Chapter Text
Eight months since the collapse of the Metaverse.
Eight months since the world had unknowingly been rewritten back into something almost painfully ordinary, where trains still ran on time, students still complained about exams, and nobody except the handful of people involved remembered the impossible weight of gods pressing against humanity’s throat. Tokyo had moved on disturbingly fast. The headlines had changed. Shido rotted in prison. Mementos was gone. Reality stitched itself closed like the wounds had never existed in the first place.
But Ren Amamiya still carried proof of it every second of every day.
The proof rested heavily beneath the oversized sweater draped over his body, the rounded curve of his stomach impossible to ignore now no matter how much he tried to hide it beneath layers. His bunny ears twitched weakly beneath the knitted winter beanie covering them as he stood in front of a glowing Christmas display inside Shibuya’s massive underground mall, one gloved hand balancing beneath his stomach out of habit while the other held his shopping list tightly enough to wrinkle the paper.
Four pups.
Four.
Even now, eight months later, the thought still stunned him silent sometimes.
It had happened after Yaldabaoth’s fall, during one reckless night balanced somewhere between grief, relief, exhaustion, and desperation. Akechi had still been alive then. Bruised, unraveling, furious at the world and somehow even more furious at himself. Ren remembered rain against Leblanc’s attic windows, remembered sharp teeth against scent glands, remembered claws scraping into his hips hard enough to bruise, remembered heat and rut blurring together until neither of them could think like civilized hybrids anymore.
He remembered Akechi’s voice.
“Mine.”
The mating bite at his throat had long since healed into a faint scar hidden beneath scarves and high collars, but the bond itself never disappeared. Sometimes Ren still felt it pulsing faintly in his chest at night like a phantom heartbeat attached to someone who no longer existed.
Because Akechi had died.
That was the truth everyone accepted.
Akechi died in Shido’s bunker while Ren escaped.
And Ren had been left behind carrying the last pieces of him.
“Well obviously Skull’s gift needs work,” Morgana was saying beside him, the small bipedal cat hybrid marching along importantly with shopping bags hanging from both arms. Even after reality returned to normal, Morgana had never shifted back completely. Nobody really questioned it anymore. “You can’t just buy him protein powder again, Ren. That’s barely thoughtful.”
Ren blinked himself back into focus, exhaustion dragging behind his eyes. “It’s imported protein powder.”
“That somehow makes it worse.”
A small laugh escaped Ren despite himself, soft and breathy. His hormones had made his emotions catastrophically unstable over the last several months, something the Phantom Thieves had learned very quickly. Crying over commercials, crying over bread that “looked lonely,” crying because Yusuke once described snow as “romantically temporary.” The entire group had adapted with surprising speed.
Especially after they learned who the father was.
The pity in their eyes had nearly killed him. Not because they disapproved. Never that.
But because they knew. They knew Ren had loved him.
And they knew Akechi would never see any of this.
Morgana suddenly slowed, large blue eyes narrowing as he glanced up at Ren. “You’re tired again.”
“I’m pregnant, Mona. I’m always tired.”
“Your ears drooped.”
“That’s because you’ve made me walk through six stores.”
“You wanted personalized gifts!”
Ren huffed quietly, though the sound held no real annoyance. His free hand drifted unconsciously toward the black leather glove tucked carefully onto his right hand. It didn’t match the softer winter clothes he wore now, nor the gentle domesticity pregnancy had forced onto him. The glove looked sharper. Older. Like a remnant from another life.
Akechi had tossed it at him one evening after a fight in Mementos and Ren had kept it ever since.
Now he wore it almost every day.
The mall buzzed with Christmas Eve energy around them. Couples walked hand in hand beneath hanging golden lights, children darted between displays, holiday music floated through the air warm and nostalgic. The scent of cinnamon, coffee, and fresh pastries mingled together heavily enough that Ren’s sensitive omega senses almost became overwhelmed.
