Roommates Chapter twenty-one.
Disclaimer: Shugo Chara and its characters of course belong to Peach Pit.
Author's note: I know I said I would focus on one story but this came to me a few hours ago and I just needed to share it, I hope you all enjoy my new addition to the Roommate One shot's and I'd of course as usual love to hear your opinions so feel free to comment :)
Some say the preparation for your wedding day is more stressful and time consuming than the wedding itself, and well with the lead up I had I suppose I would be almost inclined to believe. My name is Amu Hinamori and as long as I don't die from whatever tropical disease is wracking my system I am marrying the love of my life Ikuto Tsukiyomi in just under a week.
I continued to glare at the pile of silk and lace pooled at the bottom of the bed as I had been doing all morning. There was a week, just one week before the big day and so far things were beginning to look less than okay.
I was exhausted. Locked away from Ikuto for a week and sick to my stomach, and now as if things couldn't possibly be worse, my dress didn't fit.
"What do you mean, it doesn't fit?" Utau had screeched on loudspeaker in some fathomless corner of my room.
"It has to fit Amu; you were measured a month ago and you've been on a strict diet since." She continued to flounder as if her assertions would make it true.
I frowned, my migraine was coming back and I had still to keep down more than one half of a grapefruit.
"I'm sick Utau, send someone please?" I heard myself beg weakly, desperate for anything that would make this pain go away.
"You can't be sick Amu you just can't, we have one week…I'll be round in five okay? Don't die!" She trailed off in hysterics not really making me feel any more reassured than I had been previously.
Finally Utau appeared, I could hear her clambering for her spare key outside and smiled gratefully. My two blonde guardians appeared not seconds later, hands on hips and frowns permanently etched onto their doll like features.
"So doc, what's the verdict?" I managed to ask cheekily beaming up at them with all I could muster.
Utau grimaced as Rima crossed the floor to brush a careful hand against my forehead.
"You're not burning up sweetie." She muttered as Utau pulled out her phone asking Nagi and Kukai for back up no doubt.
Eventually I found myself in my living room, propped up comfortably on the sofa with a waste basket practically glued to my side. Four pairs of anxious eyes continued to watch over me, doing nothing to settle my nerves as they all took it in turns to discuss my issues.
"She's kept barely anything down in days." Kukai grimaced.
"She hasn't slept in longer." Nagi contributed.
"Her boobs are huge." Rima giggled sidesplittingly as Kukai turned to glare at her.
"How is that helpful?" He asked shaking his head fondly.
"Or more importantly, she's getting married in a week and her freaking dress doesn't fit!" screamed Utau, as she switched from outrage to slow acceptance in less than a second.
"She can't keep her food down, barely sleeps, huge boobs, pee's all the time, asks for peanut pickles. Oh I can't believe it; we have all been so slow!" Utau crowed happily jumping from her seat.
"I'm pregnant?" I hesitantly asked tilting her head to the side as if searching for Utau's confirmation.
"I'm pregnant." I mumbled again in disbelief as the whole room dissolved into cheers and squeals.
"We can't be sure till she takes a test." Nagi called out through the noise, ever the voice of wisdom.
"What do we tell Ikuto?" Kukai nervously queried.
I sighed rubbing slim fingers against my temple; of course they would react like this. I should have known earlier, the symptoms where all there but was I ready to be a wife and a mother?
"Don't you think that should be up to me?" I somehow managed to call out as I shuffled to my feet, making Kukai look more sheepish than he had before.
My friends needed peace and order, or today was going to be a lot more difficult than I originally anticipated.
"Right, we can't tell Ikuto anything until I'm sure. I don't want to worry him over nothing. So first things first Utau I need you to buy me a pregnancy test. When that has been confirmed or denied we can move onto other plans of action. Am I clear?" I tried to sound as authoritive as a woman could with four grown adults cooing around my undetermined child in my stomach. And all along I worried what if Ikuto didn't want children, what would I do then?
"So don't get mad." Utau announced as she finally entered the living room forty minutes later than expected brandishing at least six types of home test with a forced smile.
"So the store around the corner didn't sell what we needed so I had to go into town, where Ikuto was on lunch. He may or may not have seen me buying pregnancy tests, but it's okay I fixed it… I told him it was for me." Utau grinned proudly thrusting the home kits in my direction, as I watched Kukai choke discreetly in a corner.
