T: We need to talk.
It didn't take a self-proclaimed relationship expert to tell Iwai that there was something very wrong with the text Tae had just sent him.
He'd just ushered one of his regulars out the store when he heard his phone vibrate in his trench coat pocket. The former Yakuza was subconsciously aware of himself smiling as he pulled it out and saw that it was Takemi who'd messaged him. However, that sense of giddiness was replaced almost immediately with a frown and he furrowed his brow once Iwai read the contents of the text, sending the man into a brief state of confusion for several reasons.
For starters, Tae almost never initiates a conversation in this kind of manner- especially not over a text message.
The second was that if there was ever a problem that she thought needed attention or wanted him to be aware of, the back alley doctor would've either waited to see him in person and make an offhand comment about it, or told him what the issue was outright if it were something more serious. Tae was never one to beat around the bush and if there were something on her mind, she'd simply say it. Being a doctor and all, she'd learned to be direct and concise while also displaying a level of respect and empathy whenever she delivered news to her patients.
The final and, of course, most obvious reason was that this kind of message from Tae had come completely out of nowhere. No warnings, no previous indications of any change in her behavior, and there were certainly zero signs of her being unhappy or discontented with her romantic squeeze. (Or at least, none that he himself was aware of.)
This only added to the sudden extra weight in his chest as Munehisa scrambled to try and remember something- anything he might've done to warrant this kind of text from Takemi. Soon, however, he eventually gave in and concluded that there was something else going on that was outside of his control; and since Tae hadn't sent a follow-up during the time he'd spent deliberating on it, he realized that she was likely waiting for him to see it first so that she could have his full attention. (Which, if intentional, had ended up working a little too well if he was being honest about it.)
He messaged her back:
M: Sure, what's up?
She responds almost immediately:
T: I'd like to talk to you in person as soon as possible.
T: Please.
Iwai's scowl deepened and rubbed his scruffy chin with his free hand before flopping down on his chair. He didn't like where this was going one bit, and anxiety began to wash over him. Something was bothering her, that much was clear, and the store owner had at first thought about calling her directly to ask what's going on before scrapping that idea. If she didn't tell him what it was already, then that means Tae had something very serious to discuss with him in person rather than over the phone.
This in turn caused his anxiety to grow as many ideas circled through his head on what it could be. Was she diagnosed with some kind of fatal disease? Was she suddenly going to be moving elsewhere in Japan or perhaps out of the country entirely? Did one of her patients die under her care?
Whatever it was, Mune had decided that he wasn't fond of sitting in his store and playing guessing games while his girlfriend was going through whatever turmoil she's found herself in.
And so, he replied with this:
M: Alright, I'm closing up shop. Are you at the clinic?
Neigh a single moment passes before she replies:
T: No. I'm at my apartment.
The former Yakuza inhaled and exhaled sharply as he ran his hand under his cap and through his short cut hair. Dammit. If whatever situation she was in was enough to close down her own clinic early for the day, then this shit was worse than he'd originally thought.
M: OK, be there in twenty.
He puts his phone away without bothering to wait for a reply, and he didn't expect one to come either. After quickly putting the money from the till into the safe without bothering to count today's earnings, Iwai turned off the neon sign to Untouchables before exiting the store and locked the door behind him.
He doesn't remember walking to the train station, nor does he remember getting on one. Neither does he remember leaving the station and walking down the narrow streets of Yongen until he finally found himself standing at the entrance to Tae's apartment- several buildings down from where her work is located. But with every step of the way, Iwai was aware of his anxiety growing more feverish; and it only continued to swell even further as he punched in the code to enter the building and began taking the main stairs three steps at a time.
Once he'd reached the doorstep to Takemi's apartment on the third floor, Iwai took the opportunity to catch his breath and wipe the sweat from his brow. Dammit, he was out of shape, but at least the exercise had given him a chance to work off most of the pent-up stress that had taken hold of him and think more clearly on what he was going to do next.
