Disclaimer: I do not own Valvrave the Liberator or any of its characters. I just own my feels after watching the last episode.

Warning: Yaoi fic. MPREG. Slightly AU from canon. Heavily implied smut scenes.

Rating: T for this chapter

Pairing: Tokishima Haruto X L-Elf (Mikhail), Tokishima Haruto X Shoko, L-Elf X Lieselotte. One-sided Haruto X Saki.

A/N: A big thanks to all readers and reviewers for reading this fic and for your reviews. They've made me happy~

Yaruming, I should be the one to thank you instead, for your review. Yeah there will be plenty of angst between these two, especially since I'm trying to keep L-Elf in character. Maybe a little too in character, which pretty much kills off romance from this fic. On the bright side, Haruto's fluffier than he is in canon, just to balance out L-Elf's lack of feels with his own. He's the one providing the HaruEru hints in the story. Pron?! Call it smut~ Pron strikes me as smex without plot, and I do take pride in my plot. :p . I didn't like how the anime killed off chars without much explanation, so I'm deviating from canon and expanding on chars with potential to play major roles as either allies or antagonists.

There will be mpreg in this chapter, so please do read on if this kink is agreeable with you.

To the story then…

Friends With Benefits

By: Gwynhafra86

Chapter 2

L-Elf filed the experience to the back of his mind for further reference. He had never allowed Tokishima Haruto a second helping during feeding so far, and he had never reached such a peak during intercourse before. As pleasant as the memory was, he wiped it out of his mind the minute he sat in his chair, going back to strategist mode. The Royalists would try to evacuate both A-Drei and X-Eins, who were both under lock and key for helping Rukino Saki to escape, but once they were launched off earth, even Kriemhild could not directly provide them support. The Valvraves had to move in and provide cover for them, leading them to the safety of their ship. They had to then retrieve A-Drei and X-Eins' battle units, which were hidden on another Dorssian Module.

The combat ship of JIOR moved out, while the administrative ship stayed behind, remaining under the protection of the neutrality of the moon. It was a battle between Cain and L-Elf, but thanks to the Royalists' secret intervention, the JIOR-ians were successful. They retrieved the units and the other two Dorssians, but again the passengers of the administrative ship freaked out, and Shouko could not let any of them on board. They ended up in the JIOR-ian combat ship, as well as a Dorssian warship they had conveniently "borrowed" during the retrieval of A-Drei and X-Eins' ships.

The first thing A-Drei did the minute he was on board their ship was to pull a gun out on L-Elf, an act the silver-haired strategist reciprocated. The Valvrave pilots tensed immediately, seemingly fully intending to do something, anything, should A-Drei start firing. A-Drei reached up with a free hand and pulled his hair aside, revealing the sightless left eye of his. "You were not the one who gave me this. Why didn't you say anything?"

"If I had, would you have believed me?" L-Elf replied calmly. Nearby, he could see Haruto fidget, seemingly remembering what he might have done while possessing L-Elf's body.

A-Drei closed his eyes. "I do not bear you any ill will. That being said, you are an enemy of the state. You have betrayed us."

"You will find your name on the list of deserters too, A-Drei. You too have left Dorssia to come here. They will see you as trying to ally yourselves with JIOR, their enemy." L-Elf remained absolutely calm, even though both he and A-Drei were still pointing guns at each other.

A-Drei stared at him, then lowered his gun. "That is true. My beloved homeland is gradually consumed in secret by monsters. I want you to assist in our mission, L-Elf."

"Mission objectives?" L-Elf requested calmly.

"The elimination of Captain Cain and all parties related to him."

L-Elf had to hide a smirk. Their interests aligned. With A-Drei and X-Eins, they could use a lot more battle formations, since the two were both highly skilled in combat and well-trained. "We'll discuss the details elsewhere. Come with me."

XXXXXX

"Priority lies with gathering allies and finding an actual home base we could dock our ships on. Supplies will run out eventually, and once that happens, even the Valvrave units will not do us much help." L-Elf concluded once he had relayed his plan to his longtime friend.

