A/N : If I'm going to be honest, this is probably going to be the last chapter you'll see for a while, I'm sadly starting school again next week. Hopefully the unexpected length of this one makes up for it. If I have any down time, I'll try to crank something out, but I can't really promise much. Sorry for the neglect in advance. Hope you enjoy and review, it keeps me motivated! Viele dank.
Namie let out a contented sigh as she allowed herself to inch closer to the warmth that pressed into her back. Covered in a pile of blankets, she could feel an arm slouched over her waist while a cheek pressed against the back of her neck. The soft breaths that hit her neck caused a physical shiver to run down her spine, efficiently waking her and, with a start, her partner.
"Huh? What?" Izaya asked stupidly, sitting up in a sleepy daze. Namie cracked an eye open to give him a look that said she had no intention of giving him a response this early in the morning. To this, Izaya gave a tired grunt and fell back against the mattress next to her. She heard him check the clock next to him and sigh; apparently there was still time to sleep in before work.
Namie didn't know why he didn't just set his hours of operation later if he hated morning so much, but was too tired to ask. When it seemed that Izaya wasn't going to return to his previous position next to her, Namie rolled over to face him. He allowed her to wedge herself between himself and his arm, resting her head on the soft white fabric of his T-shirt. To her surprise, he turned and started peppering her cheek and jaw with kisses while she stroked his bed-tousled hair. He often surprised her with the amount of affection he allowed in their complicatedly simple relationship, but she supposed everyone needed to be doted on every once and a while. Namie let out another contented sigh, feeling his mouth curve into a smirk.
What seemed like mere moments later, Namie awoke in earnest to the harsh sound of her alarm clock piercing the silence of her bedroom. Despite having lived there for the past eight months, she had yet to become accustomed to falling asleep to nothing but her own breathing. It had taken several weeks to break the habit of reaching across the bed for the figure that was no longer there. With a heaving sigh, Namie hoisted herself off of her creaking spring mattress into a sitting position. The new apartment she rented by herself was modest to say the least. It was small with two bedrooms, a sitting room and a small kitchen. The main draw of the place had been its location – in Ikebukuro – and its low monthly rent.
Indeed, she had made her way back to Ikebukuro as she had truly intended all along. Sure to get Izaya off her case, Namie commented on her intentions of averting the city entirely thus hiding her real intentions. Everything she did these days seemed to be either measures to avoid Izaya or measures to prepare for her upcoming birth.
Speaking of her upcoming birth, Namie groaned as she tried to straighten her spine. Her stomach had grown immensely in the past few months and the old full-sized mattress she slept on gave her little relief from it. Feeling as though she was about to burst any day now, Namie had taken to eating spicy foods and walking as much as possible – anything to end her nine-month state of discomfort sooner rather than later.
Namie allowed herself one last glance at the empty right side of the bed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to take up the entire bed. Instinctively placing a hand on her stomach, Namie shook her head. She wrote off the increasing number of Izaya-filled dreams as hormones getting the best of her.
Finally ready to start her day, Namie forced herself to stand under her heavy load and get dressed. Deciding to spend the day walking in hopes of spurring her labor, Namie started off on the streets of Ikebukuro, taking care to avoid areas frequented by anyone that may have recognized her.
Slowly weaving her way through the ever bustling streets, Namie kept her mind busy by planning out all of the things she still needed to do before the birth as well as what she would do once the baby was born. Thus far she had taken the "less I know the better" approach to her pregnancy, nothing beyond the usual tests were conducted; no ultrasound pictures were taken and she had yet to learn the gender of the baby either. However, the fact of the matter was that the baby was close on the horizon and it was more important than ever that she prepare herself for it.
After the birth, she decided, her priority would be first finding a job. As she had expected, the job search had been less than successful due to her expensive medical state. However, she had luckily been saving entire paychecks while living with Izaya, since he paid for rent and groceries and she was never one to spend her money thoughtlessly. So far her savings had been enough to get her by in her less-than-stellar apartment and medical bills, however soon even that would run dry with the baby's mounting expenses.