Pregnancy had sharpened everything... Too loud. Too bright. Too many scents.
Instinctively, Ren’s rabbit tail twitched beneath his coat as he shifted closer to Morgana for grounding.
“After this we’re done,” Morgana ordered firmly. “Doctor Takemi said you needed rest.”
Ren smiled faintly. “You sound like an overprotective father.”
“I practically am at this point.”
Honestly? Fair.
Between Morgana hovering constantly, Ann bringing over nutrient snacks, Haru researching prenatal care like she was preparing for medical school, and Futaba installing three separate emergency contact trackers onto his phone, Ren barely had a second to himself anymore. Even Ryuji had become weirdly careful around him, panicking anytime Ren tried carrying anything heavier than a grocery bag.
It was sweet.
Smothering, but sweet.
Ren adjusted his scarf higher over the fading mating mark at his throat and glanced back down at his list, missing the exact moment the atmosphere behind him shifted.
Missing the sharp inhale several feet away.
Missing crimson eyes widening in absolute horror.
Because standing near the escalators with snow melting slowly from the dark feathers lining his coat shoulders stood a man who was supposed to be dead.
Goro Akechi stared directly at Ren.
At the swollen stomach beneath his sweater.
At the glove on his hand.
At the mating mark barely hidden beneath his scarf.
And for the first time since Shido’s palace collapsed, Goro Akechi looked genuinely speechless.
Meanwhile, Ren didn’t notice him at first.
Why would he?
The world had buried Goro Akechi eight months ago.
The newspapers called him a victim. A criminal. A tragic casualty. Depending on which article someone read, Akechi had either died a hero trying to stop Shido, or disappeared as one final loose end in the conspiracy. The public never truly knew him enough to mourn him properly, but Ren had. Ren had mourned enough for everyone. Enough to hollow himself out from the inside until all that remained was survival instinct and the desperate need to protect the lives growing inside him.
So Ren kept scanning over his Christmas list, softly mumbling to himself about whether Yusuke would prefer traditional calligraphy brushes or imported paints while Morgana argued beside him.
Akechi couldn’t hear any of it. Because his pulse was roaring too loudly in his ears, his alpha instincts slammed into him so hard they nearly knocked the breath from his lungs.
Mate.
Pregnant.
Alive.
His omega.
Every thought collided together violently as his sharp eyes locked onto Ren’s body. The oversized cream sweater failed miserably at hiding the truth. Ren had changed over the months. Softer now. Rounder in ways that made something deeply possessive and almost dizzyingly primal flare inside Akechi’s chest. His hips looked fuller beneath his coat. His scent—God, his scent—
Akechi nearly staggered.
Vanilla. Snow. Warm milk. Nesting instincts. Omega hormones.
And underneath it all lingered the faded remnants of Akechi himself.
Crow feathers during rainfall. Cold winter wind.
The scent of an alpha permanently intertwined into Ren’s skin.
The mating bond hit him like a physical wound reopening.
Alive… Ren was alive.
And carrying—
Akechi’s pupils constricted sharply.
No.
No, no, no—
His eyes dropped again toward Ren’s stomach, and every instinct in his body screamed recognition instantly. Alpha hybrids knew. Deep in their bones, they knew. His crow instincts sharpened violently, senses locking onto the life hidden beneath layers of fabric.
Multiple heartbeats.
Tiny…Fragile… His.
Four. He could clearly see it..
Akechi’s breathing turned uneven.
For eight months he had clawed his way through hell trying to survive after Shido’s bunker collapsed around him. Broken bones. Blood loss. Hiding from cleanup crews that would've happily killed him properly this time. He had survived through spite alone, through the furious refusal to die before seeing Ren one last time.
And now he found him like this.
Pregnant. Mated.
Carrying their litter.
Akechi felt nauseatingly overwhelmed all at once.