A-Drei had seemed all stoic when they were with the others, but now he stood, relaxed, by L-Elf's side. L-Elf was glad for it. He knew that A-Drei genuinely trusted and respected him, since they have both grown up together, and have survived countless battles together. Having A-Drei as an ally was like having a long-lost brother back with him. Of course, he was pretty sure sentiments were stronger on A-Drei's side, as he had long gone numb to most of the basic feelings, even towards friendship.

"As expected of you, L-Elf. This is a well thought out plan." The ex-royalty complimented.

"This is nothing. Cain is a monster, and we'll need every bit of resource we have against him. We have monsters on our side too, at our disposal."

"Tokishima Haruto…was it?" A-Drei's face twisted with distrust. "How sure are you to be able to command him?"

"You do not have to worry about that. I have a pact with Tokishima Haruto. I have full control over him." L-Elf pulled his collar aside, revealing the latest bite mark. "I allow him to draw energy from me in return for his absolute obedience."

A-Drei's brows knitted, seeing faded marks trailing down that neck, and to the upper part of L-Elf's collarbone. "That…looks like a lot of marks on you. I don't see how that makes him obedient."

L-Elf continued making adjustments to the plan before him. "I am his lover." He informed calmly.

A-Drei, unsurprisingly reacted with shock. "What?! But…he's a guy! No wait, more importantly, he's the enemy!"

"We have a common enemy, so he is no longer the enemy. Gender does not matter as long as our end goals align."

A-Drei went silent at that. Relationship among guys in the military was not something unheard of, as there were times the soldiers helped each other find relief during drawn-out missions. He just had a bit of difficulty picturing L-Elf in a physical relationship with anyone. "Do you love him?" A-Drei asked finally.

L-Elf seemed to ponder the question. "I do not hate him." He said finally.

A-Drei frowned. "That does not answer my question! I cannot imagine a person like you…a person with your pride submitting to anyone physically without any feelings involved…" He was cut off when L-Elf walked past him.

"Emotions are unnecessary in a plan. You just need to keep a cool head and stick to it. Tokishima Haruto has a different upbringing from us. Emotions are his strength. He loves me. I offer him what he wants. He will not betray me." L-Elf stated.

A-Drei gave a huff. "I feel a little sorry for that guy." The door slid open, and he nearly jumped at seeing that the person they were talking about was right at the door. Shit…did the JIOR-ian hear their conversation?

L-Elf didn't seem surprised. Then again, this was L-Elf he was talking about. He probably already knew that Haruto would be there. Haruto's expression seemed normal as he turned to them both. "It has been a while since you've boarded the ship. You must be hungry. Do come join us for lunch."

A-Drei could see what L-Elf meant when he said that Haruto was raised differently. Only a non-Karlstein graduate could form such quick rapport with strangers and enemies-turned-allies. L-Elf gave a nod of assent, then walked past Haruto and headed off to the dining area. A-Drei noticed how Haruto's gaze lingered on the silver-haired teen, and knew that the brunette had it quite bad for the former spy.

As confusing as everything was, A-Drei knew that it was all part of L-Elf's plan. He didn't have to understand it, didn't even have to like it, but he respected his decision all the same. Every minute detail others fail to see tend to also be part of the silver-haired's calculations…

…or at least…most of them were.

The already messed up relationship between Haruto and L-Elf went further south the day L-Elf fell sick.

Three weeks after A-Drei and X-Eins joined their forces, while everyone else was busy preparing for the next phase of the plan, which was to reveal the Magius' existence to the rest of the world, L-Elf began to show flu-like symptoms. Even by remaining absolutely still on his usual seat as their strategist, he felt dizzy. There were times his roommate, Haruto, would wake to hear him rushing out of bed and heading off to the bathroom before throwing up noisily. He could barely hold his food down anymore, and it didn't take long for the word to spread in both ships. Their tactical advisor was very sick.

It would be detrimental to their plan if the enemy got word of it though. It was a plan involving the three Dorssians infiltrating the enemy base, with L-Elf being the main attacker. If he couldn't cure his sickness before that, they may have to come up with a different plan.

L-Elf tried giving himself a checkup in the medical wing, though results for all tests for flu returned negative. It puzzled him to no end that he was only sick during certain hours of the day, and was fine for the rest. Also, he couldn't even stomach ham and eggs anymore, a dish he missed back in his Dorssian soldier days, and he thought he could enjoy again once A-Drei revealed that information to the JIOR-ians. His sickness did not hinder his abilities to create plans, but it might affect his performance if he were to head out to the battlefield in person.

