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(Sequel to N)
Fluora dragged herself out of the bathroom, the tiredness of future motherhood having caught up with her as she just lost nearly half a chocolate bar. She didn’t want any help — it was just a quick bathroom visit. And she knew that Xeno respected that. Besides, at the back of their minds, it all felt disgusting to them both.
“You should be grateful for the fact that you have a Y chromosome and not two X’s…” she said, in a sulky tone as she sat down beside him.
“I am…” he nodded. “Are you… okay though?” That came out weird.
“Yeah, no problems here. It’ll all be done with by the end of July, trust me.” she snapped back. “So, I really don’t need your help with anything. If I did, I’d ask.”
“Right…” he added. “Noted. Though… I am worried about their element.”
“Oh, don’t worry… she’ll probably get platinum, or silver — noble metals, or even gold like you, with my fluorine and some other third one.” Fluora smiled reassuringly.
“Well, you never know…”
“Yes, but whatever happens, we can take it on.” she squeezed his hand, making him blush slightly.
“Though I have one condition. I want them to be home-schooled. Them leaving the campus is not an item on my to-do-list.”
“You know, it’ll be hard to make friends~” Fluora trailed off.
“Dean Vanadium had a daughter earlier this year. I’m sure they’ll probably hit it off when they’re like… 3?”
Fluora sighed, staring down at the bump on her stomach. “I think that sounds fairly reasonable. Besides, there’s no reason to ever leave this place. We have a ton of teacher resources and amenities here.”
Xeno nodded, although his mind was racing, and she knew it. “All okay?” she asked.
“How-”
“Fluorine. Super reactive, and its power is to let me displace any information. I’m no chemistry whiz, so I dunno how that works, exactly.” she shrugged. “And I can tell, you’re really worried. Come on, what’s going on?”
Xeno shifted uncomfortably, his gaze fixed on Fluora’s rounded belly. The unborn child was a mystery wrapped in genetic code. Noble metals or something entirely unexpected? He couldn’t shake the uncertainty.
Fluora’s reassurance about their child’s element—platinum, silver, or even gold like him—didn’t ease his mind. What if it was an unstable isotope, defying their predictions? What if it carried traces of elements they hadn’t considered?
His condition—home schooling—added another layer of complexity. Fluora understood his protective instinct and his mild PTSD, but she worried about her child’s social development. Dean Vanadium’s daughter might be a friend, but what about the wider world?
Fluora’s eyes bore into his, her fluorine-infused determination unwavering. “Xeno, tell me. I don’t want to read into it further.”
He hesitated, then blurted out, “I fear my radioactivity will mess up her life as well… after the— you know… I’ve been worried. I can’t help it… it’s terrible. Maybe it’s just my irrational fear.”
Her laughter surprised him. “It’s an irrational fear all right. That won’t happen… radon isn’t yours anyway.”
Or so she kept telling herself…
“But—”
“Listen,” Fluora interrupted. “Our child won’t be defined solely by their element. We’ll get through it. I promise.”
ns 18.68.41.140da2
