Hiroki's eyes peeled open, his pupils dilating in the brightly lit, white room. He was vaguely aware of a steady beeping sound. Shifting uncomfortably, Hiroki winced as he felt something move in his inner elbow. Looking down, he saw an IV tube in his arm. He blinked, groggily looking around the room as his mind slowly kicked into gear.
"Where am I?" Hiroki asked stupidly, his voice gravelly with sleepiness.
"You're at the hospital," said a quiet voice. Hiroki's head flopped back to the pillow as he finally registered Nowaki's presence beside him. He stared up at Nowaki's grim face. It took another few seconds for the panic factor to kick in.
"Oh my God," Hiroki whispered. He jolted, sitting up halfway, raising his voice in dread. "Oh my God, the baby! What happened to the baby?"
A big hand gripped his shoulder, however, and eased him back down onto the bed.
"Relax, Hiro-san. The baby is fine," Nowaki said lowly, a tremor in his voice. Hiroki, who had been close to hyperventilation, slumped against his pillow in relief.
"Thank goodness, I thou-"
"What were you thinking?"
Hiroki's words hitched in his throat as Nowaki's dangerously quiet voice sliced through his sentence. Hiroki gazed up at Nowaki, finally noticing the bloodshot eyes and the way the cobalt stare flashed with rising anger.
"Wh-What?"
"The doctor said you were malnourished and severely dehydrated, Hiro-san. You put your life in danger. You put the baby in danger. What the hell was going through your head? You told me you weren't hungry! You lied to me!"
Hiroki flinched as Nowaki's rant ended in a shout. Nowaki panted slightly and slapped his hands over his face.
"I was so afraid, Hiro-san. There were a few minutes where the doctors said your appendix was being incredibly strained. They thought they'd have to abort! Do you have any fucking idea how I've felt this past hour, waiting for you to wake up? Do you?"
Hiroki trembled as Nowaki roared at him, clutching the bed sheets with quivering fingers. He burst into tears when Nowaki cursed at him.
"Why weren't you eating?" Nowaki yelled, slamming his palms down on the mattress, his fingertips mere centimeters away from Hiroki's arm.
"I… I didn't want to get fat," Hiroki whispered in a tiny voice. Nowaki went off the deep end, shooting to his feet and pacing around the room furiously, running his hands through his hair. He was breathing hard through his nose, and his angry stare snapped with rage. He finally stopped at the other side of Hiroki's bed.
"That's so selfish. You're not going to fucking feed our baby because you don't want to gain a little weight? What's wrong with you? You're PREGNANT!" Nowaki bellowed. Hiroki cowered against the bed.
"I-I-I'm s-sorry," Hiroki sniffled. He yelped as Nowaki reached out and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him slightly.
"You could have died, Hiro-san!" Nowaki cried, ignoring Hiroki's howls of fear as his heart rate monitor sped up. "I can't lose you!"
Everything went silent, except for the erratic beeping of the heart rate monitor. Nowaki slowly released Hiroki, trembling as he looked down at his hands in horror. Hiroki stared back at him, his shallow breaths shaky. Nowaki sank to his knees at the bedside, gripping Hiroki's forearm and pressing his forehead against it.
"Why won't you eat? Why… why won't you let me touch you anymore? What did I do wrong?" Nowaki asked desperately. Hiroki's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as warm tear drops dampened his arm. "Please, Hiro-san… I'm begging you, give me another chance. I'll change. I'll become anyone you want me to be."
Nowaki sobbed softly as Hiroki blinked in bewilderment.
"Wait, what?" Hiroki asked. Nowaki looked up just as a doctor randomly swept into the room with a machine on a cart in tow.
"Oh hello, Kamijou-san. Glad to see you're awake."
"Oh, Nagasaki-san…" Hiroki trailed off, looking up at his pregnancy doctor after a quick glance at a frowning Nowaki. Nowaki stood and went back to his bedside chair.
"We had quite a scare with the baby there for a few minutes. Luckily, with all of the healthy development, your baby is fine. As you've probably been told by Kusama-san here, your appendix was put through a lot of strain due to severe malnutrition and dehydration. Kamijou-san, as you can imagine, it is incredibly important to make sure you have all of the necessary nutrients needed for a healthy pregnancy."
