author's note
one chapter away from meeting bb seagull :DD and about a few chapters away from the final.. while the main story would end by chapter 25 most likely, i'll write about them being parents until chapter 30!
the reviews in the last chapter seemed to like the name umiko, so i may or may not choose that name ;)
Responses for Reviews:
tzumisa9: i'm glad you love this story a lot! thank you!
Hiei's Curry: a birb is pecking her territory uwu
SockyCake: aa. AAAAAAAAA? my favorite author is reading my story i- omg wait i feel bad cause the first ten chapters are crappy-
With all that said, lez go!
Disclaimer: The Love Live franchise and its characters are not mine.
Chapter 22: Ready?
Two months later, September 12, 2018
"Go ahead inside, I'll take the yoga mat and everything else."
"Mou, Umi-chan, I can help, too-"
"Surprise!"
"Ehh-?!" Kotori's eyes widened, slightly startled with the sound of pink confetti popping "You guys..!"
"Sis!" Yui grinned, giving Kotori a tight hug "Happy birthday! And look, we have a baby shower for you!"
"Happy birthday, Kotori. Yui-nee and the others wanted to plan something for you." Umi chuckled, making her way into the house "I'll go ahead and bring these upstairs real quick, everyone."
"I feel like Kotori-chan is getting bigger every time we see her, nya.. B-But in a good way!" Rin grinned "Kotori-chan, come sit here! You must be tired from your maternity class, nya!"
"Thank you, everyone..! And those are-"
"Baby shower gifts, of course. Gifts for the baby, for you, and some for Umi, as well." Maki snickered, thinking of the gift she got for Umi "Anyways, Nozomi and Eli decorated the place. Does it look nice enough?"
"Hey, I helped too!"
"Right.. Yui-nee helped as well. Though, it's more like she bought everything and inflated the balloons, that's all.." Eli sighed, then soon gave Kotori a hug "Happy birthday, Kotori."
"That is still help, Eli." Yui muttered under her breath, then grinned "Come on, come on! Let's have a little party! Umi said you tend to feel nauseous if there is alcohol nearby so.."
"We found a way to have alcohol around without the strong smell." Maki walked out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of gummy bears "Tipsy gummies."
"Even still, Kotori-chan can't have any.. Kotori-chan, Umi-chan said you have cravings of jelly from time to time, so Nozomi-chan and I made some non-alcoholic jellies!" Hanayo giggled as she exited the kitchen after Maki, holding pink wooden crate full of gummy bears in little packages "I hope you'll like them, Kotori-chan, and baby..?"
"We haven't decided on a name yet. Well, we have choices, but we'll decide when she's born."
"Baby seagull, then!" Nico, Honoka and Rin cheered together, making Kotori chuckle.
"Yeah, baby seagull for now."
"Did you guys pick up the cheesecake, too?" Umi asked as she went down the stairs, then went close to Yui, whispering to her ear.
"Ah, that-"
"Shh! Anyways.. was it picked up already?"
"Yeah, we picked it up along the way. New York style, right?" Nico asked, and smiled when Umi nodded "Nico-nii also made a diaper cake!"
Sure enough, on the middle of the table was a three-tier cake made of diapers, decorated with pink ribbons, pink pacifiers and a pink rattle on top.
"Yeah, it's..very Nico." Umi muttered, staring at the cake, then smiled at Kotori "Happy birthday, Kotori."
"Thank you, Umi-chan. Now," Kotori clasped her hands together, smiling as she cocked her head "let's start the party!"
After two hours or so passed with them eating, talking about preparations, and once again, teasing Umi for having a child first despite exclaiming 'shameless!' a lot of times in the past, Yui recommended that they'd open the presents they got.
"This one is from.. Auntie Honoka, to baby Minami-Sonoda seagull." Umi read the tag, rolling her eyes but she still had a small smile on "Kotori, do you want to open it? It's..quite bulky."
"Ah, yeah!" Kotori excitedly giggled, taking the gift from Umi's hands and putting it on her lap "It's a..baby gym!"
"It's sea themed too! Like her papa!" Honoka grinned "Do you guys like it? I also put a coupon for the parents-to-be!"
