After being let out of the room by a very giddy Miyagi, Nowaki and Hiroki quietly said their goodbyes to everyone, then made their way out of the theater. They took a taxi cab home, holding hands discreetly between their hips the entire way. They were completely silent, as they didn't have to say anything. Their pounding hearts was everything that they needed to communicate.

When they were dropped off, they slowly made their way up the stairs of their apartment complex and walked down the terrace. They opened the door to their shared apartment and stepped inside.

The first thing Hiroki noticed was the atmosphere. It almost felt like he was walking into the apartment for the first time, and he quickly realized that it was because he was walking into his home as a new man, an engaged man.

Magical. Absolutely magical.

"Um…" Hiroki said softly as he and Nowaki shrugged out of their coats and took off their shoes. He glanced down at his engagement ring, enamored by the diamond's shimmering faceted surface. Nowaki simply stood before him, gazing down at him. Hiroki blushed under the weight of his lover's- no, his fiancé's- stare.

"What is it, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked, equally quiet. Hiroki looked up at him. His eyes spoke of kind understanding and love, relaxing Hiroki's hunched shoulders.

"I… we… um, so is this… my birthday present… or what?" Hiroki asked nervously, chuckling a little. Nowaki smiled gently.

"No, Hiro-san. Come with me," he said. He took Hiroki's hand and led him down the hall. Hiroki blinked, stumbling behind him.

"What? It's not?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"I told you I was planning to propose after the baby was born, right? Well, it was your birthday gift that was supposed to be given to you today. I guess you're just going to have to put up with one more embarrassing thing, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, smiling over his shoulder. Hiroki tilted his head in confusion.

Nowaki pulled him to the guest room, stopping just in front of the door. He squeezed Hiroki's hand.

"What is it?" Hiroki asked slowly. Nowaki smiled down at him before grasping the doorknob of the guest room and twisting it.

"Happy birthday, Hiro-san," he whispered, letting the door swing open.

Hiroki's breath hitched as he walked into the guest room and gaped at what was inside, his mouth ajar.

"Oh my God," he breathed, bringing his free hand up to slap it over his mouth.

The floor, once wooden and scuffed up, had been replaced with a soft, snow white carpet. In the center of the floor was a baby blanket with pandas printed on it that had been laid out with several tiny pillows and stuffed animals. The walls, once dusty and off-white, had been painted a very light shade of green. It was soft and easy on the eyes. The blinds on the singular window in the back of the room had been replaced by clean, white curtains. There was a bookshelf with children's books lined up on it, and a cushioned, large, white rocking chair had been placed in the corner. On it sat a light green pillow that matched the walls, and the stuffed cat that Nowaki and Hiroki had bought several weeks prior. Against one wall was a diaper changing station.

But Hiroki's gaze was fixated mostly on the crib that sat beside the rocking chair. It was wooden and masterfully crafted, with gentle arches and intricate carvings in its white surface. The little baby mattress inside was also green, much like a lot of the things in the room. Another baby blanket hung over the edge, awaiting the baby that it would soon cradle in its warmth.

"You built the nursery," Hiroki whispered. He walked to the crib and danced his fingers across the top of it. "Wh-When…?"

"Today. All of it was done today, while you were at your all-day rehearsal. Miyagi and Usami-san helped me while Misaki and Shinobu kept watch over Tomi-chan. All of the supplies were already in here, so it was a pretty fast job. This is why I haven't been letting you come in here for the past few weeks."

"It's…" Hiroki trailed off, unable to continue. He gazed up at the hanging mobile he and Nowaki had bought together, reaching up to touch a floating moon. "H-How did you know about my c-color preference?"

"Um… Sunday Shopping day. I made sure to pay really close attention when you were looking at paints and colors, and I came to the conclusion that you liked the green-and-white color theme," Nowaki explained quietly. Hiroki turned to him waveringly, using the crib beside him for support.

"I-I don't know what to say," he breathed.

"Do you like it?"

"Of course. It's absolutely perfect."

Hiroki turned back to the crib, tracing the swirls and dips of the engravings on its wooden frame. He gulped, willing himself not to cry. The baby fluttered slightly, gently reminding its mother of its presence.

"You're going to love this room," Hiroki whispered, putting a hand over his baby bump. He turned around to face Nowaki and thank him, but gasped as he turned around straight into Nowaki's chest. Nowaki stood before him, gazing down at him with half-lidded eyes. They glimmered, silently beckoning Hiroki. He offered Hiroki his hand. Hiroki took it, never breaking eye contact with his new fiancé. Nowaki walked backwards out of the room, pulling Hiroki with him. Once at the door, he turned around and led Hiroki to the bedroom. He let Hiroki enter first.

Hiroki wrung his hands, a little nervously, as he listened the door shut softly behind him. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable touch on his arm. It never came, however. He peeled his eyes open and slowly turned around.

