Sucrose didn't like people intruding on her work, even if they were her friends. So, when she heard the knock on her lab door followed by Aether's voice, she sighed. Part of her wanted to stay quiet and pretend she wasn't home, but that wouldn't work. Aether knew her schedule. He knew she would be in the lab right now.
Putting down her beaker, Sucrose removed her safety goggles and opened the door a crack. Aether stood outside, holding hands with Rosaria. He wore a serious expression, and she seemed deeply troubled.
Sensing something amiss, Sucrose got a little nervous.
"May we come in?" asked Aether. "We need your advice."
Her advice? Sucrose didn't see how she could help when all she knew about was alchemy. Nonetheless, she invited them in. They sat around a table. Aether offered Rosaria's hand a reassuring squeeze. She still wore a troubled expression.
Aether turned to Sucrose solemnly.
"Can you promise to keep what we talk about here private?"
She nodded hesitantly. Aether glanced at Rosaria, but she avoided his gaze.
"Would you like me to ask?" he whispered to her. Rosaria nodded.
He turned back to Sucrose.
"Is there a potion that could cure infertility?"
Sucrose unconsciously looked at Rosaria and then forced her gaze back to Aether's. Quietly, she folded her hands on the table and met Aether's gaze.
"May I ask what caused the infertility?"
Rosaria, in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, answered. "Injury."
Her heart panged at all that one word implied.
"So?" said Aether. "Is it possible?"
"I would need a more thorough description of the … injury."
He passed her a long doctor's note. Sucrose read the test results and the doctor's diagnosis. Once more, it took everything she had not to cry. Poor Rosaria. Sucrose wished she had the courage to reach out and comfort her. If only she were more like Amber…
Sucrose forced down her emotions. Right now, she had to give them reasonable medical advice. She had to do it as gently as possible to soften the blow. She forced her eyes into Aether's and Rosaria's.
"I'm sorry. Potions can increase the likelihood of conception, but they can't repair the kind of damage you have."
Rosaria didn't say anything. She stared down at the table, numb to the world. Even Aether's hand on hers barely registered.
Then, Aether said something that truly shocked her.
"Sucrose? Remember our date—the sex-swapping potion?"
She blushed, partly embarrassed and partly offended he had the temerity to mention something so scandalous in this situation. However, Aether didn't look jovial in the slightest. He was dead serious.
"If Rosaria and I took them, could we make a baby that way?"
The suggestion nearly made her chortle. Aether would change his gender if it meant Rosaria could make her own baby? It sounded so bizarre and fetishistic. Yet, Aether didn't look even a little bit joking. Oh Gods, he was absolutely willing to go through with it if it meant giving Rosaria a child.
Sucrose calmly shook her head.
"The potion doesn't last longer than an hour. Even if it did, Rosaria's injury would still carry over."
He sunk in his seat, defeated. Rosaria patted his shoulder. The offer touched her heart.
It touched Sucrose's, too. Aether really would do anything for them.
Outside, the Sunday morning church bells rang, signaling the call to worship. Normally, at this time, the children's choir would be performing. The thought made Sucrose somber. If only she could give them something other than bad news… What would Albedo say in a time like this?
"Hey, um… Rosaria? Master Albedo treats Klee as his sister, Kaeya and Diluc are brothers even though they aren't connected by blood, and Razor thinks of Lisa as family. You and Mona are really close, and Barbara would do anything for you. So would I.
"I guess, what I'm trying to say, is that … um… family is complicated and well… The inability to have a child doesn't equate to an inability to have a family. Does that make sense?"
"Yes," said Rosaria with a smile, "It does."
Sucrose returned her smile, feeling a little better. She had a feeling Rosaria would be okay.
"Well, there is an upside to this," said Rosaria.
"What's that?" asked Aether.
"Now, I know you'd be willing to get pregnant if I asked. Better hope I don't tell Yae Miko."
Laughter rang loudly as the church bells in the humble lab.