"One free dozen of manjuu everytime it's baby's monthly birthday.." Umi read the little envelope, and grinned as she opened it, revealing twelve coupons "Thank you, Honoka."
"Open mine next, I got one for each of you." Maki smugly grinned "This is yours, Umi."
"To the first Papa of the group, protect your.." Umi coughed, letting out a sigh soon after "nuts..? Much love, Maki."
Umi could only blush as she realized what was inside. When everyone realized Maki got her an underwear that is made to protect a father's, well, balls from being kicked by their child and was considered 'kid-proofed,' they all laughed, especially Honoka and Rin.
"I mean, better safe than sorry, sis." Yui giggled, handing Kotori the other gift Maki got for her "This is from Maki as well, but for Kotori."
"Ah, thank you, Maki-chan! This is.." Kotori read the tag, and smiled again "For the best Mama-to-be, eh? Thank you, Maki-chan."
"Hey! I'm the best Mama to be, for our kids!" Nico argued "Why am I not the best?!"
"How can you breastfeed our child? They'd be formula fed-"
"Idiot!"
"Maki-chan, this costs a fortune!" Kotori gasped, taking out a designer brand nappy bag "Are you sure-"
"Think of it as a gift from the Nishikino's, Kotori. And besides, it will come in handy. Once the baby outgrows it, it's still a nice keepsake. You can even give it to her when she has kids of her own."
"I-I'm sure a 10 dollar nappy bag can work the same way that 2,100 dollar nappy bag can work. Tax not included." Eli sighed, looking defeated "Now what did you get their baby?"
"To the little pooping and crying human being, from the auntie that will give you your heart's wants." Umi rolled her eyes at the last sentence, and helped Kotori unwrap the present "This is.."
"An automatic rocker." Kotori gasped, then smiled at Maki "Thank you, Maki-chan! This was on our list of what to buy, but thanks to you, we can cross it out now!"
"-! Now I feel like our presents are nothing compared to Maki's.." Eli sighed as she handed Kotori a wrapped gift "This one is from Nozomi and I."
"Two in one since eheh~ most of our earnings were spent on the moving-together thing."
"It's okay! And this is.."
"Sterilizer for most baby things, huh? This will be useful.." Umi smiled to Eli as a thank you, putting the sterilizer aside - where a pile of gifts began forming "Ah, right, the tag."
"'To the result of Honoka's sudden party-' H-Hey!" Umi blushed, putting the tag aside as well "E-Eli..Nozomi!"
"It's true, though..? Thanks to the Beluga I brought, and to Honoka's party, you did that and then your daughter is the result of-"
"I know..!" Umi stuttered, looking incredibly flustered and embarrassed "D-Don't talk about it!"
"Tsk.. Now you're embarrassed..? After how many months.." Yui sighed, getting another present for the two to open "The last few presents are from the family, so I think you should open your friends' gifts first. This one is from..Nico."
"The best present your child will ever get!" Nico proudly (and smugly) grinned, crossing her arms "Well? Hurry up!"
"To baby seagull, from your prettiest auntie. Heart." Umi muttered with no emotions while Kotori opened the gift "It's a..?"
"Microphone toy for babies." Kotori chuckled, holding the little pink microphone in her hands "Nico-chan, why?"
"Well~ Okay, let's be honest, you and Umi have nice voices.. though not as nice as mine." Nico responded with a warm, genuine smile "I think she will have a pretty voice, too. A mix of Umi's deep voice and Kotori's high pitch voice sounds nice."
"Ah, that's true, that's true! I'm sure baby seagull will have a beautiful voice, nya!"
"R-Rin-chan, keep your tone down.. Kotori-chan, here..! I got this for your little one." Hanayo smiled, giving them another baby pink wrapped box "This will come in handy soon!"
"To the cutest baby to come." Kotori giggled as she opened the box "Oh! A baby food maker! Umi-chan actually wanted to get one of these!"
"Hanayo, thank you. I feel like she has all of her supplies prepared already.." Umi chuckled "The last present is from Rin, no? And then we get to Yui-nee and our parents' presents."
"They're quite heavy.." Rin muttered, handing them a box that seemed smaller than the rests' "I'm sorry if it's small, nya!"
