No Love Match - Chapter 20 (Final)
Jan. 17th, 2017 07:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
learashiPairing: Sakumoto (main), Aimiya
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Romance, m-preg, au
Disclaimer: I do not own Arashi, only these words.
Summary: Jun is given in an arranged marriage to Lord Sakurai Sho. Against the odds, love blossoms.
A/N: I never meant for this to happen but this turned into my first chaptered fic and we have at last arrived at the final chapter. I will honestly cry if I write any more up here, so go, read, and enjoy.
Previously: Chap 1, Chap 2, Chap 3, Chap 4, Chap 5, Chap 6, Chap 7, Chap 8, Chap 9, Chap 10, Chap 11, Chap 12, Chap 13, Chap 14, Chap 15, Chap 16, Chap 17, Chap 18, Chap 19
"There's my big strong boy."
Satoshi greedily sucked on the teat of the bottle as Jun held him in his arms. The infant was three weeks old and Jun had finally been able to leave the bed for the first time to sit in the armchair to feed his son.
"He's a greedy little mite. I wonder who that reminds me of?" Nino said with a snicker.
Jun glared at him with narrowed eyes. "I hope that you are not referring to my beloved husband?" Considering that Nino was laying back upon the bed with a plate of snacks feeding them into his mouth without even seeming to be aware of what he was consuming, Jun strongly believed that his friend had no grounds to refer to anyone else's appetite so snidely.
The brewing argument was forestalled by Masaki's entrance to the chamber. "Kazu, you know that you are not supposed to eat between meals." The bowl of sesame crackers was snatched from Nino's hand as his husband spoke, eliciting an angry whine from the rotund figure on the bed.
"I have come to conduct my examination of Jun's condition, not to monitor your eating habits," scolded Masaki. Since Jun's difficult and near fatal delivery, he had been exceedingly protective of Nino's health and not always succeeded in expressing it in the most diplomatic of fashions.
"Since I seem to have offended everyone in this chamber in some way I had best take my leave,” Nino huffed as he levered himself up off the bed and waddled from the room.
"Perhaps you should go after him?" Jun asked whilst he patted Satoshi's back as the bottle was now empty.
"I will catch up with him and make amends before he travels far. His speed is rather limited of late."
Jun laughed before his expression became serious. "Masaki I know why you hover over him so closely. Please do not think that what happened to me was in any way your fault. I place no blame upon your shoulders. I firmly believe that no better care could have been taken of me throughout the delivery of my sweetling and that the fates decreed whether I lived or not.”
“But you might have died.” Masaki felt a cold sweat beading his brow as the relived the horrors of that night. Neither he nor Sho had slept; instead they had sat and listened to the sounds of Jun’s shallow breathing, willing each breath to be followed by another, until dawn had finally arrived and with it the hope that Jun might yet survive.
“And I was fully prepared to do so, if it meant that Satoshi’s life was saved. Do you not recall our conversation upon the morning that I went into labour? I meant every word when I told you that I wished for you to save the life of my child even at the expense of my own. Please do not give Nino cause to fear the delivery of your twins; instead offer him your loving support for the balance of his pregnancy and try to make it as pleasurable as might be for him.”
Masaki looked at Jun with a new respect; somehow it had passed his notice that over the past few months that the shy and delicate teenager had become a strong and confident adult.
++++
Nino huffed and rolled over on the bed, turning his back to his husband as he sat down beside him.
“Kazu, I am deeply sorry for my treatment of you over these past weeks. My feelings of guilt and remorse with regard to Jun's delivery have weighed heavily upon my conscience and I have made you suffer most sorely for my lack of confidence."
Nino angled himself slightly in Masaki's direction, indicating that he was at least listening to his words, if not finding forgiveness in his heart just yet.
"The last thing that I wished for was to take the joy from your remaining weeks of pregnancy. It is a special time, and one which allows you to bond with our unborn children, as Jun so rightly pointed out."
"Jun?"
"He is an eminently sensible young man and a steadfast friend whom you should treasure."
"Are you saying that I am foolish in comparison?" Nino was unwilling to admit that perhaps he indeed was.
"No my dearest one; you are perfect as you are and I give thanks every day that you chose to favour me with your love," Masaki replied, daring to reach out and stroke his husband's hair with a tentative touch. "I have a gift for you."
These last words attracted Nino's attention, and he rolled back over to face his husband. "A gift?"
"I commissioned the local silversmith to craft this piece for you. I believe that it will highlight your beautifully slender wrist perfectly." As spoke Masaki drew a silver cuff from his pocket and slipped it on Nino's wrist.
Apart from his simple wedding band, it was the first piece of jewellery that Nino had ever owned. He turned his wrist this way and that, admiring the twisted strands of silver that had been woven together to create a unique piece that was everything than he could have ever wished for.
"Am I forgiven?"
"You stupid man," Nino said, blinking back his tears. "You have done nothing that requires forgiveness. All you have done is once again ably demonstrate why it was so easy to fall in love with you. Your overprotectiveness is merely a symbol of your own love for both me and our babies."
"Then, may I kiss you without fear of injury?”
"You need only fear injury if you do not do so immediately," Nino said as he gripped Masaki's face firmly and ravished his plump lips with every sign of satisfaction.
++++
“Sho, what are you doing?”
Sho gently plucked Satoshi from Jun’s arms and handed him over his nurserymaid who carried the sleeping infant to his new home in the beautifully decorated nursery.
"Masaki has at last granted permission for your return to our own bedchambers. I have missed you dearly for these past weeks. I am unsettled if you do not rest by my side."
Jun's face lit up with pleasure at his husband's words, immediately rising from the armchair and heading towards the door. As much as he treasured every moment with his son, he longed to be once more included in the daily life of the Manor.
"Husband, what are you doing?" Jun exclaimed as Sho swept him into his arms. "I am perfectly capable of walking."
"My love, this reminds me well of your arrival at this household whilst suffering from the injuries from your fall. Please allow me this moment of nostalgia."
Jun nodded and buried his face comfortably into the side of Sho's neck; allowing himself to be carried along. He attempted to not display any of the disappointment he felt when Sho deposited him upon the bed in his own room rather than in Sho's own larger chamber, without any success.
"Do not pout so my kitten. I feel it best that you reside here for a little time. I do not wish to slow your recovery," Sho said as slipped onto the bed beside his husband and cradled him gently in his arms.
++++
"Jun, please try and eat a little more of this meat. Masaki said that you must if you are to regain your strength." Sho tried to place more thinly sliced steak upon Jun's dinner plate only to be rebuffed once more.
"Must I come over and feed you again myself?"
Jun squeaked with excitement at the familiar voice issuing from the doorway. He immediately leapt to his feet and rushed across the room to fling himself upon their unexpected visitor. He squeezed him in a tight hug, which was returned enthusiastically.
"Little One," King Ohno said, drawing away slightly to obtain a better view of his young friend. He was concerned by the unhealthy pallor of Jun's skin, but was pleased to see such a wide grin stretching across his face.
"Jun!" Sho said in an admonishing tone, horrified at his husband's familiarity with the Monarch.
"I...I am sorry Your Majesty...I did not mean to..." Jun stuttered, blushing as he tried to back away.
Ohmo was having none of that as he refused to let Jun go until he planted a fatherly kiss upon his forehead. "You have done nothing except make an old man happy. If only my own dear children greeted me so enthusiastically after a short separation."
"You are far from old," Jun replied as he led the King to a seat at the table and rang for a servant to bring an extra place setting.
"But I am a grandfather in all but name now," Ohno replied with a twinkle. "May I see my namesake soon?"
