a/n: Please enjoy!
Chapter 14: Homestretch (Part 2)
xxx Souichi xxx
Whoever had thought up the absurd idea of bed rest should be shot!
Lying in bed, Souichi gazed up darkly at the nondescript ceiling. Damnit, he was going to go out of his mind! After the fifth day of being in a horizontal position, doing nothing except counting the cracks in the plaster and reading mindless journals (actually, they were agricultural science articles), Souichi just plainly ached to walk.
That was it! He felt fine today, as he had been for the past four days. There was no reason that he could not walk to the kitchenette, get a glass of water, and perhaps go out and enjoy the nice spring weather, right? His mind made up, Souichi flung the blanket aside and sat up.
"Sempai, breakfast is ready—ehh, Sempai, you're not supposed to walk about! Come on, I'll feed you the food in bed."
Damn, his prison warden had caught him! Fuming at his foiled plan, Souichi swung his legs back on the bed. That Morinaga had never even listened to him so attentively but yet, he was obeying Dr Hako's words to a T! Following Morinaga's movements irritably and with not a small amount of envy, Souichi took the bowl of chicken and vegetables porridge that his kouhai passed to him. "Damnit, am I not even allowed to walk around my own home?! This is seriously getting on my nerves!"
"There, there, Sempai. I know it's asking a lot of you but bear with it for a while longer, okay? Eat the porridge slowly—it's pretty hot." The tall man folded himself on the bed beside Souichi and started massaging his calves as he ate the breakfast. "The baby room here has been set up already. Matsuda- san has really saved us! Who knew that she had kept the baby crib that all three of you siblings had used?"
Giving up on getting his freedom while Morinaga was taking care of, no, make that keeping an eye on him, Souichi chewed on the chicken cubes while he considered things. The mention of the nursery reminded him of their apartment in Tokyo, which subsequently led him to think about his partner's situation at S Pharmaceuticals. "Has the company gotten back to you on the outcome? It's been almost a week!"
"…Nope. I did call them yesterday to follow up but it seems that nobody has any idea…I didn't manage to get a hold of Saga- san or Dr. Maya either. Well, I'll continue to keep a look out for their call, so, don't worry about me, okay? Just rest well during this period." Morinaga's hands jerked against Souichi's legs at the topic but he soon resumed a smooth kneading.
"All right…" Regarding his kouhai silently, Souichi did not pursue the subject further. As the number of days passed, Morinaga's anxiety levels had increased subtly if surely. Knowing that Souichi was closed off in the bedroom, the younger man would always come in and accompany him for a couple of hours at a stretch. Always, his cell phone would be attached to his side, and Souichi would catch him glancing every so often at the silent device even as they chatted.
The situation was exactly as what he had feared from the start. Two men having a relationship, and bearing a child to boot, was definitely something that was still not openly accepted by society. Coupled with the media upheaval of the past month, Souichi was afraid that the chances of the company sacking his partner were much higher than keeping him. However, they had already come so far together; overcome so many other problems that one more no longer seemed so daunting. At the most, they could stay on in Nagoya and earn their livelihood via other methods.
Souichi's silence seemed to worry the other man. Taking the empty bowl from him, Morinaga hesitated. "Erm, Sempai, I only called Dr. Maya just to ask about the situation. I just—wanted to tell you that in case you were, erm, thinking about that…"
In actual fact, the thought had been niggling at the back of his mind. Morinaga's reminder only made Souichi feel more incensed. That piranha of an ex- superior—! That audacious woman had stalked into their apartment and tried to lord it over him when she had preyed on his—preyed on Morinaga! Dr. Maya's defence of Morinaga merely stank of ulterior motives…did that woman intend to do something else to his partner? The smirking expression on the woman's overly made- up face loomed up in his mind. It was unbelievably infuriating.
"Sempai…?" Morinaga had finished massaging his legs and had switched to his arms and hands. "Well, let's talk about something else, shall we?
To Souichi's irked mind, the firm pressure of the man's fingers as they pressed down in repetitive motions merely annoyed him further. He was not an invalid, unable to even exercise his own body! "Morinaga, that's enough."
"Ehh, but I just started, Sempai. Dr. Hako recommended fifteen minutes of massage to prevent numbness—"
"It's enough! It's always Dr. Hako this and Dr. Hako that—! I'm sick and tired of being cooped up in here!" The ball of frustration that had been gathering with his immobility rose up and snarled. Souichi jerked away from Morinaga's touch. "Just—get out already."
