Synchronized Heartbeats
By: TCOOKIES777
Chapter 24: Dangerous Tides
Her phone started ringing again but Gou ignored it, responding only by burrowing herself deeper beneath the blankets, seeking to hide in the darkness of her room. This was the third time her phone had rang since she'd ditched school this morning as soon as the opportunity arose. Gou didn't know who had been calling her, but she guessed it was Chigusa. She didn't want to talk to anyone though. She didn't want to think either. Gou only wanted to cry although she'd long since ran out of tears after sobbing in her bed immediately upon arriving home. The pregnancy test was clenched tightly in her hand. She'd been keeping a death grip on the stick the entire time, unable to let go but also unwilling to see the positive result again. Her other hand continued gripping her lower belly where Rin's child grew within.
Her child…
It had been a shock for Gou to realize that she was indeed pregnant with her brother's baby. Even now, the idea was still sinking in. It was easier to ignore Yoshikawa's words, but seeing the positive sign on the stick… It had felt so surreal, especially when Gou wasn't even showing yet. How far along was she? Yoshikawa had said Gou was likely several months along but…
But that means… I got pregnant around the time Onii-chan and I had unprotected sex for three days..? Gou was confused. She had taken the morning-after pill—it should have prevented Rin from impregnating her! Why didn't it work?!
And then Gou remembered… She remembered, while researching about the birth control pill and its difference from the morning-after pill, that the morning-after pill was most effective when taken immediately after having sex.
"What if… say, by chance, that I happen to already be pregnant?"
"That's impossible, Gou, it's only been the third day since we first did it. Plus, you'll be taking the pill later today so.. no worries..."
"I heard you have to take the Plan B pill before three days have passed. What if there's a reason you have to take the pill as soon as you can before three days have passed?"
"That's just for measures. It probably won't be as effective the longer you wait. I can't have gotten you pregnant in just three days, Gou. The sperm has to.. travel… or something like that. Or you'd have to be extremely fertile."
"Maybe your sperm is a fast swimmer like you, Onii-chan?"
A joke… It had just been a joke for the most part despite Gou's sliver of suspicion. It was all her fault. She knew she had been at peak fertility during those three days they had unprotected sex but… She had trusted that the Plan B pill would work. Had relied too much on a simple pill to fix the whole problem. And she had begged Rin to shoot his seed inside her—every time—despite the danger. What a fool she had been to choose pleasure over responsibility!
But why? Why hadn't the pill worked? Was it because she took it at the end of the third day? She had been too late… Yes, Gou knew that was part of the reason, as well as her fertility window, but… Gou had always been led to believe that it was impossible to conceive within only a few days of sex. Three days. One of those three days was when Gou had conceived. Was it possible she conceived the very first time she did it? When she gave her virginity to Rin and he accidentally came inside her? They had only done it one time on the first day. But the next two days, they had been so drunk in love with each other, making love throughout the house like they owned the place. Rin had taken her on the dinner table, against the patio window, atop the kitchen counter, in the middle of the hallway on the doorsteps. And her brother had shot loads and loads of his stuff into the depths of her body, hot and thick until she had been overflowing with his cum.
Gou chuckled humorlessly to herself at the memory. She wondered which of his countless loads had contained the one sperm that had beaten all the others in impregnating her. I'm so stupid, she chided herself. How could she be so irresponsible? Gou had spoiled her body rotten sweet with Rin's love and now her body was paying the price. Their relationship would pay the price.
Admittedly, she didn't know too much about reproductive health, but Gou had always thought that it took more than three days for the sperm to travel and fertilize an egg. Granted, her sex education had been years ago, around the time she was naught but a preteen, and it had been very general.
Drawing aside the blanket a few inches, Gou strained her eyes through the room's darkness and groped the bedside table in search of her phone. She winced at the bright screen, briefly checking her three missed calls, all of them from Chigusa. There was a single text message which Chigusa had sent shortly after the third missed call: 'I didn't see u at school today. U ok?'
No. No, she didn't feel okay. And she was too scared to say a word to Chigusa. Swiping the message away, Gou opened a web browser and tapped in her question: does sperm affect conception?
The top results featured articles explaining sperm quality and male fertility. Clicking on the first article, Gou read through the explanation of how a man's diet can affect the taste of his cum. Reading that part made Gou blush as she remembered tasting Rin's stuff; it had been salty and thick like slime but not terrible. The only thing she didn't like about swallowing was that it was like hot goo sliding down her throat—sticky and clinging to her insides, forcing her to swallow several more times to get it all the way down to her belly. Feeling her panties get wet at the thought of Rin, Gou moved onto the next article.
What determines sperm health? Quantity… Gou's eyes widened at the sentence stating that one millimeter of cum can contain at least fifteen million sperm. Goodness! And Rin's stuff had practically been overflowing out of her—oh goodness, Gou was terribly embarrassed to think she'd received that much and more. They'd been having sex together like they were animals in heat!
Reading the next paragraph didn't ease the blush on Gou's face as she read about sperm motility. Wriggling and swimming through the cervix… Poor motility decreases chance of impregnation… High motility of the sperm….
Gou's face deepened into a beet red.
"Maybe your sperm is a fast swimmer like you, Onii-chan?"
She had just been joking! To think that… Gou quickly read through the rest of the article where it talked about how to improve sperm health and whatnot. By the time she reached the last page, Gou had quickly deduced that her brother had… well, to say the least… Onii-chan has great quality sperm.
And they were fast swimmers indeed.
She was embarrassed to think of Rin's stuff like that but, scientifically speaking, those were just the facts. It was a simple one plus one plus one type of situation: Gou's peak fertility window plus Rin's excellent sperm quality plus taking the Plan B pill very late… All three factors had to be the main reasons for why she was now unexpectedly pregnant.
"I'm pregnant." Gou said aloud in a broken whisper, rubbing her tummy self-consciously. It was still weird to say it aloud. Pregnant. The word was so foreign on her tongue. She said it again but it was still the same. "I'm pregnant… I'm pregnant! I… Onii-chan… my brother… my brother got me pregnant."
No matter how many times Gou said it, each a different variation, it still came out wrong. This wasn't something she was supposed to say aloud. It was forbidden. Just like the baby growing in her tummy and just like the love she had for her brother. She was not allowed to speak these words.
And it only infuriated Gou.
So she said it louder in the confines of her room. "I'm pregnant! I.. I'm carrying my brother's child in my womb! His baby… our baby… I'm.. I'm having Onii-chan's baby!"
So what if no one heard her? Good! For once, Gou was happy she was alone in this house. If only because she was able to say things that she should not in the presence of others. In the presence of her own mother.
