Title: Peerless

Author: sllebswap

Characters/Pairing: Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

Type: OneShot/Drabble Collection (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/General/Humor

Word Count: 4883

Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)

Disclaimer: Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

Summary: To be peerless is to be unrivalled. Standing at the highest peak, unchallenged and without equal. To be peerless is to endure; the pressure of the world clamoring at your feet, the stark bite of loneliness clawing at your back. …Or is it always?

Loosely interconnected one-shots/drabbles exploring the curious relationship between Tsukasa Eishi and Kobayashi Rindou. Updates may not be in chronological order.

Verse: Canon Divergent AU

Chapter Last Revised on: 20/07/18

飞燕

When their son finally decided that it was time to make his exciting debut into the world, there was no warning whatsoever.

After teasing his exasperated parents with his impending arrival for weeks, it finally happened one fine day in April. To be precise, it was the day after his father's birthday – maybe the baby was being considerate, giving his prone-to-anxiety male parent a nice break before the poor man had to assume the hectic schedule that was full time fatherhood.

One moment, the heavily expectant redhead was in the middle of preparing her afternoon snack in the kitchen, and the next, her water broke and there was a huge puddle of amniotic fluid all over the floor and dripping down her legs and she was still holding onto her ladle in the middle of stirring miso paste into borscht soup.

This time was not a drill, and of course it figured that when the big event was about to go down for real, she was all alone at home. Her husband had some very important guests to serve at the restaurant that evening, and even though he was becoming more and more reluctant to leave her side now that she was so big and due anytime soon, she had thrown a fit and made him go to work that morning all the same because he would have been underfoot and getting in her way the entire time and there would be no getting rid of him with how he was poking into her business so much lately.

In hindsight, perhaps it might not have been the best idea to push Eishi out the door as soon as possible, but that thought was neither here nor there now. Rindou stared down at the growing pool of birthing fluid on the floor, and then back up at the bubbling soup on the stove which she was hankering to eat. She wilted sadly; she was hungry and had been looking forward to trying her newest invention, a brainchild which she had dreamt up late last night. Her stomach had been gurgling all day long in anticipation too…or maybe was that because the baby was coming…?

What a mess, geeze.

The redhead decided to clean up. She was sticky and uncomfortable and grimaced as her soaked indoor slippers squished beneath her feet when she shifted gingerly. The aching and contractions were starting to make their presence known, ramping up bit by bit, but they were still manageable, and she could power past the dull pain. So this was why she had been feeling so weird today – she had attributed it to indigestion, turned out that she was giving birth.

Rindou set down the ladle, switched off the stove and picked up her phone. She sent a short text to her doctor ('water broke, going to hospital'), and then carefully waddled off to the bathroom to take a quick shower and change out of her soiled clothes. They had prepared for this, so she was calm as she went through the motions. Once bathed and changed into a new, clean set of outfit complete with padded maternity underwear, Rindou wandered back out to survey the mess that she had inadvertently made.

She figured that Tsukasa was going to have kittens if she left the gross biologicals as they were all over the floor for him to find when he got back later, and suddenly it became imperatively important to her adrenaline-confused mind that she save her fainthearted significant other from that emotional trauma because – 1) the kitchen was his sacred space, and 2) she already married him so she had to take good care of him now and make sure he last a long time.

With that firm logic and abrupt determination that made little sense to anyone but herself, the heavily pregnant woman broke out the cleaning supplies and got down on her hands and knees to diligently disinfect every inch of the floor until she was grimly satisfied by how much the linoleum tiles gleamed beneath her furious scrubbing…and then an abrupt contraction had her gasping on all fours, the sudden pressure bearing down on her back intensely enough to make her eyes water, a blatant reminder that she was currently in the midst of childbirth and really had no business carrying out spontaneous housekeeping duties at the moment.

The redhead grimaced and rode out the wave of discomfort, arching slightly in a bid to relieve the pain. Eventually, the contractions abated enough for her to move, she climbed slowly onto her feet and grabbed her phone. She dialed for a cab, and then realized that she was still ravenous, too. So while waiting, Rindou took her mind off of the labor pains by focusing on the hunger pangs instead. She packed her miso-borscht soup into a portable flask, washed up, and then waddled off to the entryway, picking up her purse and hospital bag on the way.

