Sleep didn't come easy to Allen that night. He couldn't help but lay awake for the most part, staring at the ceiling. When he did finally fall asleep, he found himself immersed in one of his confusing dreams again.

He could hear his own voice as a child calling out for his father again in the distance. Only, when his father responded, it wasn't Mana's voice… It was his own.

"Please be careful, I don't want you to get hurt, my love." He heard himself say.

"Okay, Dad!"

Allen opened his eyes to look for the voices he heard, only to find himself on the cliffside again, still sitting with Kanda. Allen could still feel his lover's hand pressed to his stomach, and this time, he looked down. He saw his own hand on top of Kanda's, both resting on top of his extended stomach. Somehow, he just knew. He couldn't help but smile, laying his head back against Kanda's shoulder. He felt him kiss his temple again.

"Did she finally fall back asleep?"

"Mhm." Allen hummed softly, closing his eyes.

That's right, he remembered now. He was pregnant.

Allen woke up to the returning pain in his stomach, realizing he had been sick all over himself in his sleep. Sitting up, he panted heavily, feeling his body shake. He almost didn't register that Kanda had woken up, sitting up in alarm.

"What the fuck? What's wrong?"

Allen wrapped his arms around himself as he choked out a sob, raising his hand to cover his mouth. He was going to be sick again and Kanda could tell.

"We're going to the infirmary, Allen. We're going right now." Kanda warned, not caring that it was the middle of the night. The sight in front of him worried him deeply, especially when Allen didn't object. He grabbed another shirt for Allen, and then a towel after Allen threw up again, unable to keep it back even though he tried. His breath hitched as he struggled to breath between his sobs and his churning stomach. Kanda rubbed his back carefully, urging him to get up. He helped wipe him off, getting him into a new shirt. Kanda felt his heart nearly stop as Allen clutched at his stomach again, letting out another cry. Without giving it another thought, Kanda scooped up the younger man, rushing down to the infirmary with him, demanding to see Head Nurse and Komui immediately. He carefully lowered Allen onto the bed, helping him lay back as Head Nurse was the first to arrive.

She did her best to calm Allen down until Komui arrived a few short minutes later, looking more or less disheveled from being woken up. "What happened?"

Allen was trying to calm down, not trusting himself to talk. He was still trying to make sense of the dream he had awoken from. 'That can't be it. It doesn't make any sense.'

"He woke up and threw up everywhere. He's in pain." Kanda spoke, arms crossed with one of his hands raised to his face, a finger lingering near his chin as he watched Allen steady his breathing. He was incredibly tense, not knowing what more anyone could do.

"Did he come to you?" Komui asked curiously, stepping further into the room.

"Huh?"

"Did he ask you to bring him to the infirmary? How did you know he was sick?"

Both boys fell dead silent, shooting each other glances before staring at their supervisor, who slowly was starting to realize what was happening. Sudden understanding was visible on his face as he looked at the two in almost disbelief. Kanda had brought Allen to the infirmary because they were in the same room, sleeping in the same bed.

He really wasn't expecting this, especially not so late at night.

Clearing his throat, Komui turned his attention back to Allen. "Anyway. I mentioned this earlier. The doctor doesn't know what the issue is yet. But to me, your symptoms sound very much like appendicitis." He explained, crossing his arms. "Are the stomach pains any worse than they have been?"

Allen swallowed slightly, shaking his head.

"Then I think we can wait until the time we originally planned for surgery. You should be fine until then, but I think you should stay here in the infirmary until we're ready." Allen watched Head Nurse nod in agreement.

He went silent after that, looking down at his hands. "... Komui, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Allen. Ask away."

Allen inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth as he gathered what he was trying to say as best as he could. "Is it possible it could be something other than my appendix?"

Komui nodded his head. "Of course, there's always that chance." He said. "What did you have in mind?"

Allen swallowed again, a bit harder this time. He didn't know how everyone would take this question, what their reaction would be. He glanced up at Kanda for a moment to see him with his arms crossed, looking a bit confused. With another deep breath, he looked up at his supervisor. "I know this is really weird, but… Is there any chance I could be… Pregnant?"

