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Part 4: The Birth

For a few minutes, Izuru watched while Gundham labored, breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly. He hooked his thumbs around his pants, pulling them down and off before flinging them away. He still kept his heavy coat on, even though he appeared to be quite hot, panting in between the breaths he took during contractions. Izuru squinted at him.

"Do you not wish to remove your coat?" He asked. "If yours is anything like mine, you will get rather hot quickly."

"I -- my scars," Gundham finally breathed out. "My scars are there. I do not wish to... to disgust you."

Izuru nearly laughed. "Do not be silly. I am not disgusted. You have seen mine, after all."

Gundham paused, then carefully began to peel off his coat. He folded it carefully, lovingly, then removed his scarf and undershirt, which clung to his body with sweat. He normally wore the scarf to carry his hamsters around, but the hamsters had been absent during the last days of his pregnancy. Gundham had likely been preparing for this somewhat.

Unlike Izuru, it quickly became obvious that Gundham had not gone through the same corrective surgery as he had. It had not been as obvious when he wore the coat, and Izuru had a feeling that was part of the reason why he hadn't wanted to take it off. A little shiver passed through Gundham's body now that he was completely bare, but any cares he might've had about it faded as a soft wail left his lips.

"I -- need to check -- dilation," he panted, then carefully eased himself into an easier position, sitting back and pressing his fingers deep inside of himself. Izuru didn't watch, keeping his eyes on Gundham's face while he did, waiting until he pulled out and sighed. "As I suspected. I am -- am fully dilated, the first is ready."

Izuru's heart pounded in his chest with anxiety as he stared at Gundham. "What should I do?" He asked, carefully approaching the laboring man. "I wish to help."

"Stroke my hair, if you will," Gundham replied. "I -- it relaxes me. I must be relaxed as possible for this to end quickly." He knew in his heart that it wouldn't be over quickly anyway, but he did need to be relaxed, and he sighed blissfully when Izuru began to pet his hair. Normally well-kept, it was messy now, strands of hair sticking to his face with sweat.

Slowly, Gundham spread his legs, bracing his heels against the floor while he leaned against the side of the nest. As nervous as Izuru was for him, he kept up the petting, not going to stop until Gundham told him to. He watched the contractions ripple through his housemate's body, each one stronger than the last. Gundham didn't push until they were at their strongest, however. As soon as he did, it was obvious, because a strangled cry left his lips when he started.

"Izuru," he panted out. "It -- it will be a while, but -- when the child begins to crown, it will need support. I cannot do it myself." Another inhale, another deep breath. "If you can... please..."

"I understand." Izuru nodded, understood how Gundham must've been feeling at the moment. While he likely felt incredible, he was also worried for the well-being of the litter he carried. Gundham parted his legs a little further, helping to open his hips to allow for easier passage. He closed his eyes and leaned back, allowing his body to lead him through the process.

A long, low moan left Gundham about an hour after he'd started to push, and instinctively, Izuru knew what was happening. He moved to rest between Gundham's parted legs, murmuring encouragement to him while he looked. Dragons were always born muzzle-first, to allow them to breathe, and Izuru carefully placed his palms in front of the emerging Coatl kitten's muzzle, under the chin to support it as it appeared. Gundham's legs trembled as he hooked a hand under his thigh to keep himself spread, groaning and whining as he pushed.

Izuru wondered how Gundham was keeping his calm as the head crowned further. Thankfully, Coatl heads were small and narrow, but the bodies were long, and took a while to birth completely. The simple fact that he'd been pushing for an hour was enough proof of that. Izuru had barely been able to keep himself in check pushing the eggs through, he had no idea how Gundham was holding himself together.

"This -- this will take a while," Gundham breathed. "My body will need to stretch. The head -- the head is small, but the shoulders are wider."

"How many are you carrying?" Izuru asked. He kept his eyes on the crowning kitten, taking a cloth from the nest and using it to carefully clean the nose and mouth to make sure it could breathe.

"Six, just as you had," Gundham murmured. Suddenly, he gasped, his body tensing as an unexpected orgasm gripped him. He moaned softly as his body continued to push, the child's head suddenly appearing fully with a rush of fluid. Izuru supported it gently, though he certainly did not envy Gundham at the moment. The other man didn't seem regretful or embarrassed at all, instead just panting softly once the orgasm ended.

"The head is out," Izuru told him. "Will the rest of the body come quickly?"

"After the shoulders, yes," Gundham nodded. "Mmm... but you will need to support the head until then. It could... still be a while."

Gundham gasped again, hands curling into the sheets. "I -- will not be coherent much longer," he warned. "If -- if you have any more concerns, voice them now."

"What am I to do after they are born?" Izuru asked.

"Give them to me. They -- will need to nurse while I rest for a short while. And we will need to bond as well," Gundham replied. "I can care for -- for the newborns from there."

"Alright." Izuru continued his quiet support as Gundham pushed, the first shoulder appearing thirty minutes after the head. The second shoulder came much faster, and Izuru lifted his second hand to support the child as it came, the rest of the body slipping from its father's along with another rush of fluid. Gundham sighed and shivered in relief as Izuru cleaned the newborn a bit, then rested it on his chest.

Carefully, Gundham cradled the newborn, stroking the soft, wet fur and admiring the new life he'd created. "She is beautiful, is she not?" She had her father's colors, though she was a bit darker, and when her eyes blinked open, there were flecks of silver in her wide yellow eyes. Though she had not cried after her birth, she did give soft whimpers now. Knowing she needed to feed, Gundham guided her head to his breast, allowing her to nurse and knead with her tiny paws.

"Is it worth getting attached?" Izuru asked, watching the intimate moment between the new father and daughter. "Will their father not take them from us?"

"Only if we do not wish to raise them ourselves. As Sornieth law goes, the one who births has the right to the offspring." He stroked her cheek with his thumb, and she gave a few happy squeaks. "Besides, Javert does not wish to parent completely. He is, more or less, repaying a debt to his Clan."

Izuru nodded. He thought of the eggs, of the idea of someone else raising the clutch he had so carefully tended to, and his chest ached.

When the firstborn had finished eating and fell asleep, Gundham cut through the cord connecting them, then looked up at Izuru. "Take her to the far end of the nest," he instructed. "She will be safe there while the others come." Izuru obeyed him, taking the newborn from her reluctant father and nestling her carefully in the far corner.

Izuru watched as Gundham continued to labor, a new kitten emerging every few hours, following the same routine. Finally, the last one came, and once everything was settled, Gundham curled protectively around the six newborns -- two sons and four daughters -- falling asleep before Izuru could say anything to him.

Izuru himself was exhausted, but he still made sure Gundham and his brood were safe before returning to his own, arranging them carefully and resting his head on the side of his nest as he drifted off to sleep.