Ren blinked awake in the darkness of his room and checked his phone for the time. 3:30? What the hell? Why– he rolled over a bit and his bladder sloshed uncomfortably. Ah. Goddamnit. He sat up and scratched his scalp and then trudged to the bathroom in the dark. When he flipped the light on, he squinted his eyes against the brightness of the room. After relieving himself, he flushed the toilet and was on his way back to bed, when… he stopped.
He looked over at his side profile in the mirror and his mouth fell open. He counted the weeks on shaking fingers and his eyes widened. Am I… supposed to be this big at 9 weeks? He looked at the small bump that had begun to take shape beneath his navel, and twisted this way and that, to look at it from every angle. Shit. Shit shit shit!, he thought in a panic. He had a modeling gig that morning. He had no idea how he would ever disguise this. Yashiro said this wasn't supposed to happen for like another month!
He went back to his bedroom and reached for his phone, but stopped short. In his panic, the only person he could think to call who might know what to do… was his mother. He sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. That'd be a really great way to start our first conversation in 6 years, he thought. 'Hi, Mom. Just needed to call because I did a commercial and got knocked up on accident and am really fucking freaking out right now. How are you?' He sighed and wiped his tear-filled eyes on his arm. Fuck.
His phone lit up the room on his nightstand and he picked it up to look and found that Kyoko was calling him. His stomach fell, and he answered with shaking hands. "Mogami-san? Is everything alright?"
"Tsuruga-san, thank goodness. IhadareallybaddreamandIhadtocallandcheckandmakesureyou'reokay!" she was going a million miles a minute, and it took everything in Ren not to start laughing.
"Mogami-san–"
"But I guess you must be okay because you answered your phone and oh god it's not even 4:00 AM yet, and… ohmygodI'msosorryTsuruga-saaan!" she squealed. Through her blind panic, she heard his deep chuckle.
"Mogami-san, it's okay. I was awake anyway."
There was a small pause. "Are… are you okay?" She heard him sigh and she sat up straighter in bed. "What's wrong!? Is it the baby!?"
He smiled to himself. They had been doing their best to hold themselves together over the last couple of weeks since he told her that he was pregnant. Now, on top of Yashiro worrying over him like a mother hen, Kyoko was popping up around him more often with nutritious home cooked meals, and small gifts. She was trying her best to support him, and it really did mean the world.
"The baby is fine. I got up to use the bathroom, though, and… I'm showing."
Kyoko blinked. "Showing what?"
"I have a bump, Mogami-san."
Her mouth fell open. "Already!? But didn't Yashiro-san say that wouldn't happen for a few more weeks!?"
"He did. But Yashiro is also not a doctor." Ren smoothed his hair back over his head. "I have a modeling commitment today. I'm not sure how I'm going to get away with this."
"Do you have to be shirtless?" Her question was two-fold. If he had a shirt on, it may be easier to conceal the bump… and also keep other women from ogling his body. She felt oddly…posses– protective, she corrected in her head. I feel protective. He's carrying my baby and I feel protective.
He tried to remember the terms of the contract. "Actually… I'm not sure. I may not have to be for this one. I might even be able to renegotiate the terms a bit if I claim I'm a little bloated or something… thank you, Mogami-san. That makes me feel better." He switched topics. "Speaking of which, are you feeling better? That must have been some bad dream for you to call me so early."
Kyoko turned bright red. "I-it was nothi–"
"Mogami-san." She could hear the disapproval in his voice. "We're having a baby together. I think we need to learn how to be honest with each other."
She looked down at her lap with a frown. "I dreamed that you were in the hospital. There was something wrong with the baby."
He felt like he might start crying again. "I hope you haven't been worrying too much about me, Mogami-san. I really am okay, you know."
She sighed. "I know, Ren. I jus–" her eyes went wide. Ren? 'REN'? WHAT HAVE I DONE!?