"Nowa-" he began.

Nowaki was already there, rendering Hiroki breathless. With slow, gentle hands, he reached out and grabbed the hem of Hiroki's maternity sweater. Hiroki's heartbeat quickened as he blushed and obediently raised his arms over his head. Nowaki slipped the shirt off of him, casting it to the floor. Hiroki, without prompt, reached out and took the hem of Nowaki's shirt into his hands. He had a little bit of a harder time getting it off, as Nowaki was tall, but he was aided by his understanding fiancé.

They stood before each other, admiring each other's upper bodies. Hiroki loved the powerful contours and chiseled dips of Nowaki's torso and abdomen, while Nowaki simply loved Hiroki's baby bump and the way it suited his body oh-so perfectly. After a few moments of prolonged silence, Nowaki stepped forward and eased the front panel of Hiroki's maternity pants down his rounded abdomen, releasing the rest of the protruding baby bump. He unbuttoned and unzipped the maternity pants and slowly eased them down. He brought Hiroki's boxers down with his pants, leaving his shy fiancé naked and shivering, not necessarily with the cold.

Hiroki gulped and moved to kneel down and remove Nowaki's pants, but he was stopped with a gentle hand on his. Nowaki reached down to unbutton his own pants and let them and his underwear pool around his ankles. Hiroki wrung his hands and stared up at Nowaki, who looked back down at him with utmost love and adoration. Nowaki reached out and took Hiroki's hand, pulling him towards the bed.

For the first time, Hiroki noticed that the bed was made, and that there were red rose petals scattered all along the snow white sheets. He flushed scarlet, and his mind screamed corny!, but all he could do was allow himself to get lowered onto his side on the bed. Shutting his eyes, he curled up slightly as Nowaki crawled onto the bed behind him and began raining kisses onto the side of his baby bump. Nowaki's hand rested on Hiroki's hip, his thumb stroking the globe of his bottom.

I can't wait, Hiro-san, said Nowaki's silent touch. Hiroki pinched his lips together and reached behind him to lay his hand over Nowaki's.

It's okay. Make love to me.

Nowaki's hand traveled up Hiroki's body as he spooned his little fiancé. His hand rested over Hiroki's hammering heart.

I love you, Hiro-san.

Hiroki pried Nowaki's hand off of his chest and interlaced their fingers.

I love you, too, Nowaki.

Nowaki kissed Hiroki's shoulder as he grabbed Hiroki's thigh and moved it so it was lying over his. He easily slipped into Hiroki's entrance, his member already soaked with pre-cum, and Hiroki's warmth already soft and relaxed with need. Nowaki paused when he was completely sheathed, squeezing Hiroki's hand. Hiroki looked over his shoulder, searching for Nowaki's lips. Nowaki kissed him softly and began to move very slowly.

They didn't moan, they didn't cry out or scream, or even sigh in pleasure. They simply moved as one, and the only sound that reminded them that they were actually alive was their slightly labored breathing. Their hearts pounded viciously, throbbing up against their throats with the passion that each movement brought.

Hiroki wasn't sure they were in their bedroom anymore. He couldn't see anything except for his fiancé, whose face hovered just above his, his chin rested against Hiroki's perspiring shoulder. It was as if they were floating in some sort of different reality, in a sea of pure, white love.

He couldn't even feel the bed beneath him. All he could feel was Nowaki's hand in his, Nowaki's lips on his neck, Nowaki's sweating body pressing up against his back, Nowaki's heat moving in and out of him at a smooth, wave-like rhythm. The only thing he felt was Nowaki. Period. At that moment, as they slid against each other's bodies, not even the air had any effect on Hiroki. Hell, the air could've disappeared completely, as long as he and Nowaki were still joined.

As far as Hiroki was concerned, he and Nowaki weren't having sex at all. They weren't making love, and they weren't even touching each other. They were one living, breathing creature of love, two beings brought together as one under the silence of the night. It wasn't taboo or disgusting. It was love. It was pleasure. It was a passionate celebration of their promise to spend the rest of their lives together.

And it was beautiful.

Hiroki didn't realize, nor did he care, really, that he had started to silently weep. Whether it was out of pleasure or pure joy or both, he would never know.

And then, they were releasing at the same time, Nowaki's heat and love pulsing into Hiroki's needy body, and Hiroki's essence spilling out onto the white sheets below.

They had gone up, but they didn't come down.

Somehow, they ended up under the covers, their foreheads pressed together and their fingers interlaced between their heaving chests.

And as Hiroki and Nowaki slowly drifted to sleep, both of them decided that the eight and a half years they had spent together: the angst, the arguments, the reserved attitudes, the misunderstandings, the time spent away from each other…

It was worth every second.