Work Text:
“Come here after sundown!”
That was what His Highness told Mu Qing.
The words had been less than quietly whispered to the servant in secret as he dressed the older into his evening attire. Mu Qing had been halfway through carding his fingers down the prince’s silken hair when the other turned, craning his neck up high to face him from his seat on the bed and offer a brimming expression.
It was an invitation; one Mu Qing debated accepting.
On the one hand, Xie Lian –Mu Qing will allow himself to say only in his head–, he was the crowned prince. Mu Qing ought to be honored by such request as any servant should be and follow up with what was asked of him. But then again, Mu Qing was just that: a servant. It wasn’t his place to be in the prince’s private quarters that late into the day. Even when it was his turn to fit Xie Lian into his nightwear, it wouldn’t be so late that the sun couldn’t be seen anymore. This request was unusual from their norm.
Mu Qing faltered to rank his options.
Why did Xie Lian always feel the need to do this, the bitter thought crossed his mind.
Of course, the prince wasn’t the most aware of his power, or at the very least not of the great extent of it, but it was often that Mu Qing has to deal with these situations. The irksome times when Xie Lian will give less than pleasant orders that Mu Qing can only wince at and follow like the obedient servant he was to be.
Like then, Mu Qing cursed the clouded skies above and looked around himself to check no one was watching.
When the coast was clear, he pulled at his hair hysterically and kicked at the floor.
Why did he even have to look after the young prince?
It wasn’t like Mu Qing was incredibly mature. Or older, for that matter. He was eight, at least three months younger than Xie Lian himself.
An adult attendant should be in charge of such work, especially with the childcare aspects of it. Perhaps that way the prince would listen instead of charging forward with every one of his childish wits.
Oh, who was Mu Qing kidding, Xie Lian was incapable of listening to anyone. Adult or not.
“You! Where are you headed?”
A voice shouted from behind.
Mu Qing's heart nearly stopped.
He was just about to explain the situation, fresh tears ready to go, when the person to who he assumed the voice belonged rushed past him to a maid far off. Mu Qing could only assume it was one of the night patrol guards, not that he was incredibly familiar with them.
And by gods, Mu Qing wasn't planning to get to know them soon either.
Not risking the chance to slip away, Mu Qing quickly patted down the corridor with his heart beating faster than it should.
Walking the rest of the way was a piece of cake.
Mostly everyone had retired to their own quarters for the day. The night staff too dutifully absorbed with their own tasks to take interest in a child servant roaming the halls. If they did notice, they said nothing. Mu Qing suspected it was his young looks that gave him the doubtful benefit. No one there had the heart to deny a child anything.
No matter, Mu Qing made it.
He stood in front of Xie Lian’s door for another nervous moment, simply doing nothing.
It was eerily quiet.
Wiping a clammy hand on his robes, Mu Qing swallowed his fears and knocked as respectfully loud as he could it being so late.
No one answered.
Mu Qing hated to think he would have to knock again.
“He's here!” Very suddenly, a voice yelled through the door.
Mu Qing winced as it bounced then echoed down the hall and further into the palace where everyone else could hear.
The door of his prince’s room opened with a roar, Xie Lian coming into view just as it hit the wall with a heavy thud.
“Welcome A-Qing!”
His Highness’ toothy grin greeted him.
Mu Qing bit down on his bottom lip to keep from poking fun at the missing gap in the gleeful smile.
“Your Highness,” Mu Qing addressed back. “What can this humble one do for you tonight?”
“Drop the pleasant–trees, A-Qing, it’s just me!” Xie Lian replied with a childish lisp.
Mu Qing rolled his eyes. A new habit.
As if. There was no such thing as just Xie Lian.
Xie Lian must have realized that because he gave up on getting another answer and simply tugged him into the room.
His grip was far too harsh. It sent Mu Qing barreling into the floor backward.
Mu Qing expected pain, lots of it.
(The palace floors may not be made of gold but the kingdom of Xianle was plenty rich. The floors were made of the next best thing. Mu Qing had slipped enough times while mopping to know whatever it was, it hurt just as much as gold would.)
And yet the pain never made its appearance.
Instead, a pair of arms did. Scrawny but strong, the arms skillfully caught Mu Qing’s weight like an expert.
Hm. Like a royal guard.
“Watch where you're going!” Feng Xin grumbled and pushed him to the side.
