Lamaze
Author's Note: Enjoy the story and R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL series.
Pairing: Established Yuma x Shobee.
Summary:
A short side story / prequel to my fic "Onomatopoeia".
"Everyone! This is Tsukumo Yuma! He's the brother of a friend of mine, and I hope you'll all make him feel welcome!"
Tetsuko had high hopes for sure, but what Yuma got were the suspicious stares of a throng of women visibly into their third trimesters.
Scary…Am I gonna get that big? Yuma rubbed his stomach area.
He only received the news from Kaito last week, having spent nearly twelve hours on an examination table at the lab after collapsing suddenly at home.
Akari mandated he familiarize himself early (on account of his special situation), and Kaito didn't disagree.
The women's reaction was fair. If and when an incoming dad attended one of these things, he was usually accompanying the mother of his unborn child. Yuma, however, was attending Tetsuko's Lamaze class unaccompanied, raising eyebrows and all sorts of questions as to why he was there.
"I shouldn't have come."
"Relax! Everyone's accepting here! They're in the same boat!"
"So they know what it's like to be the first guy ever to get pregnant?" Yuma tried to keep his difficulty believing her to a whisper so the moms wouldn't hear him.
"Well no. Not when you phrase it like that. They are accepting, though!"
"Tetsuko-chan, what's he doing in our class?"
"Yuma, go on. Tell them."
"Do I have to?"
"It'll be a good test run. You know, for when you have to break it to him."
"Guess you have me perfectly cornered, then. Everyone, this will sound crazy, but I was exposed to some experimental energy, and by a miracle of science, now I'm the world's first pregnant man!"
Tetsuko heard the unedited version from Akari. She knew Yuma was choosing his words.
It was and wasn't a lie, not too far from the truth. Easier to swallow than "I overlaid with a Duelist from another dimension to become ZEXAL and all that radiation let my husband knock me up!"
None of them took Yuma at his precise word. They thought he must be in trouble.
Regardless, the women declined comment and welcomed him into their group.
"Having a support system is important." Tetsuko winked.
"Support? Is that what Neechan is calling her torture these days?"
Tetsuko giggled.
"Where do we start?"
"Umm, how about we start with you asking the father if he'll join us?"
"I haven't even told him I'm pregnant yet!"
"Were you planning on keeping it a secret from him until the last minute? He'll find out soon enough!"
"Not if I –"
"Sooner than you think."
"What do you mean?"
"Spiky hair, short little dude, right? Your sister described him to me."
"Yeah?"
She indicated to Yuma he should turn around.
"SHOBEE?"
"Why didn't you say anything, damn you?" Shobee didn't look mad. Honestly, he looked kind of sad. The cursing? Well, the cursing was just Shobee.
"How'd you find me?"
"Kotori told me where you were! And I'm about to be a dad, apparently?"
"Dammit."
"Is it true?"
"Mm. I didn't want you to freak out. You signed that new construction deal and –"
"So we accidentally –"
"The baby's not an accident!"
Shobee held out his hands. "I wasn't…I don't mean the baby's an accident."
Yuma breathed.
"Yuma."
Yuma's breathing increased.
"Yuma, you can't do this by yourself."
"I…I, yeah."
Shobee held Yuma's fingers until he'd cooled down.
"Woah! I didn't introduce the technique and you two improvised!" Tetsuko congratulated them.
"This is supposed to help with the pain, isn't it? When the baby arrives?" Shobee couldn't imagine how this'd work.
"Psychologically. Akari said your scientist friend said they'll deliver via surgery."
"Shobee."
"What?"
"I'm holding you to your commitment." Yuma's tense breathing picked up again.