"I'm pregnant, Okaa-san!" Gou said to no one in particular. She felt crazy, but it made her feel better to say these unspeakable truths aloud instead of trapping them in the darkness of her thoughts. "That's right! I had sex with my brother and now I'm carrying Onii-chan's baby! My tummy is starting to swell as his baby grows. And… no one will ever know. Not you or Rin… no one."
Gou began to laugh by herself—at herself—and she only stopped with her laughter began to devolve into sobs. She rubbed her abdomen, too scared to lift her shirt and see how she looked. Check if she was beginning to develop a baby bump.
Then her bloating issue… She hadn't been bloating at all. She had… Yes, Gou knew the answer. She was indeed in the process of developing a baby bump. And her belly would swell with life, grow and nurture the baby her brother had unknowingly put in her. Her womb would grow heavy with Rin's child until the day came when Gou would have to give birth to their child of incest.
"Everyone will know." Gou began to cry, staining her pillow with a fresh wave of fat tears. And their mom? What would their mom say once she realized that her own two children had done the unspeakable? Would she look at Gou the same way? Would she cast Gou and the baby out? Gou couldn't imagine their mom's face if she were to ever know that her own two children had fallen in love together and consummated their love over and over, birthing a new Matsuoka.
She could see the disgust on their mom's face now, lips curling and eyes shrewd with hate.
"I'm sorry." Gou wailed out, clutching her lower belly with both hands in an attempt to reach out to the life in her womb. "I'm.. I'm so sorry! I can't… I can't have you! I w-want you so bad—I really do! But Onii-chan… Onii-chan and I can't risk it!"
Turning her face into the pillow, Gou screamed hard until the tears stopped and her throat felt raw. She took a second to gather her strength before scrambling off the bed to head over to her closet. She grabbed the first thing her hand had touched and dragged the shirt off its hanger. Studying the thin wire of the hanger, Gou eyed the hook part and hesitated before going to her desk to grab a Clorox wipe. Her hands trembled as she wiped the hook of the hanger with a disinfectant. More tears clouded her vision and she blinked them away furiously. When Gou flipped the light on, she nearly wept at the sight of her disheveled self. She couldn't bear to look at her devastated face a second longer and went on to sit herself on the floor in front of the floor-length mirror.
"I have to do this.. I'm sorry!" Gou muttered to herself, sniffling through the tears as she slipped her skirt off and propped her legs apart.
She could see in the mirror how her whole body trembled uncontrollably and no amount of deep breaths could calm Gou down for this moment. She gingerly shifted the bridge of her underwear aside, eyes flitting back and forth from herself in the mirror to between her thighs. Taking the hanger, Gou grunted as she pulled at the metal hook part, forcing it to unbend and straighten out as best she could. Once it was straight as it could be, Gou stared at its pointed end, her breaths quickening with anticipation and fear.
I have to do this. I have to do this…
"I have to.." Gou sobbed out, aligning the metal wire to her entrance.
She'd have to aim for her cervix at the very back. If I.. If I do it right, the wire will push past my cervix and into my womb and…
She would kill her baby without knowing what it looked like. Without Rin ever knowing he'd impregnated her.
"I'm a monster." Gou wept, her cheeks wet with tears that kept coming like a river of despair. "I'm a monster!"
It was agony and pain with every second Gou held onto the hanger but she gripped it tight regardless of the conflict within her. Seconds felt like hours as Gou reached with a free hand to part her folds aside, nudging the tip of the wire in between. It took her forever to push in just an inch but it felt so horribly intrusive and wrong, feeling the cold metal slip past her entrance. The pointy tip scraped delicately against her tightness, forcing out an uncomfortable hiss from Gou. Perhaps lube would have helped but she didn't know where Rin had put his bottle after their tryst in the pool.
"I'm sorry.." Gou whimpered, pushing the wire in a second inch deeper, closer to the fetus growing in her womb.
She was going to destroy it. Destroy what her brother had seeded into her with their combined love. Destroy what she and Rin had made together in their most vulnerable and honest moments. She was going to destroy their symbol of love.
Stop! Every part of Gou screamed in defiance. Stop it! Stop it! St—
DING-DONG!
It had been jarring to hear the doorbell ring and, for a moment, Gou forgot how to breathe. Slowly, she turned her gaze to the closed door. Her hand trembled as she tugged the metal wire back out of herself, tossing it away with disdain. On weak legs, she struggled to get up and jumped when the doorbell rang again. Checking herself in the mirror, Gou quickly tried to make herself as presentable as possible, running into the bathroom to splash cold water onto her face before heading downstairs.
"Hey!" Chigusa greeted Gou with a bright smile as soon as the door opened. "Did you get my—woah!"
Gou didn't let her best friend finish speaking as she tackled her with a desperate hug, arms wrapped tight around the girl's arms. Light floral perfume filled Gou's nose and a few more tears escaped in response. "Hana-chan..!"
Tired.
Rin was so tired—no, exhausted was more like it.
Working two jobs and keeping up with school and swimming was taking a toll on him faster than he'd expected and Christmas was still over a month away. But he needed the money to buy that ring for Gou. His private swim lessons with Ami had indeed made a dent and Rin knew that he'd have enough to buy Gou's ring when the time came… But he was so tired and busy all the time nowadays.
It'd only been a few days since he'd visited Gou but Rin hadn't had the time to call her since then. He barely had the time to respond to the text messages she'd sent over the weekend. Strangely enough, his little sister hadn't texted him at all for the past few weekdays that passed, but perhaps she was a bit too occupied herself.
Rin yawned again as the teacher blabbed on and on about the essay due by the end of the week. Ah, crap, he hadn't started on that yet. Tonight, after swim practice, he'd stay in the library until his first draft was complete. And then he'd spend an hour and a half to study for the Psychology midterm. After that…
.
.
.
"Just tell her you're not interested."
"I did… sort of."
Sousuke glanced at Rin from his side of the room as he continued his shoulder stretches. He raised a dark brow at his friend. "Did you really?"
Tapping a pen against the page of a textbook he'd been studying from, Rin blew a sigh and admitted, "I guess not directly.. But I'm sure I made the signs clear that I don't like her that way. Ami is a persistent woman and.. She's pretty headstrong and stubborn. It's like a lioness hunting you down to be her partner. I can't keep my back turned without wondering if she's there waiting for me."
Sousuke kept his brow raised. "With the way you describe her, I'd assume that you do like her, Rin. That, or you don't like dominant women."
"I don't like her!" Rin sputtered in disbelief at such a notion. The thought of liking Ami over Gou was absurd. And he didn't appreciate the latter comment either. "And I don't mind a, uh… a dominant woman."