"Only after you eat a proper meal. You must be famished after your travels," Jun replied.
"I shall eat only if you do," Ohno replied firmly, gesturing towards the uneaten meat upon Jun's plate.
Sho could only sit and watch with bemusement as the pair gobbled down their food with unseemly haste before rushing to the nursery, leaving him quite alone to finish eating his meal at a more normal speed.
++++
"Oh, he is beautiful," Ohno breathed as he traced the curve of the sleeping infant's cheek with the lightest of touches of his fingertip.
Long dark lashes rested upon Satoshi's rosy cheeks, his tiny heart shaped lips pursed as he made sucking motions in his sleep. His fingers flexed as he wriggled, gradually waking as Ohno tickled under his chin.
"Jun, you have created a magnificent little individual," Ohno said as he gazed into the large pair of blinking eyes gazing up at him. The King pulled a silver rattle in the shape of a leaping dolphin out of his deep pocket and shook it above Satoshi's head. The baby reached up batting it with his hand and smiling at the jingling sounds that his actions created. He was almost eleven weeks old and beginning to show an interest in the world surrounding him.
"May I hold him? I am quite experienced after raising my own three and I shall not drop him."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Jun said, lifting his son and placing him in Ohno's arms.
"Little One, there is no need to address me in such a formal tone whilst we are alone. It would give me great pleasure of you would address me as 'Pa'. If that does not cause you offence of course..."
Jun's eyes grew large enough to fill his entire face as he nodded his silent agreement, not trusting himself to speak without bursting into unseemly tears.
++++
Next morning at the breakfast table Ohno asked Jun to accompany him to the river on a fishing expedition. He was concerned about Jun's pale complexion and the sad look in his eyes when he thought that no one was looking.
"I cannot leave Satoshi," Jun replied immediately, with a stubborn expression.
"I know that you have not been separated from him for any length of time, but he will be well cared for whilst we are gone and no possible harm will befall him."
"My love, it will be good for you to venture outdoors and enjoy fresh air." Sho added his powers of persuasion to those of the King.
Jun was unable to resist their gaze and reluctantly agreed to the adventure, spending as much time as possible cuddling his baby before joining Ohno outside where their horses were waiting. Beauty whickered in pleasure at the sight of her master. It had been a long time since Jun had been able to ride her and she nuzzled him affectionately as he stroked her velvety soft nose.
"It appears than even animals cannot resist your charms," Ohno said as he mounted his stallion.
"Not at all. It is more usual for them to rebuff my attempts at friendship. I think that perhaps she is trying to impress Storm." Jun laughed at the flirtatious antics of the mare at the sight of the huge black horse.
++++
"Where has your Father disappeared to?" Nino asked the gurgling infant, who seemed to be attempting to smile and laugh at the same time, resulting in a giggling hiccup as Nino lightly tickled his sides.
Masaki smiled at the sight of Nino handling Satoshi with such confidence. Being forced to assist with the care of the infant whilst Jun was so ill had removed all of Nino's fear of caring for one so young. He was sure that Nino would be more than able to cope with the imminent arrival of their much loved twins.
"You should still be abed my dear. You must take as much rest as you are able." Nino's tiny frame was quite overwhelmed by the size of his belly, causing him difficulties when breathing and a sometimes crippling back ache.
When King Ohno had unexpectedly arrived, his healers had been with him. Jun had apparently requested their attendance at Nino's confinement; a request that had been happlily granted by the monarch. Masaki was more than a little relieved that he did not have to undertake the delivery of his own children. He would have more than enough stress with just helping Nino to work through the early stages of labour, and there was no possible way that he could ever envisage taking up a knife and cutting into his husband's tender skin.
"Perhaps you are right, but only if you accompany me," Nino replied with a suggestive smile.
Due to Nino's discomfort they had been unable to make love for the past weeks so Masaki knew that Nino was merely bluffing, but if it made it easier to persuade Nino to rest then he was happy to go along with the charade.
"In that case we had best adjourn to our chamber immediately." Masaki replied in a sensual tone.
They were once again residing in the guest wing; Jun wished to keep a watchful eye upon his friend until the twins had safely arriven into the world.
++++
"I fear that the fish have taken their leave today. I have not even had the slightest bite." Ohno looked at Jun expectantly but received no response. His young friend was staring at the rushing water of the river with a most melancholy expression.
Jun was drawn abruptly from his reverie when the fishing rod was tugged from his hand. He looked at the King with startled eyes as he was pulled under the shade of a nearby tree and offered a flagon of cool ginger beer.
"Little One what troubles you? Do you feel unwell?"
Jun blushed; his problems were those of an intimate nature and he did not know whether it was entirely appropriate to discuss such private matters with another.
"I am perfectly well, thank you."
"Then what worries you? You appear to carry the weight of the world upon your shoulders," Ohno replied, touching the back of Jun's hand lightly.
At the feel of such a gentle and loving touch Jun found himself suddenly sobbing before being engulfed in a fatherly embrace. When he calmed slightly Jun was able to share his worries with the kindly Monarch.
"Since the birth Sho has avoided all intimacy with me. We do not even share the same bed. What if his professions of love were only pretence and now that he has the heir he required he no longer needs me?"
"Oh, Jun, how could you believe such a thing? I have never seen a man look more in love than when he gazes at you."
"Then perhaps he is no longer physically attacted to me," Jun said, unconsciously rubbing his hand across his lower belly where the slowly fading scar of the cesarean resided.
"Now you are just being silly. You are just as beautiful as before, perhaps more so because you glow like a beacon when you hold your son in your arms."
"Then why?"
"After my dear wife gave birth to our first son I also feared to recommence intimacies with her. It was not for the reasons that you have mentioned; it was because I feared to cause her hurt or discomfort. I believe that Sho feels the same way. If you wish for him to make love to you once again then you must take the initiative and demonstrate to him that you are ready."
Jun blushed deeply, unsure of how to bring about such an opportunity.
Ohno smiled wisely and offered Jun further advice upon the subject as they continued to sip their ginger beer under the shady tree, all thoughts of fishing temporarily abandoned.
++++
Sho was engrossed in the seemingly never-ending pile of paperwork that seemed to be taking over his desk. In complete contrast Jun's desk had a small stack of neatly piled papers neatly aligned pens resting upon the blotter set precisely in the exact centre.
So concentrated was he that he did not hear Jun's approach until a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck and a kiss was pressed to his cheek.
"You work too hard my love," Jun said softly into his ear. "I have prepared us a picnic luncheon. There is freshly cured ham and crusty bread and I have baked your favourite cream cake for afters."
Sho noticed two large wicker baskets at Jun's feet, obviously containing the foodstuffs that Jun had mentioned and by the size of them possibly much else besides.
"Where were you thinking of having this picnic, my kitten?" Sho asked as he abandoned his paperwork in favour of kissing his husband and picking up the baskets.
"Since it is a lovely day I thought we might walk to our lake. Satoshi has been fed and he sleeps soundly in the nursery. He will not miss us for a few hours. His Majesty has said that he will look in upon him also in case he needs a cuddle," Jun said, before adding, "Although I think perhaps that Pa is more in need of the cuddles than our son."
"Who?"
"Sorry, I mean His Majesty."
Sho knew that he would never fully comprehend the bond between his husband and the Monarch and wisely decided not to pry further.
++++
Masaki was seated at the dining table waiting for his husband to join him for luncheon. Nino had spent the greater part of the morning in their bed, before paying a visit to the nursery to spend a little time with Satoshi.
