Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Because of You ❯ chapter 15 ( Chapter 15 )

“Because of You”

Sequel to: “This I Promise You”

Written by: Chocho

Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Summary: A new baby. An autobiography. A funeral. A pregnancy. A shocking discovery and a woman with a grudge. What a poor guy to do?

Chapter summary: It's three months later and Shuichi and Hiro catch up. And Eiri finds something disturbing in the mailbox.

Warning: Angst, m-preg, language, sex

Insert: “About Us” by Brooke Hogan

 

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Chapter 15

 

(Three months later)

 

The beats of the pop song pounded over the speakers, filling the studio with the sweet melodious voices of the new all girl group “Desert Star”.

 

I see your lips moving but I don't hear nothing

Everybody talking like they really know something about us

But they don't know nothing about us

I see your lips moving but I don't hear nothing

Everybody talking like they really wanna know something about us

But they don't know nothing about us

 

His head bopping with the music flowing over the speakers in the soundproofed studio his husband had built for him at the back of their property in Naha, Shuichi pushed the black leather swivel chair away from the desk and slouched down, situating his rapidly expanding girth so that he was comfortable and stretched his short legs out in front of him. He crossed his ankles and folded his hands over his rounded stomach. Leaning his head against the back of the high backed chair that Eiri had bought for him the other day, he lightly closed his eyes and let the voices of the four girls singing in sync flow through him.

 

I'm just trying to live but you're all up in my grill

How's a girl to breathe with all the media starring down my mouth

With a four inch lenz I just wanna hit the mall with some of my friends

 

Desert Star consisted of three girls. There was Aiko, aged 17, Tori, aged 18 and Naho, aged 19. Unlike other groups out there, Desert Star did not have a “leader”, a member that stood out above the rest- like Justin Timberlake from NSYNC, Diana Ross from The Supremes, Beyonce from Destiny's Child and Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussy Cat Dolls. Desert Star refused to be played that way. Each girl was as equal as the next. In a way, it reminded him of Bananarama, an all girl group from the eighties, and he liked that. The girls sang in perfect harmony, their voices blending together seamlessly.

 

Picture yourself up in my shoes

Top story in the news

Everyday it's…

 

Shuichi was jerked out of his semi-meditative state by the sudden vibration against his leg. With a startled gasp, he flew up and fumbled with his cellphone in the front pocket of his oversized hoodie. Flipping it open, he pressed the green send button and brought it to his ear. “Hello,” he whispered breathy into the phone. He reached for the mouse and stopped the playback. Blissful silence filled the studio.

 

“Hey, Shu,” came the familiar voice over the line.

 

“Hiro!” he cried, feeling elated at the sound of his best friends voice. “Hey! What's up?”

 

“Nothing much. Just thought I'd check in and see how you're doing.”

 

With a huge smile plastered on his face, Shuichi sat back and swiveled around to gaze at the various awards, honors and the Gold and Platinum album and single plaques Bad Luck had received throughout their illustrious career hanging on the wall around the studio.

 

“You mean aside from being pregnant with triplets?”

 

Hiro chuckled. “Something like that.”

 

Shuichi rubbed his belly. “Well, other than having gained about fifteen pounds and outgrowing all my clothes, having severe nausea and morning sickness, dizzy spells, insomnia, mood swings, acne, which I've never had before,” he added, “freckles just suddenly appearing from out of nowhere, my hair changing color, my chest-”

 

“I get it!” Hiro cried out.

 

Shuichi blushed. He had not meant to go off like that.

 

“Actually,” Hiro was saying, “I was wondering if you heard from Sakuma-san?”

 

Shuichi frowned, drawing a blank.

 

“He was supposed to drop of the tracks-?”

 

“Oh! Yeah! Yeah, he stopped by the other day,” Shuichi answered with a nod.

 

He heard Hiro sigh. “So you have them?”

 

“Yeah, I was just listening to them when you called.”

 

“And?”

 

Shuichi shrugged; a devilish grin on his face. He could hear the desperation in his friend's voice. Spinning back around, he stared at the computer screen. “And I think it's a pretty good song.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” Shuichi chuckled as he listened to the elation in his friend's voice.

 

“…And…?”

 

There was that desperation again. Shuichi nearly laughed out loud. “…And…I think it could use a little….'tweaking'.” Shuichi could almost hear Hiro deflate. “I'll be sure to send you my `suggestions'.”

 

Hiro sighed heavily over the line.

 

Still grinning like a madman, Shuichi crossed his free arm over his belly. He knew exactly what his long time friend wanted to hear, but decided that he was going to play with him a little more. “So, how's everything with you?” he asked, deliberately changing the subject.

