Chapter Text
At one point, the others had been brought in. Shinya never once left Guren’s side. Sticking as close as possible. It felt so bizarre to him now to see Guren completely unmoving. Not reacting at all to anything. Just completely out to the entire world. It hadn’t been much longer before Krul Tepes and Ferid Bathory had shown up.
Much to his surprise, they completely ignored them in favor of going straight to Guren’s side. Crowley had moved Guren from the desk, placing him on his back on the floor. Shinya had found that he couldn’t let Guren’s hand go. He hadn’t let it go since the second Kureto had left the room. They paid him no mind. Just doing their own work.
The only time they really paid attention to them was when all of them offered blood. One by one, they had two packets of blood taken from them. Completely unmarked so Guren wouldn’t know who it belonged too. Shinya was the only one who hadn’t done it yet. Preferring to stay with Guren for the time being. He had been given something to help combat the bit of blood loss that he suffered from earlier that day, but Byakkomaru had already taken good care of him, and he had felt fine after a bit.
They had a brought a machine with them. It was similar to a bypass machine. Pulling Guren’s blood right out of his system, cleansing it before pumping it right back into him. One side of the machine had a container that was pulling the drug right out of him. Leaving it dripping into vials. Shinya could see the shimmer to them. They were definitely enchanted.
Ferid was the one operating it. Continuing up on the work right where Crowley, Horn, and Chess had left off. The remaining soldiers aside from Shinya’s own friends had gone back to their transports. Parking them not far away and staying close by if they were needed. But leaving room and staying away from the amount of vampires who were hear now. None of them wanted to seem to leave.
Honestly, Shinya couldn’t blame them in the slightest.
He refused to leave until he was certain that Guren was okay.
He already knew how guilty Guren was going to feel about the whole incident. Guren was out of his mind. Shinya understood that. He didn’t fault him for anything. It was his own natural instinct now. He clearly needed it. In a way, he believed it might have helped just a bit in stabilizing Guren’s mentality just enough to get him back to City Hall for treatment.
Shinya was so angry.
He didn’t want to believe that Guren got assaulted again, but it was right in front of them. They had clear confirmation of it now after changing Guren out of his clothes. The signs that were all there. Hell, Guren practically confirmed it without saying a word.
Ferid was humming softly as he looked to the machine, tapping his painted nails as he said, “So far, five different drugs have been identified to be in his system. Though, it does appear like it’s expelling nicely. Just a bit longer and all of his blood should be clean.”
“Good.” Krul stated, “Crowley, Horn, Chess… you three did good. Excellent work.”
Shinya looked back to Guren’s face. There was a flutter behind his eyes now. Quickly moving like he was slowly starting to regain consciousness. Shinya’s attention moved away as he noticed Krul reach out. Almost petting Guren’s head. Just soothing his hair back before moving it back into place. Like she was trying to fix it. Shinya never thought he would ever see affection among vampires. He never would have thought that vampires would be so willing to help each other out this way. He was quickly getting proven wrong. None of them hesitated.
Even Mika and Yuu were here. They were standing on guard of Shouto. Sticking close to that room as they were quickly ushered away from Guren so the work could be done.
Krul had actually cleaned Guren’s remaining wounds again. Shinya wasn’t sure what it was, but almost instantly, the wounds were trying to heal the second she had done so.
“Confused, human?” Ferid questioned.
Shinya looked over, noticing that the Seventh Progenitor was eyeing him as he clicked another button on the machine. “I didn’t know vampires could show… affection.”
“We do lack a lot of our emotions, that is true.” Ferid stated, “But it doesn’t mean we don’t have them. Human emotions are just so complicated.” He chuckled for a second, noticing what Shinya had previously been looking at, “The bond between a sire and the sired is something extraordinary. Like a parent and a child. A sire can be quite… protective of the one that they sired. Sometimes, they aren’t. It’s believed it has everything to do with someone’s dynamic. Our beautiful Queen is quite protective of those she sired.” Krul wasn’t saying anything. Just continuing to look at Guren as she continued just to sooth his hair back into place. Putting it right back in the way that Guren normally wore it. Making sure not one strand was out of place. Ferid looked back to the machine, humming for a second before saying, “His blood is clean now.” He turned, starting to pull everything away from Guren.
Shinya watched. Watching as the wounds were now trying to heal more but seemed to need that final push to actually get there. “So, he’ll be okay now?”
