Takeshi knew he had fucked up when Bel was still avoiding him days later, so when he received a small knock on his bedroom door late one night, he was surprised; he couldn't think of anyone but Bel who would be bothering him at two in the morning.

"Come in…" Takeshi sat up against his pillows and watched as his bedroom door swung open slowly, as if whoever had pushed against it was hesitant about doing so. He didn't know whether he was supposed to smile or frown when Bel appeared in his doorway, so he simply asked, "Is everything alright, Bel?"

Bel's head was ducked, and his arms were wrapped around his chest. It was clear he was unnerved about being near his 'assaulter', and so it worried Takeshi greatly as to why the older male was here; had something happened…? "…"

"Bel?" Takeshi frowned. "…Does this have something to do with… the other night?"

"…" Bel nodded. He lowered one of his hands so that he could rub at his stomach, and in the quietest voice Takeshi had ever heard anyone use, he mumbled, "…I'm going to have another baby…"

Takeshi wasn't stupid. "…A baby… Our baby…?"

Bel nodded. His bottom lip jutted out as he fought against tears. "…You… want it… Right…? I want it…"

"Bel… Of course I want it." The Japanese male got out the bed so that he could approach his boyfriend. He tried not to show how much it hurt him to watch Bel flinch and back away at his approach, and instead stopped to keep distance between them. "I just… I'm worried. About you, and… And having another baby… I'm worried it's going to take a lot out of you, and that it might be too much for you. And, well… We're both… Only so young… Chiara's different, but… Can we really have a child together, Bel?"

The blond didn't respond to any of that; he instead said, "I wasn't avoiding you because of what you did to me… Squalo told me… that you really thought it was okay because you were drunk… I was just… I wasn't ready to tell you that… I'm pregnant…"

"Bel, I… I'm just so sorry… Please forgive me…"

"I'm scared…" Bel looked to the side. "I… I hate sex… I don't want to have it again…"

"Bel, please trust me to look after you. I'll never ask you for sex again; I know you don't want it, even if you say otherwise, and we'll never have to do it again. Please, Bel… If you trust me to do right by you this time, come to me. I don't want to hurt you, Bel; I wasn't myself that night, but I promise I'll never drink again. I'm so sorry."

The boy hiccupped. He shivered for a few seconds before he put one foot in front of the other and then eventually made it to Takeshi's side. He flinched when he felt large hands g rab his shoulders, but he didn't pull away, not even when he was hugged. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as he felt warm lips caress his head, but he didn't have the energy to resist; he was just so exhausted.

"Let's go to sleep, Bel; it's late." Takeshi wasn't surprised when the smaller male resisted at first but eventually allowed himself to be tugged over to the bed; he could only imagine what was going through the other's head at this.

Bel tolerated being pulled into the bed and tucked in tight beneath the blankets. He said nothing as he felt Takeshi join him, and though he hated the arms that wrapped around him and pulled him close, he didn't try to get away; he had nothing left in him right now.

While Takeshi eventually drifted off into sleep, Bel laid awake for the rest of the night, stressed and afraid; he wanted to have this baby with Takeshi, but could he trust the younger to be there for him and their child? What if Takeshi left? …What if… Takeshi tried to take the baby away from Bel completely…?

It was sleepless nights like this where Bel just couldn't put his troubled mind to rest.

~~XX~~

"Bel-chan, I know you're excited, but I really don't think having another baby will be good for you, physically or emotionally…" Lussuria hated to see the crestfallen expression on the Storm Guardian's face, but he had to voice his thoughts; he needed to look after Bel and keep him safe, after all. "Having Chiara was too much for you, and it's going to be much harder caring for two babies at the same time, sweetheart."

Bel dropped the piece of toast he had been nibbling at back onto the plate. He shuddered before he spoke in an agitated voice. "What are you trying to tell me to do, Lussu? I'm already pregnant! I'm not giving up my baby! You're no better than Verde for trying to encourage me to not have it!"

"That's not what I was trying to imply, honey; I just worried about you." Lussuria sighed. He knew he was only going to upset Bel more if he kept the subject up, so he changed it. "What about Takeshi-chan? Have you made up with him yet?"

Bel nodded. He grabbed his cup of hot chocolate and swirled it around before he muttered, "He wants our baby, too… Stupid Lussu…"

"Well, I think that Takeshi-chan is far too young to be making those kinds of decisions; he still has his whole life ahead of him yet, and he's too young to be parenting a child." The Sun Guardian rested his chin in his hand as he surveyed Bel. "I would say the same about you – being much too young to be having children – but I suppose there really isn't much we can do about your situation, is there, Bel-chan?"

If Bel had fur, he would have bristled at these words. "I didn't ask to get pregnant! Fuck you!" With that said, he pushed his plate onto the ground and kicked his chair away so that he could storm back up to his bedroom.