 

“…Fine.”

 

That did not sound very convincing. Shuichi frowned, his smile vanishing like a ship into the night. “Hiro, what's wrong?” he demanded to know, dropping his arm and sitting forward as much as he could, resting his elbow on his knee.

 

Another sigh. “Kaze-kun came home the other day from visiting his mother.”

 

“Yeah,” Shuichi prodded. Since Ayaka-san had decided to move back in with her parents after she and Hiro divorced, the boys got to see their friend whenever he came up to visit his mother.

 

“And apparently…she's getting married.”

 

“…” Shuichi sat in stunned silence, his jaw on the floor. He was at a loss at what to say. So he said the obvious. “I didn't know she was seeing anyone.”

 

“Yeah,” Hiro drawled. “Apparently he's someone her folks set her up with.”

 

Shuichi cocked an eyebrow. “Really.”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Wow.”

 

“They seem to have hit it off.”

 

Shuichi was not too sure about going on a blind date with someone his parents set him up with.

 

“Kaze-kun said that he's a lawyer.”

 

Shuichi raised an eyebrow at that. “A lawyer? Fan-cy.”

 

Hiro snorted. “Yeah and get this.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It seems that Mr. Lawyer is also a monk.”

 

“Of course.” Knowing the Usami's it was not very surprising. They had not approved of their little girl's involvement with the lead guitarist from Bad Luck and they had, after all, arranged for her to marry Eiri, who happens to be a Buddhist monk.

 

“Apparently his family used to run a temple.”

 

“'Used to'?”

 

“Yeah, it became severally run down after his grandparents became sick and eventually was forced to shut down.”

 

“What happened to his parents? Why didn't they take care of the temple?”

 

“Don't know.”

 

“Huh.” Shuichi shrugged it off. “How long have they being dating?”

 

“Hmm…Just a few months I think.”

 

Shuichi was aghast. “And they're already engaged?”

 

“Seems like Ayaka's parents are really pushing this.”

 

“Wow,” Shuichi breathed. “I guess so.” He really had no right to judge them. He and Eiri had not known each other that long when they moved in together. His butt was beginning to get numb and his legs were starting to get restless. He pushed himself out the chair with an exaggerated grunt. “Are you okay with that?” he asked his friend gently. Shuichi knew that despite what had happened between the pair, Hiro still harbored some feelings for his ex-wife.

 

“…”

 

“Hiro?”

 

“…”

 

“You were together a long time...I mean just because the two of you had your problems and you fell in love with Fujisaki, doesn't mean that-”

 

“'Were' together, Shu,” Hiro corrected him softly. “It ended a long time ago.” His voice sounded thick and did not sound like his own. “Even if things had been different between Ayaka and me…even if being thrown into the spotlight like she had had not been such a burden on her and to our relationship…things just…they would not have…ended any differently.”

 

“…Because of Fujisaki?” Shuichi asked softly.

 

“…”

 

“Hir-“

 

“It doesn't matter anymore, Shuichi. It's all in the past. What's done is done.”

 

His friend sounded tired.

 

“Anyway,” Hiro continued, changing the subject. “I still can't believe you're having triplets,” he exclaimed, his mood doing a complete one-eighty.

 

Shuichi snorted. His free hand fluttered to his rounded belly. A smile softened his face. “You can't believe it? How'd you think I felt when Dr. Watabe did the initial ultrasound and let us listen to the baby's heartbeat four weeks ago only to discover that we had two little stowaway's that had not been on the manifest?”

 

“…I can't even imagine.”

 

Shuichi scratched his head. “I mean, we had our suspicions, but still…”

 

“Oh yeah. I remember.”

 

“I mean my clothes suddenly did not fit when I was only six weeks along, right? My morning sickness and being so exhausted all the time was just like it was when I was pregnant with the twins, but still…”

 

“You'd never guess to have multiple multiple pregnancies.”

 

“Right!”

 

“Didn't you say Yuki-san fainted when the doctor told you guys?”

 

Shuichi chuckled. “Yep.”

 

“Tell me you know what you're having.” It sounded like he was pleading.

 

Shuichi sighed heavily. “Unfortunately not.”

 

“How far along are you now?”

 

“About fourteen weeks.”

 

“Shouldn't you have some idea by now?”

 

Shuichi sighed. “It depends. Normally it's not until about the eighteenth week that they can say for sure. But Dr. Watabe did try to see if he could determine their sex on our last couple of visits, but it was impossible.”

