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The Birth of a New Species |
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       When Schmerz approached Aramis that night at the Steel Mountain Tavern, he'd told him that he was quite possibly a father for a second time. To this, he laughed. He laughed not because the possibility of fathering a second child was out of the question, but rather, because the "pregnant" party was Schmerz himself. So to speak. Schmerz had lain an egg about 2 feet long and about two feet in diameter, a monstrous thing he simply couldn't imagine squeezing out of any of Schmerz's body holes. And yet, there it was, sitting in a backpack Schmerz had carried it in as proof of its existence. And although he'd been laughing at the thought of the egg before, once he actually saw it for himself, it was an entirely different story.
       Eventually, however, the humor gave in to fear. He'd been with Honnete for quite some time, and she'd just given birth to their daughter, Adrianna. And now, out of the clear blue sky, he may or may not have another child with the man she absolutely hated? Although he'd heard before of men giving birth, such as that purple-haired man from the Elbow Room's earlier days, he never thought he'd be in such a situation. He'd been with Schmerz off and on for a number of years, and protection was never an issue. After all, they were both male and the possibility of having children with Schmerz was nil. At least, that's what he always thought. But here was this egg, and there was Schmerz with a look in his eyes of both pleading and panic, two things he'd never, not once, seen in the younger man's eyes before. Schmerz had no experience with children. And at seventeen, he was hardly ready to be a father. And besides... Schmerz told him there was a possibility he was the father. If Aramis did nothing and waited for a simple test result, he would surely have regretted all of the time he'd wasted and not developed a bond with the being inside of the egg. He'd hardly been around for Adrianna's gestation because of all of the fighting. He wasn't going to let it happen again.
       He'd fallen hopelessly in love with the egg a lot faster than he'd thought. He'd discarded any questions of paternity, even if Schmerz hadn't, and took up the responsibility of caring for the egg and whoever was inside of it. He cuddled that egg and spoke to it, sang to it at night and made sure it stayed warm. And on that day when it begun to crack, pieces of shell fell away to reveal a real, living, squirming little baby boy, Aramis knew he'd made the right decision. Biological father or not, he was this boy's daddy, and he would protect him, clothe him, feed him and raise him as his own. The baby itself looked exactly like Schmerz, tail and all, with a tuft of blue hair upon his crown. If not for the bright green left eye, Aramis might have thought the baby was a clone instead of offspring. Aramis hoped the green eye was an in herited trait, although he could be wrong. Aramis himself had miscolored eyes like the baby: his left was green, the right, blue. But the other possible father might have had green eyes as well, and it might be his genes evident in the baby's eyes.
Azrael.
       Schmerz had named him Azrael, after the Angel of Death, according to Christian legend. Though some may find this name morbid, Aramis saw it in a positive light. Azrael's birth had brought death to his insecurities and fears. The miracle of his existence struck down the border between the possible and the impossible. Azrael... "help of God." He was a blessing, just like Adrianna was. And Aramis would dedicate his life to being a good father to Azrael, no matter the cost.
 Bleeding Apocalypse · Sun Dec 10, 2006 @ 04:20pm · 0 Comments |
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