"But, I want to be with y—"
"Get out, baka! I want to be left alone! I'm sick of your hovering! Tch!" Turned resolutely away from the man, Souichi waited crankerously for the younger man to leave, shrugging off Morinaga's hands bad-temperedly when the man tried to coax him. "I said to get out! Didn't you hear me, Morinaga!"
"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay…"
Even without seeing his expression, Souichi could hear the hurt in the man's voice. He gripped the sheets tightly, refusing to acknowledge the guilt that had welled up the instant the words had left his mouth. The mattress lifted with a creak as Morinaga stood up. With a rattle and heavy footsteps, the man exited the room. Souichi heard the door to their bedroom shut with a click.
Souichi knew that Morinaga had paused on the other side of the door, standing there like a dejected puppy that had been abandoned by his owner. Shit…He was proven right when a forlorn sigh whiffed through the crack and reached his ears. Beneath the blanket where he hid, Souichi cursed loudly.
"Damnit—damnit!"
Urghh, was he really not coming in?
Night had already set and, save for bringing in his meals, Morinaga had not lingered as he had done for the past few days. Instead, the man had been unusually quiet, bringing the food methodically to Souichi and clearing them as soon as he had set down the utensils. It was apparent that he had taken Souichi's heated words to heart.
After a short shower and a toilet break, Souichi was back on the bed in a fresh set of pajamas. Sweeping his long hair irritably from his face, he lay on his side and glared at the closed bedroom door. It was all Morinaga's fault that he had spent the entire day alone in the small bedroom, slowing driving himself crazy while thinking about their fight from the morning!
Pissed and irrational about it, Souichi mentally bashed the man. Since when did Morinaga's skin become so thin? He had only shouted a little…right? That baka had always withstood his bad temper and even worse lip; why could he not take it today, of all days?
"Urghh…" The entire situation was causing him indigestion. Souichi pressed a palm against his distended womb, stroking it restlessly. There was a hot roiling in his abdomen that came and went, and he had a persistent backache that Morinaga had not had the chance to ease away.
Goddamnit! Tears of frustration sprang unbidden into his eyes. Souichi rubbed at them impatiently, sniffling quietly. He was bored, he was uncomfortable and he was…he was lonely, damnit! How was he going to apologise if that baka did not even come to him?!
Souichi was just about to throw everything to the wind and stalk out to find his kouhai when a quiet knocking sounded at the door. It swung open almost immediately and Morinaga stood in the lit doorway, his expression hidden by the backlit light.
"You—!" To Souichi's horror, instead of the self- righteous words that he had rehearsed for the past hour, sobs came out instead. "B-bastard—! Hnn—hnnnn!"
"Sempai…!" In a rush, Morinaga had reached him. "Why are you crying? Are you okay?"
"B-bastard—baka—idiot…!" The tears were tripping all over themselves as Souichi was scooped up in a hard embrace, kisses raining on his hair, his forehead, and his nose. He clutched tightly to Morinaga's shirt, shuddering as the stress of all the days spent cooped up like a rat all came out. "I hate you…! Why do you a-always make me act like t-this—!"
"Shh, shhh…I'm sorry—I'm sorry for everything, Sempai…oh Kami, I'm sorry that I behaved so childishly today…don't cry anymore, please…! It hurts so much to see you like this…" Large hands soothed Souichi's back as the younger man, also sounding distraught, lay down fully and hugged him to his length.
"Then don't—don't ever leave me alone, again! This s-sucks…!" Burying his face against Morinaga's cool neck, Souichi battered his fists against his lover's back. "Just—don't…"
"I won't ever leave you alone again, Sempai. I'm sorry; no matter how many times I have to say it, I'll say it! I'm sorry, Sempai. Sorry, sorry, sorry…!"
His face wet with tearstains, Souichi looked up blearily at Morinaga, seeing the same tears glistening in those doe eyes. The dark and ugly emotions all flew away as he saw the naked love shown so clearly in front of him. Of their own accord, his hands rose up and pulled his lover's lips to his.
"Mhnn—Sempa—nghh!"
"Hahh…" Flicking his tongue lightly against Morinaga's agape mouth, Souichi took in a deep breath and pressed their mouths together again. He closed his eyes, letting the sensation of their mingled heat light up his senses. Their tongues rubbed against each other's, slowly then faster and faster. Morinaga moaned into his mouth as he pulled Souichi closer, his hands cupping his chin. The need to be close, to touch, skin upon heated skin, pushed Souichi closer to the edge as he opened his mouth wider and let Morinaga plunder him. "Mhnnn…"
"Hahh…! Sempai…I can't—I can't control myself if this goes on—!" Breaking the frantic kiss abruptly, Morinaga lay panting against Souichi, his dark head resting heavily against Souichi's.