 

“How so?”

 

“Well, every time he tried, they just…well, they're deliberately trying to keep us in the dark. I swear to God.”

 

Hiro snickered. “Sounds like they take after their daddy.”

 

Shuichi giggled. “That's what I said! Dr. Watabe believes they may be boys, but he's not sure.”

 

“Hm…Do you know if they're identical? I mean, can they tell?”

 

“Oh! Yeah! Sure they can! They can do an ultrasound to see whether there are one or two placentas. If there is one placenta, they're identical. If there are two placentas, they could either be fraternal or identical.”

 

“Do you know?”

 

Shuichi scratched his head. “Well, two of them are definitely identical, but we're not sure about the third one…Oh! Did I tell you that Dr. Watabe was surprised to hear from me again?”

 

“Yeah,” Hiro chuckled. “I would imagine so. You don't have any suspicions?” he asked, changing the subject back. “I know you said that Yuki-san wanted a girl…?”

 

Shuichi shrugged with a sigh. “Not really, but I think it would be nice to have a girl.”

 

“You know she's going to be spoiled, don't you? If you do have a girl.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Shuichi knew his best friend long enough to know when the man was fishing, but he honestly had no idea what the genders of the babies were. He had read this prediction chart on the net the other week that used the month of conception and the age of the mother to predict whether it was going to be a boy or a girl. The chart told him he was going to have a boy. This reminded him… “You know I told Eiri that this was it.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“No more after this. Girl or no girl.”

 

“What he say?” Hiro asked with amusement.

 

Shuichi scratched his head. “He didn't really say anything. Just grunted.”

 

That sounded like the Yuki-san they all knew and loved. Hiro chuckled.

 

“I said that if he did get me pregnant again-“

 

Hiro snorted to that. Knowing those two, it was a distinct possibility.

 

“-we'd have to move into a bigger house, or build an addition or something.”

 

Hiro laughed.

 

Shuichi giggled.

 

“Oh!” Hiro interrupted himself. “Speaking of which, didn't you take the boys to New York a few weeks ago?”

 

“Oh, yeah!”

 

“How was it?”

 

“Oh my God, Hiro. The boys absolutely love Halloween!”

 

“That's good. I'd like to take Kaze-kun sometime. I think he might enjoy it.”

 

“Oo! Oo! You can come with us next year!”

 

“I'd have to talk with Ayaka and Kazehaya and Fujisaki, but that's not such a bad idea.”

 

“Cool! By then Kira should be old enough to participate.” He giggled. “We dressed him up as a little devil. He was sooo cute!”

 

Hiro nearly chocked. “A devil?”

 

Shuichi giggled. “He had on a red velvet bodysuit with detachable black wings and a matching headpiece with attached fabric horns. Oh, Hiro! You should've seen him! He was so adorable!”

 

“Whose idea was that?” Hiro asked, chuckling.

 

“Uhmm…” Shuichi scratched his head. “Not sure.”

 

“What about Kane and Keitaro?”

 

“Keitaro was a Reaper Gauze Child and Keitaro -“

 

“He was what?” Hiro asked in confusion.

 

“A reaper gauze child,” Shuichi repeated slowly. “He was dressed up in this hooded robe, rope tie, gauze tatter over-robe, and tattered robe collar. We made him up with white face paint and long black nails…!” He shuddered. “He looked kinda creepy.”

 

Hiro chuckled softly. “What about Keitaro?”

 

“Kane was Dr. Darkness. He had on a black robe and hood with cowl neckline. His face was painted white and his eyes were all black.”

 

“Dr. Darkness, huh?”

 

“Yeah. He couldn't decide what to be so he had Eiri chose a costume for him.”

 

“And Yuki-san chose Dr. Darkness?”

 

“Yep.” Shuichi's feet were beginning to ache from standing so he walked across the room to the sofa and sunk down gratefully onto it. “He couldn't decide between Harry Potter and a Buddhist monk.”

 

“…A monk?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“…” Hiro did not know what to say to that. “Has he shown any interest in that?”

 

Shuichi switched the phone to the other ear. “Sorta. He's been asking questions ever since he found out that Daddy is a monk just like Grandpa.”

 

“Cool…I guess.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Hiro shook himself. “So, did you dress up?” he teased.

 

Shuichi blushed hotly. “Eiri wanted me to put on a straight jacket.”

 

Hiro toss his head back and laughed hard. “A straight jacket? Are you serious?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Did you?” he asked, still laughing.

 

“Of course not!”

 

“Then what did you dress as?”