Allen didn't like the silence that followed and his cheeks burned in embarrassment.

Head Nurse cleared her throat. "Allen, you know pregnancy… Tends to happen in females, right?"

They saw Allen nod as he lowered his head.

"Why would you think you're pregnant?" Komui asked.

Allen was still blushing, his embarrassment only rising. "... I've been having these dreams. And… I was pregnant in them." He explained, mumbling under his breath. "I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but the symptoms match up, don't they?"

Komui and Head Nurse exchanged looks for a moment before she walked off, Komui letting out a deep breath.

Kanda was quiet as he stared blankly at the floor, which made Allen nervous. He had no idea what was going through his lover's head at that moment.

Head Nurse returned a moment later with a stethoscope. Allen looked at it, confused. "What's that for?" He asked.

"Well, if you are pregnant, we have no idea how far along you are. One of the ways we can tell is if we look for a heartbeat, if there is one." She explained, placing the earpieces on.

Allen nodded as he laid back on the bed, breathing out quietly through his mouth. He felt as his shirt was lifted and the cold piece of metal was placed against his skin, his muscles clenching involuntarily. His own heart was pounding in his chest. He wondered if that would mess the examination up.

"... Chief." Head Nurse mumbled, turning her head.

Komui walked over and took Head Nurse's place at Allen's side, holding the metal piece back in place as he listened. His eyes widened.

"Can someone please fucking say something?" Kanda suddenly blurted out, feeling like his own heart was about to beat out of his chest. He was completely on edge, and feeling like he was the only one left out of the loop didn't help it at all.

Sitting up straight as he removed the stethoscope from his ears and Allen's stomach, Komui lifted his head as he tried to think of how to explain. "Well… It's faint, but there's definitely a heartbeat." He said. Allen's eyes widened as he and Kanda froze at the news. "Before everyone starts freaking out, it could still be something else. It could be… It could be-"

"I don't think so, Komui." Head Nurse murmured. "It just… It all makes sense."

Komui didn't know what to say. He stood up from his seat and looked over at Kanda, when the realization really hit him. They weren't just sleeping together, they were sleeping together. "Oh my God." He said, covering his face with one of his hands. "Is this really happening? Did I just overwork myself and pass out? Is this a dream?"

"I said the same thing." Allen said, finally speaking. He then let out a dry laugh, putting his hands on his chest. "This can't really be happening, can it?"

"There's still the slim chance that it isn't." Komui reminded him. "Going off of the assumption that it is, since there's a detectable heartbeat, I think it's fair to say you're… At least nine or ten weeks along. Right?" He asked, looking to Head Nurse.

"Right." She agreed, nodding.

Komui paused before he continued what he was saying. "Which means, if it's an option you'd like to keep open, you'd still be able to terminate the pregnancy safely."

Allen didn't react at first, merely clutching his hands on top his chest as he stared up at the ceiling.

No one spoke or moved while they waited to hear his answer.

"I… Can't do that, Komui." He said softly.

"Allen."

"I can't do that. I can't kill my baby and I can't give it away. You don't know what it feels like to be thrown away by the people who are supposed to love you." Allen said, giving him a tearful smile. "I won't get rid of my child."

Komui then thought of his parents, how they always put him and Lenalee above all else, how much they loved the two of them. He then nodded. "Okay, Allen." He said. Looking to Kanda, he decided to try to bring the General into it. "Kanda, am I safe to assume you're the other party involved in this?"

All he could manage was a stiff nod, absently staring at the floor, like he wasn't quite there. Last time Allen saw him like this, he was frozen in shock from seeing Alma alive.

Honestly, it scared him. He knew Kanda like the back of his hand. He was bottling everything up right now, and all it would take was a small nudge for him to blow up. And Allen didn't want him to blow up and fight, not about this.

"As for the stomach cramping…" Komui started out, habitually pushing his glasses up. "With the severity of them, I'd guess that it's due to stress. Everything seems fine right now, but if you're serious about continuing the pregnancy, then if the stress levels remain high, it can cause harm to the baby."