"Ow! What transgression have I committed to warrant such treatment?" Masaki yelped in pain.
As Nino had walked past him to take his place at the table he had pinched the skin on the back of Masaki's hand with all of his might.
"Now you know how I have been feeling for the last two hours," Nino growled with a glare at his bewildered husband.
"Kazu! Your labour has begun?"
"You had best reassure me that it will not become more painful than this," Nino hissed as another contraction gripped him. "Or else you will be the one carrying our future children."
"You are contemplating future children with me?" Masaki asked with a foolish grin.
"If you do not cease looking at me in that fashion you will soon lack the abilty to father any further children at all, " Nino replied, picking up his knife and waggling it threateningly in Masaki's direction.
++++
"The lake is beautiful today," Jun said as he spread the soft blue woollen picnic rug upon the grass next to the calm, clear water. "Unfortunately the water is still too cold for us to swim." He sighed regretfully, remembering the first time that he had seen Sho naked and their actions in the shallows of the lake afterwards.
Sho shared a smile of remembrance with him as he also recalled their playful lovemaking in this very place.
Jun took hold of Sho's hand and pulled him down beside him upon the rug, settling himself upon his husband's lap and nuzzling his lips up the side of Sho's neck.
Sho responded by turning Jun to face him and capturing his lips in a tender kiss, but as Jun attempted to deepen the kiss Sho pulled away slightly, his body stiffening as he attempted to not touch Jun any further.
Jun felt tears of disappointment and confusion welling in his eyes. "Why do you not want me? I do not understand what I have done to lose your love."
"I love you more with every beat of my heart, my kitten," Sho responded, reaching to take Jun's hand.
Jun pulled away, "Then why have you not taken me since Satoshi's birth?" His carefully constructed plan to seduce his husband was forgotten as anger washed over him.
Sho was unable to quite meet Jun's eyes as he responded. "I did not wish to hurt you. You were so weak..."
"I am perfectly well now." Jun reached out and ran his fingers over Sho's member through the fabric of his trousers as he licked the shell of his ear.
Sho groaned and momentarily leant into Jun's touch before once again pulling away, with a regretful expression. "I cannot. What if I get you with child again immediately? I could not live with my conscience were that to happen. "
Jun laughed with relief, happy that it was such an easily remedied thing holding his husband back from making love to him. "Masaki has taken care of that. He has prepared me a herbal remedy to prevent such a thing happening again until we desire it to be so. So you may make love to me with abandon and without fear."
As he spoke these words Jun began to slowly unbutton Sho's shirt, parting it to expose his muscular chest. Sho groaned and arched his back as Jun bent and licked his nipples, playing with each until they were slightly swollen and erect.
Gathering the last of his common sense before abandoning all reason, Sho said, "Once again we have no lubricant to hand. My kitten, do not take this as rejection but I fear that we cannot..."
Jun reluctantly released Sho's nipple and reached into the second basket, triumphantly drawing forth a bottle of sweet oil and some soft cloths to be used to clean themsleves afterwards.
Sho smiled as he drew Jun close to his prone body, murmuring, "Clever kitten" as he slid his hand inside Jun's trousers and squeezed a pert buttock.
++++
Nino refused all requests from the Healers to remain in bed as he paced angrily about the delivery chamber, he felt the pains less when he was moving than when he was prone upon the bed.
Masaki hovered beside him as if doubtful of Nino's ability to remain upright without his assistance.
"Stop trailing about behind me like a lost puppy," Nino said with a glare. "I am perfectly capable of walking by myself." His words proved to be less than effective as he doubled over as the next pain struck, clutching tightly to Masaki for support.
"Are you still refusing to allow me to send a servant to fetch Jun?" Masaki asked with slight desperation. He knew that Jun was far better at dealing with Nino's moods than he was.
Nino nodded his head firmly. He had spoken with King Ohno upon the subject earlier whilst in the nursery and he knew that Jun's private time with Sho was an important step to remedy a lack of intimacy in their relationship. He had no desire to interrupt at such a time when he knew that his babies would not arrive for some hours yet.
++++
Sho took as much time to carefully prepare him as Jun's impatience would allow. He had not taken him in many weeks and he did not wish their first time since the birth of their son to be anything less than perfect.
To Sho it almost felt as if he was taking Jun's virginity all over again as he pressed slowly into his tight heat.
Jun mewled with a mixture of pleasure and pain as he felt his husband's thick cock breaching his hole. Their eyes remained locked together as Sho inched his way into Jun's body, neither able to look away as they shared a look of mutual love and desire.
After a lengthy pause to kiss each other deeply whilst Jun adjusted to the feel of his husband's length stretching his body ever more open, Sho finally began to move. The tiny movements of his hips made Jun squirm with pleasure as he raised his legs, wrapping them tightly around Sho's waist, pressing him even deeper into his body.
Jun rocked slightly against Sho with each movement, meeting him halfway, moaning with pleasure as Sho bent his head and nuzzled the sensitive spot just below his left ear.
"You are so beautiful like this, all willing and filled with need as you lie beneath me," Sho said as he began to gradually increase the scope of his movements.
"S-Sho, I l-love you." Jun could barely speak as he felt the head of Sho's cock rub firmly against his most pleasurable spot.
Their bodies danced together in a well remembered rhythm as their movements increased in urgency. Sighs and moans of pleasure leaving them as they worked their way towards release.
Jun raked his fingernails lightly down Sho's back as his husband began to slide his oil slicked hand along his length in time with their thrusting bodies.
"Come with me, my love," Sho gasped, his hips losing their rhythm, stuttering and jerking as his orgasm overcame him.
Jun cried out at the sensation of his husband's seed filling him and marking him as his own. He maintained eye contact with Sho as he found his own release, his cum filling the space between their bodies with spurts of of liquid heat.
Sho was careful to not press his weight upon Jun's body as they sagged with relief, kissing until his softened cock slipped from Jun's body. With a satisfied sigh he collapsed onto his back, pulling Jun tightly to his chest. They remained there, unspeaking, as their hearts beat together as one.
Taking up the cloths Jun had packed, Sho dampened them in the lake and cleaned them both down. Whilst he did so he planted a series of featherlight kisses across the scar on Jun's belly. Jun responded by kissing the scar on Sho's left shoulder with a great deal of tenderness.
"We both now carry scars of battles won," Sho said, gazing at Jun proudly, his eyes conveying a world of love.
++++
They were pulled abruptly from their haze of loving feelings later that afternoon when they passed through the entranceway into the house to be greeted by the nursery maid.
She was wringing her hands with worry and her face bore a most upset expression.
Jun's heart almost leapt from his chest and his blood ran cold. "What has happened Cherii? Is something amiss with Satoshi?" He clutched Sho's hand tightly as he spoke, as if seeking something to ground him.
"Um, not at all Sir. I am sorry to worry you so. It is Mr Nino. His babies are on their way."
Jun immediately wrenched his hand from his husband's grasp and ran up the stairs to to delivery chambers.
++++
"It is all your fault!" Nino punched weakly at Masaki's arm as he tried to ease him through the latest contraction.
"Try and breathe through it Kazu my love," Masaki advised somewhat unwisely.
He managed to dodge the beaker of water that Nino hurled at his head as he shrieked, "I have not ceased to breathe yet, and it makes no difference whatsoever."
The door opened just as the mug bounced off it and onto the floor. Jun scowled as he carefully stepped around the spreading puddle soaking into the carpet.
"Nino! Cease this ruckus immediately. What will your babies think? Come here immediately."
