Clint and Henry start seriously discussing having a child with a researcher from Henry's father's company.


5

Four days pass of Clint rarely seeing Henry.

Henry spending most of his time at the Fallen Sun’s headquarters. It also is the colony’s government center and the only place for education. They commonly refer to it as just The Institute, even though it does so much more than just education. Today was looking to be the same when he woke up alone again. Pouting, he gets up and gets ready for the day. A light breakfast and out to continue working on the backyard.
The storm mangles a lot of the flowers, made a mess in the little ponds. Today he planned to get everything around the tree cleaned up. Few branches and a lot of pruning of tall flowers. His focus on the area under the tree. Is to turn it into a workout area because of the giant slab of rock under it.

Few hours passed around noon while sweeping off the slab to prepare for moving a mat to it. Henry calls for him from the doors. He looks at him questioning but all he does is a wave for him and goes back inside. With an annoyed huff, he goes into the house. He was getting thirsty anyway. Entering the kitchen, he immediately sees that Henry brought someone. Stopping himself from asking what he wants in as annoyed tone he intended.

“What is..what do you need, Henry?” He asks getting a glass of water.

Henry smiles.

“This is Ali.”

He gestures to a fox woman whose fur is so red she is practically glowing. She smiles at him.

“She is head of medical research. She has been working on ways to deal with my species’ limited success with having children outside of our species. Even with surrogates, people still want to have their own kids. I will let her talk now.” He sits down on the couch.

She again smiles at Clint. He gestures for her to sit in the other chair while he sits next to Henry. Who puts his arm around him.

“Like he said, we have been looking into ways to increase odds of pregnancy. This is more often in the female Samurnen than males. At least in our testing majority of subjects have been female with other species being the male contributor.”

“Implantation of Samurnin eggs into none, Samurnin wombs hasn’t resulted in a successful pregnancy. Our best success resulting in four out of nine pregnancy successes. What we have developed is hormonally based with changes to the egg or sperm. We also increase each partner’s general fertility fairly heavily.”

Clint looks at Henry.

“Did you know this? How low of a chance we would have conceiving.”
He sighs gently running a finger on Clint’s arm.

“I had an idea that it would be hard but didn’t know the exact odds.”

Clint looks back at Ali.

“Would you explain this simply? And what is the head of a research department doing on a colony? Shouldn’t you be at the real headquarters?”

She sits silently for a moment.

“It is relatively simple. We give you both a hormonal dosage to increase your respective needs. These increase your body’s abilities to be ready to mate. For you, I would presume you will enter a heat cycle. And he would enter their form of a rut. Though may have to do more refining of the exact dosage for him. They can become quite aggressive when their levels get too high.”

Clint glances up at Henry, who only nods at him.

“We, uh, have to take blockers for both to put simply heat and rut. Otherwise, we would become way to.. forceful in our service. Females also take very strong pregnancy prevention medications. If males are on the same ship and we have to have an implant in our.. nuts.” He smiles childishly at the word.

“To make sure pregnancy between us can’t happen. Can’t have your best personnel out or rampaging around. These regiments last for two to eight years. Depending on how long in service. Though can last much longer, especially if you continue service. Ie. Guard or mercenary work. Used to be you had to do eight minimum, but our government has become more lenient in recent years. Even after you stop taking them, the effects can last for some time. At least with what the women have to take. We guys have it easy. Just remove the implant and were good.”

Ali nods.

“After the hormone increase. We use a series of injections to change the structures of either or both the egg and sperm. Making them more successful in implanting and to help the sperm survive in the new hostile environment. Of the separate species’ womb. These also change the.. lack of a better way to put it amniotic fluid for the first few weeks. As the goal is to give the best possible environment for pregnancy to happen. While this is happening, we also give both partners fertility treatments. Most of this is done at one time. We can spread out the fertility treatment over a few days. Primarily for increase hormonal levels steadily, then all at once. And sometimes it can make you feel quite ill.”

Clint sits, taking in everything. Henry is the first to speak.

“Are there any dangers side effects or potential problems?”

