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“Welcome back Duke, Sir Aile..?”
“Welcome back Comman…der?”
In front of the cavalry entrance stood Nathan Zuckerman, Kishiar’s adjutant, followed by the deputy commanders of shin, sul and jung division. The voices that began greeting the two men enthusiastically as they got off the carriage, faded into confusion.
“Hello everyone, it seems like you all are doing great.”
Lips curled into a gentle smile, Kishiar acknowledged the presence of his subordinates. Right beside Kishiar was Yuder Aile, the blonde’s former assistant and current spouse. Yuder glanced towards Nathan and his fellow awakeners and offered a nod.
“Hello.”
It's been roughly three years since Kishiar and Yuder last visited the cavalry. After everything that happened with sage and the southerner merchants, Kishiar suggested that they both take some time off from their regular duties and enjoy life for a bit.
The gateway that was supposed to last for a short while somehow turned into a three year long exploration. They left the deputy commanders with most of the responsibilities of the cavalry while Nathan took care of Peletta. Over the three years, they had mainly communicated through mediums like letters.
No matter, Neither Kishair nor Yuder regretting this time off, they had enjoyed life basket in eachother’s warmth, as well as gained many memories and things that they would not trade for anything else.
The Duke’s adjutant and the cavalry deputy commanders had been waiting for the pair since the early morning, after receiving news about their return to the orr empire from Nelarn roughly a week ago. Their mood, that was overflowing with happiness had, for some reason, quieted down, noticing the change in their behaviour, Kishiar raised his eyebrows
“What happened? What's with that shocked face?”
Even Nathan, who had spent years by Kishiar’s side couldn't properly conceal his stunned expression, let alone the three deputies who looked like they had just watched something that couldn't be explained through human logic happen right in front of their eyes.
Barely able to shake off the stunned expression, Nathan Zuckerman was the first to break the silence.
“Welcome back, Duke and Sir Aile, We are happy to see your safe return.”
“oh..Yes, welcome back, Commander, Yuder too!”
“W-welcome back!”
After Nathan’s greeting, Ever continued hastingly, followed by Steiber. Despite their confused and stunned expression, they manage to gain back their composure. However Kanna, the jung division deputy commander was the only one still unable to greet them properly, her mouth hung open.
“Yes, It seems that You have looked after the cavalry well in our absence, but let us not keep standing here. After all, my assistant is a little tired.”
Kishiar spoke in a soft tone as he glanced towards the dark haired man. It was as he had said. Yuder was indeed more tired.
“I understand, however commander…”
Ever called out with slight hesitation, she glanced towards her fellow deputy commanders before turning back towards Kishiar.
“What is it, deputy commander Ever?”
“W..who is that child?”
Ever asked as she motioned towards the sleeping child in Yuder’s arms. The others didn't say anything but it was clear that they were also curious about the sudden and unmentioned appearance of a child.
Kishiar, in turn offered her a soft smile, red eyes sparkled as they glanced back towards his assistant who was carrying the child- one that was dressed in comfortable yet almost clearly expensive clothes and looked to be about only a few months old at most.
“Well why of course, it's the little devil who made my assistant unable to sleep while travelling and refuses to come to me.”
“Duke…surely you are not suggesting…?”
Nathan picks up where Ever left off, doubt flickered in his blue eyes as he still questions his liege, while the rest of the cavalry members seemed to have reached their own conclusions, Nathan still wanted his lord to confirm or deny what he was likely thinking.
Kishiar widened his grin, eyes still on his partner, and without even looking at the rest, he spoke in a loud enough voice.
“You are right, Meet Kiran la orr, our very energetic and healthy son.”
____
The news: both about their return and the presence of an unexpected quest, spread throughout the cavalry at a tremendous speed. Although no one had come knocking down at their door, meaning the information had yet to spread out to the infirmary.
“Already planning to head out?”
Kishiar questioned as he dropped his towel on the chair, hand ruffling through his wet hair. Yuder nodded as he patted his son’s back in a soft motion. The small child was snuggled close to Yuder’s chest.
