The search for the new apartment took them a couple of weeks. Thankfully, Lory had known of a penthouse near Kuon's current apartment that was going to be up for grabs. It was a four bedroom, two bathroom, luxury abode with sparkling white everything. When Kyoko had first seen pictures, she was flabbergasted that anything could possibly be so white and clean. Kuon swiped through the pictures on his phone.

"Do you like it?"

Kyoko blushed. "It's beautiful. I thought this place was luxurious. That place is… well… Heaven in Tokyo."

He chuckled. "It is beautiful. There are several celebrities living in the building already, too, so the security is tight enough. So… what do you think?"

She hesitated for just a moment. It was still hard for her to leave the Darumaya and change her living situation so drastically. But she knew that, ultimately, it would be for the best. She had also landed the job as Harumi… and was going to have to quit her job at the Darumaya anyway. "I think it's the one."

And with that, they made the decision to move.

Kyoko met with the Darumaya couple and explained her situation. She thanked them wholeheartedly for allowing her to stay there, and giving her a job so she could make her dreams come true. She left out any mention at all of living with Ren Tsuruga; she figured that would go over like a turd in a punch bowl. After making her swear that she would keep in touch, and telling her that she was always welcome back, they let her go. Her belongings fit neatly into a backpack and two large suitcases.

She took a taxi to her new home. When she got there, she pulled the fob for the building out of her pocket and buzzed herself in. Though she hadn't been there before, she knew which floor it was on, and was able to follow the signs to the elevators. When she reached their place, she opened the door with a nervous sigh and found herself in awe of her surroundings. The living room was curved, and the curved outside wall was full of windows. It was full of boxes, as well as Kuon's furniture. To the left was an open, big beautiful kitchen with all new appliances, sparkling granite countertops, and glistening clean tiles. She couldn't wait to unpack all of the dishes and kitchenware. She found Kuon down the hall, putting his clothes away in the closet of the bedroom that he had claimed as 'his'. When he saw her, he gave her a wide smile.

"I didn't hear you come in." He set an armload of clothes down on the bed and crossed the room to hug her. Their hugs had gotten awkward lately; at 24 weeks, his belly was becoming overly large. When he pulled away, he was beaming with excitement. "Come on, I want to show you your room!" He took her hand and pulled her across the hall. When he opened the door, Kyoko's hands jumped over her mouth.

The room was fully furnished with a queen-sized canopy bed. The silk canopy was pastel pink to match the duvet, which was white with pink roses. She had her own set of sliding doors that led out to a large balcony.

"Kuon it's… adorable." And she meant that. But then, why was she wearing a small frown? Kuon's eyebrows knit together in concern.

"You don't like it. I knew I should have gone with the unicorn sheets–"

She turned to him with her hands up, waving in front of her. "No! It's not that! It's–"

He shook his head. "It's okay. I should have asked you before I bought anything. I just knew you didn't have any furniture, and wanted to surprise you." He sighed and turned to leave the room.

"W-wait! Uh… I… marry me!?"

Kuon froze, his eyes widening. When he turned back around, he found Kyoko on one knee with an open ring box in her hand. He stared down at the ring, unable to speak for a moment. Kyoko's eyes were shut tight; she was terrified to look at him.

"The room is really cute, but I was hoping you might say 'yes' so we could just share!" she squeaked. When there was no answer, she started to feel a little sick.

"You beat me to it."

She peeked one eye open to find that he had gotten to one knee in front of her, as well. He was holding his own ring box, and looking at her as though he might melt into a puddle. Kyoko almost dropped her own box. "You were going to–!"

He nodded. "Not today, probably. I just had it on me so it was secure during the move. I didn't think you wanted to do this so soon. Are you… sure about this?" He was smiling, but she could see the fear behind it. The fear that she didn't really mean what she had asked, that she was only asking because he was pregnant.

Kyoko nodded. "I'm sure. I've thought about it, and I love you, and I want us to be a real family." She held up the ring. "So… will you marry me, Kuon?"

He touched his forehead to hers, his eyes closing softly. "Of course I'll marry you."

She kissed him, and giggled in relief as they pulled apart. "I was so scared you wouldn't want to!"

He laughed. "Are you kidding? I told you when I gave you the necklace, didn't I? In sickness and in health…"

He had almost killed her with that line all those months ago, and she felt as though it might kill her this time, too. Her face flamed and she covered her eyes. "Ugh! Cornball!"

He smirked. "Just 'Corn' is fine, thanks. So, are you going to put that ring on me, or…?"

She fumbled with the box and pulled the ring out. She placed it on his finger. It was a plain gold band. "I-I'm sorry it's nothing fancy. I couldn't afford a really nice one," she said, embarrassed.

He looked into her eyes. It was a nice ring. He knew how much she must have spent on the ring, and knew that it must have taken a ton of her savings. "Nonsense. I love it." He pulled his own ring out of its box and took her hand. "Your turn."

Her ring was a rose gold band, with a rose in the center. In the center of the rose was a large, round cut pink diamond. Her eyes sparkled as he slid it onto her finger. "Kuon! It's so pretty!"

