Zero entered his room later that night, dawn beginning to sink into the room via the edges of the blackout curtains. Ichiru leaned on him for support as they trudged in, Zero sitting him on the bed before helping him out of his jacket and shirt, checking on the wraps that Cross had painstakingly done as the younger twin cursed his name.
A rib or two were broken.
Zero helped him into a pair of clean sleep pants and offered a shirt which his twin turned down with a wave of his hand.
Yuki had awakened an hour or so ago and after her memory had been erased of Shizuka's bite, had revealed to them her knowledge of Zero and Kaname's relationship. She had appeared to still be coming to terms with it all- but a part of both of them had been relieved that they hadn't had to tell her themselves.
Ichiru seemed uneasy at how Zero treated him and eventually snapped.
"Why are you helping me when you don't even know me?"
Zero went quiet at his words and put the first aid kit away as he finished looking over the bandages. A part of him wondered how he had a first aid kit in his bathroom, but he laid the thought aside to answer Ichiru's question.
"I might not remember this life, but I do remember another one before this. My older brothers were twins, they didn't like me mind you, but I saw how much they meant to each other. I suppose I owe it to the 'current' me to take care of you."
"I don't want your pity." Ichiru growled and Zero laughed.
"It's not pity. I don't think I pity anyone anything at this point."
He went silent, "I assume you were with Shizuka for a reason."
Ichiru swallowed at his words and went silent, the righteous anger departing from his features.
"From what Cross and Yagari have told me, you require blood from a Pureblood to keep up health wise. You can get it from me. I don't know what plans you have, that might prove disastrous for me, but I figure you'll be able to figure your way."
Zero went silent and pulled off his dress shirt, turning around to face Ichiru. Ichiru's eyes immediately centered on his mark over his heart, Zero sensing the comfort of the bond as it was scanned over.
Ichiru's eyes widened like a cartoon's.
"You're mated!" He cried and Zero nodded, "And I bet you can guess to who."
"Kuran? Of all people, Kuran?"
Zero sighed, "It only makes sense for you to know, but I trust you can keep it quiet?"
Ichiru swallowed and nodded after a moment.
Zero stilled before bolting to the restroom to vomit as his morning sickness came back in full force. God, he hoped he wasn't going to be stuck up all day vomiting again.
"Goddammit, I thought I was done with that." he sighed as he reentered, Ichiru scanned him, "Do Purebloods even get sick?"
"No."
Weeks had passed now, gratefully uneventfully.
Ichiru was huddled with him for warmth in bed as he fell out of bed and crawled over to the bathroom to vomit for what seemed the thousandth time. It only ever abated when Kaname fed him blood or stuck close to him, but it happened to be one of the few days where he wasn't sleeping in his mate's bed.
Ichiru woke up then, as he reentered the room, a hand rubbing the distending belly that had seemed to come up over night. Ichiru stared at him.
"You're getting fat, Nii-san."
Zero scowled at his twins words, "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant, asshole."
Ichiru's eyes went comically wide and Zero quickly realized his error.
"Uhh.. don't tell anyone? Only Aido knows beside Kaname? Please?"
Ichiru stared at him silently. "How?"
Zero sat down on one of the chairs that sat opposite the bed and released a long drawn out breath, "I'm apparently this thing called a Bride- a male Pureblood who can bear children."
Ichiru started laughing of all things and Zero scowled at him, "What?"
Ichiru kept laughing, trying to find air to breathe until he slowly began to calm down, "This is... the first time...I've been glad...to be myself!"
Zero scowled at him once more before breaking into a smile, "Insolent brat."
Ichiru gave a half hearted salute and fell back onto the pillows.
"So... how far along are you Nii-san?!" He heckled and Zero went silent, trying to think.
"Hmmm... two and a half months? I haven't been to a doctor or anything."
Zero grinned, "You know what this means, Ichiru... you're going to be an Uncle."
Ichiru sobered at the thought before breaking into a grin, "You know what else it means, Nii-san? You're going to be Okaa-san to some poor unfortunate child."
Zero smirked, "You haven't had a vision? That would be two unfortunate children- and you're going to be their favorite babysitter."
They both broke out into laughter before Zero rushed to the bathroom, Ichiru's raucous laughter following him.
A week passed and soon enough, Zero felt like a whale and refused to come out of his room- for classes or otherwise. Aido would bring him the work and he would come in after classes to take any tests or quizes he missed instead.
Aido burst into his room, well, Ichiru and his shared room.
They were bundled up like a pair of identical burritos in blankets, both focused on the television as Sex in the City played.
"She deserves so much better," Zero mumbled and Ichiru nodded beside him, munching on laffy taffy, handing over each cherry one to Zero who was only eating the cherry ones it seemed.
"Get up, Kiryu. We're going shopping." Aido declared and Zero glared at him, "You have good taste, you go shopping for me."
Aido looked both irritated and flattered at the same time and Ichiru laughed away the tension between the two.
Aido switched tactics when Yuki came barreling into the room, her memories of the night with Shizuka stricken and her seal replenished. They had told her about the pregnancy which she had taken with the greatest stride, apparently excited at being a teenaged aunt.
Ichiru stared at her as she came in, captivated to her like a moth to flame. Zero and Aido both took note of it.
"Yuki-chan," Aido pleaded, "Help me here."
Zero looked at her and put on his best puppy eyes, "Yuki, why don't you take Aido and go shopping? Aido wants to go shopping, don't you Aido?"
His manipulation was near masterful and Aido sighed.