Ren froze. Did she just…? He waited for her to continue speaking, and then finally… "Please say it again." he begged. She was the only one who could get him to beg.
"Say what? I didn't say anything!" she squeaked.
"Kyoko-chan."
A million butterflies erupted inside her belly as the rest of her body turned into goo. "I–I need to go back to bed and you should, too. Goodnight… Ren!" She hung up, but he had managed the impossible; they were on a first-name basis.
Ren managed to get back to sleep for another couple of hours before his alarm awakened him. He got ready and met Yashiro downstairs. When he got in the car, Yashiro raised an eyebrow at him.
"Is that just pregnancy glow, or are you happy about something?"
Ren flashed him the Jacob's Ladder. "She called me 'Ren.'"
Yashiro's eyes rolled into the back of his head. "You're having her baby. It would be weird if she didn't."
Ren frowned, extinguishing the ladder. "Just let me have this?"
His manager backed out of the garage space. "You two are the reason I'm going gray prematurely."
Ren made it through his modeling shoot; thankfully he was fully-clothed throughout the whole thing. At the end, however, he called Yashiro into his dressing room. When Yashiro saw his bump, his eyes went wide. "Well, that was… quick."
Ren nodded. "This means no more shirtless gigs. So, anything shirtless needs to be canceled."
Yashiro nodded and pulled his phone out. "I'm on it. I'll try to get the jobs changed to clothing only, and if they fall through, I'll replace them with some voiceover work or something."
Ren smiled at his manager. "I don't think I tell you this often enough, Yashiro-san, but you really are the best."
Yashiro waved his hand at his charge as he went out the dressing room door. "Yeah, yeah. Stop hitting on me, I'm not going to be baby daddy to your next kid."
Ren laughed and got dressed in his street clothes.
The next couple of weeks until his next ultrasound flew by, and in that time, Ren's belly grew… bigger. On the morning of the ultrasound, he stood in front of his bathroom mirror marveling at how big it had gotten. He was only 12 weeks along, but the little mound over his pelvis was already sizable. He patted it lovingly. "This is totally weird, buddy, but kinda cool. We get to see you today. I hope you're as excited as we are."
When he got into Yashiro's car downstairs, Kyoko was already in the back seat. He slid in next to her. Since her 'Ren' flub a few weeks before, they had gotten more comfortable using their first names in private. He gave her a shy smile. "Are you ready, Kyoko-chan?"
She smiled back at him. "Yes. I'm so excited to finally see the baby. I've been so jealous of Yashiro-san because he's gotten to see it and I haven't."
Yashiro chuckled in the front seat. "There really wasn't much to see last time. It was just a bunch of black and white smudges on the screen and I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Not to mention it was over very quickly."
Ren nodded. "I… may have freaked out and run out of the room."
Kyoko giggled into her hand. "I can't say that I blame you. It's still shocking, and I've known about it for over a month now." Her eyes wandered to Ren's abdomen, which was just ever so slightly stretching the bottom of his shirt. "Doesn't look like you'll be able to hide it for much longer… little guy must be pretty big."
He patted his bump. "I can't say I'm surprised. My mother and father are every bit as tall as I am."
Kyoko blinked. "Tsuruga-san… has parents?"
He had gotten too loose-lipped. He had been very careful to not mention anything about parents in front of her, lest she start asking questions. He chuckled nervously. "Of course I do. Did you think I hatched from an egg and was raised by wolves or something?"
She blushed crimson. "No, of course not! I just… you never talk about them or anything, so I just assumed that maybe they had… passed."
He shook his head. "They're both very much alive. That's… something we'll have to talk about later." He didn't think the Hizuri Family Tree conversation was a good topic for the back of Yashiro's car.
Kyoko understood that he didn't want to talk about it and nodded. "I look forward to meeting them one day."
Ren looked out the window so she wouldn't see the grimace that crossed his face at the thought that she already had.
