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"I've tried to be patient, your highness, but—" The door to Xie Lian's bed chambers swung open, and all protests died on the palace steward's lips upon locking eyes with the prince.
To Xie Lian's credit, he did a good job of looking suitably scandalised, sitting up in the middle of the bed, clutching the sheets to his bare chest, "Yin Yu! You know it's improper to enter private chambers without knocking!"
"Alas, your highness, I have been knocking for quite some time." Yin Yu bowed politely. "In fact, I recall you responding, so you must have been aware of my presence."
Xie Lian grimaced, looking around the room as if it might hold the answers he needed to get out of this situation. "Well! I-I didn't say you could come in!"
"You're right, your highness, and I apologise." Yin Yu offered yet another bow. "You were expected at breakfast twenty minutes ago."
"I slept in," Xie Lian began to explain.
His body went still, attempting his straightest face as calloused fingers brushed against his side beneath the blankets. His eyes darted to the inconspicuous pile of pillows on the bed beside him, ensuring no movement could be perceived from the outside. Still, the fingers kept moving against Xie Lian's skin, tickling him until he could no longer hold back his giggle. Xie Lian's gaze moved to Yin Yu, noting the quizzical quirk of his brow. Swiftly, Xie Lian reached below the blankets, grabbing the offending hand by the wrist and stilling its movements.
"Ah, I-I just— I remembered a funny story Feng Xin told me the other day," Xie Lian explained, uncertainty woven into his voice. Yin Yu was not a fool, and Xie Lian knew it. The longer he was there, the more suspicious he would become. "Do you expect me to come to breakfast in my pyjamas?"
Yin Yu looked taken aback by the question, and Xie Lian felt only a little guilty. "Of course not, but your parents—"
"Tell them that I overslept and I will be with them shortly." Xie Lian bit his lip, trying to dull the sharpness of his words when he added, "Please, Yin Yu."
The palace steward hesitated for a moment, torn between the orders he'd been given and the ones he was receiving from Xie Lian. Reluctantly, he offered one last bow, "Yes, your highness."
The moment the door slipped closed, Xie Lian let out a relieved sigh. Somehow, he'd gotten away with it. It felt like the ruse was becoming increasingly difficult to keep going the longer things went on. Xie Lian had suspected it would get easier with time. Perhaps they'd gotten cocky. Perhaps the familiarity had made them reckless. Trying for a few extra minutes here and there was sure to do them in.
The mountain of pillows beside him slowly tumbled to the floor as the man hiding beneath his blankets emerged, pressing a trail of kisses up Xie Lian's neck as he did. "You're getting better at lying. Maybe I'm a bad influence on you."
"San Lang," Xie Lian whined, leaning into the offered kisses despite his exasperation. "Were you tickling me on purpose?"
"I think it's cute, how ticklish you are." Hua Cheng smirked, brushing Xie Lian's hair behind his ear. "If your father were to find out you've been sneaking me into your room at night, he'd have my head, you know?"
Xie Lian held Hua Cheng's chin and gently squished his cheeks into a pout. "And that is why he never will."
Kissing him, Xie Lian let go of Hua Cheng's face and smiled at the dramatic sigh he received in response. "Am I always to be your little secret?" Hua Cheng reached out and kissed Xie Lian's knuckles. "I do so enjoy our trysts, but I fear my prince deserves something more."
Xie Lian frowned. He did feel a degree of guilt about the secrecy of their relationship, but it had nothing to do with wanting, or even expecting, more. Hua Cheng was a kind and giving lover, something Xie Lian had anticipated even before their relationship had developed. A stable boy who cared so deeply for his horses was always going to be a sweetheart.
That was what had attracted Xie Lian in the first place. Someone so quiet. Someone who cared more for animals than he did for people. Xie Lian couldn't help but be intrigued. Hua Cheng was relatively cold to everyone else, but had been quite shy and polite with Xie Lian. He thought the reaction might be a result of his status, but the same care was not given to other members of the royal family.
The familiarity with which Hua Cheng regarded Xie Lian now was much preferable, if more troublesome when his playful side emerged.
