everything except areas requiring physical strength. And even that was pulverized under Stanley's military boot during his time in Sacramento, where the scientist had at his disposal a team of highly trained military personnel and absolute authority. 

Now, after living in the kindom of science, Xeno is calm, even softened. He remains a lonely and eccentric man by nature, but he is also comfortable creating almost anything his heart desires in pleasant company. No longer needing Stanley's persuasive force or his own emotional evasions, his husband is happier than he has been in a long time. 

But this child knows nothing of that. 

This Xeno doesn't have nearly thirty years of experience, only the feeling that he can't completely trust his surroundings because maybe no one really liked him. Not to mention that he is also in a foreign country where everyone is an adult. And if children never got along with him, adults even less so.  

Stanley returns what he hopes is a reassuring hand squeeze, before answering.

"You have nothing to worry about, trust me," he replies. 

The excuses Xeno gives him for not going to sleep when Stanley shows up at midnight with Kohaku to take him and his protege out of the lab. The energetic chats with Chrome. The way his obsidian eyes soften when he sees Suika understand something, or the calmness with which he moves around Senku's whole group as if it were Corn City's. 

"They're your colleagues, Xeno, your friends," Stanley adds in a definitive tone. 

The boy nods, clearly reflecting on that but placing his trust in Stanley.

"Does that mean I can say anything?" 

"Whatever you want," Stanley thinks for a moment. "Although avoid the evil laugh, it can be intimidating."

"Absolutely!" Xeno assures him with a smile. 

Stanley didn't let go of his hand, and Xeno didn't try to pull away when they started walking again. They only let go once the door was open.  

Chapter Text

Once past the entrance, the cacophony of voices in the cafeteria breaks the silence. The hubbub of people chatting envelops the duo as Stanley directs them to the menu of the day.

"Cheeseburger, I guess."

"You know me," replies Xeno, glancing at the food. "Are they as good as Mrs. Martha's?"

Martha was an elderly, cranky woman who sold burgers near the school. She had the worst temper and the best burgers in town. When she passed away, they were both so sad that they started making some themselves in an attempt to recreate the distinctive flavor. They never succeeded.

"They're delicious," Stanley replies, trying to compare the flavors in his mind. "But there's nothing like Mrs. Martha's hamburgers. And she never gave us the recipe for the special sauce, in case you're wondering."

"That old witch."

With two trays in his hand and a scientist at his side, Stanley walks toward the groups of people. The cafeteria at the science complex is quite simple in structure and aesthetics, with long tables and padded benches. The food, on the other hand, is the equivalent of what is served in a fine dining restaurant, with an extensive menu and skilled chefs. Everything was designed or chosen personally by François.

Ryusui's outstretched arm guides them through the crowd to where Senku's group is gathered. After sitting down (and making sure Xeno could reach the bench to sit down too), Stanley notices that there are only empty plates and leftover drinks on the table. His excursion with Xeno must have lasted longer than he thought.

"Hello again, dear Xeno. I thought you weren't coming with us anymore. Did you enjoy the tour?" Gen greets him in English.

Xeno opens his mouth, but before he can answer, Senku's friends start talking.

"Ohh, you were right, Yuzuriha, he really is a kid!" Taiju exclaims. Senku is already complaining about the man's volume.

"And if it weren't for the little x on his forehead, I might not believe it," Kohaku adds. Tsukasa murmurs in agreement beside her.

"A new myth come true," Ukyo comments to Ryuusui. "I assume you've already thought about wanting to possess it."

"Haha! From the first second I found out."

"It's so strange to look at Dr. Xeno now," says Suika, excitedly. "When Chrome returns with Kaseki, he'll surely scream when he sees the new power of the time machine!"

"So baaad," Kohaku jokes, imitating the phrase. Suika giggles.

"With his mini lab coat, he looks like you when we were kids, Senku," Says Yuzuriha and sighs wistfully.

"Don't be fooled by appearances, he's still an international threat."

"You were also an international threat at that age!" Taiju replies with a laugh and a slap on Senku's shoulder that almost knocks him over.

The Science Kingdom group is as lively as ever.

Ever since the boys under his former command (including Brody, to everyone's surprise) escaped from the US to visit them, Xeno and he had been joining them for lunch and catching up. It had been a few weeks since they had gathered in the dining room with Senku and company, and he was already missing the noise.

As the conversation increases, Xeno's attention shifts from one unfamiliar face to another, trying to understand and failing. Stanley watches his struggle in attentive silence. He knows that if Xeno hasn't asked him for help yet, it's because he wants to make himself noticed, but he keeps the burrito intact in his hand and a watchful eye on his friend anyway.

A second later, the boy clears his throat loudly, drawing everyone's attention. Stanley takes a bite of his burrito.

"I'm sorry, but I think it's very rude to talk about someone without them being able to understand what's being said," Xeno interrupts the group.

"That's right, we're making the worst impression, orrey-say! I remind you guys that dear Xeno has no memory of anything beyond his current age, so let's start with an introduction, shall we?"

Apart from Gen and Senku, everyone else introduced themselves with their name and profession. The mentalist introduced those who couldn't speak English, and Xeno introduced himself last, aware they knew him, but declaring: ‘that way is more professional’

"There will be many other people who will try to greet you, but dear Stanley will take care of those introductions," Gen explains, clasping his hands together like a dedicated schoolteacher as he addressed the rest of the group. "Is there anything anyone would like to ask?"

"I want to ask something!" Suika exclaims in clumsy but understandable English.

Stanley had seen her practicing for a few months with Ukyo and Xeno. She sometimes even tried to talk to him, and he had no problem helping her with the pronunciation whenever he could. His husband, on the other hand, kept making English vocabulary books with illustrations to give to the young scientist.

"Does anything hurt now that you're a kid?" Suika asks with a worried expression.

Xeno looks at himself. "I don't feel anything different."

"But you're so small now, shouldn't it hurt to shrink?"

The boy crosses his index and middle fingers in front of him for a second.

"I'm afraid you're confused, Dr. Suika. If my hypothesis is correct, then the change I underwent did not result in a shrinkage of mass but rather occurred through molecular regression, so I shouldn't feel any pain."

"But it's still a big change... and if every change is supposed to generate a reaction, maybe there should be some effect on the body, right?" she questions herself with a finger under her chin. Xeno seems just as interested in the unknown.

"Good observation, both of you. In fact, there was an effect," Senku puts his drink down on the table. "When I found you, you seemed to have been sleeping, and you were drowsy for 20 minutes afterward. So even though your body didn't technically suffer any pain, it was surely exhausted by the change."

"Ah, that makes sense," says Suika.

"Indeed," Xeno concludes, satisfied with the answer, before digging his fingers into his hamburger.

"That means the radical age transformation has side effects after all," Ukyo comments.

