"Kanda, is Allen okay?"

Kanda opened his mouth to say something, but quickly pressed his lips together.

For once in his life, the samurai was speechless.

Normally, he had no problem brushing people off when he didn't feel like talking, which was the usual for him. Yet, in this moment, he couldn't bring himself to ignore Marie's line of questioning. Be it the look of concern on the older man's face, or just the fact that he was the one asking. Kanda had a soft spot for Marie that he could never deny. He looked up to the man like an older brother.

"Tch…" Raising his hand as he closed his eyes, Kanda pinched the bridge of his nose before getting a hold of himself. "Come with me."

'I can't believe I'm doing this.' Kanda thought to himself, a scowl on his face the entire time they walked, in silence, Kanda leading the man to one of the only places he could possibly think to relay the news while keeping an ounce of sanity within himself.

They soon arrived at Kanda's preferred destination; the garden. The only thing left to do was to walk through the training room to get there, and it just so happened to be filled with people. Why did everyone have to continuously inconvenience his life?

Once everyone had realized that the pissed off swordsman had entered the room, all actions came to a halt as they stopped to look at him.

"GET OUT!"

Marie flinched as the younger man's voice bellowed and reverberated around the room, the space soon clearing out as people hurried out, not wanting any problems with the temperamental General. "Kanda, what's going on?"

"To the garden." Kanda answered simply, continuing his trek forward, not stopping until the two of them were the only ones in the small garden, making sure no one was there to listen in to them.

Marie really couldn't gather what was going on. It was obvious now that something was seriously wrong with Allen, and understandably, Kanda would want to keep the business between him and his boyfriend as hush hush as possible. But what could it possibly be where Kanda had to clear out a room full of people to bring him to a secluded area? To him, it almost felt like-

"Allen is pregnant."

Kanda had rarely seen such a flabbergasted expression on the other man's face. Part of him wanted to laugh, but that part was squashed by the seriousness of the subject.

"Allen is… Oh, Lord…" Marie muttered, running a hand over his hairless head. "So then the heartbeat…"

"It's the baby's." Kanda responded, turning his head away as he crossed his arms. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of embarrassment, feeling like he was confessing a mistake to his parent. "If you didn't have such impeccable hearing, I could've waited longer to say something. So thanks for that."

"I knew I wasn't going crazy… I thought that's what it was originally, maybe one of the girls, but I ruled it out because, well, it was only happening when Allen was around." Marie explained before he sighed softly, finally processing the information that his comrade had relayed to him. "So… How are you holding up?"

Kanda's brow furrowed as he looked at Marie. "Fine."

"Kanda…"

"Why does it matter? Allen's the one pregnant with the kid, doing all the hard shit. Why would you think it's affecting me?"

Picking his head up, Marie looked in the direction where Kanda stood. "It takes two people to make a baby, Kanda." Marie said. "Unless you're planning on stepping back from the responsibility, or Allen… You know…" Kanda threw him a nasty look as Marie mumbled the end, "... Yes, Allen's the one doing the hard part. But it's not just his baby. It's your baby too, Kanda."

The glare Kanda previously held soon melted from his expression as Marie's words began to sink in.

Kanda knew that the baby was his. He knew that. It was something that both Komui and Allen continued to hammer into his head, like he'd forget.

And it seemed like he did forget. Time and time again, it seemed to slip his mind that the little human growing inside of his boyfriend's unexplained womb was his. But it wasn't really slipping his mind. The past four months, he'd been watching from the outside as Allen's body changed internally. He was the one going through the morning sickness and rising hormone levels. And as far as Kanda knew, he hadn't even started to begin putting on any weight, despite the brat's protests that his pants didn't fit.

Kanda wasn't forgetting that it was really his baby inside of Allen Walker. Up to this point, he'd failed to make that connection with his unborn child, still feeling like the baby was just a figment that they continued to speak about, and one day it would just appear and the two of them would have to take care of it.

Marie could tell that Kanda was lost in his own thoughts from the way the swordsman clammed up. This couldn't be easy for the young man. After all he's been through in his life, to add such a big responsibility like this was a lot to deal with. Marie was definitely worried about him. He took in a small breath and sighed before picking his head up. "Kanda."

"..."

"Kanda?"

"..."

Marie sighed, standing up from the bench, walking closer to his young friend. He tried to place his hand on the other's shoulder as subtly as possible, feeling the other's shoulder flinch under his grasp. "Kanda… Talk to me." Marie muttered. "Let me know what to do and how I can help."

"You can help by keeping this between us. I don't need this getting back to the rats on top who are trying to destroy Allen's life." Kanda answered, keeping his voice low. "And just… He needs all the support he can get. I'm trying my best, but you of all people know that being supportive isn't my strong suit."

Marie couldn't help but smile at him. "Don't sell yourself short, Kanda. I know you've struggled with opening yourself up in the past, and I don't know if you realize it, but you've come such a long way. You support Allen in the way that he needs, whether you see it or not." Kanda raised his eyes to look at Marie, the older man still smiling reassuringly at him. "And don't worry. This stays between us. But you have to tell Master Tiedoll, too."

"Absolutely the fuck not." Kanda scoffed, brushing Marie's hand off of his shoulder. "I'd rather eat glass than tell that crazy old man. He'd never leave me alone."

