Mystery ABO AU Starter!

[forsaintcecilia]

Before entering the café, Kazuki stopped at one of the windows to look at his reflection. He fixed his hair and fiddled with how his clothes were laying. Was he underdressed? Overdressed? He wanted to look casual, but presentable, and that was a tightrope he wasn’t used to walking. He couldn’t tell from the inside-out. Would he look let he was trying too hard? Not hard enough? Today, what really mattered was someone else’s opinion, and he didn’t have any idea of their preferences.

He lingered for a bit too long, and eventually just had to give up and go in, even if he wasn’t entirely satisfied with himself. But as soon as he came to the counter, he found a new hurdle he had to jump over—what should he order? For one, it was springtime, and was one of those days where a hot drink could be too hot, but a cold drink could be too cold. Did he want coffee? If he got the sweet sort of drink he actually liked, would they think he was too feminine? But if he got something bitter, would they be able to see the displeasure on his face while drinking it, and think he was trying too hard? And the pastries looked so good, he really wanted the one with the strawberries…

By the time he was next in line, he was in such a state of awkward, anxious silence that the barista had to interrupt his quickly derailing train of thought with a quiet, “Sir?” Kazuki snapped to attention, stuttered out the beginning of about 5 different orders that he changed his mind on as soon as they came out of his mouth, in the wrong language, and eventually gave into fate and meekly asked for whatever the house recommended today.

He couldn’t help but sigh as he sat down at an empty table. It had really been too long since the last time he had been on a date. Entering the café with the intention to meet someone felt like stepping foot on an alien planet. It didn't help that English was still difficult for him, and he wasn't totally situated in a different country yet. He came to the designated meeting place extra early because he suspected he’d need a solid 10 minutes alone to calm his nerves. And he was completely correct.

Kazuki thanked the waitress when she brought him his previously recommended latte, and he was relieved to find that it wasn’t so bitter he couldn’t handle drinking it. He could have gone for a cookie or something too, but this would have to do. He took a deep breath, let it out onto his drink, and let the resulting steam rise up around his face as he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. It was almost the time that had been agreed upon.

He didn’t know anything about his date aside from the fact that their mutual friend was certain they’d be a good match. His expectations weren’t sky high or anything, but he was hopeful. Even if things didn’t pan out, at least he’d get the chance to dip his toes into the waters of intimate relationships, so to speak, before he jumped back in again. Things could only get better from there.

Comments

[majimekun]

"Well," Deuce said as he closed his eyes and took a big inhale, "I don't know, you're up really late and..." then his brain starts working, starts really working.

Deuce has slowly become better at figuring things out in their relationship and connecting important dots. "R-really?" Deuce quickly pulled away sat up and looked at him. "The baby is coming now?"

[forsaintcecilia]

Kazuki didn't think he'd ever get tired of the look in Deuce's eyes when he was slowly dawning upon whatever conclusion that needed to be made at that moment. Gently leading him along never ceased to be entertaining.

"Well, not right now, but..." he let out his own breath, and took his time pushing himself up as well. "I think things are starting up? Y'know, like the doctor said."

Despite knowing the exact amount of humiliation he was about to be put through, he didn't want to speak upon things he didn't absolutely have to yet. The look of shame on his face probably spoke for him instead.

"I'm okay, but I think we should get a hold of the clinic and let them know I'll be coming in."

[majimekun]

Oh this wasn't the time to get flustered. Deuce slapped his face with both hands, making himself wake up fully. "Alright, I'll grab the phone and get everything ready. You just sit down, okay?"

He got up and groaned because there was a cramp in his leg. Sitting down, Deuce rubbed it. "Give me a second though..." Deuce's nerves were on fire though as he rubbed the muscle until it settled down.

[forsaintcecilia]

"No worries, I've got my phone," Kazuki reached over to his bedside table, where his smartphone faithfully sat. It wasn't unusual that he'd have some kind of concern in the middle of the night, or simply couldn't sleep, so it was always at his side, ready to distract him when he needed it. "you probably need to be a native speaker to get through this kind of conversation anyways..."

He rang them up while Deuce worked through pulling a hammy. There was a lot of polite language that didn't really mean anything aside from... being polite to someone who was about to take care of you. If there's anyone on this earth that deserved respect, it was your labor and delivery nurse.

He was able to explain what had happened, and answer a couple of questions about his current state fairly smoothly. No, he wasn't having anything he would call "contractions" yet, just feeling crampy and uncomfortable in general. He got the advice to stay put and start tracking contractions when they do start, and to come in whenever he felt like he really needed the support. It was up to him what that meant, but they'd have a room ready whenever he decided on it.

There was another flurry of politeness before he hung up. Kazuki took in a deep sigh to smooth his nerves over. He'd already downloaded an app on his phone to track things as he was told, and he thumbed over to select it.

"Hey, do you think you could help me with a bath? I'd like to at least start clean, you know?"

At the very least, it'd be an unwelcome distraction to feel grimy and gross while he needed to be focusing on something.

[majimekun]

Deuce nodded and decided to slow his roll, watching Kazuki make the call. He definitely seemed calm, so maybe Deuce shouldn't worry right away. This was only confirmed when Kazuki asked for a bath.

"Alright, I'll get it running," he said as headed into the bathroom and started the water, making sure it was the right temperature before stepping out, leaning against the doorway so he could listen to it. "...do you need a snack or anything like that? Or should I just pack those for later?" He'd been told it could take a long time, but ever since those early problems at the start of the pregnancy, Deuce had always felt a little cautious.

[forsaintcecilia]

"Uh... I dunno," Kazuki replied, and hummed thoughtfully. He'd also been led to believe that these things took time, especially with your first, and it was important to keep your energy up for the long haul. But there was a slight chance that eating could increase your risk of aspiration under emergency anesthesia. The decision was up to personal discretion.

"...I guess something small would be okay," he eventually answered. Nothing felt particularly urgent at the moment. It would probably be best to eat while he was still confident he could keep it down. "We've got some bread left, don't we?"

[majimekun]

"Alright! Some bread coming up!" Deuce headed for the kitchen and started to slight some up. "Just plain bread or anything like that? And what do you want when you get out of the hospital?"

He's trying to distract himself by planning ahead for now. Not that Deuce is the best at that sort of thing, but it's also encouraging somehow. And besides, they should celebrate the birth of their first child.