"But even so, being a kid again must be great. All that energy!"

"I don't think you lack energy, Taiju."

"Hmm, if I were a kid again, I'd probably just want to watch TV all day," Gen adds with a thoughtful murmur.

"You were a boring kid, mentalist."

"What can I say, dear Senku?" He replies with a shrug. "I liked watching entertainment shows, that's how I got my astatic-fray showman personality."

"I would try to measure my abilities. A small body is less strong but more agile," Kohaku flexes a bicep.

"I think I would just play with my sister," says Tsukasa. Ryuusui and Suika let out a little 'aww' at that.

"What about you, Ukyo?" asks Yuzuriha.

The archer closes his eyes for a moment, thinking.

"I think I would eat a lot of candy. I loved eating candy when I was little, but I hated going to the dentist, so I stopped."

Stanley strongly agreed with the first part, and judging by the expressions on most of the faces around the table, the sentiment was shared.

"It's true that sweets are more enjoyable during childhood," Gen reflected. "What sweets do you like, dear Dr. Xeno? Candy, perhaps chocolate?"

His friend wiped his mouth before answering, leaving the paper napkin on his empty plate.

The adult Xeno ate with good manners and utensils, more slowly too. The kid shared the manners but not the moderation, that, combined with the transformation, must have given him a hellish hunger. That burger never stood a chance.

"I enjoy cake, but I don't usually eat candy, it erodes tooth enamel. Stan gives it to me because he's always eating some."

"Ha! So the dangerous military man was a sweet-toothed child," Kohaku teases.

Stanley crosses his arms, smiling proudly. He was the biggest candy distributor at school.

"I walked around with lollipops in my pockets and candy in my backpack. I wasn't afraid of the dentist."

"The dentist was afraid of you," Xeno reminded him. "That's a terrible habit once you’ve shed your milk teeth, Stan. Permanent teeth are irreplaceable and susceptible to sucrose."

Stanley snorted with laughter at the child's scolding tone. Xeno had always complained that he ate too much candy, so naturally he was happy when Stanley got tired of it in his teens, only to complain twice as much afterwards because he smoked too much.

"It's just sugar. Besides, you ate candy when you thought I wasn't looking."

Xeno's cheeks flushed slightly, having been caught.

"That's factually incorrect. I don't eat sweet candy, only the kind that tastes like coffee."

"But those are still candy," Ukyo remarked, amused.

"You don't have to suppress your desire for sweets, Dr. Xeno. Wanting something is nothing to be ashamed of," Ryusui explains.

"I really don't," the boy replies to Ryusui, then lowering his voice to almost a whisper, "But I prefer not to go to the dentist."

Ukyo nods sympathetically.

"Funny, I thought scientists wouldn't be afraid of those things," Tsukasa remarks.

"They do," Kohaku says. "Senku is afraid of injections."

Senku shrugs indifferently, sipping his drink. "They feel awful."

"Well, I can't say I'm a fan either. I hated getting them as a kid almost as much as when people forced me to dye my hair." Gen sighs dramatically. "Poor me, no one believed me when I said it was natural."

While the magician complains about how the smell of hair dye becomes unbearable over the years, Stanley recalls a conversation he once had with a man while waiting in the reception chairs at NASA.

That day, he had just left the airport and hadn't slept in two days, so he didn't even realize how he was staring impertinently at the white-haired man with black streaks waiting next to him, until the guy himself laughed and said, "I know it looks dyed, but my hair is like this!"

It turned out that they were both there for Xeno. The guy was an astronaut who had to deliver some papers to the scientist, and he lit up when he found out that Stanley was also waiting for him. "Then please give him this. My son is coming to visit me, and I want to pick him up at the airport."

After bombarding him with photographs of a grumpy child and enthusiastic thanks, the guy left, leaving him with a pile of folders. Thousands of years later, Stanley's surprise would not be discovering that this man was Senku's father, but that he was actually his adoptive father. Because, how the hell weren't they biological relatives?

"Having two hair colors is quite peculiar after all," Yuzuriha comments. "Although it doesn't attract much attention here because there are already quite a few strange hairstyles with different colors among our friends."

Kohaku raises his eyebrows. "Now that you mention it, I see what you mean."

Suika begins to count on her fingers, "Senku, Gen, Homura, Luna... Oh, and Dr. Xeno!"

The aforementioned tilts his head.

"I don't understand, albinism is not an unusual genetic condition. In fact, Mr. Ukyo here has the same hair color as me."

"I think it's because she's not referring to the color, she's referring to the hairstyle," Taiju explains, raising his index finger.

The boy blinks before turning confusedly to Stanley and then back to Taiju.

"What's wrong with my hairstyle?"

"Well—"

"Nothing."

With the intensity perfected during recruit training, his gaze shifts to the rest of the people at the table, silently challenging anyone to question him. He then leans toward the boy, giving him a small pat on his little, fluffy pompadour. Stanley smiles

"There's nothing wrong with it, you always look very elegant."

Xeno chuckles softly, leaning into Stanley's touch.

"Just as I expected. People just don't understand aesthetics, especially the kids at our school."

"Wait!" Taiju shouts as soon as Tsukasa removes the hand that had been covering his mouth. "So you two are childhood friends like Senku and me?"

“Although perhaps more criminal,” Gen comments.

“Criminal, as in, crime?” Ukyo asks in a puzzled tone.

“Oh, I see what you mean!” Taiju points at Stanley, “Is it because of the science? Senku also sometimes did things that looked like they were out of a crime show.”

Yuzuriha smiles delightedly.

"I remember, like that time he bought toxic materials with his birthday money."

Taiju nods emphatically. "There's also that time he burned the park benches with a strange substance and the time he sent spam emails all over the world."

Gen and Kohaku turn to the scientist with unimpressed expressions. Senku, on the other hand, scratches his ear without showing any remorse; in fact, he looks as happy as his friends.

"They were sacrifices in the name of science," he says.

"Haha! It's Senku, I don't know why we're surprised," Ryusui snaps his fingers. "Which means Xeno and Stanley also destroyed public property."

"We did," he replies indifferently, because it's true, " But what Gen is probably referring to is Xeno making weapons and me testing them."

"Children shouldn't be making weapons," Tsukasa says, stunned.

“Well, I inform you, Mr. Tsukasa, that I do, and they are excellent weapons if I may say so,” Xeno replies smugly. “My most impressive creation to date is an elegant Railgun: built out of carbotanium, electromagnetic in nature, and detachable.” Senku whistles softly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Stanley can see Ukyo leaning over to ask Gen, "Isn't that a huge weapon?"

And it was. He could attest that it weighed a ton, even with the carrying case. The consolation was that with each improvement Xeno made, it became lighter and smaller.

"Although there was also the bet we made at school about shooting that ball to pay for your experiments, that could count."

