Master of Dragons Exploration

"I don't care about your gender any more. That was a long time ago, don't judge the new me on the old me." Ryuu laughed, though it would be a new experience, he would still try. "Besides, women can top men. But that's not for me. But it has something to do with it. Something rude. Anyway, do tell."

"I'm more concerned about where you're going with this sudden conversation change," Ermes said. "But we can get back to that later then. Yes, I meant you."

"Why did you not say?" Ryuu said, he didn't comment on the other things because that was just too much right now and he would only laugh. Not the right time for laughing.

"Oh I don't know," Ermes said. "Maybe it was because you made it clear in the beginning that that was not something that was an option. Or because you had already fallen in love with a woman who made the ultimate sacrifice for you and how was I ever supposed to come close to measuring up to that? Especially when you visited her every single day?"

"I'm not going to stop visiting her until she's reborn and I will still help her and Drake be together. It has been my purpose this entire time and I shall continue, but she doesn't hold my heart like she used too. I have had enough time to get over her and our love. And the first time we were intimate was right after, Ermes. That's not fair either. To expect me to have let her go immediately..." Ryuu was quiet for a moment as he thought about that for a moment. But then he shook his head and looked at her seriously. "Enough of this, Ermes. If we are going to put unfair expectations on each other, how are we going to work?"

"I am putting no such thing on you," Ermes said. "Nor did I fall in love with you the moment we were intimate either." That was laughable. The sex had been just that. Sex. Nothing more. But over time things had changed. It certainly wasn't immediate. "You asked why I never said back then and that was why." It had been near a hundred years since Ermes had given into Jiro. That was a long time.

"Because you thought I still had the same opinions I had years before? No, how is that fair without even a discussion," Ryuu asked. But how like a woman to not acknowledge the wrong on their part, only the males. If it continued he would need to remove himself.

"What? I never said any such thing," Ermes said. And now she was getting frustrated with him too. She had only answered his question. She hadn't said she had those very concerns still. Because if she did they'd certainly have come up with her asking about them and she hadn't.

"But at the time you had and..." Ryuu took a breath, because holy fuck. Women. So unreasonable. "And you've been somewhat overly expectant in this conversation, asking me to forget all my fears because that meant I lived in the past, etc etc. I'm just saying it's not going to work if that continues, from us both. Not just you. Us. If that's too much for you, perhaps we shouldn't continue at all. And save what we can of our friendship."

Ermes felt lost. She really didn't know what he wanted at all at this point. "Okay," she said. She wasn't sure how either of them were being unfair to each other. She knew him very well. She knew what to expect. Or at least she thought she did. And her fears all those years ago might have been valid but had she still had them she would have kicked him out of her bed last night and told him to sleep it off before talking to her about such things again.

"Okay, what?" Ryuu asked, because that was the worst response in regards of communication. He could tell she was going to be like that. "Should we both shower, eat breakfast and come back to this conversation? I currently feel as though if I am honest or speak my mind, or open up to you then you're going to be like...." He tried to think of a word, a way to put it without coming across bitchy. But she was going to sit there and pretend like she hadn't put her foot in her mouth, more than once. Or had unrealistic expectations of him. He had of her as well, clearly. "not awake enough to see the situation as it is and feel as though I'm the bad guy when I'm not." He would admit it if he was too.

Ermes looked even more confused. "What? Where does bad guy and good guy come into the conversation? We're just trying to be together, aren't we? I don't get it." But she realized that this was going somewhere far off where either of them had wanted it to go, or so she thought, so she just let it go. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. We can revisit this later."

"I want to be with you, but I can't when we are having a conversation and when I tell you my feelings, you act as though you never did that. Do you understand?" Ryuu said, he didn't think that was unreasonable. He just wanted his feelings to be acknowledged and not brushed aside as this or that. Perhaps she really was just too tired to understand. He did hope this wasn't how she behaved in a relationship.

