Archive of Our Own

It was a plan hatched only a month ago. A desperate idea to not only get him away from his clan, but get him protection from his clan.

The day he received notification that his rank had increased from Semi-Grade 1 to Grade 1, his father called him asking how much more money he would make as a Grade 1 Sorcerer. He’d only just received the news himself, he had no idea how his clan knew already. They’d never known about his rank changes before. Since he started at Jujutsu Tech, those notifications went through Gojo. So how did they know now? A pit formed in his stomach and he knew it could only mean bad news if his clan was somehow connected enough to get this information so quickly.

He realized their sudden seemingly innocent interest in his life over the past few weeks and their attempts to make amends for the past weren’t so innocent. He’d fallen for the apologies, the lamenting over how they treated him in the past. But they didn’t care. They weren’t interested in him, they were interested in the status he’d built up for himself within Jujutsu society—the respect he garnered from other sorcerers and the fleeting appreciation of the Higher Ups for a job well done. They wanted what they had always wanted—to control him and to profit off of his hard work. They were jealous. They’d cast him out as a reject, someone they couldn’t control—despite their desperate and cruel measures. He’d made a name for himself without them. They wanted that. They wanted Toge’s connections, his status, but it seemed the only way to get their hands on that was to control him. And that’s what they were trying to do. Again. He couldn’t let them. He couldn’t risk falling into their clutches again.

He had immediately thought of ways he could get away from them without abandoning this life that he loved. He enjoyed being a Sorcerer and he didn’t want to leave Jujutsu Tech. He wondered if Gojo might have any pull, but wasn’t sure what he could actually do. What he really needed was protection and the guarantee of protection. But how could he achieve that?

His eyes fell on the calendar hanging on his wall and he realized his heat was only four weeks away. Could he get an alpha to impregnate him? Maybe with an alpha to protect him and the pup, he would be safe from his clan. But which alpha could provide that level of protection. Maybe a Special Grade like Yuuta? But was a Special Grade enough. He briefly thought that it was too bad Gojo was an omega too. A Special Grade alpha from the Gojo Clan would surely grant him the kind of protection he needed. That train of thought led him to thinking of the three major Clans—Gojo, Zen’in, and Kamo. The only Zen’in alpha he had access to was Maki, but her clan wouldn’t care about her or any pup she sired—not that she even could. They had taken care of that as soon as she presented as an alpha.

There was the Kamo Clan and Kamo Noritoshi, although an illegitimate child, was in line to be the next head of the clan. If Kamo accidentally sired a pup, how would his clan react? Toge was sure they wouldn’t want another illegitimate child situation on their hands. Maybe they would force Toge and Kamo to marry. If he was married into the Kamo Clan, that would offer a certain amount of protection and hopefully deter his own clan. Plus with the possibility that the pup could be male and born with the Kamo Clan Blood Manipulation technique, the odds were stronger that they would want to protect the mother and unborn pup.

He bit his lip. Could he do that to Kamo? The alpha had always been kind to him. Ever since the book smart Kyoto school and the Jujutsu-savvy Tokyo school combined into one last year to develop more well-rounded Sorcerers, Kamo had been nice to Toge and had made an effort to understand him. He considered them friends. Could he…baby trap a friend? Was he willing to go that far?

He remembered that phone call with his father and how uncomfortable and unsafe he felt. His back and the long-healed but never forgotten scars there tingled as if in anticipation of another lashing—something he hadn’t experienced since Gojo saved him. But the sting of the whip was forever embedded in his mind.

Yes. He needed the protection of a major clan. Which meant he needed Kamo Noritoshi to accidentally get him pregnant.

Toge could tell by the way he felt that his heat was close. He waited in his room, passing the time as best as he could. He had checked everyone’s schedules, he knew almost everyone was either out on a mission or would be training or in class that afternoon. Except for Kamo. It was perfect, it was like the universe wanted this to happen, was telling Toge this was okay and the right thing to do.

His skin prickled, the fever settling into his skin and bones. He took a deep breath and slathered the scent enhancing lotion all over himself, paying extra attention to his swollen scent gland. He had picked it up a week ago from an adult store. It was intended for omegas to use when they weren’t in heat to give alphas a more pleasurable experience. It was also helpful during an alpha’s rut.

Toge was using it to enhance his already potent heat scent so that hopefully Kamo wouldn’t be able to resist, especially if it thrust him into a rut. That would be perfect because then he wouldn’t question knotting Toge during his heat without protection. He’d be too out of his mind with his instincts. Plus an alpha in rut could hold their knot for days at a time.

With his clan closing in around him, Toge needed this to work. If he got pregnant, he was positive the Kamo Clan would force them to marry to avoid another illegitimate heir situation like they had with Kamo. Married into the Kamo Clan and pregnant with a pup that could inherit the Kamo technique hopefully meant protection against his clan. They wouldn’t be able to get to him with a major clan like the Kamos claiming him.

Toge left his room with his empty water bottle—his cover story for wandering the dorm in the throes of his heat, something he was always careful not to do.

Kamo sat in the common room reading a book when he entered. He walked straight for the kitchen, but knew his overpowering scent had reached Kamo when his head snapped up, his book forgotten. Toge filled his water and exited the kitchen, walking slowly and keeping his hand on the wall for support. It was all a show, he wasn’t that far gone yet—he still had his wits about him for now—but Kamo had to think that he was vulnerable.

Kamo watched him carefully. “Inumaki, are you alright?” He asked.

“Shake,” Toge panted out. “Tsunamayo.”

“Your heat?” He questioned, startled. He seemed to debate for a moment before setting his book aside and approaching Toge. “Here let me help you back to your room. Some of the other alphas might be back soon and it’s not safe for you to be wandering around like this.”

Kamo held him steady with one arm around his waist as he led Toge to his door. He pushed it open and found Toge’s nest assembled in the corner. Toge quietly pushed the door shut behind them and let Kamo continue toward his nest. He deposited Toge in the nest and immediately stood up, turning to leave.

Toge whimpered. Kamo flinched, clenching his fists—clearly trying to keep control.

“If you’re all set, I’ll be going now.”

“No,” Toge whined. He was already shedding most of his clothes. He kept his shirt on, but took everything else off—Kamo didn’t need to see his back and it would only distract from Toge’s mission right now. Mostly undressed, he turned away from Kamo, pressing his head down into the nest and staying up on his knees, his ass in the air. Slick dripped from his hole, coating his legs. He rubbed at his scent gland, encouraging more of his lavender and vanilla scent into the air. “Alpha, please,” he whimpered. He glanced back. Kamo was still frozen in place, clearly battling his instincts. If he turned around there would be no way for him to resist Toge presenting himself like this.

He whimpered louder and knocked his water bottle over. That got Kamo's attention. Ever the gentleman, he turned around to make sure Toge hadn’t knocked his water bottle too far away. His mouth dropped open at the sight before him. Toge knew his eyes were tracing his glistening hole, coated in slick and winking, begging for an alpha’s knot.

“Knot me,” he whispered, careful to keep the command out of his words. He wouldn’t go that far—yet. Hopefully, he wouldn’t need to go that far at all, but he wasn’t above it.

He saw the moment the tether of control snapped, the moment Kamo’s instincts took over and drove him forward, shedding his clothes quickly as he closed in on the omega. His leather and bergamot scent spiked—Toge drank it in, the aroma stirring his instincts and causing a fresh gush of slick to leak from him. Kamo gripped Toge’s hips and leaned in, licking a long strip up his ass and over his hole, tasting his slick. He growled and a beat later, Toge felt the head of Kamo’s cock at his hole as Kamo lined himself up and plunged his cock deep into Toge.

He whined in pleasure and satisfaction that the first part of his plan was now in action. Kamo fisted Toge’s hair as he thrust into him with a low, possessive growl—the sound was purely instinct, an alpha in rut. He leaned over Toge and nosed at his swollen scent gland, his tongue slipping out to lap at him as Toge felt Kamo’s knot swelling, pressing at his hole for entry. With Kamo's next thrust he leaned into it, meeting Kamo and adding to the pressure, pushing the knot inside.

Kamo’s knot filled him up so pleasantly—so much better than the sex toys he usually used during his heats. The knot fully sealed his entrance with a satisfying snugness that guaranteed not a single drop of Kamo’s fertile cum would be wasted. Which was perfect, Toge needed every single drop Kamo had to give to guarantee he ended up pregnant after this. Kamo continued rutting into Toge as best as he could while his knot kept them sealed tightly together. Finally Toge felt him push his cock as deep as he could and purred at the gush of warm alpha cum filling his womb.

More. He wanted more, needed more. He wanted Kamo to empty his balls into him to guarantee it took. He knew Kamo’s knot would keep them locked together for hours and possibly days while he was in rut. After he came, Kamo leaned over Toge, kissing his neck and shoulders and licking and sucking at his swollen scent gland. Toge whined and worked his hips, feeling Kamo’s cock twitch inside him at the attention. He clenched his walls around the cock and Kamo groaned, beginning to rut again.

His cock stayed nestled firmly inside Toge thanks to his knot. With each shallow thrust, Toge could feel the knot tug at his hole, a delicious reminder that Kamo’s spend would stay where he needed it—not a drop wasted. Kamo’s hold on Toge’s hips turned bruising as he pressed his hips flush to Toge’s again and released. Another warm, reassuring gush coated Toge’s womb.

Days later, Toge woke with a satisfying weight in his womb. He had to be imagining it simply out of his desperation because there was no way he would know or feel anything yet. It had to be his blind hope that this worked, his mind feeding him a reassuring feeling. He looked over at Kamo, sound asleep behind him, still sleeping off the effects of his rut. He smiled in satisfaction. His plan had worked so far, he’d gotten Kamo to knot him through his heat. He rested a palm on his stomach. Now he just had to wait. He wouldn’t be able to take a pregnancy test for a few weeks.

Kamo stirred beside him and Toge quickly pretended to be asleep. As Kamo sat up, Toge stirred, acting like he was just waking up. He rubbed his head and rolled over, allowing his eyes to land on Kamo and then he gasped and sat up. Kamo ran his hands through his hair, wide-eyed and panicked looking.

“Ikura!” Toge said in fake surprise.

“I’m sorry!” Kamo said as he looked over at Toge. “I-I-I—” he took a breath. “The last thing I remember was helping you back to your room and then I tried to leave, but your scent was so strong. It was all I could smell and I must have slipped into a rut.” He yanked his hands through his hair. “I’m so sorry, Inumaki.”

“O-Okaka,” Toge mumbled tentatively. “Tsunamayo.”

“It’s not okay.” Kamo shook his head. His eyes widened. “We need to go see Ieiri! I just knotted you for three days during your heat.”

“Mentaiko!” Toge shouted and shot out of his nest.

He was still wearing his t-shirt from three days ago. It stunk of sweat and their combined scents, but he would change it later. He quickly tugged on boxer briefs, sweatpants, and a hoodie. He anticipated this reaction. He knew Kamo, ever the responsible fourth year, would insist on getting the morning after pill. Toge had spent the last month practicing slipping a pill under his tongue to spit out later. He needed it to be imperceptible when he did it so Kamo and Ieiri would think he took the pill.

Kamo dressed and they rushed over to Ieiri’s office, both blushing as they stumbled through their explanation and need for the morning after pill. All they received from Ieiri was a long-suffering sigh and an offhand comment about horny teenagers. It was clearly not the first time students had shown up at her office needing a back up plan.

She handed Toge a small pill and a glass of water. He placed the pill in his mouth, quickly and discreetly maneuvered it under his tongue and swallowed a big gulp of water. Kamo looked visibly relaxed as they left.

“I’m really sorry I lost control, Inumaki.”

“Okaka,” he said, waving Kamo off.

As soon as they parted ways, he spit the pill into a bush.

Toge finished his mission quickly and the manager wouldn’t be back to pick him up for another hour. A little over a month had passed since his heat and the morning after pill that he spit out. Enough time had passed that if he was pregnant, a test should be able to detect it.

He went to the nearest drugstore a short walk away from the mission location and bought a large bottle of water and a pregnancy test. He took both items to the public restroom at the back of the store and locked himself in a stall. He chugged the water and played a game on his phone while he waited for the need to pee to hit him. Finally he read the side of the pregnancy test box and tore the packaging open. He peed on the stick, put the cap on it, and sat it down flat on top of the toilet paper dispenser. He set an alarm for three minutes and waited. He played another game on his phone to pass the time while he anxiously waited and hoped that his plan had been successful. His alarm went off and he snatched the pregnancy test, squeezing his eyes shut as he steeled himself to look. He opened them and staring back at him, clear as day, was a blue plus. Pregnant. He sighed in relief. It worked. He was pregnant with a Kamo pup.

Step one was a success. And now step two, which unfortunately involved more waiting. This time for symptoms to start—whether that was nausea, fatigue, his scent shifting, anything that would make those around him question if he was alright. Of course, they wouldn’t suspect he was pregnant. The only one that would suspect it would be Kamo. Once Kamo suspected something, Toge was sure he would ask Toge to take a pregnancy test and it would be positive.

Then came step three—this one he had less control over. He was counting on the fact that the Kamo Clan wouldn’t want another illegitimate child and would force the two to marry. If he was married into the Kamo Clan and pregnant, they would protect him. Especially if there was a chance that Toge was pregnant with a male pup that would inherit the Kamo Blood Manipulation technique.

He felt a small pang of guilt for roping an innocent Kamo Noritoshi into this. Especially when Kamo had been so careful as to take Toge to see Ieiri right after his heat for the morning after pill. He’d watched Toge “take” the pill. He really did feel bad for tricking Kamo like this, but it was a small price to pay for Toge to be safe.

