Work Text:
It was halfway through the Hour of the Rat. Night had long since descended upon the world, and even the most bustling city had ceased their merriness, falling into slumber to await the coming of a new day.
A Chinese scholar tree stood gracefully in the courtyard; its lush green leaves swaying in the wind as they hung onto the branches. Delicate white petals bloomed in clusters amidst the leaves. They sent a pleasant fragrant wafting in the air, the sweet scent dancing in the night breeze to spread their invisible wings, flying to faraway and beyond.
Feng Xiao made no sound when he entered the courtyard, exhaustion visibly permeated his silent countenance.
The Jiejian Bureau had been buried in works as of late; cases after cases kept falling onto their hands and gradually piled up to a mountain. All personnel of the Jiejian Bureau from top to bottom had been running all over the place for the entire month. Feng Xiao himself had been working nonstop, traveling from the bureau to town to prison to the outskirts and sometimes to other cities. There were instances where he even slept in the bureau, having no time for anything more than a short nap before having to jump back to his feet and start running around again. It wasn't until the beginning of the next month did the amount of their workload considerably subsided. At last, after three days of sleeping in his office, Feng Xiao was able to return to his residence.
Summer night was warm. It was not as insufferable as the burning temperature during the day, but humidity still caused one to sweat easily. Now that he could finally take some time for proper rest, Feng Xiao wanted nothing more but to soak in hot water, wiping all the sweat, grime, and dirt from his person. But just as he was about to lift the hem of his robe and step over the threshold, Feng Xiao’s entire movement stopped abruptly.
In the supposedly empty room, someone was sitting in the side chamber, cloaked in the silence of the night.
The calming scent of incense softly glided in the air, mingling with the sweet fragrant of flowers from outside. Half of the candlelights inside the room had already burnt out, leaving faint glows and thin shadows to overlap with each other, engulfing the lone figure in the side chamber.
Cui Buqu was sitting by the table. He supported his head with one hand, which elbow was resting on the table’s surface. Although summer night was not at all cold, he was wearing an extra layer of outer garment draped over his thin figure; his long black hair was not tied but scattered down his delicate back. Cui Buqu’s eyes were closed. His pale countenance was peaceful in the dim light and his breathing slow.
He was sleeping as he sat leaning onto the table.
Feng Xiao stood in a daze. At that moment, the wind picked up slightly and rustled the trees in the courtyard. A few petals of the Chinese scholar tree flowers fell from their stems; the dainty white pieces floating for a while in the air before being blown into the side chamber. As it happened, one of the white petals landed on Cui Buqu’s hair, making a stark contrast against the jet-black strands.
The corner of Feng Xiao’s lips slowly curled into a smile. Just like that, he strode into the room and closed the door behind him without a sound.
An unspecified amount of time had passed since Cui Buqu arrived at Commander Feng’s residence. He knew that the latter hadn’t returned from work, so he decided to wait for him in the side chamber. The guards and servants of the residence were no longer unfamiliar with him and the kind of relationship he shared with Feng Xiao. After escorting him to their Master’s room and serving him tea, the servants tacitly retreated without needing to be asked, leaving some peace and quiet for the Commander of the Zuoyue Bureau.
Cui Buqu didn’t remember how and when he fell asleep. Despite his great mind and scheming nature, he was not a man with prominent martial art talent. Knowing that he was currently in a safe place, his senses were dulled once his consciousness wanned, unable to detect the changes taking place in his surroundings.
As such, when his nose suddenly felt a bit itchy, Cui Buqu ended up sneezing himself awake and only then did he discover that he was no longer sitting by the table, but lying down on a bed, wrapped under a thin blanket. Feeling sluggish, Cui Buqu stirred groggily and tried to take a look around.
It was then that he heard the faint sound of relaxed footsteps approaching.
“Ququ- ah , you’re awake?”
