Takeshi was excited to know that he was going to have a baby with Bel, and even the blond seemed a little happier with the news, too. That didn't mean the pregnancy was going smoothly, though; just a few weeks into it, Bel still had morning sickness and he was in more pain with this baby than he had experienced with Chiara. The cramps were near excruciating for him, but despite all of the other Varia members warning him that such crippling cramps meant bad news, he refused to listen to them and insisted that everything was fine and he would bear through it as long as he got to have his baby – under no circumstances was he going to allow them to abort it on him.

Despite all the worry Takeshi held for his boyfriend's wellbeing, he never said anything he felt might upset Bel; he instead showed nothing but support and did his best to bring as much comfort as he possibly could to the older male.

Like now, as he fluffed up the other's pillows so that Bel could remain propped up in his bed.

"Is there anything you need, Bel? Do you want a drink, or something to nibble on?" Takeshi smiled as he helped the smaller male get back onto the mattress.

Bel groaned as he fought back nausea; the thought of eating almost made him throw up. He shook his head. "…My tummy really hurts again…"

"Sit down and I'll massage it for you." Takeshi had no idea how to express how happy he was to know that Bel finally trusted him enough to allow touch between them. It had taken a while, and it hadn't been easy, but somewhere down the line, the boy had mostly stopped recoiling from his boyfriend, and even though there were still times he couldn't bear to be touched, he was no longer cringing whenever the younger came near him.

Bel made himself comfortable before he slid his striped shirt up over his small bump. He watched Takeshi closely as the younger's long digits rubbed circles into his stomach, and he couldn't help but feel himself relaxing beneath the touch. He dropped his head back onto the top of his pillows and closed his eyes. "That feels good…"

Takeshi smiled. "I'm glad. Do you want me to get you your heat pack?"

"No… I can handle it… Just keep rubbing…"

Takeshi's smile grew. He sidled closer until they were sitting side-by-side with their shoulders rubbing against each other, and when the blond curled in against him, he felt butterflies in his stomach; Bel had never been affectionate with him before, and he hoped this moment would never end.

"Ne, Takeshi…?" A yawn escaped Bel's lips. "When we have our baby… Are you gonna stay in Italy with us…?"

The Japanese male froze; he had never thought about this, and all of a sudden he realised how complicated this whole thing was going to be; he couldn't leave Bel or the two babies, but he also couldn't stay in Italy forever… Maybe Squalo would let Bel come to Japan and live there? "…I never thought about this, Bel… I… don't know what to do…"

Bel sighed, but he didn't respond; he couldn't get stressed because it wouldn't be any good for the baby he was carrying.

"What are you thinking about?" Takeshi kissed the boy's head as he wrapped an arm around thin shoulders.

The smaller male hummed. "…"

It was silent, peaceful for them both as they bathed in the comforting warmth surrounding them. Bel was the first one to break the silence an undeterminable amount of time later with an uncomfortable shift and disgruntled groan.

"What's wrong?" Takeshi tightened his hold on the other. "Are you feeling okay?"

Bel mumbled something unintelligible as he hid his face against his boyfriend's arm. He let out a heavy sigh; how was he supposed to explain that his pregnancy was putting his hormones out of whack?

"Do you not feel well?" The dark-haired male put the back of his hand against Bel's forehead. "You do feel a little warm… I can find you some medicine if you want."

"It's not that…" Bel swallowed thickly. "I… I don't… feel right… I mean… I… I'm…"

Takeshi understood, and he remained as gentle as he could be. "But do you want it, Bel? Because if it's just your body reacting, we can wait for it to go down, but… If you actually do want it… We can do something…"

Bel frowned. He stared down at his lap. Sure, it was just his hormones messing around due to his pregnancy, but… Maybe he could blame it on said pregnancy, but part of him did want to… to do things with Takeshi… It was the first time in his life he had felt urges like these, and he almost didn't know what to do with himself; did he go through with it, or did he ignore his body's needs?

As if Takeshi knew what the older male was thinking, he hugged his boyfriend carefully, ever mindful of the boy's swollen stomach. "We don't have to do anything you're not ready for, Bel."

"…" Bel closed his eyes before he said, "I want… Takeshi to… to… to make love to me… I don't… I want… to make love… N-not f-fuck…"

Takeshi moved in close to steal a kiss from Bel. He whispered against pale lips, "I'll make love to you as long as you're ready for it, Bel."

Bel nodded. He moved to lay down on the mattress, but he stopped and clutched his stomach tight when another onslaught of cramps took him by surprise. He moaned softly as he bit his lip; if the cramps were coming and going, would he be okay to make love with Takeshi? Or would it only hurt his stomach more? He felt tears of frustration well up in his eyes as he pushed against his boyfriend's chest to get him to wait.

"T-takeshi, it's… It's going to… to hurt my belly…" Bel shook his head. "I-I… Can we wait… for the cramps to pass…?"

Takeshi smiled as he brushed golden bangs away from the purple eyes he loved so much. "Of course, Bel. Let me know when they're gone."

The blond snuggled in close to Takeshi's side. He kept his eyes closed as he waited for his pain to pass, but he swore it was only getting worse with the more time that passed by. He had to be strong, though; he had to bear through it because his baby would be worth all of the pain in the world, after all.

As long as he had Takeshi there to help him, Bel was certainly going to try.

~~XX~~

Night had long-since fallen and Takeshi held Bel close in his arms. The blond was fast asleep, a thin sheen of sweat on his naked body as he tried to recover from the love he had made earlier with his boyfriend.

Takeshi couldn't sleep. It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep; rather that he couldn't. He was worried about Bel, and the more time that passed, the more his concerns grew. He didn't know if his boyfriend could go through with this pregnancy or not, but he didn't want to voice his worries to Bel; the blond was so excited to be having another child, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset his lover.

The Japanese male sighed and leant down to kiss Bel's head. The older male stirred and mumbled something, but he didn't wake. He went back to staring out of the wall-window and into the black sky above. He could make out the swaying of the trees in the wind, and with the light of the moon that shone down onto the earth, he could see the forest in the distance was dancing with the gale; there was a storm coming, he was sure of it.

But before he could think too much on the weather, the door opened and Squalo poked his head in. The man diverted his gaze when he took in the sight of the two naked teens before him, and he cleared his throat in discomfort; he hadn't expected for the boy he had raised to be having relations so soon.

"Brat. I'm gonna need your help with something." Squalo made it a point to stare at Chiara's crib so he didn't have to feel like a pedo and stare at the younger two where Takeshi was trying to get the blanket out from beneath them without disturbing Bel.

"What's up, Squalo?" The Vongola Rain was relieved when he finally tugged the blanket out from under their bodies without jostling his lover too much; he would hate to wake the other after what they had shared together. He pulled it over their bodies and made sure to hide as much flesh as he could; Squalo was uncomfortable, and he could understand that.

"I got a mission coming up, and I want to bring you with me and get some training into you." The man felt much more comfortable looking at the younger two now that they were beneath the blanket. "You comin'?"

"What about Bel?"

"The others can look after him." Squalo glanced at his wristwatch before he finally realised how late it was; time really was flying lately. "Fuck, it's three in the morning. Why are you still awake?"

"Just can't sleep. I'll think about it, Squalo."

Squalo nodded. "Try and get some sleep, brat; it's late." With that said, he backed out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Takeshi settled down into the darkness once more. He smiled as he felt his lover's warm breath on his bare skin; he was just so happy he could finally hold the older male as he slept.