The Quest for a Second Life - Epilogue
??? x ALPHA!READER
Summary: Having spent so long choosing their second life, the MC is finally rewarded and gets to live their second life. The only questioning remaining was... Itachi or Kakashi. GN!Dom!Alpha!Reader x Multiple Naruto Characters
Word count: 6.4k
Warnings: N-sfw content, tiny self-harm for magical blood potion purposes. All alphas have dicks, fyi.
A/N: And we're finally here! This is the end, and I hope people like it, even if you'd have preferred the other character. This has been a journey and a half, thank you so much for joining me on it. Merry Christmas to those that celebrate! I am deeply honoured to call @omeganronpa my friend, and seeing as I'm too far away to be around in person, I hope that this gets my message across as well as I had hoped 💗💓💞💖❣️
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Epilogue
James found herself lingering in the library when she knew she ought not to. She had just sent another human into their chosen pocket dimension, this time a historical romance, and she really needed to get back to her office to receive the next one. She knew this, and yet her feet refused to co-operate.
She couldn’t stop wondering after the human alpha she had recently worked with, although she wasn’t sure if humans would agree with her use of the word ‘recent’. They didn’t normally, and James had learnt that time flowed differently for humans than it did for Curators.
No, her mind was behaving badly. It was wandering off without her permission and whispering suggestions of going to check on the human alpha, even though James’ shift was still far from over.
Before she could think better of it, James turned and started walking towards the hidden backroom of the library, where books that were in current use were stored. Surely, it would be okay for her to have a little look at what that human alpha was up to. She would only linger for a little while and then she would get back to work.
She entered the backroom and scanned the shelves for the correct book. It wasn’t difficult to find, but she suddenly felt nervous. It wasn’t as if Curators weren’t allowed to watch the pocket dimensions, in fact, she knew several of her peers who did so regularly, but James had never felt the urge.
Until now.
“Just a quick peek, then I’ll greet my next human.” She opened the book and put it into viewing mode.
...
Ugh, you really shouldn’t have bought this much stuff. You juggled the shopping bags awkwardly, but persevered forwards as best as you could. It wasn’t your fault that there was a sale on today, how could you resist getting an entire bag of fresh peaches? You wondered if you could figure out how to make peach lemonade. It was the height of summer and a refreshing drink sounded like heaven right about now.
At least your new sandals were working well. They had been a gift from your parents when they returned from their business trip, and they were as cool as they were durable.
You dodged around a bush so that the branches didn’t abduct any of your shopping, grateful that you were getting used to this route now. Although you had grown up in the area, you had never really had a reason to stray this far. Of course, not until you met him.
Ugh, him. He was perfect. No, he was beyond perfect.
You had found him by chance, and the first few weeks had been a whirlwind, but you knew, more than anything, that he was perfect for you.
And there he was, in all his perfection, as you finally reached your home.
Itachi.
He was standing in the chicken run, his long, dark hair swept up out of his face in a more stringent ponytail than normal. You had helped him with it before you left, after his fringe kept getting stuck to his skin. He was wearing a pair of incredibly short shorts, and a loose T-shirt that always fell away from his chest whenever he bent over. It was a personal favourite of yours, but one that you never let him wear outside of your own home.
Itachi must have heard you, because he turned, a grin lighting up his face. You could see he had a smudge of mud on the swell of his left cheek.
Itachi was utterly stunning. He took your breath away effortlessly, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Alpha!” he called, lifting one hand up in a wave. “Look!”
It took you a moment to understand what he wanted you to look at, but you eventually realised that he wasn’t waving; he was clutching two chicken eggs.
“Amazing!” you called back, approaching the back gate, but stopping at the fence as you realised you didn’t have free hands to unlock it.
“The chickens are finally old enough to lay eggs!” Itachi was practically beaming as he exited the run. A couple of chickens attempted to make an escape, but Itachi flicked his fingers and gently knocked them back with magic. “Look!” He came right up to you now, letting you into the garden, and holding the eggs in front of your face.