She paused at the doorway, contemplating how to let Eishi know what was happening. She found herself stuck in a dilemma – the VIPs he was entertaining tonight were some really, really influential individuals, and she did not want to distract him from wholeheartedly sharing his culinary visions with the guests who had patiently waited for so long just to eat at his table. On the other hand, he had specifically made her promise to leave him a message if anything were to happen, so she knew that her well-intentioned reluctance was not going to stick when he inevitably found out…

In the end, she settled for a compromise of scribbling him a quick Post It note, which she stuck on the fridge door.

Gone to have baby. Probably won't be home in time for supper. –R

Content that she had held up her end of her promise (even if not in spirt then at least in letter), the expectant female locked up, left the apartment, and proceeded to march off to tackle the thoroughly messy, bloody business of bringing a tiny, new life into this world.

As expected, when Eishi returned to the apartment hours later after work, he was not happy at all to find wife missing and only an exasperatingly halfhearted note left behind explaining her disappearance. Gone to have baby? Won't be home in time for supper? She made it sound like she had just wandered out to pick up groceries.

The moment he snatched up the note and figured out what had happened, the frazzled white haired (and white faced) man had immediately did an abrupt about turn and rushed out of their home, fighting the rare urge to utter profanities under his breath. He drove to the hospital in record time, burst through the doors of the hospital like the frantic dad-to-be like he was, and the staff at the delivery ward must have already seen their share of panicking husbands/significant others and they sure as certain all recognized the Tsukasa couple on sight by now so the nurse on duty promptly pointed him in the direction of his laboring mate.

"You-" Eishi started darkly the moment he stalked into the ward that she had been settled in, and finally got to see for himself that she was perfectly fine. "-were supposed to leave me a message."

Rindou waved at him, not surprised to see that he had finally found his way here. She was happy to see him, eyes lighting up – in a surprisingly good mood despite being in the middle of childbirth. "I did! You wouldn't be here otherwise!"

"I meant a text message and you know it, you exasperating woman," he uttered disgruntledly as he headed straight towards her. She was already changed into a hospital gown, sitting on a chair in the room and enjoying a bowl of fruits and a sports drink that the nurses had given her to keep her energy level up. The television was playing in the background, offering some form of entertainment and ambient noise, and overall, the atmosphere was relaxing, nothing like the charged, frenetic environment of how one would assume a labor would be like.

"S'all good – you're here all the same and as you can see, nothing really exciting has actually happened yet." He was still visibly agitated and ruffled, though – so she reached out and petted his arm as he stood beside her. "Doc said that I still have some ways to go before the party downstairs starts, so you're right on time! How's work?"

He stared at her balefully, vaguely nonplussed by her upbeat demeanor. "…I cooked. The guests ate. They paid for the meal and left. We closed up," he finished in succinct conclusion.

She scowled faintly at his deadpan. He was normally a lot more descriptive and willing to talk – he was just being deliberately annoying right now, she knew it. "Duh! Of course I know that! Gimme all the juicy details! Did they love your menu? Oh, what am I saying; of course they loved it! Rephrase; which dish did they like most? What did they say? What were they like? Did you get an autograph? Did you take a photo too?"

Her easy faith and firm belief in him was humbling, as always. He sat down on the chair beside hers, relenting.

"Members of Japanese royalty are not allowed to give out autographs or take unofficial photos with the public," he reminded her. "…But importantly, they enjoyed the dinner service. I'm honored by the patronage. The young princess especially asked a lot of animated questions about the dishes, and about French culture."

She beamed at his modest, quietly pleased reply. "Did it bring smiles to their faces, eating your delicious food?"

"…It did."

"Did it make you happy too, seeing your guests explore your cooking with delight and wonder?"

"Yes."

"Then…has this difficult journey been worth it so far, Tsukasa?"

His gaze softened. She was so genuinely elated for him, her pride was almost tangible. She was still affectionately petting his forearm, so he turned his palm up and took her hand in his own.

This journey had led him to this point, where everything he needed was right here, before him.

"Absolutely."

"And don't think I don't know that you're trying to change the subject. You better tell me what happened to you from beginning to end."

She looked vaguely amused by his demand. "What's there to tell~? We had sizzling hot makeup sex about nine months ago and did it prolifically all over the apartment until you knocked me up, and now here we are – hey, you were very much there too, did you forget already?"

