The Uke Flu

Chapter Thirty-eight: Semukes

It was Friday and Hiroki had just arrived home. The moment he opened the apartment door, he was greeted by the sound of Nowaki cheerfully singing along to some stupid pop song on the radio. Though He found his giant's taste in music atrocious, since he was hidden in the hallway, Hiroki couldn't help but smile a bit at the happy noise: Nowaki only listened to that particular station when he wasn't around.

Hiroki breathed a deep and his nose was filled with the delicious aromas of Nowaki's cooking. His stomach rumbled: it had been a hell of a day at work; he hadn't even had time to eat the lunch Nowaki had packed him.

In addition to just the regular mayhem, as the weekend had drawn closer and the date of Miyagi's confessional dinner with the Takatsuki family drew nearer, the senior professor had gotten increasingly nervous. As a result, Miyagi had been even more distracted and annoying than he normally was. For this reason, Hiroki was even more relieved than usual to have finally escaped the University.

He set his bag down, slipped out of his shoes, and padded into the main room. Nowaki was in the kitchen working over the stove; lost in a world of his own as he cooked. Hiroki watched him scrape a variety of chopped vegetables into a large skillet and then dust a few spices into a bubbling pot. Seeing his partner moving around the kitchen seeming so perfectly content, Hiroki felt the hundreds of tiny knots the day had tied in him slowly begin to loosen.

The reality was that things were really pretty good at the moment. The couple had managed to get through the rest of the week without incident. The herbs that Doctor Suzuki prescribed seemed to be really helping Nowaki's morning sickness and as a result, he had been eating more than he had for weeks. This pleased Hiroki.

Also the pink-haired pop star and his author boyfriend had held a press conference plainly stating that Shuichi wasn't pregnant. As a result the press had backed off too, though not before Hiroki's publisher had managed to get him a number of interviews lined up for his book. Nowaki had gotten some interviews of a sort himself, having now talked with Misaki a few times since stumbling into Hiro-san's cooking lesson. And though Akihiko was still uneasy with the notions of two way streets and pregnant semukes, once the author saw how happy it was making Misaki to have someone to talk with, he'd actually even invited Nowaki to come over for dinner the next week and to bring Hiroki in tow.

To top it all off, Hiroki's mother had been calling Nowaki at least twice a day now, to find out how her "pregnant" son was since Hiroki was always so terse with her. This motherly concern tickled Nowaki to no end though he still felt a bit bad she didn't yet know the truth. However, the lady Kamijou had announced on her last call that Hiroki's father had finally agreed to meet with his son to discuss the couple's upcoming commitment ceremony. Hiroki had asked Nowaki to wait until their visit to finally break the news about which one of them was actually pregnant, and despite his unease, Nowaki had agreed.

Nowaki looked up from the stove and seeing Hiroki, broke into a wide goofy grin.

"Hiro-san, you're home!"

It never failed to secretly please and amuse Hiroki that Nowaki was always so delighted to see him. One would have never known from his enthusiasm that they had been together that morning. Hiroki fixed his face into the appropriate frown in response.

"Yeah, thank Kami-sama. But I still have a hell of a lot of grading to do this weekend,"

Nowaki wiped his hands on the plain black apron he was wearing, turned down the burners, and stepped out of the kitchen. He approached Hiroki with a measure of reserve, though he was beaming. He had learned by now that Hiro-san did not appreciate sloppy greetings. So, as much as he wanted to squeeze and smooch his partner, Nowaki refrained. Instead, he just stood there quietly, basking in the fact Hiroki was home.

"Are those the drinks I asked you pick up, Hiro-san?" Nowaki nodded to the sack Hiroki had carried out into the main room with him.

"Yes," Hiroki affirmed as he stepped past Nowaki into the kitchen and set the bag on the counter. He opened the refrigerator and started setting the various bottles and cans inside. He had just set the last one in when he felt a pair of long warm arms wrap around him from the back. Hiroki felt a blush fill his cheeks as Nowaki gently bit one of his earlobes.

"I missed you today, Hiro-san," Nowaki murmured into his ear. Hiroki had planned to shut the refrigerator door, but it was a bit awkward considering his arms were bound by his giant's embrace.

"Nowaki…"

"I know… "Nowaki mumbled against his neck. "I just saw you this morning."

Hiroki said nothing. For a minute he stilled, allowing Nowaki's comforting heat to envelop him. He stared into the still-opened fridge's interior at all the beverages he had been asked to buy and the cold dishes Nowaki had made.

"Don't you think you're going a little overboard with all this food and stuff? I mean, how many people are coming over anyways?" He turned his head slightly to look at Nowaki.

"Just two couples, Hiro-san… But two of our guests are also eating for more than one, you know." Nowaki chuckled as he loosened one long arm from around Hiroki and pushed the door shut. "Besides, Hiro-san… Do you realize this is the first time we've ever had a dinner party here?"

Hiroki turned himself around in Nowaki's arms and gazed up into the young doctor's deep blue eyes. Nowaki was glowing with pleasure. Hiroki felt simultaneously pleased and dismayed: pleased that Nowaki was so happy and dismayed, realizing that it was his own social discomfort that had kept them from having guests over like this previously.

He was more than happy for it just to be the two of them. Growing up as he did, in the social circles his family occupied, he had been forced to attend enough uncomfortable dinners and social events to last him a lifetime. But this had never been Nowaki's experience and though the younger man had never complained, Hiroki suddenly understood that as social as Nowaki was, this was probably something that his partner had wanted to do for a long time.

"Well, that's what happens right?" Hiroki grumbled. "You start a family and suddenly you get thrown in with a bunch of other couples."