Because the last thing he remembered clearly from that night in Leblanc’s attic was Ren beneath him in tangled blankets, soft bunny ears trembling as instincts overtook both of them. Ren had smelled unbearably sweet in heat, nearly driving Akechi feral with need. Their bond had snapped into place so violently during the mating bite that Akechi remembered feeling drunk on it afterward, laying half collapsed against Ren while snow fell quietly outside the attic window.
Then came Shido.
Then came death.
At least… what was supposed to be death.
And somehow the universe had continued without him.
Morgana noticed first.
The small cat froze mid-step, fur puffing instantly as his eyes widened to impossible sizes. “...No way.”
Ren blinked. “Hm?”
“Ren.”
Something in Morgana’s tone made Ren finally look up.
And the world stopped.
The shopping bags slipped from Ren’s fingers immediately.
One hit the floor with a dull thud beside his boots, tissue paper spilling across polished tile, but Ren barely heard it over the rushing static suddenly filling his head.
Akechi.
Alive.
Standing only twenty feet away.
For one horrifying second Ren genuinely thought he was hallucinating. Pregnancy hormones had already been tormenting him for months. Dreams of Akechi weren’t uncommon. Sometimes he’d wake up convinced he heard wings outside Leblanc’s attic window. Sometimes he’d still roll over half asleep expecting to find another body beside him.
But this—
This wasn’t a dream.
Akechi looked different. Thinner. Sharper somehow. Dark feathers lined the collar of his coat, blending subtly into black fabric while faint scars disappeared beneath his throat. His hair was slightly longer than Ren remembered, and his crimson eyes looked more exhausted than they ever had before.
But he was alive.
Ren’s breath hitched painfully.
And immediately, instinct responded.
The bond snapped taut between them.
Akechi felt it too.
Ren watched the exact second it hit him fully. The alpha’s composure cracked apart almost violently as his gaze dropped once more toward Ren’s stomach. Something raw crossed Akechi’s face then—something devastated and awestruck and frighteningly possessive all at once.
Crow instincts flooded the air so aggressively that Ren’s bunny ears flattened automatically beneath his beanie.
Mine.
The feeling surged down the mating bond hard enough to make Ren dizzy.
Not words. Instinct.
Alpha.
Mate.
Pups.
Akechi took one step forward before stopping himself abruptly.
Because Ren looked seconds away from collapsing.
Because Morgana had already moved protectively in front of Ren with fur standing completely on end.
And because the moment Akechi scented the faint underlying distress souring Ren’s omega scent, panic hit him harder than any bullet ever had.
Ren looked like he couldn’t breathe.
“A-Akechi…” Ren finally whispered, voice cracking apart so softly it barely reached him.
That nearly destroyed him more than anything else.
Eight months.
Eight months of thinking Ren mourned him.
Eight months of never knowing.
For one fragile, breathless moment, Ren looked like he was about to bolt.
Not away. Toward him.
Akechi saw it immediately in the way Ren’s body leaned forward instinctively before hesitation caught him. His gloved hand twitched at his side. His watery eyes widened with desperate disbelief, bunny ears trembling beneath his beanie as emotions visibly overwhelmed him all at once. Ren wanted to move. Wanted to throw himself into Akechi’s arms the way he always used to after impossible missions and near death experiences, like if he held tight enough then maybe the nightmare would finally stop.
But now there were pups.
Four of them.
Ren physically couldn’t move recklessly anymore.
Akechi saw the exact second that realization stopped him, saw Ren instinctively glance down toward his stomach like he was forcing himself to stay grounded despite every omega instinct screaming for his alpha.
That alone nearly shattered whatever remained of Akechi’s composure.
So he moved first.
Fast enough that Morgana stiffened instantly, claws flexing, but the moment Akechi carefully approached instead of rushing, the cat hybrid held himself back. Barely.
“Easy,” Morgana warned roughly, voice already cracking with emotion despite the glare he tried maintaining. “He’s carrying four, you asshole.”
The words hit Akechi like a truck.
Four.
Actually four.