That made Allen's stomach churn. "I feel so sick right now." Allen admitted, talking to no one in particular.

"Okay, well… This is a lot to digest for one night. Why don't the two of you return to your rooms… Or whatever. Get some rest and we can continue to talk about this tomorrow in my office." Komui said to them.

Allen got up from the table, pulling his shirt down. He thanked Komui and Head Nurse as he and Kanda left the infirmary, walking back to Kanda's room in silence. The whole walk, Allen was behind his lover, unable to see his expression. Once they returned, Kanda opened the door and let the younger walk in first, Allen hesitantly walking inside. His nose crinkled as he saw the soiled bed sheets he had thrown up on earlier.

Kanda closed the door behind him, walking into the room quietly, stopping in front of the brick wall his dresser was against, gripping both sides of the wood for a moment as he hung his head, trying to wrap his mind around the information thrown at him just mere minutes before.

Allen stared at him for a moment before reluctantly speaking. "... Kanda?"

The swordsman didn't respond to him, just sitting there for a few seconds. Allen thought that maybe he didn't hear him, but then he flinched when Kanda punched the wall as hard as he could, hearing the familiar crack of bones breaking as Kanda's knuckles connected with the wall. "FUCK!" He screamed in anger, making Allen flinch again.

"Kanda! Please, just talk to me." Allen said, a hint of desperation in his voice as his anxiety began to rise. He started to walk over to him and just as he started to reach his hand out, Kanda held out his, not facing him.

"Please. Give me space for a bit." He said. "I don't want to say something I'll regret."

"Kanda… Don't be angry. I'm begging you, don't be angry."

"I'm not angry, Moyashi." Everything about him contradicted that statement, from his tone to his body language.

"You just broke your hand punching the wall." Allen said slowly. "I know this is really confusing, but getting upset like this isn't going to change anything."

"Confusing?" Kanda practically spat out as he turned around. "Confusing doesn't even begin to explain this. This shouldn't have been able to happen."

"Okay, well it did. Or, it might be."

"Who are you and that fucking idiot kidding? Of course it's happening. Why not just add to all of the bull shit we need to deal with?" Kanda questioned bitterly, throwing his injured hand against the wall again, clenching it tightly as he banged his head against it next, although not as hard.

"Stop hurting yourself, Kanda." Allen said, grabbing his shoulder. "And don't say 'it'll heal'. I'll fucking lose it."

"You think I'm not about to fucking lose it right now?"

"I know you are. That's why I'm trying to talk to you, like an adult."

"You're not an adult, Allen. You're fucking seventeen."

"I'm going to be eighteen in December. And you're not acting like an adult either, Kanda."

"Shut the fuck up. Please, just shut the fuck up for a second." Kanda growled, using his good hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Even though he didn't say anything back, Kanda's words really hurt Allen's feelings. Allen clenched his fists at his sides, trying to keep his lips from trembling as he glared.

Kanda took a deep breath as he tilted his head back, shutting his eyes. He unexpectedly let out a breathy laugh. "I feel like a fucking IDIOT!" He screamed, turning back toward the wall. "If I'd have known this would have happened, I wouldn't have- Wouldn't have fucking-" He struggled to find the words, resting his forehead against the wall.

Allen swallowed softly, scowling at the floor. "... Wouldn't have what?" He asked quietly. "Wouldn't have slept with me?"

He wasn't expecting an answer from his lover. But he really wasn't expecting him to say, "Maybe."

Jaw dropping as he felt his heart nearly shatter, Allen gaped at the man in front of him. "... So you regret sleeping with me? Regret dating me? Huh, Kanda?" He asked, voice cracking as anger began to rise.

"I would have been more careful! Stop trying to make me feel like a bigger asshole than I already do!"

"You're acting like one!" Allen's voice trembled as he tried to keep it together. He didn't know if he could.

Kanda abruptly turned around, reaching next to his dresser to grab Mugen. "Go to sleep, Allen." He brushed past Allen, making his way to the door. He walked out, slamming it behind him, leaving Allen standing alone in the middle of the bedroom.