The hard length pressed against Souichi's womb was evidence of his words. Recklessly, he deliberately leaned closer, hearing the gasp and bitten- off curse from the younger man. His own length throbbed with need. "I've had enough of restrictions, Morinaga!"
"No…no, Sempai—this is the worst kind of torture—!" Morinaga's tormented voice breathed out against Souichi's hair. "I can't…" Despite his words, a hand snaked between them and began to press their wet lengths together. "Hahh…mhnnn! S-sempai!"
"Ahh…yes…yes…Mori—naga…uhnnn!" With his large belly in the way, Souichi shifted his body until their cocks aligned fully. "Oh Kami…this feels so—hnnnn!" In Morinaga's warm hand, the pulsing and throbbing seemed so much more magnified. With every squeeze, Souichi shuddered all the way to his soul. Freed from their trousers, they slicked against each other as precome leaked wetly from the tips. "Morinaga—!"
"Sempai—sempai! Uhnn—coming, I'm coming—! How—about—you—hnnn!" Morinaga began to pump harder and faster, the rhythm driving them closer and closer to the point of satisfaction that seemed so elusive and yet so attainable. Flushed and panting, they leaned into each other and captured each other's lips even as the need to release started to become painful.
"Me-me…too…Ahh! Tetsuhiro—Tetsuhiro! Ahh—ahhh!" With an uncontrollable urge, Souichi felt his member contract and pull back, hard. And then his semen was spurting hotly all over his body and Morinaga's, a wordless exclamation of his exaltation. Heaving and panting, he collapsed against his lover bonelessly, spent beyond belief.
"Oh Kami…that—that was explosive, Sempai…" Like Souichi, Morinaga was also exhausted as he hugged him, his heartbeat an erratic drum against Souichi's ears. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Y-yea…just tired…" Through the aftershocks, Souichi barely registered the small rippling sensation in his womb. The warmth of his partner's arms was making him feel drowsy…Souichi shut his eyes. All day, he had just wanted to be…held like this, just like this, by Morinaga. "…I'm sorry about this morning…"
"It's okay, Sempai…I know you have had it rough…" Soft hands stroked the back of Souichi's head in a soothing lullaby. "I was at fault too—I knew that you didn't like being stuck in bed for so long but I insisted on it and yet in the end, I did this to you—I'm the worst, Sempai."
"Silly…if I didn't want to, I would have hit you…"
"Yea? I'm happy, then, Sempai..." Even with his eyes closed, Souichi could sense the smile on Morinaga's face. Silly baka. The man continued to stroke his hair as he spoke. "If you want, maybe we could relocate to the sofa tomorrow. You would have a change of scenery, and the television would be there too. It might break the monotony for you. We could have lunch with the scent of the sakura and the birdsongs. Would that be better?"
"Mhmm…I would like that…" Already half- asleep, Souichi vaguely felt another twinge on his lower back but he chose to ignore it. Tomorrow, he would ask Morinaga to massage his back for him first thing in the morning…
Sempai, if you are tired, just sleep. I'll be here beside you. Goodnight, love."
"…Mhmm…goodnight…" Heart at peace at last, Souichi fell deeply asleep, his senses entirely filled with the presence of his lover.
The unrelenting backache was the one that roused Souichi from a dreamless sleep. Morinaga's arms were slung loosely around him as he spooned him in a huddled position. Full wakefulness slowly came. As his mind came into focus, Souichi noticed that he was clean and he had on another set of pajamas.
Gingerly, he inched free from Morinaga's embrace so that he could rub at his back. Clutching his hand into a fist as Morinaga had taught him, Souichi kneaded at the nagging pain at the base of his spine. He continued at it for a few minutes, still slightly blurred with sleep.
The repetitive motion slowly became more lulling. Despite the ache, Souichi's eyes started to drift close again. Ahh, he really was tired…the first strong ripple caught him totally by surprise. Eyes snapping open at once, Souichi stopped rubbing at his back and tried shifting his position. If it was Braxton Hicks, the feeling should stop.
But it did not. Even when he had turned to lie on the other side, another contraction came about twenty minutes later. Souichi breathed in lightly as he rode the dull throbbing, massaging his rock- hard abdomen in circular motions.
