Feng Jiu's eyes widened at the shock of pleasure that course through her the second his lips touched hers for the first time.  It was only for a few seconds as he drew back almost immediately but his eyes remained fixed on hers, holding her gaze with his own, as his arms encircled her waist drawing her closer to him.     She swallowed hard at the tenderness she saw in his eyes and found that she could not look away, could not imagine looking anywhere but at the endless depth of his dark eyes.  He had such beautiful eyes and when they looked at her the way they were doing now she found them simply irresistible.  Her lips parted involuntarily as one of his hands rose up to cup her cheeks gently when he suddenly leaned down to claim a second kiss.  He took his time with this kiss, tasting the pleasure of her lips as it softened beneath his own.  As he deepened the kiss, Feng Jiu could feel herself melting into him as all coherent thought fled from her mind.  All she could think about was that she never wanted this moment to end.  She opened her mouth instinctively and his tongue tangled with hers, tasting her, making them both groan from the intense pleasure of it.  Soon, he was no longer gentle with her as he increased the intensity of his kiss.  She moaned, this was almost too much to bear.  She felt the fire of his possessiveness as he molded her to him not breaking the contact of their lips as if laying a claim on her.  But truly, he need not even stake his claim for she has been his for a long time now even as they've only become truly aware of it at this moment. She put her arms around his waist burrowing herself into him.  Their mouths meeting again and again in a frenzy of kisses, a manifestation of the yearning that has steadily been building up between the two of them. Finally, they drew apart, but only because they needed to breath, both still gasping, both panting hard, as he placed his forehead against hers.  In the millions of years that he has lived, he has never once felt anything akin to the way he felt about her. 

"Dijun..." she murmured dazed and confused at the feelings that continued to course through her, at the feelings he incited in her.   For awhile, she had tried to guard herself against him, convincing herself that she was just there to pay off a life debt.   That any emotion that she may feel for him was just one of gratitude and nothing more.  She had been so afraid to fall for him not wanting to get mired in a one sided love affair knowing that he, with his stone cold heart, was not made to love someone, his life having been dedicated solely to the pleasure of the Universe.  She hadn't wanted to play the part of a tragic heroine in the midst of an unrequited love story.  However, with his goodness and fierce resolve to do what's right for the world he had been tasked to save, he had slowly chipped away the shield that she had constructed around her heart.  As she spent more and more time with him, she slowly surrendered her heart into his keeping as she realized that beneath the solitary God lay the beating heart of a man who also craved for companionship and love.  She didn't know if he would ever act upon it with her, or even act upon it at all but she had thrown caution in the wind finally accepting that falling for him had been inevitable from the very start.  She had mentally prepared herself, though, for any disappointment in his response to her.  However, as he stole her first kiss and then her second, she felt a stirring of hope rising up in her that she could no longer suppress.

He could feel her trembling in his arms now as his hands traced a soft pattern on her lips and cheeks, the sweet taste of her mouth still lingering on his tongue.  She tasted like an aphrodisiac tempting him to act upon his baser instincts.   When she finally raised her head to look up at him, he felt his breath hitch and his heart constrict at the unmistakable look of love that he could see in them.  Is this what it feels like to be in love?  He was a novice at it and he was nervous for the first time in his life.  "Call me Donghua. Not Dijun. Not Donghua Dijun.  Just Donghua." He ordered softly wanting the intimacy of hearing his name on her lips. He continued to touch her ever so lightly but with an unmistakable determination as if wanting to memorize every nuance of her face, drinking in every emotion that he could see on her face.

"Donghua."  she finally whispered, her voice hoarse and a little uncertain.  As he heard his name tumble forth from her lips for the first time, he felt its soft caress coating his heart and melting it.  "Umm, it doesn't seem to be all that proper for me to call you that." She exclaimed, suddenly feeling shy and a little bit self conscious. Calling the Supreme God of the Universe, the Unifier of all the Realms by his given name should not be done casually for he was born of the Heavens themselves.   She knew that no one has ever been allowed to do so, not the monarchs of the different realms, not Tianjun, and not even those he considered his friends.  There was no precedent to it but the permission to do so could not be considered as anything less than a privilege, a declaration of love, for it was something that he has never bestowed upon anyone except for her, the person who had captured his heart.

"Say it again. I like hearing you call me by my real name. It makes me happy."  He admitted to her because he knew that only with her could he appear vulnerable.  He knows that she'll keep him and his heart safe.

"Donghua... I like you Donghua."  she said, finally giving him the words his heart has wanted to hear but daren't ask for. "I like you, Donghua, I like you, Donghua, I like you, Donghua."  she chanted, letting his name and those important words roll off her tongue as if trying to practice getting used to them. He felt his heart soar as he blinked back a little mist that had form in his eyes.  "I'll call you by your name when it's just us, when we're alone and in private, all right Donghua?" A compromise was offered.  It was simple enough a request to make him happy and so she agreed because nothing was more important to her than making him happy.  

 "Yes, when we're alone."  he conceded knowing that she will be too shy to do it in front of others.  It was enough for him, though, that when they were in their own little world, she will call him by a name that no one else does.  "I like you, too." he said as he bent down to give her another kiss finally giving voice to the words that have been hiding in his heart, desperate to break out.  