He checked the time and quickly gathered up his trash. He threw everything away, including the positive pregnancy test, washed his hands and left the bathroom. He walked quickly down the street back to the location where his mission had been and posted up against a building to wait for a manager to retrieve him.

When Toge first came up with his plan, he hadn’t realized how much waiting would be involved. Waiting for his heat, waiting to be able to take a pregnancy test, waiting for symptoms to start. All while his Clan was still contacting him and trying to get to him.

But finally one morning almost 7 weeks after his heat, he woke up feeling nauseous. He was elated. Especially since his clan had reached out to him again the day before and he was anxious for his plan to move forward.

It only got worse after that as food aversions and vomiting started. Plus he was exhausted. The others started noticing, especially when he would suddenly run away from his dinner to vomit.

“Toge, are you alright?” Maki asked one evening. “Do you have the flu or something?”

Toge shrugged, feigning ignorance. “Okaka, tsunamayo.”

“You should probably still go see Ieiri just to be sure,” Yuuta suggested. “You’ve been tired and sick a lot lately.”

Kamo sat nearby and looked up, his face unreadable when Toge glanced over at him. But he could see Kamo studying him, maybe even counting back the weeks since his heat—nine to be exact.

He didn’t know if Kamo had noticed it, but the alpha had been placing himself nearby more often lately—sitting beside Toge at dinner, sitting near him in the common room, joining him in the kitchen when Toge made tea. His instincts were pushing him to be near the omega that was pregnant with his pup and he probably hadn’t even realized it.

The following week, Toge started to smell like milk. Kamo was the first one to notice. Toge could tell the moment the realization dawned on him as they passed each other in the bathroom, Kamo’s nostrils flaring as he tracked Toge walking out.

That night Kamo appeared at Toge’s door at nearly one in the morning. Toge had been dead asleep when the knock broke through his unconsciousness. For someone who was a chronic night owl, he’d been crawling into bed by 9pm most nights now as the fatigue made it impossible to stay up later.

Toge dragged himself from his bed and stumbled to his bedroom door. Somehow he already knew Kamo was on the other side before answering the door. He pulled it open and Kamo stood there, still in his uniform. His hair looked like he kept running his hands through it, the wraps were long since removed.

“May I come in?” Kamo asked tentatively.

Toge nodded and waved him in.

He stepped in and immediately began pacing. Toge crossed to his bed, rubbing his eyes, and sat down with a yawn.

“Something is bothering me,” Kamo admitted as he paced. “Your heat was 10 weeks ago and since then you’ve started getting nauseous, vomiting, you’re always exhausted, and today you smelled like milk. All of which are pregnancy symptoms. I know you took the morning after pill but I’ve been doing some research this evening and while the chances are slim, it is possible for the pill to fail. Which I’m starting to suspect is what happened here.” He looked up at Toge who wore a look of surprise.

“Okaka!” He said emphatically. “Mentaiko tsuna tsuna,” he insisted. How could he be pregnant? That was just crazy!

Kamo extracted a small box from his pocket, eyeing it like it could bite him at any second. “Maybe you’re right, maybe I’m crazy, but if you wouldn’t mind, I would feel a lot better if you took a test. That would ease my worries.” He looked hopefully at Toge.

Toge blinked a few times and nodded. “Shake, tsunamayo.”

“I hope it is.” Kamo said quietly.

Toge took the test from Kamo and left his room, leading him down the hall to the bathroom. He read the instructions on the side of the box, acting like he didn’t know exactly what to do. He took the pregnancy test out and closed himself into a stall. He peed, capped the test, and carried it out to the sink, holding up three fingers for Kamo.

“Three minutes?” He clarified and Toge nodded.

Kamo set an alarm on his phone and they waited. Kamo paced. Toge feigned anxiety as he bit his nails. Kamo’s alarm went off and he rushed over to the sink. He stood beside Toge and picked up the test, taking a deep breath before looking at the screen where it would either say Pregnant or Not Pregnant.

Pregnant.

“Fuck,” Kamo breathed out.

Toge yanked his hands through his hair and shook his head. “Okaka,” he mumbled.

“What are we going to do?” He began pacing again. “What’s going to happen now?”

Toge remained silent, pretending he was stunned into silence as Kamo paced and verbalized every thought and question popping into his head.

He stopped abruptly and looked at Toge, his eyes dropping to Toge’s stomach for a beat. “I have to tell my Clan,” he stated quietly, the color draining from his face.

Toge winced theatrically.

“I—I have to tell them,” he repeated, stunned. “I don’t know what will happen, what they might decide…” he trailed off.

Toge waited a beat for Kamo to continue, but he had clamped his mouth shut. “Takana?”

“They might decide that we need to get married,” he stated quietly.

Toge’s eyes widened. “Takana?”

“Yes.” Kamo nodded before ducking his head in shame. “They won’t want to deal with another bastard especially if this pup inherits Blood Manipulation. There’s no way to know that it will, but they won’t want to take the chance. I’m so sorry, Inumaki.”

Toge remained silent, under the pretense of shock, surprise, maybe even anger at the situation—whatever emotion Kamo wanted to read on his face and from his body language. Meanwhile, he couldn’t be more pleased that things were going exactly as he planned.

An awkward tension settled between Toge and Kamo. If the others noticed, they didn’t comment on it, though everyone could probably put the pieces together. No one commented on it until Maki, Panda, and Yuuta barged into Toge’s room unannounced one evening as he was getting ready for bed.

“Okaka!” He growled. “Tsunamayo!”

“Sorry, I’ll knock next time.” Maki rolled her eyes. “Why haven’t you told us?” She demanded.

“Takana?”

“That you’re pregnant, Toge,” Yuuta said. “We know, we can all smell it. It isn’t the flu, it’s morning sickness.”

“Was it Kamo? What happened?” Panda questioned.

Toge sighed and grabbed his phone, typing into his rarely used speech app. He mostly got by with short phrases using his Onigiri speech, but he knew Onigiri speech wouldn’t cut it for this. Finally, he hit the button and his phone spoke for him. “I forgot to fill up my water bottle before my heat and I thought the dorm was empty so I chanced going out to the kitchen to fill it up. Kamo was in the common room. I was weak, in the middle of my heat, so he helped me back to my room and then I don’t know, instincts took over. He spent my heat with me and when we woke up we went straight to Ieiri for the morning after pill, but it must not have worked because now here we are.”

The three were stunned into silence for a moment after having their suspicions confirmed. Maki was the first to break the silence.

“So, what happens now?” She asked quietly.

Toge shrugged. “Okaka.” He paused for a moment, then added, “ikura tsunamayo.” Kamo was planning to travel home that weekend and tell his clan. He asked Toge to accompany him.

“What’s his clan going to do?” Yuuta asked.

Toge bit his lip, miraculously tears welled in his eyes. He was turning into a phenomenal actor. “Tsunamayo,” he mumbled.

“Marriage?” Panda exclaimed. “You really think so?”

“Of course they will,” Maki spat. “They’re not going to risk the embarrassment of a bastard child again. If it doesn’t inherit Blood Manipulation, they’ll quietly annul the marriage and kick Toge and the pup out.”

“You’re serious?” Yuuta asked.

Toge nodded in agreement with Maki. In the end, he knew his plan was only buying himself a few years, but he hoped that time was enough for his own Clan to fuck off for good. Then again, if the pup he was carrying did inherit Blood Manipulation, he’d be set for life. His Clan wouldn’t be able to touch him.

“Do you need anything?” Maki asked, sitting beside him on the bed and wrapping an arm around him.

Toge bit his lip and shook his head. “Okaka,” he mumbled.

She nodded, rubbing his back in comforting circles. He wished it were Kamo instead. The hormones from the pregnancy had him craving Kamo’s attention, wanting to be near him, and feeling anxious when they were separated. Kamo had been avoiding him for most of the week, but even from across the room, his eyes seemed to always be on Toge—driven by his own instincts.

“Tsunamayo,” Toge said and his friends all nodded.

“Yeah, we’ll let you go to sleep,” Panda responded. The three filed out of the room with mumbled good nights.

Toge settled down in the bed. He gently caressed his stomach, grateful for the pup growing inside him that would provide him anywhere from a few years to a lifetime of protection from his clan.

He was on the cusp of sleep when a knock at his door startled him. He groaned quietly, feeling exhausted. It was past his new usual bedtime and he was feeling the effects. He walked to the door, feeling his instincts stir as he drew near and knew Kamo would be on the other side. He pulled the door open and immediately felt a calmness settle over him as leather and bergamot tickled his nose.

“Hi,” Kamo said softly. “May I come in?”

Toge nodded and waved him into the room, closing the door behind him. He was dressed casually, having shed his uniform for the day and swapped it for a pair of grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He’d also taken his hair out of his traditional wraps. His nostrils flared as he looked at Toge and he visibly relaxed.

“I wanted to talk to you about this weekend,” he said quietly, his eyes darting away for a moment. “I bought us train tickets. We depart at three on Saturday afternoon.”

Toge nodded.

Kamo hesitated, shifting awkwardly on his feet. “You know what this means, right, Inumaki?”

Toge bit his lip and nodded again. “Shake,” he mumbled.

Kamo was referring to the likely impending marriage they would be forced into after he told his clan. Kamo was confident it would happen. At first, he had asked Toge to stay behind, but eventually decided it was pointless and would just drag out the inevitable.

“I’m very sorry about this.” The words were hushed, said with such sincerity that a wave of guilt hit Toge.

He squeezed his eyes shut, willing all of the guilt away, it was too late for that. He’d known when he enacted his plan what it meant, that he was dragging an innocent and ignorant Kamo into it. Tricking a friend in the cruelest, most selfish way.

Suddenly, leather and bergamot filled his nose and Kamo's arms wrapped around him. He mistook the distress in Toge’s scent for distress over an impending marriage, not realizing it was guilt over tricking him.

“Everything will be alright,” he offered as he held Toge.

Toge pressed his nose against Kamo’s t-shirt, inhaling deeply and shamelessly. The alpha’s scent settled him and he whimpered, pressing closer to Kamo. “Takana?” He whispered quietly.

Kamo stiffened. “I suppose I could,” he agreed after a beat, though he remained stiff.

Toge slowly pulled away and crossed the room to his bed, pulling back the covers and looking back at Kamo. He seemed to take a breath to collect himself before he crossed the room to Toge and climbed into the bed, slipping under the covers. Toge joined him and turned off the lamp on his bedside table before he lay stiffly beside Kamo.

Kamo sighed and shifted, reaching out to wrap his arms around Toge. “Come here, omega,” he whispered into the night. “Admittedly, it’s been hard to sleep, always worrying about you,” he offered as he pulled Toge flush against himself and pressed his nose to the scent gland on Toge’s neck.

Toge couldn’t deny the instant comfort and relaxation he felt at being wrapped in Kamo’s arms, the way it settled every roaring instinct in his body that he’d been fighting for weeks. He hadn’t quite realized how much he would crave Kamo’s attention. He settled deeper into Kamo’s embrace and promptly fell asleep.

On Saturday, they made their way to the train station for their trip to the Kamo estate. It was a couple of hours away by bullet train and shortly into the trip, Toge fell asleep against Kamo’s shoulder. The alpha didn’t complain and discreetly rested a hand on Toge’s thigh, a silent claim to any other alphas in the area—this omega was his.

Kamo woke Toge as they neared their destination. They stepped off the train and Kamo led the way to the estate. It was a familiar trip he’d made many times, called back for clan affairs or simply to check in. He’d always been a dutiful son, desperately trying to make up for mistakes that weren’t his own. He was simply born with the clan technique to a woman his father had an affair with. It wasn’t his fault, but he still bore the weight of those sins.

He dreaded how his clan would react to the news. Toge’s scent was strong enough now that they would know the second they laid eyes on him that he was pregnant. They would know Kamo was the sire because why else would he bring a pregnant omega back to the estate?

He led Toge into the house and was immediately greeted by a distant cousin—Chinatsu. A poor soul who had the misfortune of being born female and the disappointment around her grew when she never presented with a technique and eventually presented as a beta. While a legitimate child of the Clan, she was deemed useless—as a beta she couldn’t even bear children for the clan—and treated poorly, kept around to act as a servant for the clan and nothing more.

“Will you please alert my father that I’m here. The Clan Elders as well,” he said.

Chinatsu bowed. “I will ask them to meet you in the washitsu.”

“Thank you,” Kamo said. He left his bag by the door and motioned for Toge to do the same. Chinatsu would take them to his room for them.

He led Toge to the washitsu and they both knelt on the tatami floors to wait for his father and the elders. Kamo’s father, the current Clan Head, arrived first. His nostrils flared and his eyes hardened in anger, glaring at Kamo and the pregnant omega beside him.

“What have you done?” He growled, the disappointment evident in his tone.

Toge kept his head bowed. He didn’t know if it would be better or worse for them to realize he was an Inumaki now or later. The silver hair on its own wasn’t that much of a giveaway, but his lilac eyes were a trademark of the Inumaki Clan and the high collar of his uniform would confirm his exact identity in an instant.

Kamo remained silent as his father knelt across from him and waited. A few minutes later the Clan Elders arrived. Two ancient alphas entered and knelt beside the elder Kamo.

“Speak,” Kamo’s father barked, though it was just a formality. Every alpha in the room knew exactly what was going on the second they stepped into the room.

Kamo cleared his throat and he addressed his father. “I impregnated an omega,” he explained. “Admittedly, it was an accident where instincts won out over logic in the situation and despite taking precautionary measures after the fact, Inumaki still ended up pregnant.”

A rustle spread through the room as Kamo mentioned his name. Toge slowly lifted his head, meeting the glaring eyes of Kamo’s father and the Elders. His unmistakable features matched the name he carried—any sorcerer would immediately know he was an Inumaki.

