Sorry about my abnormally late update. I was taking 20 credit hours last semester, 9 of them honors, and it was a slow and painful death. Summer is basically over now, but it did not give me a reprieve because I was helping with research and stuff relating to that. And then I realized that this chapter sucks because I had waited too long to write it and chronologically everything was messed up. To be honest, I can't remember what I wrote.

Sigh. Only myself to blame.

And yes, I did change my name on here. I wanted to be more mysterious. I think I succeeded.

"Get off me, you dufus."

"But Hiro-san—"

"No. Off. Now."

"But—"

Hiroki grit his teeth. "If you don't move, you know what will happen, right?"

Nowaki whined pathetically and crawled off of Hiroki's lap. It was so warm on the small man's lap… so warm and so soft. But the looming punishment was not worth a few minutes curled up against his lover.

As the pregnancy progressed, Hiroki's patience had dropped. Their cuddling time had dropped along with it, a fact which Nowaki mourned daily. Sometimes however, Nowaki was in desperate want of some Hiro-san time, and when he was, he was determined to get it.

He made a pouty face and looked up pointedly at Hiroki, but the man had already gone back to reading his book.

Nowki furrowed his brows. Fine. Looks like we have to do this the hard way.

He made a small whimper and pawed at his boyfriend's pant leg, noticing when Hiroki tensed. Good. Again, he gave a little nudge.

"Nowaki," came the growled warning, "you better watch yourself."

But Nowaki ignored the words and scootched closer to the man. He put on his cutest, most pleading face. "But Hiro-san… I love you."

"Dammit, Nowaki!" Hiroki slammed down his book on the couch. "Why'd you have to go and say something like that?"

"Because I love you."

"Nowaki." His tone was placating, like he was speaking to a child, yet he had a stern frown. "You can't just say that to me. I'm reading. When I'm reading, you know that I can't deal with distractions such as this."

"Of course, Hiro-san." Nowaki tried to pout, but failed miserably. He couldn't help it; whenever he was around Hiro-san, he was just so damn happy. Faking sadness was simply impossible.

"I'm serious." Hiroki stared down at the other man sternly.

But Nowaki just smiled.

"I'm serious, Nowaki. No funny business. I want to finish this book before dinner."

He waited for the bigger man to nod before he picked up his book.

A minute passed in silence. Nowaki stared up through the tops of his eyes at Hiroki, who was reading calmly.

Now's my chance.

Before Hiroki could gasp, Nowaki was on him. Large hands spread out over the smaller man's body before flattening on his thighs and gripping the hard muscle there.

A heavy whack was landed on his head—the book, most likely.

"Nowaki! Off!"

Nowaki smirked, ignoring Hiroki's command. The other man wouldn't go any further than hitting him with the book. Hiroki was all bark, no bite. He would never seriously injure Nowaki, no matter how scary his threats were.

Quickly, Nowaki moved his hands up the smaller man's body until the were resting against the front of his hips, not exactly on his groin, but darn near close to it.

He watched Hiroki freeze, watched his eyelids drop and become heated. He sneered; this look was not uncommon, especially during foreplay. Nowaki knew it as Hiroki's I'm-aroused-but-too-strong-to-admit-it face, his lick-me-like-that-again face, his oh-god-just-put-it-in-me face.

He felt himself harden just thinking about it. Hiroki really was too sexy for his own good.

"Nowaki…" The words were hesitant and quiet, slightly breathy. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

He looked up but didn't give a reply. Instead, he held Hiroki's gaze while gently massaging the flesh under his palms.

The smaller man opened his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out. His jaw just hung open as he watched Nowaki's fingers slowly push the fabric of his shirt up, exposing his pregnant stomach. He was just barely beginning to show, but he was nonetheless embarrassed about it. Sometimes, he allowed Nowaki to caress it, but only because Nowaki's warm hands always felt good touching him.

Strong fingers smoothed over his small baby bump. He was only a few months along, so the bump was barely noticeable unless you were looking, but the feelings in that area seemed to have intensified. Hiroki knew it was probably all in his head, but he never wanted Nowaki to stop touching.

But then, the fingers halted.

Breathlessly, he glanced down.

"Idiot… What are you doing?"

Still, Nowaki didn't reply. He just sat there with an evil grin on his face, leaving his fingers ghosted over the flesh.

He didn't break their gaze as he leaned down, smirking.

"Nowaki, really now, I hardly think—"

Hiroki was struck silent by a warm tongue gliding over his stomach. All he could do was whimper, eyes sliding shut.

Nowaki continued to lick, making zigzags in wet pathways that made Hiroki shiver. When the tongue finally ended up burrowing into his belly button, the man couldn't help but gasp. It wasn't loud, but Nowaki had been listening, waiting to hear one of the soft noises that signified his lover's pleasure.

He pulled away slightly and licked his lips, letting his taste buds absorb the lingering flavor that was Hiro-san.