***

"I'm sorry I'm late Donghua. I needed to show Xiao Wu, the new girl I was telling you about, how to mix the ingredient for the new pastry that we're experimenting with."  Feng Jiu said as she hurriedly entered into the private residential quarters of Dijun carrying with her a tray with soup and several dishes on it.  Since the day they had confess their feelings towards each other,  they had gotten into the habit of having dinner together whenever Feng Jiu didn't have work.  As Donghua was... Donghua, he could set any schedule he wanted.  However, Feng Jiu was not as lucky when it comes to free time as she had a job to do and she had to follow the schedule as dictated by Master Shi Ran so they met only when she was free to his utter vexation

When Donghua had first found out that she was frequently on night shift and would not be available at least four times a week, he had instructed Chonglin to arrange Xiao Jiu's schedule in the kitchen in such a way that her work was kept light and she need not work the tiring night schedule.  Chonglin was immune now from being surprised at any instructions coming from Dijun when it comes to Xiao Jiu so he had dutifully, in his usual efficient manner rearranged Xiao Jiu's schedule to be presented to Master Shi Ran. Before submitting it to the head chef, he had  consulted Xiao Jiu over the newly formed schedule to ask her if she wanted anything else modified.  When she had seen the rearranged schedule and found out that it was upon the the behest of Dijun, she had been in turn incredulous and appalled.  She had insisted that Chonglin not tamper with the kitchen's scheduling of the shifts. However, not even for Xiao Jiu can Chonglin disobey an order from Donghua Dijun.  When Chonglin wouldn't budge despite her cajoling, Xiao Jiu had declared that she would be the one to talk to Dijun.  Chonglin's pleas to her to just follow whatever Dijun wanted and not to argue with him had fallen on deaf ears.  And as Xiao Jiu marched into Dijun's study to "discuss" the matter with him,  Chonglin had opted to remain outside not wanting to be placed in the middle of the discussion.  He just continued to tweak her schedule knowing that in the end, Dijun would prevail as he always did because he was the Supreme God of the Universe and he brooked no oppositions to his orders.  Clearly, Xiao Jiu did not know yet how imposing and stubborn Dijun could be but she would soon find out. When Dijun gave an order, it was followed to the letter.   However, it turned out that it was actually Chonglin who did not understand the dynamic between the two of them because when he was summoned by Dijun later on to his study after Xiao Jiu had left, there was a resigned look on his master's face as he instructed him not to change any of the kitchen schedule any more.  Apparently, Xiao Jiu can be even more stubborn than Dijun.

"It's all right.  I just got here anyway. I just finished meeting up with Liansong." he said looking a little distracted as he sat down.  She immediately started arranging the dishes on the table placing different viands on his bowl.  She knew he had met with 3rd Prince Liansong in the afternoon and it was for an urgent thing as normally he would not skip their cooking sessions.  She didn't realize, though, that it had run for so long.  He looked tired.  Xiao Jiu took his bowl of soup and started feeding him seeing that he was too preoccupied to eat himself.

"What happened? Have they finished the report?" she asked knowing that he has been waiting for the full investigation reports of the Qingtian Beast incident.  He shook his head. 

"They need more time as they still can't figure out the exact method that was used to unseal the ward.  I might have to go myself.  There's actually another ward that they found unsealed.  This one is located in the Fanyin Valley Belt where the Yi Mao Beast is sealed.  They don't know how long the ward has been empty but there's no report yet of the whereabouts of the Beast.  Liansong and Mo Yuan are feeling a bit apprehensive."  She looked at him in surprise because the Fanyin Valley Belt was very, very near the Sky Kingdom and the Yi Mao Beast, while less dangerous than the Qingtian Beast, was nothing to scoff at.  After a few seconds, he saw the surprise look on her face turn to worry.  He took her hands in his and began to rub her palms with his thumbs.  

"Don't worry, the Sky Kingdom is heavily fortified.  It would not be able to attack here."  He really should not have told her about the Yi Mao Beast knowing that she would be frightened as it was too close to home.  But he had gotten into the habit of telling her everything that has been happening as she was so easy to talk to that he forgot to filter his narrative today.  

"I'm not worried about the Sky Kingdom.  I'm worried about you."  she exclaimed. She was frequently fearless about most things but when it comes to him, she could not help but worry because she knew that he tried to take responsibility for every significant thing that happens in both the Mortal and Immortal Realms.  Even as she knew that he was a God with an almost unlimited power, he was not invincible.  He could still get hurt.  In some ways, she resented the burdens that were placed upon him, knowing that he would sacrifice even himself for the good of everyone.

"Why are you worried about me?"  He had just been congratulating himself that he had kept himself from telling her that he would be the one to deal with the Beast because he knew that she would fret and worry as she worried incessantly over him.  Just as she knew him, he knew her well also.

She gave him a look.  "You're the one who has to deal with the Yi Mao Beast right? Knowing you, you're not going to let others risk their lives if you can do everything yourself."  He sighed.  She really was too perceptive for her own good.  "Donghua, you're still recovering from your last injury.  You haven't even gained back your cultivation yet, what if you get hurt again?" she said, clearly agitated now.  She stood up and started to pace.  "You should let others help you.  You don't have to do everything yourself.  You can get seriously hurt."  The more she thought about it, the more she felt distressed.  "What if something happens to you and I'm not there to take care of you?"

"I'm not going to get hurt all right?"  he said soothingly as he took her into his arms kissing her forehead.  He could feel how much she cared for him.  In his whole life, no one has ever cared for him, worried about him the way she did.  "I promise, I'll take extra care.  I won't take any unnecessary risk.  After all, I have you to come home to now.  I'm not alone now."