Xeno's eyes lit up at that.

"That happened after I got into college, didn't it? Oh, how tragic not to be able to remember an event like that.

"You told me that your father taught you to shoot from a young age," says Ryusui.

"That's right. When we met, Xeno had already created his first revolver, and I knew how to shoot rifles. He needed a shooter and I needed practice, so we just went ahead and tested out his creations together."

Suika gasps excitedly.

"It's almost as if fate brought you two together," Yuzuriha says to the boy, looking moved.

However, Xeno shook his head.

"Fate doesn't exist, Miss Yuzriha. That's a concept created so that people can leave their personal responsibilities to chance."

"Fate may not exist, but caution does" Tsukasa objects to Xeno. "It really bothers me that no one intervened when they saw children with weapons."

The little scientist looks at the fighter, clearly unimpressed by the opposition, or willing to accept it. His occasional disagreements with Tsukasa seem to be a constant, regardless of age.

"Sometimes laws only hinder the process of innovation, Mr. Tsukasa. Science should not be stopped by trivialities such as the age of the scientist."

The world's strongest fighter recoils, surprised by the response, before replying in a softer, even friendly tone of voice.

“I understand what you are saying, but that’s not what I mean, Dr. Xeno. What I’m trying to say is that your pursuit of discovery can harm others, or yourself, if it’s not done with care. Weapons can be very dangerous.”

“I beg to differ. The goal of science is to unravel how the world works, despite the risk,” he huffs irritably. “My experiments are aimed at proving the laws of science, not causing harm.”

What happens when you're a child genius is that adults don't usually take your opinion seriously, much less when you correct them. This was the case throughout Xeno’s childhood and adolescence, which led him to develop a habit of becoming defensive with those who disagreed with what he said. That response to the opinions of others, unlike social caution, would not change much over the years. Although he is now a more reasonable and understanding man, Xeno still prioritizes his own opinion over the majority if he feels he is right, especially when it comes to science.

This time, Tsukasa is being well-intentioned, but Xeno won't see that, at least not so quickly.

"Now, now," Gen interrupts with the tone he uses to mediate international public relations. "You have valid arguments, dear Xeno, but there's no need to argue. After all, dear Tsukasa was only concerned about your safety, wasn't he?"

Xeno seems to expect a negative response from the man, but to his surprise, Tsukasa nods.

"If that's the case, then I apologize, Mr. Tsukasa. That was unprofessional of me," says the boy, pulling himself together. "I still maintain my opinion, but I appreciate your unfounded concern." Stubborn to the end.

Tsukasa lets out a clear, genuine laugh. "No need to apologize. We are men of strong ideals, and you defended yours."

"That's true, Dr. Xeno, there's nothing wrong with being proud of our beliefs as long as they are expressed respectfully. Besides, we've all done mischievous things as children," declares Ryusui. "Haha! I remember that time when I thought playing investor with my father's real paperwork from his latest investment was the best idea I'd ever had..."

Following Ryusui, everyone in the group starts narrating their best (or worst) anecdotes. From the disastrous ones to the most disgusting ones,the latter to the annoyance of Xeno and Gen. Kohaku had glued candies into her sister’s hair and they had to cut it, Gen used to scam his classmates, Yuzuriha stole pieces of fabric her grandmother used, Tsukasa spat in the glasses of the adults he hated…

And of course, they were at the top of the list.

At school, even though they both got punished, everyone knew that Xeno was the mastermind behind the mischief, but outside the school halls, Stanley always got scolded.

Due to training with his father and a military diet, he managed to grow faster, while his friend remained short and kept his childish appearance for longer, which meant that when the old woman of their town caught them doing something wrong, they inevitably ended up blaming the one who looked like a teenager for inciting a little kid to ‘delinquency.’

And even when it was obviously Xeno who was behind everything, the little shit only had to bat his eyelashes innocently to somehow get the scolding to end up on Stanley again. Since the Wingfields used to be much stricter with their son, he usually didn't mind taking the blame, except for the time an old lady went to his mom with the gossip and his friend's trick cost him all his video game time that week. Stanley really tried to stay mad at Xeno that day, but unfortunately, he too was weak to the eyelash trick.

Once his friend had his growth spurt, they became a duo consisting of a strange, dark-eyed teenager and a muscular smoker. They no longer had any way to look innocent, not a chance, but by that point, they had learned how to find safe spots to test things and run their experiments.

In the end, they just had way too many stories to even list, so he just told them about the bet with the ball, since his friend was totally keen to hear that one too.

"That's totally azy-cray!"

"We had an incredible plan, undoubtedly elegant!"

"I'm surprised you two didn't get caught," says Ukyo, thoughtfully.

"I'm surprised they didn't take you both to prison," Ryusui comments

"Actually, Xeno was arrested, wasn't he?" says Senku. "I read it on his Wikipedia page before the petrification."

Surprised, everyone looks at the boy, while Xeno looks at the commander.

"I went to jail!?" he exclaims indignantly.

"Can you go to prison as a child?"

"No, exactly, Suika. But there are prisons for teenagers. Xeno was imprisoned when we were 16," Stanley clarifies to both of them.

The blond man crosses his arms and begins to narrate.

"It happened one afternoon. You came to make some adjustments to version 7.2 of the cannon in the school lab because the one at your university was momentarily closed. It was the last hour, and no one was in that area anymore. I had an extra class that day, so I just helped you carry the pieces to the site before leaving you to work. An hour later, the school looked like a hornet’s nest, with police alarms blaring outside and the gossiping students gathering at the gate. When I heard your name, I ran out and saw them taking you away in handcuffs toward the police car. Someone had seen you and turned you in."

Stanley closes his eyes for a second and exhales heavily, listening to Gen translate for his friends and trying to stifle the discomfort that causes him to remember that day.

It was the kind of story that feels like the end of the world at the time but eventually becomes a funny anecdote, or at least for Stanley it felt terrible, Xeno was much more irritated than anything else. The Wingfields had the money to get him out of there in a few days, but the charges would remain on his record forever, and that was what bothered Xeno the most every time they reminisced about the event together before petrification.

“So they took it away?” The boy frowns, horrified. Stanley doesn't have to ask what he means.

“The cannon was confiscated as incriminating evidence,” he replies, his gaze now fixed on Xeno, on his unexpected reaction. Something is wrong, he notes too late. Stanley tries to add something reassuring: “But only that. I ran to your house and took every experiment out of your room. Your mom was furious when they called her from the detention center, and even so, she lent me the car so I could finish hiding your things at my place, so they never found anything else."

Xeno's expression doesn't get better.

"How long was he detained? He was still a child," Tsukasa complains.

"I thought you could have weapons in your country..." comments Yuzuriha.

