Re: All Because Of Glasses 7c/8
anonymous
October 16 2011, 01:25:34 UTC
Alfred grinned and ran off to get another chair. He did his very best to distract his husband, constantly asking questions and saying stupid stuff. Arthur looked about ready to strangle him but it seemed like it was working. Every few hours, Arthur would start wincing more and more often and then Alfred would have to go and get him some special tea Nathan had brought to dull the pain. Sometimes he'd be asked to get Nathan himself to check up on Arthur, but even if he didn't Nathan came in at least once every hour. He would have Arthur lean back in his chair and spread his legs and then he'd poke around. Arthur always made sort of a funny face while he was doing it, half way between pain and disgust. Once, after Nathan had gone, Alfred peeked under his husband's tunic. As soon as he caught a glimpse of what was going on, he pulled away in absolute disgust. Arthur just laughed at him. He could say whatever he wanted, but just getting another hole like that was weird enough to warrant more.
After about twelve hours, when Nathan had his fingers inside of Arthur he said, "Alright, then, it's time." He stood and pushed on his back, "Kiku will bring you your clothes in a few moments." And then he left. No words of wisdom, no fanfare, no nothing.
"So this is it?" Alfred asked nervously, "We're gonna have the baby now?"
"I'm going to have the baby, prat," Arthur said, scowling, "But yes, we're more or less to that part," he stroked his belly, "That's right, my darling. Not much longer."
Kiku, dressed in pale green clothing that he wasn't wearing when Alfred got him, came in holding a pile of cloth. He bowed to them before setting them on the table, "Here are your garments." He turned to walk away, but Arthur stood and grabbed him. The two exchanged a very intense glance and then Kiku smiled reassuringly. Not for the first time that day, Alfred felt very, very left out.
"It's funny," Arthur said after Kiku left, "I helped him deliver both of his children. We never thought we'd switch places. Now," he pulled his tunic over his head, "Let's get this monstrosity out of me."
Alfred was about to follow suit but he paused to get one last look at Arthur's body, heavy with child, absolutely beautiful. He couldn't help it, he had to come over and hold him.
"What the hell are you doing, boy?"
"I love you, Arthur," He said.
Arthur rolled his eyes, "I'm about to give birth and you choose now to remind me of that."
"Yeah," Alfred said.
But he understood that they needed to move quickly, so he let Arthur go so that he could pull off his tunic. Arthur quickly dressed himself in the white thing from the pile. Alfred didn't want to call it a tunic, because it wasn't quite one. It was a little too short and plainer than most of the ones people owned. It was probably designed to just barely be enough to cover him. Alfred was relieved to find that the one he was supposed to wear was much longer, both with full sleeves and reaching his mid-calf. He was also glad that it wasn't white, instead being a brown so dark that it was nearly black with a beautiful gold design embroidered on it. He was sure that it was symbolic… of something. Arthur probably knew the point of all the stupid little details, but he was too busy actually having the baby to be bothered with all the ritual surrounding it.
As if hearing his thoughts, Arthur looked at him with a pained look on his face, "Well then," he said, "Let's go."
"Right," Alfred said.
Arthur waddled out into the hall and Alfred followed him at a respectful distance, not wanting his husband to freak out and have one of his "I can still totally do everything I did before I got pregnant" moments. Usually they ended up being hilarious, but Alfred didn't want to make his life any more stressful.
Re: All Because Of Glasses 7d/8
anonymous
October 16 2011, 01:26:16 UTC
Alfred decided that Arthur was clearly crazy when he started cooing to him, "Hello there, darling," he said once he actually had him in his arms, "I've wanted to see you for so long," he kissed his forehead, "And you're so beautiful, love."
"Uh," Alfred said, "He's bright red."
Now Arthur was looking at him like he was stupid, "They all look like this when they first come out, idiot."
Alfred frowned, "But all the one's I've seen-"
"-Aren't newborns." He looked back down at the baby, "Oh, Peter, one of the first things you need to learn is that your father is a moron. Say it with me now, 'daddy's an idiot.'"
Alfred scowled, "Let me see him."
