Aftermath (A series of ELOD one-shots)

XXIV. Absolution

A/N:  An M chapter. Nothing explicit or steamy, but it's there, towards the end, so I thought I'd put in a warning. But basically, just a short one-shot of our couple doing sweet pillow talk, and then some.

Took place during the early stages of FJ's pregnancy. Again, one chronologically-challenged writer here. =) Come to think of it, since an immortal's pregnancy is three years, would that mean that the first trimester would be on the first year? Just wondering, haha.

Disclaimer: Lovely artwork not mine, ctto.

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Fengjiu woke up in the middle of the night, wrapped snugly in a quilt and ensconced in her husband's arms, feeling unbearably hot.

She had been waking up like this every night for the past several weeks or so. At first she was able to calm herself down with some breathing exercises and go back to sleep without Donghua noticing. Taking cool baths before bed seemed to help ease the tension also, as well as drinking lots of calming tea.

But lately it has been getting harder and harder, and tonight...Fengjiu felt like she would spontaneously combust if she did not get what she needed right about now.

Mind made up, she raised a hand and traced Donghua's lips with a probing, gentle finger.

He didn't wake up, so she continued her quest, moving her fingers from his lips to his nose, up his forehead, then back down to his eyelids. He scrunched his nose - somehow managing to look so elegant doing it, even while fast asleep - earning a soft giggle from her. Undaunted, her curious fingers traveled up to his temple, then to his ear, down to his jaw, chin, and back to his lips...

This time Donghua made a deep sound in his throat. Eyelids fluttered open to regard her drowsily. "What's wrong?" he asked, voice thick with sleep. "Are you cold?"

"No," she whispered back, letting his husky voice wash over her. "I actually feel a bit hot."

"Hmmm." The arm pillowing her head moved, and she realized that he was weaving some spell to lower the temperature in the room. "There."

The cool air felt good, but it was not what she wanted. Why is this so hard to do? And why is Donghua going back to sleep?

"Hey." She tugged on his chin, pulling him right out of slumber. "Wake up."

"Xiaobai, what's wrong?" This time he lifted his head up to inspect her with slightly worried eyes. "Are you feeling hurt anywhere?" His hand, wrapped around her waist, moved so that it rested on her stomach. His eyes widened. "Isn't it too early for labor?"

She gave a low chuckle at his discomfiture. "I'm just several months along, Donghua. We still have years to go." She grabbed his hand and used it to tug him closer. "I can't sleep."

Now fully awake, it took him all of two seconds to get her meaning. "No," he replied at once, removing his hand and tugging the quilt tighter around her. "Go back to sleep, Xiaobai."