It Was Probably the Steak
By Embittered Flower
Written 8 April 2005; posted 12 August 2017

Disclaimer: Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and its characters are the property of Shoji Kawamori, Haruhiko Mikimoto, and its other co-creators.

Author's Note: I found another one-shot that I wrote over 10 years ago. I hope it entertains while I continue writing chapter 3 of "More Than a Kiss." Enjoy.

- August 2012 -

Hikaru Ichijyo stared at himself sleepily in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. His blue eyes were inattentive even as he scrutinized his appearance. He used this free hand to sweep his unruly black hair away from his face. Although he had it trimmed before the wedding, it was growing back rather quickly.

He turned his head to look out the window. The artificial sky was still dark, and daylight wouldn't break for another hour or so. But he just couldn't stay in bed. Though the stomachache that had plagued him the night before had dissipated, it still bothered him. Luckily, waking up early was nothing new. His years in the U.N. Spacy had trained him to be accustomed to awakening before five in the morning.

Stomach problems aside, he had a busy day ahead of him. The colonization ship SDF-2 Megaroad was heading toward the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. He would be splitting his time between overseeing the testing of the new changes made to the VF-4 Lightnings and training the new recruits.

He did not need an upset stomach complicating the day's work. Thankfully, the worst seemed to be over.

He finished brushing his teeth and spit into the sink. Groggily, he began to trudge his way into the shower when a pink and brown blur rushed past him and forced him against the wall.

"Misa," Hikaru grumbled. He had just awakened but his wife was already running at high speed, it seemed. "I just woke up. Do you have to -"

He was promptly interrupted, however, by the sound of his wife lurching and gurgling into the toilet.

"Misa!" Hikaru was wide awake and alert now. He sped to her side and crouched next to her. "Misa, what's wrong?"

Her morning greeting was a groan as she embraced the toilet in order to prevent herself from falling over. "You know how you had a stomachache after dinner last night? I think it got me too."

Hikaru looked up and peered over the rim of the toilet, immediately wishing that he hadn't. He took Misa's hands and led her to the sink. He swept her hair aside and rubbed her back as she rinsed out her mouth, eyeing her with concern. "It was probably the steak," he suggested. "Not sure how that happened though. We're on a colonization ship in the middle of space. All of our food is manufactured."

Misa mumbled an unintelligible response. Her hands fumbled along the sink's surface as she searched for her toothbrush and toothpaste. Hikaru handed them to her.

"Thanks," she acknowledged him sheepishly. "So much for a good morning kiss, huh?"

Hikaru waved it off and winked at her. "You owe me one later."

She smiled weakly at him and began to brush her teeth. Hikaru watched her carefully and noted that her movements, though still deliberate, were slow and unsteady.

Misa finished and clumsily turned to exit the bathroom. "Go shower. I'll go get our uniforms ready."

"Uniforms? No, no, no." Hikaru picked Misa up, carried her out of the bathroom, and dropped her onto their bed. "You are staying right there in bed 'til you get that bad steak out of your system."

"I'm the one running this ship!" Misa reminded him. "I've got no choice." Her voice was surprisingly strong after having just emptied her stomach of all sustenance.

The firmness of her voice was a small consolation to Hikaru. At least Misa was well enough to fake her health. Still, however, he remained a bit unsure. "Listen," he began. "I know better than to argue with you, but I'd feel a lot better if you stayed home."

Misa shot him one of her "just try and make me" glares.

Typical, he thought. Why did he even bother to try? An upset stomach would never keep Colonel Misa Ichijyo away from the bridge of the Megaroad and he knew it. He raised his hands up in surrender. "I'm only worried about you, Misa."

A small smile formed on her lips. "I know. And I love you for that. But we both have our duties to perform."

"Yes, ma'am." He saluted her, a goofy grin on his face. "I'll take that morning kiss now, Colonel."

Misa smiled up at him lovingly as he leaned over to capture her lips with his. He gently pushed her back onto the bed, his mouth again slowly exploring hers. She sighed with contentment as the weight of Hikaru's body covered her own protectively. He left her mouth and slowly kissed his way down to her neck. He ran his hands down her body and up her nightshirt, lightly tickling her sides.

"That's enough!" Misa laughed and swatted his hands away. "We're both going to be late if we keep this up."

"Of course, Colonel." He sat up to salute her again with a silly grin on his face. "Duty, duty, duty as always," he teased.

He lifted himself off the bed and walked back into their en suite bathroom.

Misa sat up and waited silently until she heard the spray of the shower before she finally hopped off the bed. She walked over to her dresser and opened a drawer. Her green eyes glinted with anticipation as she lifted a pile of clothing to find what she was searching for.

She finally found the box and lifted it to her eyes. She read the side to herself. A plus is a yes; a minus is a no…

She headed back to the toilet, box in hand. On the way, she stopped at the mirror and gazed at her reflection. She hadn't put on any makeup yet and she was still in her nightshirt. But something was different somehow.

Was she glowing? She felt that she was. She had been for a few days now.

She cradled her still flat abdomen with her free hand.

"Oh, Hikaru," she murmured quietly with a small but knowing smile, acknowledging that her husband couldn't hear her from the shower. "I hope it wasn't the steak."

- End -