They arrived at LME shortly after and entered the building. Another conference room had been set up for their use, this time on the fifth floor. They entered to find Doctor Kojima waiting with his portable ultrasound next to a sofa. He stood up and bowed to them as Yashiro shut the door behind them.
"Good morning, Tsuruga-san. Are you feeling well?"
Ren returned the bow. "Been feeling better since I started taking the morning sickness medicine." He unbuttoned his shirt and gestured at his belly, "Though, I'm concerned that my kid might be a giant."
The doctor raised his eyebrows at the bump. "That… is certainly large. Though, you are likely showing early because, as a male, your anatomy is a bit different from that of women. But, we'll take a look and see what we can figure out." His eyes fell on Kyoko and he blinked. "Who are you?" He was confused as to why a random schoolgirl had accompanied Ren Tsuruga and his manager to a super secret ultrasound.
She blushed crimson. "I-I'm…um… the mother."
He sent a sidelong look of disapproval at Ren before he had him lay on the sofa. Ren wanted desperately to tell him it was only a damned kiss, but he knew that he owed the doctor exactly zero explanation. He had done nothing wrong, and it was none of the man's business.
Kyoko stuck her tongue out behind his back. She was still a pure Japanese maiden, thank-you-very-much.
The doctor squirted the ultrasound gel on Ren's lower abs. He moved the transducer around on his skin. Kyoko and Yashiro stood to the side and watched the black and white image on the screen, mesmerized, though neither of them had a clue what it was they were looking at. The doctor's eyebrows knitted together for a moment in concentration as he moved the transducer this way and that, and then his eyes widened.
Kyoko caught the look on his face and swallowed hard. "I-is the baby okay?"
The doctor took a deep breath and clicked a few buttons on his laptop. The screen showed 3 distinct circles on it. He pointed at the first circle. "Baby A looks to be growing appropriately. I estimate it to be about 2 inches long, weighing in at around half an ounce. Heart rate is normal, everything looks good." He gestured at the next circle. "Baby B–"
"BABY B!?" Ren, Kyoko, and Yashiro yelled in unison.
Doctor Kojima chuckled nervously. "I haven't even gotten to Baby C yet. Would anyone like to take a seat?"
Kyoko felt faint. "B-baby C? There are three of them!?"
There was a hard THUD from beside Kyoko, and she went to her knees. "Yashiro-san!"
Yashiro had passed out cold, landing on his back, his glasses askew. Kyoko loosened his tie and gently slapped his cheek. "Yashiro-san, wake up!"
His eyes blinked open, unfocused. "K-Kyoko-chan?" he asked dreamily. She helped him into a sitting position on the floor. "I just had the craziest dream. I dreamed that Ren was having three babies…"
Doctor Kojima handed Yashiro a bottle of water. "That was no dream, Yashiro-san. Tsuruga-san is pregnant with triplets."
Yashiro took his glasses off and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Fuck." He took a sip of the water as the reality of the situation set in. His brain immediately jumped to three nannies, three cribs, three car seats, three strollers, or maybe just one custom stroller with three seats, three of every outfit, three sets of school fees, three of every toy– he lay back down on the floor. He was the best manager in show business, but this was going to be a stretch for him.
Kyoko turned to look at Ren and found him sitting up against the arm of the couch, staring straight ahead, his expression blank. She went to his side and took his hand. "Ren?"
He blinked and looked over at her with tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I never thought there'd be three." he whispered. When he had made his decision not to terminate, he knew that he would be throwing a wrench into Kyoko's life at some point. In no way had he expected that wrench to be the size of a semi truck.
Kyoko held his hand just a little tighter, her golden eyes blazing. "One or three, it doesn't matter. We're going to get through this."
Her determination revived him a bit and he squeezed her hand back with a nervous smile. "Yeah?"
She nodded. "Yes." She turned to the doctor. "Are the other babies doing as well as the first?" She was swallowing her fear, keeping it together for Ren. She knew that if she lost her composure, then it would stress Ren, and the three babies. A shiver ran down her spine as the number three ran circles inside of her skull. She had no idea how they were going to manage three babies, but she couldn't worry about that at the moment. She could only take the challenges as they came.