“That’s brilliant, ‘tachi. Why don’t you help me get all this unpacked inside, and we can cook the eggs for some lunch. I have some peaches and lemons for lemonade, too.”
You both headed into the kitchen through the back door. You dumped everything on the table and gratefully slumped into a chair, thankful to be out of the hot sun. Itachi practically floated around the kitchen, still beaming. He unpacked what he needed and immediately started making lunch. He settled on shakshuka with the fated peach lemonade.
It was with great amusement that you watched Itachi don his cooking apron, the one you’d specially embroidered with ‘Proud Chicken Oma’.
After you had cooled down a little, you slowly unpacked the rest of the shopping, until Itachi called you over to the oven.
“I’m going to fry the eggs,” he said, sounding giddy. You had known that he wanted chickens, you did too, but the genuine joy that they gave him still surprised you. You felt so incredibly lucky that you had literally wandered into his life by accident, and that he had allowed you to stay.
“Let me watch.” You hugged him from behind and peered over his shoulder. And if you also took a quick sneaky look down his shirt while you were there, well, no one could prove it. It was probably too hot for hugs, but you couldn’t make yourself let go. You nuzzled into the area where you would one day put your bond mark, but for now lay unbroken skin.
Itachi wanted you to meet each other’s families before you properly bonded. Hopefully that day would come sooner rather than later, because having him walk around without your claim was driving you mad.
Itachi cracked the egg into the pan, and perhaps you were too much of a sappy romantic, but the lucky double yolk that it contained felt symbolic.
…
The silence was thick enough to cut. You took a sip of your tea to try and stave off the awkwardness, but it didn’t help.
You were sitting at your kitchen table with Itachi and his parents. Sasuke had been sent out to collect some eggs, most likely so Fugaku and Mikoto could talk to you alone, but even now that Sasuke was firmly outside, the silence remained heavy and oppressive.
“How long have you known each other?” Fugaku asked, finally breaking it.
“A few months, father.” Fugaku’s lips tightened and the lines around his eyes deepened. You got the vibe that he wasn’t happy with that answer. It was such a shame that Itachi cared about their opinions.
“And how did you meet?”
You cleared your throat, “Itachi found me unconscious in a snowstorm and nursed me back to health.”
There was a beat of silence, before Mikoto spoke. “Then you owe my son a life debt, you would do well to remember that.”
You were really getting the vibe that they didn’t like you. It was for that reason, that you hastened to reassure them that you had been looking after Itachi as well.
“Oh! Well, I returned the favour by giving Itachi my cloak when all his clothes were destroyed in the middle of the woods.”
Itachi immediately went red faced, and held up his hands, sputtering. Oh, whoops. That definitely sounded like you had been fucking in the woods. Of course, you had actually fucked in those woods, but that wasn’t what you meant to share with his parents of all people.
“We didn’t—It was an Amplexus plant!” Itachi explained hurriedly, his face continuing to darken. “I needed the seeds for a potion, and it got a hold of me, that’s all!”
Itachi’s panicked explanation broke the tension, as his mother started giggling, and his father sighed and put his face in his palm.
“Sasuke is our only hope,” Fugaku muttered.
It was at that moment that a squawk sounded from outside. Sasuke’s dulcet tones followed shortly afterwards.
“Try that again, you glorified rat, and I’ll burn off all your feathers, I fucking mean it, I—”
Fugaku sighed again and downed the rest of his tea like it was the alcohol he clearly needed.
…
There was no sweeter smell in the world than the one of yours and Itachi’s scents mingling together. And while you were certain many other alphas would say the same about them and their omegas, you were pretty sure you were right.
You panted onto Itachi’s neck, basically drooling. A joint heat and rut wasn’t the greatest for practical reasons, but fuck, if it wasn’t the perfect time to exchange mating bites.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Itachi slurred, hips rocking up to meet yours at every thrust. “Bite me, alpha, claim me, please!”