He regretted saying that aloud. It reminded Rin of Gou writhing on his lap and demanding him to thrust harder, to kiss her, to touch her here and there and everywhere. Sure, his sister was usually adorably meek and shy when it came to intimacy, but she could also be fierce and dominant herself when it came to their most vulnerable moments. Rin would obey, of course. He was always more than willing to lick or kiss or bite anywhere Gou requested. After all, how could he deny his little sister? Perhaps Gou didn't realize it yet, but she had more power over him than he over her. He was like a puppet on strings, eager to pleasure Gou in every way she wanted and then more. The best reward for his efforts was seeing his sister's face scrunch up with unbearable bliss, her brow furrowing on a flushed face, eyes squeezed shut and plump lips quivering as she rode out her orgasm beneath her brother or on his lap. So, yes, he liked his woman dominant and he certainly didn't mind when Gou was dominant in sex. Turning away from Sousuke, Rin fought to keep his cheeks from reddening.
"At least she's paying you good money for those private lessons." Sousuke said. Then he frowned. "You never told me why you need the money all of a sudden."
Rin chewed the inside of his cheek at that comment, debating on what to tell Sousuke. The guy was very observative and had a keen intellect than he let on. Rin couldn't just tell him that it was for swimming. Having been a swimmer himself and close friends with Rin, Sousuke would know that Rin didn't need such a large amount of money just for his swim activities. After a noticeably long pause, Rin mumbled, "It's for Gou…"
"For Gou?" Sousuke blinked at him. "How do you mean?"
"I'm…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a Christmas present for Gou."
"What gift are you buying her that would cost thousands of yen?"
"Jewelry." Rin bit back his irritation at Sousuke's intruding questions. "I'm buying her some jewelry."
"Gou doesn't wear jewelry." Sousuke said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I don't think she needs a diamond necklace, Rin."
Rin wasn't sure whether to be more annoyed that Sousuke knew Gou pretty well himself or that Sousuke was giving him advice on what to give to his own damn lover. He knew his best friend only meant well, but… somehow, whenever Sousuke spoke about Gou, Rin couldn't help but feel jealous. It wasn't the usual furious jealousy that Rin always felt whenever any guy tried to hit on his little sister. It was the strange kind of jealousy prompted by the idea of his own best friend being with Gou in a romantic sense. How could Rin tell his best friend that he was in a relationship with his own baby sister? At the same time, despite Rin's trust in Sousuke, if his best friend ever made a move on Gou, Rin couldn't help but see it as an act of betrayal.
Your best friend isn't supposed to touch your sibling like that. It was just an unspoken rule. Siblings were off-limits.
Rin chuckled at the irony of that thought before responding with, "If she doesn't like my gift then she can just return it."
He knew Gou wouldn't do that.
"What kind of jewelry are you getting her?"
"A r—" Rin stopped himself just in time. He'd nearly said 'ring' and no brother gives his precious sister a ring. Necklaces or earrings were probably normal but it was best to keep the lie simple. "Just.. I dunno, just something shiny."
Sousuke didn't look impressed but he shrugged anyway. "Oh, by the way, has Gou been feeling better?"
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't see your sister yesterday when I went to pick her up from school. I thought maybe she was still feeling ill and had decided to stay home for the day." Sousuke kept glancing over to Rin as if he suspected something. "The day you took the train back to Uni, Gou threw up in the restroom right after you left. And then last week she fainted and you had to carry her home. Maybe she's still sick after all. I even thought she was..."
"What?" Rin prompted his friend, bothered by the way he'd just trailed off without finishing his thought. "She's what?"
"Nothing." Sousuke said a bit too quickly but he shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm just concerned is all."
"Well, it really is nothing." Rin sighed. "The nurse said it's just a drop in blood pressure. It seems Gou hasn't been eating well since I left."
"Oh." Sousuke simply replied back.
From the corner of his eye, Rin watched his friend's expression flicker between something akin to hesitance and taciturn. He frowned at that. Did Sousuke know something? Did he… no, that's impossible. There's no way Sousuke would know about his incestuous relationship with Gou.
"How's… How is your fake boyfriend thing with Gou?" Rin asked to change topics.
"It's fine."
Fine? Just fine? Fine how? There had to be more than that! Clearing his throat, Rin tried to be nonchalant when he asked, "Do you, uh… Do you guys do anything together? Y'know, anything… coupley?"
Sousuke paused and then slowly answered, "No…"
Rin nodded awkwardly, keeping his eyes on the page of words before him but not actually seeing any words. "Good—I mean, yeah, okay.. Oh…. Ah, some kid confessed to her last week. The day she fainted actually. He probably never saw you with Gou or else he'd, y'know, assume you guys were together I guess."
And would have backed off from Gou, Rin grumbled inwardly.
"Really?" That seemed to pique Sousuke's interest as he paused with his stretches. "What happened?"
"Uh, he met with her after school and I saw them at the pool deck and he admitted to liking her…"
"You were spying on your little sister?" Sousuke frowned.
"Wh-What? No!" Rin stammered at that accusation. Yes. Yes, he had. "It wasn't—I was just… I didn't mean to! I had gone to school to pick Gou up and I was waiting for her in the classroom after she told me to wait, but it was taking her too long. So I went to see what was keeping Gou and I just happened to catch some kid confessing to her."
"And then what happened?"
"I… I went back into the classroom to wait for her." Rin answered. Well, that was the truth… just not a very detailed account.
"I mean, do you know if she rejected him?"
"No," Rin wracked his brain for a simple, censored version of the story. "I went back into the classroom to wait for Gou and, when she returned… I, uh, we… N-Nothing happened between th-them! Them—nothing happened between them—him and her—that guy and Gou. She—she said nothing of what happened. I mean, she didn't know that I had seen the confession, so it wouldn't make sense for her to mention it to me, I guess…"
Shit, Rin cursed at himself. Fucking smooth, Rin! Might as well just admit that you ended up banging your baby sister in the classroom because you were jealous of some kid confessing to her! Damn, he sucked at lying!
"And then she fainted?"
"What?" Rin looked sharply at Sousuke who simply tipped his head in thought.
"Gou was unconscious when I ran into you on the way to her school. Your sister had to have fainted sometime after meeting you back in the classroom after the confession."
Yeah, she fainted because I fucked her too hard. Gou had forgiven him but Rin had yet to forgive himself. And he still felt terrible of what he did.
"Did she faint when she was with you back in the classroom?" Sousuke pressed him.
"Oh… um, yeah..." What the hell is this—an interrogation?! "Yeah, she, uh… She said she wasn't feeling good and took a seat. I let her rest for a few minutes but, when Gou stood up, she just fainted. And then... yeah, the rest is history…"
"Hm…"
Rin wasn't sure what that meant. Did Sousuke not believe him? Did he suspect something? He dared a peek at his friend but, contrary to what he'd expected, Sousuke appeared to be with his own thoughts. There wasn't an ounce of suspicion or disbelief on his face. He just seemed occupied. Rin let out a sigh of relief.