He thought of knocking on her door at first, but thought the better of it after having learned from past experiences. If the situation was as serious as Tae had made it out to be, then forcing her to have to come to him in any way was the last thing that he wanted her to do. Tentatively, Munehisa turned the door handle to see if it was unlocked, and the door creaked open inwards. Gods, he hated being right sometimes.
Iwai could feel a cool breeze escaping from the now ajar entrance, and he welcomed the respite from the heat for a brief second before mentally slapping himself upside the head. Dumbass, he scolded himself.
He was stalling, and he knew it. Out of all the shit that he'd been through as a Yakuza, nothing seemed to terrify him more than what was waiting through that door aside from watching his son get held hostage at a knife's edge just last year. If his sworn brothers had known what he felt at this very moment, Iwai would've been turned into a laughing stock for letting his feelings get the better of him over what a woman would say to him.
The only problem for them, though, the man realized, was that Tae Takemi was no ordinary woman- or at least, not in his eyes. Sure, there were plenty he'd known that tried to insist that they were "not just another average girl," but Tae was the only one by far who'd made that claim a reality without having to hide parts about herself to do so. She was smart, stubborn, fueled by a passion to help others that very few can rival and by no means a pushover. These qualities were all genuine aspects of herself to which she didn't even need to push in the forefront to demonstrate who she was as a person; and thinking about it now only made Munehisa realize how much he loves her even more now.
He pauses on that last thought before letting out a flippant scoff and pinching the bridge of his nose.
…Heh, he really did love her, didn't he? On one hand, the former Yakuza was overwhelmed with catharsis as the tightness easing in his chest. But on the other hand, it was soon replaced with a heavy and deeply wrangled heart. He was grateful to have finally come to terms with how he really felt about his favorite backstreet goth doctor. However at the same time, it made him even more hesitant to walk through that apartment door and confront what lies ahead. He didn't want to lose her. Gods damn it all, he did not want to lose her. Especially not after he'd realized what he had right now at this very moment.
And yet… if he didn't do this, how much more damage would he be causing as a result of it? Despite his despondency, Iwai also knew that Tae would never go out of her way to try and rip his heart out. She would never even think to do that, no matter how angry she may or may not be at him; and so it would've been completely unfair of him to not give her the due diligence of listening to what she had to say. Besides, it didn't matter what he felt at this point. What mattered was that the love of his life wasn't in a good place right now, and it fell on him to try and make things better for her, no matter how much it'd hurt him in return.
…That's what love is, right?
With a rugged sigh, Iwai stepped stiffly through the door and closed it behind him. It was dark within Tae's apartment, save for a single source of light coming from the living room accompanied by the sound of a TV; an action film or show from what he could tell.
He passes through the small kitchen and stops at the narrow doorway leading to the living room. All of the lights had been turned off, and the curtains covering the screen door leading to the balcony prevented any sunlight from getting in. This left the TV as the only source of light in the apartment. The flat-screen sat up against the wall closest to him, where it showed a woman in a black jumpsuit fighting off a bunch of white-clad ninjas with katanas with nothing but a golf club.
"Dumb, stupid action movies," Takemi once called them during one of their early outings at the theater, and Mune could never have agreed more with that assertion. As one who was a seasoned practitioner of medicine and the other who often got into all kinds of trouble as a former Yakuza, neither of them could really take most action/drama seriously after having been desensitized by reality. To them, they were simply a media where you were supposed to turn off your brain and not think about the absurdity of someone doing a bicycle kick while flying halfway across the room. Though, it did provide them with some decent comedy where the couple could point out and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, so at least it wasn't complete throwaway entertainment.
Iwai turned his head to see Tae sitting on her sofa on the other side of the room and dressed in her casual black yukata. She sat in a fetal position with her arms wrapped around her legs and chin resting upon her knees as she stared vacantly at the TV in front of her. Despite the limited amount of light the TV provided, he could see that she wore no makeup and that her hair was both disheveled and damp, indicating that she'd showered recently.
