surrogate labor

Chapter ten

It was seven o'clock in the morning. Misaki lay stretched out on the recliner, staring at the lecture notes he clutched in his hand, trying to absorb and retain as much as he could. His silver-haired lover, guardian and mentor sat next to him on the couch, arms folded behind his head, eyes closed. He was sleep deprived after churning out the latest chapter of his novel overnight, but he had promised to give Misaki a quiz to help him revise his lecture notes and was waiting to start. "Are you ready?" Akihiko growled impatiently as he reached for his cup of coffee, which he relied on to keep him awake. "Yes... er no wait! five more minutes please!" Misaki pleaded as he continued reading the printed material with furrowed brows, one hand resting on his burgeoning belly. The twins were being very active lately and he was finding it difficult to concentrate with them doing kickboxing inside him. "Come on, it's only five questions," Akihiko rolled his eyes and stifled a yawn. "Okay, fire away." Misaki said, drawing a deep breath as he put away the notes. It was just a simple quiz, nothing to sweat about, but he was particularly nervous because Akihiko had set a rule that if he even got one question wrong, he would have to strip naked. This usually happened whenever Misaki lost a game of chess or cards - which he did all the time- but this time it was different. His body was grossly out of shape now and he dreaded exposing himself as he was sure Akihiko would laugh at him and make him feel like a freak. The novelist cleared his throat while remaining in the same relaxed position. "Question one, what is the title of the first Japanese novel ever written?" 

"Oh I know this one!" the brown-haired youth declared confidently. "The tale of genji."

"Good," said Akihiko, who was coming up with questions from the top of his head. Misaki answered questions two through four promptly and correctly, and was beginning to feel proud of himself. Now came the final one. After thinking for a few seconds, Akihiko sat upright and took another sip of his coffee. He uttered each word slowly and clearly as he delivered the question. "People from which European country were the first to reach Japan?" Misaki frowned. "Er let me think," he mumbled as he scratched his head and rummaged through his brain. The disapproval in Akihiko's face and voice was clear. "The answer should be at the tip of your tongue."

"Portugal!" Misaki cried with wide open eyes. Akihiko looked surprised but then smiled. "Just a lucky guess." he said reaching out and caressing Misaki's huge belly. "Ouch - don't..." Misaki yelped, curling his arms around his own belly when he felt one of the twins give his ribs a strong kick. "What's wrong?" Akihiko asked, seeing Misaki's face. "It's nothing, baby kicks my rib." Misaki gasped. Akihiko looked at his beloved with sympathy. "Why don't I give you a massage. But only if you take of your upper clothes." 

"Really?" Misaki's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. A massage sounded like a good idea as his sore back was killing him. "I thought you wanted to sleep?"

"I'm not sleepy anymore." However, the glint of lust in the older man's eyes did not escape his notice. "Just a massage and nothing else?" Misaki asked suspiciously. "Yes."

"Uh...okay then. I guess I have to do this." Misaki sighed. Slowly, he peeled off his pullover sweater and extra-large t-shirt. "Mmm...sexy." Akihiko whispered as he leaned close, admiring his beloveds pregnant belly. "Shut up, moron!" Misaki snapped, blushing from his neck upwards as he stood there. He soon found himself being marched towards the staircase in only his pants, with Akihiko's hand on his back. He climbed up slowly, panting as he reached the top of the stairs. It was the only exercise he had for the past seven months. Inside the bedroom that they shared, Misaki walked past the floor length mirror and his eyes instinctively traveled towards it. In the past few weeks he had not dared to look at his reflection, and now he gawked a little when he caught sight of his pale skin in the mirror. Although he had not put on much fat on his arms and legs, his belly looked as though he had swallowed a watermelon whole. His hips had also grown wider as they stretched to accommodate two growing babies. He wondered if they would ever go back to their original shape, or he would have to be stuck with those hips forever. However the sight of his dark and enlarged nipples disturbed him so much that he quickly grabbed the nearest towel and draped it over his chest. "For goodness sake, put away the towel. There is nobody else here but me." Akihiko said, his violet eyes contemplating the new curves of Misaki's body. The youth turned crimson again. "It's precisely because it's you." he muttered to himself, dropping the towel as he sat on the bed. "I think I look like a...like a..."