His laptop made a sound and Rin checked the notification before letting out a groan. At the top of his unopened emails was a new email in regards to Bob Bowman's proposition. The email had been sent by a representative reminding Rin of the short timeframe he had to respond to Bowman's proposal.
"What's with the groan?" Sousuke asked.
"I haven't given my response to Bowman yet and his rep is checking in to make sure I haven't forgotten that I'm just one of many options." Rin grumbled back, quickly scanning the other emails he had yet to respond.
"Rin, I still don't understand why you haven't accepted their proposal yet. I know you don't care that you'd be representing the U.S. and you're getting paid over a million for the deal." There was a certain sternness laced into Sousuke's voice as he spoke. "Is it because you'll be training in the U.S. for years?"
"Yes, but there's more to it than that..." Rin ran a hand through his hair, frustrated that Sousuke didn't know the whole truth and that he wouldn't be able to anyway.
"You were at Australia for years." Sousuke gave him a hard look, teal eyes full of resolve. "This is no different—"
"It is different!" Rin snapped at him. He stopped, sweeping maroon bangs away from his face, and then took a breath to calm down. Everything was different now that he had Gou in his arms. To go to the U.S. would be to let his sister go in favor of pursuing another thing. A long distance relationship for that many years? He could barely keep in contact with Gou when he was in Australia. Everything was different. "You just don't understand, Sousuke…"
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's your ticket to the Olympics. It's what you want." Sousuke said quietly.
Want? What did Rin want? He wanted to swim in the water. He wanted to feel like his lungs were about to burst as he raced through the pool like the athlete he was. He wanted to know what it was like to stand among legends, new and old, on a platform or podium as thousands cheered. He wanted to do what his father could not. But… Rin also wanted his sister. He wanted to hold Gou in his arms. Feel her softness press against his body. Burrow himself deep in her wanton heat. He wanted to hear Gou say his name in person, whether she was laughing, moaning, speaking angrily or softly. He wanted to kiss her crazy until she mewled for air—and then kiss her more. Get drunk on her intoxicating love juice. He wanted to look upon her beauty and be able to touch it, kiss it, drag his mouth across her body until the skin was blushing red—until Gou was whimpering with bliss. He didn't want to have to rely on photos or phone calls or even masturbation. He wanted the real thing in person. Rin wanted to witness and feel Gou's love for him and reciprocate that love an infinite times more.
Was he selfish for wanting all of that? Yes, he thought, but Rin didn't care.
It wasn't so easy to make a decision. To choose one future for another. Unless… Unless Gou would really wait for him. Together, they could swear by the ring Rin would give to her. They would swear to always be together by heart and soul. He and his sister would make their sworn vows to each other, promising their love to one another. Yes… Rin smiled, checking his phone gallery for the image of the promise ring he'd reserved for Gou. His ring would sit on her finger throughout the years to come and no amount of distance could keep him from being closer to Gou's heart.
And maybe… maybe sometime after the promise ring…
THE NEXT DAY…
Gou's body felt sluggish as she made her way to school with Chigusa who had stayed the night with her. Her friend had been more than generous and considerate once she realized Gou was not in such a good mood. They had spent the evening with Gou lying about her situation, using half-truths to admit that she was deeply in love with a boy that couldn't be with her. Chigusa had been astounded to be right on the mark but had expressed her sympathy as well. Gou felt bad lying to her like that but how could she tell the whole truth? How could she tell her best friend that she was just about to perform a coat hanger abortion before she was interrupted?
The hanger sat at the back of her closet at this moment and it took Gou much effort to not touch her belly. Sometimes, when she was thinking of more mundane things, she found her hand drifting towards her abdomen and Gou would always have to pretend that she was reaching to fix her hair or skirt instead. Pregnancy did strange things to her body. Her breasts were still sensitive and Gou definitely needed to pee more often—even the teachers seemed exasperated with her constant trips. The nausea had lessened but her appetite for food—and even sex—had increased. The latter was more complicated without Rin to sate her ravenous libido and Gou had even tried masturbation but it just wasn't the same without her brother's intimate touches. At least food wasn't much of an issue anymore although Gou found herself constantly in the mood for watermelon.
"Could I have a bite?" She asked, gesturing towards Chigusa's obento.
Her friend looked shocked and even confused. "Two weeks ago, you looked like you were ready to puke from my lunch box. Now you look like you might just steal it from right under my nose!"
"Please?" Begging her friend, Gou tried for a pout. "I'm hungry."
Me and the baby I'm carrying.
"All right, say 'ah' then." Chigusa raised a piece of shrimp tempura to Gou's mouth and she took it with glee.
She'd finished off her own lunchbox just a few minutes ago, but… now that Gou was eating for two, her hunger wasn't so easily appeased. She was just about to request another piece when someone called her name.
"Kunikida-san." Gou looked at her younger co-manager.
"Senpai, what happened yesterday?" The underclassman was direct to the point. "You never showed up for club activities. I didn't receive any text message from you either."
"Ah, I'm sorry, I wasn't feeling good." Gou answered quietly, suddenly feeling self-conscious even though no one in the class was paying mind to her. "I will be present for club activities today. I'm sorry for any inconveniences my absence made yesterday."
"Also, whatever happened between you and Hayahune-san after school last week… Well, he's been weird since then. Please talk to him when you can." Kunikida turned to leave, nodding respectfully at Gou and then Chigusa before making her way out the classroom.
"Hayahune, huh?" Chigusa smirked knowingly. "That boy would gaze so forlornly at you—I think everyone knew of his crush."
"Everyone except me." Gou blushed. She had yet to see Romio ever since the incident in the classroom. She didn't know if the boy was avoiding her on purpose or what, but Gou was absolutely sure that Romio had realized she had been in the middle of having sex in the classroom at that time.
"You're too into muscles to notice, Gou." Chigusa laughed lightly. "Ah, well, we're still young. Some of us want to take it fast and others don't mind being slow. I just don't know if I have the guts for some PDA action."
She frowned at that. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, that's right, you weren't here yesterday." Chigusa leaned in close to whisper, "Yesterday, a girl found the surface of her desk completely sticky. It wasn't sticky the last time she'd left it so everyone is saying that a couple was having sex on top of the desk sometime after school last Friday."
"Wh… What?" Gou's voice came out in a squeak. Oh, she could just die of embarrassment right now! Her cheeks went warm and Gou tugged her curtain of hair closer to hide the blush. "That's… That's crazy! Who would do such a thing?"
Me. Me with my own brother…
Chigusa shrugged, glancing at the exact desk where Gou had been sitting on with her legs raised apart for Rin to thrust into her with wild abandon. "Wish I had the gall to be that daring, but I don't even have a boyfriend. Besides, I'm surprised the janitor didn't catch them going at it."