He spluttered, even as the nurse who had briefly stopped by to check on Rindou muffled a giggle behind her hand, struggling to keep a straight face as she monitored the vitals of both mother and baby, making sure that both were well while they were waiting for Rindou to dilate enough to enter the active stage of labor.

"I was talking about what happened to you earlier today, you insufferable woman." Of course he had very well remembered how they had ended back together as well as what they had done that night to result in her pregnancy.

"Oh, that. I was making lunch when my water broke. Don't worry, I cleaned up the mess before I cabbed over."

"…" Who asked her to do that? He frowned at her. "Next time, please just go to the hospital straightaway – what if you gave birth while you were cleaning? Better yet, next time, just call me like you were supposed to-"

He was starting to warm up to his lecture, and she grimaced.

"Oi, you. I had everything under control," she interjected before he could really get going – there would be no stopping him then. "And I knew that you were going to overreact and insist on dropping everything to run over so that's why I left the message instead, hmmph."

He was exasperated by her reply. "Of course I would rush over right away! My wife's giving birth to our firstborn – there's nothing more important than being here right now."

His words were nearly enough to make a woman swoon. The nurse was certainly smiling with approval at this emphatic demonstration of husbandly concern, her gaze resting warmly on the young couple as she excused herself, her role fulfilled for the hour, at least. Rindou was not so easily moved by her partner's earnest determination, though she did not stop petting him to calm him down.

"You say this now, but let's see if you still feel that way when the time comes to change the baby's diapers."

Childbirth was a lot of waiting, it quickly became apparent to the soon-to-be parents. A whole, long series of waiting, but now they were finally on the home stretch.

Waiting for contractions. Waiting for dilation. Waiting for the baby to get in just the right position to be born.

Rindou was in a surprisingly upbeat mood for the most parts – 'Of course I'm happy! This baby is finally coming out; have you any idea how long I've been waiting for this?' – but as more time elapsed, the frequency of the contractions spiked and the intensity of the pressure grew sharper, and she became less cheerful and more testy and short-tempered, as she had every right to.

The pain of childbirth was no joke, and she had been enduring it for hours already, even before he arrived to her side. He didn't like to see her suffering, her body struggling so hard to bring their baby out into this world. Her grimaces as she bore through the increasingly long contractions, the way her hands clenched into the bed rails as she gasped at the fierce, constricting discomfort, she was beginning to perspire from the grueling physical exertions and he wished that he could do something for her, other than staying helplessly by her side.

So he conversed with her. Distracting her from her pain, letting her know that her family have been alerted to the fact that the baby was really coming in earnest this time, and that plans to travel back to Japan to see them were in the process of being activated as soon as possible.

"What are you doing?" he asked when she abruptly sat up from the bed and made to stand. She slowly took to her feet, a strangely determined glint in her eyes.

"I need to move," she replied, oddly restless.

"Now?"

She was already shuffling around the room, heading for the door. He got up and went after her. "Rindou, I don't think that's a good idea-"

She brushed him off and made her big escape. Of course she succeeded…though they promptly ran into the midwife at the hallway and the woman was not happy to see her charge wandering around this close to the baby's impending birth. But the matronly lady did not attempt to stop Rindou, after taking one look at her dogged features.

"Keep a close eye on her, Tsukasa-san," the midwife warned the husband gruffly instead. "Be careful that she doesn't falls, always make sure to stop and drop whatever you are doing when a contraction hits; it'd be good if you can time the duration of the contractions too, as well as the interval in between. Your wife is ready to have the baby anytime soon, so we need to watch her closely."

"…Uh, isn't it better if we stayed put in the ward instead?" All the same, Eishi mentally took note of the demands that were required of him.

The stout woman glanced at his huffing and puffing wife, and then flatly back at the obliviously optimistic husband. This was obviously a new father who had never before dealt with the indomitable nature of a woman about to give birth. Well, he would learn soon enough.

"…If you can convince her to stay put, please go ahead."

…Right.

The heavily expectant redhead was incredibly on edge and agitated. She most definitely did not want to sit around, conserve her energy as would be the most sensible thing to do, and wait for the baby to be born. Eishi also had the distinct impression that if he tried to herd her back into the room, she'd probably aim a bedpan at his head. He nodded in understanding, and the midwife stood aside to let them pass. It was not recommended for mothers to be walking around at this stage of labor, but there were some females who grew incredibly restless and needed to pace around before they settled down for the final stretch, and it seemed like the missus Tsukasa was one of those.

