Hiroki grumbled as he backed into the apartment, lugging the crate of textbooks and student essays behind him. He felt relieved as he entered the warmth of his home, happy to be out of the cold early spring air. Precariously balanced on top of the heavy crate was a plastic bag, which teetered threateningly towards the edge and out of Hiroki's reach.

"Don't you dare," he growled, willing the contents of the bag not to fall out onto the floor. As if on cue, a cup of blueberry yogurt tumbled out of the bag and plopped to the linoleum tiles below, promptly splitting open and spattering blue goo all over Hiroki's shoes.

Just his luck.

"You're going to get it now, you little shit," Hiroki barked at the yogurt on the floor. With a flourish, he set his crate and groceries off to the side. He stomped off out of the entryway and into the kitchen, where he snatched up a roll of paper towels. Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, he grinned maniacally at the naughty yogurt.

It wasn't until he was on his hands and knees, scrubbing furiously at the floor, and asking the dairy product 'who its daddy was' that he realized what he was doing. His eyebrow twitching in annoyance and embarrassment, he solemnly finished his job of wiping the floor. Hiroki sat back on his heels, sighing.

He couldn't deny that he was feeling anxiety from the absence of Nowaki as of late. Their shared apartment seemed so empty without the gigantic oaf spreading his egotistical, territorial pheromones around like wildfire. Hiroki was lonely and, frankly, pent up. With the mysterious increase of medical research recently, Nowaki had been forced to take more and more shifts at the hospital until he had practically begun to live there. It felt like the only time Hiroki saw his beloved was during the late nights when he would come home at three in the morning. Even then, he'd be too exhausted to even change out of his work clothes before silently slipping into bed and sleeping for two hours until he had to go back to work.

Worst of all, Nowaki refused to tell Hiroki why he was getting so many shifts. In fact, whenever he questioned him, Nowaki would either change the subject or make an excuse to make love right then, right there. In the end, when his eyes rolled to the back of his head in pleasure, Hiroki forgot the subject and allowed himself to be devoured every time.

But now, as he sat upon the floor with a dirty paper towel full of processed blueberry ooze and sticky linoleum under his khaki-pants clad knees, he realized just how pissed off he was getting.

Just as he was about to stand to storm to the phone and call his neglecting lover, the doorknob to the apartment jiggled. A second later, the door flew open and Nowaki stood in the threshold, his eyes dull and his balance wavering. His hair was disheveled more than usual, as if his fingers had combed through it a thousand times. He gripped the doorway for support as he took a shaky step inside.

"I'm home," he groaned to no one in particular, not even looking down at Hiroki on the floor. He didn't bother to take off his shoes, and, much to Hiroki's bewilderment, stepped straight over him without another word. His briefcase bumped against Hiroki's head, and although it didn't physically hurt, he felt a pang of irritation. What was he, a housemaid who didn't even deserve a hello? Invisible?

"Aren't you at least going to say hi to me?" Hiroki asked loudly, glaring over his shoulder. Nowaki turned towards him, eyebrows half-raised in partial recognition.

"Oh. Hi, Hiro-san," he yawned. With that, he trudged off towards the living room. Hiroki shot to his feet angrily, throwing the dirtied paper towel down and marching after Nowaki. He crossed his arms dangerously as he charged into the living room and stood menacingly over Nowaki, who had collapsed on the couch.

"Where the hell have you been?" Hiroki demanded. He didn't give Nowaki time to answer before continuing. "I haven't seen you in days, and you can't even say 'hello' without me asking you to? Why haven't you told me what's going on?"

"Hiro-san, please," Nowaki hissed through gritted teeth. He squinted, rubbing his temples with a pained look on his face. "I've got a really bad headache, so-"

"There you go again! Making up excuses! What the hell are you hiding from me? Are you planning to just up and leave again? Hm? Is it that damn senpai of yours te-"

"Just drop it, alright?" Nowaki interrupted with a furious shout, his eyes sharp with impatience as he glowered up at Hiroki. "I don't need anyof your mouth right now!"

