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"Your dedication to upholding justice is admirable, but do you really think this is the wisest course of action?" Kazuma asked tentatively, raising an eyebrow at Ryunosuke, who grimaced back.
"Look, just because I may be in a… delicate condition doesn't mean I can't still help. We're in London, Kazuma. Who knows how many opportunities I may have to return? I intend to make the most of my time here!"
"I suppose it's your body, after all. Promise me one thing, partner," Kazuma said seriously, gently grasping Ryunosuke's wrist and pulling him to a stop. "Don't overdo yourself. The moment you start to feel pains, you are to go back to our hotel room and rest. I can handle the case on my own."
Ryunosuke tried not to cringe, resisting the urge to rub his massive stomach. Though he was nearly due to have their first child, he had insisted on traveling with Kazuma to Great Britain. Kazuma had not protested– in fact, to strengthen their case before the judge, he not only stated that he would not go if Ryunosuke could not join him, but he also said that having an assistant with him would double the education being gained, even if Ryunosuke wasn't quite intending on becoming a lawyer. The judge, at first reluctant, finally permitted it.
Now, the pair of them stood on the sidewalk outside of the courthouse, intending to travel back to the crime scene and then perhaps the detention center. Ryunosuke had been experiencing mild cramping all day, which had only gotten worse and more consistent as time wore on. He was trying not to show it.
"I promise," he eventually murmured, not able to meet Kazuma's eyes. The lie sat heavy on his tongue. "We should hail a carriage," he added when Kazuma did not respond.
"If you're sure." Kazuma gave him a concerned once-over before stepping off of the curb and raising his arm. Moments later, a horse-drawn carriage was pulled to a stop in front of them. The driver could not conceal his confusion at Ryunosuke's bundled form– though it was a pleasantly mild day, Ryunosuke knew that his rounded figure would generate a lot of questions and perhaps even rumors and gossip, all of which would not lend Kazuma any credence. Better to be suspicious due to his clothing rather than the awkward bump of his stomach.
Kazuma tenderly helped him into the carriage before clambering in beside him, giving the driver the address of the crime scene before settling back into his seat. "How are you really feeling, partner?"
"I'm alright. A tad warm, if I'm being honest."
"You may as well shed some layers while we're in here– no one will see, and it's a bit of a distance to our destination." Kazuma reached for Ryunosuke's bulky coat, his fingers brushing against Ryunosuke's neck as he unwound his scarf and tugged his coat off. "There, how's that?"
"Better," Ryunosuke sighed, shifting in his seat a little as he struggled to get comfortable. The ache in his lower back was getting stronger, pressure curling itself in his pelvis. Uncomfortable, but not unbearable. He breathed through it, hoping it would abate in time. The least he could do was make it through the day.
"Are you sure you're alright? You're sweating." Kazuma reached a hand to Ryunosuke's cheek, caressing it fondly. "You would tell me if something was wrong, yes?"
"Of course," Ryunosuke breathed, leaning forward to press his lips against Kazuma's. Kazuma seemed mildly surprised but not off-put, scooting towards him and deepening the kiss. "Is this what we have to resort to, stolen kisses in carriages?" he murmured when he came up for air.
"Only for now." Kazuma glanced up at him, smiling softly. "Not for long."
"I hope so."
Their passion was interrupted by the carriage pulling to a halt, the driver rapping on the roof. "156 Farthing Lane, sirs."
Hastily, the two men drew apart, Ryunosuke struggling to bundle back up. Kazuma helped him from the carriage before handing the fare up to the driver, who tipped his cap as he whipped the horses into motion and disappeared from view.
"Here we are, then," Kazuma said, staring up at the building. After a moment, he pointed to the windows at the top of the building, facing the street. "According to Inspector Gregson, the crime was witnessed through those windows. As it was dark at the time, there must have been lights on– we'll have to determine where a witness would have to stand in order to see into the room. I imagine they were across the street, though that's only a guess. Ready to see what's inside?" he asked, turning his gaze to Ryunosuke.
"As ready as I'll ever be, I think." As soon as they opened the door and saw the amount of stairs it would take to get to their destination, Ryunosuke internally groaned. This was not going to be easy. Why would it be?
He always seemed to have the worst luck.