“This is unacceptable, Noritoshi,” his father spat. “Do you know what kind of shame this will bring upon the Clan? And an Inumaki at that.”

“How far along is the pregnancy?” One of the Elders asked.

“Nearly 11 weeks,” Kamo answered.

Kamo’s father snorted in disgust.

“If they marry immediately, we can say it was arranged prior and we simply moved the date up,” the other Elder spoke up.

“The other Clans don’t need to know the details. We can cover this up,” the first Elder added.

Kamo’s father nodded, listening to their thoughts. “Fine. Make it happen today.”

He stood and left the room in a flurry of anger. The Elders eyed Kamo and Toge for a moment before standing.

“Wait here,” one instructed and they both left.

Within ten minutes, someone new arrived in the room and performed a brief wedding ceremony while Kamo’s father and the two Elders looked on. Once complete, the person left and Kamo’s father stood.

“You must claim him and consummate the marriage. That shouldn’t be a problem for you,” he spat and stormed out of the room, the Elders on his heels.

Kamo sighed and stood, offering a hand to Toge and pulling him to his feet. “This way,” he offered and led Toge through the estate to a door.

He paused outside the door and pushed it open, gesturing for Toge to enter. It was clearly Kamo’s room at the estate despite lacking any personal touches beyond a packed bookshelf. Toge spotted their bags sitting at the foot of the bed. Kamo closed and locked the door behind them.

Toge turned toward him, an eyebrow raised in question.

Kamo’s eyes darted to the side. He cleared his throat. “You heard them,” he stated softly.

You must claim him and consummate the marriage.

It was barely dusk, but they had just been married and were now expected to spend their first evening together as husbands. Toge briefly wondered if Kamo had anticipated this and planned their trip accordingly. Knowing him and his keen attention to detail, it was likely.

Toge slowly unzipped his uniform jacket and shrugged it off. A blush colored Kamo’s cheeks and he refused to look at Toge. Toge hesitated before he pulled his undershirt off next—he couldn’t hide his back forever. He stepped closer to Kamo as he unzipped his pants and pushed them down to his ankles. His boxer briefs were last and he stood naked before his husband and the sire of the pup he carried.

He stepped closer to Kamo, reaching up to unfasten one of the buttons on his uniform jacket. Finally, Kamo looked at him again, locking eyes before his eyes drifted, taking in Toge’s naked form and darkening with lust. At least he knew Kamo was attracted to him. Maybe it wasn’t purely instincts that drove him into this situation when an omega in heat presented himself.

Kamo allowed Toge to undress him until they both stood naked by the door. Toge grabbed his hand and led him toward the bed. He bent over the bed, spreading his legs and arching his back to present his ass to Kamo. Kamo’s fingers tentatively grazed the pocked skin of Toge’s scars. His hand retracted.

Kamo swallowed and shook his head. “No,” he said, “not like this. If we must do this—” he gently gripped Toge’s hips and pulled him away from the bed, turning Toge to face him. He cupped Toge’s cheek, one thumb stroking over the sigil on his cheek. Kamo leaned in and tentatively pressed his lips to Toge’s.

He stepped closer, crowding the omega and pushing him back toward the bed while his lips moved against Toge’s. Toge felt the backs of his legs hit the bed and sank down, breaking the kiss. Kamo helped him toward the center of the bed, climbing over him as Toge leaned back against the pillows.

Kamo captured his lips again, this time less hesitant and more confident. His tongue teased Toge’s lips as a hand explored Toge’s body, toying with his sensitive nipples. Toge whined into the kiss and felt slick gathering at his hole in anticipation. Kamo’s hand continued its path down Toge’s body, sliding between his legs. He pressed a finger to Toge’s hole, circling the rim and massaging the puckered muscle. Toge’s body reacted to the attention, loosening bit by bit until Kamo could slide a finger inside, then another, and another. He worked Toge open as his tongue explored Toge’s mouth, dancing with Toge’s own tongue. His tongue retreated and he sucked on Toge’s lower lip as he nudged Toge’s legs wider and positioned himself between them.

“Are you ready?” He asked breathlessly, his stormy grey eyes searching Toge’s soft lavender eyes.

Toge nodded, pulling his knees toward his chest to give Kamo a better angle. A low growl escaped the alpha’s hold. He gripped the base of his cock and lined himself up at Toge’s entrance. He slowly pushed forward, pressing his cock at Toge’s hole until the head popped in. He paused there, checking on Toge before he pressed his hips forward, slowly feeding his cock into the omega, until their hips were flush. He pulled out to the tip and slowly repeated the process, allowing Toge’s body to adjust to him before gradually picking up the pace. As his thrusts grew faster, he pressed his nose against Toge’s neck, nuzzling at his scent gland. His tongue darted out on the next thrust, pressing flat against the gland and licking. It started to swell at the attention, releasing more lavender, vanilla, and milk scent into the air. Kamo sucked on the gland, continuing to work his hips and thrust into Toge. Toge tilted his head to the side, giving Kamo easier access to the gland. He could feel Kamo’s sharp canines grazing at the swollen gland, teasing what was to come.

Toge started to feel Kamo’s knot inflating at the base of his cock. With each thrust the knot felt larger as it pressed at his hole. He knew the stretch would hurt outside of his heat, but it needed to happen for Kamo to claim him. Kamo continued with his attention to Toge’s swollen and now throbbing scent gland—licking, sucking, teasing. The more he teased the gland, the more endorphins it would release once bitten and the easier it would be for Toge to take Kamo’s knot. He was grateful to the alpha for the care and attention. The next thrust from Kamo had Toge gasping. Kamo’s knot was almost fully inflated and it stretched Toge’s hole uncomfortably as Kamo thrust, pressing his hips harder against Toge. His mouth closed around Toge’s gland and he sucked hard before opening his mouth further. Toge held his breath as Kamo pressed his canines against the swollen gland. They pierced the skin and he lapped at the wound, coating it in his saliva to soothe the pain. A rush of endorphins clouded Toge’s mind and a feeling of bliss spread through him as Kamo bullied his knot into Toge’s hole. He didn’t even feel the pain as Kamo’s knot stretched his hole before settling inside, locking them together the way it had during Toge’s heat. Toge was vaguely aware of coming on his stomach as Kamo sucked on his swollen and marred scent gland. The alpha thrust shallowly into him, as much as possible with his knot holding them firmly together before he finally pressed deeper and came with a quiet moan against Toge’s scent gland.

Toge sighed in satisfaction as Kamo licked gently at his gland, cleaning up any residual blood and spit. He rolled them so Toge now lay on his chest with his cock and knot still nestled firmly inside the omega.

“Are you alright?” Kamo asked softly as he brushed sweaty bangs away from Toge’s forehead.

“Shake,” Toge mumbled sleepily against his chest.

“Good,” Kamo mumbled and the both drifted off to sleep, crashing after the rush of hormones that accompanied Kamo claiming Toge.

The next morning, Toge woke first. Kamo’s knot had shrunk during the night and they had shifted. Toge was wrapped in Kamo’s arms, Kamo’s hand resting possessively over his abdomen. The last time he’d shared a bed with Kamo, he’d woken up in a similar position. It must have been some kind of alpha instinct, protecting their unborn pup while they slept.

Toge slipped out of his embrace and crossed to the private bathroom connected to his bedroom. He closed the door and turned on the shower as the usual wave of nausea hit him. Sometimes he threw up, sometimes he just felt nauseous. He was able to shower and was just getting dressed before the nausea increased and he found himself hunched over the toilet in just his boxer briefs.

“Inumaki?” Kamo called. He knocked on the door. “Are you alright?”

Toge flushed the toilet and wiped his mouth off as he walked over to the bathroom door, pulling it open for Kamo.

Kamo’s eyes raked over him. “Are you alright? It sounded like you were throwing up.”

Toge nodded. “Shake, tsunamayo.”

“Oh, right,” Kamo nodded. He wasn’t often near Toge to witness the morning sickness hit him every morning. Kamo’s eyes landed on the raw bite mark on Toge’s neck. “I can clean and bandage that for you.”

Kamo didn’t wait for an answer, he stepped around Toge into the bathroom and walked to the vanity. He opened a drawer and pulled out a first aid kit. Toge stepped closer and Kamo began carefully cleaning the wound on his neck. When he was satisfied he taped gauze over the wound and stepped back.

“We should head back to school soon.”

“Shake,” Toge agreed.

There was a strained silence between them as they readied themselves to travel back to school. Kamo never mentioned Toge’s scarred back. Toge didn’t know what to make of that.

He followed Kamo out of his room and through the house again. Kamo’s father and the Elders were waiting by the door and Toge watched Kamo’s shoulders tense when he saw them. Kamo’s father ignored him and stepped over to Toge, peeling back the bandage to inspect the claim bite on his neck. He nodded once and strode away.

Kamo released a long sigh and turned to Toge. “Come on, we don’t want to miss our train.”

Once back at Jujutsu Tech, they parted ways. Toge immediately retreated to his bedroom. A sea of negative emotions swirled within him. He’d gotten what he wanted, what he set out to do, but instead of feeling secure and accomplished, he just felt hollow and cruel. Kamo was a friend and Toge had tricked him into knotting him, spit out the morning after pill ensuring pregnancy, and trapped him into a marriage that he knew the Kamo Clan would force on them.

The night before, after they were married, Kamo had been so attentive while they consummated the marriage, while Kamo claimed him. But it had all been done out of obligation and expectation from his clan. Kamo had not chosen this. Toge had taken that choice away from him.

Toge looked at his desk and sighed. He still had homework to do.

And suddenly it all hit him. He was 18, a third year at Jujutsu Tech, and pregnant. And now married. His desperation had driven him to make irrational choices that didn’t just affect him. He’d dragged Kamo unknowingly into this situation instead of telling someone about his clan, about his fears. What was wrong with him?

He ignored his homework and climbed into his bed. He curled up in a ball, wrapping his arms around his stomach and the pup he had recklessly tricked Kamo into helping create. Silent tears fell from his eyes, staining his pillow as he glared at the wall.

He wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but he woke up to a knock at his door. His room was dark except for the lamp he’d left on, the sun had clearly set hours ago. He pushed out of bed and stumbled to the door, pulling it open.

Kamo stood on the other side, his hair slightly disheveled and his t-shirt wrinkled. “Hey,” he said softly. “I’m sorry, I know it’s the middle of the night and I clearly woke you up…” he trailed off, hesitating.

“Takana?” Toge asked. His voice came out scratchy and he cleared his throat.

“I was having trouble sleeping and the best nights of sleep I’ve had recently have been with you,” he offered softly, his eyes darting away. “Maybe it’s just instincts—it probably is—but regardless, I wondered if you wouldn’t mind sharing a bed again?” He sounded so hesitant. It warmed Toge’s heart.

Toge waved him in without a second thought. He had also slept much better by Kamo’s side than alone. He knew it was just the instincts—he was a pregnant omega and felt the need to be close to the alpha that sired his pup. Especially now, after that alpha had claimed him. But he didn’t dwell on that thought too much as he laid beside Kamo and felt them both relax into each other’s touch, into the embrace. Toge curled up on his side and Kamo pulled him closer—back to chest—and wrapped his arms protectively around Toge.

“That’s better,” he said so quietly, so softly that Toge almost missed it.

He smiled as Kamo’s hand drifted lower to rest on Toge’s stomach, splayed protectively over their growing pup.

They fell into an easy rhythm after that and spent every evening in each other’s arms. They had both agreed they slept better that way, when their instincts could settle just by being close to one another. Sometimes they slept in Toge’s room, sometimes in Kamo’s. Every morning Toge woke wrapped in Kamo’s arms with a hand splayed protectively over his stomach which in recent weeks had started to grow.

The nausea of the first trimester faded as he entered the second trimester and he was grateful. Some of his energy came back and he was feeling much better overall. Every four weeks he had an appointment with Ieiri to check on the pup and every time he heard the pup’s heartbeat he immediately relaxed. The first trimester symptoms had faded and he hadn’t realized how much of a reassurance they were until he didn’t have them and it was early enough in the pregnancy still that he couldn’t feel the pup’s movement yet.

Kamo joined him for every appointment. Toge wasn’t sure if it happened out of desire or obligation, but he was just glad to have the alpha beside him. They had just finished up the 16 week appointment with Ieiri and she assured them the pup looked great and everything was going well. Toge caressed his growing belly as they walked back to the dorms together. He wasn’t showing much yet and could still easily conceal the pregnancy under his uniform—not that it mattered, all of Jujutsu society knew about the pregnancy and marriage to Kamo at this point.

Including his clan.

They reached out immediately after news of the marriage got out, wanting to speak with Toge and get an introduction to the Kamos. Toge ignored the call and was a ball of anxiety when he showed up at Kamo’s door to sleep that night. The alpha had been concerned, but Toge successfully convinced him that he was just worried about the pup and couldn’t wait for his next appointment. Luckily, Kamo had not questioned him further and instead comforted him, releasing reassuring pheromones.

They walked in silence beside each other and Toge’s mind wandered, contemplating if all of the attention was just Kamo’s instincts or if maybe the alpha was starting to develop feelings for the omega and vice versa. They had only been married for 5 weeks, but over those 5 weeks they had grown more familiar with one another, more comfortable. They gradually spent more time together, not just at night to sleep, but during the day. Cooking together, studying together, sometimes Kamo would show up at Toge's door to read while Toge played video games. Sometimes Kamo would gently touch him—as he did now, stepping behind Toge with a hand on the small of his back as they stepped through the door into the dorm. Every touch felt like an electric pulse—he was instantly aware and it sent a zing of energy through Toge. He wanted more of that, more of those electric touches. He wanted to feel Kamo’s hands caressing his bare body. Like he had the night they consummated their marriage, the night Kamo claimed him.

