Respite

***A/N: Written for Frea.
A sweet little post-canon story because we both are hungry af for some cute FengCui. 🥺

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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.