The owner of the clinic across the street didn't seem to notice the man standing at her door until he made a noise in his throat to indicate his presence. Takemi's eyes snapped from the TV to Iwai and blinked, as though she wasn't expecting him to be here in the first place; like she was looking at a complete stranger which unnerved the man more than he already was. The awkward pause of silence between them continued as they stared at one another, with only the sound of the fight scene from the movie to accompany them.
Eventually, Mune decided to be the one to break the stillness. "You, uh," He said hesitantly as he scratched the back of his neck. "Are you alright?" He tried his best to sound as casual as possible about it, but his own eyes betrayed him as he found himself staring at the floor to avoid her apathetic gaze. Silently cursing himself, he forced himself to look at her again before willing himself to take the next step forward. "There was… something you wanted to talk about?"
Just then, he saw that something seemed to have finally turned on inside Tae's head, and her expression started to become more "alive" for lack of a better term. Her expression suddenly became gloomy and she turned her head away as though she were attempting to avoid any more eye contact with him. "Y-yes, there is." She spoke quietly, her voice cracking like she hadn't spoken in quite some time. Tae brings her bare feet down to the floor, pausing the movie in the process and scooches over to make room for him on the sofa. "Please… sit."
With a heavy swallow and an even heavier heart in hand, Iwai did as she requested and slowly sat himself down right next to her. For a moment, the former Yakuza sits there without uttering a word as he patiently waits for her to finally tell him what's been going on. He watched her intrinsically as Takemi continued to avoid his gaze; instead focusing on either the curtains next to her or down at her knees as though she was still trying to figure where to even begin. This caused Iwai's patience to run thin as he silently expelled air through his nostrils.
Dammit, she's really not going to meet me in the middle here, is she? He thought to himself.
He hated seeing her like this. He hated himself for not knowing what to do in this situation; and above all else, he hated feeling as though Tae didn't trust him enough to confide in him without hesitation. Although he knew that last bit wasn't completely fair, it still didn't change the fact that she didn't seem quite ready to share what could very well be life-altering information. But if there was something that would require him to take that last extra step to get her to trust him fully, then perhaps it was time that he laid down his last card on the table so that there would be no more doubt between them.
"Tae," He said cordially, wrapping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her in closer to him. "Hey, look at me." She doesn't respond to him for a brief moment, but eventually relents. Iwai swallows before continuing. "Look, I… this is probably something that I should've told you already, but…" He pauses and takes a deep breath. "I just want you to know that no matter what troubles you're facing now or how bad they might get… I will- and always- remain by your side, because I…" Mune's voice hitches to his own dismay, but he calls upon as much courage and the willpower as he could muster to finish his sentence. "I love you, Tae Takemi." He gives her hand a firm squeeze to emphasize his confession. "And I promise that I will help in any way that I can for as long as I'm able to give it. You mean the entire world to me, and I do not want you to feel as though you're alone in it. So please, tell me. What is going on?"
Tae's jaw dropped as though she were about to say something, but then immediately closed it. She looked away once more as she tried to process everything he'd just told her before replying in a low, cautious voice. "...Are you certain that's a promise you want to commit to?"
"Tae," Munehisa told her, not bothering to hide the hurt in his voice from such a question. He could see her expression change as she realized just how scathing her response might've sounded, so he eased up a little. "Listen to me," He urged her again, reaching up to touch her chin so that he could gently guide her back to facing him again. "I want to help you. I really, really do. But if I'm going to do that, then I need you to start by telling me what this is all about."
For a moment, Iwai was concerned that he might've overplayed his hand with his confession. But after a moment's hesitation, Tae finally relents with a swallow and a nod. With one hand, she reached up and took the hand holding her chin and laid it flat on her knee with his palm facing up. Then with the other, concealed by the sleeve of her yukata, placed something into his open hand.
Iwai prepared himself for what could've been a diagnostic of a fatal disease, or something else along those lines. However, once Takemi removed her hand from his to reveal what it was, he was bewildered to see that what he held was… a pregnancy test?