"Mmm… My Hiro-san is so yummy."

He leaned down, tongue extended, anxious to taste more of his lover, but a hard hand against his forehead pushed him away roughly.

"Oh my god, Nowaki! Did you really just say what I think you just said?"

"What?" Nowaki looked up, confused.

"You… You know what!" Hiroki's mouth was literally hanging open. Cheeks flushed pink, he gasped, "You cannot say that! I can't believe you actually just said that! Yummy? Really, yummy!"

"Yep! Hiro-san tastes so good, I just wanna lick every inch!"

He leaned back down to continue his treatment, but was roughly pushed away once again.

"Get off me, you big idiot. You just ruined the mood. Saying I'm yummy even though I'm a man."

"Aww, but Hiro-san… A man can be yummy and still be a man."

"No, Nowaki. Go finish dinner. The rice should be cooked by now."

Nowaki slowly crawled off the couch and stood up, completely dejected. He went into the kitchen and began stirring the rice. He was completely used to his lover's rejections, and although he understood, he wasn't happy about it. Every time Hiroki pushed him away, it hurt. It wasn't a big hurt, but still…

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he wasn't prepared for the light kiss that soon landed against the back of his neck. Arms wrapped around him, holding him in place facing the counter.

"Nowaki," the lips whispered, moving against his skin, "Next time, use a different word. 'Yummy' just sounds so weird, so… weak. Kamijou the Devil can't be yummy, alright?"

The words were halted and awkward. Nowaki could tell that it was difficult for the other man to say. Hiroki never was very good at expressing what he wanted.

He turned around in Hiroki's arms and enveloped him in a giant hug, pressing down a kiss on the shorter man's temple.

"I'm sorry, Hiro-san. I will never describe you as yummy again." Out loud, he added silently.

"Good."

"I love you. Thank you for telling me."

"Sure, sure, just finish dinner. I'm hungry."

"Of course, Hiro-san."

Nowaki, happy because his lover had calmed down, smiled and began spooning the rice onto a plate. When he heard Hiroki make an unsure noise, like he wanted to say something but didn't know how to start, he put down the plate and turned to face him.

"Yes, Hiro-san?"

"Well, you see, I got a call from my mother today."

"Ah, yes, and how is Lady Kamijou?"

"Fine, just fine I think."

"I know you were never very close to her as a child, but I'm glad that you two still have a relationship."

"Yeah, I guess." Hiroki fisted the hem of his shirt and began tugging it between his fingers. Looking at the ground nervously, he continued, "Ah, see, she wants to come visit me. Us, actually. But I don't know how you'd feel about that. You've never met her and she can be a lot to handle."

The second Hiroki saw a giant smile cover Nowaki's face, he knew he was done for. Nowaki was not supposed to be happy with the prospect of meeting his mother! He was supposed to run screaming for the hills.

"Oh, Hiro-san! I think that's a wonderful idea!"

"But, uh, you are very different people. Maybe it's best if you two don't meet quite yet."

"I would still love to meet her, Hiro-san. I want to know the mother of the man I love."

Hiroki cursed silently. He should never have even brought it up. Lady Kamijou didn't even know he was gay! Sure, she was aware that he was living with another man, but that in no way translates to being in a gay relationship. She would not take the news well. What was worse, she would tell her husband. Hiroki's father was a stern, old-fashioned man. He would never understand. No, he would not allow them to meet.

And if they ever found out that he was pregnant… No. It would not end well for either party.

The weekend soon passed and Monday reared it's ugly head once again. It was a long day. As the past couple of weeks had gone by and his belly had begun protruding the slightest bit more, Hiroki had found it necessary to slack off on grading. He was always tired and had no patience or energy for his students' thoughtless essays and tests. What was worse, the changes in his body were becoming unbearable.

The worst of his current "pregnancy-pains," as he had so dubbed them, was his stomach cramping. He just wanted to curl up in a ball for hours on end and do nothing but sulk in his hormones. Nowaki, however, was completely unsympathetic.

Ever time Hiroki got a bad cramp and curled up, Nowaki was there all smiley, happy, and annoying. Why couldn't Nowaki see that he didn't want to be cheered up, he just wanted to mope in his misery.

Nowaki would always say, "Let's go for a walk, Hiro-san!" or "How about we go to the park, Hiro-san?" or "Let's go visit your friends, Hiro-san! That'll cheer you up for sure!"

Hiroki just wanted to scream. Sometimes, he wanted to cry. Sometimes, he did both.

However, there was one saving grace. Hiroki had to thank whatever gods watching over him that he wasn't a woman. Of course, it may seem strange that a pregnant man was grateful for his masculinity, but he was never so glad that he didn't have breasts.

Ew, breasts. Boobs. Titties.

They were all the same to him.

Being a gay male, breasts never interested him in the slightest. In fact, he felt a minor repulsion towards them. They were jiggly and round, nothing like the hard, sculpted body of a man.

