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“Obanai? Are you awake?”
Obanai stirred upon hearing the whispered question emanate from the darkness. He hadn’t really been asleep anyways, but he was wide awake now. He knew what it meant when his wife used that particular tone of voice. She was worried about something, and that was something Obanai wouldn’t take lying down, so to speak. He wanted to do his best to allay his wife’s fears and anxieties, no matter the situation, no matter the circumstance.
He shifted on the futon so he lay on his side facing her. “Yes; what’s wrong?”
She shifted onto her side as well, turning to fully face him. “Well…nothing’s wrong, exactly, but…” She gradually trailed off, unable to meet his eyes any longer. Obanai’s uneasiness grew.
“Yes there is; you’re worried,” he pointed out, and he reached out to cup her cheek, tilting her gaze back towards his. “What’s wrong?” he asked again, softly, his voice laced with care and concern. “Please tell me...”
Obanai saw emotion well up in Mitsuri’s eyes before she finally blurted, “What would you think about maybe starting a family soon?”
Obanai froze, his hand seemingly crystallized to Mitsuri’s cheek. Unnerved by his unresponsiveness, Mitsuri rambled on further: “I mean, we’re well settled into our lives together now, and the restaurant is doing well, so I was thinking that maybe it might be time to start considering it…unless…you’ve changed your mind and don’t wa—” At that Obanai spurred into action, cutting her off by moving his hand to cover her lips with a finger.
“Mitsuri, of course I still want children,” Obanai insisted earnestly with a blush before removing his finger to place a tender kiss to her lips.
She smiled when he pulled away, heartened by his words, but her smile faltered when she saw the hesitancy tucked away in his expression. There was more to this; she could tell. “But?” she pressed gently.
Uneasiness returned to Obanai’s mismatched eyes before he finally had to look away. He wanted to share these feelings with her, but it was something that was hard for him to talk about. He took a breath before he started to explain. “I’m…I’m afraid of what might happen to you. You’ll have to endure all of this pain, and if anything were to…were to go wrong…” He met her gaze once more, and Mitsuri plainly saw the deeply-rooted fear nested there as he continued, “This is something I can’t protect you from, and when I think about if the worst were to happen, I…I…”
Mitsuri noticed that he had started to shake slightly; her heart clenched in empathy as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, snuggling his head lovingly against her chest. She had no idea he’d been this worried. She knew that she herself had a bit of anxiety about labor and childbirth, but she’d never considered how frightening the experience might be from Obanai’s point of view. She tenderly ran her fingers through his hair as she spoke. “Obanai…I can’t promise that everything will be okay, but I don’t think it’s going to be that bad. The doctors and nurses are very skilled; they can tell right away when something is going wrong, so they can fix it before anything gets out of hand. I know that it will be painful, but I can get through it because you’ll be there with me, Obanai…because you’ll be there to protect me…”
Obanai frowned and tried to look up at her, but she held him firmly against her. “But I can’t—”
“You being right there holding my hand is the strongest protection you could ever give me,” Mitsuri declared, and she held him even tighter. “I can get through anything when you’re there with me.”
Obanai’s hands snaked around Mitsuri to hold her in return. “Mitsuri…”
“How about this,” Mitsuri suggested, “If you’ll hold my hand so I won’t be afraid, then I’ll hold yours so you won’t be, either. Does that work?”
Mitsuri finally let go of Obanai’s head so he could pull back enough to see her face. He nodded, and his heart flooded with emotion at the thousand-watt smile she gave him in return. In response, he reached to affectionately nuzzle her nose before sealing his lips over hers, pouring all of his gratitude, admiration, and love into his kiss. “I love you, Mitsuri,” he said as he pulled away for the briefest moment before ultimately kissing her once more for good measure. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Obanai,” Mitsuri said passionately, and the two simply held each other close for a long, quiet moment, reaffirming their feelings and commitment to each other through their presence and touch.
After another moment Obanai finally broke the silence. “So…” he started, and one of his hands slowly drifted down Mitsuri’s back to brazenly cup her rear, “When you said you wanted to start a family ‘soon,’ how soon were you thinking?” he asked, giving her a firm squeeze to emphasize his meaning.
Mitsuri giggled even as she shivered under his touch. “I’m not tired,” she said suggestively in response, and Obanai let out a groan before he grasped her hips and shifted, turning them so that Mitsuri straddled his hips.
“Me neither,” he replied as he tilted his head up towards her, drawing her down to his lips almost through an unseen force, “So I guess we better get started then.”
---((8-ish Months Later))---
“Obanai? Are you awake?”
Obanai had noticed that Mitsuri had been tossing and turning, so he’d decided to stay awake until she fell asleep—just in case she needed anything—but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “I am,” he said, “Are you okay?” The baby had recently become more restless at night, and the movement had been keeping Mitsuri from falling asleep.