With a cry Nino flung himself bodily into Jun's open arms, almost tumbling them both down to the floor. The two Healers were cowering in the far corner of the room, obviously in disarray after bearing the brunt of Nino's anger for several hours already.
"It hurts so much," Nino whined, cluching Jun's arms tightly enough to bruise. "Why did you not warn me?"
"But Nino, you were beside me throughout the entirety of my own labour. You must have known what to expect?"
"But I have always believed myself to be much stronger than you. Why were you able to cope with such poise?"
"Are you saying that I am weaker than you?"
"Well, remember when we were children and that chicken attacked..." Nino's words were cut off by a light cuff to his head a moment before the next contraction struck.
Sho had entered the room in time to hear the remark about the chicken. He and Masaki exchanged amused looks. They both mentally resolved to hear the remainder of that story some time in the future.
++++
"Kazu, will you please hold still so that the Healers might examine you?" Masaki begged as his husband writhed away from their examination once again.
"No, for every time they touch me they squeeze me in a most inconsiderate fashion," Nino whined.
"Nino, do you not wish for your babies to be here?" Jun asked, wiping Nino's brow with a cooling cloth.
"Perhaps they are better off where they are. I will probably make a terrible parent," Nino whinged.
"Have you not always cared for me since we were both small? Did I turn out so very badly?"
"N-no, you are almost irritatingly without fault," Nino grumbled.
"I shall choose to take that as a compliment," Jun replied with a wry smile, before adding,"You will not fail them if you care for them with as much love as you have always shown me."
Whilst they had been talking, the Healers had finally been able to complete their examination, nodding to Masaki in confirmation that the time for delivery was finally upon them.
++++
"Little One you will wear a hole in the carpet if you do not cease this relentless pacing," Ohno said as he watched Jun walk nervously by him once again, jiggling Satoshi in his arms.
The infant whimpered as he attempted to reach his bottle, but Jun's movements kept moving the teat away from his mouth. Unable to cope with such teasing Satoshi began to grizzle unhappily at his lack of sustenance.
With a fond smile Sho took the baby from his husband's arms and took over the task of feeding him. Finally able to eat, Satoshi gulped down his milk with unseemly haste. When finished he twisted uncomfortably in his Papa's arms, his tiny stomach full of wind from eating far too quickly than was good for him.
The King gently plucked him from Sho's inexperienced arms and patted his back until he was able to release the trapped air. "He reminds me of you on campaign when we have a break from the fighting. You always seem scared that someone will steal the food from your mouth." Ohno laughed at the offended look upon Sho's face.
Sho looked to his husband for support against this attack upon his person but Jun was not paying attention, instead he was standing, straining his hearing as he listened intently.
A broad smile stretched across Jun's face as he heard a thin cry issuing from the chamber next door, followed shortly after by another high pitched wail. The twins had safely made their way into the world.
++++
The room slowly came into focus as Nino blinked slowly, his mind still filled with confusion from the sleeping draft. His body felt strangely light and his mouth was dry. A hand proffered a glass of water to him and Nino accepted it gratefully, the cool liquid instantly soothing his throat. He looked blearily up into a pair of warm and beautiful eyes that gazed down at him with an expression filled with love and pride.
"Congratulations my sweet," Masaki said as he swept Nino's damp hair back off his face. "I am so very proud of you."
"My babies! Where are they?"
"Right here, my love," Masaki said gently as he accepted a small squirming bundle from one of the Healers. "Our son. He arrived first."
Nino sighed with relief as the tiny warm body was placed upon his chest. Their eyes met and was instantly in love, all of his fears forgotten.
"And this is our little girl." Masaki kissed the infants head before placing her next to her big brother.
"We have a son and a daughter? They are well?"
"They are perfect, just as you are," Masaki replied as he kissed Nino's forehead, imprinting this vision of his new family into his memory forever.
Nino stroked the wispy hair on their heads and listened to their soft snuffling breathing as the twins cuddled together as if seeking comfort in each other.
"So Kazu my love, have you decided upon names for our precious ones?"
Nino nodded and stroked the soft skin of his son's cheek. "Taro, our firstborn son."
Masaki nodded his approval. "And our little girl?"
"Tamiko, our most beautiful child," Nino replied, looking with awe at her pert little nose and rosy lips.
Masaki had a mischievous thought that he could not help voicing, "Our first son? So you will give me further children?"
Nino glared at him with narrowed eyes, but so intoxicated was he with love for the two tiny new lives nestled upon his chest that he did not even bite back with a cutting response.
++++
Masaki walked the Healers from the chamber, offering them profuse thanks as he did so. Jun took the opportunity to slip quietly into the chamber, desperate to reassure himself of Nino's wellbeing.
Nino was dozing lightly whilst the infants slept together in a happy tangle of limbs in the cradle beside the bed. He awoke when Jun sat near him on the bed and pressed a hand to his forehead as if checking for fever.
"I am perfectly well, so you need not fuss," Nino muttered grumpily. "Have you seen my babies?"
"They are beautiful and remarkably peaceful. They must take after Masaki."
"Why is it that everyone feels able to make fun of me whilst I am unable to fight back?" Nino complained with a laugh, wincing and pressing his hand to the incision in his belly.
"We have both made much progress in our lives since my arranged marriage. At the time I thought that my life was over, but I now know it to be the most fortunate day of my life." Jun was suddenly serious.
"For me also, for if not for your marriage I would never have become acquainted with the love of my life and I would not have these two little blessings that sleep beside me," Nino replied in a voice thick with unshed tears as he gripped Jun's hand tightly.
"I hope that our children will share such a friendship as ours," Jun said, wiping his own tears from his cheek as he squeezed his friend's hand in reply.
"I am sure that things could not possibly be otherwise."
++++
"I hope you do not mind me bringing someone to visit the new arrivals." King Ohno entered the room bearing a gurgling Satoshi in his arms. He was followed by his man servant bearing a tray laden with glasses and a bottle of the finest wine.
Nino was sitting propped up upon a pile of pillows with Tamiko nestled in the crook of his elbow whilst Masaki held Taro as he perched upon the edge of the bed.
Satoshi seemed to be most interested in the tiny girl, reaching out his chubby hand to touch her in his uncoordinated way. All of the adults smiled at his attempts to pat her.
Jun and Nino shared a look of pride as their tiny offspring interacted with each other. Satoshi was treating Taro with slightly less interest than his little sister, blinking at his crumpled little face that was presently bearing the same crotchety expression that Nino had worn throughout the larger part of the birth.
The glasses were soon filled and passed around. King Ohno juggled baby Satoshi in his arms with ease as he raised his glass in a toast.
"To the future!"
"The future." Nino and Masaki echoed his words, laughing as both of their infants began to cry at once as if adding an exclamation point to their toast, forcing them to quickly gulp down their wine before consoling their unhappy offspring.
"The future." Jun and Sho tapped their glasses together, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, secure in the knowledge that whatever the future might bring, they would face it together, for theirs truly was a love match.
A/N: I am more than a little teary-eyed here after typing that final sentence.
This has been a completely unexpected and utterly wonderful ride from start to finish. Thank you for sticking with me to the end and for your support and kind words along the way. Also to everyone who silently read this each week and didn't comment - knowing you were there too helped me a lot.
But the biggest thanks of all go to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
matsupie who has held my hand every step of the way. Thank you for keeping me sane and allowing me to bounce ideas off you. Love you lots.
I will miss this world and these two little families and of course I will miss the kindly and always perceptive King Ohno, who effortlessly stole the limelight in every chapter that he appeared in.
