Title: Of Sparrows and Princes
Author: sllebswap
Beta'd by: MelissaRose85
Characters/Pairing: Miura Haru and Belphegor
Type: OneShot Collection (InComplete)
Genre: Romance/General/Humor
Word Count: 7338
Rating: M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older)
Disclaimer: Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn belongs to Akira-san.
Summary: TYL ficlet. Various one-shots depicting the complicated relationship between Belphegor and Haru.
Chapter Last Revised on: 19/12/10
Chapter Thirty Six
The wedding ceremony went off without a hitch.
The somewhat bemused minister had performed the ritual in a hospital ward—a rather unusual venue for marriage if there was one, but he had been asked to join couples in holy matrimony in much stranger places, so he did not ask too many questions.
The groom wore a battle uniform to his own wedding and the bride's posy looked suspiciously like something hastily procured from the hospital florist, but even though there was little fanfare over the whole thing like there usually was, both appeared quite keen on the marriage. There were only two others on hand to witness this union; a temporarily infirmed middle aged man who was the bride's father, as well as a younger man—an aristocratic and wealthy looking foreigner who doubled as a ring bearer for the couple.
The ceremony was a quick one. The groom had little patience for anything longer and the bride was kept too busy assuring her worried father that she was indeed prepared to be married to her psychotic lover to notice when said male demanded the more abbreviated version to be performed, as opposed to the usually longwinded one.
And so the vows were quickly exchanged and the necessary documents signed, though the glowing bride had faltered briefly when her new husband had slipped her wedding ring, an antique monstrosity passed down from his family that was as ugly as it was priceless, onto her left ring finger. Then he had proceeded to reel her in for a deep, lusty kiss that was so carnally passionate that both the minister and bride's father had been scandalized, though his ring bearer cousin had only smirked faintly with approval. After all, if Belphegor continued to be so enthusiastic towards his marital duties, then it wouldn't be long before they had the next heir in line to the throne.
When the Varia assassin did not look inclined to stop kissing his new wife anytime soon and Haru had appeared quite content to remain in his lecherous clutches, the thoroughly amused Archduke took over the duty of ushering the minister out of the room, providing a generous payment to the man for his prompt and professional services. By the time Alaisdair returned to the room, though, his cousin had managed to quit molesting his blushing bride in full view of his mortified father-in-law, though the smug expression on his face told everyone in the room how pleased he was with his choice of wife.
Alaisdair went up to the royal couple and bowed respectfully towards his King and his Princess Consort.
"Your Highnesses, allow me to be the first to offer my heartfelt congratulations," he murmured graciously. "May this marriage be a lasting and fruitful union that will bring prosperity to the Kingdom of Astonia and the Royal Family of Tsiveone."
The official greeting done, the Archduke straightened and looked at his new cousin-in-law.
"Thank you for marrying Belphegor, Haru. You have the undying gratitude of the entire Royal House for your magnanimous sacrifice. We will remember this selfless deed that your family has done for us for generations to come. Know that all of us will rally behind you in full support should you ever need it against your unruly husband."
Haru would have laughed softly if not for the fact that the dark-haired aristocrat sounded perfectly serious. Belphegor just scowled at his retainer/relative, but even his glare did not carry much heat. The blonde was in too good a mood to rise to his cousin's good natured ribbing this time, and then Haru excused them to tug him to her father.
"Dad," she greeted softly, and it was not hard for Hitoshi to hear the genuine happiness in his daughter's voice. It was written all over her face as well, the way she all but glowed as she glanced at her significant other—the same significant other who happened to scare the hell out of him, but it seemed that his only child was made out of much sterner stuff than he was, and was hardly intimidated by the assassin's strange ways.
Haru had to nudge Belphegor before he tipped his head slightly and greeted his new father-in-law. "Gifu-san," the blonde addressed the older man in a tone that could almost pass as respectful. He didn't smirk like he usually did nor was he being deliberately insolent in a way that only he could pull off. Both daughter and father stared at him briefly, evidently surprised by his restraint.
However, it became quickly evident that his 'pleasant' quota was all filled up for the day with that single polite word, for he chose not to say anything else after that, leaving Haru to deal with her parent while he stood around like a decorative ornament, much to her exasperation. She shot him a mildly dirty look which he responded to with a relaxed, lazy grin, and Hitoshi decided with an inward sense of awe that the wiry blonde certainly didn't look mentally unstable or anywhere near as dangerous as he actually was. In fact, he reminded the Math professor of a well fed, languidly satisfied cat right at that moment, and gave off the rather strong impression that he would have quite happily wrapped himself around his new wife just like a feline if he could.
It was simply amazing to the Miura patriarch that the mere presence of his daughter could bring about such a drastic change in the younger man's edgy temperament. Belphegor had felt like an uncontrollable force of nature, a wildcard, when they were having their little talk earlier. But now, in the immediate vicinity of Haru, the wild, barely leashed promise of violence in him seemed to have subsided greatly. Hitoshi would not go so far as to claim that his daughter had tamed the Varia assassin, but he could see now that she possessed an uncanny ability to soothe her husband's agitated temper and calm the crazed, sadistic beast lurking deep within his psyche.
With a flash of insight, Hitoshi realized that it was no wonder Belphegor was so intent on marrying and claiming his daughter. Looking at the couple standing before him, the old man decided that despite the lack of formal clothing and the grandiose environment of most weddings, his daughter and new son-in-law looked just like any other pair of newlyweds, which was quite a feat in itself since Belphegor was hardly the type to pull off the blissfully married look.
At least, the murderous aura around the younger man had been drastically reduced, and although Hitoshi was still feeling somewhat uneasy in the younger man's presence (he doubted that he would ever feel at ease around the blonde), there was no mistaking that his daughter looked perfectly content around her assassin husband. Hitoshi would even admit that they were a beautiful couple (if Belphegor would ever trim that ridiculously long fringe of his, that was).
Well, the grandchildren would be adorable at least, Hitoshi consoled himself.
Haru bent down and gave her father a tight embrace.
"Thank you for giving us your blessings, Daddy," she told him with heartfelt sincerity when she pulled back to give him an affectionate glance. Her father merely lifted his hand and gently brushed his fingers across the bangs that framed her eyes before he petted her head just like he had always done.
"You have always been my precious little princess, even if you are all grown up and are now someone else's wife. Your Mother would be so proud," Hitoshi mused fondly. "I still remember when you were just a toddler happily gumming away on your own booties. Where has all the time gone?"
Belphegor started to smirk at the mental image the elder's reminiscing remarks had wrought. It would be good blackmail material if he could convince the old man to part with some rather incriminating childhood photos of his wife, judging by the look of rising embarrassment on her face.
"Dad!" Haru yelped, further chagrinned by the renewed interest that Belphegor was showing in the direction of the conversation. "I don't want to talk about that right now. I just-" She looked momentarily teary, much to her father's alarm, though before Hitoshi could try to calm her down, she reached down and hugged him tightly again, her unexpected strength almost enough to cut off his entire air supply.
Hitoshi's eyes bugged out rather comically, but of course his daughter failed to notice his discomfort.
"I just want to thank you for everything that you have done for me," she burst out in a rush, her shoulders trembling with the force of her emotions. "You are the best father anyone could have asked for, Daddy, I don't want you to ever forget that."
Hitoshi patted his daughter's back tenderly, and then he exchanged a look with Belphegor. The blonde was standing unobtrusively by the side, simply observing with no intention whatsoever of stepping in to calm down his overwrought bride.
"Silly child," the middle aged professor murmured, his gaze softening. "You have been the light of my life for so long, how can I ever forget? I will always be your Father, just like you are always my daughter. Go; live your life the way you see fit, Haru. Otou-san loves you, and whatever you do, just remember to do with your heart and be happy."
The Father was beginning to look a bit teary himself, and the scene was so disgustingly touching that Belphegor easily felt goosebumps crawling up his arms. Those Japanese were definitely full of emotional outbursts, his own wife included. He dearly hoped that it wasn't contagious. He waited until parent and child had composed themselves reasonably before stepping in to tug Haru back to his side.
"We will be leaving soon," the Storm Varia spoke up then. "If there is nothing else to be said, we will head for the airfield now."
It was evident that Haru had not been informed of that part of the plan. She stared at Belphegor in surprise.
"Why? I thought that we could stay here for awhile after the ceremony."
Belphegor shook his head.
"Alaisdair will go back to Astonia to present the documents of the wedding to the Royal Council later. While they have not approved of the marriage, we will simply remain out of contact until they do. That means not being found and therefore not allowing them to have any grounds to dissolve this marriage. I'm not in the mood to listen to them gripe about this subject."
Alaisdair made his way over then.
"You are never in any mood to listen to the advisors," the Archduke commented dryly, having overheard the latter part of his cousin's mutterings. The aristocrat nodded respectfully to Hitoshi as he came to a stop before the small group.
"Grounds to dissolve the marriage?" Haru echoed, her brow furrowing. "Like what?"
"Annulment, for one. As well as any ridiculous little loophole that they can exploit to their advantage." Belphegor smirked at his bride. "But don't worry; by the time they get hold of us, this marriage will be so thoroughly consummated that there will be no way of reversing it."
Haru blushed at his blatant meaning but did not protest his intention.
"What about Dad?" she asked instead. "Will he be safe from all these people?"
Belphegor promptly waved the responsibilities over to his steward.
"Alaisdair will see to the security details of your father." Haru nudged him with her elbow at his mistake, and he rolled his eyes before he amended. "Sorry, I mean our father."
The Archduke appeared slightly exasperated by how his list of duties was getting longer by the minute, but he did not complain. The dark-haired aristocrat nodded in agreement. "Mr. Miura will be in good hands, Your Highness. He is the father of our Princess Consort now, and I will do my best to keep him safe. Besides, he will be in no immediate danger as long as you are not in the vicinity to bring attention to his existence, Princess."
Haru was quite disconcerted to be addressed thusly, but now was not the time to think of something as trivial as her title. Despite not having attended any formal ceremony declaring her sudden elevation in social status, Alaisdair had told her that the paperwork of her marriage to Belphegor would be enough to prove her newly instated position as the Crown Prince's Princess Consort.
The brunette turned to her father instead. "Dad, do you think you will be okay here?" she asked, anxious.
Hitoshi nodded. "I believe so, my girl," the elder Miura paused, and then continued. "You should leave with your husband with due haste. He has a good point."
Belphegor smiled lazily at that.
"Of course I do, Gifu-san," the blonde agreed not so humbly. "We will leave right now."
Haru was reluctant to go, but she gave her goodbyes to her father all the same, set more at ease by the sight of Alaisdair who had parked himself by the older man's bedside. After promising to reestablish contact the very moment she could, the newlywed couple proceeded to leave Namimori.
Nearly two hours later, they were on Belphegor's private jet, rapidly gaining altitude as they left her home country. Haru had been uncharacteristically quiet and gazed solemnly through the aircraft's window at the skylights of Japan until they were at last obscured by the clouds.
Then she had fidgeted around and started to play with the god awful looking ring that Belphegor had slipped onto her finger as a symbol of their marriage, and started to scowl at the ridiculous hunk of diamond surrounded by equally exaggerated sizes of various precious gems. The ring was clearly a one of a kind, priceless, antique alright, but it felt unbearably heavy on her finger and Haru did not quite like the mildly malicious vibe that seemed to be exuding from the jewelry itself. It was most probably her overactive imagination at work, but she had already formed her opinion and her instincts were telling her to have as little to do with the ring as possible.
That, or it was just so ugly that Haru really didn't want to wear it.
The brunette was beginning to slide the piece of jewelry off her finger (it must have been altered beforehand for it had fit her perfectly) when Belphegor abruptly placed his hand over hers.
"What are you doing?" he asked sharply. He had been observing her distracted actions for awhile now and had only reacted when she looked like she was about to remove her wedding band, the one that he had put on her just mere hours ago.
Haru looked at him. "I can't wear this," she protested, and her husband's mood promptly turned thunderous.
"Are you telling me that you are having second thoughts now?" he growled, unamused. His fingers tightened over hers.
She gave him a surprised look, and then she shook her head.
"No," she answered so promptly that he quickly had no doubt regarding the authenticity of her reply. "I just don't want to wear this; it's too conspicuous for me."
She tried to shake his hand off but he was not having any of it.
"It's supposed to be conspicuous," he informed her shortly, lifting her hand and turning it slightly just so that the gems sitting on her ring finger gleamed under the light. "This will be the symbol of your status now, as well as a reminder of your commitment to me."
"This is ridiculous," she muttered. "I might as well be wearing a sign asking to be robbed. Can't I wear a smaller symbol? One that won't blind me with so much brilliance whenever I so much as look down at my own hand?"
He chuckled evilly at her disgruntled mumblings, finally comprehending the reason behind her displeasure.
"No." He took great relish in answering her. "You will wear that ring so everyone will know that you are already taken."
He was as possessive as usual, and she frowned at him.
"I don't see you wearing anything to proclaim your married status," she pointed out, irritated.
He had the gall to grin at her.
"There is no need to. When I ascend the throne, it will be the ultimate indication of my marital status. The signet ring that comes with the position will also serve as a wedding ring."
Haru was not satisfied with his answer, especially since she was aware that he was doing his darned best to shirk his duties to his country. God only knew just when he would ever become King.
"But until then?" she pressed.
He shrugged casually at her.
"Until then, nothing."
Haru scowled at him, and he quickly quit that infernal grinning when she snatched her hand from him and promptly removed the antique ring in one swift action. She stuck her nose up at him.
"In that case, I'm not going to wear a ring as well, and especially not one as ugly as that one."
She shoved the ring back at him but he grabbed it and tried to jam it back down her finger instead. Haru pulled her hand back quickly only for him to growl and drag her forcibly over to his seat. She squirmed and complained.
"Belphegor, stop that! You are getting me all tangled up in my seat belt!"
He reached over and released the clasp of the safety belt before hauling her bodily over to him then. Haru yelped.
"Bel-!"
"What do you mean by ugly?" he muttered, insulted. "That's the family heirloom for all the wives of the Kings; you should be honored to wear it."
She smacked him in the chest in a demand to be let go. He grunted and only held her even more tightly.
"It's too ungainly! It's not practical to wear that every day! That's why I demand something smaller!"
"No," he told her bluntly. "You deserve nothing less than this. It's either the ring or a tiara. You choose."
Haru went momentarily blank at the thought of wearing a tiara. That's right; she was a Princess now as well as a married woman, though she certainly hadn't felt any different at all. She certainly did not feel more royal or aristocratic, nor did she suddenly have any urges to act like a housewife and start being more domestic. Perhaps it just hadn't sunk in yet, but the mental image of having to wear a matching crown with Belphegor every day was just so ridiculous that Haru quickly shook her head.
"Just…no. No way," she rejected firmly at last. "That's just going to look silly."
He stiffened with outrage.
"What do you mean by that?" the blonde snapped. "I wear a crown as well and I do not look silly!"
"…"
His bride's lack of reply was not reassuring.
"How about I wear the ring around my neck instead?" she suggested then, tactfully evading the subject. Her vain husband was not about to let the matter rest that easily, though.
"Don't change the topic. We were talking about my crown and how I look wearing it-"
Honestly, Haru did not understand how anyone could be afraid of Belphegor when he was being like this. She took the ring back (somewhat reluctantly) from him and with a small grimace, slipped the glaring eyesore back onto her finger—for now.
"Well, I was thinking about getting a nice chain to wear it on," she interrupted him before he could get too deep into his ruffled mutterings. Since she was already conveniently sitting on his lap, she wiggled her bottom slightly to get his attention. Next, she unbuttoned the first few buttons of her shirt to reveal the top of her lace bra, and then slid her index finger slowly down her chest to rest between the smooth, milky valley between her breasts. "One long enough for the ring to rest here, right beside my heart."
She definitely had his full attention by then, and he promptly forgot about everything else.
Her voice was slightly husky and she sounded somewhat shy towards the end, and his body reacted instinctively to the rather pleasing picture she made right there and then. It never failed to surprise him just how innocently she behaved no matter how many times they had had sex before, and as usual, the way she looked at him with such gentle eyes made something within him clench with pleasure and satisfaction.
She was his now. His lover. His wife. His Consort.
His mate.
Without a word, he ducked his head and slowly licked at the sweet smelling skin between her breasts, pushed together enticingly by the confines of her bra. She shivered but did not push him away. If anything, she curled her arm around his neck to hold him closer, obviously giving him permission to continue what he wanted to do with her. His hand was cold as it slipped under the hem of her skirt, and that made her tense slightly with surprise. She sighed softly, though, when his fingers lazily caressed the insides of her thighs. Haru wriggled around and straddled her husband, her head bent slightly over his as he kissed the spot between her breasts where she had wanted his ring to be at, sucking and nipping until he had made his mark on her.
She stroked his hair with gentle fingers and kissed the golden strands tenderly. He purred with languid pleasure at her soothing action and nuzzled his nose against her chest. His fingers brushed against the lace material of her panties, the tips of those long, narrow digits sliding sinfully against the moistening fabric as he rubbed and played with the sensitive flesh between her thighs. Haru quivered, a soft whimper escaping her lips at his knowing touch, not to mention she could feel his growing erection through his pants, prodding insistently against her bottom.
She squirmed instinctively, trying to align them together better only for him to growl and hold her still. He continued to touch her intimately, pushing her panties aside to get at the flowering treasure hidden underneath, gliding his fingers against the sleek, slippery flesh of her womanly secrets, dipping into the sweet wetness of her eager body. He knew exactly what to do to make her knees go weak for him and wasn't at all shy about eliciting that addictive response from her as often as he could.
Haru moaned his name shakily and clenched her fingers helplessly in his collar. The heat from his lean, hard body felt unbelievably good to her and she was simply addicted to him. For a supposedly coldblooded assassin, he burned with warmth and vitality in her arms and she never wanted to let him go. His mouth trailed a wet path from her chest to her neck and she tilted her head to grant him access, her body trembling from the pleasure of his touch. He made her want him so badly with such ease, though her only consolation was that he seemed to be equally affected by her.
He pulled his fingers out of her snug, slick sheathe then and swiftly unbuttoned his pants, freeing himself and impatient to ease his erection into her welcoming body. She was already very damp and more than ready to receive him, and even though it was hardly appropriate to make love to his bride in such a setting, he could hardly care less. It wasn't as if she minded very much either, and he was about to push into her when the intercom abruptly came on.
"Good afternoon, Your Highnesses. Please remain seated and fasten your seatbelts. We shall be landing shortly."
The sudden intrusion was like a splash of icy water to Haru's fevered senses and she instinctively jerked back in surprise, startled. Her new husband was not as easily sidetracked, however, and he held her tight to him, intent to continue where they had left off. Haru squirmed aside before he could slide into her, and he cursed when he realized that she was no longer interested in lovemaking.
Sure enough, she tried to push away from him, obviously distracted. "Belphegor, stop that! Something is wrong!" Her face was still flushed with arousal but her eyes were alert and wary.
He grumbled under his breath. "Something is very wrong alright. I just got married and I'm still not getting laid, that's what's wrong."
Haru scowled at him and righted her clothes hurriedly. "Bel, I'm being serious. We shouldn't be landing so soon, should we? We have only just taken off!"
She moved off him and back to her seat, hurriedly buttoning her shirt back up and peering out of the window in vain hopes of trying to identify any sort of landform. Unfortunately, they were still too high up in the stratosphere to see anything but clouds.
Belphegor tucked himself back into his pants, his erection still turgid and raring to go. He also appeared understandably irritated.
"We are landing on a private airstrip because we are switching to a chartered plane. We will be easier to track if we are travelling on my private jet. And we will not be returning to Italy for now."
Judging by his annoyed tone, he was definitely still miffed. Haru ignored his little temper tantrum and furrowed her brow instead.
"Not going back…? Then where are we going?" she asked, perplexed.
He shot her a brief, calculating look. Then he shrugged. "You will see when we get there."
That usually meant he wasn't going to tell her anything else no matter how she tried to pry it out of him, and she had learned from experience that the more she looked like she wanted to know, the more he would deliberately keep it from her just for the hell of it. Haru huffed.
"Can you please tell me these things in advance before you go ahead and do them? Geez, you are not alone anymore; you can't do things as you please without discussing some of them with me at least!" Haru busied herself with untangling the seat buckles as she continued to chide him. "Really; dragging me yonder and forth like a toy rag doll-"
He let her mutter to herself for awhile before he interrupted. Haru went quiet with surprise when he reached over and grabbed her hand. She watched, startled, as he held her hand and started to play with her wedding ring. A small, pleased smile spread over his sharp features as he appeared momentarily content to just to fiddle around with the antique heirloom, though he did stop eventually.
"You are right; I'm not alone anymore, am I?" he asked quietly, and even though she was not certain of what he was thinking, she nodded wordlessly. His smile widened.
"Good." He didn't offer any explanation for his strangely docile behavior, and she gave him an odd look. Before she could comment on it further though, he continued, suddenly in a pleasant, agreeable mood again. "I will get you a new ring and a chain to go with it. But you will still have to wear this one," He touched his priceless family heirloom that currently rested on her finger, "on special occasions."
He was being uncharacteristically nice, and she stared at him with slight confusion.
"Why are you being so accommodating all of a sudden?" she blurted out then. He was usually not that thoughtful even on his best days, so the whole thing just seemed rather suspicious to Haru.
That innocent smile he gave her did not help to soothe her concerns whatsoever. She could almost see the fox tail twitching behind him in mischief. He propped his chin on his hand idly but still did not release hers with his other one. "Well," he drawled. "It does not sit well with me to have the ring of the past kings resting between your breasts. Besides, I'm in the mood to indulge my bride today, so quit asking so many questions and just be grateful."
Sure enough, her hackles rose quickly at his condescending tone.
"Wha- You- Be grateful- Belphegor!" She sounded like she had no idea where to start scolding him, and her look of pique amused him so much that he started to laugh. She was most definitely the only woman in this world who would dare to reprimand him, and it was no wonder that he had married the shrewish little baggage in the end. After all, if she tended to yell and nag at him like a fishwife, then she might as well properly fill the position.
For some reason, that thought filled him with much humor, and his chuckles did not abate. Poor Haru started to turn bright red and she promptly smacked him on the arm. "Quit laughing at me, you deviant crackpot!" she spluttered. "And how dare you tell your wife to be grateful! You should be grateful that I married you!"
The fact that his laughter had only gotten louder was an answer in itself. Haru huffed and pouted slightly, but he tugged her upper body to him and kissed her full on the mouth. She could not maintain her irritated temperament for long though, especially when she could taste the genuine amusement on his lips. She quickly went pliant in his arms and kissed him back willingly enough, her hand coming up to rest against his cheek even as she licked and nibbled at his lips in sensual play. He reciprocated her enthusiasm with equal fervor, all but threatening to swallow her whole with the magnitude of his desire for her. By the time he reluctantly pulled back, she was dazed, her rosy mouth kiss swollen and a most irresistible, misty look of passion in her soft eyes.
His smug smirk was one of pure masculine satisfaction.
"I don't hear you complaining about being married to me," he taunted lightly, his tone rich and teasing, and when she could think straight again, she started to open her mouth to protest only for him to cut her off. "By the way, this is yours."
He reached to the marble coffee table before them and revealed a hidden compartment at its base. Then, he retrieved a long, rectangular wooden box from its depths before shutting the secret drawer once more. The blonde unlatched the box and opened the lid, revealing a familiar looking stalk of Venetian glass rose resting upon the dark velvet cushion within its confines.
"My rose…you kept it for me." Haru murmured in surprise and reached out to take it from him. Her husband allowed her to do so before returning the empty box back to the coffee table. Haru ran her fingers over the exquisite artwork, once again marveling over the brilliant colors and lifelike details. She lifted her head at last to smile at him.
"Thank you, Bel. I like it very much."
"Make sure it stays that way. If you dare give away my gifts to you again, I swear I will spank your backside until it turns black and blue."
It was just like him to turn around and threaten her after doing something so thoughtful for her. Haru scowled at him but there was little heat in her glare.
"You are just going to use this as an excuse to fulfill your perverted fantasies," she accused in a disgruntled manner.
He smirked, not even bothering to deny her charge. The mental image of his naked wife bent over his knee, her pert, silkily pale bottom flushing delicately with each vigorous application of his palm, the soft, tensile flesh bouncing with each loud smack, not to mention the cute, erotic mews that she would make as she wriggled and squirmed under his hand made his already aroused body harden further with lust.
Of course, she would most likely scratch and bite and attempt to screech his ears off, but that would only add to the fun of it.
His smirk became sensual, predatory. "It's not a fantasy if I can make it a reality anytime I wish to," he purred.
Haru's eyes widened, and then she blushed heavily. "You are such a pervert," she muttered, but there was no disgust or anger in her tone. She carefully returned her glass rose back to its wooden box. The poor woman was already more or less used to his antics already, and had after all signed herself up for a lifetime of his perversions.
"If that's what you think, then I will try my best not to disappoint your expectations, my dear," he murmured silkily, the sly smile on his face one of devious mischief. "Especially now that we are on our honeymoon."
Haru turned quickly to the blonde, her expression one of stumped surprise.
"Wait- what honeymoon?"
He rolled his eyes at her gob smacked expression. Judging by her reaction, it was as if she fully expected him to drag her back to his cave and be done with. Her lack of confidence in him was quite insulting.
"You know, a honeymoon; a trip taken by newlyweds to consummate their marriage and get to know each other intimately?"
She scowled.
"I know what a honeymoon is! Why are we having one?"
"What do you mean, why? We just got married, didn't we? What kind of bride doesn't want to go on a honeymoon?"
Haru twitched.
"The kind who doesn't know that there will be one," she muttered back. "Thanks to inconsiderate husbands who don't tell them anything! We really need to work on your communication ability, Bel. Evil laughter does not count as a social skill!"
"I think we communicate well enough in bed," the man in question offered silkily. "In fact, I look forward to communicating with you very often in the immediate future."
"No, we are definitely not communicating that way," Haru scowled peevishly. "Not unless whatever remote hole you are planning to hide us both in provides contraceptives. I'll run out of pills in a few days and will need to refill my prescription. You would have known that if you actually told me of this honeymoon plan in advance."
She sounded mildly reproachful, though he was not surprised that she had correctly guessed his intention to seclude them where they would not be disturbed. It proved that she understood him just fine and adapted quickly the rest of the time when he threw unexpected surprises at her, so her complaints were irrelevant—to him, that was.
"It will not be difficult to refill your prescription," Belphegor shrugged idly. All it would take was a phone call, after all. Haru looked at him, reluctantly placated. However, he was not done yet. "But there will be no need to. We don't require contraceptives any longer, do we?"
There was no mistaking what he was trying to say, though she could only continue to stare at him in surprise.
"What does that mean?" she asked at last.
"It means exactly what I just said," he replied, perfectly unruffled, as opposed to the somewhat shaken look on her expressive face. "We are now married; it is my privilege to father your children, and I intend to do exactly that—eventually."
Haru blinked, astounded.
"You think you are ready to be a father?" She sounded bewildered. The notion of Belphegor as a father was such a mindboggling concept to Haru that it was almost an oxymoron. She tried to picture her lover as a caring, dedicated parent and could not even try to imagine what that would look like. Knowing Belphegor, his definition of caring and dedicated would be not killing his children accidentally whilst raising them.
Of course, she had imagined herself having children with him on more than one occasion, though those were more harmless daydreams than actual planning. She had always thought that it would take at least a few more years before the wildness in him would settle down enough to give way to the maturity required for fatherhood, and that despite the constant pressuring of his royal advisors for him to have an heir, he had no interest whatsoever in fulfilling that life altering part of his duty yet.
It turned out that she had misjudged the situation somewhat.
Belphegor shrugged carelessly at her hesitant question. "Why not? I am a Prince and a powerful assassin. I am also a certified genius and my bloodline is impeccable. The world should be thankful that I have decided to procreate."
Haru shot him a flagrantly disbelieving expression. She was also not impressed by his usual 'I'm really the best thing since sliced bread' spiel.
"Oh, for the love of God, I'm not asking you why you think you deserve to be a parent, Belphegor, but rather, what makes you so confident that you are ready to be one? You probably have never even babysat a child before; no one in their right mind would let you near their offspring."
"True," Belphegor agreed. "I have limited contact with children, close to none, in fact." He smiled innocently at her. "But you do, and it is enough that the mother of my children knows how to take care of our future brood."
Sure enough, Haru quickly turned red at his matter-of-fact reply.
"What brood are you talking about? Do I look like a female sow to you?"
"Of course not, but I did mention that I want at least two children, so we might as well get started."
He made it sound as if they were about to embark on a knitting project or something equally trivial. Haru shook her head adamantly.
"No, Belphegor, I don't think that you are fully aware of the responsibilities required to raise a child. It's not as easy as you think! Why are you so eager to-" Then she paused, her eyes narrowing with suspicion, realization forming on her features. "Heirs! You just want to fulfill your duty to the Crown quickly so that your advisors will get off your case. That's why you want to have children so suddenly, isn't it?"
He didn't even try to deny her accusation, much to her growing outrage.
"That's right," he replied straight away, though before she could lose her temper completely, he continued. "But you have neglected to point out the other reason."
"What other reason can there be?" Haru snapped, aggravated. If he thought that he could make her pop out babies to make use of as he wished, then this honeymoon was definitely going to be cut tragically short-
"When you give birth to my offspring, you will be tied down to me permanently. You will never be able leave my side. You will be bound to me through all the children that we have created, and of course I intend to make sure that it happens as quickly as possible."
He had never been interested in the business of procreating for an heir to the throne because there had been no woman before Haru who had quite caught his attention like the way she always did. Tying himself down to any random female just for the sake of his duty to his country was something he would never do unless the female in question was someone he truly desired to keep by his side for all time. He hadn't exactly been actively searching for his elusive soul mate, but since she had stumbled into his life and bed by sheer coincidence (or it had seemed that way only to him), he was not foolish enough to let her slip by his fingers the moment he realized what he had.
And he would use the shackles of his royal duties to chain her down to him as an additional precaution, even if she did not appear as if she would leave him anytime soon, even if she did say that she loved him and had no intention of going anywhere. He would leave nothing to chance when it came to this—to her—this little sparrow would roost by his side from now on and he would make sure that it would become a permanent arrangement.
It began to occur to Haru that her husband had severe abandonment issues. He hid it well enough most of the time but it showed more and more in his possessiveness towards her, and had only gotten worse after she confessed her love to him. For a Prince who was supposedly very powerful and could have everything he wanted to buy with money, he was strangely vulnerable when it came to interpersonal relationships and he guarded Haru like an antagonistic dragon hell bent on hoarding its precious treasure.
She was, after all, the only female whom he had let in so close, his one-of-a-kind treasure. It was no wonder that he wanted to keep her nearby, though his method of doing so was completely awkward and showed his inexperience in such matters.
Despite her initial irritation, Haru quickly found herself at a loss of what to do. A look at Belphegor's face told her that he was serious, and the lack of embarrassment or fluster on his expression indicated that he was not at all shy or hesitant in this matter—he truly meant everything he said.
"Bel," she spoke softly, quietly, her cheeks slowly reddening. "I told you that I won't ever leave you; why are you acting like I'm going to run away at the very first opportunity?"
He looked at her through the veil of his burnished gold hair and said nothing for a brief moment. Then he tilted his head slightly and asked.
"Do you really need me to spell it out for you?"
The meaning behind his cryptic reply was something she did not dare to think about, but yet she could not keep herself from hoping for it all the same. For awhile there, Haru forgot how to breathe. Her blush quickly intensified. Her heart was beating quite fast and it felt as though there was something large and fluffy slowly expanding in her chest. It was joy. She felt so shy at that moment under his intent gaze, which was ridiculous because this man sitting beside her had seen her naked more times than she could count, had touched her body and given her pleasure in ways that no other male had before.
He would make sure that he would be her first and last lover.
It would be perfectly natural for her to bear the children of the man who held her heart.
Slowly, she reached out for him though he easily caught her fingers in his first. His grip was tight but it felt so very reassuring to nestle her smaller hand in his larger one, and she looked up at him, love and trust reflected in the guileless pools of her soft, doe brown eyes. The previous unhappy expression on her face had given way to gentle exasperation, and there and then, Haru made up her mind.
"I suppose there's no harm in trying…" she allowed at last in reluctant surrender, giving in to him grudgingly. She squeezed his hand slightly and the look in her eyes turned to one of bashful affection. "It's not as if we are likely to get it right at first try."
The lazy, cat-like smirk that grew on his face at her shy, agreeable concession was both alarming and sensual to her at the same time. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her fingers, using a bit of tongue against her soft, smooth flesh in a decadent promise of what was to come during this honeymoon of theirs. Haru gasped softly, her eyes darkening with responding interest at his playful, sexual behavior.
"My little sparrow," Belphegor purred huskily. "Who said anything about stopping after the first try?"
::owari::
Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:
First of all, this chapter is dedicated to my most wonderful beta, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with for the past two, almost three, years.
To Melissa: Congratulations on your marriage, dear friend! I wish you and your significant other nothing but the best, and many, many happy, blissful years ahead (as well as plenty of hilarious/memorable /poignant episodes to tell the grandchildren)!
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For my readers: please accept this author's humble apologies for the delay! I was embarrassingly late in submitting the chapters to my beta this time, and all of you can thank her awesome promptness for this update!
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Next, before any of you can get too excited (or too disappointed/annoyed/etc) over the fic's most recent plot progression, well, don't be! Haru might not mind trying for a baby with Belphegor, but that just means she will no longer be on contraceptives from now on. Since she really isn't an instant baby making machine, well, it will be quite some time before there will be little Bels and Harus running around. I know it may sound surprising to some of you, but these things do take time (even if the couple in question are going at it like rabbits).
For those who are still wondering, that means it will still be quite awhile before there will be any news on the baby making front!
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Last but not least, they are finally married! Gosh, this is such a milestone for the two of them; I feel like a nostalgic grandmother just thinking of how far they have come along!
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!
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Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!
-sllebswap