Meanwhile, Tae watched Iwai's expression closely. His eyes remained locked on the device for quite some time, and the street doctor couldn't help but tense up as she waited for a reaction. Eventually, Munehisa did react by simply propping an elbow up on one knee, buried his face into his hand and began to sob.
…No, not sobbing. Wait, was he… was he laughing? Iwai couldn't help himself. He just sat there, hunched over right next to her as he cackled to himself. He eventually throws his head back, letting out a heartful, throaty laugh and Tae could only stare at the man in complete disbelief. This was not at all what she'd expected when she'd given him the pregnancy test. Well, sure, she'd expected some kind of reaction once he saw that it was positive, but to see him treat it as though it was some elaborate joke was the last thing on her list given Mune's gruff and mostly-reserved nature.
And it really started to piss her off.
Tae could feel her face heating up in rage as she reached up and pinched the man's ear- nails and all- and it caused Iwai to howl out in pain. He turned to the woman and made a face as if to say, what the hell was that for? but was immediately stilted by what he saw next. Tears had begun to well up in Takemi's eyes. Her face was scrunched up and her chest visibly rising and falling with every breath she took. Clarity and common sense returned to the man, and Munehisa soon realized the terrible mistake that he'd made. He was so caught up in his personal insecurities that he'd completely forgotten the entire reason for why he was here in the first place. This was the first time that he'd ever seen Takemi have a complete loss of control over her emotions, and he wanted to slap himself for making such an ass of himself in front of her like this.
…But holy shit, a baby. Tae Takemi, his lover and best mate aside from his own son, was pregnant with his…
A warm, fuzzy feeling came over him as Munehisa gazed longingly into the street doctor's coffee brown eyes and cupped her now tearstained cheek into his hand. "Oh, Tae…"
Unable to control herself any longer, Takemi lunged forward and threw her arms around him, to the man's surprise. She buried her face into his shoulder, pushing the jacket aside so that she could feel the warmth of him directly through his shirt and could soon hear her muffled sobs. This left Iwai half-sitting, half-lying on one side of the couch while he leaned back in order to accommodate Tae, who hugged him in a tight embrace as though she were scared that he'd fade from her arms at any moment.
Unsure of what to do in his current predicament, he brought one arm around her side as her wails grew louder while simultaneously placing his other hand over her damp messy hair- almost in the same manner as Mune once did when trying to calm an infant Kaoru. "Sh, sh, sh… It's alright," he whispered into ear, rocking her slightly from side to side. "I'm here now. Everything's going to be alright now." She made a muffled noise in response that he couldn't quite decipher other than the fact that his words were reaching her, and so Mune kept talking. "I'm so, so sorry. I had no idea if you were…"
Dying? Leaving me for someone else? He'd wanted to say. The entire reason he'd lost his collective shit in the first place is because he believed there was the strong possibility of losing her forever. And given everything he already knew about Tae, he couldn't really be blamed for misreading the entire situation this badly. However, Iwai also knew that it did not- under any circumstance- excuse his behavior considering that, to Takemi, this was incredibly serious for her .
She'd only just opened up her clinic this morning when she began to feel the symptoms in full force. The first sign she'd noticed was when Tae noticed her feet couldn't quite fit into her work heels, which caused her great discomfort to the point where she resorted to wearing her winter boots. The second was when she'd walked into Leblanc for her morning coffee and found that she couldn't stand the smell of the cafe; so much so that she ended up walking out the very second she went in.
And if that wasn't evident enough of what was going on with her body, Tae had almost lost it in front of a patient who was there for his weekly checkup, and needed assistance in grabbing a trash can before she could involuntarily empty out her stomach on the floor. It was only then that she began to put the pieces together, and had grabbed the pregnancy test from her own inventory in order to confirm her suspicion.
Upon seeing the positive results on the disposable device, Tae had tumbled into a spiral of emotions that she'd never experienced for the longest time. She could remember sitting in the latrine as she tried to process the reality that the backstreet clinic now found herself in, all the while trying to reign in those same emotions that began to slowly slip out from her control. However, trying to do this at her job soon proved to be a fruitless endeavor and was forced to close down her clinic, as well as canceling any appointments that she had for the day. (Which thankfully were ones she could afford to postpone until the next day.)