"I need nothing more than you," Xie Lian assured, resting their heads together and cradling Hua Cheng's cheek. "Have I done something to make you believe otherwise?"
"Not at all. I am honoured to have caught my prince's affections." Hua Cheng rested his hand over Xie Lian's, leaning into the delicate touch. "But I am aware of the difficulties I am causing."
"You call them difficulties, but I've never had so much fun." Xie Lian grinned. "I enjoy sneaking you into my room at night. I fear it's a rush I may never grow tired of. Even when the truth is revealed, you must whisk me away to some faraway places, allow me to shirk my responsibilities, and instead indulge in the taste of my beloved."
Hua Cheng nudged their noses together, his eyes trained on Xie Lian's lips. "When it's revealed?"
"Soon, my father will abdicate the throne, and I will become king. I would do so with you at my side." Xie Lian licked his lips, trying to resist the temptation of Hua Cheng's. "A king should not rule alone, don't you think? Someone should be there to help him make important choices. Someone should be there to support him and to keep him grounded. There should be someone the king can go to when all the politics and formalities are over, to allow him to let go and just… be."
Hua Cheng's lips pressed to Xie Lian's, and just as it always did, every worry, every lingering duty faded into the background. There had never been anyone in Xie Lian's life who loved so loudly, yet with such nuanced subtlety. Hua Cheng screamed his devotion for Xie Lian from the palace rooftops without breathing a word. It was in the warmth of his gaze, the touch of his overworked fingers, and the passion of every tender kiss. Xie Lian melted into him with ease, clinging to the feeling that only Hua Cheng had ever been able to grant him.
In Hua Cheng's presence, he was no longer a prince, but a man desperately in love.
"I need to go before they come looking for me again," Xie Lian pointed out, still drawing Hua Cheng back in for more.
"Or you could stay here with me," Hua Cheng suggested, a skillful hand moving to Xie Lian's bare hip in temptation. "We could spend the day making love and pretending the rest of the palace doesn't exist."
"You know I'd like nothing more." Xie Lian sighed, reluctantly moving Hua Cheng's hand away. He slipped out of the bed, crossing the room to find suitable attire. "I will not allow my greed to get you caught. We have to go."
"But I am so fond of my prince's greed." Hua Cheng sulked.
Xie Lian huffed a laugh. This was another side of his beloved that had not been present when they first met, but had slowly revealed itself over time. There was a possessive streak within both of them, one they each fed. Where once, Hua Cheng would keep his desires for closeness hidden, he now found no shame in begging for Xie Lian's attention. Though he loathed to admit it, Xie Lian delighted in the feeling it brought him. To be desired not as the prince, but just as himself.
"You would not be so fond of it if it gets us caught." Pulling different fabrics out, Xie Lian started getting dressed, not daring to let himself mourn the loss of more time with Hua Cheng. Such thoughts would only serve to change his mind, a whim he could not afford to indulge.
"It would be worth it for one more moment with you," Hua Cheng implored, and despite knowing that the honey of those words was meant to seduce him, Xie Lian still felt their sincerity.
Closing the space between them, Xie Lian rested their heads together and said, "I would be greatly disappointed if the story of our love ended in tragedy, all because we couldn't control ourselves."
"Sounds romantic," Hua Cheng teased.
Xie Lian kissed him and gently patted his cheek. "Up. I've got to find something for you to wear."
"Something for me to wear?" Hua Cheng sat up, looking perplexed. "But I have my robes."
"You do," Xie Lian agreed, already going through his wardrobe in search of something for Hua Cheng. "And ordinarily, that would be fine, but we slept in. Everyone's already moving around the palace. If they see you in your usual robes, you'll stick out like a sore thumb."
At first, Xie Lian didn't notice the silence that had fallen between them, too focused on finding the perfect hanfu for Hua Cheng to wear. There were many options available to him, and whilst Xie Lian didn't think it would suit Hua Cheng to be dressed in his finest silks, it was still important to find something that was just right. There was a thrill at the prospect of being able to dress Hua Cheng. So rarely was Xie Lian presented with the opportunity to pamper him.
"Gege, I… I can't wear your robes, that wouldn't be proper." A familiar shyness took over Hua Cheng's voice, the same Xie Lian recognised from the early days of their courtship.