"I understand," Hiroki said sheepishly. Nagasaki walked up to him and lowered the bed sheets, revealing Hiroki's hospital gown-clad body. He pressed his hand into several places on Hiroki's raised belly.
"I think it's about time we have our first ultrasound," Nagasaki mused. Hiroki jerked excitedly, and even Nowaki shifted in interest.
"Really?" Hiroki asked. Nagasaki chuckled as he raised the head of Hiroki's hospital bed so he was sitting up partly. He turned to the machine on the cart he had rolled in and wheeled it to Hiroki's bedside. Hiroki craned his neck to see what buttons and switches the doctor was pushing and flipping.
"If you could pull up your gown please, Kamijou-san," Nagasaki instructed, looking over his shoulder as he plugged several cartridges into the top of the ultrasound machine. Hiroki hastily tugged at his gown, pulling it up and over his belly. Nowaki's lip twitched as he grabbed Hiroki's bed sheet and pulled it up over his hips, concealing the tiny patch of pubic hair that had been revealed. Hiroki glanced at him, pinching his lips together irritably at the mixture of excitement and jealousy on his lover's face.
"Alright, I heated this, so it shouldn't be cold," Nagasaki said as he held up an applicator with a blue, gooey substance on the end. Hiroki flinched as the doctor spread it onto his abdomen. Nowaki shifted uncomfortably beside him, glaring at Nagasaki. Hiroki snapped his gaze to him and scowled.
"Nowaki," he hissed warningly. Nowaki glowered back at him and crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. Nagasaki finished applying the ultrasound gel and turned back to the machine, where he retrieved a wand. He watched his screen as he pressed the wand to Hiroki's gel-covered stomach and gently rotated it. Hiroki's heartbeat quickened as he watched the screen. Before long, a picture formed, revealing a series of seemingly meaningless white blotches.
"Do you see it?" the doctor asked, turning to look at Hiroki. Hiroki squinted, shaking his head.
"…No," Hiroki said, his shoulders slumping slightly.
"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong. The appendix, after its realignment, is a little farther back than a typical womb and is harder to pick up on the ultrasound. Anyway, these are the feet right here," Nagasaki said, tracing his fingers along the screen. "…and then the legs…"
Hiroki's eyes widened as Nagasaki pointed out different parts of the baby, finally seeing the creation of life inside of him.
"That's our baby… that's our baby, Nowaki!" Hiroki hissed, turning gleefully to Nowaki without really thinking. Their eyes met for a moment, Hiroki's joyous russet gaze locking onto Nowaki's equally ecstatic cobalt orbs. Hiroki smiled ever so slightly, and Nowaki grinned back at him, putting a hand on his little lover's shoulder.
For the first time in weeks, his touch was warm.
Hiroki turned back to the screen, enamored by the white outline of his baby. Nagasaki sat in silent vigilance, his lips upturned slightly as he watched the screen. After a long pause, Nagasaki turned to Hiroki.
"Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" he asked softly. Hiroki shivered, his breath hitching in his throat.
"…Yes," he whispered. The doctor smiled and flipped a switch on the machine. There was a brief period of silence, then:
Thumpthump, thumpthump, thumpthump.
Hiroki made a strangled noise in the back of his throat as he promptly burst into tears. Never before had he heard something so beautiful, so calming, so unbearably peaceful. It was more beautiful than any song he had ever sung in his lifetime, more beautiful than any instrument, whether it be harp or flute.
As Hiroki wept quietly, he didn't notice his hand instinctively slithering across his bed sheets. He finally realized his hand had been moving when it was encased by sudden warmth. Hiroki looked down, surprised, at his and Nowaki's clasped hands. He glanced up at Nowaki, who was staring down at their hands with an equally surprised face.
"Your baby's heartbeat is strong and healthy, Kamijou-san," Nagasaki suddenly said, breaking Hiroki's gaze from Nowaki. "Just be careful from now on. Remember that you're expecting. Make wise decisions. It may be time to consider notifying your superiors of your maternity leave in the near future."
Hiroki nodded, feeling Nowaki squeeze his hand in a gentle reminder that they'd talk about it later.
"Before I shut off the ultrasound, would you like to know the gender?"
Hiroki thought for a moment before turning to Nowaki. He stared back at his little lover, a tender smile playing at his lips. Hiroki smiled back and returned his confident gaze to Nagasaki.
"We want it to be a surprise."