Hot flashes had recently become a problem, too. “Could you turn the air up, please?” she asked, and Obanai immediately reached for the remote. Nevermind that it was February; with the baby due in just a few weeks, keeping Mitsuri comfortable was his main priority. He just kept a pile of extra blankets next to the futon for himself—no problem.
“Is that better?” he asked after turning it down several degrees. She let out a relieved sigh and made a noise in the affirmative before shifting around on the futon for what was hopefully the last time, eventually coming to lie on her back once again. Obanai retucked himself into his blankets and scooted next to her, trying to get close but not too close lest he bother her with his body heat. He poked an arm out of the blanket and reached for her belly; he then rubbed the rounded expanse in gentle circles, trying to get their child to settle down.
“Is this okay?” Obanai asked, and Mitsuri nodded, letting out another pleased sigh.
“Thank you, Obanai,” she said tiredly, snuggling her head deeper into the pillow, “I really think he likes it when you do that.”
“She’s just full of energy and charisma like her mother,” Obanai complimented, and Mitsuri let out a warm, happy chuckle. The two alternated calling the baby he or she depending on the day; neither cared which it was, as long as it was healthy. Obanai continued to rub her stomach, and he gradually felt the kicking and the movement start to slow down. Now that she was more comfortable, Mitsuri put her hand over Obanai’s, stopping his circles by giving it an affectionate squeeze.
“You’re not too cold?” she asked as she turned her head towards him, noticing his bundled state while she wasn’t even using a sheet.
“I’m fine,” he assured, gently tightening his fingers over her belly in response. “I just want you to be comfortable.”
“And I don’t want to give you pneumonia,” she joked, but Obanai could tell that she was grateful for his attentiveness. He smiled and reached forward to kiss her forehead.
“Don’t worry about me; I’m pretty tough,” he joked in return as he lay back on his pillow, “Just get some rest.”
She smiled warmly at him as she watched him settle in. “I love you,” she said with another squeeze to his hand, and he squeezed her belly once again.
“I love you, too,” he replied before he slowly, finally started to drift off to sleep.
There were a few long moments of silence before Mitsuri called out to him in the darkness once again. “Obanai?” she whispered, even more quietly this time.
Obanai blinked himself awake; he had almost missed her calling out that time. “Hm?” He tried not to sound too sleepy.
Her question floated over to him, hesitant and nervous. “Are you still afraid?”
Obanai was wide awake again; he didn’t need to ask what she meant. His grip on her belly subconsciously tightened, moreso than before. “Yes,” he whispered in response, and her grip on his hand tightened as well.
“I am too,” came the tiny reply. Obanai threw off the blankets; he moved as close as he could to her before wrapping his arm fully around her belly in order to envelop her in his embrace as best he could.
He kissed her cheek softly. “Is this too hot?” he asked quietly, and she shook her head in the negative, her eyes shut in embarrassment and anxiety. “Mitsuri, I’m sorry,” he stated abruptly, and Mitsuri could hear his own fear and anxiety plain in his voice. “I wish with all that I am that I could do this for you, but I can’t…I’m so sorry…” He held her tighter, and despite Mitsuri’s own unease, her heart went out to him; she wanted to take away his fear and pain just as much as he wanted to do the same for her.
She opened her eyes and was about to say something to him, but he continued on with, “But I also remember what you said when we first decided to do this…and although to me it still doesn’t seem like much, I swear to you that I’ll be right there with you the entire time, to protect you in any way that I can…because I love you…” He trailed off, and Mitsuri’s fears were dulled by the compassion and love she felt emanating from her husband. That’s right, she reminded herself. He would be there for her through this, every step of the way. They were doing this together, albeit not physically. And as such they would overcome all fears and obstacles before, during, and after, together.
Mitsuri dug her hand between them to find Obanai’s other hand that was sandwiched there; she took it in hers and squeezed it tightly. “Do you remember what else I said back then?” she asked, and she didn’t wait for a reply before she continued, “If you’ll hold my hand so I won’t be afraid, then I’ll hold yours so you won’t be, either. Right?” She gripped his hand and stared deeply into his eyes, needing him to see that although she was grateful for his comfort and concern, she also wanted him to feel the same reassurance.
Obanai’s eyes widened for a second before they softened, and he fished their hands out so he could place a tender kiss to the top of her hand. “Yes, I remember,” he said, and he leaned in again to press a soft kiss to her lips. “I love you so much, Mitsuri. We’re going to get through this together.”
Mitsuri sighed happily and attempted to snuggle closer; with her oversized body it didn’t work very well, but the sentiment was still noticed. “I love you too, Obanai,” she replied fondly as sleep finally started to overtake her. She kept her tight grip on his hand even as her eyes drifted shut. Alone this would be impossible for her. And it wasn’t like either of their anxieties had just magically disappeared, either, but as long as Obanai was holding her hand like he was now, Mitsuri knew that they would be fine. They were a team, and one would support the other when they started to struggle. And step by step, they’d bring a new life into the world. Together.