"Illegal possession of weapons is a serious crime even if the right to possess them is constitutionally protected. Since it is a weapon he created himself, it makes the crime even more serious," explains Senku.

"He could even have been charged with terrorism," adds Ukyo.

And he was.

"I am certain I didn’t use it for that, sure I just wanted to measure the power of electromagnetism and the particle accelerator." Xeno keeps his fists clenched, all his previous lightheartedness gone. "I assure you, I was only testing the laws of plasma physics!"

Ryusui raises his hands in a gesture of peace “We know Doctor”

"Yes, we understand you didn't mean any harm." Says Tsukasa

"Then why did they arrest me immediately? Didn't I explain myself to the police?" he asks Stanley. "Surely the officers must have understood, all my notes are always in my backpack."

"You did it, you tried to explain it to the police, and I supported you, but... they didn't believe you. The officers had spoken to the teachers at school, and apparently you had already done too many 'strange' projects, so they preferred to imprison you directly rather than investigate further."

Xeno’s shoulders sink

"That's cruel," says Kohaku.

"And unfair!" Taiju agrees.

Suddenly, a debate begins about what is and isn't legal. Stanley ignores it to remember the 16-year-old Xeno being taken away by the police.

It was scary at the time, funny later. Back when they were teens, it had been a drag for the scientist, especially since Xeno was super protective of his unfinished things, but his friend also had many more projects in mind and in progress. So Xeno moved on, only more cautious and distrustful.

Looking at it that way, it’s simple to get it. What for teenage Xeno was just losing a nostalgic artifact, for this kid must be his pride and joy, his best work yet, even if it doesn’t even exist anymore. And if Stanley's explanation of the facts was bad, bringing that up was a goddamn awful idea. He exchanges glances with Senku.

A tug on his arm.

"What about my rocket?" Xeno asks in a hesitant, barely audible voice. He notices Senku's jaw tighten before he focuses all his attention on the boy. "The first attempt that didn't take off, the one I kept. Was that one kept safe?"

Stanley feels his chest tighten for a moment when he sees him, as if it is a déjà vu, the boy resembles the scientist in his twenties: defeated and with a project that took him years discarded like it is nothing.

"I hid it with all the other experiments I took with me," he says. "You can be sure they didn't touch anything else."

His friend nods and remains silent after that. The conversation around them continues until it fades away, most of the people at the other tables having left.

"Still, I think it's antastic-fay that dear Stanley acted so quickly," Gen commented, trying to sound casual. "It's very interesting to know that you were so efficient even before you were in the military. Quick, no doubt, it reminds me of—"

"Excuse me," Xeno interrupts, standing up. "My hands are dirty, and it's not pleasant at all. Can you please tell me where the bathroom is?"

"I'll take you."

"It's okay, Stan, I just need to wash my hands."

After giving him directions and watching him go, Stanley sat down to wait.

The minutes go by and the people at the table begin to leave; the members of the Kingdom of Science have saturated schedules as usual. He should also leave, at least to report his absence at the pilot center and hand over the keys to the weapons department for the day, but Taiju offers to do it.

"You have to stay here and wait for him," he says firmly, as he puts the key in his pocket. "That's what best friends do, isn't it?". Stanley gives him a grateful smile.

In the end, only Tsukasa and Senku remain with him.

"You know, I feel like I understand you a little better now, Stanley," Tsukasa breaks the silence, standing up. "When we were in Araxa, I wondered many times why anyone would do all that for a man like him."

Tsukasa's gaze shifts from Stanley to an albino boy returning toward them.

"But I guess it makes sense now."

After that, the fighter walks away, waving to Xeno as he passes.

"I see everyone's gone."

"You took your time."

"I'm aware of that, It's just that the sink was too high for my actual height, so it took me a long time to use it. An unfortunate design flaw. When I return to my real age, remind me to make adjustments," Xeno justified himself.

"Sure."

Stanley doesn't mention that the bathrooms actually have double sinks of different sizes. Or Xeno's reddened eyes.

Senku, who has been silent until that moment, speaks up.

"Yes, yes, enough idle chatter, we must get back to work."

"Shall we go to the lab?" Xeno asks hopefully. "But Mr. Gen said it was dangerous."

Senku waves his hand dismissively. "Gen was just overreacting. The mentalist likes to be melodramatic, and if you did all those things on your own, then you can easily connect a few wires."

With a crack of his back, Senku gets up and walks toward the exit, motioning to an enthusiastic Xeno. Stanley walks a little behind.

"Besides, a cannon is much easier than what your adult self has done so far. You'll have to catch up if you want to help me fix the time machine. I bet you know something about quantum physics."

Xeno hesitates.

"I know very little about the subject. I've focused mainly on weaponry and aerospace engineering, so I'm afraid I won't be able to help you in that area, Dr. Senku."

The older scientist massages his neck and sighs.

"You're too rigid in your thinking… I have an idea. I want you to analyze this: What do a ballistic missile and a rocket have in common?"

"The elegant power of science," Xeno replies confidently.

Senku chuckles. "You're right, but that's not all.”

“Fundamentally, the two are the same, but since we're talking symbolically, we can say that what unites them is: ambition without limits. Their existence is the perfect demonstration that what can defend us on Earth can also lead us to conquer space. You see, the human species is not satisfied with just one way of doing things, we use everything we learn to achieve anything because the possibilities are endless." Senku pauses, with both hands on his hips. "Science allows us to create thousands of things, so as long as you remain excited about learning, I can assure you ten billion percent that you will find a way to achieve whatever you want, Doctor Xeno."

The only thing brighter than Xeno's eyes right now is probably his smile.

"And we'll also have Commander Stanley to give us a hand today. You must already have experience as an assistant, right?"

The boy turns to him, expectant, almost jumping on the tips of his toes with pure excitement.

"Quite a bit," Stanley replies, giving Senku a knowing look.

"Then let's go, Suika must be waiting for us. To summarize, the last time I checked the machine's voltage..."

As they walk side by side, both engrossed in deep nerd talk, Stanley realizes how ironic the situation is. Hundreds of centuries ago, Xeno commented to him about how he was helping a brilliant Japanese boy whom nobody at NASA took seriously, because he reminded Xeno of himself. And now he sees that same Japanese boy encouraging his mentor for the same reason.

Stanley doesn't interrupt them, but walks away to the nearest window and takes out the metal case with his husband's initial on it. Before anything else, he needs a cigarette.

Chapter Text

He wipes his hand on his pants, brushing off the remaining crumbs from the sandwich, before closing the apartment door. The sun rises over the buildings of the new world.

“...The lymph nodes contract, blood vessels become obstructed, not to mention muscular degeneration.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got that the first four times today.”