He swallowed back his desire before it affected his scent and gave him away. For the Kamo Clan, this was merely a marriage of obligation—something that had to occur to avoid another possible bastard heir situation. They couldn't have a repeat of Kamo Noritoshi should this pup present with the coveted Clan Technique of Blood Manipulation. He was sure Kamo felt the same way—Toge had trapped him after all. Not that he knew; he thought it was an accident. But there was no way that Kamo could actually be developing feelings for him. He was simply looking out for the omega that was carrying his pup.

They walked down the hall and stopped at Toge’s door.

“What are you up to now?” Kamo asked.

“Tsuna,” Toge answered.

Kamo nodded. “Do you mind if I join you?”

Toge shook his head.

“Great, I’ll just go grab my homework and be back.”

Toge nodded and flashed a thumbs up. He turned and entered his room and Kamo strode down the hall to his own room. Toge gathered his laptop and notebook as he crossed his room to his bed and settled in. He liked to do his homework in bed where he was more comfortable and he knew Kamo preferred to work at the desk anyway.

A soft knock sounded on his door and a beat later, Kamo opened the door and stepped in. Toge smiled at him, eagerly drinking in the calming leather and bergamot aroma of his alpha. Kamo stepped over to the desk and set up his own laptop.

He wondered if Kamo ever thought of him as his omega. Kamo had claimed him so maybe he did. Though, the claiming had been demanded by his clan…but Toge still bore the bite on his neck so Kamo must think of him in that way. At least, that was what he hoped.

They worked in silence for a while, Toge’s mind spinning in circles wondering how Kamo felt about him—the way it often did lately—rather than focusing on his homework. Kamo sat silently, diligently working on his homework before he suddenly turned away from the desk, swiveling in the chair to face Toge. Toge looked up at the movement, cocking an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Ieiri said we’ll be able to find out the sex of the pup at the next appointment,” he said, his tone flat, indifferent. Is that how he felt about the pup? Indifferent? Or maybe it was this whole situation that he felt indifferent about? Maybe it was Toge that he was indifferent toward?

Toge nodded. “Shake.” He’d been there when Ieiri mentioned their next appointment.

“My clan will be eager to hear the results.” Now there was a bitter edge to Kamo’s tone.

Toge nodded. “Tsunamayo, ikura.”

Kamo nodded. “Yes, my father will be expecting a call. I just hope I’ll have good news to give him.” He sighed.

Toge hoped they would have good news as well. A son would be more important to the Kamo Clan than a daughter. They would be more protective of a son. Toge would be safer if he were pregnant with a son.

Kamo’s silence stretched for a few moments longer before he turned back to his homework. Toge could see the tense set to his shoulders and warred with himself internally. His instincts pushed him to go to the alpha, to comfort him. But logic and reality told him to stay put on the bed. They might be mates—married and claimed—but their relationship wasn’t like that. He wasn’t truly Kamo’s partner. He was the arranged bride pregnant with an ‘accidental’ pup. He pushed his instincts, feelings, and worries to the back of his mind and finally focused on his homework.

The 20 week appointment came about much faster than Toge expected. The weeks had passed quickly despite the anxious tone of his thoughts. In fact, he hadn’t slept at all despite having Kamo’s arms wrapped tightly around him all night. He had not been able to shut his mind off—worrying and wondering about the sex of the pup he carried. He felt incredibly guilty for wishing that the pup was not a girl, worried he would love a girl less—or worse, feel resentful toward her for not being the boy he needed to ensure protection by the Kamo Clan.

He’d spun himself up so much all night that when Kamo woke up, he could immediately smell Toge’s distress. He pushed up on his elbow, turning toward Toge and hovering over him, his hand resting lightly on Toge’s rounded stomach.

“Inumaki?” He asked. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

“Okaka,” Toge mumbled.

Kamo’s eyes scrutinized him. “I won’t abandon you if the pup is a girl,” he said, guessing at Toge’s worries. “My clan won’t be happy, but I don’t care. We’re still married and mated. You’ll still have my bite on your neck.”

Toge nodded, trying to calm himself, trying to force Kamo’s words to reassure him. But he needed the protection of Kamo’s whole clan to keep him safe from his clan, not just Kamo himself.

“It’ll be alright,” Kamo said. He gently rubbed Toge’s stomach as he released calming pheromones.

Toge felt a distinct thud in his abdomen. He startled, his hand immediately landing on his stomach, right where he’d felt it—the thud. That was the best way he could describe that to himself. He hadn’t felt any movement from the pup yet, no fluttering sensations like Ieiri had mentioned, but this. It had to be the pup.

“Inumaki?” Kamo asked quickly, noticing the quick change in Toge’s demeanor. “What happened?”

“Tsunamayo,” Toge said thoughtfully, still unsure if he really had felt the pup move.

“What did it feel like?”

Toge lightly punched Kamo’s arm, almost more of a tap. Kamo nodded.

“Interesting.” He thought for a moment. “I guess we’ll find out if they’re moving around this afternoon when we go see Ieiri.”

Toge forced a smile and nodded. He was both eagerly anticipating and absolutely dreading the appointment. His mood—his safety—all hinged on finding out if he was carrying a boy.

“I’ll see you later, then?”

“Shake,” Toge agreed and Kamo gathered his things and left Toge’s room.

As soon as the door closed behind Kamo, Toge rolled to his other side, facing the wall and groaning. There was no way he would be able to focus in his classes. He would be too distracted thinking about the appointment with Ieiri. With a sigh he sat up and shifted out of his bed, grabbing his modified uniform—adjusted to accommodate his pregnancy—and leaving his room to shower.

Toge practically sprinted out of his morning classes. He was out of his seat and out the door before any of the other third years could try to delay him. He rushed through the campus to the medical building and found Kamo waiting outside for him. His uniform looked a little worse for wear and he had some blood spattered on his face. Toge raised an eyebrow. Kamo hadn’t mentioned having a mission.

“Takana?”

“Yes, it was a bit last minute and I just got back to campus. I’m glad I made it back in time, I was worried that I would miss this.”

Toge smiled. He was glad Kamo had made it back as well. Having Kamo with him would hopefully help alleviate his nerves.

They entered the building together and walked through the hall toward Ieiri’s office. As they turned a corner, they found Ieiri leaning against the wall outside of an exam room, scrolling on her phone, an unlit cigarette hanging out of her mouth. At the scuff of their shoes on the vinyl floor, she looked up and pulled the cigarette from her mouth, tucking it behind her ear for later. Her tired eyes scrutinized Kamo, assessing him for any visible injuries given the state of his uniform.

“Do you need any healing?” She asked.

“No, I’m alright. Just dirty,” Kamo answered.

She nodded and turned into the room, expecting them to follow her and they did. She motioned to the exam table for Toge as she pulled the ultrasound machine closer. Kamo took his usual seat beside the table as Toge hopped up and laid back, rolling his uniform top up. He inhaled deep, calming breaths while Ieiri set things up.

“I’m going to take a bunch of measurements to make sure everything is on track with the pup and they’re developing appropriately and I can tell you the sex of the pup if you want,” Ieiri explained.

Toge nodded. He hoped she would tell them the sex immediately so he could finally relax. Kamo kept glancing over at him with a look of concern. Try as he did, Toge couldn’t contain his anxiety enough to keep it out of his scent.

“We would like to know the sex of the pup,” Kamo stated.

Ieiri nodded knowingly as she squirted gel onto Toge’s stomach. She moved the wand around to spread the gel before focusing her attention on the screen. She began quickly pointing out the pup’s anatomy—a leg here, an arm there, the heart, lungs, head, brain. As reassuring as it was for Ieiri to tell them that the pup looked healthy and everything was perfectly average, Toge wanted her to hurry up and tell them the sex.

Ieiri moved the wand across Toge’s belly. “Oh!” She quickly moved it back. “It’s a boy.”

Toge and Kamo instantly released twin sighs of relief. The clan would be pleased and Toge knew that would translate to his own safety. Toge looked over at Kamo. Their eyes met and Kamo offered a small smile.

Toge relaxed back against the table and finally found himself able to focus on everything Ieiri said about the pup.

As they left the medical building and started the trek across campus to the dorms, Kamo grabbed Toge’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

“I have to admit I’m relieved that the pup is a boy. My clan will be happy about that,” Kamo said.

“Shake,” Toge agreed eagerly.

Toge was pregnant with a boy. A potential Kamo heir if the pup inherited the Blood Manipulation technique. He couldn’t be more satisfied with how well his plan had gone. Six months ago when he’d first hatched this plan, he never could have predicted he would have such success tricking Kamo into spending his heat with him. There was no guarantee that he would get pregnant and it was a 50/50 chance of conceiving a boy. He’d been fairly confident that Kamo’s clan would have them marry and mate, but again, it had only been an assumption. Yet somehow, everything had worked out perfectly.

They entered the dorm and found it empty. At this time in the afternoon, their classmates were either at the training field or out on missions. Kamo held onto Toge’s hand as he led them down the hall and to his room. Once inside his room, he released Toge’s hand and pulled his phone from his pocket. Toge crossed the room and settled on Kamo’s bed, watching the alpha curiously. Kamo’s scent flared as he held his phone—leather and bergamot tinged with the bitter hint of anxiety and nerves. He inhaled deeply and tapped his phone before holding up to his ear. Toge bit his lip as he watched Kamo start to pace. He was clearly calling his clan.

“It’s Noritoshi, I’d like to speak to my father,” Kamo said after a few moments.

He waited again, continuing to pace.

His pacing stopped.

“Yes, it was today,” Kamo said into the phone. Toge couldn’t hear Kamo’s father, but he could guess what questions were being asked. “The pup is male.”

He watched as Kamo instantly relaxed, a calm spreading over his whole body and easing his scent back to it’s usual warmth. Toge realized just how tense he had been.

“Yes, everything looks good, he’s a healthy pup from what Ieiri could see.” Kamo listened and his face fell. “Yes, if we must. We can come this weekend,” he said quietly.

Toge raised an eyebrow. What was that about?

“Yes, father,” Kamo said quietly and ended the call. He turned toward Toge with a sigh. “We have to travel back to the estate this weekend. They want you checked out by the clan doctor to confirm everything Ieiri said.”

Toge raised an eyebrow with an amused smirk. “Shake,” he agreed.

“Sorry, they’re…a lot.” Kamo rolled his eyes. “Now that they know it’s a boy, they’ll probably want the Higher Ups to stop sending you on missions soon. I’m sure they’ll have more demands related to your pregnancy as well.”

Toge shrugged. “Tsunamayo.” Whatever demands the clan had, he would make it work. He needed the clan’s approval and support.

“You say that now…”

Toge chuckled. If they were a normal couple he might cross the room to Kamo, wrap his arms around him, push up on his toes, and give him a kiss. But they weren’t a normal couple. This wasn’t a marriage out of love, they didn’t choose to claim each other. The clan demanded it so that Kamo wasn’t the sire of a bastard.

So, he stayed where he was, sitting on Kamo’s bed, wondering if he’d made the right choice.

Toge’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he dug it out to see an unsaved number calling him. The area code was for his hometown. He’d blocked every phone number of his family’s that he could think of, so his father must have resorted to getting new numbers to reach him. He quickly ignored the call and blocked the number. He kept his emotions in check so Kamo wouldn’t suspect anything.

Across the room, Kamo offered a soft smile before approaching Toge on the bed. “Thank you,” he said as he sat beside Toge and rested a hand on his knee. “You’ve been great through this whole situation.”

He looked tired. And stressed. A wave of guilt washed over Toge. “Ikura tsuna tsuna,” he mumbled.

“It’s not your fault. I knew the risk when I walked you back to your room. You were an omega in heat, I knew it had been a while since my last rut, and the morning after pill is not guaranteed.” Kamo squeezed his thigh. “It was and unfortunate combination of circumstances that brought us here. So thank you for making this situation easier.”

The words left a sour taste in Toge’s mouth. If only Kamo knew the truth of this situation. He wouldn’t be thanking Toge then. Kamo would likely hate him if he ever found out. Toge had stolen his future and any potential for finding an actual mate. Instead he was saddled with Toge.

Toge pulled himself together and offered a fake smile that he hoped Kamo wouldn’t see through. He cleared his throat and spoke. “Mentaiko tsunamayo,” he said, excusing himself to his room to focus on homework.

Kamo startled. “Oh, yeah, alright. Will you be back later? Or should I come to you?”

They now consistently spent every night sleeping in one of their rooms together. The thought of it had Toge’s stomach twisting in knots now. He couldn’t lay next to Kamo, not with guilt sitting so heavily on him at the moment.

“Tsuna tsuna,” he lied. He wouldn’t be back later. He couldn’t face Kamo again.

“I’ll leave the door unlocked for you. Good luck with your homework, Inumaki.”

Toge gave a quick nod before he scurried out of the room.

Once back to his room, he locked the door and collapsed on his bed, curling in on himself. He wrapped his arms around his growing belly, his pup. He bit his lip, willing himself not to cry even as tears welled in his eyes. It didn’t work and a sob escaped his careful hold. He’d been bottling so many emotions for weeks and they were all finally coming out.

The deep fear of his clan tightened around his neck like a noose, choking out hope. He worried for his safety and peace, for the life he’d built. Incredible guilt weighed him down every time he thought about Kamo. The isolation of keeping this secret, of how far he’d gone to get away from his clan, nearly drowned him. If Kamo ever found out, he would never forgive Toge.

Hours later, with his cheeks still tear-stained and an ache in his chest, he lay awake, unable to sleep. It had to be nearly midnight when he heard a knock on his door and froze. Another knock and then the door handle jiggled as someone tried the knob only to find it locked.