Once she'd gotten home, she immediately took a shower while dumping all of her work clothes into an unceremonious pile on the floor, dressed into something more comfortable and turned on the TV out of a need for some kind of distraction. Unfortunately, not only did it not stop her from thinking about many things as well as the implications of the situation she was now in. Eventually, she realized that she wanted nothing more than to have the man she loved and cared about most at her side; and despite his initial reaction pissing Tae off to high heaven, that desire to have Iwai close to her again had begun to overwhelm her and has now led to where they are now.
The pair had remained together like this for some time as Tae continued to cry on Munehisa's shoulder, whose back began to ache in great discomfort due to the awkward position he was currently in. But he had every intention of ignoring his personal needs for her, and if doing so would make up for his previous screw-up, then he'd happily do it for as long as he needed to.
Thankfully though, he didn't have to wait too much longer as Tae's sobbing began to die down, but continued to hold herself onto him. Once she'd gone silent, silence filled the air with only the TV to illuminate them in the darkened room. Tae finally lifts her head and gazes up at Munehisa, her eyes having turned red from the crying and her cheeks flushed. With the emotional episode finally over and clarity returning to her, Tae hurriedly peels herself away from him and sits back upright before wrapping her arms around herself in embarrassment.
"I…" She croaked out as she wiped her nose and sniffed. "I'm sorry, I wasn't…"
Munehisa also sits up. He offered her a small smile as he shook his head and leaned in towards her. "Hey, don't apologize." He reached out and took Tae's hand. "If anyone here is to be sorry, it should be me."
Takemi scowled (though more towards herself than Iwai) and shook her head. "No. I lost control and I hurt you for it." She sighs in frustration as her hand tightens around his. "If only I wasn't so…"
"Hey, listen," Mune interjected, shuffling on the couch so that his body was now facing her. "You don't gotta apologize for being human. I know you; and I get it." The man leaned down and picked up the pregnancy test he'd dropped. "But I think it's about time that we discussed something more important here." He places it in her lap, and Tae's attention diverted from him to the device.
Neither said anything at first, for they were both unsure of how exactly they were supposed to address it. While the news was shocking for the both of them, they were now both aware of the questions that would determine the fate of their relationship; and Munehisa couldn't help it as another wave of uneasiness took hold of him.
Eventually, Tae speaks. "I've been… thinking about some things; asking myself questions that I wasn't quite certain about. At first, I didn't know what I was going to say to you after I showed you this, but now that you're here… I finally have my answer."
Iwai frowned and tilted his head to one side. "And that is…?"
Takemi huffed through her nose. "When I first opened my clinic, there were a lot of people who'd mistaken me for…" She rubs her thumb thoughtfully over the tiny screen showing the positive results. "...One of those doctors . "
"'Those?'" He asked before his eyes narrowed on the pregnancy test, and the realization of what she'd meant suddenly hit him. "...Oh." Munehisa rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "Did you ever…?"
She shook her head. "The entire reason I became a doctor was so that I could study and treat illnesses. Nothing more. I've had plenty of people such as desperate teenagers, angry parents and even politicians come in and demand the treatment they were looking for, but I just gave them a couple of references and sent them on their way."
The older man could feel his gut churning at the possible conclusion that Tae was likely leaning towards, and his throat tightens before he was able to utter a response. "And what do you intend to do?"
His girlfriend closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Eventually, a small smile appeared on her tearstained face before opening them again. "A couple of years ago, one of the girls who originally came to my clinic stopped by to pay me a visit. She'd told me that she changed her mind on getting rid of her child after she saw me, and wanted to offer me her thanks. She…" Tae makes a sound that Iwai could only make out as something akin to a giggle. "She'd brought her son with her, and he was one of the most adorable things I'd ever seen in my life…" her smile widened to show her perfect set of pearly white teeth as she recalled those memories and let out a soft laugh that made even Iwai's chest fill with warmth.