The janitor. Oh god, had he known what that puddle on the floor was? Gou didn't want to think of it any longer. Yet, her mind drifted back to the unborn child nestled in her womb. She was pregnant… Did Chigusa notice anything different about her? Did she suspect? The nurse had…
She gasped. The nurse!
"Hana-chan, I-I need to go do something really quick." Gou stood up, gathering her stuff together. Concern passed through Chigusa's face and she stood up as well, but Gou shook her head. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine, really! I'll be back before lunch is over…"
Chigusa had still seemed worried and even confused but she stayed back in the classroom as Gou made her way to the infirmary. Her schoolbag felt heavy on her shoulder, hiding the pregnancy test Gou had brought along. Each step was laden with anxiety and fear but the worst was already over. And so she calmly stepped into the infirmary, meeting the surprised look on Yoshikawa's face.
"Gou… You're back." The nurse blinked at her.
"Are you going to tell anyone?" Gou asked straight to the point. "About what we discussed… Will you tell anyone? My mother?"
"No." Yoshikawa spoke gingerly. "Your student confidentiality—"
"My symptoms… What made you come to the conclusion that I'm… to the conclusion of a pregnancy?" Gou demanded, still standing before the nurse. "How could you tell just by me fainting?"
"I… I'm a nurse, Gou." Yoshikawa explained although she still seemed befuddled by Gou's unexpected visit. "I'm trained to recognize the signs. Pregnant women are prone to dizziness and fainting because of their unstable hormone levels affecting their blood pressure. Asking if you were sexually active helped further my suspicions of your fainting incident. You then went on to describe to me the typical symptoms of pregnancy. The spotting you found on your underwear? Blood spotting happens shortly after you conceive and it's caused by your fertilized egg implanting itself in the lining of the uterus. Many women mistake the spotting as a pending period."
The spotting on her underwear.. Gou had found specks of blood by the second week after Rin and her had made love during the fireworks show of the Tanabata Festival. That night had been the third night they had unprotected sex. She had assumed that the morning-after pill had caused her missed period.
"And.. the womb twitches?" Gou asked without further context.
She had told Rin towards the end of their summer vacation that her womb had been twitching incessantly. Small, ticklish flutters that persisted for a while. She had even taken her brother's hand and pressed it against her abdomen so that he could feel for himself. Rin had thought he was being too rough with the sex. The twitches in her womb had occurred around the same time as the spotting but Gou had never thought too much about it. She had simply assumed that her womb was twitching due to Rin's aggressive lovemaking, as he'd suggested. Some part of her had even suspected the womb twitches were a sign of her strong desire to have a baby. It never crossed her mind that her womb was twitching in preparation for the baby she would actually have. Gou had never even realized when the twitches had stopped.
Yoshikawa nodded slowly. "Yes, twitches in the uterus are one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. Your body is changing and developing as the fetus grows. Even your breasts will change with pregnancy. It's normal to experience breast sensitivity due to the increased hormone levels. It's also common to have an increased libido in early pregnancy such as the first trimester and even in the second trimester."
Libido? So my sexual appetite is also affected? That.. That explains why I've been inexplicably horny for Onii-chan!
That time when she'd fought with Rin over having sex with their mom in the house and her brother had said Gou had terrible timing. She remembered that was around the time her body had begun to feel strangely horny and ever since then it'd been that way. The place between her legs had become more sensitive and swollen whenever anything aroused her, making Gou respond to the sensitivity with easy arousal. Gou had always thought it was because she had become used to having constant sex with Rin during their summer vacation. That her body had become trained to the ways of sex and was merely responding to her brother's loving ministrations. Rin had even told that he liked her eagerness and determination. But it was actually because she was pregnant? Those times when she had been unable to control her lust like back at the Tanabata Festival… When she had allowed Rin to make love to her in the classroom despite the risk... This whole time, she had been horny for weeks because she was pregnant!
Gou wanted to facepalm and scream at the same time.
Yoshikawa continued. "All of these symptoms are early signs of your body preparing to carry the baby to full—"
"I am pregnant." Gou said quietly, procuring her pregnancy stick out of the bag to hand to Yoshikawa. The nurse glanced at the result before handing the stick back to Gou. "And before you ask—no, I wasn't r-raped... He would never rape me. He loves me and I love him… But I can't have the baby."
"Gou, there are adoption services—"
"No." Gou shook her head, finally bringing a hand to her belly as she spoke. The jacket of her school uniform covered how taut the blouse now was around her lower belly. "I can't have this baby, Sensei… meaning, I can't give birth to it either… You said there have been girls like me before. What did they do?"
"I… It's not my place to share that, Gou." Yoshikawa looked at her with such blatant sympathy that made it difficult for Gou to meet her gaze. "There are counseling services available. We haven't explored all options yet."
"You don't understand, Sensei." Gou's voice came out hoarse and weak but she had yet to shed more tears. "I don't have any options."
Yoshikawa stared at her for a moment longer before giving in with a sigh. "Abortion can be quite expensive, Gou, with or without insurance."
"How much?" Gou demanded, feeling the hot sting of tears prick her eyes now.
Turning to her desk, Yoshikawa grabbed a notepad and began scribbling something. "The financial cost can range from three-hundred dollars up to eight-hundred and more. But it depends on a few factors. Your health insurance may be able to cover some of the cost or all of it so you should call them beforehand. If you don't have insurance, there are some programs that can help you pay out-of-pocket. The cost also depends on the type of abortion you get. There is the abortion pill and then there's the in-clinic abortion, but it's possible that you are too far along to take the pill."
"What do you mean?" Gou asked, watching the nurse continue writing whatever into the notepad.
Yoshikawa glanced at her, dark eyes fell to Gou's hand cupping her belly. "The more developed the fetus is, the more difficult it is for the abortion pill to terminate it. If the termination is incomplete or unsuccessful, then you just wasted money on the pill. I don't know how far along you are, but I'm assuming that you're nearing the end of your first trimester already. I don't have the equipment to give you an exact accuracy. Most clinics won't provide you the abortion pill if you are too far into pregnancy so you'll need to check how far along you are."
"... Three months." Gou whispered weakly. It'd been thirteen weeks since she and Rin had consummated their love. She had been a virgin her whole life until thirteen weeks ago when her brother had stained her sheets red upon taking her virginity. "W-We did it without protection three months ago. About.. About thirteen weeks…"
"Thirteen weeks…" Yoshikawa mumbled to herself, gazing at the notepad for a moment in thought. "Without protection? I thought you said you were using condoms?"
A mixture of shame and embarrassment heated Gou's face and she cast her eyes down. "I… I took a morning-after pill at the end of the third day. We thought that would prevent my… impregnation. Obviously, it didn't work out…"
"Yes, unfortunately, the longer you wait, the less effective the Plan B pill is. Every hour you waited increased your chances of pregnancy." Yoshikawa's mouth tipped down with disapproval. "You were bordering seventy-two hours. That is a huge risk, Gou."