"He already doesn't leave you alone, might as well tell him that you're gonna be a-"

Marie caught himself before the word fell from his lips. He could tell that Kanda had tensed from the way the air thickened around them.

Kanda wasn't ready for that yet. He still needed time to get used to the idea.

Taking a deep breath in through his nose, Kanda spoke again. "Not one word of this to Tiedoll, Marie. I mean it."

"I understand. Thank you for telling me."

Kanda hummed in acknowledgement before turning his back, making his way out of the garden. "I'll see you around. I'm sure the brat bean sprout is going to have a conniption if I don't go back soon."


"If he doesn't come back soon, I'm going to die."

From his place on the floor, Link looked up at the young Exorcist, holding his head in his hand that he propped on his knee with his elbow. "You're being incredibly dramatic."

"I am not." Allen responded with a huff, crossing his arms over his eyes. "I haven't seen him in weeks, and then he was unconscious for two days. I'm going mad."

Link snorted and rolled his eyes, continuing to stare at the boy. "I'm sure you'll survive." The Inspector said with certainty, standing up off the floor and dusting himself off. "I should probably get going before he comes back anyway. I'm sure he'd be less than thrilled to find me alone in his bedroom with his lover."

Link was probably right. Though, Allen wondered if his bad luck with God was somehow rubbing off on his blond haired friend, because as soon as he nodded in response, the doorknob began to rattle.

Allen watched, frozen in place, as the realization in Kanda's eyes that Allen wasn't the only one in his room turned into a burning, feral rage once he recognized who else was there. Metal clanged against metal as Link wielded a knife in his own defense against Kanda's sword, holding the Exorcist off as Allen jumped off the bed and grabbed the dark haired man's wrist.

"Kanda! Calm down a second!"

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Kanda hissed, seething anger emanating off his body. "In my bedroom?"

"General, please stand down and let me explain myself!" Link shouted, feeling Kanda put more force on pushing his sword toward him. The Inspector could see in the other man's cold blue eyes; one wrong move or word and the Exorcist wouldn't hesitate to kill him. All he needed was the right moment and reason.

The pressure began to let up when Allen grabbed onto his lover's wrist with his Innocence hand, carefully applying his own pressure in the hopes that he'd get Kanda to back down or drop Mugen. But even as Allen tightened his grip, feeling as he'd break his boyfriend's wrist, he found that he still wouldn't back down. "Kanda, stop, he's not here to spy on me!"

"Oh, did he tell you that?" Kanda laughed bitterly, pressing back against the younger's grip, feeling as the hand tightened around his wrist.

"Knock it off! I'm not letting go until you sheath Mugen, and I don't want to have to break your wrist. Please, stop." Allen begged, pulling Kanda's hand back. Both of their glares hardened as neither backed down, Kanda's eyes widening for a moment as pain shot through his restrained wrist. "I'm not kidding. Let go."

"I can't let go until you do." Kanda grumbled, turning his head away as he scowled, Allen letting out a small sigh of relief. Carefully, he released Kanda's nearly bruised wrist, watching as he sheathed his sword before rubbing at the joint as he turned his attention back to the blond in front of him. "How the fuck did you get in here?"

"He paid the kiss toll and I let him in." Allen said sarcastically. Link nearly felt his soul leave his body as Kanda stared at the boy with bewilderment, becoming flustered and glaring at Allen once he realized he wasn't being serious. Allen sighed heavily, sitting down on the edge of the bed as he faced the two men. "Will you please relax? He knocked on the door and I let him in."

"But why?" Kanda questioned, looking to the older blond again.

"Walker asked for my help finding information on someone." Link explained, taking a step back from Kanda, still feeling as if the man would attack him if he let his guard down. "And I'm sure you're aware that I'm still to be shadowing him."

Kanda tsk'd at the hint of sarcasm, taking a step back himself, standing between the other two. "That's so nice of you." Ignoring the dirty look the Inspector gave him, he turned his head to look at his white haired boyfriend. "Who are you asking for information on?"

Dark brown hair and clear blue eyes came into Allen's mind as he thought about the mysterious angel from his dreams. "Do you remember the woman I kept dreaming about?"

"No."

"Kanda." Allen grumbled, giving him a look of annoyance. "I told you about her. Her name is Agnes, and she keeps coming to me in strange ways. She's connected to Nea somehow and I want to know how."

Kanda's jaw tightened at the mention of the Fourteenth. "And how is this weasel supposed to help with that?"

Link loudly cleared his throat as he crossed his arms over his chest. He hesitated for a moment, not knowing if he should share with Kanda, who he knew didn't trust him as far as he could throw him. "... I've been looking through files in Central's database to see if she ever was associated with the Black Order." Link could tell that the General wasn't expecting that kind of an answer, feeling minor satisfaction in his surprised expression.

"And? Was she?"

"I said I don't know." Link said, getting a bit short with him. "All I know is that the Order had knowledge of her." He turned his head as the boy on the bed quickly stood up, making his way to the bathroom in a hurried fashion. His brows knit together. "That's like the third time. I don't recall him having such bladder issues."

Kanda stared blankly for a few seconds at the Inspector, confused at first, but it soon melted away. It appeared that Allen hadn't told him about the baby he was carrying. Part of him was a bit surprised, but he was immensely relieved. Kanda was still convinced that Link would take any information he could get on Allen and run it right back to Director Rouvelier like the annoying dog he was.