"Rindou, where are we going?" Eishi asked, as he held her arm to steady her and they both walked down the hallway together.

"Outside," she mumbled, still tense, her gaze distracted. "I wanna go out. I feel cloistered in here."

Her husband relented at her quiet agitation.

"…Alright. But only for a while, and then we come back."

She grunted grumpily, and they got into the lift after waiting at lobby for some time. However, instead of heading down, they went up. They eventually arrived at the rooftop level, though they had to stop briefly when they stepped out when she was hit by a contraction. She grabbed his hand haplessly, hissing and going stiff as she squeezed hard.

He tried not to wince as she was doing her level best to crush his fingers…which really indicated how much pain she was in. She bit the inside of her cheek and swallowed her groan of discomfort, and he held her steady through the entire duration of the contraction. She was shuddering by the time the pressure eased again, and then she slowly waddled forward. He matched her pace, one hand slowly rubbing her aching lower back, and they made their way to the rooftop garden. He found them a seat on a stone bench nestled amongst the flora, and helped her to settle down. She exhaled and relaxed marginally, calming as she was surrounded by the soothing quiet of nature. They were the only ones there at the moment, and Rindou was intensely glad to be out of the clinical environment of the hospital ward, if only for a little while.

She rubbed her swollen belly ruefully and leaned gratefully into Eishi's side when he sat beside her.

"If I can, I'd give birth right here," she muttered, her eyes closing as she soaked up the peaceful tranquility of the night. This was so much better, feeling a gentle breeze washing across her face, hearing the soft rustles of the trees and shrubs as the passing zephyr teased their branches.

Eishi took her hand in his and entwined their fingers.

"That's a firm, outraged 'no' from me, so don't even entertain that thought," he retorted dryly. He brought her hand up to his mouth, grazing his lips against her knuckles. "Just a little bit more to go," he murmured, coaxing. "Okay?"

Her eyes opened, met his gentle ones. Even though she was feeling very cantankerous and agitated right now, her chest warmed with affection and gratitude for his patience, and his sweetness.

"…I love you," she sighed softly, heartfelt.

He pressed a tender kiss onto the inside of her wrist.

"I love you, too."

"Ooohhh. Huu. HUUHUUHUU. TSU. KA. SA. I. HATE. YOUUUU."

After the fifteenth bellowing declaration from Rindou, Eishi's feelings were no longer hurt by his laboring mate's red faced pronouncement of undying hatred.

He just petted her hand, ears ringing from her screams. "Your lungs are very healthy," he commented. "Just a little bit more to go."

Splayed on the labor bed, the midwife and her assistant working between her draped legs that were hoisted apart on stirrups, Rindou was giving him the worst stink eye ever.

"YOU HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT EVER SINCE YOU CAME HERE, YOU LITTLE- HaaAAA. HUU. HUUHUUHUUHUUUU-"

His response to her howl of fury was to ferry her a glass of energy drink.

"I understand. Please drink this."

He stuck the straw in her mouth before she could yell at him some more, and so she furiously sucked on the Pocari in between agonizing contractions, venting her pain-fueled displeasure on the drink.

Eishi really did not know why he had even been worried about the labor in the first place; even now, his Rindou was energetic as ever. He also didn't mind her volume dial being permanently, violently, stuck on HIGH at the moment – it was an indication of her vitality, after all.

"YOUR ASS IS MINE," she hollered during one particularly intense contraction.

"Okay." He was still petting her the way someone would an enraged anaconda – very carefully. "Deep breaths, Rindou."

"I WILL DEEP BREATH YOUR # (#*, YOU #$#$(-"

"I love you too," he replied.

"£{%}€#-"

She was blowing hard like a sperm whale, complexion splotchy and perspiring all over the place from her massive exertions, even as the midwife coached her to time her breathing and her pushes with the onset of her contractions. It was nearly midnight, she had been in labor for about eleven hours already and not surprisingly, she was very ready to get it done and over with.

"Alright, Rindou-san, we're almost there," the brisk, face mask-muffled voice of the midwife spoke up, and both parents perked up at her announcement. "The baby's head is crowning- we can see him now. One more controlled push should do it. Get ready, on my signal-"

The next few minutes passed in a quick blur. When the contraction surged again, the redhead threw her head back and bore down hard at the midwife's direction, yelling with all of her might as she gave that one last, fierce push to bring her son into this world.