His chest tightened painfully.
Then Ren made the softest, most broken sound Akechi had ever heard.
And the second Akechi reached him, Ren grabbed onto him immediately.
The force of it wasn’t reckless, wasn’t enough to hurt himself, but desperate enough that Akechi felt it down to his bones. Ren buried himself against Akechi’s chest with a sob that sounded months overdue, fingers clutching tightly into the fabric of Akechi’s coat like if he let go now, the alpha would disappear again.
“Akechi—”
His voice dissolved completely after that.
Akechi held him instantly.
Carefully.
God, so carefully.
One arm wrapped securely around Ren’s back while the other settled protectively beneath the curve of his stomach without even thinking about it. His wings instinctively unfurled partially behind him, large black feathers spreading enough to shield Ren from the staring crowd around them.
Mine.
Mate.
Pups.
Alive.
Akechi lowered his head immediately against Ren’s hair as the omega cried against him, and then he felt it.
Scenting.
Ren was scenting him desperately.
Small trembling inhales against Akechi’s throat. Against his collar. Against the mating mark hidden beneath his scarf. Bunny instincts demanding reassurance that this was real. That his alpha had truly come back. Ren’s nose brushed repeatedly against his neck as tears soaked into Akechi’s coat, and every shaky breath carried pure relief and panic and lingering grief all tangled together.
Akechi’s chest ached so violently he almost couldn’t stand it.
“I’m here,” he murmured immediately, voice softer than Ren had heard in months. “Ren… Ren, I’m here.”
Ren made another weak sound against him, fingers tightening harder.
“I tried to come back sooner,” Akechi admitted quietly, guilt clawing through him viciously. “After the palace collapsed… I was injured. Recovery took longer than I anticipated. I had to stay hidden for a while.” His hand trembled slightly against Ren’s side before steadying again. “But I was coming back to you. I swear to you, I was.”
Ren shook against him with another sob-laugh hybrid sound, overwhelmed hormones making every emotion explosive now that the shock had cracked him open.
“You’re…” Ren hiccuped weakly, voice muffled into Akechi’s chest, “you’re so… bad at timing…”
Akechi actually laughed softly at that.
A genuine laugh.
Small and disbelieving and painfully fond.
Even now, Ren was still somehow Ren.
Still finding humor through tears. Still trying to soften impossible moments.
Akechi lowered his face against Ren’s forehead for a moment, crimson eyes finally closing properly for the first time since seeing him.
“I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for it,” he murmured.
And for the first time in eight months, Akechi actually meant the word life when he said it.
Morgana turned his face away sharply with an irritated huff that did absolutely nothing to hide how emotional he was getting.
“You seriously suck,” he muttered thickly. “You know how miserable he’s been?”
Akechi’s throat tightened immediately.
He did now.
He could feel it in every desperate clutch of Ren’s fingers. In the way Ren kept scenting him over and over like he was terrified the smell would disappear. In the exhaustion lining Ren’s body despite how carefully the Phantom Thieves clearly cared for him.
And then suddenly—
A flutter.
Akechi froze.
His hand instinctively pressed more firmly against the underside of Ren’s stomach just in time to feel another tiny kick against his palm.
Then another.
Ren jerked with a startled squeak before dissolving into breathless giggles, instinctively curling closer against Akechi as the movement tickled him from the inside.
“O-Oh my god—”
Another kick.
Akechi went completely still.
His mind blanked.
Because that was—
That was his pup.
No.
His pups.
His children.
The realization visibly wrecked him.
His wings puffed immediately, feathers fluffing outward in an unmistakably protective display that made nearby hybrids instinctively back away from the intensity radiating off him. Crow hybrids were notoriously territorial alphas to begin with, but this—
This was something primal.
Mate.
Nest.
Pups.
Protect.
Akechi stared down at Ren in complete awe as another tiny movement pressed against his hand.
They were real.
All four of them were real.