Bel was frustrated, but he could never take it out on his daughter; as soon as he had closed his bedroom door behind him, he moved to the playpen he had left Chiara in that morning and picked her up, smiling slightly as he heard her soft coos.

"Are you hungry?" Bel held the baby to his chest as he carried her over to his bed. He sat back against his mountain of pillows and made himself comfortable before he lifted his shirt up high enough to reveal one of his nipples. He sighed quietly in uneasiness as he felt Chiara's lips wrap around it, but he settled down after a bit of nervous shifting; his daughter needed to eat, and he only wanted to give her the best of what he could, even if it made him uncomfortable.

Bel closed his eyes, wanting to rest a little bit. He waited patiently for Chiara to have her fill, but before she finished suckling, Bel's bedroom door opened and Takeshi's voice filled the air. "Hey, Bel, do you want to go into town today? We can have lunch and look at some shops."

Bel was frozen with panic, well aware that Takeshi was looking directly at them and there was no way he wasn't going to miss the fact that he was breastfeeding. It was silent for several seconds before the blond finally regained control of his muscles and pulled his blanket up to hide his daughter. He looked anywhere but at his boyfriend, silently waiting for the barrage of disgusted comments and cruel insults for such an unnatural act, but to his honest surprise, they never came.

"What are you trying to hide for?" Takeshi stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "You're only feeding Chiara; nothing wrong with that."

Bel licked his lips before he whispered, "…I-I'm not a girl… It's unnatural…"

Takeshi shrugged. "Maybe, but breastfeeding is natural. I mean, guys aren't supposed to do it, but you're special, Bel. I don't mind if you feed Chiara like that; I've never not been okay when a mother does it, and I won't start with you. If you feel more comfortable in here alone when you're feeding her, I'll go away, but you never have to hide it from me. Okay?"

Bel said nothing. He remained staring at the floor for several minutes before he heard the sound of his boyfriend's footsteps heading back towards the door. He lifted his head and whimpered, "W-wait…!"

Takeshi turned back around. "…?"

"…You… can stay… Just… Just don't stare at me while I'm feeding her… I'm uncomfortable enough by myself…"

Takeshi nodded. He crossed the room to take a seat at the desk and occupy hAimself with looking through some of the old magazines Bel had laying around. He didn't turn back to his boyfriend until he heard the other call his name, and when he looked, he found the smaller male had lowered his shirt again and was taking Chiara back to her playpen.

"What's up, Bel?" Takeshi smiled. "You wanna come into town? Squalo said he'll organise the driver for us."

"…" Bel cocked his head to the side. "…I… want to go buy more toys for Chiara… And clothes… She's getting big…"

"Do you need anything else for her? We can also shop for our baby, too. Do you know if it'll be a girl or a boy?"

Bel put his hand on his stomach, honestly excited about having another baby; he had finally conceived in an environment he was safe in and with someone he trusted, and as much as he loved Chiara, he could already feel an attachment to this child, knowing it hadn't been born of such abuse. "I don't know. I want a boy this time, so that Chiara can have a brother to look out for her. I don't… want her to live the life I have… She's my princess; she doesn't need to get involved in my manner of living… I want to protect her from that, and give her the life I never had…"

Takeshi smiled. "I'm glad you love her, Bel; you're such a good parent to her."

Bel frowned. "…I don't want her to have only one parent, though… I mean… I had my parents, but… I didn't have them… They were there, but… I hated them… I want her to have what I didn't, and so I want her to have both parents…. Will you… Takeshi, will… You be her other parent…?"

Takeshi was overjoyed by the question, and he was only too eager to agree; how he had longed to have a family again… He stood up and moved to Bel, and though he knew the older male was still very afraid of him and intimacy, he placed a gentle kiss on his boyfriend's forehead before he pulled back and smiled brightly. "I'd love to, Bel. ANow go lay down in bed and get some more rest; you're pregnant. I'll go and see if there's any folic acid supplements left over from the last one, and if there are, I'll bring you some. Are you getting morning sickness? I can ask Lussu if there's anything you can have to settle it down. When I get back, I'll give you a massage if you want one."

Bel could see how excited Takeshi was, and for once, he couldn't be bothered protesting - but hey! What was the harm? He was a prince, and he did deserve to have peasants tending to his every need; maybe a back massage would feel good for him? "Okay…"

The boy was prepared for a lot of things, but not for Takeshi to lean in close enough to steal a kiss from his lips, and to his honest surprise, he found that he didn't mind the contact. He sighed softly as the younger pulled away, unable to deny that he was a little disappointed; he wouldn't have minded a bit more…

"I'll be back, Bel; you get some rest." With that said, Takeshi left the room with a hop in his step; he was just so glad Bel had been able to move past what had happened between them, because even now he still couldn't forgive himself for what he had done – but he had to remind himself, it had all been one big miscommunication and it wouldn't happen again.