Thank you again everyone, and pass me over some of that wine, Your Majesty. I feel like I've earnt it.
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Romance, m-preg, au
Disclaimer: I do not own Arashi, only these words.
Summary: Jun is given in an arranged marriage to Lord Sakurai Sho. Against the odds, love blossoms.
A/N: I never meant for this to happen but this turned into my first chaptered fic and we have at last arrived at the final chapter. I will honestly cry if I write any more up here, so go, read, and enjoy.
Previously: Chap 1, Chap 2, Chap 3, Chap 4, Chap 5, Chap 6, Chap 7, Chap 8, Chap 9, Chap 10, Chap 11, Chap 12, Chap 13, Chap 14, Chap 15, Chap 16, Chap 17, Chap 18, Chap 19
"There's my big strong boy."
Satoshi greedily sucked on the teat of the bottle as Jun held him in his arms. The infant was three weeks old and Jun had finally been able to leave the bed for the first time to sit in the armchair to feed his son.
"He's a greedy little mite. I wonder who that reminds me of?" Nino said with a snicker.
Jun glared at him with narrowed eyes. "I hope that you are not referring to my beloved husband?" Considering that Nino was laying back upon the bed with a plate of snacks feeding them into his mouth without even seeming to be aware of what he was consuming, Jun strongly believed that his friend had no grounds to refer to anyone else's appetite so snidely.
The brewing argument was forestalled by Masaki's entrance to the chamber. "Kazu, you know that you are not supposed to eat between meals." The bowl of sesame crackers was snatched from Nino's hand as his husband spoke, eliciting an angry whine from the rotund figure on the bed.
"I have come to conduct my examination of Jun's condition, not to monitor your eating habits," scolded Masaki. Since Jun's difficult and near fatal delivery, he had been exceedingly protective of Nino's health and not always succeeded in expressing it in the most diplomatic of fashions.
"Since I seem to have offended everyone in this chamber in some way I had best take my leave,” Nino huffed as he levered himself up off the bed and waddled from the room.
"Perhaps you should go after him?" Jun asked whilst he patted Satoshi's back as the bottle was now empty.
"I will catch up with him and make amends before he travels far. His speed is rather limited of late."
Jun laughed before his expression became serious. "Masaki I know why you hover over him so closely. Please do not think that what happened to me was in any way your fault. I place no blame upon your shoulders. I firmly believe that no better care could have been taken of me throughout the delivery of my sweetling and that the fates decreed whether I lived or not.”
“But you might have died.” Masaki felt a cold sweat beading his brow as the relived the horrors of that night. Neither he nor Sho had slept; instead they had sat and listened to the sounds of Jun’s shallow breathing, willing each breath to be followed by another, until dawn had finally arrived and with it the hope that Jun might yet survive.
“And I was fully prepared to do so, if it meant that Satoshi’s life was saved. Do you not recall our conversation upon the morning that I went into labour? I meant every word when I told you that I wished for you to save the life of my child even at the expense of my own. Please do not give Nino cause to fear the delivery of your twins; instead offer him your loving support for the balance of his pregnancy and try to make it as pleasurable as might be for him.”
Masaki looked at Jun with a new respect; somehow it had passed his notice that over the past few months that the shy and delicate teenager had become a strong and confident adult.
++++
Nino huffed and rolled over on the bed, turning his back to his husband as he sat down beside him.
“Kazu, I am deeply sorry for my treatment of you over these past weeks. My feelings of guilt and remorse with regard to Jun's delivery have weighed heavily upon my conscience and I have made you suffer most sorely for my lack of confidence."
Nino angled himself slightly in Masaki's direction, indicating that he was at least listening to his words, if not finding forgiveness in his heart just yet.
"The last thing that I wished for was to take the joy from your remaining weeks of pregnancy. It is a special time, and one which allows you to bond with our unborn children, as Jun so rightly pointed out."
"Jun?"
"He is an eminently sensible young man and a steadfast friend whom you should treasure."
"Are you saying that I am foolish in comparison?" Nino was unwilling to admit that perhaps he indeed was.
"No my dearest one; you are perfect as you are and I give thanks every day that you chose to favour me with your love," Masaki replied, daring to reach out and stroke his husband's hair with a tentative touch. "I have a gift for you."
These last words attracted Nino's attention, and he rolled back over to face his husband. "A gift?"
"I commissioned the local silversmith to craft this piece for you. I believe that it will highlight your beautifully slender wrist perfectly." As spoke Masaki drew a silver cuff from his pocket and slipped it on Nino's wrist.
Apart from his simple wedding band, it was the first piece of jewellery that Nino had ever owned. He turned his wrist this way and that, admiring the twisted strands of silver that had been woven together to create a unique piece that was everything than he could have ever wished for.
"Am I forgiven?"
"You stupid man," Nino said, blinking back his tears. "You have done nothing that requires forgiveness. All you have done is once again ably demonstrate why it was so easy to fall in love with you. Your overprotectiveness is merely a symbol of your own love for both me and our babies."
"Then, may I kiss you without fear of injury?”
"You need only fear injury if you do not do so immediately," Nino said as he gripped Masaki's face firmly and ravished his plump lips with every sign of satisfaction.
++++
“Sho, what are you doing?”
Sho gently plucked Satoshi from Jun’s arms and handed him over his nurserymaid who carried the sleeping infant to his new home in the beautifully decorated nursery.
"Masaki has at last granted permission for your return to our own bedchambers. I have missed you dearly for these past weeks. I am unsettled if you do not rest by my side."
Jun's face lit up with pleasure at his husband's words, immediately rising from the armchair and heading towards the door. As much as he treasured every moment with his son, he longed to be once more included in the daily life of the Manor.
"Husband, what are you doing?" Jun exclaimed as Sho swept him into his arms. "I am perfectly capable of walking."
"My love, this reminds me well of your arrival at this household whilst suffering from the injuries from your fall. Please allow me this moment of nostalgia."
Jun nodded and buried his face comfortably into the side of Sho's neck; allowing himself to be carried along. He attempted to not display any of the disappointment he felt when Sho deposited him upon the bed in his own room rather than in Sho's own larger chamber, without any success.
"Do not pout so my kitten. I feel it best that you reside here for a little time. I do not wish to slow your recovery," Sho said as slipped onto the bed beside his husband and cradled him gently in his arms.
++++
"Jun, please try and eat a little more of this meat. Masaki said that you must if you are to regain your strength." Sho tried to place more thinly sliced steak upon Jun's dinner plate only to be rebuffed once more.
"Must I come over and feed you again myself?"
Jun squeaked with excitement at the familiar voice issuing from the doorway. He immediately leapt to his feet and rushed across the room to fling himself upon their unexpected visitor. He squeezed him in a tight hug, which was returned enthusiastically.
"Little One," King Ohno said, drawing away slightly to obtain a better view of his young friend. He was concerned by the unhealthy pallor of Jun's skin, but was pleased to see such a wide grin stretching across his face.
"Jun!" Sho said in an admonishing tone, horrified at his husband's familiarity with the Monarch.
"I...I am sorry Your Majesty...I did not mean to..." Jun stuttered, blushing as he tried to back away.
Ohmo was having none of that as he refused to let Jun go until he planted a fatherly kiss upon his forehead. "You have done nothing except make an old man happy. If only my own dear children greeted me so enthusiastically after a short separation."
"You are far from old," Jun replied as he led the King to a seat at the table and rang for a servant to bring an extra place setting.
"But I am a grandfather in all but name now," Ohno replied with a twinkle. "May I see my namesake soon?"