It took a few minutes and Timcanpy to get Allen to collect himself before he moved. "Did you know, Tim?" He asked softly, letting the golem perch on his fingers. Tim grinned wide, making Allen smile a bit, even if he felt like his whole world was falling apart. He decided that going back to his room for the night was probably his best bet. His echoing footsteps were the only sounds he heard as he moved quietly through the halls, arriving back to his room.

He felt absolutely disgusting. Trying to sort through his thoughts seemed impossible. He had no idea what to think of the situation he was faced with. Was it good? Bad? Would Kanda leave him for this? There were so many things to think about that terrified him. Stripping down to take a shower, he dropped all of his clothes to the floor as he trudged to the bathroom. He turned the water on, not even waiting for it to warm up before he slipped in. He didn't know how long he stood there before he started washing up. The water was warm now, feeling soothing against his skin. He closed his eyes as the water ran over his face, and thankfully, he started to feel some of the stress melt away. For a moment, he felt fine.

It only lasted a moment. After getting out, drying off, and pulling a pair of pants on in his bedroom, Allen got a glance at himself in the mirror. At first, he was relieved not to find Nea staring back at him. But the longer he looked at himself, the more his heart started to ache. His gaze landed on his still flat stomach and he lifted his left hand slowly, hesitantly resting it against his middle. He backed up a few steps until the back of his knees hit his bed and he lowered himself before laying in his spot, resting both hands on top of his stomach.

He was most likely having a baby. He, an Exorcist, with already so much on his plate, and he wasn't even eighteen yet. He thought about how Kanda reacted, then about how all of his friends would react. How the people who resented him for harboring the Fourteenth would react. And then he thought of what Komui said about his stress levels possibly causing harm to the baby. His brows knit together as he finally broke, tears spilling from his eyes. He curled up on his side, his breath hitching as he choked out a sob and cradled his stomach carefully. "I-I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" He wept pitifully. He was certain that the baby couldn't hear him this early, but the overwhelming amount of guilt he felt for putting it in danger so early on made him not care. He apologized over and over until he exhausted himself to sleep. Timcanpy carefully curled up next to his master, trying to offer as much comfort as he could.


Waking up that morning was difficult. Allen felt a crushing emptiness in his chest as he gained consciousness. He was cold and lonely, remembering he slept in his own bed last night and fell asleep before he had a chance to put a shirt or blankets on. He didn't make an effort to get up for a while, feeling like his body was made of lead.

Timcanpy curled up against his chest, reminding his master that he was there for him. Allen raised his hand and clutched the golem to his chest, his breath shuddering for a second. "What am I going to do, Timcanpy?" He whispered, staring at his reflection in the mirror blankly.

The golem wiggled out of his grasp and crawled up onto his head, nibbling his ear.

"Tim, that hurts." Allen mumbled, even though it didn't hurt as much as a full on bite would have.

Tim kept nibbling until Allen got up, huffing a bit. He closed his eyes for a second as the nausea started, placing a hand on his stomach. Tim sat down on his knee, staring up at him. A few seconds passed and Allen tilted his head back, breathing out through his mouth. "My first question to Komui is how much longer this is going to last…" He mumbled, standing up. Tim flew up, floating by his head as he followed Allen to the bathroom. It took him a few minutes to wash up, his body still feeling like it was being weighed down.

He didn't know what to do with himself. His appetite was next to nothing, and he wanted to try to put off talking to Komui for as long as he could. Before he knew it, his feet were carrying him off to one of the places he felt most safe. When he arrived, he knocked on the door softly.

"Come in!" A welcoming voice called back.

Allen could already feel his throat tighten as his sorrow began to build while he opened the door, poking his head in.

Lenalee looked up from her book, her face cheerful as she saw her best friend, but that cheer dissipated when she realized he was upset.

"Lenalee…" He said in a quiet voice, lowering his head.

"Allen, what's wrong?" She questioned, setting her book aside. "Come in, close the door."