“Yeah.” Ferid replied, “He just needs something to drink, and he’ll be able to heal himself completely.”
“He’ll regain consciousness soon.” Krul added. “He’s fine. He’s perfectly… fine.”
“To think… he almost died again.” Crowley stated.
Shinya gritted his teeth, tightening his hand on Guren’s for a moment as he brought his hand up towards him. “I won’t let him die on us again.”
“Honestly,” Crowley mused, “You probably saved him.”
Shinya looked over at the Thirteenth Progenitor in shock as he whispered, “I saved him?”
“Of course, not directly.” Crowley mused, shrugging his shoulders, “But if he had no ran into you and drank just that bit of blood that he did, he probably would have succumbed to his injuries and the bloodthirst before he ever got back to here.”
Shinya laughed softly, shaking his head as he looked back at Guren’s face. “I guess… we got really lucky.”
Krul hummed softly, a soft smile coming to her face as her hand settled over Guren’s forehead. “His mind is at ease.”
“You can tell?” Shinya questioned.
“Yeah.” The pink-haired vampire murmured. “He can live his life now. He lived his life solely for revenge. That’s changing now. Though, I won’t hesitate. The Imperial Demon Army and their leader came after my Eighth Progenitor. I’m not going to stand for this.”
Shinya felt the smile come to his face as he made a noise of agreement. “I’m definitely not going to give any complaints.”
He tightened his hand a bit more.
Guren was going to be okay.
He could relax now.
Now, it was just waiting.
Shouto was so excited. It was happening. He still couldn’t believe it. That one choice. The one split second moment that he decided to climb out the window, he had found the answers that he was looking for. He never thought to hear that his mother was alive. It was surprising to learn that he was a vampire, but Shouto would rather his mother be a vampire instead of dead.
It felt almost cool to have a vampire for a mother.
Shouto was trying his hardest not to move in his seat. His excitement was showing. The others were getting blood drawn. Sipping down packets of strange pink stuff that he didn’t know what it was and then making faces almost immediately after.
Shouto’s gaze kept following the two vampires in the room. Horn Skuld was the blonde and Chess Belle was the blue-haired one. They had taken him to get snacks when they got here. He liked them. Apparently, they were also Guren’s friends. Tenri always said vampires were monsters. Mean and cruel, but they had been showing him nothing but kindness.
Far more than Tenri ever did.
He definitely didn’t expect to not only learn that his mother was alive, but he also found his biological father. The same man who was sitting next to him. Kureto was worried about something. He could tell. He kept looking at the door, bouncing his leg as he kept checking the time on his watch.
Shouto was being patient. Just like Kureto asked him to be.
This was happening.
Something he always dreamed about.
Shouto had looked back up from his coloring whenever he heard Chess say, “This is making me so thirsty.”
“Have some control, Chess.” Horn replied, “These are for Lord Guren. You can get something to drink later. We were assigned this job by Lord Crowley, and we will complete it.”
“I know.” Chess whined, “It just smells so good.”
Shouto looked at them for a second, looking over to Kureto before going back to the two vampires. They seemed to genuinely care about Guren. Almost acted like family to him. Shouto sat up a bit. They kept telling him not to worry. That Guren was in good hands whenever they came into the room. That other vampire, Crowley was still with him from what they said. Making sure that he got the help he needed.
He just wanted him to be okay.
“You two…” Shouto started as all eyes moved to him. He kept his gaze locked to Horn and Chess as Horn placed another packet of blood into a container before looking at him. “You’re friends with my Momma?”
Horn smiled at him and nodded, “Yes, we are. Lord Guren is quite close with Lord Crowley, so we’ve spent quite a bit of time together.”
“I like Lord Guren,” Chess added, “He’s fun to be around.”
Shouto smiled a bit, knowing the stars were practically shining in his eyes before he looked to Kureto for a second before looking back to the two women. “Can you… What happened to Momma the night he became a vampire?”
That had both women pausing, looking at him in surprise for a moment. “I’m not sure if you want to know that.” Horn stated, “It’s a delicate situation.”
“I know enough.” Shouto stated, “But… I want to know what happened to him. Like what really happened from someone who was there.”
Shouto did notice that Horn looked at Kureto for a second before she was walking forward, kneeling down in front of him with a smile on her face. “I was there.” She confirmed, placing her chin onto her palm, “I still remember that day clearly.”