"Why are you staring at me, Kanda?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Kanda hardened his gaze a bit. "I'm just surprised you haven't noticed, with how far up his ass you constantly are."

"Kanda, that was rude." Allen scolded, walking out of the bathroom, his hand on the doorway. "Anyway, thank you for your help, Link. But our esteemed General here should really be getting back to resting." Allen said as he approached his boyfriend, a hint of sarcasm in his words as a smirk pulled at his lips when the older boy scowled at him. "Please, let me know if you find anything else out."

Huffing at the fact that he was being kicked out, Link nodded, making his way to the door. "I wish you a speedy recovery, General Kanda." He said simply before letting himself out.

Kanda's eyes lingered on the door for a moment or two after the Inspector left. Once he was sure he had really left, he turned his attention to his boyfriend, definitely not expecting two hands to grab his face and pull him into a fierce kiss. His eyes widened in shock, both of his hands grabbing onto Allen's shoulders as he broke the kiss. "M-Moyashi-"

"Kanda, please." Allen muttered, desperation in his voice as he kept his hands on both sides of his lover's face. "I can't wait any longer."

Before he met up with Central, Kanda knew that Allen had been eager for intimacy, but he wasn't expecting such a bold advancement from the Brit as soon as he walked into the room. "Moyashi, Moyashi, Moyashi," Kanda said, taking both of Allen's hands into his own, "give me a moment to breathe. I just got here." He could feel something akin to dread as Allen's face fell, eyes widening a bit.

"... You don't want to sleep with me?" He asked softly, hurt in his voice.

"What? No, I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth."

"You said when you came back-"

"I know what I said, and I'm not saying that I don't want to sleep with you, I'm asking you to give me a minute or two." Kanda said.

Allen pouted at him, pulling his hands away. He turned away, going over to lay on the bed, facing away from Kanda as he crossed his arms.

Kanda had to bite his tongue to hold back any snappy remarks he had in regards to Allen's brat-like attitude, instead making his way to the bathroom to take a well needed shower after the terrible few weeks that he'd gone through. The sound of the water droplets hitting the floor began to calm him as he let out a heavy sigh, holding his face in his hands for a moment before running them over his head, fingers dragging carefully against his scalp. They soon moved on to loosen the tie that kept his long black hair in its signature high ponytail, letting the locks fall against his back. He stripped down and tossed his clothes onto the floor before stepping in, letting the water hit his face and chest for a couple of seconds.

It had been weeks since he'd had a decent shower. Most of them had been cold or he had to rush through them in order for them to move onto their next location to complete the mission.

On those days, when he had a chance to rest, all he could think of was returning to his lover. Returning to warm, loving arms.

Soft, gentle lips.

Silky, smooth skin.

Delicate, articulate voice…

Kanda shuttered and let out a ragged breath as he thought about Allen, feeling a certain heat begin to radiate within him. He thought about Allen tangling his long, nimble fingers through his hair, pressing his body against his own...

Quickly, Kanda fumbled for the knob to turn the shower off, nearly falling out of the tub as he got out quickly, drying himself off.

See? All Allen had to do was be patient. As he opened the door, he expected to see the boy sitting on the bed.

Not to be dead asleep, his arm dangling off the bed as he laid on his back. As Kanda walked closer, he noticed his mouth was open as he snored softly, a small line of saliva dribbling from his mouth.

"You… Have to be kidding me…" Kanda grumbled under his breath, clenching his fist as the snoring continued. Quickly, he began to feel that heat from before die out, becoming frustrated. 'Guess I deserved that.' He thought to himself, huffing before he walked over to his dresser and silently pulled out a new pair of pants. He pulled them on as quietly as possible so he didn't stir Allen from his beauty sleep. Turning his head to look at the younger man again, he noticed that Tim had poked his dumb little head up from behind Allen's head to look at him. Kanda glared at the golem as he walked over to his side of the bed, arms crossed. "Guess it was a good thing he fell asleep then, huh? Otherwise I would have had to throw you out." He said, sitting cross legged on the bed. He quickly moved his hand back as Tim tried to bite him for his comment before curling back up next to Allen's head. Kanda rolled his eyes, huffing again. Taking another breath in, he straightened his back and released that breath, figuring that meditating while his boyfriend slept might do him well.


"Section Leader Reever!"

The Australian man picked up his head from looking at a schematic plan that Komui had handed off to him to look at the younger scientist running toward him, waving his arm. "What's up, Johnny?" He asked, noticing how out of breath he was. "Did you run all the way here from the cafeteria?"

"I did!" Johnny exclaimed, trying to catch his breath as he put his hands on his knees. "But enough about that, I have to ask you something important."

Reever put down the paper in his hands, giving his scientist his full attention. "I'm all ears, Johnny, go ahead."

"What's wrong with Allen?"

Reever cocked an eyebrow at Johnny in confusion. "Huh?"

"Allen's been acting really weird lately, and I was wondering if you knew why." Johnny explained. He really hoped that the Section Leader had an answer for him. He really had to get to the bottom of this and find out what was wrong with his friend so he could help him. Though, he didn't feel too hopeful when his Supervisor squinted at him in confusion.

