Author note: I don't own Yakitate! Japan or Emerald City.

I also don't own the song "breathin" by Ariana Grande, which partially inspired this oneshot. Also, Thomas Sanders and Foti's cover of the same song also helped inspire it.

Warning: An instance of an anxiety attack happens in this fic (specifically during the first phone call scene).

Other notes: Takes place post-"Reconnect" and all other fics in the "Home" Continuum, Yakitate! Japan and Emerald City spoilers, established EamonnxMeister, mentioned MonKai

breathin

Summary: Eamonn gets a phone call from Monica.

"Eamonn?"

"Monica? Are you okay?"

"I don't know—"

"What happened? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not physically hurt, I just—I don't know—"

"Just breathe."

"How!?"

"I need you to inhale deeply and hold it."

"…"

"Now exhale, slowly."

"…H-how did you…?"

"Something I learned from therapy, but that's a completely different story for another time. Just keep breathing, just like that. Okay?"

"…Okay…okay."

"Now…can you tell me what happened? Or do you want to…come over here? I can meet you in the back, my shift is done in an hour…"

"It's gonna take me at least thirty minutes to get over there, so I'll meet you in an hour. 'Kay?"

"Okay."

Eamonn leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. Kuroyanagi happened to overhear the last of his phone call with Monica and, after hearing what was going on, told him something about Monica and Kai. Apparently word had it that the two weren't exactly doing so well, and Eamonn had a very bad feeling about what that phone call was about.

"Eamonn?"

He looked up from phone (he was hoping to get at text from her to see where she was) to see none other than Monica. Her eyes were reddened from crying, and he noticed the suitcase and duffel bag she had on her.

"Monica…? What—" He started, walking towards her, but she beat him to the chase.

"Kai and I broke up about an hour ago."

Well, shit.

Eamonn knew Kai and Monica hadn't exactly been on good terms since she finally told him that she wasn't actually pregnant with her and Kai's child, that it was just a ruse to make sure he didn't up and die by suicide. But…Eamonn hadn't heard anything of their relationship since that sushi night. Eamonn had assumed that they patched things up and wanted to put it behind them, since that time.

He was very wrong, evidently.

"I—"

"Please just hug me. I haven't had one in weeks."

That was how Eamonn found himself hugging Monica, who dropped all her stuff and bawled into his chest for about fifteen minutes.

He heard the door open behind them, and he turned his head to see Sylvan looking out.

"Are you two okay?"

"Uh.." Eamonn looked down at the still-crying Monica, then to Sylvan, before shaking his head.

The blond could only swallow. "Uh…come in. Perhaps I can get you something to drink and we'll figure this out?"

"So, long story short: Kai dumped you and kicked you out of the house after you two got into a serious fight earlier this afternoon."

"I dumped him and I voluntarily left the house, Meister." Monica corrected. "Otherwise you got that right."

Eamonn and Sylvan both exchanged looks, Sylvan hastily sipping his tea to avoid commenting any further. The General Manager, pattissier and security guard were all currently in Meister Kirisaki's office to discuss the very sudden matter.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Sylvan asked. He felt Eamonn squeeze his hand a bit hard, and Sylvan squeezed his hand back in reassurance. "Last I checked, I do believe we have a spare room or two here, as we provide such for the Main Branch employees if needed. It's not as big as the dojo, but you can stay here."

"Well…" Monica bit her lower lip. "I guess I can do that for now. Not sure what else to do, honestly."

A month passed since the breakup.

Monica ended up working more with the more patisserie-related parts of baking (as well as some more regular baking, of course) to make up for staying at the Main Branch until she either found her own place or figured something else out. Shachioko offered for Monica to let her stay with him, but that would mean Monica going back and forth from Nagoya to the Main Branch's store and back for six hours a day, so eventually they worked something out—Monica would stay at the Main Branch on weekdays, but on weekends (if she didn't have to work that day or something) she'd room over at Shachioko's place. Not the best arrangement, but it was all they could do for now.

Eamonn noticed Monica get sick at times, but figured it could be from heartbreak. It did that to you, sometimes. He remembered, after first landing in Japan, grappling with no longer having Maeve or Indra or his son by his side, no longer being able to share the same house with them, that they could even remember him. It led to sleepless nights, several bouts of panicking on his own (thank goodness he was going to therapy for that right now) and more.

He knew she would need time to heal. He listened to her when she needed to rant to someone, and didn't bring it up with her when she didn't want to.

But then he got another phone call one day, during his shift.

"Monica? Is that you?"

"Eamonn…can we talk?"

"I'm still on my shift right now, I can…"

"I'm pregnant."

Eamonn proceeded to tell Kuroyanagi that it was an emergency, the executive quickly letting him go and getting someone else to go in for him.

"You're pregnant." Eamonn managed. He sat on the edge of the docks beside her.

Monica nodded, swallowing. "Yup." Her voice trembled, and he suspected she was crying before he arrived.