Ren looked up at him through wet lashes, still hiccuping soft laughter from the ticklish sensation while his bunny ears flicked wildly beneath his hat.
“They’ve been really active today,” Ren admitted weakly, cheeks flushed from crying and hormones and overwhelming relief all at once.
Ren’s giggles refused to stop once the pups realized Akechi’s hand was there.
Tiny kicks kept fluttering insistently beneath his sweater, uneven little thumps that made Ren squirm closer automatically while laughter bubbled out of him in helpless bursts. The sound was softer than Akechi remembered, warmer somehow, touched by the exhaustion and domesticity pregnancy had wrapped around him over the last several months, but it was still unmistakably Ren.
And God, Akechi had missed it.
Missed him.
Akechi’s pupils widened visibly at the sound, crow instincts practically melting under the sensation of hearing his omega genuinely happy again. He couldn’t stop staring at Ren’s face, at the way tears still clung to his lashes despite the smile slowly overtaking him, at the way his cheeks flushed pink whenever another kick landed unexpectedly.
“They’ve been so active lately,” Ren admitted between breathless laughs, one hand instinctively covering Akechi’s where it rested protectively against his stomach. “Especially at night. I swear they wait until I’m finally comfortable and then suddenly it’s kick kick kick kick—”
Another tiny thump landed directly beneath Akechi’s palm as if agreeing.
Akechi looked completely enthralled.
“They’re spirited,” Ren continued softly, bunny ears twitching beneath his hat as he relaxed more and more into Akechi’s hold. “Really spirited. Sometimes they complain if I do something they don’t like.”
“You say that like they’re already capable of opinions.”
“They absolutely are,” Ren insisted immediately, giggling again. “One time I skipped lunch because I fell asleep and they kicked me so hard Morgana almost called Takemi.”
“I was going to call her,” Morgana grumbled from nearby. “You passed out sitting upright.”
Ren ignored him smoothly.
“And they hate cold weather,” Ren continued. “Whenever winter really started settling in, they’d get all restless unless I buried myself in blankets.”
Akechi listened like a starving man finally given food.
Every word mattered.
Every tiny story.
Every detail he had missed.
He wanted all of it.
“What else?” Akechi asked quietly before he could stop himself.
The softness in his own voice startled even him.
Ren noticed too.
His expression warmed immediately.
“Well…” Ren shifted slightly, cheeks pinkening with visible fondness. “They definitely react to food. Especially spicy things.”
Akechi blinked slowly. “Spicy things.”
“I know,” Ren sighed dramatically. “Apparently pregnancy is supposed to make omegas hate spicy food, but I still crave spicy curry constantly.” He looked almost offended on principle. “Takemi says my body chemistry is weird.”
“That was obvious long before this.”
Ren snorted softly against him.
“But whenever I eat something really spicy,” he continued, “they start kicking like crazy afterward. Morgana says they’re protesting.”
“They are protesting,” Morgana cut in immediately. “I saw you eat ghost pepper chips at two in the morning.”
“They were good!”
“You cried while eating them!”
“I cry at everything lately!”
“That is unfortunately true.”
Akechi’s mouth twitched upward helplessly.
God. This felt dangerously domestic. Like he’d stepped into a life he never allowed himself to imagine having.
And the worst part was realizing how badly he wanted it now that it was in front of him.
Another kick landed beneath his hand, stronger this time, and Akechi visibly softened around the edges. His wings shifted instinctively behind him, feathers fluffing further in subconscious pride while Ren dissolved into another fit of quiet giggles.
“Sometimes,” Ren admitted more shyly now, “if they kick hard enough, you can actually see it.”
Akechi immediately looked stunned.
“You can what?”
Ren laughed at the sheer intensity in his expression. “It’s weird looking! Especially when all four get active at once.”
All four.
Akechi still looked overwhelmed every single time that number came up.
Then Ren’s expression softened more seriously.
His fingers curled slightly against Akechi’s coat.
