"I may not be trying to feed a small village." Yuzu said while rubbing her stomach. "But well....I am eating for two.. I'm pregnant."
Clinks echoed through the now silent apartment as the family dropped their utensils in disbelief. Their family remained speechless while Yuzu and Mei stood before them.
"W...what did you just say?" Umes' voice was shaking, part of her wondering if this was some joke that Mei was convinced to play along with.
"We're expecting a baby." Mei boldly stood by her lover. They both expected love and support, but these reactions weren't exactly what they pictured. It was a huge shock so they remained optimistic that once the shock washed off things would turn.
It did sound odd to actually say the words, but they brought the lesbian couple almost as much joy as their vows did.
At first Ume considered the possibility this was some joke, an odd one but one that would certainly spark some reactions. But Yuzu and Mei wore looks of seriousness and determination as they happily stood before them. They were serious. Yuzu had a baby growing inside of her.
"O..oh my god..." Umes' hands covered her mouth as she processed what had been said. Next to her, Shou silently stood up.
"Papa?" April thought as he approached Mei and Yuzu.
"Ahaha!" Shou cheered before giving mei the biggest bear hug she had ever received and lightly shaking the grown woman as effortlessly as he did when she was a child. "Gah! I'm so happy for you two! Congratulations."
The man was lit up like a Christmas tree, chuckling happily as he held his daughter. Mei was at a bigger loss for words than Ume as Shou hugged her with cheers.
"Thank you, father." Mei smiled. The man couldn't sit still at the news, he knew exactly about Meis' views and how she expected her life to play out. Hearing they decided to go out of their way to start a family they wanted made Shou happy enough to cry.
"Thanks Papa." Yuzu giggled, wishing she would have photographed his and Meis' reaction. He let go of Mei down before carefully hugging Yuzu. Shou was cautious of her stomach but that didn't stop the man from almost cracking her back with such an intense bear hug.
"Are you okay?" Shou asked, noticing he let his excitement get the better of him and had quite the grip around her.
"Couldn't breathe as well but I'm fine."Yuzu patted him on the back. surely even an intense bear hug wouldn't cause any harm if he avoided her stomach.
"I can't believe this!" He chuckled while turning to face Ume. "We're gonna be grandparents!"
Much like Mei, Shou once expected that she would carry on the Aihara name and start a family some day. That all felt like it flew out the window when she came out as a lesbian, Shou was just happy she was happy. The idea of grandchildren had only ever vaguely crossed his mind since, usually wondering if April would be a mother someday or what.
But as luck would have it, here they were with a grandchild on the way. The joy on Meis' face alone was enough to fill Shou with pride.
Suddenly all eyes were on Ume instead of the pregnant woman, everyone Curious about why she hadn't said much and was still sitting there.
"Mama?" Yuzu timidly asked, her hand rubbing her stomach. Despite all the years Ume could still see her little girl in the grown woman before her.
Back when Yuzu and Mei got married it really hit Ume just how much her daughter was grown up. Since then they maintained the same relationship but Ume had try and given Yuzu more respect that a grown woman deserves and even viewed her as such.
But hearing this, that Yuzu was pregnant, felt like it shattered all of that. One moment Ume was in the hospital comforting her newborn and the next that same newborn was having her own. It was unreal and almost hit harder than the wedding realization.
"My baby..." Ume sobbed while stumbling out of her chair. "My baby is having a baby.."
Now it was Umes' turn to pull Yuzu into a hug, the mothers sobbing in their embrace. "I can't believe this." Ume chuckled through her tears.
"Me neither." Yuzu responded. "Mei and I have been talking about it for a long time and finally decided we were ready."
"Why didn't you tell us sooner??" Ume asked. "We would've been more supportive and helpful."
"We kinda wanted it to be a surprise." Yuzu shared a knowing look with Mei. They did feel bad about not telling their family about their plans to add another child to the family. Even avoiding any questions about their trip. But everyone's surprised looks were worth every moment of deception
"You got me there." Ume giggled before crying some more. "It certainly was one hell of a surprise."
"Wait...." April thought as she watched her mother and sister hugging. She silently began questioning if she really paid that much attention during biology.
Yuzu + Mei = no baby
Mei + Yuzu = no baby
Yuzu + Guy = baby
Guy + Yuzu = baby
Yuzu + Guy?
