Miscommunication
Written for: Chibi Michi for the 30houshin secret santa exchange
Pairing: Duo x Usagi

Duo was beginning to think that Usagi was pregnant.

The signs weren't blatant; she wasn't suddenly buying baby clothes or asking him for pickles and ice cream at three in the morning. He'd come home after work more than once to find her in the middle of being sick for no apparent reason, true, and had suggested more than once that she go see a doctor or grab some over-the-counter medicine, but for several days had bought her excuse that it was just a bug and would pass quickly. Her increasingly suspicious behavior, however – the sudden increase in grocery shopping, catching her reading books that she'd immediately hide – made him wonder if something more serious wasn't going on.

He wasn't quite sure what he'd do if she was expecting. They were pretty serious, what with the living together, and more than once he had considered what it'd be like to be married to her, but the idea of being of a father… Whatever he felt, though, he was determined to confront her tonight and find out what was really going on; they were too close to be keeping secrets like this.

He adjusted the items he held – flowers, chocolate, and jewelry to celebrate their first anniversary – took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

"Happy Anniversary!" Clad in a poufy yellow dress and apron like some old-fashioned housewife, Usagi threw her arms wide as she greeted him, and he grinned to see her in a good mood.

"You look great, 'Sagi. Turn around for me?"

Humming happily, she danced in a circle, letting him see that she had tied her apron strings in a large, rather lopsided bow.

"Wait a second, is that new?" He scratched his head, trying to remember if he had ever seen that outfit in her closet. "It looks expensive."

"That's not important!" she chirped quickly, and began pulling him towards the kitchen before he could respond.

"Hey, 'Sagi, your stuff—" He held up his gifts and watched in confusion as she set them aside with barely a second glance.

"Mine first!" She said and continued to lead him to the kitchen, where she presented the table with a flourish. "Tada!"

He gave a low whistle; the entire table was covered in food, from a meat dish heavy with trimmings he couldn't identify to a chocolate treat that looked completely unhealthy and absolutely delicious. He had seen something like this only once in the time they had been together and he wondered what favor Usagi did to get Makoto's help this time.

"Aren't you going to try something while it's warm?"

"No need to rush me, I'm moving." True to his words, he grabbed a fork and dug into the beef, immediately impressed once against with Makoto's skill. It wasn't quite as good as he remembered, but he didn't hesitate before pulling out a chair and taking another bite.

Usagi leaned closer and played with the hem of her skirt nervously. "How is it?"

"It's great, 'Sagi." He took another forkful to back up his words and waved it at her teasingly. "You're not going to have to set Makoto up with one of the guys again, are you?"

"Nope; I cooked everything myself!" Usagi threw her hands up enthusiastically, and Duo couldn't help but glance at his fork suspiciously. "I practiced all week to get it perfect!"

Suddenly, everything clicked into place so smoothly he was surprised he hadn't figured it out earlier. "Usagi, have you been making yourself sick testing your own food?"

"You say it like I meant to," she argued, looking away sulkily. "I didn't think I was really that bad but I guess Rei wasn't just making fun of me. I've never thrown up so much in my life."

He chuckled and stood up to kiss her, resting his head against the crook of her neck. "Usagi, you didn't need to make yourself sick for me. I would've eaten anything you made."

She searched his face to see if he was lying but Duo had years of practice schooling his expression and for once he actually meant it. Satisfied with what she found, she cuddled up close to him, content, it seemed, to simply stay in his grasp for a while.

A thought came to him. "I guess this means you're not pregnant?"

"Are you calling me fat?"

Any and all comments are welcome.