"Really? I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary." Reever said, rubbing slowly at his chin. "Well… Maybe he was acting a bit down when they came back with Kanda's team."

"Well, I can understand why he would." Johnny said, rubbing his own chin. "Kanda's his boyfr-"

Johnny quickly clasped his hands over his mouth as Reever's eyes bugged out of his head. "What? Johnny, what did you just say?"

"Nothing! I didn't say anything!" Johnny squeaked, voice muffled from keeping his hands pressed firmly over his mouth.

"Johnny Gill."

"Fine!" Johnny whispered loudly, uncovering his mouth. "I said Kanda is Allen's boyfriend!"

Reever reached his hand up to grip the top of his hair as he tried to process the information he'd just heard. "Allen and Kanda?" He mumbled. "Those two… I never, ever thought… How long have you known?"

Johnny sighed heavily and hung his head. "Since we found Allen on the run. I was there when Kanda confessed to Allen-"

"Kanda confessed to Allen?" Reever whispered loudly in bewilderment.

Johnny felt that he was just digging a bigger and bigger hole for himself as he continued to blab Allen and Kanda's business that he promised he'd keep to himself. "Section Leader, please don't tell anyone! I wasn't supposed to say anything about this! You can't even tell Chief Komui, I'm begging you!"

Reever remained speechless for another few seconds as he tried to imagine Kanda confessing anything to the younger Exorcist, let alone his romantic feelings for him, when a thought occurred to him. "Wait. Do you think Komui already knows?"

Johnny blinked, shoulders falling a bit. "Why would the Chief already know?"

"Think about it. Ever since you three got back, he's been in on every single meeting with Central they've been to. He wants to protect them, and keeping that information to himself would do that." Reever explained. "And if Allen's acting strange, then I can probably bet that the Chief knows that too. Though, I doubt he would just come right out and tell you if you asked."

Johnny blinked again, but then he smiled when he realized that he was right. "You're a genius, Reever!" He exclaimed. "They don't call you Section Leader for nothing!"

Snorting as he shook his head and grinned, Reever picked his head back up. "Did you hear the last part? I said he's probably not going to tell you."

"That doesn't mean I can't try! Thanks again!" Johnny yelled on his way out, making his way to Komui's office. The rest of the bunch watched after him, only catching him as he left.

"What's he yelling about now?" Jiji asked, rubbing the top of his head.

"It's nothing." Reever said, chuckling softly as he shook his head again, turning back to his schematic.


When Allen opened his eyes, he was facing that big, spacious, and unfamiliar field of wheat again. He watched as the wind blew silently through it, the plants dancing slowly with it. He turned his head to find himself in front of a huge mansion, one that he'd only seen once before. He remembered his Master referring to it as the 'Campbell Mansion' in a dream.

Yes. This was a dream. One of Nea's dreams. It had to be.

"Nea!"

Allen's eyes widened when he heard the feminine voice, head whipping around to the front porch, finding Agnes' familiar face, the woman standing up behind someone who was sitting down on a chair in front of her, a book in hand. That person lifted their head up to look ahead, smiling.

"There you two are." Allen heard Nea say as his eyes followed the voice, finding the Fourteenth Noah walking up to the house, towards the two people on the porch. Allen's eyes moved back to observe the person who Agnes was standing behind. She was carefully brushing her fingers through long, dark and curly hair, smiling as she tied a ribbon around it to keep it up. Allen couldn't help but stare at him intently. "Have you two played salon all day?"

The two of them laughed at Nea's gentle teasing, Agnes' grin widening as Nea approached, pecking her cheek. "I couldn't help it. He has the most beautiful hair."

Allen barely paid attention to their conversation, only able to focus on this strange man. He'd seen this man before somewhere. One time…

In the tunnel, when Kanda and Johnny were chasing him. His awakening had resumed once more, and this man appeared in front of him. Not to mention his striking resemblance to Nea… Master Cross had told him that Nea had an older brother.

The name fell off of his lips as his silver grey eyes widened.

"... Mana…?"

Almost like the man could hear him, he turned his head and stared in Allen's direction, eyebrows knitting together. Allen had caught a glimpse of Agnes smiling in his direction just before everything flashed white.

Waking with a jolt, Allen's body flinched harshly as his head shot up, his breath hitching. Timcanpy had jumped up in alarm and flew right into Kanda's side, which startled the swordsman from where he sat cross legged next to him, having fallen asleep himself. "Jesus Christ." He groaned, covering his face with his left hand. "You scared the shit out of me."

Allen didn't respond to him, his dream still lingering on his mind. He sat up slowly, staring down at nothing in particular, tears beginning to gather in his eyes. 'Mana…' Allen thought to himself, reaching his hand up to wipe at his right eye as he sniffled softly, turning his head away from Kanda.

"... Moyashi?"

Allen sniffled again, keeping his head turned away. That's not how Allen remembered Mana. It couldn't have been him. And yet, there was a sense of familiarity that he felt when looking at him. Allen's heart ached as he replayed the scene in his head, seeing how happy the three of them looked. It was so much different than what turned out to be, what was happening. He could feel himself crumbling as grief built up within him. He tensed when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What's the matter?"

After that, Allen broke. He let out a choked cry, covering his face with both of his hands, hunching over. He felt Kanda pull his hand away and he knew he was watching him in silence, leaving him to get this sudden sorrow out of his system. As he continued to cry, he kept trying to figure out why.