Kazuma must have seen the dread on his face, because he silently offered an arm of support. Ryunosuke took it without a second thought, using his other hand to steady himself against the railing. Their progress was slow and laborious, but thankfully no one encountered them and they were free to take their time. By the time they reached the floor they needed, Ryunosuke was out of breath, and the entire weight of his stomach seemed to be pressing down on his pelvis, dropping even further than it had been before. He tried to push away the new sensation and rationalize it as his mind playing tricks on him.
Kazuma immediately began wandering around the room, examining the chalk outline the police had made of the body and the state of the room in general. Ryunosuke would have joined him, but each passing minute was starting to convince him that he was not imagining things– the pains that he had been writing off earlier were happening more frequently and more excruciatingly. As much as he wanted to deny it, there was little doubt that he was in labor. He didn't dare make a sound, though– he didn't want to alert Kazuma and derail the investigation. Winning this case was crucial to Kazuma's future career, and Ryunosuke didn't want to stand in the way of that. Instead, he stood in one of the corners of the room, swaying back and forth to try and alleviate some of his suffering.
It felt like hours had passed by the time Kazuma was finished examining the scene and speaking with some of the officials on the case. Ryunosuke was only too happy to accompany his lover back down the stairs, each step jostling the child inside of him and forcing it down the birth canal. His grip on Kazuma's arm was vice-like, the only distraction from the pain that he could muster.
As they emerged back into the street, the sun setting behind the buildings, Ryunosuke felt the pressure within him shift once more, and he let out a soft grunt before he could stop himself. Kazuma gave him an odd glance. "You look absolutely dreadful," he said, anxiety wrinkling his forehead. "Maybe we should get you back to the hotel."
"No, no, I'm okay. I promise."
"All the same, my experiments can wait until another time. Why don't we go visit our client– that should be quiet enough to allow you to rest for a bit."
Ryunosuke didn't have the energy or ambition to argue with him– he was already struggling enough to ignore how low the baby was sitting as Kazuma swiftly hailed an approaching carriage. When it arrived, it took him a few moments to board– the weight in his pelvis and the aching in his back and legs made it nearly impossible for him to climb in, but he eventually did so, breathing heavily as he sank into the seat cushion. Kazuma wasted no time in leaping in behind him, giving the address for the detention center as he did. Neither of them noticed the man sitting opposite them until he spoke.
"Well, if it isn't the budding attorneys!" His cheerful voice was familiar, and Ryunosuke barely repressed a groan. In his current predicament, the last person he wanted to be with him was Herlock Sholmes.
"Mr. Sholmes," he greeted teresely, gritting his teeth as he rode out another wave of pain. "Was it just by coincidence that you picked us up?"
"Hardly! You seemed in need of a ride– there was no reason for me not to oblige! I can only infer that you just left the crime scene. Did you find any clues of note?"
Kazuma shook his head. "Not much more than the police could already tell me. There are still a couple of things I'd like to test out, but otherwise, it proved a practical dead end."
"Mm, what a shame. Then I assume you're on your way to the detention center now, perhaps to speak to your client? You must have questions," Sholmes guessed.
"You know that because you… huff… heard him give the address," Ryunosuke hissed, squeezing his eyes shut. The contractions were now hard to act normal during, and Ryunosuke knew he was doing a horrible job of pretending everything was fine.
"Are you alright, partner?" Kazuma said worriedly, laying a hand on Ryunosuke's shoulder.
As if to answer him, the contraction hit its peak, and the pressure worsened as Ryunosuke's water broke, soaking his pants and wetting the seat and floor below him.
"What on Earth?!" Sholmes burst out, his eyes narrowing as he took in the situation. "Oh, I see, this must be some elaborate joke, perhaps a prank to fool me with. Well, it certainly worked– what was it, some sort of cushion filled with water that you popped when you shifted positions? Very clever," he mused, nodding. "Yes, that must be it."
"Hhhnnnnngggggghhhhh K-Kazuma," Ryunosuke panted, reaching for his lover's hand as the contraction refused to fade. "H-help… haaaaaaah haaaaaaah hooooooooo god," he cried. Kazuma's touch was only mildly comforting– the scenario of going into labor in a moving carriage with an almost complete stranger was the last thing he had imagined… or wanted.
"Remember your breathing, just breathe out the pain," Kazuma offered reassuringly, leaning into him. "I'm right here, try not to panic."
As soon as the sensation passed, Ryunosuke opened his eyes, tugging at some of his layers of clothing in order to get them off. He refused to hide any longer. If the distance to the doctor was as long as he remembered it to be, there was a decent chance that they wouldn't be able to make it before the baby came, not if labor was progressing this quickly already. Kazuma, seeing what he was doing, quickly helped him, piling his discarded clothes on the other side of the carriage.
