It had been so long since Bel had last been able to give birth, he had almost forgotten the exhaustion that consumed him afterwards. Even so, the exhaustion wasn't so bad; he could lay curled up in his comfortable bed with Takeshi and his kids, spending time with his family whether it be by napping, watching TV, or playing videogames together.

Having given birth just a few days ago was still taking its toll on Bel, and as much as he needed to sleep despite the sun having only set perhaps an hour or two ago now, he remained propped up on his mattress by his countless pillows as he held Cappi against his side with one arm around the boy's shoulders and his other hand holding a picture book open for them both to see. It was storming viciously outside, something Bel had learnt years ago was terrifying for his son, so he was doing everything he could in his current state to keep the boy feeling safe. He wasn't sure where Chiara had disappeared to, but he figured she was in the bathroom with Takeshi, helping bathe their newborn.

"And then the – what is it, Cappi?" Bel's voice was soft as he turned his attention to his oldest child when Cappi tugged at his sleeve.

It wasn't unusual for Cappi to take his time in speaking; he had a habit of fumbling with his hands as he tried to gather the courage to speak. Bel knew there was still trauma in the boy, and he also knew it may never heal completely, but even so Cappi had been doing so well and that was the important thing.

Bel smiled gently when he was answered only by the shake of the younger's head. He leant down and placed a kiss on Cappi's forehead when a loud crack of thunder ripped through the sky and frightened his child; he remembered only too clearly the day his son had been diagnosed with autism and was warned dealing with it may be too much for Bel with everything he himself was dealing with – but what did they know? They didn't know how much he loved his kids and how he'd always put them before himself. He didn't care that sometimes Cappi's behaviour stressed him into ill health; his child was special and only needed more love than he had ever known previously.

The older blond let out a yawn as he looked to his bedside table and at the alarm clock next to him. It flashed eight-thirty-one at him in bright letters, and Bel smiled brightly before he turned back to his son. "Takeshi will be back any moment now~ Ne, Cappi, it's bedtime in half-an-hour, okay?"

Cappi nodded. His attention drifted away from his dad as he pulled away from the other's arm and got off the bed to look through the collection of DVDs scattered carelessly by the entertainment system on the other side of the room. He shuddered at the mess Chiara always left behind; he hated having all of the different coloured cases touching, so he sat down and got to work on sorting them back into neat piles that didn't make him feel so stressed.

Bel watched Cappi for a few minutes from the safety of his bed, but when the thunder rumbled again and the boy started rocking on the spot, he slowly pushed himself upright and did his best to ignore the burning in his stomach as he walked to where his son was. "Cappi? It's okay; I promise."

Cappi didn't pull away from the tight hug he was given; now that he wasn't so afraid of touch and had learnt to tolerate his father's hands, he found that he rather enjoyed the closeness he could share with Bel. He didn't return the embrace, but it was okay; Bel's hug was warm enough for them both.

As Bel had predicted, the bedroom door opened only moments later and Takeshi and Chiara stepped into the room, with the newborn tucked safely in Takeshi's strong arms. Bel's excitement grew to unmanageable levels within seconds, and even though he knew he was supposed to be taking it easy until his stomach healed, he still bounded to his feet abruptly and tried to hide the surge of pain he felt behind a happy smile.

"What are you doing out of bed, sweetheart?" Takeshi shifted the baby into the crook of his arm so that he could reach out and put his hand on his lover's shoulder. He wasn't surprised when Bel dived in for a deep kiss; the blond had become so affectionate and loving now that he had finally been able to begin healing from his own trauma.

"Takeshi, let me hold her…" Bel's smile was lopsided from both eagerness and anxiety as he held his arms out for his newest daughter; Takeshi had been looking after her all day for him, and though Bel had nursed her every couple of hours, it still felt as if he hadn't touched his baby in years.

"Get back in bed first, okay?" Takeshi walked his boyfriend back to their bed so that he could tuck Bel in tight beneath the blankets. He waited until the other was comfortable before he passed his daughter to Bel and watched as the blond held the baby in loving arms.