Lost in thought, Namie failed to notice the familiar face approaching her. She made a sudden jolt when she heard her name called.
"Namie?" the voice sounded incredulous. She shouldn't have been surprised since she hadn't seen anyone she knew in nearly a year. Looking around, she found herself face-to-face with the one person she had been dreading to see.
"Seiji!" she replied hastily, not knowing what else to say to her brother.
"I-I almost didn't recognize you!" he stuttered, taking in her large form. The scrutiny of his eyes made her feel an immense wave of guilt: guilt over not seeing him, talking to him, getting pregnant with someone else's child. Namie tried to shake the feeling off. She knew she had come a long way with getting over her love for her brother and now it was time for her to put herself to the ultimate test.
"I suppose I must look a lot different," she said, smiling.
"That's an understatement! Is there something you'd like to tell me?" Seiji said, good-naturedly. Something about him seemed much happier and adjusted than she had seen him in many years. Perhaps time apart did the both of them good, she mused.
"Well, there's no point in hiding it anymore," she said, "I'm having a baby." She watched him apprehensively as she said the words, unsure of how he would react or how she would react to his reaction.
To her relief and, to be honest, disappointment, Seiji's smile grew. There wasn't even the slightest hint of jealousy in his face or eyes. This was the most definitive proof that his feelings for her were nothing but fraternal and platonic Namie had ever faced and the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Seiji wasn't angry that she was having someone else's baby. He wasn't jealous. It never even crossed his mind that it could have been them together, that she would have if she had the choice. Desperate not to show her inner turmoil, Namie decided further conversation was necessary, as opposed to making a run for it, which her legs were begging to do despite their heavy load. So tied up in her racing thoughts, Namie almost didn't notice that Seiji was still talking to her.
" – 'm really happy for you Namie. Who is the father? I didn't know you were seeing anybody"
"It's not important," Namie said quickly, waving her hands, "he's not in the picture."
"What?" said Seiji, suddenly angry, "he's not some lowlife blowing you off with this, is he? I'll – "
"No, no!" Namie said quickly, though she couldn't help but smile at how quickly he came to her defense. Brother, Namie. He's being your brother she forced herself to think. "It was my decision, I never even told him about it." Seiji gave her a confused look. "Look, he's not exactly someone I want to share my kid with. I'd honestly rather be on my own than with him."
Seiji was still confused but gave her a resigned look. "Whatever you say, Namie," he said.
"While we're on the subject, would you mind not mentioning it around town? In fact, just act like you never saw me, alright?" Namie tried to play it casual, but she knew it was a strange request to make and it was apparent that Seiji thought so, too. Regardless of how strange Seiji thought she was, Namie didn't want to risk Izaya catching wind of her back in Ikebukuro, not after she had managed to stay off of his radar for so long.
"Sure, Namie," he replied, suspiciously. "But you know, you don't have to be alone in this. You could come and stay with Mika and I – "
"Oh, you and Harima are still together?" she asked, trying to keep the venom out of her voice.
Seiji blushed, "Yeah, we're living together. Honestly I'm thinking of proposing soon."
Yet another shot to Namie's gut and ego, but she recovered more quickly this time.
"That's great, Seiji!" she replied, trying her best to sound like a supportive older sister.
"Thanks," he said, smiling, "like I was saying, if you need any help after you have the baby, like a babysitter or anything, we'd be happy to lend you a hand.
Namie smiled warmly at her brother. He really was the only man in her life she could depend on. If only she hadn't lost him to that Mika Harima. If only they hadn't been born siblings. This could have been his child she was carrying. Her list of 'if onlys' seemed to never end.
"I really appreciate that, Seiji," she said. "I'm really glad that – " she cut herself off because just at that moment, she felt a strange wetness running down her leg. Panic struck her in that moment.
Really? You have to come right now? She thought, incredulously.
Hope you enjoyed enough to leave a review: the more I get, the more I write!