He did as she said, closing the door carefully behind him. "Lenalee, something happened. I can't tell you what it is yet." He explained as he began to fall apart again. "I-I just feel really scared and alone right now."

Needing to hear no more, his friend opened her arms to him, motioning for him to come to her.

He walked over, sitting on her bed as she pulled him into her arms. He curled up and cried into her shoulder, feeling her begin to pet his head the way she knew he liked. She asked no questions, just letting him let everything out.

Once his sobs turned into sniffles, Lenalee glanced down at him, tucking a piece of his hair behind his ear. "Feel better?"

His eyes lidded for a moment before shutting. "A little bit." He murmured.

Lenalee nodded as she played with the ends of his hair, twirling them in her fingers. "When can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I don't know… It's kind of up in the air right now." He admitted, starting to feel drowsy.

Lenalee hummed in acknowledgment just as another knock came at her door. "Come in." She called out.

Part of Allen was a bit disappointed when he heard Lavi's voice instead of Kanda's, even though he knew his lover was most likely isolating himself right now.

Looking at the two on the bed, Lavi closed the door as he walked in. "I knew something was up." He said. "Is he asleep?"

"No, Lavi." Allen mumbled, slightly annoyed.

"My bad." Lavi said, plopping on the other side of Lenalee.

"What do you mean, something is up?" Lenalee asked, turning her head a bit to look at the redhead.

Making himself comfortable, Lavi shoved a pillow under his head before laying back and folding his hands on top of his chest. "I was in the cafeteria with Chaoji and Krory-kins and I heard some people talking about how Yuu was in the training room late last night and they were saying how he just kept screaming." He said. "So I went to look for him. I found him passed out in the lounge with his arm over his face. Tried waking him up, he wouldn't budge."

Allen let out a soft sigh, keeping his eyes closed as his brows furrowed a bit.

"He doesn't usually do that. You guys have a fight or something?" Lavi asked curiously, catching Lenalee shaking her head 'no' a second too late.

"I really don't feel like talking about Kanda right now, Lavi." Allen said calmly.

That told the Bookman everything he needed to know. "Sorry."

Lenalee sighed and put her hand on the side of Allen's head, resting her cheek against his forehead. "Just rest. Later on, I'll go check on him." She told him.

Allen nodded lightly. "Thanks…" He mumbled, drifting to sleep again.

Lenalee sighed softly and looked at Lavi, who looked back at her. He gently rested his head on her shoulder. She smiled a bit, closing her eyes.


After taking a short nap, the three of them made their way to the cafeteria. As promised, Lenalee went to check on Kanda in the lounge, telling the two boys she would meet them there.

Having already eaten, Lavi opted to sit with his younger friend while he ate.

Allen's appetite was still up in the air, but between having a parasitic innocence and a growing child inside him, he knew he'd have to at least get something in his stomach or he'd make himself sick. He started with a bowl of oatmeal.

Miranda came to join them, smiling at the group as she set her tray down. Lenalee returned a few minutes later, sitting. "He's not there anymore. He moved."

Of course he did. Allen huffed, shoving his spoon back into his warm cereal.

"Hm? Who? Are you talking about Kanda?" Miranda asked innocently.

"Yeah." Allen answered. "He's being a dipshit and no one knows where he is."

Miranda glanced at Lenalee and Lavi while Allen angrily mixed around his food, scowling at it.

"Perhaps his room?" Miranda suggested.

"Maybe. I'll check later." Allen mumbled, shoving the spoon in his mouth.

'What a mood swing.' Lavi thought to himself, watching his friend quietly. 'He was a lot more somber with Lenalee.'

"Stop looking at me." Allen said suddenly, snapping Lavi out of his thoughts.

"I was just admiring your stunning good looks, Bean Sprout." Lavi said with a chuckle, earning a strawberry flicked in his direction.

Staying true to his word, Allen checked Kanda's bedroom, finding no evidence of him being there. The bed was still a mess and he wasn't in the bathroom. Wherever he was, he obviously didn't want to be found. Maybe he was just avoiding Allen. The thought upset him, so he tried to push it from his mind.