"Yes," Ermes said. She rolled over so that her chest was against his side. "I don't care what you want of me. I just want to be with you."

She used the boobs. Bare breasts against his side. It was super effective. "I want to be with you, too." Ryuu said and laughed, he knew she'd done that on purpose and he was just amused that it worked.

Of course it worked. She had used her breasts against him before to great effect. He loved it, really. It was one of the few things she had on him. She smiled at his laughter. "Are you hungry?"

"For food, yes." Ryuu said, because her breasts had put other ideas in his head. But he was full of that for the minute. Didn't mean he wouldn't if she wanted.

She took that answer to mean that he didn't want. Which was fine. "The chef should have breakfast ready by now. Go shower. I'll meet you in the dining room."

A few months later

Ryuu was in the conservatory, drinking green tea and eating snacks. Just being lazy and looking at all the pretty plants and flowers they had growing. The weather was nice today too.

Ermes was not with him but she would be joining him soon. She was in her room looking at herself in the full length mirror. Things had changed. She had sickened, unable to keep most things down, and her energy had halved. She had been able to hide both things, not wanting to cause him unnecessary worry. Now her appetite was changing. She was hungry all the time but could only keep down the food about half.

That wasn't what had tipped her off though. It was the other change. Her clothes had started to not fit properly, to be just a little tight, and she'd taken to changing her style of dress to be tighter under her breasts (which had gotten even bigger if possible) and looser around her waist. Pulling the dress tight against her skin, the little bump was starting to show. She could feel the butterfly like movements inside that somehow gave her motion sickness while standing still.

She was pregnant.

She was elated. And also terrified. He had wanted to take this slow. They hadn't even told Jiro about their relationship yet. And this was going to ruin all of that. Would he be happy or angry? She had no idea.

Well, she wouldn't know until they spoke about it. She let her dress drop back into place and left her room to join him. Jiro would not be at the castle until later so this was her time to have the conversation with him. As he was expecting her, she sat down in a chair beside his own, feeling nervous.

"I made you ginger tea," Ryuu said, because while she could hide much, the sickly look after one has vomited was much harder to hide. He just assumed she was coming down with something. "It will help settle your stomach, though I hope you're feeling better today, my lovely." He said, he had taken her hand to help her sit, but he kissed it as she settled in the seat.

Ermes smiled. He was so attentive and thoughtful. So sweet. Had he truly noticed nothing shelse would have been worried. But that was not his way. "Thank you," she said and took a sip of the tea. Ginger was quite calming for her stomach. It was one of the things she kept down well. She had taken to ginger candies but the tea tasted lovely.

"I have something for you," she said and passed him a little box. Inside, nestled in soft moss, was a tiny dragon egg. It was gold in color and utterly cute. The instructions on the inside lid of the box said "crack me". Inside the egg was a tiny scroll that when unrolled announced that they were expecting.

"Have a missed an anniversary and been entirely fail?" Ryuu asked, worried as he took the gift. He didn't like to think he was like that. He didn't want to be that type of guy. He opened it and smiled, it was really cute. He did as directed. But when he read the note he just stared at it. He couldn't find words, he didn't know how he felt. Shocked?

"No," she'd answered with a little chuckle. She sipped on her tea and tried to not let her nerves make her stomach turn even worse than it already was. She remained quiet, watching him as he opened the egg and read the scroll. Oh but he wasn't saying anything. She felt like something was squeezing her heart within her chest. She understood the shock but what if he wasn't happy about it? What then?

"This..." Ryuu said, he was struggling. This wasn't something he thought he'd ever get to have. He wasn't sure if he should feel what way about it. Not so soon, not when Jiro hadn't been told yet. "I can't believe it, it's so soon." He said, standing up suddenly and stood in front of her. He took her cup of tea and put it on the table. Then he stood there for a moment, but then he suddenly grabbed her up and lifted her, pulling her against his chest as he grinned at her. "I'm going to be a dad?"