Why did Mana look so different?

Why was Agnes showing him this?

Why did things turn out the way that they did?

He went on like this for a few minutes before his cries began to calm, turning to quiet sniffles. Tim settled in his lap, the boy looking down at the golem that nuzzled into his hand. He rubbed at his nose with the back of his other hand carefully, sniffling one last time before his eyes trailed over to glance at his boyfriend, who was staring intently at him. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Allen sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself fall back on the bed. His hands moved to rest on his stomach as they normally did as of late, opening his eyes again to stare at the ceiling. "No… It was actually a good dream… Kind of." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kanda's brows knit in confusion. "I had a dream of my father. I think."

Kanda was silent for a moment, gaze softening the smallest bit. Allen didn't usually cry over dreams of his father like this. "What do you mean you think?"

Allen breathed in silently through his nose and exhaled slowly through his mouth. "It didn't look like Mana. He was much younger, so of course he's gonna look a little different, but… Hngh…" Allen groaned softly as he shut his eyes and lifted his arms, only to let them fall limply over his face. "It doesn't matter."

He heard Kanda let out a heavy sigh and he peeked one eye over his arm to look at his pouting boyfriend. "Aren't you the one that keeps telling me that keeping your feelings bottled up is just going to come back and blow up in your face? Now, tell me what's on your mind. I'm listening."

Allen's eyes softened at Kanda's words and a small breath left his lips. Kanda was right. It was better if he got this off of his chest. "Master Cross once told me that Mana was Nea's older brother. So of course he would look older and even different than Nea." Allen said, rambling a bit. "But not that different. He didn't even have the same face as I remembered. And yet, I knew it was Mana."

Kanda sat silently and listened as Allen went on, that look of concern never leaving his features.

"In this dream, he didn't look any older than Nea did. They looked identical, like twins…" Allen said, his voice dying off toward the end as the realization hit him, silence falling onto the room for a moment. "... Mana was just born first. Mana and Nea weren't just brothers." Allen muttered. "They were twins."

Kanda was just barely following along Allen's epiphany as he watched his ivory haired partner sit up. "And? What does it matter?"

"It matters because the two of them were inseparable." Allen responded, moving to stand up from the bed. Timcanpy lifted himself into the air and flew around in place. "They were the most important people in each other's lives. Since day one, they've been together. They grew up together, fought together… Master told me that Mana was the one by Nea's side when he died… Even Road said that Nea fought for Mana… For my Dad…"

Kanda snorted, crossing his arms. "Who cares what that creepy little psychopath has to say?"

"Kanda." Allen stated curtly, a stern look on his face as he turned to face the other. A moment later, he let out a breath, shaking his head. "Agnes and Nea were there, too. They looked so happy… I don't know what she was trying to show me." Allen mumbled softly, running a hand through his hair.

"Maybe she was trying to make you cry." Kanda said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He could tell from Allen's expression that he didn't find it funny at all, and before he could storm off he gave half an eye roll, keeping his arms crossed. "Maybe she's trying to get you to see the Fourteenth as a human, and not like a monster. Maybe she's trying to lower your guard."

"I don't think she has any ill intentions, Kanda." Allen admitted, shaking his head a bit. "And Nea was a human." Kanda couldn't help but stare at his boyfriend after hearing that. Allen continued. "Something happened to make him turn against the Earl and the Noah. Agnes, my Master, and Mana were involved. And while I can never excuse what he's trying to do to me, it can help me understand why he's doing it. Maybe understanding can help me stop him."

Kanda shut his eyes as he sighed and turned his head a bit, arms tensing a bit. "... I don't know, Moyashi…" Kanda only opened his eyes when he felt Allen's hands in his hair, carefully pulling his head forward to rest against his chest. They opened up a sliver and he kept them lidded, a small breath leaving through his nose as Allen pressed his lips to the crown of his head. "You're my number one concern. And I just… I don't trust this woman. I just don't want us to drop both of our guards and pay the price for it."

Allen breathed out softly, brushing his fingers along Kanda's forehead to carefully move his bangs away from his face, keeping his other hand on the back of his head. "I understand where you're coming from, Kanda. I'm not letting my guard down… But I think I can trust her." He heard a disgruntled noise come from his boyfriend and he snorted softly. "I'm asking you to trust me, okay?" His hand trailed down to rest under Kanda's chin, tilting his head up. "You trust me, don't you?"

Kanda glowered up at him in annoyance. "What kind of stupid ass question is that? Of course I trust you. Idiot."

Allen couldn't help but chuckle softly before leaning down to press a kiss to Kanda's lips, pleased to feel no resistance from the other man. He felt Kanda place both of his hands on his waist as they kissed each other. "Mm!" Allen hummed as he suddenly broke their kiss, much to Kanda's confusion, looking up to see his bean sprout pouting at him. "You broke your promise again."

It took a moment for him to realize what he was talking about. His eyes widened a moment before his gaze at Allen hardened. "I was ready. I came out from the shower and your lazy ass was asleep." Kanda gasped when he felt Allen yank his ponytail.

"I'm not lazy, I'm pregnant. Just in case you forgot." Allen huffed, pulling away from his boyfriend. "Speaking of which, Komui told me that he wanted to have a check up for both of us once you woke up."