"No…waki?" Hiroki said slowly in disbelief. The man rarely raised his voice at him, and when he did, it chilled Hiroki right down to the core. He blinked, taken aback. Then, with his trademark scowl deepening, he turned on his heel and walked rigidly to the kitchen. There, he dug out a bottle of ibuprofen from the medicine cupboard and filled a cup with water. Hiroki swept back into the living room and coughed dryly as he held out the water and pills for Nowaki. When he didn't accept them, he forcefully thrust the water into Nowaki's hand and hurled the bottle of pills at him. It bounced innocently off his shoulder and landed on the couch cushion.

"There. Enjoy your day off. I'm going to go see if Professor Miyagi wants me around," Hiroki said bitterly as he whirled around and started towards the entryway and the front door. His strides were long and fast, but as he got to the archway of the living room, he paused and looked over his shoulder. Nowaki just sat there, his raven hair curtaining over his eyes and shading part of his face. He was slightly slumped over, holding his cup of water loosely by the plastic rim.

Hiroki slowly turned around. After nearly eight years of knowing his lover, he knew that when Nowaki didn't jump at the chance of stopping Hiroki from going to see Miyagi, something was dreadfully wrong. Concern immediately replaced his anger. Slowly, silently, he padded to Nowaki and dropped to his knees before him. He gently took the cup from Nowaki's grasp and set it on the coffee table. With shy, shaking fingertips, he rested his hands on Nowaki's thighs and leaned forward. He tried to peer into his eyes from under the obscuring black hair to no avail.

"Nowaki…" he whispered, tugging at Nowaki's black khaki pants like a child. He blushed furiously, feeling like an idiot. "Nowaki, please, tell me what's wrong. Th-that's what I'm… uh… that's what I'm here for."

Hiroki chuckled nervously, but Nowaki remained silent. Hiroki's half-smile faded.

"Did… did someone die at the hospital? You can tell me all about it. Or are you mad at me? Is it something I did? Did I get drunk and say something I didn't mean again? Nowaki, ple-"

"Have you ever been approached with something that you want badly but can never have?" Nowaki suddenly asked, his voice ragged with exhaustion and strain. Hiroki's words caught in his throat and he furrowed his eyebrows.

Is he still dwelling on what happened between me and Akihiko?

"Um… Nowaki… eh, if this is about Akihiko, then you can be rest assured tha-" Hiroki began, clearing his throat. Nowaki absently shook his head.

"No… it's just…" Nowaki trailed off. He sighed and turned to his briefcase, which he had discarded beside him on the couch. Opening it with fumbling fingers, he retrieved a Ziploc bag, in which it held a large purple capsule pill. Hiroki stared at it curiously, tilting his head.

"What's that?" he asked automatically.

"It's… it's Append-X. Th-This is what we have been researching. Some medical research center in Italy recently completed a um… a jump in medical history. You probably haven't heard about it yet… but basically they discovered the actual use for the appendix in men."

"That's one of those weird organs that don't do anything, right?" Hiroki asked, slightly confused.

"Yes."

"What does that have to do with the pill?"

"Well, apparently a very long time ago, the appendix was an… adaptation, if you will, for the early humans. It um… it… it was…"

"It was…" Hiroki coaxed impatiently. Nowaki took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut.

"The appendix was an organ used as a womb for males. It was present in females just because of possible mutations in the small population caused by inbreeding. But… at one point the appendix was used as a womb for carrying and giving b-birth to children. This pill, Append-X, has been in secret development for almost f-f-fifty years. And Hiro-san, they have just p-perfected it. The pill is being m-massed produced. Gay c-couples can have biological children now, Hiro-san. Gay couples across the world will have access to the next step in their relationship tomorrow, when the pill is officially released to the public."

Hiroki stared at Nowaki, desperately trying to register the wall of information Nowaki had hurled at him.

"But… I don't understand. This is a medical breakthrough, Nowaki!" Hiroki exclaimed. Nowaki looked up, surprise etched onto his tired features. "You should be happy for all of the gay couples out there!"

Nowaki's face immediately fell and he averted his eyes.

"Hiro-san, I-" he began with tiny words. He looked up at Hiroki with those pleading, sad eyes of his, his large hand moving to cover Hiroki's smaller one. Slowly, ever so slowly, realization dawned on Hiroki. His eyes flicked down to the Append-X pill clutched in Nowaki's free hand, then back up to Nowaki's face. He shook his head, half in disbelief and half in denial.

"N-Nowaki… I-I d-d-don't think th-th-"

"Hiro-san, I want you to take this pill. I want you to carry my child."