The man with dark hair like ink and eyes like the unseen cosmos almost always had their baby in his arms since his birth and while it did wonders to soften his image, Kishiar couldnt help worrying about the well-being of his beloved.
“I’m fine, I have rested.”
“Still, we just came back and your body is still very weak. Besides, this little guy doesn't make it easy for you does he?”
Kishiar strolled towards them with wide steps, the blonde man held out his bare palm and carefully caressed Yuder’s cheek, who in turn, leaned into the touch. Red eyes peered into Yuder’s dark ones with a mixture of admiration and worry, it had been a long time since yuder was able to completely understand the meanings behind Kishiar’s gaze, though it still manages to overwhelm him in one way or another.
“At least leave him here, You're not planning on overseeing training while carrying him are you?”
Kishiar crooked down his neck and placed a soft kiss on the corner of Yuder’s eye,
“I’ll be fine, also, you know how he acts if I'm gone for more than five minutes.”
Yuder reminded Kishiar in a soft tone as he tiptoed to place a feather-like peck on Kishiar’s lips. It wasn't that Kishiar did not look after their son, in fact, he barely left Yuder alone with their son for too long. However the main issue was that their baby was simply too clingy to Yuder.
“I know, who does he take after…bothering his father even after leaving the womb.”
Kishiar sighed as he glanced at their son. The small face is almost fully hidden in Yuder’s chest. Using his free hand, Kishiar stroked the small turf of blonde hair.
“He looks like you.”
“Oh my, is my dear husband saying that he inherited such clinginess from me?”
“No, however I doubt it's from me.”
“Haha!”
Kishiar laughed as he readily let go of Yuder’s cheek, a defeated smile on his face.
“Fine, I can’t stop you, however dont be out for too long, come back as soon as you feel slightly off. Also, don't try to move around too much too quickly. If your arms feel tired, just hand him to me, illl be in the office. Oh and don’t_”
“Stay out if the sun’s too bright, yes I know, you don't have to worry.”
Yuder cut him off in the middle, giving his partner an assuring look. Kishiar smiled as he placed a farewell kiss on Yuder’s lips.
“...Be back soon.”
“I will, don't worry.”
_____
“Yuder!!”
It didn't take long for the people in the training grounds to take notice of him, and those who had to see him were quickly notified by Jimmy’s loud voice. Amongst the crowd, Yuder easily found quite a few familiar faces.
It was a little difficult to recognize everyone, after all, he hadn't seen them for almost three years, however it helped that he could see their ‘energy’. Ever, Kanna and Steiber were easy to spot. Hinn and Finn were even easier, with their eye-catching blue hair and overwhelming height.
Standing beside Jimmy, who had matured while also retaining the childishness Yuder first saw him, was Gakane Bolunwald, still as handsome as the last time Yder had seen him.
Jimmy waved his hand frantically, a wide smile on his face as Yuder approved them.The dark haired man could sense the gaze of others on him from all directions, though he wasn’t sure if they were looking at him or the sleeping Kiran.
“Oh..but Yuder,who is that baby?
Jimmy suddenly questioned as Yuder got closer, as if just now noticing the baby that Yuder was carrying, and suddenly, the entire place became pin drop silent. While many people were indeed curious, they refrained from asking. Especially since there were barely a handful of omega male who successfully gave birth, let alone to a healthy baby.
Not to mention, it was probably odd to even think about a man like him bearing a child, and with another man.
“Jimmy…that's a little..”
“No, it's fine.”
Yuder promptly dismissed a member who was about to say something. The dark haired man let out a small sigh as he glanced at the still sleeping child in his arms, he should get going now, it was just about time for Kiran to wake up.
Yuder glanced back towards Jimmy, brown eyes looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and innocence, and in a voice loud enough for all to here, Yuder Aile declared;
“His name is Kiran la orr, the child born to me and our commander.”
