Chapter Text
Grace was the luckiest unlucky guy in the world. Growing up, he was told he was blessed with the affinity for science; specifically, molecular biology. He was then discarded from the science community. He had a girlfriend! Then he didn't have a girlfriend. Eva Stratt gave him the opportunity to return to the community by studying astrophage. Eva Stratt then sent him on a suicide mission. In the end, Grace may have saved his planet, and in the process managed to form a new community in the Eridians, and his beloved partner, Simon.
Yes, it'd be their 5th anniversary soon (almost the 8th anniversary of their arrival in Erid). While their relationship wasn't overly romantic compared to what Grace had with Linda, he found himself a lot happier that way. Grace considered what he and Simon could do to celebrate their long accomplishment, but found himself completely stumped.
Grace sat at the dining table in their kitchen as he thought of giving Simon some handmade gift. Simon loved those. Unfortunately, Simon was ironically the one better with his hands than Grace. A few months with Rocky and Adrian, and Simon became a well learned engineer and welder.
Grace sighed and scratched out 'homemade gift' from the list in his notebook. He turned his head to peak out from the kitchen and into the bedroom nearby. Simon was still sleeping in their bed. With the bed to himself, his legs were now spread out and his unaffected arm draped behind him against the headboard. That man could not be paid enough to be a morning person. A small gruffy huff expelled from Simon's throat as he suddenly exhaled sharply.
Grace perked up as he thought of an idea, and quickly wrote it down. The Eridians, smart guys, could change the biome in the biodome any time if requested. Simon and Grace cycled through living near the beach and living in the forest quite regularly. Camping out in the forest to stargaze. That was something Simon would appreciate.
In the midst of his brainstorming, Grace unintentionally ignored fervorous knocking at his door. It wasn't until he heard Simon stirr uncomfortably Grace noticed. He quickly got out of his seat to answer the door before it could wake up Simon.
The sea breeze hit Grace's face as he opened the door. He took a small breath before choking on it.
"Hello Grace!" Rocky chirped in Eridian. Rocky stumbled slightly as he balanced a xenonite box on his head. Next to him, Adrian was gently rocking what seemed to be a cradle—a xenonite cradle—with wheels. Inside the cradle was what seemed to be a small, sleeping human baby.
"Hi—" Grace stuttered as he looked down at the baby. "Rocky, what is that?"
"Human Simon Grace baby." Rocky stumbled again, this time tilting the box forward and dropping it at Grace's feet. "For you and Simon. Grace liar liar liar. Two men can have baby like Eridians, statement."
Grace blinked before slowly shaking his head. "Nope, I don't know what to tell you bud. That doesn't work like that. We're not like you.. but is it real?"
Adrian chirped up. "Yes baby real! Rocky and I study how human reproduce, statement. Do not need just male and female, very silly human concept. Just Grace and Simon DNA fine, statement."
With all the sudden noise, the baby's eyes widened. They were brown like Simon's, and now properly looking at it, Grace noticed tufts of Simon's black hair and warm skin tone. It was very much Simon's child. Grace's genes didn't even try.
"Bud, I genuinely have no words how you managed to do this."
Rocky nudged the xenonite box forward. "Rocky and Adrian explain later. Eridians can not take care of human baby, statement. Atmosphere so difficult, statement."
Panic was finally weaving it's way in for Grace. "Wait so you're just going to leave it here!?" Damn! Grace hoped he didn't just wake up Simon.
"Yes! Or human baby die in atmosphere, statement. Example!" Rocky and Adrian both synchronized their fall as they fell limp backwards.
Grace had no more words as Rocky nudged the box further at his feet.
"Eridians prepared human baby food and clothes for Grace and Simon's baby," Rocky explained. "Eridians will provide more if needed."
"Are you sure you know what nutrients a baby needs to survive?" The cradle had been rolled forward by Adrian. Grace didn't let his sights leave the baby for a moment.
"We learned from human portable machine," Adrian finally cut in, "the supply should last Grace and Simon a few months."
Good. At least Grace and Simon didn't need to go out and buy baby care products. Grace remembered how expensive childcare had become on Earth, especially in America. Having a baby was certainly a luxury.
Whatever else Adrian and Rocky had to tell Grace, he had completely blocked it out. At some point he and the baby had made eye contact. Grace watched as the baby would gently try to put it's fist in it's mouth, or try to wiggle around. No matter how much he wanted to convince himself that it wasn't real, he couldn't deny the personality and breath there.
