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From the very start, Neuvillette knew bearing immortal dragon babies sired by the Prime Adeptus and the Eleventh Harbinger would be a challenge. And sure enough, it was taking an important toll on his body which only increased as his pregnancy progressed. It left him constantly tired and aching, but he was prepared to face such inconveniences, and his dedicated mates helped to make his condition more tolerable.
However, what he never accounted for was how restless his children would turn out to be, though perhaps he should have expected it, considering who their parents were. No matter the time of the day, they kept squirming and wiggling within his womb, only coming at a rest when he paid them attention and laid a hand over his round belly, gently stroking them through his stretched skin until they calmed down.
The thing was, they happened to possess seemingly endless energy, and the second Neuvillette removed his touch, they returned to their previous antics. Most of the time, the Iudex didn’t mind it, even though it could get a tiny bit distracting. On the contrary, it filled his heart with joy, to know that his babies were growing strong and healthy. Their obvious impatience to meet him and go explore the world never failed to make him smile.
Their energetic behavior only became a real problem at night. With how his unborn children kept suckling at his elemental reverses to sustain their own development, draining him of his strength in the process, Neuvillette had come to value his rest immensely. However, sleep was hard to achieve when his fidgety babies refused to give him even a minute of respite.
He didn’t blame them, of course. If anything, the persistence with which the small dragons growing within him sought his attention only proved that they loved him already. That knowledge warmed his heart, but sadly, it did nothing to quell his exhaustion.
And so, Neuvillette would have probably gone through countless sleepless nights, had it not been for Childe and Zhongli.
Alerted by the way he kept shifting in their shared bed, unable to find a position where he wouldn’t feel the babies kicking, they soon started looking for a way to ease his discomfort.
Which was how Neuvillette found himself lying in bed with his fox mate sleeping curled up in a ball over his swollen belly. The warmth and light pressure provided by Childe’s fluffy body was all it took to soothe his usually hectic children.
On other nights, it was Zhongli who filled that role under his small dragon appearance, and it worked just as well, but for now, the consultant remained in his human form. He was resting on his side, with his arms tenderly wrapped over Neuvillette and his fingers tenderly stroking his snow-white hair to lull him into sleep.
This gentle treatment was quite effective, and the Iudex soon started drowsing off, his worn-out body immediately jumping on the opportunity to get some well-deserved rest. All his instincts were also at peace, knowing that he could leave the babies’ protection to the hands of his capable husbands. Nothing felt more reassuring and relaxing to him than being in his mates' company, so he made no effort to fight off the tiredness when his eyes fluttered shut.
Neuvillette also had a hunch that they better enjoy all the sleep they could get now, because if his babies remained as energetic and needy once they were born, all three of them would soon be running around to keep their reckless children out of trouble.