surrogate labor

chapter four

It was a bright and breezy morning. Akihiko flipped the last page of the newspaper shut as he drank the last of his coffee. Getting up to wash his coffe cup so that he wouldn't get screamed at for leaving his dirty cup lying around, he noticed that the sounds of Misaki straining in the bathroom had ceased. The poor teenager had been in there for a hour and Akihiko was beginning to wonder if he had falen asleep on the toilet, which had happened once before. "Misaki! Are you done yet?" Akihiko called out. "No..." came a graon from the bathroom. "You're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up."
"How in the HELL am I supposed to hurry up?" Misaki snapped in frustration. "There's nothing I can do!" Sighing, he shifted on the toilet seat. He felt scared with the fact that he would have to give birth by pushing his babies out, as that was apparently a hundred times worse than being constipated. Misaki shuddered in horror at the thought and groaned again as another cramp seized him. Relief finally came after a few minutes. After taking a quick shower, Misaki wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the bedroom to get dressed. The alarm clock told him there was still ample time. 'Stupid Usagi, I thought I was really going to be late!' His eyes passed the floor lenght mirror and he found himself staring at his reflection. The slight swell of his abdomen was now obvious, and when he looked closer, he noticed that there was now a faint line from his belly button down to his pubic bone. The rest of him didn't seem to have put on much weight, his legs and arms were still slender and his face was still the same shape as before. He tried to imagine ehat he would look like after a few months and was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Akihiko coming into the bedroom. The man gave him a hug from behind, making him cry oout. "Ow," he winced as Akihiko's arms pressed against his chest. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Misaki mumbled. These few days his chest had been feeling tender and it hurt at the slightest touch, but he didn't want to tell Akihiko about it. Taking a closer look into the mirror, he noticed that his nipples were slightly bigger than before and the area around it had grown darker. He used to be completely flat chested, but now it seemed that he had developed a little extra padding. "Shit. How much bigger are they going to grow?" he muttered to himself. The thought of having man-boobs didn't make him too thrilled. "Are you referring to these?" Akihiko teased playfully as he placed his fingers on Misaki's sore areas, rubbing them gently. It was one of hs favorite ways of harassing Misaki, and he knew that the boy enjoyed the sensation although he would rather die than admit that. This time, however Misaki was clearly in discomfort. "Don't touch me!" he yelled as he wriggled out of Akihiko's grasp and hurriedly put on an versized shirt before his partner could make any more advances. He frowned at the mirror when he saw that his nipples were showing through the shirt. 'Crap.' Misaki cursed and put on his hoodie and a pair of loose jeans, thanking heavens that it wasnt summer right now. 'Please...don't let them grow any bgger.' he prayed silently.

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In school, Misaki was as usual struggling to concentrate on the two hour lecture. Sucking on sweets didn't seem to help much for the nausea. To make matters worse, he had developed a slight back ache and had to shift himself constantly to get comfortable in the hard chair. It made his mind drift off to worry land again, he thought he wasn't supposed to get back pains until later when the babies got bigger. With every new sensation he felt, he would wonder if it was a sign that something was wrong. At the end of the lecture, Misaki quickly packed his things so that he could run to the restroom, as he had been holding it in the whole time. Just when he was about to step out, he heard his name being called out again. 'Oh no...' He walked to the front of the room with his head bowed, dreading the impending tongue-lashing. To his surprise, the professor spoke kindly, although he had a serious expression on his face. "Misaki, I would like to apologize for yelling at you yesterday," Kamijou spoke sincerely. Misaki's huge green eyes grew even larger, as he was totally unprepared for this change of attitude. Could he be dreaming? "Akihiko called me and told me all about you. It must be though being hit by an illness like this...what more at your age." 'Illness?' His sensei seemed to know something he didn't. What was going on? "Um...UH..." Misaki tried to form a sentence but had no idea how to respond. His brain was functioning in 'low-battery mode' now adays anyway. "It's okay. There's no need to say anything. I hope you'll stay strong, Misaki-kun," Kamijou patted the teenager's shouder encouragingly. "Um...thanks sensei." Despite not having a clue as to what was going on, Misaki felt hugely relieved that he hadn't been given a scolding. "No problem. Let me know if you need help." As Misaki walked towards the carpark, he sighted Akihiko in the distance, standing in front of his red sports car and smoking -something he could only do when Misaki wasn't around. His cousin Koaruko was talking to him, and although Misaki couldn't hear what they were saying, the two didn't look like they were having an amicable conversation. Before Misaki could reach them, the ebony-haired girl had stomped off with a black face. "Usagi-san...what happened?" He asked. "Kaoruko wanted to come over to my place. I said no." replied the older man, getting rid of his cigarette. "Why?"
