A/N: When I finished Dreams of Tenderness all those months ago, I said I would probably do a few short pieces about Erik's life with Danielle. Here it is. This will be more risqué than anything I've ever written before, so it might seem a little awkward to people who are more familiar with this type of content. This will never be rated higher than T, I assure you.
Dreams of Tenderness Drabbles
Drabble One: The Morning After
Erik couldn't remember feeling this warm in his life, not even in the baking sunlight of Persia. The hot sands may have scorched his skin, but the heat had never penetrated farther than that. At this moment, he was warm, not only on the outside, but also within. The sensation was strange, but he was too comfortable and satisfied to question it, at first.
Eventually, however, consciousness began to return fully, and it was accompanied by several puzzles. He felt lazy, as though he never wanted to get up again, and simply lay there for the rest of his life. This was odd because he was usually restless once he awoke. His eyes always snapped open, and stayed that way. He never floated in the haze of semi-consciousness, as he was now. Once he awoke, he had to be up and moving. His brilliant mind needed occupation, which meant no peace.
Right now, peace was practically oozing from him, and it nagged at him. Or rather, the unknown origin of this peace nagged at him. He couldn't imagine what could cause this serenity. Erik loathed it when he did not know something, especially something this important.
Despite his misgivings, he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. Erik reveled in the languor that had taken control of him. He didn't want it to end, which would have been the inevitable conclusion once he moved.
And there were other puzzles to solve. Why was he so warm, in the first place? It was nearing spring, and the ground had begun to thaw, but in the cellars, it was not unusual for the cold to linger much longer than it did aboveground. Erik began to realize that the warmth seemed to be coming from his left side. From there, it seeped into the rest of his body, filling him with a sense of harmony. Whatever was causing the heat was very soft. For a brief moment, he assumed it was a pillow, but it felt firmer than a pillow, somehow. It was moving, too. He could sense its soft breathing.
Normally, this would have alarmed him, but at the moment he had little space in his foggy mind for any emotion other than idle curiosity. He was also sleeping on his side, although he was accustomed to sleeping on his back.
Why am I naked, he thought, indolently. He never slept in the nude, but the texture of the silky fabric of the sheet on his bare skin assured him that he had the night before. He was vaguely aware that the form next to him was also undressed.
This suddenly roused him completely, and his eyes finally opened, widening immediately at the sight before him. Danielle, his mind screamed. Her serene expression almost calmed him, but his conscience would not be quieted.
What was she doing there? What had happened? What had he done to her? These questions and more raced through his brain, and he wanted to jump out of the bed as if he had caught on fire, but he was afraid to disturb her until he had a plan of action. She was laying on her side, facing him, her arms encircling his waist. His own arms were wrapped around her loosely, as if he had fallen asleep trusting that she would be there the next day.
A vortex of memories swept him away as he remembered the recent events. His life had certainly taken a turn for the best. She loved him, they had gotten married…he wasn't a virgin, anymore. He didn't know how to react to that development. Up until the very day of the ceremony, even up until the moment it had occurred, he hadn't dreamed that would happen. He wanted to dance for joy, and shout it to the heavens.
The happy grin on his exposed face slipped off as he thought of one fact: in the morning, people often regret the events of the night. Would Danielle regret it? If she did, Erik knew he was in for the worst day of his life. Really, it would probably be more like the worst period of my life, he thought bitterly. If she regretted their actions, she would hate him. She would never forgive him. Erik couldn't imagine what he would do, if that was the case. It would be better if he had never found love if it was just going to be snatched away by his own foolishness.
And he didn't want to hurt Danielle. He didn't want her to have any pain because of their rash actions, and he had no doubt that she would be miserable when she realized what she had given up to him.
Erik dreaded the moment when Danielle would wake up, and yet he hated the anticipation. He knew that this could be his last chance to hold her in his arms, or see that tranquil smile light up her face. He decided to simply enjoy it while it lasted. He pulled away a little to get a better look at her. Danielle mumbled something in her sleep, and snuggled closer to him. Erik froze, and then he melted. He was amazed that she could have that effect on him.
Danielle must have sensed that something was wrong because she opened her beautiful green eyes. Erik's anxiety heightened tenfold. For a moment, she seemed confused, but when she turned her gaze to Erik's face, the uncertainty disappeared, and she whispered, "I love you."
"I love you, too," Erik muttered, his voice thick with emotion. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her tenderly.
A/N: Be sure to tell me what kind of moments you would like to see. Eventually, I will probably have a baby in the picture. I also thought about giving Erik a chance to get a little revenge from Mathieu Latrec. Tell me what you think.