Stepping out from the closet, Xie Lian appraised Hua Cheng's mannerisms. He was looking around the room as if trying to find an escape route. Strange, given how hard he had been trying to get Xie Lian to stay in bed just moments prior. Xie Lian had seen Hua Cheng's discomfort with opulence before. It was not the world he had been brought up in, and even after all their time together, even after sharing Xie Lian's bed so many times, he still seemed to seize up when the luxuries were offered up to him.
"San Lang, it's okay—" Xie Lian tried.
"It's not," Hua Cheng insisted, staring down at the floor in a way that felt far too much like fealty. "I am just a stablehand. It is already reprehensible that I should indulge in my prince and the luxuries his company has to offer. But this…"
"You are not just a stablehand," Xie Lian gently replied.
"If someone saw me in the prince's robes…" Hua Cheng pursed his lips.
That was a valid concern, though Xie Lian doubted it would be that noticeable. There were plenty of robes he almost never wore. It would be easy enough to get Hua Cheng out of the palace using those, and Hua Cheng could take them off before anyone noticed anything out of the ordinary.
"Everything I own will one day be ours. Including these robes." Xie Lian crossed the space between them and pressed a kiss to Hua Cheng's forehead. "Let me dress you up. It'll be fun."
Hua Cheng's shy smile was enough to melt the coldest of hearts. "Very well. If that is what my gege wants."
Xie Lian grinned, taking Hua Cheng by the hand and pulling him onto his feet. It had taken time for Xie Lian to decide exactly what he wanted to put Hua Cheng in. So many options. So many colours. He had seen Hua Cheng almost solely in shades of brown, and while they all looked lovely, Xie Lian relished the idea of seeing him in something else.
Eventually, he caught sight of the perfect thing. It was a crimson robe deep in the back of his closet, something that Xie Lian had only worn once before. The colour reminded Xie Lian of Hua Cheng's right eye. Such a beautiful shade of red, Xie Lian was so sure it would suit him. The moment the silk was draped over Hua Cheng, Xie Lian knew he'd made the correct choice. Between the deep red of the fabric and the softness of his skin like snow, Hua Cheng was a vision of loveliness.
The bashful side of Hua Cheng was charming, though Xie Lian longed for the day when this would feel normal for him. Hua Cheng would have this life. Xie Lian would make sure of it.
"One more thing." Xie Lian grabbed a black beizi from his closet and handed it to Hua Cheng, smiling sweetly in response to the imploring look he received. "Come on, please? It'll look so good on you."
It took very little for Hua Cheng to concede, and Xie Lian knew this was a power he held over his lover. Not because of his title, but because Hua Cheng adored him so much that he would do anything if it would make Xie Lian happy. The black over the red looked incredible. Xie Lian had always been attracted to Hua Cheng, but this… this was enchanting.
"You're perfect." Xie Lian assured, watching as Hua Cheng kept adjusting the silks. He took Hua Cheng's hands before he could wrinkle the fabric. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."
Moving through the palace proved even easier than Xie Lian had suspected. Very few within the royal court took the time to visit the stables, making it all the easier to prevent Hua Cheng from being recognised. Besides, Hua Cheng looked more like royalty than Xie Lian did. There were the occasional moments when Xie Lian would have to pull them behind corners, keeping them out of sight before anyone could see them, though that was mostly because his parents were still waiting for him. Hua Cheng had held his hand over Xie Lian's mouth, trying to hide every mischievous laugh as they snuck around the palace like teenagers.
Eventually, they found themselves a short drop from the stables. Hua Cheng pulled himself over the ledge, ready to slip down and return to his duties as if he hadn't spent the twilight in the prince's chambers.
Looking over his shoulder at Xie Lian, Hua Cheng requested, "Meet me this evening. We'll commandeer a couple of horses and see where the night takes us."
Cradling Hua Cheng's face in his hand, Xie Lian pulled him into a tender kiss, lingering as long as he possibly could. "I'll be counting down the seconds."
Hua Cheng gracefully dropped down and rushed to the stables, and Xie Lian couldn't stop smiling as he watched the man who would one day be his husband disappear into the shadows.