He was still modifying his plan when there was a knock on the door, and moments later, Haruto poked his head in. "How are you feeling, L-Elf?" He asked, concerned.

The other teen did not look up as he continued with his work. "I'm still surviving." He replied flatly.

Haruto settled next to his bed, and, when it didn't seem like he was moving away anytime soon, L-Elf glanced over to find the brunette holding a steaming mug. "Ginger tea. I think it will help you feel better. I've asked Takahi-senpai and the others for help." He smiled.

L-Elf wasn't feeling particularly ill at that moment, but he accepted the drink anyway and took a sip. It did feel soothing, enough to quell his nausea and restore some of his appetite. Once he was done with the drink, he looked over to find Haruto holding out a plate of red bean jelly which he liked. "Here. I don't think you've really eaten much for dinner."

L-Elf gave a quiet word of thanks and took the food, eating it with some degree of gratefulness. Haruto got up and sat nearby. "Any changes?"

"We'll stick with the current mission plan. A-Drei, X-Eins and I will infiltrate the ceremony for the signing of the pact between ARUS and Dorssia. You will take the Valvraves to space and hold the enemy forces there. We will meet up again at 1400." L-Elf informed him calmly.

Haruto moved a little closer. "Why don't you use me instead? Let me take over your place. You're not well, L-Elf."

"You have close to zero chance of approaching the Fuhrer with your abilities." L-Elf informed without bothering to sugarcoat his underestimation of Haruto's intelligence. "My illness will not hinder this mission." He added. He'd make sure he had some of that tea before the mission.

Haruto sighed. "Suits yourself then." He headed up to his bunk bed and went silent. L-Elf presumed he was asleep and decided to call it a day too, switching off the lights. He would have a long battle ahead soon.

XXX

There were two separate attacks the day of the signing, which was another two weeks after L-Elf briefed them on their roles. As per the plan, the Valvraves attacked, luring most of the Dorssian forces into space and kept them busy there. The Royalists helped L-Elf and the other two to infiltrate the base, though there was still bloodshed all the way to the stage, where the Fuhrer was.

Akira hacked into the live transmission of the agreement signing event, just in time as L-Elf rushed onto stage, firing away at guards with deadly accuracy. He lashed out with a blade and slit the Fuhrer's throat, the sharp end of it slicing through skin easily. Holding the Fuhrer hostage, he wiped the blood off with his sleeve and removed his hand, letting the broadcast take in the monster's rapid regenerative ability and revealing the secret of the Council.

As he predicted, things didn't seem to go that easily for them, as shortly after, chaos ensued among the people, including the Dorssian and ARUS soldiers who were present and have witnessed it with their own eyes. A-Drei spoke to the crowd, trying to convince them to switch their allegiance away from the monsters. During that time, the Magius still held captive in L-Elf's hands remained scarily calm, even though there was still a blade pressed to his neck. "The Council of the Hundred and One is composed of the world's most influential people. How many incidents and accidents do you think we have arranged over the centuries?" His eyes narrowed. "I commend your effort for this, but the revelation of the Council will not do you much help."

L-Elf pressed the blade further into the Magius' neck, drawing blood. "Perhaps. But I can take your life first as a start."

The Fuhrer remained smirking, though at some point the smile slid off as he stiffened. "You are…!" To L-Elf's surprise, he reached backwards with a hand, almost as if he were trying to feel the teen up. L-Elf knocked him to the ground immediately, but that didn't stop the Fuhrer from staring at him. The Magius gave a loud bark of laughter. "Now this is definitely a turn of events…"

"What's so funny?" L-Elf demanded.

"You." A voice made him whip his gun over, pointing at the person speaking. Cain had, apparently, predicted that the Valvraves were only a distraction, and didn't leave the Fuhrer's side. At seeing his former mentor, the ex-spy tensed, his whole body ready to spring into action if combat should be necessary. Cain looked absolutely calm. "We Magius have a way of identifying each other through the pulsing of Runes in our bodies. These Runes resonate with us, allowing us to know each other's locations. You've been emitting the resonance of Runes for a while now… no…more accurately, the unborn in you was."