"I know that, Sensei." Gou rubbed her lower belly in demonstration, feeling the slight swell that she had mistaken for bloating. "And I'm paying the price for it."
This time it was Yoshikawa who looked down. There was a brief second of awkwardness before the nurse spoke again, "You said thirteen weeks… Do you remember the last day of your period before that?"
"Um.." Frowning, Gou tried to remember how many days it had been between her period and the day she gave her virginity to Rin. She knew, based on the calendar app on her phone, that she had been at peak fertility during those three days she had sex with her brother. That meant… "The last day of my period had been nine days before we did it."
"So that puts you at about fourteen weeks pregnant then. You're further along than I'd expected..." Sighing, Yoshikawa's mouth tightened into a thin line. "You've already begun your second trimester. I don't think any clinic will allow you to take the pill when you're this far into your pregnancy, Gou."
"I… I'm just three and a half months!" Panic swelled in her chest as Gou protested, gripping her belly with a sense of urgency. "Fourteen weeks are nothing—I'm hardly even showing yet! It just looks like I'm bloating!"
"A full-term pregnancy is about nine to ten months. You'll be showing soon enough." Yoshikawa spoke carefully and quietly as if reluctant to bring Gou's hopes down even more. "Not now because it's only your first pregnancy but, soon enough, you'll be showing a lot faster than you'd expect. I can see your blouse is already beginning to strain around your waist and so is your skirt. School clothes can't cover your growing baby bump, Gou. I'll write a note for your teacher that will excuse you from P.E. but... Listen, this isn't something you can hide, Gou, but there are other options besides abortion—"
"I told you, I have no other option!" A fat tear spilled from the corner of Gou's eye as she fought to keep herself calm. Her entire body felt like it was strung tight like laundry being wrung dry. She realized she was trembling, the pregnancy stick digging into the palm of her hand.
"Okay… it's okay." Yoshikawa hushed her, hands raised to calm Gou down. She held out a slip of paper to Gou. "Here, these services can help you should you change your mind. This one down here, a good friend of mine works there as an obstetrician-gynecologist. She performs abortions. Trust me, she'll treat you good…"
Glancing through the list of programs and bits of info written beneath them, Gou then tucked the paper into her pocket as well as the pregnancy stick. She tugged at her skirt's waistband again to give her stomach more space, ignoring how Yoshikawa had noticed. "Do you think I'm stupid, Sensei?"
"What?" Yoshikawa frowned at her.
"For getting knocked up." Gou sniffed. "I have a baby inside me and I'm not even eighteen yet. All because I couldn't keep my panties on… You think I'm a dumb… a dumb slut..."
Because I couldn't stop myself from loving Onii-chan.
"You're not stupid, Gou." Yoshikawa shook her head, meeting Gou's pained gaze with warm eyes. "There are some people out there who have children they don't deserve to have. You think this is a mistake, but mistakes don't necessarily make you a stupid person."
And what about me? Do I deserve to have this baby when it's a baby I made with my own brother? Gou felt she was cursed. The love she had for Rin was real—incest or not—and the desire to have a baby with him was just as strong. And yet… a brother doesn't get his little sister pregnant. And here Gou was, belly swelling with her brother's child.
"You're wrong, Sensei." Gou mumbled, smiling weakly at the kind woman before her. "I am a stupid girl… A hopeless, little fool."
She was a fool in love. Pregnant, and hopelessly, desperately in love with her brother. And Rin? Who knew? She couldn't let Rin find out about the baby.
What if Onii-chan tells me to abort our baby? Gou didn't know which would pain her more. That, or the possibility that Rin might encourage her to give birth… and then what? She'd ruin their future and then he'd end up hating her and the product of their incest. There was no happy ending with either futures. No, her brother could never know about the baby.
"This does not have to define who you are, Gou." Yoshikawa said, a mixture of both plea and wisdom softening the woman's tone.
Taking her bag, Gou wiped her cheeks clean of tears before nodding to the nurse, whispering, "Thank you, Yoshikawa-Sensei."
Sousuke ignored the sound of giggling girls eyeing him as he made his way past the school gates of Iwatobi high school. He had grown used to the high school girls fluttering their lashes at him or even daring to ask for his number. Besides, if Rin had been at his side, there definitely would have been a crowd of fangirls begging for a photo.
"I'm just here to pick up my girlfriend." Sousuke muttered loud enough for the newer girls to hear and they answered with a chorus of disappointment, clearing the path to the pool.
Girlfriend.
The word had felt strange to say on his tongue. Yes, Gou Matsuoka was his girlfriend… If only because her brother had accepted Sousuke's proposal to protect his baby sister from potential suitors. Sousuke knew it was nothing more than that. That there was nothing special between Gou and him. Yet, it always made his cheeks warm and his heart beat faster whenever he had to say the word aloud.
And as Gou Matsuoka's fake boyfriend, Sousuke had the privilege of walking her home every school day—except for Wednesdays when he was at Uni with Rin. And after walking Gou home from school, Sousuke had the extra privilege of eating dinner with her. He didn't mind cooking and Gou was always willing to be his partner in the kitchen. So Sousuke had found this fake boyfriend thing more fun than he'd let Rin on. Although, he still had felt bad about lying to Rin by not telling him that he spent dinner with Gou almost every day. Sousuke had a feeling that, if he shared this bit of info, Rin would not react well to it.
Walking Gou home was one thing, but having dinner with her was something more intimate. Not to mention that it wasn't necessary for him to do as a fake boyfriend.
What Rin doesn't know won't hurt anyone, Sousuke had told himself.
Besides, he had noticed that Gou seemed to be having trouble with her meals lately. Their dinners for the past weeks had usually consisted of meals that did not need to be cooked. Last week, Sousuke had tried cooking fish for Gou and she had practically sprinted upstairs, one hand clutching her belly and the other hand clasped to her mouth.
She was clearly still sick and it bothered Sousuke that Rin didn't seem as concerned as he should have been.
Tonight, Sousuke decided, he would ask her the truth.
"Gou." He called out to her once he reached the deck of the pool.
"Ah! Sousuke-kun!" She'd been sitting at the bench, staring off into space, but had leaped to her feet once her name had been called. Her hair was down today, Sousuke noted. A curtain of maroon hair trailed in Gou's wake as she reached him. "You're early today."
"Here." He handed her a small grocery bag. "Where are the guys?"
"They'll be here soon. Sousuke-kun, are these watermelon popsicles?"
"You mentioned that you were craving for some."
"But that was last week..?"
"Oh." Sousuke blinked at that, feeling shy now. "Do you… not want it now?"