Returning to his room, he decided to get ready to go see Komui alone. Closing the door behind him, Tim flew from his head and made a beeline for the bed as Allen went to his dresser, shuffling through his casual clothing. Tim repeatedly rammed himself against a pillow on the bed, confusing Allen. What confused him further was seeing a familiar black golem resting on the nightstand. Allen narrowed his eyes. Kanda never left his golem in here. And they hadn't spent the night together in here in months. Unless-

"Tim, knock it off." Kanda groaned from under the covers, making Allen jump.

"Fuck, Kanda." Allen breathed out, clutching his chest.

Picking his head up, Kanda looked at the out of breath man across the room. "When did you get here?"

"A minute ago… What are you doing in here?" Allen questioned, trying to relax his heart rate.

Kanda took a deep breath, rolling onto his back to look at Allen, smacking Timcanpy away. "I wanted to sleep in a bed and I still haven't changed the sheets from the other night, so… I came here."

Allen crossed his arms, leaning against his dresser. "I heard you slept on the couch."

"Who told you that?"

"Lavi. He said you were knocked out."

Letting out a soft groan, Kanda draped his arm over his eyes.

"What happened? Did you scream yourself to death?" Allen asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Wow, everyone was ratting him out today, Kanda thought to himself. "I'm hungover."

Allen blinked for a second, his arms relaxing slightly. "You what?"

"Yeah. This doesn't normally happen to me."

Allen was somewhat stunned to hear that Kanda had turned to the bottle, not knowing how to respond. "... Do you drink a lot?"

"No." Kanda answered. "What I'm saying is, on the occasion that I had a drink, I would never get hungover. This is the second time, now."

Allen walked over to the bed, gently taking Kanda's hand that wasn't draped over his face, examining it gently. He could tell it had healed some, but not completely. "You know, this could have finished healing if you didn't fill your system with alcohol." He said, gently placing his lips against the slightly bruised skin.

Kanda just grunted in response. Allen lowered his hand and placed it on his chest, getting ready to turn around.

"... I'm sorry, Moyashi."

The words stopped him in his tracks, his head whipping around to look down at the man in his bed. "What did you just say?"

Kanda clicked his tongue, almost deciding not to say it again. "I said I'm sorry." He repeated. He felt his arm pushed aside as Allen pressed the back of his hand to his forehead. "What are you doing?"

Allen looked puzzled. "Huh. No fever."

"Tch." Kanda pushed Allen's hand away. "Fine. I take it back."

"No, no, say what you were going to say." Allen said quickly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Huffing, Kanda crossed his arms. "I shouldn't have blown up like that. I was just so overwhelmed last night, I didn't know how to react. I still don't really know how to react."

Allen looked down at him, his hands on his lap."It's okay, Kanda… You don't have to know how to feel right now. We still don't have all the details."

Kanda chuckled lightly. "I don't? You seem to know exactly how you feel."

"What do you mean?"

"You want the kid. You didn't even give it a second thought."

Allen stared at him for a second. "Well… Yeah…" He said softly. "I do. I don't want to put my child through the same things I went through." He looked at Kanda again. "You don't want it." He stated, not asking.

"I didn't say that." Kanda corrected. "I didn't say that at all." Allen didn't say anything, looking back to his hands again. "Allen, I don't know the first thing about being a parent."

Allen carefully laid down next to him. Kanda moved over a bit so he wouldn't fall over and the boy curled in toward him, resting his head on his shoulder. "I don't either, Kanda."

"But you had a parental figure to look up to."

Allen put his left hand on Kanda's chest, looking at his tattoo. "But you have General Tiedoll. He's kind of like your dad." He said. He heard Kanda groan in disgust and he chuckled. "Don't do that, he cares about you."

"Nnngh." Kanda groaned again, covering his face with his arm.

"We just have to take one step at a time, Kanda. You don't have to have everything figured out right this second." Allen said softly, tracing his finger along the black marks of his tattoo like he usually did. He watched the muscular chest rise and fall as Kanda breathed.

"Did you talk to dumbass yet?" Kanda asked, resting his bad hand against Allen's back.

