"Um, I don't know how to say this..." Misaki murmured, staring down at her feet.
"Go on, sister-in-law. You can tell me anything," said the man, noticing her nervousness. Misaki sighed.
"Well, uh, Gerard," she started. "Remember that one night about one or two months ago...?" she inquired. Gerard raised an eyebrow.
"There were many nights within the past two months. More specific please?" he replied. Misaki frowned, her face growing a bit red.
"That...that one night that you were visiting Takumi and I...a-and..." she trailed off, murmuring some gibberish. "JUST FORGET I SAID ANYTHING!" she exclaimed, ready to walk out the door, before he started speaking again.
"Ohh," he hummed in understanding. "You mean that night I had to shove clothes under your door to try and muffle the sounds of you and my brother-"
"YES! STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!" Misaki shrieked, clamping a hand over his mouth. The man stared at her in amusement. A few seconds later, she took her hand off his mouth, revealing his cocky smirk.
"Of course I remember. What about it?" he asked, watching as Misaki visibly stiffened.
"Uh, well, see, I-I...I meant, he kinda didn't, err-" she stumbled on her words, trying to find the right way to say it. "I-I'm pregnant." she blurted. Glancing up at his expression, instead of the surprised look she expected he would have on his face, he wore a knowing and expectant expression.
"It's about time," he remarked. Misaki's eyes widened in surprise. "So, what's the point of telling me this? Knowing you I bet you haven't even told Takumi yet."
"Well...that's just it," she said. "I-I don't know how to tell him." she murmured helplessly, before lifting her head up to make eye contact with him. "I wanted to ask for your help." she admitted with a sigh. Gerard raised an eyebrow at this.
"Help? How do you suggest I do that?" he inquired. Misaki shrugged.
"I don't know. I thought you might have an idea...?" she asked hopefully. The dark blue haired man shook his head.
"None. I have absolutely no experience in announcing pregnancies." he responded bluntly. Misaki's lips curved into a frown.
"Alright. Thanks anyway." she sighed in disappointment, turning the doorknob to her brother-in-law's room and walking out.
Misaki was currently staying at the Raven Castle, courtesy of her husband, Takumi Walker. His family finally accepted her- she and Gerard have actually become pretty close friends -though they asked that Takumi stay in Britain for a couple more years until Gerard's health improved enough for him to take over. Of course, they allowed Misaki to stay with him, hence the fact that she was currently living with them.
As she walked down the hall, she noticed a flash of blonde cross her path, causing her to stop in her tracks. A flash of blonde. Takumi.
"Takumi!" Misaki exclaimed, gazing up at her husband affectionately. He turned around to face her, offering a polite smile. The kind of smile he'd show to a business partner or acquaintance- a fake but friendly one. Definitely not a smile his wife would like to be shown.
"Misaki," he greeted back. "I'm busy right now, I can't stay and talk," he informed her, before waving at her and walking down the long hallway away from her. Misaki simply stared at his retreating figure, her jaw hanging open at what just happened.
You'd at least expect he gave her a hug- or hell, at least an affectionate smile. But nope, nothing. Maybe he was just having a bad day?
"Yeah, that's it. Maybe one of those businessmen annoyed him or something," she decided, nodding her head. She'd definitely try to cheer him up later, and maybe even tell him about his child.
"Sorry Misaki, I just have lots of work to do," he apologized, though he said it in such an emotionless tone she questioned whether or not he even meant it. For God's sake, she was questioning if he was even human anymore.
Misaki practically requested a date with Takumi, only to get rejected in less than a second. He hadn't even bothered to think about her offer before shooting it down.
"Okay, um, how about a movie? At home of course, so you could still work and enjoy yourself at the same time?" she suggested, starting to run out of ideas. Not even surprised by his response, Misaki frowned.
"Maybe some other time," he said, his voice void of any emotion just as before. Takumi's eyes were glued onto his computer screen, his fingers typing quickly on the laptop's keyboard. Misaki nodded as if she understood, but in reality, she was thoroughly confused.
He was acting...distant. She had no idea why- just the past couple days he was teasing her and annoying her like always.
"A-Alright," she whispered, her voice wavering a bit. She cleared her throat before continuing. "I-I'll be downstairs in the kitchen if...if you need me." she told him, internally laughing at herself for saying such a stupid thing. Of course he didn't need her- he couldn't even bring himself to look at her. And she didn't know why.
Sometimes Misaki wished that he would express anger or frustration like any normal person- by yelling or having a goddamn readable expression on their face. But no. He just stays silent with a blank face as he stares at his computer screen for hours straight.
Letting out a loud sigh, Misaki walked down a few more steps before she arrived at the kitchen. Not even noticing the man that stood in the room, Misaki plopped herself down onto a wooden chair, burying her face in her hands.
As she heard footsteps approaching her, Misaki raised her head to look at the person, who happened to be none other than Gerard Walker himself. Her lips curled into a frown, as she tried to blink back tears that were starting to form in her eyes.
"What? Is he upset about the pregnancy?" the man with dark blue hair inquired. Misaki shook her head, her bangs shadowing over her eyes.
"No- well, I don't know. I didn't even get a chance to tell him," she confessed. Gerard raised an eyebrow.
"Why not?" he asked, wondering if his brother and Misaki got into some sort of fight. All he got in response was a shrug from the raven haired girl.
"H-He's acting distant...I-I think he's mad at me, but I really don't know why..." she explained, her watery eyes eventually overflowing, causing a couple tears to roll down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away, not wanting anyone to see her in this vulnerable state. Of course, Gerard noticed this, but decided not to mention it since it was obvious she was trying to hide it. "H-How am I supposed to tell him a-about the baby now?!"
"Well, have you tried asking him what's wrong?" he suggested. Misaki froze for a moment, her cheeks tinting a slight red color. She couldn't believe that she didn't think of that sooner! Seriously, how stupid was she...
"N-No," she admitted, standing up abruptly. "But I will right now. Thanks," she said gratefully, running up to Takumi's room as fast as she could without hurting their child, her feet thudding against the hard floor.
"I'm back," she announced, opening the door to his room and walking in. The room was technically his, though almost every night Misaki slept with him and spent most of her day with him, so she basically considered it both of their rooms.
Noticing that he didn't say anything or even glance up from his computer screen, she cleared her throat loudly to catch his attention.
"I'm back," she repeated, a bit louder this time. Takumi still didn't bother to look at her, though he did greet her. Sort of.
"Hi." he said plainly. Misaki stared at him, confusion and hurt clearly written on her face. However, he didn't even spare her a glance, so he'd never know.
Again, Takumi parted his lips to speak, causing Misaki's expression to brighten a bit at the fact that he was talking to her.
"It's getting late, shouldn't you go back to your room now?"
The second he said those words, Misaki completely broke down. The fake smile she'd kept plastered on her face immediately turned into a frown, a sob escaping her lips as tears freely ran down her cheeks. Now, this definitely caught Takumi's attention.
"Misaki, what's wrong?" he asked, closing his laptop and setting it aside, allowing him to finally look at her. As he walked over to her side and tried to wrap his arms around her trembling figure, Misaki let her anger get the best of her as she landed a hard slap on his cheek.
SLAP!
The loud noise filled the silent room, Takumi's eyes widening in surprise.
"You wanna know what's wrong?! YOU'VE BEEN FUCKING IGNORING ME ALL DAY THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG!" she shrieked, tears continuing to make their way down her face. "I'm going back to my room." she informed him, only to feel him grab her wrist and spin her around. She found herself staring into equally angry emerald eyes.
"Do you seriously think you have the right to be angry right now, Misaki?" Takumi asked, his voice laced with anger and...pain?
"Yes! AS A MATTER A FACT I DO!" she exclaimed, throwing his hand off her wrist. "What makes you think you have the right to be angry?!" she demanded. He glared at her- something he'd never done in the ten years she'd known him.
"You're pregnant." he stated. Misaki's eyes widened as she let out a gasp of horror. He was upset because...because of the baby...?
"Y-You heartless B-BASTARD!" she screamed, aiming a punch at his face, only to get her fist captured in his larger hand. Depressed and angry, she collapsed onto her knees, not even having the strength to stand on her own two feet anymore. "I-I t-thought you would b-be happy! I-I HATE YOU! YOU'RE N-NO DIFFERENT FROM DAD!" she yelled. Takumi raised an eyebrow at her outburst.
"...Why would I be happy that you're carrying my brother's child." he asked in a monotone voice. Misaki snapped her head up to make eye contact with him. What the hell did he just say? Carrying his brother's child?
"W-What?!" Misaki exclaimed, completely rendered speechless. She was starting to question if she was in a nightmare or if this was reality. "How dare you accuse me of sleeping with your brother!?" she yelled, now angry more than anything. Standing up and walking up to him, she left only a few inches of distance between the two.
"Takumi Walker," she started. "This child is yours. I don't know where the fuck you got the idea that I was CHEATING ON YOU, but I can assure you I was NOT. I TOOK VOWS!" she exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be booking my ticket back to Japa-"
"I'm sorry Misaki," he said, and this time she could hear how genuine he was in his voice. He grabbed her arm and yanked her forwards, enveloping her in a hug. "I'm so sorry." he repeated. For the first time that day, Misaki allowed a small smile to touch her lips.
"W-What made you think that I-I was cheating on you?" she inquired. Takumi sighed.
"Now that I think about it, I realise how stupid it was," he said dryly. "I heard you and Gerard talking about your pregnancy earlier. I thought you were asking him for advice on how to break the news to me- you know, that you cheated on me. Now I know how stupid I was." he explained. Misaki nodded in understanding, allowing her head to rest against his chest as she let out a sigh of relief.
"S-So you want t-to keep the child, right?" she asked, actually fearing his reply. Takumi chuckled into her ear, the feeling of his breath on her ear ticklish.
"Of course. I'll love the child with all my heart." he replied. Misaki felt a familiar warm liquid fall down her cheeks, and soon realized she was crying. "I'm so sorry for jumping to conclusions like tha- hey, why are you crying?" he asked, stroking her hair to comfort her.
"I-I thought y-you hated th-the baby at first when you s-said that earlier...!" she choked out, letting out a loud sob afterwards. Takumi only hugged her tighter as he kissed the side of her head.
"I'm so sorry, I feel like such a bad husband," he apologized once more, planting another kiss on her forehead. She shook her head.
"Y-You're n-not a bad husband..." she said, allowing him to continue leaving random little kisses on her face. "I-It was just a misunderstanding," she added, trying to make him feel better. He sighed.
"I know, but I should've trusted you Misaki." he reasoned. His hand moved downwards, finding the hem of her shirt. She gasped in surprise when she felt his hand snake up her shirt- but it didn't go far up at all. In fact, it stayed almost just where it was.
"T-Takumi...?" she asked questioningly. He continued to feel around her stomach area.
"Where's the baby...?" he asked. Misaki's eyes widened at his unexpected question, but soon recovered from the shock and let out a giggle.
"I'm not showing yet," she informed him, taking his hand and placing it on a slightly swollen spot on her lower stomach. "But the baby's right here." she said, a grin on her face. He nodded, his facial expression a mixture of astonishment and happiness. She could tell he was still a bit guilty about what happened earlier.
"Takumi?" she called.
"Yes Misaki?" he wondered.
"How much do you love me on a scale of one to ten?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow at the strange and sudden question, but answered nonetheless.
"One thousand," he replied promptly, a cheeky smile on his face. She proceeded to roll her eyes before continuing on with her question.
"How much will you love this baby on a scale of one to ten?" she questioned again.
"Hmm...one thousand and one," he answered, a teasing smirk playing on his lips. A genuine frown made its way onto Misaki's face, and Takumi instantly regretted what he said.
"Just kidding. I'll love you both equally, I promise." he said, leaning down and pecking her on the lips.
"You better." she warned jokingly, giving him a warm smile.
"Well, good thing they made up," Gerard whispered to a blonde haired woman. She snickered at the sight of Misaki and Takumi holding each other lovingly, before turning around and heading down the hall.
"Indeed it is. Lets let them have some privacy, shall we?" Maria suggested, gesturing for him to follow her. Gerard chuckled.
"Those two really are something..."