 

Shuichi face flamed in embarrassment.

 

“…Shu?”

 

The singer mumbled something behind a convenient cough.

 

Hiro chocked. With wide eyes, he cried, “What?” with a laugh.

 

Shuichi repeated himself, his embarrassment growing. He wished he had not said anything.

 

“Not in public?!”

 

“Of course not!” Shuichi snapped. “…After… the boys went to bed,” he mumbled.

 

Hiro sat in stunned silence, and then shook his head with a snort. “What about Yuki-san?” he asked, trying to banish the image of his best friend in his head.

 

“Uhm. He wasn't going to go, but then the boys talked him into it so he dressed up as a Victorian vampire.”

 

“Really?”

 

“He had on a cape, vest, lace jabot, medallion, and wrist ruffles. He even had a top hat and cane. He looked very elegant. All the black made him look really pale.”

 

Shuichi slouched down on the couch, practically sinking into the overstuffed cushions and rested his head against the back. He closed his suddenly aching eyes. A yawned seized him, making his eyes water.

 

“Tired?” Hiro asked him softly.

 

“Hm, getting there,” Shuichi mumbled.

 

“Did you see Riku while you were over there?”

 

“Yeah,” Shuichi said, suddenly feeling drained. “He was with us the entire time we were over there.”

 

“Did he dress up?”

 

“Eiri said he was getting too old to go trick or treating.”

 

“But did he dress up?”

 

“Oh, yeah. He was all Goth.”

 

“…What did he say about Mama being pregnant again?”

 

Shuichi chuckled. “He was like, `Again?'!”

 

Hiro laughed at the perfect imitation of his friends adopted son.

 

“But he seems okay with it. A little weirded out, but otherwise he was ecstatic.”

 

“Well, that's good.”

 

“Yeah. He said, `I'm not sharing my room though!'”

 

“Is he going to have to?” Hiro asked, chuckling.

 

Shuichi shook his head. “No. Besides, even if we have to do some rearranging, Riku is too old to be sharing a room with the boys.”

 

“How old is he now?” Hiro asked curiously.

 

“Uhm…Oh, God! Twenty-two?”

 

“…Twenty-two?” the guitarist repeated in shock.

 

“Yeah! Can you believe that? It kinda freaked me out when I remembered just how old the kid was getting.”

 

“…Jeez…” Hiro chuckled nervously.

 

Shuichi giggled.

 

“He was going to school in the States, right?”

 

Shuichi nodded. “Yeah. He was staying with his aunty Yoshiki in New York and going to school, though we had him come home every chance he had. But now he's graduating.”

 

“From NYU, right?”

 

“Yep. He's getting his BA in East Asian Studies with a minor in Creative writing.”

 

“Wow.”

 

“He's thinking of going on to get his Master's and then on to a doctorate.”

 

“Really?” Hiro exclaimed feeling pleasantly surprised. “Is he thinking of teaching, or-?”

 

“Yeah, he is.”

 

“…How does Yuki-san feel about that?” He asked carefully.

 

“Oh, he's proud of his son.”

 

“Good. Well, wish him luck for me.”

 

“Well, he's coming home for Christmas for a whole month, so you can tell him then.”

 

“Cool. Hey,” Hiro said suddenly, “wasn't he supposed to come home this summer?”

 

“Yeah,” Shuichi sighed. “Unfortunately he did not do too well on a couple of his classes and decided to retake them over the summer. Besides, with a minor he's falling a little behind.”

 

“Ah, okay. So when will he be graduating?”

 

“This spring.”

 

“Already, huh?”

 

“Uh, huh.”

 

“…Oh! Before I forget, did you ever get those test results back from your biopsy?”

 

“Wha?” His mind blank, Shuichi blinked. “Oh!” he cried in suddenly understanding. “Yeah. I got them back a while ago. I thought I told you.”

 

“No.”

 

“Oh, well, you know how the nerves in my leg were damaged from the fall?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Apparently they had not completely regenerated. That's why my leg's been giving me so much trouble.”

 

“Oh, man. Is there anything they can do?”

 

“Well,” Shuichi heaved a sigh. He opened his eyes and stared blankly up at the ceiling. “There is always surgery.”

 

“What will the surgery do?”

 

Shuichi scratched the back of his head. “…He said something about reattachment and sewing something together.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“He also said something about grafting.” Shuichi shrugged.

 

“What are your chances?”

 

“50/50.”

 

“Hm…Are you going to do it?”

 

“…I'm not sure. I might, but Eiri wants me to wait until after the triplets are born.”

 

“Sure. Sure.”