Arthur smiled and handed him over. Alfred inspected his face closely. He couldn't see anything of Arthur or himself in the boy's features. Well, except for that it looked like he inherited his mother's eyebrows. He was none too cute up close. But then he looked at Alfred, really looked at him with those huge blue eyes, so innocent and confused and Alfred fell head-over-heels in love. He had to repress his urge to absolutely suffocate the child with love so that he didn't look too dumb after what he'd just said, but he couldn't hide his smile and he couldn't keep himself from holding Peter up to his chest. The child started squirming and mouthing the fabric.
"Um, Arthur," Alfred said, "I think he's hungry."
"Already? He is your son." Arthur started unlacing his shirt, but then paused and shuddered.
"What's wrong?" Alfred asked.
"Afterbirth," Arthur said.
"What's that?"
But his question was answered a moment later when there was another gushy noise and a disgusting bloody mass fell out of Arthur and into the bowl beneath him. Alfred wrinkled his nose.
"That's supposed to happen, right?" Alfred asked.
"Yeah," Arthur said, "We're done now." He pulled off his tunic and handed it to Nathan while Kiku got another cloth wet and started to clean the blood from Arthur's legs.
"What should I do with this?" Alfred moved his arms to show he was talking about Peter, who was still determinedly trying to nurse from his shirt.
"Just give me a moment," Kiku said, "I'll get Arthur cleaned up and then you can go to bed."
"Aren't you staying over?" Alfred asked.
"I have a few other duties to take care of," Kiku said, "I'll join you later."
"Okay."
By that time, Nathan had brought Arthur a different tunic: one almost exactly like Alfred's, but that laced closed in the front.
"Well then," Nathan said grabbing a large satchel and taking the bowl from between Arthur's feet, "I have to go and take care of all this. You know where to find me if you need anything during the night." He pulled on his cloak and opened the door, "Goodnight, gentlemen," And with that he was gone.
Since Alfred was holding Peter, Kiku helped Arthur down the hall and to bed. Arthur quickly unlaced his tunic and held out his arms to take the baby. Alfred handed him over and lied down next to Arthur. He watched as Peter moved his mouth around before finally latching onto one of Arthur's nipples starting to drink.
"How does it feel?"
"Odd."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, but warm. It's sort of nice." He eased back further into the pillow.
Alfred set his head on his shoulder so that he could watch Peter more closely. He still didn't quite understand. He felt such a strong connection to him, even though he looked nothing like a person, even though all he had really been to Alfred was some weird part of Arthur that moved and made him look sexier. He didn't even know him yet, he had no idea of the kind of person he'd become. Still, he was happy and he felt almost a sense of closure.
"Babies are so weird," he thought as he closed his eyes and wiggled closer to Arthur.
All three of them were asleep by the time Kiku came in.
Re: All Because Of Glasses 7d/8
anonymous
October 16 2011, 12:17:16 UTC
Great story! I really liked the world you built and the culture/rituals around childbearing in a male-only society. I'm sad it's over. Thanks for writing~
(s)he's right :Db (A!A)
anonymous
October 16 2011, 13:18:32 UTC
Since the request also involves lactation there's still going to be one more part, plus a little bonus. Not sure when it'll be up, but it'll be sooner rather than later if I don't find anything I really, really want to fill in the kink meme update.
All Because Of Glasses REAL 7d/8
anonymous
October 16 2011, 13:55:25 UTC
(I failed at copypasta last night and missed a page That one's actually E)
They made it back to their main room eventually. Kiku and Nathan were waiting there, sitting at the table and talking. In the center of the room there was this weird stand thing. It was a big old slab of wood, which had a cut-out for the large bowl they had gotten from the church. There were two thick poles coming up from the slab with blocks wrapped in cloth attached to the top. Next to it there was the pile of white linens and the oil. There was a large pot next to the fire, but Alfred didn't smell anything.
Arthur understood better than Alfred, because he went right to the weird wood thing and stood on it, straddling the bowl and resting his forearms on the blocks. Naturally, Alfred went to him right away and took one of his hands. He looked up at his husband, silently asking him if he was going to be alright. The smaller man smiled weakly in response and rubbed Alfred's thumb.