However, that side of Takemi only lasted for a brief few seconds before her usual calm and calculated demeanor took over. Her gaze met his, and Munehisa couldn't help but feel as though her eyes were cutting into him as finely and sharply as her own scalpels. "Mune," She said to him in a deadly serious tone. "I am keeping this baby. I want to make sure that it lives a long and happy life, and that it grows up surrounded by a family who cares about it. And whether or not you want to be part of that child's life- as well as mine - is completely up to you."
On the outside, Iwai kept a cool expression. But on the inside, his mind was reeling. Straight to the point like a hot freakin nail through butter, he thought. Tae never minced words, even when she was emotionally vulnerable, and she certainly is not making the choice complicated for him in the slightest.
But at the same time, it also finally put Iwai into a state of relief that he hadn't felt since Takemi had first texted him, and he couldn't be any more happy to have it. No more questions, no more uncertainty, and certainly no beating around the bush. Tae had already made up her mind on what she intended to do moving forward. All that was left for the man sitting beside her was to choose what he wanted to do in turn.
Meanwhile, the street doctor watched as the man contemplated her words in stone cold silence. His face was frozen in a neutral expression, making it impossible for her to determine what he was thinking. After a moment, his head drooped down so that his eyes were shielded by the bill of his cap, but his mouth was still visible to her. His lips parted into a toothed grin and he let out a chuckle.
"You remember what I told you earlier, right?" He'd asked, looking back up at her. "That I'd always help you matter what happens between us?" Tae's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but stare at him with unblinking eyes. "Look, when I first took Kaoru in, there were a lot of things I had to learn the hard way as a parent. And being a former Yakuza, I had to put up with a lot of unsavory jobs to support the both of us until I finally got to where I am now. But you on the other hand- you've got a great job, you're smart and you're surrounded by those who only want the best for you. I, on the other hand, had none of that to start out with."
Iwai reached out with both hands and placed them gingerly over her waist. "After raising Kaoru, I didn't think that I would ever be interested in playing Dad again. But after having met you and the time we've spent together… I realize now that I'd like nothing more than to raise that kid with you. Even if that means that I-"
Iwai closed his mouth suddenly as though he realized he'd said too much. However Tae- who'd been listening intently to the man's cheesy, yet sincere answer- narrowed her eyes at him. "Iwai Munehisa…" She said as she scrutinized his face with a deadly serious gaze. "Even if that means what exactly?"
Munehisa swallowed.
God damn IDIOT. He screamed at himself. He was screwing this up again- and at the worst possible time- as usual. He knew what he was about to say, she knew what he was about to say, but why couldn't he just say it?
… No. This is not the time for hesitation or indecision. This was it. There were going to be no more second chances or even a do-over after the next few seconds. What happens now would define his future; his and Tae's, to whom he'd already confessed his love and promised to support no matter what. To try and backtrack now would earn him nothing but a one-way ticket to her thinking of him as the biggest coward and liar in all of Japan; and to Iwai, that was not an option under any circumstance.
Munehisa let out one last sigh before taking off his hat. "Takemi Tae," He said in a low voice to his girlfriend, whose breathing hitched in anticipation of the words that soon followed. "Would you give me the greatest honor that a man can ask for by spending the rest of your life with mine, and becoming my wife?"
Tae beamed at the man.
He did it. The silly fool had actually done it . While the thought of marriage crossed her mind many times prior to his proposal, (and presumably with Munehisa as well) the idea of having children together, however, certainly was not. She's already been well aware of the hardships that Iwai had to go through in order to raise Kaoru, (which she'd pieced together from the very few comments he'd made about his past) and Takemi was certain that the prospect of raising another child would be too much to ask of him.
As a result, she'd never brought this up as a possibility if their relationship ever went further beyond what it was just yesterday, and was quite complacent on just keeping it to herself and Iwai once Kaoru was ready to take on the world all by himself. But then the revelation of her pregnancy being real had happened, and this in turn was the cause of much self-reflection that Tae had never even stopped to consider since she began practicing medicine.
