Chapter Text
A Braxton Hick. That was what woke Giorno up and heralded the start of a very long, very tense day; Valentines Day. The blonde sat up with a light gasp, instinctively putting a hand on his stomach, followed by a pain that radiated from his spine to his thighs. He hissed through his teeth, knowing he had to grit and bare it until it passed, but the pain went on for longer than usual. It flared like fire in his veins, mixed with painful sparks of electricity, causing a soft whine to worm from the blonde’s throat. Just before he could begin shaking Mista awake, it went away, leaving Giorno breathless. Panicking, he quickly got up and checked the sheets only to sigh in relief; no wet spot, no broken water.
Unfortunately, another kick, this time to his bladder, made him wince and quickly head out down the hall to the bathroom. After that and brushing his teeth, Giorno padded out into the kitchen to make coffee. As he waited for the coffee to brew, Giorno began walking back down the hall and turning right into the baby’s room. Everything was set for when they would bring Serafina home; a bassinet, changing table, a rocking chair, mobile, a play mat, and sets of clothes and diapers all packed away and at the ready. But, some things didn’t look quite right...
Sighing to himself, Giorno began bustling around the room, rearranging things here and there, folding up things only to unfold them, going over the clothes to take to the hospital, and fixing anything that looked mildly wrong or out of place. All the while, he could feel little kicks and movements in his stomach as if Serafina was giving her two cents about what he was doing. While draping a blanket over the rocking chair, Giorno was struck again by a crackling pain shoot up his spine, bringing him to his knees. Wincing, Giorno couldn’t help but let out a louder pained sound.
“...Giorno!! ”
A set of muffled footsteps could be heard out in the hall and got louder as a certain brunette tore through the apartment before barreling through the door. Mista was at Giorno’s side in an instant on a knee, supporting him, and trying to look at his fiancé through the curtain of golden hair.
“Gio, babe. What’s going on? Is it time? Should I call Nora? Your dads?”
Giorno couldn’t answer quite yet, but he waved a hand before struggling to regain his balance and slowly started walking around the room like he learned in class. His steps were shuffling, a hand on his stomach, labored breaths filled the silence, and Mista followed him in spurts, trying his best to stay calm. Just like the one before, it lasted longer but the pain went away just before it got unbearable. Once he was able to breathe normally again, Giorno spoke.
“I think..I think we should call Nora. This is the second one this morning..” He managed.
Not wasting any time, Mista rushed out of the room, got his phone, and had to wait to get connected to Nora, just enough time for Giorno to pour a cup of coffee and a glass of pomegranate juice. Mista gave his fiancé a soft kiss before taking a drink. An abrupt end in the waiting music on the phone caused both men to pause.
“Hello?”
“Nora? It’s Giorno.”
“Giorno~! Happy Valentine’s Day! How are you this morning?”
“Thank you, same to you. And, I’m fine mostly,” Mista gave his fiancé a look of disbelief. “I woke up to a hick this morning, and I just got through another one.”
“Oh. Just within the hour?”
“Yes.” Giorno tried not to let the uncertainty sneak into his voice; time had lapsed a bit for him since he woke up.
“Does that mean anything?” Mista interjected.
Nora paused.
“Have you noticed any other changes since last week? More discharge? Pressure in your pelvis? Your water?”
“I almost thought my water broke with that first one when I woke up.”
Nora chuckled over the phone.
“But, I have noticed more of...that, and no real change in my pelvis.”
“Hmm. Well, this could mean that your baby’s getting ready to come out.”
Giorno went silent while Mista’s lip quivered.
“What should we watch out for at this stage??”
“I’d say keep watch on the time between each of them. The shorter the time is between them, the closer you are to real contractions.”
“It gets worse than this??”
“Yup, a whole lot worse. But, if it gets worse, call me.”
“Understood.”
“Alright. Is there anything else I need to know?”
“No. Nothing else for right now.”
“Alright. Have a good day.”
“Same to you. Bye.”
Then the line went dead. Mista grabbed his phone and clicked it off.
“Why were you laughing?” Giorno asked, taking a sip.
The brunette snorted.
“I just, when I heard Nora say ‘she was going to ‘come out’’, I couldn’t help it.”
Giorno puzzled over his fiancé’s words before it clicked and he shook his head with a smile.
“Eyy.”
“You’re a child sometimes.”
“Hey, it’s a trial run so you’ll be ready for Feenie.”
Giorno smiled at the joke and despite trying to keep it on, it falters.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mista’s attentiveness never failed to impress.
Giorno was quiet, hesitantly reaching for his fiancé’s hand, getting it, and letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
“I’m just...worried. This whole thing has been nerve wracking and...I just want it to be over, and...” The blonde’s voice trailed off after that.
He lifted his head at the soft squeeze to his hand, looking to see Mista sitting with him, eyes softening with empathy.
“I know, babe,” he said, his hand tracing over the gilded engagement ring on Giorno’s hand. “I’m nervous about this too.”
“..Really?”
“Yeah. More if Feenie comes today, but I know it’s been really, really hard for you.”
“You scared because she might come on...Valentine’s Day?”
“No, no. Since it’s the 14th and I don’t want anything to go wrong for you or her.”
Giorno paused, letting the confession sink in.
“But hey,” the brunette lifted the blonde’s hand up to kiss it. “if she does come today, just means she’s gonna get some extra love.”
The blonde once again let his fiancé’s words sink in, smiling and nodding in agreement. With that, Mista brought his cup against Giorno’s with a clink , sipping more from it. Taking after him, Giorno began drinking up his glass and draining it. Once they were done, the two went back to their room to get dressed and ready for the day, anticipation weighing on both of them.