"What are you talking about?" L-Elf's eyes hardened. No. Cain was trying to make him lose his focus with trickery. He would not fall for it. He moved his finger to the trigger, though Cain glowed, used that strange mouth movement of his to chant something, and L-Elf felt a slight pulse, almost like a heartbeat, within his stomach. His eyes widened slightly, even as he clutched his stomach. Cain smirked at seeing a flash of confusion in the young man's eyes. "You fear us as monsters, but the child in your belly is the same as us. Pino's doing huh. She has always had a bit of a playful streak."

L-Elf's mind tried to process that information, and his gun remained pointing at his former mentor, but his finger froze at the trigger. "L-Elf!" A-Drei was quick to be by his side, even as he fired at Cain, who dodged out of the way, taking the Fuhrer with him.

"We'll retreat this once. You may have the upper hand for now, but not for long." Cain promised. L-Elf gave a snarl and got back to his feet, though that action brought about a wave of dizziness. "Cain!" He yelled, but the man was gone.

XXXXXX

They regrouped at the specified time. The plan was for the other three to escape in the Valvraves and head back to space, where the ship was. The minute Unit 01 landed, however, Haruto found himself facing a dead pissed L-Elf and two utterly confused friends of his.

"Cain will not pull such a trick at a time like this. Bringing in the factors of my symptoms and the timing, there is only one conclusion. Cain wasn't lying. That alien girl is dead." He growled as he stormed over to the cockpit, pulling out two guns as he went.

Haruto blinked. "Huh? Wait, what? What's going on?" He looked to A-Drei and X-Eins for explanation before running off to stop whatever L-Elf intended to do.

Pino had the decency to look frightened. "Haruto, stop him!" She yelped in fright. There was a slightly crazed gleam in the silver-haired teen's eyes. Any time now, he might even forcefully order Renboukouji Akira to get this whole system reformatted.

Haruto threw his arms around the other boy, pinning his guns to his sides. "Stop, L-Elf! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm getting rid of a meddling insect." Was the calm reply.

Pino seemed a little offended by that. "You were the one who said that you wanted to unite the Magius and humans. How is that my fault then?"

"Not in this sense!" L-Elf snarled.

"Not in what sense?" Haruto asked. He really did not understand what was going on at all.

Pino turned to him and smiled proudly, as if she had just done something really good. "L-Elf is pregnant with your baby, a union between a Magius and a human. Well, an artificial Magius works just fine in this case."

Haruto was so shocked by the news that his grip on L-Elf's arms loosened. L-Elf spun around and, without saying a word, shot Haruto point blank between the eyes.

XXXXXX

The other pilots heard the whole conversation, since transmission among all Valvrave units were connected. They reached the ship to find L-Elf storming out of Unit 01, and a blood-covered but still very much alive Haruto trailing after him. "L-Elf! What do you think you're doing?" There was a completely lost expression on Haruto's face, as if he were wandering about half in a dream, but he chucked his own confusion to the back of his mind because priority went into stopping a bloodthirsty silver-haired Dorssian first.

"I'm going to fix the main problem. We'll then proceed with the next phase of the plan." L-Elf spoke coolly, as if he were just talking about flicking a bug off his shoulder.

"Fix…oh no! What do you think you're intending to do to the baby?" Haruto panicked. He yelled at everyone within range to stop the silver-haired teen by blocking his path, though L-Elf brandished his gun and they obediently gave way. Haruto wouldn't stop giving chase though, and no matter how many bullets L-Elf put into him, he wouldn't give up (and the damn guy just wouldn't die).

Desperate to stop him, Haruto resorted to the strangest measures, as L-Elf got bitten, possessed, and woke to find himself strapped down. He broke out of the bonds in moments. Apparently Haruto still hadn't learnt that there was nothing in JIOR which could hold him captive for long. Haruto repeated the same thing over and over though, trying repeatedly to keep him bound so that he couldn't carry out whatever he wanted to do to get rid of the child…the monster within him. He even threatened to possess L-Elf's body for months if it would stop him, and would only release his body when it was time for him to deliver the child.