"Only after you eat a proper meal. You must be famished after your travels," Jun replied.
"I shall eat only if you do," Ohno replied firmly, gesturing towards the uneaten meat upon Jun's plate.
Sho could only sit and watch with bemusement as the pair gobbled down their food with unseemly haste before rushing to the nursery, leaving him quite alone to finish eating his meal at a more normal speed.
++++
"Oh, he is beautiful," Ohno breathed as he traced the curve of the sleeping infant's cheek with the lightest of touches of his fingertip.
Long dark lashes rested upon Satoshi's rosy cheeks, his tiny heart shaped lips pursed as he made sucking motions in his sleep. His fingers flexed as he wriggled, gradually waking as Ohno tickled under his chin.
"Jun, you have created a magnificent little individual," Ohno said as he gazed into the large pair of blinking eyes gazing up at him. The King pulled a silver rattle in the shape of a leaping dolphin out of his deep pocket and shook it above Satoshi's head. The baby reached up batting it with his hand and smiling at the jingling sounds that his actions created. He was almost eleven weeks old and beginning to show an interest in the world surrounding him.
"May I hold him? I am quite experienced after raising my own three and I shall not drop him."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Jun said, lifting his son and placing him in Ohno's arms.
"Little One, there is no need to address me in such a formal tone whilst we are alone. It would give me great pleasure of you would address me as 'Pa'. If that does not cause you offence of course..."
Jun's eyes grew large enough to fill his entire face as he nodded his silent agreement, not trusting himself to speak without bursting into unseemly tears.
++++
Next morning at the breakfast table Ohno asked Jun to accompany him to the river on a fishing expedition. He was concerned about Jun's pale complexion and the sad look in his eyes when he thought that no one was looking.
"I cannot leave Satoshi," Jun replied immediately, with a stubborn expression.
"I know that you have not been separated from him for any length of time, but he will be well cared for whilst we are gone and no possible harm will befall him."
"My love, it will be good for you to venture outdoors and enjoy fresh air." Sho added his powers of persuasion to those of the King.
Jun was unable to resist their gaze and reluctantly agreed to the adventure, spending as much time as possible cuddling his baby before joining Ohno outside where their horses were waiting. Beauty whickered in pleasure at the sight of her master. It had been a long time since Jun had been able to ride her and she nuzzled him affectionately as he stroked her velvety soft nose.
"It appears than even animals cannot resist your charms," Ohno said as he mounted his stallion.
"Not at all. It is more usual for them to rebuff my attempts at friendship. I think that perhaps she is trying to impress Storm." Jun laughed at the flirtatious antics of the mare at the sight of the huge black horse.
++++
"Where has your Father disappeared to?" Nino asked the gurgling infant, who seemed to be attempting to smile and laugh at the same time, resulting in a giggling hiccup as Nino lightly tickled his sides.
Masaki smiled at the sight of Nino handling Satoshi with such confidence. Being forced to assist with the care of the infant whilst Jun was so ill had removed all of Nino's fear of caring for one so young. He was sure that Nino would be more than able to cope with the imminent arrival of their much loved twins.
"You should still be abed my dear. You must take as much rest as you are able." Nino's tiny frame was quite overwhelmed by the size of his belly, causing him difficulties when breathing and a sometimes crippling back ache.
When King Ohno had unexpectedly arrived, his healers had been with him. Jun had apparently requested their attendance at Nino's confinement; a request that had been happlily granted by the monarch. Masaki was more than a little relieved that he did not have to undertake the delivery of his own children. He would have more than enough stress with just helping Nino to work through the early stages of labour, and there was no possible way that he could ever envisage taking up a knife and cutting into his husband's tender skin.
"Perhaps you are right, but only if you accompany me," Nino replied with a suggestive smile.
Due to Nino's discomfort they had been unable to make love for the past weeks so Masaki knew that Nino was merely bluffing, but if it made it easier to persuade Nino to rest then he was happy to go along with the charade.
"In that case we had best adjourn to our chamber immediately." Masaki replied in a sensual tone.
They were once again residing in the guest wing; Jun wished to keep a watchful eye upon his friend until the twins had safely arriven into the world.
++++
"I fear that the fish have taken their leave today. I have not even had the slightest bite." Ohno looked at Jun expectantly but received no response. His young friend was staring at the rushing water of the river with a most melancholy expression.
Jun was drawn abruptly from his reverie when the fishing rod was tugged from his hand. He looked at the King with startled eyes as he was pulled under the shade of a nearby tree and offered a flagon of cool ginger beer.
"Little One what troubles you? Do you feel unwell?"
Jun blushed; his problems were those of an intimate nature and he did not know whether it was entirely appropriate to discuss such private matters with another.
"I am perfectly well, thank you."
"Then what worries you? You appear to carry the weight of the world upon your shoulders," Ohno replied, touching the back of Jun's hand lightly.
At the feel of such a gentle and loving touch Jun found himself suddenly sobbing before being engulfed in a fatherly embrace. When he calmed slightly Jun was able to share his worries with the kindly Monarch.
"Since the birth Sho has avoided all intimacy with me. We do not even share the same bed. What if his professions of love were only pretence and now that he has the heir he required he no longer needs me?"
"Oh, Jun, how could you believe such a thing? I have never seen a man look more in love than when he gazes at you."
"Then perhaps he is no longer physically attacted to me," Jun said, unconsciously rubbing his hand across his lower belly where the slowly fading scar of the cesarean resided.
"Now you are just being silly. You are just as beautiful as before, perhaps more so because you glow like a beacon when you hold your son in your arms."
"Then why?"
"After my dear wife gave birth to our first son I also feared to recommence intimacies with her. It was not for the reasons that you have mentioned; it was because I feared to cause her hurt or discomfort. I believe that Sho feels the same way. If you wish for him to make love to you once again then you must take the initiative and demonstrate to him that you are ready."
Jun blushed deeply, unsure of how to bring about such an opportunity.
Ohno smiled wisely and offered Jun further advice upon the subject as they continued to sip their ginger beer under the shady tree, all thoughts of fishing temporarily abandoned.
++++
Sho was engrossed in the seemingly never-ending pile of paperwork that seemed to be taking over his desk. In complete contrast Jun's desk had a small stack of neatly piled papers neatly aligned pens resting upon the blotter set precisely in the exact centre.
So concentrated was he that he did not hear Jun's approach until a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck and a kiss was pressed to his cheek.
"You work too hard my love," Jun said softly into his ear. "I have prepared us a picnic luncheon. There is freshly cured ham and crusty bread and I have baked your favourite cream cake for afters."
Sho noticed two large wicker baskets at Jun's feet, obviously containing the foodstuffs that Jun had mentioned and by the size of them possibly much else besides.
"Where were you thinking of having this picnic, my kitten?" Sho asked as he abandoned his paperwork in favour of kissing his husband and picking up the baskets.
"Since it is a lovely day I thought we might walk to our lake. Satoshi has been fed and he sleeps soundly in the nursery. He will not miss us for a few hours. His Majesty has said that he will look in upon him also in case he needs a cuddle," Jun said, before adding, "Although I think perhaps that Pa is more in need of the cuddles than our son."
"Who?"
"Sorry, I mean His Majesty."
Sho knew that he would never fully comprehend the bond between his husband and the Monarch and wisely decided not to pry further.
++++
Masaki was seated at the dining table waiting for his husband to join him for luncheon. Nino had spent the greater part of the morning in their bed, before paying a visit to the nursery to spend a little time with Satoshi.
"Ow! What transgression have I committed to warrant such treatment?" Masaki yelped in pain.