"It's okay, Rin-chan. It's the thought that counts always!" Kotori reassured her, letting out a little laugh upon reading what was written on the tag "To the proof that Umi-chan can be shameless sometimes."
"..Rin..!"
"It's true, nya!" Rin defended herself, then soon pestered Kotori to open it "It's cute, nya!"
"Oh, a stuff toy that sings? What does it sing..?" Kotori muttered upon opening the gift, and pressed the little plush bunny's hand. While it sang, its little plush ears moved, as well.
"Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie 'em in a knot, can you tie 'em in a bow?"
"Rin-chan, why English?"
"So she won't have problems like me in the future, nya!" Rin confidently said, to which Umi just chuckled to "And besides, do babies care? A song is a song!"
"That's.. true. Alright, moving on to the family's presents!" Yui excitedly picked her gift from the bunch, handing it to Kotori. Then, she handed a smaller box to Umi, a box smaller than her hand "A gift for the baby, and for the couple!"
"To the cutest baby to come, love, your best aunt." Kotori read it out loud, then began unwrapping the present "Oh, a baby carrier! This would be handy since they said skin-to-skin contact is the best for babies.."
"See, see? I'm smart, right? Now Umi, open your gift too!"
"To my sis and sis-in-law, stay active even if there's a baby.. winky face." Umi muttered, then glared at her sister "Sonoda Yui, what is this?"
"Hey, no calling me like that. I'm older than you. And just..just go ahead and open it."
Umi's face soon turned red as she opened the little box, and tossed it aside. Still, Kotori reached out to grab it, and soon blushed as well.
"Y-Yui-nee.. why.. why sex positions dice?!" Kotori stuttered, while the other girls tried to hold in their laughter "U-Umi-chan and I-"
"It's simple! Once you're all healed up and the baby is fast asleep, roll the dice, hand it to Umi!" Yui proudly explained while Umi just glared at her "I..I think I need to run out real quick, Kotori. You can go ahead and open your parents' presents, bye!"
With that, Yui dashed out to the garden, but Umi followed her shortly afterwards.
"Let's.. keep on opening presents. But hey, Kotori-chan?"
"Yeah, Nozomi-chan?"
"Are you gonna use that dice a few months after you give birth?"
Kotori just smiled, rolling the dice on her hand, which soon landed on the position 'cowgirl.'
"Maybe."
The rest of μ's knew that it was a yes, and just laughed. After all, it's not like Umi could say no to her.
"Yui-nee, why did you even get us that-"
"Intimacy is a way of showing affection, little sis." Yui teased, sitting on one of the swings "I do hope you still stay as affectionate as you are right now. You asked me to bring the heirloom ring, so..that only means one thing, right?"
Umi approached her sister, who soon handed her a navy blue box. Upon opening it, she was greeted by a white gold ring that had a 3 carat blue diamond.
"The Sonoda ring has been passed down for how many generations. It's a sign of love, a promise that the love will last a lifetime, similar to how diamonds last forever." Yui recalled her great grandmother's words, smiling "When do you plan to propose, Umi?"
"When the time is right."
"She's the one for you, you're sure of that? But, well.. no girl would say no to that ring." Yui teased, elbowing Umi when she sat down on the swing beside her "Also because you're a great catch."
"Did.. Grandma say anything when you asked her for this?" Umi muttered as she examined the ring, absorbed into its beauty "I'm sure she said something."
"Yes, actually. She told me to make sure that you two will stay together, the way Sonoda Tsukahara promised his wife as he gave her this ring a century ago." Yui responded as she looked up "She told me to make sure that you will give us updates about the baby's arrival, that you should always stick by Kotori's side during the final trimester."
"Of course I will. And.. Father? Mother?"
"Mother told me to tell you to call us whenever you need advice about the baby, or about Kotori's mood swings and cravings. As for Father.. he asked you to try not to faint when the baby comes." Yui laughed, much to Umi's dismay "Oh God.. have you seen the way the baby's head comes out? They call it the ring of fire!"
"I..I'm sure Kotori can handle it well, won't she? She's a strong lady."
"Of course she can. The question is, can you handle the sight?"
"..I will do my best not to faint." Umi sighed in defeat, slightly swinging now "By the way, how is Kazuma-nii?"
