Chapter Seven: Reunited
As Eiri pulled up to the hospital his heart was in his throat, ready to hear the worst as soon as he walked through the doors. I shouldn't have let Shuichi go to Hiro's alone after the doctor's appointment in the first place. If only I had paid more attention to him, if only I had told him how I really felt, if only I hadn't been so cold, if only… if only we hadn't met.
Eiri knew that this was what happened when you truly cared for someone. They left you, one way or another and now he could lose his Brat for good.
Running into the reception area he looked around for Tohma and spotted him standing at the desk talking to the on-call nurse there.
"Tohma, where is he? What happened? How is he?" Eiri hurried toward the smaller man.
"Calm down Eiri—"
"How can I be calm? Shuichi could be dying for all I know!" The writer said angrily.
"Eiri, he's fine. He, well… maybe he should explain." Tohma said, turning and taking a slip of paper from the nurse. After reading what was on the paper he transferred his attention back to the writer. "Follow me."
Yuki did as he was told, but continued to interrogate Tohma, "What is going on? What happened? Tohma! Tohma! Tell me what happened to my Shu."
"Like I said, Eiri, it would be better if Shuichi himself explained." He glanced at the paper still in his hand and at the door numbers, looking up once more, he saw Hiro and Suguru outside what he assumed was the room Shuichi was in. Room 209. Before he could greet them and ask what had happened Eiri had over taken him and grabbed Hiro by his shirt.
"Why didn't you look after him better? Huh? Why?" Hiro just stood there as he was screamed at whilst Suguru turned his attention to his cousin.
"Why is he here, Tohma-nii?" Suguru growled, surprised by his own protectiveness towards the pregnant man. "Shuichi didn't want him to know."
That distracted Yuki, even in his rage, "Know? Know what?" His gazed flitted between the cousins, "Tohma, what is going on?" Silence from all parties followed.
"Suguru." It was Hiro who spoke first. "He deserves to know. You said so yourself."
The keyboardist paused, nodded and finally turned his attention to Yuki. "If you cause him any distress – therefore putting him in danger – I will personally see to it that you're life is made a living hell."
"My life is made far worse without Shuichi, nothing can equal that." Eiri said, seriously, although he was shocked by the small man's concern towards Shuichi. From what he had heard, the two of them had never gotten along.
Suguru glared at him a moment longer, before nodding and stepping aside to allow the writer passed.
Again Yuki's heart began a hard and unrelenting beat in his chest as he put his hand on the door knob. He had never been so nervous in his life. The way that everyone had reacted to Yuki's presence had put the writer on edge and now all he wanted to do was confirm to himself that his tiny lover was alright, that he wasn't in any danger and that it wasn't over between them.
As the door opened, Yuki gasped, taken aback by what he saw there. He swiftly entered the room and made his way towards the unconscious figure of his lover.
Sitting in the chair beside the hospital bed, Eiri gently brushed pink locks out of Shuichi's unusually pale face and took one of the singer's small hands in one of his own before regarding his abdomen. There was no mistaking the roundness he saw there.
This can't be right… can it?
The pieces of the puzzle finally fell together and Yuki's eyes widened.
Sickness… leaving… the tabloids… Tohma's questioning on the topic only a few days before…
Shuichi, his Shuichi, was pregnant.
There was beeping. Constant. Steady.
Slowly Shuichi opened his eyes, but finding that the artificial lights blinded him, he rapidly closed them once more.
Cool, long-fingered hands brushed his brow, softly sweeping hair off his face before an unmistakable voice shattered the silence with the quiet utterance of, "Brat?" Shuichi's eyes opened fast and wide and his hands flew down to his swollen tummy. The beeping sped up and threw Shuichi further into his panic attack.
"Shuichi, Shuichi, calm down." Yuki was startled, but had expected this reaction. "Shuichi. The baby's fine! Please, just calm down, shhhh… shhh." The writer spoke softly and ran a soothing hand across his loves brow. "The doctor said that it was Braxton Hicks… said it was common in first-timers. I didn't really ask anything else. I just wanted to know that you weren't in any danger."