As Nino had walked past him to take his place at the table he had pinched the skin on the back of Masaki's hand with all of his might.
"Now you know how I have been feeling for the last two hours," Nino growled with a glare at his bewildered husband.
"Kazu! Your labour has begun?"
"You had best reassure me that it will not become more painful than this," Nino hissed as another contraction gripped him. "Or else you will be the one carrying our future children."
"You are contemplating future children with me?" Masaki asked with a foolish grin.
"If you do not cease looking at me in that fashion you will soon lack the abilty to father any further children at all, " Nino replied, picking up his knife and waggling it threateningly in Masaki's direction.
++++
"The lake is beautiful today," Jun said as he spread the soft blue woollen picnic rug upon the grass next to the calm, clear water. "Unfortunately the water is still too cold for us to swim." He sighed regretfully, remembering the first time that he had seen Sho naked and their actions in the shallows of the lake afterwards.
Sho shared a smile of remembrance with him as he also recalled their playful lovemaking in this very place.
Jun took hold of Sho's hand and pulled him down beside him upon the rug, settling himself upon his husband's lap and nuzzling his lips up the side of Sho's neck.
Sho responded by turning Jun to face him and capturing his lips in a tender kiss, but as Jun attempted to deepen the kiss Sho pulled away slightly, his body stiffening as he attempted to not touch Jun any further.
Jun felt tears of disappointment and confusion welling in his eyes. "Why do you not want me? I do not understand what I have done to lose your love."
"I love you more with every beat of my heart, my kitten," Sho responded, reaching to take Jun's hand.
Jun pulled away, "Then why have you not taken me since Satoshi's birth?" His carefully constructed plan to seduce his husband was forgotten as anger washed over him.
Sho was unable to quite meet Jun's eyes as he responded. "I did not wish to hurt you. You were so weak..."
"I am perfectly well now." Jun reached out and ran his fingers over Sho's member through the fabric of his trousers as he licked the shell of his ear.
Sho groaned and momentarily leant into Jun's touch before once again pulling away, with a regretful expression. "I cannot. What if I get you with child again immediately? I could not live with my conscience were that to happen. "
Jun laughed with relief, happy that it was such an easily remedied thing holding his husband back from making love to him. "Masaki has taken care of that. He has prepared me a herbal remedy to prevent such a thing happening again until we desire it to be so. So you may make love to me with abandon and without fear."
As he spoke these words Jun began to slowly unbutton Sho's shirt, parting it to expose his muscular chest. Sho groaned and arched his back as Jun bent and licked his nipples, playing with each until they were slightly swollen and erect.
Gathering the last of his common sense before abandoning all reason, Sho said, "Once again we have no lubricant to hand. My kitten, do not take this as rejection but I fear that we cannot..."
Jun reluctantly released Sho's nipple and reached into the second basket, triumphantly drawing forth a bottle of sweet oil and some soft cloths to be used to clean themsleves afterwards.
Sho smiled as he drew Jun close to his prone body, murmuring, "Clever kitten" as he slid his hand inside Jun's trousers and squeezed a pert buttock.
++++
Nino refused all requests from the Healers to remain in bed as he paced angrily about the delivery chamber, he felt the pains less when he was moving than when he was prone upon the bed.
Masaki hovered beside him as if doubtful of Nino's ability to remain upright without his assistance.
"Stop trailing about behind me like a lost puppy," Nino said with a glare. "I am perfectly capable of walking by myself." His words proved to be less than effective as he doubled over as the next pain struck, clutching tightly to Masaki for support.
"Are you still refusing to allow me to send a servant to fetch Jun?" Masaki asked with slight desperation. He knew that Jun was far better at dealing with Nino's moods than he was.
Nino nodded his head firmly. He had spoken with King Ohno upon the subject earlier whilst in the nursery and he knew that Jun's private time with Sho was an important step to remedy a lack of intimacy in their relationship. He had no desire to interrupt at such a time when he knew that his babies would not arrive for some hours yet.
++++
Sho took as much time to carefully prepare him as Jun's impatience would allow. He had not taken him in many weeks and he did not wish their first time since the birth of their son to be anything less than perfect.
To Sho it almost felt as if he was taking Jun's virginity all over again as he pressed slowly into his tight heat.
Jun mewled with a mixture of pleasure and pain as he felt his husband's thick cock breaching his hole. Their eyes remained locked together as Sho inched his way into Jun's body, neither able to look away as they shared a look of mutual love and desire.
After a lengthy pause to kiss each other deeply whilst Jun adjusted to the feel of his husband's length stretching his body ever more open, Sho finally began to move. The tiny movements of his hips made Jun squirm with pleasure as he raised his legs, wrapping them tightly around Sho's waist, pressing him even deeper into his body.
Jun rocked slightly against Sho with each movement, meeting him halfway, moaning with pleasure as Sho bent his head and nuzzled the sensitive spot just below his left ear.
"You are so beautiful like this, all willing and filled with need as you lie beneath me," Sho said as he began to gradually increase the scope of his movements.
"S-Sho, I l-love you." Jun could barely speak as he felt the head of Sho's cock rub firmly against his most pleasurable spot.
Their bodies danced together in a well remembered rhythm as their movements increased in urgency. Sighs and moans of pleasure leaving them as they worked their way towards release.
Jun raked his fingernails lightly down Sho's back as his husband began to slide his oil slicked hand along his length in time with their thrusting bodies.
"Come with me, my love," Sho gasped, his hips losing their rhythm, stuttering and jerking as his orgasm overcame him.
Jun cried out at the sensation of his husband's seed filling him and marking him as his own. He maintained eye contact with Sho as he found his own release, his cum filling the space between their bodies with spurts of of liquid heat.
Sho was careful to not press his weight upon Jun's body as they sagged with relief, kissing until his softened cock slipped from Jun's body. With a satisfied sigh he collapsed onto his back, pulling Jun tightly to his chest. They remained there, unspeaking, as their hearts beat together as one.
Taking up the cloths Jun had packed, Sho dampened them in the lake and cleaned them both down. Whilst he did so he planted a series of featherlight kisses across the scar on Jun's belly. Jun responded by kissing the scar on Sho's left shoulder with a great deal of tenderness.
"We both now carry scars of battles won," Sho said, gazing at Jun proudly, his eyes conveying a world of love.
++++
They were pulled abruptly from their haze of loving feelings later that afternoon when they passed through the entranceway into the house to be greeted by the nursery maid.
She was wringing her hands with worry and her face bore a most upset expression.
Jun's heart almost leapt from his chest and his blood ran cold. "What has happened Cherii? Is something amiss with Satoshi?" He clutched Sho's hand tightly as he spoke, as if seeking something to ground him.
"Um, not at all Sir. I am sorry to worry you so. It is Mr Nino. His babies are on their way."
Jun immediately wrenched his hand from his husband's grasp and ran up the stairs to to delivery chambers.
++++
"It is all your fault!" Nino punched weakly at Masaki's arm as he tried to ease him through the latest contraction.
"Try and breathe through it Kazu my love," Masaki advised somewhat unwisely.
He managed to dodge the beaker of water that Nino hurled at his head as he shrieked, "I have not ceased to breathe yet, and it makes no difference whatsoever."
The door opened just as the mug bounced off it and onto the floor. Jun scowled as he carefully stepped around the spreading puddle soaking into the carpet.
"Nino! Cease this ruckus immediately. What will your babies think? Come here immediately."