Sholmes's eyebrows shot up at the sight of Ryunosuke's stomach, his forehead furrowing in confusion. "Perhaps not a prank at all."
"No, you dolt," Ryunosuke huffed. "I'm in labor." Just saying it out loud was enough to make his breath hitch. He was going into labor, with a baby, in a moving carriage. With Herlock Sholmes as a witness. He wanted to melt into a puddle of embarrassment.
"In labor," Sholmes repeated incredulously. "With… what?"
"With a baby!" Kazuma snapped, glaring peevishly at Sholmes. "Now, if you'd like to make yourself useful, you might direct the driver to the nearest doctor."
"Right, yes, of course. That would be…" Sholmes closed his eyes, fingers fluttering in the air as he mapped out imaginary routes through the streets of London. "Change of plans, driver!" he called, rapping on the roof. "314 Sheridan Road. The faster you get there, the bigger the tip, good sir."
With a crack of the whip, the horses leapt forward, sending the carriage lurching and nearly sending Ryunosuke to the floor. Nausea crept up his throat and he fought to suppress it, though the sickening motion of their transportation didn't help matters. He took Kazuma's hand and squeezed it, hoping that it would keep his mind off the many unpleasant sensations coursing through his body. Now that his water had broken, it wouldn't be much longer before the baby would start to emerge. He could already feel it descending towards his cervix– at this rate, he would have to push in no time.
"Is there anything I can do to help, dear boy?" Sholmes asked softly, still seemingly in shock. "I must confess, I have very little expertise in the field of medicine, but perhaps an extra set of hands will be helpful nonetheless."
Kazuma opened his mouth to snap out a retort, and Ryunosuke grabbed his other hand, stopping him. "He's only trying to help, love. Besides, it's not as if he can go anywhere."
"Alright, alright, fine," Kazuma sighed, though his lingering animosity for Sholmes was apparent. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, though– another contraction rippled across Ryunosuke's stomach and caused him to cry out, panting shallowly as he felt the head of his baby descend.
"Hooooooooooooohhhhhh no no noooooooooooo he-help me," he huffed, wishing he could move or stand or do something other than just sit here and accept his fate. "Hhhnnnnnnnnnnnggggggghhhhh gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh it-it hurts… so bad."
"Keep your noises low and even, and remember to breathe. You're doing so well, partner, I promise. It'll all be over soon," Kazuma said reassuringly, brushing Ryunosuke's hair off of his sweat-dampened brow.
Ryunosuke nodded, letting out a long, continuous moan that chased away the rest of the contraction. As soon as he was released from the grip of its agony, he leaned back in the seat, shifting his hips.
"Would it be easier for you to lie down across the seat?" Kazuma offered, and when Ryunosuke agreed, he folded the piles of abandoned clothes to form a make-shift pillow to cushion Ryunosuke's upper body as he lay back. With the extra space, Ryunosuke was able to spread his legs, one foot planted on the floor while the other was braced against the top of the seat. It was awkward, uncomfortable, and frankly quite embarrassing, but he didn't have much of a choice. As soon as he was allowed to push, he would be doing so, and he would need as much space as he could get.
Speaking of being allowed to push… he wasn't sure how dilated he was. He couldn't exactly maneuver himself to check, after all.
"Not yet, partner," Kazuma said softly, as if reading his mind. "You're not there yet, try not to push."
"Like it's so… nnnnnnnnnnggggggghhhhhh… so easy." He glanced over at Kazuma with a disgruntled expression, earning him an apologetic grimace.
"I know, but you have to try. Your body isn't ready yet."
"It sure feels like it is," Ryunosuke panted, bracing for the pain he knew was starting to escalate. It felt like at least an hour passed, Ryunosuke drifting between being fully present and being lost in a haze of discomfort and agony. And then, the sensations began to change again. A different sort of feeling began to build in his pelvic area, one that urged him to push.
He pulled himself into a slightly more propped up position, his legs still widely spread. "Gaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh I have… hnnnnnnngggggghh have to…" He wasn't able to finish his sentence before his body took over, bearing down before he could even articulate his desire to do so.
"Woah, woah, partner, hold on," Kazuma begged, leaning over to check Ryunosuke's dilation. Sholmes, looking pale and shaken, remained on the other side of the carriage, watching the spectacle with amazement… and possibly disgust. "Okay, it looks like you're set to push whenever you feel the urge. Nice long pushes for me, okay?"