“What happened?” Shouto pushed again.
“Well,” Horn said, humming before she was continuing, “It was me, Chess, Lord Crowley, Lord Ferid, and Queen Krul. We were heading home when we heard a gunshot not far from us. It took us a little bit to get there but we could smell his blood.” Horn gave a gentle smile as Shouto noticed the sad glance that Chess had gotten for a moment. “We found him just laying in the street. He was just staring at the night sky. I never seen someone covered in so many cuts before… if the gunshot wasn’t going to kill him… that definitely would have. He had been slowly bleeding out for hours.”
“Horn—” Kureto growled, almost like a warning as Shouto shook his head quickly.
“I want to know what happened to Momma!” Shouto exclaimed, he turned back to Horn with the tears flowing into his eyes, “Tenri… he always said I killed Momma…”
Horn just smiled and shook her head, “Not at all.” She reached out, tapping at his leg, “What really cost him his life was severe blood loss. He was bleeding out. Nothing to do with childbirth.” She smiled again, looking down as she whispered, “I was the one who noticed he had given birth first. My guess was hours before.”
“You knew?” Shouto questioned.
Horn nodded, “I’ve seen childbirth before. I know what the body looks like afterwards.” She replied, “Queen Krul gave him the option. Allow him to die or we give him something that could let him go on.”
“And he chose to be a vampire.” Shouto went on. This was lined up with what Kureto said. That he had no choice. Laying in the street bleeding out and vampires found him.
Horn nodded again, “I still remember it. I don’t think he even knew he said it. Four simple words.” She smiled a bit bigger, “I want to live.”
“Which is kind of funny since Lord Guren talks about how he wished he was dead.” Chess interjected.
“Chess.” Horn growled. “Control yourself.”
Shouto’s eyes widened. “Momma… wanted to die?”
“When someone is hurt as much as he was…” Horn whispered, “It’s a natural reaction, but he’s alive and he’s here. Don’t listen to her.”
Shouto nodded, exhaling sharply as he wiped at his tears. “I’m glad you found him. All I ever wanted was to meet him. Even as a vampire… he’s still Momma.”
“He’s still your Momma.” Horn said, smiling again with a slight laugh. “I can tell you one thing… He never stopped thinking about you. Your Momma still has love in his heart. It carried over. Out of all human emotions that he retained… his love and kindness show.” Her red eyes fell on him again as she smiled just a bit bigger, “I honestly believe that Lord Guren felt like he had another reason to live that night. Other than wanting revenge. His rage was strong… but his maternal desire was stronger. Lord Guren is going to be very happy to see you.”
Shouto felt the tears welling up in his eyes again as he tried to put on a brave face. He straightened his back and nodded quickly. “You think so?”
“I know so.” Horn stated, patting his leg again before standing up, “Now, it’s just waiting for him to wake up. Which should be soon. He’s getting all the help he needs. Just sit tight, young one. You’ll see your Momma soon.”
Shouto nodded, “Okay.”
He turned his gaze back towards the door. His Momma was here. He was going to get to meet him.
It really was a dream come true.
Guren felt a lot better whenever he started opening his eyes. His vision was blurry at first before he blinked it away. He recognized the ceiling almost immediately. City Hall. In Nagoya. He didn’t remember making it. The Omega could remember being in the street then it was just a blur. The bloodthirst had taken over.
Despite feeling better, his body felt weak still. Guren closed his eyes for a second before it flashed in his mind. Shinya’s voice. Shinya. Blood. Shinya’s blood. Then the guilt hit. What did he do?
What the hell did he do?
He didn’t remember anything after he bit Shinya.
He bit him. The one thing he told himself that he would never do. He never wanted to risk it. What if he—He gasped, sitting up quickly as he shouted, “Shinya!”
Guren froze the second he saw Shinya right in front of him. Kneeling beside him with a grin plastered on his face. “Welcome back, Guren. You gave everyone quite the scare.”
Guren winced as his shoulder jostled and he reached up, placing his hand over it. He could feel it trying to heal, but it wasn’t quite there yet. Guren kept his eyes locked right onto Shinya. He was right there. This wasn’t some sick, vivid dream, was it? Shinya was actually okay and right in front of him?
“You’re…” Guren whispered.