With a cry Nino flung himself bodily into Jun's open arms, almost tumbling them both down to the floor. The two Healers were cowering in the far corner of the room, obviously in disarray after bearing the brunt of Nino's anger for several hours already.
"It hurts so much," Nino whined, cluching Jun's arms tightly enough to bruise. "Why did you not warn me?"
"But Nino, you were beside me throughout the entirety of my own labour. You must have known what to expect?"
"But I have always believed myself to be much stronger than you. Why were you able to cope with such poise?"
"Are you saying that I am weaker than you?"
"Well, remember when we were children and that chicken attacked..." Nino's words were cut off by a light cuff to his head a moment before the next contraction struck.
Sho had entered the room in time to hear the remark about the chicken. He and Masaki exchanged amused looks. They both mentally resolved to hear the remainder of that story some time in the future.
++++
"Kazu, will you please hold still so that the Healers might examine you?" Masaki begged as his husband writhed away from their examination once again.
"No, for every time they touch me they squeeze me in a most inconsiderate fashion," Nino whined.
"Nino, do you not wish for your babies to be here?" Jun asked, wiping Nino's brow with a cooling cloth.
"Perhaps they are better off where they are. I will probably make a terrible parent," Nino whinged.
"Have you not always cared for me since we were both small? Did I turn out so very badly?"
"N-no, you are almost irritatingly without fault," Nino grumbled.
"I shall choose to take that as a compliment," Jun replied with a wry smile, before adding,"You will not fail them if you care for them with as much love as you have always shown me."
Whilst they had been talking, the Healers had finally been able to complete their examination, nodding to Masaki in confirmation that the time for delivery was finally upon them.
++++
"Little One you will wear a hole in the carpet if you do not cease this relentless pacing," Ohno said as he watched Jun walk nervously by him once again, jiggling Satoshi in his arms.
The infant whimpered as he attempted to reach his bottle, but Jun's movements kept moving the teat away from his mouth. Unable to cope with such teasing Satoshi began to grizzle unhappily at his lack of sustenance.
With a fond smile Sho took the baby from his husband's arms and took over the task of feeding him. Finally able to eat, Satoshi gulped down his milk with unseemly haste. When finished he twisted uncomfortably in his Papa's arms, his tiny stomach full of wind from eating far too quickly than was good for him.
The King gently plucked him from Sho's inexperienced arms and patted his back until he was able to release the trapped air. "He reminds me of you on campaign when we have a break from the fighting. You always seem scared that someone will steal the food from your mouth." Ohno laughed at the offended look upon Sho's face.
Sho looked to his husband for support against this attack upon his person but Jun was not paying attention, instead he was standing, straining his hearing as he listened intently.
A broad smile stretched across Jun's face as he heard a thin cry issuing from the chamber next door, followed shortly after by another high pitched wail. The twins had safely made their way into the world.
++++
The room slowly came into focus as Nino blinked slowly, his mind still filled with confusion from the sleeping draft. His body felt strangely light and his mouth was dry. A hand proffered a glass of water to him and Nino accepted it gratefully, the cool liquid instantly soothing his throat. He looked blearily up into a pair of warm and beautiful eyes that gazed down at him with an expression filled with love and pride.
"Congratulations my sweet," Masaki said as he swept Nino's damp hair back off his face. "I am so very proud of you."
"My babies! Where are they?"
"Right here, my love," Masaki said gently as he accepted a small squirming bundle from one of the Healers. "Our son. He arrived first."
Nino sighed with relief as the tiny warm body was placed upon his chest. Their eyes met and was instantly in love, all of his fears forgotten.
"And this is our little girl." Masaki kissed the infants head before placing her next to her big brother.
"We have a son and a daughter? They are well?"
"They are perfect, just as you are," Masaki replied as he kissed Nino's forehead, imprinting this vision of his new family into his memory forever.
Nino stroked the wispy hair on their heads and listened to their soft snuffling breathing as the twins cuddled together as if seeking comfort in each other.
"So Kazu my love, have you decided upon names for our precious ones?"
Nino nodded and stroked the soft skin of his son's cheek. "Taro, our firstborn son."
Masaki nodded his approval. "And our little girl?"
"Tamiko, our most beautiful child," Nino replied, looking with awe at her pert little nose and rosy lips.
Masaki had a mischievous thought that he could not help voicing, "Our first son? So you will give me further children?"
Nino glared at him with narrowed eyes, but so intoxicated was he with love for the two tiny new lives nestled upon his chest that he did not even bite back with a cutting response.
++++
Masaki walked the Healers from the chamber, offering them profuse thanks as he did so. Jun took the opportunity to slip quietly into the chamber, desperate to reassure himself of Nino's wellbeing.
Nino was dozing lightly whilst the infants slept together in a happy tangle of limbs in the cradle beside the bed. He awoke when Jun sat near him on the bed and pressed a hand to his forehead as if checking for fever.
"I am perfectly well, so you need not fuss," Nino muttered grumpily. "Have you seen my babies?"
"They are beautiful and remarkably peaceful. They must take after Masaki."
"Why is it that everyone feels able to make fun of me whilst I am unable to fight back?" Nino complained with a laugh, wincing and pressing his hand to the incision in his belly.
"We have both made much progress in our lives since my arranged marriage. At the time I thought that my life was over, but I now know it to be the most fortunate day of my life." Jun was suddenly serious.
"For me also, for if not for your marriage I would never have become acquainted with the love of my life and I would not have these two little blessings that sleep beside me," Nino replied in a voice thick with unshed tears as he gripped Jun's hand tightly.
"I hope that our children will share such a friendship as ours," Jun said, wiping his own tears from his cheek as he squeezed his friend's hand in reply.
"I am sure that things could not possibly be otherwise."
++++
"I hope you do not mind me bringing someone to visit the new arrivals." King Ohno entered the room bearing a gurgling Satoshi in his arms. He was followed by his man servant bearing a tray laden with glasses and a bottle of the finest wine.
Nino was sitting propped up upon a pile of pillows with Tamiko nestled in the crook of his elbow whilst Masaki held Taro as he perched upon the edge of the bed.
Satoshi seemed to be most interested in the tiny girl, reaching out his chubby hand to touch her in his uncoordinated way. All of the adults smiled at his attempts to pat her.
Jun and Nino shared a look of pride as their tiny offspring interacted with each other. Satoshi was treating Taro with slightly less interest than his little sister, blinking at his crumpled little face that was presently bearing the same crotchety expression that Nino had worn throughout the larger part of the birth.
The glasses were soon filled and passed around. King Ohno juggled baby Satoshi in his arms with ease as he raised his glass in a toast.
"To the future!"
"The future." Nino and Masaki echoed his words, laughing as both of their infants began to cry at once as if adding an exclamation point to their toast, forcing them to quickly gulp down their wine before consoling their unhappy offspring.
"The future." Jun and Sho tapped their glasses together, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, secure in the knowledge that whatever the future might bring, they would face it together, for theirs truly was a love match.
A/N: I am more than a little teary-eyed here after typing that final sentence.
This has been a completely unexpected and utterly wonderful ride from start to finish. Thank you for sticking with me to the end and for your support and kind words along the way. Also to everyone who silently read this each week and didn't comment - knowing you were there too helped me a lot.
But the biggest thanks of all go to
matsupie who has held my hand every step of the way. Thank you for keeping me sane and allowing me to bounce ideas off you. Love you lots.I will miss this world and these two little families and of course I will miss the kindly and always perceptive King Ohno, who effortlessly stole the limelight in every chapter that he appeared in.
Thank you again everyone, and pass me over some of that wine, Your Majesty. I feel like I've earnt it.