“It’s true I already said that, but I didn’t mention that bone density also decreases, causing…”

Tired, Stanley disconnects from the situation, covering his ears with his hands as they walk toward the parking lot. After another failed attempt to stop the endless medical lecture about cigarettes and their consequences, this is the only thing he has left.

It turns out he had forgotten that Xeno’s tolerance for his addiction had been more of a progressive adaptation curve. A big mistake. Because yesterday, as soon as he returned to the lab with the smell of smoke and an incriminating cigarette in his pocket, Xeno drowned him with an unbearable lecture.

“First of all, I can't imagine what kind of inconsiderate person is making those toxic rolls for you to consume,” Xeno complained.
 
Stanley took out the metal case and pointed to the huge X logo on the front.

“Oh.” 

After that, there was finally peace. Though the silence didn’t last long, because every time he returned to the lab from his smoking break, Xeno would start reciting all the cons of his ‘harmful habit of inhaling smoke.’ 

Seriously, in some ways, his friend doesn't change at all.

With a frustrated grunt, he uncovers his ears to reach for the passenger side door handle.

“Man, shut up,” protests Stanley. “If you keep that up today, then say goodbye to riding in the car. We'll walk to the lab.”

Xeno narrows his eyes. “How far is it?”

“An hour's walk.”

Once they both get in the car, he rolls down the window and lights a cigarette to celebrate his victory. 

-

“Good morning Dr. Xeno, good morning Stanley!” Suika’s cheerful voice welcomes them as they walk in. He waves at her.

“Good morning Dr. Suika, isn’t Dr. Senku here?”

She shakes her head, and shows him a crumpled piece of paper with a series of things written in Japanese. “He’s looking for some parts he needs; he said he’d be late but tasked us with making some adjustments in the meantime.”

Before Xeno can rush off to do anything scientific, Stanley stops him by the collar of his lab coat.

“I have work, so I can’t stay here, but I’ll come pick you up for lunch,” he explains. “Later, we’ll get you more clothes and a toothbrush of your own.”

“I agree, although I must admit that sleeping in a huge t-shirt from my adult self was surprisingly comfortable.”

When they arrived home the night before, Stanley was damn tense. Up to that point, Xeno hadn’t taken some of the revelations about his life very well, so he had no idea what his friend would think when he entered the apartment and realized that his adult version and he were obviously married.

“I notice my things are here too… could it be that we’re best friends living together?!” Xeno exclaimed, looking around with full interest. “Ohh, what an ingenious idea, Stan; surely it saves us money, and what better company than our own? We even have a picture of us elegantly dressed hanging on the wall, Wow!”

Stanley didn’t correct him.

Xeno makes a thoughtful murmur. “Can we please get a backpack too? I’m thinking of taking some books today.”

“We’ll buy a backpack then,” he leans down on his left knee to be at the boy’s level. “Let me check your mark.”

Carefully, Stanley takes him by the chin to examine his forehead. The small petrification mark is now barely visible under the layers of makeup. A person would only discover it’s there if they intentionally look for it. Perfect.

“I haven’t touched my forehead, it should be fine.”

“It is. Remember not to say your name to people we don't know, and if someone asks…”

“I’m Dr. Xeno’s nephew!”

He lifts his hand for a high-five that Xeno returns with enthusiasm. “Well done.”

The night before, the science kingdom’s group of generals held a small emergency meeting in the lab.

It turns out that the time machine is the kind of ambitious and crazy project that, even with Senku's entire history of successes, the world cannot believe will work because it’s something ‘impossible.’ That is why it has been carried out without problems. It is not talked about openly but it isn't exactly secret either; it's just something that, outside the kingdom of science, no one believes can work.

But now Xeno is here with twenty-seven fewer years. A technology that was unheard of in the 21st century suddenly emerging in the new world along with living proof of its success? That is a neon sign for a large-scale international conflict. The countries with the most greedy leaders will seek to get their hands on the machine, the more pacifist ones will seek to prohibit its use even though it's incomplete, and not even Gen’s persuasion or Tsukasa’s intimidation could do anything against that.

In the end, they concluded that it would be best if no one outside the Kingdom of Science or Corn City knew what had happened, as a precaution. 

Those who were at the meeting took it upon themselves to let everyone know. Meanwhile, the cover story is that Stanley is kindly taking care of his husband's nephew for a few days since he suddenly left on a trip with his non-existent brother. 

Ha. Funny thing.

-

When his morning responsibilities are finished, he finds himself on his way back to the lab with a freshly extinguished cigarette. As he turns a corner, a recognized hat appears walking in front of him.

“Hey Stanley!” Ryusui greets him in return, stopping to walk by his side. “How was the rookie training today?”

“Shit, like it has been for months.”

Since the last batch of pilots graduated and there are no new missions, Stanley can admit he's bored. A lot. Now he is just teaching the new recruits; that in itself might be interesting if there were anyone worthwhile, but all the rookies seem like frightened mice or are directly useless.

“Someone promising will turn up eventually, you’ll see. I suppose our competitions are paused until Xeno gains a few years.”

“Don't look so impatient, the tiebreaker won't go your way,” the man laughs, Stanley smiles. If there's one thing that makes flying worthwhile these days, it's his colleague's competitive spirit. “Is it your turn today?”

“That’s right, the usual guys are running late today, so I’m here to save the day,” Ryusui explains as he slams open the lab door and announces his presence with a snap of his fingers. “I hope you’re ready to drop whatever you’re doing and come with me, Senku!”

The scientist appears from behind an enormous metal plate full of circuits, with a playful gesture.

“I don’t know what they bribed you with, but I can offer you double that if you leave me here.”

“Nice try, unfortunately for you, I’m already rich.”

Ryusui walks toward the other man with unmovable purpose. Stanley doesn’t stay to watch Senku lose the daily battle; instead, he looks around for Xeno.

“‘I’m here!”

The voice comes from beneath a table cluttered with open blueprints that surround it like a chaotic tablecloth. Stanley jumps when a head wearing safety goggles suddenly appears between the papers.

“Look Stan, I remade them!” Xeno proclaims triumphantly, sliding out from under the pile of papers to stand up. He extends his hands covered in large gloves, then pushes his glasses down to his neck. “I even improved them with extra-polished glass. Having a professional lab is incredible.”

Thick adjustable safety goggles and comically large gloves. Just like the ones he used during experiment testing when they were still in school.

“You look much more like yourself.”

“Like a ‘cool big ass insect’?” Xeno asks. A reference to what young Stanley said the first time he saw him with the goggles.

“Definitely,” he replies. “Now we have to go, the guys are waiting for us.”

“Oh, you’re going to see off your group?” Ryusui comments as he exits the lab door with an arm anchored around a resigned Senku’s shoulders. Suika follows right behind them. “Say hi to them for me! And tell Charlotte that we still have our rematch pending when she gets back!”

Stanley chuckles. “She’ll make you bite the dust again.”

