Courtship Rite

Request

Xichen's bedroom combined austerity and luxury. The entire back wall held a seascape, an impressionistic image of rocks, sea, and sky. The first morning Meng Yao had woken in Xichen's bed, he'd lost himself in the feel of those silken sheets. When Xichen had asked if he should be jealous, Meng Yao had laughed. "Yes, you should be very, very jealous. If you don't let me sleep here every single night, I'm stealing these sheets out from under you."

"I thought you didn't like my bed," Xichen had teased.

"It's too hard."

He loved Xichen's laugh. "The beds I grew up in were much harder."

"I'm so glad your uncle didn't raise me."

Even though Meng Yao had long ago bought the same type of sheets for his own bed, balking at the cost even though he could afford it by then, he still liked to wake and luxuriate in Xichen's bed. That morning, though, when he woke, he looked over to check that Xichen still slept and quietly lifted the covers. His hand was turning the doorknob when Xichen spoke. "Where are you going, my love?"

"I arranged to have breakfast delivered. I'd planned to bring it to you in bed." He set his tone of voice to suggest Xichen was very naughty for ruining his surprise.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

"Can't I just want to treat you?"

Xichen's raised eyebrow suggested he knew it was something more, but he didn't say anything and so Meng Yao pulled on Xichen's robe, said he'd be right back, and walked to the front door. The guard waited outside the door, holding onto the bag. Meng Yao honestly didn't believe the guard was necessary. No one outside the Lan inner family could get onto this floor without an invitation.

When Meng Yao carried the bag into the apartment, he found Xichen sitting at the table in silk pajamas. "I told you I was feeding you breakfast in bed."

Xichen's grin held a touch of mischief. "We can eat at the table."

"Er-ge's being very bad this morning. I'm not sure he deserves breakfast."

"You won't deny me breakfast when you want a favor."

"You don't believe I just want to treat you?" Meng Yao asked with a pout.

Xichen pointed to the blue bag with silver lettering. "You wouldn't order from my favorite breakfast bar unless you had a favor to ask."

"Er-ge knows me so well."

"And?"

Meng Yao wasn't sure how to ask. He'd thought he'd have a chance to soften Xichen up first. He decided to stall. "You know there was a situation with your brother's beau on Friday."

"Of course." Meng Yao knew he meant that literally. Xichen kept up to date on anything concerning his brother.

"Are you aware that the music instructor was injured?"

"Yes." Xichen laughed. "Wangji's infamous temper."

Well, he couldn't put it off any longer. "His name is Pan Wenshi. I believe he was your instructor at one point?"

Xichen had stopped laughing. He looked serious and didn't reply.

"I was thinking of retiring him to the island." Untrusted employees who couldn't be killed, for one reason or another, were retired to an island. They lived out their lives in comfort but were allowed only supervised contact with the outside world.

"I was told Wangji'd ordered him killed." Xichen's voice had gone flat. Dangerous.

"His exact words were leave him. Please don't blame the attendants." Meng Yao didn't say he'd ordered the men to save Pan Wenshi. He wouldn't take the credit, or the blame, when Xichen had gone so still.

Meng Yao scurried for anything to mitigate Xichen's anger. "I picked him for that position. He's older. He knew the lay of the land. I didn't expect this to happen." Meng Yao felt himself crying and turned his head away. He couldn't let Xichen see his weakness.

He felt arms wrap around him and startled, but it was just Xichen pulling him into a hug. "A-Yao, you're too sensitive. I love you for it, but you can't let these things upset you."

That's not it, Meng Yao wanted to say. I made a mistake. I picked the wrong man. That's why I'm upset, nothing more, but Xichen had already seen him cry.

Xichen raised Meng Yao's hand and kissed it. "You can't blame yourself. You take on so many of our burdens. You need to take some time for yourself. You need to relax."

"I'll try, er-ge."

"Don't think on this situation any more. I'll take care of it."

Meng Yao lowered his head and made a big productionof wiping his tears away as he got himself under control. When he looked upagain, he smiled at Xichen. "Thank you, er-ge."