"Yuzu.....You didn't cheat on Mei did you?" April asked in a serious tone.
"Would I be standing right here as we announced our pregnancy if she had?" Mei asked.
April opened her mouth to answer, probably something cheeky but Yuzu cut in. "No, I didn't cheat on Mei. We conceived our baby through a process called artificial insemination."
April tilted her head in confusion, being unfamiliar with the mentioned procedure. "Okay hold on." Ume stopped Yuzu from explaining it. "Okay...okay I wanna know everything. Please Sit."
Yuzu and Mei took up on the suggestion but the upcoming grandmother was too emotional to remain seated.
"Okay so what do you wanna...."
"Do you know the donor?"
"Well actually...."
"When are you due?"
"Oh I'm due in....."
"How long have you been pregnant?"
"Only for a...."
"When's your first doctors appointment?"
"Where did starting a family come from??"
"Mama relax." April put her hand on Umes' shoulder. "Think you're overdoing it with questions."
"Sorry." Ume took a deep but shaky breath.
"One at a time please." Yuzu requested.
"Is that why you two left out of nowhere?" Shou asked Mei, trying to get answers but not overwhelm Yuzu.
"Indeed. The day we left we met with the sperm donor and handled all the proper paperwork." Mei spoke as if it was forever ago. "Later that day Yuzu and I were in the hospital so they can....I think you're aware."
"You had to meet him? I thought they'd keep his...stuff somewhere" Shou asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable to say some words around April.
"We wanted to get a good in person opinion on him and he happily agreed." Yuzu added. They had spent a few hours over a meal discussing everything, Mei was more than fine to pay for it given the odd gift he'll be giving them.
"Do you have a photo?" Shou asked, mildly curious about what his grandchild's biological father looked like.
"Unfortunately the agency wouldn't let us keep any personal information including photos." Mei added. "Everything they sent us was in the form of temporary links
"What made you choose him?" Ume asked
"Simply put: since our baby would already have Yuzus' generics, we wanted a donor who had a strong resemblance of myself." Mei started as she thought back to the selection process.
There were hundreds, even thousands of guys for Yuzu and Mei to select from. Tall men, short men, scrawny men, obese men, bald men and even men with more hair than Yuzu. Browsing through them Yuzu was surprised how much diversity there really was in Japan, much more than she thought.
The main factor that helped narrow down the selection process was the eyes. Yuzu said she loved Meis' eyes and would love if their child could resemble their mother in that way. Mei would've preferred her hair but given Yuzus' natural color being brown then the baby could already have dark hair.
After spending a week narrowing down the men to 84 the interviews began. The sperm donation agency would get Yuzu and Mei in contact with said donor and the 3 of them would discuss everything over video call. They initially had over 100 possible candidates but some of them weren't willing to have any communication with anyone who was curious about their donation.
Of the 84 there were a lot of good choices and a lot of bad ones. One man had requested to make a "direct deposit" and Mei immediately ended the call and reported him. On the other end of the spectrum, some guys only didn't get chosen because of bad medical history, having nothing to do with their personality.
It took weeks of scheduling interviews and trying to align their schedules with various candidates but their lucky number finally arrived with 54. The man they chose was bald by choice, apparently to support his wife, but did use to have dark black hair. That alone was earning him the favor of Yuzu, only getting better when she saw how closely his eyes resembled Mei.
During the interview with him he was easygoing, a good trait for them. Even willingly getting close to the camera just so Yuzu can hold up her tablet and compare his eyes to Meis. Fortunately the man found it funny, another good quality.
Apparently his wife passed from cancer a few years ago, so he wanted to honor her life by trying to bring as much joy to people as he could. Helping a lesbian couple start a family seemed perfect, Mei felt immense respect for him, knowing she might not have that same strength if anything ever happened to Yuzu.
They did a few interviews after his, just to have as many options as possible, but after 60+ it felt like the next 24 wouldn't compare. So after many conversations about their options, he was selected.
"So you chose a guy who looks like Mei?" Shou asked.
"There were more factors but yes." Yuzu nodded. Reality made it impossible for them to have a baby that was biologically both of theirs, but they can try and have a baby who at least resembles them both.
