Disclaimer: My dad is whining about taxes. I'm bored.

Misaki: So don't listen and say the disclaimer and write the story.

Chey: The not listening part I can't really do since he's looking at me while I type. But I can probably do the other two.

Misaki: Whatever, just do the important things.

Chey: Fine, I don't own Junjou Romantica or any of its characters.

Chapter Thirty Six

Two weeks later… (Mikiko about four weeks old now)

"Misaki-kun, have you thought about naming godparents for Mikiko-chan?" Aikawa asked from the gallery where she appeared to lounge but in reality was holding the office door shut with her foot and bracing herself against the balcony railing.

Below her, Misaki looked up from where he sat nursing Mikiko. He'd long since recovered from the malnutrition and, though he was still watched at mealtimes, the kitchen foreplay had resumed…if at a more sedate pace. "Huh, I haven't. I guess Niisan and Manami-nee would be one pair."

"What about the other?"

"I don't know. I'd have to talk to Usagi-san about that."

Aikawa laughed. "That will have to wait, then." She kicked the door violently and yelled, "Isn't that right, Sensei?"

Misaki didn't think he would answer but even if he did, Misaki couldn't hear. "In any case, thanks for bringing it up, Aikawa-san."

"Of course, Mikiko-chan wouldn't be able to survive if anything happened to the two of you."

Misaki smirked. He doubted anything bad would happen to the two of them at once given that these days, they rarely left the house and if Misaki did leave, he took Mikiko with him for fear that Usagi-san might set fire to the kitchen again. Breaking glasses was traumatic enough because Misaki had quickly become leery of Miki-chan spontaneously learning to crawl in a moment when Misaki was cleaning up shattered glass.

Later that day, he broached the subject of Godparents to his lover. "Usagi-san?"

Akihiko looked up from the baby he was attempting to bounce on his knee. He was doing it too gently and Mikiko was getting fussy because the motion was too slow and awkward. "You have to do it faster," Misaki sighed, distracted.

"Won't that hurt her?"

"Nah." Misaki sat on the couch beside Usagi and took the little girl from him. "Here, like this." He bounced the baby, using the bounce of his leg as a tempo. The scrunched face that came shortly before crying dropped away and her head lolled a bit with the motion as she relaxed. Both his parents smiled.

"What did you want to talk about before?" Usagi asked, suddenly remembering.

"What? Oh, I wanted to know who should be Gdparents. I know Niisan and Manami-nee would be happy to do it but sometimes there are four of themwas wondering if there was anyone you might want to ask."

"Oh, well, I suppose I could ask Hiroki."

Misaki looked at him in surprise, tearing his eyes from the baby's. "Really?"

"From what little I know of his lover—"

"That isn't fabricated in those nasty novels," Misaki interrupted.

Akihiko continued as if he hadn't. "—he has a very strong attachment to children. Hiroki has no particularly strong feelings for children but I'm sure that he'll, at the very least, acquiesce to Dr. Kusama."

"Well," Misaki said carefully. "If they say yes, I'm more than happy to have them as Godparents for Miki-chan."

Akihiko smiled slightly. "I'll give Hiroki a call. Or just show up in his office for no apparent reason."

Misaki's brows drew together. "Why would you do that?"

Usagi-san shrugged. "He doesn't seem to mind."

…

Hiroki sneezed suddenly and violently.

"Someone's talking about you," Nowaki said with a smile.

"The horror," Hiroki said dryly. To a normal person, he would have said, "Don't be an idiot," but lately he was starting to realize that such retorts were useless when they were addressed to his lover.

To drive the point home, Nowaki added, "I bet they're saying something nice."

"Not if they know me," Hiroki replied grimly.

"Oh, don't say that." Nowaki crossed to the table where the other man sat reviewing student essays and wrapped his arms around him.

"Leggo, I'm trying to work."

Nowaki huffed and pressed a kiss/lick/bite at the bend of Hiro-san's neck and shoulder. It sent shivers rippling through the smaller man and caused him to regret his words. Nowaki started to release him but he leaned into the loosening embrace, startling both of them.

Nowaki recovered first and gripped Hiroki's chin, twisting it until their lips met. The other hand trailed lines of heat down his lover's chest and beneath his belt. He cringed in pleasure as Nowaki gripped him through his briefs and gasped. Nowaki took full advantage of the opened mouth, thrusting his tongue inside. Hiroki kissed him back just as hard and shifted so his hand could grasp Nowaki's shoulder.

Then the phone rang.

"No-Nowaki…phone."

"Ignore it," was the breathy reply.

"Could be…work—nng!" he moaned as Nowaki's grip suddenly tightened on him.

"Doesn't matter." Nowaki broke away from Hiro-san's lips and began nipping along his jaw, heading for his very sensitive ear.

"No!" Hiroki gasped and managed somehow to free himself. Slightly bedraggled, he got to his feet and crossed to the phone.

"Hello?"

"It's Akihiko."

…More of Akihiko's story...

Hirofumi was beginning to discover that the impossibility of having this family wass growing less and less. He could now feel slightly more helpful as a parent thanks to Aya-chan's amazing ability to put him at ease and include him in decisions about the baby.

When he asked why she cared for his opinion, she laughed and said, "Because you made this baby too. Just because you're the father doesn't mean you get to dodge your responsibility."

Hirofumi could only stare at her in silence. He didn't have the faintest idea of what kind of decision he should make. Babies were so easily affected by everything. What if he made the wrong decision and Aya went along with it? He was utterly terrified.

Aya seemed to read his nervousness in his dark eyes. "What is it?" she asked.

He couldn't answer. He didn't want her to know his private shame, his inability to risk making the wrong choice. Instead, he turned away and retreated, leaving Ayako and their child alone in the living room. In the kitchen, he leaned against the counter and covered his face with his large hand.

Chey: Ugh, I'm sorry again, I can only apologize for my own inabilities.

Misaki: You mean your uselessness.

Chey: Yes, that too. But I'm rereading JR so I can get a feel for my characters again. In the meantime, please review and I LOVE you all so so much.

Misaki: Don't listen, she only cares about her review count.

Chey: Oi! Shut up. They aren't supposed to know that—dah! Hahah…uh, never mind. Thanks for reading! Oh right, I'm not entirely sure about the Godparent rules because they vary and neither of my parents actually remember who my Godparents are, I'm going on what my aunt did with her daughter, which was two couples. If that's a problem, I'm sorry but it works better for this story.

~CheyanneChika