Quick, experienced hands swiftly yanked the newborn out from between his mother's trembling legs, and Eishi's eyes sharpened with interest and anticipation when they lifted the little thing out from beneath the surgical drapes, still pinkish red, all slick and slippery from birthing fluid.

The nursing staff worked fast; the baby's mouth and airway were quickly cleared of fluid and mucus, and then the infant was cleaned and rubbed down gently but briskly with a soft towel to stimulate him into taking his first breath.

The baby squirmed weakly, an unhappy scowl growing on his wizened little old man face, obviously displeased to be so summarily ejected from the warmth of his mother's body into this cold, loud and noisy environment. Eyes squeezed shut, his small chest expanded and he opened his little mouth for the very first time to express his unhappiness, and a scratchy, trembling series of wails escaped him, his tiny but strong, well-formed set of lungs working perfectly – he had obviously inherited that impressive capacity and volume from his mother.

The marvelous sound had an instantaneous effect on Rindou. It was as if she was suddenly possessed by the fiercest parental instinct to respond to the helpess cry of her young, completely vulnerable child. Rindou lifted her head from the pillow, utterly fatigued and still gripped in the throes of pain but eager to see and hold her baby all the same. That sharp bite of desperation was almost on par to that of full blown anxiety; that was how strong her maternal urge was.

The assistant quickly came over, the crying infant in her arms. It was a busy hive of activity in the delivery room. A circulating nurse quickly logged down the time of birth – the newborn would also be weighted and measured later for his birth records. The midwife continued to work efficiently between her charge's legs, helping to deliver the placenta as well as to treat and repair any superficial damage that might have elicited during the course of the delivery.

"Tsukasa-san, would you like to cut the umbilical cord of your son?" Another nurse joined them as well. The baby was still naked, and obviously very much malein anatomy as he was presented to his parents for the very first time. His umbilical cord was promptly and expertly clamped, a razor sharp pair of surgical scissors was extended handle first to the new father, and Eishi quickly severed the cord at the point between the two clamps as indicated.

His crying son was passed over to his impatiently waiting mother next, and Rindou's expression lit up when she received him, cradling him in her arms that were already literally aching fiercely with the need to hold him close. All that agony and discomfort for the last nine months or so were well worth it, just for this single moment alone.

"Hi," she whispered, suddenly so gentle and tender, and nothing like that ferocious and snappy dragoness that she had been earlier. Her flushed expression was soft, her bright, glowing eyes running adoringly, intently, over those beloved, miniaturized features. She loved him so much already. "Hi."

Eishi leaned in close to inspect their son too. He was so very little, and he also looked rather funny and wrinkled and angry pink the way newborns always do, but he had ten little toes and ten little fingers, he was so squishy soft and noisy loud at the same time, and there was what seemed like a light fuzz of matted red hair growing on top of his weird little misshapen head.

He was wonderfully perfect.

Eishi's awestruck gaze gentled, as he was slowly filled with this undeniable, intrinsic understanding that there was nothing that he would not do for this tiny young life.

"Hello, Hi'en. We've been waiting for you."

In the aftermath, everything had felt almost anticlimactic. Or perhaps he had worked himself up into such a state during Rindou's labor that he was completely wrung out, almost as much as she was in fact, by the time her ordeal was over. Contrary to his exhibited outward calm earlier, it had actually taken effort to maintain that state of Zen-ness in the controlled chaos of the delivery suite, in order to keep himself from adding to the rocketing stress levels in the room.

While a physically exhausted but elated Rindou had been wheeled out of the delivery area to be cleaned up and changed into a fresh set of hospital gown, the nurse who had been very expertly taking care of the red faced and squalling newborn whom the redhead had worked so hard to birth gestured for the lost, unsure new father to follow her to the nursery. It was vaguely amusing how the new fathers' reactions were almost always the same regardless of character, socioeconomic status, race or intelligence.

When they eventually placed his newborn son in his arms, now cleaned and swaddled in a soft fleece blanket to keep him warm and toasty, Eishi was trying hard not to panic all over again because his son was still screaming his little head off, looking quite frankly pissed to be born, actually.