"When are you due?" April asked.
"December." Yuzu answered. "I've only been confirmed pregnant for a little more than 2 weeks. And don't worry, we took a LOT of tests."
Mei nodded in agreement, having filled Yuzus' water bottle more times than she could count. And even if they were somehow not pregnant they'd go back and fix it asap. The couple wanted to hold off until an ultrasound photo to announce it to friends, even considering this idea for family but the excitement got the best of them.
"Ahh!!" Ume squealed as she patted Shou repeatedly. "Our grand baby will be here in time for Christmas!"
"When do you have doctor's appointments?" Shou asked, smiling at his wife and her enthusiasm.
"We have one scheduled for a few weeks." Mei informed them. "Speaking of, I know it's selfish but I'd like to request some assistance."
"Yes, what do you need, Hun?" Ume asked.
"I'm going to do my best to make sure I can attend all the appointments, but with a new school year starting it may be difficult. We'd appreciate it if one of you would be willing to go with Yuzu on the hopefully rare occasion I cannot. I'll make sure you have plenty of notice, if that'll help." Mei requested as Yuzu held her hand.
The pregnant woman knew how work can be, especially for Mei. But it was clear how badly Mei wanted to be there for everything, which was worth plenty to Yuzu.
"Done. Don't even worry about it." Ume didn't hesitate. "Just let me know what kind of schedule and I'll work around so I could go if need be."
Even ume could see how upset potentially missing any of this was making Mei. She felt bad but also happy, happy that her daughter and now grandchild were under the watch of such a considerate person.
"Thanks Mama." Yuzu added, thankful she'd never have to attend any appointments alone.
"Oh sweetie..." Ume broke down into a crying fit again before pulling Yuzu into a hug. "You're gonna be a Mama too!"
That raised an interesting point of contention for Yuzu and Mei, one that they can surely decide at any point.
"Mind if I ask one more question?" Shou asked Mei.
"You already did but I suppose I'll grant you two. now's the time to get them all out there." Mei answered the man with a cheeky smirk.
"Did she just make a dad-a mom joke?" April thought, having heard Shou make numerous similar jokes.
"How long, I mean when did you guys decide you wanted to start a family?" Shou asked.
"For Yuzu, it may have been ironically the day we met April." Mei smiled at her sister. "When alone we talked about how difficult Yuni was, and how wonderfully odd our family may be. That's when I let it slip that when we started our own, I'd never let it reach such a point."
"Heyyyy!" Ume chimed in. "You make it sound like our little family isn't normal."
"And how many sisters did you not expect to have?" Mei countered. "I believe Yuzu didn't know of my existence until we started living together, meaning she alone had 2."
"Hmph." Ume playfully huffed, knowing full well she loved her family and wouldn't change it for the world. Minus for the addition of a brand new baby of course.
"After Mei and I started dating I never really put much thought into having children. It felt kinda impossible." Yuzu chuckled. "Then Again back then I was just happy to be able to call Mei my girlfriend."
Mei blushed as Yuzu continued sharing her own experience. "But hearing that Mei wanted us to have a family ignited my heart, and I swore I'd give us the family we desired."
Mei stood a bit flustered as Yuzu nuzzled herself against her in awe, the blonde's heart fluttering like it had all those years ago on their balcony. "Of course back then we were only dating, now we're married and expecting!" Her excitement of marriage was as fresh as it had been during the honeymoon.
"Expecting?" April asked.
"It's a phrase people can use to refer to when they're expecting a child." Mei answered. It was then dawning on April she never actually knew anyone who was pregnant, at least not while she knew them.
"So how about you?" Ume asked Mei.
"No. Yuzu and I discussed it for weeks but we decided she'd be the one to carry our baby." Mei looked at Yuzu with happy tears in her eyes. "I can't express how proud I am of her, having the strength to go through that."
"Geez." Yuzu sounded bashful; recalling all the late nights they spent working on this.
They had agreed that Yuzu would carry the child, however if they wanted a second baby the discussion would briefly open back up. It seemed fair that Yuzu carry one and mei carry one, but Yuzu did point out if she can handle it the first time she could handle it a second, so Mei could potentially avoid it.
