Chapter four, for your perusal. Once again (and always) thanks to those who reviewed- you always make me smile!
Little-Purple-Phoenix: Thanks- and here's the update.
Renanimeangel: Thanks for being so nice, I'm glad you like it so far!
Ellen: Um...here's your suffering...I mean, the poor guy -is- having twins, after all...double the babies...double the headaches...double the misery...
Gabz: I think -Kai's- going to be the one who can't handle it! But then, Rei has to actually -have- them, so...hmm.
Skimmie: Here's the update!
Crazy nek0-JIN: Aww, thanks...I'm glad I made you smile.
Curtis Zidane Ziraa: If you keep saying things like that I'll get a swelled head! Seriously though, thanks.
Keisan: I kept going...and I think Kai the Dad is sweet as well. Bless his little Russian socks...
Chaos of Hearts: Thanks, I'm glad you think this is a good mpreg. I'm sure I will enjoy having you around. If you're interested, I did write another mpreg a while ago, but it wasn't very realistic...ah, it was a while ago.
Minxyfox: Thanks, here's the update!
Lemmingsrule: I kept going, and here's the next chapter!
BloodyShadows: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story!
Kaei kon: I'm glad you like it! Haha, I wanted to have Rei being pregnant as well so they could complain about it together!
LaDyFiCtIoN: You find out the sexes of all the little Tala's and Rei's this chapter…and about the email thing…I'm sorry to disappoint, but my email is a family email, and my brother reads just about every email we get (he's a total computer nazi). Either he'd delete it before I read it, or he'd read it and go OMG Yazzy's writing naughty things (he might be older than me but he's about as mature as a toddler and I don't think he'd appreciate the fact that I write yaoi…). For that reason, until I get round to getting a hotmail account or such, I can't give you an email. I'll get round to it eventually but I have really big fat horrible exams coming up in like, a fortnight, and I keep forgetting because I'm a bit frazzled…German and Spanish speaking tests one after the other, anyone?
Fallenangelofwater: Is it fast? I usually try to post every two or three days if not every day…at the minute it's getting a bit slower, but I'll probably be back to the same speed after my exams. I hope, anyway…
Girturtle: Glad you like it!
Mistress-of-eternal-Darkness: I updated, and here it is:
About a week later, when Tala and Bryan were in bed and Tala was asleep, Bryan took a good, long look at Tala's stomach. There was definitely a bit of a bump there. Definitely. Bryan put his hand over it, and smiled. "Hello in there. I'm your father. Is it weird being inside Tala? Tala's your other father by the way... It must be strange, being all surrounded by goo all day and night. Are you a boy? Or a girl? I can't wait to meet you. I bet you'll be beautiful-"
"Bryan, gorgeous as it is to hear you talking to our unborn child, I'm trying to sleep! So wish him or her goodnight and shut up!" Ah. So Tala wasn't asleep...
"Night little one."
"Little one. Fnh. Doesn't feel little to me. Hug." Bryan obediently wrapped his arms around Tala and rested Tala's head on his chest- Tala's newfound pillow of course. Tala soon drifted off to sleep, leaving Bryan holding him, looking down in awe.
It wasn't many hours after that that Rei discovered the joys of morning sickness. Kai found him crouched in front of the toilet, looking absolutely miserable. "Exaggerated symptoms, early symptoms, I'm having twins but I knew that already." He said resignedly. "Kai...do you think that all this is okay? I mean...what if something happens? I know they're not even...really anything yet, but...they're mine! I don't want anything to happen to them!"
"Rei, nothing will, okay? Everything'll be fine."
"Really?"
"Really."
Tala looked at the calendar and smiled. The notes bit at the top read: Tala- 12 weeks, Rei- 4 weeks. He opened the fridge and looked down fondly. Even he had to admit he was finally just starting to get a bump. It was their appointment today as well, for their first scan. After guzzling half the bottle of orange juice on a whim, Tala shut the fridge again and went in search of Bryan and hugs.
"Bryan?"
"Yeah?"
"Where are you?"
"Upstairs, in the spare room!" The spare room...or, more correctly, the room Bryan was currently clearing out for the baby. Tala trekked his way up, and opened the door of the long unused dumping ground for their junk. A cloud of dust poured out and he coughed. Bryan appeared through the haze and guided him back. "Tala, be careful!"
"What are you -doing- in there?
"Cleaning it out." Tala hung off Bryan's arm. It was strange, but since he'd found out he was pregnant he'd become more possessive of Bryan. Bryan was his, all his, and no-one else's, and anyone who looked at him for more than five seconds was fair game for a tongue lashing. Bryan laid his other arm around Tala's waist and smiled. "How are you?"
"Tired. A bit. But I'm happy. Scan's at half two. What time is it?"
"Eleven. We've got ages yet. Why don't you go and have a lie down or something?" Tala obliged, but from their bedroom he could hear Bryan cursing and growling as he wrestled with the problems of an old, dusty junk-store.