"I'll be okay," He said, "Not much longer."
"I should be comforting you."
"It's alright, Alfred-san," Kiku said, going to Arthur's other side, "He's seen this before. You haven't."
Alfred watched Nathan, who was muttering something or other over the oil. When he finished, he smiled and said, "Sorry, but I'm required to do this. Otherwise I could lose my license."
He drew the compass points on his forehead with the oil and then did the same to Alfred and Kiku, ending by drawing one on Arthur's forehead and another on the bottom of his stomach.
"It is a bit funny, isn't it?" Arthur asked, wincing.
"Well, you know how it is," Nathan said, setting the jar back on the table, "The priests can't bear to be left out of anything important, so they decided to throw all these unnecessary bits in." He rolled his eyes and got down on his knees, "You're still not quite there, but it shouldn't be too long now."
Arthur let out a sigh of relief, "Thank god."
Alfred just tightened his grip on Arthur's hand. This part was going to be the worst, wasn't it? He'd never actually seen a newborn, but with how huge Arthur's belly had gotten it had to be pretty big and it was probably going to hurt like hell on the way out. Arthur closed his eyes and took deep, measured breaths, occasionally broken by a pained gasp.
"Oh fuck!" He said, opening his eyes and squeezing Alfred's hand for a moment.
"There we go," Nathan said, "The worst of it's over, Arthur, just trust your instincts."
Arthur grunted and shut his eyes again. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was open, but he didn't seem to be in pain like he had before. Alfred was overflowing with questions: Was he okay? What was going on? Was he excited to be a mom? What did it feel like? But he bit his tongue. This was Arthur's day and he was the one with the important job to do. Alfred looked over to Kiku, who also had a slightly uncomfortable expression on his face. Right now, he was his best friend: the other guy being left out and unable to really help.
It was really, really quiet: the only noises were the crackling of the fire and Arthur's labored panting. Nathan and Arthur were too busy concentrating to say anything, Alfred felt too awkward, and Kiku was just as silent as usual. Alfred had no idea how much time actually passed, but it felt like hours and hours.
Then Arthur let out a little surprised, "Oh," and with and wet, gushy noise Peter slid into Nathan's arms. Alfred knew something was wrong. His son's body was all covered in blood and wrinkled and he wasn't screaming. Nathan didn't say anything. Maybe he was just holding off on telling Arthur?
All Because Of Glasses REAL 7d(2)/8
anonymous
October 16 2011, 13:56:33 UTC
(And now it doesn't even fit on one comment! GAH!)
He picked up one of the white pieces of cloth, dipped it in the pot, and began to clean him off. He was still red, even under the blood. Nathan tied some string around the chord attaching Peter back to Arthur and then cut it. Arthur just stood there and watched the old man clean their baby and put a diaper on him. Peter was wiggling around, but all of his movements were jerky and he was making high-pitched noises that were nothing like Alfred had ever heard. It was horrible, and he was the only one who seemed to realize it. Hell, why wasn't Kiku saying anything?
But then when Nathan stood up he had a smile on his face. Arthur held his hands out expectantly. Maybe they were both too tired to notice that something was obviously wrong?
Re: All Because Of Glasses 7e/8
anonymous
October 21 2011, 02:02:50 UTC
Alfred decided that Arthur was clearly crazy when he started cooing to him, "Hello there, darling," he said once he actually had him in his arms, "I've wanted to see you for so long," he kissed his forehead, "And you're so beautiful, love."
"Uh," Alfred said, "He's bright red."
Now Arthur was looking at him like he was stupid, "They all look like this when they first come out, idiot."
Alfred frowned, "But all the one's I've seen-"
"-Aren't newborns." He looked back down at the baby, "Oh, Peter, one of the first things you need to learn is that your father is a moron. Say it with me now, 'daddy's an idiot.'"
Alfred scowled, "Let me see him."
