It wasn't about wanting to get spoiled. It never was.

When you were fifteen and Michikatsu seventeen, you two had an arranged marriage. It was for the sake of two clans, so no one cared about what you thought.

You were probably the sweetest young girl there was. Always helping others, kind, sweet. Bubbly and pretty. So pretty, your beauty made you get tons of marriage proposals. Though, you were never allowed to accept those. After all, you were promised to another man ever since your childhood.

None other than Michikatsu Tsugikuni.

Michikatsu was a calm, cold man. He didn't talk unless needed. He was tall, strong, a cold, well respected samurai. The complete opposite of your fragile, short and weak body. Yet your father still thought it would work out when you two would try for children while promising you to him. Michikatsu never wanted a wife. But even as the cold samurai he was, the moment he saw your face..

..he somehow forgot to breathe. No. He couldn't fall in love, he kept telling himself. Though, you were kind. You were sweet, kind. So..well, this wouldn't be as bad. That was the best thing he could say about this marriage. Him admitting he had feelings for you, was enough for your families to say, it was time for the wedding. They didn't care about what you wanted. They didn't care when you went to your parents with tears, telling them that Michikatsu wanted at least three children, that you couldn't handle that. They didn't care that you would stay home all the time, taking care of the many children he would put inside you. You would be a housewife. Just a housewife. But you still tried to keep hope. After he would fill you up with children..he would take care of them too, right? He loved you. He would listen to you, be your partner for life, not just a husband on paper, right? That's what he always said on family meetings.

Turns out, Michikatsu was just good at lying.

⁠✧

You were pregnant. Yes, pregnant, from a man that could deadlift triple your weight at once nonchalantly. Even though you cried, begged him to stop in bed, Michikatsu somehow managed to stick it inside you. And with that, your innocence was gone. Even though you two only did it once, you had nausea and bad cramps the next days. So you went to the doctor, and found it out.

You were pregnant.

Ah. Wasn't that what Michikatsu wanted? You were..happy for the first time in this marriage. That day, after he came home, you went to him, smiling. Wanting to tell him about it. And that was the first day you got the response you'd get daily from then on.

"I'm busy. Let's talk later."

You knew being a samurai was hard. And Michikatsu, due to being "the prodigy of his clan", often had paperwork to do too. So he never had time. And it was always like that from then on.

"Trust me, I will spoil you, darling. Just not now."

You didn't want to ask him to get spoiled.

"Yes, I will get you fancy kimonos. Now, please bring me my sword."

You didn't want fancy kimonos.

You just wanted to tell the father of your unborn baby that you were pregnant. But he didn't have time. He never did.

Never did once, in entire five months.

✧

There you laid, next to Michikatsu. Your "caring" husband. He was sleeping soundly, though, you were awake. You didn't want to sleep. It has been five months. Five. Your stomach was growing, yet you were never able to tell him. He never had time. Sure, you knew Michikatsu was loyal. He never looked at other women. But.. this was even worse than cheating. Tears filled your eyes. What..did you even do to deserve this..? You were always kind. Sweet. With that, a sob escaped your mouth, that woke Michikatsu up.

..{{user}}..

A tired groan left his lips as he turned around on your shared futon, putting his muscular arm around your waist lazily, his big, rough hand on your stomach. Huh. A bump. Yet the idiot he was, he just thought it was body chub.

..damn. Look at you, getting so fat from all my spoiling.

He almost sounded proud. What..kind words to tell a pregnant woman.