"I don't want to have anything to do with that brat."
"Kaoruko-san is actually a nice girl, you know."
"Humph," Akihiko frowned as a possesive look took over his face. "Have you been hanging out with her?"
"Uh, not really, but she's my classmate, so I see her a lot."
"Stay away from that girl, I'm warning you. She has designs on you." Akihiko said, shuffling his beloved into the car. Misaki chuckled a little. "Ha! Are you jealous Usagi-san?"
"The answer's obvious."
"Don't worry. Nobody would want me in this state now." Misaki said in mock self-pity. "I'm not so sure about that." Akihiko growled as he started the engine. "By the way, what did you tell Kamijou sensei?" Misaki asked recalling the unusual attitude of his professor. "Oh, you were telling me the other day about how your professor got angry at you, so I told him you're suffering from a life-threatening disease, and you only have a few more months to live." Misaki's jaw dropped. "What? You told him that?" A smug smile crept across Akihiko's lips. "Why else do you think Kamijou the devil would put up with your toilet habits?" Misaki's cheeks turned red. "But why did you have to spin such a crazy story?"
"Would you rather I told him you're pregnant?" Misaki went silent for a moment, realizing that Akihiko was right. Coming up with a story like that would be more believeble, and also less embarrassing. "What if he tells the class and they all think I'm going to die?"
"He won't. I told him not to tell anyone."
"But what if he finds out I'm nt ill after all? He's going to be so mad!"
"He'll never find out. A couple of months later you'll be off school and I'll just tell him you're going for a major operation -which is true anyway.-" Misaki reclined in his seat a little laid back with a sigh. 'Trust Akihiko to come up with these stories... he's a writer after all!" He closed his eyes and was about to doze off when the car went over a bump and woke him up. He sat up and rubbed his stomach. "Oh no Usagi-san..."
"What is it?" Akihiko asked, keeping his eyes on the road. "Usagi-san.. stop the car!" Akihiko took a quick glance at his beloved who was looking green in the face. "Wait, hold on...don't do it in my car." Akihiko said, pulling over by the roadside. "Mmph," groaned Misaki covering his mouth. When the car screeched to a halt, he quickly opened the door, dashed out and barfed into the nearby drain. Akihik got out of the car, went to his side and rubbed his back gently. He heard footsteps approaching and looked up. To his surprise it was his cousin Kaoruko, who so happened to be walking to the nearby bus stop. She stopped and gasped when she saw Misaki. "Oh dear, what happened to him?" Kaoruko asked. "He ate something bad," Akihiko said. "Are you sure? He's been unwel since the first day of term!" Kaoruko said, looking genuiinely concerned. "It's alright. He will be fine." Akihiko said hurriedly as he helped Misaki back into the car. Kaoruko stared after them and frowned, doubt crossing her brow. She was determined to find out what was going on with Misaki. It was difficult getting him out of her mind these days. She couldn't recall exactly when she had fallen for Misaki -maybe it was that time she baked a cake with him- but she knew that it felt nice being around him. 'Misaki isn't overbearing and pretentious like the guys I know.' she thought. 'Although he's a bt of a klutz at times, there's something cute and innocent about him that makes my heart flutter, especially when he gives me that wide-eyed look.' Kaoruko walked on with her arms folded across her chest. She was determined to get close to Misaki

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When they reached home, Misaki threw himself onto the bed and started snoring the moment his head hit the pillow. Akihiko dumped some clothes into the washing machine (he had taken over the housework) and settled himself in front of the computer. Some hours later, his beloved trudged down the stairs and began busying himself in the kitchen, preparing dinner. The phone started ringing, drawing an annoyed grunt from Akihiko. "Go answer it Usagi-san. I'm cooking!" Misaki called out from the kitchen. "No." said Akihiko. "Why not?"