"Oh, no, it's not that!" Gou chuckled quietly, fingering the plastic wrap of a popsicle. "I just… never mind. Thank you. I… I've really been craving for these…"
There was a slight wobble in her voice as if she was on the verge of tears and Sousuke peered into those garnet eyes but saw… "Gou, what's wrong?"
"Wh-What do you mean?" She looked down at the popsicles in the bag. "Everything's fine, Sousuke-kun."
No. Something was wrong. He could hear the weakness in her voice. So thin and fragile like she was hanging on by a thread. Gou Matsuoka had always been a headstrong girl who had no qualms voicing her opinion. But the Gou right now sounded nothing like the Gou who Sousuke had known for almost their whole lives.
"Something's wrong." He murmured, grasping her delicate shoulder. "Is it your sickness? Are you feeling sick right now?"
"Sickness?" Gou finally looked at him, eyes wide with… fear? "I…"
"Gou-Senpai…" Another wobbly voice cut between them and Sousuke looked at the ginger-haired boy who had shuffled over to them. The boy kept his sight down as if scared to meet Gou's eyes. "Um, I-I wanted to talk to you…"
"Romio…" Gou whispered, turning her wide eyes to the underclassman.
Sousuke was so confused. He could practically cut the tension in the air with a butter knife with the way this boy and Gou were reacting to each other. And why had Gou reacted with such fear as soon as Sousuke had mentioned the word 'sickness'? He didn't understand.
"I.. Um, sorry," The boy—Romio—stammered, still unable to look Gou in the eye, but he flicked his gaze to Sousuke instead, "I didn't mean to interrupt you and, uh…"
"Yamazaki Sousuke." Sousuke introduced himself with a small bow. He almost touched Gou's shoulder but held back as he added, "I'm her boyfriend."
At that, both Gou and Romio's eyes widened into saucers and Sousuke couldn't help but frown at the response. While Gou seemed to be tense with panic, the boy looked as if he had finally discovered the meaning of life and was having trouble processing it. But Sousuke didn't understand why Gou was so panicked. She was well aware that he was acting as her fake boyfriend to keep boys away. So why did she look like she wanted to stuff those words back into Sousuke's mouth?
"Y-You're her b-b-boyfriend?" Romio squeaked out. Sousuke did not expect for the boy to suddenly fall to his knees and bow to the ground. "I'm sorry! Please forgive me for last Friday! I-I won't tell anyone about what you two were doing in the classroom after school!"
Last Friday? What we were doing in the classroom?
"R-Romio," Gou hissed, "please—"
"I'm sorry, Yamazaki-san! I didn't mean to interrupt your lovey-dovey time with Gou-Senpai!"
"Romio, hush—"
Lovey-dovey time?
"I'll pretend I never heard anything!" Romio continued to press his forehead to the cement in apology for… What the hell is this kid talking about?
Sousuke had never been more confused in his life.
"Ah!" Gou suddenly shouted. "The popsicles! Th-They're melting—let's eat some, okay? A-And it's all right, Romio! Everything's okay!"
"But Senpai—"
"It's okay, Romio! Everything's okay!" There was a forced cheeriness to Gou's tone that matched the grin on her face.
Sousuke was still trying to process what the hell had just happened even as Gou helped the boy to his feet and continued to hand a popsicle to everyone including the rest of the team when they walked in. Watching her fret all over the place, shoving a popsicle into everyone's hands, Sousuke finally turned his attention to the boy awkwardly standing beside him.
"You're Romio?" Sousuke asked, noting how the boy had flinched when his name was called.
"Y-Yes."
"... You… You're the boy who confessed to Gou?" Sousuke kept his voice low, making sure the person in question could not hear. Rin had been the one to mention this, but Gou still had no idea that her brother had witnessed the confession and shared the news with Sousuke.
"I… I'm sorry." Romio lowered his gaze out of shame and embarrassment. "I didn't know Gou-senpai already had a boyfriend. Though, I guess it makes perfect sense that she would. I swear, I didn't do anything to her before… before that. All I did was tell her that I liked her..."
"Last Friday…" Sousuke continued on, still unsure of how to approach the matter without giving away how clueless he actually was, "Last Friday, after school… did you… see something?"
What the hell am I doing? Sousuke knew it was none of his business, but there was something strange about this situation.
"No," Romio shook his head, "I promise, I didn't see anything. I mean, the door was locked anyway."
The door… The classroom door? The boy had mentioned Gou doing something in the classroom…. Lovey-dovey stuff? Sousuke cautiously watched Gou speaking with the co-manager. Gou was doing lovey-dovey stuff with someone in the classroom after school? No… That can't be right. It was completely unlike the little Matsuoka sister to….
"Did you hear anything?" Sousuke tried not to grind his teeth. Sensing the boy's hesitation, Sousuke turned to him and looked down at Romio. Feeble amber eyes met a stern teal gaze that demanded the truth. In a hard whisper, he asked, "How did you know Gou was… that we were doing lovey dovey stuff in the classroom?"
"B-Because…" Romio wrung his hands together, "I.. I could hear it..."
"Hear what?" Sousuke demanded quietly.
"The.. The sounds." Romio answered meekly. "The first time I heard her, uh, moan… I thought Gou-Senpai had just hurt herself. Please understand—I thought she was in pain. I… I even heard the thump of the desk, so I tried to come in to help her. But she told me to leave and… and sh-she kept on moaning and the desk kept—um—thumping and… and I realized too late that Gou-Senpai wasn't alone… I-I didn't mean to interrupt you two..."
Gou moaning and the desk thumping?! No… No—was he hearing this right?! They were talking about Gou Matsuoka here. Gou who only had eyes for muscles rather than romance. Gou Matsuoka whose older brother would straight up murder any guy who so much as looked at his little sister wrong. Rin was way too protective of Gou to ever let any boy come close to her. Who in the right mind would dare touch Rin Matsuoka's precious baby sister? To risk facing Rin's wrath. Even Sousuke...
This… this was too surreal. Now he too felt the same way how Romio had looked earlier: aware but too shocked to fully process everything.
"So you heard us…" Sousuke spoke slowly, keeping his eye on Gou, "having… having sex…?"
He regretted asking that question as soon as it came out but the boy was already nodding his head in answer, confirming Sousuke's suspicions.
"Yes, but I really didn't see anything!" Romio quickly added in. "You, uh… you were smart to lock the door ahead of time… And I promise, I won't tell anyone what you two did in the classroom."
What Gou did in the classroom… Sex. She had sex with a boy in the classroom after school last Friday. She's not a virgin anymore, the thought echoed painfully in Sousuke's mind. A mixture of emotions twisted in his chest. Disappointment. Sousuke was disappointed and… hurt. His heart ached and he realized even his hands were shaking. And then there was the worry. Worry over how Rin would react once he realized that a boy had taken his sister's virginity. How furious would Rin be once he realized a boy had taken his sister's purity?