“Inumaki?” Kamo called softly through the door. “Are you okay?” He waited. Toge remained frozen in his bed. “Maybe you fell asleep or decided not to come to my room tonight…I hope you’re alright,” he said softly. “I’ll leave my door unlocked all night if you’d like to join me.”

Toge squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to cry again as the guilt strangled him.

He allowed himself to drown in the guilt for a night and then shoved it aside again. He’d made his bed. This was for the best. The choices he’d made would protect him from his clan. Kamo was just the unfortunate collateral damage, but he didn’t seem to mind. Not that he really knew he was collateral damage. Which just added to Toge’s guilt over the whole situation. If Kamo knew—

He shoved the thought aside and tugged on his uniform for class. He couldn’t keep spiraling through these same thoughts.

A few hours later, he sat in class, yawning as Iori spoke at the front of the room. He knew he should be paying attention. Iori was a much more serious teacher than Gojo or Kusakabe had ever been. She regularly assigned homework, essays, and held tests for them—something none of the Tokyo students were quite used to.

She finally called class to an end and the students stood up, gathering in groups to talk as they left the classroom. Toge yawned again as he followed Maki and Panda. Yuuta had been called out that morning for a mission. They left the classroom, talking about going down to the training field for some sparring and Toge nodded his agreement when he noticed Gojo leaning against the wall just outside the classroom.

“Inumaki?” He said. “Take a walk with me.”

Maki glanced back and raised an eyebrow at Toge. He shrugged and turned toward Gojo who pushed off the wall and started walking in the opposite direction, away from all the students. Toge followed after him.

Gojo led him to one of the staff lounges and closed the door behind them. Toge wasn’t sure how to take that. Gojo sat down and motioned for Toge to sit as well.

“How are you doing?” He asked.

Toge shrugged. “Tsuna,” he said. He was fine, given his self-inflicted circumstances.

Gojo nodded. He was silent for a few moments, his eyes on Toge through the black blindfold. At least Toge felt like they were. “You had options, you know,” he finally said.

Toge had become a phenomenal actor in the last few months. He kept his reaction carefully in check and played dumb. “Takana?” He asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

Gojo was uncharacteristically serious. “I got a call from your clan last week,” he revealed.

Toge didn’t react.

“They said they’ve been trying to reach you for quite some time and you refuse to take their calls, won’t respond to their letters.” Gojo waited. Toge remained silent. “I’m not going to tell you that you should respond to them, because you shouldn’t. I know what they’ve done to you in the past—what I’m sure they’re trying to do to you now. But you should have come to me before you did this, Toge.”

“Okaka tsuna.”

“You know I’m not buying the accidental pregnancy angle.”

Toge subtly bit the inside of his cheek.

“Why Noritoshi?” Again he waited for Toge to say something. “There must have been a lot of thought that went into which Alpha you would use,” he prompted when Toge remained silent.

Toge flinched at the word choice. It hit a little too close to home. He sighed and raised his hands to sign. “I need the strength of a major clan. Maki isn’t an option which left Kamo.”

Gojo nodded. “You bet on the fact that they wouldn’t want another bastard.”

Toge scratched his cheek and shifted in his seat, but finally nodded. Gojo saw through his plan a little too easily.

“Why didn’t you come to me if you were scared? I could have helped.”

“You’re an omega too.”

Gojo cocked his head to the side. “I meant I could have helped as head of the Gojo Clan, as a Special Grade, as your teacher, as the strongest sorcerer. You didn’t have to resort to this. I have pull with the clans and occasionally with the Higher Ups.”

Toge stared down at his lap, at his hands clasped tightly together, just past the curve of his belly. When he sat, his pregnancy became even more obvious.

“Well, what’s done is done.” Gojo sighed. “I got a call from the Higher Ups this morning. The Kamo Clan has requested to pull you from missions for the remainder of the pregnancy for the safety of the pup. It seems this pregnancy is no longer quite so inconvenient for them now that they know you’re expecting a boy,” he said bitterly.

Toge nodded. He knew it was coming. Kamo had mentioned it the night before after calling his clan.

“I’ll speak with Katashi and warn him that you’re feeling threatened by your clan. That should guarantee you the protection you’ve been gunning for,” Gojo said, casually mentioning Kamo’s terrifying father. “I’m sure they’ve already received requests from your clan, but they won’t get anywhere.”

“Shake,” Toge mumbled in thanks.

“You should tell Noritoshi.” Toge’s head shot up to look at Gojo. “He deserves to know the truth before he—” Gojo cut himself off. “Well, he just deserves to know the truth.”

Toge bit his lip. He knew Gojo was right, but it terrified him. Toge worried what admitting his sins to Kamo would do to them. They were friends and he was afraid to lose that. It made this whole situation easier…even as his feelings grew more confusing.

Finally, he nodded. “Shake.” He wasn’t sure when he would confess to Kamo, but he agreed that he needed to. “Takana?”

“Yeah, you can go,” Gojo said quietly.

Toge stood and left the staff room. Half way down the hall, he paused, wondering where he should go. Maki and Panda and likely others were down at the training field. He wondered where Kamo was. Maybe he would check the training field.

He continued down the hall and left the school building, pivoting toward the training field. As he approached, he inhaled, trying to parse through the smells of campus and the scents of his classmates on the wind. He caught a whiff of bergamont and leather and grinned, his heart beating quicker in anticipation. He hadn’t seen his alpha Kamo since that morning and was eager to see him again. He felt a thud, just like the day before and his hands immediately fell to his belly, his grin widening. He caressed his stomach and felt another kick from the pup growing healthily within.

He crested the hill and looked down over the training field as he started descending the stairs. He caught sight of Kamo sparring with Miwa and quickened his descent as much as he dared with no handrail accompanying the stairs.

He reached the base and Kamo quickly waved Miwa off, his head turning toward Toge, almost instinctively drawn to him. Kamo abandoned his sparring match and approached Toge.

“Hey,” he said softly, a small smile on his lips. “Maki and Panda said that Gojo found you after class. Everything okay?”

“Shake.” Toge was only lying a little bit. “Tsunamayo.”

Kamo nodded. “Yes, my father called me today. I’m to call him immediately if you get assigned any missions.” Kamo shook his head, though his annoyance seemed minimal. He was probably happy to see Toge off missions. It had bothered him the last few times that Toge was assigned a mission. He would get overly nervous beforehand and be extremely clingy as soon as Toge returned to campus. “How are you? How’s the pup?”

“Tsuna tsuna!” Toge said. Now that he knew what it felt like when the pup moved, it was easier to pick out the subtle movements and the more obvious kicks.

Kamo smiled broadly. “That’s good. He must be a strong one.”

Toge nodded in agreement.

“Why don’t you sit down and relax?” Kamo offered as he backed up a step, ready to get back to sparring.

Toge huffed. Just because he was no longer going to get assigned missions didn’t mean he was about to get lazy. “Okaka,” he grumbled.

Kamo sighed. “Fine, but you don’t need to spar,” he said. He paused, his brows turning up. “Okay?”

“Shake,” Toge agreed.

Instead of sparring or anything more active, he walked around the track while everyone else sparred. Eventually, he wouldn’t be pregnant and he would be assigned missions again. He didn’t want to be wildly out of shape and unprepared when that time came.

Even if he was already getting breathless after just a few laps walking around the track…

But he persisted, determined to walk the entire time everyone else was sparring and training. Every now and then, he caught Kamo looking over and checking on him. He’d been noticing that more and more.

It was nearing dinner time when everyone started calling it quits and dispersing. Kamo appeared beside Toge as he started ascending the stairs, one steady palm resting at the small of Toge’s back, his other hand gently cupping Toge’s elbow, ensuring he was steady as he climbed the stairs.

Toge glanced over with a smirk. “Tsunamayo,” he teased.

“Just making sure my boys are safe,” he responded casually and Toge nearly tripped as his heart worked overtime. “See? It’s a good thing I’m here.” He helped Toge stay on his feet and his eyes quickly appraised the omega. “Okay?”

“Shake.” Toge nodded, keeping any teasing to himself.

Back at the dorms, they found Yuuta cooking a dish he’d learned to cook in Africa. Everyone gathered around, eager to taste the delicious smelling food when it was ready. Kamo grabbed his book and sat in the corner to read. Toge approached the kitchen and leaned against the door frame.

“Takana?”

“I would love some help!” Yuuta said. “Could you chop some of these veggies?”

Toge nodded and set to work. “Takana?”

“I finished my mission early and thought it would be nice if we all ate together so I stopped to grab ingredients on the way back.”

It was ambitious to cook for the entire group, but Yuuta didn’t seem deterred. They chatted about classes as they cooked. Maki eventually joined them, offering her assistance as well. It felt like old times—back in their first year when Toge and Maki taught Yuuta how to cook because he’d been such a disaster. Panda was never allowed to cook lest he shed fur into the food while doing so. He didn’t seem to mind though, happy to sit back and enjoy the fruits of everyone else’s labor.

“How are you doing, Toge?” Yuuta suddenly asked. “You seem happy lately.”

Toge paused, realizing just how true that statement felt. He had been happy lately. There would likely always be that lingering guilt over what he’d done, but overall he was happy. His marriage to Kamo felt easy, even if they were just friends. Toge nodded. “Shake, tsunamayo.”

“That’s good.” Maki nodded as she stirred something in a pot for Yuuta. “Seems like Kamo really cares about you.”

Toge nodded hesitantly. It did seem that way, but he knew it was just Kamo’s instincts driving him to care for the omega carrying his pup. Maybe someday it could grow to more—and Toge had even begun to hope for that—but he would remain content even if things stayed how they were now. He paused his chopping to caress his stomach affectionately. He wiped his hand across his brow and glanced out of the kitchen, finding Kamo’s eyes on him, a soft, content look on his face as he watched Toge. When he realized he’d been caught, he quickly looked back down at his book.

Toge’s brows furrowed as he turned back to the vegetables in front of him and resumed his chopping. What had that been about?

Later that evening, after his shower, Toge sat on Kamo’s bed, spreading a body butter over his growing stomach. His oversized t-shirt was rolled up to rest just over his belly as he spread the lotion liberally over his stretched skin. When he finished, he capped the tub and set it aside, rolling his t-shirt back down over his stomach. He caught Kamo staring at him from across the room again. He sat at his desk, a book open in front of him that he was clearly no longer reading from. Once again, his eyes darted away the second he was caught.

“Takana?”

“N-nothing,” Kamo said quickly. Toge watched him pointedly inhale and exhale a few times. “How are you feeling?”

“Tsuna,” Toge answered.

Overall, he’d been feeling good. The second trimester was much easier, he had his energy back, he could feel the pup moving which reassured him that everything was going well. He was pregnant with a son which was the most reassuring part of this entire plan. He caressed his stomach and the pup kicked in answer. Toge smiled down at his belly.

“Good. I’m glad you’re feeling well.” There was a note of fondness in Kamo’s voice that struck Toge. It had to be for their pup—he was glad that the pup seemed to be doing well.

Kamo turned back to the desk and the book he’d been reading before. Toge grabbed his Nintendo Switch off the bedside table and leaned back against his nest of pillows, adjusting them to help support his back before he relaxed to start playing games.

Toge only played for about an hour before he grew too tired to keep playing. Kamo was still diligently working on homework at his desk. Toge set the Switch aside and shifted on the bed. The movement caught Kamo’s attention and he looked up, brows furrowed in instant worry.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

Toge smiled. “Shake,” he answered. “Tsunamayo.”

Kamo nodded. “Do you mind if I keep this lamp on?”

Toge shook his head. “Okaka, tsuna tsuna.”

“Alright.” Kamo was silent for a beat. “I think I’ll be up fairly late so I’ll be careful when I come to bed.”

Toge waved him off. “Ikura tsuna,” he said. Kamo could probably jump onto the bed and it wouldn’t affect Toge. By the time he went to bed each night, he was exhausted, as if he was returning from a grueling mission. He had never realized just how hard it was to grow a pup.

Kamo chuckled. “Regardless, I’ll be careful. I’d rather not chance waking my omega up when he clearly needs the sleep.”

Toge’s heart thudded in his chest, nearly choking him with the pressure. Kamo had just said my omega. He’d referred to Toge as my omega. Did he realize? Was it on purpose?

“Goodnight, Inumaki,” he said, his voice soft, affectionate, comforting.

Toge settled on the bed, but he didn’t think there was a chance he would fall asleep now. He’d be thinking about Kamo’s tone and that my omega word choice for the next four hours, he was sure.

In reality, he fell immediately asleep and didn’t even stir when Kamo joined him in the bed. If he had, he might have heard Kamo’s whispered confession.

Toge spent the next few days trying to figure out how he would finally confess to Kamo what he’d done, how he’d plotted to end up exactly in this situation and how Kamo was just collateral damage. Gojo’s words were constantly in the back of his mind—he deserves to know the truth. Toge agreed, he knew it was the right thing to do to come clean. But every time he thought through telling Kamo, he always saw it playing out the same way—Kamo walking away extremely hurt and betrayed. Just the thought of it would spike Toge’s anxiety.

A soft knock interrupted Toge’s spiraling and a beat later Kamo entered the room. “Hi, Inumaki,” he greeted with a smile as he walked to Toge’s desk with his books and sat down.

Toge watched Kamo’s nostrils flair and realized he must be able to smell the anxiety on Toge’s scent. Kamo turned in the seat to face Toge.

“Is everything alright?” He asked carefully.

Just the question had Toge’s heart pounding again. He still hadn’t figured out how to confess to Kamo, but it felt like the universe was telling him that it was now or never.