"Not for me alas, Kiryu. Don't tell me you can still fit into the uniform shirts- no one would believe that."
Zero blinked at his words, blinking and blinking and blinking, trying to blink away the stubborn tears.
"Damn these hormones," He muttered and all the room's people shuddered in anticipation, knowing they would only get worse as the pregnancy progressed.
"Just go, Nii-san. It's not like you don't need clothes."
Zero glared at his twin before smiling a wicked grin, "Ichiru, you have a good sense of style, why don't you come with?"
Yuki cheered, "Yeah, come with us, Ichiru-kun! We'll go get ice cream in town!"
Aido, Zero, and Ichiru all perked up at her words, Ichiru because he was so obviously crushing on the current human, Aido and Zero both fantasizing about mint chocolate ice cream.
They had just gotten done with shopping, Zero, Aido, and Ichiru were seated in a booth as Yuki ordered her own ice cream.
"You like Yuki! You like Yuki! You like Yuki!" Aido and Zero mocked as his twin stayed focused on her. Ichiru slapped Aido and poked his brother in the nose, not wanting to incite the silver haired Pureblood's wrath.
Zero chuckled at Aido's red cheek and Ichiru let out a growl, "Shut up! She'd never look at me that way! She's too focused on Ku-"
He froze his words as a dark look crossed his brother's fair features.
Zero's eyes flashed to him as if daring him to finish that sentence.
"What were you saying, brother-dear?" Zero crooned and Ichiru shuddered.
"Ju-just, Yuki doesn't see me that way." Ichiru breathed and Zero turned to him and tapped his spoon against the tip of his twin's nose.
"Maybe you and Yuki need to get drunk. That's what worked for Kaname and I."
Ichiru looked appalled at his brother, "Are you suggesting, to your baby brother, that he get your adopted baby sister drunk and conceive a child with her like you did with your mate?"
Zero snickered, "Well, when you put it that way, it sounds a bit off, doesn't it?"
Aido and Ichiru nodded vigorously.
Zero shrugged and went back to eating his ice cream just as Yuki skipped to the table with a huge jar of ice cream and a smaller jar of green sherbert which she immediately handed over to the pregnant Bride. Aido pouted in reply and she immediately swatted him on the head, "You're not pregnant, you don't need the extra calories, Aido-sempai."
After properly reprimanding the Noble, Yuki struck up conversation with Zero, unaware of her adopted brother's twin staring at her passively. Zero poked his brother on the cheek and it failed to stir him. He poked him again and again before finally turning to Yuki.
"Ichiru likes you, he wants to ask you out, Yuki."
Ichiru came out of his tizzy to see Yuki blushing a watermelon red and Zero smirking at him, "Zero, what did you say?"
Zero smirked and popped him on the nose with his spoon, "Come on, Yuki. What do you say? He has the good genes and everything!"
Ichiru groaned in realization and Yuki sputtered in reply, forgetting her ice cream.
Aido seized a scoop and Yuki swatted him away as she came out of her temporary daze. Ichiru blushed brightly and tried to look anywhere other than at Yuki for a few minutes as Yuki ate her ice cream and appeared too shell-shocked to consider.
"Yes." Yuki breathed a few minutes later when she had finished her ice cream, her eyes fell on Ichiru.
"Yes, what?" He asked stupidly and she beamed and swatted him playfully on the arm.
"Yes, I'll go out with you."
Ichiru burst into Kaname's office two nights later where he and Zero were lounging on the couch in front of the fireplace, Zero whispering to him (or the twins, Ichiru wasn't sure) softly.
"Nii-san! What do I wear? What do I wear? What d-"
Zero hushed him and sighed, "Has Fashion Police taught you nothing?"
Ichiru blinked, his face blank.
"Oh, oh yeah. Bye!"
Kaname stared after Ichiru as the younger twin burst back out of the room.
He looked at Zero in question.
"He's going on a date." Zero filled in, "With Yuki."
The last was tacked on as an afterthought and Kaname went silent at his words, releasing the silver haired Pureblood- his oh-so-familiar mask sliding back onto his handsome features.
Oh no, Zero thought. His hormones raised their ugly heads viciously and jealousy began to bloom in his chest, but he bit it back despite knowing that Kaname would no doubt notice it through the bond even if he was focused on other matters.
They hadn't really moved on passed the shallow end of their relationship- blood drinking, sex, and a few revealing conversations between the two- even with Zero's growing touchy-feely side which demanded cuddles from any fool within reaching distance (usually Aido or his brother, Kaname was clever enough to evade him in those moods).
What did a normal couple do for that matter?
Zero wondered as he felt Kaname close down the bond on his side, but not before he felt the brown haired Pureblood's confusion.
Does he think he's supposed to feel something for her still?
Zero put a handle on his anger as it spiked at the thought- wondering briefly if this was what Aido meant about his hormones being worse than a pregnant female's due to his Bride status.
Kaname for his part, pondered his words to Yuki so long ago, recalling their childish intentions to one day marry as Haruka and Juri had.
That's all it could be now- a childish intention never to come to fruition.
A part of him resented that.
"What's going on, Kaname? What are you thinking?" Zero asked beside him and Kaname shook his head, trying to shake himself from those thoughts all together.
He could sense his mate's irritation and sparky emotions through the bond and a part of him was proud of Zero for not acting on his emotions so easily.
"Nothing-well, nothing now, I suppose. No need to trouble you about it."
Zero sighed at his reply and muttered his own response.
"I'm pretty sure it's bothering you because you haven't talked to anyone about it- you can't expect to keep all your feelings to yourself and still expect them to disappear."