~~~~~At night, Tatsuki's POV~~~~

We were both in bed, but not snuggling. Shinji looked like he had a lot on his mind and I was having difficulty sleeping, like I had had for the past few weeks. The reason was too embarrassing to admit, but… just then, an idea hit me. 'Maybe we'll both sleep well tonight after all.'

~~~~Normal POV~~~~

Shinji was thinking about the events from earlier that day, partially forgetting about the girl next to him. "Hey, Shinji…" she stopped, blushing. Luckily for her, he couldn't see her face.

"What?"

"Well, I have a favor to ask… ah, it's so embarrassing…"

He sighed, tired. "What is it, Tats? I won't make fun of ya or anything."

She gulped, feeling really self-conscious. Tatsuki thought of the best way to ask it. "Shinji… make love to me, please."

His eyes widened in that instant, his heart beats picking up. He gulped. "Tomorrow, Tats. I'm not really in the mood…"

"Oh, kmon! Please."

"Listen, I have a lot on my mind and…"

He never got to finish. 'Mum, I never thought I'd listen to you.' Tatsuki thought as she followed her mother's advice, kissing Shinji and moving on top of him. Her hands traveled down his body, reaching lower… He groaned just thinking about it. "What about now?"

Shinji grunted when Tatsuki pulled back. "Tch, how can I say no when you're asking like this?"

~~~~In the morning~~~~~

Shinji woke up. He groaned feeling Tatsuki move against his naked body, his eyes widening when he realized what they had done. His grip around her waist tightened. "Shinji, let go." She moaned.

"Nu-uh, I can't have you run away again, now can I?"

"I'm gonna take a shower, as per usual." She yawned. "You can join if you wanna stick to me."

He kissed her neck. "Since when are you so willingly?"

"Since I discovered I like sex."

Shinji's mind drifted towards Ichigo's bet. He started laughing madly.

"What's so funny?" Tatsuki asked, confused.

"Well, you see, Ichigo and Ishida had this bet about us, whether we did it or not. Ichigo said yes, the nerd said no. They asked me yesterday and I said no. But today…"

"Ichigo won."

~~~~~At school~~~~

Ichigo came in wearing a female uniform and blushing madly. Everyone started laughing, Tatsuki being the first. Uryu looked proud of himself. Shinji grinned and walked up to him. "So that was the punishment."

"Yep. I made the uniform."

"Good." Tatsuki started. "Now make one for yourself and apologize to Ichigo."

"Why?" Shinji whispered something in his ear. "Oh, shit!"

"What?" Ichigo interfered.

"You won, Kurosaki." Ishida declared sadly.

"Really? Wait… last night?"

"Yeah."

~~~~~A few weeks later, Shinji's POV~~~~~

Things were settling between me and Tats. This time I mean our sexual life, which I won't describe. I'll just say that I was sure she loved me and I felt the same way. Those were pretty much my thoughts (so yeah, I was in very good mood) when I entered her bedroom. "Oi, Tats, we should go to the grocery and…"

I stopped when I looked at her. She was crying, hiding her face in her hands, sobbing quietly. She forced the tears away as she realized I was there. I sighed, my heart sinking. "Don't hide your tears, love. What's wrong?" I sat next to her on the bed.

"Nothing, nothing." She shook her head.

I frowned. "I thought we were past this. You know, hiding things, especially this important."

"I… it's not important." She looked away.

"It is if it makes you cry. Tatsuki, you're not just here for me, I'm here for you as well."

She nodded. "They called me a whore. They said I was just a slut who… fucked all my friends and… you're just the unlucky one who got me pregnant!" Her eyes became teary once more.

I hugged her, feeling her tears wet my neck. "Who said?"

"The girls. Most of them."

I sighed. "High school gossip. It's such a fucked up mentality. The boy is the one whose life is ruined; the girl is the one to blame. Bakas. I'm more at blame than you."

"You're not. It's equal. It's just gossip anyway. It shouldn't affect me. It didn't affect me. They're not my friends. So why… why does it hurt so much?" she sobbed.

I didn't say anything at first. While Tatsuki calmed down, I tried to order my thought and not appear like a total asshole when I spoke up. "It's probably because you're pregnant. You know, hormones and stuff. Listen, I love you and that's the only reason I did all I did for you. I'll say it in front of everyone if you want to, I'm not ashamed of it." I felt her chuckle.

"I know all that. It just feels bad to walk down the corridors and hear all those 'whispers.' They aren't even trying to hide it anymore."

"Yeah, they're not hiding it. A few days ago I beat a guy who told me to move out of Japan. He said I was screwed. Idiots."

"Y-yeah, I know. I heard his girlfriend complain about it. I wonder how the baby will be regarded as."

"Like a normal kid. That's not a concern. School will end soon. Can you handle a few more weeks?"

"I don't know."

"I'll be with you then. Tats, you don't have to suffer alone, okay?"

She nodded, blushing. "I know."

"Good." I kissed her deeply.

~~~~~Tatsuki's POV, next day~~~~~

Shinji followed me all the time, acting as though it was his job. We talked as we walked through the school. I grabbed his hand when we reached 'the gossip zone'. I hadn't even realized how scared I was. I looked at him for support. I was ready to let go and run away. He smirked and we made our way through hate-filled and worried glances. Right in the middle, he stopped. I eyed him questioningly. "What are you…" I never go to finish. He kissed me, shocking everyone. My eyes slid closed and I decided to be a little brave, deepening the small kiss which he turned into a full make-out fest. We parted grinning and as we left, I heard whispers. "Poor guy fell in love with her."

Shinji heard as well. He turned around, glaring at the guy who had said that. "Hey! Listen, bakas, I don't wanna hear you call my girlfriend a whore or slut ever again. She's pregnant for only one reason: I got her drunk to have a one-night adventure with her and was too into it to use a condom. So good gossip on that, cause it's the truth."

I gasped, leaving the others shocked and heading home. "Shinji… you didn't have to…"

He interrupted me. "Don't worry. I don't care what they say about me. Your reputation is more important than mine. I don't care what they say."

"But…"

"No buts. Now let's go home and you can prove me wrong later." He ended, leering.

I blushed. "Pervert."

He grinned. "That's more like it."