“Not really, primarily you will see increase sex drive. The amniotic fluid difference will cause us unable to examine the offspring till around eight weeks. After that, it becomes normal, just typically more of it. Multiples are nearly guaranteed. That has its own taxing qualities. The treatments might modify the offspring to be different. They will take after the Samurnin DNA most, as it tends to dominate the outcome. But it very rarely can change and become a mix of both or even different forms. Such as say instead of walking on two legs they become tauric forms. This happened once during our last surrogacy. We had a taur female carry two tauric Samurnin children to term. But that was most likely an outlier because she was a taur herself. I expect the most you would need to worry about here. Is the number of children and their individual size.”

Clint takes a deep breath after looking at Henry returns his look to her.

“Why are you telling us this? Why did he bring you here?”

Ali laughs.

“He was talking to someone on the phone. I overheard it. He said you two were thinking about having children. I brought up my work. His father is also pushing me hard to get this up and working. With the recent tragedy on their home planet. He wants to help sustain the limited population off-world. My work might help this greatly. The Isolation their homeworld finds itself in. Will take many many years to improve. And he wants any Samauin couples to be evolved with this program. Though it is voluntary.”

Clint only slumps into the couch in thought. Henry seeing this and knowing it will probably be sometime before anything comes from him. Thanks, Ali, for coming by and escorts her out the door and to her car.

When he returns, he makes lunch. He hands him a plate with a sandwich on it. Bringing him from his thoughts.

“Thank you..” after a few bites he turns to Henry.

“Do you think we need to do this.. program to have kids?” He asks, his eyes not looking into his.

Henry gently strokes his head.

“Honey, I think if you.. we want to have kids. This is an opportunity to make it happen. We have a low chance, to begin with.”

Clint’s eyes tear up.

“But we will be some sort of test subjects. I don’t know if I can deal with that.” He says, his voice cracking as memories of his childhood return.

Henry sets their plates onto the table in front of them. Then pulls Clint into his lap, gripping him.

“Shush, honey. It will not be that bad, I promise. I will not let them hurt my princess. If you don’t want to do it, then we won’t. It will be you who has the most to deal with. Besides, I am sure we can figure out another way. Maybe do a surrogate. “

“I want them to be ours, not some surrogacy. And it will not be fair to the one who has to carry the child. No, I want us to have kids. I just..don’t know.”

Henry sighs to himself. He knew how Clint got when he set his mind to something. He just holds him tight and strokes him. After a while, he’s calmed down enough he relaxes his hug.

“Again, Clint, you do not have to do this. I am sure we can do it. Without doing this rather.. extreme courses of action. We haven’t even tried it on our own yet. With how busy we have been. Getting the house together and everything. “
He states softly.
“I know, I know, but what if we can’t on our own and this is the only way? They probably have a limit to how many participants. And I haven’t even begun to have a cycle yet.”

He absently rubs his stomach, looking away from him.

“Could be months before it happens. Then we lose our opportunity to join. Even if your father owns the company, there’s only so many they could take care of.”

He sighs.”I need to go lay down.” he says, squirming his way out of Henry’s lap. He grabs him before he can get far and kisses him.

“Just be sure, honey, whatever you decide we will do. I just want my little bunny to be happy and if he wants kids to be happy. We will have kids.”

Clint faintly smiles then goes to their bedroom room to lie down.

6

Clint is sitting under the tree doing his best to both keep and help himself to be calm. It has been four weeks. Since he and Henry brief discussion with Ali and another four since they decided to go through with the program. And several days since they performed the procedure on him. It was better than he anticipated, however; it was still quite uncomfortable. The removal of twelve of his eggs after a very thorough examination of his reproductive health was the worst part of the entire ordeal. So far anyway.

The reason for his distress was he spent the last few weeks finding out on his own all the possible issues that can befall him. From potential complication conceiving to chances of birth defects. To odds, the child might end up like him. At least on his side of things. Then to not help with the stress Henry has for the time being. Replaced the head of security after he was badly hurt in a car accident. And has been on the space station for the past week. His father is possibly coming to the colony. So him being busy makes sense, but what doesn’t to Clint is the inability to talk with him. Unless he travels to the Institute.