---((A Few Weeks Later))---
“Obanai? Are you awake?”
Obanai was definitely awake; he’d barely slept all week. The doctor had said it could be any day now, and that meant Mitsuri could need him at any moment. He needed to be ready at any moment. He would be ready at any moment. Half the time he was so nervous that he felt like he was going to jump out of his skin, but he was ready. At least…he hoped he was.
So when Mitsuri called out to him in the darkness, he took a deep breath. “Is it time?” he asked, and upon seeing her nod he practically shot out of the futon; he grabbed her bags, helped her up, supported her down the stairs and to the car, drove to the hospital…
“Iguro-san, I need you to push!” The nurse said, and Mitsuri let out another cry of pain as she pushed down yet again, trying to bring their child into this world. Obanai held her hand tightly, trying to support her as best he could. He was slowly losing his mind, though. He’d lost track of how many hours it had been; was labor supposed to take this long? She’d started pushing now, so it couldn’t be much longer, right? Obanai couldn’t be sure. All he was sure of was that Mitsuri was in pain, and he couldn’t do anything more than hold her hand. And his mind made sure he didn’t forget any and all possible ‘what ifs,’ either: what if the pain gets worse, what if something goes wrong for Mitsuri or the baby, what if Mitsuri d—
“Oba…nai…” Mitsuri called for him through her panted breaths, and Obanai quickly snapped back to reality, his gaze refocusing on hers.
She squeezed his hand and gave him a weak smile. “Remember…our deal…” she said, and although her encouraging reminder made him feel better, guilt also quickly flooded over Obanai as well; here she was the one going through labor and yet she was the one having to comfort him—
“Obanai…” she said again, and she had to pause in whatever she was trying to say in order to push, “You have nothing…to feel guilty about,” she emphasized when she could speak again, and she squeezed his hand really hard as she pushed once more.
Obanai could take days and still not adequately describe how much he loved this woman. He wrapped his free hand around the other side of Mitsuri’s hand, firmly encasing it in both of his. I love you, his eyes said as they meaningfully held hers; Mitsuri was about to smile at him in return, but her face quickly contorted in pain from another contraction.
She had pulled him out of his spiral; now it was his turn. “You can do this, Mitsuri,” Obanai said encouragingly, “You’re almost there.” Obanai had no idea if that was true, but he knew she needed to hear it: she was there for him, he was there for her. “I’m right here,” he said fervently, and she nodded through her deep breathing, continuing to squeeze the life out of his hand as she pushed and pushed. Time seemed to blend in on itself, and Obanai could no longer tell how long Mitsuri had been pushing. He just kept holding her hand, and telling her to breathe, and reminding himself to breathe, and then—
A small cry pierced through the chaos of the room.
“It’s a girl!” The nurse said, and everything else faded into the background for Obanai as he let go of Mitsuri’s hand, watching as a tiny shrieking bundle was soon placed in her arms. He stood frozen as he stared at the surreal scene of a happily crying Mitsuri gazing down at their firstborn child—their beautiful, perfect little girl (He hadn’t even seen her properly yet and he already knew that to be true). He found himself unable to get closer, yet unable to look away.
Mitsuri noticed this and looked up at him, giving him an exhausted yet radiant smile. “Don’t you want to meet her, Dad?” she asked, and suddenly Obanai couldn’t get closer to the two of them fast enough. He gingerly sat on the side of the bed and leaned in, carefully wrapping an arm around Mitsuri’s shoulders as he looked into the bundle.
“She’s beautiful,” Mitsuri commented, trying and failing to stop her flow of tears.
Obanai’s vision started to blur as he began to shed some tears of his own. “Yeah,” was all he found himself able to say, and he tore his gaze away to reach over and wipe at Mitsuri’s tears with his free hand. “You’re amazing,” he said suddenly, and he leaned over and kissed her, uncaring of how many eyes were still in the room.
“So are you,” Mitsuri replied easily once he pulled away, and she kept talking so he wouldn’t have a chance to protest. “We make a great team.”
She had him there. “We do,” he agreed softly, and he held her close as they cherished their first few moments as a family. Mitsuri had told him she wanted a big family when they’d gotten married, and now they’d officially made part of that dream a reality. Obanai pressed a kiss to Mitsuri’s forehead before continuing to watch the tiny movements of their daughter. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to overcome his fears about Mitsuri and childbirth, but he also knew it was all worth it. And he was sure Mitsuri felt the same.
In the end, the both of them felt just as anxious during Mitsuri’s next four childbirths as they had during the first, but they knew how to get through it: holding onto each other tightly and never letting go.
---((The End!))---