How would the cavalry react? All of them were aware of the relationship Yuder had with the commander and while initially shocked, they all had promptly accepted it, but the matter of a child was different. Even if awakeners had been around for a long time and all present here were awakeners too, it would be an overstatement to claim everyone accepted the concept of second genders.
However, to Yuder Aile, this didn't matter much.Both in the past and present, he did not give much mind of what others thought about him. His commander- lover did not care about futile things like that, told him to not worry and Yuder would do just that.
As long as Kishiar la orr was fine with it, Yuder Aile would never regret making such a decision.
All the members were silent, as if words had been stiped from their tongue. Most of them made a funny face, save from Ever and Steiber, who already knew about it, but Kanna still seemed to be surprised.
“Ohh.”
Jimmy began again, attracting others' attention.
“Congratulations? But why did no one tell me about this before??”
Jimmy’s words left Yuder slightly taken aback. And maybe it showed on his face, because following the brown haired boy, many began to speak up.
“R-right, congratulations.”
“Congratulations Yuder!”
“We are really happy for you! And the commander!”
“Yeah!
Soon enough, applause began to pour in from different directions, some too quiet to be heard properly while others awkwardly loud, as if trying to hide their initial confusion.
“...Yes, thank you.”
While Yuder didn’t expect all to find this situation repulsive, he also hadn’t thought of receiving such an overwhelmingly positive response, to the point he could only awkwardly thank them.
“Congratulations.”
A soft voice spoke from beside Yuder. Kanna stood with a slightly awkward expression.
“Uh sorry about the morning, i was..a little taken aback, haha..”
It was as he had expected, Kanna was just too taken aback before to give a proper reaction, Seeing her shy and apologetic face, Yuder naturally found himself softening
“I know, it’s alrigh..”
“Damn, of course this guy will be here right after coming back.”
Suddenly, a gruff voice interrupted their conversation. Yuder turned his head towards the source, watching in silence as the cavalry made way for a grey-haired man.
“I saw your commander and he told me you would be here-”
Enon stared blankly at Yuder, lemon-coloured eyes filled with complex emotions. His mouth hung open as if he was unsure about what to say.
“It’s been awhile, Enon.”
“...”
Enon’s eyes only widened, as if finally realising that this person- Yuder, who was standing in front of him was actually real. Stll, Enon didn't say anything to Yuder. He turned to the cavalry member next to him and began speaking.
“I have been hearing total bullshit since the morning, hey, what do you mean this guy suddenly appeared with a child?”
As if they had all lost their voices, the cavalry members stood in complete deafening silence, they all looked away, finding it hard to look towards the baffled pharmacist. Enon continued to mumble like a dazed man.
“That’s ridiculous, a guy who left completely fine now returns with a two month old son without any prior announcement? Yeah, sure.”
“Kiran is three months old actually.”
Someone in the crowd lets out a huffed laugh though Yuder didn’t understand what's so funny about this. Enon, who looked like he was about to pull out his hair, finally looked at Yuder properly.
Lemon-coloured eyes wandered downwards towards Kiran, who was still in Yuder’s arms, having finally woken up due to the ruckus, also looked back at Enon with his sparkly red eyes.
“Uhuaa!”
Kiran giggled, as Enon seemed to have finally lost his cool.
“Ah what the fuck?!”
_____
“Well has someone placed my beloved partner in timeout?”
Kishiar mused as he entered their bedroom to find Yuder laying on their bed, Kiran rolling around beside him.The dark haired man glanced up from the book in his hands as Kishiar silently closed the door behind his back. The blonde man dropped his coat on the desk as he strolled towards the bed.
“I heard the pharmacist came to see you?”
“Yes, he wasn’t happy with not being told about Kiran- or the pregnancy.”
“Hm, understandable. He cares about you quite a lot. Don’t worry, it’s not like it was our intention to not tell anyone about kiran.”
The mattress sank down as Kishiar sat down by Yuder’s side. Soft lips curled into a smile as he reassured Yuder.
