Chapter 12:
One month later, September 27th
It was Kei's 26th birthday and they were celebrating it with his family in Miyagi. Although tensions were a bit high because of his parents' divorce, their family managed to throw him a surprise party (which he reluctantly took part in). Additionally, the week before was Mizuki's 26th birthday and they celebrated it with her side of the family as well as their friends at a luxurious spa in Kyoto.
Currently, Kei was watching Mizuki play with his nephews, Haru and Koji, and his baby niece, Keomi, in the living room at his mom's house. His mom was already asleep and his dad had left for the night. His brother and sister-in-law were asleep in a bedroom upstairs, exhausted from the party and taking care of their children. Mizuki, Kei, Tanaka Ryu, and Kiyoko offered to look after their kids while they took a short nap.
"Ryu-san, why are you bald?" Haru asked, causing him to cross his arms exasperatedly.
Kei snickered loudly.
"I'm not bald!" He grimaced.
"That's not a nice thing to say, Haru-kun..." Mizuki shook her head, attempting to hide her smile.
"He looks bald though?" Haru inched closer to Ryu and gently patted his head.
"He does, doesn't he?" Kiyoko laughed lightly.
"Bald! Bald!" Koji repeated excitedly.
"My own wife is against me!" Ryu cried out, "I give and give and all she does is insult me!"
"You exaggerate too much, Tanaka-san." Kei commented nonchalantly as he sat down beside Mizuki on the floor.
"I already told you to call me Ryu," He huffed, "We're family."
"I prefer to call you Tanaka-san, Tanaka-san." Kei stated back.
Ryu sighed and that was when Haru unexpectedly jumped on him, causing him to fall over. His brother, Koji, mimicked his actions, causing the three of them to stumble onto each other.
"Haru-kun! Koji-kun!" Mizuki laughed warmly, "It's not nice to jump on people... What if they get hurt?"
"But... Zuki-chan..." Koji frowned, slowly standing up, "Ryu-chan..."
"Come here! I have something better!" She grinned.
Haru and Koji looked at each other quizzically before making their way to Mizuki. As soon as they were in front of her, she held out her arms lovingly.
"Hugs!" She exclaimed cheerfully, causing the two to tackle her onto the floor.
"This is the same as jumping on people!" Haru pointed out as he giggled.
"It's not the same!" Mizuki shook her head, hugging her nephews tightly.
Kei smiled adoringly at his wife. This was definitely one of those moments where he couldn't believe his luck. She had been home for almost a month, and it felt like absolute bliss. They weren't apart because of the distance, and she sometimes accompanied him to school and work. They even had time to visit Yamaguchi and Mina and go on a short couples trip before their birthdays. Unfortunately, Kageyama and Rina couldn't attend due to their commitments in volleyball.
As much as Kei loved his life, there was something missing. He didn't want to sound ungrateful - after all, he was living his best life with the girl of his dreams. Something gnawed inside Kei and it had begun months ago when Mizuki had a pregnancy scare.
Kei remembered feeling terrified that day but he also felt at ease.
"Hugs and jumps are different!" Mizuki laughed as she planted quick kisses on Haru and Koji's cheeks, "You wouldn't jump on your baby sister, would you?"
Kei turned to look at Kiyoko who held Keomi in her arms as Ryu gazed at her affectionately.
Huh.
After his birthday celebration, Kei and Mizuki finally made it home to their apartment. Mizuki plopped down on the sofa and sighed tiredly.
"Holy! How does your brother and Saeko-chan handle 3 kids every single day..." She groaned, shutting her eyes as she leaned back on the sofa.
Kei was unusually silent at the drive home. His thoughts were jumbled up and he knew that he probably shouldn't be thinking about what he was thinking about. They were still young and they had many things they wanted to do that they hadn't had a chance to accomplish yet.
"Like, I love my nephews and my niece, of course, but they're so hectic! It's crazy!" Mizuki added.
"We should make a baby." Kei blurted out, causing her to open her eyes in surprise.
"... Huh?"
He moved to her and sat down on the sofa. She seemed dazed and confused at his statement. Kei meant it though.
"I want a baby." He declared, his eyes glistening with sincerity.
"Kei...? What..." Mizuki shook her head in disbelief.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing from her husband. As a response, he planted a soft kiss on her nose and gazed at her once more. This time, his eyes expressed resolve and promise, causing Mizuki to hold her breath in anticipation.
"You. Me. Baby." Kei stated firmly.
"I-I know! I heard you!" She shook her head, clearly in a panic, "But... Are you serious?"
"I'm serious." He nodded.
"But... We..." She trailed off, unable to formulate coherent words.
"You don't want a baby?" He asked worriedly.
"Of course I do!" Mizuki exclaimed.
"Then what are we waiting for?" He raised an eyebrow curiously, moving his hand and placing it on her thigh.
"I... Kei...?" She squeaked, feeling lightheaded from his proposal.
"I know it won't be easy..." He murmured, "And if you're not ready, I don't want to pressure you. I just... I feel that..."
