Crossing Fates : Book 4 - Free (BakuDeku)

35 - Faith

No matter how diffidently Izuku said the words, they still rocketed through the room like a thunderclap.

For one split second, Katsuki remained unmoving. Then he surged off the bed and stared at him, warm scarlet eyes turning gold and blazing.

Izuku stared back. He had never seen such a wild expression on Katsuki's cold-edged face before.

"What did you just say?" Katsuki asked.

"My water just broke," he said.

"It can't do that," Katsuki told him.

The dragon sounded completely calm but contradictory looked entirely insane.

"The baby isn't supposed to come for at least another year. He's too premature."

"Apparently he disagrees," a squeezing pain gripped him, along with panic, and he sank to his knees.

Oh gosh, oh gosh.

He sobbed, "He told me his name is Iori."

Katsuki crouched, and with an immense spring, he cleared the bed to land right beside him. Carefully, he gathered Izuku up in his arms and strode out of the room.

"What do you mean, 'he told you his name was Iori'?'" Katsuki asked. "He can't talk. He's a fetus. And there's no one around for fucking miles. No Nyr doctor, no nurse. No neighbors. There's nobody here, Izu."

Izuku breathed through the vise that gripped him around the middle and said between his teeth, "Yeah, I got that."

Katsuki carried him to another bedroom, flipped the light on with his elbow and eased Izuku gently down onto the bed. Then the man leaned over him, stroking his fringe back from his forehead.

Katsuki's hands were shaking.

"I could call people and have them fly in," Katsuki said roughly. "But you need a hospital. I'll get you wrapped up and fly you out."

Finally the viselike grip in Izuku's abdomen eased and he sucked in a deep breath.

"Wait a minute," he said, gripping Katsuki by the wrist. "We're panicking. We need to calm down and think about this," he looked down at himself and whimpered. "Why am I so big?"

Katsuki stared down at him, breathing heavily, then Katsuki placed both his hands on Izuku's swollen belly and he gasped as Katsuki sent a spear of Power piercing into him.

The dragon's gaze turned inward for a moment, and then he said, "The baby's shapeshifted. He's in his human form now. I'm guessing he's around seven pounds."

Izuku sagged back down against the pillows. "Oh, thank God."

"He feels strong and healthy," Katsuki's red-gold eyes were red rimmed and worried. "Is that all right?"

His mind whirled from one thought to the next. Since he had never expected to be able to come into his full Nyr form, he knew rather more about human babies than most Nyr did.

The baby was now in his human form, and he was nine months pregnant.

Iori was much too small to be born as a dragon baby, but in his human form, he appeared to be just right. And if Izuku could give birth to him in his human form, it meant he didn't need to have a C-section.

As long as Iori stayed in his human form, he would be fine, until his dragon form had matured enough for him to maintain it independently.

"Don't worry, Mom. Everything is going to be fine. I'll make sure of it." he remembered Iori saying.

"Seven pounds is a little on the small size, but for a human baby, it's good," his own gaze dampened. "It's a really good size. It's normal. I think everything's going to be all right."

Katsuki expelled a pent-up breath and hung his head. He stroked Izuku's belly with both hands.

The Lord of the Nyr still had not stopped shaking.

"Okay. That's good. Do you want to get dressed before I take you to the hospital? I'll still wrap you in plenty of blankets."

Izuku patted his husband's shoulder as he calmed down. "We're not going to the hospital."

Katsuki's head shoot up. "What?"

"I said we're not going to go to the hospital," he told Katsuki.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself to a sitting position.

Wow, oh wow, did he feel ungainly. How did pure humans go through an entire month like this?

"I'm going to take a shower," Izuku said. "And then I want to put on one of your T-shirts and we're going to have the baby right here."

"Izu, no," Katsuki said.

"Kacchan, yes," Izuku told him. "Iori has surprised us, but he told me everything was going to be all right and I believe him. Besides, I like it here. It's peaceful and quiet, and I want to look out at the lake."

"What do you mean, 'he told you and you believe him'?" Katsuki roared, "He's a fucking FETUS!"

He pointed to the door. "All the big voices go outside now."

"Izuku Bakugo, DAMMIT!"

It would've brought a smile hearing his full married name if it is in a much better tone.

"I mean it, Katsuki! It's my pregnancy and my body, and I'm having the baby right here. Now, you can go outside and wait until it's done, and you've got two hundred and fifty acres that you can rip to shreds if you have to," he shook his finger at Katsuki. "But you do not come back inside until you can talk in a quiet voice. Do you hear me?"

Katsuki stared at him with his mouth open.

Oh, he wished he had a photo of that look.

Then the dragon's mouth snapped shut.

"Okay," the dragon said, and glory be, he sounded marginally calmer and much more quiet.

"It's your pregnancy and your body, but you're my mate- my husband- and that's my son. I'm not going anywhere. Give me a few minutes to make a few phone calls, and then I'll help you with the shower. I don't want you to have one of those... " he rotated a hand at the wrist. "... One of those birthing spells... "

Izuku raised his eyebrows. "Contractions?"

Katsuki snapped his fingers. "... Contractions, where you might run the risk of slipping and falling. You'll wait for me to get back, do you understand?"

Izuku smiled. "Yes, I'll wait."