“Haha! That would be an honor!”

-

The garden of the scientific complex. Built to resemble the vast vegetation that the petrification brought to Earth. It was designed by an architect friend of Minami’s as a wide area, surrounded by trees, with picnic tables and a small artificial pond in the center. Taiju, Magma, and Yo were in charge of the planting, while Gen had chosen the flowering shrubs.

In the mentalist’s words, ‘Sunlight is good for scientists, even if they don’t like it.’

“I was starting to think we’d leave without seeing you, Stanley!”

Brody's booming voice cuts across the field, causing some of the people around to turn alarmed. He smiles and quickens his pace toward the group gathered under the shade of a large tree, each of them dressed in their casual clothes instead of official uniforms. Ribs with pizzas and sodas welcome them.

“You wish,” he jokes, hitting the man on the arm. Charlotte stands up to give him a formal military salute; Leonard tosses him a wave.

When he turns to look for Xeno to introduce him to the group, he realizes Xeno is no longer by his side but is at the edge of the table staring intently at the pizza, hidden under Brody’s large shadow.

Maya, who was busy nibbling a bone until that moment, notices him.

“Who is this little thing?”

Xeno frowns immediately.

“I would appreciate if you would not call me that again, Miss Maya.”

Surprised, the MMA champion stands up to her full height. It's funny to see Xeno's eyes widen and him almost break his neck trying to see her face, or at least it is until she grabs him by the head, lifting the boy several feet off the ground. The squeal that escapes Xeno resembles that of a rubber toy

“And how do you know my name, little one?”

Quickly, Stanley rushes to pull him out of his friend’s curious hands to return him to the ground. He clarifies the situation on the way. Xeno stays subtly hidden behind him the whole time he is talking.

Finally, he takes a slice of pizza, and they both sit down at the table.

“...And I had already told him about you all.”

“I see.” Brody shakes his head, amused and equally incredulous at the whole situation. “Undoubtedly, only that group of Japanese kids would be capable of creating something like that.”

“I thought he looked like Dr. Xeno, but I didn't expect him to be Dr. Xeno,” Charlotte comments, still in shock.

“You can trust that we won’t tell anyone,” Leonard assures him.

Maya lets out a laugh. “So that’s why you know my name, I apologize, Dr. Xeno. Although you actually seem just as lightweight as when I used to carry you as an adult.”

Back in stone California, the first few days after the team's depetrification were the hardest for everyone. Mosquitoes, heat, clothes made of leaves. And if the military guys were having a hard time, the civilians were worse, especially Xeno; Luna felt the need to push herself to appear strong, but the great scientist of the new world panted like a dying animal on every overly long walk.

Every time they had to climb a mountain, Xeno would stop, hands on his back, appearing to carefully study the steep terrain that awaited them. He always said: “Beyond your incredible physical capabilities, it is my duty to ensure the path is safe for everyone.”

It sounded dignified, but Stanley is very sure he was actually just weighing the percentages between his probability of survival and his pride.

Food was another problem. Being so many mouths, teams often had to be divided for searching or gathering tasks. When that happened, he had to lead his team away, which meant leaving Maya to look after the girl's group and Xeno, so it soon became common for them to return and find Xeno standing with his feet on Maya’s shoulders while they searched for fruits in trees or checked the path’s weather.

Luna always seemed scandalized by the lack of real clothes, but those two couldn't care less.

With that in mind, he asks about her.

“Luna, Carlos, and Max came to say good bye to us yesterday when you weren't here,” Charlotte replies. “They brought us cookies.”

“They were delicious,” Maya assures.

“We’re talking too much,” Leonard complains. “What about you, Dr. Xeno? How do you feel about being a child?”

“Yeah, and what did Commander Stanley tell you about us?” Brody asks.

Xeno abandons his third half-eaten slice to answer.

“I’m doing well, thank you for asking. As for the second question, Stan spoke very highly of you. He said you were very reliable.”

 “Aw, Stanley, you didn’t have to.” says Maya. 

“He also told me that you were of immense help during my adult self’s mission to create a scientific world,” he adds in a courteous tone. “I understand it was out of loyalty to Stan, but I thank you for your cooperation all the same.”

At that, Charlotte’s gaze lights up with determination. She leans her hands on the table, making it shake.

“You have nothing to thank us for, Dr. Xeno! We believed in you, and that’s why we supported you and the Commander!”

Brody crosses his arms. “Bahaha! It’s true. Besides, you’re a genius of metal design. The best time of my life as a mechanic was bringing your complicated ideas to life.”

Xeno looks between them, confused. “I understood that you were only following Stanley, am I mistaken?”

Leonard makes a gesture of denial. “We follow Stanley, but we don’t follow him blindly.”

“Bingo,” Maya says. “We love the Commander, but we didn’t build a huge metal castle for him without a worthwhile reason.”

“And we don’t follow just anyone’s orders. As we told you once, we may no longer have our own kingdom, but you will always remain our Chief Scientist, Dr. Xeno,” Brody assures. Charlotte nods fervently.

He doesn’t need to read minds to know that the title ‘Chief Scientist’ is elevating Xeno to new levels of pride; likewise, it shows in his twinkling eyes and rosy cheeks. However, the way he tries to hide his trembling smile is unexpected. There are few situations where he gets to see his friend become shy.

Stanley gives the boy a gentle push on the back. “You should answer something befitting your position.”

That seems to make him react.

Xeno straightens up, clearing his throat, and without realizing it, he repeats almost the same sentence his adult self said to the group a long time ago.

“Thank you for your trust. I am glad to have had such an elegant team under my command!” 

Maya solemnly pats her chest. “You can always count on us, right, guys?”

Charlotte gives Xeno a military salute, Leonard gives him a thumbs up. 

Ah. Maybe his friend isn’t the only one who is feeling incredibly proud right now. Or grateful.

“Now that we have sorted out that misunderstanding,” Brody begins saying, “how about we tell you about our time working together?”

-

It’s fascinating to watch how fast his friend can eat almost an entire pizza while listening to the group.

Maya relates an anecdote from their time together before they settled in Sacramento, and Charlotte details their agriculture/livestock project. Leonard informs him of how they made textiles, besides complaining that the pigmentation was tireless work, especially for colors like purple.

The boy remains attentive to everything, but undoubtedly nothing makes him happier than when Brody begins to speak, and he’s sure because he can feel his legs kicking with excitement against his seat as the engineer details his creations.

Which is to be expected.

Xeno has a deep respect for him on a technical level. And despite how much Brody underestimates himself, saying that he only carries out the ideas of others, the truth is that the scientist considers him an unsurpassable professional in his area.