Arthur smiled and handed him over. Alfred inspected his face closely. He couldn't see anything of Arthur or himself in the boy's features. Well, except for that it looked like he inherited his mother's eyebrows. He was none too cute up close. But then he looked at Alfred, really looked at him with those huge blue eyes, so innocent and confused and Alfred fell head-over-heels in love. He had to repress his urge to absolutely suffocate the child with love so that he didn't look too dumb after what he'd just said, but he couldn't hide his smile and he couldn't keep himself from holding Peter up to his chest. The child started squirming and mouthing the fabric.
"Um, Arthur," Alfred said, "I think he's hungry."
"Already? He is your son." Arthur started unlacing his shirt, but then paused and shuddered.
"What's wrong?" Alfred asked.
"Afterbirth," Arthur said.
"What's that?"
But his question was answered a moment later when there was another gushy noise and a disgusting bloody mass fell out of Arthur and into the bowl beneath him. Alfred wrinkled his nose.
"That's supposed to happen, right?" Alfred asked.
"Yeah," Arthur said, "We're done now." He pulled off his tunic and handed it to Nathan while Kiku got another cloth wet and started to clean the blood from Arthur's legs.
"What should I do with this?" Alfred moved his arms to show he was talking about Peter, who was still determinedly trying to nurse from his shirt.
"Just give me a moment," Kiku said, "I'll get Arthur cleaned up and then you can go to bed."
"Aren't you staying over?" Alfred asked.
"I have a few other duties to take care of," Kiku said, "I'll join you later."
"Okay."
By that time, Nathan had brought Arthur a different tunic: one almost exactly like Alfred's, but that laced closed in the front.
"Well then," Nathan said grabbing a large satchel and taking the bowl from between Arthur's feet, "I have to go and take care of all this. You know where to find me if you need anything during the night." He pulled on his cloak and opened the door, "Goodnight, gentlemen," And with that he was gone.
Since Alfred was holding Peter, Kiku helped Arthur down the hall and to bed. Arthur quickly unlaced his tunic and held out his arms to take the baby. Alfred handed him over and lied down next to Arthur. He watched as Peter moved his mouth around before finally latching onto one of Arthur's nipples starting to drink.
"How does it feel?"
"Odd."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, but warm. It's sort of nice." He eased back further into the pillow.
Alfred set his head on his shoulder so that he could watch Peter more closely. He still didn't quite understand. He felt such a strong connection to him, even though he looked nothing like a person, even though all he had really been to Alfred was some weird part of Arthur that moved and made him look sexier. He didn't even know him yet, he had no idea of the kind of person he'd become. Still, he was happy and he felt almost a sense of closure.
"Babies are so weird," he thought as he closed his eyes and wiggled closer to Arthur.
All three of them were asleep by the time Kiku came in.
Alfred grinned and ran off to get another chair. He did his very best to distract his husband, constantly asking questions and saying stupid stuff. Arthur looked about ready to strangle him but it seemed like it was working. Every few hours, Arthur would start wincing more and more often and then Alfred would have to go and get him some special tea Nathan had brought to dull the pain. Sometimes he'd be asked to get Nathan himself to check up on Arthur, but even if he didn't Nathan came in at least once every hour. He would have Arthur lean back in his chair and spread his legs and then he'd poke around. Arthur always made sort of a funny face while he was doing it, half way between pain and disgust. Once, after Nathan had gone, Alfred peeked under his husband's tunic. As soon as he caught a glimpse of what was going on, he pulled away in absolute disgust. Arthur just laughed at him. He could say whatever he wanted, but just getting another hole like that was weird enough to warrant more.
After about twelve hours, when Nathan had his fingers inside of Arthur he said, "Alright, then, it's time." He stood and pushed on his back, "Kiku will bring you your clothes in a few moments." And then he left. No words of wisdom, no fanfare, no nothing.
"So this is it?" Alfred asked nervously, "We're gonna have the baby now?"
"I'm going to have the baby, prat," Arthur said, scowling, "But yes, we're more or less to that part," he stroked his belly, "That's right, my darling. Not much longer."
Kiku, dressed in pale green clothing that he wasn't wearing when Alfred got him, came in holding a pile of cloth. He bowed to them before setting them on the table, "Here are your garments." He turned to walk away, but Arthur stood and grabbed him. The two exchanged a very intense glance and then Kiku smiled reassuringly. Not for the first time that day, Alfred felt very, very left out.
