Edited by: ASaltedFish
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Two years after Ellery and Akimitsu got married, Juniper and Edros had their small wedding. They only invited family and close friends to their wedding at Juniper's and Edros' home.
As a surprise, Edros and the craftsmen at the Crystal Palace created a large greenhouse with a gazebo made entirely of cloud diamonds. They also installed the barrier to enclose the greenhouse during the day. At night, the barrier will come down on a timed schedule, allowing Juniper and Edros to come by whenever they wanted to look at the cloud crystals.
This greenhouse was also where they had their evening wedding. Pictures of the wedding circulated online the day after, causing everyone to not only sigh in envy but also celebrate the happy occasion.
Juniper and Edros both wore black suits and accessories to match each other's colors. For the people who knew Juniper, it was the first time they had seen his gentle but happy smile. He had that smile on for the entire wedding ceremony and reception.
As for Edros, he was beaming with happiness. Nothing could disrupt his mood as he followed Juniper around like a tail, unwilling to leave him alone. Juniper didn't mind it, and together, they navigated the ceremony and reception with blessings from all their families and friends.
Once their wedding day passed, Edros and Juniper disappeared from the public eye for a couple of months. They went to MPE23, the same tourist planet that Ellery and Akimitsu went to. They spent the whole time there, taking their time at each tourist spot and learning about the people of this water-filled planet.
When they got back to the Imperial capital, they learned some good news from Orin, Ellery's brother, and Darya, Orin's wife.
*****
Juniper and Edros arrived at Ellery's childhood home, where Orin and Darya were living. Their arrival was kept a secret, so the media didn't show up and trap them in the house.
Juniper and Edros were the last to arrive, so when they entered the home, everyone was already there.
Ellery hadn't seen Juniper in a very long time, so he ran over, asked for a hug, and then gave Juniper a tight hug with his permission. Juniper was also happy to see Ellery and missed him a lot.
"Juniper, it's good you two can make it! Orin and Darya have a surprise for us, and I think I know what it is." Ellery whispered the last part of the sentence in Juniper's ear.
"A surprise?" Juniper whispered, but he couldn't think of what could be so exciting that they all had to come to Ellery's childhood home.
Ellery nodded but didn't spoil what it was because he knew that Orin and Darya wanted to tell everyone. He never thought about stealing their thunder.
Darya and Orin were happy to see Juniper and Edros, urging them to come into the living room.
Once everyone was seated, Darya got straight to the point, "Orin and I are having a baby!"
"Really? Congratulations!" Ellery, who already guessed, still acted surprised. No one could see he was acting. Still, he was genuinely happy for his brother and sister-in-law.
Juniper, Edros, and Akimitsu also said their congratulations, happy for the couple who reunited a few years ago.
"Thank you, everyone! We called you all here to show you the baby." Orin, who was happy to become a father, could not stop grinning.
Juniper was a bit confused and looked over at Darya's stomach. But then he felt with technology, maybe… He looked over Orin's stomach and became even more confused.
Everyone saw Juniper's microexpressions and almost burst out laughing.
Ellery coughed to get Juniper's attention. "Ahem, Juniper, the majority of couples transfer their DNA into an artificial womb to create a fetus. These artificial wombs can be left at the hospital, which is cheaper, or they can be brought back to someone's house for a more expensive, but personal experience. Once a day, a specialized nurse will come to the house to check in on the fetus to make sure everything is going alright. If something does happen, the couple can also alert the nurse to come as quickly as possible."
Edros also chimed in, "The artificial womb is safer and rarely does it have health complications. Though sometimes, rare genetic disorders can occur that aren't seen by science. This is super rare, though. Also, those who want to experience pregnancy for themselves are allowed to, but they are told of the risks of pregnancy and have to sign a waiver stating that they understand that one of the risks of pregnancy is death or other health complications."
"Is creating a baby via an artificial womb cheaper?" Juniper was curious about the price, wondering if that was why people decided to give birth naturally.
Ellery nodded. "Yes, it is cheaper."
This made Juniper confused. Why would people risk death or other health complications to give birth naturally when there was a cheaper and safer way to have children?
He looked over at everyone, "Then, why?"
Ellery shrugged. "Some people like the novelty of it, or at least the idea of it. While others think it's a right of passage, but those of the latter are from very old school families."
Juniper couldn't understand that kind of mindset, but he decided not to dwell on it. Even if he could ask these people, he still probably wouldn't understand.
After answering Juniper's question, Darya and Orin guided them to a room on the first floor dedicated to monitoring the artificial womb. In the room, there was a fridge that held all the nutrition that the baby would need for the week. Twice a day, the parents would feed the fetus by inserting the nutrition tube into the artificial womb. Once that is finished, they can take the tube out and rinse it so they can reuse it for another day. The needle got disposed of after every use.
As for the artificial womb itself, it was sitting in a glass container filled with some sort of green substance, similar to the one patients are in when they are in the MedTube at the hospital. The womb looks similar to a uterus in shape, but that was about it. The glass container was large enough to hold two full-sized infants, so the artificial womb would have room to grow.
At the moment, it seemed like there was nothing in the artificial womb.
Juniper tried to get closer, but he still couldn't see anything. "Um… Where is the fetus?"
Darya did her best to control herself from laughing while Orin gripped onto a table, trying to keep a straight face. She took a deep breath and smiled. "Juniper, it's still a clump of cells right now. It will take some time, but you will be able to see the progression of our baby's growth, if you want to, of course."
Orin finally pulled himself together. "We know it's not much right now, but this means that this 'pregnancy' is successful. As per tradition, inviting you all here today means that we want you to join us on this journey. Once a week, we will do little celebrations to get ready to welcome a new life into our family. We hope that you all will accept this invitation."
Juniper finally understood the purpose of today's visit and why they were invited over. It meant that Darya and Orin hoped that as family, they would be there for them and their baby as they await for the baby's arrival. Not only that, but it also meant that Darya and Orin saw them as a support system and hoped, when possible, they could be there for them during and after the baby was born.
"Of course, Akimitsu and I will be here for you two. I can't wait to have a little nibling!"
Nibling was a gender-neutral term for the child of a sibling. Ellery used this word because they would all find out the gender of the fetus in the future.
Akimitsu nodded. "Just say the word, and we will come running over. Is there anything on the list that you two need? Maybe Ellery and I can get it for you."
Juniper looked over at Edros, a bit excited but nervous. He has never been an uncle before! What was he supposed to do? He didn't know how to take care of children either.
Seeing Juniper's expression, Edros finally said, "We would be happy to help. Send us the day that you want to meet every week, and we will have our schedules planned around it."
This wasn't the first time Edros became an uncle, so he had some experience. Emperor Eliane and Empress Iris had two kids together. Edros was also a support system for them, helping them from time to time with the kids when they were younger. The kids were older now, so his help was no longer needed unless it was an emergency, though thankfully, that has not happened.
"Thanks, everyone!" Orin and Darya were happy to have family and friends coming to aid them.
Knowing that Juniper was not comfortable with strangers, especially after only having been notified at the last minute, once he left with Edros, Orin and Darya invited their close friends from the First Fleet to introduce them to their baby and ask for their support. Of course, everyone was happy for them and was ready to help them immediately.
Ellery and Akimitsu stayed behind to meet Orin and Darya's friends, something that Ellery could not have imagined he would do.
In his last life, Orin was nowhere to be seen and Darya isolated herself. He was fighting for his life, trying to hold on to a love that did not love him. He could only die bitterly, hoping that Leonard and Darian would get the karma they deserved.
Now, he had Juniper, someone who became an important pillar in his life. He got married to the love of his life, made more friends, and found Orin.
Everything was falling into place, letting him finally let go of the past and look forward to the future. He may not be able to have the son from his past life, but that was okay. They were both in a happier place now.
Maybe one day they would meet again.