Holy cow. This was actually Grace's baby. While it may not have much of his physical features, Grace trusted Rocky and Adrian when they said it was made from his DNA too. Grace recalled the many times his students would ask him when he'd get married, when he'd have kids, and if he'd ever bring them to work. At the time, the concept of having a baby was more foreign than discovering alien life.
When Adrian and Rocky finally left the biodome, Grace carefully scooped his daughter, and walked back inside.
Not even three steps inside, and Grace heard Simon's baritone morning voice. "Ry, what were you blabbering about?" Simon said with a yawn as he rubbed his eyes.
The baby yawned in response, catching Simon's attention. His eyes widened, and Grace suddenly felt the urge to faint.
"Ryland," Simon began, his arms tightly crossed against his chest, "what is that?" Grace could slightly hear Simon's teeth—mutated and non mutated—grind against each other.
"That's a baby, Simon." Grace dragged his hands across his face as Simon scoffed.
They were in their bedroom. The artificial daylight weaved through the windows and shined on what was apparently their daughter. The baby was gingerly placed in the middle of Grace and Simon's bed. The cradle alongside the xenonite package Adrian and Rocky gave them were sitting in the living room. Meanwhile, Grace and Simon were standing at the foot of the bed, eyeing the baby wearily.
The baby cooed before it started waving it's arms around like she wanted to take off and fly. Then she started kicking her legs around, and cooed again. A few more little coos and then a gurgle. She began to slightly drool.
Simon rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers up and down his scalp. "This is a dream," he finally murmured. "Or we found some more of those vodka packets, and I'm drunk."
"You haven't drunken anything alcoholic in almost a decade," Grace reminded him as he was also trying to soothe himself by rubbing his palms.
"Maybe we're both drunk," Simon continued to mumble, "cause there's no god dam way this is real..."
Now that he was really thinking about it, Grace needed to ask Rocky and Adrian how they even managed to do it. While it wasn't a priority back on Earth, there were a few scientists that tried to recreate the two sex cells needed for reproduction, but instead with two individuals of the same gender. Besides a few mice testing yielding some results, the project never got far. Yet, with almost just a decade of Grace and Simon being here, the Eridians managed to figure it out enough to pop out a whole baby.
The baby cooed again and wiggled around the mattress, catching both Simon and Grace's immediate attention once more.
Grace glanced at Simon and back at the baby. He opened his mouth to speak before Simon beat him to it.
"Would it be immoral if we sent it back?" Simon asked, his expression illegible.
Grace's mouth dropped and so did his heart. He quickly tried to regain his bearings but to little to no success. A flurry of stuttering left his mouth instead until eventually, "I mean—"
"—we didn't ask for this right?" Simon kept pushing slightly. "Just think about it. We're gonna die and it's gonna be the only human on Erid. Wait, did Rocky or Adrian confirm if it's human?"
Grace stuttered again before he replied. "Adrian said they used our DNA, so I'm assuming it's mostly human..."
Simon's eyes widened and he rubbed his thumb against his mutated arm. "Mostly human?"
The realization of what he said dawned on Grace; his breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat. "I— sorry I didn't mean it like like.. that. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how they possibly could have done this."
"Fuck.. I hope I didn't give her any mutations." Simon took a step back from the bed. "You think she's going to be fine, right?"
Grace rushed to embrace Simon, burying his face in his shoulder. Simon couldn't try to escape just yet. Grace needed him too. "Mutation or not, she'll be fine. We have Eridians here, right? They're smart.."
Simon glanced down at his arm and the mutations that ran across the left side of his body. After losing his arm in the submarine, a new and more fleshy and darker one had grown. His face had been disfigured too. One side was perfectly human while the other had sharp teeth sticking out from his gums. He glanced down at their daughter again just to check she didn't have the same. Grace was right. She looked just like him before the mutations.
Simon sighs and finally returns the embrace. "Are we keeping it here?" Simon asked again.
Grace's muscles relaxed and he melted into the embrace. "I don't wanna leave it to die, but I don't think I'm ready to be a dad. All of this is too sudden. I didn't even know I was going to be a dad, ever."
Simon chuckled dryly. "Me neither. I don't think people wanna have babies with 'the butcher.'"
That made Grace laugh. The embrace finally broke apart and Grace took a deep breath. Simon kept his hands on Grace's lower back to keep him close.
Grace was first to speak up. "I'll bring her cradle in here. The xenonite package should have clothes and food. Open it outside though; I'm not sure if you might get a heavy dose of ammonia if you open it."