Mizuki gathered up the courage to look up at him. His golden-brown eyes were so warm and inviting, and his charming words were enough for her to feel like melting into a puddle.
"I feel that we'd be good parents... Or, at least... We'd try our hardest to be good parents." Kei continued softly.
Mizuki remained silent and Kei was concerned that his suggestion to make a baby had made her feel uncomfortable.
"Sorry..." He shook his head quickly, "Maybe we shouldn't-"
"Let's make a pros and cons list." Mizuki interrupted him.
Kei's eyes widened as he processed her startling statement.
"If we're serious about having a baby, I think we should discuss the good and the bad and what it would mean for us..." She explained bashfully, "I mean, we'd be raising a baby... It's a huge responsibility..."
"Mizuki...? Is that... A yes?" Kei smiled slightly, and she couldn't help but smile a little too.
"It's not a yes yet! We need our pros and cons list-" She repeated, only for him to interrupt her by tackling her with a hug. She laughed mirthfully.
"We can make all the lists you want!" He exclaimed as the two laughed together in unison.
The next day, Kei and Mizuki rested in their bedroom after eating breakfast at a nearby coffee shop, eager to begin the next stage of their lives...
Starting with a pros and cons list.
"Let's start with the pros." Mizuki nodded, determined to reach a conclusion on if they should make a baby by the end of the day.
She was currently sitting on the bed with a pen and a notepad on her hand. She divided the page with one side for pros and the other for cons.
"Okay..." Kei lied down so that his head was resting on her lap as he shut his eyes, "Pro... Sex."
"Kei!" She blushed furiously, "That's not... Anyway, stop thinking like that! This is serious!"
"I am serious," He smirked, "The best part about having a baby is making a baby."
"Shut it!" She shook her head hastily, "If you're not taking this seriously-
"I am." He stated, "Your turn. What's another pro?"
"Okay, fine..." Mizuki pursed her lips together thoughtfully, "Um... A pro would obviously be a cute baby. Our baby will be the most adorable baby in the entire world! They'll be cute, smart, and talented like us!"
"Naturally." He smiled softly.
"Um... And cute baby clothes! We get to buy those tiny baby socks!" She added, causing him to laugh.
Kei adored her excitement (which was extremely evident by the intense sparkles in her eyes).
"Anything else?" He asked.
They both fell silent. Minutes passed and the two couldn't think of any more pros to add to their list.
"Okay... Let's come back to the pros once we think of some more..." Mizuki frowned disappointedly.
"Cons time?" Kei raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"Yeah..."
"Well, I know that taking care of a baby is time-consuming..." He murmured.
"Mhm, and we'll probably never sleep again because of the crying..." Mizuki added.
"Babies also need constant attention..." Kei pointed out.
"Right... And we also need lots of money and other things to take care of them..." She continued.
"It's definitely a huge responsibility that requires a lot of sacrifices." He commented, feeling his heart sink the more they add onto their cons list.
"Exactly... We might have to give up our hobbies, jobs, social life, and more..." Mizuki mumbled.
"Not to mention, childbirth is painful..." Kei opened his eyes worriedly and noticed that his wife's face drained with fear.
Mizuki shuddered at the mere thought of childbirth and said, "I don't even want to think about that..."
"So... I guess, for now, there are more cons than pros?" He bit his lip disappointedly.
"I guess so..." She nodded slowly.
Kei sat up and looked at the notepad with Mizuki. They couldn't help but be a little frustrated at themselves for not coming up with more pros at the moment.
"What now?" She mumbled faintly.
"I guess this means we shouldn't have a baby..." He murmured, rubbing her back soothingly, "At least, not yet..."
Mizuki agreed reluctantly as she placed the notepad on their bedside table. She knew becoming a mother and raising a baby would be tremendous work but she felt like she could do it with Kei by her side. Despite this, the pros and cons list spoke for themselves. Currently, at this point in time, they had way too many commitments that didn't allow for them to have a baby. Mizuki would return to Tokyo soon to start practice again and compete for her volleyball team, and Kei had to work in the museum and be part of a volleyball team while studying for his Ph.D.
It seemed like the stars didn't align as much as they desperately wanted it to.
Without even knowing why, Kei shifted his body so that he was facing his troubled wife. He slammed their lips together, startling Mizuki. His hands gripped her waist, urging for her to kiss him back. She caved in to his touch almost instantly.
"Kei... What happened to... we shouldn't... have a baby...?" She murmured breathlessly as he trailed fiery kisses down her collarbone.
"I don't care about the stupid list." Kei declared with conviction.
"But..."
He pulled away and gazed at her bewildered, flushed face.
"Tell me..." He stated, his voice low and husky, "Don't think. Just answer."
"What?" Mizuki whispered as she held her breath.
"Do you want a baby with me?" Kei asked as his heart pounded viciously.
Without missing a beat, Mizuki confessed, "Yes, of course I do."
Kei lightly caressed her cheek and smiled, "Then, let's have a baby."