"Ikuto thinks you're pregnant?" I asked sceptically, raising one pink eyebrow in a show of disbelief.
"Correction, Ikuto thinks I might be pregnant. But more importantly I hope you are ready to pee lady because we have a lot of sticks to christen." Utau's fierce grin had returned as she grabbed myself and a snorting Rima dragging us tentatively toward the bathroom.
As it turned out it took another half an hour for me to be ready and even then I only managed to "christen" as Utau had so kindly put it four of the offered six sticks. And so the waiting game began, although the timer only said four minutes, it was as though I could feel every second stretch into the next.
It was in this gruelling wait that I was struck with an epiphany.
"I want to be pregnant." I said aloud, testing the words in my mouth until saline pricked at the corners of my eyes, making me sure I could say it with conviction.
"I want to be pregnant." I sounded out more confidently this time as Utau and Rima took a hand each circling my skin with their thumbs soothingly.
"Of course you do dummy." Rima replied quietly, with my favourite shy smile and with that we fell back into the silence of anticipation.
It had been much more than four minutes by now and yet none of us had had the nerve to look. I wanted so desperately to be pregnant that I hadn't even asked myself how I would feel if it all just turned out to be a stomach bug or bad breakfast choice. We all looked from one to another, sighing deeply before yet another epiphany struck.
"So everyone needs to take a stick but me obviously, then I'll count to five and all you need to do is shout out a positive if you see a plus or a negative if you see a minus." I explained reassuringly as I seated us all in a circle. Just like ripping off a band aid I muttered to myself in some failed attempt at comfort and smiled at the group in front of me.
"Does this mean I'm touching your pee? Because I have to say I'm not okay with that." Kukai slurred in a half serious tone receiving a quick elbow to the ribs by Utau.
I shook my head tenderly, looking from one friend to the next. Holding those tiny home tests in their clutches, as if they were the most important things in life and began my count down.
"One." I want to be pregnant,
"Two." I gnawed at my lip anxiously,
"Three." I want to be pregnant,
"Four." I hope Ikuto wants this,
"Five." I know I'm pregnant.
I released a sigh I hadn't realised I had been holding as the litany of "positive" assaulted my ears. For a while there I wasn't sure if they would ever let me go, clinging to me like my happiness was all they really mattered.
But with the heart-warming comfort of knowing I was right. That I now had what I had never realised I had wanted, came the stomach turning comprehension that Ikuto had to know.
I sat there that night an emotionally unhinged wreck. My friends or the support group as I had now taken to calling them in my head had left hours ago so that I could prepare myself in peace.
Ikuto had sounded so shocked when I invited him over and it had taken me more than three attempts to convince him that Utau wouldn't kill him, a fourth to persuade him that I wasn't crying. A knock sounded at the door as I made my way slowly to its frame glancing through the peep hole he looked the same as always, perfect.
I pried open the door with a sigh, here goes nothing I thoughtas I threw myself into his arms unwittingly.
"Hey, what's wrong princess. Surely you haven't missed me that much." He teased coyly before picking up my still slight frame and carrying me to the sofa. His thumb trailed my jaw reassuringly as I finally allowed myself to fall to pieces.
"I love you so much Ikuto, I never want you to leave." I sobbed into his pliant form as he rocked us back and forth to the sound of his breathing.
"I'll never leave you Amu, no matter what I'm forever yours." Ikuto's tone was exasperatingly affectionate as he continued to rock us. I just couldn't keep it a secret anymore, like ripping off a band aid I repeated to myself before taking the fall.
"I'm pregnant Ikuto." I muttered the three simple words that had the power to change our future and winced as he pulled me backwards.
"You're pregnant? Pregnant with our child, You-are-pregnant." He spelt out the words adorably a slow smile spreading across his face as he looked at me with wonder.
"I'm going to be a daddy." He sighed again shaking his head in disbelief.
"You're happy, you want this? Because Ikuto I want this with all my heart." I smiled shyly finally admitting the feelings I had hidden to begin with.
"Of course I want this; oh strawberry is that why you were so upset?" He beamed at me again peppering my face in kisses and humming under his breath.
We must have stayed like that for a while; two figures completely entwined rocking in harmony to the sounds of steady heartbeats and tuneless humming. He continued to sing to me into the night as we cradled my stomach lightly, listening to each other whisper in the dimness that we were forever each other's.