You groaned, knot already catching on his rim. It was getting harder and harder to control yourself. Itachi mouthed at the juncture between your shoulder and neck, the place where he would soon be placing your bite, and your self-control collapsed like a house of cards.
Your knot tied you and Itachi together, plunging you both into an orgasm. Somewhere, through the haze, your teeth managed to find their mark. You bit down just as you started filling Itachi with your cum. Itachi seized but managed to bite back.
You rode the waves together. It was the longest orgasm of your life, and by far the most powerful. Your mind was clouded with lust and emotion. Every instinct in your body was screaming, but they were all screaming different things; it was making you dizzy.
Protect him.
Make him scream.
Get him pregnant.
Hide him away.
Show him off.
Love him. Love him. Love him.
Yes, yes, you were going to love him, you did love him… And everything was going to be perfect.
…
You ran out of your joint bedroom potions lab barefoot, having abandoned your slippers in your haste.
“Itachi! There’s been an incident!”
You heard a crash from the kitchen, and quickly, Itachi came racing out to meet you in the living room.
“What is it? What’s going on?!” He scanned you from head to toe but couldn’t see an injury. He had known that you were playing with magic, and he was rightfully worried about what you had managed to do.
“It’s gone,” you said, wide eyed.
“What’s gone?!”
“My dick.”
Itachi blinked at you, processing, before his face morphed into something horrified.
“What? How can—?! What were you doing?! What do you mean gone?!” He grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you roughly. “Tell me what happened!”
“I was just playing around and then suddenly it was gone,” you explained, wringing your hands.
“What spell did you use?” Itachi asked frantically. “I can reverse it. We can figure it out!”
“I don’t know… I mean, at least I’m still alive right? It could have been worse.”
Itachi was still horrified, and you’d wager that he didn’t agree with you.
“No! I mean, yes, but we still need to fix it. Let me see!” He knelt down and started to aggressively tug down your shorts and underwear. “Maybe I can perform a reversal of—”
He managed to get the fabric down and out popped your dick, unharmed and just as it always was. Itachi blinked at it. You started cracking up, unable to hold the laughter in anymore. Itachi, realising that he’d been pranked, scowled at you.
He stood, crossing his arms and huffing. “That wasn’t funny.”
“Yes, it was,” you laughed, wiping away your tears. “You’re completely obsessed with my dick, I knew it! I’m just a glorified dildo to you, huh?”
“You’re being ridiculous.” Itachi had delightfully rosy cheeks.
“Am I? So, you don’t want to suck it?” You playfully shook your hips, wiggling your dick, playfully.
Itachi wavered. You waited patiently.
“This has nothing to do with anything,” he said, kneeling down in front of you.
“Whatever you say, darling.”
“Shut up!”
He was so much fun to tease. Hopefully, he never found out that you had the same obsession with his nipples.
…
“We do need more space, but I still want to maintain that cosy vibe, you know?”
“I agree. We could always increase the number of rooms, but still have them all be fairly small and closed off.”
You and Itachi were pouring over several sketches, trying to design your new home. You had decided to move closer to the nearest town, although you were still staying firmly in the woods because neither of you wanted to give up your private sanctuary. You also just needed more space. You needed a bigger dining table, more bedrooms, a separate potions lab, and crucially more storage space so that you didn’t come across snake eyes in the fridge when you were trying to make a sandwich.
Thankfully, with Itachi’s magic, the local builders, and the money sent from your parents, it was sure to be a smooth process.
“I think we should have a bedroom for Sasuke to use,” you said, tapping on an empty part of the proposed floorplan. “Not just a guest bedroom, but one that’s specifically his.”
Itachi nuzzled into your shoulder. “You wouldn’t mind? Because that would be amazing.”
“Of course not. He’ll be old enough to visit on his own soon, and I want to make sure he knows he’s welcome.” You liked Sasuke and you understood why Itachi loved him so much. He was like a tiny murder kitten that loved to scratch people. It was adorable.
“We have the pup rooms, the lab…” Itachi peered down at the paper. “Is that everything?”