The greatest proof of this is probably how, at a time when Xeno was still deeply protective of his work, he not only didn't hesitate to leave his projects in Brody’s hands, but also used to ask for his opinion on decisions related to his creations. And even now, working alongside Senku, it is not unusual to see him call Brody from time to time for adjustments to metal-based projects.

So, of course, he looks like he’s going to explode while the man describes some of the great achievements they had as a team: The creation of the castle with the rotating observatory, the Haber-Bosch, the Magellano 53 ship, and the mini-submarine with torpedoes, among them.

Not even the airplanes or their own version of the MG42 have been mentioned when Xeno throws his hands up in frustration.

“Please stop, Dr. Brody! Oh, how terrible not to be able to see any of that live!”

“It’s funny because you technically created them.”

“It’s ironic, Mr. Leonard, but I don’t remember any of it anyway,” he complains.

“Could you talk about anything else?” Stanley says, not disguising his weariness with the scientific chatter.

“That’s true,” Charlotte’s voice is enthusiastic when she asks. “Hey, Dr. Xeno, can you tell us something about Commander Stanley as a child now?”

“Of course!”

Asking the boy if he wants to talk is like asking the sun if it will rise, and with a group of avid listeners? The difficult thing will be getting him to stop.

At first, the stories are obviously about Stanley’s most heroic moments during his school years.

One where he saved them both from an imminent explosion, also that time when they escaped the neighbor’s dog because he picked up Xeno in his arms to flee, or about him winning against a larger teenager in a fight.

Everything changes when Xeno mentions his first declaration. That time when a boy from another class romantically confessed to Stanley, thinking he was just a very tomboyish girl. After that, Maya laughs, asking for more funny things, everyone supports her, and Xeno delivers. He has plenty to talk about.

As if he were a small machine for spitting out embarrassing stories, Xeno doesn’t stop. One after another, after another. Brody almost glows with excitement every time he opens his mouth.

At the beginning, Stanley is laughing too. The way his friend vividly remembers everything is quite nostalgic, but the situation quickly begins to escalate to stories that he would prefer the others not know.

Like that time he had convinced Xeno to accompany him and his other friends to go to a lake. The place would fill up with children on vacation. Stanley had wanted to impress his friend, so he shouted ‘Watch this!’ grabbing everyone’s attention, only to then do a flip in the air before falling into the water. The jump was perfect. But to his misfortune, his swimwear betrayed him, coming off upon impact with the surface, and he didn't realize it until he had already come out of the water completely naked. Some girls screamed.

Or that time he had to present a topic to the whole school. The topic was about the states of matter; it wasn't difficult, but he was very nervous. So, he ended up saying ‘constipation’ instead of ‘condensation’ throughout the entire presentation. The entire presentation. The word was repeated like twenty damned times, and he didn't understand why everyone in the audience was laughing more and more.

It is impossible for him to ignore the way he feels his face increasing in heat along with the laughter of his friends, but he tries anyway. They are definitely enjoying every second. Charlotte and Leonard still have the decency to cover their mouths, but Maya’s laughter can be heard for miles, and obviously, Brody is almost crying, the bastard.

It finally becomes clear to him that the power has gone to Xeno's head when he brings up their first sleepover.

“...That was the first time I had stayed over at the Snyders' house, so it was a huge surprise when I woke up to go to the bathroom at midnight, because when I saw Stan, he was…”

Sucking his thumb to sleep, at 8 years old.

No. No one else needs to know that.

“Enough,” he declares while covering Xeno’s mouth.

“Party pooper,” Maya boos him. “Come on, Dr. Xeno, you’re his boss!”

Leonard lets out a hearty laugh like he rarely does. “Yeah, you have the right to speak freely.”

Xeno tries to wriggle free upon hearing that. Stanley can feel by the way the mouth moves under his palm how Xeno is just waiting for the moment he removes his hand to say it. He frowns, fixing his gaze directly on those mischievous, laughing eyes. Two can play this game.

“What happened that night,” he begins to tell, “was that Xeno got up to pee but couldn’t reach the light switches. He stubbornly decided not to wake me but to walk in the dark until he unintentionally ended up in my house’s trophy room.” Xeno’s eyes widen, pure panic in them. “There, he tripped over a life-sized bear-skin statue. It was my father’s favorite. The crash it made when falling woke us all up. We ran, but when we got to the room, the statue was broken. On the other hand, Xeno was red up to his ears, and the rug under his feet, along with his pajama bottoms, were completely—”

“Mmmphh!” The boy shakes his head desperately, holding up a pinky promise sign in front of him.

A deal. Stanley arches an eyebrow, but Xeno looks firm in his truce, so he finally lets him go. He puts his pinky in his friend’s for a pact of mutual silence.

Brody wipes away a tear before putting his glasses back on. “It’s okay, you can keep that to yourselves, we had enough fun.”

“Yeah, we should head back to the hotel now to get the suitcases,” Charlotte comments with a slightly husky voice.

With that, Maya stands up, moving away to stretch. Leonard and Brody clear up the mess on the table. Meanwhile, he hands Charlotte the message Ryusui sent him; the pilot scoffs at the man’s nerve but accepts the challenge, as always.

“Are you going back to the States?” Xeno asks, approaching Maya, who is flexing her arms above her head.

“That’s right, I need to get back to my training routine or the ring rust will affect me,” she answers, twisting her torso from side to side. “If I stay on vacation, I won’t be able to lift even a bush soon.”

“In fact, Stan mentioned that you could lift entire tree trunks, that’s an incredible ability to test human resilience and strength.”

With a playful smile, Maya leans toward Xeno. “How about I lift you up one more time? For old times' sake, or I can throw you high so you can test the speed.”

Xeno backs away. “I would prefer you didn’t, Miss Maya.”

She sighs, shrugging her shoulders.

“I thought all kids liked to be carried high,” she thinks better of it. “Or that scientists like to test equations and stuff.”

Xeno observes her up and down, moving closer, and then backing away again.

“I mean, it would be interesting to be a partaker in a launch principle firsthand, but…”

Stanley pays attention to the boy’s footwork. Now that he thinks about it, he remembers seeing that hesitation in the few amusement parks they went to as teenagers. It was so much fun. Stanley would often ride everything that looked deadly while Xeno stayed below, studying the trajectories, but sometimes he wanted to ride too and would debate with himself for a while before finally giving in. He always vomited afterward.

“Hey Biggs!” He makes a combat call, making her turn in surprise. Stanley takes a few steps back to gain the momentum he needs, and Maya’s smile turns fierce when she understands what he is doing, or rather, is going to do. She responds by positioning her feet firmly on the ground.

Then he runs. The distance is short, but he still throws himself backwards with force into the arms of the champion, who catches him easily. Once there, he whispers his plan in her ear, then Maya kneels down. 

“Come on, Doctor!” is all he says before opening his arms toward Xeno. And that seems to work because Xeno doesn’t delay in climbing up; in fact, he scrambles until he grabs hold of his neck, stiff but determined.