The doctor nodded. "Baby B is about the same size as Baby A. Baby C is just a little bit smaller, which is not uncommon with multiples."
Ren looked at the screen where the still image of the three fetuses was showing. "And… will they all be okay?"
The doctor nodded. "Most likely. If you were going to have a miscarriage, it would likely have taken place in the first 12 weeks. However, I can say with certainty that you will not be making it to 40 weeks' gestation. Most triplet pregnancies make it to around 32 weeks and must be delivered early because of the risks to the babies and the mo–er, pregnant person."
Yashiro sat up. "So, we're looking at a c-section?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes. You would have been looking at one anyway. A 40 week fetus cannot pass through a male penis. Any size baby cannot pass through a male penis." His hand subconsciously went to his own crotch in sympathy.
Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He had been concerned about that, because in Japan, it was normal to give birth naturally with no epidural. He may have been pregnant, but he had not been looking forward to trying to give birth hyena-style.
Kyoko pointed at the image on the screen. "Can you tell what they are yet?"
The doctor shook his head. "You'll need to come back in another six weeks or so to find out the sex."
She sighed. "Was hoping to get a jump on it if we have to name three kids."
The doctor laughed. "You'll come up with something, I'm sure. Any other questions?"
"...When will they be due?" Ren asked, his voice full of apprehension.
The doctor pulled out his phone and flipped through on his calendar app. "20 weeks from now puts your surgery date at… New Year's Day. That's what we'll plan on, but depending on how much space the kiddos have, you may have to go a little earlier."
Ren nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
The doctor packed up and left, leaving the three of them to sit around the conference room table. Ren sat with his head in his hands, his shirt unbuttoned, staring at the table. Yashiro pulled a flask out of his briefcase and took a long pull off of it. "So," he began. "20 weeks. We have 20 weeks to prepare for this." It was an entire 8 weeks less than what he had been anticipating. He felt the liquid courage pooling in his belly and continued. "We have to decide how to handle your schedules going forward. We have to start getting everything put together and tell the media."
Ren sighed. "Are we still telling them that I was artificially inseminated?"
Yashiro shook his head. "I think we can get away with simply telling the kiss story."
Kyoko bit her lip. "Will Tsuruga-san get in trouble for… um… kissing me?" she squeaked.
Yashiro shrugged. "We don't have to tell anyone who he kissed until after the birth, and by that point, you'll be legal," he finished matter-of-factly, and turning her a shade of crimson he had never seen before. "We're going to book you some high profile jobs over the next few months, really set your schedule on fire. By the time the babies are born, you'll be able to go public with your relationship."
"Re-relationship!?," Kyoko stuttered. She wasn't sure she was really ready to be in a full blown relationship with Ren Tsuruga. It had taken her an entire month to speak to him again after a simple kiss. A whole relationship would entail so much more. Her eyes fell on the skin exposed by his open shirt and she felt very warm.
Ren's heart had soared at the news of being able to announce their relationship publicly, only to have it crash land at Kyoko's reaction. He turned to her. "We don't have to announce anything like that. If you don't want a relationship with me–"
"It's–I–no! I don't know! This is a lot!" She stood up from the table. "I need to go!" she hurried out of the room, and Ren's forehead met the top of the dark wooden conference table with a dull thunk.
Yashiro patted his charge's back. "She'll come around, Ren."
Ren muttered something against the top of the table. Yashiro blinked. "Sorry, I didn't hear you because your face is mushed against the wood. Can you say that again?"
Ren turned his head to face his manager. "The one time that I can't fucking drink," he muttered darkly.
Yashiro nodded sagely and put his flask away in his briefcase. He helped Ren to his feet and buttoned his shirt up for him. When he finished, he gestured toward the door. "Come on. Let's go get you some ice cream."