"Kazuma? He is in America at the moment, but will come home during the holidays. Of course, I spend my holidays at the Sonoda household in Hokkaido, so he has no choice but to go there as well. Though, we will spend November here in Tokyo." Yui answered with a slightly mischievous smile "Maybe your little one will have a cousin soon~ I'll get jealous if your daughter spends time with Grandma before she becomes too fragile to play with her grandchild, so.. I'll try to have a baby, too!"
"Ah, poor Kazuma-nii." Umi chuckled, and soon, her eyes widened in fear as Yui stood up to push her "Yui-nee..!"
"What~? For old time's sake, before you become a papa!"
"I hate swinging high, you know that!"
"That's precisely why!"
"Oh, look." Nozomi called the attention of the girls, pointing out to the window "Umi-chan is like a little kid again~"
"..Umi-chan looks horrified." Honoka muttered, watching Yui stand up on the same swing Umi sat down on.
"Yui-nee! It will break!"
"It won't, I'm on a diet, y'know!"
"Don't kill me before I meet my child..!"
"I'll try not to~"
Eventually, the day ended with Umi assembling a highchair that came from the Sonoda's, which thankfully adjusts to the age of the user - it could be used even until their child turns to an adult. Kotori received a newborn bottle set and some soft, expensive fabrics from the Minami's. By 8 PM, their guests left pair by pair, with Yui giving Kotori a big hug, congratulating her and wishing her the best of luck.
The baby room, which was already filled with baby clothes, toys, and some pictures (mainly the previous ultrasounds) before the baby shower, got even more full with the rocker, baby gym, and toys that the girls bought.
"Two months left." Kotori giggled to herself, closing the closet that's full of little onesies - most of them, she made herself "Can't wait to meet you already.."
"Kotori?" Umi called out as she peeked her head through the door, smiling as she saw Kotori's figure "There you are."
"Umi-chan," Kotori was about to turn, but couldn't since Umi approached her and hugged her from the back "are you ready?"
"To meet her? Yes. To spend the rest of my life with you?" Umi smiled into the crook of Kotori's neck "Yes."
"Is that a proposal?" Kotori jokingly asked as she turned around to face Umi "You're asking me to marry you?"
"Maybe one day." Umi shrugged, still smiling "Would you say yes if I asked?"
"Silly." Kotori giggled, tiptoeing to plant a quick peck on Umi's lips "Of course."
Eventually, Kotori moved away, going in front of their daughter's cot. She played the baby mobile, and carressed the little blanket inside the cot.
"It feels unbelievable, still, that we'll be parents soon."
"We'll eventually get used to it, won't we?" Umi once again hugged Kotori from behind, both of them closing their eyes as the baby mobile played.
"Happy birthday, Kotori." Umi whispered to Kotori's ear, hugging her a bit tighter "I love you."
"Thank you, Umi-chan.
I love you, too."
side-note:
lists of gifts the seagals got for their bb seagull:
maki: got a fridapack for umi, a blue hermes circus nappy bag for kotori, and a 4mamaroo rocker for the baby
rin: got a gund flora the bunny plush for bb seagull
hanayo: got a nutribullet baby (for food when the baby eats solids) for bb seagull
honoka: got a fisher-price ocean explorer baby gym for bb seagull
nozoeli: got a pink haenim uv sterlizer 2016 model for bb seagull
nico: got a pink vtech singalong microphone for bb seagull
yui: got a 'sex position' dice for the couple (which umi swears she will discard, but poor her, kotori had already kept it) and a chicco baby carrier for the seagull
sonodas: got a white stokke highchair and an avent newborn set for bb seagull
minamis: got another avent newborn set and some soft fabrics for the bb seagull
as for umi.. well, before the party began, she already gave kotori a new pastel green sewing machine, which kotori accepted happily, she even squealed from excitement. i wasnt able to write that part since i skipped to the baby shower asap lmao
i feel like this is such a crappy chapter but don't worry, the next chapter will be fluff n emotional (i hope) and should be longer than 5k words :DDD after all, it is another two month timeskip, and the arrival of bb seagull.
until then, stay safe, wash yo hands!
- zumi