ficlet; 010: first kick
pairing: aizawa kosaku/shiraishi megumi
word count: 801 words
note: does this constitute as domestic!Aizawa/Shiraishi? Maybe?

Shiraishi took her last bite of beef and chewed blissfully, leaning back in her chair with a contented sigh. Across from her, Aizawa was finishing the last of his soup, putting down his bowl when he was done. She smiled at him, resting her hand briefly on top of his. "Thank you so much for cooking dinner."

It had been a revelation of some sorts when it was found out that Aizawa was the better cook, when compared to Shiraishi, so as it went, cooking duties had mostly befallen him when his schedule allowed him to cook. Not that he minded, he actually enjoyed cooking to a certain degree, it managed to relax him somewhat. Besides, he liked the idea of cooking for Shiraishi, of being able to spoil her with food.

Shiraishi started piling the empty bowls and dishes together, and she was about to stand up and take the bowls to the kitchen when Aizawa gently took the bowls from her. "Sit," he said, collecting the chopsticks as well as the sauce plates.

"Kōsaku," she protested. "You had already cooked tonight, so I'll do the washing up."

"That was before," he took the bowls and the cutlery to the kitchen sink, and turned on the tap.

Shiraishi sighed, smiling to herself, as she pushed her chair back, standing up carefully. She was nearly five months pregnant, and Aizawa had increasingly been stopping her from doing the most menial tasks, taking up the responsibility of all the household chores. She leaned against the kitchen counter gingerly, watching him as he carefully soaped the bowls. "I can do the dishes, you know, I'm pregnant, not disabled."

He shot her a disapproving look. "You've been on your feet all day in Emergency. The very least, you should rest when you're home."

"Well, you've been on the Heli all day," she pointed out. "If anything, you need more rest than I do." She had stepped down from Heli duty shortly after finding out she was pregnant. She didn't do it without a fight; Shiraishi had firmly believed that she would still be able to fly up to her first trimester, but she was one voice against five voices: her husband, three of her best friends, and her boss. So with reluctance, she had given in.

"I'm fine," he rinsed off the chopsticks and placed them in the dish drying rack. "Why don't you go lie down on the couch?"

"All right," she agreed, knowing there was no deterring her husband. He would not let her wash the dishes, and that was that. Stepping behind him, she slipped her arms around his waist, and rested her cheek against his back. "Can I have pineapple ice-cream with chocolate sauce for dessert?"

He laughed, nodding his head, refraining from commenting on the strangeness of her cravings. Shiraishi was not a fan of sweet things, but her pregnancy had made her crave for sugar, in rather unusual combinations at times. She tightened her arms around him momentarily, giving his waist a squeeze, before letting go.

As she turned to head into the living room, her eyes widened, and Shiraishi reached out, clutching the hem Aizawa's shirt. "Ow," she said, putting her other hand on her belly.

A look of alarm flashed across Aizawa's face, as he turned off the tap and wiped his hands dry, encircling his wife's shoulders with his arms. "Megumi? What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong…but…" her face was a picture of concentration as she took her husband's hand, and placed it on her stomach. He looked down, slightly puzzled, as she held his hand to her stomach. "Wait…just a moment…"

And then Aizawa felt it, just the tiniest vibration against his hand. He sucked in a breath, as he looked at Shiraishi, and she smiled at him, a beatific smile. "The baby is kicking," he said in wonderment, caressing her stomach, and then he felt it again, as their baby, safe and protected in Shiraishi's womb, moved again.

"It feels really surreal," Shiraishi squeezed his hand, a note of quiet amazement in her voice. It had suddenly become a lot more real, the fact that there was life growing inside Shiraishi, a little person that they made together, who was now moving and kicking, almost as if it's asking for attention from its parents. She laughed as the baby kicked again, and they both felt it, at the same time. "It's saying hello to us."

Aizawa rarely got emotional, if ever at all, but at that moment, he could feel the love he had for his wife and their baby overwhelming him. He raised his eyes from her abdomen to her face, and he leaned in, nuzzling her neck and kissing her. "I love you," he told her, and she smiled against his lips.

"I know."

A/N: I was actually working on ficlet where Shiraishi is in labour but got stuck (super stuck) so I veered off and came out with this instead, haha.

On another note, just wanna say thank you all for all the lovely lovely reviews left on this collection so far. I've hit 10 ficlets, so here's to the next 10! You all rock and I appreciate each and every review!

Please do leave me more reviews/comments :P Love to all!