Allen shook his head. "I was waiting for you."

Silence fell between the two for a while. They were both feeling pretty tired.

"When do you want to go?"

Allen let out a small yawn, curling up closer to his boyfriend's body. "I'm sure he won't mind if we show up a little later." He replied, shutting his eyes. "And I forgive you. Dummy."


Allen sat nervously on the couch in Komui's office as he and Kanda waited for the Chief to finish what he was doing and join them. Allen looked over to see Kanda's eyes closed as he kept his breath steady. He didn't know how the other could manage to meditate in practically any situation, but at least he wasn't lashing out.

Allen twiddled his thumbs until Komui joined them, sitting at his desk. The silence was a bit uncomfortable. Komui then cleared his throat. "How are you feeling, Allen?"

Allen looked up. "... Okay, I suppose…"

Komui gave one nod, pushing some papers aside until he found a blank sheet. "Alright, let's kick this bad boy off." He said, grabbing something to write with. "First things first. Do you know the date of conception off the top of your head?"

When no one responded, Komui looked up over the rim of his glasses. "... Guys? Anyone know the answer?"

"... I don't know off the top of my head." Allen said before looking to Kanda. "Do you have an idea?"

"... I don't… I don't know what that means." Kanda admitted, mumbling under his breath.

Komui looked at the older of the two for a moment, trying to gauge whether or not he was serious. "... Conception? When the baby was made?" He asked. "Did you really not know that?"

Kanda lowered his head, trying not to let his embarrassment show.

Allen was starting to feel a little worried. Maybe Kanda just wasn't familiar with the term.

After a few seconds, Kanda picked his head back up. "That stupid ass dance that you put together." He said, making Komui pout. Kanda scratched behind his ear, trying to hide his embarrassment again. "My birthday. Maybe two or three times between."

"Does that sound right, Allen?" Komui asked the younger of them, who nodded in agreement. Komui started writing on his paper, calculating the dates. "We don't know the exact dates of the few in between. Then we have May fifteenth and… Juuuuune sixth?" Komui questioned with a bit of uncertainty. "Your birthday is June sixth, right?"

"Yes, Komui." Kanda said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Komui hummed in acknowledgment, looking back at his paper. "I don't think it was the sixth. There wouldn't be a heartbeat yet, to say the least." He said. "My best bet would be one of the middle times or the fifteenth. It's also kind of hard to go off of since you don't have a menstrual cycle or anything. As far as I'm aware."

Allen shook his head, then looked at Kanda. He couldn't tell by his expression if he knew what that meant either. He was feeling a little nauseous all of a sudden.

"Alright. I'm going to go with ten weeks, then. In a few more weeks, we'll check for the heartbeat again to see if it gets any stronger. I think by then we'll be positive with the situation at hand and be able to go into more details moving forward." He explained. "However. There are some things we must discuss now."

Allen already knew what it was. It had been on his mind all day. "My mission status."

Giving one nod, Komui continued on. "I'll have to come up with a reason as to why you'll be taking a leave off of missions without making Central suspicious. But I'll think of something." He told them. "Kanda, you're a different story. You're a General, and it will be a little bit harder for me to lighten your workload so you'll be able to be here as much as possible, but-"

Unexpectedly, Allen cut his supervisor off. "Komui, with all due respect," he began, gazing down, "I don't think you should take me off missions. At all."

He could feel the two of them staring at him, shocked from his suggestion.

"What did you just say, Moyashi?"

"I said, I don't think I should come off missions." He repeated firmly, looking at him before looking at Komui.

"Allen… I don't think that's wise." Komui said, putting his pen down. "Putting you out there with a baby would more likely than not be dangerous."

"Why? I already have to drag around a baby when I'm on missions with Kanda." Allen said, trying to lighten the mood. From the angry glare Kanda sent his way, he could tell that he didn't find it funny.

"This is serious, Allen." Komui said, not reacting to the joke, no matter how bad he wanted to. "We're not just talking about the baby's health. We're talking about you, as an Exorcist, putting your life at risk."