You hummed, considering. “I think so. Unless you want a nesting room. Although, I’ve never seen you nest before, so if you don’t want one, that’s fine.”
“Oh.” Itachi was silent for a moment. “I’ve never tried nesting before.”
You immediately wished his parents would return so you could punch them in the face. Carefully keeping all the anger below the surface so you didn’t make Itachi think you were angry with him, you brushed some hair out of his face.
“Do you want to try it? We can try together, and if you like it, we can get a little nesting space added onto the master bedroom.”
Itachi smiled, looking unsure. “Okay. I suppose we can try it.”
…
“Well, I’m not an expert, but I think I can help with a simple nest layout.” You leant back and surveyed all the materials you had for nesting. Most of it was stuff that Itachi had made, some of it was things you had made, and a couple of pieces were from a craftsperson in town, made from rarer and more difficult materials. There was more than enough for a nice nest.
You slotted the heaviest duty and flattest pillows into the corner and arranged them in a double layer before securing them together with a sheet.
“One of my old partners used to arrange the base like this. It works well.”
Itachi growled and immediately destroyed the base, stacking it in a different way. Oh, yeah, whoops. Itachi was way too possessive for you to casually be bringing up old partners.
“You’ve had other omega partners?” he asked, still rearranging the base. His voice was carefully controlled, like he was trying to sound distracted, when in reality, his attention was fully on your answer.
“Yeah, I—” You paused, trying to retrieve the memories. It was strange… You could have sworn you had past partners but trying to grasp onto details felt like trying to catch smoke. You could see flashes of dates, gifts and physical features, but you couldn’t really make sense of it. You wondered if it was a side effect of the amnesia spell you’d had. You decided not to mention it in case Itachi got worried. “I’ve had a couple, but they didn’t go anywhere. It never felt right, y’know?”
Itachi hummed, reasonably placated.
You continued to help him with small suggestions until you recognised the signs of an omega in nest building mode. Instincts took over, and you leant back to let Itachi do it how he wanted to.
The nest was so very him, even for his first attempt. It was chaos, but organised chaos, with gentle colours and neutrals, and lots of wool.
Itachi sat back, blinking the daze away. “Now what?”
“Now you get in it.”
“And… what’s the point? What will being in it do?” He was staring at the nest reverently, and you knew he was going to like it.
“It should help you relax.”
Itachi bit his lip, but gingerly climbed in and tried to get himself comfortable. He fiddled with a few final pieces, but once he was settled, he sighed, seeming content.
After a few moments, he looked over at you. “Do you… want to come in, too?”
You grinned, and agreed, carefully climbing in and spooning your omega.
With you there with him, Itachi curled his legs up to his chest and went boneless. His purrs were so loud that you could feel them in your chest, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He nuzzled into the pillow his head was on, basking in the soft materials.
You kept holding him but tried to remain still so as to not disturb his first nesting experience. You didn’t want to distract him from his bliss. You were honestly so shocked that he had never nested before. Had his family kept him so busy from such a young age that he had never had the time?
You made a mental note to see if you could add a nesting nook for Sasuke’s room too, seeing as he was also an omega and had probably received similar treatment. If he couldn’t have one at home, at least he could have one here.
Suddenly, Itachi stopped purring.
“Is something wrong, baby?” you cooed, gently stroking his hair. “We can fix whatever it is, I promise.”
Itachi only whined, pushing his hips back into yours. He seemed really out of it, not that that was particularly surprising. If he’d been repressing himself, knowingly or not, for his entire life, then his instincts were going to try and take over the second they could.
“What do you need, omega? Come on, tell alpha.”
Itachi pouted, whining again. He shoved his hips back harder this time, like he was making a point. Oh.
“I see.” Your mind was racing at how hot he was. “Do you want to cockwarm, honey?”
Itachi nodded, his purring starting back up again now that you were understanding him. Oh, he was just the sweetest, horniest little thing and you would set the world on fire for him.
You carefully untucked your already half-hard cock, trying to avoid knocking anything out of place. When you were free, you tugged his trousers down and easily slipped inside him.