Kishiar was indeed right, it wasn't their intention to keep both his pregnancy and kiran’s birth a secret. If Yuder had to simplify the events, Both him and Kishiar realised that Yuder had conceived when it was almost time for kiran to be born, there were hardly any symptoms. And when Kiran was born, Yuder was barely hanging onto life. Kishiar had spent the entire time by his side and taking care of Kiran.
After Yuder got better, Kishiar insisted that they go back to the Orr empire, worried about having Yuder travel any more. Especially with an unexpected third companion.
“Gaah.”
Kiran crawled towards Yuder, as if finally done with messing up the rest of the bed. The tiny human clumsily patted Yuder’s thighs, hinting that he wanted to be picked up by Yuder. Despite his arms feeling a little sore, Yuder found himself leaning forward- only for Kishiar to whisk the child away faster.
“Haven’t bothered your father enough? Come here.”
“Gaauh!!”
The boy made unintelligible noises as Kishiar picked him up and held him close to his chest. Just a month ago, Kishiar found it difficult to hold their son without the fear of hurting him, now he casually picked up Kiran, with no fear of harming their little boy.
Seeing Kishiar smiling so brightly at Kiran, Yuder’s lips curled into a light smile.
It felt like it was yesterday that Yuder found himself back in time after his death, yet now, he has his own family with the man he swore to never form any personal relations with. This was something he wouldn’t imagine even in his wildest dreams.
“Oh right, Keilusa said to visit him.”
“His majesty?”
“Mm, i thought we would surprise him later on, but he summoned us for dinner tonight.”
Dinner, it was in just a few hours.
“Don’t worry, I have no plans to attend.”
“? Why?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I would like to see my brother and sister-in-law too, but I don’t want to overwork you. You are still weak from the surgery.”
It had already been three months but to Kishiar, Yuder’s movements were still much slower and weaker. Not to mention, Yuder has already worked himself more than Kishiar would like him to today.
“You don’t have to stay here just because of me.”
“No, I want to.”
“Then are you going to just reject his majesty’s order?”
“He will be upset but he will understand when we tell him the reason.”
Kishiar didn’t seem to have a problem with not going but Yuder knew he likely missed Keilusa and Rosa a lot over the three years. So while he might be too tired to join, he still wanted Kishiar to go. “
“I’ll be fine, besides, it’s Kiran’s bedtime soon. We can visit the emperor and empress again together later on, with Kiran.”
“However…”
“Please, Akit.”
“...”
Kishiar stared at Yuder with a blank expression before letting out a defeated sigh.
“I can never win against you…”
_______
The sound of cutlery echoed throughout the magnificent banquet room, A delicious fragrance wafted around the air. Kishiar was sitting in front of Keilusa, Rosa on his brother’s right side.
“It’s been a long time since we last had a meal together, hasn't it?”
“Indeed, though we wouldn't have to wait so long if you had just returned once in a while.”
Agreeing with the empress’ words, Keilusa didn’t forget to send a jabbing word towards Kishiar, to which the younger man simply smiled. Keilusa wasn’t really positive about the fact that Kishiar had eloped almost instantly after the clean up.
“Let it go now, it’s been a long time and now they are back aren’t they?”
Rosa nudged her husband’s side as she smiled. Keilusa’s face softened a little as he offered a reluctant nod before glancing back towards Kishiar.
“Right, Why didn’t you bring Baron Aile? I told you both to come.”
“He was tired after such a long day, So i left him to rest. In fact, I wasn't planning on coming either, however he insisted that I go.”
Kishiar explained as he bit into a tender piece of steak, Keilusa shook his head in dismay as he took a sip from his wine.
“So you left him all alone?”
“Of course not, Our son is with him.”
At once, Keilusa began to choke on his wine.
“Cough!..your what?!”
Kishiar, for the nth time, offered Keilusa a mischievous smile. There was not one glint of remorse in his red eyes.
“Our son, Kiran la orr.”