"You need not accompany me to sleep, Xin’er." Liu Mingyun whispered to him, the words carrying the softness of the first snowfall after a long autumn. Even as he said so, the Crown Prince reached to take Li Xinyuan’s hands into his own regardless.

He took a step towards the bed, accompanied by a strained groan from the back of his throat, Liu Mingyun sank into the familiar mattress slowly, and pulled the surgeon along to sit by his side.

With little to protest, Li Xinyuan took a seat beside him, eyelashes fluttering at the warm sensation of the calloused pad of Liu Mingyun’s thumb running over his knuckles.

"Then, why not let go of my hand, My Liege?" He swallowed slightly, hooded eyes flickering down to their joined hands.

At that, Liu Mingyun gave him a slight, fleeting smile, crimson eyes twinkling. "Oh this?" He nodded towards their hands. "I am afraid I must ask you to stay a while, if only to help set my nightly affairs before bed in order. Say, will Xin’er stay?"

The surgeon pursed his lips together, heart thumping with anticipation of the Crown Prince’s following words. "And what might it be?" He asked with a conscience full of turmoil. His anticipation, though borne not of any perversion nor lust, was tumultuous indeed.

It was deep into the night, though scarce, it was inevitable his mind would wander towards, well, untoward happenstances. Li Xinyuan was a human. He was no saint, far from it, really.

But still, following his expectations, if Liu Mingyun was to really ask for something of that nature, the surgeon would find himself compelled to refuse.

He had yet to completely assimilate himself with the glaring truth of his intended being 18, all while he himself was nearly 42. Mentally.

He was rudely torn away from the internal crisis as Liu Mingyun leaned closer, eliminating what little distance remained between them. His breath was light, carrying the evenness of surety derived from a confidence perhaps only a prince would have.

"Yes, that I must ask of you," he paused, turning the surgeon’s hand over to trace formless patterns on his palm, "will you be so kind and help brush and untangle my hair?"

Li Xinyuan paused at the request, gaze fleeting between their joined hands and the Crown Prince’s placid face. "Why, of course, is this something you even need to request?"

At that, the latter merely shrugged, head canting slightly. "I thought I ought to ask beforehand."

...

"I still find myself perplexed by the circumstances surrounding your injuries, My Liege," Li Xinyuan, now sat behind his betrothed — who, for the sake of comfort, sat on the floor with his back to the surgeon — at his feet with a brush in hand, spoke up, cadence low and conversational. "How could someone as strong as yourself be wounded by a mere elder?"

Liu Mingyun, unable to forbear a wince as the surgeon tugged at a knot in his long hair, replied belatedly. "Even I have no definitive answer to this, Xin’er." Carefully, he turned to glance back at the latter. "Could you be a little gentler, my dear? This Prince’s head and his hair are quite the precious things."

Li Xinyuan met his crimson gaze with the calm molten gold of his own, a smile dancing at the corner of his plush lips. "Why, my Highness, I have been nothing but gentle. But very well, for the sake of your precious hair, I shall be even gentler."

The teasing lilt in his words was unmistakable.

Liu Mingyun exhaled softly, eyes fluttering shut as he leaned back against the surgeon’s legs, relishing in the reprieve of his gentle care in the midst of this long recovery. "Careful, Xin’er." His head tipped back, chin raising whilst his kind eyes found Li Xinyuan’s. "One of these days, I might take offense at your deeds."

Though he said that, the playful warning in his eyes was something the surgeon could see clear as day, even in the deep embrace of the night and dim illumination of the burning amber flames.

Slipping his fingers free of the silken silver strands, Li Xinyuan leaned forward, fondness etched in every outline of his visage.

Gingerly, his hands slipped down to the base of Liu Mingyun’s throat, fingers dancing up along the column of it until finally, both his hands came to rest on the softness under his chin. Until he could feel the little tremors of the Crown Prince swallowing.

All this time, he held onto the silver-haired man’s intense gaze, then slowly bent forward. As he did so, his long raven waves, let down and free of their usual constraints, spilled forward. His hair hid their sight from the moonlight above behind its curtain.

"How would My Liege like for me to apologise?" Unable to resist the temptation of it, Li Xinyuan crooned, his voice smooth as honey and velvet. As he gazed down at his intended, irises a molten gold under the amber warmth of flames, he saw the Crown Prince’s lips part and felt a slight hitch of his breath under his fingers.

Liu Mingyun’s mind buzzed, his throat felt all too dry as suddenly as the moment. His lips parted in a speechless, mesmerised stupor from Li Xinyuan’s beauty, tongue darting to wet the drying flesh. His throat tightened as the latter’s fingers against the underside of his chin moved to trace his jaw.

No. He could not give in now. No matter how alluring the thought alone was, some semblance of propriety must be upheld.

With this in mind, the Crown Prince resolutely snapped his eyes shut, effectively doing away with the sinuous sight of his betrothed.

"There is no need for apologies." Pushing himself forward and free of Li Xinyuan’s grasp, Liu Mingyun cleared his throat, bolting upright on his feet. "It is rather late now. Let us retire for the night."

The Crown Prince all but jumped into the bed, his back facing the closed window as he pulled on the duvet to cover his face. "Whatever is left can be discussed after daybreak."

Li Xinyuan watched the whole sequence of actions in stunned silence, the brush still grasped loosely in his hand. What was that?

He blinked slowly. Once, then again and again.

"Oh," finally, he managed to spit out in a daze. "Sleep well, My Liege."