When your hips met his skin, Itachi purred louder than he had before, melting into the nest completely. His eyes rolled back, and he was lost in the fuzziness.
Okay… so you definitely needed that nesting room.
…
You looked around your new living room proudly, savouring the ‘new’ smell. The entire house was perfect. It kept the essence of the old one, but you had so much more space. No more tripping over cauldrons in the morning, or accidentally spilling powdered bone on the carpet when you were trying to clean.
You were almost finished with the unpacking. The house still seemed pretty empty, but that was good; the house would be able to grow with you.
Itachi had scurried off into the bedroom a few minutes ago with one of the boxes, but you were still sorting through living room stuff. You peered into the nearest box. And kitchen stuff apparently. Why did you own so many wooden spoons?
“Alpha?! Can you come help me with something, please?!” Itachi called from the bedroom.
You stood up, stretching out your sore arms, and then went over to the master bedroom. You pushed open the door easily.
“What do you ne—”
Suddenly, you were reminded of the very first time you had ever walked into Itachi’s bedroom in the old house, the time where he had been half naked and in the middle of changing.
Here, he was half-naked again, but this time it looked purposeful, because Itachi was wearing lingerie.
It was a two-piece set, made out of a dark blue silk that perfectly contrasted against Itachi’s pale skin. Embroidered on it were hundreds of tiny, silver stars, creating the image of a night’s sky. Extra pieces of gauzy, see through fabric had been attached to the top piece, which hide absolutely nothing, but acted as a delightful tease. The set was clearly hand made, and damn, he was again, taking your breath away.
“Well, hello,” you cooed, feeling that stupid horny alpha grin slide onto your face. “What’s all this?”
Itachi fidgeted bashfully as you approached. “It’s a surprise, a celebration for the new house.”
“It’s a lovely surprise.” You ran your hands over his heated skin, feeling the silk with your palms. You kissed him heavily, your fingers dancing along the edge of his panties. “This is perfect for the new house, do you know why?”
“Hm? Why?” Itachi moaned, tilting his neck submissively, and giving you access to his bond mark. You nipped around the scar before answering.
“Because we still need to break in the new bed.”
…
“That will be 500 ryo, thank you.” The man handed you the requested amount and took the pouch of amethyst dust in return.
“How many enchanted apples for these?” a little boy asked, holding up a lovely bouquet of flowers. Oh yes, he was the florist’s son, you remembered.
“Hmm,” you took the flowers and appraised them. “How about three?” The boy nodded enthusiastically and grabbed three apples before running home. These flowers would be a lovely surprise for Itachi.
“Do you have any more of the inflammation potions?” an old man asked, approaching the store. You recognised him immediately and put the flowers down, ready for a likely lengthy and completely inappropriate discussion. “They’re great for the old joints.”
“We have three left. How many would you like?”
“I’ll take the lot, thank you.” You wrapped the order up and passed it over. He handed you money in return. “Thank you. There’s a lot of downsides to getting old, but the joint pain is the worst of it in my opinion. At least I don’t have to put up with heats anymore. They’re great fun when you’re young, but when your back starts to go, well, you find yourself wishing them away.”
You hummed politely.
“This is why it’s so important for alphas to hone their skills in bed. I can’t count the number of times a young alpha has believed they don’t need to worry about sex skills because an omega in heat is so far gone that everything feels good, but one day the heats will stop, and besides, some of the best sex happens outside of heats and ruts and all that nonsense.”
You laughed, shaking your head. Why did your market stall always attract the weirdest advice and clientele?
“I’d wager you know all about that though. Has Itachi come home with any surprises lately?” You must have looked surprised, because the man winked. “Who do you think taught him how to embroider silk?”
You snorted. Of course. You made sure to slip a complimentary headache potion in as a thank you.
…
“The bedding is all fresh and clean, we bought it especially, and this blanket, I knitted it for you so you’d be warm, it can get cold out here. Oh! And also—”
“I’m fine,” Sasuke said, a slight red flush on his cheeks. “You worry too much, big brother.”
You watched from the doorway as Itachi fussed over Sasuke. Now 14, he was old enough to make the journey here on his own, and this would be the first time he was making proper use of his room. Itachi had been driving himself crazy trying to make everything perfect. You reckoned he was trying to ensure Sasuke had a good enough time that he’d want to come back.
Itachi’s face screwed up in indecision. “Maybe I should get another blanket for you, just in case.”
“Brother—” Too late. Itachi left the room to grab another blanket, leaving you and Sasuke alone. He glared at you harshly. Oh dear, here came the kitten claws.
“I know several spells that would remove all the parts needed to make sure you never touch my brother again. Just saying.” Sasuke crossed his arms and tried to look threatening. You had to try to keep your giggles under controls.
“Itachi wouldn’t like that very much,” you said lightly, remembering his reaction to your ‘I accidentally spelled my dick away’ prank. “And besides, that would be a very rude thing to do to the person hosting you.”
Sasuke growled, but you only raised an eyebrow at him.
“What’s going on?” Itachi walked in, another blanket bundled up in his arms.
You immediately snitched. “Your brother is threatening to cut my dick off.”
Itachi gasped, “Sasuke!”
Sasuke glared at you, but you only stuck your tongue out at him. You were seriously looking forward to the next week.
…
“So!” you clapped your hands together and looked eagerly around at all the potion supplies. “What potion am I learning today?”
You had been having Itachi teach you magic since you moved in, and while you were hardly a prodigy like him and his brother, you were starting to get decent at it, especially potions.
“It’s a pretty simple one, but it requires exact temperature control,” Itachi explained, pulling over a small cauldron. “We’ll need to use runes to manage that.”
“Exciting,” you murmured, trying to recall which runes would work best for temperature control. Probably the same ones that Itachi carved on your hot chocolate mugs. “What does the potion do?”
Itachi smiled, “You’ll see when we’re done.”
“Nooo, Itachi,” you whined. “I want to know now.”
“Later, I promise.” He laughed as you pouted and starting rattling off the ingredients list. “Now, help me crush the beans.”
Time passed quickly as you concentrated on following the potion recipe as best as you could. Before long, it was a blinding white and gently steaming, just as the drawing on the recipe showed.
“It’s ready,” you said proudly, closing the lid on the jar of moss. “Now will you tell me what it does?”
“It needs some blood to work,” Itachi explained. He grabbed a sharp knife and held it to his finger.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Could my blood work instead?”
Itachi laughed lightly. “That wouldn’t work; it has to be me. Don’t worry, it will only be the slightest prick.”
You weren’t happy, but you allowed it, and two drops of Itachi’s blood fell into the cauldron. It immediately started bubbling.
“What’s supposed to happen?”
“Well, it will turn one of two colours.” Itachi leaned over the cauldron and watched intently. “Gold or black.” As he spoke the potion turned to a brilliant gold and Itachi beamed.
“What does gold mean?” you asked, wishing he would just explain what this potion was already.
“Gold means that the person who donated the blood is pregnant.”
“Right, okay, and what does black mea— Hang on, what did you say?”
“I’m pregnant,” he clarified, watching your reaction.
You swallowed heavily, “What?”
Itachi giggled, “I’m not going to say it again.”
“Holy shit.” Your brain blue screened for a moment, before it rebooted, and the phrase properly sank into your brain.
Itachi was pregnant. Pregnant. As in, there would shortly be a baby, your baby, and his baby.
“I love you,” you blurted out, wide eyed. “We are going to need so much baby stuff.”
Itachi laughed, tearing up. “We’ll figure it out.”
…
“You can do it, Daiki! Come on baby, walk to appa!” You were crouched on the floor, arms open and ready.
Daiki gave a little pup whine, but still tried, toddling over on unstable steps. He managed to get three good steps in before he fell into your arms. You caught him easily.
“Whoo! Look at that! You’re such a clever pup, isn’t that right?” You lifted up your baby and blew a raspberry on his stomach, dissolving him into giggles. Daiki did some proud wiggles as you put him back down, glancing over at Itachi for positive attention as well.
Itachi smiled, eyes glazed with sickness, from his position laying on the sofa. “Good job, baby.”
Daiki squealed, grinning and shoving a fist into his mouth.
Itachi was watching you both, even though he was unwell. This was the first time that he was properly ill since Daiki was born, and he was nervous about it. You had quickly learnt that Itachi had very low expectations of your parenting abilities. You tried your best not to take it personally, understanding that alpha parents in his family weren’t normally the most hands on, but it did sting sometimes. You were doing your best to prove him wrong.
Was it easy for you to do all the cooking, cleaning, childcare, and caring for Itachi at the same time? No.
But was it something you were happy to do while your partner recovered? Of course.
Speaking of caring for Itachi, you probably needed to resoak the flannel on his forehead. You shuffled over, keeping an eye on Daiki, and gently lifted the cloth. Like you’d expected, it felt warm to the touch.
You resoaked the flannel in the bowl of ice water and wringed it out before gently wiping down Itachi’s face.
“How are you feeling?” you asked softly, dabbing around his neck.
“I’m okay.” Itachi sighed and sent you a weak smile. “How are you—”
“Oma! Oma!” Daiki had crawled over to you both and grabbed a fistful of Itachi’s top to pull himself into a standing position. “Oma!”
“Careful, darling.” You unwrapped Daiki’s hands from Itachi’s top and supported him up yourself. He seemed to realise that something was wrong, because he blinked at you and Itachi, and curled in on himself unsurely.
“Oma?” he asked, bottom lip wobbling.
“Oma is poorly, but he’s okay,” you said softly, smoothing down Daiki’s hair. He looked unsure, but he eventually nodded and patted Itachi gently on the arm. Itachi took his hand and covered it in kisses, and Daiki finally relaxed.
Suddenly, from the kitchen, you heard the sound of dinner boiling over.
“Oh! Come on Daiki, we have to go and save dinner!” You stood up, picking up your pup as you did.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to do something?” Itachi asked, sitting up slightly.
“Rest.” You stared him into submission, and Itachi reluctantly laid back down. “I can handle everything, trust me.”
Itachi still wasn’t comfortable relinquishing control, but you’d get there. For now, you had a sick omega and a needy pup to tend to.
…
You pottered around the kitchen, putting away the washing up, while Sasuke diligently took notes on spellcrafting at the kitchen table. You were used to him being around by this point, as he had moved in five months ago to take a magical apprenticeship under Itachi. As you understood it, his parents had encouraged him to stay in their village for his apprenticeship, but Sasuke had insisted that Itachi teach him.
Thankfully he had mellowed out a lot, and now when he threatened to cut off your dick, he was only joking.
At least you hoped he was joking.
Itachi was out today manning the stall in town, which meant you were holding down the fort and looking after Daiki.
The pup in question was currently playing in the garden with Sasuke’s cat, who was just as prickly as him, but had a soft spot for Daiki. At four years old, you were okay to let him play alone as long as he didn’t leave the fenced in section, and you could see him from the kitchen window.
Sasuke sighed, putting down his pen to rub at his temples.
“Having trouble with the spellcraft?”
“No.” He gave you no other information, so you decided to pour him a glass of orange juice as a peace offering and sit down with him. Clearly something was weighing on the teenager.
“Is something wrong, Sasuke?”
“No.” It was a predictable Sasuke response that you didn’t buy for even a second.
You knew that he’d need a bit more prying. “Are you sure?”
Sasuke hesitated. You remained entirely silent as he battled with himself, knowing that any amount of encouragement would only cause him to clam up. Eventually, he spoke, his words coming out slowly. “My father sent me a message.”
“I see.”
“He wants me to come back home, now. He said he’s found me another teacher.”