"Daddy, I helped give Haruko a bath!"

Bel smiled at Chiara when the girl clambered onto the bed to sit beside him. "I think you did a good job, Chiara. Oh, you have a split end… Takeshi, we're taking Chiara to the hairdressers first thing in the morning for a trim before she gets more split ends."

Takeshi chuckled. He reached out to curl a golden lock around his own finger as he said, "What about Cappi? Should we get him a trim, too? His hair is getting long again."

Bel shook his head. "I trimmed it last night. Chiara, you're going to get a haircut tomorrow~"

"But, daddy, I got one last week!" Chiara dropped her head to her father's lap so she could look out of the glass doors leading to the balcony and watch the lightning flash through the sky.

"You need another one; princesses don't have split ends." With that said, Bel looked down at his newest child so he could admire her beauty. Already she had thick curls of golden on her head, and he was excited to finally have a daughter that actually resembled him instead of his rapist. He found her pudgy face to be adorable, but what he loved the most was her eyes; even at such a young age, they were the mirror image of Takeshi's kind and loving eyes, and it was the most comfort he had ever gotten from his children. He loved Haruko so much already, and he hoped that, if anything, she would grow up to be just like Takeshi.

Bel wasn't aware of how much time was passing by as he held his newborn close to him; all he knew was that suddenly, Chiara's arms were wrapping around him, and her soft lips kissed his cheek like they did every night before bed. He smiled as he looked at her, and he lifted his hand to thread through her long black hair. "Goodnight, Chiara. I love you."

"I love you, too, dad."

Bel's smile widened. He watched his daughter jump off the bed to join Takeshi before he looked over to Cappi and found the boy watching them warily. He opened his arms wide before he said, "Cappi, come here."

Cappi did as he was told. He didn't return the embrace or the kiss on the forehead he was given, but he did whisper goodnight when Bel told him he loved him. He pulled away when Takeshi tried to take his hand and lead him into his own bedroom; just because he could handle Bel touching him didn't mean it wasn't painful when others would touch him.

"Can I have Haruko, Bel-chan?" Takeshi smiled when his daughter was passed to him. "I'll be back in a few minutes, honey."

Bel's smile never faltered as he watched his family leave the room. He rolled onto his side so that he could reach over to his bedside drawers and grab a few items for when Takeshi would come back; he wanted to surprise the younger, after all.

As expected, it didn't take long at all for Takeshi to put the kids to bed and return. He sat on the mattress next to Bel and allowed the smaller male to snuggle in against him; he was so happy the other could freely show his affections now because Bel was just so sweet.

"You know, the sushi restaurant won't close for another hour." Takeshi wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "Want me to get a delivery?"

Bel shook his head. He beamed up at the stronger male as he reached for the items he had stashed beneath his pillow minutes before. "I've got a better idea… The kids are in bed and my back needs a massage~"

Takeshi laughed at the bottle of lotion and condom packet he had been handed. He rolled over so that he was leaning above the blond on his hands and knees. He dropped his face to press their noses together. "Is that so, baby? I suppose that could work, ne?"

Bel wrapped his arms around his lover's neck and pulled Takeshi on top of him. He nuzzled their cheeks together. "You know… I was kind of hoping we could do something differently tonight…"

"Hmm? I'm listening." The Japanese male's lips ghosted over the exposed flesh of Bel's throat.

"We've never really… You know… Made my bed rock before~" Bel made a purring sound. "I'm rather curious at how much we could make the mattress squeak, actually~"

Takeshi licked his lips; oh, how tempting the idea of fucking his boyfriend hard and rough was… "Are you sure you're up for it? If it hurts too much, I'll stop, okay?"

Bel nodded. "I'll be okay, Takeshi. I just… I was talking with Squalo today, and he… He really made me curious if it was as good as he said it is. I wanna find out with you~"

The younger male nodded. "Alright, then. It might hurt, so tell me if it does. I love you, Bel-chan."

"I love Takeshi, too~" With that said, Bel kissed the taller male with all the love he had inside of him and prepared himself for what was to come.