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Lilacs… Lavender… Roses… complimented with the softest wafts of musk…
Those combined scents filled Estinien's nose and mind as he dreamed of laying back in the softest of dark blue, rainbow cotton sheets, in Aymeric's bedchambers. And be utterly spoiled by the man. Wordless, yet meaningful, caresses around his body, along with heated kisses. Starting from his chin and his throat, trailing down his neck… Calloused, strong hands gently gripping at his thickening pecs… The kisses continued down towards his stomach, until…
Estinien grunted at a sudden movement from within followed by a swift kick to his insides startled him awake from his dream. Groggily and with a grumpy growl, he carefully sat up from his bedroll, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he took in his immediate surroundings. He was in the middle of the Shaaloani's southern scrublands. Having made a makeshift camp in a small clearing of brush, not many beasts would catch him unawares this way… Or rather catch them unawares, as the sprout kicked more firmly into his midsection.
"Mh!… Must you wake me so damn easily, little sprout…?" Estinien grumbled grumpily, giving his rounding stomach a light poke, before taking a second, more focused, look of his surroundings. All while trying to ignore the little kick he got in return.
Other than the smoldered remains of his campfire, his spear Nidhogg within arms' reach of his bedroll, and his bag of supplies- which included his armor… There was no one else here with him in the soft purple light of early dawn. And following it's light were the song of birds as they awoke. It was just himself, and the little bundle of life that was squirming inside him and kicking at his organs, making themselves known to him clearer than ever.
Sighing and laying back down, futility shutting his eyes, Estinien tried to focus back on getting some more sleep… Instead of falling back asleep entirely, he was starting to remember just how he ended up like this. Just a few weeks after saving Azdaja's life from the Thirteenth and returning her to Vrtra, but before taking voyage to Tural….
He… He may or may not have paid a surprise night visit to the Lord Commander himself back in Ishgard. He was desperate for Aymeric's touch, his soft, almost delicate version of affection. One thing had lead to another and they were soon practically rutting into each other like gods damn rabbits… Anything to help drive away the memories of the horrors that they'd both faced during the Final Days, before the event was completely thwarted.... and maybe shutting out the images of all the voidsent of the Thirteenth Star out of his own mind.
He then remembered the misty morning after it all… He had ignored his sore hips, still shaky legs, bruised up back and shoulders and was getting ready to leave before the city of Ishgard awoke… Oh how Aymeric managed to reach and grab him down for a parting kiss… and a final conversation before he had to leave for Old Sharlayan and then for Limsa Lominsa.
"Are you sure you must leave so soon?"
"Ishgard doesn't need me… Not anymore"
"Estinien… Friend… Beloved by both myself and by the Warrior of Light… "
"I'm now able to fly free, go anywhere I wish to… but I'll still return, to you , Aymeric…"
Estinien sighed through his nose as he slowly cracked open his eyes again as he remembered that promise, the sky having lightened to a soft blue, a familiar band of light rising up from the east, the birdsong quickly being joined by the chirp and thrill of unknown vilekin. He carefully sat up, and moved to at least stand. Grunting a little at the subtle shifting weight within him.
In all honesty, he didn't know he was carrying the stowaway sprout until his armor started to not quite fit him anymore in his midsection… Not to mention feeling a touch queasy every so often in the weeks before, but he'd always shrugged it off as bad food or water messing with his insides. It was fully cemented to him when the sprout started to move a couple weeks ago, and their kicks were getting stronger seemingly after almost every passing day.
He huffed in annoyance as he started packing up to leave, mentally reminding himself. He could still jump and move, he could still fight. Hells, Nidhogg seemed to've grown fiercer when handled lately, cutting through beasts with new purpose… to protect them both. Then again, Estinien wasn't going to question nor reject this new development.
Finishing packing his things, taking up Nidhogg as he stood, lazily kicking across the remains of his campfire to further cover that he wasn't here. Though he couldn't stop a low growling groan as he hefted his bag up and got it across his shoulders- his back was aching already- as though he never gotten a fairly decent amount of rest… And it didn't help that he was feeling a mild tightness across his lower stomach. And while the tightness went away after a few seconds, it further cemented a dreadful thought that he's been resisting for weeks.
He knows he can't keep going like this. Only a few more moons and he'll be pushing out this sprog like he'd once seen his mother done with his brother an age ago- this fear cutting deeply into him… Then again, he could always contact Aureliana… or Fahvih, once he thinks needed their expertise in this… Though he remembered another truth about this pregnancy that he was still gnawing on in indecision.
Aymeric doesn't know about this.
And the man likely never will at the rate he was going. Estinien inwardly sighed as he started walking on the path he was originally taking before it got dark. Not unless Aure or Fahvih dare to tell him after the fact- or gods help him, they tell Alphinaud and Alisaie as well- he'll NEVER hear the end of it from either of them.
Decisions, decisions… Though as he walked the path towards the main road, Estinien could have sworn he'd smelled that exact mixture of flora in his dream.
Lilacs… Lavender… Roses… and musk…
Shutting his eyes and shaking his head as he kept walking, making to the main road after a few minutes. It was probably nothing more than this pregnancy messing with his senses more than anything… And with that in mind, he couldn't help but notice that the sprout finally calmed down inside him, having stopped kicking.
'After all that fussing earlier, you're finally asleep, eh?' Estinien inwardly thought, taking a slight moment to caress his stomach before focusing on the road ahead of him. No-one needed to know about them at that moment… This was fine.
They will both be fine.