You nodded, and carefully kept judgement out of your words. “And how does that make you feel?” Sasuke shrugged, playing with the pencil. “You know that you’re always, always welcome here, Sasuke, never doubt that. Even if you decide to stop studying under Itachi, you can always stay here or visit as often as you want.”
Sasuke’s shoulders relaxed and you knew you’d hit the nail on the head. “Okay.”
“Do you want me to tell your father that you’re extending your apprenticeship here?” Sasuke nodded, looked relieved. You gave him an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder, and he relaxed even further.
“Thanks,” he muttered, sipping his orange juice.
“Of course; you’re family.”
Outside, the chickens started squawking, which was your cue to go and grab Daiki, so you left Sasuke at the table and went out into the garden. “Daiki, what did I say about messing with the chickens?”
But it wasn’t Daiki, it was Itachi getting home that had set them all off. He was carrying multiple bags on his shoulders, and he looked incredibly winded. You ran over to grab the bags.
“Are you okay? Come on in.” Itachi panted and followed you inside. He looked completely exhausted; even Sasuke jumped up to help when he saw the state that his brother was in.
“What happened?” Sasuke demanded.
“Nothing, nothing, I’m just winded from the walk.”
“Bullshit!” Sasuke swore, putting a hand on his brother’s forehead. “You shouldn’t be this tired from a thirty-minute walk.”
“Sasuke, don’t swear,” Itachi reprimanded. “I’m just tired, nothing more.”
You raised an eyebrow, grabbing him a glass of water, but making sure he knew that you didn’t believe him. Itachi took the glass gratefully and downed the whole thing.
When it became clear that neither you nor Sasuke would be letting the issue go, Itachi sagged down in his chair.
“It’s nothing, really,” he insisted. “I think—Well, I’m pretty sure I’m tired because—”
“Because?”
“Because I’m pregnant,” he blurted out, looking to you bashfully. “I’m sorry, I was going to tell you soon, I just hadn’t decided how yet.”
“Wha—Really? That’s amazing!” All your previous suspicions were forgotten, and you hugged Itachi tightly, feeling giddy at the amazing news.
Sasuke sent you a suspicious glare, but he had long since made peace with the fact that you and Itachi were having sex as long as he was able to live in denial about it.
You laughed gleefully and covered Itachi’s face with kisses as he giggled. “I guess it’s only me on market duty for the next year then, huh?”
You filled up his glass again. Now that you knew he was pregnant, your instincts were going to remain in ‘overly doting’ mode for the foreseeable future.
“Actually, I was thinking…” Sasuke awkwardly trailed off, scuffing his feet on the ground. “Maybe I could take over some stuff with the market stall. We could open it more days a week then, and you could spend more time on parent duty or whatever. I mean, I still need to study, but I have some free time, and it would bring in some more money.”
You grinned, ruffling Sasuke’s hair. His sheepish expression melted into a petulant pout. “That’s an amazing idea! Seeing as you’re going to be around for at least another six months, it makes a lot of sense! I’ll take you with me a few times until you’re confident doing it alone, okay?”
He rolled his eyes, “It’s not hard.”
Itachi, pregnant and probably incredibly hormonal, burst into tears at the idea that Sasuke living with you would be a more permanent thing.
Sasuke, completely allergic to feelings, promptly fled the room with the excuse that he had to practice a potion, leaving you to delicately wipe Itachi’s tears away.
“I’m happy,” Itachi sobbed into your neck. “I’m so happy.”
“Me too, baby, me too.”
You were incredibly lucky to be able to say that and deeply and truly mean it.
…
James watched as the human alpha built a home with their children, their mate, their mate’s brother, their mate’s brother’s cat, and seven… turkeys? Something like that, James couldn’t quite remember the word for those tiny creatures.
The human was happy, and bizarrely, that made James feel happy too. The weird burning in her chest subsided, and she was able to close ‘Potions and Magic and Sex, Oh My!’, knowing that her human made the right choice.
It was with a light heart that James left the library to guide more humans, knowing that her human alpha was happy.
If you asked her, the human alpha had more than earnt a happy second life.
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