The students alerted Kibukawa, who came over to see what the contention was between their strategist and their main Valvrave pilot. After shooing the pilots and the Dorssians into one of the rooms to avoid the other students' curious stares, he demanded an answer from them. The other pilots and the two Dorssians avoided his gaze and looked awkward. Haruto was the one who spoke up. "L-Elf is… uh… pregnant…"

"I am not. It seems, however, that I am the temporary carrier of a parasitic being." L-Elf corrected bitterly without batting an eyelid.

Haruto looked a little pained at his words. Kibukawa frowned, then adjusted his glasses and told the silver-haired boy. "Come with me." He led the way to the medical wing. L-Elf followed him, with Haruto, A-Drei, X-Eins and the Valvrave pilots trailing after him. The students whispered amongst themselves as they passed, and L-Elf did not doubt that rumours were going to spread. He clenched his fist minutely by his side. No matter what, he'd get rid of this thing in him.

Kibukawa was a former combat medic, and with him around, the medical wing did seem a lot more a place for healing as compared to if it were just the students being there, then it would have been mainly a place for gossip. L-Elf lay still, fixing his gaze to the ceiling as Kibukawa pulled his shirt up a little, exposing his abdominal area, and proceeded to apply some kind of gel on him. He didn't even flinch at the coolness of it, having been through worse back in the academy.

The rest of the teenagers watched on with bated breath as Kibukawa switched on a device before placing a hand-held probe to the skin, moving it around. When he stopped, he glanced at the screen and nodded slightly. "You're right. He is pregnant."

"Carrying. Or call me a host." L-Elf corrected immediately, even as the teenagers squinted at the screen.

"I don't see anything." Yamada was the first to speak up.

"I see only some kind of dark spot there. Is that it?" Inuzuka asked next.

The girls in the group seem to have a better idea of what to look for, as they stared. "That…looks even smaller than a bean…" Akira breathed out.

Saki crossed her arms under her ample breasts. "That doesn't even look human." She struck a nerve there, and L-Elf finally turned to look at the screen. He, like the other guys, didn't quite know what to look for, and to him, he only saw a dark spot, with a tiny little blotch in the middle of it.

Kibukawa gave a soft laugh. "There is no way it's going to look human yet. It's too early, and it's barely formed. This size…I'd say it's about…5 weeks, give or take?"

"5 weeks and 4 days." L-Elf sounded like he was giving a report when he said that. Everyone else in the room turned to him, then their minds began working backwards. Of course L-Elf would know when the child was conceived, since he was one half of the party involved in the making of it. According to the laws of biology, or whatever was left of it, he had to have sex first. The other person involved in the conception of the child was…

"Who's the father?" X-Eins, who had been stunned into silence so far, asked the golden question.

The pilots, who knew the answer, all froze on the spot. A-Drei, of course, had his suspicions, but didn't say anything. L-Elf didn't say anything either. He just whipped out a gun and shot Haruto again.

After the other pilots stopped panicking over Haruto, especially Saki, who was yelling at L-Elf for his actions, and after he crawled back up again, Kibukawa turned back to the screen (after confiscating all weapons from L-Elf). "Well, it's still early in its development, but this child already has a heartbeat. It's still weak for now though."

"Kibukawa Takumi. Please get ready to carry out an abortion procedure." L-Elf ordered calmly.

The others stiffened. "L-Elf…it can't be…" Inuzuka was the first to speak up.

Yamada seized him by the collar and dragged him off the table. "Huh?! Are you saying you want to abort this child? That thing's already got a heartbeat!"

"I'm not even sure if you have one. You don't even know how lucky you are to be carrying his child!" Saki grumbled.

The Dorssians leapt to L-Elf's defense, pointing their guns at the pilots. Kibukawa sighed. He should have disarmed all of them before letting them into the place. Haruto walked over and grabbed Yamada's hand, trying to loosen his grip from L-Elf's shirt. "Yamada, please stop. Think of L-Elf's condition right now!" He turned to the others. "Could you…just let me talk to him for a moment? Give us a moment of privacy."

Kibukawa ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it a little in frustration. He turned to the teenagers. "You heard the guy. I think they need to talk this out first." He shooed everyone out of the medical wing and threw a glance behind him at the two before closing the door, leaving them alone.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two. Haruto looked like he wanted to say something, but at the same time he didn't seem to know how to phrase it. L-Elf remained seated there with his arms folded before his chest.