"Why are you here, Eiri?" Shuichi asked as he pushed himself into a sitting position and gazed warily at the blonde.
Yuki looked at his little lover and found himself stunned in how determined his eyes looked. How he loved those lavender eyes…
Hesitantly, afraid that he may be rebuffed, Eiri rested a tender hand upon his lover's round belly, "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.
Shuichi was dumbfounded. Of all the reactions that he had expected from Yuki, this had not been one of them. Immense pain, rejection and even heartbreak welled in his lover's amber eyes and Shuichi tore his gaze away, petrified of drowning in their depths.
Yuki withdrew his hand and repeated the question, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You don't want kids, Eiri." Shuichi took a shaky breath. "You never have. Between staying with you, risking their termination, and leaving to love them. I chose them. I just did what I had to do." Shuichi raised his tearful eyes to Yuki's face. "I chose them over you. They're innocent in this, Eiri." Shuichi paused and the writer drew breath to speak, but the singer continued, hanging his pink head once more and picking at the white sheet. "I won't be asking for any financial support. I don't need it, what with the money I have saved, so you don't have to worry about that. You're free now, Eiri."
Yuki was stunned. Free? FREE? How can I be 'free' if you haunt my very being?
Clearing his throat, he spoke in a low tone, fearing if he spoke any louder his voice would crumble and break. "Shu." The boy looked up, tears clumping his lashes. "I don't want to lose you." Yuki put his hand to Shuichi's cheek and wiped away a few escaping tears. "You or them… them? More than one."
Shuichi flinched, recoiling. "Twins." He murmured with his eyes downcast.
The writer was bewildered to say the least, but his heart was beating fast once again and he could feel a foolish, inexplicable smile beginning to form on his face. Tenderly and cautiously he drew Shuichi into his arms. "Shuichi." He breathed, "I – I don't know what to say. I – I've never felt like this." And it was true, he felt as though he should be dancing or something, he suddenly had so much pent up energy. He couldn't comprehend what was going on.
"You don't need to say anything, Eiri. I never expected you to." Shuichi sighed and pulled away. "So, now you know. I'm a freak – well more of a freak that before – and I'm carrying your children." Shu scowled, and Yuki grinned – truly grinned – before the he took Shuichi's chin in his hand and pulled his small face towards his own, crashing his lips to his lover's.
The confirmation of them being his children drove Eiri wild. So many emotions bubbled inside him; love, protectiveness, desire, adoration, he didn't know what to deal with first and he pulled away, glaring into Shuichi's astonished violet eyes. "You are not a freak." He growled, "And you are never leaving me again."
Shuichi was at a loss. He so desperately wanted to return to Yuki, to believe in this sudden change in character, but more than that was the overwhelming need to protect his Babies at all cost.
Finally after some time of the only sound in the room being the harsh breathing of the two lovers, Shuichi came to an abrupt and final decision.
"I love you, Eiri, I do. But I have to do what I think is right by my Babies." Subconsciously, Shu rubbed his palm across his abdomen. "And, I think that, despite your acceptance right now, I should give you time to understand the magnitude of this."
The writer was about to protest before he saw the sheer willpower in his young lover's gorgeous eyes. It was the same look that Shuichi had when he'd said that he was going to be Eiri's one and only lover and the writer knew better than anyone how that had ended.
Eiri lowered his gaze, feeling his heart breaking, knowing that he wanted nothing more than to be with Shuichi forever and always.
"I'm not saying that I don't want to see you, Love." Shuichi said, and the endearment made Yuki look up again to see the gentle smile on his lover's face. "You're welcome anytime, if you would like to see us, but I want you to really think this through. It's not something to take lightly, as you know."
Eiri stared at his lover, flabbergasted. It had taken only a month for this transition from child to parent. And he knew in that moment, he would walk through fire and ice to have this family. Their family.
"Okay, Shu. Okay, I'll think about it, but I want to continue seeing you." The writer said, taking Shuichi's hand and kissing the knuckles, adding silently, I've been going crazy without you around.
Shuichi smiled and it was beautiful and real.