“There’s…” He hesitated briefly. “There’s a runt, too.”
Akechi immediately focused fully.
“A runt?”
Ren nodded faintly. “Takemi noticed a while ago.” His smile dimmed around the edges, though he still instinctively rubbed his stomach gently. “One of them’s smaller than the others.”
Akechi’s chest tightened instantly.
“They’re still healthy,” Ren assured quickly, immediately noticing the alarm crossing his mate’s face. “Takemi said they’re fighting really hard to keep up, so she’s hopeful, but…” Ren glanced downward. “I’ve been trying my best to make sure they all stay healthy.”
Something achingly vulnerable entered his voice then.
“I just…” Ren exhaled shakily. “I didn’t really have much to work with.”
Akechi went still.
Ren tried smiling again, but exhaustion lingered beneath it now.
“Leblanc’s attic isn’t exactly ideal for this,” he admitted quietly. “Everyone’s helped a lot, really. More than I deserve honestly. Takemi gives me vitamins, Haru keeps bringing food over, and Futaba found all these forums about bunny omega pregnancies—”
“Terrifying,” Morgana muttered.
“Very terrifying,” Ren agreed immediately.
But then his voice softened further.
“It’s just…” His hand rested over the curve of his stomach. “Winter’s been rough. The attic gets cold sometimes. I’ve been nesting with a lot of blankets to keep warm, and Sojiro’s helped where he can, but…”
Akechi’s instincts snapped hard enough that Ren visibly startled.
Cold?
His omega had been cold?
Pregnant with his litter?
Still living in that tiny attic?
The alpha inside him reacted violently to the thought.
Protect… Nest… Care for them.
Now.
Akechi’s wings spread wider unconsciously before he forced them back down with visible effort. His hand tightened carefully around Ren’s waist while his eyes searched Ren’s face with an intensity that bordered on aching.
“You should’ve never had to do this alone,” he said quietly.
Ren’s breath caught.
Akechi lowered his head slightly, forehead brushing gently against Ren’s again.
“Come with me,” he murmured. “Please.”
The words came out rougher than intended.
“I have somewhere safe now. Warm. Private.” His thumb brushed unconsciously against Ren’s side. “I can take care of you properly. I can take care of all of you.”
Something deeply emotional crossed Ren’s face at that, and soon his eyes filled again so quickly it was almost unfair.
The tears gathered before he could even stop them, shimmering along his lashes as he stared up at Akechi like he still couldn’t fully believe he was real. Like if he blinked too long, the alpha would disappear back into the grave Ren had already mourned him into.
Then Ren threw his arms around him again.
This time slower. Softer.
But somehow even more emotional than before.
“I’d love to,” Ren admitted shakily against Akechi’s chest, his voice thick and warm and unbearably sincere all at once. “God, Akechi… I’d love to come with you.”
The words hit Akechi straight through the heart.
Not hesitation… Not uncertainty.
Ren wanted him.
Still.
After everything.
Akechi’s arms tightened around him automatically, one hand sliding carefully along Ren’s back while the other stayed firmly supportive beneath the curve of his stomach. He could feel the warmth of Ren through layers of winter clothing, could smell the omega’s emotions shifting sweeter and softer now that relief had finally begun settling in.
And Ren was holding him so tightly.
Like he’d been touch-starved specifically for Akechi. Like eight months of grief had finally broken apart all at once now that he was here.
Akechi nearly laughed from sheer overwhelming affection.
His omega was still so painfully tender.
Still softhearted enough to cling to someone who probably didn’t deserve it.
Beautiful… Dangerously beautiful.
“Easy,” Akechi murmured after a moment, voice touched with fond amusement as he adjusted his grip slightly. “You’re squeezing yourself against me hard enough to flatten the pups.”
Immediately Ren gasped softly and tried pulling back.
“A-Ah— sorry—”
“You panic too quickly,” Akechi said with a quiet huff of laughter.