So with all the stress of everything and knowing, stressing out is the last thing he needs to do now. He has sat out under the tree every morning. With his eyes closed, listening to the sounds of his garden. Because of the weather, it is also the only time he really can, otherwise it is simply way too hot to stay out. Even in the shade.

A sharp chirp comes from his new phone next to him. With a lengthy sigh, he grabs it up and ends the harsh robotic voice, reminding him it was time for his morning test. As he walks back to the house, he thinks how nice it was for them to just give him one of the newest phones on the market. The fact he could press a button on the side and have it fold like a bracelet. And carry it on his arm instead of having it weighing down a pocket or occupy his hands with it. Was great to him.

Setting it down on the kitchen counter. He remembers that he suppose to do recordings documenting everything today. After much fiddling with his phone, he steps back from it.

“Uh, hello. Man, this is an odd thing to do. Hello, Dr. I guess I will do these.. recordings in the mornings. And send them with the test results. Unless you want it done differently. It’s now been a week I think since the procedure and so far I haven’t had any problems. The only issue is other than my stressing out about things. Which I am working on keeping under control. Started meditating out in my. Our garden. And today, assuming it is cool enough this evening, I am to go jogging at the park that is near-ish by.”

“The other thing is. Well, it’s odd but not serious, after stopping taking the big red pills. I have noticed two things with my fur. One its become softer and I think it is also getting shorter than it was. The other thing is, I am shedding more than I ever have. Not like it’s falling out in big chunks. But here let me show you.”

He runs his fingers through the fur on his arm multiple times quickly. Then places the tiny clump of fur down on the counter.

“I mainly notice it in the shower. It’s not too big a deal, but thought I would bring it up. Maybe it will go away, eventually. As for the symptoms you warned me about. I haven’t had any of them. Other than the first two-three days, I had some discomfort. Not sure how to describe it. It wasn’t unbearable but felt off. Down there. Sorry, not able to describe it better. Wasnt enough I felt extremely worried about.”

He Shyly states.

“Haven’t had any swelling.”

He steps back, then lightly sighs and gets one of the barstools to stand on. Stand up on the footrest and turning sideways, pulling down the waist of the shorts. He has on. Covered in many colorful flowers, predominantly light blue ones.

“See none at all.”

He runs his hand down his front. Anyone could see that he was just as thin as he ever been. If you looked closely, you can just make out the faint outline of abs.
Stepping back off the stool.

“Oh, and I have used up the blue topped vial,”

He places a tiny vial in front of the camera.
“And I am nearly out of the green one. Would say two days left. Have plenty of the pills.”

He sighs and rubs his forehead before moving out of the way of the camera. Giving it an unobstructed view of the heavy stack of folders. Sitting on the coffee table.

“I haven’t even started to read through the info you gave me on Henry’s uh, species. People? Whatever. After all the things I learned about my side of things. I have been kinda putting it off, sorry.”

He steps back into view hold the large bracelet like testing device.

“About the only other thing I can guess complain about. Is my forearm is getting rather sore from this thing but not like there’s anything to do about it.”

“Well, I guess that’s all I have to say. Let me know if you have questions or want me to do anything differently. Guess unless something changes, I will see you again the week after next. Bye.”

With a ludicrously loud click, the camera dropped back into the phone’s case. As he turned the recording off and laid the phone down onto the counter. With a whining sigh, he picks up the medical bracelet. He always hated needles. Likely from his childhood, of being poked with hundreds of them. First his unique biology, then he had a terrible allergic reaction to something one year at school.

Now, this little thing gets to jab him several times for about an hour, three times a day. Morning, noon, then either evening or just before he goes to bed. The thing truly wasn’t that little. It weighed easily as much as one of Henry’s combat boots. While also being big enough to cover most of his forearm. He smiled a little at the thought of, if he had two, they make decent weights for jogging.

The thing is supposed to providing them a ridiculous amount of information on how his body is doing. Hormone levels, nutrition, and a lot of other things. He guesses at some point they will let him know if he’s pregnant or not. Turning it on, he feels himself a glass of tea and goes over to the couch. And after wincing as it clamps onto his arm and a weary sigh. Starts to look through the no doubt way to scientific information in the large pile of folders in front of him.