Like a Feather Tickling My Heart

7 The First Day as a Married Couple

Zhu Hong woke up with a smile. He looked at the ceiling of the familiar room, feeling as if things were suddenly different. Well, that wasn't wrong. From today onward, he was not a single man any longer. Instead, he was somebody's husband.

Going forward, it would be his task to take care of Zhen Zhu, to make sure that he wouldn't get into danger and would not suffer from hunger or cold. He had to ensure his happiness. In that way, he would also ensure his own.

What had originally seemed a little daunting was now something that filled him with excitement for the future. Not living alone in this house, waking up together with somebody, going to sleep together, ... he felt that this was something that would enrich his life.

Even though he didn't share the feeling that other dragons held for their phoenixes, that didn't mean that he was unhappy. Having a person at your side that you could share your life with ... that was a special type of joy. At the very least, it was to him. Maybe others would not be able to live like this but he felt that if he had the choice again, he would do it all over. He would pick that pearl-white egg with the faint apricot markings that had looked a dusty gray at first and carry it down the mountain, presenting it as the one he had chosen as his spouse. And then, he would use every following day of his life to stand behind that decision.

Serenity entered his eyes and he reached up to his chest where he could feel a faint weight. As it seemed, his husband had snuggled up to him at night. That, as well, was something that he quite enjoyed.

Zhu Hong wanted to rub Zhen Zhu's head, sliding his fingers through the silky white hair but instead, he was greeted by fluffy feathers.

His brows shot up and he looked down, finding a little white bird on top of his chest. Well, that was unexpected. Even more unexpected was the fact that the small bird that had still fit between his two hands yesterday without needing to spread his fingers too far apart was now at least twice the size. Apparently, he had grown quite a bit overnight.

Zhu Hong continued to look at him, not quite sure what to make of this. Contrary to other species, a phoenix was supposed to be an adult when it hatched. So to be honest, he had been a little surprised when he saw Zhen Zhu still being so small yesterday. His heart had only calmed down when he saw him transform into a youth that was clearly not a child anymore. Otherwise, that really would've been too awkward.

Now, it seemed that the phoenix form was slightly lacking behind. Was this something that was usually like this? Or could it be that something was wrong with Zhen Zhu because of the long time he had spent as an egg on the mountain?

Zhu hong immediately started to worry when he thought of that question. He might be able to ask Zhen Zhu himself when he woke up but he was afraid to hurt his self-esteem if there really was something wrong. No, it would probably be better to go and ask Elder Bi later on. He had a spouse of his own so he should differently now. And at his age, he'd also definitely seen several weddings happen already.

To be honest, even Zhu Hong himself had been a guest to a handful of weddings since the whole tribe would usually come together to celebrate. But, unfortunately, he had still been young at that time and not really cared about it. Somebody else taking a spouse ... he had never felt that it had anything to do with him. Also, the scene of the phoenix being handed over was something he had never seen since it was usually only the Elders that were around at that point unless one was family. Now, his lackadaisical attitude at the beginning of his life came back to bite him. Well, he probably deserved it. In the future, he would need to make up for it so that he could ensure that he was able to take care of his spouse well.

While thinking about all these questions, Zhu Hong had started to absentmindedly brush through the feathers of the little phoenix.

Zhen Zhu happily snuggled up closer against his chest, enjoying the feeling of that big, warm palm brushing over his body in his half-asleep state. He was clearly far from really waking up.