"I am not changing my mind, Tokishima Haruto. You've naïve, so I'll say this plainly for you. We're in the middle of a war against the Council of Hundred and One. I have the responsibility of coming up with a plan against them, but in order to do so, I cannot allow myself to be tied down by anything. Pino may have thought that she was doing us a favour by implanting… this thing in me, but this is not part of my calculations. Anything that does not fit into the equations ought to get removed." He told the brunette coolly.

There was a look of pain on Haruto's face. "L-Elf…please reconsider this… this child is innocent. We…we do not know what role he or she may play in the future, but just… don't take that future from this child."

Violet eyes narrowed. "Again with your idealistic talk. Fine, I'll put it in your perspective then. Let's say that I allow this child to be born. What then? We'll pretend to become a happy family together, you as the father and I as its mother? Our relationship was formed purely out of mutual benefit. I may have agreed to become your lover, but I do not intend to go any further than that. Once our goals are reached, we have nothing binding us anymore." He placed a hand to his own stomach and dug his fingers into the skin, as if trying to claw at the unborn creature growing within him. "Innocent? This thing is not even human. Even innocent children get killed during the war, let alone monsters like these." Even innocent children get trained to kill during the war.

Haruto took his hand, and L-Elf resisted the urge to shrug him off. "I know of our pact, L-Elf. I also know that my feelings will always remain one-sided. It's also because I love you that I want this child to live, since it's a part of you." He was silent for a while. "If you let it live, I swear I'll do anything and everything you tell me to, even if you tell me to die. If you want to name our child after the woman you love, I won't even stop you."

L-Elf's eyes narrowed. "Do not bring her up!" He snapped in warning.

Haruto continued holding his hand tightly. "I've seen too many important people die around me… my friends… my loved ones… I do not want there to be anymore sacrifices, not even lives yet to be born. Please, L-Elf. Let this child live on in the stead of those who have passed on." At seeing that L-Elf's gaze remained unchanging, he gritted his teeth and tried again. "Take a gamble with me, L-Elf. This child may have abilities to turn the tide of war. We won't know what this child can do in the future, but if you end its life now, we will never know!"

L-Elf felt a pounding headache coming up. This…stupidly sweet, naïve idiot… what was the point of keeping a child in such a messed up relationship? If this were his child with Lieselotte, things would have been a lot more straightforward…

His mind went to his late beloved princess. She was so young, so beautiful, and dead before her time was supposed to be up. He couldn't even save the person he loved. How could he even care for those he didn't? Both the replacement for Lieselotte and the human-articifial Magius hybrid within him…

But he did promise her he'd create a place for the two to coexist…

There was a moment of conflict within him. He didn't want to carry anything within him. It was against his nature as a guy. Still, Haruto had a point. The child's future was unknown, and the child's abilities could give them some sort of advantage in the war. Also… the idea of being able to give a name that had never left his mind to this child tempted him. Turning back to Haruto, who was watching him with wide, imploring blue eyes, he closed his eyes briefly. "If I do keep this child, then what do you propose we do past this point? Or is it a JIOR-ian practice to have kids at 17?"

Haruto gazed at his stomach. "… I do not know…" That made L-Elf's eyes narrow, but before the silver-haired boy could say anything, Haruto turned back to him. "Let's take things one step at a time. With both of us together, everything will work out just fine."

The expression on Haruto's face was enough to put a major guilty conscience even on L-Elf's war-hardened heart. He gritted his teeth and turned away. "Very well. I will take a gamble on its possible abilities. However, only this once." He could only hope he didn't regret this.

XXX

The other students watched on curiously once L-Elf and Haruto stepped back into the mission room. L-Elf's expression did not speak of his decision, but there was a relaxed air around Haruto, so they roughly knew even though L-Elf didn't say anything.

Their strategist took his seat and looked back at the screen. "We'll proceed with the mission plan…"

To be continued…

A/N: And that's it for Chapter 2. Please do drop me a comment if I made mistakes in the chapter, or if there is any part of the plot which looks unclear.

In the meantime…

Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.

-Gwyn86