"It's Aikawa. She's on my back again."
"Well waht if it isn't Aikawa? What if it's my brother? GO ANSWER THE PHONE!"
"Alright, alright," sighed the silver-haired writer, slowly making his way towards the persistently ringing phone. These days he had almost gotten used to Misaki's mood swngs and the fact that his temper got worse when he was hungry. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have put up with Misaki bossing him around, but right now he didn't feel like pushing his limits, given the teenagers delicate condition. He picked up the phone and even before he had a chance to speak, a woman's hysterical voice assaulted his ears.
"Why are you doing this to me Sensei? WHY?"
"What is it this time?"
"You can't cancel the book launch! I've sent out the invitatins long ago!"
"Just run an announcement in the newspaper of smething."
"It's not that simple! You can't just cancel something that important!" Aikawa's voice was shrill with desperation. "Well I'm sorry, but I have to devote al my attentin to Misaki during this time. I can't afford to be distracted." with that he hung up the phone. The teenager, who had finished cooking dinner by now, jumped when he heard his name being mentioned. "Hey, hey, hey! Are you using me as an excuse for your lousy behavior again?" he demanded, glaring at Akihiko with his hands on his hips. Before the man could reply, Misaki's cell phone on the dining table started ringing and he answered it immediately. "Sure, sure I will. Don't do anything silly okay?" he spoke into the phone. "Is it her again?" Akihiko asked. "Aikawa-san says she's going to kill herself right now!" Misaki cried anxiously, while the older man rlled his eyes. "Oh come on, don't tell me you belive that?"
"What if she really kills herself? Are you going to take responsibility?"
"She won't. Trust me, I've known her for years."
"But you're cancelling it because of me! So that means it's my fault if she kills herself!" Misaki's voice rose with agitation. "It won't happen," Akihiko replied in his usual calm manner. His beloved, however, refused to accept that as an answer. "I don't care! Baka Usagi! You'd better not cancel the book launch or else-"
"Or else what?" Akihiko smirked. "Or else I'll make you eat these every day!" Misaki warned, pointing at a bowl of green peppers, which he knew Akihiko hated. Akihik stared at the cruciferous vegetables and wrinkled his nose. What's this? Green peppers with...chocolate sauce? This is the most disgusting combination I've ever seen."
"Tastes good to me." Misaki huffed, laying out the plates. "And I'm serious aboout the threat."
"Alright," sighed Akihiko." I won't cancel it. Are you happy now?"
"Mm," said Misaki, tucking into his meal. "You'd better stay at hoome and be a good boy whilst I'm there." the novelist said, patting Misaki's head. "What are you talking about? I'm going to be at the book launch," said Misaki with his mouth half full. "Huh? Are you sure you want to be there?" Akihiko asked hesitantly. "Yes." Misaki replied adamantly. "I want to be there...I want to hear you talk about your books and stuff." His thoughts flashed back to his encounter with Sumi-senpai, recalling his senior saying he was going to be at the event. No way was he going to let Sumi get close to hiis Usagi-san! Akihiko laughed. "You can always ask me in private."
"But I want to be there!" Akihiko sighed. "Misaki, I really don't know what to do with you sometimes." he said, ruffling his beloved's hair. After doing the dishes, the two retreated into the study, where Misaki spent a quiet evening doing hs homework while Akihiko worked on his new novel.