"K-Kazuma…" Ryunosuke huffed, reaching a hand towards his lover. For a moment, Kazuma was torn, needing to keep an eye on the baby's progress, but also wanting to be there for his laboring partner.
"Sholmes, you watch things on this end," he finally muttered, taking Ryunosuke's hand and kneeling beside him. It took a minute for the request to process in the detective's mind.
"Right, right, of course. Wh-what am I meant to do?" His tone was high-pitched and panicky as he moved to sit behind Ryunosuke's lower half.
"Catch the baby when it comes. Make sure there's no cord around its neck. That sort of thing," Kazuma instructed vaguely.
The contractions were almost on top of each other now, giving Ryunosuke barely any time to rest in between. With each one, he pushed, feeling the head bob in and out of his opening with frustrating slowness. So many times, he just wanted to give up.
"I…I can't," he panted as yet another contraction forced him to push.
"You're doing so well, partner, it's almost over. We're almost at the doctor. Just hold on a little longer."
"You're doing splendidly," Sholmes piped up from where he was seated, offering Ryunosuke a broad smile.
"B-burns," Ryunosuke was barely able to squeak out as fire seemed to ignite in his crotch, making him delirious with the agony. He couldn't help the guttural screams that ripped from his throat as he bore down.
"Is everything alright down there, gentlemen?" the driver asked, concern in his voice.
"Perfectly fine," Sholmes answered, the only one of them with the presence of mind to do so.
Kazuma reached behind Ryunosuke and extracted his scarf, folding it up and handing it to him. "Here, bite into this. I know it's not comfortable, but we can't afford to draw any more attention," he said gently, running his hand through Ryunosuke's damp and matted hair in an affectionate manner. Ryunosuke complied, his next shouts somewhat muffled by the fabric. One of the carriage wheels hit a dip in the road, sending them off-balance for just a moment and nearly sending Ryunosuke to the floor. He let go of Kazuma's hand and instead gripped the edges of the seats, the rocking of the carriage making him paranoid about falling and hurting himself or the baby.
The child's head was partially out of him now– if he reached down, he was sure he would be able to feel the baby's hair. After an endless series of pushes with seemingly little progress, Ryunosuke finally felt the head emerge between his legs, sending another gush of fluids onto the carriage seat.
"Is there a cord around its neck?" Kazuma asked sharply as soon as the baby crowned.
"No, not that I can see," Sholmes responded, though he looked hesitant to even reach towards the child to find out. "It shouldn't be much longer, now."
"Did you hear that, partner? You're almost done," Kazuma encouraged, giving Ryunosuke a small smile. "Just a little bit longer."
Ryunosuke could feel the shoulders at his entrance– with his accompanying pushes, he could feel them rotating, preparing to be delivered. It seemed as though even with his long, hard pushes, the shoulders remained inside him, a transition phase that he couldn't seem to break through. Each contraction made him scream and growl and grunt and groan in frustration, and though he knew he had to be somewhat quiet so as not to arouse suspicion, he couldn't help the feral noises he was producing.
And then he felt the shoulders move– with one last, long push and an accompanying scream, he felt the baby finally slide out of him into Sholmes's waiting arms. Kazuma immediately dashed to the detective's side, grabbing the child and rubbing its back to stimulate it.
"Is it over?" Ryunosuke panted, leaning back against the seat and attempting to catch his breath. He felt as though he were drifting in and out of consciousness, barely able to keep his eyes open.
"It is. Look at our magnificent child," Kazuma said softly, and Ryunosuke felt a weight being gently placed on his stomach. Through bleary eyes, he managed to catch a glimpse of their new child. "It's a boy!"
The child began to cry, making Ryunosuke tear up at the mere sound. "I did it," he murmured sleepily.
"You did, you really did!" At Kazuma's words, the carriage finally rolled to a halt in front of a house, a sign proclaiming it to be a doctor's office. "Just in time, it seems."
"May I suggest a name for the boy?" Sholmes asked tentatively as they prepared to dismount the carriage and enter the doctor's office. When no one explicitly refused, he forged on. "How about Kisho? After all, he certainly had his own agenda."
"You could say that again," Ryunosuke said with a scoff. "It's perfect."
"And so, partner, are you," Kazuma added, pecking him once on the temple before ushering him inside to a rather perplexed doctor.