Chapter Text
“Mr. and Mrs. Membrane! So good to see you!”
“Please, the pleasure is all mine,” Mr. Membrane proudly exclaimed as he wrapped an arm around his wife.
The pair of famous scientists were in attendance of a gala of some sort, one where only the most prestigious of worldly figures and celebrities were able to attend. The ballroom was decked out in various expensive decorations, and only the finest cuisine and wine were served. So yeah, the event itself (and many of its attendees) was beyond snooty.
Mr. Membrane shook the hand of the gala’s host, and he and his wife took their seats. Truthfully their lab coat getup made them stick out among the sea of suits and ballgowns, but neither of them paid it any heed. They were two of Earth’s premiere scientists, after all, so they had more things to worry about than something as trivial as fancy clothes.
They really were happy to be there, but alas, something crossed the husband’s mind- was he forgetting something? No, of course not. He was a famous, highly respected man of science so the idea of him forgetting something was ridiculous. Even if he did, it probably wasn’t important anyway. With that, the man just brushed away those thoughts as the gala got underway…
The evening went on, the guests continued to party in the most snobbish manner imaginable. Glasses clinked together, people chatted and laughed, and many of the guests made speeches as the hours passed. It was a wonderful time, truly fantastic, quite- uh oh. Mr. Membrane sat up in his chair abruptly, nearly slamming into the table in front of him. At long last, he remembered what he had forgotten at least five hours prior. “Honey,” he said to his wife, “what time is it?”
She looked at him, seemingly confused before her demeanor changed after a second or two- her body language now showed something very different- pure panic. She stood and cried out, and quickly yet politely excused both herself and her husband from the gala. They rushed out of the ballroom much to the confusion of everyone else, yet no one made any attempt to stop them let alone ask questions.
They both dashed out of the building, their entire beings rife with a sense of urgency as they found their car. Mr. Membrane fumbled with his keys for just a moment, struggling to get them into the ignition. At long last, the engine flared to life as the key was turned and they were on their way back home.
“Do you suppose we really are too late,” Mrs. Membrane said, her voice trembling.
“...”
Mr. Membrane did not answer, but he did in fact know it was true; they had been so selfishly engrossed in attending the gala that they had both lost track of time instead of leaving at a set hour like they had previously planned.
Mrs. Membrane went silent as well, knowing it was best to just head back home and deal with… the consequences. She sure did hope it would all be alright, as did her spouse…
The drive to Membrane Manor from the city was long and tense. But they made it. They practically leapt out of the vehicle, and the automatic doors opened for them as they always did. The interior of their home was silent and desolate unlike the jovial gala from before, but still nonetheless fancy. But that didn’t matter. What mattered at the moment was making it to the manor’s main laboratory.
They both ran over to it, ever so careful not to run into anything or each other. In less than five minutes they arrived at the door and- oh NO. They heard it, they were too late- crying. The door opened and they ran inside, far from prepared from the awful sight that they were forced to behold: the newborn continued to wail as he lay on the cold surface, without a doubt cold himself (and likely hungry). Now they’d done it- they’d been so busy (or at least forgetful) that they missed it; the birth of their own son, as well as their greatest scientific achievement to date.
The boy was born via unnatural means, but he himself was natural. See, not only was it a scientific breakthrough, but both parents had no time to have a baby the normal way seeing as they were extremely busy all the time. So what did they do? Questionable science of course (aka growing a child in an artificial womb with both of their DNA and stuff). The idea was to be there when it was time for their son to be “born,” but so much for that.
For a moment both of them just stared in sheer disbelief and shame. Then, the wife finally did something- she took off her lab coat, then proceeded to kneel down and lift the still screaming newborn with it. She wrapped the baby in it, not caring about the fluid soaking deep into it. She gently held the baby to her chest, who actually went quiet as his mother cradled him. “Honey,” she said in a voice that was barely a whisper, “what have we done (in reference to them being late, not to the questionable experiment itself)?”
Mrs. Membrane sniffed, quite apparently wracked with guilt about failing to show up to her own son’s birth. Mr. Membrane approached his crying wife, and hugged her and his son. “We’re here now. That’s what matters.”
Both of them finally got a good look at the baby- he’d quite apparently inherited his mother’s black hair and basic shape, but his was more pointy and jagged, not unlike the father. He clenched his tiny fists as he was still silent, and Mrs. Membrane looked at her husband. “We did decide on that name, didn’t we?”
“Yes.”
Mr. Membrane proceeded to gently grasp Mrs. Membrane’s hand, and nodded at her who in turn nodded back. Yes, they’d already decided on a name for their son.
His name was-