Mei argued that, again, it was only fair if they both go through it to give them a family. So they ultimately agreed on this: if/when they decided to have another baby they would play rock paper scissors until one of them won only once. The winner would carry the child. It seemed silly but overall it was fair.
Uncomfortable Truths about Mei being pregnant could cause rumors to spread around but the married couple were willing to clear up any misconceptions.
"I mean that's when Yuzu decides she wanted kids, but what about you? When did you ever make such a decision?" Ume asked.
"......the car accident." Mei briefly wore an expression of pain and sadness, still and possibly always feeling ashamed of it.
"Mei..." Yuzu kissed her cheek in an attempt to brighten her mood. Her lit earlobes said plenty about the effect that had.
"When I saw her...I knew I wanted to live a long life together, no matter what." Mei chuckled, Yuzu wiping away her tears for her as this made her emotional to discuss.
"I wanted to give her all the things I once thought to be impossible for us, like marriage and me being able to express myself to her." Mei continued. "I was surprised to hear myself consider children but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I loved the thought."
"I resented the idea of children before, when it was expected of me. But once it was a matter of choice, I wanted to experience it with Yuzu." Mei felt
Embarrassed to admit this all.
"Stop." Yuzu put her hand on Meis' shoulder, her tone oddly cold.
"Yuzu?" Mei asked Yuzu who avoided eye contact.
"If you keep saying things like that...." Yuzu looked up with heavy tears streaming down her face. "Then I'm gonna keep crying! Pregnant lady's aren't supposed to cry!"
"D-don't scare me like that!" Mei sighed in relief. She knew it wasn't a threat, but a warning.
"I know, I'm sorry." Yuzu cried, the waterworks were going. "It just makes me so happy to hear you say things like that. I can't help it!"
"N-no...wait. I'm not angry."Mei backpedaled, trying her best to work with Yuzus' potentially shifting attitude. Her eyes searching for help, unsure if she was handling this properly.
"Here Sis." April put more food on Yuzus' still filled plate. "Can't make a baby on an empty stomach."
"Oh you're right! I almost forgot." Yuzu sheepishly admitted. Yuzu and Mei were both so nervous about telling everyone, the butterflies in their stomachs made them question if eating right now was possible.
......at least it did for Mei.....Yuzu on the other hand only questioned it for a minute before sitting down and continuing her meal.
"So April, how has school been?" Yuzu casually asked after swallowing a whole forkful of her meal. Ume and Shou remained in shock too much to eat, food being the last thing on their minds. It took Mei some time but she joined her wife in eating, she herself already relatively used to the news of her pregnancy.
That or Mei was used to the butterflies in her stomach about the pregnancy, having had them for weeks now.
Dinner continued, the chat still focused mainly on the pregnancy. Yuzu and Ume made plans to go baby shopping, Mei thought about asking to tag along but felt it was something meant for just that mother daughter set. She already bought the baby's' first onesie while they were on vacation, a small motherly win Mei wore with pride. Of course Yuzu cried happy tears during the purchase...
Shou asked about the logistics of the baby and what they planned on doing with their apartment.
Mei explained how they'll renovate their home office into a Nursery/room for the baby. As far as a work space, they planned on rearranging some furniture and making space in the corner of the living room.
"Don't even worry about it. Just let me know how you want it rearranged and when." Shou volunteered.
"Are you sure?" Mei asked. She wanted to argue that she can help too but could tell he just wanted to do whatever he could for them, a good quality Mei respected.
"Of course." Shou grinned. "I wanna be there for you girls just as much as Ume."
"Awww." Ume poked his cheek and called him out much to his embarrassment. "Only been a while and he loves our grandchild so much!"
"I could probably grab you something to eat while on my way home from school." April told Yuzu.
"I might just have to take you up on that offer." Yuzu answered. "I'll be sure to give ya some money just in case."
"We appreciate anything you might do for us, If you need something in return don't hesitate." Mei spoke for both her and Yuzu to the whole family, appreciating all they're trying to do for them.
Ume began listing small things they could do once the pregnancy reaches its third trimester and things will really become difficult for Yuzu. She proposes some ideas to April in case the young girl wanted to do more but made it clear it wasn't necessary. April, a bit unsure, at least took the conversation seriously and went back and forth.
"Hear that." Yuzu whispered while looking down at her belly. "We're in good hands."