Sousuke didn't know what to think anymore. He wanted to think this was all a lie. That the boy—Romio—was mistaken. But… He knew the boy was not lying. And Gou's earlier reaction had only further cemented the boy's words.
"You and Gou are a couple." Romio continued. "It's n-normal to want to be lovey-dovey—I understand, so don't worry!"
No. Sousuke had a lot to worry about. Because if what this boy was saying was true—and Sousuke had a feeling it indeed was—then Gou Matsuoka did have sex with someone in the classroom after school last Friday. And as her fake boyfriend, Sousuke was supposed to protect Rin's little sister from exactly that. And…
Wait a minute… Sousuke didn't even pay attention to the boy's ramblings as he focused on the pieces he held. Pieces of memory that seemed to link themselves together like a puzzle.
He mentally backtracked to yesterday night and his conversation with Rin.
"I… I went back into the classroom to wait for her." Rin answered.
"I mean, do you know if she rejected him?" Sousuke clarified the question.
"No…" Rin paused. "I went back into the classroom to wait for Gou and when she returned… I, uh, we… N-Nothing happened between th-them! Them—nothing happened between them—him and her—that guy and Gou. She—she said nothing of what happened. I mean, she didn't know that I had seen the confession, so it wouldn't make sense for her to mention it to me, I guess…"
"And then she fainted?" Sousuke had asked, remembering that Rin had to carry his unconscious sister back home. He remembered how Rin had refused Sousuke's offer to carry Gou for him.
"What?" Rin looked at him sharply.
"Gou was unconscious when I ran into you on the way to her school. Your sister had to have fainted sometime after meeting you back in the classroom after the confession."
Rin paused again as if he was trying to wrack his brain to remember properly even though the incident had only been a few days ago.
"Did she faint when she was with you back in the classroom?" Sousuke pressed him. How did Rin not know this?
"Oh… um, yeah…" Rin spoke slowly as if he was still trying to recall that moment. "Yeah, she, uh… she said she wasn't feeling good and took a seat. I let her rest for a few minutes but, when Gou stood up, she just fainted. And then... yeah, the rest is history…"
Sousuke glanced down at the narrow plastic wrap he still held, the popsicle within fully partially melted by now and drooping. Romio had already excused himself to join the other guys.
"The rest is history, huh?" Sousuke muttered to himself as he watched Gou gather the swim team for a special announcement.
Gou wasn't sure if it was just her imagination but Sousuke seemed to be more quiet than usual today ever since they'd finished club activities. Even as they had walked home together, passing by the convenience store to pick up some groceries first, Sousuke had seemed to be lost in thought the entire way to the Matsuoka household. His gaze was without focus and, twice, Gou had to stop him from nearly chopping his fingers off as he sliced a carrot to add to their dinner tonight.
She sighed, keeping an eye on her friend as she sifted through the plastic bag for their groceries. There had been a great temptation to look at the prenatal vitamins in the female hygiene section. It had been a terrible calling that instilled fear into Gou as she repeatedly passed by the aisle but did not enter it. No, there was no reason for her to buy prenatal vitamins. Not when Gou planned to…
"—ou? Gou?" Sousuke cut through her thoughts and Gou looked at him. He nodded to the bag she still had her hand stuck in. "Could you hand me the chili sweet sauce?"
"Oh, y-yes!" She quickly offered him the requested ingredient and Sousuke returned to the stove.
Sitting herself down at the table, Gou watched Sousuke continue to prepare their dinner. He stopped chopping every once in a while to peruse through the cupboards for some herbs or spices to add. Sousuke had been spending dinner with Gou for the past weeks; more than long enough to know his way around the kitchen on his own. To anyone else, it might have seemed like the man practically lived with Gou, what with the way he seemed so comfortably situated. Yet, as Gou eyed how Sousuke wore the pink apron that was typically worn by her, she couldn't help but see her brother instead, cooking for Gou. Rin would turn around and ask how she liked her eggs done and…
"Gou," Sousuke finally spoke up, "can I ask you something?"
"Wh-What is it?" Gou snapped out of her thoughts once again, realizing that she'd been touching her abdomen beneath the table this whole time.
Sousuke kept his back turned to her and his voice was low when he said, "That boy at the pool earlier… He said you were… that you were doing something in the classroom after school last Friday. He said he… interrupted you… What was he talking about?"
Darn it, Romio. Gou wished she had the privacy to just facepalm and groan aloud at the trouble that was beginning to stir for her. She had been meaning to talk to Romio about that day as soon as she had the time to, but Gou hadn't expected Sousuke to introduce himself as her boyfriend. Of course, Romio would put two and two together and conclude that it was Sousuke whom she'd been with inside the classroom at that time.
"Um, Romio…" She scrambled for an excuse. "R-Romio misunderstood—"
"What did he mean by 'lovey-dovey' stuff?" Sousuke cut in, his voice still uncomfortably quiet.
Gou tried not to wince at that even as that sugared term conjured up the memory of Rin holding her against a desk and filling her with his love and passion. "Um… He… He misheard. You see, I had ended club activities early because… because I wasn't feeling well. So I was returning to the classroom to get my bag and call you and… and then I saw Onii-chan. He was waiting for me in the classroom and I was just so happy to see him. So, Romio—he… he must have heard me saying 'I missed you' to Onii-chan and misinterpreted that as me talking to a lover."
Yes… Yes, that excuse made sense, right?
The sound of the blade hitting the chopping board continued to fill the silence.
"So how did you faint?"
She blinked at that. "Faint..?"
"I was heading to the school to pick you up like usual." Sousuke kept chopping. "On the way, I ran into Rin. You were unconscious in his arms."
"Oh." Gou was confused as to why Rin hadn't mentioned that to her. "I'm sorry, Sousuke-kun, I had meant to call you, but… I guess I was just so excited to see Onii-chan that I… I just fainted."
Still, Sousuke did not turn to look at her. She had to admit, that wasn't a very convincing excuse.
"Gou," He began, "what's the last thing you remember before you fainted?"
Frowning, Gou's mouth dropped open to answer but she paused in thought. This felt like a test of some sorts…. No, she was just too strung on tension and anxiety. She was worrying too much and the pregnancy wasn't helping with her emotions. But she still needed to make up an excuse. Something that logically followed the story she'd already given to Sousuke.
Taking a deep breath, Gou answered, "The last thing I remember was hugging Onii-chan and then…"
"The rest is history?" Sousuke finished for her.
"Yeah." Gou surreptitiously touched her belly. "The rest is history…"
A/N: So Sousuke now has 3 different mismatching accounts of the story. Hm...