Thanks for the reviews and faves. Enjoy the chapter!

puppyfacetwo: yes Misaki will attend the book launch and someone will be there to give him a hard time but it's not who u think it is :)

brookiecookie17: thanks for sticking around! Bankroll1001: yes I intend to continue writing till he gives birth.

AroPeterWann: about 3 months darkrosetears: suggestions are always welcome!

Nanami of Falling Snow: yup even though it's fanfic I try to make it as believable as possible...

aem81197, xxxwallflowerxxx, Lizzybear54, L: Thanks, I'm having fun writing this and your comments motivate me to post more often.

Chapter 5

It was already night time when Takahiro and his wife opened the door to Akihiko's lavish penthouse and let themselves in. They had been given the keys so that it would be easier for them to see Misaki whenever they wished and leave things for him if there was nobody in the house. The couple swept their gaze around the spacious but empty living room. It was so quiet that the sound of the clock ticking could be heard.

"They're not in?" Manami wondered aloud. "It's so late already. Where could they be?"

"They probably went out for dinner," said Takahiro. "Let's just leave the things here." He caught sight of a notepad on the computer table and was about to scribble a message when his wife stopped him.

"Wait." Manami's ears pricked up at the sound of voices that seemed to leak out from the study. "I think they're in." The couple approached the room and halted their footsteps when they heard Misaki's voice through the closed door.

"Ouch, that hurts. Can you not be so rough?"

In response, there came a muffled grunt from Akihiko.

Takahiro frowned as a flicker of suspicion crossed his face. "What on earth are they doing?" he whispered to his spouse.

"I knew it," Manami whispered back. "There's something going on between these two. Call it a woman's instinct!"

Takahiro froze for a moment as the unnerving image entered his mind: his best guy friend screwing his innocent little brother, his innocent pregnant little brother. "No no no - just NO! That can't be true!"

His wife shushed him. "Just listen." The couple held their breath, straining to hear what was going on inside the room.

"Hmm. You're tight." That was unmistakably Akihiko's deep, rich voice.

A soft moan came from Misaki, followed by silence for the next few minutes.

"Oh my!" Manami's eyes widened and her voice trembled. "They're - they're really doing it!"

Takahiro buried his face in his hands and whimpered, shaking his head in disbelief. "It can't be! He can't -"

Akihiko's voice echoed through the door. "You wanna change your position? Try lying down."

"See what I told you?" Manami whispered to her husband. "I knew he had an ulterior motive for taking in Misaki but you didn't believe me."

A few moments of silence followed, and then Akihiko's voice could be heard again.

"You're tensing up. Try to relax, I won't break you."

Takahiro curled his fists angrily as a sudden impulse took over him. "Damn. I am not going to forgive him for this! That asshole's taking advantage of Misaki!" He put his hand on the doorknob.

"Does it feel better now?" He heard Akihiko ask.

"Yeah...feels good..."

Before he knew what he was doing, Takahiro turned the doorknob and burst into the room.

"What do you two think you're doing?" he demanded.

The scene that greeted him and his wife wasn't quite what they were expecting. Misaki's entire body was sprawled face-down over a bed of cushions on the sofa, and Akihiko was sitting near his feet. Instead of being butt-naked, both men were fully dressed. Akihiko was putting a jar of something on the table and he looked up calmly when he saw the couple coming in. Misaki scrambled to push himself up and greeted them with a smile.

"Hello ni-chan and ne-chan! Usagi-san was giving me a massage because my back's been feeling tight," he explained.

"Oh..." said Takahiro, glancing sheepishly at his wife. The couple apologized profusely, and Manami quickly broke the awkwardness by stepping forward and handing a paper bag to the boy.

"Hey Misaki," she said, using her sweet, doting voice. "I got you some herbal tea, it'll help calm your stomach a little!"

"Thank you," Akihiko stood up and accepted the tea on his behalf, grinning innocuously. "Misaki would really appreciate that. Would you like to stay for a while?"

"No, thanks. I think we'd better get going," said Takahiro, feeling really ridiculous about what he had just done.

"Yes we have to go now. See you at the next doctor's visit!" Manami flashed a smile, grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him out of the room.

When the sound of the door closing indicated that the guests were gone, Akihiko draped one arm around Misaki and chuckled. "I think we'd better lock the door next time."

"Phew, thank goodness we weren't..." Misaki's voice trailed off in a mumble while Akihiko grabbed the opportunity to pull him close.

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since we- "

"I'm tired," Misaki huffed as he grabbed Suzuki-san the stuffed bear and thrust it against Akihiko's invading face.

"Misaki..." Akihiko sighed wistfully, but the boy was already snoring away with his head on his lap. Akihiko sat still on the sofa running his fingers through the soft brown hair, thinking how his beloved looked more vulnerable than ever. Life had changed ever since Misaki had taken upon himself the responsibility of carrying his sister-in-law's children, and somehow this made Akihiko feel even more protective over him. Surprisingly he also found that he had grown more patient, although it still took tremendous effort to control himself around Misaki. Closing his eyes he tried to imagine what it would feel like if Misaki were carrying his children. What would it feel like to be a father-to-be?

The week flew by quickly. Saturday arrived, and Akihiko was glad that he and Misaki could stay home and relax all day. The novelist was typing away at his computer when he was interrupted by a loud 'thump' from upstairs. Frowning, he stopped what he was doing and went up to investigate, and after a bit of searching, found Misaki in one of the rooms, lying motionless on the floor with a feather duster in his hand. The poor boy had apparently been trying to dust the bookshelves before he collapsed.

Panic knifed through Akihiko as he patted his beloved's cheek while calling out his name, but the boy did not respond. He quickly phoned the doctor, and then carried Misaki to the bedroom.

Dr. Endo arrived in fifteen minutes, together with another specialist. Akihiko had demanded special attention be given to Misaki, and it cost him a bomb, but Akihiko being Akihiko, didn't give a damn about the cost. The other doctor introduced himself as Dr. Nagatsuka, a urologist. He played a supporting role by making sure that Misaki's male reproductive system wasn't adversely affected by the pregnancy. The medical team had also decided that they would perform the checkups and other medical procedures at home, instead of having him go to the hospital, as there was a greater risk of catching infections at the hospital.

The doctors set up the equipment and examined Misaki. Soon, Takahiro and his wife appeared, and when Misaki opened his eyes there was quite a gathering around his bed.

"Ah, Misaki-kun is awake." Dr. Endo placed her hand gently on the teenager's shoulder.

"What happened? Why am I…" Misaki laid a hand on his head and tried to sit up.

"You fainted just now, but everything's okay. The babies are alright," the doctor comforted him. "Fainting is quite common during pregnancy because of changes in your blood pressure."

Akihiko didn't look at all pleased though. "What on earth were you doing?" he reprimanded sternly. "You're not supposed to be doing any housework in this condition you're in!"

"I… I'm sorry," said Misaki guiltily. "I felt like I had a bit more energy this morning... so I thought I could help out."

The doctor patted his arm lightly. "You really should take it easy."

"You're banned from doing housework," Akihiko ordered.

The doctor nodded in agreement. "He's right. I don't mean to scare you, but carrying twins is risky business and things can still go wrong even after the first trimester. Twin-to-twin Transfusion and the Vanishing Twin Syndrome are just some of the issues that can crop up with your kind of pregnancy. If you over-exert yourself you might miscarry."

Misaki winced at the thought of losing one or both of the babies, and he caught a glimpse of the worried looks on his brother's and sister-in-law's faces.

The doctor continued. "I believe I also told you not to exercise or do any kind of sport, as I'm worried your body might overheat. The only exercise you can do is walking, not more than thirty minutes a day."

"Okay," Misaki said softly. Turning his head, he noticed some equipment that had been set up beside his bed and wondered what it was for. As if reading his thoughts, Dr. Endo said:

"Would you like to have a look at the little ones? I did a scan just now while you were unconscious, but I thought you might want to see them."

"Yes! May I see them please?" Misaki requested eagerly.

"Alright," the doctor said as she gently lifted Misaki's shirt and pulled down the elastic waistband of his pants slightly. She then rubbed a cool gel on his abdomen and ran the probe over it. The black-and-white image flickered into view on the ultrasound screen, and Misaki gasped when he heard what sounded like galloping horses over the amplifier.

"Can you hear the fetal heartbeats? Two little hearts pounding. Perfect." The doctor smiled, and Takahiro and his wife held each other's hands, beaming with excitement.

"Wow." Amazement written all over his face, Misaki turned his head to look at the screen.

"This is Baby A and this is Baby B," said the doctor, pointing at the images. "They're still small right now, but you'll be able to feel them move in a few weeks' time."

Looking at the tiny babies moving about on the screen, Misaki felt tears prick his eyes as a range of strange and unfamiliar emotions surged through him. He had seen such scenes on TV before, but never in his life had he imagined that this would happen to him! Stealing a glance at Akihiko, he found that the older man was equally intrigued by the fact that there was life, human life growing inside Misaki's body.

"Oh, Misaki," Manami cried. "I can't believe you have a part of me inside you. I'll never have children again, but I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for saving these two!"

Misaki could only nod as his mind was lost in a whirl of thoughts and emotions.

After taking his blood pressure and running some tests, the doctor smiled reassuringly at Misaki. "Your body seems to be coping well with the transplant. How are you feeling lately?"

"Um... I still feel tired and hungry all the time but I'm throwing up less," Misaki said, still debating whether to mention the embarrassing toilet-related problems.

"Ah... since you're carrying more than one, you'll experience twice the intensity of the usual symptoms. Your body is working extra hard to feed the twins and it will change more rapidly too. This could make you quite uncomfortable, especially since your body isn't naturally designed for the task."

"Okay," said Misaki. The doctor continued with her questioning.

"Have you been having any abdominal pain lately?"

"Um.." Misaki rubbed his stomach a little. "It feels a bit... crampy sometimes."

"It's normal to experience some light cramping during pregnancy, but if it gets worse, give me a call, okay?"

"Okay."

"Any other discomforts?"

"Um, my lower back has been aching for the past few days. Is this normal?"

"It should be. The hormones inside you are loosening your ligaments as your body stretches to accommodate the growing babies, and that's what's causing the backache. Does it hurt a lot?"

"No... not really. It's just annoying."

"Again, if the pain is bad, give me a call. Have you been sleeping well?"

"Well, not really," Misaki sighed. "I've been dreaming a lot and it's quite scary how I can remember everything when I wake up."

"Ah, those intense dreams are caused by the hormonal changes as well. Now I'd like you come here and step on the weighing machine please."

Misaki got out of bed with Akihiko's help and did what he was told. The doctor took a look at the machine and shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Misaki asked.

"You're too skinny. You need to put on more weight for the twins."

"Alright," Misaki replied, his mind already working on the menu for the coming week.

Dr. Endo turned to face the computer screen, typing in some notes for the ultrasound images. Misaki kept very quiet, but Akihiko noticed him glancing down at his chest. He cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Doctor. Misaki's chests have been hurting."

"Hmm," said the doctor, turning around. "Lie down and let me take a look."

The teenager quietly went back to the bed, blushing an incredibly dark shade of red. Stupid Usagi! Why did you have to announce that in front of everyone! Dr. Endo lifted his shirt all the way up and inspected him. He flinched at her touch, suddenly feeling rather naked in front of all the people around him.

The doctor finished her check and smiled. "It's normal for your chests to be a bit sore now, and your nipples to feel more sensitive than usual. Men actually have mammary glands too, and yours are swelling in response to the pregnancy hormones. Soon you'll be able to produce milk."

The teenager's jaw dropped at the last sentence and Akihiko's violet eyes widened in astonishment.

"So that means Misaki will be able to breastfeed?" Manami asked.

"Yes, that's right," replied the doctor. "He might even start to leak a little."

Oh my god! Misaki shuddered, clearly freaked out by what he heard. He had no idea his body could do all those things, and it seemed to surprise him with something new every day.

"Um, how much bigger are they um, going to grow?" He asked softly, hoping that only the doctor could hear him.

"They won't get as big as a woman's." Dr. Endo smiled reassuringly. "They're probably just going to grow a little bit more and they'll be able to do their job."

"I see," Misaki said, immensely relieved that he wouldn't have to go shopping for a bra or wear one.

"Is there anything else you want to ask me about?" The doctor asked.

"How soon will we be able to know their sexes?" Takahiro asked.

"Oh, very soon, at about five months or so. Well feel free to give me a ring if you need to ask about anything. Meanwhile, Misaki-kun, you should focus on keeping yourself healthy by eating lots of fruits and vegetables and getting plenty of rest. I'll see you in a couple of weeks' time!"

Everybody thanked the doctor and the crowd left the room to give Misaki some peace and quiet.

After having his dinner in bed, Misaki felt better and decided he had enough of sleeping, so he slowly made his way down to the living room and relaxed himself on the couch. A while later Akihiko came in and saw his beloved watching TV while clutching a tissue with one hand and Suzuki-san with the other. Misaki's out-of-whack hormones made him cry at the slightest things, and right now he was tearing up at the sight of a pair of adorable boy-girl twins on the screen.

"Time to go to bed," Akihiko called out, and Misaki switched off the TV but remained on the couch, rubbing his stomach forlornly.

"What's wrong?" Akihiko asked as he strode over to sit beside his beloved.

"Nothing," Misaki said softly.

"You know I won't take that as an answer. Come on, tell me what's bothering you," Akihiko insisted, wrapping an arm around Misaki and bringing his head to rest on his shoulder.

"It's just...I... I wish these babies were ours," Misaki replied with a sniffle, glancing down at his stomach.

"You mean like, genetically?"

Misaki nodded. "I know that's impossible, but... but I've kind of fallen in love with them. I just can't imagine the day I'll have to part with them."

"Well, you're their uncle. Isn't that good enough? You can see them every day if you want to."

"I know, but it sucks that we won't be able to have our own children," Misaki started sobbing.

Akihiko remained silent for a while, pondering. "Well. We can always adopt one or two if you like."

"That's not the same..."

"To be honest, I'd rather not have children. I want your undivided attention," Akihiko whispered and kissed his beloved, but this didn't seem to give Misaki any comfort.

"Oh Usagi-san, I'm scared." The teenager suddenly turned and buried his face into Akihiko's chest.

"Scared? Of what?"

"My body isn't designed for this... what if I'd made the wrong decision? Maybe someone else could have done a better job!"

"Who else would be able to do it? There were only the three of you there when the earthquake happened, and you were the only one who was uninjured," Akihiko reasoned. "Anyway, the doctor said you're doing great."

"But what if something happens to them later on?" Misaki was still sobbing into the older man's shirt.

"You shouldn't worry so much. It's not good for you or the babies."

"I can't help it..."

"Ssh, don't be silly. Everything's going to be alright." Akihiko held his beloved tight in his arms, enveloping him with kisses.

End of Chapter 5

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