Kamo shot out of his seat when Toge’s scent soured with his anxiety. “Hey,” he said softly as he crossed the room to join Toge on the bed. “Inumaki, are you feeling alright? Is the pup okay?” His hand found its way to rest protectively on Toge’s rounded belly.

Toge took a deep breath, fighting the tears gathering in his eyes as he reached for his phone and started typing into a seldom-used text to speech app. Kamo’s brow furrowed with worry as he watched.

“I have to tell you something. You’re going to be very mad. You may never forgive me.” The robotic voice of Toge’s text-to-speech app spoke for him, making the whole thing feel even more clinical and cruel.

Kamo nodded hesitantly. “Can I be the judge of that?”

Toge sighed and nodded, but he already knew. He took a deep breath as he typed his terrible confession. His thumb hovered over the button, but he couldn’t make his phone speak the words out loud so finally he handed the phone over to Kamo.

I knew what I was doing when I left my room during my heat to get water. I knew you would be in the common room. I knew you would help me back to my room. I knew I could get you to lose control and spend my heat with me. And then I spit out the morning after pill. I bet on your Clan forcing us to get married if I was pregnant with a possible heir. I knew if I was pregnant and married into a strong clan like yours, I would be safe from my clan, I could have protection. I was so desperate to protect myself, I didn’t think about anything else, I didn’t think about you, just what I needed.

Kamo blinked at the phone, as if he wasn’t believing the words he was reading. He glanced over at Toge who refused to meet his eyes and looked back at the phone.

“You—” he abruptly cut himself off, clamping his lips shut. He shook his head, set the phone beside him on the bed, and stood up. He collected his books off the desk and walked out of Toge’s room, closing the door gently behind himself.

Toge blinked stupidly at his closed door. He’d expected Kamo to yell at him, maybe call him names. He hadn’t expected Kamo to calmly and quietly leave the room. He didn’t know what to do with that.

He waited to see if Kamo would come back that evening and by one in the morning, it became clear that he wasn’t going to so Toge finally crawled into his bed. He spent the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep without the alpha beside him.

When morning finally rolled around, Toge stumbled from the bed, groggily walking to the baths with a clean uniform. He washed up and dressed in his uniform before heading to the kitchen for breakfast. He saw the usual people in the common room—enjoying a coffee, eating breakfast, preparing for a mission. He didn’t see Kamo anywhere, though.

He didn’t see Kamo before class. He didn’t see him down at the training field. He didn’t see Kamo after classes. He didn’t see Kamo at dinner. Kamo never came to his room after dinner.

Toge was getting ready for bed when there was a knock at his door. He whipped around, looking expectantly at the door. It was unlocked—Kamo usually came in right after knocking, but the door remained closed. Toge walked over and opened the door.

Kamo stood just outside, waiting for Toge to open the door. “Our train leaves at ten tomorrow morning,” he informed Toge and immediately turned away.

“Takana?” Toge asked hopefully even as Kamo walked away.

“No. I’ll be sleeping in my own room,” Kamo said softly. “I’ll meet you at the gate before our train.”

He walked back to his room without looking back at Toge.

Toge smoothed his hands over his stomach as he watched Kamo walk away before he turned around and retreated into his room. He curled up in bed, pressing his face into the pillow where there was still a lingering hint of Kamo’s comforting leather and bergamot scent.

The train ride to the Kamo estate had been silent and tense so far. Toge leaned against the window, watching scenery whip past. Kamo sat beside him on the aisle, staring straight ahead. They hadn’t spoken other than a quick good morning before leaving for the train station.

Toge felt a kick from the pup and his hand immediately went to his stomach, checking if he could feel the movement from outside. He couldn’t.

He looked over at Kamo, trying to think of something to say. Maybe something to break the tension. Before he could come up with anything, Kamo spoke.

“I don’t want to talk, Inumaki,” he said. “I just want to get through this trip and get back to campus.”

Toge bit his lip and nodded. He turned back toward the window.

“They just want to check on the pup and confirm he’s a boy like Ieiri said.”

“Shake,” Toge said quietly.

So, he kept quiet for the rest of the train ride. Once at the estate, he was as obedient as he could be while the clan doctor checked him out and performed an ultrasound. Kamo’s father was very pleased when the doctor confirmed that the pup was male.

They walked to Kamo’s room in silence. They spent the evening in silence—Kamo reading a book, Toge playing video games. They went to bed in silence and laid awkwardly beside each other. Toge stared at the ceiling until he eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke up feeling warm, safe, and secure. It took him a few minutes to come to his senses and realize that he felt this way because during the night Kamo had rolled toward him and was spooning him, one hand splayed protectively over his round belly—exactly the way he’d woken up every morning after they started sharing a bed, exactly the way he’d missed for the last 2 mornings. He relaxed into the bed, planning to enjoy this as long as he could before Kamo woke up and put distance between them again.

Some time later, they both woke up and began preparing for the trip back to campus. Kamo’s father was waiting by the door when they were ready to leave. He handed Kamo a bottle of pills and Kamo’s brow furrowed as he looked at the bottle.

“What is this?”

“A supplement for the omega to take for the remainder of the pregnancy,” Kamo’s father informed him.

“He’s already taking prenatal vitamins and an iron supplement every day.”

“This is different. This is for the clan.”

Kamo’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the bottle. He opened his mouth, looking like he planned to argue or question further, so Toge rested his hand on Kamo’s arm.

“Shake, tsunamayo,” Toge said to Kamo, perfectly performing his role as the obedient omega.

Kamo’s eyes flicked over to him briefly. “If you’re sure,” he mumbled. “Fine, he will take the supplements,” Kamo informed his father.

“Good.” Kamo’s father nodded. “That’s a good omega, Noritoshi. Obedient. You could have knotted worse.”

He walked away as Kamo pinched the bridge of his nose. Toge waited, unsure what to do. Finally, Kamo sighed and straightened up.

“Let’s go.” He walked away without another glance at Toge.

Once back on campus, Kamo immediately turned toward the medical building and not the dorms. Toge hurried to catch up.

“Takana?” He asked.

“I just want to know what’s in these.”

If the clan wanted Toge to take the pills, he was going to take them. Kamo’s father had clearly been happy to see Toge be so obedient.

“I’m sure, given what you shared—” there’s a hard edge to the words, indicating the pain of betrayal is still fresh for Kamo “—that you’re planning to do anything my clan asks of you so that you’ll be more valuable to them. Knowing that you’re carrying a boy, my clan won’t do anything to endanger the pup, but I would still like Ieiri to take a look at these before you blindly follow orders.”

“Shake,” Toge agreed quietly. Whatever would make his alpha feel better. Regardless, he planned to follow Kamo’s father’s orders.

Ieiri looked up as Kamo and Toge entered her office. “What can I do for you two?” She asked, stubbing out her cigarette in the nearby ashtray.

Kamo pulled the bottle of pills from his pocket and held them out for her. “Is there a way for you to tell me what’s in these?”

Ieiri popped the cap and shook a pill out. She immediately snorted. “Oh yeah, I’m familiar with these.” She shook her head with a roll of her eyes. “The clans like to use them when they have an omega that’s from another clan or has an undesirable Cursed Technique. They believe this can suppress the chances of the pup inheriting that technique. I’m not sure exactly what’s in them—a bunch of herbs and shit—but they’re safe for Toge to take. They won’t harm him or the pup.”

Kamo nodded, his brow furrowed. “Does it work?”

“No, it’s pure bullshit, but it reassures the clans.”

“Thank you.” Kamo pocketed the pills and they left Ieiri’s office.

At the dorm, Kamo stopped outside Toge’s room and handed him the bottle from his clan. He stood, staring at the bottle in Toge’s hands for a few breaths before he stepped back. “I’ll be in my room.” He turned and walked quickly down the hall.

Toge watched him go before he disappeared into his room. He shook a pill out of the bottle and swallowed it with a sip of water before setting the bottle beside his prenatal vitamins and iron supplement.

He sighed, grabbed his laptop off of his desk, and brought it over to his bed to do his homework. He knew Kamo wouldn’t be coming back to do homework together, but he still left his desk open just in case.

He could feel a lot of kicks and punches from the pup and rubbed his belly with a smile. The movements weren’t quite strong enough yet that Kamo would be able to feel them, but Toge was looking forward to that day.

Eventually, exhaustion crept into Toge’s bones. He hadn’t slept well for the two nights before heading to the Kamo estate and one night wasn’t enough to make up for the sleepless nights. Toge set his laptop aside and stripped down to a t-shirt and his boxer briefs. He climbed into his bed and piled pillows up around him and under his belly in an attempt to get comfortable.

It had been three weeks since Toge confessed to Kamo.

The Alpha didn’t avoid Toge in the common spaces around campus—he was always close by in the common room or down at the training field. But he avoided Toge in private and the casual touches that had started to become familiar didn’t happen anymore. They didn’t do their homework together, they didn’t share a bed at night, they didn’t talk except once a day when Kamo found an opportunity to ask Toge if he and the pup were alright. That was the extent of their conversations.

Toge allowed Kamo to take the lead, giving him the space he clearly wanted even if it went against every instinct he had. He wasn’t sleeping well and felt constantly exhausted.

The hour was late, but Toge was up playing games on his Nintendo Switch—once again unable to sleep without Kamo by his side like he’d grown so accustomed to. The pup was clearly awake as well, kicking and punching away in his stomach. He rested his hand on his belly as he waited for his game to load and felt the pup kick right where his hand was, but more importantly, he felt the kick against the palm of his hand. He sat up straighter, holding his hand pressed against his stomach and waited for another kick. It took almost a minute, but he felt it again and smiled broadly.

He tossed his Switch aside and pushed off his bed, quickly exiting his room and walking down the hall to Kamo’s room. He knocked and waited. A few moments later, Kamo pulled the door open and tensed.

“Inumaki,” he said in surprise. “Is everything alright?”

“Shake!” Toge nodded eagerly and reached for Kamo’s hand.

The pup was still kicking at fairly regular intervals. Kamo twitched, but didn’t pull his hand from Toge’s grip. Toge brought Kamo’s hand to his stomach and pressed it against the spot where the pup had been kicking.

When nothing happened, Kamo tried to pull his hand away. “What—”

The pup kicked. Kamo froze.

The pup kicked again.

“Is that…?”

“Shake!”

Kamo removed his hand and tugged Toge into the room with him, closing the door behind him. He led Toge over to his bed and sat down, pulling Toge onto the bed with him. “Is that the first time?”

Toge nodded and typed on his phone. “That’s the first time I’ve been able to feel him moving from outside.”

Kamo nodded and looked down at his hands folded in his lap. Toge heard him inhale deeply and exhale. “We should talk,” he said quietly.

Toge bit his lip as he ducked his head. “Shake.”

“I guess to start, I would like to know why you were so afraid of your clan, what drove you to do this to…to both of us.”

Toge squeezed his eyes shut. He took a deep, calming breath and opened his eyes. He shifted so his back was mostly facing Kamo and pulled his shirt up enough to reveal the crises-crossing, layered scars that covered his back. He knew Kamo had seen them before—he’d caught him staring a few times over the last few months and once it seemed like Kamo was going to ask before he changed his mind.

The scars were just the physical reminder of how cruel his clan could be. It was the psychological manipulation that hit him harder.

“They did this?”

Toge nodded. He pulled his shirt back on.

Kamo was silent for a few breaths, his hands clenched into fists. “It looks like you were whipped,” he said quietly. “Repeatedly.”

Toge flinched. If only Kamo knew that Toge’s father’s favorite time to administer fresh punishment was about two weeks after the last flogging—just enough time that his back would start to heal before the skin was tore open again.

“I won't make you tell me,” Kamo said quickly. “I trust that you must have felt truly terrified, desperate, and cornered to do what you did,” Kamo said, his voice even and incredibly calm. “That doesn’t make it okay, though. You still took advantage of me—used me. And I feel so incredibly betrayed by someone I care deeply for.”

Toge hung his head, once again feeling the guilt and shame flood his system. He didn’t try to hide it from leaking into his scent. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, doing his best to keep any Cursed Speech out of the words. He typed the rest of what he wanted to say into his text-to-speech app. “What I did to you was and is cruel and selfish. I was thinking only of myself and not the fact that I was trapping you with me or taking advantage of you. I can never take back what I did, but I hope someday you might be able to forgive me.”

Kamo nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

They were both quiet for a few minutes. Kamo was the first to speak.

“Regardless of how or why it happened, you’re still pregnant with our pup and I’m admittedly happy and excited to become a father.”

Toge caressed his stomach as he looked over at Kamo. “Takana?”

“Yes, really.” Kamo looked at Toge and the smallest, barely there smile tugged at his lips. “My father had been talking about arranging a marriage with a suitable omega for me after I finished my schooling. Now I get to avoid that and I’m still performing my duties for the clan. I wasn't going to have a choice in the matter anyway, but at least now I’m married to someone I know, someone familiar.”

Toge offered a timid smile. Kamo’s barely there grin grew to a recognizable smile. He angled his body toward Toge and rested a palm on Toge’s belly.

“Is he still moving?” He asked.

Toge nodded eagerly and adjusted where Kamo's hand was, pressing Kamo’s palm against the spot whew the pup was currently kicking.

“That’s amazing,” Kamo whispered.

Toge typed one-handed on his phone. “You should talk to him. He can hear you and your voice will become familiar.”

“Really? How do you know?”

“I’ve been doing a lot of reading about the development each week.”

“Can you tell me about some of it?”

“Shake, shake!”

Toge wasn’t entirely sure where he and Kamo stood now, but this felt like an olive branch—a common ground they could meet on. He knew he had betrayed Kamo’s trust, the guilt had been eating away at him for months. But here, they had an opportunity to reconnect, to build on something. So Toge gladly shared everything he’d learned throughout the pregnancy and each growth milestone that their pup was hitting that week.