They were both at the port where he and Sylvan were once whisked off by a tornado some while ago. Eamonn couldn't help but recall those memories, remember how Ozma nearly made Sylvan completely forget about him. He still didn't fully understand how he managed to help Sylvan regain memories of him and of them together, but he was grateful they did.

But right now, he had to focus on Monica. She looked so small, sitting beside him, and he thought that she seemed small enough from how broken up she was at her breakup last month. Now she looked even smaller.

"How…?" Eamonn tried to think. It was only two months since the sushi night where she told him she was faking the pregnancy and then she and Kai got in that fight, right? And they broke up…a month ago at this point? So…

Oh. Wait. They must have…

Eamonn shut his mouth, ears flushing. Maybe it was best he didn't ask. He had a good idea what happened between that sushi night and the breakup, now.

Monica didn't appear to hear him, though, as she spoke up. "I know I have the maternity clothes for at least the first month or so, and I've read up a bunch of stuff online and offline about pregnancy because of my fake one so I have the gist of what to do, but…you know, I didn't think it was gonna happen yet."

Eamonn blinked, looking to her. "Did you…want a family?"

"I never really told you about mine, huh?"

He shook his head. "No."

"We were really poor while I was growing up. My papa thought, after we moved to America, that we would find opportunities there, but…we didn't do much better over there, either. He collapsed, and my mama got ill through all the stress, so it kind of boiled down to just me. And then Yuiichi Kirisaki found me."

Eamonn swallowed. "That's how you got into the Monaco Cup." He finally managed.

"Yup. He promised I'd be the general manager of St. Pierre's Patisserie branch, if Team USA won." Monica explained, scratching the back of her head. "Of course, I lost. And then I ended up moving in with Kai after the Monaco Cup…and you know the rest."

Something between a scowl and a hiss escaped her as she buried her head in both hands, bunching up her knees to her chest. "I…I know I want a kid. I just never thought it would be so soon, you know? And not during a situation like this."

Eamonn paused, before Monica spoke up again, looking to him.

"I know this is probably super-personal, and you really don't have to tell me, but…what was your family like?"

Eamonn swallowed, thinking of the family he once had. He did trust Monica, and he up until now that she knew next to zilch about his past. But she'd just opened up so much to him, and he did trust that both of them would keep the information shared between them private. So…

"Well…"

"General Manager?"

"Suwabara? Hello…"

"Where's Monica? She hasn't picked up in weeks, and…"

"I'm not obliged to tell you that information."

"But—"

"If she wants to contact you, she'll contact you herself. If she wants privacy, Suwabara, I will respect her wishes. I'm sorry."

"That all happened to you?"

She stared up at him, wide-eyed, but she only saw him nod and swallow a bit.

"Yes. That happened. Sylvan did bring up me trying to bring back their memories after I managed to do that with him, when we accidentally ended up in Oz a little while ago, but I decided…it's better to move on."

"Move on?" She stretched her arms behind her back a bit. "How do you move on?"

He chuckled, softly. "I don't know how to move on, but what I do know I want to be with Sylvan. I want to stay here in Tokyo. And I want to keep hanging out with you. Spencer, too, if he wants."

"Wait wait wait." Monica managed, running a hand through her own hair. "Hang out with me?"

"Of course. I consider you a friend. I guess…the first one in a while." He paused, then asked, "Is that weird? That I consider you as a friend?"

She paused, then shook her head. "Well…"

That was when Monica's cellphone buzzed, and she hissed, picking it up, shoulders tensing. "Damn it!"

Eamonn didn't have to look at the number glowing on her phone to ask. "Is it Kai?"

"Yeah, it's him. Should I?"

He looked her in the eyes, quietly. "Only if you want to."

She took a deep breath and took the call.

"Hello?"

"Monica!"

"Kai. Hey."

"You hadn't picked up in weeks and no one else would tell me anything about where you went, or…damn it, I was worried about you."

"Spencer didn't even tell you?"

"I tried asking him ten times. He kept his lips zipped."

"Good, 'cause I'm sticking with him for the time being…at least on weekends. I have something figured out, no need to worry about it."

"Can we…talk?"

"We're talking."

"In person, I meant. I just…I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"And I'm sorry. About everything."

"I'm sorry, too."

"Can we…?"

"I…look, I don't know. I don't know if we should get back together…"

"But—"

"Kai, I'm pregnant, and for once I'm not lying."

"…Are you..?'

"I don't know what to do with the child, I only found out earlier today. I don't know what to do about us. I just…I need time, okay?"

"Okay."

Monica hung up.

Eamonn said nothing until she put the phone away. "You told him?"

"Yeah." Monica looked him in the eyes. "You think it was a bad idea?"

"I think he would've found out at some point. Better sooner than later." He paused, then slowly, gently, put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to comfort her. "Whatever you decide to do…I'm here for you, alright?"

She looked to his hand on her shoulder, and then she placed her own hand over it, looking up at him.

"…Thanks."

Eamonn, in all honesty, didn't know what else he could do but just be there for her.

Maybe being there for her was the best thing he could do. And it couldn't solve everything, but it was a comfort to her he'd give.