Chapter Text
“... And I’ve been real lonely since gettin’ back here.” He sighed, leaning into his chair as Wiggle sipped at her tea with a slight frown on her face. “I know, bein’ a single parent ain’t exactly… the most ideal, but I wanna do this. I wanna adopt a kid.” His voice was firm. He wasn’t going to budge on this.
“Darling… I’m not saying you’re not going to be a great parent, but you’re still… recovering from everything.” She gestured at his body, still gaining weight back that was lost during his stay at Snaktooth. “If you try now, you’ll likely just be rejected. Give it a few years, at least.” She leaned forward, placing her paw on his as she smiled. “You’ll be a great dad, Gramble. I know you will.”
She was right, but it still stung a bit hearing that.
“Alright…” He smiled sadly, looking down at his lap. “The moment I can, though…” He squeezed his paws, feeling the claws dig into the pads a bit. Wiggle nodded, leaning back into her chair.
“I’ll help you every step of the way, darling. We all will.” She said, taking another sip. “But if you’re not at full strength, then they won’t let you. Maybe you can try a pet for the time being?”
He smiled at the recommendation.
“Maybe…” He said, sliding off the chair. “Well, I better get goin’. Gotta clean up the house and all that.” She nodded, standing up herself.
“Aloha, darling. Let’s meet up again soon.”
The dark night never felt so uncomfortable as they left.
At some point, half an hour or so later, he wound up near the beach. The same beach that they had all arrived on when they escaped the island six months ago. What a time it had been, both positive and negative. He met everyone he cherished now, he learned to appreciate what he really had, and move on from his less than happy childhood at least a little bit.
He let out a heavy breath as he looked up at the night sky, stars barely visible from where he was thanks to the light level. That was one thing he missed from his time on Snaktooth, being able to look up at the sky to see so many constellations. Something that always brought a smile to his face whenever he couldn’t sleep.
Sometimes he thought back to those days, how he became so obsessed with the idea that Bugsnax could replace that hole he had in his heart. Silly, looking back on it, but also scary how something as innocent-looking as them hiding the fact that they were parasites. Never mind the effect it had on him.
He was just glad it was over.
He sat down on the sand, feeling it between his fingers and toes, catching in his fur. He liked it. He could never appreciate this when he was stressing out every day, frantically watching over his many Snax.
But now… Now he could relax, if even only for a little bit.
He leaned back a bit onto his elbows, looking out into the sea ahead of him, the waves crashing against the sand. It was almost mesmerising, watching it go by. He could feel his eyelids getting heavy. Maybe a little nap wouldn’t harm him.
He let his head fall down gently into the sand, eyes closing before he could even try and stop it. He must have been more tired than he thought.
By the time he came to, his body ached a bit. Must have laid down awkwardly or something.
“Uhn…” he groaned, pulling himself up from the sand and shaking himself off. He really needed to shower now. “What time is it..?”
He looked back up to the sky, still dark, but the sun was definitely rising now. He had to get back home.
Standing up slowly so he kept his balance, he began to make his way back up from where he came from, grimacing all the while from the sand caking his fur. Just as he started to approach the stairs leading back up, though, he heard something faint.
Something that sounded like a cry.
Backpedalling from the steps quickly, he followed the direction of the sound, his gut dropping as he got closer. There was a shipwreck now, which wasn’t there before. Something had happened while he was unconscious, and no one was around to help other than him.
Sand kicked up as he came to a stop outside of the wreck, hearing the cries come from it only further amplify his fear.
“I-I’m comin!” He shouted, trying to squeeze his way in. “Hang on!”
After a bit of effort, he managed to shimmy in. It was a small boat, only a room or two if the wreckage was even half as intact, but he still had to find the source of the cry. He looked around the hall he was in, hoping desperately that he was not too late.
“Anyone here!?” He yelled, nerves making him act on instinct. He glanced around sharply, entering one of the rooms to a sight he never expected to see. “O-Oh…”
A baby was laying in a half-destroyed cot, completely unattended.