By the time Tala had started to really show, Rei was as well owing to the fact that he had two babies inside him instead of Tala's one. Both were convinced that their children were the best, even before they were born. Scans had revealed that Tala's was a girl, and Rei's were a boy and a girl. As soon as he had found out Tala had spent a large part of his time looking in baby name books for nice names.
"What about Patrouska?"
"What? That's an awful name!" Bryan exclaimed. Tala scoffed a bit more of the giant bar of chocolate he was in the act of consuming then tried again.
"How about Suki?"
"No."
"Anette?"
"No."
"Prudence?" Bryan burst out laughing, shaking his head. Tala thought about it, then laughed as well. As he did so, he felt a curious feeling inside his swollen stomach. It took a few seconds for him to realise what it was. "B-Bryan! Sh-she just kicked!" He looked over at the calendar and saw: 'Tala-19 weeks, Rei-11 weeks.' "Bryan, she kicked!" Bryan came over and laid a hand on Tala's stomach. A minute or so later he laughed.
"She kicked! Tala, she kicked!" Tala flung his arms around Bryan's neck, happy beyond belief.
"Rei?" Rei groaned and rolled over, one arm over his stomach instinctively. Kai appeared in the doorway, smiling fondly, and came over to him, lying down beside him and wrapping his arms around the exhausted neko-jin. He knew Rei was having trouble sleeping, and that he was getting pains in his back. He pushed his fingers against Rei's spine and Rei moaned appreciatively, so Kai repeated the motion until Rei drifted off to sleep.
Kai settled down behind him, his arm lying over Rei's. He had often tried to imagine what it must be like for Rei to have two babies growing inside him but somehow he knew his imagination didn't even come close to the reality. Rei was twelve weeks pregnant now, and desperately tired all the time. Thankfully, his morning sickness seemed to be getting better, but now he was getting headaches and backaches and spent increasing amounts of time going to the toilet. However, from what Kai had gathered from their discreet hospital visits, that kind of thing was normal, so he didn't worry about it.
"Tala?" Bryan looked around the door of the living room and found Tala asleep on the sofa. His bump was really starting to show now, at twenty one weeks, and he, like Rei, had been suffering from sleepless nights. As Bryan watched, he opened his eyes, yawned, and looked around. He smiled when he saw Bryan. "Titch kept me up last night. I swear she's going to be a riverdancer or a kick-boxer the way she goes at it sometimes..."
Bryan went over to him and rubbed the bump affectionately. "You watch, she'll grow up and be as bossy as you."
"What, and as grumpy as you?" Bryan laughed.
"Yep. Definitely. Do you need anything?"
"Do we have any ice-cream?"
"No."
"Can you get me some then?" Tala smiled. "Mint choc-chip?"
"Anything else?"
"Would I be pushing it if I asked for a cuddle?" Bryan pretended to think about it.
"No." He hugged Tala warmly and headed out, on his quest for ice-cream. As he walked, he mused over Tala's strange cravings. First it had been pineapple, then it had been dark chocolate, and now it was ice-cream. Weird. It was an interesting coincidence when Kai walked into the corner shop as he did. "Cravings again?" Kai sighed and nodded.
"He wants mint choc-chip ice cream."
"Really? So does Tala..." They looked to the freezer section. There was one tub of ice cream left. Bryan sighed.
"Get that, and they'll have to share it. Yours or ours?"
"Yours, if it's all right. Ours is a pigsty...we just don't seem to get round to tidying it at all now..." Bryan smiled and dumped the ice cream on the counter, paying for it and mooching off with it under his arm. Kai followed him. "How's Rei?"
"Backache, neckache, all-over ache, and he's not sleeping..."
"Tala's just as bad. He keeps getting headaches, and he still gets morning sickness..." He smiled. "Still, the baby's healthy, and he's dealing with all the aches and stuff..."
"Yeah. To be honest, I'm a bit worried...I mean...I've never had any experience with babies, let alone twins..."
"I know what you mean."
By now they'd arrived at the small house Kai and Rei had moved into a while back. Kai had decided he didn't like his mansion, so he just upped and left it. Kai let himself in, calling to Rei. "Rei?" Rei appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, yawning and stretching. Bryan was shocked to see that he was almost as big as Tala...but then, he did have twice the baggage to carry around...
Rei came up to Kai and practically fell against him, purring gently. "Did you bring me some ice cream?"
"Sort of. But there was only one tub, and Tala wanted some so we're going round there and you can share it with him."
"How far is it?"
"A few streets." Rei sighed. He looked up and saw Bryan.
"Ne, Bryan, I didn't notice you! How's Tala?"
"Pregnant, as usual." Rei smiled wanly.
"I can sympathise."
Next Chapter: Bryan and Tala are -still- trying to find a good name, Bryan is sweet (Aww, daddy Bryan!), and Tala and Rei have swinging moods in the extreme.
Review please! I'd really like to know what you think.