That time, Mu Qing did fall, straight into a mountain of– pillows???
“You two made it, good!” Without further explanation, Xie Lian plopped down onto the floor next to them.
There were pillows scattered around, satin blankets under them, both of which Mu Qing inched away from with a scowl.
Really, Xie Lian was trying to get him hanged.
“What exactly did we make it to?”
Feng Xin narrowed his eyes suspiciously, not entirely at Xie Lian.
“A slumber party!”
Mu Qing and Feng Xin moved in sync.
They looked at each other, stumped, then at His Highness sitting in front of them.
Mu Qing’s courtesy escaped him like water pouring through a strainer.
“What are you babbling on about?”
His bluntness earned him a smack on his side.
Ever so quick to defend Xie Lian's honor, Feng Xin shouted, “Show some respect! His Highness wants us to-”
The brunette’s face turned confused, “–have a slumber party?”
Impossibly, Xie Lian smiled brighter.
“Yes! Last week, my parents took me to a, uh, A-Xin what was it called?”
Without missing a beat, Feng Xin answered. “A conference, you mean.”
“Yes, that! We went, and oh! I heard these older kids talk about having a sleepover while I toured the grounds and it sounded like fun, doesn’t it sound like fun?”
It didn’t.
“Am I supposed to… sleep over?” Mu Qing asked dubiously.
He got another smack. “Duh, isn’t it kind of in the name?”
Mu Qing sneered. “Feng Xin, if you don’t stop that I swear to god.”
Feng Xin shrugged him off with a shoulder pointed at Xie Lian. “He’s right there, is he not? His Highness isn’t going to do anything.”
That did it.
Mu Qing jumped him. His anger blinded any civility he usually tried to keep around Xie Lian, enough so that they tumbled for more than a few seconds.
Under him, Feng Xin pushed back against his chest.
The annoying brat tried again and again to dodge Mu Qing’s punches, each sweetly unsuccessful. Mu Qing almost preened.
In the end, Feng Xin ended up pulling on his half-tied hair as a simple defense: a move he knew Mu Qing absolutely hated.
Still waving a fist around, Mu Qing reached his other hand out to their left.
Petite fingers clenched fabric.
It was a pillow.
Not an ideal weapon but Mu Qing would have to work with what he had.
Getting straight to it, he smacked Feng Xin across his right with the soft object. Then he smacked left for good measure.
“Give up.”
Feng Xin hissed. “You wish.”
In a last resort, Feng Xin pulled his weight and rolled over. With his hands still gripping Mu Qing, he flipped their positions enough to get a pillow of his own.
Thwack.
Pillowy fabric bashed Mu Qing’s cheek.
“You’re paying for that, jerk!”
Just as Mu Qing was about to hit back, Xie Lian shrieked with pure excitement.
“You guys should’ve told me you wanted to have a pillow fight!”
Mu Qing guffawed as he felt a new weight hit his stomach. It wouldn't be surprising if that was Feng Xin's back that cracked with the noise of Xie Lian hitting their bodies.
Mu Qing bemoaned. “You could’ve done that more gently.”
Xie Lian laughed, ignoring his biting words. “Are you surrendering?”
Feng Xin looked up at that, dumb brown eyes staring judgingly at him.
They were both staring.
Much obviously, they waited for him to make his escape.
It would be smart to call it quits, then, when the night was still partly young. If anyone caught him there, it would be unnecessarily problematic. Forget being discharged from his position, Mu Qing would be publicly shunned from existence for bothering a member of the great royal family.
Mu Qing studied his friend’s faces; Xie Lian’s protruding dimples, and slightly more irritating, Feng Xin’s piercing eyes. Only they could look so excited about something dumb like a sleepover. (Mu Qing had to wonder how his own face looked at the moment.)
Begrudgingly, Mu Qing ignored the alarms going off in his head. “I’m not a quitter."
His friends smiled.
“Good! That means it’ll be a fair fight!”
Not long after, they broke into laughter, playfully sparring with pillows soft enough not to do any actual damage, but fun all the same.
It was in the morning that the queen would come by to find them sleeping on the floor with the blankets ignored beside them. A prince, a guard, and a servant; the queen draped a blanket over the three with a melting smile. It seemed that boys would be boys.
She hoped despite it all, they would remain that way.