Chapter Text
ISHIGAMI BYAKUYA
“I’m in love with Gen.”
Byakuya choked on his morning coffee as Senku grabbed a gallon of milk out of the fridge. His face revealed no change in emotion, as if what he said was simply a fact of the universe. But more importantly… “XENO’S KID!?” Byakuya coughed violently, racking his chest to expel the coffee from his airway. His son looked annoyed at having to clarify himself.
“Yes. Give me a second.” Senku set down the milk on the counter and disappeared briefly before wheeling in the whiteboard he got for his last birthday. Byakuya saw that the left half of the board was labeled “Indicators” with a list of physiological and psychological phenomena such as “missing the other person” and“elevated heart rate”. The right half had a bunch of equations and quantifiers Senku had designated, presumably with some logic behind it. There was dead silence for a minute, and then Senku launched into an explanation when it was clear how lost Byakuya was.
“I noticed there was a strange feeling in my chest whenever I have to say bye to Gen. Kinda like when you order a flask, and you’re waiting for it to come, but it gets delayed. Which is strange because I don’t feel anything when we say bye.” Okay ouch.
“So I did some research, and from analyzing baselines from strangers and Taiju, I have concluded that I am in love with Gen.” Again, he said it so matter-of-factly.
“Senku,” Byakuya tried pleading, “there’s more to love than equations.”
“Love is a combination of neurotransmitters,” Senku argued. Biology was a tricky science, but it’s still a science. “I’m going to marry him.”
“You’re 10!”
Was Byakuya glad his son discovered love? Yes, but this was Xeno’s kid they’re talking about! Stanley was going to kill them and make it look like an accident. Gen cries because Senku was too focused on an experiment to pay attention to him? Bye-bye world.
“We’re getting married,” Senku repeats, clearly not letting the subject go.
“Does Gen know this?!”
“Good point,” he agrees, turning to grab the landline from the kitchen island next to him. He mumbles under his breath as he punches in the Wingfield-Snyder house number. “I should tell him so he has time to prepare.”
STANLEY SNYDER
Being with Xeno had its … quirks. When Xeno first started experimenting, the worst that could happen was a minor explosion or two. Now that he had clearance to buy government-regulated chemicals and minerals, Stanley had a whole new set of concerns to deal with, like the time Xeno accidentally dropped a vial of plutonium. The glass had cracked on the hard tiles of his lab, and they had to be rehomed for a couple of days, as their house was cleared of radiation. Stanley was sure they all lost a couple of days off their lifespan as a result of that particular hiccup.
So when Stanley came home to find Xeno in the kitchen with a dark look in his eyes, he knew something must’ve happened. He just hoped this didn’t end with someone dying.
“Stan,” Xeno said slowly, staring intently at the table, “Ishigami Senku needs to die.”