“At least somebody here has survival instincts,” Morgana muttered, though the cat hybrid looked suspiciously emotional himself as he crossed his arms. “Seriously, Ren, you can’t just crush yourself into him like that.”
“I wasn’t crushing myself!”
“You absolutely were.”
“I was emotionally overwhelmed!”
“That doesn’t make your bones stronger!”
Ren finally laughed properly at that, the sound warm and helpless as he wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater. His bunny ears flicked beneath his hat while his cotton tail twitched somewhere under his coat, instincts visibly soothed now that Akechi stood solidly beside him again.
Akechi watched the tiny movements with dangerous levels of fixation.
Mine, his instincts repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.
Mate.
Home.
Ren sniffled once more before finally glancing down toward the shopping bags he’d dropped earlier. Tissue paper still lay scattered across the mall floor around them, one bag partially tipped over beside his boots.
“Oh no—” Ren immediately bent slightly on instinct. “I dropped—”
“Don’t.”
Both Akechi and Morgana said it at the exact same time.
Ren blinked.
Morgana puffed up immediately, tail lashing. “No. Absolutely not. You are not bending over in your condition.”
“My condition?” Ren repeated incredulously.
“You’re carrying an entire basketball team.”
“It’s four pups, Morgana, not a national sports league.”
“Same thing.”
Akechi had already crouched down before Ren could argue further, gathering the bags effortlessly while Morgana stood guard beside Ren like an aggressive security detail. The alpha moved carefully, efficiently, though internally he was still trying to process the fact that Ren had apparently been doing things like this alone for months.
Carrying bags.
Walking crowded malls.
Navigating winter streets while pregnant with his litter.
Something protective and ugly twisted sharply in Akechi’s chest.
Not anger at Ren.
Never that.
Anger at himself.
At fate. At the fact he wasn’t here sooner.
By the time Akechi stood again with the bags gathered neatly in one arm, Ren was already puffing his cheeks out in protest.
“You’re both being ridiculous,” Ren mumbled.
“No, we’re being responsible,” Morgana corrected immediately.
Ren looked toward Akechi for backup.
Akechi betrayed him instantly. “You’re not lifting anything heavier than a shopping bag for the foreseeable future.”
Ren stared at him in disbelief. “You got protective really fast.”
Akechi raised an eyebrow slowly.
“Ren,” he said dryly, “you are my pregnant omega carrying four pups during winter while still somehow surviving primarily on spicy curry and stubbornness. I think I’m entitled to concern.”
Ren’s face turned bright red immediately.
Morgana barked out a laugh while Ren sputtered.
“I do not survive on stubbornness!”
“You absolutely do,” Akechi and Morgana answered together.
“That’s so mean—”
“You tried carrying furniture three weeks ago,” Morgana accused.
“I was nesting!”
“You almost passed out!”
“I did pass out,” Ren admitted weakly.
Akechi stopped walking.
Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head toward Ren.
“You what.”
Ren visibly realized too late what he’d admitted.
“…In my defense—”
“You passed out carrying furniture?”
“It was a small table!”
“A small table?” Morgana repeated loudly. “It was a solid oak nightstand!”
Ren immediately pointed accusingly. “You said it was lightweight!”
“I lied because I was hoping the heavy weight would startle you away!”
Akechi stared at the two of them in horrified silence for a full second before dragging one hand down his face with a long exhale.
“You are both disasters.”
“We’ve been saying that for so long,” Morgana replied.
Ren tried not to smile.
He failed completely.
And Akechi—God, Akechi couldn’t stop looking at him.
The blush lingering across Ren’s face. The softness returning to his eyes. The way happiness kept slipping into his expression no matter how emotional he got. Every time Ren glanced toward him now, there was something glowing there beneath the tears and exhaustion.
Relief.
Love.
The realization made Akechi’s chest ache beautifully.
Because despite death, despite grief, despite eight impossible months apart…
Ren still looked at him full of love.