After a few seconds of staring on his part, the child let out another cry, snapping him out of his stupor.
They looked scared. Upset, though thankfully uninjured. He had to get them out of here, quickly. He gently lifted up the baby from where they laid, scooping them in his arms.
Why was a child in a place like this? Where were their parents?
Going back the way he came, his eyes caught sight of a picture frame. Three unknown figures greeted him, one being much younger than the others. The picture looked as if it was taken on this very boat. Yet they weren’t here anymore.
He didn’t have time to think over it right now. He needed to get the child to safety. He could look through here later.
“It’s alright little one, I’ve got ya…” He whispered, keeping them close. “We’ll find your parents, don't you worry…”
Without another word, he left the wreckage, carrying the child away.
“You WHAT?!” Wiggle shouted through the phone, startling him slightly. “Gramble, I know you wanted a grumpling, but this is too much!”
They whimpered at that, making him comfort the child in response.
“Wiggle, it’s not that simple! They were… They were all alone on that wreck.” His voice shook a bit at the reminder. If he had been a bit later... “Besides, they’re… Not, exactly, a grump.” He looked into their eyes as they stared back at him, gurgling nonsense.
The silence at the other end told him everything.
“... I’m going to need a minute.” She sighed. “ Not a grumpus? Are you saying you found another species, darling?”
He pondered that for a minute, rocking the child absentmindedly. They were almost as big as his arms already.
“I suppose I did.” He smiled, thankful for the brief distraction. “They’re awfully cute…”
It hadn’t sunk in until now, but he had a child in his arms. A life that was going to be dependent on him.
“Gramble, we’re going to have to bring some of the others in, you know that? You can’t raise a child of an entirely new species on your own.” Wiggle was right, at least. He knew that much. “Besides, you said their parents might still be out there. Filbo can help with that.”
He nodded silently, only to realise that Wiggle was not there with him. He coughed awkwardly, letting out a chuckle on instinct.
“Ah, yeah, I know. Can you, uh, call ‘em? I gotta make sure the little one ain’t sick or nothin’.” He looked down at the kid in his arms, who looked like they were two seconds from passing out. They let out a little yawn, snuggling into his arms quietly.
He felt his heart squeeze a bit at the sight, barely keeping the coo from slipping out.
“Alright, Gramble, darling, just give me a call if you need any help, alright? I don’t think anyone else will be awake right now.” She sighed. “And Gramble?”
“Hm?” He replied, still looking at the baby.
“I know you’ll be a good father.” With that, she hung up, leaving him with that sentence to chew on.
Could he? He wasn’t sure if he was ready for this, now that it was sprung on him for the time being, but he was going to try anyway.
It’s the least they deserved.
It had been a week since he’d found Kathanny, and he was getting the hang of taking care of her.
Well, he assumed she was a girl, anyway.
She wasn’t that much different from taking care of a grumpus, honestly. The only major difference was the fact that she had to drink milk, once she started trying to suck on his chest. When he told Floofty about that on the phone, they immediately got to work on some baby formula that could work for her. She was a mammal, according to them, so she needed milk for the near future. Not too dissimilar to a grumpling, but she had different needs, according to Floofty. Less than three hours later, they had arrived at his apartment, a container in their arms.
“One teaspoon whenever she’s hungry.” They had said, handing it to him. “From how often you wish for a grumpling, I assume you have a bottle for her, but here’s one anyway. For a backup.”
Aside from that, though, she was much like any other grumpling, demanding his attention more than ever.
He was loving every second of it.
“Oh, you hungry, Kathanny?” He cooed, playing with her hands to cheer her up a bit. “Oh, you’re so cute, I could gobble you up!” She squealed a bit as he blew a raspberry into her stomach, giggling away as he did. This was what he was missing in his life. It may not have been the most convenient or the safest, but he felt whole again.
Like… Sprout and Charwee did for him back then.
He pulled himself away, turning to his kitchen where the formula was waiting next to the kettle, getting to work on making the milk. Kathanny let out little gurgles as she stared at him, making little grabbing motions as he waited on the water to boil.
“I know, I know, it’s coming.” He smiled, holding up the bottle for her to see. “Just another minute or so.”
The familiar whistle kicked in.
Grabbing the container and opening it, he got to work, scooping the formula and pouring the water in the bottle. Shaking it quickly, he set it down to cool as he glanced out the window absentmindedly. He wondered how Filbo was doing on that search.
He hoped her parents were alive. No one should grow up without someone to care for them, and losing them only made it worse.
A distant memory of waking up alone drifted through his mind. He shook his head quickly, dispelling any notion of that horrible part of his life.
He was happy now.
Kathanny let out another gurgle, face showing the beginnings of agitation as she continued her motions looking at the bottle sitting on the countertop. He smiled at the sight. At least he knew she wasn’t in any danger.
“It’s alright, I’m here.” He said, sitting down in front of her. “Hey, why don’t we play a game?”
She only gurgled in response, getting a bit louder as she began getting more agitated.
“Where’s the baby?” He covered his face with his paws, hoping to calm her down a bit. Grumplings always loved the surprise, so it was only fair to assume, right? “There she is!”
She sat in stunned silence for a moment, before letting out a little coo, grabbing his face with her hands.
He let out a little laugh at the feeling of her brushing against his fur. At least she calmed down a bit.
“Alright, maybe it’s cooled down enough.” He mumbled to himself, standing back up from where he was sitting. Grabbing the bottle and testing the temperature, he nodded in satisfaction at the feeling of warmth.
A tentative knock echoed out through the apartment, just barely audible even to him.
“Uh, Gramble?” Filbo’s voice came through the door, sounding hesitant to even be there. “I, uh, got some news for you, about… you know.”
He set the bottle back down, mouthing a silent apology to Kathanny as he did, before crossing the room to the front door.
He opened it quickly, beckoning him in and shutting the door, before going back to feeding Kathanny as Filbo sat down.
“She really is cute, huh?” He smiled, tapping his paws together as he picked her up, bottle ready for her. “Really is like a grumpling.”
“Yeah…” He smiled, watching as she began to drink away, happy and content. “So, what did ya find?” He looked at the nervous mayor, already knowing this wasn’t going to be positive news.
“Well, I did what I could without raising too many red flags, but I couldn’t find any trace of anything like her.” He looked out the window, watching as a slight bit of rain began picking up. “I don’t think there was anyone else on that boat, Gramble. They must have… Fell overboard.” He looked apologetically at the both of them, tapping picking up. “Sorry I couldn’t… Do much.”
He frowned a bit but shook his head slightly. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t think we’d… find anythin’ much.” He stared at Kathanny, who was resting comfortably in his arms. “At least she’s okay.” She was just a baby…
The silence was deafening.
“H-Hey… The least I could do is, um, help you two. I can make sure she gets everything she needs growing up.” Filbo smiled a bit. “It’s not like you can just lock her away, after all. She’s gotta live her own life.” Gramble looked at him, feeling an invisible weight being lifted off his shoulders.
“I… I hadn’t even considered that, if I were honest.” He admitted, looking back at Kathanny as he pulled the bottle away for a moment. “I was just so caught up in keepin’ her happy…”
“Hey, it’s alright. I’ll sort all that. That’s for another day, though.” Filbo flashed his winning smile. “You’ve got a kid to care for, I’ll deal with the paperwork. I betcha Triffany will be delighted to hear this.” They shared a grin as an image of a dotting Triffany entered his mind. She’d be a great mother.
Could he live up to the same image?
Kathanny let out another gurgle, completely focused on the bottle in his paw.
“That’s right, Kathanny.” He said, looking down at her as he offered the bottle again. “I’m your papa for the time bein’.”
Yes. Yes, he could.