She'd dedicated nearly her entire adult life trying to find the best, most cost-effective methods of trying to save lives, and her years had flown by faster than she could've ever anticipated. Being so engrossed in her study and practice, it was enough for Tae to ignore the pang of loneliness that came with it from time to time; brushing it off by telling herself that the results of her research trumped any personal desire she could ever have.
And for a time, that was true. But then after Mune had entered her life, that loneliness was then smothered up before she'd found out she was pregnant. She soon began to see just how much the man had provided to her in terms of the emotional, practical and instinctive support. She was scared to death that after showing him the pregnancy test, he would simply walk right out of her life as quickly as he'd walked into it. But at the same time, she still wanted to provide him the choice regardless because Takemi knew that Iwai deserved at least that much in this type of circumstance.
But in the lingering moments of his offer to marry him, all of the fears and doubts had melted away and were soon replaced by that of relief, joy, and unconditional love for the man sitting next to her. She soon found herself leaning in towards Iwai, and the look on her face told him enough of what her answer was and did the same in return. Their lips pressed together, but Tae continued to press forward. Her arms reach over Mune's shoulders as his own snaked around to her backside. Munehisa began to fall back onto the couch once more, but this time he was able to lie down properly as Takemi fell on top of him. Their affectionate embrace remained unbroken for some time before the doctor ended the kiss with a deep smile and looked down on the man with adoring eyes.
"Now since when did my little Moony become such a romantic type?" She asked him playfully, rubbing a hand over his chest.
Iwai chuckles. "And since when did my girlfriend have a sudden interest in pet names?"
"I believe you mean fiance, no?"
"...So does that mean it's a yes?"
Tae laughs. "Of course it does, you silly man." She places another kiss on his forehead. "Honestly, Mune, for someone who's good with words when they want to be, you sure have a hard time understanding them sometimes."
"Yeah, well," He responds with a toothy grin, "I can't help it sometimes, y'know?" Iwai frowns. "But also, I, um… I don't exactly have a ring for this occasion…"
Takemi hummed thoughtfully as she inspected him from head to chest. "That's a shame. Then how about…" She leaned down and pressed her lips over the man's gecko tattoo on his neck.
"Heh, so you've finally decided on a tattoo?"
"Only if it's OK with you."
He scoffs playfully. "I don't think there's anything more fitting than that." They share another kiss. "So, what now?"
"Well, I think the first thing we should do is tell Kaoru." She smirks. "Do you think he'd be happy to find out about being an older brother?"
"Personally, I think he would love to hear that. He used to look up to that troublesome Kid as one, and needless to say, it left a lasting impression on him."
"Hmm, that's good to hear, and at least he'll have someone else who will look up to him. Now that only leaves…" Her smile faded as she suddenly realized who she was about to mention. "Oh… fuck me. "
"What? What is it?"
"It's my mother. I still haven't introduced you to her yet."
Iwai made a noise as his gaze fixated on the ceiling. "Right… That might get a bit awkward."
"What? Because you're afraid you might be too rough-looking for her taste?"
"No, because we made a kid together before we said our vows or whatever couples do when they get married. And you know how our culture normally feels towards those kinds of things."
Takemi couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, but you know something else?" She sits up and sits on Munehisa's lap and entraps him between her thighs. "Who gives a damn about what other people think?" She says seductively while tracing her fingertips over his stomach.
Iwai could feel the heat rising on his face and his lower half. "You uh, you sure want to do this now?"
"You're not about to say no to a woman in need, are you, handsome?" She purred while reaching into the fold of her yukata. "And besides, there's no reason to be careful anymore now, is there?"
The older man choked out in agreement, "I wouldn't have it any other way." He laced his fingers onto hers with one hand, while reaching up with the other and placed it over Takemi's bare stomach. "I love you, Tae."
Tae giggles, covering his hand on her belly with her own. "And I love you, Munehisa."