He kissed her forehead. "I'm glad you like it. Now," he winced, "Could you please help me up? My back is killing me."

She scrambled to her feet, took his hands, and pulled him to his feet. "Are you okay!?"

He laughed and leaned back to stretch his back. "I'm fine. The belly is just really starting to put pressure on my back, and being on bended knee like that definitely didn't help anything." He hugged her. "I love you."

She cuddled against his chest and they stayed like that for a moment, until Kyoko pulled away with a sigh. More excitement over their engagement would have to wait. "Back to unpacking?"

He chuckled. "I suppose we should, huh?"

Kyoko made for the door. "I'm going to go start in the kitchen so I can get dinner started tonight."

Kuon frowned. "You don't have to unpack and make dinner. We can order out."

She shook her head. "You've eaten enough pizza, hamburgers, fried chicken, and rice balls, mister." She left the room to go unpack the kitchen. When she was out of sight, Kuon's hands went over his mouth in shock. After a moment's freak out, he held out his hand to look at the ring on his finger. Is this seriously fucking REAL? Did she REALLY just do that!? He hadn't felt so much happiness in his entire life. He felt like he could fly… if he weren't heavily pregnant. He felt butterflies in his stomach.

And then he realized that what he felt wasn't butterflies.

He ran into the kitchen. "KYOKO-CHAN!"

Kyoko had been having a similar moment in the kitchen, watching the pink diamond in her ring glisten in the fluorescent kitchen lights as she worked. So, when he entered the kitchen, he startled her. She dropped a pan and it clattered to the tile. "What!? What's going on!?"

He snatched her by the wrist and pushed her hand against his belly. "CAN YOU FEEL IT!?"

Kyoko almost laughed in relief. When he burst into the kitchen, she was terrified that something was wrong. She pressed her hand to his belly and felt around. Her eyes shot open wide when the tiniest bump registered against her palm. "OH MY GOD!"

Kuon burst into tears. "This is so fuckin' cool!" He sobbed into his hands. "We're engaged and having babies and everything!"

She hugged him. "Aw! Don't cry!"

"They're happy teeaaars!"

Kyoko couldn't help but laugh a little bit. She kissed his cheek. "Do you need a moment?"

He wiped his eyes on his sleeve with a sniffle. "No, I'm fine. Fucking hormones!" He collected himself. "I'm going back to the bedroom to put my clothes away."

Kyoko watched him disappear down the hallway, and noticed that he had begun to develop a waddle. She blushed. Ugh! When did he get so cute!?

They unpacked late into the night. Kyoko made a quick dinner of fish and vegetables that they ate, and then got right back to putting things away. By midnight, they had the kitchen done, and Kuon's room, one bathroom, and most of the living room put away. Kyoko set a box full of broken down boxes by the front door and wiped some sweat from her brow.

"I think we should call it for tonight. What do you think?"

Kuon lay on the couch, his swollen feet up on the coffee table, doing his best to melt into the cushions. "Yeah. Sounds good." He cleared his throat. "So… are you uh… sleeping in my bed?"

Kyoko blushed. "Well… I mean… we're engaged now, so it should be okay, right?"

For Kuon, it would have been perfectly acceptable if she had slept in his bed every night since the day that he almost kissed her on his kitchen floor during his Katsuki practice. Their time as the Heels had been both a blessing and a curse for that reason. "I think it's fine. I…um…" he thought how to best phrase what he wanted to say next without making her uncomfortable. "I'll be on my best behavior." Though he was excited that she was willing to move in with him, and even sleep in the same bed, he had no plans to take it any further than that until she was ready to do so.

Kyoko crossed the room to help him off of the couch. She smiled up at him. "Thank you, Corn."

They each took a bathroom to get a quick shower and get ready for bed. When they met back up in the bedroom, Kyoko wore a Bridge Rock t-shirt and pink pajama shorts, and Kuon had on a pair of flannel pajama pants. He patted his belly. "I hope you don't mind if I sleep shirtless. I've been getting really hot at night… and my t-shirts don't fit anymore." Not only was his belly much larger, but Kyoko noted that his pecs were also fuller and more voluptuous.

She smiled. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel self-conscious. "It's okay. I don't mind."

They got into bed, and Kyoko cuddled up next to him under his arm. He sighed in contentment. "I wasn't sure that this would ever happen."

She petted his belly. "It's been insane, but… maybe we should send that mpreg commercial director a fruit basket?"

Kuon's eyes narrowed up at the ceiling. "I'm going to send my foot up his ass." The litigation was… ongoing.

Kyoko giggled against his side. "I only mean… I don't regret this. It gave us the push we needed, and soon, we'll have three cute babies."

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm still sorry that this happened so early. You're not even done with your high school classes yet, and now you're having to fast track your career. I know how hard it's been on you."

At that, she laughed. "It hasn't been nearly as hard on me as it has been on you."

He sighed. "I was going to argue, but you know what? You're right. My guts are smashed up into my lungs, I have to pee every 20 minutes, I pee every time I sneeze, or even so much as giggle. I'm eating everything weird under the sun, I'm constipated, bloated, everything is swollen, and I haven't slept properly in 6 months." He looked down at Kyoko. "Which got me thinking. I never want to put you through this."

