Chapter Text
He wakes to bright lights and amazed murmurs. Within him is the fervent urge to wail, and though he tries to stifle it, it rips out of his lungs with ferocity. Relief fills him immediately in the form of oxygen, and he now realizes he needed to breathe. His cries quiet down until he is sniffling, and he focuses on the warmth engulfing him to keep himself calm.
Garbled noises fill his ears, and he burrows his head further into the soft warmth, relaxing when a hand comes up to pat his head. The steady thumping of something alive lulls him, but he forces himself to stay awake. He needs to clear his head if he wants to know what happening. He’s definitely in the hospital from what he’s discerned so far, and now he can make out the words of medics talking of heart rate and morphine, and he is probably not entirely healed as he still feels very weak, and–
Why does his pillow have a heartbeat?
He opens his eyes despite the blinding brightness of the room, to several gasps. Mutters of “two different colours”, and “God’s child” touch his ears. One voice cuts through all the others.
“Is it born?”
Silence descends in one fell swoop. He can make out the blurry hulking figure of a man. He feels the warm body around him tense, and he frowns in discomfort.
“It’s a boy, Your Majesty.” A brave nurse pipes up from his left. “He is quite healthy, and right on time. He appears to be a very strong child.”
The words confuse him. He’s always been a boy, it’s not news. He can feel the eyes of the man on him, and he shivers. There is something familiar about this heavy presence, and not welcome.
“That remains to be seen.” Comes the booming voice at last, and he feels rather than sees the man leave the room. The arms around him relax, so he does too.
The murmurs start up again, congratulating his warmth for a healthy birth and asking about names. He feels soft fingers brush his cheek, and he leans into them. Then, he hears the most gentle voice he’s ever heard.
“Hello, my little Shouto.”