The sudden, sharp knock on the carriage door shattered the heavy tension between them. Xiaochuan jumped and scrambled back to his seat, smoothing his rumpled robes with shaking hands and red beet face.
"Your Majesty!" a guard shouted over the sudden rising whistle of the wind. "A storm is breaking over the mountain pass. It's coming fast!"
Chengyuan's eyes stayed locked on Xiaochuan for a lingering second, a flash of annoyance crossing his features at the interruption before he finally slid the small window latch open, peering out at the horizon where the sky had turned a dark purple. Thunder rumbled in the distance, warning them of the heavy storm approaching.
Chengyuan slid the window shut with a sharp sound and turned to face Xiaochuan.
"Stay here." Chengyuan ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument. He stepped out of the carriage into the wind, taking in the situation. The wind was already getting strong and the horses were already whinnying, sensing the atmospheric pressure dropping.
Xiaochuan watched through the small window as Chengyuan gathered the guards. The Emperor's fur mantle flowed behind him like wings as he gave his orders.
The caravan was too heavy, and the carriages were too prone to being crushed by falling rock or swept away by mud. So the main decision was that the main force would retreat half a mile to the small city they had passed and wait out the storm.
Then, Chengyuan turned back to the carriage and wrenched the door open.
"Come here." he commanded, reaching in to grasp Xiaochuan's wrist. "The storm is getting closer, we can't stay much longer."
"Wait- what?" Xiaochuan stumbled out on the ground, nearly losing his footing. "Where are we going?"
"A small shelter, it's a ten minute hard ride from here, my stallion can make it, these carriage horses cannot." Chengyuan explained and didn't wait for a reply, one of the guards led a massive black horse forward and he grabbed the reigns, ready to mount.
The guards looked panicked. "Your Majesty, it's too dangerous! Let us escort you-"
"You will only slow me down." Chengyuan snapped, mounting the horse in one fluid motion. He looked down at Xiaochuan, who was standing in the wind, looking small and terrified. "Give me your hand."
Before Xiaochuan could even process his words, Chengyuan reached down, grabbed his arm, and hauled him upward. Xiaochuan gasped as he was swung into the air and placed onto the saddle directly in front of the Emperor.
Chengyuan unbuckled his heavy, fur mantle and threw it over both of them, effectively cocooning Xiaochuan against his chest. The Alpha's arms came around him to grip the reins, caging Xiaochuan in to himself.
"Hold on," Chengyuan shouted over a sudden, deafening crack of thunder that made Xiaochuan flinch. "Do not let go of me Xiaochuan, do you hear me?"
Xiaochuan nodded fervently, he didn't need to be told twice. He sank into the Emperor's chest, his fingers digging into the Alpha's arms as he felt the massive horse beneath them neigh at the Emperor's command, and with a terrifying burst of speed, they bolted.
The world turned into a blur of rain and branches. Every time the horse leaped over a fallen log or made a slick turn, Xiaochuan was jolted hard against Chengyuan. He could feel the Emperor's steady, rhythmic breathing against his ear and the iron strength in the arms that held him steady. The rain was drenching them, and the wind was howling like a wounded beast, but inside the fur mantle, pressed against the Emperor's skin, Xiaochuan had never felt more terrifyingly warm.
Sooner than Xiaochuan expected, through the rain, the dark silhouette of a stone lodge appeared, standing firm and strond against the wind.
°°°°°
The moment they got under the roof, the deafening roar of the rain reduced a bit. Chengyuan had steered them to a small space attached to the side of the lodge, it was a bit overgrown with grasses and covered with dry hay.
Chengyuan dismounted first and immediately reached up to lift Xiaochuan down. His hands lingered on Xiaochuan's waist for a heartbeat longer than necessary, his dark eyes searching the omega's pale face. Xiaochuan was shivering, his toned pink hair had dulled into a deep color as it matted against his skin.
"Stay with here for a moment, I'll be back." Chengyuan said and Xiaochuan gave a shaky nod in return.
He huddled against the stallion's warm neck, watching as Chengyuan disappeared for some minutes before returning.
"Let's go." Chengyuan ordered.
When they walked in, xiaochuan looked around in surprise, he didn't expect the interior to be bigger than he was expecting. The lodge was one large, open room, a low bed piled with heavy furs was on one side, and on the other side was the fireplace, it was minimal, but more than Xiaochuan expected, seeing it from the outside.
Chengyuan immediately got into action, he grabbed a pile of dry wood stacked by the hearth and within minutes, a small, orange flame began to lick at the wood, casting shadows across the room.
He paused to look back at the omega that was still standing where he left him. His shivering was now less compared to a while ago when they were still outside.
Chengyuan sighed and turned back to face the hearth. "Get out of those wet silks, Xiaochuan," Chengyuan said without looking back, he kept his back to the omega as he fed a larger log into the growing fire. "You'll come down with a fever of you stay in those wet clothes for longer than necessary.
Xiaochuan hesitated, his fingers trembling as he touched the collar of his hanfu. The silk was heavy and clinging to his skin, he looked at the Emperor, who was already stripping off his own attire. He gulped when the alpha peeled off the last layer of clothing, revealing his sculpted smooth back. Despite the cold settling into Xiaochuan's skin, he felt the heat slowly creeping up his neck to his face.
Get a hold of yourself Lin Xiaochuan. He scolded himself.
"I….. I don't have anything else to wear," He said, barely above a whisper after looking around.
Chengyuan finally turned, his dark hair was plastered to his forehead, and droplets of water traced down the bridge of his nose. He looked at Xiaochuan, who was still shivering, and for a moment, something dangerously soft flickered across his face.
He walked to a heavy wooden chest at the foot of the bed and kicked it open, pulling out a thick, oversized tunic and tossed it to Xiaochuan.
"Use this. It will be itchy, but it is dry." He stepped closer, the heat from the fireplace behind him creating a golden halo around his powerful frame. To Xiaochuan, the emperor looked like the devil, just emerging from the pits of hell, and he a little too well, that this devil was out to get him.
"And do not worry about modesty, little moon. I have already seen every inch of you, there's no need to be shy now is there?" Chengyuan said with a taunting smile.
See? He's out to get me.
Xiaochuan thought to himself as he took the rough wool from the emperor and clutched it to his chest, his gaze darting to the single bed in the corner. The realization hit him like a truck, there was only one bed, where is the Emperor going to sleep?
"Are you going to take off the clothes yourself or I'm going to have to do it for you, little moon?"
Xiaochuan stared in dread at the alpha. Or worse, the question he'd been dreading to ask himself.
Where is he going to sleep?