The nurse matron glanced at the hopeless expression of the awkward new dad trying very hard not to feel completely out of his league.

"You may want to talk to your son, Tsukasa-san," she suggested helpfully. Eishi stared at her with pure bewilderment. After all that training and baby care classes and he still could not help but feel that he was completely not equipped for the actual thing. "It's okay. He recognizes your voice, you know. …Go ahead and talk to your baby."

And so Eishi did. He shifted slightly and held his son gingerly against his chest, trying to make him comfortable. He could not help but marvel all over again, how absolutely tiny his child was.

"…Shh," he hushed gently, hesitantly at first. "Shh, Hi'en. Hi'en. It's okay. I'm here. You're going to be okay. You're safe. You're my son. I love you. Everything's going to be alright. I'm here now, I'm here."

His voice had an immediate, miraculous effect. The distressed and scared baby started to calm down at the familiar sound. His furiously squalling, flailing wails gradually petered off to quieting squirming, and his tense, shuddering little body started to relax in his father's strong, steady arms. His quick, ragged respiration visibly abated, frantic, racing heartbeats slowing down as his male parent continued to speak softly to him.

Eishi watched with wonder as the newborn, not even an hour old, visibly strained to turn his little head towards him, instinctively seeking the source of that comforting sound. Dark, unfocused eyes slowly squinted open for the very first time, blinking disgruntledly at the blinding, bright lights overhead, trying hard to 'see' this voice that he knew so well...for the very first time. It would be a while more before his vision developed enough for him to actually look at his parents…but for now, this was enough.

The elderly nurse matron smiled with satisfaction as the infant was pacified, his crying finally stopping altogether.

"He was terrified and really stressed out earlier, because this strange new world is so much different from the warm and protective haven inside Okaa-san," she explained kindly. "But now he knows he's safe and not alone, because he hears your voice. Well done, Otou-san."

::owari::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

I was motivated to write this chapter because I've been running in and out of a women's hospital lately and all I see are mothers-to-be so heavily pregnant I kinda wished they hung a safety net between their legs just in case the baby suddenly fell out, haha. (Yah I know it doesn't work that way but still!) Been attending quite a few C-sects too. The noble process of childbirth is amazing and inspiring. But it's also very gross and bloody, I tell you.

Most of all, mothers are freaking amazing. Go and hug your moms please and thank them for all the pain and agony they put themselves through just to bring our obnoxious and argumentative asses out into this world, okay.

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Yes, some of you may have already figured it out two chapters back (kudos to all of you who do, you smart discerning cookies you!), so Hi'en's birthday falls on the 3rd of April, right after his dad's! He's a little Aries ram like papa too!

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Labor can take a very long time, especially for first time mothers. You need the cervix to ripen, soften and shorten, shifting from posterior position to anterior. You need the cervix to dilate. You need the contractions to slowly and continuously move the baby downwards and through the birth canal, and all of these happen in stages. As such, a first birth can take a very long time (and consume a lot of energy), not even taking into consideration the risks of complications.

So in here, as you can see, we have Rindou in various stages of labor…or at least I hope I wrote well enough to demonstrate them!

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Some babies' heads kinda come out a bit flat/misshapen at birth, haha. That's because their skulls are so soft and malleable still, and during the process of birth too much pressure may have been placed onto a certain spot on the head to change the shape, but no worries! This condition almost always correct itself with time.

Worried parents do all sorts of funny things to try to resolve the condition faster though, like putting a correction helmet on their offspring (kinda like the mold the Japanese use to grow square watermelons or make other strange shapes haha), or making sure that the baby does not sleep resting on the same side all the time, or just rubbing the baby's head whenever they can to try to 'rub' it back into a round shape, etc. (lol)

Babies are really resilient and tough, though. We usually tend to treat them like they are so fragile and made of glass, but during the birthing process the midwife and/or the obstetrician just literally drag the little bodies out of the mothers with all the vigor and enthusiasm that one would normally reserve for uprooting a stubborn turnip out from a hard packed ground…and they are still none the worse despite the rough treatment lol.

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Baby!Hi'en recognizes papa's voice! Of course he does, papa speaks a lot to him all the time! The Tsukasa!family storytelling time quite literally starts from Rindou's womb, I'm telling you, haha.

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Main leads' ages in this chapter: 24 y.o.

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Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap