A/N: Thanks for the reads, reviews, favorites, and follows! They mean a lot!

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Even after everything that had happened between them the night before, Allen still expected to wake up in the infirmary with a bleeding hole and the inability to walk. So when his still sleepy eyes opened to reveal that he was still in Kanda's bedroom, he was suddenly wide awake. His stomach and inner thighs were covered with something dry, yet sticky, and utterly disgusting, but his legs worked just fine and the pain in his hole could actually be described more as a dull ache rather than a pain. He was actually feeling pretty good.

Until the nausea hit him and he found himself scrambling for the toilet to relieve his latest wave of morning sickness.

Kanda was momentarily startled when Allen suddenly bolted from the bed, but he knew why the boy had fled, so he was mostly just disappointed that his time watching the Moyashi sleep had been interrupted. Ever since they had gotten married, watching Allen sleep had become one of Kanda's favorite pastimes, and he often found himself skipping parts of his morning routine to take in the sight of Allen looking so rested and peaceful; seeing the Moyashi like that was more soothing than hours of meditation. They had been married for four weeks and the night before was the first time that Allen had smiled in their bedroom while he was awake; the happy expressions were usually reserved for dreams or when he was faking happiness because other people were around. This morning, the sleeping Moyashi had looked especially happy, and Kanda desperately hoped that the sex last night had helped him overcome his bitterness towards their current predicament. But right now, he had more pressing concerns.

The samurai followed his husband into the bathroom, the vomiting making it easy to ignore the Moyashi's naked form and actually focus on comforting the boy. Because until Allen himself broached the subject and confirmed that he did in fact want more sex, Kanda was going to do everything in his power to keep things chaste between them. So he focused on keeping the Moyashi's hair out of his face and ignored the delicious way the boy's bare ass stuck out while he was kneeling like that.

Dizzy and tired after violently losing the contents of his stomach, Allen numbly let the hands on his shoulders guide him away from the toilet. He didn't know where he was being led, but the coherent part of his brain processed that those hands were his husband's hands and he knew that Kanda was only looking out for him, so he wasn't worried. The cold water of the shower shocked him back into alertness, his surprised yelp earning him a light chuckle from the samurai, but the water streaming down his body felt too good for him to be upset.

And it felt even better once it was warm.

Allen made no effort to move and just stood in place, taking in the feeling of the water streaming down his body. The lack of movement earned him a light chuckle from his husband before Kanda kissed him once, gently on the forehead. "You'll feel better once you get yourself clean, Moyashi."

Allen nodded numbly, knowing that a shower really would help him feel better, but his understanding faded into confusion when Kanda didn't leave his side. Instead, the samurai grabbed the nearest washcloth and began wiping down his body himself. Those rough, strong hands were caring and gentle as he wiped away the mess covering Allen's stomach, and Allen could only stand there in shock. Kanda wasn't just cleaning him, he was cleaning up the mess that their activities from the night before had left behind.

Of all the ways Kanda had tried to show him love in the past month, this simple action had the greatest impact. Any worries that Allen might have had about being abandoned now that they had had sex were completely gone. Kanda was clearly not going anywhere. And that was how Allen found his mouth opening and personal things spilling out. "I meant what I said last night. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to try to learn to love you."

Kanda remained silent, focusing on getting Allen completely cleaned up before acknowledging the statement. "I know. And it means a lot to me. I am thrilled that you no longer want to divorce me. But at the same time..." He sighed heavily, finally looking up to face Allen. "We've been talking about our feelings a lot lately, so I'll try to make this quick. There is no pressure for you to love me any time soon. Just work at your own pace, and let it happen. I want you to love me, and I want you to want to have sex with me, but-"

Allen interjected at that. "If sex continues to be like it was last night, I have absolutely no problems with continuing to do it."

The sentiment was touching, but Kanda couldn't help scoffing. "I really hope that sex isn't like last night's ever again."

The scared looked on Allen's face made him sigh; the Moyashi clearly hadn't understood the comment. "Last night's sex should just be the starting point. Sex should get better every time we do it, not stay the same."

Allen's silver eyes widened in understanding, and Kanda kissed him once, chastely on the lips, before continuing with his original train of thought. "Anyway, the point was that even though I want those things from you, I want your feelings to be real and lasting, so I want you to take your time. You've only got one deadline, and that's for you to love our baby by the time you hold it in your arms for the first time. The rest can wait. Understand?"

Allen remained silent, mulling over Kanda's words thoroughly before he voiced his confusion. "I think so?"

The reaction made Kanda chuckle. "What don't you get, Moyashi?"

Allen shook his head, his wet hair flinging water droplets onto his face. "I don't know. It's just weird to me that you want me to love the baby first. I-"

Silencing the boy the best way he knew how, Kanda cut him off with a kiss. "It's not about order, Allen. I want you to love both of us. But while you can take your time learning to love me, loving the baby is something you should do before it's born."

"Oh." It was clear from the way he said the word that he didn't really get it.

Kanda placed his hand against the Moyashi's stomach, gently cupping the slight bump that was pushing out from the rest of his body. The boy was just starting to show, but what was showing was gorgeous. "This little boy or girl is something you should treasure. I can wait, but the sooner you love our child, the better."

Allen looked down, intending to push Kanda's hand away, but instead, he got his first real look at his pregnant belly. "Dear god, I've gotten fat."

The comment earned him a flicked ear. But Kanda didn't stop there. He grabbed Allen's wrists and pinned him to the shower wall, practically growling as he got in the Moyashi's face. "No. You do not get to call yourself fat. The only reason you're showing this early is because you're too skinny. The baby has nowhere to go but out. You'd have to gain sixty pounds before you could even remotely be considered fat, and you'll have the baby before you ever reach that point. You are not fat, and you're never going to be fat, so there is absolutely no need for you to be self-conscious about your body."

Allen made a half-hearted attempt to pull away. He was angry over the things Kanda was saying, but at the same time, there was something about the way the samurai looked that made him not want to actually escape. The passion in Kanda's eyes was new, and seeing him show his emotions like that was incredibly arousing. "You don't know what you're talking about, Bakanda."

Kanda clicked his tongue at the way the boy blushed and looked away, wondering what was going through his head to suddenly make him embarrassed like that. He leaned in and kissed Allen's exposed throat, thinking that it would get a response out of him, but instead, Allen let out a soft moan and leaned into the touch. Kanda had no clue what he had said to turn the Moyashi on, but he wasn't about to protest the change in his behavior.

The kiss became a hickey, adding yet another mark to the already marked neck, and before it was over, Allen had completely abandoned the pretense that he wasn't aroused. Lips met and hips began grinding against each other, and the moment Allen's hands were released, he tangled them into Kanda's wet hair while the samurai's fingers went straight to his ass. The sex that followed was quick yet passionate, with both young men reaching their climax before the water of the shower could run cold.

After they pulled apart, Allen slumped against the shower wall in resignation. "I can't believe I just did that. I only slept with you last night so that you and Lenalee would finally stop pestering me about it. But now we've had sex three times and it's not even a day later! Why did you have to be right about sex?"

Kanda chuckled lightly but let the Moyashi rant. While it hurt to learn that the consent from the night before had not come from a desire for sex, it was much more amusing watching Allen get himself worked up, so worrying was unnecessary. Besides, the sex just now had definitely happened because the Moyashi wanted sex. He nudged the boy away from the wall and back under the stream of water. "Look at yourself, Moyashi. I just got you clean and now you've gone and made another mess."

The comment earned him a punched shoulder. "It's your own fault, Bakanda."

Choosing not to argue, Kanda kissed the boy and tousled his hair before grabbing the discarded washcloth and starting to clean him up again. "Out of curiosity, what did I say?"

"Nothing."

Not realizing that that was the actual answer to his question, Kanda continued to prod. "Come on, Moyashi. I want to know what I said to turn you on like that so I can use it again later."

Allen didn't want to give Kanda any ammunition, but at the same time, he desperately wanted to see the repressed samurai become more expressive with his emotions. "It wasn't what you said. It was the look on your face when you said it. You've given me a lot of crap in the past for smiling when I'm not happy, but you hide your emotions even more than I do. It was nice to see your feelings reach your face for a change."

.x.x.

The next few days passed surprisingly well for Allen. It could have been that Lenalee was finally leaving him alone now that Kanda knew that she knew about their situation, but Allen knew in his heart that that wasn't why everything seemed so calm. He was just as stressed and anxious as he usually was, but now that he was actually sleeping with Kanda instead of sleeping beside him, he had an outlet for those feelings. Talking helped, but nothing wiped away his worries like an orgasm did.

It bothered him that they were having sex so frequently, but true to his word, Kanda wasn't raping him. Even now that he had consented to being in a sexual relationship, Kanda still backed off if Allen wasn't in the mood. And it was simultaneously irritating and touching that the samurai was being respectful.

The man's personality seemed to have done a complete 180 in the last few weeks. He had even started being nice to Allen in public. Fortunately no one had noticed yet, but it was only a matter of time before everyone found out that they were married; though that was definitely going to be sooner rather than later at the rate that Allen's belly was growing. And Allen was terrified of having to tell people that he was pregnant.

Which was why he only ever stayed in the cafeteria long enough to eat his food and was currently hiding out in an unused lounge. If he was at headquarters, he was doing everything he could to hide from people.

Allen looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps and his stomach immediately dropped at what he saw. An overwhelming sense of dread filled his body and he had to fight the urge to run for his life.

Standing just inside the doorway, blocking the only exit, was General Teidoll.

Normally the sight of the old artist would have been a welcome sight, as the general regarded Allen like his own apprentice, but one look at Teidoll had told Allen that he knew everything. He knew that Allen and Kanda had gotten married, and he knew that Allen was pregnant with Kanda's child, but worst of all, he knew that Allen wasn't in love with the samurai. Allen had never seen the general look angry before, and it was terrifying to see him that way now.

Swallowing hard, Allen put on his most flawless smile and faced Teidoll. "Hello, general. When did you get back?"

The coldness in the man's voice was harsh compared to the warmth he usually exuded. "Why don't we skip the formalities, Mr. Walker, and you can tell me what game you're playing with my son."

Once again, Allen had to beat down the urge to flee; it was far better to face Teidoll in private now than risk having the general corner him later in a public place. "There is no game. I'm not messing with him and I'm not intentionally screwing up his life. We were drugged into sleeping together and I got pregnant. Social convention says that I have to be married to the baby's father, so we got married. That's all there is to it. I had no choice in the matter."

It wasn't at all surprising that his words did not have an impact on the angry artist. "And what about his choices? Doesn't he get a say in-?"

That pissed Allen off more than a little and he had to struggle to remain calm. "We're in this mess because of his choices. He proposed when I told him I was pregnant. If he didn't want to get married, we wouldn't have had to get married."

"Are you really still on that, Moyashi?" Ignoring Teidoll, Kanda pushed past him and stood in front of Allen, trying to remain collected in the face of the Moyashi's bitterness and not show his disappointment. "I thought you said that you weren't mad at me for that."

Allen took the hand Kanda offered, letting the samurai pull him to his feet and into a hug. He may not have wanted the embrace, but as soon as he was wrapped in his husband's arms, he felt safe and comfortable. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at him for implying that I somehow trapped you into this. He-"

The hug may not have changed, but even with his face buried in Kanda's chest, Allen could still tell that he'd lost the samurai's attention. Kanda immediately glared at his mentor, using his hold on Allen to keep himself from physically lashing out. "You better not have said anything rude to the Moyashi. I just finally got him calmed down enough that he's willing to give our marriage a chance, and I do not need you scaring him off before he's able to do so."

Teidoll opened his mouth to chide his apprentice, but as he did so, a realization hit him that cut right through his outrage. "Did you just stand up for another person?"

The general burst into happy tears, causing a chill to run down Kanda's spine. He very nearly bolted from the room, but it was at that moment that Allen finally chose to return his hug, and the feeling of the Moyashi's arms wrapping around his waist was incredibly soothing; Allen wasn't trying to keep him from running away, he was trying to comfort him. The whispered words the boy spoke next almost made Kanda laugh. "He may be annoying, but this will be a piece of cake compared to what dealing with Cross would have been like."

"That may be true, but it doesn't make this any easier." Even though he hid it well, Kanda saw how sad Allen got at the mention of his lost mentor, so he quickly changed the subject. He scowled levelly at Teidoll and forcefully cut off the man's incoherent babbling. "Just ask your questions so that we can get this over with, dammit."

It took Teidoll a moment to collect himself, but when he did, he reacted differently than the young men expected. He faced Kanda calmly and spoke like a rational adult. "My questions are all for Mr. Walker, and I get the feeling that you're not going to like my questions and I'm not going to like his answers. So maybe it's best if we don't go down that road. Instead, why don't you just tell me what happened from the beginning, and don't leave anything out."