Takumi took Eri to his parents place for dinner.

Eri greeted Takumi's father with wide, startled eyes, as she took in his appearance. Her eyes moved between the two men, as though verifying their reality. Kiri was over three decades older than his son, but perhaps because he worked in the entertainment industry with his wife, he looked really good for his age. And Takumi was like a slightly larger, younger, carbon copy of his father.

Takumi chuckled at Eri's obvious reaction. "I half expected you to look at my mother this way, what's so interesting about my father?" he asked her teasingly.

"He looks just like you!" she exclaimed in a whisper.

Hikaru overheard her and agreed with a smug grin, "I know, right? And my husband is still the sexiest man I've ever seen." Despite her brash words, Takumi's mother elegantly folded herself as she sat next to her husband at the table, then grinned at Eri and declared, "I'm so lucky that both of my children took after their father!"

Takumi's younger brother muttered, "He's the illegal clone."

Eri covered the giggle that escaped her as she nodded, while Takumi objected, "We're not exactly alike, I'm taller."

Takeshi Shiori reached out and whapped Takumi's shoulder with an open hand while complaining, "You smug peacock, you may be taller, but at least I'm smarter than you are."

Takumi seemed to ignore the insult as he nodded and agreed seriously, "Indeed, that's good, since you stopped growing too early."

Eri regarded Shiori with wide eyes, as he grinned at her and asked his brother, "She's so cute, how did you meet her?"

"Pure luck," Takumi replied emphatically.

"Do you have any sisters?" Shiori asked Eri herself in an obviously teasing fashion.

"Just one, and she's already married," Eri informed him with a blush.

Shiori pretended to pout, but shifted his focus to the table as Kiri filled the waiting cups. Shiori took his place and began to load up his plate cheerfully as Takumi and Eri sat. Their mother regarded her sons with a repressed grin, and loaded her own plate just as quickly.

Takumi told them teasingly, "You'll get fat."

"Worth it," Hikaru replied simply.

Shiori stuck out his tongue and replied, "I'm not the one who gets plump over winters. Worry about yourself. I'm starving."

Takumi reddened a little, but announced promptly, "That reminds me, Eri would like to see pictures of when I was little."

Hikaru grinned openly as she exclaimed, "You were so cute!"

Kiri regarded his eldest with surprise. "You're offering them to her, instead of complaining if we show her?"

Takumi nodded and slid his arm around Eri's waist. She blushed again as he leaned over and kissed her lightly before replying, "I'll do anything that will make her feel a little better about the baby coming. Even let her laugh at my childhood pictures."

Shiori stared at his brother open mouthed and exclaimed, "Flaming blazes! You are so freaking in love it's embarrassing!" He leaned toward Eri and confided, "He cried and locked himself in his room for a week after I showed his first girlfriend his baby pictures!"

"I did not!" Takumi objected.

"It was only for about two hours," Kiri interjected complacently.

Eri gazed at Takumi with startled eyes and he blushed. She offered hesitantly, "If it's too embarrassing, I don't need to see?"

He took her hand and squeezed it gently as he replied calmly, "It's okay if it's you Eri."

Eri blushed deeply and avoided everyone's eyes. Kiri changed the topic with practiced ease, and after dinner Eri got to see lots of pictures.

--

Eri held the tablet and flipped through another album of photos from when Takumi and his brother were little. Kiri and Hikaru had obviously taken a lot of pictures over the years.

Takumi watched her a little anxiously, and she smiled and told him reassuringly, "You were very cute."

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

He cuddled her closer and whispered, "Not as cute as you are."

Eri blushed, but made no protest, and he grinned at her.

When they curled up in his bed that night, she whispered, "I'm really glad you introduced me to your family. I was nervous about it, but they all really love you a lot."

Takumi kissed her, and then agreed, "Yes, I'm pretty lucky, even though they all love to tease me."

"You were so cute," she told him again, while grinning at him.

"And now?" he asked while running his fingers over her hip.

"You're very sexy," Eri whispered seriously. If Hikaru of Mirage could openly brag about how sexy her husband was, Eri felt like she could at least tell Takumi so directly.

Takumi responded very warmly.

--

Eri was sick again in the morning. And as if that wasn't enough, when they stepped into the hall they were greeted by the sight of Takumi's ex, who was carrying a laundry basket.

Kasumi stared at them for a long moment, and then asked unhappily, "She's already living with you?"

Eri was startled when Takumi replied harshly, "It's none of your business. What are you even doing here?"

Kasumi lifted her chin and declared, "I just moved in." She turned and pointed with her basket. "A couple doors down."

Eri shocked them both by declaring suddenly, "I hope you'll really enjoy living here and stay for a long time!" Kasumi sputtered as Eri promptly dragged Takumi away. Once they were safely into the elevator Eri whispered anxiously, "Because we're moving out, and I don't want her to follow us."

Takumi hugged her tightly and murmured, "I love you Eri."

--

The realtor had chosen only three places to show them that afternoon.

Eri liked the first one, except that she thought the entry with it's open water feature might be dangerous for a baby. Takumi really liked the parking and the view at the second place. He liked it enough that Eri asked, "Do you just want to take this one?"

He hesitated before replying, "Let's wait and see."

Before offering the third place the realtor commented hesitantly, "I think you'll both really like this one, but it isn't very well set up for small children. It just became available though, so I thought we'd try it?"

The building was on a hill above the river, near an elementary school. It had a covered parking space available, but not an enclosed one. It was very modern and well lit, and the residence they were being shown to was on the upper floor, so its hallway even had skylights.

When the realtor let them in Eri only took a few steps before she exclaimed, "Wow!"

Takumi looked at the small modern kitchen beside the entry approvingly, while Eri stepped down into the main room and went to stare out the windows which were lined with built in window seats. The room was done in natural woods and sunshine lit it warmly.

Eri peeked into the bathroom and announced, "Takumi, you will love this!"

He walked over and looked in, and immediately agreed. There was a beautiful soaking tub big enough for two beside the windows. A built in washer and dryer occupied the interior corner of the bathroom. The only downside to the place was that instead of a second bedroom, it had a loft above it's master bedroom.

Eri was regarding the narrow staircase with such disappointment that Takumi asked, "You don't think we could make it work?"

Startled, she turned and gazed at him questioningly. "Would it really be okay? With a baby?"

"You really like this place don't you?"

"Yes, I love it," she agreed quickly. "But it's more than you're already paying, without as good a parking place, and a loft isn't really safe for small children?"

"The parking is good enough," he assured her. "And we could install baby gates couldn't we?" He pulled her close and kissed her, before adding, "And the price really isn't that bad Eri. It's fine."

She looked at him doubtfully and then gazed around a bit longingly. Both of the other places were probably more practical, but this one really did appeal to her.

"I love the tub and the kitchen, if you like it too, let's make this one work?" Takumi suggested.

Eri gazed into his face seriously for a few minutes before agreeing questioningly, "If you're sure?"

"I'm sure," he insisted happily.

The building required a two year lease, which made Eri worry again, but Takumi pointed out, "I think the baby will just barely be learning to walk by then, if it's not working out we can move again." He knew that he might be pushing her, with the silent assumption that they would still be together when the lease ended, but it made him kind of happy that she didn't seem to question it.

--

After they had everything signed, and had received their keys, and finally bid farewell to the realtor, Takumi hugged Eri tightly and asked, "Want to?"

Eri blushed and protested without asking what he meant, "But there's no bed?"

Takumi grinned at her. "We could try the counter, the window seats, or the bath?" he suggested softly.

She gazed at him with an expression of open mouthed surprise that made him trace her lips with his fingertips, and then taste her mouth.

She shivered, and he asked again, "Can we?"

After a moment she nodded.

--

Even though no one else could see them, Eri hid her face against Takumi's shoulder in embarrassment as he cuddled her gently a while later.

"I love you so much Eri. Let's go buy a new bed," he proposed suddenly.

She sat up and blinked at him in surprise. After a few moments she asked, "Why?"

Takumi avoided her gaze for a moment, but then met her eyes and told her almost shyly, "I want to make everything here ours. A bed that only we have done it in, dishes we choose together, everything?"

Eri blushed, and then asked uncertainly, "Won't that be expensive?"

"Probably," he agreed. "But can we do it anyway?"

She didn't answer right away. Sunlight illuminated everything where she sat in his lap on the window seat when she agreed, "Okay, if you're sure."