"It's funny," Arthur said after Kiku left, "I helped him deliver both of his children. We never thought we'd switch places. Now," he pulled his tunic over his head, "Let's get this monstrosity out of me."
Alfred was about to follow suit but he paused to get one last look at Arthur's body, heavy with child, absolutely beautiful. He couldn't help it, he had to come over and hold him.
"What the hell are you doing, boy?"
"I love you, Arthur," He said.
Arthur rolled his eyes, "I'm about to give birth and you choose now to remind me of that."
"Yeah," Alfred said.
But he understood that they needed to move quickly, so he let Arthur go so that he could pull off his tunic. Arthur quickly dressed himself in the white thing from the pile. Alfred didn't want to call it a tunic, because it wasn't quite one. It was a little too short and plainer than most of the ones people owned. It was probably designed to just barely be enough to cover him. Alfred was relieved to find that the one he was supposed to wear was much longer, both with full sleeves and reaching his mid-calf. He was also glad that it wasn't white, instead being a brown so dark that it was nearly black with a beautiful gold design embroidered on it. He was sure that it was symbolic… of something. Arthur probably knew the point of all the stupid little details, but he was too busy actually having the baby to be bothered with all the ritual surrounding it.
As if hearing his thoughts, Arthur looked at him with a pained look on his face, "Well then," he said, "Let's go."
"Right," Alfred said.
Arthur waddled out into the hall and Alfred followed him at a respectful distance, not wanting his husband to freak out and have one of his "I can still totally do everything I did before I got pregnant" moments. Usually they ended up being hilarious, but Alfred didn't want to make his life any more stressful.
Even if he was walking really really slow.
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Alfred decided that Arthur was clearly crazy when he started cooing to him, "Hello there, darling," he said once he actually had him in his arms, "I've wanted to see you for so long," he kissed his forehead, "And you're so beautiful, love."
"Uh," Alfred said, "He's bright red."
Now Arthur was looking at him like he was stupid, "They all look like this when they first come out, idiot."
Alfred frowned, "But all the one's I've seen-"
"-Aren't newborns." He looked back down at the baby, "Oh, Peter, one of the first things you need to learn is that your father is a moron. Say it with me now, 'daddy's an idiot.'"
Alfred scowled, "Let me see him."
Arthur smiled and handed him over. Alfred inspected his face closely. He couldn't see anything of Arthur or himself in the boy's features. Well, except for that it looked like he inherited his mother's eyebrows. He was none too cute up close. But then he looked at Alfred, really looked at him with those huge blue eyes, so innocent and confused and Alfred fell head-over-heels in love. He had to repress his urge to absolutely suffocate the child with love so that he didn't look too dumb after what he'd just said, but he couldn't hide his smile and he couldn't keep himself from holding Peter up to his chest. The child started squirming and mouthing the fabric.
"Um, Arthur," Alfred said, "I think he's hungry."
"Already? He is your son." Arthur started unlacing his shirt, but then paused and shuddered.
"What's wrong?" Alfred asked.
"Afterbirth," Arthur said.
"What's that?"
But his question was answered a moment later when there was another gushy noise and a disgusting bloody mass fell out of Arthur and into the bowl beneath him. Alfred wrinkled his nose.
"That's supposed to happen, right?" Alfred asked.
"Yeah," Arthur said, "We're done now." He pulled off his tunic and handed it to Nathan while Kiku got another cloth wet and started to clean the blood from Arthur's legs.
"What should I do with this?" Alfred moved his arms to show he was talking about Peter, who was still determinedly trying to nurse from his shirt.
"Just give me a moment," Kiku said, "I'll get Arthur cleaned up and then you can go to bed."
"Aren't you staying over?" Alfred asked.
"I have a few other duties to take care of," Kiku said, "I'll join you later."
"Okay."
By that time, Nathan had brought Arthur a different tunic: one almost exactly like Alfred's, but that laced closed in the front.