Sighing, Kanda pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know, he reminded me earlier. I was trying to forget." He watched Allen roll his eyes at his statement as he stood from the bed. As they both walked to the door, Kanda noticed the cardigan that his boyfriend was still wearing. "You have your own, you know." He said, tugging it lightly.

Allen smiled up at him as he wrapped it around his front. "Yes, but this one is yours." Kanda couldn't help but smile gently as he snorted, closing the door behind them as they went on their way to Komui's office.


"You look like you're thinking hard there. Are the words too big for you?" Komui pestered his fellow Chief, playing with a pen, propping his feet up on the desk.

"Will you shut up? I'm trying to focus." Bak grumbled, keeping his face buried in the book he was reading. "I don't even know which spell my parents used to make those seals. If I'm not focused, I might miss it."

Komui looked over to Bak quietly. "What if they didn't get it from a book or write it down?"

Bak sighed heavily, leaning his head back against his chair as he lowered the book. "Then we're fu-"

The two men looked up to the door when someone knocked on it, piping up.

"Come in!" Komui called out, moving his feet down to the floor, folding his hand on his desk.

Allen was the first to enter when he opened the door, giving a friendly grin to the two Chiefs, while Kanda scowled behind him.

Sighing in relief to find that it wasn't Bridget and he wouldn't be getting chewed out for slacking off while on duty, Komui moved to prop his feet back up on the desk. "Took you two long enough!"

"Sorry, I didn't want to come." Kanda said, shutting the door behind him.

Komui huffed at the answer, crossing his arms. Bak shut his book, standing up, sticking it under his arm. "It's good to see you up and walking around, Kanda." He said, walking over to shake hands with the General.

Kanda looked at his hand, pondering whether or not he felt like shaking it or not. His decision was made for him when he was suddenly elbowed in the ribs by his boyfriend, letting a tch out through his teeth before shaking the Asian Branch Chief's hand.

Bak shook his hand firmly, nodding before looking at the younger of the two. "And you too, Walker."

Allen grinned as Kanda looked between them, confused. Before he opened his mouth to question them on what that was supposed to mean, Komui stood up and walked around his desk, gesturing to the couch. "Come, sit. Make yourself at home."

Kanda rolled his eyes heavily before walking with Allen over to the couch. Once Allen had sat down, Kanda made sure to put space between the two of them, crossing his arms, then one leg over the other as he leaned back.

"You two can sit together, you know."

Both of them looked at Bak in confusion, not saying a word.

Kanda's eyes hardened when realization spread across Bak's face as he quickly averted his gaze. Glancing over to see Komui looking awkwardly away, he mustered the most threatening glare he could. "You fucking told him didn't you?"

Komui had his hand over his mouth as he stared at the two on the couch. "... I may have… Clued him in."

"Oh, did you, now? What's the reason now for spilling our personal information everywhere, Komui?" Kanda questioned, becoming more and more frustrated. He looked over when Allen hummed softly, scratching lightly at his cheek.

"That's my fault, I think." He said timidly, giving a slightly embarrassed smile. Kanda cocked an eyebrow at him, expecting an explanation.

"Yeah! You see, it was Allen's fault!" Komui started out. Allen narrowed his eyes at the Chinese man.

"Okay, let's not get carried away."

"Allen had to be restrained when you were unconscious in the infirmary." Bak resumed, cutting the bickering short. "I guess Komui thought the strange reaction would have caused a bit of an uproar if any rumors had started to spread, so he told me of your relationship. I don't know why he thought I'd go spreading rumors," Bak said, shooting a look to his friend, "I am a very respectable man!"

"You're a prier."

"Me? I'm pretty sure it was you that-"

"Can you two goofballs stop your craziness for five minutes to tell me whatever the hell it is that you have to tell me? I'm getting a headache just listening to you." Kanda spat at them, raising both of his middle fingers to his head to massage his temples, closing his eyes.

Both adults huffed at each other before pulling their documents out.

Allen couldn't stop his heart from racing while they prepared to go over what they had. He didn't want them to tell him what he knew deep, deep down, which was that Kanda's seal was finally failing. That he only had a limited amount of time left and if he wasn't careful, he could lose his life.

The incredibly stubborn, hard headed Yuu Kanda was running out of time, after they'd finally confessed their love to each other. Now, that they had a baby on the way.

Allen could suddenly feel his lunch start to come back up, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. As he clasped his hand over his mouth, Kanda's head whipped around a moment later when he saw Allen move out of the corner of his eye.

Komui was the next person to notice what was unfolding in front of them, scrambling to grab his wastebasket and get it in front of the pregnant Exorcist as fast as possible. He made it just in time for Allen to yank it out of his hands and bury his head in it before retching violently into the trash can.

As disgusted as he was, still, Kanda rested his hand on his boyfriend's back and attempted to comfort him by rubbing his hand in a slow circle.

Awkwardly, Bak turned his head away while keeping his own hand over his mouth, trying very hard not to get sick himself. He saw Komui tilt his head down as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Once his stomach had settled and he had a chance to catch his breath, Allen lifted his head and looked at the two adults who stared at him.

"Are you unwell, Walker?" Bak asked.