 

“In the meantime the doctor told me I could try taking intramuscular B complex injections,” he said that slowly, cringing. He shuddered violently.

 

“…You're giving yourself shots,” Hiro said incredibly.

 

“Me? Hell no! Eiri's doing it.”

 

Hiro chuckled. “Really.”

 

“Yeah and I gotta hear him say how much of a wuss I am.” He pouted hurtfully.

 

“Isn't there anything else you can do? Other than the surgery and shots?”

 

“Acupuncture.” Again Shuichi cringed with a violent shudder.

 

“…Acupuncture.” Hiro chuckled. “You gonna do it?”

 

“Are you crazy?! No way in bloody hell.”

 

Hiro continued chuckling. “Is there any alternative where you don't have to stick a needle into you?”

 

Shuichi dropped his head as his face grew warm. “Actually…yeah,” he answered softly, blushing madly.

 

“…And?”

 

“Massages.”

 

“…Reeally,” Hiro said slyly.

 

Shuichi face grew warmer.

 

Suddenly the studio door burst open. Startled, Shuichi gasped in fright. His head snapping up and around, he stared at the door with his heart in his mouth as his husband's blond head came around the corner. Shuichi sighed in relief. He glared at Eiri, a hand over his racing heart. “Dammit, Eiri!” he scolded.

 

“Let's go,” the older man ordered.

 

“Already?” Shuichi asked, glancing around at the clock. He was shocked to see how late it had gotten.

 

“Yes, already,” Eiri said.

 

“I gotta go Hiro.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“We gotta go pick up the boys from school and then I have a doctor's appointment.”

 

“Call me if you find out the sex of the babies.”

 

“Will do.”

 

After exchanged goodbyes, Shuichi flipped his phone shut and slid it into the front pocket of his hoodie. With growing difficulty, Shuichi slid to the lip of the sofa and pushed himself off. Walking across the studio, he went through the process of shutting down the computer then went up his husband who had an impatient frown on his face. Shuichi wrapped his arms around Eiri's waist and smiled up at him.

 

Eiri glanced down at him indifferently. “What?”

 

Shuichi's smile widened. He shook his head, his eyes sparkling.

 

Eiri's face softened. Snorting, he bent over and planted a kiss on Shuichi's head and swatted his bottom.

 

Shuichi yelped and sent him a mock death glare.

 

“You ready to go or what?”

 

“In a minute. I wanna go change my clothes and I have to go to the bathroom.”

 

Eiri sighed heavily. “Must you?”

 

Shuichi rose up onto the tips of his toes and pressed his lips to his husbands. “Yep,” he told him.

 

With a roll of his eyes, Eiri shook his head.

 

Giggling, Shuichi looked around the studio one last time to make sure he had everything and everything was shut down, making a mental note to come back later to give this place a thorough scrubbing.

 

“Let's go,” he heard Eiri bark distantly.

 

“Coming! Coming!” Shuichi called after his retreating husbands back as he stepped out of the studio and shutting the door behind him, making sure to lock it. Eiri had gotten on his case lately about keeping the studio locked. Shuichi shivered as the cool November wind wrapped around him. He looked up into the overcast sky as he walked across the yard towards the house. The temperature had dropped quite a bit since earlier. Then he remembered something about it snowing this evening.

 

As he mounted the steps of the porch, he looked around for his husband, for he had not seen him go into the house, and found him out by the front gate checking the mail. It must have come because he had a thick wad of white envelopes of various sizes in his hand. Eiri bent over and looked inside the mailbox, probably seeing if he had missed anything, Shuichi guessed. When he straightened, Shuichi saw him pulling out a large manila envelope, uncurling like a tongue as it slid out. Shuichi frowned, his eyebrows drawn in confusion and curiosity. He glanced from the envelope to his husbands face. He saw something flash across Eiri's face, but it was gone so quickly that Shuichi had not had enough time to discern what it had been.

 

As if sensing that he was being watched, Eiri's head snapped up. They locked eyes. Neither said anything for several long minutes. Then Shuichi's ear perked. With much difficulty, he tore his eyes away from his husband's hypnotic golden ones and glanced through the open door and up the staircase. Kira was up. Turning around, he glanced at his husband. Eiri had a neutral expression on his face. His frown deepening, Shuichi glanced at the yellow envelope in Eiri's hands one last time before disappearing into the house, all the time wondering what exactly was in that envelope that would cause Eiri to react like he did. Was it something that he did not want him to see?

 

***

 

A/N: go to: buycostumes.com to see the costumes. So, what did you think?