When another contraction started to come yet another twenty minutes later, Souichi was almost certain that he was in real labour. The pressure was slightly stronger this time and he had to grind his teeth as the waves shook through him. Trembling and sweating lightly, he lay in the dark and listened to the thrumming of his heart. Okay, calm down, he could do this. Suzuki- san had taught him all the basic breathing techniques to use when he went into labour.
Glancing at the peaceful profile of his sleeping partner, a strange reluctance to disturb Morinaga prevented him from calling the man. His hand trembling ever so slightly, Souichi gently stroked the smooth side of his lover's face as the climax of that particular contraction gripped the insides of his womb.
Unable to keep his hand up as the pressure nearly made him gasp aloud, Souichi quickly turned away from the sleeping man and tried to contain his voice. Oh Kami. The pain had started shifting from his back to the front of his belly. It was as though his entire womb was cramping, the muscles contracting relentlessly until all he could do was will them to relax. He had to stifle his voice…Souichi pressed his head against the pillow, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. "Mhnff…"
It seemed an endless eternity that Souichi lay scrunched up on his side, the vice around his belly tight and refusing to budge. The pillow became damp with his bloodied saliva and he groaned. "Morin…aga…" His control slipped a few more notches. Hold on, he had to hold on.
Finally, finally, the tautness in his womb began to loosen. As the contraction passed, Souichi breathed out shakily, feeling his abdomen softening gradually as his uterus stopped contracting. He slumped against the pillow, wrought.
The indigestion of earlier had actually been the start of his labour. It was almost laughable, how Souichi had not recognized the signs. He must have been in labour for the past few hours but the intermission between each contraction had been too long for him to catch the pattern.
Still, it was two weeks before their scheduled Cesarean. Dr. Hako had been right about the bed rest after all—even with it, Souichi had still gone into early labour. Cupping his heavy womb, Souichi breathed in and out evenly as he had been taught. He could feel their baby pressing down against his pelvis, a deep soreness in his core that he could not reach. "Emi…"
"Hmmm…Sempai, did you say something…?" A sluggish voice spoke up behind Souichi and the mattress shifted a little as Morinaga reached for him. "Are you awake? Can't sleep?"
Sleepily, the younger man leaned over Souichi and kissed him softly before wrapping his arms around him. His large and warm hands caressed his belly softly. It was as though Morinaga knew instinctively where Souichi needed to be touched most at the moment. Without warning, the wall of strength that he had been trying to keep up crumbled, leaving him a shaking, vulnerable mess. Clutching at Morinaga's hands tightly, Souichi returned the kiss, unaware that he was trembling like a leaf. "T-the baby is coming now, Morinaga…"
"Ehh…ehhhhh?! The baby—the baby is coming? Oh Kami, the baby, the baby—we need to get to the hospital!" Morinaga, who had been dozing against Souichi, jerked awake in a flash. Their heads knocked against each other as he scrambled to untangle himself from Souichi. "Oh Kami, Kami—the bag, where did I put the birthing bag! And my cell—I need to call—who do I need to call—?! Ouch!" The tall man fell off the bed, his long legs snared by the blanket.
"Morinaga, calm down! The contractions are still quite far apart for now—call for an ambulance and Dr. Hako to tell him that I'm in labour. Also, call Matsuda- san and Kanako to inform them. The birthing bag is on the shelf by the door—" Souichi dictated the instructions while lying on the bed while Morinaga picked himself from the floor and dived for his cell.
"Hi, this is the Morinaga residence. My baby is coming—no, I mean, my partner is going to have a baby! Please come quickly, now!" Morinaga was shouting into the receiver as he paced around the room, occasionally stopping beside Souichi to glance worriedly at him. "M-my address? Right, right, my address! It's at, erm…"
Despite the urgency of the situation, Souichi had to suppress a chuckle. His silly puppy was panicking so clumsily that it was quite endearing. He glanced at the digital alarm behind him, noticing the time. Three a.m. Their daughter had picked a really inconvenient time to arrive. A hand supporting his belly, Souichi sat up cautiously, just in case his movement triggered the next contraction.