"Well then," Nathan said grabbing a large satchel and taking the bowl from between Arthur's feet, "I have to go and take care of all this. You know where to find me if you need anything during the night." He pulled on his cloak and opened the door, "Goodnight, gentlemen," And with that he was gone.
Since Alfred was holding Peter, Kiku helped Arthur down the hall and to bed. Arthur quickly unlaced his tunic and held out his arms to take the baby. Alfred handed him over and lied down next to Arthur. He watched as Peter moved his mouth around before finally latching onto one of Arthur's nipples starting to drink.
"How does it feel?"
"Odd."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, but warm. It's sort of nice." He eased back further into the pillow.
Alfred set his head on his shoulder so that he could watch Peter more closely. He still didn't quite understand. He felt such a strong connection to him, even though he looked nothing like a person, even though all he had really been to Alfred was some weird part of Arthur that moved and made him look sexier. He didn't even know him yet, he had no idea of the kind of person he'd become. Still, he was happy and he felt almost a sense of closure.
"Babies are so weird," he thought as he closed his eyes and wiggled closer to Arthur.
All three of them were asleep by the time Kiku came in.
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They made it back to their main room eventually. Kiku and Nathan were waiting there, sitting at the table and talking. In the center of the room there was this weird stand thing. It was a big old slab of wood, which had a cut-out for the large bowl they had gotten from the church. There were two thick poles coming up from the slab with blocks wrapped in cloth attached to the top. Next to it there was the pile of white linens and the oil. There was a large pot next to the fire, but Alfred didn't smell anything.
Arthur understood better than Alfred, because he went right to the weird wood thing and stood on it, straddling the bowl and resting his forearms on the blocks. Naturally, Alfred went to him right away and took one of his hands. He looked up at his husband, silently asking him if he was going to be alright. The smaller man smiled weakly in response and rubbed Alfred's thumb.
"I'll be okay," He said, "Not much longer."
"I should be comforting you."
"It's alright, Alfred-san," Kiku said, going to Arthur's other side, "He's seen this before. You haven't."
Alfred watched Nathan, who was muttering something or other over the oil. When he finished, he smiled and said, "Sorry, but I'm required to do this. Otherwise I could lose my license."
He drew the compass points on his forehead with the oil and then did the same to Alfred and Kiku, ending by drawing one on Arthur's forehead and another on the bottom of his stomach.
"It is a bit funny, isn't it?" Arthur asked, wincing.
"Well, you know how it is," Nathan said, setting the jar back on the table, "The priests can't bear to be left out of anything important, so they decided to throw all these unnecessary bits in." He rolled his eyes and got down on his knees, "You're still not quite there, but it shouldn't be too long now."
Arthur let out a sigh of relief, "Thank god."
Alfred just tightened his grip on Arthur's hand. This part was going to be the worst, wasn't it? He'd never actually seen a newborn, but with how huge Arthur's belly had gotten it had to be pretty big and it was probably going to hurt like hell on the way out. Arthur closed his eyes and took deep, measured breaths, occasionally broken by a pained gasp.
"Oh fuck!" He said, opening his eyes and squeezing Alfred's hand for a moment.
"There we go," Nathan said, "The worst of it's over, Arthur, just trust your instincts."
Arthur grunted and shut his eyes again. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was open, but he didn't seem to be in pain like he had before. Alfred was overflowing with questions: Was he okay? What was going on? Was he excited to be a mom? What did it feel like? But he bit his tongue. This was Arthur's day and he was the one with the important job to do. Alfred looked over to Kiku, who also had a slightly uncomfortable expression on his face. Right now, he was his best friend: the other guy being left out and unable to really help.
It was really, really quiet: the only noises were the crackling of the fire and Arthur's labored panting. Nathan and Arthur were too busy concentrating to say anything, Alfred felt too awkward, and Kiku was just as silent as usual. Alfred had no idea how much time actually passed, but it felt like hours and hours.
Then Arthur let out a little surprised, "Oh," and with and wet, gushy noise Peter slid into Nathan's arms. Alfred knew something was wrong. His son's body was all covered in blood and wrinkled and he wasn't screaming. Nathan didn't say anything. Maybe he was just holding off on telling Arthur?