He certainly had seen this dynamic play out among colleagues at the University: like ended up being grouped with like in terms of social structure. Not that it had ever really bothered him, but being in a minority as a "single" man, he had been relegated to the outskirts of many collegial relationships as a result.

"So, I guess I better just get used to this." Hiroki growled, managing to sound more peevish than he really felt. Nowaki of course saw right through him. He leaned down and kissed Hiroki sweetly.

"Thank you, Hiro-san."

"I still think it's odd having a bunch of people over that we don't know." Hiroki blushed, skillfully twisted himself out of Nowaki's arms, and started moving out of the kitchen.

"Well the people I have been talking to have all sounded perfectly nice," Nowaki said behind him as he returned to the stove. "Are you going to take a shower, Hiro-san? Or just change your clothes before they get here?"

"I'm just going to change. I'll bathe later." Hiroki knew that if he waited until later that there was a good chance Nowaki would join him. He looked back just in time to see the glint in his giant's eye.

"Don't get any ideas, Brat!" he snapped, though both of them knew that he didn't mean it. "I'd forgotten how cheeky you were when you felt good!" Hiroki snorted in mock annoyance as he made his way off to the bedroom to change. He poked his auburn head outside the bedroom door one last time before disappearing inside.

"You told them casual. Right?" He called out to Nowaki. Nowaki looked up from the stove and nodded.

"Good." Hiroki moved into their bedroom. While he knew it should be simple, trying to figure out what passed for casual amongst a group of people one didn't even know was a bit tricky.

As he removed his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt, he wondered what the other couples were going to be like. He'd been shocked when Doctor Suzuki had called Nowaki two days ago and informed him that he'd done some asking around and had actually found to his surprise, two other semuke pregnancies in Tokyo. While Hiroki had been stunned, Nowaki had been ecstatic, pleased that he was no longer alone in his condition.

"Maybe the rules aren't as rigid as everyone thinks." Nowaki had suggested in that balanced semuke way of his.

Hiroki slipped out of his dress shirt and pulled a long-sleeved, cream colored, "V" necked shirt from out of the closet and put it on, pushing the sleeves up to his elbows. He grabbed a pair of jeans off a hanger and started undoing the belt buckle on his work slacks.

Of course Nowaki inquired if it was possible to meet the other two couples.

Dr. Suzuki had spoken with them both and Hiroki was surprised when they agreed to let Nowaki contact them. And now, as a result, the three couples would soon be meeting each other for the first time.

Hiroki replaced his slacks on the hanger his jeans had just occupied and hung them back up in the closet. He was pulling his jeans up when he suddenly felt eyes on him. He looked over and saw Nowaki leaning against the door frame of their bedroom watching him.

He noticed Nowaki had removed the apron. Hiroki tried to ignore the little flutter in his stomach that occurred as he noticed just how good Nowaki looked: he was wearing jeans and one of his trademark black tee-shirts.

"What?" Hiroki growled in response to the slightly sad grin on his partner's handsome face.

"It just seems to me that those jeans are going in the wrong direction," Nowaki sighed.

"Nowaki…" Hiroki shook his head and felt his cheeks get hot. "Our guests are going to be here in like fifteen minutes."

It seemed Dr. Suzuki hadn't been kidding about the Uke Flu's libidinal effects. Now that his morning sickness was under control Nowaki had become even more insatiable than normal. Hiroki had recently begun to feel that while he was confident that the younger man would make it to term, he wasn't so sure his own ass would survive the remaining months .

"Fifteen minutes is plenty of time and I could use an appetizer before dinner, Hiro-san." Nowaki grinned from the door and waggled his eyebrows teasingly.

"No, Nowaki." Hiroki firmly underscored this by turning so that Nowaki could clearly watch him button and raise the zipper on his jeans. Then seeing the disappointed look on his big puppy's face, Hiroki dropped his eyes and blushed even more. "Later, okay…"

Nowaki's blue eyes lost their puppy dog aspect immediately and the expression in them was replaced with something more along the lines of a fox's sly satisfaction.

"Promise, Hiro-san?"

Hiroki moved over to where Nowaki was blocking the doorway. He paused in front of Nowaki looking as though he was considering his options. He was surprised when he suddenly felt large hands grip his shoulders and push him back up against the door. Nowaki leaned down and caught his mouth. One hand left his shoulder a moment later and reached up to cradle his cheek. Hiroki raised his hand and covered Nowaki's. The kiss between them lingered. Then Nowaki pulled back gently.

"Promise, Hiro-san?" he whispered.

It took Hiroki a moment to recover his breath. He scowled, "Yeah, yeah… I promise." Hiroki huffed. "Honestly, Nowaki… what's gotten into you lately?"

"I love you, Hiro-san," Nowaki said simply.

"That's not any different than what you tell me any other day, you dork," Hiroki muttered, flustered as always by such a declaration.

"Yes, I suppose…" Nowaki said thoughtfully. Then his eyes looked deeply into Hiroki's. "But lately… even though I didn't know it was possible… It seems like every day I love you more, Hiro-san." Nowaki's tone was exceedingly tender.

Hiroki frowned at this. Oddly, he knew exactly how Nowaki felt. He wondered whether or not he should admit this, when thankfully a knock sounded on the apartment door. Hiroki lifted Nowaki's hand off his shoulder. He brought it to his lips and gave the back of Nowaki's paw a quick kiss before he dropped it.

"Idiot, the sap you spout... You better knock it off, Nowaki," Hiroki gruffed, though not unkindly, as he squeezed past on his way to the entry. "Your other pregnant semukes are here."

Thank you for all the alerts and the reviews, I love them. Please keep them coming… BTW any guesses on who the other semukes are?