Wow, it's been a long time since I updated, huh? Well, no fear, chapter seven is here!

I want to thank all the awesome reviewers, especially those who reviewed the last chapter. I felt really bad about it for some reason, but then I read your reviews and re-read the chapter, and it didn't seem so horrible all of a sudden! So, thanks for that.

BY THE WAY, there is a poll on my profile where you can vote to decide the gender of the baby.

Warnings: Yaoi, Mpreg

Pairings: Akihiko/Misaki, mentions of Nowaki/Hiroki

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica.

It was disconcerting, Misaki reflected, to realize that, in many ways, having a potentially-serious illness and being a pregnant man felt the exact same way.

Finding out that he was pregnant didn't relieve any of his stress; if anything, it actually stressed him out more. He didn't share Usagi-san's immediate joy at the thought of something...foreign growing in his abdomen. In fact, he hardly felt anything at all towards what was happening to him, besides a lingering sense of terror. And every time he had to face Usagi-san's bright smile and gentle concern, he felt guilty. Wasn't he supposed to love this thing inside of him? It was obvious that his lover already did, to some extent. He was just so happy. Misaki didn't think he'd seen him stop smiling once since their last trip to the hospital, and it made him feel so confused. He didn't feel that elated. He felt tired, and scared, and sick, and he didn't know what to do or feel or want.

He'd told Usagi-san that he didn't want an abortion, and that was true; he'd never actively hurt anything in his life, and he didn't want to find out if he could by experimenting on this thing inside of him. But he also didn't know if he could stand nine months of feeling this awful, physically and emotionally. It was almost a week after he'd been given permission to go back to school, and he'd felt too wrung out to even try. The stress seemed to make his...morning sickness...worse, and, despite Usagi-san's attempts at an entirely stress-free environment (cuddling, helping with chores, buying crackers and some ginger candies that were supposed to ease nausea...), it was just not working.

In fact, he thought darkly, leaning over the toilet bowl at four in the morning, pregnant and stress-free were two words that couldn't realistically be used in the same sentence. Usagi-san was kneeling beside him, having been woken up when Misaki bolted out of their bed, gently rubbing his back and waiting for the retching to stop. When it did, his lover kindly helped him to the sink and flushed the toilet for him while he started brushing his teeth. "Sorry," he mumbled around his toothbrush.

Usagi-san gave a little laugh. "For what?"

"Think I kicked you in the stomach," he explained, spitting foam into the sink. He felt a bit guilty for constantly giving his lover such rude wake-up calls, but then again..."This wouldn't happen if you'd let me sleep in my own bed," he pointed out.

"You are sleeping in your own bed," Usagi-san said innocently. He dropped a kiss on the back of Misaki's neck as he rinsed his mouth, which nearly made him choke. "We both are."

"You know what I mean," Misaki muttered as he let himself be ushered back into Usagi-san's bedroom. He flopped gracelessly onto the unmade bed, burying his face in the sheets. He'd probably go back to sleep until six or so...

"I have no clue," his lover said cheerfully.

Akihiko stood at the stove, wearing Misaki's apron, armed with a pair of oven mitts and a ladle, looking as fierce as a gladiator about to enter the ring in a fight for his life.

It was pretty accurate, considering the fact that Misaki might kill him when he wakes up.

It was just after four thirty, and Akihiko was bound and determined to churn out something edible for his lover to eat when he woke up. It didn't seem fair, to him, that Misaki should be forced to cook and clean and work now that he was pregnant. The books he had bought (and subsequently hidden in the top of his closet) said that pregnancy was harder on men than women, because men's bodies weren't really equipped for all the hardships of pregnancy and, eventually, childbirth. They said that the symptoms were generally much worse for men, and that their partners should understand that pregnancy was very hard work. Partners of pregnant men, it continued, should be especially considerate of their lover's needs and do whatever possible to lighten their partner's work load.

So, Akihiko had decided, while Misaki was hard at work carrying their child, he would be hard at work learning how to take care of Misaki. First step was cooking. Scrambled eggs and toast sounded easy, and if it wasn't, well, Akihiko had two hours to at least put out the fire.

Oh, Lord, somebody stop him...

In my world, pregnancy is much harder for men than women, again, because men's bodies weren't made for carrying children. Which is why Misaki feels like such a lazy bum all the time, even though he isn't.

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