“I had no idea you’ve been reading about all of this,” Kamo said.

At some point while Toge had been sharing with Kamo, they shifted on the bed, laying back against the pillows. Eventually, they had turned toward each other and one of Kamo’s hands still rested on the curve of Toge’s belly.

“Thank you for sharing with me.” Kamo looked down at Toge’s belly and rubbed it, a small smile starting to stretch his lips again.

Toge nodded, his eyes growing heavy.

“You know, we should start thinking about names,” Kamo said quietly, his eyes lifting to meet Toge’s again.

Toge blinked hard, trying to force his eyes to stay open. Kamo chuckled.

“You should go to sleep.”

“Okaka,” Toge mumbled as he fought a losing battle against his eyelids.

“It’s okay, Inumaki. We can talk more tomorrow.”

Toge sighed. “Shake.” He pushed himself up into a sitting position and started scooting off the bed, but Kamo’s hand landed on his thigh, pausing him.

“Where are you going?”

Toge paused and looked back at Kamo. “Takana? Tsunamayo.”

“Oh, alright. If that’s what you want.”

Toge’s brow furrowed. Did Kamo want him to stay? They hadn’t shared a bed in weeks, ever since Toge confessed. Kamo had wanted distance.

“Ikura takana?” Toge asked hesitantly.

“I do want you to stay,” Kamo admitted. “I…have missed sleeping beside you.” He looked down and picked at an imaginary spot on the comforter. “I know that I wanted space and you respected that, I appreciate it. But it’s been hard to settle without you nearby. My instincts have gone crazy every night.”

Toge settled back into the bed beside Kamo with a hoarse laugh. “Shake, tsuna.”

“So, this will be good for both of us.” Kamo smiled and nodded. “Or maybe all three of us.” He touched Toge’s belly again.

Toge nodded emphatically in response. Over the last three weeks he had found it hard to sleep without Kamo nearby and apparently their pup had as well—he seemed to do somersaults for half the night.

Toge adjusted himself on the bed, rolling onto his side. Immediately Kamo handed him two extra pillows—one to help support his belly and one between his legs. Once he laid down, Kamo curled around him, his nose pressed close to Toge’s scent gland and his hand splayed over Toge’s belly.

Toge slept better than he had in weeks and judging by how rested Kamo looked, he had as well.

Toge happily fell back into the familiar routine they had established before—sharing a bed, eating every meal together, doing homework in each other’s presence. It became very obvious to Toge just how happy Kamo made him. In fact, he would go as far as to say he loved Kamo, he was in love with Kamo. Even if Kamo didn’t feel the same way or they never moved beyond being friends in a weird co-parenting arranged marriage situation, Toge thought could be happy if this was his life.

Toge found himself scrolling through endless websites looking at potential names for their son and Kamo seemed to be doing the same. Whenever they were together, one would randomly look over at the other and ask some variation of what do you think about this name? They started keeping a running list of their favorites. At one point Toge had asked about using an ancestral name from the Kamo Clan and Kamo had vehemently declined that idea.

The pup continued to kick constantly, except at night when Kamo was wrapped around Toge and he could sleep cocooned in his alpha’s calming leather and bergamot scent. Their appointments with Ieiri switched from every four weeks to every two as the pregnancy progressed. Toge’s belly was very apparent now. He wasn’t a tall person so it seemed that the only place for the pup to grow now was out and he was round. It was hard to imagine that he still had ten weeks until the due date.

He hadn’t heard a peep out of his own clan in a few weeks and wondered if the Kamo Clan had threatened them. Regardless, he was relieved and tentatively hopeful that he was free of them forever.

Toge trailed behind Yuuta, Maki, and Panda as they left class but stopped when he saw Gojo waiting outside of the classroom again.

“We’ll see you down at the training field,” Maki called over her shoulder at Toge.

Yuuta paused to look back at him. “I’ll let Kamo know where you are.”

Toge nodded and waved before he turned to Gojo. “Takana?” He asked.

Gojo smirked. “Walk with me.”

Toge huffed and followed Gojo to the same staff room as last time. Once inside he sat down and waited for Gojo to say something.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

Toge shrugged. “Tsuna.” Pregnant. There wasn’t much more he could say. He felt pregnant. It was only a matter of time before he started waddling.

Gojo laughed. “I’m sure,” he said. “Katashi has been satisfied with you. Apparently you’re a very obedient omega.”

Toge ducked his head. It felt weird to speak with Gojo about this situation.

“I wanted to let you know that you don’t have to worry about your clan anymore.”

Toge looked back up at that. He raised his eyebrows in question and surprise. He had certainly hoped the silence meant he was free, but never thought it would actually happen. “Takana?”

“Your father was getting pushy so I let Katashi know what your clan did to you before I brought you here. Given your current situation and ties to the Kamo Clan and the potentially important pup you’re carrying, he was very concerned. He threatened your clan and brought the higher ups into it. They’ve been cut off from all of Jujutsu society completely and permanently. They forced your father into a Binding Vow and everything.”

Toge blinked. He never thought he’d see the day. He felt like a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“How’s Noritoshi?” Gojo asked, quickly switching subjects.

“Tsuan, tsuna,” Toge said with a shrug.

Gojo nodded. “I noticed that you two were a bit distant, but seem to have reconciled recently. Safe to say you told him what you did?”

Toge nodded, feeling a bite of shame still—even if Kamo had forgiven him and they were moving forward.

“Good.” Gojo nodded. “Let me know if you need anything. I’m sure the Kamos will want you back at the estate at some point towards the end of the pregnancy. They’ll want you to give birth there. Don’t worry about school, it’s not like any of this matters and you’re a Grade 1 anyway.”

Toge snorted. He always suspected Gojo’s teaching philosophy was focused more on Jujutsu sense, reaction timing, and hand-to-hand combat and that traditional school subjects were pointless, but he never expected to have that theory confirmed so blatantly.

“Takana?”

“Yeah, you’re free to go,” Gojo answered.

Toge pushed himself slowly to his feet and left the staff room. He went down to the training field and sat off to the side watching everyone else train and spar. He tried to still walk around the track every day, but he wasn’t feeling it at the moment. So he sat and waited for Kamo to finish up for the day so they could walk back to the dorm together.

The lingering touches and glances that Toge had started to notice before his confession were starting to come back. He would randomly look up and find Kamo’s eyes on him from across the room. Sometimes his eyes would quickly dart away when he realized he was caught, but sometimes a soft smile would grace his lips as he looked at Toge. As if he wasn’t afraid of getting caught admiring the omega.

Toge had just finished up his evening ritual of taking his prenatal vitamins and supplements and rubbing his body butter over his stomach. He wasn’t seeing any stretch marks yet, but he was sure they were coming. He set his various bottles and jars aside and started rolling his shirt back down over his large belly. When he looked up, he found Kamo watching him. Kamo smiled as he met Toge’s eyes. He pushed away from his desk and joined Toge on his bed.

“How’s our pup tonight?” He asked, resting a palm on Toge’s stomach. The pup kicked Kamo’s palm in response and Toge laughed.

“Tsuna, tsuna.”

“He is lively,” Kamo agreed. His hand left Toge’s stomach to brush Toge’s bangs to the side, out of his eyes. “Are you going to bed?”

Toge nodded and yawned before he could stop himself.

Kamo smiled fondly at him. “Good,” he said. “Sleep is important for both of you.” And then he surprised Toge by leaning in and kissing his forehead. Next he bent down and kissed Toge’s stomach. “I’ll be careful not to wake you when I come to bed,” he said softly and left Toge sitting stunned on the bed.

“I have to talk to you about something,” Kamo whispered into the dark. His voice sounded tight, strained. He was clearly uncomfortable. If Toge could see his face, he was sure it would be bright red.

They had just turned the lights off and crawled into bed together, Toge was on the cusp of sleep, but now he was wide awake, curiosity piqued. He rolled to face Kamo, shifting in his arms as best as he could with his large belly. The pup kicked a few times in protest as he shifted.

“Takana?” Toge asked softly.

“My father called me today.” He sighed. “He’s requesting we travel back to the estate this weekend because there are some…rituals we need to perform.”

Rituals?

Toge nudged him to continue and Kamo groaned. “Look, I don’t put any stock in this, but since we know we’re having a boy, they’re pushing even harder for it. There’s this clan ritual to ensure the pup inherits the Blood Manipulation Technique.”

“Ikura takana?”

“No, she didn’t. Which is exactly why I put no stock in this idiotic practice.”

“Shake tsuna tsuna,” Toge offered, agreeing before even knowing what these rituals were.

Despite the knowledge that he was free of his clan, protected by the Kamos and even the higher ups, that feer still lingered. He was still convinced he was never quite safe enough. So the more he played along, the better an omega he was for the clan, the more likely they were to keep him around long term. He was already married to Kamo and pregnant with one pup. If this one didn’t inherit Blood Manipulation, maybe they would have Kamo mate with him again. He could live as Kamo’s broodmare if it meant he was free of his own clan forever.

“You don’t even know what the ritual is,” Kamo muttered. “You don’t have to do everything my clan says.”

Toge sighed and shrugged. “Takana?”

“They expect me to bathe you in my blood. They believe it has the power to influence what technique the pup will inherit.”

Oh. Toge had not been expecting that. “T-takana?” He asked hesitantly.

“Well, no, it would be diluted with water. Filling an entire bathtub with my blood would be, well, fatal.”

Toge nodded. Basically a bath with some of Kamo’s blood in it. He could do that. Kind of gross, but if it would make the Clan happy, he could do that. “Shake,” he said, still a bit hesitantly, but trying to fake conviction.

“Are you sure?” Kamo asked.

“Shake,” Toge insisted.

He felt Kamo relax into the bed. “Okay. This will make them very happy. I’m sorry we have to do it, though.”

They arrived at the Kamo estate late Friday evening and Saturday morning, they were woken up bright and early by a few servants of the estate. Kamo was whisked away to prepare the bath, which would happen in some ceremonial room. Toge was cleaned up and dressed in a black kimono with intricate red lines crisscrossing around it. The lines mimicked the techniques that he had witnessed Kamo use when he used Blood Manipulation.

He was led through the estate to a closed door and could see steam slipping out through the crack at the bottom of the door. The servant that led him there opened the door and bowed. Toge stepped through into a small tiled room with a large soaking bathtub in the center of the room. Kamo stood beside it, in a matching kimono. The room felt like a sauna as he stepped inside and the door was promptly shut behind him. He heard a lock click into place.

“We’ll be locked in here for an hour,” Kamo explained.

Toge nodded and stepped toward him and the large tub. As he drew closer, he saw what looked like a normal bath—just water. He raised an eyebrow. Kamo said he would have to bathe in blood.

Kamo extracted three blood bags from within the sleeve of his kimono. He tore two open and dumped them into the tub, swirling his hand through to mix the blood in. He set the third down beside a ceramic pitcher just outside the tub.

“Are you ready?” He asked as he turned to Toge.

Toge nodded. As ready as he would ever be to bathe in someone’s blood for an archaic and unhinged clan ritual.

“I’m sorry about this,” Kamo said as he started undoing Toge’s kimono. He slipped it off Toge’s shoulders and let it fall to the floor, pooling at Toge’s feet.

Kamo froze, his eyes traveled languidly down Toge’s form. It had been months since they had been naked together and in that time, Toge’s body had changed a lot from the pregnancy. His chest had swelled, growing breasts recently as he neared the end of the pregnancy. At 34 weeks pregnant, his belly was also quite large to accommodate the pup growing inside him.

Kamo visibly swallowed before he collected himself. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” he said hastily, but he didn’t avert his eyes. In fact, they took another lustful trip up and down Toge’s body. “It’s just…you’re stunning.” The last words were whispered and Toge blushed.

Kamo offered his hand and Toge took it so Kamo could help him step into the bath. The water was warm and if he didn’t think too much about the blood in it, it could be pleasant. The bath wasn’t very full, leaving most of him exposed outside of the water and he appreciated the sauna-like room so he wouldn’t be cold.

Kamo knelt beside the bath and picked up the small pitcher. He dunked it into the water and then poured it over Toge’s exposed torso. He grabbed the third blood bag and briefly met Toge’s eyes before looking away.

“Sorry,” he mumbled as he tore the bag open and started dumping it over Toge’s body. He wiped the blood around, almost like he was rubbing it into Toge’s skin as the blood dripped down his body.

Kamo kept apologizing, but Toge was too busy getting lost in his own head to realize. He couldn’t explain it, but he found himself getting aroused. Having Kamo’s hands all over him, touching him so tenderly, caressing his belly—he wanted more of it. He swallowed, his eyes shifting to the side to eye Kamo. His face was intense and focused, but every now and then his nostrils would flare and his eyes would dilate. Toge knew his scent must be giving him away, but other than seeming to notice Toge’s scent, he couldn’t see any sign of it actually affecting Kamo.

After Kamo had sufficiently rubbed his blood all over Toge, he retrieved a knife that Toge hadn’t noticed yet. His eyes widened, wondering what came next in this ritual. Would he cut Toge?

Instead he sliced across his palm without hesitation and Toge watched as blood seeped from the new cut. Noritoshi pressed his palm to Toge’s stomach and rubbed his fresh blood around. Toge watched Kamo’s hand moving across his stomach with rapt attention.

Then Kamo moved his hand up Toge’s body to cup his chin and one bloody thumb traced his lips. Toge parted them—an invitation. Belatedly, he realized he didn’t actually know what he should be doing during this ritual and almost closed his mouth, but Kamo took a deep breath and pushed his thumb past Toge’s lips, pressing down on his tongue. Toge immediately closed his lips around Kamo’s thumb and sucked, lapping every drop of blood off of the digit. Kamo watched him, his lips pressed together and pupils blown wide. His eyes flicked up to meet Toge’s and a low, possessive growl escaped his hold.