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He picked up one of the white pieces of cloth, dipped it in the pot, and began to clean him off. He was still red, even under the blood. Nathan tied some string around the chord attaching Peter back to Arthur and then cut it. Arthur just stood there and watched the old man clean their baby and put a diaper on him. Peter was wiggling around, but all of his movements were jerky and he was making high-pitched noises that were nothing like Alfred had ever heard. It was horrible, and he was the only one who seemed to realize it. Hell, why wasn't Kiku saying anything?
But then when Nathan stood up he had a smile on his face. Arthur held his hands out expectantly. Maybe they were both too tired to notice that something was obviously wrong?
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Alfred decided that Arthur was clearly crazy when he started cooing to him, "Hello there, darling," he said once he actually had him in his arms, "I've wanted to see you for so long," he kissed his forehead, "And you're so beautiful, love."
"Uh," Alfred said, "He's bright red."
Now Arthur was looking at him like he was stupid, "They all look like this when they first come out, idiot."
Alfred frowned, "But all the one's I've seen-"
"-Aren't newborns." He looked back down at the baby, "Oh, Peter, one of the first things you need to learn is that your father is a moron. Say it with me now, 'daddy's an idiot.'"
Alfred scowled, "Let me see him."
Arthur smiled and handed him over. Alfred inspected his face closely. He couldn't see anything of Arthur or himself in the boy's features. Well, except for that it looked like he inherited his mother's eyebrows. He was none too cute up close. But then he looked at Alfred, really looked at him with those huge blue eyes, so innocent and confused and Alfred fell head-over-heels in love. He had to repress his urge to absolutely suffocate the child with love so that he didn't look too dumb after what he'd just said, but he couldn't hide his smile and he couldn't keep himself from holding Peter up to his chest. The child started squirming and mouthing the fabric.
"Um, Arthur," Alfred said, "I think he's hungry."
"Already? He is your son." Arthur started unlacing his shirt, but then paused and shuddered.
"What's wrong?" Alfred asked.
"Afterbirth," Arthur said.
"What's that?"
But his question was answered a moment later when there was another gushy noise and a disgusting bloody mass fell out of Arthur and into the bowl beneath him. Alfred wrinkled his nose.
"That's supposed to happen, right?" Alfred asked.
"Yeah," Arthur said, "We're done now." He pulled off his tunic and handed it to Nathan while Kiku got another cloth wet and started to clean the blood from Arthur's legs.
"What should I do with this?" Alfred moved his arms to show he was talking about Peter, who was still determinedly trying to nurse from his shirt.
"Just give me a moment," Kiku said, "I'll get Arthur cleaned up and then you can go to bed."
"Aren't you staying over?" Alfred asked.
"I have a few other duties to take care of," Kiku said, "I'll join you later."
"Okay."
By that time, Nathan had brought Arthur a different tunic: one almost exactly like Alfred's, but that laced closed in the front.
"Well then," Nathan said grabbing a large satchel and taking the bowl from between Arthur's feet, "I have to go and take care of all this. You know where to find me if you need anything during the night." He pulled on his cloak and opened the door, "Goodnight, gentlemen," And with that he was gone.
Since Alfred was holding Peter, Kiku helped Arthur down the hall and to bed. Arthur quickly unlaced his tunic and held out his arms to take the baby. Alfred handed him over and lied down next to Arthur. He watched as Peter moved his mouth around before finally latching onto one of Arthur's nipples starting to drink.
"How does it feel?"
"Odd."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, but warm. It's sort of nice." He eased back further into the pillow.
Alfred set his head on his shoulder so that he could watch Peter more closely. He still didn't quite understand. He felt such a strong connection to him, even though he looked nothing like a person, even though all he had really been to Alfred was some weird part of Arthur that moved and made him look sexier. He didn't even know him yet, he had no idea of the kind of person he'd become. Still, he was happy and he felt almost a sense of closure.
"Babies are so weird," he thought as he closed his eyes and wiggled closer to Arthur.
All three of them were asleep by the time Kiku came in.
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