“I’m fine.” Shinya said, shrugging, “I’m more worried about you. You were the one covered in blood and injuries.” Then he noticed the dark look on the silver-haired Alpha’s face, “I’m sorry, Guren. I should have known.”
“It’s not your fault.” Guren muttered.
He took a look around for a moment. It was all starting to come back now. He could vaguely recall laying on the desk. Crowley right above him. The voices of Shinya, Chess, Horn, and Kureto around him. The taste of Crowley’s blood was still on the tip of his tongue. His throat was parched. His stomach twisted and begging for something to drink to relieve what he was feeling.
Then he remembered biting Shinya again. He balled his fists curling them into his – well, these obviously not his – pant legs. “I bit you.” Guren whispered, “I’m so stupid.”
Shinya reached out, placing his hand on Guren’s shoulder as he said, “It’s okay, Guren. I’ve told you in the past that I’m perfectly okay with you drinking my blood if you need it. You needed it.”
It wasn’t okay.
It was far from okay.
How could he do something so stupid?
“What the hell did I do?” Guren whispered, moving to clasp his hands on either side of his head as he gritted his teeth. “What the fuck did I do?!”
“Guren—” Guren just shook his head.
“He saved your life today, Guren.” The Omega froze, eyes going wide as he looked over to Crowley. “If it wasn’t for you running into him or his quick thinking… you’d probably be dead.”
Guren looked back to Shinya, noticing that smile was still there. “I know you have a fear of killing me, but Guren… if drinking just a bit of my blood saved you… I’d make you do it again in a heartbeat.” Shinya stated, just flashing him an even bigger grin.
Guren leaned his head down, gritting his teeth more. His fangs hurt. Shinya’s blood smelt good. Trying to pull him in. It was tranquilizing in the aroma of it. He really was just thirsty.
“You must be thirsty, Guren.” Krul. That was definitely Krul, “You need to drink something, so you finish healing.”
“I’m fine.” Guren murmured.
“Stop being so stubborn, Guren.” Shinya said as Guren peeked over to see that Shinya was frowning at him slightly. Then he noticed what Shinya was doing. The Alpha had reached up, undoing his collar as Guren felt the tightness back in his throat. “Please, drink until you’re satisfied. I can’t watch you almost die again.”
“Shinya.” Guren gave as a warning.
“I know the tricks to get a vampire to drink blood. You know I’ll use them.” Shinya shot back, giving him a smirk now. “Besides, you have someone to meet, and I’m sure you will want your thirst under complete control before you do.”
Guren paused for a second, looking over to the others in questioning. What the hell was Shinya talking about? “What’s going on?”
“The Lieutenant General kept his promise to you.” Crowley replied.
“Your dear little Shouto is here.” Ferid added.
“He’s quite the little cutie from what I heard.” Krul also added.
Guren’s eyes widened as he looked over to Shinya. Shinya just gave a nod and a smile. “It’s true.” Shinya whispered, “He’s a mini you.”
Guren was in disbelief, “He’s… here. Like, right now?”
“Yes.” Shinya whispered back, “He’s with the others.”
Guren started to push himself up. Nothing else was on his mind now. Shouto was here. He was actually here.
His… baby.
“I need—” As soon as he had gotten to his feet, he stumbled back down, crashing into the floor as he hissed out whenever the pain flared through his body for a moment.
“Your body is still weak, Guren.” Krul stated, “You need blood.” Guren looked up as he heard her footsteps walking around him before she was kneeling right in front of him. “Look at you. You finally did it. You have such beautiful scarlet eyes now.” She smiled again, “Take what he’s offering. He’s your family, isn’t he? He just wants you to get better.”
“I can’t.” Guren gasped out, his stomach twisting again as he curled up a bit and clenched his jaw.
“Of course, you can.” Shinya replied. Shinya didn’t know why Guren couldn’t. He couldn’t tell him. The Omega was trying to focus on not using his sense of smell, but it was already getting to his head as he realized, he could smell it more now. “Guren, I know you won’t kill me, but right now, my concern is for you. You need blood and the others are busy. So, please, so you can go meet your son… just take a little bit.” Krul had moved and Shinya had taken her place. He could see it now. The small nick on Shinya’s neck where blood was now free falling. Guren’s eyes widened a bit as his nose twitched. “You can’t just rely on brother Kureto, Guren. I’m sure his blood tastes really good to you, but I’m your family, and I’m not letting your ass pass me until I know you are healed.”
