Page 18 of The Arrival
TOGETHER
The waiting room of the small clinic is quiet. Nino looks at his wristwatch. They’ve only been sitting down for about three minutes, but his pulse is racing. His knee is bouncing without his direct consent. He rests a palm on his thigh to stop it.
The space is bright from the fluorescent lights lining the ceiling. Long rectangular windows across from them artfully showcase a row of cherry blossom trees in full bloom. The wind gusts, making the branches and flowers sway wild and silent like a vision from a daydream. It calms him in a much-needed way.
“Lord Bianchi? We’re ready for you to come back.”
Standing, Nino inhales a breath. He can’t believe he’s about to do this. Hewantsto do this, but the reality of it still shocks him despite having prepared for it and talked about it for almost seven months. Even saying it in his mind still makes his chest tight and his breath hitch in a panicked way.
A baby… Jesus Christ.
In his defense, he hadn’t considered having a child at all for the first one hundred and twelve years of his life. Then, within the span of a year, he’s progressed from contemplating the idea of a child to physically standing in a clinic and looking at a nurse who’s about to tell him to ejaculate into a cup.
It’s a little jarring.
Swallowing hard, he takes two steps, then pauses and turns. Haruka is sitting in the chair and innocently staring up at him with doe-like sangria eyes. Nino raises his eyebrows. “What are you doing?”
Haruka blinks. “What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you coming with me?”
“I—Should I?”
“Yes.” Nino whips around to the nurse. “He can come in with me, right?”
The nurse straightens, smiling. “Y-yes! Of course he can.”
Nino turns back, his voice an octave higher than normal. “Let’s go!”
His mate stands, quickly joining Nino at his side as he follows the nurse through the door leading to the examination rooms. It feels too cold as they move down the hall, as the air in medical facilities always does. This can’t possibly be helpful for what he needs to accomplish today.
When they step into the room, both the temperature and light are warmer compared with the harsh, sterile nature of the hallway and lobby. It’s sparse, but simple and clean with typical doctor’s office accommodations—stiff wooden chairs, an examination table, a sink, television and a rack of magazines.
“The cups are there.” The nurse points to a small shelf beneath the sink that’s filled with empty plastic cups. “Please use one of those for the sample, and when you’re done, you can just leave it on the counter beside the sink for us to retrieve. Do you have any questions?”
Nino grins, feeling more awkward than he ever has in his entire life. “Nope. I think we’re good.”
“Wonderful. We’ll see you at the nurses’ desk when you’re done.” He nods, waiting for the nurse to close the door behind her. When she does, Nino turns, his eyes narrowed.
“Harukaaaa.”
His mate huffs a laugh and rubs his palms against his face. Nino shakes his head.
“For fuck’s sake—you thought I’d come in here by myself? Look at some gross porn magazines to get myself off?”
His palms still covering his face, Haruka’s voice is muffled. “I hadn’t… thought about it. Explicitly.”
“WellIhave.” Nino takes the step needed to place himself within Haruka’s space. He takes hold of his wrists, gently pulling his hands down. His face is red. Nino smiles. “Are you embarrassed?”
“Slightly.”
“Welcome to the club. You’re unbelievable.”
Haruka chuckles in his bubbly way, lowering his head as Nino holds on to his wrists. Dipping, Nino presses a soft kiss to the mole on Haruka’s nose. “You’ve been pretty damn explicit about wantingmeto give the sample.”
“Because I—I want… I would like our first child to resemble you.”
Nino’s face reddens as he grins. “That’s fine, but if you want a baby from me, you have to help make it.”
