"Are we ready for a baby?" Satan could feel the fear in his chest taking over, unsure of what Alpha’s reaction will be.

"Of course, we are. I can't wait to see that super adorable face."

"Aww!" Satan sank back into the couch, finally they could spend all day chatting, laughing and planning an adoption. The house was a mess and it didn't matter, it could be tidied up after lunch. Together they sorted laundry, cleaned and prepared dinner. It was the release valve they both needed.

"I can take care of changing, feedings and waking up in the middle of the night while you focus on cleaning the house etc."

"Are you ready to give up sleep?"

"I guess I'll have to say goodbye to it", Alpha said, stopping to take a deep breath and showed him something on his phone. "Look what I found. A fertility doctor says that in theory, men could attempt to become pregnant thanks to advances in uterus transplant surgeries."

"Could it really be done safely?" The excitement wired Satan’s body. He felt like his brain was on fast-forward and there was no off switch.

"I think it would be possible." Alpha shrugged.

Satan tingled from his head to his toes and rubbed his hands together. "Sign me up." He rushed outside as quickly as his legs could carry him, quickening his pace to an all-out sprint. And Alpha followed behind him like the wind. The first large building they stumbled upon once they entered the town was the hospital they were looking for. They trudged along the pavement and walked inside. After a long walk down the hallway they paused in front of what seemed like a lab. He knocked on the door and a young man opened, inviting them in.

"So, we heard about your research and..."

“I see no biological reason why the procedure wouldn't work in the male body”, the man continued, approaching them. “You could do it tomorrow. There would be additional challenges, but I don't see any obvious problem that would preclude it.”

“But isn’t this… still highly experimental?”

“It is performed only as part of experimental trials. The additional research is still needed to understand the risks of the procedure and its effect on the fetus.” The man grabbed Satan’s hand to take a pulse. In this exchange he neither made eye contact or spoke. He began to open his mouth to ask about the pulse but before he could Satan grinned and it made him wish he could take a step backward.

“My accelerated healing says otherwise. It might heal just in time with no complications.” In that gaping mouth were teeth of curious shapes. He stared. It was as if he could swallow something larger than his own head, like a snake.

“I- If you say so…” His voice was edged with fear. “Then you are more than welcome to stay overnight and be our first patient.” He never knew, that's what fear truly was. He was afraid it won’t end nicely. He just wanted to end it then and there, because he was afraid of the outcome. It made him want to curl up into a ball and never come out.

The pair said their goodbyes even though Alpha wanted to hold him and keep him by his side for a longer time. They waited impatiently for the outcome.

*

Satan felt confused and nauseated when he woke up. Local anesthetics and painkillers given to him during and just after the surgery initially masked the pain. Alpha arrived the exact second he woke up. "How are you feeling, love?" He held his soft hand while tapping his foot on the ground nervously, his gaze flitting around the room, never settling on an object for long…

"I went to sleep... and it took, I think that it took me a solid hour to fall asleep… a solid hour… because I was thinking about things, about that surgery, which I was worrying about. It was a really complicated procedure… So …" Satan's voice sounded adenoidal, some of the sound seemed to come through his nose, as if he had difficulty breathing.

"Shh... I know you feel lousy now, but this is part of the recovery process." Alpha proceeded to carefully massage his neck and shoulders. "I'm so glad that your surgery went well."

"Surgery is an assault... don't you agree? It's an assault, opening a gut, it's assaultive, it's true. Surgery is hands that penetrate a body to remove something."

Alpha did not know what to say to that so he laughed.

“It takes about two to three weeks to be able to move around comfortably.” The surgeon walked in. “But in your case, your recovery will be quicker. Two days max.”

*

The conversation continued into the night. Long gone is the time when humans watched as darkness devoured the light.