Guren exhaled sharply, glaring over at his friend for a moment, “You’re such a moron.”
Shinya just shrugged, “If you want to repay me for what happened… then do me this one favor. Let me help you by giving you what you need to heal yourself. You just went through hell for three solid days and got yourself back here to Nagoya for this moment. Take it.”
Shinya wasn’t going to give up. Not until he did it. Shinya was always good at being a pain in the ass. “You aren’t going to give up—” Guren gasped as he was jerked forward until his nose was right by the small wound. From what he could tell, Shinya was actually denying Byakkomaru healing him for this. “Shinya—”
“It’s okay, Guren.” Shinya whispered, “I wasn’t there for you before. Let me do this one thing for you now.”
That manipulative asshole.
Guren gritted his teeth before he couldn’t take it anymore. The bloodlust was moving through him before he jerked forward, sinking his fangs right into Shinya’s neck again. One of Shinya’s arms wrapped around his back while his other hand landed on the back of Guren’s head.
Guren already felt the tears coming to his eyes from the thought that he had done this in the first place. Now, Shinya was giving him no choice. He never wanted to hurt him. Ever take the chance that he might be the cause of Shinya’s death. He couldn’t save him before. He never wanted to be the person who accidentally killed him because he couldn’t control himself.
Shinya’s blood flowed into his mouth. It was sweet. Nice. Safe. It felt so calming. It was different that Kureto. Kureto’s was so intoxicating to him. Like he could never get enough of it. Shinya’s was like safety and security of a home. Like taking a relaxing day off. Guren’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he felt his body gaining relief. The pain was quickly starting to subside as he could feel his wounds starting to heal.
Shinya’s voice was in his ear, continually telling him that it was okay. That he was fine, and they would both be alright.
Guren was so mad at himself.
He should have controlled himself better.
That never should have happened.
This never should have happened.
After a few more minutes, Guren pulled back, placing his hand over his mouth as he bowed his head and leaned back on his legs. Shinya had dropped his hands. Guren did feel better. The thirst was satisfied. His body felt great. He felt better than he had in the last few days.
“You idiot.” Guren whispered, “What if I…”
“It’s you, Guren,” Shinya said, practically cutting him off, “You could never hurt me on purpose. If we were in this same shitty ass situation again… I’d want you to do it again because I knew it helped you.” Guren reached up to his eyes, wiping away the tears. He knew Shinya had seen them, but neither of them had said a thing about them as he dropped his hand. “Do you feel better?” Guren nodded. “Good.” Shinya sounded so relieved. “Are you ready to meet your son, Guren?”
Was he?
He still remembered that day as if it happened yesterday.
How much he panicked. How he almost killed his baby during labor. Refusing to push if it meant killing them both. He really didn’t deserve to be that boy’s parent. Mother, Omega father, whatever someone wanted to call him.
“I can’t.” Guren whispered, “What I did that night…”
“You did what you had to do.” Shinya stated, “You were desperate. No one can fault you for that. You were being held captive and didn’t want that bastard to have your baby.”
Guren balled his fists again, “He still got him.” The Omega looked up, glaring straight ahead of him, “I don’t deserve to have a child at all.”
Shinya was smiling at him again, placing a bandage on his neck and redoing the collar of his jacket. “I met him.” The silver-haired Alpha stated, “He’s a great kid. A good kid who just wants to meet his Momma. He came all the way here for you, Guren. No hesitation. He was so happy.”
The Omega looked back down.
He wanted it.
He wanted to see him.
It was entirely the reason he made that promise to Kureto.
Now, the moment was here, and he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
For just a moment, Guren closed his eyes again and that same thing happened. The sound of his baby’s cries. The sound of the gunshot. The silence. It was all a lie. Tenri had told him that Shouto was his. That the boy in his care was his baby.
Guren choked for a second, placing a hand over his mouth. For the last four years, he believed his baby was dead. He wasn’t. He was here, and he wanted to see him.
“All you have to do is say yes, Guren.” Shinya whispered, “I know this can’t be easy.”
“He really came all the way here… just to see me?” Guren questioned.
“Yeah.” Shinya muttered back, “He snuck out of Father’s house looking for brother Kureto to ask about you. He hadn’t stopped asking about you since. He really wants to meet you.”