"Sempai, don't move around by yourself; let me help—hello Dr. Hako? Yes, yes, this is Morinaga and Tatsumi. We are having our baby now! I'm calm I'm calm! Yes, Sempai is conscious; he doesn't look in pain at the moment…what is the contraction interval? Err—"
Morinaga's panicked expression was really too cute. Souichi gestured to pass him the cell, and as he took over the conversation, the younger man plopped down beside him and began stroking his belly in unsure motions. Souichi relaxed fractionally into Morinaga's comforting presence. "Good evening, Dr. Hako. Yes, I'm pretty sure it's real labour...the interval is currently about twenty minutes between each contraction. The last contraction was quite strong, but not unbearable…yes, we have already packed a birthing bag. Okay, we'll see you at the hospital in a while, then. Thank you, doctor. Hai, see you later."
"Sempai—! How-how long were you in labour before I woke up?! This…" Morinaga had spied the specks of blood and saliva on Souichi's pillow and reached the correct conclusion.
"…It's nothing to worry about—we are going to the hospital already anyway," Souichi's heart caught at the regretful expression on Morinaga's face. He turned his palm up and grasped his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Morinaga, it's fine. I could handle it by myself."
"But you were bleeding—look, your lips are all bitten through," Morinaga rubbed the chaffed spot on Souichi's lips, his green eyes fogged with concern. "You were hurting a lot by yourself, right? I wanted to be there for you every step of the way, Sempai…all the pain and hardship—I wanted to absorb them for you…!"
"Yea…yea, I know…" And that was precisely why Souichi had been reluctant to wake the man up when the labour had started. His kouhai would have felt double the stress and worry than he himself would have. "But, you are by my side now, isn't it? Baka…"
Morinaga nodded mutely, hugging Souichi close to him. "I'm excited and scared all at the same time, Sempai. We are going to be parents—we are going to see our own daughter really soon!" His hands massaged Souichi's laden womb in wonder. "She's in there now, but I'll be able to carry her later… Sempai, it's really like a miracle…"
"Yea…our daughter is going to be here soon." Souichi felt the same as his partner. Their daughter was ensconced in his womb, their image of her only a grainy sonogram picture. However, they would get to see her really soon, see her eyes opening and looking back at them, smell her skin as blood blushed beneath.
The cell rang loudly in the quiet room and Morinaga immediately picked it up. "Is this the ambulance? Yes, I live on the fourth floor, the second unit on the left. All right, we will meet you at the gate. Thank you!" Morinaga hung up and turned to Souichi. "Sempai, the ambulance is downstairs already. They'll be coming up to get us. Are you still feeling okay?"
"All right. Remember to get the overnight bag and our medical insurance cards. Let's go to the living—oh, ohh…" With a groan, Souichi bent over, feeling the now familiar grip tightening throughout his womb. It was strong; getting stronger and he could only gasp for breath as the contraction tautened his entire lower abdomen. "W-wait—can't move—hahh…uhnn..."
"Sempai—! Oh Kami, what do I do?" Frantically, Morinaga settled back with him on the bed and began to rub his hard belly earnestly. "Does this help? I'm sorry, I'm sorry that you have to go through this pain! We are going to the hospital really soon, okay? Hang on just for a while more!"
"Uhnn…" Unable to say much as the roiling cramps took his breath, Souichi could only grip Morinaga's hands on his aching womb, feeling the sweat break out over his brow. It was really starting to hurt, much more than the first few contractions.
Shortly afterwards, the doorbell rang shrilly thoroughly the house. Morinaga had been massaging Souichi's back in soothing circles. His hands still supporting his back, the younger man nuzzled Souichi's nape, reluctant to leave him alone. "Sempai, I'll go and get the paramedics. S-stay here, okay? I'll be back right away!"
"J-just go…uhnff…" His back suddenly cold with the departure of the other man, Souichi held on to the bedpost for support. The contraction had come just fifteen minutes after the last, which meant that his labour was proceeding at quite a fast speed. Thank goodness that the ambulance had arrived so quickly…
"He's in here! Thank you for coming so promptly!"
The door flew open and two paramedics with a stretcher entered the bedroom with Morinaga bringing up the back. Souichi pushed his sweaty hair away from his face wearily. The paramedics efficiently set up the stretcher and one of them approached him. "Sir, we are here to bring you to the hospital. If you are unable to move, please allow us to transfer you to the stretcher."
"Y-yes, please…" Unable to summon the strength to even stand up, Souichi nodded his agreement. With sychronised movements, the two nurses lifted him from the back and waist and lay him carefully on the stretcher.
Morinaga had already taken everything that they would need at the hospital. As he was wheeled out quietly of the house, the man held on to Souichi's hand, as though afraid to leave his side even for a moment. "Sempai, we'll see our baby soon!"
To be continued.