Intertwined Destinies (Chapter 57)
Nino sighed relieved when the last person left the great hall. Ohno was at his side in an instant, his fingers wandering to the small of his back, rubbing the place and Nino relaxed against him for a second. He closed his eyes and was glad when the slight pain finally disappeared again. It was hard for him to sit long hours now. To be honest, any position brought pain to either his back, his feet or his stomach if he stayed in them for too long.
“Are you okay, my love?” Ohno asked softly, and he nodded as he gratefully accepted the offered hand and let Ohno help him stand.
“I’ll live,” he decided with a sigh, leaning against Ohno as he put his arm around his hips to lead him outside.
“I would be rather sad if not,” Ohno said with a frown.
Nino giggled and rubbed his rounded belly, hitting Ohno’s fingers slightly as he reached for the stomach as well. “Not while we walk. Your child is restless,” Nino mumbled. “And I’m sure they are lying on some nerve, right now.”
“Do you want to soak in a bath?” Ohno asked worriedly. “I can call for someone to prepare it and put in some oils for relaxation.”
Nino hummed in thought and leant against him. “I rather would like to lie down, I believe.”
“You can do both. I think a soak in hot water will help your muscles to relax, which will help with the back pain.”
Nino agreed after a moment, and Ohno looked around for a servant to wave the girl over and tell her he wished for warm water. She nodded in understanding and then bowed before running away to prepare the bath for Nino. Nino frowned at that and sighed.
“I still can’t get used to letting other’s do things for me,” he grumbled.
“You are pregnant, my love. And they take their job with pride. We are paying them for those things, and it makes them upset if we don’t let them do their jobs. I tried. I was hated because they thought, I thought, they did their jobs inefficiently, and I could do better,” Ohno explained.
Nino giggled and nodded. It was the same Ohno always told him when he complained about such things. He could understand. It would be stupid of him to try to prepare all himself while he was this heavily pregnant. Even if the dragons protected his body and the unborn child, he shouldn’t be reckless.
“Will you bath with me?”
“I will wash your back and massage your sore muscles there. But I won’t go into the water with you. I want you to be able to stretch out the most you can.”
“Okay,” Nino mumbled, pouting slightly. “Do you imply that I’ve gotten big and there is no space for the both of us anymore?”
“No, of course not,” Ohno said as he pinched the skin at his hips slightly. “I think you are the most beautiful man I have ever laid my eyes on. And you carrying my child under your heart makes you just more radiant in my eyes.”
Nino blushed shyly and ducked his head and looked down at the floor. Ohno chuckled and brought him in their chambers. He helped Nino sitting on the decliner there and checked if their bath was already ready, just to realise that as always their servants had already done their work to perfection. There was not only a scented bath waiting for Nino but also a small step right beside the tub so that he could climb in with his help, massage oils at the side, and a small fire was also lit with clothes and towels in front to warm them for later use.
Ohno helped Nino with his bath, kissing his body and caressing the lovely lines and stretch marks on his body before Nino almost fell to sleep in the tub. He helped him into a new robe, rubbing oils into the stretched skin so that it wouldn’t break and brought his lover to bed.
Nino tugged at his hands as he was safely under the covers, demanding wordlessly for Ohno to join him. Ohno lied down beside him, caressing his side and the belly until Nino was deep asleep.
“Niji, look after your master,” he asked the dragon who huffed and laid his head on Nino’s legs, staring at him as if he wanted to tell him off for thinking he would leave Nino alone.
Ohno chuckled and let his dragon find its place on his shoulder, before leaving the room to go and do his work, making sure to come back, before Nino would wake up.
-
“Where are we going?” Nino asked with a frown on his face.
Ohno smirked as he held both of his hands in his own and carefully walked backwards as he watched Nino with mischievous eyes. “It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.”
“You so do not,” Ohno said, laughing at the slight sparkle in Nino’s eyes at the mention of a surprise. “You love surprises.”
“Do not.”
“Okay, scratch that. You love surprises if Niji is relaxed.”
Nino pouted, but in the end, he couldn’t help the smile that crept upon his face because he couldn’t hide his excitement any longer. He was just curious about what was going on for a while now.
He had realised that Ohno left him alone sometimes, going somewhere to do whatever, Nino was relatively sure it was not all because of the work needed to run a country, because most of that they did together, minus a few extra chores that didn’t need Nino’s input that much or where it was clear what to do so that Nino could rest as much as possible.
“Yoru what did Satoshi do? Tell me?” he asked Ohno’s dragon since Yoru had always been with Ohno. He was sure of that. The small dragon turned around on Ohno’s shoulders, its eyes wide and it almost fell.
Nino felt sorry for the small dragon who thrilled almost panicky.
Ohno let go of one hand of Nino to catch Yoru before it could fall. “Kazu is teasing you, you don’t need to tell him,” he said when he could feel the distress in Yoru.
Nino hummed and then patted the head of Yoru. “Satoshi is right. I’m sorry Yoru, you don’t have to tell me and break the secret Satoshi made you keep,” he whispered. He knew that the dragons would not be able to decline a direct order from him and that at the same time Yoru didn’t want to break his promise to Ohno.
“He will see in a bit either way. Careful now we need to go down these steps. Do you manage or shall I help you?”
“I can manage,” Nino said with a pout on his lips and wrinkled his nose. Ohno sighed and rolled his eyes as he stepped beside him and held him around the waist.
“Don’t whine.”
Nino stuck out his tongue but held to Ohno’s arm as he took the few steps until they were on the ground level again. Ohno took his place in front of Nino again, holding his hands and smiling at him. Nino was still watching him with furrowed brows, but Ohno just squeezed his fingers.
“Close your eyes?”
“No.”
“Pretty please? I won’t let you get hurt, I promise.”
“You are not carrying me, you hear?”
“I promise I won’t. I will lead you outside, and Yoru and Niji will help me. You need to trust us.”
Nino’s defiant stance relaxed as he sighed at those words and closed his eyes. He would always trust his lover and those two dragons that had sworn to protect them.
-
Nino shivered slightly as he stepped outside and the cold wind blew around them. He sighed when he felt Yoru’s slight weight on top of his shoulders, its warmth soaking into his body and warming him from the inside. He managed not to open his eyes as Ohno led him with measured steps outside and through the garden. Nino could feel the differences on the floor he walked on.
When Ohno stopped, Nino breathed in deeply, trying to find out where they were. He could smell flowers in the air, hear the wind whistling in leaves, and if his ears weren’t betraying him, he could hear water running. He almost opened his eyes if not for Yoru pressing its face against his cheek. Nino took off his fingers from Ohno’s grip to caress Yoru’s head in thanks and hummed.
“May I open my eyes now?”
“Just a second longer,” Ohno mumbles. “I will let you go, and I’ll need you to keep your eyes close, okay?”
“Okay,” Nino said, and his hand found its resting place on Niji’s head beside him.
Ohno smiled and stepped back. He was watching the beautiful sight of his lover, the round belly that Nino could not even try to hide anymore without magic and the two dragons that were close by to make sure to protect his lover and their king.
Nino always looked beautiful in his eyes but seeing him that he had his eyes closed, trusting him in this way now, always made his heart beat so much faster than he had thought possible. God, he loved his lover so much. Ohno couldn’t help himself as he took the two steps forward again to press his lips against Nino’s, before going back once more. He had made sure that Nino was in the middle of the small garden he had created, and now he hoped that he would like it. Aiba had helped to make sure that he planned it accordingly to Nino’s praying habits and other rituals that his religion entitled but he still was nervous that he did something wrong.
“Okay, you may open them now,” Ohno breathed, feeling the nervousness creep up again.
-
Nino opened his eyes when he felt Yoru jump from his shoulders to fly to Ohno. He watched the small black dragon for a second as he settled on Ohno’s shoulder and then looked around with wide eyes.
“What?” he asked as he turned around slowly. His mouth fell open as he saw the trees around this part of the garden, separating it clearly from the rest of the grounds around the castle. He stood in the middle of the garden, a path made from dirt and pebbles that didn’t hurt his feet. Nino was sure that it was even comfortable to walk on it without shoes on. He looked up, seeing the sun peeking over the crowns of the trees and he was sure that the sun around midday or the moon on full moons would shine directly inside here, similar to the place in the tower, but here it would feel so much better and more natural.
There was a small handmade stream that went through the garden. Nino didn’t know where the source was from, maybe it came from the forest, but he could see that someone, probably Ohno, had tweaked the natural path to make it fit with how the garden was created. There was a bench under the tree and a small wooden stand to protect them from wind or rain if it was necessary. Nino could already see their child play there while he prayed or it would make excellent space for practising the shamisen or calligraphy.
The flowers he had smelled before were mostly herbs he recognised from Aiba’s bag of healing herbs. The smell was strong but relaxing as it seemed that they had been planned in a way that they worked together more than against each other.
He turned again to look at Ohno with wide eyes. Ohno was watching him in turn, a worried look in his eyes and slight nervousness in his stance, but at the same time, there was a warm smile playing on his lips as he watched him discover the garden. “You did, all this?”
“Yes, the last few days with the help of Aiba-san, Yoru and some gardeners. Do you like it?”
“It is beautiful,” Nino agreed with a smile, holding out his hands for Ohno to come close and take them.
“I’m glad, and it’s supposed to be for you. A present and space just for you, nobody is allowed inside if you don’t want them,” Ohno whispered. “But Aiba-san mentioned he would be glad if he could get the herbs he needs sometimes, but even he wouldn’t step inside if you are here and want to be alone.”
“Thank you, it’s perfect,” Nino whispered, kissing him, before breaking the kiss with a giggle. “And your child approves as well,” he whispered, taking Ohno’s hand to put it on top of his stomach. He smiled as he pressed kisses to the side of Ohno’s lips when the eyes of the other got wide as he felt the child inside of him move clearly for the first time. Nino had felt it moving a lot already. It had started like fluttering wings of a butterfly, and grown in strength soon and fast. Still, it had been almost impossible to catch the stronger kicks until now.
“You are perfect,” Ohno whispered in awe, dropping to his knees in a graceful movement as he carefully opened the belt around Nino that held the robe close. He caressed the round belly, dropping kisses on the bellybutton. “As are you. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms finally,” he whispered to the belly, smiling when he got a kick in return.
“Are you okay, my love?” Ohno asked softly, and he nodded as he gratefully accepted the offered hand and let Ohno help him stand.
“I’ll live,” he decided with a sigh, leaning against Ohno as he put his arm around his hips to lead him outside.
“I would be rather sad if not,” Ohno said with a frown.
Nino giggled and rubbed his rounded belly, hitting Ohno’s fingers slightly as he reached for the stomach as well. “Not while we walk. Your child is restless,” Nino mumbled. “And I’m sure they are lying on some nerve, right now.”
“Do you want to soak in a bath?” Ohno asked worriedly. “I can call for someone to prepare it and put in some oils for relaxation.”
Nino hummed in thought and leant against him. “I rather would like to lie down, I believe.”
“You can do both. I think a soak in hot water will help your muscles to relax, which will help with the back pain.”
Nino agreed after a moment, and Ohno looked around for a servant to wave the girl over and tell her he wished for warm water. She nodded in understanding and then bowed before running away to prepare the bath for Nino. Nino frowned at that and sighed.
“I still can’t get used to letting other’s do things for me,” he grumbled.
“You are pregnant, my love. And they take their job with pride. We are paying them for those things, and it makes them upset if we don’t let them do their jobs. I tried. I was hated because they thought, I thought, they did their jobs inefficiently, and I could do better,” Ohno explained.
Nino giggled and nodded. It was the same Ohno always told him when he complained about such things. He could understand. It would be stupid of him to try to prepare all himself while he was this heavily pregnant. Even if the dragons protected his body and the unborn child, he shouldn’t be reckless.
“Will you bath with me?”
“I will wash your back and massage your sore muscles there. But I won’t go into the water with you. I want you to be able to stretch out the most you can.”
“Okay,” Nino mumbled, pouting slightly. “Do you imply that I’ve gotten big and there is no space for the both of us anymore?”
“No, of course not,” Ohno said as he pinched the skin at his hips slightly. “I think you are the most beautiful man I have ever laid my eyes on. And you carrying my child under your heart makes you just more radiant in my eyes.”
Nino blushed shyly and ducked his head and looked down at the floor. Ohno chuckled and brought him in their chambers. He helped Nino sitting on the decliner there and checked if their bath was already ready, just to realise that as always their servants had already done their work to perfection. There was not only a scented bath waiting for Nino but also a small step right beside the tub so that he could climb in with his help, massage oils at the side, and a small fire was also lit with clothes and towels in front to warm them for later use.
Ohno helped Nino with his bath, kissing his body and caressing the lovely lines and stretch marks on his body before Nino almost fell to sleep in the tub. He helped him into a new robe, rubbing oils into the stretched skin so that it wouldn’t break and brought his lover to bed.
Nino tugged at his hands as he was safely under the covers, demanding wordlessly for Ohno to join him. Ohno lied down beside him, caressing his side and the belly until Nino was deep asleep.
“Niji, look after your master,” he asked the dragon who huffed and laid his head on Nino’s legs, staring at him as if he wanted to tell him off for thinking he would leave Nino alone.
Ohno chuckled and let his dragon find its place on his shoulder, before leaving the room to go and do his work, making sure to come back, before Nino would wake up.
-
“Where are we going?” Nino asked with a frown on his face.
Ohno smirked as he held both of his hands in his own and carefully walked backwards as he watched Nino with mischievous eyes. “It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.”
“You so do not,” Ohno said, laughing at the slight sparkle in Nino’s eyes at the mention of a surprise. “You love surprises.”
“Do not.”
“Okay, scratch that. You love surprises if Niji is relaxed.”
Nino pouted, but in the end, he couldn’t help the smile that crept upon his face because he couldn’t hide his excitement any longer. He was just curious about what was going on for a while now.
He had realised that Ohno left him alone sometimes, going somewhere to do whatever, Nino was relatively sure it was not all because of the work needed to run a country, because most of that they did together, minus a few extra chores that didn’t need Nino’s input that much or where it was clear what to do so that Nino could rest as much as possible.
“Yoru what did Satoshi do? Tell me?” he asked Ohno’s dragon since Yoru had always been with Ohno. He was sure of that. The small dragon turned around on Ohno’s shoulders, its eyes wide and it almost fell.
Nino felt sorry for the small dragon who thrilled almost panicky.
Ohno let go of one hand of Nino to catch Yoru before it could fall. “Kazu is teasing you, you don’t need to tell him,” he said when he could feel the distress in Yoru.
Nino hummed and then patted the head of Yoru. “Satoshi is right. I’m sorry Yoru, you don’t have to tell me and break the secret Satoshi made you keep,” he whispered. He knew that the dragons would not be able to decline a direct order from him and that at the same time Yoru didn’t want to break his promise to Ohno.
“He will see in a bit either way. Careful now we need to go down these steps. Do you manage or shall I help you?”
“I can manage,” Nino said with a pout on his lips and wrinkled his nose. Ohno sighed and rolled his eyes as he stepped beside him and held him around the waist.
“Don’t whine.”
Nino stuck out his tongue but held to Ohno’s arm as he took the few steps until they were on the ground level again. Ohno took his place in front of Nino again, holding his hands and smiling at him. Nino was still watching him with furrowed brows, but Ohno just squeezed his fingers.
“Close your eyes?”
“No.”
“Pretty please? I won’t let you get hurt, I promise.”
“You are not carrying me, you hear?”
“I promise I won’t. I will lead you outside, and Yoru and Niji will help me. You need to trust us.”
Nino’s defiant stance relaxed as he sighed at those words and closed his eyes. He would always trust his lover and those two dragons that had sworn to protect them.
-
Nino shivered slightly as he stepped outside and the cold wind blew around them. He sighed when he felt Yoru’s slight weight on top of his shoulders, its warmth soaking into his body and warming him from the inside. He managed not to open his eyes as Ohno led him with measured steps outside and through the garden. Nino could feel the differences on the floor he walked on.
When Ohno stopped, Nino breathed in deeply, trying to find out where they were. He could smell flowers in the air, hear the wind whistling in leaves, and if his ears weren’t betraying him, he could hear water running. He almost opened his eyes if not for Yoru pressing its face against his cheek. Nino took off his fingers from Ohno’s grip to caress Yoru’s head in thanks and hummed.
“May I open my eyes now?”
“Just a second longer,” Ohno mumbles. “I will let you go, and I’ll need you to keep your eyes close, okay?”
“Okay,” Nino said, and his hand found its resting place on Niji’s head beside him.
Ohno smiled and stepped back. He was watching the beautiful sight of his lover, the round belly that Nino could not even try to hide anymore without magic and the two dragons that were close by to make sure to protect his lover and their king.
Nino always looked beautiful in his eyes but seeing him that he had his eyes closed, trusting him in this way now, always made his heart beat so much faster than he had thought possible. God, he loved his lover so much. Ohno couldn’t help himself as he took the two steps forward again to press his lips against Nino’s, before going back once more. He had made sure that Nino was in the middle of the small garden he had created, and now he hoped that he would like it. Aiba had helped to make sure that he planned it accordingly to Nino’s praying habits and other rituals that his religion entitled but he still was nervous that he did something wrong.
“Okay, you may open them now,” Ohno breathed, feeling the nervousness creep up again.
-
Nino opened his eyes when he felt Yoru jump from his shoulders to fly to Ohno. He watched the small black dragon for a second as he settled on Ohno’s shoulder and then looked around with wide eyes.
“What?” he asked as he turned around slowly. His mouth fell open as he saw the trees around this part of the garden, separating it clearly from the rest of the grounds around the castle. He stood in the middle of the garden, a path made from dirt and pebbles that didn’t hurt his feet. Nino was sure that it was even comfortable to walk on it without shoes on. He looked up, seeing the sun peeking over the crowns of the trees and he was sure that the sun around midday or the moon on full moons would shine directly inside here, similar to the place in the tower, but here it would feel so much better and more natural.
There was a small handmade stream that went through the garden. Nino didn’t know where the source was from, maybe it came from the forest, but he could see that someone, probably Ohno, had tweaked the natural path to make it fit with how the garden was created. There was a bench under the tree and a small wooden stand to protect them from wind or rain if it was necessary. Nino could already see their child play there while he prayed or it would make excellent space for practising the shamisen or calligraphy.
The flowers he had smelled before were mostly herbs he recognised from Aiba’s bag of healing herbs. The smell was strong but relaxing as it seemed that they had been planned in a way that they worked together more than against each other.
He turned again to look at Ohno with wide eyes. Ohno was watching him in turn, a worried look in his eyes and slight nervousness in his stance, but at the same time, there was a warm smile playing on his lips as he watched him discover the garden. “You did, all this?”
“Yes, the last few days with the help of Aiba-san, Yoru and some gardeners. Do you like it?”
“It is beautiful,” Nino agreed with a smile, holding out his hands for Ohno to come close and take them.
“I’m glad, and it’s supposed to be for you. A present and space just for you, nobody is allowed inside if you don’t want them,” Ohno whispered. “But Aiba-san mentioned he would be glad if he could get the herbs he needs sometimes, but even he wouldn’t step inside if you are here and want to be alone.”
“Thank you, it’s perfect,” Nino whispered, kissing him, before breaking the kiss with a giggle. “And your child approves as well,” he whispered, taking Ohno’s hand to put it on top of his stomach. He smiled as he pressed kisses to the side of Ohno’s lips when the eyes of the other got wide as he felt the child inside of him move clearly for the first time. Nino had felt it moving a lot already. It had started like fluttering wings of a butterfly, and grown in strength soon and fast. Still, it had been almost impossible to catch the stronger kicks until now.
“You are perfect,” Ohno whispered in awe, dropping to his knees in a graceful movement as he carefully opened the belt around Nino that held the robe close. He caressed the round belly, dropping kisses on the bellybutton. “As are you. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms finally,” he whispered to the belly, smiling when he got a kick in return.