Allen couldn't help but grin sheepishly, averting his gaze to look down. "My nerves got the better of me… God, how embarrassing." He chuckled softly, settling the wastebasket on the floor next to him. He felt the hand on his back snake around his waist, looking up at Kanda as he pulled him closer. Gratefully, Allen rested his head against his boyfriend's shoulder, keeping his eyes on the floor.

Bak looked to Komui once to see if he should proceed or not. The Chief nodded.

"Right…" Bak mumbled, thumbing through his documents. "Due to the severe injuries your body has gone through, such as the fight with the Noah of Wrath, and your battle with Alma Karma, in addition to any other minor or major injuries on top of that, your seal has weakened significantly." Bak began.

Allen shut his eyes tightly, burying his face against Kanda's neck, feeling himself get choked up. He desperately didn't want to hear what Bak was saying, trying his best to block him out, even though he knew he couldn't.

"When your seal becomes completely obsolete, we're not sure if your healing will become that of a normal person, or if…" Bak suddenly cut off before swallowing silently. "... If your body will just… Shut down."

Kanda was strangely calm and quiet as Bak spoke. He barely registered when Allen moved his left hand to rest over where his tattoo was, over his heart.

He always knew that something like this was in his future. He'd been expecting it for years, ever since he first became an Exorcist. It was something that he had come to accept, whether he liked it or not. And, at first, he didn't care.

That was before he had everything to lose.

The severity of their situation finally hit him as his heart began to pound nervously, reaching his hand to cup it over Allen's. After letting another silent moment pass, Kanda gathered himself and spoke. "So, is that… Is that just… It?"

It was Komui's turn to speak up, taking a few steps forward. "Well, that's why Bak is here. He's going to look through the archives we have of the Second Exorcist program and see if there's any way we can have your seal restored, or reinvigorated."

Both Allen and Kanda stared at the Chief in a surprised shock. "Really? Can you really do that?" Allen asked hopefully. "You can strengthen his seal?"

"I can't promise anything, Walker." Bak shook his head. "As much as I want to give you a clear answer, I just can't. I don't want to get either of your hopes up."

Allen swallowed softly and nodded, lowering his head to look down at his lap. That was better than nothing. There was a chance that Allen wouldn't lose his partner after all. Even if it was a slim chance, he would hold onto it with everything he could.

"As for your mission status…" Bak mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll leave that part to Komui. I need to check one last thing here at Headquarters before I head back to the Asian Branch."

Komui choked on a gasp and then sputtered as the other Chief quickly excused himself from the room, mentally cursing his colleague for leaving him with the task of giving Yuu Kanda his mission status.

Bak would have to pay for that later.

For now, Komui cleared his throat, picking his head up, wearing a stern look. "Given the initial severity of your injuries, and given how they're still not completely healed, I think it would be wise if you were to take a few weeks-"

"No. Not happening."

"Kanda-"

"No."

"Kanda, listen to me." Komui stated firmly, beginning to raise his voice. "I know this is the last thing you want, what anyone wants. You are one of our top Exorcists. But your life comes first. As your Supervisor, I'm not sending you out to find out first hand if you'll continue healing at a human's pace after your seal fails!"

"Komui!"

"Kanda." Allen spoke up, voice calm, but stern. "You have to take the leave."

"What? Moyashi-"

"Komui is right. At the very least, you shouldn't go on another mission until the wounds you have now are healed." Allen started out. "But I agree with what he said. It wouldn't be smart to send you out knowing that there's a fifty-fifty chance that you'll just drop dead on the battlefield."

"You really think I would just drop dead on the battlefield, Allen?" Kanda asked, his voice letting on how annoyed he was.

"I definitely wasn't expecting to find you half dead in Christine's arms in Austria-Hungary." Allen's comment had shut the other Accommodator up quickly, his own patience beginning to wear thin. "What did you say to me in the infirmary this morning, Kanda?"

Allen watched as Kanda's brow creased in frustration. "... That you're not going to lose me…" He muttered, lowering his voice.

"Right." Allen said. "Not now, or ever. That's what you told me." He noticed that Kanda was trying not to look at him, so he raised his left hand and carefully placed it on Kanda's cheek, making him look him in the eye. "Listen to me. I don't want to lose you. It would make me feel so much better if you just took a few weeks off to heal and let Bak see what he can do."

Kanda's gaze drifted to the side, avoiding eye contact.

Komui tilted his head, as well as the pen he held in his hand. "I'm also inclined to say that Allen would be significantly less stressed if you were here for a couple of weeks. Maybe the stomach pains will go away."

Kanda groaned softly and shut his eyes as the two of them ganged up on him.

"Kanda…"

Opening blue eyes to meet silver ones once again, Kanda noted the look on Allen's face. He saw the concern in his features. He saw the way his eyes glistened and begged.

"Please. For me."

Kanda let out the breath that he didn't even know he was holding, closing his eyes again for a few seconds. "Fine. I'll take the leave." He let out a gasp as Allen threw his arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to Kanda's cheek before hugging him tighter.

"See? Now, was that so hard?" Komui asked, pulling a stethoscope from his drawer as he stood from his seat. He made his way over to where the younger two stood. "Alright, let's try to get this exam done quickly."

Allen let go of Kanda, turning around to face Komui, blinking. "So, wait. Bak doesn't know that I'm pregnant?"