Everything that he had been reading on pregnancy had warned about breast changes, and how they would become sore, tender, or even painful. Hiroki couldn't imagine having to go through that on top of everything else.

However, he almost would rather having lumps of fat on his chest than having to deal with his childish co-worker. Miyagi was getting especially annoying. He had always been rather irritating, but lately it had been worse than ever.

Hiroki found himself clenching his fists and mentally counting to ten whenever Miyagi opened his stupid mouth. He didn't know if he could handle him today. It took effort to deal with the juvenile man, and he was already tired from meetings with several unruly students.

He stared at the wall clock in their office. It was almost noon, the time when Miyagi came back in-between classes. Sighing, he looked back towards his laptop and began typing, hoping to get some headway in a report before the other man returned.

Three sentences in, the office door burst open and Miyagi sauntered in.

Hiroki took a deep calming breath before turning around in his swivel chair. He scowled at the other man, who stretched his arms before throwing his briefcase against the desk and plopping down in his seat.

"Boy, am I pooped! Four students—can you believe it, four! — students just came up to me asking for extra credit! As if! I mean, they should know by now that we don't do extra credit."

Hiroki slowly let out a breath before silently turning back to his laptop. Replying would only encourage Miyagi to keep talking.

"And did you know that you can only hold newts with wet hands? I surely didn't."

Hiroki took another deep breath before relaying his current mantra to himself. Hitting others is wrong. Violence is bad.

"It's not as if the TA told me I couldn't pick it up. It was right in the middle of the biology wing sitting in the box, what was I supposed to do? They should put a sign or some type of warning. Anyway, you should have heard him screech—hey, Hiroki, you listening to me?"

Hiroki stood up with a tense jaw and made his way out of the office. He didn't have the patience to deal with Miyagi today.

The door slammed shut.

"I can't deal with him anymore, Nowaki! He's getting on my last nerve!"

"It's okay to be upset. He can be difficult to get along with." Nowaki rubbed his hand over Hiroki's back in small, soothing motions that he knew Hiroki would respond well to. "I know Professor Miyagi always been a little irksome, but what has he done this time?"

Hiroki threw his fists down onto the couch and groaned, "Everything! He just refuses to shut up! He blabs on and on about stupid shit, then I can't get my work done and he doesn't even seem to notice."

"Have you told him how you feel? Have you talked to him?"

Hiroki turned his icy glare over to his lover. "Nowaki," he bit out harshly, "If I wanted your advice, I would have asked for it."

Nowaki nibbled on his lower lip, unsure what to reply. His Hiro-san had been getting more irritable over the last month, lashing out at the slightest provocation. He was fairly sure it was the pregnancy hormones causing the mood swings, but Hiroki had always had a temper.

"Hiro-san, maybe you should try—"

"Honesly, Nowaki, all you are supposed to do is tell me how much Miyagi sucks and console me for having to work with him." The glare did not abate. "I don't want your advice."

Nowaki head dipped down as he looked away. There was only one way to deal with Hiroki when he was in one of his moods: give in and admit defeat.

"Of course, Hiro-san. I'm sorry."

Silence stretched between them for a few moments. Nowaki reached out a tentative hand towards Hiroki's lap. He lightly set them down on the other man's thigh and gave a reassuring squeeze. When he wasn't swatted away, Nowaki pulled Hiroki's body against him and began to stroke his hair.

"I'm so tired, Nowaki," Hiroki breathed softly.

Nowaki felt the corners of his mouth turn up. Seems that Hiro-san's bout of anger left him all worn out. This wasn't unusual. Lately, Hiroki would fight and then fall asleep minutes later. Again, Nowaki assumed, probably the work of his pregnancy hormones. It was cute, though. Hiro-san was always cute.

"You can take a nap before dinner if you want? Want me to get you the blanket?"

He nodded and relaxed his body fully against Nowaki. Nowaki eased away to fetch a warm blanket and pillow. The nights were chilly and it would not do to have Hiroki catching a cold.

The pregnant man quickly fell asleep. Nowaki stroked his hair and kissed his forehead before going to make tea.

He had planned on bringing up an uncomfortable topic sometime last week, but the right time never came about.

Work was putting so much extra stress on Hiroki, and Nowaki wanted him to take a leave until after the baby was born. He knew that Hiroki would put up a fight, but it wasn't safe and he needed to rest.

Only a few months into the pregnancy, and Hiroki was already too tired to make it through the day without falling asleep. It wasn't safe for him or the baby, and Nowaki wanted it to stop.

Maybe he would bring up the topic with Lady Kamijou. Surely, Hiroki's mother would understand and back him up. And Hiroki did say that she was coming to visit, right?

I understand that I lost a great deal of readers because I didn't update for months and months and months. So please, if you are still reading or new at reading, drop a review and let me know that you're out there. I would appreciate it more than you know. Much love.