Shintaro and Surprises
Kisaragi Shintaro/Tateyama Ayano

Dinner was … strangely quiet.

Ayano didn't ask her usual protocol of 'how was your work today and its details' to him nor did she make small conversations of useless things she heard from their local neighbors. Instead, Ayano was a wreck. Shintaro couldn't exactly pinpoint what her true feelings are but the most apparent one was anxiety. Her dark brown eyes kept stealing glances towards him, but they turned away as soon as he stopped to look at her. Sometimes, her eyes stared to the floor for a long time before returning her concentration back to eating. Most of the time, Shintaro wanted to pry her and ask what was wrong but he felt reluctant and kept quiet instead. I'm sure she'll tell me what's wrong, he shrugged.

As soon as the dishes were done, the couple sat on their soft lumpy green couch. Ayano fidgeted and played with the ends of her shirt while Shintaro flicked through channels animatedly. She took a deep breath and stood up, startling her husband while doing so. She took a deep breath. This was it, she decided a few seconds ago.

"Shintaro-kun," Ayano turned to her husband and sat next to him. "Please listen to me carefully."

Shintaro swore he could feel cold sweat dripping on his back when she grabbed his hands. The nerves on his brains gave him an immediate signal of panic. This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, he screamed, I have a bad feeling about this. His wife locked her brown eyes on his darker one, drilling infinite holes into his bare soul. Shintaro felt nervous as he felt his palm sweating relentlessly, just like on his wedding day, just like when he confessed to her, just like when his computer almost died on him. When Ayano took another deep breath, Shintaro's breath hitched.

"Shintaro…"

It's coming.

"I'm…. I'm…"

What? WHAT? Don't make me nervous!

"Pregnant."

The word shot through his head like a bullet. For a few seconds, Shintaro felt like the world stopped turning. Pregnant. Ayano. Pregnant. My wife. Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant… what does it mean? Pregnant equals babies. Yeah, babies. Cute, chubby, small babies. My wife is pregnant with babies inside … her… abdomen….

Shintaro's body jolted upwards as he felt his eyes widen in shock. What?

"You're pregnant?"

A nod from Ayano.

"W-With my child?"

Another nod.

"… O-our child?"

Another nod.

Shintaro felt his lips twitching upwards, forming a wicked grin. He felt like laughing or crying, he didn't know which. Before he knew it, he pulled his wife into a tight hug, the same wicked grin plastered on his lips. He was happy, no, more than that, he was ecstatic. The very thought of Ayano bearing their child or children made him feel like the happiest man in the world. His wicked grin quickly turned into a wide toothy grin and a fit of laughter echoing through the room.

At the sound of his laughter, Ayano joined him with a smile.

"I can't believe this. I'm going to be a father. Ayano, I'm going to be a father!" he exclaimed happily, not letting Ayano go for even a second. She hugged him back in response and chuckled.

"Yes, silly Shintaro. You're going to be a father."

Shintaro kissed his wife's forehead. Thanking her inside his head while his right hand moved to caress her petite stomach. The two shared a hearty smile.

There's life in there.

A/N: I admit, this is the first time I wrote about pregnancy announcements. I hope it's not too bad.