He slid his thumb back out of Toge’s mouth. Toge could smell Kamo’s growing arousal. He’d given up trying to control his own halfway into this ritual. The steamy air was now thick with their mingling scents, their combined arousal.

Kamo’s hand slid back down Toge’s body, stopping to cup one of Toge’s heavy breasts and massage it. His thumb passed over the nipple a few times, drawing it to a hardened peek. He leaned in and closed his lips around the nipple, sucking hard. Toge gasped and arched into the touch, wondering if this was still part of the ritual. Kamo’s hand slid down further, tracing the curve of Toge’s protruding belly while his tongue flicked at the hard nipple in his mouth.

His hand continued its descent until he wrapped it around Toge’s cock, already hard from how aroused he was by this ritual. Kamo moaned against Toge’s nipple as he squeezed his cock and started stroking. Toge whimpered, his hands coming up to tangle in Kamo’s hair.

Gently, Toge pulled Kamo off his breast and the alpha whined in protest. Toge released his head and got his feet underneath himself, slowly pushing up to stand as Kamo’s hand dropped from his cock. Kamo remained kneeling by the bath, but stared reverently up at Toge. When he realized Toge meant to get out of the bath, he quickly scrambled to his feet to assist.

With Toge’s feet planted firmly on the tile outside the tub now, he reached for Kamo’s hand and brought it back to his cock. Kamo’s eyes darkened and he immediately squeezed, drawing a pleasured whine from Toge. Toge stepped closer, pulled Kamo’s face down to his, and connected their lips.

Kamo’s tongue immediately bullied its way into Toge’s mouth, tracing his teeth and dancing with his tongue. They pressed closer together—as much as they could with Toge’s large belly between them. They slowly and carefully lowered themselves to the floor where Toge straddled Kamo’s hips. He wound his hips, pressing their cocks together.

Kamo’s hand trailed around Toge’s waist and dropped down to his ass. He parted Toge’s cheeks and one blood-slicked finger teased at Toge’s hole. Toge arched into the touch, his palms planted on Kamo’s chest for balance. Blood-stained water dripped from Toge onto Kamo. The blood from Kamo’s sliced palm left a trail across Toge’s body, mapping every path Kamo explored.

Another finger slipped past Toge’s pucker with the next thrust of Kamo’s hand. Toge whined before leaning forward and nipping at Kamo’s lower lip. Kamo leaned up, claiming Toge’s lips with a hungry growl. Toge worked his hips, adding to the thrust of Kamo’s fingers, whimpering into Kamo’s mouth. More, he needed more.

“Please,” he whispered desperately and his alpha knew what he needed.

Kamo’s fingers withdrew and Toge shifted, angling his hips as Kamo lined his cock up with Toge’s hole. Toge pressed down, feeling the stretch of Kamo’s cock as he slowly lowered himself. Kamo’s hands held his hips steady, helping him ease onto Kamo’s cock until their hips were flush.

Toge paused there, relishing in the way Kamo’s cock filled him up, stretched him. Outside of his heat when their son was conceived, it was only the second time they had fucked and Toge found himself hoping for more opportunities to have Kamo’s cock nestled deep inside him.

Finally, he started winding his hips and Kamo groaned loudly, his hands tightening their hold on Toge’s hips, but not doing anything to slow or stop him. Toge kept his hands planted on Kamo’s chest for balance as he thrust his hips. He panted over the alpha, breathless as he rode Kamo’s cock. His new tits bounced with the movement and Kamo looked like he was in a trance watching them. His hands moved from Toge’s hips, up to cup the swell of Toge’s round belly and the pup growing healthy and strong within.

“So good,” Kamo breathed and Toge didn’t have the mental capacity at the moment to wonder what he meant. But he got his answer a breath later. “Growing our pup so well,” Kamo said, his voice broke on the words—too overwhelmed by pleasure and emotion. “Good omega, perfect omega. You look so pretty like this, should keep you knocked up.”

Toge shivered at the words. He wouldn't mind if that happened. It would mean Kamo knotted him during his heat again. He would give Kamo as many sons as he could. He didn’t even care if he spent the next few years constantly pregnant if that’s what his alpha wanted—if that’s what the Kamo Clan demanded. He would be a good omega for the clan and the future head of the clan. Kamo sat up, capturing Toge’s lips in a fierce kiss. Toge’s belly pressed between them and the pup kicked against Kamo. He smiled into the kiss, hands still cupping the belly.

“So fucking perfect,” he said against Toge’s lips.

Toge could feel heat pooling in his core, his cock throbbing, balls tightening, his orgasm just a few thrusts away. Kamo licked and sucked hungrily at the scent gland on Toge’s neck, tracing his tongue over the healed bite he’d put there. Toge whimpered as he came, ropes of sterile come painting the underside of his belly and Kamo’s stomach.

He kept winding his hips, thrusting as he rode his alpha’s cock but Kamo had other plans. He pulled Toge off his cock and the omega whimpered weakly in protest. Kamo flipped them around, positioning Toge on his hands and knees and thrusting back into the omega. Toge whimpered as Kamo fucked him, mercilessly chasing his own release now. Toge kept one hand on the ground and supported his stomach with the other hand. Kamo’s hands kept a bruising hold on his hips as he drilled into him. One last powerful thrust hit Toge as Kamo buried himself in the omega and came, a single broken but reverent Toge falling from his lips.

Kamo pulled out and sat down, his back against the wall. He pulled Toge with him, settling the omega on his lap. Toge curled into him as much as he could manage with his large belly between them. He pressed his nose to Kamo’s scent gland as he rested his head on his shoulder. Kamo held him close, one hand finding Toge’s belly, always a hand on his belly. He pressed a kiss to Toge’s temple.

“My omega,” he murmured against Toge’s temple. Toge hummed against his neck as the words settled over him like a warm blanket.

Toge wasn’t sure how long they sat there on the floor of the steam-filled ritual bath room. He only remembered they were locked in the room when he heard the lock disengage and a soft knock on the door.

Kamo sighed. “We should head back to our room and get cleaned up,” he said softly.

Toge nodded, but made no effort to move. Kamo chuckled and shifted Toge off of him so that he could stand. Toge marveled at how strong Kamo must be to move him with ease as if he wasn’t 34 weeks pregnant and nearly 15 kilograms heavier than he’d been before pregnancy.

Kamo helped Toge to his feet and wrapped the kimono around him again before grabbing his own kimono. Kamo slipped his hand into Toge’s and led them both out of the ritual room and toward their room.

Toge went straight to the attached bathroom with Kamo right behind him. Kamo started the shower while Toge leaned against the sink and waited for the water to heat up. Once steam started rising from the shower, they both shed their kimonos and stepped in—an unspoken agreement that they weren’t ready to separate yet.

The water ran red then pink then finally clear down the drain as Kamo’s blood was washed from their bodies. Kamo grabbed a cloth and helped clean his omega, carefully running the cloth over Toge. Toge faced into the spray, letting the hot water cascade over him as Kamo washed his back.

“Toge,” Kamo said, hushed, almost drowned out by the water of the shower. Toge turned to face him. Just today, just since the ritual, Kamo had started calling him by his given name and he loved how it sounded in Kamo’s smooth voice. “I’ve fallen in love with you,” Kamo whispered.

Toge’s heart soared. He nodded enthusiastically as he slipped his arms around Noritoshi’s neck, standing up on his toes to reach his alpha’s mouth and kiss him passionately, hoping to convey that he felt the same way. He wouldn’t say those words—he couldn’t. Those words from his mouth weren’t a declaration, they were a curse. But he could try to show Noritoshi.

“Why me?” Noritoshi asked when they broke apart to catch their breath. “Did you love me before?”

“Okaka,” Toge admitted quietly.

“You chose me for my clan and for how I grew up, for the circumstances surrounding my childhood.” It wasn’t a question, it was a confirmation.

Toge nodded solemnly. It hadn’t been about Noritoshi, it had been about his clan and what a pup sired by Noritoshi could get for Toge. He cupped Noritoshi’s cheeks, staring intently at him, hoping to convey how much Noritoshi meant to him now.

“Tsunamayo, ikura.”

Noritoshi nodded. “However this started, whatever your reasons for choosing me, we’re here now and for that, I’m happy. We’ll meet our pup soon and I think I might feel complete for the first time in my life.”

Toge’s thumbs swiped at the tears falling from Noritoshi’s eyes. He leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to Noritoshi’s lips. For the first time, he realized that maybe he and Noritoshi weren’t that different—two people raised without love in clans that demanded everything and gave nothing in return. Maybe they could change that for their pup.

FIVE YEARS LATER

Toge slowly raised himself back to his feet with a soft groan and stretched as much as his large belly would allow. He’d been sitting and weeding for longer than he planned and the pup growing in his stomach had been kicking him in the ribs the entire time. He smoothed his hand over his stomach as he glanced across the garden. Asahi was still fast asleep under the Sakura Tree. A morning spent chasing his older brother around Toge’s garden really tuckered the three and half year old out. He turned and looked in the other direction where Kazumi had been helping tend to the flowers.

Toge froze.

Kazumi sat beside a rose bush, small globules of blood floating around him. He looked fascinated and extremely focused. A beat later all of the blood fell and seeped into the ground. Kazumi huffed and instantly reached for the rose bush again. Toge waddled over as quickly as he could.

“Takana?” He asked.

Kazumi looked up. “Dad, watch!” He said excitedly.

Toge fought the urge to stop him as he reached for the rose bush and pricked his finger on one of the thorns. Blood beaded up on the finger and Kazumi’s face scrunched up in concentration. The bead of blood slowly rose from his finger, undulating as if not quite sure it wanted to stay contained in its spherical shape.

It was Blood Manipulation. Unrefined and juvenile, but still Blood Manipulation. His first son—the pup he had conceived to gain Kamo Clan protection from his own clan—had inherited the Kamo Clan Technique.

A feeling of peace settled over Toge. He hadn’t realized he’d still been holding his breath for all these years. He hadn’t heard a peep from or about his clan since he was still pregnant with Kazumi, but somehow that deep-rooted fear that had driven him to extremes, to take advantage of Noritoshi still hovered over him.

Toge smiled and ruffled Kazumi’s hair. He lost his concentration and the blood drop fell to the ground again. “Shake, shake!” Toge cheered. “Ikura tsunamayo!”

“Is he back?” Kazumi asked hopefully.

As if summoned by his son’s excitement, Toge noticed Noritoshi’s figure weaving through the garden paths toward them.

“How is it going out here?” Noritoshi asked as he drew near. Toge smiled brightly at him.

“PAPA!” Kazumi shouted, extremely loudly. Toge flinched and glanced back at Asahi who startled awake, sitting up in a panic. “Papa, watch!” The blood hadn’t coagulated and stopped bleeding from his last rose bush wound yet so he squeezed a new drop of blood out.

Toge turned away to retrieve Asahi. The poor boy was still looking around disoriented, but smiled when he saw Toge approaching. Toge lifted the toddler up, doing his best to position and carry him despite his large belly. It should only be a few more weeks before Toge and Noritoshi would get to meet their daughter.

“Look at that!” Noritoshi said proudly as Toge returned to the duo. “You’ve inherited the Clan Technique!”

His eyes lifted to meet Toge’s and he offered a soft smile—an acknowledgement of the past, of what Toge’s goal had been all those years ago. It was a distant memory now. They’d built so much of a life together over the years since Noritoshi’s father forced them to marry due to the pregnancy.

“We can start your training tomorrow,” Noritoshi offered, his attention shifting back to his eldest son.

Toge set Asahi on the ground. He yawned and stretched before looking at his older brother. “Takana?” He asked.

The sigils had appeared on his cheeks and tongue a few months ago and Toge was continually impressed by how quickly the toddler had adjusted his speech patterns. They were all fluent in Toge’s onigiri language, but their children had mostly only heard it and not spoken it themselves.

The two boys started walking back toward the main house together, chatting away—Asahi in onigiri.

“How are you, my love?” Noritoshi questioned, as a palm landed on Toge’s belly and he leaned in for a kiss. “How’s our daughter?”

“Tsuna tsuna,” Toge complained.

Noritoshi chuckled. “Seems she’ll be an active one.” He slipped his arm around Toge and let the omega lean against him as they followed their sons toward the house.

“Takana?”

“The usual stuff. Nothing of importance,” Noritoshi responded. He’d become the head of the Kamo Clan last year when his father passed away. He had to regularly meet with the higher ups and the other clan heads. Noritoshi kissed Toge’s temple as they walked. “So, it appears your plan was finally a success. Kazumi inherited Blood Manipulation.”

“Tsunamayo,” Toge said in a serious tone.

Noritoshi snorted. “It is not because of that stupid ritual.” He looked fondly down at Toge. “Need I remind you that we also did that ritual when you were pregnant with Asahi and he inherited Cursed Speech?”

“Tsuna okaka.”

“Toge. Those supplements were bullshit. Ieiri said so.”

Toge laughed and poked Noritoshi’s side. “Ikura tsuna,” he teased. It was so easy to rile Noritoshi up about the silly superstitions his clan had pushed throughout Toge’s pregnancies with their sons.

“Because it’s all bogus. I refuse to keep those ‘traditions’ up.”

Toge smiled and rubbed Noritoshi’s back. “Tsunamayo.”

“I know you were just teasing me,” he huffed, but there was a smile on his face as he looked at Toge. “I love you.”

Toge smiled and pushed up on his toes to capture Noritoshi’s lips before they continued their walk.