He adjusts both of them, putting the boy’s back against his chest to hold him there with his arms.

“You can give the order.”

When Xeno finishes the countdown, she throws them up. They pass over the trees until they can see the small garden in its entirety for a second. Xeno's knuckles are white where he holds onto Stanley's forearms, but he lets out a euphoric scream anyway. 

In the end, the guys leave with a group photo. All of them smiling alongside Maya carrying Stanley and Xeno

-

With the ease that only everyday routine can generate, Stanley turns on the apartment light and hangs up the car keys, without thinking. The place is partially lit. He quickly puts the groceries in the refrigerator, then the remaining dinner napkins in the trash, and finally fills the table with the tower of books they took out of the library.

It was a busy day.

“I’ll use the shower first, you can put away your things,” Stanley opens their shared bedroom door.

Xeno walks after him, holding the bag with the new clothes, the backpack and the toothbrush.

Upon leaving the garden, they had gone straight to the library where he took a nap while Xeno and Chelsea debated which books to take. Then they went to the nearest supermarket to get the things his friend needed, and he took the opportunity to add some groceries, besides buying an improvised dinner.

At the end of the day, Yuzuriha welcomed them at her shop, and happily agreed to make Xeno more clothes. He told her they could use any ready-made clothes she had available, but the seamstress refused, assuring that the adult Xeno only buys tailor-made clothes and she should give him the same treatment now. Very honorable. Obviously, the boy was quite pleased with the whole process of being an exclusive customer, so he had to stop him when he started to ask for a full range of clothing instead of just the couple of outfits and underwear they came for.

“Miss Yuzuriha is extraordinary in her profession,” Xeno comments, unpacking the outfits to put them on the bed. “Not to mention her incredible speed.”

Stanley gives him an affirmative grunt before stepping into the bathroom.

Tomorrow he will have to buy the instant coffee he forgot at the store because the coffee he made this morning was disgusting. Xeno is in charge of that. He should also check the utility bill payment date because, again, Xeno is in charge of that. 

“Stan,” the voice comes from outside the door, “can I put my clothes inside the closet too?”

“Sure,” he answers, taking his toothbrush.

Xeno’s footsteps move away. Laundry, he should wash the clothes that are accumulating.

The footsteps return.

“Stan,” He lets out an 'ah?' muffled by toothpaste. “I’m afraid I can’t reach the hangers, I thought about turning a box over to stand on. I don’t know if I’m allowed to use it like that, so I’m notifying you first.”

Stanley tries to think about it, but he doesn’t remember any important box.

However, he remembers that his husband has a habit of naming everything he organizes.

“Does it have a label on top? If it doesn’t say anything scientific, you can use it,” he assures, before taking a mouthful of mouthwash.

“Oh, then that’s fine,” the footsteps move away again, along with his voice. “It just says ‘toys.’”

Stanley spits out the mouthwash.

His body moves one step ahead of his brain, almost breaking the doorknob in his desperation to get to that box as inhumanly fast as possible. Tripping over his own legs, he lunges toward his target, years of military training replaced by the most primitive terror of all.

Startled by him, Xeno backs away. The perfect chance. Stanley rolls on the floor until he falls right between the bomb and his friend.

“You can’t use this box,” he says, breathing heavily. “It’s delicate material.”

Xeno looks at him as if he had grown another head. “But they’re just toys.”

“Well, they’re for donation to charity, your adult self designs them himself. He doesn’t want anyone to touch them.”

Upon mentioning his adult version, the boy seems to understand more of the reasoning behind the fit of madness that Stanley must seem to be having. Xeno then hands him the clothes.

“I respect the decision of my adult self, so I would appreciate it if you could help me hang these up.”

He doesn't need to be told twice.

After getting Xeno out of the way with a “You can use the bathroom first, it doesn’t matter. Yes, I’m fine, seriously, I just look so pale because of the light,” he wraps the box with packing tape and hides it in his personal armory.

He smokes three cigarettes in sequence afterward, to hell with his brushing.

-

“You won't be able to reach the back like that, let me do it.”

With one last rub, Stanley drops the towel he was using to dry his hair and moves closer to the chair where Xeno is sitting to take the hairdryer from his hands.

“How marvelous it is to have so much useful technology in this age,” he begins to monologue, closing his eyes as he feels the warmth of the air on his head. “The televisions are very thin. The phones, too. They’re especially impressive now, resembling small tactile computers with professional cameras.”

Stanley makes a sound of agreement.

“The internet is undoubtedly incredible. Nothing like the internet of our time. Everything happens immediately now, It is as if all of humanity were connected always. A very elegant advance.”

After that, they remain silent for a few minutes, only the sound of the hairdryer filling the space between them.

“Stan, can I know what happened to my parents?”

It was a matter of time.

Stanley tries to be careful when answering. “They passed away, long before the petrification happened.”

“What about yours?”

“My father passed away when we were teenagers. My mother years later. My sister is still in the States.”

He expects more questions afterward, but his friend just stays silent, lost in his thoughts.

“Are you okay?” he asks Xeno. He can’t see his face from this position.

Xeno nods. “Yes, it’s just strange... But I suppose there is no point in thinking about it. After all, this isn't my real age.”

The feeling that this might escalate into something negative has already embedded itself in Stanley’s bones, so he rushes to lift the boy’s face toward him. Xeno just blinks, surprised.

“I’m done,” he tells him. They turn to the mirror to see the result.

In the reflection, both wrinkle their noses at what they see.

It is evident that he did a horrible job because the Xeno’s hair looks puffy and shapeless, like enormous white cotton candy. He combs it with his fingers to try to mold it into something less ridiculous, but it doesn't work. Xeno laughs at his frustration.

“I can dry yours if you want,” Xeno offers with a mischievous expression. “I’ll make it look just as bad.”

“Sounds fair,” he replies, giving him a smile. Stanley hands over the dryer and sits down on the floor in front of Xeno’s chair. The warm air is relaxing.

Two puffy and dry heads later, he turns off the lights.

“Why does my side have a thicker blanket than yours?” Xeno asks, cuddled in bed. By the way he is wrapped up, he looks quite a bit like a caterpillar.

“Because you get cold faster and your feet are blocks of ice.”

Stanley adjusts the pillow under his neck until he get comfortable.

“Tomorrow, I would like you to wake me up when you get up to exercise, please,” Xeno yawns. “I want to read some of the books I brought before going to the lab.”

“Okay,” Stanley replies, consciously relaxing his breathing. “I’ll make scrambled eggs for breakfast.”

“Sounds appropriate. See you tomorrow, Stan.”

“Good night, Xeno.”

He stays awake until the boy’s breathing slows down to become something soft and steady. Then he falls asleep.