"I'm already putting my life at risk every time I go out there, Komui." Allen said calmly. "I know it's not ideal, but come on. You know for a fact that as soon as Central catches any wind of this, they're going to start snooping until they find out." He said, his demeanor changing immediately from lighthearted to serious as he went from making a point to making a horrifying realization. "And then what? What will they do to me when they find out about this?" He stopped as he felt a lump form in his throat from his next thought. "... What will they do when they find out about the baby?" He asked, his voice shaking.

Kanda swallowed, clenching his fists tightly. His head was filled with the same fears as Allen continued.

"The child of someone with Noah memories and a Second Exorcist. What would they do to her, Komui?"

"Stop it, Moyashi." Kanda demanded angrily, just before placing his head in his hands, shutting his eyes tightly. "Stop it, I don't want to hear anymore."

Komui crossed his arms and shut his eyes as he turned his head to the side, pressing his lips together. "... Let's not think about that right now, okay? We still have time." He said, trying to keep the two of them calm. "Allen, if you think that's what's best in this situation, then… We'll at least try it out. General, are you okay with this?"

"I can assure you that I am not fucking okay with this one bit." Kanda said bitterly. "I fucking hate that the only two options are to put him in worse danger than he already is or have Central punish us."

"... You know, it wouldn't have to be us if they found out, Kanda." Allen said softly, staring at the floor.

Turning to look at him, Kanda narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"I wouldn't tell them you were the one who I slept with. The punishment would fall on me, and only me."

"Why would you even say something like that? Have you lost your fucking mind?" Kanda asked, anger rising in his voice. "I'll die before I let that happen. Don't ever suggest that again."

Raising his hand to rub at his temples, Allen sank a bit further into the couch as he breathed out through his nose. They had so much to think about and it was starting to feel overwhelming again.

"Like I said, we can begin discussing this in the coming weeks. I don't want to put too much on your plates right now." Komui said, standing up. "What I do want to put on your plate, however, literally has to do with food." Allen opened his eyes and looked at the older man with a questioning look. "Head Nurse and I were discussing your weight." He started off. "While right now, it's not too much of a problem, we both agreed it's a good idea for you to start eating more than you usually would."

"Are you trying to starve the rest of us?" Kanda asked sarcastically, smacking Allen's hand away when the brat tried to pinch his side.

"The reason I'm saying this is because you already need a high intake of food to provide energy for your parasitic innocence. Now we're throwing a growing fetus into the mix. If you're not careful, you can make yourself really ill. And I'm sure you can imagine the consequences."

As if on cue, Allen's stomach growled loudly.

"On that note, I think you should go get started on that. Any questions, feel free to ask me or Head Nurse." Komui said, letting the two of them leave.

"I have one more question." Allen said, getting up. "How much longer is the nausea going to last?"

Komui thought for a second. "Two more weeks, about. Maybe."

Allen cringed at the word 'maybe' as he headed out the door with Kanda.

After they had gotten something to eat, they returned to Kanda's room. Once they cleaned up and got fresh sheets for the bed, they settled under the covers. Allen stared at the ceiling, resting his hands on top of his stomach.

Kanda looked at his now healed hand for a few seconds before looking over to Allen, who, after a minute or so, noticed the other staring at his stomach. "What?"

Kanda just shook his head slowly, not averting his gaze. "... I still feel like this is all a dream." He mumbled softly.

Allen let out a sigh. "Me too. I can't even begin to figure out how it's even possible. Maybe we'll find out some answers in a few weeks."

Kanda was quiet, his eyes still locked on the same spot. "You don't even look pregnant."

Allen snorted. "I don't just automatically become huge, Kanda."

"I know that, idiot. I'm just saying."

Allen let out a light laugh, smiling genuinely.

He was feeling a bit drained from their meeting and a nap sounded pretty good right about then. Settling under the blankets, Allen curled up close to his boyfriend, letting out a sigh of content as he felt an arm snake around him.


First of all, thank you so much again for leaving such nice reviews! You have no idea how happy reading them makes me.

I hope everyone is doing well, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's finally picking up.

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino