#cebwrites

Cuddling and giving you little pecks on the cheek in front of crew members, crawling into bed with you without being asked, even setting up little movie nights for the both of you to relax. None of their advances are sexual, they're just a lot more present despite themself.

Knowing how difficult it must be for Law to be open like this, you relent and spill what's been troubling you all this time, slowly releasing the pressure you've built inside you until it comes out in full forced waves, wracking your body.

Law rests their head in the crook of your neck, offering comfort in the form of gentle circles on your back where words fail them but they try, regardless.

Once the tears have dried you offer them a consolation smile, make a little jab at yourself about how much time they've had to waste comforting you here, instead of doing work; their response is pinching your noise with a frown, only smiling at the silly sound you make in return.

"The only time wasted is time not spent with you, darling."

Sanji

Another suspect of serial "not-talking-about-his-feelings"-itis.

Sanji notices the change immediately, he tries to broach the topic with you but you sidestep it with excuses, a wry smile, and typical Strawhat chaos envelops the Sunny before Sanji can get anywhere near a concrete answer from you.

Still, his love is clearly upset about something and it's up to him to make his boyfriend feel better.

A wretched, dreadful part of him in the form of three men with ridiculous hair whispers that it's probably his fault, deepening the pit in Sanji's stomach that opened up when he first picked up on your mood, but he's quick to tamp it down in the moment.

It lingers, however, the longer you avoid him.

And when he starts holding back with you in return, this only deepens the well of worry you've cultivated.

Eventually, the crew conspires to get the two of you talking again - because the opposite is driving everyone up the wall. You don't pay attention to antics with Luffy and Usopp, Franky's inventions don't have you scurrying over with the rest of the boys, Sanji doesn't twirl and spin as much for the ladies, and although his cooking is still immaculate, everyone can tell that he's distracted.

Chopper even whispers about how frustrated Zoro is now that Sanji doesn't rise to the bait of a deadly sparring match.

So you end up alone with Sanji one evening. The crew's antics somehow lost the pre-planned date dinner, but Sanji doesn't mind whipping up something simple and quick for your refined plate. You laugh, it's a sound he misses, and you can't deny that you miss sharing food with him as well.

He makes the crew's meals every day, yes, but something like this is different, it's intimate.

Over the course of preparing dinner, and having it, you slowly let your thoughts unravel, bare your vulnerabilities to him and Sanji, in turn, in equal measures relieved as he aches for not being someone you felt that you could come to air these grievances, embraces you.

He fills your head with every thought he's had about you since this rift had formed, maybe leaving the... less, chivalrous ones for later, but more than anything Sanji wants you to know you are loved. By him and everyone who shares a space with you on this ship.

The vampire licks his lips, savoring the sweet blood on his teeth even as he moves away from one very irritated hunter. Between the two of them, Kirin is doing far better, but that’s to be expected. Not only does he have the physical advantage over the hunter, it’s his home turf.

The triumph on Kirin’s face falters after a brief moment. The vampire hunter before him was handsome, alluring, and delicious. The mere scent of the darker skinned man was enough to maybe make Kirin a little sloppier than usual. It was fun to play with one’s food from time to time.

Something was wrong, however, but he couldn’t yet put his finger on it.

Law put a hand over the deep bite wound on his shoulder, grimacing a bit and giving Kirin a sour look. They’d been fighting for long enough that the room was half a disaster, and it was going to take hours to mend their clothes.

But the ferocity was going to be less of an issue now.

The rush of euphoria that hits Kirin is so strong that both of his hands are between his legs involuntarily. “Haannngh ♥” The sweet cry drips from his lips as blood rushes through his body. Dropping to his knees his hands are over his mouth, shock and embarrassment scrawled over his face.

Law grins down at him, and Kirin thinks that dark scowl is even better from this angle.

“I see it works.” They muse, reaching down and caressing the side of Kirin’s face. The vampire nuzzles into the offered hand almost automatically. Law tightens the grip on Kirin’s face, forcing him to look up as he squeezes his cheeks. “I win.”

Kirin scowls, though it looks more like a pout with his cheeks smushed. “Don’t give me that, a little aphrodisiac isn’t going to,” Law presses the top of their boot into Kirin’s cunt, “HNNNNGH-FUCK!” His body grinds against Law’s boot before he can stop himself, the pleasure nearly sending him over the edge.

Law’s smirk is equally haughty and aggravating, as far as Kirin’s concerned.

“I cuh-can still,” Kirin stutters as Law continues to tease him with his boot. “Fight! I can still fight.”

“You’re humping my boot like a whore.” Law points out, moving enough to start pushing the laces of their boot into Kirin’s soaked pants. “You can’t fight like this.”

“How are you not,” he gasps. Kirin’s gaze shifts down and his question is answered. Law’s pants are straining to hold back the boner in them. “Oh my you’ve been fighting while horny this whole time!” His eyes light up and he reaches out, palming Law’s erection through their pants.

Law grunts, lifting their boot and pushing Kirin away with their leg. The delighted vampire tumbles back and laughs as he lays sprawled out on the floor.

“I knew something was off.” Kirin sighs, his words melting into an inviting hum as Law kneels between his legs. “You seemed oddly distracted.”

“At least one of us can fight while drugged.” Law grumps, undoing all three of Kirin’s belts. “Did you have to rip my clothes?”

“You wanted to spar ♥,” he hums in response, lifting his hips as Law pulls his pants off. “I’m just trying to help you maintain your edge against my kind, hun~ter.”

“Hmph.” They grunt, the irritated sound giving way to a full-toothy grin as they see the state Kirin’s in. “You’re soaked.”

“I don’t need your sass.” Kirin pouts, sticking his tongue out.

Law pulled their own belt off, setting the weapon-heavy contraption off to the side. “Say what it is you need then.” They prompt, pulling their throbbing cock free. “Admit your defeat, and beg for me to give you what you want.”

A shiver runs through Kirin the likes of which he doesn’t think he’s felt in some centuries. His eyes are transfixed on the thick, leaking member Law’s stroking so slowly. It’s not like the two haven’t gone at it like this before, but his need hadn’t ever been so powerful before. Normally, he’d play at being a brat, but…

“… That.” Kirin says, suddenly feeling several shades of shy.

“This?” Law questions, slipping two tattooed fingers into Kirin’s dripping cunt with ease. Some word on Kirin’s lips shattered into nothing as his body tensed and his back arched. The drug was making what usually felt good feel incredible, and it was difficult to focus.

“No, ah,” he starts but Law’s thumb presses against his clit as they begin to finger fuck him. Kirin tries to clarify, he really does, his words starting and stumbling several times as Law played him like a fiddle.

His pleasure rose to a peak, setting Kirin’s body alight with bliss. His muscles spasmed and the sweet half-babbled words that had been trying desperately to escape him turned into a growling melody of euphoria. One that Law ensured he enjoyed for as long as possible before finally pulling their fingers out.

The soft splatter of fluid onto the stone floor as Law shook the excess off their fingers wasn’t lost to Kirin’s ears, even in his blissful haze.

“Not… fingers.” Kirin huffs, voice breathy as his head is still swimming from the orgasm. “Your cock, you smarmy bastard!”

Holding onto his legs, Law ruts their cock against Kirin’s slit, wetting it and reveling in Kirin’s whimpering pants from the sensation. Half-hearted insults dribble from his lips, but Law knows they’re said with love.

And right now a decent bit of lust.

“Then allow me to remedy that.” He shifts a little and pushes in with a slow, steady ease.

“O~~h, fuck, I’m going to cum again!” Kirin whines, squirming beneath Law.

Law grins at the declaration and hilts in one swift motion, thrusting into him relentlessly. The sudden push and ruthless follow up had pushed the air from Kirin, and his second orgasm was nearly silent as the tension in his body and lack of air stopped him from crying out.

Putting more weight against his legs, Law presses them back and fucks their sweet vampire through the pleasure. The aphrodisiac they made had been tailored more to Kirin than to Law, not that they were going to explain as much to Kirin any time soon.

Kirin’s third orgasm had his eyes rolling back into his head as Law came deep inside him. The way he throbbed and fluttered against them was so good that nothing was needed to enhance it. But the aphrodisiac play had been a request, and who were they to deny such a sweet request?

Law shifts their hips slowly for a moment, giving Kirin a chance to catch his breath and come back to his senses.

“It’s going to be a long night,” Law muses, pushing in deep as Kirin keens from the pleasure of it. “Seems this version isn’t going to let me calm down anytime soon.”

Despite himself, Kirin swallows thickly. “Well… there aren’t any windows down here, sweetheart, so… ah, do your worst, little hunter ♥.”

There’s a slight pang of regret at his choice of words as Law smiles darkly down at him.

The two previous dates "without haki" had gone as smoothly as he could manage; using his future sight once his nerves got the better of him on the first [just a little peek wouldn't hurt, right?], and being forced to on the second when the lovely picnic you had planned with him was crashed by wannabe rookie pirates stepping into the Tottoland territory without knowing what they were getting to.

They were easy pickings for him, let alone the both of you together, but because of that Katakuri wanted to make sure that this time, you'd get the perfect date you asked for.

[See: You didn't actually ask for "The Perfect" date, but he made a fuss in his own mind about it anyway.]

So you set out with him today, taking a pleasant stroll through private gardens on the quieter side of Komugi Island before making a detour through the town to pick up pastries you'd ordered the night before - it's brief, so ogling of Whole Cake's creme of the crop can be kept to an absolute minimum. You've gotten used to the usual stares and some glares from the fan club, but the only thing that matters to you is the look on your husband's face when he turns to check on you.

Katakuri is perceptive enough to notice unwarranted looks even without his haki, you ease his worries with a squeeze of his arm and a passive wave.

He is, however, slightly spooked by a fat orange tabby on the way out of town without his future sight. Kata's grateful that there's no one but you here to giggle at the blunder, only slightly huffy at the laughter that rises from your person as you give the clever creature scratches and praise.

The two of you don't really relax until you're in the safe, private confines of the mochi construction your husband typically builds to eat his merienda in. This time, it takes the form of a grand but sealed gazebo.

Peace and quiet for the next hour or so secured, you let lose to rummage through the giant treat basket you picked up in town. With an offering of kisses and a giant spoonful of pudding to his mouth, Katakuri doesn't take long to unravel either, tucking his scarf neatly aside and allows himself to be drawn into your presence, your warmth.

You spend much more time than intended in that secluded little gazebo, the amble bubbling of the juice river outside a comfortable faraway thought as you spend your afternoon with Katakuri, joined only by that cheeky orange tabby content to laze around cutely in exchange for short belly rubs.

At some point you find yourself half asleep on your husband's chest, kissing his scars and unwilling to so much as expend the energy to check the time. The cat's asleep on his other pec, you press your forehead against it, careful not to wake the man beneath you. Because you know it means going back to work, back to the not-so-hum-drum life of living in Big Mom's empire and conquering islands to grow her territory.

That darling man you'd sacrifice life and limb for, the man you married despite hell and high water and his batshit family because you loved him more than life itself.

Their husband was understanding at first but over the years he started growing impatient and bitter, by the time they were able to conceive the situation at home wasn't safe enough to bring a kid into anymore so they spent the entire pregnancy praying this one turned out just like their others because death would be safer than being at the mercy of their husband.

It doesn't and they end up carrying it to term, Aristo had to have their baby in secret and just as it's born Thanatos appears to take it to the underworld, answering their prayers.

Aristo goes back to their village and tells the other wives it was another stillbirth, they let Aristo stay with them because predictably their husband didn't take the news well. Things were scary for a while but they had their support system so things got better, two years pass though and they've travelled as far as the entrance to the underworld.

Hera feels for them but killing family goes against her domain, so she sends Aphrodite down to turn them into a sea monster before they can throw themself into the river Styx from the pain, but Aphrodite also tells Aurelius that with this form no one will be able to hurt them like their husband again so it's a small consolation.

Aristo hangs around the shores near their home for a while because they don't have anywhere else to go but have to leave after someone from the village discovers them and freaks out because there's a huge sea beast around. They get chased away but weirdly enough the seas never allow the villagers to follow them and several boats drown. It hurts to see their former friends look at them like a monster but Aristo doesn't blame them.

Several years later when Zeus and Hera get into a tiff about obligations and the work she has to do while he flounces around all day, Aristo on Zeus' whim gets turned into a god that protects the young under Hera's domain as some sort of cruel irony (Zeus is not aware of this).

Winding back time a little bit - Aristo would always come to the ocean to cry when things got particularly bad at home and Poseidon fell in love with them again from afar. He's pining bad for them and so familiar with their misery that whenever his pearl is crying the waters get rougher for everyone else around the area. His nickname in return is "Posie" because those were Arsinoe's favorite kinds of flowers.

But back to Aristo's apotheosis; they try to decline the position but Zeus being Zeus, is pushy, he's huge and imposing and even though they're a giant sea monster his presence is still massive.

Only a couple people notice Poseidon getting angrier in the background and then a few more because the waters in the fountains start to boil; the breaking point is when Zeus leans in real close and tips Aristo's chin up with one of his massive fingers, and says "don't you want to repent for those children you let die - this would be the perfect opportunity, no?"

Posie throws himself at Zeus in a blind rage and they get into a HUGE fight. Poseidon goes to Aurelius later at the little cove they've made into their lair to personally apologize for his brother, ladening them with such a heavy burden like godhood and being an ass about it the whole time too.

Aristo is wary, partially because he's a man and partially because their whole life they've known the gods to be fickle, unpredictable, and downright cruel if the winds blow in the wrong direction. They say that they don't mind, they figured the king of kings would be a little… like that (Posie snorts), but what they don't understand is why the god of the ocean would stick his neck out for a minor god like them.

Poseidon immediately gets all dodgy about the subject and he can feel Aphrodite's smug little grin burning itself into the back of his head so he makes up an excuse to leave early. He keeps coming to see them though, says it's to make sure they're getting settled nicely or keeping up with their job or anything really, if there's an excuse he can make to go see them Poseidon will.

They're getting to know each other in this new relationship but they're taking their time and Poseidon's being extra careful not to spook his pearl by coming on too strong even though by the gods he wants them so much- he wants them BAD, but they're a treasure worth waiting for so he's patient. Part of Aristo is testing him, to see if he'd turn out like their husband, but another part thinks it's cute how bashful he can get at times.

And after a way-too-long courting period that had Aphrodite pulling her hair out they finally got together, whole grown ass gods acting like scared and excited youths falling in love for the first time because that's what it felt like initially, but soon they settle into each other and it's a love nothing like this mortal has ever known.

Hell, just a few decades ago they were stuck in an abusive loveless marriage and now the god of the ocean manifests out of the tides to come kiss them if they so much as whisper that borderline saccharine nickname under their breath. After getting married they finally change their name to Aurelius, since Hades' wedding gift to the couple was gold from the earth and Aurelius adorns themself in the jewelry quite nicely.

It also comes out that the pearl tears are from Poseidon—if that wasn't obvious enough—he didn't do it on purpose, things just kind of shook out that way but he hoped that maybe they'd be able to escape if Aurelius collected enough of and sold them - it never crossed their mind, probably too embroiled in stress and turmoil to notice, but the sentiment endeared them to him all the same.

These are the golden years.

They have two children at first, Meris and Cordelia who were twins, but after an incident where Delia was tricked and forced to marry a mortal man who had Zeus' blessing (he didn't know it was Delia's hand being vied for) and Poseidon turned her into seafoam so she wouldn't have to live through that, Meris swam to the bottom of the ocean because he was furious that his own father and uncle betrayed his sister by not protecting her on the formers part and then being an active participant on the latter; Zeus wouldn't have said yes to the blessing if he knew.

Eventually they find out that Aurelius is carrying Poseidon's clutch again and even though he's overjoyed, Aurelius is terrified from all their prior experiences as a mortal and the twins, convinced that this is going to end just as tragically and that their body even in this form is cursed to be a graveyard.

Poseidon does everything he can to comfort them, ease his pearl into it and that he'd be there for every step of the way, and if they really weren't ready for it they could leave the clutch in someone else's care after they were laid until Aurelius could come around to it. Aurelius agrees and Poseidon calls on two his most devoted followers, a couple who was having trouble conceiving, to protect his children with their lives until his pearl was ready and the couple obviously agreed.

A few decades of peace passed, the couple kept the eggs hidden as promised, Poseidon and Aurelius thrived in their relationship despite the worry, but things started going awry once the clutch began to hatch. Fish started going missing from nets and people grew suspicious; one of the guppies was the culprit, but the couple couldn't blame him for being hungry.

The townspeople eventually found the clutch and threw it in the fire even as the couple begged and pleaded with them not to hurt the eggs and that these were Poseidon's children, the fish thief (Skully) was netted while his siblings burned. None of them survived the fire except for one (Andy) whose piercing cries woke his parents up.

Aurelius got there first, furious and heartbroken - they drowned the entire port town and the hatred they had for mortals was set in stone from that day on.

When they didn't know if Andy was going to make it Apollo came down with a prophecy that if they put him to sleep in a magic clam he wouldn't go back to as he was before, but he'd make a mostly full recovery with the stipulation that it would take a hundred years before he emerges. They let Skully join his brother to keep Andy company because he wouldn't leave him otherwise and closed the shell.

Aurelius and Poseidon had a massive fight in the fallout, both still hurting and saying things they didn't mean and separated after that, so Aurelius spent their time near the clam whenever they could and if not they were rotting in their lair, catatonic from the loss.

Birthrates plummeted especially in seaside towns and the ocean was impossible for mortals to cross for a good while, the babies that were born were very sickly and in worse cases turned into (smaller) sea monsters like merfolk and were actively hostile to humans. Sometimes they'd return to mortal form if their parents raised them with enough love and care, other times the parents were killed or the kid found its way into the ocean first.

It got to the point where Zeus had to put his foot down because both of them in their depressive states of grief were throwing the balance of nature out of whack.

Zeus and Poseidon got into another huge fight over the younger brother being the typical pompous insensitive bastard he was, but after Zeus told him to "just have more kids" in front of his grieving partner Posie damn near ripped his face off.

Hera went to talk to Aurelius in their lair to try and coax them out, said that she knows they're in there because gods can't die that easily, the response she gets is that Aurelius wishes this broken heart would hurry up and kill them already. Hera offers a little consolation, she can't get rid of their pain completely but she can lock away their fertility, ease the burden of having to worry about that all the time.

Aurelius agrees, they're a lot colder after this - feeling it necessary for them to kill their sentimentality if they were going to continue working. Poseidon mourned, said that they took the warmth from them but all Aurelius has to say to that was that their heart died with the clutch Secretly though, they'd continue to visit the clam and fill the the hidden underwater clearing with pearls until they emerged

It's their job to preside over every birth, so when Poseidon's bastard children start being born, Aurelius is miserable and believes he's just doing this to hurt them, they flee to Sicily after the first bastard. Poseidon isn't really but what he is doing is trying to fill the void they and those guppies left behind (it doesn't work, just hurts both of them because he feels awful after every one). Anteros curses him to feel the pain of every teardrop they cry that hits the water in his ribs, a reminder close to his heart.

When they return from Italy to find that he's still having bastard children, Aurelius kills the lovers who bore him the bastards. Aphrodite turned Nerites into a shell for being one of the rebounds and they destroyed him when they got the chance.

They both get into a huge argument on the shore that blows up into an outright screaming match in the middle of a storm with hurt feelings from every angle boiling over. Aurelius pulls away finally, says that they don't know what they expected since he's just another man. Poseidon grabs their arm as they try to leave, however, and shouts over the roar of the tides that he's their God.

He's forced to swallow his anger at the sight of them flinching away with sickening familiarity and the admission that Poseidon, their husband and the person they were supposed to confide in most, was scaring them. For a haunting moment, Poseidon sees his father reflected back at him in their eyes and his mother in their expression.

He regretfully calls out to his pearl, fury bubbling away to shame and dread but Aurelius rips their arm away and puts some distance between them; with their back turned they assert that he is the all-powerful god of the ocean, he is king of the tides, he is THE Poseidon that mortals fearfully worship far and wide - but as of now he's no longer "their" anything. Aurelius throws their wedding ring at him and disappears under the waves.

The next time Poseidon sees them in passing it's after a trip to Hephaestus and a new set of bracers conveniently over where discoloration from a bruised bone would be.

Aurelius' work puts them in close proximity with Thanatos a lot, one side arguing for an infant's life and the other for a peaceful passage to the underworld. Thanatos appeared a lot around the clam while they guarded it and they fought him time and time again for their guppies' lives, verbally or physically. He always leaves but tells Aurelius that he'll be back (he always is, and they're there to tell him to fuck off again). Thanatos appears one last time after it's been a hundred years to reap what Aurelius sowed, but the clam opens and they tell him that he can't have them because they're alive.

Aurelius ends up raising Andy and Skully in tandem with a harpy and a tigerfish mer (oomf's OCs) though, because they decide it's too dangerous around them all the time and really they're still in a lot of pain. They are these boys' parent and Poseidon is allowed to see them as he pleases, but Andy and Skully also consider Florence and Alba their moms.

After Aurelius started using a more palatable mortal form to see the people who called for their help, since one of their followers mentioned that they were quite scary and even if Aurelius reprimanded them by saying their job isn't always kind or easy, they agreed, occasionally there'd be sightings from other people.

Aurelius travelled mostly through the ocean to get somewhere and transformed on land - when they needed to go they simply jumped back into the sea.

One village in particular was having fertility issues so Aurelius had to visit multiple times over the course of a few years, a man fell in love with their mortal form but obviously could only see them when they visited. The elders warned him that Aurelius was the god that protects their young and if he did anything to anger the gods everyone would be in grave danger. Stories passed down from the clutch incident held up even throughout the decades.

The man kept it in mind but continued watching them from afar and once got his friends in on it because they didn't believe him; Aurelius shows up drop dead gorgeous, they believe him. Him and his friends also follow Aurelius a little further than the man would usually go around the outskirts of the village to the ocean and eventually see them change back into their sea monster form.

In true Greek mythos fashion they get freaked out and jumped to the conclusion that this isn't a god it's a monster tricking the people of their village and it's Up To Them™️ to put a stop to it.

Aurelius gets ambushed in mortal form but when the mob cut them open and gold spills onto the grass they realized the monumental fuckup they've committed. It's in Aureseidon's divorce era during the 100 years of waiting and far away enough from the ocean for Poseidon not to know but Hera is furious and curses the village for harming the god sent to help them. It's a close call but Hermes is ordered to bring them to Olympus to replenish.

Meris came out of hiding long enough to call his father a coward and told him about his ex's predicament, Poseidon arrived back at the mountain in a frenzy and hauled ass to his pearl like a maniac. Aurelius turns away just as he flings the doors open because they recognize his footsteps and he's too focused on the everything to notice their reflection Aphrodite's mirror.

Poseidon can't see his pearl's face when he asks why they didn't call for him and they respond that they didn't think he'd care enough, but Aurelius still sees his expression through it and it kills them. His response is pleading them that he does care, he never STOPPED caring but Aurelius tells him to stop lying to them and he must think them a fool, they were there for all his bastard children for their domain after all.

They tell Poseidon to go guard their what's left of their clutch against Thanatos if he actually wants to be helpful and Aphrodite chases him out. Says that Aurelius is in enough pain without him here making it worse, so he does and his ribs hurt the whole time.

Once they've healed up a little more, Poseidon visits their lair with little gifts and leaves them outside so he doesn't bother them too much; he makes jewelry out of the pearls that they cry because he misses them, his earrings included - if you actually stepped into their lair the bottom of it underwater is FULL of pearls.

Aurelius comes out once and tells him to stop leaving clutter around and they get into another argument, but instead of blowing up at each other and fucking off like always they get in each other's faces and start making out with all the desperation and repression that what, 70 years apart would afford a god.

Halfway through though Aurelius pulls away and asks him to stop, because they can't handle his tenderness and "I love you"s because they hurt more than anything because they feel like lies and it's revolting hearing it from him, so Poseidon's mean and rough instead.

His ribs burn but it gives his pearl an outlet to cry without guilt - Aphrodite told them about Anteros' curse at some point to gloat while they were having a little gossip sesh but instead of laughing with her Aurelius looked betrayed and disgusted and hurt when they asked if she really made them haunt Poseidon all this time - so their hatefucking arc starts.

It goes on for years because both of them are traumatized and incredibly maladaptive and can't just talk it out like grown adults (trust that Aphro IS pulling her hair out as Aurelius' bestie) but eventually the hatred dies down, they're more or less together without actually being together but neither wants to be the one to say it.

In the middle of this, their son from the clam Andreas gets tricked into giving mortals Ambrosia so he's put on trial for stealing from the gods, it's a whole thing with the gods arguing for unreasonable punishments, no punishments at all, everything in between, and Apollo nearly gets his hand bitten off for making Andy cry but eventually Andy's sentenced to serve wine to the gods on Olympus with Hebe (since he's just 8 after all) instead of much harsher ones proposed by other gods.

After the dust has settled Aurelius and Poseidon have another one of their "hatefuck" meetings even though realistically there's no actual venom between them, things go as normal but in the afterglow this time while they let Posie hold them for once, back to him, Aurelius tells him that they miss what they had. He breaks down then and there and Aurelius joins him shortly after, mourning all the pain they both suffered and how much they missed each other and regretting how they treated one another. Divorce arc over everybody they're back together now and slowly mending the relationship and 100% are going to be SO much more possessive over each other and worse yaaaayyyy 🥳🎉🎊

Additionally, the domain bestowed on Aurelius initially was just Protection of the Young, but through the years - the soaring highs and crushing lows, their sorrows and their joys - their domain changes into being the God of Protection as a whole.

Seeing their children so distressed after Kronos scared them badly enough even from within Tartarus that Zagreus had to carry them home crying, and their husband so upset from his father's meddling that they manifested a change in their fates to accommodate protecting all of them.

God of protection but notoriously tempestuous. God of protection but fickle and a trickster. God of protection who hates mortals so to directly ask for their help means the monkey's paw curls. Aurelius' domain is incredibly powerful but devotees and people who worshipped them regularly know they have to follow their God's instructions to the letter, or they'll bring destruction upon themselves that's just as devastating in scale.

Soldiers often seek their intervention before going to war but Aurelius meets their pleas with silence or outright anger at the audacity for them to ask for protection while these men carry out their violence; they do, however, still answer to the meek and vulnerable more often than not.

Honestly they should count themselves lucky that Hana didn't let Kiba tag along for the sake of discretion.

Bull laid in a spot next to the Haimaru brothers in a cleared area of the apartment by the window where the ninken usually sunbathed, making quiet little grunts and chuffs in his sleep. Occasionally, one of the triplets twitched or rolled over as the conversation drew on with different topics; slow, comfortable, and lazy like the rest of their day had been.

The older shinobi opted to go out for dinner after Hana left, a little too worn after walking the dogs to make dinner on their own but still craving the satisfaction of a fresh hot meal.

Kakashi's slightly boastful promises that he'd make something nice for both them tomorrow to make up for it was met with Hyou's intrigued ooo's and a playful nudge to his elbow, followed by a knowing smile not to push himself when they locked up to leave. Pakkun rolls his eyes at the display right as the door shuts.

Though their meal was served in the privacy of a secluded room at the traditional-style restaurant, Kakashi never really could relax with his mask down in public so he ate in quick bursts not to upset his stomach. The rest of his time was spent listening to his partner talk about their week and joke about how stuffy this place feels, and that they feel a little underdressed in just their summer uniform blues for the occasion.

Kakashi counted the creases on their face as Hyou snickered throughout the night, putting them in his back pocket for later while they piled more side dishes into his bowl and made sure he had enough to drink—making a mental note to kiss every single one of them the second they got home. Hell, Kakashi didn't know if he'd be able to last that long.

Cicadas serenade their walk home, even the street lamps feel a little too warm in the current humidity so Hyou has their mane of hair begrudgingly pulled back into a low ponytail; they caved somewhere after the 10 minute mark between bites of gyudon and wiping the sweat from their brow.

Kakashi had to smile at the way their face seemed to scrunch into an undignified little pout while they tied it.

"You've been spaced out all evening, 'Kashi," his lowers copy of Make out Tactics to meet their gaze, a step or two behind him with one hand on their hip, "talk to me, is this about what Hana asked?"

"Ah, that's..." Hyou gets their answer when his one eye drifts to the side, Kakashi scratches his cheek in a bashful way where they know he's being cute (avoidant) on purpose.

"Geez, I wish you would've just told me."

They lead him by the wrist to a nearby bench; sitting with the noise of a man twice their age, both knees far apart, Kakashi joins them with one leg crossed over the other to feign casualty—feeling if he didn't that he was sure they'd read his nerves like a tapestry. Hyou takes a second to breathe before they talk again, this time with their hand on his. Kakashi lets their fingers intertwine as Hyou spoke.

"I said I wanted a big family, but that doesn't mean we have to have kids, you know? I think the arrangements we have now are comfortable; you and me with the ninken, Gen when he's free, and Rai when he wants to come with.

Adding the boys would cramp up the apartment pretty quickly for festivities I think, that's not even considering partners and friends."

"You know, I'm still not sure if I believe Tacchan managed to convince Shizune of all people to go out with him."

Hyou jabs him in the ribs with their free hand for the comment, clicking their tongue, but both ninja giggle to themselves under the flickering street lamp. Their hands start to get clammy but they don't pull apart just yet, even when the space where their bare arms touch begins to stick.

Kakashi's just grateful that his gloves absorb some of the moisture.

"You remember what it was like when our parents got everyone together, right? Every time was always so rowdy but it was fun. After everything... the house just got so quiet. It was unbearable. Maybe it's selfish, but I miss it, I want to be around that kind of commotion again, 'Kashi."

Hyou's the one to pull away first, the look in their eyes tell him they're staring off into the dredges of some distant, faraway memory, but Kakashi reels them back in by laying their head onto his shoulder. They take in his scent, allowing a handful of tears to streak their face. Hyou leans with almost desperate longing into his touch when Kakashi gently wipes them away with his thumbs. They thank him, grateful that the only thing to witness their vulnerability now is their partner and the ambient sound of natural life at night.

Hyou sniffs, rubbing their eyes in the crook of their elbow to recenter themself with a laugh.

"God, could you actually imagine us with kids? That'd be a nightmare."

Kakashi thinks about it, just briefly, because it's a thought that's crossed his mind long and hard many times before. And the painful conclusion that he's come to; is that if Hyou ever wanted children, he wouldn't be able to go through with their wishes. Not after his own father, and not with the laundry list of issues Kakashi brought to the table.

His mind drifted to a simpler time, not one free of grief but still, a kinder time where his heart hadn't lost all hope just yet.

Kushina watched as the young boy put away the groceries he'd helped her carry home, rubbing her belly in soothing motions in an attempt to settle Naruto, "Sorry for making you boys run all these errands for me. I'd do them myself but it's starting to get harder, ya know."

"Not at all. I don't think Genma and Raidou mind at all, either.

If there isn't anything else you need me for, Kushina-san, I'll be heading out now."

Kakashi packed away the last perishable, turning to make his leave but instead found his sensei's wife waddling over and instantaneously, he reached out to steady her gait. Being careful to avoid touching her stomach, however. Kushina laughed, a joyful chime Minato could fall in love with over and over again.

"I'm not made of glass, y'know, just a new mom!" She smiled as she offered, "Do you want to feel him kick?"

Kakashi looked like a deer caught in headlights; his peers and others close to him would often tease how tense and skittish he got around Kushina the further along in her pregnancy she was. Some of this could just be attributed to the awkwardness of being a fourteen year old boy, but the darker parts of his mind formed the shape of a person, haunting his every move, let alone something as precious as this.

"...I, I—I don't—"

"Ya don't have to if you don't wanna, but you won't hurt us if you do, ya know?"

Kushina held his hand, using the other one to wipe tears Kakashi didn't even notice were starting to prickle in his eyes before she pulled him into a hug.

Being treated with such a tender hand, kindness that Minato-sensei had always shown him too, and maybe a hidden maternal need that had been absent in his life up until now; Kakashi, at least for the moment, allowed Rin's ghost to recede into the depths of his memory.

Though it wasn't same on many levels, Kakashi noticed Hyou displayed that same care to the young ones in their life—from checking in their late sensei's son, babysitting their comrades kids, keeping the peace between troubled twins, or even the care they'd shown to Naruto after he'd been assigned to Kakashi's team.

He recalled once when Hyou had plans to make bento for Kiba before an event since Tsume was out of the village and Hana, bless her heart, wasn't the best at domestic labor.

Kakashi lagged behind them, Make out Paradise in hand, as Hyou added more things to their shopping cart, mentioning that they might as well make some for Neji since he'd be there while they're here, and they'd best not leave out the boys' team mates either. Oh, and Konohamaru too, since his father was going to be sent out on a mission that morning.

What would have been one, maybe two meals for two boys suddenly turned into staying up all night to make sure nine mouths would be fed the next day, Kakashi only barely managed to convince them not to make more for Tae and Takashi with the fact that those boys were grown, and the grocery bill was long enough as is.

Genma pitched in once he got home and thoroughly washed up before handling any of the food—working in the poisons division was a pain like that—but Kakashi was content to simply watch and "taste test" while his partners bickered over what to do.

His gaze softens exponentially.

"I don't know, I think you'd make a great parent."

"Mm, I'm tired though. I've think I've had my fill of babysitting for a lifetime."

Kakashi watches, enraptured by the love of his life rattling off habits they'd have to amend, scheduling changes, things they'd have to buy and keep up with, this hypothetical kid itself not even part of the conversation yet.

"—And we'd have to run it by Gen and Rai first, too, obviously. Who knows what their feelings on this are. Fuuuck, I think I'm ready for an early retirement, 'Kashi." Hyou leans their head against his shoulder again on their own this time, too exhausted by the tizzy they worked themself into to look up and see Kakashi staring at them with the softest, most loving smile in Konoha that night, possibly even across the Five Great Nations.

Hyou knew, however. They just knew.

Kakashi was right; they hadn't reached home yet before his urges won out, but he at least managed to make it to the front door before he pressed a litany of masked kisses to his partner's face and neck while Hyou fumbled with their keys, laughing.

The next morning, the couple's peace was disturbed by a loud banging on the door and someone's muffled yelling way before an appropriate time. Which would have been never, by the way, if you asked them.

Kakashi and Hyou rock paper scissors'ed for who would have to deal with it because there was no way in hell Genma was getting up; having lost, Kakashi moped out of bed, detangling himself from the wonderful—warm, comfortable—mess of sheets and his lovers' bodies to answer the door. Only just halfway "decent" enough for it. His face stayed hidden, of course

When the old thing creaked open, he was greeted with Kiba and Naruto shouting over each other indistinctly with intermediate barks from Akamaru in-between. Kakashi wanted to go back to bed and forget about this until at least 3 in the afternoon, but he eventually got the boys settled enough to be coherent because he's a good, and respectful jonin teacher, dammit.

"What do you mean you're having a baby?!"

Kakashi promptly shut the door, turned the lock, and placed a sound barrier on it for the foreseeable future.

This was—a minimum 12pm problem and, as far as he knew—it wasn't even 9 in the morning yet. So he wiggled back into bed between his older comrades and shut his eye.

Hoping that preferably someone else would have already solved it by the time he woke.