The older man shook his head. "Nope. Just that you're together."

"You mean you didn't open your big fat mouth and tell him?" Kanda asked sarcastically, faking a shocked expression to go along with it.

"I only told one person, and Allen already chewed me out for it." Komui griped as he awkwardly sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Anyway, the infirmary has been quite busy today, hence why we're doing all this here. Sorry in advance if it's uncomfortable at all."

Without complaint, Allen stripped off the cardigan he wore and sat it next to him. A bit hesitant, he looked over to Kanda, who scooted over as far as he could so he was near the arm of the couch to let Allen lay his head down on his lap. Trying to relax as much as he could, he let his eyes close for a moment as he drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He opened his eyes again as he felt Kanda rest his hand on top of his head, brushing his fingers carefully through his hair once. He tilted his head up a bit, seeing the way the black haired swordsman looked down at him. Allen reached up to place his hand on Kanda's thigh reassuringly.

This was the first exam Kanda had been with him for in weeks. Allen could only guess what was running through his head. Part of him was afraid that his boyfriend would be shell shocked from being suddenly thrown back into the baby business after weeks of being away without really grasping the situation to begin with.

"Alright, pull your shirt up for me, Allen." Komui said, fidgeting around on the table a bit, trying to find the most comfortable position.

Nodding, Allen gently grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up, exposing his slightly rounded middle, moving his hands to rest on his chest. It was a bit harder to tell that he was showing since he was lying down, and, to anyone who wasn't used to seeing Allen's bare torso, there wasn't much of a difference.

But to Kanda, who knew every inch of Allen's body like the back of his hand, there was a shocking difference to him and it was smacking him right in the face. Allen's belly was clearly softer than it had been, and he could just make out the little bump that his stomach now had.

Allen glanced up and saw how Kanda froze, seeing the glassy look in dark blue eyes. "... Kanda?" He spoke softly. He grew concerned when he gently squeezed the other's thigh, Kanda not even flinching when he did so.

Komui's brows knit in concern as he watched, glancing up briefly at the swordsman. Calmly, he asked if Allen was feeling any pain as he felt around the small mound carefully.

"I mean, my feelings are a little hurt, but-"

"Allen."

"Sorry." Allen huffed softly, keeping his hands on his chest again. "Sometimes it hurts when I get up too fast. Or when I sneeze too hard."

"Well, stop sneezing so hard." Komui said jokingly, getting only an unamused pout in response. "Sorry. Are they different than the cramps you were feeling?"

"Yes. These are more sharp, and they pass quicker."

Komui nodded. "Those pains are normal. I wasn't sure if you would get them, since you were never supposed to have a uterus, but the pains are caused by the ligaments in your uterus stretching and supporting the baby." Komui could tell from the look on Allen's face that he was confused and wasn't following him. "I'll explain it in depth to you another time. We'll keep an eye on them and the cramps." He said, placing the pieces of the stethoscope into his ears before placing the other end to Allen's lower stomach, immediately finding the heartbeat that he'd become familiar with the past few weeks. He was unable to keep the smile off his face, the action inevitable. "They've got a strong heartbeat. Things seem to be going really well so far."

Allen beamed happily at that news, smiling warmly down at his bump. His hands trailed a bit down to rest on his upper abdomen instead when Komui pulled away, standing up.

But as pleased as Allen was, Kanda's silence was absolutely deafening. As he sat up on the couch, Kanda stood up straight but still wouldn't look at him, his jaw locked tight. After standing up himself, Allen pulled down his shirt and looked at Komui as he picked up the cardigan, putting it on.

"Well, I'd say that was a successful meeting." Komui said, hanging the stethoscope around his neck. "You two go ahead and rest. Keep an eye on those pains and get back to me. I'll let the two of you know if Bak comes up with anything."

Nodding at the dismissal, Allen thanked Komui and followed Kanda out of the office. Closing the door behind him, he couldn't help but play over in his head what Bak had said earlier.

"I can't promise anything, Walker. As much as I want to give you a clear answer, I just can't."

"Kanda." Allen said softly, gripping his boyfriend's sleeve delicately, enough to make him stop and to get his attention. When Kanda turned around to look at him, Allen spoke. "There's one more thing I need to do before we go back to the room."

Kanda nodded. "I think I'm going to head to the training room for a bit. I need to clear my head."

Allen looked over his boyfriend's face. He could still see the tension, the glassy look in his eyes. Nodding quietly, he let go of his arm. Without another word, Kanda turned and walked the other way, leaving Allen standing alone in front of Komui's office, watching him go.

Lowering his head as he let out a sigh, Allen pulled his cardigan closed around his front, crossing his arms over his chest as he began to trek forward.

If he could, he wanted to have one last word with Bak. And if he went right to the Ark gate, maybe he could catch the Chief before he made his return to the Asian Branch.


... So...

I'm really sorry that this took like 3 months to update. I'm still really into the story, I'm just kind of bad at planning and putting down what I'm going for. So don't worry about me losing interest and abandoning this story!

That being said, I'm not TOO happy with this chapter. It was really hard to get through and finish for me, but I hope you guys like it.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the support. The reviews make me so happy and they give me so much motivation. Thank you for the latest reviews and thank you to the person who added this story to their favorites just a few minutes ago!

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino

Thank you all again!