Work Text:
A soft wail crackles through the speaker.
"I'll get it," You rumble softly, blinking away the edges of sleep and the striking movement of John having sat up like a shot bullet. You'll never get used to human instincts, you think as you climb out of bed and shimmy a random floor shirt on, as John slowly registers what you've said in the quiet dark.
"Are you sure?" He asks in that grizzled, tired voice of his.
"Mhm," Even though you are not. You didn't wake up 'cause of the baby, but because of John - but you don't tell him that, because he already feel bad enough you don't have this inert connection that he seems to have inherited from his weird, mutated species of his. Instead, you get up in the middle of the night to go to your son's bedroom because you love John, and by extension, you love this little life that you've created together - the toddling, wailing creature that doesn't have a lusus or a human guardian, but the two of you, you and John, that are now dubbed 'parents'.
The door opens quietly, but your son is still sniffling and crying out in his crib. The night light John chose is shinning tiny stars across the room, barely giving enough light to guide your feet forward to peer over the crib.
"Hey, kiddo," You say quietly, awkwardly, because when have you never been awkward?
Another wail is the response. You sigh, and pick him up from the crib.
He's warm in your arms. That's another thing that surprised you when he came from the literal genetic machine, besides his loud, piercing wail that had John joking, "Well, at least we know he got that from you," before panic and pandemonium overtook every single person in the room that day. It had taken thirty minutes before John could rightfully explain that every baby cried when first born, even to the supposedly-human workers in the brooding caverns, and even then Rose had to vouch for him because John had fumbled through the explanation so badly you had almost pacified him in front of everybody there. John had then handed him to you, and with surprise, you noted how your hybrid child was way too fucking warm for a troll before John reminded you he was also half human.
You kinda gave him a half-glare, because, yeah, you could tell. John had just sheepishly smiled before another worker shooed the two of you to another part of the caverns.
A soft caress of your son's hair tells you he's nearly covered in sweat, brow warm and soaked and thin wisps of hair almost curling. He must've had a night terror, you surmise, and a part of your bloodpusher aches in your chest. You still haven't found a way to safely include sopor slime in his sleeping area, mostly because John absolutely swore up and down that human babies can not have anything in cribs with them, so alchemizing pillows and blankets are out of the window and you haven't figured out if solidified sopor slime does anything to help. John suggested a sopor slime pacifier, but you heavily reminded him of Gamzee, and he cringed and has not brought it up again.
A poking hand brings you out of your thoughts, and you find his small claws digging into the shirt with an iron grip. You'd be mad, typically, but you're pretty sure this is John's shirt, and also the way he looked up at you from the cradle of your arms has something hazy settle over you, like being pacified from a rage. You're not usually this quiet or contemplative, but somehow, this tiny little creature that you hold in your arms makes you practically speechless every time he looks up at you with his shiny blue eyes.
Because he has John's eyes. He might have the sclera yellow of a troll's, but he unmistakably has John's beautiful blue eyes, just as wide and adoring as his father's. It makes you sigh with something akin to relief and adoration. You would have loved whatever creature would've come out of the genetic machine, but the closer he looks like John has you becoming less tense. He already has your ears and teeth and claws, and you don't hate them on him, exactly - but he will never be a normal baby, never be a normal kid or a normal child, and that's partly your fault, you think, even if John claims otherwise. You know it's the same thing that's happened with your child as it did with John's universe, with his species blood, with everything you touch becoming corrupted or twisted because some otherworldly force out there likes to taunt you and your goals.
But it all disappears with those little eyes. How could you hate the claws you have, the pointed ears, the sharper teeth, when they're on this tiny creature that shares part of John's DNA? How can you hate anything on this child when he curls his claws into your shirt, grasping just like an infant, when he's everything you despise about yourself but so much better?
"Babe?"
You startle, just a little, and that has the baby startle too. You go to shush him, desperately, before a hand places itself on your shoulder.
"Aw, Karkat, sorry. I just figured the lil' guy might be hungry."
He passes over a bottle, a small butterfly-covered blue bottle you haven't had the heart to throw out yet because Kanaya had 'jokingly' gifted it to you, curtsy of Rose and her. You seamlessly bring it to your infant, who greedily begins to suckle like he's starved for it.
"Thanks," You say, quietly appreciative.
A moment passes before he rounds around to your side, going with a small, worried voice, "You ok? You were quiet on the baby monitor."
You think about it for a moment. Think about how you just spent minutes, hours, days, all consumed by this little creature who's only crime has been existing because of you.
Smiling, you say, "Yeah. I'm fine, promise."
John almost doesn't believe you, but as always, he leans forward with a sigh, and kisses you on your cheek. "Okay then. You sure you don't want me to take him?"
You shake your head. "I wanna spend some time with him, if that's alright."
"Okay, then. Love you," He says with a kiss on your forehead. Then, leaning down, places a kiss on the baby's forehead. "Love you too." He leaves.
"Love you," You call out after him.
Then, after a moment he's gone, you look towards your son and lean down to kiss him in the same place John kissed him. "...Love you, too."