Feng Xiao had just emerged from the bath. His long hair that was spread over his shoulders still had some dampness in it after having only been dried not too long ago. He was wearing only a layer of clean white inner robe, but his handsome visage and fine stature made his otherwise modest appearance into an unparalleled elegance. Cui Buqu, who was still half asleep, thought to himself that Commander Feng’s stunning beauty was truly one in a million. But he did not voice this praise aloud. Instead, Cui Buqu pursed his lips and rolled over to the other side without a word, presenting his back.
He felt the bedding sink as Feng Xiao sat on the bed, hovering above him to peek at his face.
“What’s the matter, hmm?” the Master of the house whispered; his voice was low and teasing, “Is this noble one’s appearance too charming that he makes Ququ shy?”
“Indeed, Lord Feng- er ’s dazzling visage is a gift bestowed by Heaven itself. This humble one shall remove himself from your presence at once, lest he’d tarnished the Noble Lord’s eyes.”
With that said, Cui Buqu made to rise from the bed, but Feng Xiao swiftly caught him by the waist and pulled him into a hug. He flipped himself over and gently pressed down on Cui Buqu, who had been made to lie on his back again. Feng Xiao stroked Cui Buqu’s pale cheek and tilted his chin. Then, he lowered his head to kiss him.
If this were to happen in the past, Cui Buqu would’ve returned Commander Feng’s gesture with a direct slap in the face. But time had passed and seasons changed. Now, whenever Feng Xiao kissed him, Cui Buqu only closed his eyes and remained in place, letting the other man take the lead while he himself quietly savored the tender affection. Cui Buqu’s body emitted the scent of herbal medicine; kissing him was almost like tasting that bitter concoction on one’s tongue. But never once had Feng Xiao complained about it. In fact, the longer they stayed by each other’s side, the more Feng Xiao seemed to be fond of this particular attribute of Cui Buqu, as he often would hold him tight and bury his face on Cui Buqu’s frail shoulders, inhaling his scent.
“Have Ququ been waiting long?” as they laid side by side, Feng Xiao brushed a stray hair from Cui Buqu’s temple.
“Mn. I’ve been waiting long. I demand compensation from Commander Feng.”
“What kind of compensation does Commander Cui want?”
Cui Buqu opened his empty hands in front of Feng Xiao’s face.
“Fifty taels of gold for every shichen passed,” he said without the slightest hint of shame.
But Feng Xiao was even more shameless. He caught Cui Buqu’s wrists and kissed his opened palms instead.
“One kiss from this great one worths more than a hundred taels of gold,” he said.
Cui Buqu promptly closed his hands around Feng Xiao’s face and squeezed his cheeks in visible annoyance. Commander Feng’s unbridled laughter briefly resounded in the quiet room.
“Ququ, there’s this newly opened teahouse that I found a few days ago while on duty,” their period of jests now ceased, Feng Xiao shifted to hug Cui Buqu once more, “The place is great. How about I take you there tomorrow?”
“Sure…”
Tucked between Feng Xiao’s protective arms, there was nothing much that Cui Buqu could do. Thus he laid down on his side, resting his face against the other’s chest as he surrounded himself with the fresh scent of bath and soap wafting from Feng Xiao’s body.
After a long while of silence, however, Cui Buqu suddenly opened his mouth.
“Feng- er .”
“Hmm?”
Thinking that Cui Buqu had fallen asleep, Feng Xiao had also closed his eyes and started to doze off. He inclined his head slightly at this call, peering into Cui Buqu’s face.
But the latter only shook his head.
“Nothing,” Cui Buqu said.
Feng Xiao raised his brow, but he didn’t pursue the matter any further. Both his physical and mental strength truly had been drained after that busy month, so he rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes again.
It was at this moment that he heard Cui Buqu’s voice once more.
“ Er-lang .”
Before Feng Xiao could say a word, he felt a soft touch on his lips. Cui Buqu’s mouthed a few words after landing this unprecedented attack. Then, he rolled over and never looked in Feng Xiao’s direction again, presenting him only with his back.
Even so, Lord Feng- er ’s sharp hearing didn’t fail to catch those few words spoken without a sound.
“I’ve missed you.”
Feng Xiao couldn’t fall asleep for the entire night.