Guren didn’t know. He wasn’t human anymore. He wasn’t what Shouto would be expecting. He hadn’t really thought about it. He had fangs and red eyes. He was a monster to a child. Guren looked up, trying not to dig his own nails into his legs. “I’m a vampire now, Shinya. He—”
“Already knows.” Shinya cut him off. Guren’s eyes widened as his mouth dropped open for a moment. “And he doesn’t care.” Shinya reached out, placing his hand over Guren’s and curling his fingers over it. “This will be good for the both of you. You can have closure with what you’ve been feeling… and Shouto gets to meet the person who fought like hell to bring him into this world.”
Guren really didn’t know what to say.
Shouto… wanted to meet him. Even knowing the truth.
Guren jumped a bit as a hand landed on his shoulder and he looked over to see Crowley looking at him. “You told me a long time ago that the one thing you wished you could do was… hold your baby just once. Now if your chance, Guren.”
Then another hand landed on his other shoulder as he turned his head to see Krul, “We both know that you want this, Guren. Go to him.”
Guren looked back at Shinya, seeing the reassuring smile on his face as the Alpha nodded. “Go for it, Guren. He’s safe now. Brother Kureto kept his promise.” Shinya stood up, holding out his hand to him, “So, come on. Let’s go meet your son.”
Guren eyed his hand before reaching out and letting Shinya pull him to his feet.
“Take me to him.” Guren whispered, “Take me to my baby.”
Shinya grinned, already turning towards the door and opening it up. Guren walked out into the hall. He was sure if his heart could beat that it would be beating harshly against his chest. He didn’t know what to feel. He did want this. He did want to meet Shouto. He wanted him to be safe. Kureto did keep his promise. He did bring Shouto to him. Even if he almost missed it.
Guren found himself frozen in the hall as he stared down it. Crowley had slipped out ahead of them, making his way down the hall until he stopped at a door. “He’s in there?” Guren questioned.
“Yeah.” Shinya replied, “The others are there too.”
Guren curled his arms over his chest for a second, shifting his weight as he watched Crowley pop open the door. He could catch Crowley saying, “He’s awake.”
Guren was so nervous.
It kept replaying in his mind on repeat.
Cries. Gunshot. Silence. Repeat.
“Calm down, Guren.” Shinya whispered, “It’s okay.”
Kureto was the first out of the room. Guren made eye contact with him for just a moment as the Omega gained a reassuring nod from him. Kureto was speaking softly, looking down before a little boy came out of the room. Holding onto Kureto’s hand.
Guren choked, reaching up and placing his hand over his mouth.
Shaggy black hair that fell into his face and around his head, but what really attracted his attention was his eyes. The boy’s eyes fell on him as they widened. Almost looking like they went bright, and star dazzled. Violet. The same striking violet that Guren had before the vampire virus set in. Kureto had reached down, giving him a slight nudge on his shoulder as he whispered, “Go on.”
The boy took a few steps forward, looking at Guren in absolute awe. “You’re… You’re…” The boy sounded like he couldn’t speak.
Guren choked, whispering out, “Shouto.” As he dropped his hand.
This boy was his baby.
It was true.
Shouto was his.
He could hear the choked cry from the boy as he shouted, “Momma!” and broke out into a run. Guren felt himself move forward, crossing halfway across the hall as he fell down to his knees and the boy crashed into his chest a second later. Guren was in disbelief. This was real. He could feel his warmth. Hear his heartbeat. His arms wrapped around Guren’s neck as Guren could hear the small cries. “It’s really you… Momma.”
Guren choked for a second, feeling the emotions flooding through him as he felt the tears coming to his eyes. The cries from before were slowly fading away, the gunshot and the silence before being replaced with this boy’s voice. The tears welled up in his eyes again, falling before he had a chance to stop them as he reached up, curling his arms around his son. Placing his hand on the back of his head as he found the cry leaving himself.
This was real.
His son was in his arms.
Before he knew it, he was crying too. Unable to control it as he pulled the boy closer to himself. He could feel it. This was absolutely real. This boy was his son. This was his baby. A baby that he had thought was dead.
It felt like it had hit him all at once. The pure happiness. The happiness of actually being able to hold his baby. The want to have his baby. It was all coming rushing at him. Leaving him choking back the tears as he cradled his son to him. Four years. It had been four years since he heard those cries for the first time.
And this time, it was completely different.
He was getting to hold him.
There was only one thing that he could find himself saying in that moment as he whispered, “Shouto.”