Kyoko blinked at him. "I– huh?"

He frowned. "This, like, really sucks, Kyoko-chan. I'm excited to meet our children, but getting them here is the hardest thing ever, and imagining you in half the discomfort that I'm in is… I hate it."

She took his hand and squeezed it. "Do you not want any more children, Kuon?"

He wiggled his head back and forth, unsure. "We're going to have three already. I don't see any reason to put you through this… unless it's something that you want, of course."

Kyoko hadn't really considered it. Before Kuon's pregnancy, the only thoughts she had ever had of motherhood were of avoiding it completely. After dealing with her own mother, she doubted that she would ever be an effective mother herself. Part of her wondered what it would be like to be pregnant, of course, but a much larger part saw Kuon's struggles and flinched at the prospect of doing that herself. She kissed his cheek. "We don't have to have any more if you don't want to have any. I'm settled with three."

"So you're okay if I get a vasectomy?"

Kyoko blushed. "I–well, obviously, that's your call. I won't be upset if you do that." It was still strange talking about these things with him. Talking about anything relating to his reproductive organs still felt weird and forbidden.

He breathed a small sigh of relief. "I just figure, if you want more later on, then I can just go rub some more mpreg on myself and save you," he gestured at his enormous belly, "all of this."

Kyoko laughed. "That is very kind of you."

"Though," he said, his voice deepening, "I'd prefer it if we didn't just kiss next time."

She made the mistake of looking up at The Emperor directly. Warmth flooded her body as he turned over on his side to kiss her. Their lips met, and then their tongues. Kyoko's hand snaked up into the hair at the back of Kuon's head and knotted itself there as they made out, and then slid down onto his chest.

She pulled away.

"Kuon, something is wet…"

He sat up and felt his chest. "Fuck!"

Kyoko sat up beside him and looked at his chest. Twin rivulets of fluid were leaking from both of his nipples. He got up from the bed and trudged over to the bathroom, swearing under his breath the whole way. He came back a few minutes later, having cleaned himself up. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm… really sorry about that."

Kyoko hugged him from behind. "It's okay! These things happen!"

He sighed and smoothed his hair back. "How in the hell am I supposed to stop leaking!?"

She winced. "I think we might have to get you… a bra with nursing pads."

Kuon put his face in his hands. His first makeout session with the girl of his dreams, and it had been gatecrashed by his leaking nipples. And now he was discussing wearing a bra with her. He felt less and less like a man by the second.

Kyoko cuddled against his back. "Kuon, it's okay, really. I don't want you to be embarrassed about this." She felt his shoulders sag.

"I'm pregnant, I'm growing boobs, and they're leaking. How can you possibly still be attracted to me as a man?" His gender dysphoria was hitting an all-time high. He never thought in a million years that he would have to actually wear a bra.

She blinked in surprise. "I–I love you. I love you for you, Kuon. I don't care if your body is changing. We're going to be old someday, and it'll change then, too." She felt him perk up a little, and he looked over his shoulder at her.

"I love you, too. I'm sorry I'm such a mess lately."

She gave him an extra squeeze. "It's okay. You only have a few more weeks of this, and then things will start getting back to normal."

He smirked. "Except for the part where we have to raise three kids."

She bonked her forehead between his shoulder blades. "Yes, except for that part."

They got back under the covers and cuddled up once more. Kuon shut out the light on the bedside table and they drifted off to sleep.

The following morning was hectic. Kyoko rushed around the kitchen making their breakfast. She had to film for her superhero movie, and Kuon had to go get his paternity pictures taken. She made them omelets with a bowl of fruit and they sat down at the table to eat. When they finished, Kyoko grabbed her purse and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you later. Have fun with your shoot!"

He chuckled. "I'll try." He watched her leave out the front door and went back to poking his eggs around his plate. He still felt weird about the paternity shoot. He didn't really want to put his belly on display in multiple magazines, but Yashiro had assured him that it would be good press. He wasn't entirely certain what to expect.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. When he opened it, there was a text from Yashiro that he was waiting for him in the parking garage. Kuon checked himself over in the bathroom mirror again, grabbed his keys and wallet, and headed for the garage.

When Yashiro saw him, he got out of the car and opened the door for him. "How are you feeling this morning, Ren?"

"Not bad. I need you to do me a favor, though, Yashiro-san."

Yashiro, whose schedule had lessened significantly, as had his drinking problem, nodded. "What do you need?"

"A bra."

Yashiro blinked at him.

"With nursing pads."

Kuon slid into the passenger seat, and Yashiro shut the door behind him. When he took his seat, he addressed his charge. "I'll take care of it. Do you need it right away?"

Kuon gave him a wry smile, unable to miss his chance to mess with his manager. "Asap. I leaked all over Kyoko last night."

Yashiro turned red from his hairline to his chest. "I'll get the thing," he whimpered. His mind was flooded with images of a heavily pregnant Kyoko. There were no words to describe his terror.